Bots ~ The Long Version
So this is a topic that I feel very strongly about, and I have a lot to put out about it, so I'll try to keep it organized.
Bots in Dominion So this is where I first learned about the bot problem.. I was playing a few games on my smurf, to get it to ranked level so I could have a Ranked account. After a few games, I noticed that a few of the players in each round would build the exact same thing. Regardless of Champion.
At first, I didn't think much of it. I mean this is a level 9 or 10 Dominion Queue, not everyone is going to know what they are doing right? After a few games, it became more and more apparent that these people were not actually just random building things. This is when I started doing a little more research on the subject.
How I think the bots work So I dove into the realm of the bots. I researched this for hours, and compiled a pretty nice amount of data, which I think can explain why we are seeing such a large increase in bots.
1 ~ So recently Rito cracked down on the Legacy Skin websites, making it so skin codes have to be redeemed through customer support with proof of ownership. This shut down some pretty big names!
2 ~ A few skin selling websites (no names) have recently began promoting Elo Boosting instead of Skin Sales. I dove into one to check it out, and they are actually hiring boosters to bring people from any rank to whatever rank they want. Whether that be Bronze 5 to Gold, or even to Challenger, they will do it for a price.
3 ~ How do they do it? My theory is that they are boosting hundreds of new accounts to level 30, and using the IP they gain to buy all the champs, and some T3 Rune pages. From there, when someone orders and Elo Boost, the booster will just pick up a fresh account, and boost the player of choice to their desired rank. This is actually very smart for a few reasons.
- Riot can't track them, because every booster must use a VPN (Virtual Private Network).
- The accounts are not tied to anything. They are essentially just "new players".
- It gets around the new ranking system. So if someone wants to Duo, then you can just pick up an account that's around that rank, and boost them from there.
- There is an endless supply of people that want to be boosted, people willing to boost, and level 30 accounts that can be created to help boost.
What does this mean for us? As an avid League Of Legends player, I find this to be absolutely disgusting.. I've been in multiple games with massive bot problems. I've seen what they can do to a game, and I've seen what it can do to a community. What this means for us, is that those of us in higher ranks, will be greatly effected by an influx of people that do not belong in that particular rank, causing a lot of trouble in games. Whether that be a Bronze player being boosted to Gold, or a Gold player being boosted to Diamond, we will see a lot of short term issues.
Granted yes, when they lose enough games, they will be dropped back into the elo they belong, but they will be destroying a lot on their way back down. For example: If you take a large metal ball to the top of a tree, and then drop it straight down, what is it going to do? It's going to break a lot of branches, crush a lot of stuff, and make it very difficult to repair the damage. Well imagine dropping a lot of those balls.
This will ruin a lot of things like moral, and even cause people to stop playing. If someone in Diamond just worked to get into their promos for diamond 3 or 2, and it is ruined because someone was boosted to their level, that's going to take a serious hit on their moral. Yes, they can work back to it, but that's not what ranked queue is about. Ranked is about growing as a player, finding your skill level, and then surpassing it.
It's not about "Hey look I'm a Bronze player, but I know I belong in Diamond!" or "I'm Gold but I deserve Plat!". It's about saying "Hey, I'm Bronze, but I haven't been playing League of Legends for very long, and I'm still learning!" Or "I'm a Gold player, but I bet I can make Plat if I just work on my mechanics!"
How to fix this There are a few approaches to this.
1 ~ Implement an anti-bot software. All the bots build the same thing. Zerker Greaves -> Spirit Visage -> Trinity. They all have the same movement patterns, and 90% of them have GG### at the end of their name. These should be cleared out ASAP. It should be simple to track how they move, and where they move based on whats happening.
2 ~ Give the ability to report macroing/botting. If the community is able to report these things, it will take a weight off the shoulders of Riot, and allow them to sift through what we find.
3 ~ Watch the elo boosters. If someone in Bronze suddenly starts winning games, and within a few days ends up in Gold or Plat, there should be someone looking into that. Watch for IP changes, watch for different log ins, and watch for mass gains in rank. Those who pay to be boosted are just as toxic as those who feed in games for fun.
In Closing
This is a topic I feel very strongly towards.. I would like to see it contained before it gets completely out of hand, and has a significant impact on the game I've grown to love. If you have any comments, questions, or just want to add on to what I've said, please do so.
I've seen a few older posts about things like this, but I would like to see it brought to Riots attention. Thank you!
