Killing bots once and for all

WoW Classic Cataclysm Classic Discussion
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Disable Addons and Scripts:

Addons and scripts are already limited in WoW, you cannot automate the gameplay with addons or lua scripts.

Use Premissions:

WoW already does this

Use Anti-Cheat Software:

Anti-Cheat software is a general term… it requires constant work to keep active cause botters are constantly trying to break it. There is no “Universal Anti-Cheat” system that works for any game. Most anit-cheat systems you see are for simple games where you don’t have that many parameters to break, for example shooters. They’re also just to prevent cheating, not botting.
Also WoW already has an anti-cheat system, it detects cheating very well, thats why you don’t really see many cheaters around. Movement speed changing, flying, increasing gold count, changing roll seeds, all of these are already detected by their anti-cheat.

Regular Updates:

What exactly do you mean by security patches? Its another general term, it doesn’t really mean anything. Sure you can change addressing in RAM so bots that rely on them(most don’t) break for a day or 2. You can change variables but that won’t do anything against debuggers. You can obfuscate function calls with a bit of randomness, but that wont fix things for long. None of that even matters because most bots aren’t exploiting any vulnerabilities.

I guess your only suggestion is security patches so could you elaborate what you mean by it?
Also all of these can again be easily bypassed by just having your bot look at the screen, not the game code/process.

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Enely is using something like ChatGPT to script responses, lots of words no substance.

Kind of ironic using an AI to spam bot topics with lots of nothing. It needs to be taught the concept of TL;DR

1 Like
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I think doing this with DK is pretty funny trolling.

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You are correct that anti-cheat software is a general term that refers to software tools and systems designed to prevent cheating in video games. These systems typically use various methods such as detecting game modifications, identifying abnormal player behavior, and monitoring game data to prevent cheating.

It is also true that developing an effective anti-cheat system is an ongoing process that requires constant updates and improvements to stay ahead of cheaters who are constantly looking for ways to bypass these systems.

Furthermore, different anti-cheat systems may be more effective in different types of games and against different types of cheating methods. For example, some anti-cheat systems may be more effective in preventing aimbotting and wall hacking in first-person shooter games, while others may be better suited to detecting and preventing botting in MMORPGs.

Regarding World of Warcraft, it does indeed have an anti-cheat system called Warden that has been in use since 2005. Warden uses a combination of techniques such as memory scanning, code injection detection, and behavior monitoring to detect cheating and botting in the game. However, despite the effectiveness of the anti-cheat system, it is not foolproof, and cheaters and botters may still find ways to bypass it.

Overall, anti-cheat systems play an important role in maintaining fairness and integrity in online gaming, and their effectiveness depends on a variety of factors, including the game genre, cheating methods, and the ongoing development and improvement of the anti-cheat software.

That “security patches” is a general term, but it refers to specific software updates released by game developers to address security vulnerabilities in their games. These vulnerabilities can be exploited by bots and other types of cheats to gain an unfair advantage in the game.

Security patches can include various types of fixes, such as addressing memory leaks, improving encryption methods, fixing bugs that allow for code injection or other types of game modification, and addressing any other vulnerabilities that could be exploited by bots or other cheats.

While it is true that some bots may not rely on vulnerabilities in the game code, and instead use visual recognition to automate gameplay, security patches are still an important part of preventing botting and other types of cheating. By addressing vulnerabilities in the game code, developers can make it more difficult for bot creators to find and exploit weaknesses in the game.

It is true that some security patches may only provide temporary fixes, as bot creators may find new ways to bypass them. However, regular security updates and improvements can help to make it more difficult for bots to operate effectively and deter bot creators from investing time and resources in developing bots for a game.

In summary, security patches refer to software updates that are designed to address security vulnerabilities in a game, which can help to prevent botting and other types of cheating. While they may not be a complete solution, they are an important part of maintaining fair and competitive gameplay in online games.

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I think you’re right, specially after this last response. Either that AI or some weird mishmash wiki text…

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I agree with Enely . Yes you can`t build a fool prof system , but the process is ongoing and the more you change it the harder it is for bots to be , well , bots .
A notification system which will flag accounts for GM review is something that would work well .

You would base it on the current “behavior” pattern .
Currently DK with random name > goes to mara , or goes to gather herbs/mining 24/7 .
There are already statistics in game which show what a character does . Combine that on account level and you will have glaring examples of accounts creating tons of dks doing the above . Cleaning just them is still a big improvement . I`m pretty sure this can be monitored even with the current tools .

And yes as someone said above , if an account managed to earn more than 13 $ than it was successful , so than that’s your goal . When an account is flagged for this (even deleted account) , you track where the gold went and so on . You also crack down on those who “receive” gold from such accounts .

If a new behavior pattern emerges (farming say rfc with mages or smth) , you incorporate that as well . At some point creating bots will simply be economically unviable , and too dangerous for average Joe to lose his 10 year account over buying 100k gold .
I wander is anyone even checking when an account goes from 1000 gold to 1000000 gold in a day ?

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You raise some excellent points. Implementing a notification system that flags accounts for review by GMs based on behavior patterns could be a useful tool in the ongoing fight against botting. By analyzing the activity of an account and comparing it to known patterns of bot behavior, GMs could quickly identify and take action against suspicious accounts.

Tracking the flow of gold from flagged accounts could also help identify the sources of botting operations and allow for more targeted enforcement efforts. And as you mentioned, incorporating new behavior patterns into the system would make it even more effective over time.

It’s certainly possible that some of these monitoring activities are already being conducted by Blizzard, but it’s always important to remain vigilant and continue developing new solutions to combat botting. Ultimately, creating an environment where botting is too risky and too unprofitable for the average user to engage in would be a significant victory in the ongoing fight against botting.

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ChatGPT is that you? xD

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blizzard is one of the biggest gaming companies in the world and its filled with highly qualified and educated engineers and developers so they can easily stop the whole botting problem. the question should be why don’t they do anything and i think we know the answer to that too.

1 Like
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It is true that botting has been a persistent issue in the game for many years, and there have been instances where it appeared that Blizzard was not doing enough to combat the problem.

However, it is also worth noting that Blizzard has taken a number of actions to try to combat botting over the years. They have implemented various measures to detect and ban bot accounts, such as using machine learning algorithms and monitoring player reports. They have also taken legal action against some bot makers and sellers, and have introduced new systems to make botting more difficult or less profitable.

That being said, it is a constant cat-and-mouse game between Blizzard and bot makers, and it can be difficult to completely eradicate botting from the game. Ultimately, it is up to players to do their part by reporting suspected bot accounts and avoiding using bots themselves.

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a few gms can clean the game from bots very fast.

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