Dancer Archive
Thread: Thoughts on AFK Macros....
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cydonia
Mon Aug 02, 2004 4:24 pm
#1
Ok i was just thinking of how this could work. If the devs just get rid of the looping commands then you can still just make these insanely long macro (changing nothing). "maybe the devs will limit the length of these macros" I dont think they can do this and here is why. Macros are stored on your computerthey cannot control their lengths and as i understand when you click on a macro the whole macro is NOT sent to the servers it is sent as the macro runs throught the commands on your computer and is sentone at a time. Sounless there is a safeguard then all you can do is create these huge 100000 page macrosso you dance or buff or whatever all day. So iwas thinking how can they add a safe guard? the only idea i could come up with is this.... what is common to all macro? andin amacrowhat is the most importantthing? the answer is the /pause command without it you can do nothing. So, thedevs could"count" how many seconds you have paused, record itand if your pause count is too high then you will get booted.So how does this effect you? if your a dancer you will be able to run a /flourish macro for a while but then your count will get too high so you will manually flourish for some period of time. Now i am not claiming to be an expert on this but i just cant see how they could do it any other way. Let me know what you think and let me know if you can come up with anything different.
Utess
Mon Aug 02, 2004 4:29 pm
#2
Easy enough to prevent from happening. Right now if you manually type a macro it is limited to 100 lines. However, you can copy and paste to make them longer. All the devs have to do is make it so that any macro loaded only runs the first 100 lines then stops regardless. That resolves any workaround for that.
Yeppers, there are concerns about other work arounds for this fix though. But the corrs have thought of most of them and are making the devs aware of them. Plus, this fix will be coming to Test Center first before it goes live. And believe me, myself, and many others on TC will hammer away at it to make sure it works before we let it go live 
Xyrdre
Mon Aug 02, 2004 4:31 pm
#3
Utess wrote:
Easy enough to prevent from happening. Right now if you manually type a macro it is limited to 100 lines. However, you can copy and paste to make them longer. All the devs have to do is make it so that any macro loaded only runs the first 100 lines then stops regardless. That resolves any workaround for that.
Yeppers, there are concerns about other work arounds for this fix though. But the corrs have thought of most of them and are making the devs aware of them. Plus, this fix will be coming to Test Center first before it goes live. And believe me, myself, and many others on TC will hammer away at it to make sure it works before we let it go live
Tess, is there any word on a guesswork (or better) timeline for this?
cydonia
Mon Aug 02, 2004 4:38 pm
#4
Utess wrote:
All the devs have to do is make it so that any macro loaded only runs the first 100 lines then stops regardless.
Ok if that is the case then how does it know when one macro has started and one has ended? (you could have seveal macros going at once) and if you say there must be a command for this then cant you add that command to the macro ie.
/themacrobegins
/flourish
/pause blah blah blah
/themacroends
/flourish
.... on and on...
thanks for helping with this by the way.
Utess
Mon Aug 02, 2004 4:41 pm
#5
None so far. We don't really hear anything other than what the rest of you do. Sure, sometimes we can pin down a QA or Dev on TC. But they never say anything other than smile, or shrug, or say "you'll see" 
If I were to take a guess based on past stuff and on the recent rapid fire patching that is going on lately. I'd guess that either it will be on test center within the next few days and be released to live with mini-publish 9.3 in about a week.
Or, they will bundle it in with publish 10. Whichmeans we'll see it on TC within a week or two and you'll see it on live by the end of the month.
Utess
Mon Aug 02, 2004 4:45 pm
#6
cydonia wrote:
Utess wrote:
All the devs have to do is make it so that any macro loaded only runs the first 100 lines then stops regardless.
Ok if that is the case then how does it know when one macro has started and one has ended? (you could have seveal macros going at once) and if you say there must be a command for this then cant you add that command to the macro ie.
/themacrobegins
/flourish
/pause blah blah blah
/themacroends
/flourish
.... on and on...
thanks for helping with this by the way.
Yeppers, we've already thought up the having multiple macros going at once work around. I know at least a few have already offered up suggestions on how to make sure that doesn't happen. Everything from a timer that cuts off macros regardless, to limiting the number of macros you can run at once(honestly who would run more than 5 to 10 macros at once legitimately), to making it so you are auto-logged off regardless after 30 minutes unless the physical keyboard receives input. And, I already have some macros I'm planning on building to test as many work arounds as I can think of
cydonia
Mon Aug 02, 2004 4:54 pm
#7
Utess wrote:
cydonia wrote:
Utess wrote:
All the devs have to do is make it so that any macro loaded only runs the first 100 lines then stops regardless.
