Merchant Archive
Thread: The removal of starport spamming & the rise of Merchants
p4Samwise
Mon Oct 25, 2004 5:21 pm
#14
Elyssa wrote:
I just want a way to block all the spam that I don't want to see.
The 'ignore afk chat' thing was a good first step but it was easily circumvented.
Lately I'm seeing people spamming various emotes.
Here's a solution so simple it'll never be implemented.
1) Track "idle" status properly. This requires having the code distinguish between AtK input and macro commands, but that's not really hard. Hard-code the idle timer to be the same for every player. This can be distinct from the standard AFK status, which is player-triggered and displayed as a flag above the player's head. "Idle" is not player-triggerable, and is not player-circumventable by any means short of setting up a drinky bird to tap the Any key periodically.
2) Provide an option to block ALL communications from "idle" players except for auto-away messages.
Done.
I suspect (1) is the part that's impossible to do because the client doesn't track where its input comes from. Why doesn't it do this? Well, it's because of the, uh,database, you know, thing. Yeah, that's it. :rolleyes:
Crustyfur
Tue Oct 26, 2004 2:40 am
#15
So is the issue what people are saying (spamming) OR the Lag it creates?
Reading many of the posts here I have to agree that I kind of like the atmosphere that it creates. I think people who want it completely banned (Few I think), need to look at the way they manage their own merchant skills. I have never spammed in a SP for Merchant business and I am doing fine (Loving the over head map).
I also agree that maybe we do need some way or ignoring the AFK spammers. In Coro, in the Infinity Galaxy there is a particular player that never ever moves. He/She spends their whole time sitting there spamming. This is the kind of thing I would like a '/groupIgnore Spammers' thing for. I like the idea of only using the Auction channel for the AFK spamming. Keeps my spatial chat nice and clean 
Message Edited by Crustyfur on 10-26-2004 10:47 AM
Eraint
Tue Oct 26, 2004 5:31 am
#16
How do you set up a macro to the auction channel. I have no idea how to do that. On days I have my WS stand in the starport(on a 3 minute timer) I see a slight increase in sales. I am on the overhead map, just south of coronet. Also my tent is in a location just past the "first line" so my vendors pop up and you can read them without having to turn in funny directions.
I am looking for a drop in sales this week with JTL coming out. I assume through the weekend a lot of my regular customers will be up in space. With the ability to go to any starport and board your own ship, I see starport spamming decreasing slightly.
I am looking for a drop in sales this week with JTL coming out. I assume through the weekend a lot of my regular customers will be up in space. With the ability to go to any starport and board your own ship, I see starport spamming decreasing slightly.
Chaosium_451
Tue Oct 26, 2004 7:25 am
#17
The lag can be annoying if you're in a hurry. But ina real marketplace the effect is the same - a crowded market prevents you from moving through it freely and without distraction. I love that atmosphere. I remember the first time I ever went to CNet, it must have spent an hour there just wandering around in awe,listening to everyone. It really lent the place a great atmosphere, and I loved that. I'm a role-player at heart though, so your mileage may vary.
When I had justmastered Artisan and started making swoops, the only way I had to grow my business was calling out "Swoops for sale Cheap!" until I had something of a customer base.
If you're not the kind of person who doesn't like that sort of thing, then try using different starports. There are only a couple that are bad.Trying to fix this issue by killing macro speech is going to break a whole lot more than it fixes.
Chaosium_451
Tue Oct 26, 2004 7:30 am
#18
We're of the same mind on this issue, LadyGrace. 
I'm sure if I tried to argue this ideaon my server forum, there would be mobs with pitchforks and torches chasing me around. 
Message Edited by Chaosium_451 on 10-26-2004 09:31 AM
Urgra
Tue Oct 26, 2004 8:27 am
#19
Tangentially related, I would like a way to put ina comment for people I /addignore. I ignore a lot of people (spammers, racists/hatemongers, stalkers, people who are just plain anoying) and it would be nice for me to keep track of the reason for ignoring so I know whether to remove them from the list after a period of time.
I know, I could keep a paper log, but I already have several notebooks of prices, orders, etc. and my desk is becoming a mess! Some starport spammers are there everyday (S...R... on Bria, for example -- I loosely obscured the name to not appear as though I am attacking anyone) but some people do "shock spamming" (my own term for 5-30 minutes of constant spam that I need to ignore to keep my sanity) that I could forgive after they cut it out.
My two cents,
Chyann
tacwraith
Tue Oct 26, 2004 9:25 am
#20
the issue is BOTH the lag and the spamming. They are both directly related.
Take Tyrena (in Bria) for example. Go there and you will see a starport totally devoid of spammers. But there is always a dozen or so players waiting for the next ship.
Go to coronet. Same dozen or so people waiting for the ship... and a dozen spammers flooding the spatial chat with spam. Now the 'doc lines' have added to the lag.
Lag is twofold as well. The server lags significantly when too many people are in a small area. Packets get lost, latency drops. Then you get frames per sec lag (FPS) from your computer trying to load all the characters in that small an area..its not uncommon for one to get off the ship in coronet and have to wait a minute or two staring at your character while the screen populates with a couple dozen spammers and travelers. To make it worse its impossible to even talk to someone on spatial because it gets scrolled up out of view instantly.
And again I say, if you guys are spending your skillpoints in MERCHANT, does it not bother you that the best, most powerful sales tool can be done by ANY proffession just by using a macro? Big deal if you have the best looking vendors or the most vendors anyone can have or that you pay less for maintainance of structures and vendors when you got people who arent even merchants ad-spamming your clientele away from you. You are MERCHANTS, you guys should be the ONLY ones who can advertise on large scale, its your PROFFESSION.
