Seeking Input from Addon Developers Regarding Permanent Ban for API Usage

[cheesewiz]

There was a tool developed by two developers from the API Discord community that is relevant to WoW addons and Python API calls. The tool, which can be found at https://web.archive.org/web/20220317...inStockAlerts/ , receives hourly updates from the API. It filters out items based on their price, as specified in the Python script, and sends this filtered data to the addon file. Once the addon is updated, you can perform a "/reload" command in the game, enabling the addon to search for the specified items in the game world. It's important to note that this tool relies on the API updates and does not have the ability to actively search for items like an in-game sniper.

However, addon snipers have significantly diminished the utility of this program, rendering it almost useless. The primary advantage it offers is the ability to track items that are not available on the user's current server.

Unfortunately, Blizzard has banned me for using this program, categorizing it as a bot. Although there are other individuals who are employing a similar approach with the API and are currently running their programs without facing consequences, it is likely that they will eventually be banned as well since there isn't much difference between our programs.

The question at hand is whether this program can be considered a bot. It's important to note that it solely updates addon data and does not interact with the game in any way. The accompanying addon adheres to Blizzard's rules for addons, and none of its functions are automated. I am perplexed as to why I have been specifically targeted for using this program and why it has been labeled as a bot in the first place.

I can't convince support that I'm not cheating and they've banned all 8 of my WoW licenses. They were attached to one Bnet and were being used as Sniper alts. I play the game, but I also like to scan the auction house with Blizzard-approved Sniping addons. While I may have had 8 games running at once, I have no form of automation software or Multiboxing tools installed nor have I ever employed any. I only started running multiple licenses earlier this year when I realized my pc could handle it. AH alts are *very* off hands and only require an input to purchase items with the Sniper addon I use. This python script is the only thing that could have caused my ban.

[Dridzt]

I want to say you were warned this is a risky path to travel on a couple years back.

Considering you went on to remove any trace of implementation details from a bunch of other posts asking for help how to do this, presumably to protect some kind of competitive AH advantage, I find it a little ironic that you are now back asking for help and providing source.

All that aside I'm sorry you lost your licenses.

I looked at the python code and the addon and I can say it's all up to interpretation whether what you're doing is automation or not.

If you were using an external program (ie AHK or similar) to reload the game to get new addon data your python was generating or to click your bid addon button, then it's out of the grey and few miles into the black.

[cheesewiz]

Originally Posted by Dridzt I want to say you were warned this is a risky path to travel on a couple years back. Considering you went on to remove any trace of implementation details from a bunch of other posts asking for help how to do this, presumably to protect some kind of competitive AH advantage, I find it a little ironic that you are now back asking for help and providing source. All that aside I'm sorry you lost your licenses. I looked at the python code and the addon and I can say it's all up to interpretation whether what you're doing is automation or not. If you were using an external program (ie AHK or similar) to reload the game to get new addon data your python was generating or to click your bid addon button, then it's out of the grey and few miles into the black.

edit: I though that old post was about me asking how would someone make a program that could switch realms on its own. Guess it was about using the api.

Funny how years later, the replies to that question still confuse people.

That got turned into a legitimate addon that's pretty popular, https://www.curseforge.com/wow/addon...t-blank-sniper
So yes, it can be done. It's using item keys and saving those keys into a database. If that's violating any rules, so many people are about to get banned.

Question stands, how did you look at the python code since it was removed from the web? I haven't found a download link for GSA that's still available.

[Taudier]

The question at hand is whether this program can be considered a bot.

An addon can robotise a task legitimately, without turning you into a bot, so it seems blizzard treated you differently because you made too much gold.

[Dridzt]

Originally Posted by cheesewiz Question stands, how did you look at the python code since it was removed from the web? I haven't found a download link for GSA that's still available.

Either you are confused or you're trying to muddy the waters.
There was a wheel file (a python package) in the link you posted, I simply extracted the sources.

I know what the addon part does. If the python program pulls fresh data from the AH web api every hour and writes those to the saved variables or overwrites an addon file in AddOns, you still need to reload the game to get the data to show up in-game.

You also afaik need a button press to actually buy any deals the addon finds?
If you are using an external program or script to automate any of those actions, you are botting.

