25-Oct-2011 - Bot-Nuking Day: Making RuneScape Fairer and More Fun!

[Syd]

Less than 40 players?

 

That's just freaking creepy.

Did you mean awesome? :thumbsup: *

 

So great, finally all the players I meet actually talk back and it feels like multiplayer game again. Be it less people, but do also note there are more space, which is great in many activities. And then there are still worlds that are near full, so if you want to be in a crowd, just go there. I like it.

 

Though, if it keeps going like this, it's very likely Jagex will cut out some of their servers to have more players per one. Which I personally won't mind much.

[Howlin0001]

Man, the rage on the bot forums is just amazing. Hopefully Jagex can keep this up.

 

As for Gold Sites, I see them turning to Dicers and Stakers to sell them cash, plus hijacking accounts.

 

I could see this. Besides, Dicing is more profitable than botting anyway to be honest. The pro dicers can make like 500m a day or something... If you sell it at 1 USD/Mill, that's $500 a day.

In that cause they could make dicing against the rules (like how trust trades, follow to win etc were a few years ago). That's that problem solved.

[Unknown_Warrior]

What's everyone's problem with dicing anyway?

[Kaida23]

What's everyone's problem with dicing anyway?

More often than not, it's a scam. That, and Jagex's ambiguous stance on trust games being "against the spirit of the game" maks it sound like they're trying to avoid dealing with it all together.

[Komatose]

What's everyone's problem with dicing anyway?

More often than not, it's a scam. That, and Jagex's ambiguous stance on trust games being "against the spirit of the game" maks it sound like they're trying to avoid dealing with it all together.

 

Psh it is rarely a scam...I've been dicing for a while. I made bank and I lost it all multiple times, never been scammed. Only people that get scammed are the ones that don't take enough precaution when trading hosts, in which case they deserve to be scammed. Dicing is not against the rules either so I don't see the debate over it. This is no different than the armour trimming problems of old.

[Carl]

A lot of cases are scams.

 

Just because someone calls themself a "legitimate" host, doesn't make it true. Don't bullshit.

[Agen]

Less than 40 players?

 

That's just freaking creepy.

Did you mean awesome? :thumbsup: *

 

So great, finally all the players I meet actually talk back and it feels like multiplayer game again. Be it less people, but do also note there are more space, which is great in many activities. And then there are still worlds that are near full, so if you want to be in a crowd, just go there. I like it.

 

Though, if it keeps going like this, it's very likely Jagex will cut out some of their servers to have more players per one. Which I personally won't mind much.

 

Did you just say there's more space for activities :D?

[Skiwee]

So overnight I gained quite a few ranks.

 

I went to bed around 8 PM last night but my ranks doe not show that.

 

http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/401/ranksc.png

[Syd]

They should just remove the dice bag and the number from back of the seal emote. Problem solved. :thumbup:

[Blyaunte]

Well -- I will admit it that I was WRONG ...

 

I haven't read back over the last 10 pages or so yet, but it appears that they've either rolled back or banned some players, which has resulted in some change in rankings for my own stats -- most notably my fishing rank which jumped over 100 spots which, at my level, is saying something.

 

I was also impressed at the total lack of bots at the botting hotspots: Aubury's, Sorceress's Garden, Nature Altar ... THOSE places were completely empty on NUMEROUS worlds.

 

A most impressive achievement. I am most pleased! :thumbsup:

 

What troubles me though is at those times when I was on-line last night, there were less than 60k total people on-line, when usual numbers were at least 2½ times that for that same time period (150k).

 

:unsure:

[Merre]

I don't see why they should remove the dice back. I've spent (won and lost) millions of gp in a nice dicing cc in W56.

Never been scammed, yet you know it's 60% chance you lose. That's all u have to keep in mind, apart from that it's great fun :)

[Maximusa]

Its far too soon to say whats happening yet. (Especially if they keep doing updates - Essentially a reset on the waiting time to see if anything has changed.) However it is possible to notice the huge player drop - Thats worse than even I thought - Which is good lol.

 

However looking underground I am alot more hopeful now compared to before. Just worried that the type bot that survived dont become that 100% bots tbh. (and their religious fanbase - Essentially all other relgions got nuked and their ego has hit the roof >.< Cute - Shame they wont know what it feels like to have both a legit account AND a life at same time.)

 

I might have to consider playing properly again and even talk positive words about the game. (Been a LONG time.) Hopefully the legit players come back.

 

Still bit soon though - Need more time to see what happens. Still tired with jagex lies and efforts to introduce buying xp/ingame benefits. They got ALOT to prove, even a huge reduction in bots < Than rwt on their part. I still got more respect for surviving bot users than jagex themselves due to actions they have taken in this area. I think im almost willing to turn a blind eye if bots go..Possibly...I want to see proof first of a significant change. Then decide. Maybe the joy of being bot free is enough - Im not sure.

 

Maybe.

 

P.S - Good to see some of my ranks go up to. (So they banned people quite high ranked in some skills - Always a good thing.)

[Blyaunte]

Less than 40 players?

 

That's just freaking creepy.

