"Illegal" Scripts

[Itrade]

Does CC have any rules or guidelines and what scripts can and can't be used, and if it doesn't, should it?

Scripts like BOB really enhance the game - I can hardly remember how I played games before it - but they also give players that use them an advantage over players that don't. The thing is, anyone can get BOB and benefit instantly from it, so it's not much of a problem.

With things like clickable maps, though, things get a bit more murky. It's also right there for everyone to use, but the advantages are much, much more apparent than BOB's, especially in freestyle games. I think it's safe to say that if you have two players, one with clickable maps and one without, who are both equally skilled with equally fast internet connections and you drop them in a bunch of freestyle games together, the player with clickable maps would win significantly more games than his scriptless counterpart. Because of the incredible advantage clickable maps offers players, many players have called for regulation or even removal of the script. Personally, I would tell those players complaining to get the script for themselves and level the playing field, but that's just me.

Which brings me to another thing I've been wondering about: scripts that provide advantages not found elsewhere but are not publicly available. Should using these scripts be considered cheating? Googling the definition of cheating returns a definiton stating that cheating is "any behavior outside the rules that is intended to give an unfair advantage to one or more players." CC has loads of scripts that give advantages to players, but these are all fair because anyone can use the scripts. However, if a script is not publicly available, then only certain players can use them and things would not be fair, and that would be the definition of cheating.

Finally there's the rumours of a script that changes classic art and classic shapes back into plain ol' classic, and changes the new CC lingo back into the old RISK terminology. The script may or may not exist, but if it does, what are the implications? Could CC get into trouble with Hasbro for such a script? Could players get in trouble for using it?

So yeah, discuss.

P.S. Here's a quote from another thread that I think is somewhat relevant:

Clickable maps are like guns in America. The people who have them wanna keep 'em, the people who don't have them are terrified of the people that do and want them removed.

Remember kiddies, if you outlaw guns, only outlaws will have guns!

[Hotdoggie]

woot another clickie maps complain thread...

[Itrade]

If you had read my post you would've seen that I have no problems with clickable maps. I'm ambivalent about them at worst.

This thread was made to foster discussion, not garner complaints. If you don't have anything to say, get out.

Oh yeah, this thread was also a place for me to use loads of big words without fully understading their meaning... =D

[Hotdoggie]

If you had read my post you would've seen that I have no problems with clickable maps. I'm ambivalent about them at worst.

This thread was made to foster discussion, not garner complaints. If you don't have anything to say, get out.

Oh yeah, this thread was also a place for me to use loads of big words without fully understading their meaning... =D

Yea, I blame the big words...

but discussions have been done and redone and redone and redone on the topic...those who use them like them, those that dont use them dont like them...

[blakebowling]

you know, lack has no way to prevent users from using scripts, nor does he have a way of tracking which users use which script.

[Johnny Rockets]

Might explain about 1/2 of the leader board eh?

J

[Aradhus]

The thing is, anyone can get BOB and benefit instantly from it, so it's not much of a problem.

That's not actualy true. Not everybody can get these scripts to download or work on their machines. For me, every computer I've ever had I've downloaded firefox, and all I get is problems. It freezes often, sometimes it just stops altogether, which in speed games=game over.

Overall, I'm not really on either side about the scripts. I don't think they improve a players winning chances that much(or at all) except clickymaps in freestyle.

[Itrade]

Hmm, that's a good point Aradhus. BOB does help show attack routes and other helpful information that the less observant among us (read: me ) would have otherwise missed, but attentive players should be able to play okay without it. And then there's the issue you brought up about people having computer issues with such scripts. I'm not sure how to respond to that...

Also, if the rest of you guys feel clickable maps have been discussed too much, you could talk about the fabled classic restoration script or the private scripts instad of just telling me how much clickable maps have been discussed before.

[BaldAdonis]

Finally there's the rumours of a script that changes classic art and classic shapes back into plain ol' classic, and changes the new CC lingo back into the old RISK terminology. The script may or may not exist, but if it does, what are the implications? Could CC get into trouble with Hasbro for such a script? Could players get in trouble for using it?

This doesn't happen anymore. The xml puts the territories in different places. I'd like to see a classic art/shapes revamp that puts them in the proper places so we can use the image swap again. I hadn't heard of anyone changing the lingo, but I also haven't heard many people using the new words. It's not like we were rolling dice in the first place anyways.

CC can't get in trouble for scripts that you use. You might get in trouble, but Hasbro would never know, because you're only broadcasting the image to your own computer. The person who hosts the image might get in trouble, but photobucket accounts are free, and you could just move it from one to another and wait for the next "cease & desist" if they ever found you.

*edit* For clarification, the classic swap script never worked on classic art/shapes. It worked on the classic revamp, and was a very simple javascript program with an image swap. You could use it to change to any of the various choices put forward by the foundry, each with slight changes to the circle whiteness.
I've been using it recently on Poker club to see which cards are starting points (swap in when I want to see, then swap back out to play), but it doesn't have that many applications anymore. It'd be useful if the foundry made a lot of final versions of maps (ie. changed the colours/shading AFTER the army circles are finalized), and sometimes they do, but I usually like the look of the maps.

[The Neon Peon]

How does BOB help? I have it, but I always keep it at disabled. What is so good about it? You can look at the map and count numbers, why do you need a script that does it for you?

[lilwdlnddude]

well it tells you what your wanting to know alot faster then you counting up and calculating all the things you want to know
i used to have BOB but i dont anymore, but the statistics it gives you are useful sometimes

and the clickable maps

Might explain about 1/2 of the leader board eh?

J

i would agree with that

[Gypsys Kiss]

well it tells you what your wanting to know alot faster then you counting up and calculating all the things you want to know
i used to have BOB but i dont anymore, but the statistics it gives you are useful sometimes

and the clickable maps

Might explain about 1/2 of the leader board eh?

J

i would agree with that

You can say that, but how many people on the last page use CM?

Answer-probably a similar percentage. Mind you, that is just a guess, but you're guessing aswell

[a.sub]

i think the statistics arent as cheap as the CM are, my comp cant run CM for some reason, i had it for one game, and it butchered me because it would deploy on the other side of the map, attack from the wrong places etc.

as for BOB, i hav nvr used it so i cant tell u :S sorry.

i do use the Map Rank GL because i like to know my personal stats, and that doesnt improve game play

[BaldAdonis]

How does BOB help? I have it, but I always keep it at disabled. What is so good about it? You can look at the map and count numbers, why do you need a script that does it for you?

Screenshots, if you play fog games and too many games to memorize.

[The Neon Peon]

How does BOB help? I have it, but I always keep it at disabled. What is so good about it? You can look at the map and count numbers, why do you need a script that does it for you?

Screenshots, if you play fog games and too many games to memorize.

Note to self maybe? But how do you take a screenshot? Would make my life a whole lot easier.

[JOHNNYROCKET24]

this thread is going to get huge. keep this thread marked and perhaps even stored in your favorites.

[a.sub]

this thread is going to get huge. keep this thread marked and perhaps even stored in your favorites.

i hav nothing to say, but i thought id help JR24 cause

[BaldAdonis]

How does BOB help? I have it, but I always keep it at disabled. What is so good about it? You can look at the map and count numbers, why do you need a script that does it for you?

Screenshots, if you play fog games and too many games to memorize.

Note to self maybe? But how do you take a screenshot? Would make my life a whole lot easier.

It's a function BOB has. You just click snapshot, as often as you want, and it stores them all for your reference (plus it highlights changes to the board). Unfortunately there's no way to do it while you're not online (so for multiplayer games, you'll miss things).