I guess the number is closer to that 1-2 percent than Destiny’s 90 percent of null and 30 percent of high sec. But we’d need CCP data for this.
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Well, botters can run multiple accounts, and will keep some portion of them running for 24/7. Thus, one player running 24 bots, or whatever, can make it look like a crap ton of people are doing it, when it’s really just one dude.
And I know I sound like a broken record, but it’s relevant to this discussion. So once again, I know for an absolute fact that players do erroneously conclude that other players are botting because I have been accused of being a bot on numerous occasions. And god know how many times I’ve been reported without my knowledge.
Maybe I am being too optimistic, but I feel like some of the numbers being thrown around are completely unrealistic.
And, I’m trying really hard not to bring up comparisons to real life politics. Suffice it to say accusations of widespread botting without evidence reminds me of something else. That being said, I can sympathize with those who are upset with botting. If I thought that botting was that prevalent, I would be extremely upset myself. The problem, however, is that we just don’t have evidence supporting the idea that this problem is as widespread as some people seem to think it is. Yes, it is a problem. yes, CCP can and should keep up the good fight against botting. But I also believe that some people are blowing the problem way out of proportion.
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I like the idea of limiting skill injectors to sub caps. But I can see it now, a thousand bots instead of 100. It would be like watching a school of minnows scatter! 
Multiboxers don’t bother me. At least their at the keyboard.
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It could very well be the case that only 1-2% of the population is botting (the industry-accepted average for cheaters in online games hovers at around 3%), but the share of the economy that can be attributed to it is going to be much higher than that. I estimate it to be between a quarter to a third of all economic output.
Obviously my 90% figure for null was an exaggeration (and once again I was talking about GDP and not player count), but 40-50%? Easily.
By the way, good botting software will quite literally send you texts and alerts and allow you to respond to local messages/chat requests even if you’re a thousand miles away from your computer farm. So just because you “test” someone with a “what’s up?” in local and they respond “nothing much, just doin sum ratting lol” doesn’t mean they’re not botting.
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I am not saying that flopping in soccer is not real, but boy was this a horrid example. The dude got both feet kicked out from under him. Watch the feet.
Huh missed this one.
Still, storm in a teacup.
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I think multiboxing is a good part of eve online. The only concern I have is CCP’s vague stance on this. They should clearly state that it is allowed for all people so the game is fair and everyone is doing the same thing. New players are disadvantage because they are unsure if they are allowed to do it or not.
Multiboxing creates extra skill and challenge in a pretty slow reaction time clicking game. Multiboxing makes this old game be more of a fast reaction game like most other modern games that are out now.
massive victory of nobody that matters really care
next
Since Falcon is gone, we can have a discussion about bringing back input broadcasting and overlays without the thread getting locked.
I still stick with my arguments from 2014 in support of overlays and input broadcasting. Removing these two methods of play were a mistake that should be corrected.
And I think it’s fantastic that those tools are banned.
It’s a mistake those tools were ever allowed.
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Which are…?
Aren’t you associated with ISBoxer? Seems to me like you might have bit of a vested interested in seeing input broadcasting brought back.
Full disclosure: I multibox in PvE and PvP
Now, I may support multiboxing in Eve, but that doesn’t mean that I don’t have any limits. I am vehemently against macros and input broadcasting, and strongly assert that something be done about drone aggression mechanics and auto-targeting missiles. Some people might consider these things to be QoL features, and I can agree with that to some extent. But they also have downsides.
- Input broadcasting and macros are the equivalent of aimbots for Eve. They allow people to purchase and/or program good execution, instead of actually having to have good execution. They don’t have to practice. They don’t have to have skill. They just press a button, and let their code do the heavy lifting for them. Not only do I think these things are bad for gameplay, but also bad for player retention. Many players have a strong distaste for input broadcasting and macros, and would rather not play a PvP centric game that allows them, rather than use them themselves.
- All of these things contribute to unsustainable economic activity. Now, to be clear, I’m not against high incomes. I am, however, against things like 1 guy being able to inject 100billion units of in-game currency into the economy every month. Thus, this issue might be able to be addressed by changing the reward structures of activities that are frequently engaged in by multiboxers and AFK’ers.
Before the drone nerf got rolled back, I tried arguing with people that the change was actually good for the game (note that I make extensive use of drone mechanics to make truckloads of cash). I tried explaining to people that it provided a ridiculously bigger benefit to multiboxers and afker’s than it did to the average Eve player, and that they would pay a cost if the change was reverted. And no one wanted to hear it. Out of every change that came with resource scarcity, the one change that community managed to get rolled back was the one that primarily benefited multiboxers, afk’ers, and afk multiboxers.
Well thanks. Guess I’ll go back to devaluing all you guy’s labor by pumping vast quantities of isk and LP into the game’s economy. Laters.
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Multiboxing doesn’t disturb me in the least. If a player wants to and can do it I certainly don’t care.
How many accounts? I’d like to see someone try to manage hundreds of boxes on multiple monitors and multiple PC’s. That’d be a feat worth talking about.
I’m a user. I do not profit on it in any way, and I have multiple income streams that do not rely on multiboxing.
For your first bullet point, you’re wrong. Not only are you wrong, you’re extremely wrong. Input broadcasting, and macros, are two completely different things, however what you described is a bot, not a macro. First, I agree that bots are bad for the game, and want to see them eliminated. Second, certain macros are allowed, such as binding one key to hit F1-F8 at the same time (confirmed by a GM).
Input broadcasting does not magically grant “skill”, does not automatically make good execution, and demands a player have greater skill to not screw up. If you watch a video of a broadcaster, you’ll notice the other windows have a mouse and key delay, which means they have to be careful with what they do lest they do something stupid such as head the wrong direction or inadvertently turn a prop mod on when they shouldnt.
I’m not entirely sure you understand that there will always be AFKers, there will always be multiboxers, and there will always be AFK multiboxers. It’s very easy to AFK multiple Ishtars in sanctums in certain regions, and there will always be people AFKing while they play another game, because one can only stare at a screen while mining Bistot for so long.
You’re trying to force other players to play how you want them to play, which is very silly. EVE has always been about multiple accounts. Skill injectors have somewhat changed that, but it’s still cheaper to train/inject focused characters than making one guy who can do everything.
Go away.
Um…
Asking people to follow the rules in a game is perfectly fine.
Otherwise it’s no longer a game.
Also I could have swore I put my thoughts on this thread a while back - apparently I didn’t.
- Multiboxing is fine.
- AFK playing is dangerous.
- Input broadcasting is bad and against the rules.
- Automation is reduced to only a few items in game - and that’s fine.
A single person can only control so many simultaneous accounts effectively without input broadcasting or automation. This is the limiter for multiboxing.
Some individuals can effectively control more than others due to their human reaction time and experience - and that’s fine.
Automation and input broadcasting extends the upper limit of accounts that can be effectively controlled by a single player at once. That’s why these need to be controlled.
That these methods can also be used to FULLY automate gameplay (AKA botting) is another very important reason to keep these methods controlled.
–Gadget’s Thoughts
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For “my” game style, the answer would be 3. That’s all I can actively control for what I do. Maybe 10 to 25? Just a guess… Trying to look at it from miners/marketing pov.
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i play with one char using my hands
multi boxing is beyond my understanding but i don’t give a ■■■■ about it
How recent was that confirmation? That paragraph in the EULA is certainly open to various interpretations.
I mean if it’s within 1 client maybe yeah, but you can’t broadcast it to other clients.