Have GMs warp people who are suspected of auto-clicking into a private GM map where stores can be opened, and if the player opens a store upon being warped, it means that they are auto-clicking as any normal person would just be waiting for the store to close and not open it when warped to a private map - somebody who is AFK botting/auto-clicking would not be observant, and in turn, the bot/ac would automatically open the store for them while the player remains AFK (the bot some use has them log off immediately after). This can both stop the auto-clicking in FM, and punish those who do it as there is no real way to determine when somebody is (even when they've been AFK on your spot for 24 hours, the staff currently takes the approach of "they were just there waiting and beat you to it!!" which we know is untrue). Thoughts? Feel free to point out any flaws in this idea, but I really cannot find one. I know that a lot of other players are growing tired of the childish approach to FM1 from a certain group of over-invested weirdos, and even more so by the lack of effort to punish these people who are very clearly using third-party programs.
Only issue I can see is if someone isn’t botting and you false report them, due to the nature of this offense, I would assume we would use the innocent until proven guilty approach. This also gives them a major disadvantage if they were just simply trying to get the spot (even if it’s scummy). Perhaps the best fix is to make it impossible to spam request setting up a shop. Edit: by disadvantage I mean you report them, the GM moves them, you reset/transfer your spot while they have been teleported. I’m simply playing devils advocate, I think these losers should be punished but it shouldn’t infringe upon the rights of legitimate players.
I appreciate you bringing up your concerns man! No legitimate player is capable of waiting for a store to close while accurately opening theirs despite not looking at the game/screen - this can only be done by botting/auto-clicking. You must see the store close to accurately time when you open your own if you are a legitimate player, so you must be looking at the game/screen. The legitimate player who is watching and waiting for a store to close would be present to speak to the staff member upon being warped opposed to immediately opening a store when warped (auto-clicker). These players who are auto-clicking primarily do it while not observing their screen, hence why upon being warped they would immediately open a store which isn't characteristic of somebody who is sitting and waiting to steal a spot (they would see the map change since they would be waiting watching and waiting for the store to close). It is simply not possible (or plausible) to for a legitimate player to steal a spot while not watching their screen - you have to watch and see when the store closes so you can open yours faster than they can re-open/open theirs.
Well, tbh it's not about autoclicking/botting, it's about stealing someone's spot and ruin certain people's mood of playing this game, when you can literally just ask politely if they would spare or share you the spots they have. Especially when one person actually steal spots just for their own "fun" but in that case to ruin people's day, and also why would one person needing so many FM spots for? (To whom that knows who I'm talking about as I'm not mentioning his name/ign here). I honestly think that we should make a rule of "No FM Spots Stealing" in the server to avoid ruining the gameplay. Maybe to some people FM Spots aren't much of a big deal, but still. I'd say it's one of the way to improve the game/server.
While it’s unlikely it’s not necessary non existent. I was curious after the recent server check to see how it’s being spammed because of recent stolen spot disputes, you just need to click and hold on ctrl v, you don’t even need to look at the screen. I also noticed a lot of these disputes happen after a server check and there are a lot of players transferring stores/setting them up, which is extremely obvious to users that seek these spots. I think preventing the spammability of stores would be a rather easy fix and be the best of both worlds, perhaps disconnect the user if there are 5-10 failed shop requests? Definitely interested to see what the staff response to this issue is...
True, however, that same argument could be made for people botting while farming (such as the Stoppers farmers). You could just press the key and not look at the screen. However, the onus is still on the player to be present when playing the game - if a player is warped to a map while suspected of botting, and continues to attack under the guise of "holding a key down while not looking at the screen" it is still deemed to be botting by the staff (not saying you're wrong about the potential for a legitimate player to be banned, but just explaining that a foolproof approach isn't always available). With that said, I do like your idea and you are right that it would certainly prevent auto-clicking entirely, however, it then prevents even legitimate players who are observing their screen from stealing spots using the method you outlined - not sure how I feel about that one as it's not against the rules to steal spots and definitely was a component of pre-bb MapleStory. Personally I do not have an issue with stealing spots, or even having my own spot stolen, just as long as it is done in a legitimate way with an even playing field (no third-party programs). I treat them similar to a parking spot - you can park your car there, but when you move it, even just for a quick run to the store, somebody else has the right to take it. Once your car leaves the spot (store leaves the spot) it is fair for anybody to take, even if that person sat there waiting for your parking spot to open up. That isn't to say that your opinion on the matter isn't valid, just throwing my stance out there as well.
