First off, when I was typing this forum, I hit something that returned me to the previous page on my keyboard. So, if you see a forum with the same exact concept on this forum, well, now you know what happened.

This forum will discuss the bot situation in Silkroad Online, as well as the current boycott of silk, the virutal money of Silkroad Online that is bought with real money.

Why are so many people boycotting the virtual money of Silkroad? Because of the fact that bots have infested this once glorious game to the point where all servers are crowded, and because Joymax hasn't done anything serious to get rid of the bots for good.

A vicious cycle has appeared in Silkroad Online. Bots have appeared in masses on Silkroad Online, which has caused crowdation of the servers 24/7. A way to get around this is by buying the premium from the game's item mall, which gives you guarenteed access to play the game. But it's crowded 24/7, so although this game is F2P (free to play), you have almost no choice but to buy a premium to actually play the game itself. And since Joymax has done nothing serious to permanently solve the bot problem for good, there is wide spread speculation that Joymax itself has been the mastermind behind the bots all along (this isn't proven of course, but the evidence is very rock-hard solid for anyone who plays Silkroad Online, just look at all the bots running around in the game). To simplify things, bots infest the game, servers are crowded, Joymax doesn't solve the bot problem, and us legits have no choice but to buy a premium to play.

Therefore, many legits and I have supported a boycott of silk. This boycott, if it is successful, will bring to light the bot situation as well as the fact that Joymax does little to solve the bot problem and that they constantly ignore everyone's pleas that Joymax destroys the bots for good. But what does it mean to the people who don't play this game? It's not their concerns, right? Wrong, everyone who plays F2P games should worry. If other companies followed this game's example and started inserting bots into their servers so it is impossible for anyone to  log in except those who buy items to allow them game access at all, then the concept of F2P will be gone forever. That is why everyone must break the evil bot cycle here. Not just for Silkroad Online's future, but for the future of all F2P games out there!!!

Here is a guideline on how to support the Silk Boycott:

For people who do not play Silkroad Online:

1. Do not type violent and unintellectual thoughts.

2. Simply type that you support the Silk boycott.

For people who do play Silkroad Online:

1. Do not type violent and unintellectual thoughts.

2. Type that you support the Silk boycott, and follow through by not buying silk any longer until Joymax solves the bot problem for good.

For everyone:

1. Do not post anti-Joymax thoughts. Joymax did create Silkroad Online after all. And they are not an evil company, they're simply a company that strayed down the wrong path.

2. Do not automatically assume Joymax is the mastermind behind the bots. It is possible they are not, and they are trying to find ways to destroy the bots.

Everyone, if this boycott works, then not only will we have saved Silkroad Online, we saved all F2P games out there that were in danger of following this game's example! So everyone, support the Silk boycott now and be part of history!

I will answer any questions or thoughts you may have.

I boycot any MMORPG that requires you to pay money, other than the standard monthly fee, to be competetive. So that would include Silkroad Online.

Success in a MMORPG should come from skills, cooperation and dedication. Not from the size of your wallet.

Excellent thoughts, Yamota. Glad to see someone who supports this boycott. But I would also like to point out that it's not the item mall we are protesting. We are protesting the bots and why Joymax has done very little to destroy the bots. This boycott will raise awareness of the situation and help prompt Joymax to become serious about destroying the bots for good.

I thought about playing SRO but saw how it was so crowded I couldn't even get on regardless of the time of day I tried and thought that it wasn't worth my time.  I even saw the item that would allow me to login regardless and thought I might get it but then remembered the game's supposed to be F2P and thought to myself "why would I pay just to log in to a supposedly F2P game?" and changed my mind.

So in short while I don't play SRO because of the overcrowdedness I support this boycott of Silk!

Kyuta, those were beautiful thoughts! No one should have to pay to play in a F2P game! By stopping the bots here, we can save all F2P games out there!

By the way, I am pleased with the results so far. As you can probably tell, I am a nooby on these forums. I'm thinking of a way to talk about the silk boycott somewhere on these forums where many people will see it. Can anyone help me with this? If alot of people knew what was happening in Silkroad Online, well, lets say the boycott will become quite powerful...

These are my thoughts.

Originally posted by RamenThief7

Excellent thoughts, Yamota. Glad to see someone who supports this boycott. But I would also like to point out that it's not the item mall we are protesting. We are protesting the bots and why Joymax has done very little to destroy the bots. This boycott will raise awareness of the situation and help prompt Joymax to become serious about destroying the bots for good.

