Bot The Farm

Welcome to your Monday Loading... You can read previously enjoyed editions of Loading... in the blog archive. (For the navigation impaired that means you click the link and then look in the right menu.)

The 466th edition of Loading... is brought to you by...Gabriel Erik Johnson who entered this world "to great fanfare and gnashing of teeth". Congratulations to Medeor (long time friend of Loading...) and Mrs. Medeor on the new arrival!

Now back to your regularly scheduled programming.

Our mailing list software (I affectionately call it our gigantic piece of steaming dung) is once again doing its best impression of Anna Nicole Smith and refusing to work. Only some of our loyal readers are receiving the mailout on a daily basis. Rest assured the crack team of carnies responsible for the software support have been notified. They will fix it, as soon as they get the candy apple stand and the tilt-a-whirl up

While we are visiting the steaming pile of dung department, I'd like to deliver an enormous, dripping pantload to the gang at QJ.net for calling us jerks, at least I think that they are calling us jerks. The article in question is so ambiguously written that I can't tell if the reference is to us or to the guys at MMORPG.com. Just remember Chris L., "We're rubber and you're glue. It bounces off us and sticks to you."

Linden Labs hasn't responded to our request for interview regarding the duplication bug that is currently turning their game into a crater. If and when we hear from them, you will hear from us.

In happier news, it appears that Blizzard/Vivendi is threatening to sue the folks who make the bot used by many World of Warcraft cheaters to level up their characters and farm gold while they are asleep. Hurray, Hurrah, Hurroo for Blizzard. I think Santa will have to take the lump of coal back and give Rob Pardo a shiny present this year.

This bot allows players (if you can call people who don't actually play "players") to script the actions of their characters to the point that the player can simply walk away from the computer and the bot will happily continue on its own. It in effect, ruins the game for the players who attempt to play by the rules, tilting the playing field in favour of the cheaters and gold farmers. There is no arguing this. It is a fact. It is detrimental to the game, to the developer and to the shareholders of Vivendi Universal.

What makes this potential lawsuit even sweeter is that the guys who wrote the bot are selilng it for profit. Imagine if Blizzard didn't have to squander so much time chasing these leeches. Maybe we would have had an expansion or two by now. Maybe your petition for help in-game would be answered more quickly?

Of course the gold farming cronies are on this issue like hobos on a ham sandwich, calling Blizzard "bullies" and wailing that the "man" is coming down on the little guy. How about this... the good guys are sticking up for themselves and ramming their boots firmly up the bad guys' arses. How does that feel farmers and cheaters? I bet it feels a lot like the butt-reaming you have been giving the honest players for about two-years.

Oh, but it gets better, fearing that a lawsuit was imminent the folks that make the bot filed against Blizzard and requested a trial by jury. Are you kidding me? We need to bring in a jury? Will the trial by peers see a jury box filled with glassy-eyed gold farmers from Shanhai?
Bot users have been banned by the thousands, but since they can't speak up about the reasons for their banishment for fear of being ostracized by the community the bot makers just keep selling the product and swimming in the profits.

Hats off to Blizzard for doing the right thing.

Go ahead, tell me I'm wrong on this.

Don't forget to post in our forums or at the bottom of this blog. If you are shy (or female and sending in naughty pictures) you can E-Mail me.

Every good guild needs a home. A home free of gold ads and secondary market farmers. Look no further than GuildPortal.com.

Exclusive new TenTonHammer.com Content!
Let us entertain you or at the very least waste some of your time at work.

11.20.2006 Exclusive Content

Op/Ed: The WoW Effect
"WoW is the undisputed king of MMOGs, this we know. But what, apart from the subscriber numbers, will last? How will WoW make its mark upon the genre long after the very last player logs off? And the converse: what's going on in other MMOGs that players aren't seeing because they're playing WoW? These topics and more are the subects of this week's Op/Ed." Dungeons and Dragons Online: World of MMOcraft
"Blizzard's World of Warcraft (WoW) has forever changed the gaming industry. Ten Ton Hammer starts off the week of Thanksgiving by taking a look at how WoW has impacted the games we love most. See what Ralsu has to say about WoW's influence on Dungeons & Dragons Online." EverQuest 2: Keeping Up With The Joneses
"World of Warcraft has undoubtedly made it's mark in the MMORPG gaming market. What did Blizzard do that no one else has managed to accomplish to date? And how does this effect EverQuest II and the world of gaming in general? Savanja shares her thoughts, and tries to avoid the tired WoW vs EQ2 debate, likely unsuccessfully." Gods and Heroes: World of Warcraft is Stealing Souls
"World of Warcraft this, World of Warcraft that, blah blah blah. It's annoying, but it's undeniable that this game has molded the future of MMO's. How is Gods and Heroes going to be affected by this? RadarX takes a look at some World of Warcraft mechanics that will be included." Lord of the Rings Online: Homogeny, Hegemony and the Horde
"It goes without saying that The World of Warcraft is a success. In fact, it's such a success that its radical design has not only revolutionized the way MMO's are played, it's influencing the way MMO's are being designed. Compared to the other MMO's on the market, WoW is the 800lb. troll in the room and the debate has shifted from "how successful is WoW going to be?" to "which of the new MMO's are going to be the WoW killer"? Taking a step back and examining the history of WoW as it compares with other marketplace juggernauts can reveal some interesting parallels with its rise and eventual fall. " Vanguard: Saga of Heroes - WoW--What a Controversy!
"Almost since Sigil first announced Vanguard; Saga of Heroes "WoW" has been an acronym sure to stir up controversy on the official forums. Shayalyn believes there are three types of gamers: Veterans (the hardcore and vocal vets of early MMOs); Contenders (the newbie WoW crowd); and Referees (experienced gamers whose needs and viewpoints fall somewhere in the middle). Which one are you?" Warhammer Online: The WoW Effect
"Another Common Content article across the TenTonHammer network delivered to you fresh inside an airtight pizza box (because I know gamers love pizza). This week Ratboy writes about the input of World of Warcraft towards Warhammer Online. That's right everybody, today you get to hear about WoW and how it is impacting YOUR game." World of Warcraft: The WoW Effect
"A lot of MMORPGs these days are copying WoW, but what if WoW was to copy them? For this week's common content we look at WoW's effect on the industry and what would happen if WoW were to emulate some of its competition!" Vin Diesel Fact of the Day - Vin Diesel once swam for 40 days and nights because Noah couldn't find two of him. Now from the real world. You can't make this stuff up. Zap Agressors With 80,000-volt Jacket [Thanks Matt]
Not available in rain-poncho version. Briton Is World Champ at Rock, Paper, Scissors
Next, punch-buggy! Robot Tadpole Sex Sheds Light on Vetebrate Evolution
All hail our promiscuous, fly-eating robotic overlords! Cocaine Cake Raid
Pie demands better PR. Antarctic Ice Sheet Getting Larger
Taco Bell introduces the "CO2 Burrito" to counter global cooling. Top 10 Movie Spaceships
Notably absent "Serenity", Lindsay Hollister Tom Cruise Marries Katie Holmes
Thetans unavailable for comment.

As always, thanks for visiting TenTonHammer.com,
-- John "Boomjack" Hoskin