It is impossible to keep a script writer from using scripts in a text based game and very difficult to even detect script usage if the writer is determined enough .

Not too hard to keep a scripter out though.

Kavanagh's approach works. There's just a bug in Microbot that makes it not work for Microbot.

I tried you burst mode approach, and if I send the Macro above right after login it is completely ignored. This BBS isn't storing the keystrokes.

Well, the idea is, if there was a way to do randomly generated prompts or mix up output in a way that's hard to script through, that could be done in a true "no scripts" mode. I'm not interested in the debate about whether or not to do that. If it was possible, I'd say add the option and let ops decide if they want to do it. But it's probably academic anyway.

This is similar to the struggle against spam-bots. I basically killed all spammer access to this forum by replacing our standard CAPCHA with a customized set of questions to identify the TradeWars ship from a list of famous sci-fi ships. So there probably is something to the idea of having a CAPCHA-like challenge spread at random in a game, maybe in conjunction with some detection of script-like behaviors to trigger it. But even without script detection, having to answer a challenge periodically, assuming enough variety in the questions, would probably force players to be at-keys for those games using this option.

I could actually provide a server for send default challenge questions, but over time scripters would compile those questions into their own database just as spammers do. That's why custom questions are better, because then ne're-do-wells who want to ignore the no-scripting rule in a game are forced to approach each new site from scratch. That's why the TW ship question works so well. I'm not worth it for a spammer to take the time to learn my questions, but a TW fan has no problem.

Well, just thinking out loud here. I don't have any plans for something like this in the near future. As I've said before, I'd prefer for the community to recognize that it's important to play by a gameops rules or play elsewhere.

The same thing would happen with random prompt animations. Eventually they would just have a database of all the annimations.

I see your point, but wouldn't it be easier to just have a delay penalty for anything that is too fast? For instance:
If 100 characters are recieved from that node in less than 60 seconds, a 30 second delay is imposed. This wouldn't bother players that type very fast, because unless they are superman they wouldn't be able to type that fast for an extended period of time. However, it would more or less limit scripts to a slower pace and none scripters would be on a level playing field.

Edit: By delay I mean like a foton delay where they couldn't move or use turns and they get some sort of message.

D,

It cant work. Anything you can think of, you have to code it. That means that it can be circumvented.

It works fine against 99.9%.

It doesnt work worth a ? against the likes of me, and I am probably at the bottom 10% of TW script writers.

I actually added support for that, in a way. You can set the speed of input and output independently. So if you wanted to make sure the game only allowed input at the speed of, say, a speed typist, maybe 70 wpm, you can currently do that. No need to have a penalty. It just won't accept input faster than that. If you're typing as fast as I am now, you won't notice it. But a script would be noticeably slow.

I didn't say it would stop scripting. I said it would put scripters and non scripters on a level playing field in certain areas such as cashing, colonizing, moving product/cols, buydowns, etc... It wouldn't stop quick bursts unless they did a lot of quick bursts all at once.
If you slow the scripters down to the same pace that non scripters are then you pretty much have a non scripting game. That along with the delay features that JP added, you could pretty much run a game where scripts aren't very valuable.

Deployed Fighters Report Sector 1234: Blah Blah Blah

Me Typing fast as possible:
C P Y 2134* Q M 1234* * ...oh crap, self torp'd

Automated Script:
C P Y 1234* Q M 1234* *

Nuff said

Ok, penalty assessed at 10 characters in less than 300 ms. (just an example)

Incoming message:
P Captain Zyrain - You have been found guilty of illegal computer transmissions. Your turns will be surpressed for 60 seconds.

In which case, scripters would adjust thier output to a maximum of 9 charcers per 300MS, and never get hit by the penalty, and a non scripter would get hit by the penalty for using a simple macro longer than 10 characters.

A script is nothing more than a bunch of macros and safety checks. It's the same thing. If your are against scripting, you should be against anyone using macros also.

I'm actually NOT against scripting.

Except you can run macros from a script. A script doesn't need to be interactive, ya know.

Quite Correct