Dancer Archive
Thread: An idea to put a stop to AFK buffbotting
Heh...apparently the devs completely automated afk macro system that they touted as an end to the third party programs isn't working.
Message Edited by Drygo on 05-30-2004 02:25 PM
Message Edited by Drygo on 05-30-2004 02:26 PM
Xyrdre wrote:
Interesting. I understood that the use of third-party macros was indeed a bannable offense.
My understanding is that yes, use of 3rd party macro tools is supposed to be a bannable offense. However, it is not enforced.
I have been told by several individuals that use of 3rd party apps is a standard practice with them in their quest to obtain FSS. No one with whom I have shared this conversation has been confronted by a CSR or other SOE representative. The belief is that they have no means of documenting offenses or enforcing this rule.
The way buffbots work is that whoever wants the buff invites the buffbot to their group. The buffbots have a looping macro with /join in there somewhere. So, by going afk and having /join in their macro, the buffbot, or person behind the buffbot is consenting being grouped by anyone who asks them to. That's not forced grouping and there's nothing the devs can do about it. Or, I suppose theycould. But, the day they tell me I can't ask a buffbot to join the group to prevent it from taking away my business, is the day they say afk is more important than live people and is the day I quit. The buffbot goes afk at their own risk.
And as far as the devs not allowing something that interferes with the gameplay of another individual...well, that's just not true. The fact that they allow afk buffbots to exist in the first place interferes with *my* gameplay.
A good buffbot invites other players to join his/her group. Visit HaRdWaRe at the Ahazi Mining Outpost one day. I believe he runs on a looped macro involving the selection and invitation of names gathered through ingame emails to provide passive buffs to large numbers of watchers. The invitationpart may be manual, but it appears to be fully macroed. (I've never found him to be at the keyboard, nor have I received any response from him for anything, including training and things of that nature.) I've seen a couple more buffbots that work around the need for a /join command through the use of third-party macros.
Esharra wrote:
The belief is that they have no means of documenting offenses or enforcing this rule.
Bingo.
Btw, whoever one-starred my original post up there, I'm not endorsing the actions, just stating that dedicated buffbots are going to find a way around the current system.
MRFUJI wrote:
Just an idea...When the buffbot arrives then goes AFK the leader of the entertainer group could then join the buffbot group as leader...Then anyone who wants buffing will have to join the entertainer group and the dancers/musicians wil not lose out on the masses of healing xp which the buffbots get from players getting their bf /wounds healed at the same time as getting buffed...It would certainly ruffle a few feathers and may make the bots think twice about entering the cantina.
side comment to a much latter post about a "good buffbot" ... putting /join is a lot easier than making a good buffbot, so a lot of people do the /join instead...dont matter if its good it is just as it happens
this however is a good idea for most of um....i accidently invited a bot to my group once, and she had a timer then put in the /leavegroup command...i have only seen this once, but still its out there