I have not anything against item malls per se but games with item malls that give exclusive advantages should always be boycotted.

But failure to clear up bots, or even not attempting to, is another reason to support a boycott.

Ah, Yamota, glad you pointed that out. I must apologize to you, I did not mean that item mall statement against you, it was just an idea I forgot to talk about in the forum.

You know, Silkroad Online has solid game play. It could very well become one of the top 5 F2P games ever. But if Joymax is the mastermind behind the bots, why do they not see this possibility? They could make alot of money off of legits alone, they had no problems with that in the past. Yet they allow bots to run rampant. It's embarrassing, this game has so much potential, but Joymax doesn't seem to have any interest whatsoever in that kind of idea, it's all about money. And even if they're not the mastermind behind the bots, why haven't they gotten rid of the bots yet?

I severely wish that Joymax would come to their senses and destroy bots. This game could be so much more than it is right now. That is why I need everyone's help with this boycott. Once I raise general awareness of this boycott, we could save Silkroad Online and return it to the glory it once had again. And, in the process, the boycott will show all companies of F2P games that using bots to raise money isn't the best idea unless you don't mind the consequences...

Everyone! Raise awareness of this problem! It could very well be that Silkroad Online isn't the only F2P game out there with this kind of problem (bots)! By stopping the bots here, we can save all F2P games from being targeted by bots (or at least convince the companies of these games to make sure bots do not get out of hand on their games)!

Meanwhile, I will see how I can bring awareness of this boycott to a mass majority on this forum...(maybe I create a forum on the general discussion area of this website?)

I forgot to mention this:

Cassiopaeia, I have reached messages on the Silkroad Online website's forum. Sorry I did not post this earlier. What is it that you were going to discuss?

Everyone: If you play Silkroad Online, I have realized it is difficult to reach the people of the forums there (most of the threads dealing with this theme gets deleted). So for those of you who play, I will say this. Reach out to everyone there and know I am trying to expand the Silk boycott here on MMORPG.com. We will need everyone for this boycott to work. Also, if you have expanded Silk boycott to other websites, state them on the Silkroad Online website forums and here. We need the boycott to expand so that it will become powerful.

These are my thoughts.

though  i dont sound like it... Im with you guys, i really am.

 The only thing is... asking joymax to ban bots is like asking a bartended to kick people out because they smell like alcohol.

 Its allowed, plain and simple. In fact many of the "legits" ( i wont embarrass anyone by fingerpointing) are not legit at all. They bot, or used bots, or got powerleveled by bots.

 There is also goldbuying and hacking/scamming.  Id prefer someone bot then act like an ass and scam someone or beg for gold and p lvl.

 This game USED TO be good.  i guess maybe joymax changed management or something. or maybe they realised we were having fun so they worked hard to make the game suck. Im not sure.

 Alll i know is banlists are now fake. and there is lvl 1 characters filling the servers to force people to buy premiums.

 Im all for people not buying silk at all.  but i think some of us need to actually travel to korea and give those fools a piece of our mind. I for one would like to pack chuck norris lol.

 I dont suggest anyone handgrind on this game anymore. There is simply too many lvl 100's and that will take years to achieve.

 Party grinding is fun, but this is not the game you want to waste years of your life being legit on.  at least not anymore.

 It used to be a great game, and with hard work you could be one of the best.  But not, its just rich oil kiddies from arab countries, buying gold and sun items, and botting themselves to the cap

Ah, EpicWin, glad to see you on MMORPG.com. Also, glad to see you support the boycott (if somewhat lukewarmly).

The real end result I hope this boycott on this website starts is not weakening the amount of people who play the game and instantly buy silk for it, not to make Joymax lose money from potential silk sales, but to raise awareness of the problem. I've already stated why everyone should support the silk boycott in the introduction, so you're already aware of the fact I am getting people who don't even play this game to support the boycott (for reasons I stated in the introduction). Think about it. There is over one million people on this website. What would happen if the silk boycott caught the attention of the entire mass? After all, no one likes the idea of their F2P games following Silkroad Online's example to infest bots into the game and force people to buy virtual money to buy whatever items they need to log in whenever they want. It's supposed to be free. So, EpicWin, this boycott may stand a chance after all. Anyone who stands for truth and justice (or straight up likes their F2P games to remain free and not extremely crowded or bot infested) would support this boycott.

