AFK Farming

[Muolke]

Here we are again, dealing with more AFK farmers in the Citadel farming keys.

Is there any way to put random automatic AFK checks when a player is engaging a mob? It just ruins the entire game when you're sitting there trying to get keys yourself and the player is obviously AFK since they're not responding, they're moving in the same exact pattern over and over, and they won't share the room with anyone else (since they're AFK).

Am I the only one that thinks it's gotten out of hand? In the past with multiple staff members it was easier to catch people being AFK but now with only 1 staff member and very low online presence there needs to be another way of addressing things.

[+Colibri]

I also got your ticket. Although automated afk checks are planed, it will take some thought to make them effective and not annoying. As far as manual checks go, good news is that we're soon getting reinforcements on this front.

[culichi]

i agree on more afk checks but i wish gump was larger. my first live afk check i almost got in trouble because i was so focused on checking loot i didnt notice requiem asking me what my favorite color was. maybe instead of tiny gump gump or speech we could get bounced around a bit or just throw a large gump in middle of screen. the place i got live afk check was in fel orc cave lol i was dumb enough to think id get a good wep drop there . i know nothing about coding so no idea if this would even be possible with this old client or if making a big gump just makes it easier for scripters to work around it.

[+Colibri]

That's the thing, it has to be:
- noticable
- un-cheatable
- not too obstructive, to not get you killed (not breaking macros, or covering the entire screen)

Btw, i intend to simplify the AFK rules, will post a new thread when time is right.

[Grynne]

Hi, just a really quick note from a new player. Not intended as a hijack but just as a comment on the AFK checks.

I got my first AFK checks yesterday and I found both pretty strange. For the first, I was about to start lumberjacking, had equipped an axe but hadn't even clicked it yet and got a check. A few minutes later (less than 10 I think) I got another check a second after having recalled to a spot and again before even using the axe or starting to gather.

It's not a complaint but just a comment that I'd now be afraid to just stand in a forest if I got up for a cup of tea. In both instances I was at my keyboard and seconds away from starting to lumberjack but hadn't actually started yet so if had just been running through the forest and stopped to go to the toilet while inactive I could have fallen foul of a check without having committed an offense. I apologise if this has been addressed somewhere else but I just wanted to mention it.

Also just a side note, great job on the shard, I hadn't played the game in years but it has been great so far. Awesome job.

[culichi]

did you double lick the hatchet before or after the afk checks? pretty sure its double clicking your tool that triggers the gathering afk checks.

[Devlin]

i didnt notice requiem asking me what my favorite color was

Blue! No yellowwwwwwwwwwwww

[Nick]

I almost failed a AFK check because I was staring at my screen and my razor macro on the other screen trying to figure out how that spell to un-poison someone that makes a purple haze surround your char got in my leveling script... saw at the last min there was also a question being asked (what day of the week is it i think) turns out the purple haze was not me casting the wrong spell in a buggy macro it was the GM highlighting they were doing an AFK check.

I will have to look into this key farming... cant say I have tried it... but, if it means I get to stick it to Muolke.....

Also, not talking to someone isn't a sure sign of AFK (I will often not talk when testing a script because, typing interrupts or I'm just busy with school on my other screen and don't feel like talking to someone, that is why you may see me run away and just stand in a corner sometimes) though kill stealing and not sharing spawn sure is.

[Wil]

My AFK check was flustering enough that it took me a good 10 seconds to comprehend the question, "1+1."

[Johnny Warren]

Firstly, I like the news regarding simplifying AFK rules and reinforcements on the AFK enforcement front. Excellent.

In response to what Nick and culichi have said I too find the current system of live AFK checks difficult to spot sometimes. I am not good at scripting so I run a UOS script that retargets and attacks nearest mob every 1200, as well as my recall script in openeasyUO. This means that every second or so my character has grey text saying "[enemy] The Slayer" over and over above his head. Yes the AFK check question pops up over my head too, but disappears within 3.6 sec as my combat spams take over. It is easy to be at keyboard and miss something that's only some short text and only on screen for 3 seconds. Fortunately the question gets repeated a few times making it more obvious, but man, it gets my heart racing, I see the text and I am thinking "damn, how many have I missed? am I about to be jailed..." whilst also trying to think up a witty response to the AFK check question. Sometimes I have seen moving flames around my character, I guess trying to make it more obvious something is up, but when wep leveling with an AoE weapon they can also be hard to spot. I have not failed one yet, but I find it difficult to notice. Especially I have [exex open and am updating orders in there and not looking at the left half of my screen. That said, every time I get checked I am happy, it is good to see the rules being enforced.

I also agree with those that say non-response is not indicative of AFK, I often don't respond or say hi when I am bouncing around. But if you are asking to share the spawn and they don't respond then they are breaking rules regarding spawn sharing and should be punished for that, as well as AFKing if that can be proved.

I agree with your 3 criteria +C, it does need to be uncheatable, not overly onerous and obvious enough. Even a tiny gump catches your eye. I will often get a [pm which I see straight away and someone is like, "are you there? you didn't say hi" and I genuinely missed their overhead chat whilst macroing but seeing the [pm gump is super obvious.

I was thinking you could also add +50 or so tiles to each bally spawn point so that it is less easy to recall to the exact spot and get them over and over and there is a benefit of hunting with hands on the mouse...

[Grynne]

@ Culichi

The first check was a bit of a surprise so I may have clicked the axe and then it popped up. If so I believe it happened before I could even target a tree. My recollection is however that it was before clicking the axe.

The second was as I had recalled but this time I am almost certain that it was before clicking the axe.

[cope80]

As far as manual checks go, good news is that we're soon getting reinforcements on this front.

This makes me happy

[Muolke]

I also got your ticket. Although automated afk checks are planed, it will take some thought to make them effective and not annoying. As far as manual checks go, good news is that we're soon getting reinforcements on this front.

I see +K handling tickets already. Are we going to get a formal introduction?

[Johnny Warren]

+K?? +Kolibri? +KingColibri?

[+Colibri]

I see +K handling tickets already. Are we going to get a formal introduction?

Yep, soon.