Yeah the previous version can get you killed.

edit: if you want the macros, they are there on grimy still. see post below to find status of the script.

That's the last frigging public *.ts script I do...

edit: Wanted to clarify that last sentence. I don't have a problem with exploits. They are part of the game. Scripts have to be dangerous, etc... I've repeated that mantra way too many times to be too pissed off about the exploit part of it. heh.

But making a public script that works, is fast, and is resistant to exploits and spoofs is a royal pain. Public scripts represent a LOT of time and energy. This one was easlily 50+ hours in the making counting coding, testing, and debugging. I even went the extra mile and put a lot of documentation into mine, so users have a chance to see how it works and maybe learn something too.

I've just come to the conclusion that it wasn't really worth the time I put into this one. If people don't know what you are running, they have a toughter time exploiting it. I'm kicking myself, because I coulda used the same time to work on other scripts that would have been more benificial to me.

Some good did come from this. I also learned that the ones most likely to find an exploit are the ones least likely to tell you about it, even if you ask for help.

I'll be in 'I don't give a flying ****' mode for a few days while I ponder this life lesson.

Traitor, I had a question I just read your intro doc on this and it mentioned that using a planet scanner costs more turns, I have never noticed that before so I went into a game to check before I bothered asking a stupid question. I was hoping for some clarification on this, thanks.

People are more likely to help you find exploits if they aren't on an enemy corp.

quote:Originally posted by RexxCrow

Traitor, I had a question I just read your intro doc on this and it mentioned that using a planet scanner costs more turns, I have never noticed that before so I went into a game to check before I bothered asking a stupid question. I was hoping for some clarification on this, thanks.

Rexx, the macros I use in the script that do the actual busting are the issue. If you have a planet scanner, it'll cost you an extra turn each time cause you need to grab the planet number every time.

Planet scanners don't inherently cost you any extra turns if you are just busting by hand and you can see what the number is. Of course doing it that way will likely get you killed, unless you are alone on the server.

I'm using a macro to grab the planet numbers, and the way it works, you pop off dock, it tries to land, cancles the landing, then it ports again. I'm actually back on dock before I even recieve the message from the server that contains the planet numbers. In a lot of cases, I'm back on dock before an enemy recieves the message that I even lifted, due to the time it takes for the message to go from the server to the enemy. I'll certainly be back on dock before he can react and attack. So, anyway, the point is, in order to safely get the planet numbers, I have to burn a turn to get them. If I linger off dock long enough for twx to catch up with all the messages, and then choose the planet to land on, I'll be dead.

The problem with my script was I tried to get clever and make it more turn efficient by dropping multiple planets in the sector, so when it's forced to grab the planet numbers, at least there will be a bunch of them so it only had to grab the numbers once for every 3 or so planets. The problem was I started destroying the planets in reverse order. So if there was planets 14, 15, 16, 17, and 18 in the sector, I would grab the numbers, then macro bust 18, then 17, then 16, etc... The exploit happened when an enemy got clever and blew up 14. The way I had my macro, I would try to land on 14, but since it wasn't there, I would instead send the ship to sector 14, which isn't desireable, since that will get you killed.

So, I fixed the macro so that won't happen. I tested it against a copy of the script they used to exploit mine. Then I modifed it so it will bust the planets in random order. Also hardened it up against a few other spoofs/exploits I thought of. Posted the fixed version on Grimy, but took it back down because of another problem I discovered soon afterwords. I'm keeping it in house for now, because I'm debating doing a substantial re-write to address a specific vunerability I found in the process of making those changes. In the meantime, I suggest that if you have a copy of version 1.5.5 or prior that you pitch it, modify it yourself, or just use the macros.

Thanks for the detailed explanation. That is definitely the most complex busting script I have ever heard of! That is a great idea to incorporate the message delays into the script as an advantage for it's user. Now thats pretty "frigging" creative! [^]

Traitor-

Thanks for your hard work on public scripts like this. Its pretty sad that a pro like you still needs to spend 50 hours to write something of this nature and yet newbies are told to go learn how to script so they can play with the big boys. That's hundreds of hours of commitment just to speed something up by milliseconds (otherwise you die). Strange indeed that anyone would desire this type of game if they had options to play a slightly different way.

Now gosh darn it Stretchies, dont you start a fight in here too! You keep this up and were going to have to give you, your very own personal thread. hahaa j/k

quote:Originally posted by Stretch

Traitor-

Thanks for your hard work on public scripts like this. Its pretty sad that a pro like you still needs to spend 50 hours to write something of this nature and yet newbies are told to go learn how to script so they can play with the big boys. That's hundreds of hours of commitment just to speed something up by milliseconds (otherwise you die). Strange indeed that anyone would desire this type of game if they had options to play a slightly different way.


Stretch,
Ever take your car over 100? 120? Ever climb a mountain because it was there? Ever push yourself to the point of breaking then push a little bit more, just because you could?

I spent maybe 10 hours pounding out the code, and then another 40 hours trying to make it as idiot proof as possible and tweaking it for maximum performance. Not unlike a mechanic tunes an engine before the race. Getting an extra 2 ms may not seem as exhilerating as reaching the top of a mountain, or as heartpounding as going 120 down a windy country road, but it's mentally stimulating on a level that those other things just can't touch.

TradeWars is a mental game. Each bang is a new track, and twx is my car. And I wanna make my car FLY!

I don't think I can explain it any better than that, nor will I try. If you don't get it now, you probably never will.

Traitor said it very well -- TradeWars is a mental game, and to me scripting is an extension of that. To take a blank screen and type in the code and then watch it do what you want is a good feeling. Then after it does what you want, you tweak it so it is faster, and more flexible in nature. Then when you get to this point and you are thinking about releasing it, you try and make it idiot proof. I don't release attack scripts for the simple reason if I make a mistake in the script and not take something into account, the player using it dies - I don't trust my scripting ability to make it idiot proof.

Scripting has become as much fun to do as actually playing the game because of the challenges it presents.

               / Promethius / Enigma / Wolfen /

"A man who has no skills can be taught, a man who has no honor has nothing."

Traitor-

I understand completely and wish you well in your attempts to achieve the next high. Newcomers to both Trade Wars and coding may not share this sentiment is all I was pointing out. Again, thanks for at least the attempt to release your work publically.

Thanks Stretch.
But I feel that doing the public thing has gotten me no end of grief. I have lost too many friends over the years in my drive to make things public. I'll patch up t_buster.ts as best I can, then I'm gonna work on stuff for me.

Ok, I think it's finally ready. version 1.7 is now available on grimy. I'm done with it.

_t_buster.ts
A script for reds to use for planet busting for exp. It's safer than most I've seen out there, and mostly idiot proof. It has tons of features. Read the notes in the script for details on all the features. It's open source, so feel free to open it up and look it over. You might learn something.

Designed and tested with twx 2.03 final. Prior or later versions of TWX may or may not work with this script.

Please send any bugs to e-mail: traitor@tw-cabal.com
Please include a description of what went wrong, and a screen cap or text log if possible. Line numbers much appreciated!

1.7 06/28/05
fixed the "bust the first planet on the list" exploit that nobody bothered to tell me about.
added support for transwarp ships (only if extra planets at dock, and only if people are messing with you. prevents you from flying off if you have twarp on your bust ship)
silences messages to help prevent spoofing. will unsilence them when it needs messages. Will unsilence when finished, or when the script halts (assuming you don't manually stop it)
busts extra planets at dock in random order now. helps stop exploits
Added checks to ensure that people aren't screwing around with planet names in an attempt to spoof certain triggers.

See notes within the script for more information.

I'm outta here!