Botany Bay - Finally bots get nuked again!

The new bot killing that Jagex is in place and it seems to be working.  I have been able to get on to F2P and I can actually now gather resources without too many problems competing with the bots.  The animation on spam bots is nice and it happens within about two minutes of their going 'live'.  The court itself may be 'lame' for some players, but, it is a nice distraction and I like to be able to choose their final method of being removed permanently from Runescape.  The only thing I can see is that if you are F2P I would recommend that you log on to a F2P world as the cases happens much faster there.  When I was on P2P I would get maybe one bot tried an hour, but, F2P I watched seven within thirty minutes.

It will be interesting to see how long it will take before bots make another comeback, but, I truly hope that they never will.

One of the players watching was commenting that bots are not bad in that they help make materials ready.  I wonder if that was a bot master or user.  I find that bots are extremly annoying in that the spam-bots make reading chat almost impossible or they send you 'private message' without permission.  They also hog resources so that you cannot gather materials and artificially distort prices of raw materials which further discourages players from even try to gather materials to sell so that they can buy other items for progression within the game.  If anyone disagrees with me on this please think of the blue dragons and the bots there.  I had blue dragons as a slayer task and had to cancel as there were at least four bots for every dragon and it would have taken me weeks to finish that slayer task.

Finally joining a clan

For a while I have been looking on joining a clan.  I wanted a group that was a bit more social and relaxed rather than focused on a skill or a few skills.  I finally found one a couple of days ago and I checked them out as a 'guest' in their chat.  I put in my application in their forum and they got back to me in a day saying 'welcome'.  I am now looking forward to being part of a group in RS in a social setting and helping out on the development of the citadel and not just grinding away in combat or skilling.  If I am lucky I may be able to help out other players enjoy the game as much as I do and repay the help I have received over the years from other fellow RS players.

If you are interested in a clan check out the RS forums and browse through the various clans.  If they allow it check into their clan chat as a guest for a day or two to see how they interact before taking the next step by asking to join.

Runescape finally bot rid of the bots

After a long time of everyone (at least legit players) complaining about the bots Jagex finally nuked the bots.  It was getting almost impossible to play in many areas on my F2P account as the resource bots were sucking all of the resources dry.  Even if you were a fairly high level player there were so many bots that the odds were against you getting anything.  Even on F2P there were a lot of bots and they were making game play there difficult.  I haven't gone around to everywhere yet, but, from the spots I normally frequent they are much quieter with legit players.

Some of the botters are doing their normal FUD by making claims like the following:

• Skilling is a boring process and botting makes it easier.
• It will only work a few hours and we will be back.
• It will destroy the economy by making things (like logs, coal, herbs) more expensive.

My answers:

• Spread out what you are doing across multiple skills.  You don't have to spend hours/days on one skill.
• So far it has been several days and I haven't seen bots so far.
• I haven't seen prices rise that much yet (and some have dropped).  Even if they do it will encourage players to work on the skills to get the raw materials the need.

It probably won't stop bots and I expect to start seeing a few in the coming months.  Players are lazy/greedy/impatient and are willing to pay someone to write a 'bot'.  In my less than humble opinion when Jagex catches those players Jagex should not show any mercy and do a permanent ban on those chaters.  I have actually seen a botter claim that somehow Jagex infringed on their 'rights' by taking the bots away,  BULLSHIT, you are given the privilege of playing if you follow the rules that Jagex lays down.  If you don't like the rules then don't play and don't complain when you get caught breaking the rules and get your account nuked.

I have noticed that the number of players is lower over most of the servers and that is probably a good indicator that the bots were have a large impact on the game.  When I was on world 70 for the ZMI it was just maybe a dozen players doing RC and before the bot-nuke it was several dozen (at a minimum).  Next up I want to check out the living rock cavern as that was the home to hundreds of bots.  I have a fairly good machine (quad core) with a decent graphics card and every time the bots moved from one spot to another my machine would slow to a crawl.

