Bot Reports

[NorDahl]

Are there plans to ban bots? Been seeing a lot of Reddit style user name players with 0 elo waiting until almost 0 sec to take every turn. They don't respond and dont make logical moves. We'll there be ability to report these bots?

[nik592]

This has been discussed before. Many times. And while no one can prove one way or the other, creating a bot to play games on BGA would be a lot more complicated than you might think, and for what purpose? Generally when people complain about these "bot" accounts, they're not sitting at the top of the rankings (which has no reward other than the fairly minimal prestige of being first on a board game site). I think the last time someone made this complaint, they actually argued that maybe the bot programmer had their bot play suboptimally so as to not arouse suspicion. So why would someone do this? I'm not saying no one would, but I don't think it's as widespread as you think.

Also, BGA, like many places, suggests a username for players when they join. Some people just keep these - one of my RL friends uses theirs. When I had to create an account for Google Play Games, I also kept the default suggestion (even though in other places, like here, I choose my name specifically). On top of that, I had a look at your games for the last two weeks, and spotted a grand total of two potential players (both played by you within the 6 hours) with that kind of name. Of those, one of those joined up as a premium member a couple of months ago, so seems unlikely as a bot. The other, yes, joined today and you played them in their first game. And then you chose to be nice and welcoming in accusing them of being a bot on their profile. If you really think so, red thumb and move on with your life. What if that is just someone new to the site?

As to their waiting until 0 second to take every turn, the replay shows their time dropped to near zero twice during the game (which was unfinished, because someone else decided to quit), and they then managed to recover their time to a reasonable amount in the next couple of turns. If they were indeed, new to the site, or new to the game, this wouldn't be unreasonable. Furthermore, even if they take until 0 seconds on every turn, they are 100% within their rights to do so. Their time to play is theirs - if you want games to run faster, choose a faster speed.

[Strode]

What would be an example of a "Reddit style user name"?

[FDHenneberg]

What would be an example of a "Reddit style user name"?

I’m not OP, but when I just started to do a new registration for BGA to test this, one username that was proposed was “cool-alligator727”. Similar to Reddit - you can take a randomly generated username if you like, just as Nik592 wrote. I did that on Reddit, I liked just to have something neutral.

As to bots: Technically possible, in some games more realistic than in others, but really difficult and a lot of work. When it’s actually plausible over many games that a certain account played, not just an impression from one person playing someone once, BGA does react, people lose accounts and elo and ranking. There are countless bot reports, but hardly any, if at all any, bots playing or player using engines. Well, I wouldn’t play chess on BGA, it’s without Elo for a reason.

[Grimwold]

Are there plans to ban bots? Been seeing a lot of Reddit style user name players with 0 elo waiting until almost 0 sec to take every turn. They don't respond and dont make logical moves. We'll there be ability to report these bots?

But it is a lie ... "Every turn" ... No, it was two turns.
And 'Reddit style user name' that means nothing.
Typically, that is the kind of lie and non sense an AI would do.

So, you are an AI.
Kinda bold for a bot to complain about itself.

[Jellby]

Even if "Reddit style" were true, it could just be someone who chose to have the same username as in Reddit. Is that strange?

[cigma]

They don't ... make logical moves.

So what would be the point then?

Are there plans to ban bots?

I am sure BGA will ban a bot, if they have reliable proof for it. And yes, you can report them.

Will BGA ban players who make unproven accusations? Probably not

[Ceaseless]

Are there plans to ban bots? Been seeing a lot of Reddit style user name players with 0 elo waiting until almost 0 sec to take every turn. They don't respond and dont make logical moves. We'll there be ability to report these bots?

Considering how many bot accusations have been absurd nonsense, I doubt BGA is enthusiastic about digging through so called "bot reports".