Yes, Landbots screw us once again, so keep cheering them on!

Well for all you land bot supporters... Here is the latest unethical use of landbots.

Well most people are aware of how landbot users have been using the bots fast buying ability to take advantage of human and or latency errors. For example someone lists land for sale, lag or error causes the person to miss a number, bot comes and buys in a split second, or someone is trying to sell land to a friend or group land and a bot jumps in and auto buyers faster then the person acually standing on the plot can even move the mouse to click the buy button. But thats old news to most of you. If not see this thread = /327/7a/176533/1.html

Well now one bot user is using the bot to bait and switch residents. For example, The land is set for at 4400L. This is a decent deal, people land. The bot uses it's faster than human speed to quickly change the price to 44000L in hopes the person who clicks buy doesnt notice the extra number because the prices look similar on a glance, or else they are lagged to the point that the buy window doesnt update until it's to late and they have paid 44K for 512 meters of land. Bait and switch is an old dirty trick I've seen a few times in the past but ad the bots abilty to change the price faster than any human can change it, and it becomes a more effective dirty unethical method to take advantage of people.

So bring on your arguments of how a few bot dealers give back errors, or that this is the new way sl will be and bots are just more effective, But this type of speed and power should not be allowed when it can and obviously IS being used to take advantage of others. Or at least not be allowed for this type of unethical use. This week I've heard of 3 people getting taken with bait and switch, and 1 friend lose half a sim when trying to sell to a friend, on top of all the similar situtions that have been happening last few months.

Disgusting. I would hope that LL permanently ban anyone who did this, but that's too much to hope for.

That's got to be the last straw. LL better do something about that.

LL should create a parliament to govern the world of 2L. Create jobs and hire residents to police the in-world.

Too much corruption going on.

I always have and hopfully always will love this game, But what was once always fun, is now a mix of fun and total frustration.

And the bot owners will get the police jobs. The Lindens should be doing enforcement on things like this.

If they could create bots to cheat. Why don't LL just build bots to BAN the bots and its owners. lolz

If your av has less than L$44k, what happens? The sale would just fail, right? or does your balance go negative?

I would guess greedy swine such as this are having an impact upon the SL retention rate.

An insideous misuse of technology. Not sure if this constitutes an exploit or not, but its definately a scam. Time to send em packing.

Here's a novel idea... why not just ban that particular bot account and the person who controls it, rather than punishing anybody who develops and runs a bot of any type?

They won't even do that and I don't get why they won't. Something like this is so wrong. We need the media to get a hold of this and make a big deal out of it and then something will be done.

We need CAPTCHA on all land transactions. To put land up for sale, to change the price, or to buy it. This was suggested by many when the land bot drama started, and now the situation has escalated in magnitude.

But I guess that's not as important as VOICE and KEEPING THE KIDS FROM SEEING A BOOBIE.

Good point was made above. Park your L$ elsewhere except the amount you're willing to pay. And AR the sucker if it switches prices.

Because "cheating" is a pretty broad definition when it comes to Second Life, I'm afraid. It is part of the price we pay for the freedom that SL gives us.

It it's true, I would definitely call that an exploit. Without hesitation. And I would certainly hope that Linden Labs would do the same.

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Well, GEE WHIZ!! that's some clever code writing and ALL the folks at LL positively WORSHIP clever code... people getting hurt is not, and WILL NOT, be on their radar anytime inthe near future.

The very simply implemented idea of banning the bot and its account holder PERMANENTLY makes so much sense that if LL had the slightest concern over ethics, they would have done so long ago.

Folks, the landbots are going to rape everyone they can and LL will hold thier coats and buy them a congratulatory drink afterwards.

"code is God." - Phillip Rosedale.

sad, sad, sad.

Yes - If this is true, then the Lindens need to do something about this.

Realistically, the land deals shouldnt go through if changes have been made during the transaction.



Thats a basic of online trading in all online games - if the trading partner makes a change the system tells you and youd have to re-accept terms.

You can tell the size of your God by looking at the size of your worry list. The longer your list, the smaller your God. ~Author Unknown

I believe landowners should have the right to change the price of land they are selling, at any time. This includes landowners running landbots.

If a person doesn't notice the extra zero, once again I will point out that it is unfair to blame the bot for a buyer not carefully reading the popups they get when making a purchase.

If lag or any other programming glitch makes it possible for a person to purchase land under terms other than displayed in their popup window, then the solution in my opinion is technical; the game needs to work so that if a confirmation window pops up, the price of the land can't change until it closes (and then set it so the pop-up times out after a few minutes so this doesn't become an avenue for griefers to "lock" land from being sold).

For me, the bottom line is that land buyers and sellers not only are already given the tools to buy and sell land under known terms, but they are given an extra chance to back out after those terms are presented for them in a clear manner.

This does not mean that bot runners (or those who don't run bots) can't still be unethical, just that I see the obligation for each resident to bear his own burden of due care.

(BTW, my difference of opinion with Sarah Nerd in no way affects my confidence in her ethics and long-term profitability--I'm a stockholder in SNE).

I think we are on our own with this new heinous exploit.

Linden Lab has done nothing to stop a certain landbot from only setting his bot to steal really cheap mistakes. This individual ignores all IMs and does does not give back the errors but instead banks thousands of $US. I was told by a high-ranking Linden that they are "looking into it" but what this person is doing is not against the TOS.

Since landbots appeared, LL has done nothing to stop them except post one blog about their concern that was never followed up by any action. This lack of action has lost LL another paying customer. In four days, I am going to 0 tier for my land use fees.

Please folks, look before you sell OR buy. Triple-check that you are not selling too low or buying too high. If you make that expensive mistaken click of the mouse, you will have to live with it.

Yeah they have the right. But it's exploitative and sleazy as hell. I would never do it, nor would I associate with a land broker who ever admitted to baiting and switching.

I agree.

Unless you are a landbot or a Land Pro -

Never buy land in a hurry. Always double check, and triple check everything. And reopen the about land before buying in case someone changed something.

Im about THIS close to saying people who buy land on the mainland are crazy. Its an unregulated mess and the people who you pay tier to are irresponsible.

At least private Islands they have to answer to their reputations.

/agree.

I wouldn't even associate with him if he didn't admit to it, if I knew he really did.

AMEN!