World of Warcraft®

Those players that farm mats or do random BG's know that wow is simply overloaded with bots that are either players cheating or hacked accounts.

The current method of dealing with them is flawed because Blizzard is always playing catch up in trying to detect the programs used. The solution is simple and elegant, give the player base the ability to self-police. Within the proper framework the player base could do a much better job than blizz will ever be able to.

My idea is this, let players click on a player portrait to report as a bot which then sets a spatial test using blizz's 3D engine that bots would not be able to solve but players easily could. This would need to be bound by rules to prevent abuse such as a cooldown on reporting a player that had already successfully passed the test or in combat reporting.

An example of a spatial test would be -
A large box with 5-6 rotating bouncing 3D objects within it that can be grabbed by the mouse. At the bottom of the screen are 5-6 more boxes containing one of the above rotating bouncing objects. Dragging the objects from the top box to the correct bottom box completes the spatial test.

Failure to complete the test by dragging an incorrect object to a box or not completing the test within a set time limit locks the player out of his account for 3 hours.

Multiple continual failures flag that account for GM investigation.

(though I seriously hope this would never be implemented as I have very little spatial awareness :( )

So basically you put an IQ test into the middle of the game?

There I am happily (sort of) farming and I have to do a test? The conditions would have to be just right to do this and it shouldn't happen often.

And if someone is botting while reading or watching TV they will get up, do the test and set the bot off again.

I hate to say this, but your proposed 'solution' does nothing, and all that it would do is result in a 1-2 week lapse in Bots, whilst their software is updated to take into account your proposed 'test'.

You can automate these kinds of tests incredibly easily using some basic macro features such as pixel detection.

That's not to mention the sheer possilibites for griefing that such a system could result in.

02/05/2012 15:08Posted by Dottie

So basically you put an IQ test into the middle of the game?

This kind of method is actually nothing new, you see those random colored with stripes through it letter/number combination you have to enter then you get a short buff/reward or "Runescape" mini-games that are mostly put up incase you get reported too much for bot to detect your human-ness.

Actually, it could be a fun idea that if you did it good you get a little reward. ^^

I hate to say this, but your proposed 'solution' does nothing, and all that it would do is result in a 1-2 week lapse in Bots, whilst their software is updated to take into account your proposed 'test'.

You can automate these kinds of tests incredibly easily using some basic macro features such as pixel detection.

That's not to mention the sheer possilibites for griefing that such a system could result in.

You can automate if there is distinct color patterns on the objects, if there isnt you cannot. For example if you have a rotating completely blue cylinder and a rotating completely blue cube, there is no 'handle' for pattern recognition software to grasp.

Its also possible to have words under the bottom boxes instead. How does a pattern recognition program determine what a cylinder is.

Moreover make a simple change in the shape of the 3D object and you break any pattern recognition software.

And there are always possibilities for griefing in MMPORG's. This changes nothing.

So basically you put an IQ test into the middle of the game?
There I am happily (sort of) farming and I have to do a test? The conditions would have to be just right to do this and it shouldn't happen often.

I agree, it would need to be bound by rules to prevent abuse. And its not really an IQ test, its something a 5 year old can do but computers have tremendous difficulty with.

And if someone is botting while reading or watching TV they will get up, do the test and set the bot off again.

From my experience of running into bots and i've run into loads of em. Only a tiny percentage of botters are at their comps.

I hate to say this, but your proposed 'solution' does nothing, and all that it would do is result in a 1-2 week lapse in Bots, whilst their software is updated to take into account your proposed 'test'.

You can automate these kinds of tests incredibly easily using some basic macro features such as pixel detection.

That's not to mention the sheer possilibites for griefing that such a system could result in.

You can automate if there is distinct color patterns on the objects, if there isnt you cannot. For example if you have a completely blue cylinder and a completely blue cube, there is no pixel differences to detect.

And there are always possibilities for griefing in MMPORG's. This changes nothing.

