This past Tuesday marked “Bot-Nuking Day” in the free to play MMORPG Runescape which supposedly would introduce a new update that would be able to catch 98% of players who bot. Today however Jagex announced that they have sent out cease and desist emails to suspected botters threatening to sue them for statutory damages ranging from $200 to $2,500 per act of past, present, and/or future botting.
The email also offers suspected botters a one time amnesty and settlement lifeline. Players that accept will be placed on a watch list and will be monitored for the use of bots and other inappropriate third-party programs. Those that continue to bot will be named as a defendant in Jagex Limited v. John Does, which is a lawsuit based on DMCA violations that is currently pending in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California.
Pretty harsh if you ask me and reminds me of what the music industry has done over the last decade. If this new update can supposedly catch 98% of botters, then I really don’t see the reason to also file a lawsuit against them. If anything this sounds like the new anti-cheating patch isn’t working as well as they thought.
What do you guys think? Is this over the top or are cheaters getting what they deserve?
It wont stop, no game has ever been able to shake that. Instead of money into the courts, they should put money into their engines, servers, and game. There are ways to minimize it without court case.
October 26th, 2011 at 1:46 pmQuote
Name one person who likes competing a game world with bots. Of course this isnt over the top – its a lot smarter then declaring war on botters as that turns it into a game for those that bot. F em. F em to H.
October 26th, 2011 at 5:11 pmQuote
If a game is rife with bots it directly affects the population of the game – more bots, more people avoid the game. The more poeple avoid the game the more likely it is the game is going to fail and shut down thus putting at risk all the money that has been poured into developing and maintaining those games. If Jagex can prove beyond a doubt who is botting why shouldn’t they seek a return on the losses they’ve incurred.
Developers should hit them as hard as they can with everything at their disposal and erradicate them from the scene. Good on Jagex for taking a stand – go get ‘em!
October 26th, 2011 at 6:15 pmQuote
Not only is this over the top its a load of Bull lol
not only will they be laughed out of court but it just proves they never actualy had a patch in the first place XD
in the TOS that people signed it states that botters will be banned and says nothing about fines therefore the botters are only at risk of losing their account as no illigale action has actualy taken place…
personaly i think jagex are a shit company that needs to open source their game and shut down sence 99% of private servers are funner then jagex’s game XD
October 26th, 2011 at 8:45 pmQuote
You got it wrong, this update is not to “catch” 98% of bots… rather, it makes 98% of bots not work at all. And it indeed has worked so far, like a charm. The remaining 2% bots are supposedly simpler bots that would be caught easily (so they claim). Their actions are harsh? Maybe, but if you ask me… it’s also fair.
October 27th, 2011 at 7:29 pmQuote
It’s unfortunate that Jagex has to take legal action instead of using their resources to make the game better, but it is necessary. People who can get away with writing programs to steal in games will grow to write programs to steal in life.
November 1st, 2011 at 5:05 amQuote
HARSH? maybe the article writer needs to stop cheating others and defending cheating
you sir are whats wrong with gaming
November 2nd, 2011 at 12:30 pmQuote
Suing bot and cheat creators is one thing, suing kids for cheating is another. After all it is a video game, it shouldn’t bankrupt a family if they have a kid who decides to cheat in a game.
November 2nd, 2011 at 12:43 pmQuote
i think that paypal can be sued for giving out private information.
sueing bot makers and farming companys are reasonable but bot users is just unresonable 1 because most of them are little kids and they dont want to waste there time on playing on the game, so they use a bot.. i know it is cheating so ban or “rollback” their gaining and back from scratch, but suing them for 200$-2500$ is just stupid, hell a account with all maxed out can be sold for that price..
i have to agree with most of the people here, yes spend the money on the game and not on revenge.. deal with it every single game has cheaters.. i dont think any game is “uncheatable”….. but a treating email doesnt convince me… so if i botted, i will get a phone call or a email demanding 200$?? in the court i would point out other games such as WoW (example) for botting and they deal with it by banning the player to serve them right, but sue them? that is extreme… and since they have hard evidence that i botted, why not ban me right there, it would make the game 1less botter, but what do you know, i made a accounts and started all over, they have to deal with and spend there money on the company’s good because not one shit will be given to them, and the judge with laugh at them for being so serious, its just a game and jagex thinks runescape the number 1, its not the best game and dont be suprised if WOW gains 7million players and buys runescape.
November 10th, 2011 at 11:33 pmQuote