Bot-busting and rewarding good players

It has finally happened.  Jagex, the makers of Runscape are now getting around to nuking the bots who are making game play almost impossible for F2P in many areas (and some P2P) and distorting the market by making materials cheaper than they should be.  They are also rewarding players who didn't bot with bonus experience points (XP) for a variety of tasks for the week starting October 25.

It was overdue, but, I can understand why it took so long.  They had to determine a way to detect the bots reliably and then figure out what they needed to change in the game code to flag them.  I am very happy that they got around and kill the bots as I was looking at something else to play as I couldn't get much done with the bots.  A lot of players probably will be upset at getting banned, but, from my point of view 'do the crime do the time' and that means you get banned for breaking the rules of the game.  They also don't realize that the 'bot' they buy may also have other code that will steal information (like banking, password, etc) or make their machine into a spambot.

I know that for some people that working on skills is a long, hard and boring process.  There are ways to relieve the tedium of game play.  I normally work on a skill 30-60 minutes and then switch to another skill.  I also try to work on skills that feed other skills.  For example I woodcut yew.  I then fletch the logs into longbows and string them.  Once I am done I sell the bows and buy more bowstrings.  This is actually paying for itself and I have over 16,000 bow strings already for future work.  Another example is that I mine gold ore.  Once I get a good supply I then smelt the ore and then make amulets and then I sell them to buy teak planks for house construction.  Another hint is I play penguin-hide-and-seek each week and apply the rewards to what ever skill I want.  I normally get 35k of experience a week from playing one hour.  My next to last hint is the 'Jack of all Trades' aura, you can use that once a day and the reward amount depends on your skill level.  My last hint is that you should also check out the shattered hearts distraction as you can redeem your stones once a week for a nice bit of bonus XP.  I normally get 1 million to 1.5 million XP per week doing all of the above and working on all my skills and I spend maybe two hours an evening playing.

Bots and scammers

For the last bit I have noticed that I am getting private messages from obvious bots to go to a site for 'GOLD'.  Obviously that is a scam looking for your credit card information.  If you get that message ignore it and report the user.

I have also seen spam bots in Yanille advertising the new RS 3 Beta site.  As far as I know there is no BETA runescape.  I won't give the name of the site as I don't want to drive traffic to their site.

1. The people who are advertising are normal players and not Jagex.
2. I checked the WHOIS information and it is registered in Los Angeles and not to Jagex.
3. If Jagex truly has a new version it would either be mentioned on the website or a secure email sent to players on the site and not advertised to everyone.  The point of a beta is a controlled run to see how it works and get feedback from the players.
4. The java certificate is not signed and therefore it is not Jagex!

Don't go to the site advertised as all they are wanting is your userid and password.  Once they get they get that they probably will wipe out your account, or, turn it into a spam bot and you lose absolutely everything!

I also reported it to Google safeweb as something that should be blacklisted.  If it works and enough people report it then Google Chrome and Firefox (and maybe other browsers) will flag the site as unsafe and give those people who don't know any better a second chance before entering their log on credentials.

Bots are getting to be a major pain again

For the last bit I have noticed more bots on the P2P sites.  The auto typing bots at the G.E. advertising the sites are getting to be a major pain.  When I was on the F2P site with my other account it was even worse.  The G.E. seems to be almost all bots, the chat window scrolls with all of the bots advertising various sites for 'GOLD' and other crap.  I was glad when I saw the Jagex announcement on the bot problem and that they are looking at it. 

I hope that they are also looking at the companies who process the payments.  Follow the money and then find the choke point financially and shut that down.  It won`t shut all of the bot makers, but, if we shut off their flow of money it will hurt them and possible cause a number of smaller outfits to shut down.  That and when they do get the list of players who make use of those services Jagex should ban the accounts for life.  These bots are making playing in a number of areas almost impossible as we cannot compete with them for the resources and the fact that players are `buying` gold and that allows them to buy other resources and increase the price offered for the items.  That causes a bubble in the prices that makes it harder for legit players like me to pay inflated prices. 

