2025-01-13 10:00
#0
The difference between a Powergamer that runs scripted BOTs and a Casual Gamer that actually plays the character, is the time invested in the gameplay, to my viewing...
While a scripted BOT does not consume any or much of the powergamer player's time who controls it/them, the casual player actually spends his/her time at the keyboard to obtain anything in the game that they can get with that gameplay activity.
So, as it usually is, when in-game items are obtained in the game through scripted BOTs, their value goes down and this undercuts the time value of the casual players who actually spend their own time at the keyboard to get the same items, basically making it not worth their time at the keyboard to get the same items... they are much better off earning in game gold elsewhere, and buying these items cheap from the other powergamers who can get them through scripts and BOTs without any or with little expenditure of their own time at the keyboard.
And here we get to the part about why I think, that UO needs more in-game activities (not necessarily hunts, any in-game activity...) which are 100% scripts/BOTs proof...
Considering how, at least to my understanding, so far it has not been possible to entirely eradicate scripting and botting from Ultima Online, if it is necessary to live with it when playing the game, then, at least, to my opinion, Casual Players need to have in the game certain game activities which they can get items from, that they know they will not be competing with powergamers scripting/botting them (guaranteed not scriptable in-game activities...) so that the value of the items obtained through those absolutely guaranteed not scriptable in-game activities will stay a good one so that casual gamers, from selling those items, can then get sufficient gold to then buy the cheaper items in the game that scripters/botters can get.
The only weakness I can think of in such a Design, is to "whom" the Casual gamers would then sell those non-scriptable more expensive items from non-scriptable in-game activities... to powergamers who script and bot ? I doubt that they could be interested in spending much to purchase them... so, Casual Gamers would need to find other Casual Gamers to sell them too... problem is, that often, Casual gamers might not have that much in-game wealth to spend...
Turning to the RNG could be a solution (but only if that in-game activity was to be 100% guaranteed as non-scriptable and non-bottable) since then, a Casual player could be blessed by a lucky RNG and get the valuable item with a little investment of time as compared to some other player who would need to spend a ridiculous amount of their time to get the same item because of an unlucky RNG roll, but it would be absolutely necessary for that in-game activity to be 100% guaranteed non-scriptable and non-bottable or, scripters/botters would just force the RNG to spawn those higher value items though scripting and botting and, thus, with none, or hardly any expenditure of their time...
That is at least my opinion of it.
Thoughts ?


