Let's keep grepolis clean of bots!

[DeletedUser9465]

Hello,

I don't know exactly where should I post this but I think it's very important. In my opinion everybody should know about this and take a stance against this kind of practices. Some members of my alliance in Knossos received this outrageous message today:

Valliaxo today at 18:38

Hello, Dear!

After a period of time playing Grepolis, you may realize that collecting resources from the farm villages becomes a burden. GrepolisBot is a bot for farming villages in Grepolis that is here to help you with your wearisome routine!
It makes it possible to collect resources in automatic mode without player's participation. And this is a substantial advantage over your opponents! First, you could collect resources 24h a day, thus having the chance to surpass your opponents in development. Second, you could spend more time on improving strategies and play only the most interesting parts of the game! The bot entirely emulates the actions of a living player, therefore, there are almost no chances to be banned (unless you place a screenshot with the bot's activity on the Internet)
In addition, together with the bot you get some interesting modules whose functionality is described below

The following functions are available now:

Module "Cash Keeper" (For new users 1 week of free usage!):
* Automatic collection of the resources from farming villages
* Auto-Marketplace (allows to automatically store resources in the marketplace, when the warehouses are full)
* Auto-Village (allows the city to send resources for village development, when the warehouses are full)
* Auto-Cave (automatically refills the caves, if there is overload of silver)

Module "Commander" (Now absolutely free!):
* Automatically plans the attacks
* Automatically plans reinforcements
* Monitors attacks and reinforcements

Currently under way but coming soon
Module "Herald" (The release coming soon!):
* Attack notification alerts via: SMS, jabber, e-mail
A possibility of notification depending on the event: attacks only from CS, finished construction works, private messages, failed espionage

Attention!
New users can take advantage of all functions during first week absolutely free!




Description: http://deleted by me because I don't want to spread their rubbish
Install bot: http://deleted by me because I don't want to spread their rubbish

As far as I know no bot is allowed on grepolis and in my opinion no bot should be allowed. But lately there are more and more peoples that are complaining about bot users. This message that I've posted most probably prove them right. I despise any kind of cheating and I think that all the proven bot users should be banned instantly and for ever (I know, maybe I am a bit too harsh though I doubt it). So I would like to ask the mods and the grepolis administrators to do everything in their power to keep our game clean of this kind of rubbish. Also, I would like to ask each and every grepolis player to reject these bots and to report all those who are proposing them to use these bots. Also, if possible, I would like to ask the grepolis administrators to have a thorough investigation of all the top ranked players in every world. At least the first twenty I would say. I am aware that this is a momentous enterprise but something has to be done to keep grepolis clean and fair for everybody. Because, in the end, ignoring the usage of these bots will only kill the game. Why play the game when you know that a bot user will always be able to do much better than you?

 

[DeletedUser]

I would like to ask the grepolis administrators to have a thorough investigation of all top ranked players in every world. At least the first twenty I would say. I am aware that this is a momentous enterprise but something has to be done to keep grepolis clean and fair for everybody. Because, in the end, ignoring the usage of these bots will only kill the game. Why play the game when you know that a bot user will always be able to do much better than you?

I support you
I have never used bots nor I will

BTW this is really funny

Module "Commander" (Now absolutely free!):
* Automatically plans the attacks
* Automatically plans reinforcements
* Monitors attacks and reinforcements

Why the fiddlesticks are you playing when you don't need to plan any attacks lol

 

[DeletedUser]

Users found to be breaking the rules, and using bots or other scripts, are punished appropriately. These are already against the rules, and everything is done to get rid of them. Nobody is ignoring them, and everything is done to keep the game free of them.

The best thing you can do is report that message (using the built-in report function, an envelope with a red exclamation mark on it). In future, if you suspect players of botting, you can also report them by sending in a support ticket. The in-game moderators will do their best to look into suspect players and you can rest assured that any player found to be breaking the rules IS dealt with.

Sadly, some players are both greedy and lazy. In such cases, botting seems to be a good idea to them. I would say that being banned convinces them not to, but unfortunately I have had the displeasure to meet players who continue to break the rules even after previously being banned for it..

It's an endless battle against the rules-breakers, for the mods/admins.

