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Riot, It's Time for You to Take Action. Now, Not Later

ModIts Yuu and Mi··388 votes·32,280 views

Because I want to write this as calm and as rhetorically as I can, I've waited a few days to type this out.

Riot. Make no mistake, you cannot hold back on this. You will lose a vast amount of potential customers if you do not step up and take action on one of the biggest problems around. This is the elephant in the room. The thing discussed rarely, but mostly shoved under the covers. The thing we like to pretend just doesn't exist much, when it does.

You know, people like to believe that the game is too toxic for new players to join. But that's simply not true. Some of my old High School friends (we're all in our early twenties now) have come to play this game. They aren't very good-- at least, a couple of them. One of them did manage to learn well and it was impressive. But these are the types of players that would be targeted most and harassed. The "noobs." The ones who are "just bad." I grew up with these people; they aren't just faces behind a computer screen but rather friends I've had for a long long time. Genuine people who are going to school, who are working jobs, who are enjoying life. They aren't in their mother's basement; they have money, money that they would like to spend on things that make them happy. And of course, video games make us happy, don't they?

But this game isn't too toxic for new players to join, because I actually haven't heard that complaint too much from them. They want to get better and improve, and while I'm sure they've had their fair share of toxicity in their games, they haven't told me much about it, so I can tell that they're more than happy to play this game regardless of that. They only want to learn, they just want to get better.

And there lies the issue. While they can get better, anyone I currently talk to about joining this game cannot. You know, there's this weird notion that new players don't exist in League. But that's simply not true. It's not just smurfs and old players; new people do join and do come to love this game. And Riot, they would love to spend money on their game. You know, I learned in an economics class a long while back that the funny thing about economics is this-- who benefits from transactions? All parties do. If something's too expensive, it's not paid for. If somethingt's too cheap, the seller just raises the price. When you get to the proper point, you get the equilibrium price. What does this fancy jargon mean? It means that when someone pays for something, the seller (in this case Riot Games) and the buyer (in this case the player) are both happy. These players are happy with your game and are enjoying it.

But in order to enjoy it, they have to learn how to play it. I'm not talking about a high level of play like Diamond, think lower. I'm not talking about entry level Ranked play, think lower. I'm not talking about pre-30 Normals matches, think lower. I'm talking about the bare fundamentals.

The games where you learn how to auto attack. The games where you learn to use your abilities. The games where you learn why Bloodthirster isn't a good buy on Ryze, and why Ashe really doesn't need that Luden's Echo (because, despite your dreams, AP Ashe isn't actually a thing.) The games where you start this very game in, where you learn how to start your journey in the League of Legends, on Summoner's Rift.

And these players cannot because of one big massive problem. Bots. I've been smurfing a lot lately, trying to get my level 23 account to level 30. I want an account where I can relax in Ranked and, while I will definitely be trying, I can feel more at ease since it won't be my main. And I've noticed something... Bots have become a big problem. These aren't Riot's bots, they aren't at a basic skill level. They're far below. They wander aimlessly, they do virtually nothing, and they feed Riot's bots quite a lot. And, they aren't rare.

I recently had a game where I had to carry four bots, and it was honestly one of the harder matches I've ever had. I'm a Platinum level player, and while I'm certainly not the best player around, I have about 10,000 games under my belt (yes really) and I certainly understand proper game mechanics. I struggled to carry that game and nearly lost. Riot's Annie Bot was fed a massive amount of kills, to the point she was very high leveled, so Riot's algorithm decided that she should have a lot of items as well. Let me tell you, if you take an Ashe Ult to the face, it doesn't matter if you're versus a bot-- that Annie is going to kill you. I did later build a Maw of Malmortius, but I could hardly rush it as I needed other combat stats and pushing power to hold off everything else. If a Platinum level player struggled to carry that match, how do you expect a new player to win that? And, even cope with it? I can't imagine what it would be like for a new player to realize that he or she was all alone to figure things out, to realize that they suddenly had much higher expectations than normal very early on. That has to be painful.

