Blue Posts and Other WoW News: They have a plan for MoP, Moon Guard, and bots

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Blue posts
Quote:
There's got to be a plan. Doesn't there?
There's got to be a plan. Doesn't there?
There does and there is. There's not anything specific I can share on a time frame as of yet, but things are moving along well with Mists of Pandaria and we'll be getting you all more information on "what's next" as soon as possible. For those that were able to see the next expansion at BlizzCon, you'll have seen that we were relatively far along in development. As we've said before, we're working diligently to put out expansions a little bit quicker than we have in the past. But, as always, we want to make sure we release "when it's ready" as well.
*Note, the plan currently does not entail "filler" as per Dave's comments.
Quote:
Have u seen the place? Its not appropriate and is emulated no where else. Blizz what is your position on the activities that go down there?
Have u seen the place? Its not appropriate and is emulated no where else. Blizz what is your position on the activities that go down there?
This question has been asked repeatedly. Our answer has never changed.
If you see something inappropriate in trade, or someone violates our harassment or naming policies, report it. We have, in the past, patrolled Moon Guard or other realms where we have received an overwhelming number of reports. However, these initiatives were still related to how many player reports we received.
The bottom line of any harassment/inappropriate actions taking place is that if it is never reported to us, our staff will never know about it or be able to take action. A realm's environment is as good as its community wishes it to be. Inaction on the part of any player is that player's admission that they are okay with that behavior. Reporting it allows us to step in and take appropriate action.
So our stance, like any harassment situation, is that if there is a violation, and it is reported to us, our staff will be happy to investigate and hand out account actions to those that break our rules.
These threads tend to meander onto off-topic territory; as I've already seen evidence of that direction, I'll be locking it
Quote:
Im curious to know how blizzard prevents botting.....
Im curious to know how blizzard prevents botting.....
There are many methods of detection in place that work to find those using "botting" programs, as well as the activities that indicate possible automation of play. Those accounts are actions accordingly when found. Sometimes individually and sometimes in a wave.
Please understand that it takes time to figure these exploitative programs out, to develop methods of detection and essentially "break" the program so that it doesn't work with the game or can be found when it is used.
The trick is there are many programs out there that do their best to remain undetected. Those who design these programs are very good at what they do. Such programs also rarely remain the same once found. As soon as we figure one out, they try to figure out how we found it and develop a workaround. It is a constant struggle.
Unfortunately, from an outside perspective it can look like nothing is done, especially given the limited exposure one may have to the ebb and flow of the "botting" cycle. This cycle will often be marked by an increasing numbers of "bots" in Battlegrounds that ramps up over several months. As time goes on, hastened now when properly reported, the ability to detect or break specific programs will be found and many of those accounts will be actioned. After that, matches will once more consist primarily of players who are controlling their own character, for a time. Once the next generation of "botting" methods are developed, it will start over again.
The most effective tool that we have for helping to combat this type of behavior is the non-participation /afk report feature.
http://us.battle.net/support/en/article/battleground-non-participation-account-action
While immediate results may not be seen using this feature, since the methods used to "bot" in a battleground can include a way to remove the non-participation debuff, the data on those reports is gathered by the system and is considered with respect to any future reports.
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Filed under: Today in WoW






Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Xantenise Jan 23rd 2012 9:20PM
Maybe I'm just used to the community, but Moon Guard isn't as bad as people carry on like it is. OK, Goldshire is, but Goldshire is mostly off-server people joining in on the shenanigans and every decent Moon Guardian avoids it anyway.
Pyromelter Jan 23rd 2012 9:48PM
EVERY decent moonguardian?
You'd be surprised at what depraved things "decent" people can do when given the chance, I have to imagine there are some natives that join the action.
Astoreth Jan 24th 2012 2:47AM
@Pyro
Every decent Moon Guardian, yes. If they're decent, they're not joining in the depravity.
And yes, there are quite a lot of them. The Goldshire trolls represent a tiny fraction of the whole, and many of them are likely not MG regulars but people who come to MG's Goldshire for what they've heard about it on the internet.
Caseygraham90 Jan 24th 2012 3:04PM
I've recently started playing on Mood Guard, despite "Goldshire". My first encounter with another player was extremely pleasant, it was his first time as Alliance on that realm, so I ask how is the Horde side. He replied, simply, "We don't have Goldshire."
I've really enjoyed my experience so far and have just avoided Elwyn forest as much as possible. It is just about knowing where to go, as it is with most RP servers.
Thorie Jan 23rd 2012 10:33PM
Moon Guard is Blood Elf realm - US. I always pitied the guilds trying to get "Stay Classy!" on Moon Guard. I mean seriously, finding an Orc, Dwarf, Gnome, Troll anything just sounds horrid.
Don't believe me? Run the AddOn CensusPlus and take a 10 minute break, then see for yourself. The realm is seriously 5% Orc, 9% Undead, 15% Tauren, 4% Troll, 5% Goblin, 62% Blood Elf, it's ridiculous, it ruins the atmosphere of being in the Horde.