Moreover make a simple change in the shape of the 3D object and you break the pattern recognition software.

I really wouldn't be stating "you cannot", of course it may be a complex issue to solve for the software, but it doesn't even need to be complex to work around, they could simply use the human operator for the tests.

but then people would get a bot just to do the test i wouldn't want this idea to be implemented if you answered wrong then your locked out of your account for a few hours which will waste your money because you will not be able to play for what your paying for i think its a bad idea

You can automate if there is distinct color patterns on the objects, if there isnt you cannot. For example if you have a completely blue cylinder and a completely blue cube, there is no pixel differences to detect.

And there are always possibilities for griefing in MMPORG's. This changes nothing.

Moreover make a simple change in the shape of the 3D object and you break the pattern recognition software.

I really wouldn't be stating "you cannot", of course it may be a complex issue to solve for the software, but it doesn't even need to be complex to work around, they could simply use the human operator for the tests.

And that breaks the income model the botters use. The whole point of a bot program is to take away the need for human operators.

02/05/2012 16:28Posted by Holycreed

but then people would get a bot just to do the test i wouldn't want this idea to be implemented if you answered wrong then your locked out of your account for a few hours which will waste your money because you will not be able to play for what your paying for i think its a bad idea

These sorts of puzzles are something a 5 year old could do but computers find extremely difficult.

I really wouldn't be stating "you cannot", of course it may be a complex issue to solve for the software, but it doesn't even need to be complex to work around, they could simply use the human operator for the tests.

And that breaks the income model the botters use. The whole point of a bot program is to take away the need for human operators.

Breaks it? Well it may be an issue for the casual botter, but those companies that relies on several bots already have human operators, so no it certainly doesn't break their income model, not to mention that human operators in those parts of the world is dirt cheap anyway.

02/05/2012 16:43Posted by Makorr

but then people would get a bot just to do the test i wouldn't want this idea to be implemented if you answered wrong then your locked out of your account for a few hours which will waste your money because you will not be able to play for what your paying for i think its a bad idea

These sorts of puzzles are something a 5 year old could do but computers find extremely difficult.

you could cleverly integrate this into current bots almost every game has a bot for it and some games try to stop them with anti-hacking programs built into the client to run in the background but you end that and the game ends too

but back to the point it will ask you a question but within a few weeks after all the questions have been asked you can create a script to answer then a computer is only as smart as the person using it e.g. programming student could make a bot easily but give him a few weeks and he could place the script into his bot to work perfectly but somebody who is the age of 11 could mistake the question and then be locked out for a few hours it would be unfair on that child because he misread the question everyone can make a mistake so this is why i believe it would be a massive waste of time for Blizzard and also the customers would stop botting for about a month or so

02/05/2012 16:53Posted by Holycreed

These sorts of puzzles are something a 5 year old could do but computers find extremely difficult.

you could cleverly integrate this into current bots almost every game has a bot for it and some games try to stop them with anti-hacking programs built into the client to run in the background but you end that and the game ends too

but back to the point it will ask you a question but within a few weeks after all the questions have been asked you can create a script to answer then a computer is only as smart as the person using it e.g. programming student could make a bot easily but give him a few weeks and he could place the script into his bot to work perfectly but somebody who is the age of 11 could mistake the question and then be locked out for a few hours it would be unfair on that child because he misread the question everyone can make a mistake so this is why i believe it would be a massive waste of time for Blizzard and also the customers would stop botting for about a month or so

Its not a question its a spatial reasoning test. Thats something that bots find extremely difficult to do. Its why captcha works so well on blocking access to bots on forums.

i can just imagine it being used to grief players who are not botting

i can imaging that to Allanonn when im farming and somebody else is there it is very annoying you have to fight to get to the mobs but i deeply believe this will never happen

Makorr youv created 2 threads havnt you lol iv been replying on both thinking it was the same one ahahaha