Of course, I would never share that without a proper picture for proof.

http://puu.sh/p6lPn/708b3b3c9b.jpg

Balancing keeping an inhibitor protected, taking their own, ending the game, and fending off Super Minions on your own is an impossible task to ask of a new player. But that was hardly the only game I had this in; I had this pop up repeatedly.

And the sad part is, these bots intentionally act like new players. They say the same key phrases at very random times. "Lag." "Frozen." "GJ." "Push." 'WTF."

It's very clear that they are bots, because every time, they do the same things. They "type" those phrases, but ignore anything you say. They act rather erratically, but in a way it's very evident that they are not human. They buy the same predictable item builds as always. Notice how one built nothing, another built Boots and a Dagger, another built several Forbidden Idols, and the final built the makings of a Sunfire Cape. That's intentionally scripted by the bot to make them appear new.

I have had plenty of Bot matches under my belt. I've seen new players again and again. Ones who build poorly, ones who die to towers, ones who clearly do not understand this game. And they still do not act the same way these bots do, ever.

These bots used to exist in one place and one place only. Dominion. The Crystal Scar, the map that was never played. To quote Skarner, "The Crystal Scar is weeping." Of course it was, a large portion of the player base wasn't players at all. But it was easy to make that the elephant in the room. The thing that no one had to talk about. After all, why was it necessary? I mean, no one played that silly mode anyways.

But now there's nowhere to sweep this to. There are no more rugs to hide this away in; it's out in the open for all to see. Summoner's Rift, Riot Game's favorite child. At least, if maps were children.

And, these bots are right where everyone can see them. But, worst of all?

They're right where new players can see them.

Riot, you claim that this is the most popular video game in the entire world. You claim to be the best, one of the top companies in professionalism. But I have a hard time believing those claims where a new player would struggle to join your game. Where a new buyer would be sadly turned away. Where they couldn't practice new Champions, where they couldn't learn about this magnificent world of Runeterra, where they couldn't start their journey.

Everyone discusses things that they think will make league of Legends die. "Overwatch will kill League of Legends." "Scripting will kill League of Legends." "Smite is free to play and will kill League of Legends." "Chroma Packs and greedy pricing will kill League of Legends."

But none of those will because they don't hit Riot Games significantly hard enough.

Killing off the new player experience will. And, the bleeding has already started. The wound is only going to grow. It's going to get bigger. This isn't something you can put a Band-Aid over, Riot. Not anymore. The bleeding is too strong. It's time you clean the wound, disinfect it, and make sure that it goes away entirely.

You need to end the bot problem once and for all. And you need to do it now, before it becomes too late.

{quoted}

I've encountered the same influx of bots recently on SR, and I also knew right away it was because of Dominion being no more. It really is such a bother.

I would think there could be some kind of "human check" before getting into a queue. Some sites do this with their logins, such as having the person check a certain box to prove they are human, or selecting the correct answer to a random question given, etc.

Captcha is the most common and probably the most effective, but is often the most annoying. I don't know how botting actually works in games (never done it myself), but if it got rid of the bot problem, I would accept entering a Captcha before every match. I think Riot would be capable of making it visually appealing and fun enough, or at least not a chore, by giving it hextech flair with the inclusion of the new client, just so it's not something plain and boring like everywhere else. Just thinking out loud here.

I strongly encourage everyone who encounters bots to report them on the end-game screen. I use the "cheating" option and mention in the comment box the player is botting. It's the least we can do to help minimize the problem until Riot actively does something about it.

[{quoted}](name=Mounting Dread,realm=NA,application-id=3ErqAdtq,discussion-id=QAhwmGWy,comment-id=001a0000,timestamp=2016-05-27T03:01:56.066+0000)

I'm going to put this in the OP, I agree whole-heartedly.

Edit: We got a Red Post!

217 Comments

Rebonack65 votes

We, the Dominion players, were once the vanguard against the Bots. We put up with them in our games, and when our games ended we put them down with a report. And most importantly, we kept them out of Summoner's Rift to protect the newest, most vulnerable Summoners.

