Anti spoofing/botting methods?
My city has been taken over by instinct spoofers/botters since November/December. Some of them don't even try to hide to with usernames like "123mygym", "a11yourbas3", "just4exp" and "2hard2overcome". As for the bots, there are lvl 1 Gastly in multiple gyms that are obviously using bubblestrat. There are yellow towers filled with Blissey, Tyranitar, and Dragonite in over 80% of the gyms here. Is there any way to overcome this?
Answers
Honestly? No, not really. You can take the route that I and a few others took in our area. Try to "claim" a few gyms (as many as you and a few guys can keep up with) and protect them and just do what you can to make those gyms not worth them fighting for. Fight in groups when possible and collect immediately. Build your roster up somewhat in the direction of taking down much stronger gyms and what they hold. Because you aren't going to hold anything by strength, only persistence. Also strike back at their core gyms but leave nothing to prevent targeted reprisals.
This only works for me because I'm in an area with about 25 gyms. If you have less you have to mount a longer campaign of pure gorilla attacking.
I understand. That's why I stress trying to find at least one or two others to take this on with you. Also, pumping up a few very strong attackers past normal recommended levels will ease that too.
I forgot to add up top, I use my strongest attackers early on. Usually until I get that gym to level 6 or so. Then I take the last mons down with the weaker mons I've stockpiled. Auto evolved eevees that are 2300ish, flareons, Donophans, Ursaring, whatever. That's because these can stay out of health while I revive/charge up my "A" crew. All other potions are used to bring these back around. In essence these lesser mons act as potion storage that are actually mons. I no longer throw any potions away like I used to.
It is fun. Group attacks. Guerilla strikes. Taking a gym down to where they must shave or prestige a Blissey. Etc. The whole thing is fun.
I also do one other thing but I know due to different resources others won't or can't do it.
I'm not hung up on actually collecting. The truth is the 100 coins I could max collect is worth 80 cents US. I easily spend more on gas just to get downtown where these gyms are. I make sure to compensate my account for the coins I earn by the only means available to me. And to be honest mounting attacks on spoofer held gyms is a much more active move that I enjoy infinitely more than sitting at home waiting for collecting time. I enjoy it to so hell with the stressing over 80 cents.
In all honesty it really needs to be persistent enough (such that the gym is taken every 2 hours or so) to have any sort of effect on a SPOOFER I reckon. Unless you live right next to the gym, or there is high traffic in the area, this is not really possible.
I play where most players are legit (lots of shavers but no spoofers), and what deters rival teams is the constant takedown of a particular gym. You're going to stop players if they know they aren't going to hold it for long. But this is for legit players who actually walk to the places to fight gyms. If I was a spoofer, I wouldn't be deterred if a legit player tries to skim the gym once a day.
Re OP: It's your choice if you want to be part of the problem and wage a 'vigilante spoofer' war, I wouldn't blame you. However, Niantic really needs to gets their act together, this is bad.
It is actually pretty effective. There is a strong enough group of players from the other two teams to make these three gyms not worth their time. But as I noted above the other side of that is there are enough gyms outside of these that they can hold without bothering with our gyms.
Any strategy has to be tapered to ones time, resources, and particular situation.
Vol,
I have no idea what to do either.
My home town and towns to the south have been taken over by the same dude with 10 accounts. Every gym the same 10 accounts.
same trainer name pattern namenumberA, namenumberB, namenumberC. Not even trying to hide the cheating.
Niantic could place a limit on the number of gyms a trainer can be in at any one time. Set the limit to 10-15 gyms. That alone would return a ton gyms back to the regular grind it out players.
Recently saw one of these stratting bots in action, it prestiged for days straight right down from my house. Couldn't do anything about it.
Dondon suggested making making an alt acct and throwing a lower level confusion hoothoot or venonat in the tower if there is an open spot. Don't know if it works, didn't get to test. It's a good idea though.
I also witnessed the bubblestrat++ (02 gastly or raichu) in action a few times and couldn't do anything to stop it as when I attacked it they would throw in a Snorlax or a Blissey on the top of the gym and built it up again. They trained in teamwork (I guessed) as I couldn't take the gym's prestige point down.
Dondon's suggestion may be a good method. I think the key is a very fast attack (0.5s) pokemon that can kill their bubblestrat attackers before they can quit the fight will work well.
