How to Solve your bot problem

[Magnasword2]

Okay so, I'm here to offer some constructive advice. Yes I know it's surprising but hear me out.

Step 1: Take the browser version off the game for a short amount of time, call it routine maintenance or whatever. Monitor what happens in that time. if the bots stop then it's clear that the browser version is to blame, if not well it's clear the bots are buying steam keys by the dozen which is actually beneficial to yourselves. My point being is a brief removal of the browser version will allow you to gain some much needed data in order to know how best to fight the bots. You can easily put it back up after say 2 days.

Step 2: Implement a new barrier for users who are signing up such as two factor authentication or an IP checker. Blacklist known proxies or anything that appears illegitimate. Ensure that said bots do not get through the front gates easily by any means. yes some will still get through but if you limit their successes it's easy to root them out in game

Step 3: Create a "Waiting" Lounge where players can fill the role of banned players. have them earn say 10 gold coins for each time they come into a game and take over from a banned player. The incentive should help to fix the game and you show gratitude with your currency which costs you nothing. Obviously the coding for this would take time but this is how you fix it.

Step 4: Ban the specific phrases "I am a bot" or "i am a gamethrower" There should be no logical way anyone would ever use these phrases in game.

Step 5: Have a separate filter to click and ban instantly anyone mass reported as being a bot.

Step 6: Hire a professional hacker to track down the origin of the bots. Under international law if a person is vandalising or hurting your business they can be prosecuted. Cut out the root of the problem.

Step 7: Update your login system. okay so this whole forum thing here, it's not a big secret the login system is very insecure. In fact it's bare bones. You would do well to find a better provider with far more added security. i would not be surprised if the bots were finding a way into the game's system through this here forum site which is linked to the game logins.#

And that's 7 steps to help get rid of the bots. Don't get me wrong I still have major issues with this business but I'd rather this problem get's fixed because well, alot of people still like this game and they deserve to be able to have something to play when they're bored.

[ICECLIMBERS]

Okay so, I'm here to offer some constructive advice.

Top 10 Anime Plot Twists

[shapesifter13]

We appreciate the feedback.

[Villagerlover]

Good to hear from ya after almost a year, heh.


Glad to know someone took the time out of their day just to address the problem.

[Achilles]

Kind of funny, we already implemented step 4 two weeks ago and constantly got mocked for being incompetent developers for how ineffective it was.

Step 5 also wouldn't work, if you happened to get in a game with many bots they could ban you via numbers.

Thanks for the other suggestions though.

[Djaouida]

Kind of funny, we already implemented step 4 two weeks ago and constantly got mocked for being incompetent developers for how ineffective it was.

I'm sorry. But unless you're going to blacklist, every single possible bypass to the filter. You can possibly come up with, on the top of your head. It's not going to be effective.

[Villagerlover]

Yanno I hate to bring it up again, but you could just make the game pay-to-play for new users.
Like, people who already have an account can stay for free, but once a paywall goes up, those bots will be no more.

I feel that's a pretty realistic solution that is quite effective since, at the very least, BMG makes money off of trolling wallets, and the trial system can slow down a bit from the chaos.
It could even make more sense now that the new Unity Port will come soon with a much better look to everything.

[qwatbattery]

if you are going to make the game
not pay to play then just buy coven even though i might sound like a trolling bot the bots are not lying when they say that coven is bot free

[Yokujin]

Okay so, I'm here to offer some constructive advice. Yes I know it's surprising but hear me out.

Step 1: Take the browser version off the game for a short amount of time, call it routine maintenance or whatever. Monitor what happens in that time. if the bots stop then it's clear that the browser version is to blame, if not well it's clear the bots are buying steam keys by the dozen which is actually beneficial to yourselves. My point being is a brief removal of the browser version will allow you to gain some much needed data in order to know how best to fight the bots. You can easily put it back up after say 2 days.

this wont work and it is a complete trash suggestion, you will only hurt actual players with it

bots use neither browser, steam nor mobile version to connect

they use nothing more than a specialized cmd.exe tool and automated scripts

[Villagerlover]

if you are going to make the game
not pay to play then just buy coven even though i might sound like a trolling bot the bots are not lying when they say that coven is bot free

But we shouldn't have to buy Coven just because the normal game modes (Mafia, NOT Coven) are infested.

