1000 gms? Why? In 8 hours with the right in game tools they could get rid of majority of the blatant bots with a team of like 10. Go from channel to channel in areas clearing them out. People act like people are expecting like 1000 GM’s when that is unfeasible not even wow has that many and it has way more players. We just need some because at the moment there is none… It’s like police and crime… you can make everything in the world illegal but if there’s no one there to stop the criminals they’ll just continue. Part of the reason it’s so rampant because they know there’s no one in game watching this. They may have logs but people aren’t sifting through those so you need people in game. I’m tired of them and a lot of players acting like GM’s aren’t a solution. They’re a costly solution but they’re a good solution, games with GM’s tend to have less problems because there’s people actively working to fix things. They won’t get rid of all the bots with some GM’s but they could get rid of the majority in less than a week. Sure they’ll be back but with GM’s on staff they’ll just get banned again… and if you ban the majority you can then even cut down on staff and just park someone at the start of the game to monitor and flag any bots immediately when they try to restart.
Edit: They could even be useful in situations where the servers go down and people lose tickets. GM’s aren’t only about getting rid of the bots, they’re about in game satisfaction too.
Lets do some quick math. You have about 60 servers. Assume 5 zones are bot infested, and that is a low estimate. That is 300 GMs. Now put them on 8 hour shifts and you are at 900 GMs. New bot creation is automated so for every 1 that gets banned probably 10 can take its place.
This is not feasible.
Your quick math is shit because it’s pure speculation. Why would you need a GM per zone per server? Do they only ban one person and quit for the day? Also how would 8 hour shifts magically add people? You added time not people, no one said GM’s needed to be 24/7. People make all these assumptions about what is needed. Do you think ANY other MMO has 900 GM? Take Wow or FF14 neither have that many and they’re way bigger games, oh but lost ark will need 900 right? Also if they could run 10 copies they’d run 10 copies they can’t just magically make 10 more because you took 1 down. They’ll just restart that one that you took down. It’s not a cerebrus or something
Several problems with your reply. WOW and FF are irrelevant because those games are subscription based and not built the same as LA where it is so easy to bot. Second, if you dont run GMs in 8 hr shifts and around the clock the bots will come back even faster. Also 8 hour shifts add people because that means 3 shifts per day (just based on the fact that you failed to recognize this means you dont understand what is going on but i will continue to indulge you regardless). You cant even keep up if you do run GMs 24/7. Again, in the time it takes to verify a character is a bot there will be 10 more created.
This is not feasible.
My point about wow is they’re way more popular way bigger games and they don’t even have that many so your numbers don’t mean shit. I get that having multiple shifts adds people but one that’s not what you said (sure nit picky) but it’s not what’s necessary, if you think any game has a full scale team 24/7 you’re delusional. I also don’t understand this mentality of if you’re not on it 24/7 there’s no point.
You’re right your idea of what YOU think they’d need isn’t feasible, you and everyone else uses like the worse case scenario to defend their bullshit decision of not having GM’s.
Tell me what happens when more are created than can be banned and how that is effective? How is that cost effective?
You’re right this problem will just be infested forever right? Why bother trying? More will just come… Shit attitude.
Edit: Is it your money that’s being wasted? Who fucking cares if they “waste” money fixing a problem.
This is just more proof you dont get it. Maybe try thinking critically instead of just opening your mouth. What company is going to throw money at something that they know will not work? Would you do that? Its not effective. This requires an automated solution to deal with an automated problem.
Right GM’s don’t work that’s why no games have them… once again GM’s aren’t only about getting rid of bots… You don’t get it.
They will be replaced faster than they can be banned. How is this so hard for you to grasp?
Jeez you are challenged. I never said dont do anything. I said you cant do it manually and be cost effective. This requires automation, which by the way is what they are doing. I should have known from the minute you didnt understand that putting people on 8 hr shifts would triple the total number that you wouldnt be able to comprehend this.
So many peole these days would rather just jump to emotional replies instead of thinking logically.
So that means that GM’s are pointless… Once again as I stated at the beginning they’re not just about getting rid of the bots. In the meantime while they try to get those automation systems in place the GM’s can start doing some work… But you know, you’re right 100%, you know everything and how to solve everything and if something will work or not. You claim I don’t understand but take a look in the mirror please…
Bot problem right now is so bad that it’s crowding out real players due to the massive queues. I’d like to be able to pop in for a few minutes to check on my dispatches, etc but really not able to do that when it takes 30 minutes wait to get in. If I have an hour to play, half of it is spent waiting.
It has no relevance whether it is cost effective.
Firstly, AGS are making bank.
Secondly, a reduction in RMT results in more money flowing into the cashshop.
Thirdly, upfront expenditure to save a business (game in this case) from going down the pan is not wasted. Blaming cost as a reason is short sighted.
No one has said manual is a better solution to automated, but it is the only solution for now. Yes it’s short term cost, but this is the biggest issue by far that this game has, and it’s been allowed to spiral out of control.
There is zero evidence that bots will come back faster than the bans. The only reason so many exist is because they have been allowed to exist. And believe me, that they are being pumped out as fast as humanly possible, every penny that can be milked is being milked.
GM’s are not the long term solution but a strategy could be implemented almost instantly and have a dramatic improvement on where we are currently almost instantly.
Hahahaahahahahahahaha fking good one 
Not only are GMs not a long-term solution, but they’re not a short-term solution. They’re not any solution, because they operate on such a small scale that you literally will not see the results of it.
As for evidence that bots will come back faster than bans, just look at steamcharts, and how rock solid stable player numbers are despite millions of bots being banned at this point. Look at prideholme and see that it’s still bot infested despite stable populations, suggesting that yes, they are being banned, and yes, they’re coming back in equal numbers.
There’s a reason that literally nobody with experience in MMO development or administration thinks GMs will do anything at all to the bot problem. If you ascribe to the “well it’s a problem so let’s try anything” approach then go stitch up a voodoo doll or something.
Okay the bot situation needs to be addressed now. The NA East servers are becoming more populated by bots now and it is becoming more concerning. Servers that are low populated suddenly become busy servers and it is not with new players it is by bots. The future doesn’t look so good.
and the curve of concurent players seems mroe flat than previous week… if it is true and not just a feeling, anyone can easily get conclusions…
Busy doing the exact opposite of what they promise