The whole idea of getting 24hr updates into the game unattended is obviously skirting the edges of what Blizzard would tolerate.
If they wanted you to buy using the web api they'd have provided endpoints, obviously they want separation between the two domains.

[cheesewiz]

Originally Posted by Dridzt Either you are confused or you're trying to muddy the waters. There was a wheel file (a python package) in the link you posted, I simply extracted the sources. I know what the addon part does. If the python program pulls fresh data from the AH web api every hour and writes those to the saved variables or overwrites an addon file in AddOns, you still need to reload the game to get the data to show up in-game. You also afaik need a button press to actually buy any deals the addon finds? If you are using an external program or script to automate any of those actions, you are botting. The whole idea of getting 24hr updates into the game unattended is obviously skirting the edges of what Blizzard would tolerate. If they wanted you to buy using the web api they'd have provided endpoints, obviously they want separation between the two domains.

Isn't a website like https://undermine.exchange/ doing exactly that? Tracking item and price changes per hourly updates on a 24/7 schedule? The only difference between that and mine is that mine offers a way to import that data into the game. Making a macro ingame for /reload and binding that to a key is probably the easiest thing a person can do and is allowed because it's a macro in game.

As for the python program, idk what wheels are. I assumed that since I had to use the wayback machine to even find the page for the program, the download itself wouldn't have anything in it. It's cool to see that it can still be downloaded with a little effort.

After the datas in the addon file, the addon inside the game does all the searching and all I need to do is either confirm or deny the purchase, which follows what every other auction house addon is capable of doing.

Idk how to clarify that the program isn't touching the actual game, just updating the files for an addon so it can be used in the game. The nature of something that makes someone gold must be too much for them to allow? idk.

[Dridzt]

You were warned specifically by the GM that overturned your first ban.
Assuming you are this guy

I am Game Master Cruz_____ <snip> HOWEVER. Please do not use any programs that read or ‘inject’ into the game, which is what it looks like you are doing with your python program. We do not allow anything like this, it is in our terms of use, and it was this that triggered our systems. It is possible to use these to cheat in the game, which makes it unfair against other players. There are Auction addons that are allowed to be used, may we suggest you use those. We can not guarantee that if you use the scripts again, you may be locked again.

So you were warned here that bridging the web api and in-game domains might be risky, you were explicitly warned a second time when you were banned and successfully appealed.
But you bought another license and went back to using the program you were warned about.

Now you are "surprised pikachu face". I'm not 100% on whether Blizzard was overzealous and I don't know if you were using a program to automate the user actions required to get the data in-game (reloading) or confirming bids. You say you didn't but you're leaving a lot of stuff out, so let's just say the whole thing doesn't inspire confidence.

Bottomline is you had ample warning that you were skirting a dangerous line.

[cheesewiz]

Originally Posted by Dridzt You were warned specifically by the GM that overturned your first ban. Assuming you are this guy So you were warned here that bridging the web api and in-game domains might be risky, you were explicitly warned a second time when you were banned and successfully appealed. But you bought another license and went back to using the program you were warned about. Now you are "surprised pikachu face". I'm not 100% on whether Blizzard was overzealous and I don't know if you were using a program to automate the user actions required to get the data in-game (reloading) or confirming bids. You say you didn't but you're leaving a lot of stuff out, so let's just say the whole thing doesn't inspire confidence. Bottomline is you had ample warning that you were skirting a dangerous line.

So it's guilty until proven innocent? I got the same response from the cesspool that is the official forums. I don't think anyone with a gold stash over 400m gold would risk their entire account by using automation. The rules on a 1:1 interaction are pretty clear, plus the more recent ban on multiboxing software made it obvious they're watching input broadcasting programs. Other addon devs have said that Addon Managers do the same thing my python script does, but the difference is that those programs aren't used for gold making. As for the comment from the GM, you know just as well as I do that they're wrong on very basic things and usually will never tell anyone anything reliable.

> It triggered one our detection systems by mistake. We have adjusted our systems so it shouldn’t happen again. I apologize for any inconvenience you may have suffered from this.

This tells me that they detected something running, didn't accommodate for it, and have fixed it so it doesn't happen again. How else is someone supposed to use the AH API if they can't do what I'm doing, with a public program that an entire community was using?

