Map & Isle scripts

[Shendemiar]

www.tomwoodcock.com/RAID/index.php

[bishop]

Those tools are very impressive, particularly the map. Considering that they appear to belong to [RAID], I presume we don't actually have consent to use them?

[Harlequin]

Wow! I know you like a challenge Shendo... ;D

[Cesium]

Wow, that's some mad skillz, and I agree with Bishop, the map is really cool and useful, though I like to type in my playername and stare at my abnormally over-whored colo count.

[Arminius]

But you've only got 16 isles...

Yes, the map is great.

[blazed]

wow, that really is rather good.

[n00bs]

I am left wondering how they gather the data without breaking the rules. Bots and automated data gathering are not legal.

[onewhoknowsitall]

n00bs said:

I am left wondering how they gather the data without breaking the rules. Bots and automated data gathering are not legal.

Tools like this have existed forever on every version of IK. The debate as to whether they break the rules or not has been around just as long. These types of tools don't get as much heat as colo tools usually do though.

[DrieZ/Cesium]

I don't think this map tool is cheating or breaking the rules.

by the way: it looks fantastic

[mmupatton]

I have a feeling we shouldn't tell them we have seen it though...

[AeroS]

any way to rip that script off thier site?

[n00bs]

onewhoknowsitall said:

n00bs said:

I am left wondering how they gather the data without breaking the rules. Bots and automated data gathering are not legal.

Tools like this have existed forever on every version of IK. The debate as to whether they break the rules or not has been around just as long. These types of tools don't get as much heat as colo tools usually do though.

I am sure they have. I even run my own, but I do it in a way that is not against the rules which means that I am tracking a much smaller set of variables.

The problem with that site is that, if you look at variables they are keeping track of and the frequency with which they are sampling them, the only way I can see that they can do it is with a bot. And there are no doubts that bots are illegal according to the rules so I don't see what people are debating about legality?

[2kcastle]

when you say the one you run isnt against the rules i'm interested to know how you decided that.Which rules do you think the raid one is breaking ? as far as i can remember all these tools work by being signed into an account and gathering data by accessing pages and recording the info, does yours work in the same way ?
personally i like tools such as these and i miss the colo tool i had access to on the .uk server. It was a huge advantage and saved hours of time scouring ocean maps.

[n00bs]

2kcastle said:

when you say the one you run isnt against the rules i'm interested to know how you decided that.Which rules do you think the raid one is breaking ? as far as i can remember all these tools work by being signed into an account and gathering data by accessing pages and recording the info, does yours work in the same way ?
personally i like tools such as these and i miss the colo tool i had access to on the .uk server. It was a huge advantage and saved hours of time scouring ocean maps.

From the rules:
"§4 Programs that automate processes in the game, change the surface of the game or generate an exorbitant number of hits are strictly forbidden on all pages of the INSELKAMPF website."

So, anything that gathers information in an automatic fashion is illegal. Again, I cannot see how they gather that amount of information in anything but an automated fashion and without generating a relative large number of hits. I would be interested in what the debate is since I have a hard time coming up with any argument that would make it legal.

I can think of at least five ways to do it in a legal manner (not breaking any part of §4), and I have implemented two of them. But they all require manual traversal of a large set of pages to achieve the kind of data you find on that site. My little database contains nowhere near the amount of data you find in their system because it would be rather time consuming to populate it to that level. Your question was how to implement it legally, I will leave that as an exercise for the reader.

I am honestly getting a little frustrated with the game. What good are rules when they are not enforced? It is not like it is hard to spot multis and bots from usage profiles, I would claim that it is actually pretty easy. But that is not done, instead we have a vigilante group who persecutes suspected multis on evidence that occasionally seems extremely sketchy, while at the same time interpreting the rules to allow them to do things that stretches the definition of multi to the almost absurd.

I guess my problem is that I am playing the game as though it is about islands where it is really a social experiment.

Ok, time to go enjoy a sunny Saturday.

[AeroS]

A tool that shows unowned or idle islands would be awesome. some one make a tool that does that I will be eternally grateful.