After posting my long winded opinion about travelling while in sleep mode and AFK, I began to consider other situations which are a little more difficult to define.

If you tell a caravan to go to Dirge from Crossing, but you don't follow the caravan but instead go AFK in town while hiding. Only to awake a little later and travel on to Dirge where you meet up with the caravan.

Or you move ahead of the caravan after telling it to travel on and it meets you at the destination. While the caravan is moving toward there, you are AFK while awaiting it's arrival.

All this is the same as travelling 'with' a caravan and should be handled the same.

Travelling in general and being reported for AFK by someone in the game is right near impossible to prove, for an obvious number of reasons. One I will note to be the most culpable of these is our ability to be hidden while travelling with a caravan. Another is the fact we do move, from room to room, so what player is going to really notice in such a short time period as they pass us by?

It is primarily during ferry and barge crossings that most folks interact (or try to interact) with us and at that point we can then say, "I'm afk until we reach dock". Oh the convenience of our life. I really don't understand why we are not the most populated guild in the realms!

Could I suggest we mix up the trade routes one week a month (maybe shorter, maybe longer) with those temporary waystations that we haven't seen in many, many, months? If nothing else it makes afk trading slightly more aggrevating.

Gidske

Simple enough. If the caravan is moving, you shouldn't be AFK. It is moving on a ferry/barge/gondola, and since you can't go anywhere on them, just exit the game while AFK on such conveyances.

I'd like to say I am not rabidly against AFK scripting; trading or otherwise. I might even be AFK quite often in DR when I shouldn't be myself. These are just points of interest for the topic at hand. Being afk while scripting doesn't get my goose like some other issues of DR.

Gidske

I normally don't post on policy but since this conversation is about trading and AFK, I wanted to clear a few things up. I know some of you are probably joking a bit and even being a bit sarcastic, so keep in mind that this post is just a general post and not directed at anyone specifically.

If confused about the AFK policy, please refer to News 5 17. In regards to the policy while trading, I'd pay special attention to paragraph 4.
<<If your attention is not in the game window, you should log out of the game or stop any experience, skill or money gaining activities to avoid being warned.

To be clearer, while a travel script may not be considered AFK scripting in some instances, it would be if you have contracts or commodities out and have a caravan following. The time spent delivering the contract or commodities is part of the effort needed to earn the coins from that system. I'm not going to debate 'what ifs'. If you have contracts or commodities and have a caravan following you, I would plan on being responsive. The same goes for being in sleep mode while at a stall/table or any other trading system. If you're earning coins or experience and are unresponsive, you can be warned.

Lastly, the best way to handled a suspected AFK person is simply to report and then leave the situation alone. You likely will never see the testing if you're not the one being tested and interfering by dragging or attempting to interrupt a person's script will cause testing to fail.

Best Regards,
~GM Arnimas

"Wealth is not his that has it, but his who enjoys it."
-Benjamin Franklin

Hi Arnimas,

Thanks for some input into recommended ways to handle afk situations.

My only question is this, if we cannot see intervention when we report how do we know it even happens? Im not trying to put a cat amongst the pidgeons but I tend to see the same souls (who will remain nameless - no flaming here) doing the same thing over and over again. From a purely logical point of view Id have to consider that they have never actually been approached.

Im sure they are at times, and I know of situations where they have been reprimanded as a result. Thing is, it is frustrating......can I perhaps recommend these interventions do become viewable at least?

We all have a quick phone call, grab a bite to eat or need to let nature take its course from time to time.........but it appears some folks have awefully loose bladders.

The fact is that there is nothing we can do, including flaming on these boards, so the folks essentially get away with it. It may just be my opinion, but from the people I talk to....I seriously doubt it.

There is a time and place for afk learning, its called the fallen and its 24/7. Please give us a way to genuinly do something about this, or at least see that geniune reports are being attended to. No one likes a snitch, and I personally dont report often for two reasons. Firstly, no one has to respond to me so I cannot be sure they are AFK. Secondly, if I report nothing seems to happen....

Muleskinner Elsulose

<< My only question is this, if we cannot see intervention when we report how do we know it even happens? >>

I think it's best to say that not every report will always be followed up on a scripting situation. Sometimes staff is busy with an assist or just not available to do a testing. However, the majority of the time, that person IS tested. If you report them, then they will be caught eventually. If I don't have time to test the person at that moment, I keep the name to test them the moment that I am free, as do many other GM's.

<< can I perhaps recommend these interventions do become viewable at least? >>

While I'm not in charge of the way testing is done, I can see this as helping an AFK person more than it helps the reporter. If the AFK person is running 2 characters in the same room and is only watching 1, then they'll see the viewable test and click on the other and respond. Testing is best done where it is only visible by the one being tested.

Also, keep in mind that testing isn't done in 1 minute. If you're waiting to see if the person gets busted, you could be waiting awhile. Testing is very thorough to insure that the person is truly scripting and often those that appear to be, are just ignoring whispers and respond quickly to testing. Taking any action to disrupt the scripter will just cause testing to fail, which has happened more times than I care to remember when I was testing someone after a REPORT.

Again, the best solution is to REPORT. Even if a on-duty GM is busy, they'll request someone else to jump in and test if someone has time or do it themselves when time permits.

Best Regards,
~GM Arnimas

"Wealth is not his that has it, but his who enjoys it."
-Benjamin Franklin

Please give us a way to genuinly do something about this, or at least see that geniune reports are being attended to. No one likes a snitch, and I personally dont report often for two reasons. Firstly, no one has to respond to me so I cannot be sure they are AFK. Secondly, if I report nothing seems to happen....

---

Ahh Elsulose, been waitin to see you on these boards. And for your reference the GM's did check me and i was at the keyboard sorry about your luck.
I also admire how in your post you pointed out how no one has to respond to you yet I come back to find myself pushed over several times on the ferry after you engaged me pointed me out of hiding and basically attacked me for no reason other than i didn't wanna listen to your class. So ummm, dunno what to tell you, system seems to be working fine, keep reportin me pushing me over dragging me etc. etc etc. and any other ways you can think of to disrupt me. I dunno. :shrugs:
Sabua

Hello All,

Thanks Arnimas for replying.

Ill take your word on it because youve done nothing but good as far as I can see.

I wont brawl and shove people....sit in hiding/stalking for 2 hours watching them....anymore. Ill assume this is sorted...I doubt it.

Thats all, felt like I could make a difference.

Elsu

Hi Sabua

Sorry about the she reference, no need to re-role.....

I actually didnt report you, well not that I can remember...not sure Ive reported in years, I do know I warn over a dozen times to respond or I take action.....this is generally over a dozen or so contacts...aka....a long time. Ive now learnt not to do so, I guess everyone just has very very very loose bladders or eats one heck of a lot!

As for reporting. It could have been maybe any one of the other several dozen people who seemed to see some very direct and methodical approach to your trading?

Im sorry, I do not remember you, and as I said....this is not about flaming. If I put you on your behind I apologise.........your not the only one. The number is so high its scarey! As previously mentioned, Ive stopped this approach.

My post was general, had nothing to do with you, if your insecure about it.....watch your keyboard more.....

Good luck with trading and may Eluned pave your roads with gold!

Muleskinner Elsulose

Opps I did not mean to inflate a settled issue. I should have read all the posts before I posted my prior message. My apologies up front/rather after the fact.


Player of Hagler