For the 5-10 failed requests idea, it could be during minute intervals. I’m not sure how hard it would be to implement a system like this, but pragmatically speaking we don’t have the staff to uphold a system like this. I think something automated that disincentivizes shop botting is a realistic approach to fixing this problem, it might hinder the average shop spot stealer but these are already few and far between. Either way these botters are losers and I definitely support a fix even if it can punish legitimate players.
Allow the refreshing of a store's timer so long as your have the correct shop permit in inventory would prevent this problem and improve quality of life. Probably requires some coding though..
That's a good alternative for sure (just to clarify, like, a cool down type feature where if you've tried to open a store more than 5-10 times in 60 seconds, you must wait X amount of time?) True, but I figure at this point *anything* would be better than what we currently have in place as a deterrent (nothing, and even the opposite - the staff turning a blind eye to it) even if the staff can only enforce it every once in a while. With this all said, I like your idea better than mine for sure, and I agree - I rather lose out on some spot stealing while completely eliminating auto-clicking than leave spot stealing and have auto-clicking remain. We definitely see eye-to-eye here. I can't stand their behavior either and it's been overlooked for long enough. The player base clearly sides with us on this one as well - it's not even up for debate based on the current poll numbers, we're all fed up with it and ready for the staff to take action.
First and foremost, if a system is already in place to prevent this, and if the players in question have actually been tested during those absurd 12+ hour stake outs on top of stores owned by players who have never interacted with them before, and passed, I sincerely apologize for accusing them all. I'll own it, shit, you guys are damn better FM1 spot holders/takers? than I am. 100%. Kudos, that is some serious dedication, and especially repeatedly to players who haven't even spoken to you guys or ever been negative towards you (no rude store names or anything like that). I just found it unrealistic - I've seriously had dudes on top of my store for 12+ hours on numerous occasions, and been damn quick on the trigger when there were no pre re-opening indicators such as checking the store, sitting on top of it for longer than necessary beforehand (a second, if that), etc. so it just didn't add up. I didn't think somebody would be that invested in it, especially not toward somebody who didn't wrong them in the past, and from past experience on gMS I know that auto-clicking is both simple, easy, and undetectable. It only made sense that on a smaller scale (relative to gMS) private server with far less reward, players wouldn't be going through the lengths of doing it legitimately. Further, we have players who have bots that straight up CC or log off when somebody goes into their training map, surely there is the full capability for a bot to open a FM store upon detecting that it disappears. Again, I'm not saying that's what these/you guys are doing, just explaining the reasoning for my (inaccurate if what you say is true) initial claims. If these guys are actually watching FM1 for hours and hours on end because they want the spots that bad, fair fucking game to them, they deserve those damn spots and I'm totally wrong for accusing them.
I’d like to chime in to answer one of the OP’s concerns regarding bans toward suspected cheaters. If you feel a bot is being used there are several ways to report it, including: 1. Explain the situation to a GM who will use their discretion on whether it is appropriate to warp them to a free spot to test whether they attempt to open a store. Warping suspects is solely up to the GM; if people cry about being camped 23 hours after a server check.. then it’s less likely action will be taken. 2. Explain the situation to a GM and once the “camper” takes your spot, the GM could attempt to elicit a reply out of them if they truly are not botting for those few minutes right after claiming the spot, as responses are strictly mandatory towards staff members. 3. Record a video of attempting to reclaim your spot and show timestamps using ~servertime. If unsuccessful, use more timestamps to show this player standing on the spot without a store open for a prolonged period (screenshots are sufficient), which practically confirms the fact that a bot was used (while sleeping/eating/afk/etc). As evidenced by replies to this thread, spot stealing is widely considered a dirty move. Even though it's not in itself banable, steps can still be taken to warn others in the Community forum of their intent or catch suspected store bots by following the steps outlined above.
Thread's purged and has been re-opened. Please keep it on topic and not attack each other, please. Edit: Also been moved back to feedback! Have at it folks.
Sometimes I take a spot with an fm mule (without opening the store) to hold it since I'm too lazy to put items in at that moment. I decide to go take a shit and forget about the store, then go do something else in the house. According to your #3, I have been botting after almost every SC.