I am researching how the forums work on this website so that I can choose an area where an entire mass of people could see the silk boycott. Right now, I am trying to raise awareness here in the Silkroad Online section to warn potential new players of the situation and why they shouldn't buy silk. Then, once I know where to post the boycott so everyone can see it, well, lets see how Joymax likes it when everyone knows of the bot situation.

Also, I am but one of many people who supported this boycott on the Silkroad Online website. A person named Shipo raised awareness on the French Silkroad Online website. I am raising awareness here on MMORPG.com. Who knows how much awareness the boycott will get and on how many websites in total?

These are my thoughts. Glad to see you EpicWin, it's good to know some people from Silkroad Online are catching on to what I'm doing here.

RamenThief and EpicWin we meet again ^^

Absolutely support the BUY NO SILK  Request from sro players standing together to get the game cleaned up. Haven't bought silk in months. Shame this game has descended to the state it is in today.

Hootsmom! So now there are three Silkroad Online legits on this forum (if I missed anyone here, please tell me in a post). It's beautiful how people with a similar goal can get together like this and fight for what is right. Well, at least I now know that my message is taking effect on the Silkroad Online website.

Well everyone, I am getting close with my research. I have a place chosen. If all goes as planned, over a million people will know the situation of Silkroad Online. Of course, not all of them may come to help, but at least we will make a million people on these forums aware of the bot situation on Silkroad Online. Who knows, perhaps we can make headline news if this boycott became powerful (not that I'm expecting it to, but hey, everyone has dreams and ambitions).

These are my thoughts.

It is a VERY sad run organizaion Joymax,the game is actually decent fun.

I am not sure if there is anyone that pays as much attention to detail in EVERY game as myself,and i don't miss a beat.This is why i was one of the first to speculate that the KOREAN F2P games,AND the P2P games are run by corrupt organizations.I have stated in many posts about my time in L2,without getting into every detail,there is no question at all ,they are behind the ILLEGAL botting/RMT activities.It is ILLEGAL because they escape paying legitimate business taxes,and ruin and corrupt a game that MANY people pay to play.So by ruining a game and removing the actual design of a game,it is the same as lying to the customer ,misleading the customer and outright stealing from the customer.

This is why we need large gaming sites such as MMORPG,to step up to the plate,call out the developers and let the players ask legitimate concerns,instead of the usual fluff questions.

SRO is so over run by botting ,there is a 9/10 bot to player ratio.I know there is probably people that are saying ,no way it can be that bad,but it is ,i could take anyone on a virtual tour and show just how bad it is.The reason it is so bad is because the anti hack software known as GG[Game Guard]has NEVER worked,they know it,i know it and 90% of the players know it,so why is it used??well because Joymax is behind it ,so why on earth would they want legit anti hack software?

What is extremely funny is how Joymax posts a bot ban list witch after all this time is a paltry 2500 bans[not all permanent,if ANY]from all 30 servers lol.There is more bots,i would guesstimate,5000+ bots on EACH server,let alone 2500 in the whole game LMAO.The reason the servers are always maxxed is because the botters use AUTO LOGIN cheat software,so when the game reboots the servers once a week,the bots just auto login again.It is quite hilarious to watch a bazillion bots login one after another non stop for over an hour.Then they zig zag from npc to npc until they wander out to farm gold.

Although they all use gibberish names like "mweiunmambrcidjg" i write them down and report them.Then i check to see several days later if they are still playing ,and guess what?they are lol,there is no active banning at all ,it is all BS.The EXACT same results happened in L2,by NCSOFT,i tried over and over but they never banned one bot,Korean gaming is a multi million dollar business outside the legitimate scene,this is why it is so big over there.

Like i said SRO could be a fun enjoyable game,if a legitimate developer ran it,but Korean orgs are full of crap.

Here is another one ,most do not know about SRo,outside of the botting ,i would venture a guess that 90% of the OTHER players are cheating or also botting,this is the botting that is outside RMT activity.SRO has a legitimate player base of around 5% MAXIMUM,without question the biggest black eye on MMORPG gaming.

Wizardry, that was a beautiful and very intellectual thought you had. If everyone on MMORPG.com is like you, the one million people who shall soon see the silk boycott when I post it on a general area where the masses go often will find out how corrupt a F2P game can get. Then, we stop this vicious cycle of bots and return glory and honor to Silkroad Online as well as save all F2P games from following Silkroad Online's example!!!

