1) Less chat traffic to the server for announcements. Like a Private Channel, there's one message to the server and out to all the subscribers, rather than a separate /tell message to the server for each subscriber. Moving the other announcement bots to this system would allow tightening of the spam limitations, as it would replace a legitimate reason for bursts of identical /tells that look very much like spam. Are there other legitimate reasons that could not be improved by switching to this? Helpbot would still need a botnet for faster responses, but those messages shouldn't be identical too often.
2) Faster announcements. The server receives the announcement and sends the same string out to each subscriber instead of processing each /tell separately, each of which had to be timed to stay under a frequency limit. A couple seconds don't make a big difference to GSP shows, but it might be important for other uses. My question was what those other uses might be.
3) Fewer bot accounts and bot characters. A bot using this system could make announcements to as many people as a botnet, but using only one bot character on one account. I don't know if there are enough botnets running to make that a significant difference.
4) Privacy. Only the server has the database of who's subscribed to which channels. The announcing bot doesn't know who's listening. If someone were to use it to distribute spam, they wouldn't have the list of characters who had fallen for their trick.
5) Automated greeting messages. The bot doesn't know who's listening, so it isn't watching for you to log in and welcome you. The server sends that message when you log in, rather than telling the bot you logged in to the bot can tell the server to send you the message. That's one message in each direction optimized out at each subscriber login.
Yes, the same overall result can be achieved with already-available raidbots, but there would be advantages to having some support on the server side. Still, I guess the lack of responses says something. If only GSP would have any use for this, FC isn't likely to do it, even if they did agree it was a good idea. It wouldn't be worth the effort for one org.]]>
Crabface wrote:I assume many of them are waiting for the new engine, hoping it will revitalize the game. The low froob population has been a problem for a long time. After a few years it gets old.
Ahahahahhahaha!
Don't tell me there's ANYONE who still believes in the prophecies of the great dx9 engine? It was just another example of FC's signature move - bandaid upon bandaid. Tell everyone you're making a new engine! Stocks go up, players stay with hope, those who quit return to get a head start against the TONS of new players who will join when the new engine comes out. Now since AO has more players in it then before that means more will stay and new ones will come, right?Wrong. AO is on life support and without that new heart it's only a matter of time and all the doctors are in another room working on that TV celebrity who broke a nail...]]>
As I understand it, FC is working on re-purposing the engine used for Age of Conan for AO, with the idea of allowing servers to be used interchangeably between the two games, as necessary. It won't be as big of a jump in graphical quality as the original vid that circulated a couple years ago, but it will be a notable improvement. I'm not sure what the expected time frame on it is, but late next year springs to mind as a guess.]]>
Vabla wrote:
Ahahahahhahaha! Don't tell me there's ANYONE who still believes in the prophecies of the great dx9 engine? It was just another example of FC's signature move - bandaid upon bandaid. Tell everyone you're making a new engine! Stocks go up, players stay with hope, those who quit return to get a head start against the TONS of new players who will join when the new engine comes out. Now since AO has more players in it then before that means more will stay and new ones will come, right?
Wrong. AO is on life support and without that new heart it's only a matter of time and all the doctors are in another room working on that TV celebrity who broke a nail...
Crabface wrote:I assume many of them are waiting for the new engine, hoping it will revitalize the game. The low froob population has been a problem for a long time. After a few years it gets old.
Ahahahahhahaha!
Don't tell me there's ANYONE who still believes in the prophecies of the great dx9 engine? It was just another example of FC's signature move - bandaid upon bandaid. Tell everyone you're making a new engine! Stocks go up, players stay with hope, those who quit return to get a head start against the TONS of new players who will join when the new engine comes out. Now since AO has more players in it then before that means more will stay and new ones will come, right?Wrong. AO is on life support and without that new heart it's only a matter of time and all the doctors are in another room working on that TV celebrity who broke a nail...
It's actually this kind of attitude that kills the game. Whether or not there will be a new engine, I like to believe there will because that's in the best interest for the game and I love AO enough to do that. In a few days a lot of players will be visiting the AO offices in Oslo, I think this should shine some light on the engine being vaporware or not. You can leave now, go spray your pessimism somewhere else.]]>
PS. Hai to everyone at AOFroobs...I had to join coz I liked the idea of the comp soooooooooooooooooo much
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