Bot reviews - add report function for game?

[loppantorkel]

I can't find a good report for it and I'm not sure Valve tracks any positive review bombing.

[holodeck murder mystery]

Look at the spikes on Recent Reviews graphs for these games since Nov 22:

https://store.steampowered.com/app/250900/The_Binding_of_Isaac_Rebirth/
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1145360/Hades/
https://store.steampowered.com/app/219150/Hotline_Miami/
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1245620/ELDEN_RING/
https://store.steampowered.com/app/892970/Valheim/

almost 27000 positive reviews for Elden Ring since Nov 22nd, and before that it was a couple hundred a day

[Bee🐝]

Postat inițial de ree:

Look at the spikes on Recent Reviews graphs for these games since Nov 22:

almost 27000 positive reviews for Elden Ring since Nov 22nd, and before that it was a couple hundred a day

Ree is correct.

Adding to that, to get the full Sales badge, you have to review a nominated game you've played this year. That's up the review count for nearly every popular game that came out this year and anything that counts towards the "Labour of Love" category.

Low-quality positive reviews like - thumbs up or pure nonsense - Support takes down as a rule, which accounts for the uptick in the number of takedowns.

The simplest answer is almost always the best.

[loppantorkel]

Postat inițial de Tanoomba:

Postat inițial de loppantorkel:

Aside from seeing extreme spikes, plenty of odd and very similar reviews from equally suspicious accounts, 1500 reviews vanishing is even more suspect. I don't believe users often delete their own reviews, and not that many over a couple of days.

How are the reviews similar? In length? Writing style? What makes the accounts suspicious? Are they all private? Do they have no other games? Do they have unreasonably low play times? No posts in the community? How many reviews are left after this supposed purge? Has the score aggregate been affected by the removal of those reviews?

These are reasonable questions that would add incredibly useful context to what you're describing, and NONE of that information involves "throwing shade" at anyone.

I'll answer these questions since you've asked. Not in any attempt to persuade anyone.

In the review spikes, which went from around 100 reviews per day to over 7500 over a four day period (Little below 7700 over the last 30 days, which doesn't add up, 94% positive which I think I saw at 97-98% at the start). Overall score now slightly above 80% from a bit over 100k reviews.

Clicking on one of the spikes, you'll see some ordinary reviews, but mostly these spanish, one sentence reviews all added at the 3 hour mark. The profiles I see on this page have plenty of products on their accounts, but either one or two reviews. They're all level 9 steam accounts. Same situation the next day spike, but some accounts are level 7 here. Similar avatar selection, except the first day spike where none of these similar reviews had any avatars.

The total amount of reviews went first down ca 2000 reviews, up 1300 and latest down 500 again, from the highest point that I saw, at start.

I could be missing something, but it just looks a bit odd to me. I've reported the product to Valve for further investigation and I really have nothing else to add here now. I've no reason to persuade any of you that there may be fake reviews out there.

[davidb11]

How does anyone think reviews could be written by bots in the first place? Huh?
Most every bot ever is easy to spot as a bot.

That being said, if you can communicate with the person who made the review, they're not a bot.
Since no bot has passed the Turing Test.

It's a bit excessive to think every good review is a bot.
In fact, it seems a bit way over the top.

[Start_Running]

Postat inițial de davidb11:

How does anyone think reviews could be written by bots in the first place? Huh?
Most every bot ever is easy to spot as a bot.

That being said, if you can communicate with the person who made the review, they're not a bot.
Since no bot has passed the Turing Test.

It's a bit excessive to think every good review is a bot.
In fact, it seems a bit way over the top.

To be fair. There are humans who can;'t pass the Turing test.

Postat inițial de loppantorkel:

In the review spikes, which went from around 100 reviews per day to over 7500 over a four day period (Little below 7700 over the last 30 days, which doesn't add up, 94% positive which I think I saw at 97-98% at the start). Overall score now slightly above 80% from a bit over 100k reviews.

And this happened during a period where there was a sales event wherein one of the tasks for a badge was to write a review for a nominated game....and you don't see how that might cause a spike. Of course assuming there was a spike as you describe.

Postat inițial de loppantorkel:

Clicking on one of the spikes, you'll see some ordinary reviews, but mostly these spanish, one sentence reviews all added at the 3 hour mark. The profiles I see on this page have plenty of products on their accounts, but either one or two reviews. They're all level 9 steam accounts. Same situation the next day spike, but some accounts are level 7 here. Similar avatar selection, except the first day spike where none of these similar reviews had any avatars.

That's not usnusual. Most people who buy and play a game don't write reviews.
Butthe sort of account you describe isn't what one would expect of a bot. Niow quick query though. Were this games market as steam purchases or key activations?

Postat inițial de loppantorkel:

I could be missing something, but it just looks a bit odd to me. I've reported the product to Valve for further investigation and I really have nothing else to add here now. I've no reason to persuade any of you that there may be fake reviews out there.

If you can't tell a fake from a genuine. or point to one as an example. Can you really say there are fake reviews. I mean meme reviews are a thing and so are shill reviews, but can you really say the entiment is not that of the operson writing it? That's one of the few ways a review can be 'fake'. ANother is when it speaks of things that are not part of the game.

[Tito Shivan]

And we still don't know which game are we talking about.

[Pierce Dalton]

Postat inițial de fluxtorrent:

if you suspect a game is being bot boosted in the reviews you report the game via the store page, either under fraud or "break local laws" option and explain in the text box. Suggestion already implemented.