Lastly I hope that Jagex does figure out how to detect bot and macros then ban those cheats for life.  If you want to play then follow the rules and don`t use the cheats. 

Spam for mech clans - A rant

Several times I got a random private message from a merc clan bot.  They start with "ADV" and have a four digit number.  I didn't ask to be added to their 'friend list' and get a PM from them.  This is almost as bad as getting a telemarketing phone call and they are blocking the name and telephone number and then telling you that there is nothing you can do to stop the spam.

They are wrong, there is something we can do.  Complain loudly to Jagex each time you get this PM advertising a merc clan (in my case 'GP FAMILY').  I put up a suggestion on the suggestion forum for a 'FRIEND REQUEST' option.  Basically it will disallow anyone sending you a PM unless you give them permission to add you to their friend list.  It is an overdue option as when I get the PM from the spam bots they are already on private and I can't PM them back to stop.

The suggestion I added was:

• Allow a fixed number of requests per player for a time period (ie. week or month
• If the player declines the request to be added the decline stays on the requestors list for a week or month cutting back on the number of available slots they can use.
• If you don't recognize the account have a function to 'reply' with a 'Who are you?' query.
• The request sits for a week or month before expiring.
• If this is a bot it will effectively shut down that bot and force the bot creators to add new bots (and this is a P2P world so it will cost them real money).
• If it advertises for a merc clan  then sanction the merc clan with temporary (and in some cases permanent) bans on the account(s) that have control of the CC.

Basically this will stop anyone from sending another player a private message unless the recipient specifically authorizes that player to be able to send you a private message.  Also, if they remove you from their friend list then that authorization is removed and they have to ask you again before being allowed to use the PM facility.

Things I would like to see.

I would like to see a new forum on co-construction. This is not the current forum, but, a new one. It would be where Jagex and players work together to build something as a team (ideas, suggestions, rubrics, etc.). This forum to me makes much more sence rather than saying you hate something. If you have suggestions on what you don't like could you please explain why you don't like it and how you see Jagex can make it better.

Fish Flingers

It is a new mini-game for pay-to-play players and you don't have to worry about tools, requirements or inventory space. There are fishing spots on the beach, lake, docks, ponds and rivers. The game starts every 90 minutes and goes on for about 15 minutes. You can get tackle boxes to hold some of your supplies, the bigger tackle box the more supplies you can store.

So far I like the mini-game (activity) as-is. The last time I played the game I received about 7k of Xp in 15 minutes.

Bonus XP weekend - Prep time

With the weekend of March 12th approaching Zelda and myself are starting to prepare the schedule of activities for the weekend.  She is planning on starting with Hunter and then go over to firemaking later on with possible other activities.  I have a lot more planned as I want to get multiple levels over the weekend.  I am planning on Farming, summoning, herblore, hunter, crafting, smithing and fletching in that order.  For the last week I have been building up my supplies of what I need for the weekend.

Primary	Secondary	Quantity	Stocked
Avantoe	Mort Myre Fungus	119	Y
Cadantine	White Berries	378	Y
Dwarf Weed	Wine of Zamorak	84	Y
Harralander	Ground Goat Horn	202	Y
Irit	Eye of Newt	695	Y
Kwuarm	Limpwurt Root	86	Y
Lantadyme	Dragon Scale	77	Y
Ranarr	Snape Grass	117	Y
Trees	Protection	Location	Planted
Magic	25 coconuts	Gnome Stronghold
Magic	25 coconuts	Lumbridge
Magic	25 coconuts	Varrock
Magic	25 coconuts	Falador
Magic	25 coconuts	Falador 2
Palm	15 Papaya	Llyetta
Palm	15 Papaya	Catherby
Palm	15 Papaya	Gnome Stronghold
Palm	15 Papaya	Gnome village
Bushes	Protection	Location	Planted
Poison Ivy	None	Rimmington	Y
Poison Ivy	None	Champions guild
Poison Ivy	None	Etceteria
Poison Ivy	None	Monastery	Y
Mushroom	None	Canifis	Y
Cactus	None	El Kharid	Y
Belladona	None	Draynor	Y
Charms	Secondary	Quantity	Stocked
Gold	Raw Bird Meat	500	Y
Red	Granite	311	Y
Green	Water Orb	1	Y
Green	Willow Branch	138	Y
Green	Shark	131	Y
Blue	Fire Talisman	1	Y
Blue	Earth Talisman	1	Y
Blue	Obsidian Charm	106	Y

