I’m not a programmer or a computer code expert, but I my understanding is that in order to access a web address or WoW you have to do so from an IP address. So, even though you can change your IP address, you still need one to access WoW.
Long story short, if you ban one account, the botters likely have backups on the same IP address they can boot up and continue. So, in order to fix this, I recommend that Blizzard not only ban the offending account, but also every blizzard account that have accessed from that particular IP address simultaneously. This would have a greater impact imo than simply banning one account at a time.
With dynamic IP addressing, that IP address doesn’t stop getting used - it just gets recycled to someone else. The problem with that is a completely innocent person may wind up with that banned IP, anywhere in the country. The same goes for multiple people in a household working off a shared broadband connection; you all are using the same ISP IP address. So if a member of that house does something wrong, you are all screwed.
Such a thing happened to me before - not with this game or gaming in general - but I had wanted to connect to an FTP server which I have never been to before nor ever had an account with. I wound up with one of those banned IPs. Fortunately, the admin had a server notification knowing such things have happened in the past and they simply lifted the ban on my IP.
It won’t last. The hardware ID is generated by the components inside your system. All you have to do is change something like your CPU or RAM and that ID changes (like how registering your Windows license works).
It’ll work better for devices where you can’t change it’s internal hardware…like with gaming consoles. If you’re banned from Xbox Live, you’ll have to buy a new Xbox.
Any ditterent is better than nothing. If someone has to keep buying PC components each time they are banned, along with a new account, it’ll definitely help.
It takes 2min to make a new account, might as well just give them another account when we ban them and save them the trouble.
i’m almost certain they already do this. It’s too easy to just store ip, and detect access patterns and of interactions from specific ips. Not IP ban, but investigate account based on ip. It’s one of the easiest and most basic ways of getting rid of the dumbest of bots. It’s probably something they already automated by now. They are dealing with bots, sometimes slowly, but they are.
Possibly, but hardware ID spoofing is also a thing.
I think another effective measure is those small anti-cheat programs that gets preloaded prior to starting a game that scans your RAM for any illegal apps or mods. Though I think some people are skeptical about those…
For good reason. They are doing the same thing viruses and other malware do, and a bug can screw over your system. How often does Blizzard launch a new patch with bugs in it?
That’s the thing about technology: the same things that are used to protect you can also be used to “eff” you over.
Yeah, but there are also means of knowing if someone is using a VPN. I tried using one for a transaction using my job’s wifi and I got an error message saying it won’t go thru because I was on a VPN.
Even if you knew someone is using a VPN, I don’t think a game company would spend a large amount of resources and manpower to uncover thier IP and ban them. It doesn’t make sense.
For the majority of game developers, no, though I’ve personally came across some who did actively search out players using them to gain access for a game (beta or live) that wasn’t meant for players outside that country.
I remember Minecraft was one that did such a thing.
IP bans are useless and often impact legitamate players more than the Bots.
Here is why:
Most ISP do not give you a static IP address, you get a DHCP (Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol) address, which means that at any time your ISP can give you a different IP that is public facing.
Most of the botters use VPN connections to mask their identity and IP, ban the IP and they simply disconnect the VPN and reconnect. Bingo new IP based on the same reason as item number 1 above.
Since most players can get a new IP at anytime, if Blizzard did ban IPs there is the potential that someone on the same ISP as you gets an IP ban, gets a new IP and you could very easily pick up the IP they had and now you have the IP ban.
IPs for consumers is not like the IP addresses business get, you as a home user are only getting an IP lease that has an expiration date, usually between 48 hours to 14 days. Once the lease expires, you could get the same IP again, or a completely different one. And there are ways to force your connection to release it’s lease early and get a new IP.