Jailed for the first time since 2009

[Jax2]

So, today I was in fel deceit clearing out the dungeon. All of a sudden, some blue door looking thing started popping up around me. I didn't even look at chat - because it was spammed with all the attack messages from just having done the bone knights. I started to type asking what this blue thing was when I noticed finally that I was being asked what month it is. As I was deleting what I had started typing to correctly answer the question, it was too late and I was jailed.

I IMMEDIATELY clicked help and explained that I had not been AFK.

Nyx wrote me back and said she had reduced my tasks to one since I had written so fast (Well, obviously because I WAS NOT AFK) and that was that - I had to do it.

I'm sorry, but that's a bunch of crap. I wasn't AFK, proved that, and yet I still had to be "punished" for something I didn't do? How is that even relatively fair? I don't care that I had one task, or 10 tasks to do - I shouldn't have had any. In 7 years I have never done anything to deserve being put in jail, yet it couldn't just be as easy as saying ok, I see you weren't afk, I'll teleport you out, instead I had to be taught a lesson.

Really angers me, even if you think it's just some small trivial thing, it's not to me. I'm not a cheater - I wasn't using any script to move and fight for me while I just sat and watched the screen, I was actively moving around, killing, and collecting from corpses, and because I'd never seen this afk check thing before, and was totally confused, I was punished.

[Wil]

I have to say, the presentation of the AFK combat check throws me in to a blind panic every time I see it. There I am about to go into a safe battle I've done hundreds of times before when all of the sudden unexpected spell effects blossom all over the screen. Then the panic escalates as I realize it's an AFK check and I'm on a short timer before the invisible admin gets impatient. Recovering from there to a state where I can think and respond coherently, and doing it quickly enough to avoid jail, is a challenge.

The screen-top automatic AFK check is much less intimidating. It has a more forgiving timer too.

[Jax2]

I didn't even know an admin was there. If they had been, my movements should have made it pretty obvious I wasn't afk, because I stopped moving when I saw the door thing and started typing to ask what it was - yeah, this is a pile of garbage system...

[heyyo]

Yeah, same thing happened to me long ago. Apparently I had wrote a macro that didn't follow a pre-determined route (it ran around randomly) killing only peerless mobs and sometimes non peerless (but sometimes leaving them alone). I didn't even have a door pop up, just text. I assumed it was some text from Irk (in Twisted wield where I was hunting) like when you hit them with magic. And then bam I'm in jail. I immediately respond, try to argue my case, and Nyx will have none of it.

I agree the afk check you get for resource gathering is MUCH preferred.

I'd imagine the afk check is supposed to stop the people abusing the system. To me, that would be the people insta-recalling around killing stuff, not someone in a random fel dungeon... Is that a correct presumption? I've never seen anyone running around with a non-recall script EVER that I suspected were afk running a script.

[+Nyx]

The AFK check isn't "quick", nor does it depend on a staff member becoming "impatient". You get 1 full minute (60 seconds) to reply. It asks the question every 3-ish seconds, and the wall/spell/etc pops around at about the same rate. Anyone looking at their screen - even with combat spam - will be able to see the AFK check in time to reply. Even if you must take a quick moment to pause your script in order to see what it's asking you, you're gonna be able to manage that (unless you weren't looking at your screen for awhile - which counts as AFK according to the codex).

Jax, as you can see from this screenshot of your particular AFK check, there wasn't really even any spell spam going on, nor were you fighting a ton of mobs.

Lorenth2.png (663.13 KiB) Viewed 8840 times

We have numerous players who use rails scripts for various functions (farming, leveling, running to champs, running the gauntlet, etc). We've also got quite a few with alert scripts that play a sound/etc to bring them back to the keyboard/tab back in when certain things happen. What movements you are making doesn't really matter, if you're actively doing anything that is against the codex to do afk when a staff member does rounds, you're going to get AFK checked. Those farming resources don't receive these types of checks - those receive the gump checks, and have a different time allowance for responding. If you respond after you've already been jailed, that doesn't negate the fact that you did fail the afk check, but your tasks will be reduced in most cases.

This afk check system has been in place for years, with various updates and modifications over that time. It works, and it isn't difficult to avoid failing. You just need to be watching your screen, pause your script(s) if necessary, and give a quick reply within 60 seconds from the time the check starts. The item that pops around you is always large and brightly colored, and the question is always asked 15+ times per check.

