Question About Rules

[Slicerleo]

Hello

I am new to NationStates but I am an experienced programmer and was interested in scripting for NationStates.

I have been told from a friend that the rule is "one action per click" when it comes for automating things in NationStates, and while trying to learn these rules I came across the NationStatesPlusPlus extension, which is a very impressive piece of work. However, I was wondering about certain features of the NationStatesPlusPlus extension in light of this "one action per click" rule.

When you create a nation using the puppet creator, you can select to Apply for World Assembly Membership Email.

When you click found nation, it (among other things) (1). Founds the nation, (2). Applies to the WA and (3). Uploads your flag.

Then there is a separate button to relocate.

So my question is this:

I was told that (1) and (3) are okay to happen at once because it "doesn't affect the World", which as I understand it, means that you don't affect anybody else. But I'm not sure about this.

Uploading your flag seems to me to be a case of "doesn't affect anybody else". Does founding a nation also fall under this case? How about applying to the WA?

As I first understood what was being told to me, it would seem that there should be three buttons on the puppet creator.

Found A Nation

Apply to the WA

Relocate

Or else why can't they all be in the same button? Because I was told that making a script that automatically resigned you on page detection would be illegal, but how can this be if a button both creates your nation and applies it to the WA?

Is there a difference between applying to the WA and admitting/resigning?

Please advise.

Thank you.

[Cornupication]

Hello

I am new to NationStates but I am an experienced programmer and was interested in scripting for NationStates.

I have been told from a friend that the rule is "one action per click" when it comes for automating things in NationStates, and while trying to learn these rules I came across the NationStatesPlusPlus extension, which is a very impressive piece of work. However, I was wondering about certain features of the NationStatesPlusPlus extension in light of this "one action per click" rule.

When you create a nation using the puppet creator, you can select to Apply for World Assembly Membership Email.

When you click found nation, it (among other things) (1). Founds the nation, (2). Applies to the WA and (3). Uploads your flag.

Then there is a separate button to relocate.

So my question is this:

I was told that (1) and (3) are okay to happen at once because it "doesn't affect the World", which as I understand it, means that you don't affect anybody else. But I'm not sure about this.

Uploading your flag seems to me to be a case of "doesn't affect anybody else". Does founding a nation also fall under this case? How about applying to the WA?

As I first understood what was being told to me, it would seem that there should be three buttons on the puppet creator.

Found A Nation

Apply to the WA

Relocate

Or else why can't they all be in the same button? Because I was told that making a script that automatically resigned you on page detection would be illegal, but how can this be if a button both creates your nation and applies it to the WA?

Is there a difference between applying to the WA and admitting/resigning?

Please advise.

Thank you.

The "applying" to the WA that you mention doesn't automatically make you a WA nation, all it does is send you the confirmation email with the link so you can click that and become a WA nation. You're actually clicking that button in order to get a link sent, and clicking a second time, on that link in your email. That's why it doesn't violate the one click, one action rule.

One thing to note: you can't have more than one WA nation, but you can have several nations with activation emails waiting to be clicked. Raiders use this as a tactic: resign one nation from the WA, then the process to get the next nation WA-ready is only one click in a separate tab.

[Slicerleo]

The "applying" to the WA that you mention doesn't automatically make you a WA nation, all it does is send you the confirmation email with the link so you can click that and become a WA nation. You're actually clicking that button in order to get a link sent, and clicking a second time, on that link in your email. That's why it doesn't violate the one click, one action rule.

But isn't it two actions per click because you click once at it sends a link (applies you) as well as founds you?

Would a script that admits you right after you resign by allowed then?

[[violet]]

I have been told from a friend that the rule is "one action per click" when it comes for automating things in NationStates,

FYI the rule is here.

[Bubalacious Esoterica]

I have been told from a friend that the rule is "one action per click" when it comes for automating things in NationStates,

FYI the rule is here.

So is applying to the WA not a restricted action? How about admitting/resigning?

My read of this is that both applying and creating a nation are restricted actions, and thus should not be allowed in one button click?

Or am I wrong?

[Cornupication]

The "applying" to the WA that you mention doesn't automatically make you a WA nation, all it does is send you the confirmation email with the link so you can click that and become a WA nation. You're actually clicking that button in order to get a link sent, and clicking a second time, on that link in your email. That's why it doesn't violate the one click, one action rule.

But isn't it two actions per click because you click once at it sends a link (applies you) as well as founds you?

Would a script that admits you right after you resign by allowed then?

No, because the click doesn't apply you. The click sends you an email. That's it. It founds the nation but it doesn't mean you're a WA nation until you go into your inbox and click the application link. Until you click that link, you haven't fully applied to the WA, and as such nothing has changed on NS, other than the nation being founded.

If..someone can make that happen somehow, then more power to them. I'm no coder but that doesn't sound easy. If you resigned and it immediately applied for the WA email for a different nation, I can't see how that would be illegal, as it's only changing one thing in the actual game in that click.
Someone can tell me I'm wrong though, if I am.

[Ballotonia]

FYI the rule is here.

So is applying to the WA not a restricted action? How about admitting/resigning?

My read of this is that both applying and creating a nation are restricted actions, and thus should not be allowed in one button click?

Or am I wrong?

Applying to the WA is not a restricted action, it affects only the telegram inbox of your own nation and your own email account (outside of the game). Both joining and leaving the WA however are restricted actions, as they affect the membership roster of the WA in the game. That's outside of your nation.

Ballotonia

[Sichuan Pepper]

I wonder if the mass applications to hotmail are what caused the block out. It would appear to be spam when huge amounts are placed at once. While this might seem user friendly it actually causes a lot of players problems in the longer scheme of things.
Sorry for the slight derail but I am concerned that allowing scripts to place applications for huge amounts of puppets might cause the next popular email provided to start blocking emails. I would like admin to reconsider that particular rule.

[Ever-Wandering Souls]

I wonder if the mass applications to hotmail are what caused the block out. It would appear to be spam when huge amounts are placed at once. While this might seem user friendly it actually causes a lot of players problems in the longer scheme of things.
Sorry for the slight derail but I am concerned that allowing scripts to place applications for huge amounts of puppets might cause the next popular email provided to start blocking emails. I would like admin to reconsider that particular rule.

As far as I know, no one actually used anything like that, at least on the "R" side of things, right now. That's one of our newer Hawks, who likes to script, mostly just snowballing for the moment to figure out what he can do legally. I don't know any raiders that actually use scripts to apply as of today - most either go through and do a bunch right before update for a tag run, or apply sometime after the raid, in the process of tagging regions and moving puppets back to the JP (which can be right before the next raid ). The issues with hotmail seems to be long ongoing, and from my readings/understanding (which may be flawed), more based on NS using something or other that was once upon a time associated with spammers then NS itself actually causing any spam.

[[violet]]

The issues with hotmail seems to be long ongoing, and from my readings/understanding (which may be flawed), more based on NS using something or other that was once upon a time associated with spammers then NS itself actually causing any spam.

That was definitely the problem at first. I had to go around getting our new IP addresses removed from a bunch of blacklists. But then Hotmail and other Microsoft services kept adding us back on. They've never been able to tell me why. My latest theory is simply that we sent too many emails to invalid addresses, which happens when people typo their email addy (or change it) but sign up to forum topic notifications by email.

Just this week we've begun outsourcing email delivery to Mandrill, and I'm hopeful that will fix all our problems.