DO something about your stupid bots!

Q u o t e:
Years ago, the game was smaller with fewer players, and software was not nearly so complex as it is now. A year from now, it will be even worse, with more ingenious methods of programming bots to run within code. That is the nature of the beast.

It does little good for Blizzard to just knock the botters off the accounts, as many times, it's not even their account. Nor does it give Blizzard a chance to study the code and determine how they are bypassing game mechanics, so they can fix the hole. It seems like an interminably long time from point of report to point of ban, but we are also not in the loop of seeing what must go on to stop the behavior, not just of the botters, but of the programs that allow the botting.

It is not a true-win scenario. As Blizzard analyzes the processes, the player base is left to deal with botters running around with impunity. An ideal situation? Hardly so... but as with any company faced with the myriad of criminals who enjoy breaking code and making money from it, it is a cat and mouse game that requires patience and an understanding that as long as the demand remains, the illicit activities will continue.

This is a rather insightful post, actually.

We care a rather great deal about, and take an extremely dim view of, any influence which can disrupt or damage the experience of World of Warcraft for our players. Over the years that World of Warcraft has been in operation we have been in an ongoing and constant battle against these influences, and we continue to invest substantial resources in combating them. Unfortunately, the depth and breadth of these activities may be something the average player never becomes aware of - it is difficult to appreciate the moat and the castle wall, if you never happen to see the thousands of arrows that they stymie. It's the one arrow that lands in your soup that you become aware of, as it were.

I understand that being confronted with this kind of activity can be quite frustrating, especially if you are given over to the impression that nothing will be done. I just want to make it abundantly clear that botting is not ignored, and that we deal with such activities quite firmly.

Indeed, let's keep it on topic. On that note, it would be best to avoid offhand statements which are likely to generate indignation or debate as well.

Q u o t e:
Sorry - don't buy into it Blizzard.

You aren't doing jack about it.

This is presumptuous, negative, and (most importantly) untrue. I understand you play a lot; so do we. Besides the fact that our livelihood rests with WoW as a fun and sustainable gaming environment, we are all hardcore fans here -- it irks us no less than you, to see abuse or alleged botting happening in World of Warcraft.

There's a lot more to dealing with this sort of behavior than "look at someone and then ban them," which is a popular sentiment but an impractical mission statement.

Ultimately you will need to trust us when we say we don't like the abuse, and we have teams that work full-time developing new ways to stop the new (and highly adaptive) behavior that abusers bring to the game. If you won't trust Blizzard on its word, then there may not be much reason to continue this discussion.

Q u o t e:
I could use the extra $$. Contact me. I'll police the game for the next few months for a few hours during prime time. I guarantee you I'll wipe out botting on an entire battlegroup during that time slot.

If you'd like to join the team[s] here at Blizzard who combat this behavior in the live environment, I'd encourage you to check out our employment site and submit your formal qualifications. We are hiring.
http://us.blizzard.com/en-us/company/careers/

Q u o t e:
At this time it is so extrememly frustrating to go into a bg only to lose because there are a couple bots running in circles around the map. I'm pretty sure blizzard is doing something to get rid of them but when you keep seeing the same bots in game I start to have doubts.

Wholeheartedly agreed, Jirt, from personal experience. In the past we have made announcements regarding major waves of account closures, but have consciously avoided telling players about actions taken against specific accounts/individuals. We will take this feedback to heart.

While I can't promise that we'll change how we discuss actions against other players, we will be thinking about new ways we might help the community see the efforts that our hacks and in-game support groups dedicate to this.