AFK Scripting is still against policy. Also against policy is the use of BOTS – that is, an UNATTENDED character made and running automated commands for things such as selling pouches, healing and so on triggered by things such as whispered commands.

We try our best to catch AFK scripters on our own, but as always, if you suspect someone is AFK scripting (or more than one) please let us know. You can help us do so by using REPORT and stating the name of the AFK scripter(s).

A report that goes “There’s someone AFK scripting here” might not do us much good if we look at you 20 minutes later and you’ve moved on to another location. We TRY to hit you with a "Thank You" when we're around, but we're not always as good about this as we SHOULD be though!

Once you’ve REPORTED, please:

DO NOT MOVE THE AFK SCRIPTER
DO NOT GIVE OR SLIP ITEMS TO THE AFK SCRIPTER
DO NOT ATTEMPT TO TRIGGER THE AFK SCRIPTER TO LOG OUT
DO NOT KILL THE AFK SCRIPTER

If you move or otherwise disrupt the scripter, an AFK scripters script could break. Then they aren’t an AFK scripter anymore – then we can’t really catch them AFK scripting. REPORT ONCE and, if you are in a hunting area MOVE ON. If they aren’t getting creatures because you are there – well… you know.

LAST BUT NOT LEAST -- It is important to remember that you can get a WARNING for interrupting an AFK scripter. You don’t know if we are already in the middle of doing a script check, and if you disrupt that check you’ve just let someone get “off the hook” so to speak. DO NOT INTERFERE WITH AFK SCRIPTERS. Report and move on.

Players are NOT required to respond to you. I know that it can be frustrating, but as long as a player responds to US when we run our check, they are considered to be responsive. Yes, players will sometimes purposely NOT respond to another player.

Relevant News Articles
NEWS 5 17 (AFK Scripting, General)
NEWS 5 17, Paragraph 9 (Bots, Use of)
NEWS 5 18 (Additional Penalties Associated with Warnings)
NEWS 5 33 (Interfering with AFK Scripters)


~Evike
This was originally posted in Game Master and Official Announcements.

~Evike

>I've tried reporting, but i tend to play when no staff is available - could sweeps be made on various societies occasionally (especially forging)?

Even if you play when the game tells you no staff is on duty, most staff leave a GM body online for monitoring purposes, so - while your REPORT may not be read at the time you send it, it will be read. Definitely send those reports up on areas that you think need them, though.

~Evike

>> could sweeps be made on various societies occasionally (especially forging)?

There was at least seven people afk scripting in the Crossing Forging Society a few weeks back one night and they were all using the same broken script that was putting their ingot onto the anvils and then leaving them there and never actually forging anything. It was pretty funny to watch.

This is like the war on drugs that continues to destroy lives over minor infractions, but in a 20+ year old text based game. I get how obstructive a few lines of text can be, but isn't it about time to chill out? Most players I talk to in confidence will actually defend other players against the GM's at this point. Don't expect any reporting from me and you can warn me if you want over it.

Another slap in the face is that GM's use tactics that no player can replicate. I can't scroll up and look at/write down my skills list for more then 30 seconds without being stressed out and scrolling down to see if a GM is doing some random environmental check on me even if I would instantly notice any player related action such as whispers, tapping me, entering a room or just saying hi. I know not everyone agree's but I can assure you that not everyone disagrees either.

I think the scripting policy is old and antiquated and needs to go. Ease up on it a bit and acknowledge that it happens, and is more prevalent than we want to admit. We are paying customers to a GAME. Let us enjoy it the way we want to, so long as it's not overly disruptive. Scripting, in my opinion, isn't overly disruptive.

AFK script checks aren't 30 seconds long. They will last closer to five minutes at least. That's more than enough time to look up your skills or grab a drink without getting caught even if they start the check after you stand up. As for people thinking that scripting isn't disruptive, that all depends on what they are scripting and where. I've found it rather disrupting a number of times. Changing the rules to make your play style seems silly.

Before the inevitable "You should just play shattered" remark, just because I drive a go-cart occasionally doesn not mean I want to drive it in a destruction derby with rocket launchers. There is a middle ground that is not represented well.

>> Tip 1: Don't run a script while AFK. This is the most obvious one.
>> Tip 2: Don't have your scripts run infinitely. Make it so you at least have to flip a switch or do something every few minutes. This way, you won't end up scripting for hours on end because you fell asleep or or went to the store and forgot to exit the script or whatever.
Tip 3: Know how AFK checks work. People seem to believe that a check is one small atmo and if you miss it you're doomed. Script checks might start as minor atmos, but they build up over time, to the point of being bright yellow text screaming at you to do a command.

