Harvest Protector Devourer Problem!

Alchemist
Farmer
Fisherman
Lumberjack
Miner
Hunter = Not affected by harvest protector/devourer

Everyone is in agreement that the harvest protectors/devourers have become a major issue and stopped players from harvesting and enjoying playing the game when they don't want to go hunting monsters, pvp or doing quests.
We are also in agreement that BOTs are the main issue to players as we are trying to harvest.

First lets look at what HASN'T worked!
1. Limiting harvest amounts per account:  (not per character, but account)  Example ( if you have characters on the same account, 1 character is a Farmer, 2nd character is an alchemist, 3rd character is a Miner)  If you hit the maximum amount of the harvesting on that account on character 1 then you cant change to another character to harvest something different.

2. Removing water from the NPC's:  This effected many leveling of other professions, such as Alchemy, Baker etc.
Since one of the ways to gather water was by going fishing and killing harvest protectors/devourers, it now effects leveling of other professions.

3. Reducing the Resources:  Fields, Trees
Several crop fields were removed and others were reduced to a lower amount of resources.
Tree area's were removed and amount of trees were removed.

4. Making the protector/devourer unkillable:
We have level 100 and higher characters, with equipments, that can not kill the protector/devourer!
Seriously????
Unless you are lucky and are able to kill it within 3 turns, you die automatically.

Lets now look at the BOTS:
Most of your bots are low level newbie characters.  Ungeared (equipments)
Clearly these bots dont mind dieing since they have so many of them, it doesnt effect them being able to still collect resources.
They have figured out how to bypass dieing, the pop up messages where you have to click on the pictures in order to continue playing, etc.

What could be an effective solution:  Idea's
We as players need a happy medium.  One that can control the amount of bots and allow the players to have a relaxing day of harvesting without it being more stressful then it is now.  It's hard enough with the amount of ACTUAL players trying to do harvest professions, without the extra stress of the bots and now the unkillable protector/devourer.
When one player asks another player if they are a bot, most people tell the other player, they are not a bot and the players move on.

1. The number one solution is to have an in game paging system.  (which a few people have suggested in forums many times but this is ignored).
How it works: 
    a. First you need a crew of game masters that are willing to be on bot control.
    b. You need a report bot paging system in game.  (this allows you to tell the GM (game master) the bot name, location, and issue.
    c. The GM would have to go to the location to investigate to see if that is an actual player or is it a bot.
    If the GM were to ask some questions to the actual player, the players would normally answer within a reasonable time.  If its a bot, they wouldnt be able to carry on a conversation.
    d. If the GM suspects the reported character being a bot:  He could freeze them into place (cant walk even if they were to teleport they still wouldnt be able to move the character), send them to bot jail, or boot them, etc.
    e. If the character isn't a bot, they would have to page a GM, to have the converstion as to why they couldnt answer them at the time. 

2. In my opinion:  Farmer, Lumberjack, Miner has the most bots.
The least amount of bots in the harvest professions, was alchemist.  
The reason I think is because, Alchemy required a quest in order to obtain the profession.

Currently you go to the NPC and talk with them to get the profession.  No quests are needed.  You simply have to have an open slot available for the profession.

3. Maybe make each harvest profession be obtained only by doing a quest?
This does impose the problem of new players needing to work a profession and selling goods in order to get gears in order to level their character in stats.  However, this would also premote player interaction with the new players.
Player helping player.
This would require a new quest for each of the harvest profession, Alchemy, Farmer, Fisherman, Lumberjack, Miner.
The problem with making this a quest before obtaining the profession, is Incarnam.
Because all you need to do to obtain the profession when you start a new character, is going to the NPC and asking to train it.
This preposes the problem of the new character having to go to Astrub to start and finish the quests before returning to Incarnam so they can continue other quests in Incarnam that may require harvested resources.
If the quest for each profession were easy enough but also in turn long enough to complete, this might detour bots a bit but also might aggrivate new players.

4. Profession Runes:  (idea not thought out properly) but maybe you can build on the use of this.
If a player working a harvest profession carrys (or equips) a profession rune, it makes them immune to, or reduces the amount of the protector/devourer damage that is dealt to the player.  
The reason I think this is most unlikely, is because the profession runes are easily obtained through the market and the low level players can carry the profession runes.
I found very few people even use the profession runes.

5. Profession Trophy:  Building on using the profession rune idea.
If you want to keep the protector/devourer as a boss monster...
A Harvest Trophy that is only effective against harvest protector/devourer.  But in turn is doesnt help you at all in pvp or monster hunting or quests.
Why this is better than using the profession rune, is because players have to level up stats to be able to wear the different levels of trophys (bronze, silver, gold).

6. Harvest Dofus (egg)
Obtained only by doing a quest line, such as how you obtain the Cawwot Dofus.
This dofus is only effective against harvest protector/devourer and makes them immune to, or reduces the amount of the protector/devourer damage that is dealt to the player. 
OR
Maybe = only characters that have the Harvest Dofus can do harvest professions?
After obtaining the Harvest Dofus (egg), this could either allow you to start the quest line in order to start a harvest profession, or simply go to the NPC to ask to start a harvest profession.
The problem of having to have the Harvest Dofus is, there are players that have harvest professions on different characters within the same account.   This Harvest Dofus would have to be available to obtain on every character within the account.
Aggrivation of players assured, but in turn could reduce the amount of bots.