[ashleyacal]

I'm going to have to agree and don't think this is fair also. I have a 10 month old and sometimes when I'm in the middle of something I have to shortly go AFK. So obviously, I'm not going to be able to quickly respond to some text. One minute isn't enough. The check you get while gathering resources is much better and a lot more noticeable.

[+Nyx]

I have a 10 month old and sometimes when I'm in the middle of something I have to shortly go AFK. So obviously, I'm not going to be able to quickly respond to some text.

This is a violation of the codex, which you agreed to abide by when you joined the shard.

If you have RL matters that could need sudden, immediate attention then you're going to have to adjust your playstyle to make it so that you won't fail an AFK check. You can recall to a town, or even log out of the game. It takes barely 10 seconds. That is part of every player's responsibility when playing on this shard. It is not our responsibility to account for each individual's personal life (and let's face it, everybody has an excuse for every codex violation, and thus we can't really take them into account).

[Dyēus Phater]

Eh, i'm new to the shard, but I've played UO for years.. the way I see it, you break the rules you break the rules. They didnt have to reduce your punishment at all. and most places wouldn't

[Jax2]

That's just the thing - I didn't break any rules. I wasn't running a rail script, wasn't doing anything except to press my my x1 button on my mouse that runs a macro for attack next target - Screenshot means nothing. That is RIGHT next to the bone knights room. I finished attacking those, walked to the corner, turned and walked towards where the wraiths / zombies are. Yes, I noticed the flashing door in that hallway, but no, I did not see any text.

Most of the time when I'm killing 20+ things at once, my screen is filled with text, sometimes, it starts half way up the screen. I never bother to look at the chat text at all when I am fighting because it's nearly impossible to see what someone is saying with all that spamming going on.

I am not here to argue weather jailing/banning someone for making gold while AFK is right or wrong, if anything, I agree with that, but it is NOT what I was doing. I sit at my keyboard actively playing the entire time I am logged in. There is a reason that in 7 years I have never been jailed, and ingame, much like here on the forums now with your reply nyx, I feel like I'm being accused of cheating.

If you and the rest of the staff are going to be so nitpicky that if someone should happen to look down at something, or turn their head for a moment (neither of which I was even doing at this time) and jail them for that, well, all I can say is well done in taking the fun out of playing a game. Good lord, even being at the keyboard and actively playing gets you jailed now.

[+Nyx]

That's just the thing - I didn't break any rules. I wasn't running a rail script, wasn't doing anything except to press my my x1 button on my mouse that runs a macro for attack next target - Screenshot means nothing. That is RIGHT next to the bone knights room. I finished attacking those, walked to the corner, turned and walked towards where the wraiths / zombies are. Yes, I noticed the flashing door in that hallway, but no, I did not see any text.

From the codex:
"When killing spawn, leveling weapons, taming animals: you need to be at the keyboard at all time. If you do not reply within 60 seconds, it will be understood that you are AFK."
http://uoex.net/codex/penalties

So, yes, you did violate a rule.

Most of the time when I'm killing 20+ things at once, my screen is filled with text, sometimes, it starts half way up the screen. I never bother to look at the chat text at all when I am fighting because it's nearly impossible to see what someone is saying with all that spamming going on.

You never bothering to look is your choice, and your error. The AFK checks have been in place this way for quite some time - well before you made your newest account here in 2014.

I am not here to argue weather jailing/banning someone for making gold while AFK is right or wrong, if anything, I agree with that, but it is NOT what I was doing. I sit at my keyboard actively playing the entire time I am logged in. There is a reason that in 7 years I have never been jailed, and ingame, much like here on the forums now with your reply nyx, I feel like I'm being accused of cheating.

You may have played off and on here over the past seven years, but your current account is 2 years old. It's kinda silly to present yourself as this dedicated veteran player when you habitually leave for long enough periods that your account decays.

I have never accused you of cheating and was nothing but pleasant to you in reply to your pages in-game. I am not angry with you, I am simply replying to your posts - which are inappropriate (and technically a codex violation on their own). You failed an afk check. You received one task and a warning. That's the sum total of the story, here. Nobody is making you out to be a villain or an intentional cheater hellbent on destroying the shard through AFK'ing. I'm sure this has been frustrating for you, but some perspective would probably benefit you.