In fact, I'm a roleplayer at heart, and want an Horde which is composed of Orcs and Trolls, like it should be. Because of RP realms being de facto Human/Blood Elf, Im forced into playing a PvP server where the races are more balanced in terms of playerbase (I.E. 18% Orc, 25% Blood Elf)
/grumpyhetero
sjamesclarkson Jan 23rd 2012 10:58PM
What does being heterosexual have to do with the topic?
Thorie Jan 23rd 2012 11:15PM
Sexuality has everything to do with an issue regarding Moon Guard - US. Though I agree that conversation doesn't belong on WoW Insider. Cant go back and remove it
Mal Jan 23rd 2012 11:43PM
It's called Don't Play Horde.
milkweedmonster Jan 24th 2012 6:02AM
I'm gay, and I play Goblins, Trolls, Orcs and Tauren.
Blood Elves give a bad rap, Horde OR homosexual.
klingers48 Jan 23rd 2012 11:33PM
I thought the plan for MoP was... You know... Release the bloody thing this epoch.
vincentmagius Jan 24th 2012 1:12AM
Yes, but if they miss their projected deadline, our robot overlords, who will be arriving at the turn of the epoch, will rage that they were promised an expansion.
Noyou Jan 24th 2012 3:26AM
By the tone of the bluepost and looking at what is said and not said, I would say MoP sounds like it will be ready 1-2 months earlier than "normal". I'm hoping they are running alpha as we speak and being very "tight lipped" about it.
Vincentmagius Jan 24th 2012 10:01AM
@Noyou
It's possible. A lot of people say, "oh we'd hear about it if it F&F Alpha was started". I guess they forget what a None Disclosure Agreement is. By it's very nature, we shouldn't know anything until Beta starts.
We've probably heard fewer leaks with each expansion for a reason. Blizz cracks down on it, as they should, and you lose your spot in Alpha and probably Beta. Good job. NDAs are taken seriously by companies.
Mal Jan 23rd 2012 11:58PM
I play on Moon Guard, although exclusively Alliance side (I'd make a horde toon if I could have an 11th spot).
It really isn't that bad as long as you stay out of Goldshire (I hate hallow's eve). I see plenty of orcs, trolls, etc on Tol Barad, and I'm guessing there must be some decent PvPrs there since we seen to hardly ever take it.
RP wise, I know there's at least 1 forsaken exclusive guild, 1 guild that only takes "true" horde races (no belves or undead), 1 Orc guild, 1 gnome guild, and 1 Dwarf guild, I'm in it. I've really only heard of 2 "big" belf guilds, I'm guessing most of the numbers must come from lowbie alts that hang around silvermoon doing ungodly things. There are a TON of human army guilds though, and there's this gnome girl who hosts a daily "news" announcement every night at 9 on the dot by the Dwarven district bank.
Really though, it can be a ton of fun sometimes. I honestly would have quit months ago if it wasn't for that server.
Astoreth Jan 24th 2012 2:44AM
The big belf guilds I know (Silvermoon Blood Knights and Dominion of the Sun come to mind) have naught to do with "lowbie alts doing ungodly things". The Burning Tusk Tribe is a really awesome mixed-race RP guild, also.
thawedtheorc Jan 24th 2012 12:23AM
Moonguard creeps me the hell out.
I remember as a kid when my parents took us to the mall, there were not many restrooms as they have now. You had about 2 choices- Sears or Macy's.
I hated Sears because not only were there no doors on the stalls, but for some reason there were a lot of grown men hanging out.
As I got older I realized the stomach turning truth. There are some people, (most are married) who have some bizarre need to meet others of like mind, in unsanitary, public places and have sex.
The county police have even raided raid the dang place to run all the perverts out. It was even in the news every few years about the police arresting these married men for lewd public behavior.
Moonguard has these same, lonely individuals doing the WoW version of the Men's bathroom of Sears in Cumberland Mall- Atlanta.
ie- bunch of idiots who have no boundaries.
Khirsah Jan 24th 2012 5:11AM
That is just disturbing. I live 1500 miles from Atlanta, and it suddenly feels way too close.
jorge_av Jan 24th 2012 3:20AM
I fully understand the bot situation. Not in battlegrounds, but farming bots.
I remember always taking a little bit of my day to farm crystallized fire in Storm Peaks during Wrath. There was always people farming there. I usually took the time to send whispers to the other people farming. If they didn't respond and they followed the same path, I'd report them as a bot. The number of people would decrease for a week or two and then later new characters showed up to farm. It was a viscous cycle.
I remedied it by continuing to report and using a warlock to dot everything in range, and then let my voidwalker pickup aggro. Worked out well, warlocks have always been my favorite farming character. Despite mage's frost nova and blizzard. Corruption on everything, voidwalker takes aggro, life tap to get mana back, corruption ticks healed. It was nonstop.
Smoe Jan 24th 2012 7:26AM
^ said link is a virus.
tw_holt Jan 24th 2012 8:34AM
I don't know about Goldshire on Moon Guard, but I have noticed that people in all other places of the server are very friendly and polite.