How To Identify A Bot

[Baker]

Since a lot of players make endless and ridiculous bot accusations, most serious players don't even listen to bot accusations. Bot are rather rare anymore, but occasionally one appears.

If you actually think someone is a bot, particularly at Shmack, one way that it is helpful to determine whether or not a player is a bot is to type EFF in the console.

EFF will print weapon efficiency percentages per player. If the numbers for the lightning gun are above 40% and that player has been playing for 5 or 10 minutes, that player is probably a bot.

If you suspect a bot at Shmack, first do the EFF thing. If a player has a LG efficiency of 16-24%, that player is almost certainly just a talented player and it might even be in the 30% range sometimes.

Last night I was playing and someone complained a player was botting. I didn't pay attention until someone said his efficiency was 54%. I am NOT an admin at Shmack, but it doesn't matter who you are. Just ride the player and record a demo. Then post a link to the demo at RuneCentral or email it to Slot Zero. (http://forums.runecentral.com or http://www.runequake.com )

Some players think every good player is a bot and it's not true. But that EFF command is invaluable and can help unknowledgeable players distinguish between smart players with solid aim and bot players.

[Mindf!3ldzX]

I swear,I caught krix the other day using a pak2 variant of some sort. NAKKA was aiming some "around corners" bs w/ lg,I have no proof either,but its rare I think anyone is cheating,sometimes its just 2 obvious spotting things. I havent had a problem since

[Net-Tyme]

Bots and Paks are two different things. Paks can enhance a game w/o the added cheats such as crosshairs and smoke trails and invisible walls etc. Paks don't normally bother me with low end players.

I didn't know about the EFF command. I wonder how fail safe that is though? I mean. If someone is sitting right on top of the pipeline.. Their percentage would be pretty high anyway?

[Monster]

Tical has like 90% LG aim. Could have been tical. HEH

[Canadian*Sniper]

Tical has like 90% LG aim. Could have been tical. HEH

Don't you get tired of bending down for Tical?

This EFF command, it's server based right? Which means not all servers allow it?

[Monster]

We Must All Worship Tical. He Is The Best.

[Baker]

I didn't know about the EFF command. I wonder how fail safe that is though? I mean. If someone is sitting right on top of the pipeline.. Their percentage would be pretty high anyway?

I was handily beating the bot and wasn't really paying any attention until someone said the 54% EFF thing.

I typed EFF in the console, my Lighting Gun EFF was like 16% and the bot's Lightning Gun EFF was 54%, with 92% Shotgun EFF.

EFF doesn't have much to do with how well a player is beating up on others.

Tical has like 90% LG aim. Could have been tical. HEH

If you play CA+, you'll notice even the best players have a Lightgun EFF no better than 33% most of the time.

This EFF command, it's server based right? Which means not all servers allow it?

The EFF command works on CA+, CAx, Shmack (all 3), CRMOD and probably Intertex CTF ... although I haven't tried it there.

So basically it works at most of the busier servers, but not all of them.

[Solecord]

Efficiency numbers aren't foolproof. A camper can easily camp behind a spawn point and rack up high eff numbers. Most experienced players can usually tell who are bots and who is not. When in doubt, record a demo and post for others in the community to view.

[Magn3tar]

I am almost 100% certain that "Scoffer" is a bot.

Back in the day, I used to run paks2-5, which all did various things. Mostly though it'd put large sticks sticking through all of the players so you could see them through walls and such. Another feature is it made any wall clear so you could see everything going on, generally it seemed that the creator of the pak files went through each level and picked only the significant walls to be clear, however. When another player had invisibility, he'd simply turn in to one large blob. My crosshair was also fixed. About all I remember from that, I could dig these files up actually I think I have them in my storage

As for a bot........I ran a bot named SBot back in the day as well, to see what it was like...
I would win simply by jumping into the water in Dm3 and just turning on my shotgun. I'd rack up more kills as it'd auto-shoot at any player within that room not missing once. That's a bot

One big question is...the games been out for about 10 years now....what do you expect the veterans to actually miss most of their shots? Of course not, we know the game better than most can imagine that have recently started playing. I'd love to get some real life friends to play this game with me but I don't think they'd enjoy it as they'd never even be able to match half the quake population.

[QuadRaptor]

If you play CA+, you'll notice even the best players have a Lightgun EFF no better than 33% most of the time.

That's one of the reasons why I don't play CA, because I'm godaweful with LG. I prefer RL and GL handsdown, and it seems that being a great LG user is almost a requirement to get a decent score on that mod.

what do you expect the veterans to actually miss most of their shots?

I'm a veteran and I miss a lot of shots.

[Baker]

generally it seemed that the creator of the pak files went through each level and picked only the significant walls to be clear, however. When another player had invisibility, he'd simply turn in to one large blob. My crosshair was also fixed.

Those "cheater" pak files, I think everyone tried them once or twice just to see what they were or because they thought everyone else was cheating.

Those things were crappy. It might make a difference in CA+ ... hence it was nice when ProQuake cheat-free was invented, but free for all or other games, that stuff wouldn't help hardly at all (and might even be detrimental.).

Here is what one cheater once wrote in a column:

Second, I do use hacked maps. Now, before you get your panties in a twist, I have long since stopped using vised and hacked walls, they are really too confusing. In quake, you really need a sense of blindness to have a normal fight in one room. With the hack I tended to look into other rooms not focusing on what was right in front of me.

A good player who knows the map already knows all the key sounds (spawn noise, armor pick up, etc). I always have a very good idea where players are on DM6.

A think an inexperienced player who thinks everyone cheats would be real disappointed on how much that pak2 junk doesn't help your game.

Besides, what'll it do for someone in Rocket Arena?

[Canadian*Sniper]

That's one of the reasons why I don't play CA, because I'm godaweful with LG. I prefer RL and GL handsdown, and it seems that being a great LG user is almost a requirement to get a decent score on that mod.

Riiiiiiiiggghhhhtttt. Shaft helps but if you're good with the explosives you could turn the tables.

[Baker]

CA+ also has "gayed" rocket damage -- as some players would call it --- where rocket damage is crippled to a max of 100 instead of the Quake standard of 120.

CAx does not have crippled rockets, making shaft skills --- while still important, of course --- less crucial to the game.

I might add the sys_ticrate sucks at CA+.

[Sajt]

Map hacks might be a bit disorienting. If say you are drawing players through walls, you'll see them sometimes but most of the time the server will be culling them so you will see people wink in and out. If you got used to it perhaps it would be an advantage.

[fridge]

At leats here where i am ppl dont use aim bot scriptz wall hacks and stuff like that i think we are the "lucky" ones but then again the qw comunity here isnt as competative as qw in other countrys or any other game in this country (like css and sh*t like that).