Are afk farmers legal?

[Kurrilino.2706]

19 hours ago, BishiDe.6925 said:

 

Not once did I mention punishment of players. I am merely suggesting the current popular method to be looked at again by the staff and developers. And fyi since you went there, the American legal system is not perfect. The nation was founded on quite a few unjust laws and principles that have been rightfully struck down through the course of history. A law is not a just law from simply being a law. Rules can change, especially if it is for the betterment of society.

 

Excuse my ignorance,

i tread a law as a law doesn't matter it's not perfect, unjust or not.

Just try to argue with a cop when getting a speeding ticket that you think a 30 zone right here makes no sense to you at all.

 

And yes, a law is just a law.

So if you don't have evidence on your hands, stop this witch hunt where you randomly accuse innocent people 

trying to peacefully play a video game. This would be for the betterment of society

 

[Kurrilino.2706]

On 7/30/2021 at 3:57 PM, BishiDe.6925 said:

 

This is not about the average player stepping away from the computer/alt tabbing/bullshiting in chat. Specifically people kitted out for it and not moving for minutes on end. The Ascalon example I gave was from me being curious and watching for 20 minutes even tagging the mobs to see what they were farming.

 

See what's happening here ?

You are actually the standing farmer openly admitting it.

The other people around you were curious gamers watching if you are botting or not.

Hiding all that under "being curious" to cover personal gain is the real botting attitude that destroys this game.

 

 

 

[Trebuidoi.4701]

1 hour ago, Kurrilino.2706 said:

 

See what's happening here ?

You are actually the standing farmer openly admitting it.

The other people around you were curious gamers watching if you are botting or not.

Hiding all that under "being curious" to cover personal gain is the real botting attitude that destroys this game.

 

 

 

Ah yes my soulbeast manually tagging things with an axe to see what kind of loot they were bothering to get. All I see here is you accusing me of botting from simply investigating a group of 6+ necromancers all the same spec, standing together, and farming an area while not moving. How would anyone not be curious about what they were doing? Especially when it's the not the first time you have seen the practice. Also worth mentioning, I did not name any persons, associations, specific zone, or area of said zone. Nor have I even stated whether or not I even think it is ban worthy. This is not about mudslinging, but observing a phenomenon that is occurring in this game. That apparently hardly anyone gives a flying kitten about.

 

P.S. The personal attacks are coming from you sir.

Edited August 4, 2021 by BishiDe.6925
Edit

[Bollocks.4078]

First we need to stop using the term 'AFK.'  I've seen what people are describing here and it's not about how close someone might be to the keyboard.  The term 'AFK' just gives the people a way to argue a point that really isn't relevant to what's happening.  What's actually happening is automated gaming and that's definitely not OK.

I've seen it in many places.  I've seen the players being tossed around by a champ and not do anything to avoid it.  I've seen them get killed and then get rezzed and then they just stand there doing nothing except auto casting but not re-spawning any minions.  Then they get attacked by the mobs they were killing but without the minions they get killed.  I have no idea how close they are to the keyboard but they are definitely not actively playing the game.  They are clearly using in-game mechanics to automate the farming.
I have reported the same players many times.  They are still always there.  I haven't been actioned for reporting them so that also says something.  People saying that what they are doing is OK is like saying that a speeder who slows down just to pass a cop isn't doing anything wrong because they didn't get a ticket.  I'd like to see Anet do something to nerf the ability in-game mechanics to automate farming.  If that's not going to happen then how about setting the auto destruct on Engi turrets to the same time as the auto destruct on minions?

If they are selling enough mats to reduce the price of those mats then that's great for people buying those mats but the obvious flip side is that people selling those mats are getting less.  In some cases they are farming things that are not affected by DR.

Edited August 4, 2021 by Bollocks.4078

[arukAdo.2047]

How would someone autocasting greatsword attack could tip over the prices of mats?

Im not saying thats an excuse or anything, what im saying is they cannot be getting enough for them to compete over ppl who are actually playing and getting the same mats, at a much higher rate, unless everybody does that, but instead it seems more like marginal practice... so its probably marginal impact on the "economy" as well.

[Touchme.1097]

On 7/30/2021 at 12:23 AM, Mike JezZ.4261 said:

Just asking because I see them in different zones, and was wondering if Anet accepts it or if I should report them?

They are unless they are botting. To make sure it's not a bot send the player a whisper and watch what happens. If you get no answer within 5 minutes and the PC keeps behaving in a repetitive manner spamming the same skills and intentionally getting stuck into a wall that's very likely a bot and If I catched someone botting they would get a report from me because it's against the TOS.

