Automated tasks - Cheating?
 

Ran across someone parked in kingshead in the main field area where the group of vets and an 18 officer spawn. This person was casting wither every 9 seconds, whether or not anything was there. This is clearly someone using a macro program to automate mouse movements. Do you think this is cheating? What do you think Disney should do about it? I'd post the name of the person here, but I'm sure POF would delete it.

It is cheating and happened in toontown. Disney can't do much other than ban the accounts.

Clearly this is cheating. Using macro's, packet injection, etc, etc, is wrong. I sure hope Disney jumps on this one if he/she was indeed cheating.

well its several hours later now and that char is still sitting on kingshead throwing down wither after wither. I do admit I pushed him in an area where he wasn't getting any/many hits because I wanted to use some of them myself. Just burns me to see so many playing and working hard to get to higher levels only to see some taking the low and easy road. Glad to know I'm not alone in feeling this is very wrong.

Craziness. I wonder how long it'll be before we see people trying to sell their high-level characters on eBay?

Hmm.... (counts money in wallet to buy WizardHawk's character). ;)

My husband had bought gaming keyboards for each of us to use on Toontown. I have told him I think that is a Macro. He says no. Anyone know for sure?:erti078:

Most gaming keyboards these days can set up marcos using their pre-set buttons to be used for games.

Yeah, I suspect that the answer depends on how he's using the keyboard. For example, if he's programming one key so that it automatically performs multiple actions in a row, I'd call that a macro.

To me any time you are having a piece of hardware or software doing something for you that it outside the intended scope of a game, it is a form of cheating. Now setting up buttons to do combos for you isn't as bad as leaving a character online fighting for hours when you are not there, but it still is cheating IMO.

And Vanddelay, you sure could find better characters to buy than mine lol, or at least I'd hope so. Afterall, mine might come with some baggage. ;)

Others have given you good answers, but let me also make it clear that the keyboard itself is not a macro. But if someone programs the keys/board to do specific multiple repetitive actions (like doodle training, fishing, gardening, or even a preset selection of attacks on a weapon), then they are using a "macro program."

If you have a nice gaming keyboard, but dont use it to do multiple repetitive actions for you then don't worry. :)

Didn't some people in TT get banned for that? I thought I remember something about that a long time ago.

Yes, quite a few infact and it was a big sweep awhile ago. (year maybe)? Was just reading today of someone using a program to play two games/screens on one computer who was banned. Most of the earlier ones were doodle training macro's. Now I think they use other ones just to do stupid things but are still getting banned.

We will see what happens in this case. I've seen this person around and they are at least a member here so if they get banned we will likely hear about it. I'll also let others know what the response is back from Disney.

So far the support on this game has been disappointing at best so I'm not holding my breath that they deal with this in a swift and decisive manner.

Customer support is sorely lacking in this game. I lost 37,000 gold, because of the 60k cap bug (that would have been nice to know about ahead of time), and they just sent me their standard form letters.

I wouldn't expect much more in this case. But who cares. Just keep having fun let everyone else do whatever :)

Oh I won't lose sleep over this cheater, that's for sure. I've spent lots of time playing in beta and early release games and have been a game helper trying to help stop blatent cheating in others. I just can't stand having people trying to take such short cuts and I will do whatever it takes to at least be a bee in their bonnet, but if Disney is too impotent to do anything about it we will see more of this in the future.

If that is the case then everyone else who doesn't like it can do what I did and push the guy to an area where there are no spawns. This guy casted wither hundreds of times just out of reach of the guys in the kingshead main field lol. Maybe some will get the clue and stop on their own.

Oh god no.. first runescape now this? I mean take a look at how many macros rs has. That would be TERRIBLE is potcO had that many macros!:skull: Are you sure it was a macro? You cant trade in potco so whats the point of having one? And instead of sending them into no respawns, how bout sending them up farther into the fort to get em killed instead?

It is very important for everyone who dislikes this type of behavior to email Disney and voice displeasure of the occurance. Paying customers (and in this case possible future paying customers) can have a positive effect when we work together.

--JoG

Yes, it was for sure a macro. He was in the same area for more than 4 hours not moving and just casting wither over and over again in a patterned timing. 100% sure this person was not there and had a macro running to level up their char fast.

Yes, doing this kind of thing in this game doesn't allow them to profit from their cheating, however a few have worked hard to get to 40 and get to the higher level weapons and such and it is a slap in the face by those who wish to cheat and take short cuts not otherwise allowed in the game. I guess it is the principle here.

As to pusthing them farther, have you ever tried moving people in TT or POC? You can make them move a bit faster in this game if there are enemy pushing into them, but it takes a fair amount of time to go relatively short distances. I'd say it took at least 10-15 mins of work (not all at once) to get him as far away as I did and he was just outside the area where the officer 18 spawns. At his level (34) he was too high to be killed by the highest navy in the area anyway as his wither attacks are more than enough to take out a 26 officer. Trust me, if I could have found a way to send him to jail I would have done it just because.

ok, now this guy is on our home server (a normally quiet one) and is in kingshead working dagger with a macro. One of my guild mates pushed him away from the navy guys, but this is just rediculous. Watch out for people like this and take screen shots/report them when found. This just can't be allowed to happen.

I want there to be a distinction.

Those that are doing this to walk away and just "phantom level" should be hog tied and tossed on the side.

I know plenty of people that have macroboards that are using them for gameplay, it is not an unfair advantage over anyone.
The weapon combos are easy enough to do with or without a macro, so instead of going through the monotony, they programmed a key to do them
I have seen this fail as often as if you were pressing the key on your own.

"You" should not lump all macro users into one pile and tell them they stink and are terrible.

I agree with you wholeheartedly that, what phantom players are doing is blatant cheating. Pirates or no, they need to be deleted and banned.

Reminder to keep post on topic...
 

Guys, Please...
Let's keep this thread to the discussion of the original post.

Doesn't matter now, I did manage to get a 26 to take him out and send him to jail. Score one for the good guys I guess.

No word from Disney yet other than the standard form reply to my first report to them. Will update when I get more info.

I won't stop until Disney does something about this.