But then, Riot decided they didn't need our service any longer.

And now there's no one left to stand in the gap.

ModIts Yuu and Mi17 votes

{quoted}

We, the Dominion players, were once the vanguard against the Bots. We put up with them in our games, and when our games ended we put them down with a report. And most importantly, we kept them out of Summoner's Rift to protect the newest, most vulnerable Summoners.

But then, Riot decided they didn't need our service any longer.

And now there's no one left to stand in the gap.

I salute you for your service, soldier.

NO NOW17 votes

That was the purpose of the Dominion mains after all; the purpose of guarding our precious noobs from the BOTS. Nunu

SoundChaosDebug23 votes

Hold the Dominion

Hold the Dominion

Hold the Dominion

Hold the Dominion

Hold the Dominion

Hold the Dominion

Hodom

Homom

HeadHonchkrow4 votes

y u do dis item 3070

Unicorn Pet Pet11 votes

First they came for the Dominion players, and I did not speak out -- because I was not a Dominion player.

Then they came for the noobs, and I did not speak out -- because I was not a noob.

Then they came for the bronzies, and I did not speak out -- because I was not a bronzie.

Then they came for me -- and there was no one left to stand in the gap.

-Martin Nietröller

YuGiHo5 votes

Let them suffer, Dominion players had to put up with this forever and then riot just kills off our mode. they all deserve to experience this.

Rebonack7 votes

{quoted}

Let them suffer, Dominion players had to put up with this forever and then riot just kills off our mode. they all deserve to experience this.

I feel the pain within you. It drives your mind to dark places. Others shouldn't have to suffer because we did.

Gimpy893 votes

amen

ShinkoMinori62 votes

Irelia bot 0 deaths... better nerf it

Also you talked about the economics then you have to think why there are bots, people want lvl 30 accounts for alts and riot doesn't do anything about that. If riot gave one alt account linked to your main for practice purposes then people wouldn't buy lvl 30 accounts and problem solved.

ModAttysu The Poro22 votes

{quoted}

Irelia bot 0 deaths... better nerf it

Also you talked about the economics then you have to think why there are bots, people want lvl 30 accounts for alts and riot doesn't do anything about that. If riot gave one alt account linked to your main for practice purposes then people wouldn't buy lvl 30 accounts and problem solved.

The problem being talked about isn't smurfing, it's that Riot needs to stop the bots. If they want to make the rule you cannot buy accounts, then they need to make it so people can't just buy accounts, aka getting rid of bots. If they don't care about buying accounts, then that's a problem solved. But since they don't want people buying accounts, they need to get rid of these bots. It's one or the other, but Riot needs to do something.

Tyaldan24 votes

The bot problem is actually directly linked to smurfing. Riot enjoys people owning smurf accounts, because they are more likely to spend money for "just one skin" for whatever one trick pony they want to smurf with, but riot doesnt want to sell level 30 accs, like blizzard does with level 90/100 char boosts. So people crank up a bot program and get 100 leveling to 30 for free. If say 75% of them gets banned, thats 25 accs that people will pay $30 for to have a level 30 smurf. If even 1 acc made it through not banned, its worth it for the botter, because again, its free to start. If riot sold accs themselves, but needed "proof" of a level 30 acc to buy one, sure friends might buy other friends accs, but the bot market would almost disappear over night. Then the only bots you would see are lazy people farming ip.

RiotThe Wolff40 votes

Hi Mounting Dread,

Thanks for the thoughtful post. You're spot on with how serious this problem is for new players, and I'm hoping I can solve it. We do run retroactive ban waves against bots today. They can level so quickly though, that we're often too slow in banning them before they affect a bunch of real players.

I've been working on improved detection that should catch more bots as well as detect them more quickly. I've got a candidate model that looks promising, but it needs some thorough testing before we start running ban waves. The last thing we want is a bunch of false positive readings that result in real players getting caught in the ban waves.

