Three strikes and you're out. Out of RuneScape that is.

In a new diary video released over the weekend, RuneScape developer Jagex revealed that suspected botters will be given two preliminary warnings to stop their unsanctioned activities before receiving a permanent ban on their third transgression.

Players skeptical that there is an effective system in place to catch bots in RuneScape should be appeased now that the general process of banning bots has been exposed. It's crucial to note that most RuneScape bots are suspected of being owned by and of dealing with RMT shops, but the three-warning system seems designed to salvage the few that use bots in a moment of weakness or misguided curiosity.

By contrast, MMOs like Guild Wars 2 and EVE Online ban bots with little mercyand appealers often fail in getting a ban reversal. Jagex though is giving caught botters two chances to mend their ways, suggesting that a significant portion of accounts tagged for botting are actually played by humans instead of mass-bought for a bot farm.

Banning Process
"So if someone's botting, first we give him a warning. And what happens when a warning comes in is this big dragon-y hand will come down and point to the player. So anyone who's in the area with any accounts that are actually botting will be able to see that that account has been accused and given a temporary ban," said Mod Mark in the diary video.

The video then shows how the warning will look like in-game. The dragon hand that appears from the sky points directly on a suspected botter for all around to see, which appears to be an attempt to humiliate a player into stopping his or her illicit activity.

"If they still choose to ignore the warnings and continue to use the bot - which would be pretty stupid - we'll warn him a second time. This time we'll give him a much longer temporary ban, so they won't be able to access their account. They'll be sent emails. They'll be told that we know what you're doing. We'll be very clear with the fact that they'll then be banned if they do it again," said Mod Mark.

"So on the third time, they'll be banned straight away. They'll just get a big interface with a pop-up telling them their account has been banned. At the same time, this event will trigger in Botany Bay," he added.

Punishment Process
After the permaban, the offending account's character is whisked off to Botany Bay, a special sentencing area where players in attendance vote on how to end the bot's virtual life, said Mod C3DPO.

There are three execution choices: first, the bot is smashed into the ground until nothing is left; second, the bot is swallowed whole into the abyss; and third, the bot is incinerated by a shining beam from heaven.

Impact on RuneScape Gold Prices
The renewed point-and-shame campaign for running bots and engaging in RMT in general should hit the already battered RuneScape Gold market. RuneScape Gold prices have gone down to around $13 per 20m Gold from its April peak of $22 per 20m Gold, most probably due to dwindling supply and depressed demand following the dicing account bans and Optimus Bot nuke.