Zugg Software :: View topic - Anti-robot code?

Beginner Joined: 14 Sep 2008 Posts: 18

For the mud I'm playing, the admin is trying to use some code like following to restrict our
use of robot.

Posted: Wed Oct 22, 2008 8:29 pm

Let me get this straight - you're asking us to help you evade detection of your botting? Sorry, but I highly doubt anyone here will help you break rules on your MUD. And the admin should be smarter about it and change it up every time to prevent scripts like that from being used.

Disgustedly,
Charneus

Beginner Joined: 14 Sep 2008 Posts: 18

aren't we using cmud/zmud for botting? What I asked is a general question, its all about handwriting recognization.

Posted: Wed Oct 22, 2008 9:10 pm

No, we use the clients to make MUDding easier. The accepted definition of botting is utilizing scripts that allow your character to play while you are away from the keyboard. They are scripts that run your character from mob to mob, killing them and moving on. They are scripts that auto-run quests and tasks. Most MUDs ban botting, and it sounds like yours does.

Many users of z/CMUD use the program to organize, to store databases, to do things which they have to enter commands to execute. What you're asking is for a way to leave your character botting so you can do other things and not get caught. Therefore, it'll be hard to find someone to help you.

Charneus

Apprentice Joined: 18 Feb 2007 Posts: 190

if patterns are not predefined (ie. are randomized) that would be pretty much impossible to realize from zscript

Beginner Joined: 14 Sep 2008 Posts: 18

Hehe, thanks . Maybe its different here, I play chinese mud and all of us use bot scripts, the admins know about that, they keep changing the mud code and we keep changing
our robot script. So basically, its a fight between players and admins,haha.

Posted: Thu Oct 23, 2008 12:03 am

Ignoring for a moment the ethics of this sort of thing - questionable though they may be - the simple answer is that it's going to be extremely difficult. The patterns in question can vary wildly from case to case, making them very difficult to match, and that's the point really. In short, no, you can't.

Beginner Joined: 14 Sep 2008 Posts: 18

ouch, thanks anyway.

Wizard Joined: 14 Oct 2000 Posts: 1368

Actually this might be solvable. You could for example try with a neural network and train it on input samples using the back propagation algorithm.

Apprentice Joined: 18 Feb 2007 Posts: 190

ha! nn in zscript/lua?
using external programs would be probably easier to convert ascii block to bitmap and run trough some ocr

Newbie Joined: 07 Oct 2004 Posts: 7

SubAdmin Joined: 18 Nov 2001 Posts: 5182

It is not impossible, but extremely difficult. In the case of the particular text you posted I must say that even after you say that is supposed to be "113" I can't see it.

I would suggest finding a different MUD. Admin behavior such as that is likely to alienate most of the player base, and without many players there is often little reason to become invested in a given mud.

GURU Joined: 10 Oct 2000 Posts: 873 Location: USA

Newbie Joined: 24 Oct 2008 Posts: 3

no expert could help you, this need your smart to achieve this. cmud could provide you the language, like c, vb, but excellent script still need your effort.

It is not just a recognition programming. Your robot need to achieve illegibility recognition.
I know you are a xyj playing guy. And the issue was not that simple as Para said.
If it was just a monochrom symbol recognition, maybe it is possible to handle.
Para didn't mention that it was lots of symbol with ANSI color. The recognition result based on cogeneric color is the only right answer.
So if you need program to achieve that , you firstly need capture each symbol's ANSI color code then analysis.
Unfortunately, zmud or cmud didn't pay much attention to give good command on color capture and analysis.

Wanderer Joined: 31 Oct 2004 Posts: 94

Sorcerer Joined: 13 Jan 2006 Posts: 715

Obeying the rules of each individual MUD isn't an arbitrary flavor of morality. And trust me, I'm no saint. Heck, I'm banned from two MUDs for abusing the rules. However, I did it on my own without dragging anyone else into it ;)

GURU Joined: 10 Oct 2000 Posts: 873 Location: USA

Wizard Joined: 14 Oct 2000 Posts: 1368

Posted: Fri Oct 24, 2008 5:55 pm

The only "official rule" that we have is this (from the end of the CMUD License Agreement):

Sorcerer Joined: 13 Jan 2006 Posts: 715

As Zugg pointed out, it is relatively simple to catch violators. No human can enter a series of commands as fast as a script can for one, so simply snooping (watching a player's view of the MUD) someone is usually a dead giveaway. It can also be detected via code implementation as is done on a variety of MUDs. Now some people will argue... but I'm just holding down enter and sending the command more than once. Ok, sure. Fine. But how is that a valid argument when you just issued 50 unique commands in under 10 seconds. OOPS!! Scripted :D So, yes, its easy to detect violators and really its up to each MUD admin. I like Zugg's policy on this and enforce similar on my own forums.

Wanderer Joined: 31 Oct 2004 Posts: 94

Well I'll have to disagree with the degree of easiness it is to catch 'violators'. Poor violators are easy to catch, and skilled ones arent. But anyways, this is all a moot point. This thread is about a specific technical problem, and to be honest, it is a pretty interesting one. So I suggest we focus on the problem and that if we want to talk morals/ethics, we do it on another thread, where we wont bog down the technical progress.

GURU Joined: 10 Oct 2000 Posts: 873 Location: USA

Wizard Joined: 10 Oct 2000 Posts: 1551 Location: Australia

Seems to me the easiest way to solve this is for someone to stay at the keys :p

Failing that, maybe someone else could stay at the keys, not necessarily physically at _your_ keys, you could give them some kind of remote desktop access to watch your screen, but even so, I wouldn't have a clue how a human could pull a "3" out of that wierd symbol, let alone a computer.

Wanderer Joined: 31 Oct 2004 Posts: 94

cant get anywhere with this without more examples though :/

Beginner Joined: 14 Sep 2008 Posts: 18