I'm shooting for larger retroactive ban waves in the next couple of weeks. Once that tests well and we don't see too many false positives, we'll automate it in a way that can issue bans closer to real-time.

Brahmsauce20 votes

You know what also helps a lot in getting bots caught? Giving us the satisfaction of knowing our reports led to a bot ban. There are a lot of people who simply stopped reporting because they thought nothing would happen, or saw no results. Give us that pop up notice, and you'll get a lot more people in the community actively helping to stop bots.

A Liberal5 votes

It's one of the reasons the tribunal was viewed as more effective... we at least knew that we were doing something

ModIts Yuu and Mi4 votes

[{quoted}](name=The Wolff,realm=NA,application-id=3ErqAdtq,discussion-id=QAhwmGWy,comment-id=005a,timestamp=2016-06-06T19:59:34.826+0000)

Hi Mounting Dread,

Thanks for the thoughtful post. You're spot on with how serious this problem is for new players, and I'm hoping I can solve it. We do run retroactive ban waves against bots today. They can level so quickly though, that we're often too slow in banning them before they affect a bunch of real players.

I've been working on improved detection that should catch more bots as well as detect them more quickly. I've got a candidate model that looks promising, but it needs some thorough testing before we start running ban waves. The last thing we want is a bunch of false positive readings that result in real players getting caught in the ban waves.

I'm shooting for larger retroactive ban waves in the next couple of weeks. Once that tests well and we don't see too many false positives, we'll automate it in a way that can issue bans closer to real-time.

Thank you for the response; it means a lot to read this :)

BluePolarizer13 votes

Please add a "bot" option to reports for coop vs. AI games so that we can help you detect bots faster. Allow the accounts reported for botting be placed on a priority list to look at.

EfficientDynamo2 votes

I am curious, are you allowed to give us an idea of how quickly your systems are supposed to catch a botting account? E.g. detection within X amount of games. I ask because I wonder whether Riot would ever think of client-side means of inhibiting bots. To give an extreme example, needing to enter a captcha code before entering any queue.

RiotThe Wolff21 votes

We've recently made some improvements on our data pipeline (work on that front is still ongoing), which will enable us to detect bots sooner. I'm striving toward a model that would only require a few games to be confident enough that an account is worthy of a ban for botting, and we'll need to monitor this as botters adapts.

On the captcha idea, this is something that's commonly brought up, but is not an idea we're entertaining at the moment. For one, we have a captcha on account creation and we still see botting on new accounts (i.e. we know there are ways around captcha). Secondly, as a human it's really annoying to have to put in captcha codes. Bots make up a very small percentage of all players, so by implementing a captcha in order to queue up for a match (which we know bots can circumvent), we're likely just causing annoyance for human players. That's not to say we couldn't put in some logic to only present a different challenge to suspected bots using certain criteria, which is why we haven't dismissed that idea completely.

EfficientDynamo2 votes

Thank you for the clarification! It is good to hear that you are moving towards catching bots in only a few games. And I agree that the captcha idea isn't a very good solution, I was more thinking of ways to prevent botting before the match even starts.

As a follow up, does Riot place special emphasis on catching bots in non-SR modes? Because it is pretty common knowledge that if you are going to play ARAM, old Dominion, or TT you need to have a good number of wins in hand before you can play a game with no bots. I get the sense that newer players think that Riot just lets those bot-infested modes stay that way since it doesn't impact SR, which is Riot's crown jewel.

RiotThe Wolff5 votes

We target bots across all modes. They do behave differently depending on the mode though, so the model varies depending on the game mode.

Blue Moon Wolf2 votes

First, love the name :p Second, when it gets implemented, would we be likely to see a Red post to let us know that the improved detection has been implemented? I think it would be helpful for the players so they know when exactly to expect less bots popping up and help you incase we are still seeing too many bots and can let you know sooner that the problem is persisting.

