It's all over

[sinister93]

Anti-cheats like warden go way beyond just checking if "honorbuddy.exe" is running... And full binary code doesn't mean shit. Everything on your computer is binary code, that doesn't mean just anyone can decipher what it does (what if it's packed or encrypted?). There are anti-anti-cheat systems in place This is a game of cat and mouse people. Shit like this has been going on for over a decade. (anyone remember the glider days? Lol)

 

[lucajjon]

Totally agree, It is ALL about money...Blizzard knows that HB injects a pile of cash into thier coffers every month..BUT now that they have entered the gold selling game we have become an out right competitor in this cat and mouse dance. couple that with the fact that thier legitimate community has been crying about Bots its a no brainer for them to ban us.

However they want to play both sides for the cash..so instead of banning us permanently like they do to all other bots I can see (could be proven wrong here), they give us 6 month and 18 month sentences to be sure we come back and spend more cash for accounts and boosts etc.

Anyway only my 2 cents..I love HB and all the great things it can do ..I just wont troll you with it , I'm more of a realist and will tell it like i see it.


Fray

You think they make money by waiting 6 and 18 months for people to come back? That is ridiculous.

 

[Aion]

You think they make money by waiting 6 and 18 months for people to come back? That is ridiculous.

Point me just one individual, which have not bought another license after 6 months ban? And after 18 months?

 

[crispybacon]

Point me just one individual, which have not bought another license after 6 months ban? And after 18 months?

This one here and at least 2 more of my "botting-friends".

I had 4 accounts, 3 were banned with the very first wave in may '15, the fourth was hit in the second wave in december '15... i've never touched any of the accs after the bans anymore, never bought a new license and am 100% done with the game & botting. I don't know why exactly, it's just over for me, the stress wasn't worth it anymore and I haven't missed it a single second since then.

So, yes, there are definitely people who quit for good due to the banwaves

 

[lucajjon]

Point me just one individual, which have not bought another license after 6 months ban? And after 18 months?

Giving someone a 72 hour suspension and making them continue their $15 monthly subscription is far more profitable than banning them for 18 months.

 

[Philbert]

Giving someone a 72 hour suspension and making them continue their $15 monthly subscription is far more profitable than banning them for 18 months.

$15 monthly sub x 18 months = $270

$19 new key - $15 free month+ ($15x17month)= $259
on the surface, Yes, Blizzard makes more money on a small suspension.
Now factor in lost subscription in the month you got banned. For fun's sake, say you lost 1/3 of a month. Thats $5.
So now were up to $264.

Say blizzard bans 10,000 people each ban. That looks like a loss of $60,000.

Now look at the numbers. A suspended account is still an account open with blizzard. So lets say only 60% of people return and buy a new account (6,000 accounts).

Now, to investors, it looks like blizzard has 16,000 accounts, up from 10,000. This with 6,000 extra keys sold this month. Now, think about this happening every 6 months. While your account sits in limbo for 18 months and you re-sub and re-buy countless times, Blizzard comes out the winner. You now count for 3+ accounts when you should only be 1.

This could all compound to a huge profit for Activision if they were to ever try to sell off Blizzard again. Look at stock announcements from every quarter starting in 2015. "Better-than-expected" every quarter.

Those of you re-subbing and re-buying to return to your former glory are only fueling their bans.

 

[lucajjon]

$15 monthly sub x 18 months = $270

$19 new key - $15 free month+ ($15x17month)= $259
on the surface, Yes, Blizzard makes more money on a small suspension.
Now factor in lost subscription in the month you got banned. For fun's sake, say you lost 1/3 of a month. Thats $5.
So now were up to $264.

Say blizzard bans 10,000 people each ban. That looks like a loss of $60,000.

Now look at the numbers. A suspended account is still an account open with blizzard. So lets say only 60% of people return and buy a new account (6,000 accounts).

Now, to investors, it looks like blizzard has 16,000 accounts, up from 10,000. This with 6,000 extra keys sold this month. Now, think about this happening every 6 months. While your account sits in limbo for 18 months and you re-sub and re-buy countless times, Blizzard comes out the winner. You now count for 3+ accounts when you should only be 1.

This could all compound to a huge profit for Activision if they were to ever try to sell off Blizzard again. Look at stock announcements from every quarter starting in 2015. "Better-than-expected" every quarter.

Those of you re-subbing and re-buying to return to your former glory are only fueling their bans.

But remember, there is always a limit to how many times people are going to want to go through this. Someone who keeps getting banned there is going to be a time where they just go "I'm done." and then there is zero dollars coming in.

 

[UnderratedPost]

All you guys trying to work out the pattern are wasting your time! It's not about when they "want" to ban us, it's a cat and mouse game of blizz trying to find ways to detect HB, if they could do it whenever they wanted like if there was no tripwire they would just ban people every day, its so stupid to think they want botters in their game! Why would they have spent tens of millions in court to shut down HB if they wanted HB to stick around to profit financialy?!? no one knows when next ban wave could be, it might be in 1 day it might be in 1 year, right now with the new security improvements and updated tripwire bilz may have a hard job and it could be much longer before we see another banwave i hope that happens because it will prove the haters wrong

 

[Frayman]

Point me just one individual, which have not bought another license after 6 months ban? And after 18 months?