Take Tyrena (in Bria) for example. Go there and you will see a starport totally devoid of spammers. But there is always a dozen or so players waiting for the next ship.
Go to coronet. Same dozen or so people waiting for the ship... and a dozen spammers flooding the spatial chat with spam. Now the 'doc lines' have added to the lag.
Lag is twofold as well. The server lags significantly when too many people are in a small area. Packets get lost, latency drops. Then you get frames per sec lag (FPS) from your computer trying to load all the characters in that small an area..its not uncommon for one to get off the ship in coronet and have to wait a minute or two staring at your character while the screen populates with a couple dozen spammers and travelers. To make it worse its impossible to even talk to someone on spatial because it gets scrolled up out of view instantly.
And again I say, if you guys are spending your skillpoints in MERCHANT, does it not bother you that the best, most powerful sales tool can be done by ANY proffession just by using a macro? Big deal if you have the best looking vendors or the most vendors anyone can have or that you pay less for maintainance of structures and vendors when you got people who arent even merchants ad-spamming your clientele away from you. You are MERCHANTS, you guys should be the ONLY ones who can advertise on large scale, its your PROFFESSION.
Andymantium
Tue Oct 26, 2004 9:40 am
#21
tacwraith wrote:
And again I say, if you guys are spending your skillpoints in MERCHANT, does it not bother you that the best, most powerful sales tool can be done by ANY proffession just by using a macro? Big deal if you have the best looking vendors or the most vendors anyone can have or that you pay less for maintainance of structures and vendors when you got people who arent even merchants ad-spamming your clientele away from you. You are MERCHANTS, you guys should be the ONLY ones who can advertise on large scale, its your PROFFESSION.
You know, I haven't really thought much of it. If you have a well-stocked vendor with high-quality goods, people will find out about it, either via word of mouth or on these forums. If you're just starting out as a merchant, then I could understand somewhat. However, even in RL anyone can stand on a street corner and yell at the top of their lungs for hours on end, trying to sell their products...doesn't mean they will though,or even attract any interest.
I think the hologrind is also something to consider, when everyone and their pet hamster were grinding merchant. Everyone would spam their vendor location in the hopes of getting some visits. Well, the potential customer might head out to the waypoint, only to find a vendor stocked with CDEF's. I know that's happened to me more than a few times...I think the number of people who actually pay attention to the afk spam has decreased.
Anyhow, I don't think it's as big a deal as you make it appear to be.
Srednii
Tue Oct 26, 2004 9:52 am
#22
Personally I find it amusing as hell that the single most effective advertising ability (spam) is something anyone can do with no skill points whatsoever , it puts the so called "merchant" abilities to shame.
, it puts the so called "merchant" abilities to shame.Of course my ignore list for starport spammers is of such collossal proportions that I worry every day I'm going to hit some cap, so I guess it's not a perfect ability
siros_vazren
Tue Oct 26, 2004 10:31 am
#23
I toss in my vote for a delay system with chatting and macros. Not allowing a person to repeat the same message so quickly would greatly improve starport problems in general. A nice 2 minute delay before you can ask for training or advertise your wares would be a welcomed change. Just my opinion, take it as you will.
Siros Vazren
Master Bio-Engineer
Wanderhome
Chaosium_451
Tue Oct 26, 2004 10:54 am
#24
tacwraith wrote:
And again I say, if you guys are spending your skillpoints in MERCHANT, does it not bother you that the best, most powerful sales tool can be done by ANY proffession just by using a macro? Big deal if you have the best looking vendors or the most vendors anyone can have or that you pay less for maintainance of structures and vendors when you got people who arent even merchants ad-spamming your clientele away from you. You are MERCHANTS, you guys should be the ONLY ones who can advertise on large scale, its your PROFFESSION.
I disgaree. I did spamming a little when I started building the business (before I got merchant). The business came in in ones and twos per day. Now that I'm on the map, with a bunch of vendors offering many different products, the business just rolls through the door and I get one or two per hour, not counting special orders. So I disagree that starport spamming is the best selling tool available. I get way more business from being on the map than I could ever generate through starport spam.
And if you deny this abilityto the masses, then you're removed the only real way people who don't have the skill points for merchant have to sell anything. Remember when we were just starting out? You needed to generate business somehow. Personally, I wasn't in a guild. so I hung out in the cantina and every few minutes would fire off a pitch.
And for the lag, use different starports. Spammers tend to congregate in specific areas. If you don't like the spam, you have other options.
Just my .02 creds.
tacwraith
Tue Oct 26, 2004 12:28 pm
#25
AFK spam barkers create MASSIVE amounts of lag just by being congregated there.
Go to coronet and COUNT the amount of spammer vs the amount of people taking the ship. 40% of them are spammers.
That alone is enough to screw people's gaming experience by reducing the FPS and lagging to hell the whole deal.
Go to coronet and COUNT the amount of spammer vs the amount of people taking the ship. 40% of them are spammers.
That alone is enough to screw people's gaming experience by reducing the FPS and lagging to hell the whole deal.
Crustyfur
Tue Oct 26, 2004 2:07 pm
#26
siros_vazren wrote:
I toss in my vote for a delay system with chatting and macros. Not allowing a person to repeat the same message so quickly would greatly improve starport problems in general. A nice 2 minute delay before you can ask for training or advertise your wares would be a welcomed change. Just my opinion, take it as you will.
Siros Vazren
Master Bio-Engineer
Wanderhome
A great idea. Everyone is happy.
As Merchants that have the Barking Driod Skill (Still working on it here) do you feel that this falls into the cat as AFK spammers or is this our only little bit extra over the others?
Message Edited by Crustyfur on 10-26-2004 10:10 PM