After banning over 100,000 accounts, Blizzard’s recent attempt of ridding World of Warcraft of cheating players has caused bot maker, Honorbuddy, to close down.
Honorbuddy was a program that simulated player actions to automate their participation in player versus player battlegrounds. These “players” were reportedly seen running around battlegrounds in complete unison and never entering combat or attempting battlefield objectives. This system allowed them to accumulate thousands of honour points, the in game currency used to purchase certain gear, without even having to sit in front of a computer. Obviously this made those battlegrounds lifeless and boring for other real Warcraft players.
Whilst the response has been unhappy from the near 200,000 Users that pay Honorbuddy to cheat the game for them, the players who genuinely play have rejoiced. This, to me, marks a really positive step towards policing the game properly and salvaging the fun aspect from player versus player action. Have you taken part in a battleground full of bots? Have bots ruined your experience in Warcraft? Are you a Honorbuddy user that now misses the service? Let me know in the comments below!