RiotThe Wolff6 votes

Yeah, as soon as the new detection tests show that we're catching bots early enough to show noticeable improvement to players, I'll be happy to provide that update in a post.

vOmvbrawfU2 votes

I think that one way you can do this, is if someone is reported for intentionally feeding, their account is actually looked at. I reported a player and checked their recent games only to see they had over 250+ straight games of going 0-42-1. Sure, people report for intentionally feeding more often than it is the actual case, but make some kind of thing trigger it. It's very easy to watch a game and see if someone is actually trying or not...especially at higher levels. You don't even have to watch the game in most cases. If you're level 30 and get reported for intentionally feeding and you have a score of 0-25-0 with 3 cs, you should be banned. Then it doesn't matter if it's a bot or player.

EfficientDynamo25 votes

Good points, especially since it has been common knowledge for years that bots congregate in certain queues (generally dominion and TT). Riot needs to make efforts to prevent this behavior, either by removing the incentives or by acting more quickly to ban bot accounts.

Also, regardless of the merit of your points, you really need to clean up that wall of text. It took you 7-8 paragraphs to get to your actual complaint, when it could have been stated succinctly in the first paragraph or title.

aLawfulFalafel4 votes

ugh get off your high horse, not every body is good with words, phrasing, paragraphing and other things that help the read be a smooth one BUT EVERYBODY HAS AN OPINION regardless of how well they are at expressing the opinion it is up to you, the reader, to either choose to ignore it completely or just read it for the point of view offered ( i guess you could privately tutor this person as a 3rd alternative but we all know this isnt going to happen ) so please just read peoples opinions for what they are no matter how ill-constructed (or pretend u never saw the post and move on) "its hard to read" has never helped anything on a forum ever, and yet, even if the internet was a year old today, this lesson is taking too long to learn

(fixed it posts get the point across WHILE being the nice guy <- LPT )

EfficientDynamo13 votes

Haha this is new, getting flamed for constructive criticism. You are right, everyone has the right to have an opinion and voice it. But you shouldn't be surprised if no one listens when you fail to articulate it well.

Nykidxxx2 votes

Dynamo, I think the storytelling style of this post is what makes it stand out and stick. There are hundreds if not thousands of threads out there talking about bots with their to-the-point one paragraph "reports".

What the OP wrote out here is our heart, our emotions, how we've met, dealt, and lived with these extraordinary nuisances for so long. And ultimately, our strong, strong desire to see Riot develop a system to resolve this issue.

Gosh Darn16 votes

I made a post like this and got downvoted. I don't think veterans understand how much worse the bot problem has become. When I first started league, bots were extremely rare. Now they're in 80% of every game I play and sometimes I get extremely unlucky and like you have 4 feeding suicidal bots on my team that make me lose.

Script detection software has been able to deal with bots for over a decade and yet here Riot is allowing extremely obvious bots to destroy the experience for new players. I honestly believe they invest absolutely no time and money because it is not possible that they could handle it any worse than they do.

SolidPooh14 votes

My friend this is a subject that i took action against 3 years ago.

I persisted very much, making friends and gathering username data from all of them on bot accounts that plague the servers.

Every day i would send a list of accounts to support and in my entire time doing so; no resolution.

Its something i guarantee you they know about, its is almost impossible to avoid with their system though.

Remain vigilant, but dont get your hopes up

Its better today than it was 2 or 3 years ago though i promise you that

ShinkoMinori14 votes

{quoted}

My friend this is a subject that i took action against 3 years ago.

I persisted very much, making friends and gathering username data from all of them on bot accounts that plague the servers.

Every day i would send a list of accounts to support and in my entire time doing so; no resolution.

Its something i guarantee you they know about, its is almost impossible to avoid with their system though.