[Excursion.9752]

What this game needs is what Ultima Online used to call Game Masters (GM's) They were hidden players that could go anywhere and monitor players in the game. Once they determined  you were breaking a rule they would jail your characters.  1st infraction was a 24 hour ban. 2nd was 3 days. 3rd Was 7 days. 4th or higher was a month or permanent ban.

 

I had a GM think I was botting so he turned visible right next to me and said "Hello, how are you?"  I replied "doing great, whats up?" he said "not much just making sure you were actually playing".  If I had not replied I would have been jailed. 

 

This would be great for clearing up bots and some of the horrendous map chats that happen from time to time. Map chats where handled a little different though. You would get a whisper from a GM warning you first. If you did not listen to the warning you would get your ban.

[Dante.1763]

2 minutes ago, Excursion.9752 said:

What this game needs is what Ultima Online used to call Game Masters (GM's) They were hidden players that could go anywhere and monitor players in the game. Once they determined  you were breaking a rule they would jail your characters.  1st infraction was a 24 hour ban. 2nd was 3 days. 3rd Was 7 days. 4th or higher was a month or permanent ban.

 

I had a GM think I was botting so he turned visible right next to me and said "Hello, how are you?"  I replied "doing great, whats up?" he said "not much just making sure you were actually playing".  If I had not replied I would have been jailed. 

 

This would be great for clearing up bots and some of the horrendous map chats that happen from time to time. Map chats where handled a little different though. You would get a whisper from a GM warning you first. If you did not listen to the warning you would get your ban.

They do have that. However they also give a very long amount of time to respond to their messages.

 

Could set up my character to idle farm for me, and without me actively playing i could still not got banned if i responded in that time frame.

 

Frankly i think its scummy to see 2-7 necros in one spot, everyday, 24 hours a day, farming enemies. No matter how little reward i think it brings. That kind of play just shouldnt be allowed.

[Excursion.9752]

6 minutes ago, Dante.1763 said:

They do have that. However they also give a very long amount of time to respond to their messages.

 

Could set up my character to idle farm for me, and without me actively playing i could still not got banned if i responded in that time frame.

 

Frankly i think its scummy to see 2-7 necros in one spot, everyday, 24 hours a day, farming enemies. No matter how little reward i think it brings. That kind of play just shouldnt be allowed.

I agree this type of play should not be allowed.

 

Who is doing the monitoring? Are they actual players are anet employees?

[Dante.1763]

Just now, Excursion.9752 said:

I agree this type of play should not be allowed.

 

Who is doing the monitoring? Are they actual players are anet employees?

I assume anet employees, but i dont know either way.

[Ayrilana.1396]

2 hours ago, arukAdo.2047 said:

How would someone autocasting greatsword attack could tip over the prices of mats?

Im not saying thats an excuse or anything, what im saying is they cannot be getting enough for them to compete over ppl who are actually playing and getting the same mats, at a much higher rate, unless everybody does that, but instead it seems more like marginal practice... so its probably marginal impact on the "economy" as well.

You need to look at all of the players doing it collectively nonstop for days, weeks, months, etc.  I wouldn’t call it marginal as they’re doing the same thing in game that the gold sellers used to do years ago which Anet took action against. I guess the difference here is that they don’t RMT so it’s not a big deal. 

[Excursion.9752]

34 minutes ago, Dante.1763 said:

I assume anet employees, but i dont know either way.

In Ultima Online they had two types, employees and players. The players wore blue shrouds and the employees wore gold shrouds.

The players were hand picked by UO staff from people who filled out an volunteer application to be a GM. There were a bunch of prerequisites to meet before you could be selected.

 

So if you encountered a blue shroud you know it was people who genuinely wanted to make the game better. They were in fact working for free.  It was my understanding that GM's had a code of silence about keeping their real characters names close to the vest so they were not hassled.

 

I wish this system would be implemented to GW2. It would cut down the bot traffic in all game modes not to mention the harassment that is so blatant in chat.

[Dante.1763]

2 minutes ago, Excursion.9752 said:

In Ultima Online they had two types, employees and players. The players wore blue shrouds and the employees wore gold shrouds.

The players were hand picked by UO staff from people who filled out an volunteer application to be a GM. There were a bunch of prerequisites to meet before you could be selected.

 

So if you encountered a blue shroud you know it was people who genuinely wanted to make the game better. They were in fact working for free.  It was my understanding that GM's had a code of silence about keeping their real characters names close to the vest so they were not hassled.

