Patch 5.4 patch notes
Virtual Realms feature revealed
The Proving Grounds are coming
The latest patch 5.4 newsMass bannings strike Glider users
by Eliah Hecht 
May 20th 2008 at 8:00PM
We've gotten more tips on this than any other topic in recent memory: apparently many users of the popular WoW botting program Glider have been hit with the ban hammer, including some of our very own readers. You may recall Glider as the company with whom Blizzard is currently embroiled in a lawsuit (does the word "embroil" have any use other than lawsuits?). The Glider forums are abuzz with comments and complaints, to which I can only reply "QQ." Botting is clearly against the EULA, the spirit of the game, and the best interests of the other players. Yes, I would be sad if I got banned, but honestly, anyone who was botting had it coming.
There are various objections to be made to this stance. Most of the people who wrote in claim to have been botting in order to bypass the tedious leveling process. I agree that it can be boring to level 1–70 multiple times, even with the new, faster 20–60 process. However, that doesn't make it OK to cheat. Others claim that with fewer bots in the system, the supply of primals will be reduced and therefore the price will go up; I'm not much of a WoW economist, so I'll leave that to others. But to this blogger, banning botters can only be interpreted as a good thing: some cheaters got what they deserved. Whether you agree or disagree, please feel free to sound off in the comments. And if you are a botter yourself, and haven't gotten banned yet, I'd advise you to stop -- they're clearly getting serious about this.
Filed under: Cheats, News items
Reader Comments (Page 2 of 10)
scott May 21st 2008 10:49AM
So you're saying that it's ok to cheat?
ivan256 May 21st 2008 1:54PM
BS. Pure and simple. Bot users made the grind more of a grind for the people who played it fair.
I went primal farming last night, and actually got to kill a steady stream of elementals, instead of competing with a few dozen people who I used to suspect of running a bot. Farming a primal in 10 minutes instead of getting frustrated after an hour and being forced to buy one on the AH from a cheating a** is a much more pleasant experience.
Battlegrounds can only be *more* fun when there aren't jerks running a bot gimping your team.
If only we could ban these cheaters from *all* games, instead of just the one they were caught in...
Gryphon Hall May 20th 2008 8:25PM
"Embroil" used to mean the process of "broiling"... so the phrase "the chicken is being embroiled over butter and garlick" used to mean a chicken was being broiled over something yummy.
Anyway, the more botters Blizzard bans, the happier I will be.
Gordon W May 20th 2008 10:44PM
Mmm Chicken
Ancalimon May 21st 2008 1:59AM
LOL!!! nice try, but not what it means.
Embroil means
1. to bring into discord or conflict; involve in contention or strife.
2. to throw into confusion; complicate.
broiling is just broiling
Shumina May 20th 2008 8:27PM
No love lost here. It's bots, folks. There's no one to feel sorry for...machines playing machines. The people who's accounts got banned weren't playing; what have they got to be upset about? Now they're not playing AND saving $15 a month.
Dahras May 20th 2008 8:38PM
lol
That was truely an epic response my friend, I applaud you.
Rabbit May 21st 2008 8:32AM
Freakin' awesome!
Badger May 21st 2008 3:09PM
Absolutely, positively, 100% pure uadulterated WIN
Brendan May 21st 2008 5:56PM
@ Fel
It's more akin to using steroids or a corked bat in baseball. You're directly violating the rules that govern the game you're playing in order to gain an advantage without putting in the proper effort. In short, botters are lazy twats.
Brauun May 20th 2008 8:41PM
Call me naïve, but a friend of mine was banned today, and I'm pretty sure it's a mistake on Blizzard's behalf. I mean, it's not like I live with the guy or anything, hence why I can't know for sure, but don't go tell me Blizzard bans 365 000 account without, making, any, mistake. At all.
If the guy had been botting I think I would have seen his toons online more often during the day, but he's not there since he's working (I play a bit at work, that's how I know). He's the kind of guy who's really dedicated to his toon, he raids with him all the time, and does not give a damn about BGs. Did he used a bot to level an alt? I doubt so, but yeah, he could have.