Remain vigilant, but dont get your hopes up

Its better today than it was 2 or 3 years ago though i promise you that

When I was lvling up my main back in season 3 I didnt found a single bot, when I tried to lvl up my alt last season every 6 games was a bot game... I cant imagine how much of a shithole is coop vs ai now pre lvl 30

Steenee3 votes

Every game, there's at least 1 or 2 bots, sometimes even 3. I've been leveling my smurf up lately and it's basically been 3v5s. Now if the other players on my team weren't also smurfs, how are new players supposed to play these games? These bots are such a nuisance

RespectPlus10 votes

Is unbelievable that Riot's system can't identify these bots... Seriously

Wolfess7 votes

{quoted}

Is unbelievable that Riot's system can't identify these bots... Seriously

they can and do, but they compile a list of these accounts to ban them in waves instead of actively and constantly banning them as they pop up. why? because the more consistently you ban them, the more feedback on what part of their program is being detected you give to the programmers and give them more info on how to upgrade and update their programs to avoid detection. Banning them in mass waves gives them less feedback and less chances to pinpoint similarities on what made them get caught in the first place since it's larger possible numbers and reasons to deal with simultaneously.

FrostySkipper10 votes

Plot twist: That Annie Bot was actually Jared Kappa

ModIts Yuu and Mi8 votes

{quoted}

Plot twist: That Annie Bot was actually Jared Kappa

kek

DeynaTaggerung10 votes

There's a number of things that make it hard to pick up League and really get going with it. I've been thinking this for over a year now that the only way League really has problems and dies out is if new players find it too frustrating to get started with the game. I think Riot needs a dedicated team to focus on things they can do to improve new player experiences so that League will always have an influx of new players.

EyesOfTheFox5 votes

I agree with the sentiment. There is a HUGE learning curve in this game, and people leveling up early don't learn about all of the micromanaging that goes into a game. They are taught to just get as many kills as possible. There's no in game feature that teaches new players about lane freezing, no feature that teaches them when to roam, no feature that teaches them not to chase kills, no feature that teaches them when to push lane. Learning to jungle is a joke early levels as well, so when players hit 30 then decide to jungle they have no clue what they are doing then have to learn the game all over again. With RIot making the road to 30 easier, there is a whole new influx of players being thrown into a competitive atmosphere they really have no clue how to play in.

I'd love to see modes that actually are interactive tutorials. Imagine learning to play and you are in a lane and you push the lane, then a notification pops up saying to roam to another lane and push one wave before returning to yours. Modes that teach people the micromanaging of the game would be far more beneficial than saying "Hey Welcome to league, figure this out on your own now!"

I had to watch so many videos when I first started just to figure out what half the people in game were talking about when they would use game language/jargon.

DeynaTaggerung3 votes

Interestingly enough I've found that Riot's temporary game modes are actually kind of like mini tutorials sometimes.

Doom Bots: playing from behind

Ascension: skirmishing, grouping, and fighting around objectives

URF: mechanics and quick thinking

Hexakill: Ganking

Legend of the Poro King: O.O yeah, that one was just stupid

aLawfulFalafel4 votes

Legend of the Poro King : Learning to adapt and abuse a new mechanic <--- fun as all hell, you musta been doing it wrong

Harrow Worrah9 votes

Play custom game and it's you + ai vs ai. Play co-op vs ai and it's you vs 9 ai.

Even with one or two bots present, it's enough to make their teammates suffer because they'd walk to their lane, steal their cs and exp, then proceed to feed. That's about the worst thing a teammate can possibly do - strengthen their opponents, weaken their allies. Needless to say things are taken to the extreme when all four teammates are bots, and that happens more often than one would think. I had one such match myself hours ago, in fact: http://matchhistory.na.leagueoflegends.com/en/#match-details/NA1/2198655946/230309551?tab=overview

It took everything out of me (because I'm a bad player) to manage to win that game, and that's by abusing the fact that I'm up against bots by doing things such as stealing towers, backdooring, and proxy farming. I can't begin to imagine the misery that'd fall upon any fresh player if they were put in my position.

Kei1437 votes

bots can talk now? wow .. the evolution of botters trying to not get caught ..