This was exactly my point, I bought 2 more accounts after the last wave and many others did the same.

I dont find my theory all that rediculous.

Not to mention the boosts. etc etc..

The thing is if they banned us instantly from each detection, they would discourage us to the point of quitting. Lets face it the game isnt even worth subscribing to really with all the dummy downs and content droughts. I still have fun however botting it and thats why I bought 2 more accounts.

Anyway rambling here ..I just know as a business plan these 6 month bans work pretty good Im guessing for Blizz

 

[azidtrip]

I really do not understand what people do to get banned. If you leave the bot unmonitored and farm lots of mats to make tons of gold I get it. But to be honest. I have botted since honorbuddy came out and was new. I have even botted a great amount of ore. Why have I not been banned?. The reason is because I mostly never leave my house and leave the bot running. I might need 2-3 weeks to lvl a toon, and all the other stuff I do supervised (or assisted botting). But the extra time needed is a small price to pay compared to loose a account I had since BC patch came out. :O ALso, NEVER bot right before and after a patch. Let the buddyteam make sure all is safe. Always use latest honorbuddy. And NO. I am not scared to bot my main account, because I bot safe (and if I loose it it would really be good as I play to much wow lol).

 

[Frayman]

I maybe got unlucky but I can honestly say I have been a very casual low key botter, and even recently the last 2 accounts were rotation only using manual movement and CD's etc etc ..I was nailed as a rotation user..so my guess is that you have been lucky and smarter perhaps but for some reason my accounts got flagged maybe..either way i cant even start HB without it getting flagged now

 

[lucajjon]

I really do not understand what people do to get banned. If you leave the bot unmonitored and farm lots of mats to make tons of gold I get it. But to be honest. I have botted since honorbuddy came out and was new. I have even botted a great amount of ore. Why have I not been banned?. The reason is because I mostly never leave my house and leave the bot running. I might need 2-3 weeks to lvl a toon, and all the other stuff I do supervised (or assisted botting). But the extra time needed is a small price to pay compared to loose a account I had since BC patch came out. :O ALso, NEVER bot right before and after a patch. Let the buddyteam make sure all is safe. Always use latest honorbuddy. And NO. I am not scared to bot my main account, because I bot safe (and if I loose it it would really be good as I play to much wow lol).

Then how are these people getting banned? You bot all the time but you are at the monitor?

So is there a difference between being at the monitor and not being at the monitor? I am confused as to how Blizzard will just not ban someone because they are at their desk.

 

[Myra]

Then how are these people getting banned? You bot all the time but you are at the monitor?

So is there a difference between being at the monitor and not being at the monitor? I am confused as to how Blizzard will just not ban someone because they are at their desk.

Actually, there is. Take farming for example.

Leaving the bot unattended over night or while You are at work may cause it running in circles due to whatever reasons (phasing, nodes appearing/disappearing etc.) If You monitor the bot an intercept, makes it way less suspicious than having the bot run exactly the same path over and over again. I myself have spotted this kind of behaviour multiple times.

Others seeing your toon acting like that will get You reported. This may very well result in a ban independently of any snowstormsided detection mechanisms.

That DOES NOT mean, that YOU WON'T get banned, if You always monitor the bot. HB may have been detected at some point in the past or may be right now or will be in the near future and result in another banwave.

But in the context of reducing the chance of getting banned due to player reports, monitoring the bot MAY actually help.

 

[azidtrip]

Mostly I mix afk questing with assisted. If I see there is not to many people around and I know the area is not likely to get stuck I do afk bot, but Check the bot like every 15 min or so, sometimes maybe 30. Else I assist with rotations only and no movement eneabled. When I farm ore I do same thing. Also keeping a logout on 3 whispers, 5 min if players present and 2 min logout with logmeout. I am pretty sure that logmeout plugin saved my ass alot. Also enable logmeout stuck at 10 stuck triggers and logout+kill hb, and clean assemblies/cache. Rather start bot later than be banned. Point is. ALWAYS bot safe. Do not leave the bot running alone, and use only bot movement for short times supervised. Don't be lazy and let the bot do all lvling on autopilot or grind to much/long. Honorbuddy is safe, only the user is normally the reason for the bans. :O

 

[lucajjon]

Actually, there is. Take farming for example.

Leaving the bot unattended over night or while You are at work may cause it running in circles due to whatever reasons (phasing, nodes appearing/disappearing etc.) If You monitor the bot an intercept, makes it way less suspicious than having the bot run exactly the same path over and over again. I myself have spotted this kind of behaviour multiple times.

Others seeing your toon acting like that will get You reported. This may very well result in a ban independently of any snowstormsided detection mechanisms.

