Coming soon: a moratorium on TG-sending scripts

[[violet]]

About six months ago, we changed the script rules, including allowing scripts to send up to 3 telegrams per minute. The purpose of this was to act as a kind of stress test for the new TG system, which aims to remove the need for this kind of scripting, but rather allow (and manage) recruitment-type messaging within it.

The new TG system is (of course) taking longer than anticipated, and in the meantime, we've had steady growth of auto-TG scripts, to the point at which it now seems likely that new nations will receive more recruitment TGs than their inboxes can hold.

As I said in the original thread, this was going to be the point at which we would stop the trial. So this is a heads-up that we are likely to have to ban auto-TG scripts again.

I was hoping we would get the new TG system in first, so that recruiters would be able to switch to that, rather than have an awkward gap in which it's difficult to recruit again. Unfortunately, I have not been that productive, for which I apologize.

Edit: Following discussion, this post now relates only to recruitment telegrams, not WA campaigns. Will we wind up with a moratorium on those, too, before we get a new TG system? Possibly, but not yet, since there is not yet a Spamageddon problem of the same scale.

[SunRawr]

Thank you!

[Crushing Our Enemies]

Would it be possible to ban auto-telegramming scripts only for recruitment purposes, while leaving other uses of such scripts intact? For example, disseminating regional news to its members, etc?

[[violet]]

Would it be possible to ban auto-telegramming scripts only for recruitment purposes, while leaving other uses of such scripts intact? For example, disseminating regional news to its members, etc?

That sounds like a good idea.

[Blue Wolf II]

I think the newbies will enjoy not having a flood of telegrams in their in-box every time they create a nation and I will enjoy not having to make up a script just to send out a regional message to the 4800+ nations in The North Pacific.

[Klaus Devestatorie]

I'm literally down to one last bug in C&C's publicly posted code that I have to work out in the C# program and now you're banning them? AWFLAWEFLHLIUHAWEUILFHKJENFAWIOEFJHDBKAWEHF

[Astrolinium]

Hallelujah!

[Blue Wolf II]

*Reflects upon his earlier statement*

Actually, I wounder what the effect of sending out a regional message to 4800+ nations at the same time would be. Are Regional Telegrams still going to be added or has that idea been effectively scrapped?

[Ardchoille]

Does the moratorium apply also to automatic campaign TGs for WA proposals? Your title says "TG-sending scripts", but your OP concentrates on recruitment.

There's an debate on the effects of WA campaigning scripts here, after which the script author withdrew it from public display. It was derived from a recruiting script.

[Zemnaya Svoboda]

Does the moratorium apply also to automatic campaign TGs for WA proposals? Your title says "TG-sending scripts", but your OP concentrates on recruitment.

There's an debate on the effects of WA campaigning scripts here, after which the script author withdrew it from public display. It was derived from a recruiting script.

It's my understanding that the time constraints make manual WA campaigning competitive with script campaigning, and script campaigning does not increase the amount of campaigning that I am aware of.

[Mahaj]

So, guess the best question is, when does this start?

[Auralia]

I'm literally down to one last bug in C&C's publicly posted code that I have to work out in the C# program and now you're banning them? AWFLAWEFLHLIUHAWEUILFHKJENFAWIOEFJHDBKAWEHF

I already fixed that bug, and posted the code on the automatic recruitment thread.

[[violet]]

So, guess the best question is, when does this start?

Probably later in the week.

[Auralia]

Does the moratorium apply also to automatic campaign TGs for WA proposals? Your title says "TG-sending scripts", but your OP concentrates on recruitment.

There's an debate on the effects of WA campaigning scripts here, after which the script author withdrew it from public display. It was derived from a recruiting script.

I am said author, and I would like this point clarified as well.

[[violet]]

Edited OP.

[Ardchoille]

Edited OP.

Thank you.

[Mahaj]

So, guess the best question is, when does this start?

Probably later in the week.

Awesome

[Haythorn]

I have mixed feelings about this.

No longer am I the underdog. No longer can I boast about recruiting 100 nations manually in no more than two weeks against autorecruiting competitors.

Admittedly, though, this should even the playing field a bit, and, at the least, new players won't be overwhelmed with recruitment TG's.

[Manegarmr]

Edit: Following discussion, this post now relates only to recruitment telegrams, not WA campaigns. Will we wind up with a moratorium on those, too, before we get a new TG system? Possibly, but not yet, since there is not yet a Spamageddon problem of the same scale.

Newly created puppet 13 hours ago has recieved a total of 15 telegrams in that time, not all from auto recruiters

Does just over an average of 1 per hour seriously constitute Spamaggedon?

Or is my puppet too undesirable?

[Warzone Codger]

Edit: Following discussion, this post now relates only to recruitment telegrams, not WA campaigns. Will we wind up with a moratorium on those, too, before we get a new TG system? Possibly, but not yet, since there is not yet a Spamageddon problem of the same scale.

Newly created puppet 13 hours ago has recieved a total of 15 telegrams in that time, not all from auto recruiters

Does just over an average of 1 per hour seriously constitute Spamaggedon?

Or is my puppet too undesirable?

Limit is 20 TG in the inbox. As you said 13 hours and you already got 15. Pretty close I'll say.

[Crushing Our Enemies]

I created a new nation today that got 7 telegrams in the first 36 seconds, and several more in the first 15 minutes.

[ALUCARD GRIMUS]

In practice what this does is allowing the big regions who already used scripts to remain with their population inflated, while the little ones, that were only given the script now won't be able to rise their population to the same level, due to the delay in obtaining the resource.

The worst of all is that now, when the playing field had finally been leveled and everyone had the same resources to compete, they are being taken away. The fat cats will remain on top, and the skinny ones on the bottom.

It creates a situation of injustice.

[Ananke II]

That's not really true. Even with a big region, if you stop recruiting your numbers will start to fall pretty quickly. So to stay on top big regions will have to do regular recruiting like everyone else.

[Cerberion]

Consider also that the very large regions who manually recruit didn't get huge without a ton of man hours. It took dedication and effort to really progress a region.

By allowing a bot to do it, you are devaluing the efforts players have put in to what was and is a tedious (though rewarding) job.

This change can't come soon enough for me, even though I spent some time yeserday building a recruitment script in ruby just for the hell of it.

[Andacantra]

*does a little jig and warms up her recruiting fingers*

For those that are rehashing the debate, there was an extensive one here