If you and the rest of the staff are going to be so nitpicky that if someone should happen to look down at something, or turn their head for a moment (neither of which I was even doing at this time) and jail them for that, well, all I can say is well done in taking the fun out of playing a game. Good lord, even being at the keyboard and actively playing gets you jailed now.

If you fail to answer the AFK, then you fail the AFK check. That's all there is to it. If you're "looking down at something" or "turning your head for a moment" that equates to longer than the 1 minute that every AFK check lasts, or if you simply opt not to answer the check, then that is your decision and the consequences are also your own.

[+Requiem]

That's just the thing - I didn't break any rules. I wasn't running a rail script, wasn't doing anything except to press my my x1 button on my mouse that runs a macro for attack next target - Screenshot means nothing. That is RIGHT next to the bone knights room. I finished attacking those, walked to the corner, turned and walked towards where the wraiths / zombies are. Yes, I noticed the flashing door in that hallway, but no, I did not see any text.

Most of the time when I'm killing 20+ things at once, my screen is filled with text, sometimes, it starts half way up the screen. I never bother to look at the chat text at all when I am fighting because it's nearly impossible to see what someone is saying with all that spamming going on.

I am not here to argue weather jailing/banning someone for making gold while AFK is right or wrong, if anything, I agree with that, but it is NOT what I was doing. I sit at my keyboard actively playing the entire time I am logged in. There is a reason that in 7 years I have never been jailed, and ingame, much like here on the forums now with your reply nyx, I feel like I'm being accused of cheating.

If you and the rest of the staff are going to be so nitpicky that if someone should happen to look down at something, or turn their head for a moment (neither of which I was even doing at this time) and jail them for that, well, all I can say is well done in taking the fun out of playing a game. Good lord, even being at the keyboard and actively playing gets you jailed now.

You did break a rule by failing to answer the afk check in the allotted time of 60 seconds.
When you saw something odd (the blue wall), you should have stopped and checked your journal.
99% of players pass these afk checks with little to no issues. The single biggest issue I've seen is
a language barrier from someone who might not understand English so well, and even they manage to answer
in time, most of the time.

We have progressive penalties set up for a reason. We do understand things happen, which is why the first one is only 2 tasks. (halved if you come back within 5 minutes and page). It even decays after a time (kind of). Your 2nd offense will never be 2 tasks again, but it is still reduced from the normal 2nd stage if your first penalty has decayed - see codex for better explanation).

We have to be "nitpicky" as you call it, because everyone always has an excuse. "I just got up for a second!", "The baby was crying", "I stubbed my toe", "I'm bleeding!" "It's not my fault!" etc...

If i were to believe every excuse, i always seem to afk check people in the 90 seconds they got up to use the restroom. Fact of the matter is, a large portion of people want to make excuses instead of taking responsibility for failing. It is the reason why we have to be so nit-picky.

[Jax2]

+r, fair enough - I broke a rule and what happened, happened.

I'm done with this thread. My point was completely missed and now it just sounds like I'm whining.

[+Requiem]

+r, fair enough - I broke a rule and what happened, happened.

I'm done with this thread. My point was completely missed and now it just sounds like I'm whining.

You were whining though, or this thread wouldn't be here. If you just accepted that you failed, did your task and moved on, we all could have saved time.

I "got" your point, that you "weren't" afk because you responded "immediately". However... believe it or not, there are scripts that can be utilized to alert someone when they have been moved to jail. So, as far as we know, you were watching TV, afk'ing with a script, and then when you were moved, another script alerted you, and you paged "immediately."

It would look like you were not afk, when you could have been. We can't reliably tell if you are running a script or not, so we have to assume you are. You get 60 seconds to answer, failure to do so means as far as the rule is concerned, you are AFK. It's harsh, but it's how it has to be.

[Sir Blood]

Question: The resource harvesting script has popped up on be before after I had left my character idle and hidden to goto the bathroom, came back just in time to enter the characters.

I often exit combat mode and hide while I go do a couple things while in the bottom of dungeons (can't recall out of then, and when nature calls...)

Does the afk check pay any attention to whether you are hidden and NOT in combat mode?

[+Nyx]

If you're hidden, then you'll be skipped. However, keep in mind that in some areas you'll be automatically unhidden and that anything that does any kind of aoe will also unhide you. If you get unhidden, mobs will attack you and your character will automatically retaliate. You would then be in violation of the AFK rules (and will receive an AFK check if someone is doing rounds at that time).