The scripting issue comes up yet again on Stratics,with the usual unanswered solutions.

The original poster asks


'Just curious if GM's actually EVER do anything about scripters

I've killed a pair of known scripters in a non-traffic area... ie they stand in a poison field and die. After 30 minutes, they are still there as a ghost. I know the area, I've timed out standing there when I don't do anything.

I page the GM and give the full info... something to the effect of: I killed this guy with a poison field, it is 30 minutes latter and the ghost is still there. Scripter alert.

First page, standard canned GM response... fast response for once. Two hours later, ghost is STILL there. I page GM AGAIN same sort of info as above. Another quickish response and same canned response.

I get back there an hour later and sure enough, there is the scripter back alive and going at it.

Before someone says "but everytime you show, it renews his timer", I was on a stealther and never revealed.

It is obviously a script since they stood there and died in a poison field. It is also obviously a script since they stayed logged in for 2+ hours.

Is this standard fair for GMs and scripters? '

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If they are dead and just standing there... I dont see how a GM could prove that they are scripting... They could be just AFK... Yes, they dont time out.. but how many people do you see in Luna just sitting there. You leave and come back two hours later, they are still there... Also, Fel Yew Moongate... many dead reds macroing off counts.... there all day and do not move...

A suggestion.. Dont kill em and then page... Page first or kill em. not both... I highly doubt a GM will see the harm in a gost standing there for two hours not moving... However, even how unlikley the GM will do something about a script lumberjack, there is a much better chance they will be able to conclude that they are unattended and scripting when they recall around and do not ans the GM's.

Also, I bet there is a page history thing that comes up for each page a player makes.. Those players that page on a scriptor 10X per day for the past month are probally ignorned / canned responced... If the GM investigates the claim once and finds no reason for action... why should they waist thier time ans the same call over and over?

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Well according to the TOS being afk is not allowed. You must be able to respond to a GM at all times even as a ghost standing there doing nothing so yes the gm should have done something. They can pull the log on that account and see what just happened. GMs just don't care! I have paged over and over and always the can message and always the same scripter running day after day all hours.

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So, Being AFK should get your account in trouble?

What many people need to understand, is that this scripter is a paying customer. The GMs need to make calls on a case by case basis to the point of refusing money for a shrinking game... Being AFK dead and doing nothing is a horrible excuse for sending a customer (money) away... How many people have you seen get banned for afk hitting a golem? I dont know of any... and you walk right outside of luna and there is always a few there...

As I stated in my first post, if you want a chance of the scriptor getting in trouble, dont kill em but just page... If you dont think paging will do anything, then kill em... both doesnt work.

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I paged on a scripter on GL not long ago, I'd say within the past month and I stood there and watched the GM appear and say hi to the person afk hitting the golem, no answer, the GM tried again, still nothing and then he said "Good Evening ---------, Ok I guess you want to go to jail" and poof the GM and the afk person were gone. So yes they do still come but it took me 4 pages over 12 hours to get someone to answer. It should have taken 1 not 4 times and now they do nothing. Whether I agree with the fact that being afk dead is not ok or not it is in the TOS and like I said they can check the log on that account and see that for the past however many hours and days the person has been doing nothing but chopping trees without missing a beat except for when he is pk'd and paged on. I would rather have fewer players that a bunch of cheaters playing with me.

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Jeremy_EAMythic UO Community Coordinator

"Being AFK" isn't by itself against the TOS (or the Rules of Conduct, which is where that sort of stuff is listed)

"You may not leave an active character or pet in game while unattended. If your character is performing a skill, text or action, you must be able to respond to a Game Master when one attempts to speak to you."

If your character is just standing around, and you're not at the computer, you're not breaking any rules. That's not to say the people being discussed above were innocent of anything in particular, but I don't want people to get the wrong idea.


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I thought if you left a character unattended,or couldnt respond to a GM that WAS being afk ,and therefore breaking the rules?....tabby

Your character must be doing something and you not responding in order for this to be breaking the rules.

I'd assume there is a fine line because you could have a macro running, step away, GM says hello while the last couple lines of your macro go through and end with you not responding to the GM. This could be taken either as A- GM thinks you have a program running to stop your macro on site of a GM, or B- GM does not see you continuing to do anything and leaves you alone.

Ditto.

I believe Dip's right. If you are just standing at the bank, say, it is different than if you are hitting a golem or gathering resources somehow. No one cares if you just stand around. I know there is a time limit, but some places seem to be exempt from it. I know of at least one bank where I have gone, opened my bankbox, and had to run afk for a bit. I can come back 30 mins later, and still be logged into the game.

There's something with the timer used that times you out with inactivity that is inconsistant. Don't know if it's a journal thing or what, as I've sat while training stuff to have the "You've been idle" gump come up warning that I will be logged off in a minute if I don't click ok, while other times I've sat and done nothing (not in a "count burn" spot either) and stayed logged on for almost an hour.

The client will log you out if nothing happens for fifteen minutes. A name appearing on your screen is something happening. So you can sit at Luna bank on LS from server up to server down. If you happen to be red Yew moongate fel provides the same feature

Vepl

Hm. The bank that it happened to me at was not very busy. Do NPCs moving around count on that too?

Any name popping up on your screen counts.

Vepl

that explainds a lot then ,thanks for making it a bit clearer

dip, the reason you arent getting logged off when working those skills is, say you are doing the same task, like poisoining over and over. well if you dont get any gains for say 15 minutes, your journal looks and appears the same on your screen. the same 2 or 3 lines are just repeating themselves in your journal, and since its the same thing over and over, your journal wont appear to move, cause its just replacing the last lines with a new one, but not moving. now if you get a gain, it will break up the repeated text and start your 15m idle timer over again.

That would make sense Bo, if my tools didn't break. That's a different line in the journal.

That's why I don't craft much, I guess.