As you can see I have a lot of materials ready.  I expect to get my next farming level and herbcrafting and hunter levels.  I may not make the next level in summoning, smithing, crafting and fletching, but, I should get very close so that I can get the levels in another week or two. Over this week I plan on getting all of my farming done ahead of time so that on the weekend all I have to do is check and harvest. Thursday I will go back to Miscellania to pick up what the NPCs have harvested for me in the way of herbs and clean and prepare the unfinished pots so that on the weekend all I have to do is finish them.

I did a quick check on the forums in Runescape and a lot of people are being negative about this.  I look at this as a positive as it give us additional incentive to work on our non-combat skills and it won't be as much of a grind working on our levels.  When I get most of my stuff done I will probably join Zelda and work on our hunting skill together.

For other news I changed my name to Max CH4 from TOMT1960 and GRANDPA TOMT.  The reasoning is that Zelda suggested it as a joke and it was something totally different.  I am now combat level 125 and my total levels is now 2075.  I am still working on my ranging level and once it hits 90 I will be finishing off the Nomad's Requiem quest.

Prayer skill and Canifis

This is a skill that allows the user (P2P or F2P) to help with their combat. There are a number of ones that will make your combat and quests go easier. There is a good section in the WIKI that explains this skill.

Leveling up the skill outside of the rewards of the various quests takes a lot of time and effort, or, a lot of GP. While playing, Zelda and myself found a way for P2P players to bring up the skill a bit faster. If you hunt werewolves in Canifis (you have to finish the priest in peril quest) save the wolf bones that they drop. At the grand exchange sell all of the bones and then buy dragon bones. Wolf bones gives you 4.5 XP per bone, dragon gives 72. At this time you can sell 5 wolf bones and get one dragon bone. Using a bit of math you can either get 22.5 XP burying 5 wolf bones or 72 for one dragon bone. If you have a house (POH) with a high level altar and incense burners or access to one then you can get more bonus points. Read the section in the WIKI on the POH.

Runescape Skills

Hello, I am Zelda 400222 (my Runescape name). I have been playing Runescape for over 2 years and introduced my father (tomt1960) to the online game. Together we will be talking about the game and the various things we have learned about the game. There are sites with information about the game, quest, and skills that we will be talking about later on. Just to let everyone know that my dad is helping me with the writing of these articles, but, I dictate to him what I want to talk about and he helps me with the phrasing.

I will be assuming that you all know what Runescape is. If not you can check out the site at runescape. It is a game that my dad and I play together. It is an online game that uses our web browsers to play with.

The game itself has 24 skills that you work on through quests and tasks. It has 15 free-to-play skills and 9 pay-to-play (member) skills.

The pay-to-play skills are:

• Agility
• Construction
• Farming
• Fletching
• Herblore
• Hunter
• Slayer
• Summoning
• Thieving

The free-to-play skills are:

• Attack
• Cooking
• Crafting
• Defense
• Firemaking
• Fishing
• Hitpoints
• Magic
• Mining
• Prayer
• Ranged
• Runecrafting
• Smithing
• Strength
• Woodcutting

In later postings we will start to talk about those skills and some hints we found that help you play the game.