If we implement a paywall around the entire game, not only will the already-existing players stay, but the bots and overall trolling problem will go down significantly since no one wants to pay money over and over again. Trial System and Moderators staff will get a bit of a relief, and it seems more feasible to pay money now that this whole new look with the Unity Port is coming soon.

I just think that if there is to be a paywall ever added, then now is a better time than ever when Unity Port hits.

[xApprenticex]

1 - Does nothing
2 - Actually very few people bother for a 2FA, but I guess it would work? The Ip checker does nothing when the bots be coded to have different IPs each time
3 - When the bot has already ruined their slot, it doesnt matter
4 - Just use different phrases
5 - Report system can be abused, thats why insta bans wont work (with the exclusion of trusted ones like gmods and judges)

6 is the one which obviously needs doing and 7 works i guess but it casts a bad rep to the Devs if they do it or so

Anyways, this is just a free browser game and eliminating all Bots is incredibly hard.

[greenrabbit7]

You can’t sue them if they’re not making the bots for monetary or material gain.

[ICECLIMBERS]

if you are going to make the game
not pay to play then just buy coven even though i might sound like a trolling bot the bots are not lying when they say that coven is bot free

But we shouldn't have to buy Coven just because the normal game modes (Mafia, NOT Coven) are infested.

If we implement a paywall around the entire game, not only will the already-existing players stay, but the bots and overall trolling problem will go down significantly since no one wants to pay money over and over again. Trial System and Moderators staff will get a bit of a relief, and it seems more feasible to pay money now that this whole new look with the Unity Port is coming soon.

I just think that if there is to be a paywall ever added, then now is a better time than ever when Unity Port hits.

Problem with a paywall is that while it scares away bots it can restrict newer players. Not because it would be too expensive but because the game spreads through word of mouth and, quite frankly, a lot of players are too young to have their own credit cards. And if you want to keep it free to play then that makes this complicated. Pay upfront and get reimbursed later? Bots will hibernate. Pay after so many games? Bots will multiply.
A complex solution would be to request credit card info upfront, but only charge you if you are banned, if that's possible. If it'd only be something like a $2 fee somebody would have to be really uptight about losing that money. An alt abuser or a botter, on the other hand...

[Villagerlover]

if you are going to make the game
not pay to play then just buy coven even though i might sound like a trolling bot the bots are not lying when they say that coven is bot free

But we shouldn't have to buy Coven just because the normal game modes (Mafia, NOT Coven) are infested.

If we implement a paywall around the entire game, not only will the already-existing players stay, but the bots and overall trolling problem will go down significantly since no one wants to pay money over and over again. Trial System and Moderators staff will get a bit of a relief, and it seems more feasible to pay money now that this whole new look with the Unity Port is coming soon.

I just think that if there is to be a paywall ever added, then now is a better time than ever when Unity Port hits.

Problem with a paywall is that while it scares away bots it can restrict newer players. Not because it would be too expensive but because the game spreads through word of mouth and, quite frankly, a lot of players are too young to have their own credit cards. And if you want to keep it free to play then that makes this complicated. Pay upfront and get reimbursed later? Bots will hibernate. Pay after so many games? Bots will multiply.
A complex solution would be to request credit card info upfront, but only charge you if you are banned, if that's possible. If it'd only be something like a $2 fee somebody would have to be really uptight about losing that money. An alt abuser or a botter, on the other hand...

Man, I think you're overthinking it.
A charge of $2 is nothing, and new players will be looking at this game regardless once Unity Port comes. Town of Salem will actually look like real quality instead of a shitty flash game. If we asked for a $2 or $3 charge for making an account, it would make the game a lot more profitable. New players will still come regardless if they are the owners of a credit card or not (there are plenty of children who beg their parents to let them use cards to buy games, and lots of parents tend to give in after a certain point). Meanwhile, any currently existing bots would get banned, and be unable to make an account unless they pay BMG to continue their trolling.

It's not a complex solution at all. It is very much straight forward, and a realistic solution since any Captcha/verification measures for free-to-play have already been proven avoidable by the bots who still reign rampant on the servers right now.

