Curse

Rieselle · Aug 25, 2006, 08:18 AM // 08:18

I'm not worried at all, because I dont farm.

King Kong · Aug 25, 2006, 08:51 AM // 08:51

Quote:

Originally Posted by Curse You

The best trick for a GM, is to simply Whisper the suspect, and wait for a response. They can't just send a single whisper and think that is enough, many people play with sound off, and when they are farming, a lot of text is filling their screen.
Another method may be to request to join their party. If they turn it down right away, they are probably a real person, if they ignore it, they are probably a bot. If they send a whisper asking why they requested, then they are obviously a person.

That wouldnt work, ive got mates who cant read but still play GW! All you do is follow the green arrow lol And if they need help with stuff i just go on xfire voice chat with them. Plus what if the person they are wispering is from Germany or something lol

pork soldier · Aug 25, 2006, 09:51 AM // 09:51

Apparently playing more efficiently than other players makes you a botter, GG.

Eviance · Aug 25, 2006, 04:19 PM // 16:19

Astraea & Jiggy
- While I completely agree, it is the fact that if the innocent was indeed innocent Anet says another screwup and you are gone - when there was no real screwup to start with? This makes no sense to me and shouldn't to the "innocent offender".
The harsher reality of such a case is that you are technically being punished for something you didn't do wrong but if you do what you didn't do again you gone for life? It's all in the eye of the beholder in the OPs case and they refuse to say what they "think" they saw, only that they "think" they saw it? My brain goes automatically WTF?!

So let me get this straight... I create a bunch of bots and farm tons of gold for ebay and one of my accounts is flagged and banned... I choose to fight the issue and they say: since this was your first offense you are free to go. Hey look I can go back to farming ebay money! ... If it truly was a bot do you think Anet would let it back in? It just reaks of "Anet messed up but are unwilling to come flat out and say they screwed up." Or if they are, they still want to lay the blame on the OP... for what? *sighs* Anet lacks logic or conviction... not sure which at this point >_<

(Jiggy how do you get banned for a name like that? It's not even offensive >_< Well ok not offensive in america or most likely not in the UK... but still... banned? I've seen names that scream ban stick and yet they are still there lol.)

BeatWolf · Aug 25, 2006, 04:32 PM // 16:32

Hi Wilderness, just to let you know mate you not alone.

The exact same thing happened to me.

I also got banned for the same reason for apprantly using a third party programme. After what 5 days of wiating for the reason i did reply stating my innocence and got a reply:

Hello Jason,

Thank you for contacting the Guild Wars customer support team. A game moderator did witness automated behaviour in game while observing your character, this indicated the use of an automated third-party program, which is why we closed the account. In this case, as you are a one-time offender, we will remove the ban. However, please be aware that if we notice similar behaviour in the future, we will have to close your account permanently. Please allow 24 hours for this to take effect.

Please feel free to contact the support team again if you encounter any other problems.

Regards,

GM Trent

Guild Wars Customer Support
NCsoft Europe
http://www.guildwars.com

So i have had my account back for the last 3 days playing normally as usual, but i realy am upset with A-Net for banning me. It seems that the responses where automated since you got EXACLY the same posts in E-Mail as i did, and form the same person "GM Trent".

Loviatar · Aug 25, 2006, 05:17 PM // 17:17

Quote:

Originally Posted by BeatWolf

It seems that the responses where automated since you got EXACLY the same posts in E-Mail as i did, and form the same person "GM Trent".

did you consider the possibility that to save a ton of typing they may have several form letters they can use with simply putting in a name?

also that using a form letter does not necessarily mean that it is an automated response

Sir Skullcrasher · Aug 25, 2006, 05:23 PM // 17:23

Think all the online transaction from trading with other peoples.. to farming location and time is being recorded?

Eviance · Aug 25, 2006, 05:49 PM // 17:49

Oh come on Loviatar we all know that GM Trent is a bot... Heck he is the only one that ever answers my emails and he responded to both the OPs and this guys email.... If GM Trent is a real person he is either overworked or overpaid >_>
And I've seen that EXACT email response posted on the board many times before. I've seen GM Trent's name attached to nearly every email unless it isn't an automated reponse.

If it isn't an automated response then I would LOVE to have that job, cause not once have I seen a response from mister GM Trent that isn't the same as what everyone else gets....

And just once someone here on this board managed to reach a real person but only after 4-5 emails. Draw your own conclussions.

