Ten Ton Hammer - Taking MMO Gamers to the Next Level!

If you’ve played an MMORPG you’ve at some point been annoyed by a bot. For those unfamiliar with that term, a bot is an automated program that essentially plays the game for you, allowing for easy farming and leveling without even needing to play. Jagex has taken a rather creative new approach to dealing with this sort of behavior in RuneScape, one that might be a nifty new fun way for other developers to latch on to.

As part of RuneScape’s ongoing battle against botting, Jagex has introduced Botfinder General to the game, a new character that will allow players to pass judgment on offending botters. The feature provides a pair of very public warnings to offending players caught botting at first, which will alter their avatar's appearance to signify that they've been caught cheating. Three-time offenders will, however, be transported to the new area of Botany bay where they will be placed on trial for the community to judge and face a permanent ban along with a community choice way of disposal ranging from being stomped on by a dragon to zapped by a ray of light from the RuneScape gods. Either way, they won’t be back in that form again. Players can even earn cosmetic items for aiding in the trial.

Ogilvie continued, “Our community has always had strong feeling about players who cheat the system by botting, especially as they feel it devalues their own hard work and in-game achievements.  Botany Bay literally puts guilty players in the stocks whilst the community decides what to do with them.  Players who do take part in the trial and subsequent sentencing will be rewarded with a unique in-game cosmetic item."

Check out the preview video of the trial in action below and visit the RuneScape website to learn more.

Source: RuneScape Press Release