That DOES NOT mean, that YOU WON'T get banned, if You always monitor the bot. HB may have been detected at some point in the past or may be right now or will be in the near future and result in another banwave.

But in the context of reducing the chance of getting banned due to player reports, monitoring the bot MAY actually help.

Okay, that really was my question. I wanted to know if there was an actual way of "PROVING" that you are botting. If I was just at my desk and pressed "W" and was moving into a wall for 12 hours straight but I had no 3rd party program would I still get banned? Are they just banning people on suspicion? Or is there an actual evidence of them being able to see through my computer that "Oh look, this guys account is showing that Honorbuddy program is running."

 

[WolfpackPB]

I maybe got unlucky but I can honestly say I have been a very casual low key botter, and even recently the last 2 accounts were rotation only using manual movement and CD's etc etc ..I was nailed as a rotation user..so my guess is that you have been lucky and smarter perhaps but for some reason my accounts got flagged maybe..either way i cant even start HB without it getting flagged now

Anyone who does not get swept up in the banwave either A. Got extremely lucky and were not online & attached during the detection period or B. are lying (IE Trolling you). Botting smart does help outside of waves, but there is nothing you can do to 100% avoid a ban wave. Don't forget, correlation does not imply causation, that is if someone claims they've never been banned because they sacrifice a chicken before they login...it's probably not because of the chicken. More likely they play sporadically and were just not online at all during the days of detection. For those of us who play daily...well if you want to avoid the banwave then don't bot.

 

[Dragonheart]

Mostly I mix afk questing with assisted. If I see there is not to many people around and I know the area is not likely to get stuck I do afk bot, but Check the bot like every 15 min or so, sometimes maybe 30. Else I assist with rotations only and no movement eneabled. When I farm ore I do same thing. Also keeping a logout on 3 whispers, 5 min if players present and 2 min logout with logmeout. I am pretty sure that logmeout plugin saved my ass alot. Also enable logmeout stuck at 10 stuck triggers and logout+kill hb, and clean assemblies/cache. Rather start bot later than be banned. Point is. ALWAYS bot safe. Do not leave the bot running alone, and use only bot movement for short times supervised. Don't be lazy and let the bot do all lvling on autopilot or grind to much/long. Honorbuddy is safe, only the user is normally the reason for the bans. :O

Guess you are one of the lucky ones!

I never leave my bots unattended except for making coffee or making a pitstop. No I don't work, Yes I'm disabled. Top that with a sleeping disorder, so my logintime is all over the place. I switch botting with manual leveling professions. I do not play in high-end raids, don't do BG's etc.. Sometimes when I'm feeling alright I even manual quest (OMG! ). Still I've got 5 account perma-banned (my mistake, trading gold the wrong way) and 8 accounts suspended. 5 account where because of a setting where tripwire didn't trip (shit happens) and the last 3 in the last banwave because of... trip did trip but tripped too late-ish???

So, please tell me, where did I go wrong?

Please, don't get me wrong. I love HB and it's staff. I think they do a great job, but...
I think Blizz has his eye on them and is going to make is very hard for them to keep the bot "safe"-ish. YES, I KNOW! Botting is never safe, but there is always a certain Risk assessment. Botting isn't safe, but HB imo is in a very high Risk assessment right now.

edit: Forgot to mention: before the last banwave I was a couple of days offline.

 

[Frayman]

Anyone who does not get swept up in the banwave either A. Got extremely lucky and were not online & attached during the detection period or B. are lying (IE Trolling you). Botting smart does help outside of waves, but there is nothing you can do to 100% avoid a ban wave. Don't forget, correlation does not imply causation, that is if someone claims they've never been banned because they sacrifice a chicken before they login...it's probably not because of the chicken. More likely they play sporadically and were just not online at all during the days of detection. For those of us who play daily...well if you want to avoid the banwave then don't bot.

Maybe I worded it wrong, but I agree with you 100% ..I WAS hit with EVERY ban wave and now wont run HB becasue im afraid its detected

 

[UnderratedPost]

Maybe I worded it wrong, but I agree with you 100% ..I WAS hit with EVERY ban wave and now wont run HB becasue im afraid its detected

it's not detected. obviously you dont know how this works its a cat and mouse game

 

[anubite]

it's not detected. obviously you dont know how this works its a cat and mouse game

correct in it is a cat and mouse game
however you cannot say if it is detected or not detected, same along with everyone else.
when we see more than 20+ reports in an hour we know there has been a detection by either blizzard outfoxing tripwire or by the hb staff stuffing up tripwire and it was not active and we seen once in the past.
besides that people are banned due to suicide botting and tripping blizzard instance/server scripts for abuse of economy ban, open world/pvp farming piling up reports to be banned
also not re-formating your pc or resetting your pc with a fresh wow/reg key install after ANY TYPE OF ban will lead to another quick ban even while levelling sometimes but that is not a detection that is bad botting.

besides that mr underrated, you can or cannot say what is going on with detection only the mouse (honorbuddy) and the cat (blizzard) can truly answer this and guess what both parties will not.