Hey guys, if you have been playing SoD (or any other Warcraft game in the last 10 years) you have probably seen the rampant botting going on. Every zone is infested with bots farming mats and raw gold, some of which is sold on this very site. (To clarify I don’t care about gold buying and have bought some myself, because if you make good money in your job and the game isn’t engaging enough to make the grind fun and worthwhile - you might as well save yourself the time by buying gold.)
Recently blizzard has promised radical measures to combat botting:
https://twitter.com/knowyourgoat/status/1733341962550288441I have mimic’d what the WoW community managers steps likely were by running this question through ChatGPT. Most of the below are not feasible due to Blizzard’s status as a small company with limited funds, but I’ve highlighted some of the most likely to occur for us to speculate on:
To combat the issue of bots farming gold in their new server, Blizzard could implement several strategies:
1. **Advanced Detection Systems**: Employ machine learning algorithms to analyze patterns and behaviors indicative of bot activity, differentiating them from human players. Warden costs too much.
2. **Stricter Account Verification**: Require more stringent verification methods for account creation, such as phone or ID verification, to deter the creation of bot accounts.3. **Player Reporting and Response Team**: Encourage and streamline player reporting of suspected bots.
A dedicated team should swiftly investigate and take action on these reports. This one seems possible but having a dedicated team take action would mean having positions and salary dedicated towards it. Dubious.
4. **Game Design Tweaks**: Adjust game mechanics to make bot farming less profitable or feasible, such as reducing the value of commonly farmed items or increasing the difficulty of activities typically exploited by bots.
5. **Regular Updates and Patches**: Frequently update the game to disrupt bot programs, forcing them to constantly adapt and thus reducing their efficiency.
6. **Legal Action**: Take legal action against the creators and distributors of bot software, as well as those selling in-game currency for real money.
7. **Educating Players**: Run campaigns to educate players on the negative impact of buying in-game currency and using bots, emphasizing the risks and potential penalties.
8. **Collaboration with Other Companies**: Work with other gaming companies and platforms to share information and strategies for bot detection and prevention.9. **Economic Adjustments**: Make in-game currency more accessible through legitimate means, reducing the incentive for players to purchase from bots.
10. **Player Rewards for Reporting**: Incentivize players to report bots by offering in-game rewards for confirmed reports.
What do y’all think? A core issue is that the bots farming gold inflate the price of goods, making it less possible for legitimate players to purchase items. I think the most likely thing is that they put out a few scare campaigns, do a big ban wave, and call it a day.