Is Scripting Ruining Crossfire?

Zortan · Post by **Zortan** » Mon May 03, 2004 9:06 pm

Just wondering what you guys thought.. With people automating alchemy, spellcasting, etc.. Do you guys think this is ruining the crossfire experience?

I'm fully capable of doing that my self.. and my idea for usage of scripting was slightly different..I use it to change between type of equipment, depending on situation.. It was a pain to pull eq. out of container, remove old, put on new when I went from room to room, so I automated that..

..but now I see people with a script that automatically does alchemy recipes, so they leave the thing running over night, make whole bunch of pp (making it impossible for people who earn pp the right way to make a living).. also the experience.. Now I see some people leaving their "bots" in training or raffle and earn many levels over night.. What motivation do people have for playing the "right" way (and I believe this wouldn't or SHOULDN'T be just my definition) and the easy way?

I believe script should be for utility purposes only (eat food for you, change set of equipment, maybe even walk you from one point to another, if, for example, you have to WALK from scorn to Navar)...

..but not for level-making purposes.. that's just lame and unfair to those who choose not to make them selves into a BOT..

..any way.. just ranting..

Ryo · Post by **Ryo** » Mon May 03, 2004 9:32 pm

That's not really unfair to other players.
Scripters spoil the game for themselves, that's all

Note that on some servers policy forbids running a bot unattended (if a DM talks to you & you don't reply, you go to jail, for instance)

Zortan · Post by **Zortan** » Tue May 04, 2004 1:38 am

IMHO when a DM is not available (can't blame them, they have a life too) and a BOT is hoarding a map, it sure does ruin it for other people..

Also, I feel it's VERY demoralising.. Here I am, working hard on levels, dying several times, working my way back, only to look at someone who doesn't move a muscle progress through the game..

Just my humble opinion.. I can write scripts too (like most people playing crossfire (at least I think?) I can write code too

but like you said, it would ruin my experience.. but there is the temptation...

Avion · Post by **Avion** » Tue May 04, 2004 4:47 pm

I've never been a fan of the idea of a scripting interface for the client. Keybindings even get abused but they are so darn useful/necessary that it would be impractical to remove them - but scripting really takes it too far IMHO. If it takes a few seconds to change armour or dig out a item from the bottom of your pack or whatever in the game - that's a feature of the game - This is similar to the fire best arrow discussion or automatically using healing discussion. If players want to exploit these type of game imbalances on their own server then it does hurt them the most, but on a public game server it does tend to ruin the game for others a bit as well - camping, ruining the economy- even if just by association.

Ryo · Post by **Ryo** » Tue May 04, 2004 8:05 pm

Since client's sources are public, you can't prevent determined players from scripting anyway.
So why forbid scripting for other players, he?

Note also that scripting doesn't give you any other information you can't have using regular client anyway.

Zortan · Post by **Zortan** » Tue May 04, 2004 9:08 pm

Anyone here ever played NetTrek?

If not.. it's a 2-D top-down star-trek game where two or more teams battle to take over the other teams planets..

Any way.. Same set-up as crossfire.. Client/Server.. Well, some people hacked the client to be a "bot".. It could be so good that opposing team had no chance against it.. it would fire perfect string of torpedos, perfect aim of the phasor, etc.. It very much unbalanced the game play.. Upset a lot of people who tried so hard to earn ranks, etc, only to have someone belittle their efforts.. So, they made the client "register" it-self with the server upon connection to make sure it's not a hacked client..

If I die 3 times trying to finish a quest because I don't cast heal in time, or some-such, and someone scripted comes in and finishes it.. it will surely tick me off.. I know it may be a "personal" issue, and some others may say just wait for map reset and do it over, but just like on the old metalforge server.. Once I found out that people had ubber items that they could use to beat any creature and not get hurt, it was really discouraging to my game play.. why bother playing with cheaters..

Ryo · Post by **Ryo** » Wed May 05, 2004 7:19 am

Check your server policy.
On some servers at least, whoever first enters the map can say who can enter or not. So if, as you say, someone finishes the quest for you, just talk to a DM who'll punish the villain

As for why bother to play, because it's fun? because you want to level without cheating?

Zortan · Post by **Zortan** » Wed May 05, 2004 2:31 pm

Well, I've been playing crossfire since ~92.. replay value must be high if I keep coming back.. Lots of exploits in between.. never used them.. Except for once, where there was no NO-MAGIC flag on a building (which seems to be gone now) which contained tons of spellbooks, so once I got dimension door I'd go in and get books and make money.. of course you had to survive a titan and a dragon.. at level ~20 wasn't easy..

Also.. east gate Scorn USED to contain a wyvern.. kept newbies from wondering out.. whatever happened to it?

Crossfire Forum

Is Scripting Ruining Crossfire?

Is scripting ruining the crossfire experience?

Is Scripting Ruining Crossfire?