In Botany Bay, RunesScape Players Get to Punish RMT Botters

RuneScape developer Jagex infuses dark humor in its anti-RMT operations by allowing human players to publicly humiliate and personally permaban RMT botters in a new in-game location known as Botany Bay.

“While the Engine and System teams have been fixing, testing and improving the system, we thought it would be great if all players were able to get involved in punishing these clockwork menaces...so we’ve created Botany Bay,” said RuneScape lead designer Mod Mark in his September behind-the-scenes post.

Mod Mark explained that Botany Bay will basically function as a holding and punishment cell before a botter account is ultimately banned.

“After a cheating, rule-breaking, botting account has been caught in the act, they will be teleported to Botany Bay: a new location, hidden on a dark, foreboding island and run by the Botfinder General. Here, real players will be invited to listen to a fully voiced speech from the General, while pelting the offender with rotten tomatoes. You'll then be invited to choose one of three game-ending punishments for the offender, resulting in a brutal set of animations and a permanent ban,” the lead designer said.

Botany Bay will be accessible to both free players and members alike, and will be easily accessible for all.

“You’ll be able to hear about ongoing trials via the announcers that sit near several busy in-game locations. They will also offer a handy teleport to anyone nearby,” said Mod Mark.

RuneScape players lacking the sadistic tendencies should also be enticed to participate in the public flogging in Botany Bay, if only for the free thematic emotes.

“For those actually voting and choosing the account-ending punishments, you’ll also be able to access new cosmetic rewards, including a flaming pitchfork emote,” added Mod Mark.

The introduction of Botany Bay comes at a time when Jagex is particularly aggressive against RMT and their botter cronies. Just a few weeks ago, developers imposed a wide ban on high-profile dicing accounts that were selling RuneScape accounts Gold to RMT shops. But you can trade runescape accounts still.

Jagex then plans to roll out what its CEO Mark Gerhard believes to be “our most comprehensive and formidable anti-bot update,” which in all likelihood is the delayed sequel to the Optimus bot nuking operationlaunched earlier this year.

Mr. Gerhard has also unveiled the Jagex Account Guardian feature which represents “a significant upgrade” to rs accounts security against phishing and hijacking.

All combined, these barrage of anti-RMT measures seem aimed at establishing RuneScape as an unfriendly environment for botters and gold seller operators, as opposed to a unmoderated, do-as-you-please playground.