is it legal to make bots on the test server ?

[AbrahamZ]

hello,

 

I have way too much free time, and I'd like to start another bot for EL (just for fun). It is legal to do whatever I want with several accounts on the test server ? I'm asking because when I launched the client with "Eternal Lands\el.exe" test, it showed me the same rules as the normal server (with "no macroing, no automation")

 

researching "test server" on the forum hasn't given me much information... :x

[Torg]

Yes, you can run what you like (within reason) on the test server.

 

Basically, if you intentionally try to DoS the test server, I'm sure there will be consequences. Otherwise, you should be ok.

[AbrahamZ]

ok, that anwsers my question

 

thank you

[ago]

A guildie once had his bots running around on the testserver and he got them temporary banned because they were spamming the server with macroing warnings. It was legal though and the ban was for technical reasons.

[Raz]

Radu posted that it was illegal to train the bot on the server. IE go sit on a dragon spawn and serp for drops.

[Aislinn]

We could give a better answer if you told us what you want to do there.

 

People have gotten in trouble over there for interfering with official testing, and that has in the past on a few occasions had involved bots.

Players and their bots have gotten in trouble for spamming the server with macro attempts, and other various code things gone bad...(@ago: not sure what you mean by that is legal though). So really an "anything goes" over there is not an accurate answer.

 

Test server is supposed to be for testing things ent wants tested, and for testing your bot code (but being responsible and paying attention to it and stopping it if it goes bad!), things like that.

It really wasn't meant to play on or "cheat the system" by trying to find access to "secrets" or private locations, or manipulate all your pp's before doing it "for real", the list is endless how people abuse test server. (And yes people do this, doesn't mean it's right, but it's just too hard to always be on top of it so some of you get lucky and get away with it unless you really mess up official testing or abuse that info on main server).

 

Also note that characters do not get transfered from test back to main, so leveling over there won't get you a nice leveled character with dragon drops back on main server.

[AbrahamZ]

I would like to try to make a polyvalent bot with IA (pretty much like the Ants on the main server). I know this is ambitious, but it doesn't cost anything to give a try. Maybe I should run a local EL server (I think I'll find how-tos on this forum) in order not to disturb the official test server. Futhermore, I'll will have more control on what I'm doing if the server is mine. I will think about it.

[Torg]

Maybe I should run a local EL server (I think I'll find how-tos on this forum) in order not to disturb the official test server.

The EL server code is not available, and will not be made available without a very special agreement being made with Ent.

 

There is a *very* unofficial EL compatible server around, but I don't know how complete the implementation is and if it would help you develop your bots.

 

From the sounds of what you want to do (develop an AI), you should be ok as long as you have a killswitch in the code to limit the number of messages sent to the server (to avoid a DoS attack), as well as a limit on the ability to auto-login, for the same reason.

Edited August 25, 2009 by Torg

[ago]

Well, the bot characters were unbanned on the testserver later and the guildie was allowed to run his bots again. Therefore I believed it was legal to do what he did.

 

And about Calindor, the unofficial server: I have a fork that allows testing the .def files for the maps but not much more. You can run around and even fight stuff but there is not much game logic behind. There are no quests, no harvesting. Fighting is pretty simple. So there is not much use in training the bot AI there.

 

I've basicly used it for testing a guildmap before it went life and stress testing the sound system in the client to find a crash that bothered me during invasions.