Eve Online shaving anti-botting 'three strike system' to two strikes

Eve Online players who farm experience or items through "botting" will now be subject to a two strike policy for bans instead of three, according to a post from from a QA tester under the forum name CCP Stillman.

Previously, players would receive a 14-day ban the first time they were caught using automated programs to do in-game work for them. The second time would result in a 30-day ban and a permanent ban for the third. Although some considered this "too kind," the idea was to "induce a gradual change and engage in a ‘slow burn,'" Stillman wrote.

"That is to say tackle the issue as a long-term problem rather than trying to solve the issue all at once, which isn't viable," Stillman wrote. "We've always been open to iterating on our process and policy when appropriate."

Under the game's new policy, players will receive a 30-day ban for a first offense and a permanent ban for the second.

"This reflects our increased efforts towards stopping people from engaging in behavior that is damaging to New Eden and all of you who play by the rules," CCP Stillman wrote. "It's another change we're happy to make with the goal of making life harder for those that do not want to follow the rules."

Eve Online recently surpassed 500,000 thousand subscribers and is preparing to enter its second decade of activity.