I had an issue recently that I really need some clarification on from Arena Net Staff if they could please. I just want to start by saying this isn’t a ‘rant’ thread and I am not looking to start an angry debate. The intent is to address a serious issue with user accounts and hopefully come to some type of consensus on a resolution.
The other day, I was farming for crafting components when I was suddenly banned for ‘botting.’ I was quite surprised when I saw this message because I had only been in the zone for about 25 minutes. This zone was populated with Bots earlier that day all of which were reported (by me) but for some reason I got caught in the net when they decided to get rid of all of them. After this happened, I opened a support ticket and my account was quickly restored by Arena Net for which I am very grateful. The ANet staff was very courteous in helping me and handled my issue very quickly. I was unbanned by 10am the following morning and I thank them for that.
The issue I now face is that I’m a little timid to play because I’m honestly not sure what I am and am not allowed to do. I would like to say that I very much appreciate the aggressive stance that ANet takes against botting and I realize this policy is necessary to protect the integrity and economy of the game world. As a player though, I’m concerned that the trigger might be getting pulled a little too quickly. Am I allowed to Grind? Not only is there no rule against it, but if you look up the process for attaining most ‘end game’ (Level 80) and Legendary items you’ll see that Grinding is actually a vital part of the game. My question is, how do I gather materials without being flagged as a ‘bot?’ Is there anyway I can gather materials without incuring another ban/suspension?
My fear is that it will happen to me again and then my record as a player will show a trend of problems that will lead to me not being able to play at all anymore. Again, I appreciate the effort ANet puts into protecting the game and I have no desire to infringe on that. What I’m asking is if there is a way we can find a middle ground that lets players actually play without risk. Maybe if someone would have sent me a message first and asked me a specific question that a scripted bot wouldn’t be able to auto answer? My goal in this discussion is to find a way to be able to play without being lumped in with rule breakers that have no business being in game.
Thanks again for resolving my issue so rapidly and professionally, and thanks for any input you can provide on this topic.
