Fed II Star newsletter - masthead The weekly newsletter for the Fed II game by ibgames

EARTHDATE: May 21, 2006

OFFICIAL NEWS
Page 4

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WHY IBGAMES DOES NOT SUPPORT MACROS

IBGames does not support the use of macros, Fed-bots or any kind of automated Fed-playing program. We don't go so far as to ban them outright, because it would be a difficult rule to enforce, but we do not like them because we think they are very damaging to the game. We don't allow players to trade macro programs on the comms or to post messages asking for, or offering, macros on the electronic noticeboard.

We use the term macro to describe any piece of software that will make your computer play Fed without you having to do anything.

We have no problem with hotkeys, f-keys or command strings - anything that lets you send a command, or a series of commands, to the game at the touch of a button is fine. All that does is save you typing. Our official front-end, FedTerm, has f-keys built in.

What we object to is the programs that do the thinking for you, by analysing the text that Fed sends, and making decisions about what to do next. Those are extremely anti-social.

Why do we dislike them? There are a number of reasons:

  • Fed is a social game. Even if you are working really hard, you can send the occasional remark to the comms in between doing jobs, or pop into a bar and chat for a moment while you stock up on pizza before going back to trading. But if it is not you playing but your computer, then you're never going to be part of the social community of Fed DataSpace.
  • Macros give you a very unfair advantage because of the speed at which they run. We have designed the lower ranks of the game so that it should take several days for a player to promote from GroundHog to Adventurer, and then another several days to do the AK jobs and get to Merchant. Macro programs allow you to get from GroundHog to Merchant in one game session. Doing it this fast is like jumping a queue; it's not fair to players who don't use macros and do it the hard way.
  • Macros can do a lot of damage in a short space of time. A macro program can descend on a planet and strip all of the useful stuff from the exchange in just a few minutes. This can be a big shock for the planet-owner, and also leave non-macro-using Merchants with nothing to buy. We urge planet-owners to use the 'EXILE' command as soon as you discover a player is operating macros in this way - that's what the command was put into the game for!
  • Macros cut out the learning curve. The way the Fed ranks are designed is that at each rank you learn something new, which you then build upon every time you promote. A new player has to learn how to fly a ship, has to find the way between planets, and discover the Armstrong Cuthbert offices. An Adventurer has to do some heavy-duty exploring to find the correct places to deliver packages. A Merchant has to learn how exchanges work in order to make a profit trading. The knowledge gained while doing this is very useful at higher ranks. But give a new player a macro program and he doesn't have to learn any of this stuff. Suddenly, he will find himself at a high rank with no idea how anything works. That's not good for him or for the game.

Fed isn't about getting to the highest rank you can, as fast as you can. If it was, we might as well just allow people to purchase higher ranks for money. It's about the total game-playing experience as you work your way up the ranks and become part of the community.

We do understand that some people enjoy the intellectual challenge of writing their very own Fed-playing auto-bot macro program. But the ultimate sin, as far as we are concerned, is giving those programs to new players. Don't do it - please! If we end up with a game that consists only of macro-users, Fed will not survive.


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