 

Wow 40 players. That's reminscent of the early days of RSC when you could wander the entire world and never see another player on-line ...

[Kaida23]

What troubles me though is at those times when I was on-line last night, there were less than 60k total people on-line, when usual numbers were at least 2½ times that for that same time period (150k).

Given the proliferation of bots throughout the game over the last year, it's not overly surprising that so many of the online "players" at any given time were mostly bots. I think there's a lot of people who left because of bots who are simply waiting for a bit to see how effective this initiative will be over time and, if it is (and I certainly hope it will be), eventually some of those who left will begin to filter back. Word of the success will spread and will help bring in new players.

 

As the old saying goes, "this is going to get worse before it gets better". We've been through the worse, now things will start to get better.

[Sir_Squab]

What's everyone's problem with dicing anyway?

More often than not, it's a scam. That, and Jagex's ambiguous stance on trust games being "against the spirit of the game" maks it sound like they're trying to avoid dealing with it all together.

 

Psh it is rarely a scam...I've been dicing for a while. I made bank and I lost it all multiple times, never been scammed. Only people that get scammed are the ones that don't take enough precaution when trading hosts, in which case they deserve to be scammed. Dicing is not against the rules either so I don't see the debate over it. This is no different than the armour trimming problems of old.

 

Lmao. Dicing is essentially trust-trading, and you can easily get scammed if you aren't careful. That being said, you're an idiot. You're trying to tell us that dicing is mostly legitimate, isn't against the rules, then you compare it to something that almost always was an illegitimate scam and is most definitely against the rules?

 

As for bots, I still maintain it's too early to tell. I say we need to wait at least a month before we can see how truly effective it is. That being said, if this keeps working as well as it has, RS is a game that I can finally, um... if RS comes up in conversation, and the person is semi-interested in playing it, I can, in good conscience, not feel the need to tell them not to play.

[Merre]

That being said, you're an idiot.

 

<_< Why insult someone because he doesn't have problems with dicing?

I dice alot, always in the same cc and mostly to the same hosts. I've never been scammed. You know why? Because scamming my couple of millions would ruin their future investments.

The more street credibility they get, the higher ranked they get; meaning they are allowed to host bigger bets, meaning their 10% of the won amount gets increased time over time.

 

Don't flame people because you disagree...

[The_Fray]

That being said, you're an idiot.

 

<_< Why insult someone because he doesn't have problems with dicing?

I dice alot, always in the same cc and mostly to the same hosts. I've never been scammed. You know why? Because scamming my couple of millions would ruin their future investments.

The more street credibility they get, the higher ranked they get; meaning they are allowed to host bigger bets, meaning their 10% of the won amount gets increased time over time.

 

Don't flame people because you disagree...

Because he said dicing is not scamming and then called it the same at armour trimming. The latter being an obvious scam.

[Flareboy64]

Mod Timo posted an email they sent all people who have evidence of botting:

 

"Dear Player,

 

We have strong evidence that you may have purchased and used botting software in the past, specifically ibot software.

 

Botting and the cheating it brings is destroying your game, violates Jagex's rights under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA), and any player that continues to engage in botting activity has no place in our community.

 

As part of bot nuke week we are offering you a 1 time amnesty and settlement lifeline, which is a chance to reform and change your ways. We'd like you to contribute to the community in a positive way, to compete on a level playing field as everyone else does and play in the true spirit of the game, with integrity. All of your accounts, main and otherwise, are now on our watch list and will be monitored for the use of ibot and all other inappropriate third-party software. Regardless of who you are or how long you've been with us, if you decide to cheat and bot ever again we will have no hesitation in: (1) permanently removing your account from our wonderful community in order to protect Jagex's rights under the DMCA, and (2) naming you as a defendant in Jagex Limited v. John Does, which is a lawsuit based on DMCA violations that is currently pending in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California (Civ. Action No. SACV11-00969-CJC).

 

Please note that this amnesty and settlement offer is protected under Fed. R. Evid. 408. If you ignore our offer and instead continue use botting software, we reserve our rights to pursue statutory damages against you for between $200 to $2,500 per act of past, present, and/or future botting in accordance with 17 U.S.C. 1203©(3).

 

We do hope you make the morally sound and lawful choice of turning your back on bots. We look forward to seeing you in game having fun in a way that is true to the spirit of fair play and respectful to your fellow players.

 

Yours sincerely,

Mark Gerhard "

 

QFC: 14-15-831-63310676

 

 

 

Wow, that's some serious sh**.

[lordkafei]

Mod Timo posted an email they sent all people who have evidence of botting:

 

"Dear Player,

 

We have strong evidence that you may have purchased and used botting software in the past, specifically ibot software.

 

Botting and the cheating it brings is destroying your game, violates Jagex's rights under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA), and any player that continues to engage in botting activity has no place in our community.

