Lately I’ve become aware of a type of third-party tool that provides real-time target detection alerts without the player being at the keyboard. I’m not naming the group or tool involved — this post is about the problem itself, not calling out individuals.
What the tool does (conceptually):
Monitors a client window or feed
Detects inbound ships / changes in environment
Sends a ping/alert to the user
Works even when the player is AFK
This effectively removes the need for a live scout or someone watching a stream. It’s functionally similar to the old “local change” bots that krabbers used to avoid hunters — except now the advantage goes the other way.
Why this is a concern?
This type of tool provides tactical, real-time intel without requiring a human to be present. If this becomes widely adopted, especially in lowsec/highsec/WH space, we could end up with:
Situations where every target is detected immediately
Reduced counterplay for solo/small-gang players
“Always-watched” systems where evasion becomes impossible
A shift toward automated intel as a standard expectation
A major increase in AFK gameplay
It doesn’t interact with the client directly, which makes it very hard (or impossible) for CCP to enforce — but the effect is the same as prohibited automation.
Why I’m bringing this to the forums/CSM?
I contacted CCP support about this. The GM understandably couldn’t give a yes/no answer — they can’t sanction or prohibit specific third-party tools. But this is clearly something that affects:
game balance
intel mechanics
player expectations
fair play in PvP
the value of active scouting
So I’m raising the topic here, where developers and the CSM can see community discussion and weigh in.
Questions for the community & CSM:
Should AFK real-time intel tools be considered a gameplay problem?
Should CCP clarify whether these tools fall under “prohibited automation”?
Does EVE benefit from intel systems that no longer require humans?
If the tool becomes widespread, how will that change hunting, scouting, and travel?
Should this be addressed through policy, technical changes, or game design?
My position
I’m not against tools that improve usability or organization. I am concerned about tools that:
reduce the need for players to be present
provide tactical intel automatically
remove counterplay
change how PvP works at a fundamental level
I don’t believe widespread AFK intel is healthy for the game — but I want to hear other perspectives.
This is not about calling out specific people. This is about whether we want AFK tactical intel to become a normal part of EVE Online. I’d like to see discussion from players, CSM members, and hopefully CCP developers about what direction the game should take regarding these tools.
If what you’re describing is accurate, I would assume it would already fall under automation prohibitions, but since you’re vague-posting a bit, there’s a decent chance that you’re just misunderstanding and misdescribing something that works like Near2 (or whatever the kids are using these days).
The only real solution would be to auto-logoff any char that has not actively interacted with the game for ~15 minutes. Other games do that, the server kicks you for inactivtiy.
On top of that, every client not currently in focus would need to “freeze”. And of course all ESI/API connections that allow realtime player-intel would have to be delayed for at least 1 hour. Means killmails, locations etc…
It’s only going to get worse, I think, and those things you suggested will eventually become a necessity sooner or later.
AI is advancing fast, and now the plebs can get it working too. It’s going to take over all games, and MMORPGs are going to have to keep up with the new tech.
I remember watching an instructional video earlier in the year, the kind of Rookie 101 stuff that bloc members might use to onboard recruits. Anyway, it was about a 70-minute “class" in this VOD, and while the instructor is teaching they’re getting repeated automatic voice alerts about neutrals ten or more jumps away.
Normalized enough that they have no qualms posting it publicly as a resource.
What you’re describing sounds like an intel channel parser and it’s not automatic. It’s alerting based on what other players are posting into an intel channel. This is done from chat logs and doesn’t interact with the game client in any way.
That’s not to say it isn’t an extremely small AHK script away from being a botted solution, but in and of itself, not really notable.
In essence the tool works by having a character in space watching a gate, a python script then runs in the background and watches for targets decloaking and warping to one of two gates. The script looks at velocities of the target and direction and determines which direction it is going and then sends out a ping in discord to the people running the bot with information about shiptype, character(s) and direction of travel. This then lets them log in/undock and set up on said gate to catch them.
It does all the same stuff that a human scout would do, but without the need of human intervention.
What is different in this compared to many other intel tools is that it is used for an offensive PVP style gameplay instead of background intel watching for ratters.
Both usecases are questionable in my mind either way.
Sure it is. The point is: with the current game design (slow paced, all about information and being - or not being - at the right spot at the right time), there is absolutely nothing CCP can do against that, except changing fundamental core game mechanics. Which would cost them like 50% of their active players. Which might ruin them financially.
Sometimes you just see a huge rock rolling downhill. And the only thing to do is watching.
Tbh, those programs are only the tip of the iceberg. I have witnessed WH evictions where one side (in my case: attacker) did a 24h videostream from multiple locations in the target hole with cloaky alts. Which means, they basically had live footage all the time. At all holes, on the enemy fleet, on the target structure… openly available for all attacking forces. They did even record the stream so they could “spool back” to the hours they weren’t present because they did sleep or were at the job, what the defenders did, if they got people inside, which ships they used, how many numbers they had during which hours on which station, who the nightshift-guys were and so on…
Well a video stream still requires people watching. Examples are Uedama Scout on twitch.
This removed the human factor and thus it makes the process entirely automated.
Just another response to this,
I am not looking for a specific answer in regards to how or what should be done with this. I know that catching this kind of “exploit” if i can call it that is going to be difficult if not impossible with the tools that CCP have available as of today. Maybe could some other anti cheat software detect it, i do not know?
But regardless what i want from this post is a clarification from CCP whether this kind of software is legal or not. The GM i spoke to through support understandably cannot give a yes/no answer to this as he/she is not the one who makes up the rules. However CCP or the CSM with the help of the community can create guidelines and thus something may happen or could be done.
I suspect this same application could be used for signal detections/combat sites so people know when there’s any change in a system, including ships traversing through or into the system.
That’s the thing about rules, people who circumvent or break them just don’t care.
its sad thing, always has been for the gaming industry.