Botters

"Run wild" is a bit harsh, Vex. There's method to our perceived madness, I assure you. ;)

Think of it this way: A band of cops are attempting to bust a drug distribution ring. They don't just want to catch one or two low level dealers, but effectively cripple the ring as thoroughly as possible by arresting and convicting all members involved in the production, trafficking, and use of this one particular drug. What's the best way to do this? Through investigation and planning, mate. Door-busting, hat-waving, shoot-from-the-hip vigilante tactics would probably yield more immediate results in this situation, but the efforts wouldn't be as lucrative in the long term. Know what I mean?

So these cops send in two or three of their own undercover. They spends months observing and watching the ring's habits, learning about who's in charge, who's buying, who's selling, and how the product gets trafficked. Now, even though these cops could probably bust a plethora of lower echelon dealers and buyers, they know that bringing a few of these guys downtown won't do anything—it'll get them off the street, sure, but unless the entire network is nailed, they'll just be replaced shortly after their arrest.

And so the cops wait. They wait until they've got enough evidence to bring the whole thing down in one fel swoop. Why? Because not only will it hopefully catch everyone involved, but, by forgoing more timely arrests, it'll also prevent the bosses and ring leaders from learning about our plans prematurely and then using that information to cover their tracks.

This is exactly how we behave and respond, and you'll notice that when we mete out punishment, that it comes in big waves (http://forums.worldofwarcraft.com/thread.html?topicId=6441123672&sid=1). By tracking and observing these guys for months—instead of pouncing immediately—we can see just how deep the rabbit hole goes. And, what's more? We can do it without these guys knowing. The developers of the software in question are wily, and will adapt their programming immediately should there be any hint that we're onto them. So, in the end, proceeding with caution will yield more results. Slow and steady wins the race, eh?

I know it's probably frustrating on your end, having to witness these guys day in and day out—and for that I do apologize. I know it's rough. Even so, I encourage you to just report them, ignore them, and then let us do our thing. Know that our Hacks Team is working ever so diligently behind the scenes and that one day? One day they'll swoop in again and smite the exploitative as mightily as we've done in the past. Just takes time. :)

Q u o t e:
For years, you guys haven't been able to do anything about it, now we are supposed to believe that something is going to be done?

With respect to actual use of third-party programming—

http://forums.worldofwarcraft.com/thread.html?topicId=6440902058&sid=1
http://forums.worldofwarcraft.com/thread.html?topicId=6441123672&sid=1

In December of 2006, we released this statement regarding closures which occurred in November of that year:

Q u o t e:
In our continued efforts to combat cheating in World of Warcraft, more than 105,000 accounts were closed and over 12 million gold was removed from the game economies in Europe, Korea, and the US in the month of November. The closed accounts were associated with activities that violate World of Warcraft?s Terms of Use, such as using third-party programs that allow cheating, and farming gold and items. These types of activities can severely impact the economy of a realm and the overall game enjoyment for all players.

We will continue to aggressively monitor all World of Warcraft realms in order to protect the service and its players from the harmful effects of cheating. Please note that selling World of Warcraft content, such as gold, items, and characters, can result in a permanent ban of the involved accounts from World of Warcraft.

Many account closures come as the direct result of tips reported to our GMs in game or emailed to our Hacks Team by legitimate World of Warcraft players. If you suspect that a World of Warcraft player is using an illegal third-party program to farm gold or items, or is otherwise violating our Terms of Use, please report the suspected infraction via one of the means listed above. All reports will be investigated, and those that prove false will not result in corrective action.

As always, thank you for your continued support, and best of luck with your continued adventures in Azeroth!

And in the previous month of April:

Q u o t e:
In keeping with Blizzard's aggressive stance against cheating in World of Warcraft, we have since patch 1.10 banned over 5,400 accounts and suspended 10,700 more for participating in activities that violate the game's Terms of Use, including using third-party programs to farm gold and items. Such actions can severely impact the economy of a realm and the overall game enjoyment for all players.

We will continue to aggressively monitor all World of Warcraft realms in order to protect the service and its players from the harmful effects of cheating. Please note that selling World of Warcraft content, such as gold, items, and characters, can result in a permanent ban of the involved accounts from World of Warcraft.

Many account closures come as the direct result of tips reported to our GMs in game or emailed to [email protected] by legitimate World of Warcraft players. If you suspect that a World of Warcraft player is using an illegal third-party program to farm gold or items, or is otherwise violating our Terms of Use, please report the suspected infraction via one of the means listed above. All reports will be investigated, and those that prove false will not result in corrective action.

Thank you for your continued support, and good luck with your adventures in Azeroth!

And in June (still 2006):

Q u o t e:

In keeping with Blizzard's aggressive stance against cheating in World of Warcraft, we banned over 30,000 accounts in the month of May, and with that removed well over 30 million gold from the economy across all realms. The banned accounts were taking part in activities that violate the game's Terms of Use, including using third-party programs to farm gold and items, which severely impacts the economy of a realm and the overall game enjoyment for all players.

We will continue to aggressively monitor all World of Warcraft realms in order to protect the service and its players from the harmful effects of cheating. Please note that selling World of Warcraft content, such as gold, items, and characters, can result in a permanent ban of the involved accounts from World of Warcraft.

Many account closures come as the direct result of tips reported to our GMs in game or emailed to our Hacks Team by legitimate World of Warcraft players. If you suspect that a World of Warcraft player is using an illegal third-party program to farm gold or items, or is otherwise violating our Terms of Use, please report the suspected infraction via one of the means listed above. All reports will be investigated, and those that prove false will not result in corrective action.

Thank you for your continued support, and good luck with your adventures in Azeroth!

We issued another 3 waves between 2006 and the most recent this May.



And with respect to AFKing battlegrounds—

We're consistently hitting and penalizing those responsible, Devestation. Take a look at this forum, in PvP Discussion; search a bit—you'll find multiple threads wherein players have bemoaned the fact that, not only did we suspend them, but removed all honor and arena gear for their actions. In light of this, to say that the system is a "complete failure" is evidence that you've a really only a myopic view of what's actually going on.

It's important to note, as well, that not all who refuse to participate in battlegrounds are actually using a third-party program; the penalties for each infraction are different. It's also important to note that we wish to increase the frequency with which punishment is meted out.

Q u o t e:
Well, not banning them isn't going to magically give Blizzard that information, since they're getting it from a website, which is something outside of the game, and Blizzard's control.

You know so little. =/

Yes. Watching their behavior will help us discover the larger network of users and, thusly, allow us to sweep up the entire lot simultaneously. This, in turn, helps prevent the software from being modified prematurely and thwarting our methods of detection.

If there are any current concerns, you're absolutely welcome to create a new thread; however, let's avoid replying to posts created years ago, folks.

Thanks.