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Re: How do I report a bot account

Posted: 25 December 2025, 18:33
by jedite21
Grimwold wrote: 25 December 2025, 00:55
jedite21 wrote: 24 December 2025, 19:08 Wondering how to report an obvious bot account
Fine, it's Chirstmas.
I'll bite.

ahem ...


Hello, how do you know it is a bot account?
Was playing Terraforming Mars and moves were instant (especially obvious after passing and it would do multiple sets of moves in the matter of seconds).

Re: How do I report a bot account

Posted: 25 December 2025, 19:39
by Grimwold
OK

To be clear, you are sure it couldn't be someone knowing the game very well and playing very fast that looked instant because network delay.

You confirm that someone made a bot that can analyze the board position and each cards, select its move and do it ?
On Terraforming Mars ?
Where all cards are unique ?

Was it just the base game, or were there expansions ?

Re: How do I report a bot account

Posted: 25 December 2025, 20:42
by Kayvon
jedite21 wrote: 25 December 2025, 18:33moves were instant (especially obvious after passing and it would do multiple sets of moves in the matter of seconds).
This also happens when someone leaves the game. The game will continue to take turns on behalf of players who are no longer in the game.

I'm not saying this is what happened in you're situation, but it does happen a lot. Meanwhile, as a developer, I can tell you that the effort of creating a bot is so high and requires constant updates when we make changes that I've never personally seen anyone actually pull it off ever. Lots of bot reports, zero actual bots. Kind of disappointing, actually.

Re: How do I report a bot account

Posted: 25 December 2025, 21:14
by Meeplelowda
Kayvon wrote: 25 December 2025, 20:42
jedite21 wrote: 25 December 2025, 18:33moves were instant (especially obvious after passing and it would do multiple sets of moves in the matter of seconds).
Meanwhile, as a developer, I can tell you that the effort of creating a bot is so high and requires constant updates when we make changes that I've never personally seen anyone actually pull it off ever.
I'm sure you understand that nowadays people just think "AI" does these things magically.

Re: How do I report a bot account

Posted: 25 December 2025, 22:44
by Kayvon
Right. I keep forgetting. "Just tell an AI to write the program for you."

Re: How do I report a bot account

Posted: 25 December 2025, 22:55
by FrankJones
Meeplelowda wrote: 25 December 2025, 11:41
yodamus wrote: 25 December 2025, 11:39 Holy bot paranoia. Now the paranoid ones think bots are playing and losing on purpose. Too funny.
That's how the Cylons blend in. So say we all.
:D :lol: :D :lol:

Comment of the day right here. Wel played :)

Re: How do I report a bot account

Posted: 26 December 2025, 09:45
by FDHenneberg
Kayvon wrote: 25 December 2025, 20:42 Lots of bot reports, zero actual bots. Kind of disappointing, actually.
There is actually a single case (though with loads of matches played) in which someone used a bot that could do both the logic and the clicking on BGA, in Azul. They did that as part of a master thesis. With that said, in Azul as an abstract game with a small ruleset, this is easier to pull off (though still extremely difficult) than in a game like Terraforming Mars with a big ruleset and loads of cards, so I’m as positive as anyone else in this thread that OP didn’t have to deal with a bot, plus there are several better explanations.

Re: How do I report a bot account

Posted: 26 December 2025, 13:29
by Meeplelowda
FDHenneberg wrote: 26 December 2025, 09:45
Kayvon wrote: 25 December 2025, 20:42 Lots of bot reports, zero actual bots. Kind of disappointing, actually.
There is actually a single case (though with loads of matches played) in which someone used a bot that could do both the logic and the clicking on BGA, in Azul. They did that as part of a master thesis. With that said, in Azul as an abstract game with a small ruleset, this is easier to pull off (though still extremely difficult) than in a game like Terraforming Mars with a big ruleset and loads of cards, so I’m as positive as anyone else in this thread that OP didn’t have to deal with a bot, plus there are several better explanations.
And in that instance the arena ranking and Elo of the account was reset, which addresses the unfounded implication by snotrod this thread is the first instance of someone else besides them caring about bots. People care about actual bots, not figments of an overactive imagination.

Re: How do I report a bot account

Posted: 26 December 2025, 13:52
by FDHenneberg
Thanks for adding, I forgot to say that.

Re: How do I report a bot account

Posted: 26 December 2025, 14:47
by jedite21
Grimwold wrote: 25 December 2025, 19:39 OK

To be clear, you are sure it couldn't be someone knowing the game very well and playing very fast that looked instant because network delay.

You confirm that someone made a bot that can analyze the board position and each cards, select its move and do it ?
On Terraforming Mars ?
Where all cards are unique ?

Was it just the base game, or were there expansions ?
I can't 100% guarantee it wasn't a bot, but there was no delay the whole game in all of the moves. I am a programmer and realize how hard it would be to create a bot or AI to analyze a game like TM. But I've also never been in a game where someone's moves where instantaneous the whole game.