Is using an EXP bot cheating

BodhiBodhi Member Posts: 55
edited February 2016 in General No Man's Land Discussion
I recently left a guild because another member was using a bot to get 200k - 300k while he was sleeping. I had a huge problem with this as I see it as blatant cheating. Well, it seems I was 1 of 20 to have an issue with it. Some said bot farming was a "grey area". Others said "As long as it helps the guild get stars, who cares?" I was also told that NG doesn't have any issue with this (I would disagree) and could stop it if they wanted to. When it was just Player against the system, whatever. With PVP coming it seemed to me a completely unfair advantage to those that play straight.

Opinions?

Is using an EXP bot cheating 82 votes

Yes
78%
eeturatonPutchucoScandalSoloSabrinaAnnette578Mirza[Deleted User]Kanegabriel_lwhChilidawgAhextembelSdotRustyOrcSmokin_Joe_BlowDeadBeatTUCO[Deleted User]argyleskin 64 votes
No
21%
AmigazosonAlibabaFeleciazeeblackMegastromerKappa123poiwLeviPie_ManmatcapRick_RyhmesPimpOfTheDeadTheMurphywoodstockhoppaKYZRasboqueen 18 votes
Pie_ManAlibabaxxMichaelxx
«134

Comments

  • GggGgg Member Posts: 41
    Do share.
  • zbotzbot NML Legendary Moderator, OW Moderator Posts: 6,712
    The question should be is XP farming cheating?


    Feeling Lost, Click Here!
    asiansensation
  • theblueboxthebluebox Member Posts: 807
    Yes
    A bot is an external software used to perform specific actions repeatedly. Use of any third party software to gain an unfair advantage in ANY game is cheating. Most games have this in the rules and ToU. I haven't checked NG and game rules recently, but I would be surprised if it wasn't there.
    image
    zoson
  • BodhiBodhi Member Posts: 55
    edited February 2016
    Yes
    zbot said:

    The question should be is XP farming cheating?



    Game XP farming is at least you putting the time in. Having a computer bot Clicking a mouse while you sleep seems to no only cross that line, but make it so far behind you that you can't even see it. IMO anyways.
    Eryk
  • theblueboxthebluebox Member Posts: 807
    Yes
    Farming, on the other hand is a human controling a repeated action. If you want to grind xp side missions and XP farm in person, there is no problem with that. I have better things to do with my time.
    image
  • zosonzoson Member Posts: 2,216
    No
    Where do you stop? What if someone tapes a stylus to a fan, then sets the fan to oscillate and places their device in such a way that the oscillation of the fan presses end turn over and over with the stylus?

    There's no way to police this, and that's why NG will never approach the subject.

    There is, in fact, precedent in the 'highest kills' thread where a NG developer pops in and simply asks how the game performed. No concern over the method, no concern over any unfair advantage... Just "does that affect the performance of the game at all?"
    Jennyatrainofficial
  • timflo83xtimflo83x Member Posts: 88
    Yes
    I think use of any external software to gain an advantage is cheating. The act is unfair in order to gain an advantage....and that's almost the exact definition of cheating.
  • AmigaAmiga Member Posts: 3,770
    edited February 2016
    No
    Do what you want to do. It's your game on your device... and it's free to play. I don't see the problem.
    For me cheating is giving us 5k XP for scrapping gear for 700k
    I don't see other way to collect 700k XP to upgrade only 1 gear.
    Anyway paying money for instant upgrade, more radios ect isn't cheating?? It gives huge advantage in PvP
    Thread has no sense for me.
    <img src="http://i.imgur.com/d6070rs.jpg"alt="" />
    zoson
  • BodhiBodhi Member Posts: 55
    Yes
    the inability for NG to police it doesn't address if it is cheating or not. Sure, it's almost impossible for an app maker to battle every single programmer out there who wants to buck the system, but that's different. I can rob a bank, and if I don't get caught, or the cop that catches me says "how did you do it" and then let's me go doesn't change the fact that I robbed the bank. I still committed the crime. Can vs should.

    Would love to see a vid of the fan-stylus thing tho.
    thebluebox
  • DramaDrama Member Posts: 39
    Maybe if we knew where to get this xp farming bot we could form a more educated opinion?
    Lynz4texggbats
  • Ghosted2Ghosted2 Member Posts: 62
    lol @Drama. I think its only cheating is @Amiga does it.
  • zosonzoson Member Posts: 2,216
    No
    @Bodhi
    Here's one with legos:


    Here's one with a fan:
    Enforcer25
  • theblueboxthebluebox Member Posts: 807
    Yes
    @Bodhi Back in the early days of WoW, I saw a vid of a guy that placed his mouse and used a perpetual motion bird to repeatedly click and farm resources. I imagine if you taped a stylus to one of those birds and placed your device carefully under it, you could get the same effect collecting off of one farm or tent.
    image
  • BarcodeJBarcodeJ Member Posts: 402
    Yes
    The fact that this question even has to be asked is ridiculous. I dont see where the TOS expressly prohibits it but it seems to be implied and I think NG should clarify it better in the TOS. Obviously it is cheating, and provides an unfair advantage. Bot users are the scum of the gaming world.
    [Deleted User]theblueboxLumpisdead
  • TUCOTUCO Member Posts: 183
    Yes
    CAPTCHA would require human interaction to defeat the oscillating fan. B)
    thebluebox
  • AmigaAmiga Member Posts: 3,770
    edited February 2016
    No
    Anyway I learned my cat how to touch screen. Job done
    <img src="http://i.imgur.com/d6070rs.jpg"alt="" />
  • LanceLance Member Posts: 568
    The video of the fan :)
    ggbats
  • DaleDale Member Posts: 1,122
    Yes
    What is the point of doing this? I doesn't look like fun.

