Banned for being a "BOT"

[yadungoofed]

I don't claim to be a developer of addons, but if an API was protected then I believe that would mean that it would not be available for use by addons. Which it clearly is. Addon does not equal bot. Especially if it was allowed and distributed for use in retail vanilla (which is what we are supposed to be emulating here). Thank you for your reply though.

A protected function means that it can only be called as a result of a hardware input. It doesn't mean that you cannot use it in an addon.

Since the only way to accept trades is to call the function AcceptTrade()
and the only way to summon food and buff yourself is to call CastSpellByName()
and the only way to jump (like you did) is to call the function Jump()

... and all 3 functions are protected...

it means that my question is pretty valid =)

So you were just spamming (at least one) button for 6 hours straight?

...because you weren't. We had a party around you, making fun of your bot for half an hour and you didn't respond to anything... while continuing to hand out water and jumping.

Source:
http://wowwiki.wikia.com/wiki/API_AcceptTrade
http://wowwiki.wikia.com/wiki/API_CastS ... did=115492
http://wowwiki.wikia.com/wiki/API_Jump

[Glenzig]

I suppose I will have to hope that the staff members take a look at the addon linked above from Vanilla WoW and find that it works exactly as I have stated. It is the same addon used by countless other mages and I have made 0 modifications to it. If you were to do the same then you would realize that you are wrong. However, that is irrelevant. I am here to resolve a problem by speaking to staff members, not a salty, anonymous, level 5 dwarf.

Automation=BOT. Just because Blizzard was cool with it, doesnt mean that Nost is. Read the ToU and enjoy your ban.

[Vanillerific]

Yes, I conjure food/water, drink, and jump "as a result of hardware input". There is nothing difficult about conjuring items every few minutes to keep my bag full while I am working/watching TV/Movies/chatting with guildmates/browsing the web/eating dinner/doing just about anything ever. If you think that someone needs to concentrate to press some buttons in WoW then I don't know what to tell you.

Many people can attest to the conversations that we have while they are getting food/water from me. Sometimes I don't like talking to people, especially rude ones. Nowhere does the terms of service state that I must reply to every player begging me for food/water/portals/class questions/etc. It doesn't matter what reason I decide to /ignore you or not respond to you, I am not required to do so. In fact I use Mopar's SpamThrottle addon just so that I can have a long ban list.

As far as you're protected API claims go please reference a reliable source. You've given us a wiki post. Editable by everyone, which has a history. The "API protected" part is posted on March 8th 2010. It states it was protected in 1.x. How about a specific patch number? How about a reference to an actual Blizz post changing the API to protected with a date on it? How about a Blizz post referencing the TradeDispenser addon and deeming it illegal. Not every tidbit of information on the internet is based on fact. You need to back things up with legitimate references.

http://wowwiki.wikia.com/wiki/API_Accep ... on=history

Why do all the posts through December 4, 2007 not say a single thing about this being a protected API call? TBC is client version 2.0 and was released on January 16, 2007 in North America. If the API call used by this addon was deemed protected in patch 1.x then apparently it was between 12/4/2007 and 1/16/2007. We are not even at that patch.

[Vanillerific]

Lol he is so mad. If you look up his character, hes geared as shit. Kid thought it was OKAY to sit in Ironforge, botting. Even put a message " EDIT : Going for pizza, feel free to trade, AFK "

Actually that wasn't me. Once again a case of baseless accusations by anonymous forum posters. That was Samgry. A very nice mage from Pleasuretown Adventures whom I consider a friend.

Many people use this addon. None of us knew that WoW addons from retail vanilla were bannable.

[Vanillerific]

A protected function means that it can only be called as a result of a hardware input. It doesn't mean that you cannot use it in an addon.

A quote from the same site you referenced earlier.

API functions in this category are protected. This term is used for three main types of functions:

API functions that addons (or any other insecure code) can NEVER call.
API functions that addons (or any other insecure code) cannot call IN COMBAT.
API functions that addons can only call from a hardware event (i.e. the user clicking a button), but not from OnUpdate/OnEvent handlers.

http://wowwiki.wikia.com/wiki/Category: ... _Functions


Addons CANNOT call protected functions. That would not make them very protected.

[Vanillerific]

Or maybe do your research? Zero. Tolerance. Policy. Earn your gold legit next time.

From the TOU:

The use of any program or file which allows the player to gain access, use or modify data that players can't normally access or modify is considered cheating and will result in a permanent ban.

Using a legitimate WoW addon (which I have provided a download source for) does not fall under this. If the addon is banned after the staff reviews it I would humbly request a warning or temporary suspension as opposed to the ban. Apparently myself and many others are a bit ignorant when it comes to WoW API stuff.

You're all a pretty hostile bunch here. Every poster in this thread seems to do the majority of their posting trolling the account issues subforum. Pretty sad.

[Tinkertown]

Addons CANNOT call protected functions. That would not make them very protected.

Ever heard of the Addon Decursive? It very much calls CastSpell(), that's sort of the point. It is a protected function but it can still be called by hardware events. Other functions like Jump() cannot be called by scripts at all. (I do think player made XMLs can still call it though.)

Anyway, back to topic.

Ok, let for the sake of argument assume that the OP is telling the truth. Was he in that case banned for the addon in question? No. He was in that case banned for looking and acting enough like a bot to make the GMs conclude that was the case. Sitting on your couch watching TV while pressing two buttons isn't botting but it sure as hell looks like it to someone from the outside. It isn't outside the realm of possibilities that false positives like that could happen. In fact, if ever it were to happen, this is likely where. So a recommendation would be to avoid pressing a button repeatedly to stay online/perform actions without even looking at your screen. You might get mistaken for a bot.

However, even if it is a false positive, it would seem unlikely that they would unban you. Because they've already judged you as a bot and there is no reasonable way for you to clearly demonstrate that you weren't.

[tigru]

Greetings,

We have zero tolerance when it comes to 3rd party programs, that will keep the game alive while you are away.
Your account will remain permanently banned. Feel free to create a new account and respect our rules.

Regards,
GM Team

[Vanillerific]

It's not a 3rd party program though and does not keep the game alive while you're away. It's a vanilla WoW addon that trades items and is used by dozens of your players. May I ask you to at least review the link I posted before making your decision final? It clearly explains what the addon is and does. I feel as though I'm being banned because of all the inaccurate information posted by others in my thread that I wrote to the staff.

[yadungoofed]

As far as you're protected API claims go please reference a reliable source. You've given us a wiki post. Editable by everyone, which has a history. The "API protected" part is posted on March 8th 2010. It states it was protected in 1.x. How about a specific patch number? How about a reference to an actual Blizz post changing the API to protected with a date on it? How about a Blizz post referencing the TradeDispenser addon and deeming it illegal. Not every tidbit of information on the internet is based on fact. You need to back things up with legitimate references.

I understand how desperate you are but man my head hurts when I read crap like this. Makes me sad.

I'm glad you got permabanned.