Taric the Gay7 votes

I've mentioned this in the past but always get laughed at "because it's bots." If it's not Esports Riot sweeps it under the rug. Bots used to be a nice relaxing place where a smurf like me could teach new players and relax. If a new player screwed up I could fix the mistake and explain the proper approach to the situation and progress would be made. I got the most enjoyment out of the game teaching new players. These bots are robbing me of that experience but more importantly they are making the game inexplicably harder for new players entering the game. This needs to be acted on, and the sooner the better.

http://www.auplod.com/u/ulaopd785ed.png

ModIts Yuu and Mi4 votes

[{quoted}](name=Taric the Gay,realm=NA,application-id=3ErqAdtq,discussion-id=QAhwmGWy,comment-id=003f,timestamp=2016-05-27T18:26:45.901+0000)

I've mentioned this in the past but always get laughed at "because it's bots." If it's not Esports Riot sweeps it under the rug. Bots used to be a nice relaxing place where a smurf like me could teach new players and relax. If a new player screwed up I could fix the mistake and explain the proper approach to the situation and progress would be made. I got the most enjoyment out of the game teaching new players. These bots are robbing me of that experience but more importantly they are making the game inexplicably harder for new players entering the game. This needs to be acted on, and the sooner the better.

http://www.auplod.com/u/ulaopd785ed.png

I've been watching your posts and you seem like a really nice, helpful guy, so thank you for being kind to the community

Icestar11866 votes

This used to be a non-issue, and I've dismissed it for a while. Now, though, it's too big to ignore. Until recently, I never encountered bots. Now, though, I've had to carry them as well.

lolptwo6 votes

Very well written, and I imagine that you're a young business student which is cool !

The other thing I would like to mention that kind of ties in with your argument is what do you think these bots are for?

These aren't just random bots for no reason. These are bots that eventually get bought for 10 dollars a pop. Those bought accounts are then used to get to whichever rank the buyer pleases and is especially used for "elo boosting"

Riot likes to believe they are getting the better of EloBoosters. Trust me, Elo Boosters are getting the better of Riot.

They can use these botted accounts to now ( NEW ) Dynamic Q boost Silver accounts up to Plat. Even if they get banned after a month. The job is already done, set up another bot and boom, easy money, rank integrity ruined.

TL;DR:

The issue you're presenting is huge, but it's just the tip of the iceberg of a much larger issue, that is even further enlarged by the fact Riot made eloboosting legal. Get ready for many many smurfs in low elo. The bots will turn into elo boosters.

Rivini6 votes

I've encountered the same influx of bots recently on SR, and I also knew right away it was because of Dominion being no more. It really is such a bother.

I would think there could be some kind of "human check" before getting into a queue. Some sites do this with their logins, such as having the person check a certain box to prove they are human, or selecting the correct answer to a random question given, etc.

Captcha is the most common and probably the most effective, but is often the most annoying. I don't know how botting actually works in games (never done it myself), but if it got rid of the bot problem, I would accept entering a Captcha before every match. I think Riot would be capable of making it visually appealing and fun enough, or at least not a chore, by giving it hextech flair with the inclusion of the new client, just so it's not something plain and boring like everywhere else. Just thinking out loud here.

I strongly encourage everyone who encounters bots to report them on the end-game screen. I use the "cheating" option and mention in the comment box the player is botting. It's the least we can do to help minimize the problem until Riot actively does something about it.

BLU Medic4 votes

Being someone who mostly only plays Coop VS AI, it's really sad. And it's bloody awful in the situations where it's a low-level you and a genuine newbie, trying to fend off five bots who have feasted on the farmbots the newbie originally thought were real people.

The whole damn thing got a lot worse when you could no longer get IP for playing custom games, and worsened further when Dominion was removed. Of course, farm bots go to the next easiest place - Coop VS AI.

cvIddXsQkO2 votes

@OP lol no one is going to read that except loners

ModIts Yuu and Mi17 votes

[{quoted}](name=Niykee Heaton,realm=NA,application-id=3ErqAdtq,discussion-id=QAhwmGWy,comment-id=000b,timestamp=2016-05-27T01:13:55.248+0000)

@OP lol no one is going to read that except loners

@Niykee Heaton

lol plenty did you loner

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