Talk:Policy:Scripting policy

General Comments

Please keep discussion on this issue to the specific topic of the page title. Other Policy subjects can be discussed on the other appropriate policy pages.

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Discussion

Interfering with scripting checks

Should there be a portion here about not interfering with scripts/bots/etc? In terms of penalties, skill reduction still makes sense, but should the loss of TDPs outside of that skill loss (aka: outright removal of stats) still exist? I don't know if there should be a definitive "you will always be behind until the next respec/stat-wipe in the game" situation. Also wondering if Plat's penalty going straight to 3 is still something that's useful. --TEVESHSZAT (talk) 12:01, 9 October 2016 (CDT)

Thoughts on AFK scripting

Some of my thoughts on afk scripting since there was a meeting about it recently.

1. I don't want it fully legal, the fallen comes to mind.
2. I don't want it too strict and harsh, the population of plat comes to mind. I think if the majority honestly wanted this full rp environment and no scripting plat would be full of people, but it's not.
3. I think a lot people are not really honest about it, want to stay off the gm radar, or want to gain favoritism with the gms so most discussion I see on it reeks of that. Most people afk script sometimes. Some do it 24/7 (which is bad) and the people complaining I believe are really just frustrated they will never catch up to people good at scripting. I don't really think it has much to do with impacting role playing or making the mud feel dead like they like to claim.
4. I'm very concerned about oversight and fairness if this policy becomes strictly enforced. God forbid a GM would warn one of their favorite players. I'm just being fully candid here.
5. I watch my screen for the most part but I will admit there are times I'm not completely paying attention. If policy was enforced very strictly. I would probably get warned at some point and I would go play another game. I'm not interested in gaining favoritism to avoid gms targeting me for a video game. If I was confident the checks were completely random, which I probably have no way of being, I might be more inclined to stay and take my lumps and adjust accordingly. However, it often felt in the past like certain players were immune from script checks or just were able to pass them even though they were afk. I imagine some have an elaborate system set up for it. I picture all kinds of alarms going off on their phone when they're getting checked. So, what it felt like always ended up happening is the power scripters and serious abusers always got away with it, the gm favorites always got away with it, and the average video game player got completely wrecked.
6. I think there would also be merit and making the game less necessary to script. 50 commands to mind lock a skill sometimes seems excessive. Why do you need 10 tools for forging? Just one example. Why not automate some of it on the backend so you can be afk while not actually typing anything in. Like, braid grass until mind locked. Isn't there some balance to be had here? I think simply going after punishing players with harsh punishments and not doing anything else is going to destroy the player base.
7. The penalties are way too harsh as well. If I got warned, I would cancel and play another game. That's just the way it is. On the flipside, people cancel because they can't keep up with scripters. So give them the ability to keep up with them without having to write such advanced scripts? I know it's such a delicate balance, you don't want it to be too easy.
8. Other ideas I've heard are to implement are xp and loot penalties if you're logged in for exceptionally long periods of time.
9. This would be a fair system. Implement automated script checks, take GM bias out of the equation for AFK scripting purposes. Every day everyone gets at least one script check. Would have to code some new ones to use in the beginning. It's fair but it will never ever happen because we all know it would completely annihilate the player base. That's the reality of the situation and I hope it's considered with whatever is done. I hope the focus is on making automation less appealing rather than punishing people for it.

--JWARK4 (talk) 15:29, 10 October 2016 (CDT)

For clarification's sake, scripting is allowed to Plat. I agree that the penalty for getting caught afk scripting is a bit extreme. But scripting is 100% allowed. --TEVESHSZAT (talk) 16:22, 10 October 2016 (CDT)

One of the GMs made a beautiful post on the official forums about how they did lots of AFK checks when they first started, but basically do none now. I think their post (http://forums.play.net/forums/DragonRealms/DragonRealms%20Policy%20Discussions/Scripting%20policy/view/1350 and find the post by DR-RAESH) ties into points 4, 5, and 6. Their point was basically A) AFK checks take a while to perform; B) even when they identify an AFKer, there is paperwork; C) there are better places to spend GM time; and D) the root cause is not AFKers, but that the game encourages AFK scripting so much. To point 8, I feel it would unduly impact F2P players. I keep some characters logged in for very long periods of time, but that's a necessity since I don't have offline drain. Build up field exp during the day, then let it drain overnight. SHELTIM (talk) 09:16, 12 October 2016 (CDT)

Policy enforcement needs to move one way or the other

I think this policy enforcement needs to move one way or the other. The current middle ground of being mostly unenforced except against less complex scripts and used as a grudge tool by people is untenable. Given the manpower issues already being faced policy enforcement seems unrealistic and a pointless arms race that alienates paying customers. Doubly so when HLC and plat sales are flourishing. It seems like if anything you'd want more paying customers scripting part of the time for 4 years instead of the HLC they'll buy for a month before getting bored and moving on again. People complain about inflation (both skills and coins) but these problems are there regardless of scripting due to real money sales.