(And Loviatar I am not picking on you, I just tend to disagree with you more than anyone else who has posted =P)

Loviatar · Aug 25, 2006, 06:09 PM // 18:09

Quote:

Originally Posted by Eviance

(And Loviatar I am not picking on you, I just tend to disagree with you more than anyone else who has posted =P)

no offense taken at all

eleet · Aug 25, 2006, 06:11 PM // 18:11

maybe it was becuase you played non stop farmed a lot and spammed selling things in chat lots

that is what bots do

ChildeOfMalkav · Aug 25, 2006, 06:37 PM // 18:37

Quote:

Originally Posted by Astraea Zopyros

Well, as has been stated, it's hard to tell a bot from a person (or vice versa) at times. ANet doesn't just randomly pick accounts to ban--there has to be some reasonable cause for the banning. Thus said, I believe that ANet has probably increased the total number of bannings--this seems reasonable, as it's now over a year since GW was released, and the population of GW (along with the number of exploits) has logically increased. Therefore, it could also be surmised that the number of legit bannings has increased--as have the number of "wrong" bannings. However, I believe the percentage of "wrong" bannings is probably nearly the same as in the beginning. I do not believe that this is as grave an issue as it is represented. Naturally, those wrongly banned will be noisy about it. It's human nature. However, you forget that in most of the legit bannings, the owner of the offending account is disinclined to advertise that they are poor cheaters. Of course we get worked up about "wrong" bannings. However, I believe (as previously stated) that this is proof that ANet is trying their best, but are not perfect. Give them a chance.

I know that no one is perfect and that mistakes happen, but in serious manners such as banning someone's account, you can't be casual about making mistakes. And the mistakes are happening far too often.

I was one of many who got banned in that mass banning fiasco right after the dragon festival. Was I farming? Not at all. Hell, I probably only farm once a month. So what the hell flagged me as a bot? Whatever measuring stick they're using to determine what a bot is really really needs a lot of work.

ANET is being far too liberal in their banstick use. Yes, it's great they're trying to get rid of bots and scammers. But what good is getting rid of bots when you're banning the innocent people that you're trying to better the game for?

Sir Skullcrasher · Aug 25, 2006, 07:20 PM // 19:20

Quote:

Originally Posted by Eviance

Oh come on Loviatar we all know that GM Trent is a bot... Heck he is the only one that ever answers my emails and he responded to both the OPs and this guys email.... If GM Trent is a real person he is either overworked or overpaid >_>
And I've seen that EXACT email response posted on the board many times before. I've seen GM Trent's name attached to nearly every email unless it isn't an automated reponse.

If it isn't an automated response then I would LOVE to have that job, cause not once have I seen a response from mister GM Trent that isn't the same as what everyone else gets....

And just once someone here on this board managed to reach a real person but only after 4-5 emails. Draw your own conclussions.

(And Loviatar I am not picking on you, I just tend to disagree with you more than anyone else who has posted =P)

I wonder how big is A-Net customer service staff and who their manager is?

Amity and Truth · Aug 25, 2006, 07:35 PM // 19:35

After a friend of mine got banned as well (And he is as Anticheater as one can be, he helped develop an Anticheat Tool for HL) i'm starting to think that the new detection method is utterly flawed.
I wouldn't be surprised if those that were banned were farming with one of the two monk builds that are out there as they both require you to activate skills at a certain time.

Well anyways, once i get banned for legit playing i'll be gone for good and make sure to let everyone know what happened. *shrugs*

wilderness · Aug 29, 2006, 03:46 PM // 15:46

Well, it seems this issue has not been resolved.

The last email I recieved from Areanet on the 23rd of august clearly stated that my account would be unlocked within 24hours. I had to leave for a five day trip that afternoon and so was unable to check that they would keep their promise.

I got home this afternoon to find the ban message intact and my account still locked. Upon inspection of my inbox, I have found no further correspondence from Areanet. It would seem that not only do this company enjoy banning innocent players, but that their also in no rush to rectify their errors.

I have sent yet another email.

Matix411 · Aug 29, 2006, 06:49 PM // 18:49

Man that's so ridiculous.
Thankfully you're unbanned, but honestly, I think the punishment for 'supposed' use of bots is uncalled for.
True, if someone really IS using bots, that's different.
But the proof they have could easily be refuted and could easily be dubbed incorrect and false.
A 'one time offense' for something as simple as a bot is ridiculous. At least you're not hacking every account you can and stealing 100's of thousands of in-game money and items. THAT would be an offense, whether it be in-game theivary or not.
I agree when they ban actual bot users though, as much as I think it may be stupid. But either way, a permanent ban, after you put hundreds of hours in-game for something so miniscule? A false accusation to boot?
It's stupid.
If they were consiously aware that you WERE indeed using a bot program, and not just playing the game as you have always played it, then maybe, MAYBE there would be some justification to their actions, but no, they assume because they observe 'unregular' activity in their little lines of coding.
They need a more fullproof way to observe player behavior and judge whether what the player is doing is right or wrong, because the amount of people getting banned for stupid shit like this is appaulling.