[ICECLIMBERS]

I agree that a $2 charge is nothing. That's the cost of a lot of mobile games. Obviously as somebody who mains the forums it'd limit an ability to create alts but I could understand why it'd be done. However, I first played this game in a college dormitory with people on my floor. I would have paid $1.99 to activate an account for a few hours of fun/FOMO, but if somebody thought that they would only play a few games and then do it never again they might skip out. Ideally the bot issue gets solved before this would need to be implemented.I guess kids do demand credit cards from parents but I wouldn't know.

I could also rant about the username change fee but I won't.

[Villagerlover]

I agree that a $2 charge is nothing. That's the cost of a lot of mobile games. Obviously as somebody who mains the forums it'd limit an ability to create alts but I could understand why it'd be done. However, I first played this game in a college dormitory with people on my floor. I would have paid $1.99 to activate an account for a few hours of fun/FOMO, but if somebody thought that they would only play a few games and then do it never again they might skip out. Ideally the bot issue gets solved before this would need to be implemented.I guess kids do demand credit cards from parents but I wouldn't know.

I could also rant about the username change fee but I won't.

Then just implement a 30-day refund policy or something similar.
If you have a reputation of poor behavior in games, then you won't be getting a refund when you get suspended/banned.

It's that simple.

[ICECLIMBERS]

Then the bots wait 30 days.

[Villagerlover]

Then the bots wait 30 days.

That's why you get a review if you want a refund like I implied earlier.
If the judges/mods see you're spamming games or saying bad stuff often, then they can deny your refund.

[ICECLIMBERS]

True, it’s similar to this other workable idea:

Maybe issue a refund of that $1 USD after an account has a certain number of matches completed (win or lose, but MUST complete the match) in good standing, such as no reports for spamming? Say 100 matches in good standing and you get your money back in some form, be it a straight up refund, or a certain number of Town Points. Then BMG wouldn't be seen as quite so money-focused since you'll at least be giving back what you took.

Edit: The Town Points option would actually be a great deterrent in my opinion since the botters wouldn't get their money back at all, but legit players would get something out of the deal to soften the blow so to speak. Botters don't care about Town Points, so it'd eventually end up costing them quite a bit with no monetary reimbursement of any kind.

[TehLonelyNinja]

Okay so, I'm here to offer some constructive advice. Yes I know it's surprising but hear me out.

Step 1: Take the browser version off the game for a short amount of time, call it routine maintenance or whatever. Monitor what happens in that time. if the bots stop then it's clear that the browser version is to blame, if not well it's clear the bots are buying steam keys by the dozen which is actually beneficial to yourselves. My point being is a brief removal of the browser version will allow you to gain some much needed data in order to know how best to fight the bots. You can easily put it back up after say 2 days.

Step 2: Implement a new barrier for users who are signing up such as two factor authentication or an IP checker. Blacklist known proxies or anything that appears illegitimate. Ensure that said bots do not get through the front gates easily by any means. yes some will still get through but if you limit their successes it's easy to root them out in game

Step 3: Create a "Waiting" Lounge where players can fill the role of banned players. have them earn say 10 gold coins for each time they come into a game and take over from a banned player. The incentive should help to fix the game and you show gratitude with your currency which costs you nothing. Obviously the coding for this would take time but this is how you fix it.

Step 4: Ban the specific phrases "I am a bot" or "i am a gamethrower" There should be no logical way anyone would ever use these phrases in game.

Step 5: Have a separate filter to click and ban instantly anyone mass reported as being a bot.

Step 6: Hire a professional hacker to track down the origin of the bots. Under international law if a person is vandalising or hurting your business they can be prosecuted. Cut out the root of the problem.

Step 7: Update your login system. okay so this whole forum thing here, it's not a big secret the login system is very insecure. In fact it's bare bones. You would do well to find a better provider with far more added security. i would not be surprised if the bots were finding a way into the game's system through this here forum site which is linked to the game logins.#

And that's 7 steps to help get rid of the bots. Don't get me wrong I still have major issues with this business but I'd rather this problem get's fixed because well, alot of people still like this game and they deserve to be able to have something to play when they're bored.

That's brilliant. #magnasword2forBMGpresident