Look at the current state of the game, this is what the game is like with rampant scripting. Removing this policy isn't going to make it more rampant because it's going on already at extreme levels. We're at least a decade out from what this game looked like without extensive and prolonged scripting violations. It seems like we can try and return to that past which is a big financial investment and alienates both caught players and everyone else by making them wait on further delayed development. All this to gamble that it would become a better game (or more profitable from SIMUs perspective). Alternatively we're left accepting the state of things as they are. Cut free the manpower that goes into that now, salvage the dev effort that goes into maintaining TF. Focus on making systems that aren't more rewarding for scripts than manual play. As it is the scripters are paying for accounts and simu coins; they're helping keep the lights on. If they're only ATK 4 hours of every 24 it's still 4 hours with more people in the world to interact with and another face to create the crowd in the city street. (Yes yes, fallacy of the excluded middle, but the policy revamp discussion and GM comments really makes it seem like staying where we are isn't an option.)

There's already no keeping up with the Joneses and what we have now is ProgressQuest crossed with an ADHD test. --SEPED (talk) 12:58, 12 October 2016 (CDT)

+1 SHELTIM (talk) 19:05, 12 October 2016 (CDT)

Eliminate scripting policy when it isn't preventing others from enjoying the game, incentivize non-scripting tasks

People should remember that the PLAYERS requested the skillcaps constantly be raised - the reason scripting is required is player skills are spread over multiple years or even a decade of character training. If people didn't want this massive gap and time investment, they'd be comfortable with the skill caps being lowered dramatically, and/or the nature of TDPs being changed such that 'train all the skills' wasn't the best way to play.

I'm fine with a complete elimination of the scripting policy so long as its activity is not preventing others from enjoying the game. Since that's a fairly difficult thing to blithely define, just update the policy to reflect as much -

1. Characters have no claims to hunting rooms.
2. Update consent to reflect potential harassment (i.e., following characters and skinning/looting their kills, pointing them, etc.
3. What have you.

Honestly, if the GMs/Devs are angry with the state of AFK scripters, they should incentivize people to do things other than script. That means game events, storylines that move, player interaction that matters. Players are to blame insofar as paying so heavily into revenue events, but the lack of stuff going on means that players fill the time doing something, anything. Given the lack of support for player lead RP events, it's no wonder players are scripting as heavily as they are, let alone the PvP rank disparity issues.

--JHALIASCLERIC (talk) 13:25, 12 October 2016 (CDT)

+1 --Dartellum Waddle, WarMage (talk) 10:53, 13 October 2016 (CDT)

The incentives to script are too big

Whatever the policy is, there is a huge incentive to scripting AFK. This is how you can advance your character.

Indeed, I dislike the separation of gameplay (actually immersing yourself, talking to people, walking around reading descriptions, etc..) from advancing your character (braid grass, read compendium, observe sky, predict, etc..). I don't think there is any immersion found in repetition of mind numbing tasks. If I overnight script, I can gain 0.25 of a rank in something! If I sit down and actively play the game, I do not advance. It is a system which promotes automation and further, you have a system which advancing is literally typing the same command over and over and over. That said, I don't think you will ever lose the automation, but you can merge the gameplay with advancement and then I will feel less incentive to script and to actually PLAY the game. Please do not punish me for wanting to play the game and also advance my character. --ARCHIMEDIAN (talk) 13:52, 12 October 2016 (CDT)

+1 --Dartellum Waddle, WarMage (talk) 10:53, 13 October 2016 (CDT)

The challenge is two fold: time to gain skills and perception. For the first, the game is measured in years. Given this, a new character will never catch up to a character decades old. The need to AFK script to catch up is then realized. Even with AFK scripting, progress is slow and takes year or more. As an example, when I returned from a rest I started forging. Two years later, and not doing AFK scripting, going to the forge and doing workorders I am only in the mid 200s. I am not complaining about that; just showing an example as to why some would AFK script to get to a point where they can make decent weapons, armor, or tools.

The second challenge is perception. No matter what the policy is or is not, some will perceive it as bad. Perception is also why some complain about 'keeping up.' Perception is the most challenging aspect to address. Some have the perception they cannot help in an invasion if they are low level. I am not against AFK scripting as I feel it does not affect my game play and it does not advance one as fast as someone perceives.

As others have stated, the game needs more events to draw people's attention. I know some items toward this are in the works and I applaud the efforts! I play the game because I enjoy it. I do enjoy interactions with others. If they do not answer, I treat them as NPCs and move on. I say remove AFK scripting policy.