Valve can and have taken action against devs for doing so, but they are far more likely to catch them long before you notice though, so dont be surprised if your suspicions lead to nothing

It's actually the opposite, Valve will only catch them after users report the devs/pubs for doing that. That applies to all situations, even games that use your PC to mine crypto...

[loppantorkel]

Postat inițial de Tito Shivan:

And we still don't know which game are we talking about.

No, I thought it to be interesting if Start_Running would decide if there's anything odd going on or not. He or someone he trusts.

There are a few reasons to not name the company. One is that it would be used as a major reason for why the reviews aren't fake/bot/manipulated - I'd have something against the company which would be the reason I try to frame them for something. You understand that this is true?! Now I've not outed the publisher/dev, but can PM someone who is beyond sceptical about my suspicions. I think it's a fair and pretty interesting take on the issue.

[Pierce Dalton]

Postat inițial de loppantorkel:

Postat inițial de Tito Shivan:

And we still don't know which game are we talking about.

No, I thought it to be interesting if Start_Running would decide if there's anything odd going on or not. He or someone he trusts.

There are a few reasons to not name the company. One is that it would be used as a major reason for why the reviews aren't fake/bot/manipulated - I'd have something against the company which would be the reason I try to frame them for something. You understand that this is true?! Now I've not outed the publisher/dev, but can PM someone who is beyond sceptical about my suspicions. I think it's a fair and pretty interesting take on the issue.

Please do so, I'm curious.

[Start_Running]

Postat inițial de loppantorkel:

Postat inițial de Tito Shivan:

And we still don't know which game are we talking about.

No, I thought it to be interesting if Start_Running would decide if there's anything odd going on or not. He or someone he trusts.

There are a few reasons to not name the company. One is that it would be used as a major reason for why the reviews aren't fake/bot/manipulated

So if us knowing the company would be enough for us to doubt your claims...that is basically you admitting that your claims have no objective merit.

Postat inițial de loppantorkel:

I'd have something against the company which would be the reason I try to frame them for something.

So you'd rather just try to frame the review system itself?

Postat inițial de loppantorkel:

You understand that this is true?! Now I've not outed the publisher/dev, but can PM someone who is beyond sceptical about my suspicions. I think it's a fair and pretty interesting take on the issue.

So basically you have noproblem with framing the company, just not in a forum or format where your statement becomes a matter of public, objective record, and not some he said/she said thing you can wiggle out from?

[Start_Running]

Postat inițial de Pierce Dalton:

Postat inițial de fluxtorrent:

if you suspect a game is being bot boosted in the reviews you report the game via the store page, either under fraud or "break local laws" option and explain in the text box. Suggestion already implemented.

Valve can and have taken action against devs for doing so, but they are far more likely to catch them long before you notice though, so dont be surprised if your suspicions lead to nothing

It's actually the opposite, Valve will only catch them after users report the devs/pubs for doing that. That applies to all situations, even games that use your PC to mine crypto...

Why use an example that has never been shown to have happened m8?

[Pierce Dalton]

Postat inițial de Start_Running:

Postat inițial de Pierce Dalton:

It's actually the opposite, Valve will only catch them after users report the devs/pubs for doing that. That applies to all situations, even games that use your PC to mine crypto...

Why use an example that has never been shown to have happened m8?

It has happened, you just don't know about it. How about you do some research before saying things?

Anyway, dear loppantorkel, devs manipulating reviews is nothing new and Valve will take action if they find evidence of that after being alerted. Feel free to send me a link through Steam chat, so I can see what game you suspect is doing that.

[Start_Running]

Postat inițial de Pierce Dalton:

Postat inițial de Start_Running:

Why use an example that has never been shown to have happened m8?

It has happened, you just don't know about it. How about you do some research before saying things?

Then do provide citation please m8. I do remember there was one incident where a fgame was accused of having a crypto miner, but examination by knowledgeable parties showed the allegation to be false.

So if you know of another one. Please feel free to cite it.

[Pierce Dalton]

Postat inițial de Start_Running:

Postat inițial de Pierce Dalton:

It has happened, you just don't know about it. How about you do some research before saying things?

Then do provide citation please m8. I do remember there was one incident where a fgame was accused of having a crypto miner, but examination by knowledgeable parties showed the allegation to be false.

So if you know of another one. Please feel free to cite it.

Oh, perhaps you don't have access to a search engine atm, sorry for not considering that possibility. The game I was referring to is called Abstractism.

Anyway, various games have been banned from Steam for manipulating reviews, but only after they were reported for doing that. Therefore, if the game in question is really doing that, I guess the op can rest assured Steam will take action.

[Start_Running]

Postat inițial de Pierce Dalton:

Oh, perhaps you don't have access to a search engine atm, sorry for not considering that possibility. The game I was referring to is called Abstractism.

So basically the same game I was talking about. As said. It was suspected. but there was no actual crypto miner found.

Postat inițial de Pierce Dalton:

Anyway, various games have been banned from Steam for manipulating reviews, but only after they were reported for doing that. Therefore, if the game in question is really doing that, I guess the op can rest assured Steam will take action.

Agreed though the game may remain up. If there's no actual evidence of the dev/pubs involvement there's no action Valve can take against them but to ban the offending accounts from reviewing. Assuming the IOP's claims are in anyway true of course.