    The fact that people are doing this means the leaderboards are truly meaningless.
    Governatorthebluebox
  • StrikeForceTwoStrikeForceTwo Member Posts: 37
    @Drama Not sure the name of em, but Android and jail broken iPhones have a lot of apps available that do it. Not sure for unbroken iPhones. I personally have never used one, just do the deadly XP runs because if I decide I want XP, I want it right that moment.

    Here's a question to ponder. If players hand their phones to their kids and tell them to repeatedly shoot the zombies on screen while they do house chores, cook, shower, whatever, would this be considered cheating as well? Am I at an unfair disadvantage compared to players who have kids old enough to have hand eye coordination? Would it then be fair for me to use one of these programs to balance that unfairness out?

    I think @Weasel007 point is valid, maybe the practice of XP farming is a more suited debate to have instead of the method used to do it.
    FeleciaSabrina
  • jesterjester Member Posts: 2,747
    I hope they changed outposts. Anyone using one of them won't be able to be raided otherwise.
  • JennyJenny Member Posts: 346
    edited February 2016
    I've tried to teach my dog to push the button repeatedly but he won't cooperate ;-)
    Kappa123Sabrina
  • HelioHelio Member Posts: 522
    edited February 2016
    For me this is somewhat of a gray area... if someone chooses to spend 3 hours farming, and another chooses to use a bot for 3 hours... the end result is the same... so it doesn't really affect me...

    Also, in today's day and age, it is naive to believe people won't automate tedious tasks... so instead of hoping people are not going to use a bot, they should design games to minimize the advantage of using a bot...

    As someone mentioned, maybe after 1 hour of gameplay, pop up a captcha...

    zosonStrikeForceTwo
  • StrikeForceTwoStrikeForceTwo Member Posts: 37
    @jester I saw it confirmed on a thread earlier that they had changed that for the official release so it shouldn't be a problem.

    Overall, cheating or not, whatever anyone wants to call it, I don't believe that bots, kids, or fans with a stylus duct taped to it, upsets the competitive balance of the game at all. The reason most people use these are either a lack of time or lack of money to buy gas to run deadly missions. The players with more time and money are going to earn XP no matter what and upgrade the cards they want to fast, no matter what. Those aren't the players that use these. If anything I personally think that they help offset a tiny portion of the advantage that players with the most time and money have. I don't think it really hurts the competitive balance of the game overall.

    I'm not going to call someone with limited time or money because they're working two jobs or raising a couple of kids on their own a cheater because they use a bot to help them play something that brings a little joy into their life. I completely understand why people feel differently though. My vote is that it's a gray area but really doesn't hurt anything overall.
    CindyLouggbats
  • StrikeForceTwoStrikeForceTwo Member Posts: 37
    Sorry @Jenny forgot to put the ole dog swiping paw across screen farming technique on my list... Lol
    JennyMatt
  • warbirdwarbird Member Posts: 132
    @StrikeForceTwo @Amiga I guess it's not cheating if you are in a guild with the guy who made a step by step procedure for iOS .
    Weasel007
  • StrikeForceTwoStrikeForceTwo Member Posts: 37
    One easy fix NG could do if they wanted would be to only allow XP to be earned if a player completes the mission.
  • zosonzoson Member Posts: 2,216
    No
    @StrikeForceTwo They won't do that, since it penalizes legitimate players who simply try and fail a mission.
    StrikeForceTwoEnforcer25
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 669
    Yes
    Yes a bot is cheating cause you arent doing the work, now if you want to sit there tapping away to try to upgrade a survivor or gear that isnt cheating, its built into the game, no xp farming isnt cheating, why would you not kill as many as you can, and who wouldnt play the endzone killing what they can, xp comes so slow it is necessary, here are two screenshots from this challenge



    First pic you sit there by or in the endzone and kill what you can until you cant anymore



    thebluebox
  • HelioHelio Member Posts: 522
    @StrikeForceTwo I liked your post... it used common sense +1

    StrikeForceTwoJenny
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 669
    Yes
    I voted that yes a bot would be considered cheating, just as a personal opinion, i posted the highest kill screenshot thread, i dont have a bot, i tapped it over and over, i have since completed 7-4 in nightmare mode so its gone, but if i had a bot i wouldve let it run for a couple days instead of tapping end turn and ffwd over and over and over, but on another note for the people who have an issue with people who xp farm or use a bot (even though i think a bot is cheating i dont jump all over them) or not, why are you guys even concerning yourself with what other people do, so lame, waa waa, mommy he's doing that thing again, really people
    theblueboxggbats
This discussion has been closed.