 

As part of bot nuke week we are offering you a 1 time amnesty and settlement lifeline, which is a chance to reform and change your ways. We'd like you to contribute to the community in a positive way, to compete on a level playing field as everyone else does and play in the true spirit of the game, with integrity. All of your accounts, main and otherwise, are now on our watch list and will be monitored for the use of ibot and all other inappropriate third-party software. Regardless of who you are or how long you've been with us, if you decide to cheat and bot ever again we will have no hesitation in: (1) permanently removing your account from our wonderful community in order to protect Jagex's rights under the DMCA, and (2) naming you as a defendant in Jagex Limited v. John Does, which is a lawsuit based on DMCA violations that is currently pending in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California (Civ. Action No. SACV11-00969-CJC).

 

Please note that this amnesty and settlement offer is protected under Fed. R. Evid. 408. If you ignore our offer and instead continue use botting software, we reserve our rights to pursue statutory damages against you for between $200 to $2,500 per act of past, present, and/or future botting in accordance with 17 U.S.C. 1203©(3).

 

We do hope you make the morally sound and lawful choice of turning your back on bots. We look forward to seeing you in game having fun in a way that is true to the spirit of fair play and respectful to your fellow players.

 

Yours sincerely,

Mark Gerhard "

 

QFC: 14-15-831-63310676

 

 

 

Wow, that's some serious sh**.

 

Indeed. I do wonder, however, whether legal threats will really have any effect on adolescents. I expect they will actually have to make examples of a few people in order for the gravity of the situation to sink in.

 

What is missing in this entire nuking is the naming and shaming from days of yore. A lawsuit would allow some real- life names of defendants to be brought to light from the public record.

 

In lieu of that, a list of the rolled-back accounts would be nice.

I also wouldnt mind some in-game public naming & shaming to go along with the rollbacks - something like waves of stench rising from the avatars or perhaps something more tasteful like a mechanical skill. :twisted:

[Robert_R]

Mod Timo posted an email they sent all people who have evidence of botting:

 

"Dear Player,

 

We have strong evidence that you may have purchased and used botting software in the past, specifically ibot software.

 

Botting and the cheating it brings is destroying your game, violates Jagex's rights under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA), and any player that continues to engage in botting activity has no place in our community.

 

As part of bot nuke week we are offering you a 1 time amnesty and settlement lifeline, which is a chance to reform and change your ways. We'd like you to contribute to the community in a positive way, to compete on a level playing field as everyone else does and play in the true spirit of the game, with integrity. All of your accounts, main and otherwise, are now on our watch list and will be monitored for the use of ibot and all other inappropriate third-party software. Regardless of who you are or how long you've been with us, if you decide to cheat and bot ever again we will have no hesitation in: (1) permanently removing your account from our wonderful community in order to protect Jagex's rights under the DMCA, and (2) naming you as a defendant in Jagex Limited v. John Does, which is a lawsuit based on DMCA violations that is currently pending in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California (Civ. Action No. SACV11-00969-CJC).

 

Please note that this amnesty and settlement offer is protected under Fed. R. Evid. 408. If you ignore our offer and instead continue use botting software, we reserve our rights to pursue statutory damages against you for between $200 to $2,500 per act of past, present, and/or future botting in accordance with 17 U.S.C. 1203©(3).

 

We do hope you make the morally sound and lawful choice of turning your back on bots. We look forward to seeing you in game having fun in a way that is true to the spirit of fair play and respectful to your fellow players.

 

Yours sincerely,

Mark Gerhard "

 

QFC: 14-15-831-63310676

 

 

 

Wow, that's some serious sh**.

 

Indeed. I do wonder, however, whether legal threats will really have any effect on adolescents. I expect they will actually have to make examples of a few people in order for the gravity of the situation to sink in.

 

What is missing in this entire nuking is the “naming and shaming” from days of yore. A lawsuit would allow some real- life names of defendants to be brought to light from the public record.

 

In lieu of that, a list of the rolled-back accounts would be nice.

I also wouldn’t mind some in-game public naming & shaming to go along with the rollbacks - something like waves of stench rising from the avatars or perhaps something more tasteful like a mechanical skill. :twisted:

People who got this message were not rolled back. And I really think they're doing this so they don't lose a shit ton of members by rolling and/or banning.

[L2Pullout]

Jagex failed against actually suing iBot, so for them now to try and sue the user is even less likely to succeed. I am curious as to how Jagex managed to get the E-mails of people who purchased iBot software, it seems the owner of that bot isn't very careful with it's customers information.

[codecRS]

bots are done for good. woo yeah

[lordkafei]

You might want to file this one away for future reference. Justia has a search engine for US Federal District Court cases.

 

http://dockets.justia.com/search?query=Jagex+Limited

 

I believe this is the specific case mentioned: http://dockets.justia.com/docket/california/cacdce/8:2011cv00969/505706/

[Z_Berenice]

Jagex failed against actually suing iBot, so for them now to try and sue the user is even less likely to succeed. I am curious as to how Jagex managed to get the E-mails of people who purchased iBot software, it seems the owner of that bot isn't very careful with it's customers information.

Easy to do, they can, not only get mails, but also all your personal information through paypal and such sites purchaces, which are more than willing to give out sensitive info when there's a legal process involved. That's just my guess tho.

[Blutters]

When/what is the second phase? I'm very curious now.

And SW is still down the shitter but for most people that's neither here nor there...