Influx of Bots

[Kitsun]

With the new surge of freaking bots, maybe some new controls should be implemented? Maybe shut down the sign up system for a bit? Require some Mod assent before new account is allowed to post?

Might not have been worthwhile before but it can't be fun shutting down a half dozen new bots a day.

[Kranar]

Unfortunately they are not bots, just people with a lot of time or people who get paid to post spam.

[Deadelf]

Unfortunately they are not bots, just people with a lot of time or people who get paid to post spam.


The new telemarketer of the 21st century. :(

[Jorddyn]

Unfortunately they are not bots, just people with a lot of time or people who get paid to post spam.

How about requiring posters to voluntarily hook themselves up to tasers which you can control remotely, at least for the first week?

[Ignot]

How about requiring posters to voluntarily hook themselves up to tasers which you can control remotely, at least for the first week?

So long as we are grandfathered in.

[Jorddyn]

So long as we are grandfathered in.

Depends on the poster :)

[Methais]

http://icanhascheezburger.files.wordpress.com/2007/12/donttazeme128419682591177500.jpg

[Insodus]

I'm a sophisticated sex robot sent back through time to PWNZOR YOUR FORUMSZ

[DaCapn]

I don't remember whether a CAPTCHA is used for account creation or not (I don't recall what validation, if any, is required).

I had some ideas for validation questions against humans:

(1) Have some questions that reference the official forums since you need to login to see them (What is the 3rd topic in the rogue folder? Who is the one that uses those fucking winking smilies? etc)
(2) Make a list of questions that ask for a line from an in-game command (What's the first line of SPELL ACTIVE? What's the last line of SKILLS? What's the third word in POLICY 20 excluding the title? etc)
(3) Make a list of general game questions. (At what level does one become {lord, great lord, high lord, grand lord}? 4x items can be held after what level? etc)
(4) Mix and match.

You could list 3 questions at random and require 2/3 or whatever. If this became the method, I'm sure you could poll the boards for people (reliable known entities, top-repped, top-posters, or whatever) to send PMs with questions and answers. I'd certainly write 10 questions based on provided criteria. The collision chance in low and if you poll 20 people with a 50% success rate, it nets you 100 questions which is probably more than enough to keep human spammers out.

[diethx]

I think that's a good idea, except for any questions that would require a user to sign into an active GS account. A lot of the people who post here (or want to post here) don't play anymore, and therefore don't have an active account to log into. But the general GS knowledge stuff is good, since most of the basic stuff will stay with you after you quit (and whatever doesn't can be figured out by asking a friend or two).

[droit]

What about just requiring an email address?

[Fallen]

What I think Kranar is inferring is that people are walking these bots through the system. As in, people that already post here under other handles and who would have the ability to answer any GS related questions.

I know IP bans are easy to get around. Can't you ban someone's MAC address?

[Beguiler]

The new telemarketer of the 21st century. :(


Too bad we don't have a "PC Don't Call Registry" !!

[Asha]

Are there any mods on this forum anymore to try kill the bots anyhow?

[Jorddyn]

I think that's a good idea, except for any questions that would require a user to sign into an active GS account. A lot of the people who post here (or want to post here) don't play anymore, and therefore don't have an active account to log into. But the general GS knowledge stuff is good, since most of the basic stuff will stay with you after you quit (and whatever doesn't can be figured out by asking a friend or two).

What about those of us who haven't played in years and have no friends?

[Liagala]

What about those of us who haven't played in years and have no friends?

That's where your taser suggestion comes in

[yesicj]

I know IP bans are easy to get around. Can't you ban someone's MAC address?

MAC bans are no more difficult to circumvent (it's information you control before it even leaves your machine). And more importantly, though my geek is admittedly pretty rusty since I stopped working tech support, as far as I know a MAC isn't submitted to a website the way an IP is.
MACs are relevant when trying to get access to a network (assuming it's filtering for them), and then IP becomes the relevant information. It would be like trying to filter access based on the kind of sound card someone has installed.

I think. I'm sure if I'm wrong someone will chime in to correct me.

[diethx]

What I think Kranar is inferring is that people are walking these bots through the system. As in, people that already post here under other handles and who would have the ability to answer any GS related questions.

I know IP bans are easy to get around. Can't you ban someone's MAC address?

Where did you get that idea from? What I got from his post, was that it's not a bunch of bots signing up for the PC. It's real live spammers who get paid by companies for each forum they post on. Nowhere did Kranar say anything about a current forum member helping the spammers out (or even being the spammers themselves). AFAIK, we don't currently have any sort of question and answer portion to joining the PC.


What about those of us who haven't played in years and have no friends?

http://www.camb-knives.demon.co.uk/products/pics/razor.jpg

[CrystalTears]

What I think Kranar is inferring is that people are walking these bots through the system. As in, people that already post here under other handles and who would have the ability to answer any GS related questions.Holy epic leap, Batman!

That's not AT ALL what he was inferring.


Are there any mods on this forum anymore to try kill the bots anyhow?Mods can kill the threads (if it's within their forum(s) to do so), however the bot itself would need be killed by the admin.

[Jorddyn]

http://www.camb-knives.demon.co.uk/products/pics/razor.jpg

You'll be sorry when I do it!!!!! You'll all be sorry!!!!!!*

*Except PB. He'll throw a party. And invite Tisket.

[Methais]

If it's possible, Kranar should add a "Lynch" thing next to the reputation tab, and when you reach X amount of lynches, you get PWNED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!111111

Anyone with a post count higher than 25 or even 10 something is immune to lynching.