 

I wish this system would be implemented to GW2. It would cut down the bot traffic in all game modes not to mention the harassment that is so blatant in chat.

My only concern with that is players abusing it, but a strict code of conduct with an Employee or two overlooking it specifically to spot abuse could work well.

[Excursion.9752]

12 minutes ago, Dante.1763 said:

My only concern with that is players abusing it, but a strict code of conduct with an Employee or two overlooking it specifically to spot abuse could work well.

For sure the employee's always met with the people who got jailed. They would inform you why you were there and when you could play again. I never heard of any abuse of the system, that does not mean there was none. But people who got jailed typically would just admit to it, take their punishment and be on their way.

 

Right now people feel invincible and they have every right to feel that way because the only way your getting into trouble is if you do something very bad like duplicating items. Where when I look at rules and codes of conduct I think all of them are important. AFK open world and pvp bots need to be taken care of.

[Nico.9361]

On 7/30/2021 at 10:10 AM, Vilin.8056 said:

You would kept logging on an MMO while there's a sick child in your house?

 

All the reason to ban the player for the sake of that poor child.

What if that sick child is sitting next to me bullying raid bosses? Is it socially acceptable?

[Xanadrine.4352]

19 hours ago, Bollocks.4078 said:

First we need to stop using the term 'AFK.'  I've seen what people are describing here and it's not about how close someone might be to the keyboard.  The term 'AFK' just gives the people a way to argue a point that really isn't relevant to what's happening.  What's actually happening is automated gaming and that's definitely not OK.

I've seen it in many places.  I've seen the players being tossed around by a champ and not do anything to avoid it.  I've seen them get killed and then get rezzed and then they just stand there doing nothing except auto casting but not re-spawning any minions.  Then they get attacked by the mobs they were killing but without the minions they get killed.  I have no idea how close they are to the keyboard but they are definitely not actively playing the game.  They are clearly using in-game mechanics to automate the farming.
I have reported the same players many times.  They are still always there.  I haven't been actioned for reporting them so that also says something.  People saying that what they are doing is OK is like saying that a speeder who slows down just to pass a cop isn't doing anything wrong because they didn't get a ticket.  I'd like to see Anet do something to nerf the ability in-game mechanics to automate farming.  If that's not going to happen then how about setting the auto destruct on Engi turrets to the same time as the auto destruct on minions?

If they are selling enough mats to reduce the price of those mats then that's great for people buying those mats but the obvious flip side is that people selling those mats are getting less.  In some cases they are farming things that are not affected by DR.

Thank you voice of reason! Automated gaming , botting w/e is the problem. Some necro out there spawning an army to aoe down groups of mobs isnt the problem. I aoe down packs all the time, on many classes. But im at the keyboard pressing buttons, not automating it.

 

What this game needs is to stop wasting dev time, they need to do what wow did when there was blatant bot farming, NO LOOT NO XP FROM MOBS YOUR PET KILLED! Then there will be no autobots because they cant get the loot. Its pretty simple of a solution really 

Edited August 5, 2021 by Zuldari.3940

[arukAdo.2047]

13 hours ago, Ayrilana.1396 said:

You need to look at all of the players doing it collectively nonstop for days, weeks, months, etc.  I wouldn’t call it marginal as they’re doing the same thing in game that the gold sellers used to do years ago which Anet took action against. I guess the difference here is that they don’t RMT so it’s not a big deal. 

But thats the point, "all the players doing it collectively", so far in this discusion its 2-6 necros on one spot, thats NOT a lot, thats nothing, thats marginal compared to thousands of concurrent players, really playing the game.

As for gold sellers or RMT, theres not such a thing, there are ppl trying to get your credential and steal your account, sure, but theres no underground buisness with millions of gold to transfer over guilds and stuff, thats mostly lies or just plain wrong assumptions, that anet does encourage because well, it cultivate fear, devotion and deputies-minded ppl, wich in turn mean lots of reports, and hardly anybody could get trough that then.

Not saying villains dont exist, but if you exagerate it, then most players will insta reports them... wich is exactly what they want.

 

Per say, you dont need the blue shroud thing, you have the volunteers already, and dont worry, they hit the report button anytime its needed, because its so easy to convince them of the great evil around them.

 

And because they keep that blured line between legal and illegal (GM will pm you to verify), it means they are even players who will pm you just to be sure you are active, and by no means you are suppose to answer them (wich also increase suspicions).

Edited August 6, 2021 by arukAdo.2047

[Ayrilana.1396]

34 minutes ago, arukAdo.2047 said:

But thats the point, "all the players doing it collectively", so far in this discusion its 2-6 necros on one spot, thats NOT a lot, thats nothing, thats marginal compared to thousands of concurrent players, really playing the game.