Ok if that is the case then how does it know when one macro has started and one has ended? (you could have seveal macros going at once) and if you say there must be a command for this then cant you add that command to the macro ie.
/themacrobegins
/flourish
/pause blah blah blah
/themacroends
/flourish
.... on and on...
thanks for helping with this by the way.
Yeppers, we've already thought up the having multiple macros going at once work around. I know at least a few have already offered up suggestions on how to make sure that doesn't happen. Everything from a timer that cuts off macros regardless, to limiting the number of macros you can run at once(honestly who would run more than 5 to 10 macros at once legitimately), to making it so you are auto-logged off regardless after 30 minutes unless the physical keyboard receives input. And, I already have some macros I'm planning on building to test as many work arounds as I can think of
ok so if i understand right then if i have Macro and if i click macro then the first command of the macro is sent and that command with several pieces of info (the command, which macro its from, andwhich line of the macro its from, maybe more...) so it runs through the macro and after it gets the command (the command, which macro its from, macro command line 100, maybe more...) then it wont accept commands past 100 even if you program them in?
Tiaga
Tue Aug 03, 2004 2:59 am
#8
Macros are entirely a client side thing.. The commands are sent to the server no different than if you typed them yourself.
However, that doesn't mean they can't control them. Remember, SOE wrote the client too. They can change how it runs macros in the client. There are quite a number of ways they could do it.
However, that doesn't mean they can't control them. Remember, SOE wrote the client too. They can change how it runs macros in the client. There are quite a number of ways they could do it.
Nizaria
Tue Aug 03, 2004 5:24 am
#9
Well, whatever they decide on, I just hope I'm able to re-code my macros so the few dance routines I'm choreographed are still usable.
That aside, I really think that, in addition to whatever solution they come up with, they need to enforce an automatic AFK flag after 15-30 minutes of keyboard inactivity, and an auto logoff after 60 minutes. There's simply NO legitimate reason (in my mind) to be logged in, online, completely idle for an hour. I'm sick of running through Moenia on my way home and having to dodge AFK commandos firebombing the locals.
Tiaga
Tue Aug 03, 2004 6:21 am
#10
Believe it or not they already have that. If they do it right, it could come as a freebie with this.
Currently if no commands come from the client for a long period of time, you are logged out. The thing is, a command in a macro is a command from the client. If macros are only allowed to run for so long, they will be logged out soon after the macro ends or is killed, auto-AFK or no.
In fact, disabling auto-AFK will log them out faster. Auto-AFK is also a command from the client, so it resets the timer.
Currently if no commands come from the client for a long period of time, you are logged out. The thing is, a command in a macro is a command from the client. If macros are only allowed to run for so long, they will be logged out soon after the macro ends or is killed, auto-AFK or no.
In fact, disabling auto-AFK will log them out faster. Auto-AFK is also a command from the client, so it resets the timer.
Nizaria
Tue Aug 03, 2004 2:29 pm
#11
Yes, and its a terrible shortcoming (or, shortCUT) in their code. They should have hooked the Direct-X keyboard driver/interface to poll for activity, instead of allowing client-replayed macros to count as keystrokes.
But what do I know, I'm just a tailor.
Tiaga
Tue Aug 03, 2004 3:07 pm
#12
Nizaria wrote:Yes, and its a terrible shortcoming (or, shortCUT) in their code. They should have hooked the Direct-X keyboard driver/interface to poll for activity, instead of allowing client-replayed macros to count as keystrokes.But what do I know, I'm just a tailor.
They don't count as keystrokes. They count as commands. Keystrokes only determine auto-AFK, which macros don't have any impact on.
Gamma_Ray
Tue Aug 03, 2004 3:23 pm
#13
With Hologrinding gone...why would someone (Other than someone who wants all badges) be using an AFK macro anyways? If you're a dancer, I assume you WANT to be one. Therfore you'd want to be IN the cantina socializing with other dancers, or flirting for tips and whatnot. People just confuse me sometimes....
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