One of the devs who made the program even commented on it that it's strange for them to ban me over something that dozens of people used.

https://us.forums.blizzard.com/en/bl...se-api/43848/2

Not sure where the passive aggressiveness is coming from.

[Taudier]

Originally Posted by cheesewiz The rules on a 1:1 interaction are pretty clear,

You said you had 8 accounts, how did you interact with them ? We are doubtful on that matter, the python script shouldn't grant you a ban. Did you send a 1:1 interaction while the WoW windows were not active, with autohotkey for example ? Afaik they can ban you for that without providing you the hint.

[Dridzt]

Originally Posted by cheesewiz As for the comment from the GM, you know just as well as I do that they're wrong on very basic things and usually will never tell anyone anything reliable. > It triggered one our detection systems by mistake. We have adjusted our systems so it shouldn’t happen again. I apologize for any inconvenience you may have suffered from this. This tells me that they detected something running, didn't accommodate for it, and have fixed it so it doesn't happen again

So are the GMs clueless and never tell anyone anything reliable or do you only trust them when they say something you like so that you can continue risking your account for gold.

[cheesewiz]

Originally Posted by Taudier You said you had 8 accounts, how did you interact with them ? We are doubtful on that matter, the python script shouldn't grant you a ban. Did you send a 1:1 interaction while the WoW windows were not active, with autohotkey for example ? Afaik they can ban you for that without providing you the hint.

I mainly use this addon for sniping https://www.curseforge.com/wow/addon...t-blank-sniper

It does most of the work for me. Once I turn the sniper scan on, it runs until it finds an item. After that, I have to click on whatever game window the items on and press my buy button. I position my clients so I can see all of them on my main monitor, and have the python script on the left side of my second monitor so I can see it when it updates. The update for the api is around the same second every hour and there's a count down for when it's about to update.

I don't use any kind of input broadcasting stuff. I have a key bound in game to a macro that lets me buy items on the ah. Is that the right way to say it? People always confuse the word macro for something external outside of wow. The macro is inside wow, not some kind of external key bind. I don't have AHK installed, idk what other kind of third party tools there are but any kind of key binds I have are all within the game. I'm only laser-focused on this program being the problem because they said the bans for a 3rd party program.

People keep calling it a bot but it has no interaction with the game at all, it's just updating an addon file whenever the api has a deal, which is a single snapshot for each ah once an hour.

[Taudier]

Originally Posted by cheesewiz I mainly use this addon for sniping https://www.curseforge.com/wow/addon...t-blank-sniper It does most of the work for me. Once I turn the sniper scan on, it runs until it finds an item. After that, I have to click on whatever game window the items on and press my buy button. I position my clients so I can see all of them on my main monitor, and have the python script on the left side of my second monitor so I can see it when it updates. The update for the api is around the same second every hour and there's a count down for when it's about to update. I don't use any kind of input broadcasting stuff. I have a key bound in game to a macro that lets me buy items on the ah. Is that the right way to say it? People always confuse the word macro for something external outside of wow. The macro is inside wow, not some kind of external key bind. I don't have AHK installed, idk what other kind of third party tools there are but any kind of key binds I have are all within the game. I'm only laser-focused on this program being the problem because they said the bans for a 3rd party program. People keep calling it a bot but it has no interaction with the game at all, it's just updating an addon file whenever the api has a deal, which is a single snapshot for each ah once an hour.

I don't see anything wrong here...

Anyways, if blizzard is in a conflict of interest with the gold makers he can ban them, if he wants to, if i read correctly the Blizzard’s Ownership rule G :

All Accounts, including the name of the Account and any Battle Tags associated with an Account. All use of an Account shall inure to Blizzard’s benefit. Blizzard does not recognize the transfer of Accounts. You may not purchase, sell, gift or trade any Account, or offer to purchase, sell, gift, or trade any Account, and any such attempt shall be null and void and may result in the forfeiture of the Account;

that would be sad though.

[cheesewiz]

Originally Posted by Taudier I don't see anything wrong here... Anyways, if blizzard is in a conflict of interest with the gold makers he can ban them, if he wants to, if i read correctly the Blizzard’s Ownership rule G : that would be sad though.

Then all gold makers are a target. If they're going to ban me for third party automation over this, then no one is safe.