Please don't do this.
In no way do I want to compete on the MB with automated bots that will undercut me in 30 seconds. Not to mention if bots control the market like that things will devalue quickly as bots start undercutting each other.(I don't need to debate this...I've seen it happen). Even if you set a "price range" another bot will simply have a lower bottom line and you're stuck with the same problem.
Secondly....SE monitors Gil and the MB in this game VERY heavily and if a particular bot were to infiltrate the MB and economy in this way I have NO doubt SE would be all over that shit. This is just not a feature I want to see happen.
There ARE, however, two features that I would love to see that I think could really benefit this bot.
1. Dungeon Runner.
I understand this would be a major undertaking, but giving the bot the ability to generate tomes would be a HUGE benefit. Maybe it's even possible to set it up with the base mechanics/nav mesh then let the user community do profiles for each dungeon for the classes they have. Would be awesome to let the bot run a string of dungeons overnight to cap tomes. It might even lead to some really awesome user profiles for specific fights like Twintania or more current content. Overall the benefits would be huge imo.
2. A profile generator for orderbot.
Over a year ago, when you first introduced the orderbot function you said you had an interface in the works. I really would like that interface. It doesn't have to include every feasible option of orderbot's capability at first, just the basics (ex. a gathering tab for non-unspoiled node gathering). Functionality could be added as time goes on. The older tools you provided were great, but are more/less obsolete since they don't gather/grind between zones, use the nav mesh and don't have any functionality for unspoiled nodes.
A couple of points. WoW had auction plugins since the beginning of time, which basically do the same thing you're hoping against, and the server economies are fine. Strictly speaking, if bots undercutting each other causes the price to drop, then the price was higher than it should have been to begin with. You can not want to debate it all you like, but that's just basic economics. Presuming that actual supply doesn't increase (as an example, we'll use shards, and assume that shards aren't farmed any more than they were before), more supply-side market activity only drives the price to equilibrium. If it does go down, then there was what we'll call a 'laziness premium' from people not wanting to fiddle with their prices all the time (we see this in the real world too, just on a much smaller scale). Regardless, the server as a whole will be better off, as buyers who would not have purchased at the higher price, do purchase at the lower price. YOU might be worse off, if you were a major supplier, but I suppose as a community of botters we kinda give the middle finger to everyone else anyways, as long as it benefits us.
In regards to your concerns about SE monitors, it seems to be in contradiction to your Dungeon runner idea. I don't doubt that SE monitors gil transfers, through whatever means, carefully so as to combat RMT and such. However, if you're really worried about detection then dungeon bots would be among the last things you'd use, at least in the form that we'd be likely to get. Perhaps someday we'll have a dungeon bot that paths through perfectly, stays with the party, handles each boss's mechanics, etc., but that day is not for years. I don't know about you, but I personally have seen obvious bots in dungeons, like level 50 gladiators with no other class/jobs unlocked, in quest gear, who never talked or interacted with the party. Granted that's at the extreme end of obvious, but if you're dungeon botting every week to hit your cap though, I can promise that the reports will add up sooner rather than later. Its one thing to bot in a 20-40 man battleground/frontlines where you can get lost in the crowd; another to do so in a 4 man dungeon where you play a crucial role.
That's not to say that I'm opposed to a dungeon bot, as it
is a major feature that RB is missing atm. However, we have to face the likelihood that it would make detection an order of magnitude more likely. Right now SE is pretty lax in regards to botting; I'd hate to see that change due to a flood of complaints about bots standing in the fire.
(Another possibility is a dungeon bot designed for 4 bots to party together and do shit, but I wont go into that as multi-botting seems to be a more niche segment)
Orderbot profile generator. I agree with this. Orderbot profiles just seems more complex than the others, and has many more cases where you'd want to create your own profile for a specific scenario (as opposed to creating your own combat routine). Given RB's relatively small community, I think it would help to reduce design restrictions where possible, so that people can contribute (and perhaps provide a starting point for more skilled developers) without having extensive coding background.