>>In terms of "who does it hurt", it hurts the balance of the game. If AFK scripting is allowed, then the game has to assume that people are scripting 24/7. This will result in slower skill gain, NPC stores costing more, alterations costing more, etc etc etc.

lol. I agree with the spirit of what you are saying, but you are wearing your DR plat blinders if you think there arent people blatently afk scripting and already ruined the economy several times over and simu has ignored it. Most people who have been in the game for even a year or two can tell any GM where the AFK scripters are but the fact is they know where they are already. They dont bust the big whales because they bring money to the game, a game which needs money desperately. People need to face facts, while afk scripting might be unhealthy for the game, the game being shut down because it doesnt make enough money because they locked out 10% of their subscribers isnt healthy for the game neither. Its a catch 22.

So.. when we take away scripting..and make us all 'equal' ..and be sure no one says mean things or misbehaves. What are you two guys gonna do?


Always something to fuss and gripe about isnt there?


To me it doesnt matter anyway.. bust us all ..dont bust anyone. I really don't mind. I've played off and on for 16 yrs and never got an afk warning on a single account. But I don't see the harm in people scripting atk or away from the keyboard as long as they don't mess up my script -- we all pile up anyways.

For those who don't know, there's a policy review and discussion setup on the wiki, I encourage each of you to share your thoughts there if you havent already. https://elanthipedia.play.net/Talk:Policy:Scripting_policy

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"Game balance is sobbing over in the corner as it considers the ramifications of AoE Blufmor Garaen. Your spell slots send their condolences." - GM Raesh

Just fork out a couple grand for a 200th circle character then complain about afk scripters on the forums. Come on guys. That's how this game works.

>>In terms of "who does it hurt", it hurts the balance of the game. If AFK scripting is allowed, then the game has to assume that people are scripting 24/7. This will result in slower skill gain, NPC stores costing more,

None of this is true or has to be true. Game balance is not a binary state.

There are...complications that a more open scripting policy would create. There is also anything from minor to major Dev time costs to implement solutions to those complications. I think most of those solutions would be incredibly helpful for the overall health of the game regardless of changes to scripting policy. It's been said before, the way too many players train their characters is not at all healthy and a not insignificant part of the blame for that lies in how many game systems function.

Either way, AFK script checks are the head-in-the-sand way of dealing with these issues. AFK scripting is a symptom of the problem. That's as true now as it was 20 years ago. I don't expect solutions. I don't expect a policy change. I don't even expect even trying to do more carrots then sticks.

Great tips on how to avoid getting pinged by a script check though.

It's really designed as one part role-playing and one part progressquest, which is not a bad thing in and of itself. I love the game and the people I interact with, but I still hate the police state policies and I play despite them instead of due to them.

What I mean by that is that for many it's an Us vs Them deal with the current policy and has been for a long time. It's a game that should be enjoyable and not stressful for a good portion of it's playerbase. Staff interaction with average players should be fun instead of potentially disastrous. Randomly checking your player base for violations is the definition of police state policies. When I hear my son trip and skin his knee my first response should not be to pause my scripts. I should not have a 10 minute timer to comfort him. You can argue that I don't have to script, but scripting is the norm now regardless if some accept it or not. Every 20 minute script check situation could have been a fun and interesting interaction with another player. It could have been 20 minutes of development time. It could have been a player that stayed playing even though he scripted sometimes. Most people who script do not script 24/7, those are the extremes.

So instead of rushing to my sons aid I should stop and log out of a 20 year old text game? I just go, if I ended up getting a warning for it I would honestly just quit playing altogether.

If I responded to that I would probably be banned from the forums, so I'm just going to walk away from this convo.

It just seems like a contrived issue to me.

>>You must not have kids, when your child gets hurt, even something minor they scream bloody murder, you get up and RUN to them, everything else in the world doesn't matter at that point, because up until a certain age they have the same response for any injury and you just don't know how severe it actually is. If you say you'd rather make sure your i's were dotted and your t's were crossed in a game before checking on your child, then you have life-style priority issues.

Maybe don't game until your kids are done playing and asleep? That's how the parents I know handle it and how I'd like to believe I will once my child is born. But you're technically right, I guess I don't know yet. Maybe playing a text game will be more important until they're hurt?

Don't be a clown, no parent sits there 100% of the time and just stares at their child, that's just silly. We all do other stuff, if you're a man, there's going to be things you do in the garage, some of us live in apartments or condos so there's no outside maintenance so we do stuff like DR, anyways, enough derailing of the thread.

Especially since this harassment has been taken OUT of the game world and brought into things such at Elanthipedia. And yet nothing is done. Good job Simu.