Farming bots: where are they born?

I have to say, Anet does a decent job of keeping up with bot infestations. Every once in a while there are hotspots, but they are cleared up within a reasonable time frame. So this isn't intended to be a QQ thread.

Anyway, today I found myself thinking about monkbots, especially the ones that would appear back in the old days of just Prophecies. While scripts are obviously used to run their actions once they begin farming, it seems reasonable to assume that a human is involved in getting each character up and running.

Back when it was just Prophecies, each monkbot represented at least a few hours of work. Every character had to reach Lion's Arch, be fitted with tattoos, reach Mineral Springs, cap Shield of Judgement, and reach whatever area was deemed by Local Gaming Sweatshop management to be the new hot spot for bots. They also had to earn or buy a -50 cesta (presumably 5 superior runes were donated by Local Gaming Sweatshop), and may well have ascended for extra attribute points, which means doing desert missions.

So, where were they doing this? Have you ever seen a monk, dressed and named like a bot, but moving as if there's a person at the wheel? Going through missions, joining parties? They weren't dropped in their farming towns by the stork. Where do they come from, and why do they eventually come to where people can see them?

I am curious.

Gold selling websites

That's WHY they're born. But WHERE in the game are they before they settle down and become bots until they're banned?

pre searing

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Don't be retards guys, this guy has a point

Its kinda like the chicken/egg question.

yes, i have.

Mental retardation is not a choice. A person who is mentally retarded cannot decide to not be a "retard".

nightfall or just a pvp char

A PvP char farming in PvE really?....that would be amazing accomplishment

I would assume that the bots have a sort of 'guild' that levels them up so the can go botting....since I doubt that there is just one person doing it---so it would be easy for there to be a leader (or leaders) who run the newbie bots to the area where they will be botting, levels them up there as well; runs them to the armor spot and then lets them bot...
if this is the case there would be no reason to ever see the bots before they start their botting careers.

Most likely prophecies, most likely in the international districts.

I suspect Prophecies, since most of the farming monks look like mice.

Do you read these forums regularly?


As for the OP, they were born out of the need for others to create a giant E-peen. Some bored college student wrote a simple program and found out that he could make money from it, getting the idea from countless other games with bot infestations. The program was copied by websites due to lack of patent and now we have them.

Do not confuse mental retardation with stupidity.

In any case, calling people "retard" shows either stupidity or prejudice.

Why would a bot waste resources in FoW armor, when Droks will do the same thing for a lot less?

The monks look like Prophecies ones, but Factions would be the best for fast levelling.

Then again the way these bots act I think levelling is the least concern. Definitely Prophecies. I have an old picture (but after NF's release) of four midget monk bots in Marhan's Grotto, each one the exact same but with different hair - and each in FoW, a different color.

Retard is the new term for stupid. Mentally challenged is the political way to refer to "Retards". And you better remember it, or the democrats will come eat your face.

This is ridiculous, first of all theres no definitive way to discern which characters are bots and which are not. Just think logically, do you actually believe they name their characters in a fashion like this?:

-GoldBot 001
-GBR 493498
-0001234 13

If someone was running bots, you'd assume they had the common sense to select believable names. Also, how does a bot look? If you're going solely off armor choices, well than thats just as implausible as naming conventions...

I remember awhile back I was in the presearing arena, that little mini 'pvp' event to get to post and I was against 4 tiny female monks, in starter armour with silly typical bot names. Of course they were terrible.

This was 3 in the morning, so definatly not a 'peak' time.

Excuse me, but I'm "old school". There are better words to use than such disparagements. I tend to use the word "retard" to mean

–verb (used with object) 1. to make slow; delay the development or progress of (an action, process, etc.); hinder or impede.
–verb (used without object) 2. to be delayed.