NCsoft finally taking ation versus cheaters?

[Hellrazah]

Us oldies have read these threads before.. but anyways..

http://boards.lineage2.com/showthread.php?t=233860
By Sace:

Hello everyone,

We’d like to share some updates with you about our efforts in reducing the population of bots (third-party program users) and RMT (Real Money Trade) users on our servers. In the past months since the launch of the Truly Free business model, hundreds of thousands of accounts have been created, and our playerbase has grown extensively. As some of you know, many of those newly created accounts turned out to be bots or RMT-related. The past two months have been a real challenge, but we are starting to see some major improvements.

In the past weeks our efforts in this campaign against bots have begun to yield positive results. We have gained more staff dedicated to bot hunting, we have been finding new methods of bot detection, and great improvements have been made to account security and the account creation process. Thanks to these changes, we are now able to catch and ban RMT accounts early on, and their activity has reduced significantly.

On that note, we realize that the amount of RMT activity we’re seeing means that there are players in Lineage II who are funding it. We’d like to take this opportunity to remind everyone that buying or selling Adena, items or accounts for real money is not only a bannable offense, but also negatively impacts everyone on the server. Using third-party programs to automate game play or bypass game systems is also a bannable offense. We hope to convince all players to help maintain a good game experience for all by playing the game as it was designed, and not by cheating. Lineage II is a game where you build your reputation around your character and your actions. For your own sake, don't ruin it by cheating: you will get caught.

At this time we’d also like to inform you of updates to the ban policy. Over a year ago, we had implemented a three-strike policy. Now, in light of changes to the business plan and the immense increase in player population, the policy has been changed. Players caught associating with RMT or using third-party programs are immediately and permanently banned. Consequences for other offenses are decided on a case-by-case basis at the discretion of the GMs.

As always, if you suspect someone of using a 3rd-party program the best thing to do is use the dedicated Bot Report button from the Action window in-game, or to submit an online ticket on our support site, providing the offender’s server name, character name, and location. We are taking this issue very seriously and it is a top priority every day.

While our progress continues, we are also finding and banning third-party software users as well, with increasing success. In the past two weeks, we have banned over 15,000 RMT-related accounts, and over 2,000 accounts for third-party software usage. In such a large player population it may be difficult to see the results, but as we continue to ramp up our coverage, the word is out that cheaters’ days are numbered.

As our efforts continue, we are happy to see the server populations thrive with genuinely devoted players who enjoy Lineage II as the game was designed to be played. The player community is growing closer, enriching the game for all.

[Baliztik]

haha bot hunting ftw!