By the way, I keep hearing about corruption from NCsoft. Did that company also use bots in their games too? If that is true, could someone tell me what games they were? Since they suffered the same dilema we are suffering right now, it wouldn't be a bad idea to recruit some people from those games to save a fellow F2P game that is being overrun by bots. Then, with a group of dedicated fans, we should hit the big markets and make everyone know of the situation of Silkroad Online (I haven't done anything yet now because I wish to recruit a few more people so that the forum for the Silk Boycott remains popular for a while).

We just need a few more people...then, may we succeed with our boycott here on MMORPG.com.

Ramen,

I've already posted a message to you in the PM inbox, stating my identity in the iSRO forums.

This might get a little lengthy, but bear with me.  I never fully explained why I am about this the way I am.  Also, be warned, I pull no punches.

Quite often, my views on the subject of SRO has put me counter of the OP.  I'm someone that that gave the game a try.  I only got in at Oasis because it had just undergone a crash.  After I got in, I asked for some help finding an NPC, and got nothing.  At first I thought it was because of the typical rudeness against newcomers that I find in games.  I wound up having to find the NPC on my own and play alone.  Again, nothing new.

That was until the next day I found I couldn't log in again.

I went on forums, thinking it was maybe just some peak time I had hit.  That's when I found out the truth.

Servers full because of bots, hackers, clent users and ppl forced to pay a lot of money to buy premium.

I'm not rich, far from it, so premium was out.  I'm not a hacker, nor do I ever want to become one.  I don't believe in using bots or clients, so insteadof taking any of those routes, I quit the game immediately.  Instead of leaving even the forums altogether, my role there has been to guide the players that are fed-up and leaving the game to better ones, and boy do I have a list of those better ones.

Even I see that Joymax will not do anything to help the players, not as things stand now.  One bit of truth that I myself will reveal here:  As of 3 days ago, the company Mods deleted any and all forum threads with the concept of "Save Silkroad Online".

I don't put money into a game unless I know they're worth it.  I have for other game companies, like PWI and Aeria Games.  I have never bought silk for this game and I definitely don't play it now.  However, I have only two reasons for even supporting this boycott.

1)  I want the truth exposed everywhere about this company's actions, especially on forums that Joymax can't delete the truth from.  If it causes the result of the other F2P games being kept safe, so be it.  If it means Joymax going down, so be it.

2)  Honestly, I would love to see for myself why so many ppl stick with this game, even though right now it's rotten to the core.  If this game really can be saved and the bots either drastically reduced or eliminated for real, then I probably will give it a second chance.

Like I said, I pull no punches.

Cassiopaeia, I expect nothing but honest thoughts, and I thank you for your thoughts.

Everyone, something grim has occured that may change everything should Joymax follow this exammple: a company has implemented the idea of LEGAL bots. Simply put, the whole bot situation, but it's legal to do so on a game. Does that spell danger for the Silk Boycott? In actuality, it could solve a serious problem. I have multiple ideas on this:

First off, this means nothing if Joymax never decides to do the legal bot idea. Everything will remain the same. The boycott will still carry on.

However, if Joymax does start using legal bots, then here are some possibilities I have thought of could come to light:

1. The gold bots die out, and although there are still player bots and bots that advertise the illegal selling of gold, the servers become less crowded. This idea still means that bots will run around. But, at this point we can do little now. Is this dangerous to the Silk boycott? No, because now it is legal to use bots and bots will not be a problem anymore. Here's an example to highlight this:

"Billy" (gold bot user): Yea! Now what I'm doing is legal! Now no one can stop me from havin 20 level 100 characters, all at the cheap price of 90 dollars a month!

A month later:

Billy: Hey, what's going on? The monthly bill is supposed to just be 90 dollars a month, but I see a 300 dollar bill!!!

He contacts Joymax later.

Joymax: Well, if you read the rules, it is 15 dollars a month for the regular bots, so in total your bill comes out to 300 dollars a month.

Billy: But that's not fair! 18 of my bots are still level 1s that camp out in town! They do nothing! How can you charge me for that!?!

Joymax: Sorry, but that's the new rule. For every regular bot you use you pay 15 dollars each per month.

Billy: Screw gold botting then! No wonder everyone else bugged out!

In the end of this example, 18 more spaces have been opened. This example will apply to the thousands of bot users who use gold bots.