Point ain't to defend someone in particular. He's just a guy with whom I kill bosses in raids so yeah, he might be guilty and I wouldn't know about it. Point is, don't tell me Blizzard bans 365 000 accounts without first hearing the banned person's version and does not make a single mistake in the process. The forums currently are full with QQing, most of which may be made by people trying to make believe they are innocent when they are not, but I'm sure some of them are being honest. In any case I hope, because I liked this guy, and still do. He's a great team member and seems like a fairly good human (from what the internet showed me of him). It ain't no reason to unban a cheater though, I know, but I hope it did was a mistake on Blizzard's behalf.
Also, from what I've read in the garguartuan thread on Blizzard's Customer Service Forum, people seem to refer to third-party software as being the primary source of the mass banning. Now I know this may refer to Glide, but I was wondering if in-game addons could infringe on Blizzard's ToS?
Eliah Hecht May 20th 2008 8:45PM
People do get banned by mistake occasionally. It is, however, not possible for an in-game AddOn to break the EULA. If Blizz wants to block an AddOn (like Decursive) they just change the API.
Your friend's best bet, if he thinks he was banned and should not have been, is to contact WoWAccountAdmin@blizzard.com.
SimpleSurvival May 20th 2008 8:46PM
there is no possible way that an in game addon could violate the TOS
before blizz would go out and mass ban every user of a specific addon, they would change the interface to break the addon's functionality.
please, be realistic
Brauun May 20th 2008 10:52PM
"be realistic"
Lol, I'll have to agree 100% with you there, it ain't really plausible. But when you have 365 000 accounts being banned in a day, you do start asking yourself questions.
I did went back and read all of Blizzard's ToS before logging back into the game, just to make sure I wasn't doing anything wrong. We do tend to read these things pretty hastly ...
Eternalpayn May 20th 2008 10:09PM
A fairly good human, or a fairly human-like robot?
Shefki May 21st 2008 12:15AM
Actually Elliah, there is one way an in-game addon can violate the TOS. The only thing prohibited that can actually be done with the API is allowing cross faction communication. That's the one exception of things that can be done but are not allowed via addons.
Spencer May 20th 2008 8:45PM
My account was banned for this over a year ago, I had a 60 Shaman in a guild that had cleared MC after months of work and was just about to begin BWL. I wanted a pvp alt so I decided to bot up a shadow priest to lvl 60. In my case I tried to get Blizzard to reinstate just the shaman, but no dice. The ban turned me off WoW for a long time and I am just getting back into it. When Blizzard does things like Death Knights starting at 55 and the arena tourny letting you buy a level 70 epiced out guy, and then turn around and ban people for doing essentially the same thing, just not paying them, It makes me mad. My opinion is, on a basic level, botting is the same as 1) Paying someone to run you through an instance, 2) Buying materials on the AH you could farm yourself 3) as recently shown on this site, paying someone to "use" their cleared instance (ZA Quest). Buying shortcuts is buying shortcuts. And If people want to skip all the stuff that blizzard tends to ignore nowadays anyway, I say let em. Make a new server type, where you can buy a level 70 with no gear and 500 gold or something, and botting wont be a problem.
Erika May 20th 2008 8:58PM
Botting is not the same as those things mentioned. When you bot you only benefit yourself. When you buy mats on the ah you are actually paying somebody who got the mats and worked for them. Running through a instance is ok with me because the people running get a little money and most of the time are helping guildies level their alts up so they can help the guild.
SimpleSurvival May 20th 2008 9:00PM
Agreed... why 'play' the game if you're not even going to play the game?
I refuse to run lowbie guildies thru instances unless they have a 70 character... I encourage other guildies to hold a similar stance. I have a few neglected alts in various levels, and often offer to run with these players, but they aren't interested in playing the game...
If I was GL... they wouldn't be in mah guild
ILikePvPbuthatePvPers May 20th 2008 9:11PM
LOL you need to have a level 55 character on your account to make a Death Knight.