Anybody recall the events that took place after the finale of the Dragon Festival?
Hm?
How many people were banned for no reason?
How many people complained to Anet support?
How many people were unbanned for wrongful accusation?

You'd think they would have learned their lesson and observed more carefully from thereon out, but no.
ANY behavior even remotely resembling an automative program results in a ban now.

GG ANet, GG.

So what happens if you decide to do 4 or 5 mission runs in a row, and happen to do them all in the same fashion?
Are they going to permanently ban your account? An account with over hundreds of hours of play, and hardearnings, simply because they 'witnessed' behavior that 'resembled' an automated program.

STUPID.

Ban the frigging game moderators for Christ sake.

I wonder if I can get banned for saying that ...

Matix411 · Aug 29, 2006, 07:01 PM // 19:01

Oh, and to further conclude my response, I just witnessed THIS in-game:

Now, whether there's any rule against advertising for the selling of virtual money for REAL money, I don't know.
But it seems to me, if I remember correctly, this offense was almost as bad as the selling of one's account for real money, or buying an abundance of money off E-bay.

So, where are all the moderator's while this advertising (and often succeeded avertising) is going on? On their break?

[Oh, and, to the OP ... a five month illness certainly doesn't sound anything wonderful. So get better, alright? At least now you can continue enjoy GW more thoroughly. All the best.]

Edit:
This advertising, which started about 20 minutes ago, is still going on.

**cosyfiep** · Aug 29, 2006, 07:26 PM // 19:26

Quote:

Originally Posted by Curse You

The best trick for a GM, is to simply Whisper the suspect, and wait for a response. They can't just send a single whisper and think that is enough, many people play with sound off, and when they are farming, a lot of text is filling their screen.
Another method may be to request to join their party. If they turn it down right away, they are probably a real person, if they ignore it, they are probably a bot. If they send a whisper asking why they requested, then they are obviously a person.

so basically anyone who is afk is a bot then? Many times I have had to answer the phone or door or run to the wc and I wont be logging off my account, but I wont be answering any whispers either! And many people play with the text off as well...or just ignore it. (lions arch dist 1 for example)
But I understand what you are trying to get at. There needs to be a more ingame approach to these bannings.

wilderness · Aug 30, 2006, 12:07 AM // 00:07

This is making me laugh now...

I have already recieved an email from Areanet (which I posted earlier in this thread) that clearly stated that my account would be unlocked in 24 hours.

It has been five days and still nothing, so after sending yet another email to ask what the problem is, they send the same automated response I recieved before.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Areanet

Hello Bracken,

Thanks for taking the time to contact us regarding your Guild Wars account.

We can confirm that in this case the incident was witnessed by a games moderator, who can confirm a third-party program was being used. Due to this we will not be reversing the decision as we feel that this was a fair judgment in this case.

For your convenience, more information regarding our "Rules of Conduct" and "Conduct Breaches & Outcomes" are available at the URLs listed below.

- Rules of Conduct: - Rules of Conduct: http://www.guildwars.com/support/leg...sofconduct.php
- Conduct Breaches & Outcomes: http://www.guildwars.com/support/leg...d_outcomes.php

Regards,

GM GUS

Guild Wars Customer Support
NCsoft Europe
http://www.guildwars.com

Another semi-automated response, this time from a different GM who hasn't even bothered to read the rest of my ticket's thread, it seems.

This company has little or no idea how to handle customer relations. I will fight for my account to be unlocked, as a matter of principle, then I think I will be leaving this game.

The way they've handled this situation is a joke.

ChildeOfMalkav · Aug 30, 2006, 12:41 AM // 00:41

Sorry, but I think I missed something. I thought your account got unbanned. What happend?

EDIT: Oh ok...I see that you only got an email saying you were unbanned but not actually unbanned. Man that sucks.

Matix411 · Aug 30, 2006, 01:41 AM // 01:41

I hope you saved the 2nd email they sent you as proof that they agreed to unlock your account.
Else I have a feeling they will reply stating that it's been your '2nd warning' and thus you are permanently banned.

I would be pissed.
If worse comes to worse, start a petition on here, I'd sign it 100 times if every signing counted.