What happened here? Basically, Joymax would want to fill those spaces with other legal bots from other people or more legits. This will make the forums less angry and bring more happy publicity to Silkroad Online. There would be no more gold botting (because Joymax will expect the goldbot owners to pay up to the new universal bot rule, and those owners probably don't feel like paying 15 dollars for a bot that will do nothing for 2 months). In the end, the servers will become less crowded, and a bizarre new atmosphere approaches Silkroad Online. Legal bots will no longer be hated. The servers will be filled with legits (many will still buy silk and premiums) and legal bots that do not completely take up space on Silkroad Online. Servers will be crowded with at least 50% people and 40% legal bots (that last 10% represents illegal bots). There will still be bots, but we will have to live with our newly legit brethern on a game that is no longer crowded 24/7.

I hate the idea of bots, but unless a massive revolution actually forces Joymax to get rid of all bots for good, this seems like the most likely scenerio to occur. Remember this: the reason we boycott Silkroad is so that we can actually play in servers that aren't crowded 24/7. Gold botters will die out by this idea, and the servers will be less crowded. The bot problem will never be solved completely, but at least we can play the game again without having to resort to premiums. If the legal bot idea played out exactly how I imagine it would, then I would call off the Silk boycott, because now I would be able to play the game without having to buy a premium. And one last thing: crowdation may still occur, but know that at this point there alot of legits playing the game now. If the servers were crowded, but it was mostly filled with legits (and it's not crowded 24/7), then that would be a good thing. It would show that this game is great, and who knows what we would see in the future? Also, hopefully Joymax creates more servers and expands server room...

Of course, this is ok as long as gold bots die out and servers are no longer always 24/7 crowded. If it became a problem again with legit bots, then the whole vicious cycle repeats itself again.

I did not have time to look over and edit this forum. If you see anything worth pointing out, do not hesitate to tell me. I do not want to convey the wrong message.

Good, no angry thoughts here yet about that previous idea I had. I would like to state something. In all, the best idea is that Joymax destroys ALL bots for good, but considering Joymax, that seems unlikely unless this boycott hit extreme power measures. The legal bot idea might work, but there are potential flaws. First, the payment method for bots. If it is paying per month per bot, then the legal bot idea I showed above would get rid of gold bots. Also, there must be no multi-client botting either. In other words, one client with one bot on per computer. Just because the bots would considered legal doesn't mean you can have more than one bot running at a time. Another idea came into my mind as well. Another good idea is that there should be separate servers for legits and for bots. Bots can level up on servers without interferring with legits, and legits wouldn't have to deal with competing for kills with bots. One last concept I thought of. There should be a special mark for anyone who bots with their character, so that in the end everyone will know if you cheated using bots or if you are a true legit. This could be identified with a special symbol next to your name that appears if you botted at all with the character you are using.

I hate the idea of actually having to compromise with bots, but this is another potential idea that could reduce crowdation on the Silkroad Online servers. The whole thing is: we are against bots because they are out of control, are illegal currently on Silkroad Online, and Joymax does nothing to solve the problem. If they implemented the legal bot idea, they could still make alot of money off of bots, bot users can still use bots (though much less at a time, because they probably won't pay for bots that aren't going to do anything for a few months), and legits can finally play this game for free if crowdation is seriously reduced by the amount of gold bots disappearing.

These are my thoughts.

I stopped playing and gave my accounts away about  a year ago.  Liked the game but just could not stand the Item mall, bots, and the grind.

Originally posted by Yamota

I boycot any MMORPG that requires you to pay money, other than the standard monthly fee, to be competetive. So that would include Silkroad Online.

Success in a MMORPG should come from skills, cooperation and dedication. Not from the size of your wallet.

I agree.

So, stayontarget, I take it that you support the Silk Boycott then?

Once again, I would like to remind everyone that the purpose of the Silk boycott is not to boycott the item mall. Thing is, the item mall will be there forever on that game, and I don't have problems with it. Yes, I know that item mall users will have an advantage over people who play the game for free, but that's what you get for playing the game for free. The focus of this thread is to boycott the purchase of silk (virtual money of Silkroad Online that is bought with real money) until Joymax solve the problem with the illegal bots running rampantly on that game and 24/7 filling up the servers. Either they get rid of the bots completely or they find ways to reduce crowdation on the servers. For ideas on how Joymax could do this, read the posts on this thread for good ideas.

P.S. To be honest, I'm surprised that Nightbloom, the Correspondant of Silkroad Online on this website hasn't said anything yet about this boycott. Oh well, the less opposition the better.