 

[DeletedUser29371]

To fix this solution is easy.

We can safely say that MAJORITY of bot users use the bot MAINLY for collecting resources in farms.

I never realised why is there such HIGH daily limit available to be withdrawn from Farms EACH day.

Simply make it so you can only demand 30% of current resources... that will make grepolis better and more casual friendly... so you can demand lets say 3200 resources each day (lvl1 farm) and then respectively higher for each farm (like now percantage wise)

 

[DeletedUser]

To fix this solution is easy.

We can safely say that MAJORITY of bot users use the bot MAINLY for collecting resources in farms.

I never realised why is there such HIGH daily limit available to be withdrawn from Farms EACH day.

Simply make it so you can only demand 30% of current resources... that will make grepolis better and more casual friendly... so you can demand lets say 3200 resources each day (lvl1 farm) and then respectively higher for each farm (like now percantage wise)

That's not a solution, however. You are restricting the game for other users in order to prevent botting.. and you aren't really preventing botting. There are various anti-scripting tools that can be used, which detect players who bot and can alert the mods about them. Those players can then be dealt with..

Bots and scripts are expansive, able to do practically anything, and from that message itself you can see just how much can be automated in Grepolis itself. By changing one part of the game you are not going to stop botting from happening.. you are just increasing the effect that botting has on regular players.

 

[DeletedUser29371]

That's not a solution, however. You are restricting the game for other users in order to prevent botting.. and you aren't really preventing botting. There are various anti-scripting tools that can be used, which detect players who bot and can alert the mods about them. Those players can then be dealt with..

Bots and scripts are expansive, able to do practically anything, and from that message itself you can see just how much can be automated in Grepolis itself. By changing one part of the game you are not going to stop botting from happening.. you are just increasing the effect that botting has on regular players.

Yes i know how much botting can do, but any top players and most of common sense botters use it MAINLY to demand from farms... cos seriously yest i was online from 7:05 local time in morning till 23:00 ... and i did not reach a cap from demands!!!

The game currently is a massive time sink grind... farms should be removed totally imo (or they should reset every 8 am local for each player once a day)

Farms give the most advantage really together with administrator and cutting in half the construction times.

Fixing botters and this game a couple solutions should go in effect.

- Farms reset once a day and available to farm once a day for XYX resources (lets say similar to daily)
- All premium should be mainly the type of stuff like attack planner, more build slots (thats ok)
- Cutting in half should only be allowed once
- Phoenician merchant was adjusted and thus fixed already
- Keep Merchant for 30% bonus resources
- Keep priestess but only increase favor gain remove mythical str

this game needs to go more towards being a browser game you log 2-3 times a day and less a MMO which you want to be logged in 24/7

That way botters will auto vanish in 90% of times.

 

[DeletedUser]

Yes i know how much botting can do, but any top players and most of common sense botters use it MAINLY to demand from farms... cos seriously yest i was online from 7:05 local time in morning till 23:00 ... and i did not reach a cap from demands!!!

The game currently is a massive time sink grind... farms should be removed totally imo (or they should reset every 8 am local for each player once a day)

Farms give the most advantage really together with administrator and cutting in half the construction times.

Fixing botters and this game a couple solutions should go in effect.

- Farms reset once a day and available to farm once a day for XYX resources (lets say similar to daily)
- All premium should be mainly the type of stuff like attack planner, more build slots (thats ok)
- Cutting in half should only be allowed once
- Phoenician merchant was adjusted and thus fixed already
- Keep Merchant for 30% bonus resources
- Keep priestess but only increase favor gain remove mythical str

this game needs to go more towards being a browser game you log 2-3 times a day and less a MMO which you want to be logged in 24/7

That way botters will auto vanish in 90% of times.

You are more than welcome to suggest those through the Ideas section, if you think they would work, but I would confidently say that most (if not all) of them would be rejected. This game IS a game that requires a lot of activity. If you want a game that only requires you to log in 2-3 times a day, there are many out there.. but this isn't one of them.

Changing the game will not remove botting as an issue, because people will continue to update and develop them to gain more advantages. As game developers update their games, bot developers update their bots. The best way to remove botting is to improve the systems that are in place to catch them when they do it..