--Dartellum Waddle, WarMage (talk) 10:53, 13 October 2016 (CDT)

Being rewarded for "immersing yourself" is a nice thought. It's also completely unrealistic. There will never be enough GMs to babysit every character in the game to enable roleplaying-based advancement. Short of that, there is no possible advancement system that wouldn't incentivize AFK scripting.--MRTSCR (talk) 20:26, 23 October 2016 (CDT)

AFK check methods

I would like Simu to find a better way to do AFK checks. I have failed one while at the keyboard simply because I didn't know that a bunny (or whatever it was) hopping in my room was a check! This was on my second day in the game (as a player, not character!), so I wasn't even aware that AFK checks existed. Even a few weeks later, when I was AFK checked again, it took me minutes to realize a leprechaun (or whatever it was) dancing in my room was an AFK check and respond. The verbiage is very poor in those checks. SHELTIM (talk) 06:23, 19 October 2016 (CDT)

Do away with script checks, encourage self-policing

Script checks are deeply problematic. Imagine being a new player and seeing a rabbit telling you to jump repeatedly. You don't jump because you don't see why your character would obey a rabbit. Suddenly you're in a policy violation room. How do you feel about this? Do you continue to give DR a chance, or does this make you uncomfortable enough to move on to a different game? I know what the answer was for a RL friend I'd briefly convinced to try DR.

Next imagine you've been working on your character for over 10 years. Through inattentiveness or neglect you fail a script check. Now you have a choice: Keep playing, knowing there's a risk you might lose years of training with a single mistake, or quit. For me it would be an easy decision. There are many who feel the same, as evidenced by the long history of players quitting DR after receiving AFK warnings.

Furthermore script checks and the resultant consults are poor uses of staff time. Doing away with script checks would free GMs up to work on new content for DR and fix game bugs. Most players would agree that this should be the priority.

AFK scripting isn't going away. The current overly punitive policy, despite ruining the game for many, has been ineffective. This is due to the inherent nature of DR as a text-based game with a time-intensive exp curve. History has shown that there is simply no way to eradicate or even significantly discourage AFK scripting.

We are then fortunate that AFK scripting is not the actual problem. The problem is scripts that are disruptive, AFK or not. Most players, myself included, prefer a game where most characters aren't unresponsive bots who generate scroll, steal hunting rooms, and generally cause frustration. Luckily these things are completely preventable.

How? Stop discouraging players from interfering with scripters. Make unresponsive characters fair game to attack. Roll this into the upcoming PvP policy reform. If players have to worry about their characters being killed, dragged, and generally abused due to scripting obnoxiously, this problem will self resolve. Players will script in out of the way areas to avoid conflict, or write scripts that do not cause disruption.

In this way no one would have the game-ruining experience of receiving an AFK warning. For the first time in DR history the frustration of dealing with scripters would be alleviated due to players being empowered to stop obnoxious behavior. With a crowdsourced solution, GMs will be able work on things that benefit us all.--MRTSCR (talk) 20:14, 23 October 2016 (CDT)

It's worth pointing out that while the first few checks are IC, the checks you get before you're actually cautioned/warned/etc are grossly OOC and can include things like SENDs, bright yellow text, and other very blatant alerts. --TEVESHSZAT (talk) 21:11, 23 October 2016 (CDT)

That is true, at least in some cases. Judging from the logs I've read the time between SENDs and a warning is very short.

Let's imagine a paradigm where script checks were modified to be a full five minutes of unambiguous OOC SENDs. Would this be more palatable to new players? Would inattentive or unsavvy players miss less checks? Would it waste less staff time? Any change in those parameters would be insignificant. And certainly script checks would remain a failed solution to a problem that amounts to a red herring. It's time to try something different.--MRTSCR (talk) 23:07, 23 October 2016 (CDT)

Some characters receive more AFK checks than others

I haven't had an AFK check in over a year. I have friends who swear they've received five or more in that time. Still others claim they've never had a script check in their history of playing DR. It's impossible for any player to know for certain what causes this, but I'll offer three hypotheses: 1. Bad scripting. Generating scroll in popular rooms, hunting in impacted areas, etc. 2. Revenge-reporting. Player A has undesirable interaction with character B, reports character B for scripting. 3. Staff bias. Whether blatantly or implicitly, it's possible that disliked characters are selected for script checks more frequently.

1. 1 isn't very defensible. But I had a look through my friends' scripts for troubleshooting purposes. They were stationary scripts that hunted in areas medium to low in popularity. Therefore #1 clearly can't explain all cases of frequent checks.
2. 2 and #3 shouldn't be possible. Reporting shouldn't ever be accessible as a weapon and certainly not when there is the possibility of permanent rank removal. And AFK checks clearly shouldn't be a surreptitious way to remove undesirable players. A no-GM solution to disruptive scripting would cleanly eliminate these two possibilities.--MRTSCR (talk) 23:34, 23 October 2016 (CDT)