Top list updating / exp tracking

[Jigga]

Not really a bug, but what does everyone think of changing things so the toplist updates in time increments instead of realtime.

This would prevent people from being about to track another player's exp and easily locate where they are scripting.

I see it as one of those "playing the code vs. playing the game" issues.

Not being able to track exp would give players the chance to be more creative with their scripting locations and make custom loops.

With the item drop hang penalties, it's too simple to track a player's exp and go hang them for a quick two item drop. Because of this, players are less likely to script with their best items equipped. If players were able to be more crafty with their scripting locations, they would more likely script with better equipment on. And then players who want to put in the extra effort of "playing the game" instead of the code, and search around the realm might have the reward of finding someone decked in lims scripting an off-path area and whack them for a well-earned set of gear.

[Gardner Denver]

I keep seeing people ask for a time delayed update on the top list.  I realize this would make scripting easier (which is not an arguement for doing it in my opinion) but what do you really gain?

If we set the delay to 15 minutes, then it takes someone 15 minutes to find you versus 1 minute.  Woo  yeah you made some big headway with that.

In my opinion the top list should update in real time and make a sysop setting to simply not display the exp on the list and to remove the exp from the interface that drives the player manager for accounts that are not verified.

[Jigga]

It wouldn't be a time delay, but more of a "refresh" every 5/10/15 minutes.

It would update with the total amount of experience earned in that time period, not each individual kill.

It just makes people have to play the game, to hunt for other players by running around the realm and not by math.

It's more of "okay lets go see who's down in red dragons..."

And less of "okay lets see where so-and-so is scripting..."

[Gardner Denver]

The bots they are using to exp track you now will be reprogrammed and working exactly as they do now within 2 days.  You won't gain anything except the interval of the first refresh cycle.  That's the entire point I was trying to make.

[y2duhh]

Gardner that is untrue. While xp will still be trackable with 15 minute jumps lets look at it like this, as a solo player making 100k per hour in small pyramid.

at the current way the top list is now you would see after every kill the players xp jump up 750 per kill, that limits it down to 8 different monsters that are 750 xp if he's solo but only 1 in an area that only has mobs worth 750 xp per kill, has to be small pyramid. You might also come to the conclusion that he is getting 1500k a pop with 2 people which could be you have to check a few more places but its easily checkable.

If XP updates every 15 minutes that means all you are going to see is jumps of about 25k every 15 minutes, now you know this person may be making 100k per hour and you are going to go check all theplaces that make 100k an hour with xp jumps in 25k (if they are all even) but it really doesnt narrow it down like it does now and no program will really help narrow it down to an exact spot like you can do now.

[Gardner Denver]

We'll just have to agree to disagree then.

[Jigga]

Yeah exactly what Duhh says...  A player can speed up / slow down his exp rate from time to time, all you're going to see is that he made, for example, 34,500 exp in 15 minutes and have no idea in what increments. If a person is scripting an area with monsters that vary in exp it will be extremely hard to figure out how the exp was earned.

[Gardner Denver]

All it takes is a few well placed bots and you'll be tracked within 30 minutes tops.  I've seen it done far to many times for yall to tell me it's not doable.

[pentagruel]

I already explained an elementary solution to this problem:

make it so that only the first 2 integers of your exp show up:

If you have 145670 exp, it shows your exp as 140000.

If you have 32,240,530 exp, shows you as 32,000,000

Wiill be impossible to even track exp/hr this way once people get high up.

[Vitoc]

I understand the problem and I'm down with implementing a fix.  It can be configurable in the .ini file, so we'll prolly use this feature in the pvp realm and keep the non-pvp realm with realtime updates.

Vote/decide on a fix and I'll implement it.  It would probably take less than 30 minutes to implement.  We do actually already have a time period for updating the top list, it's just VERY short. ;)

[Lazarus]

What about giving mobs a range of exp you could possibly get.  And you get a random amount of exp in that range?  Say, if I was scripting salamanders.. for a salamander kill I could get anywhere between 1250 to 1750  .. or a different range.. whatever.   But that would make it harder to track if you just look at the top list.

[dragonslayer]

ok then Gard, so if you knew i was making 37k/hr (based off including a delay in TOP list) would you know where i am?

and then if you knew i was making 200exp per kill, based off of realtime display, would you know where i am easier?

Rain

[Mersinary]

I have a feeling this "bot" that Gard is referring to has something to do with his Player Manager program.  Either that or the top list off the Greatermud site.  And if so I think it needs to be addressed...Gard, you seem to know about this bot that people are using but at the same time you don't seem to care that they're doing it.  Why hasn't it really ever been a hot topic until now?  This is just another way to "work the system", as Oolong likes to call it.  And it's been ignored simply because you believe they'll find other ways around it to track experience.

Gard- "All it takes is a few well placed bots and you'll be tracked within 30 minutes tops.  I've seen it done far to many times for yall to tell me it's not doable."

I'm curious where you've seen this done before?  Has Greatermud used a delayed update to top list before?  And even still, it's not as easily trackable if it' isn't updated instantly per each kill / exp tick like it is now.  Sure people will be able to track exp/hr but it'll surely make it more difficult, specially if a person chooses to script an area that mobs give different experience as opposed to scripting an area where mobs all give the same experience.

My opinion is to make the top list update once a day, like at cleanup.

[Hydroponic]

What is this "bot"?

[y2duhh]

When we talk about a delayed up date are we saying:

A) I kill a monster worth 100 xp and in 15 minutes you see that 100 xp added to my overall exp.

B) I kill 15 100 xp monsters in 15 minutes and you see a jump of 1500 every 15 minutes that im killing?