As for gold sellers or RMT, theres not such a thing, there are ppl trying to get your credential and steal your account, sure, but theres no underground buisness with millions of gold to transfer over guilds and stuff, thats mostly lies or just plain wrong assumptions, that anet does encourage because well, it cultivate fear, devotion and deputies-minded ppl, wich in turn mean lots of reports, and hardly anybody could get trough that then.

Not saying villains dont exist, but if you exagerate it, then most players will insta reports them... wich is exactly what they want.

 

Per say, you dont need the blue shroud thing, you have the volunteers already, and dont worry, they hit the report button anytime its needed, because its so easy to convince them of the great evil around them.

 

And because they keep that blured line between legal and illegal (GM will pm you to verify), it means they are even players who will pm you just to be sure you are active, and by no means you are suppose to answer them (wich also increase suspicions).

It’s not the only spot. 

[Hirukaru.4539]

On 7/30/2021 at 12:44 AM, DeanBB.4268 said:

AFK farming is bannable. If you aren't around to respond when a GM checks on you, then good luck.

But then again the chance of a GM checking up on you is near zero.

I have reported so much AFK farmers, that even use auto attack are still there 2 weeks later. So not support Arenanet in reporting these "gold" sellers anymore. 

[Dami.5046]

oh i think the whispers happen.

I get quite a few when i do bitterfrost runs, because i do it in a set order so i know what characters i have done. 

Best comment was 'nice bot' 

Nice to think someone takes the time to see what i do, they must be bored at the moment as i'm not farming atm XD

Edited August 6, 2021 by Dami.5046

[Dante.1763]

1 minute ago, Dami.5046 said:

oh i think the whispers happen.

I get quite a few when i do bitterfrost runs, because i do it in a set order so i know what characters i have done. 

Best comment was 'nice bot' 

Nice to think someone takes the time to see what i do, they must be bored at the moment as i'm not farming atm XD

Eh...i dont make comments on folks i think are bot farming nodes, those are difficult to tell, UNLESS they teleport from node to node. Those get reported.

 

Talking about players(usually a group of necros) camped in the same spot, for 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year They make no effort to res themselves when downed, they dont waypoint either they die. All use minions, they dont talk or move either most of the time. They only use skills to res/resummon their minions.

 

Engineers used to be the class to bot farm like they do.

 

 

[Dami.5046]

1 minute ago, Dante.1763 said:

Eh...i dont make comments on folks i think are bot farming nodes, those are difficult to tell, UNLESS they teleport from node to node. Those get reported.

 

Talking about players(usually a group of necros) camped in the same spot, for 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year They make no effort to res themselves when downed, they dont waypoint either they die. All use minions, they dont talk or move either most of the time. They only use skills to res/resummon their minions.

 

Engineers used to be the class to bot farm like they do.

 

 

I'm not talking about that though. 'botting' comes in many forms.  Those engineers were by a heart and it was super annoying. 

 

 

[kharmin.7683]

16 hours ago, Zuldari.3940 said:

What this game needs is to stop wasting dev time, they need to do what wow did when there was blatant bot farming, NO LOOT NO XP FROM MOBS YOUR PET KILLED! Then there will be no autobots because they cant get the loot. Its pretty simple of a solution really 

And take away core mechanics from Ranger and Necro classes for legitimate players?  No thank you.

 

A simpler solution is to report and move on.  AFK farming does not affect any other player's ability to complete content.

[Xanadrine.4352]

4 hours ago, kharmin.7683 said:

And take away core mechanics from Ranger and Necro classes for legitimate players?  No thank you.

 

A simpler solution is to report and move on.  AFK farming does not affect any other player's ability to complete content.

 

 

It worked well in other games and I played as a hunter and a warlock that are serious pet based classes. I never had a problem, as long as you do enough or more damage than the pet your fine. It dont take away any core mechanic you still use pets you still have them attack keeping them intact. But if the complaints swamp anet you wont have pets intact any more they will take the short way out of the situation and really nerf your core mechanic. Trust me you rather keep pets as are , than have them nerfed to uselessness. 

I came back to a core mechanic soulbeast nerf, I almost turned around and walked away then. If they nerf them more I will because that bs and it was lazy to do instead of looking at other options rather  then affecting an integral part of the elite. 

Edited August 6, 2021 by Zuldari.3940

[Bear.9568]

When a player uses the term "illegal" in a video game...... Do you really think police or the federal government give a kitten about going AFK in a video game? THEY DON'T