Changing the game to prevent botting in the first place is a bad idea because bots will develop to counter the changes, and the game will slowly be ruined as more and more changes are implemented..

 

[DeletedUser]

While we are on the topic of botters/script users I will give my two sense.

I do not agree with botting to get a gain in-game or for any reason for that matter...There is no need..If you don't have the time don't play..Simple as that..

Users that use bots are punished by the moderators appropriately as Corinthian has stated. If you suspect users of using bots please send in a ticket for an in-game moderator to look into.

 

[DeletedUser19042]

There has to be away though to controll it? Isn't there??? I mean, does this mean that botters has to be reported first before staff can react??? In that case I hope Grepolis will find a way to check the players regularly or grepolis will get destroyed.

There has to be a way to detect the bots.

 

[DeletedUser]

I believe there is jorisva, but being a forum mod and having no ingame modding experience, I do not truly know. Those guys are good at keeping secrets.

 

[DeletedUser]

interesting never heard of a bot? how is it done that it is not a part of the game and people can still use it?

 

[DeletedUser]

I dont want to discuss it to much, but it is basically a script that clicks your mouse for you.

 

[DeletedUser]

Bots are scripts which when enabled gives you premium experience and save your clicks for free

read the first post and you will come to know what they are

 

[DeletedUser5]

Bots are scripts which when enabled gives you premium experience and save your clicks for free

read the first post and you will come to know what they are

Spoken by someone who has read this thread and assumed they know everything about "bots".

So-called "bots" come in lots of different forms, and it's therefore very difficult to give them an accurate description. The best description that can be given is as follows. A bot is a tool that in some way automates gameplay, sometimes enabling users to carry out actions which would not normally be possible.

Now it is very possible to catch bots, and I can assure you that people using bots do get found, when they do, they get dealt with accordingly.

 

[DeletedUser]

Some people don't understand that playing a game means actually being present and engaging in its challenges and yes, even tedious aspects. Those that don't or who don't put in the time to learn important aspects of the game tend to find solace in using bots. Mods will always have to deal with them, it's just a natural aspect of gaming, and they do a fine job hunting down even the most low-key of abusers.

 

[DeletedUser20429]

Another thing about games on servers is that they CAN'T be hacked by things such as Cheat Engine. Because all Cheat Engine does is alter the information but not the data packets. Which means that the packet goes to the server with the same info as before and arrives back to find that the info from the server doesn't match the info that you have and so therefore when you reload the page it resets back to what you really should have. Although Cheat Engine is fun for Flash Games like BTD4 or BTD3 but MMORPG's in my opinion are way better anyway.

 

[DeletedUser]

Another thing about games on servers is that they CAN'T be hacked by things such as Cheat Engine. Because all Cheat Engine does is alter the information but not the data packets. Which means that the packet goes to the server with the same info as before and arrives back to find that the info from the server doesn't match the info that you have and so therefore when you reload the page it resets back to what you really should have. Although Cheat Engine is fun for Flash Games like BTD4 or BTD3 but MMORPG's in my opinion are way better anyway.

That's not true, I changed my walking speed in WonderKing with Cheat Engine once. Never tried CE with Grepo though, and I don't plan on it either. Packet Filtering is pretty easy if you know what you're doing, but I'm pretty sure they'd get caught pretty fast. The In-Game mods here seem to know what they're doing, unlike back at Wk where people did what they like and got away with it. >.> (At one point they were selling the GM armor, it was so funny)

 

[DeletedUser20429]

I've hacked dungeon defenders mana and got away with it lol but then again I only used it for local play. The mods can only prove hacking if it happens online.

 

[DeletedUser4013]

I appreciate the concerns about a minority of players resorting to using bots and ruining the gaming experience for everyone else, however, I can say with full and complete confidence that the In-Game Mods are fully aware of what to look for and do a superb job in not only detecting bots, but also stopping those players from ruining a great game for others. As always, if you suspect something is wrong, please alert us through a Support Ticket.

I will be closing this thread now, but not because I am against a discussion of this nature, more so because the frustration vented in this thread is shared by all who are honest players and would like to enjoy the game in the way it is meant to be played.