Just want to say thanks and good luck Rob.

I started reading slashdot in 8th grade, right around the time I installed Linux for the first time (Red Hat 5.0 I believe). slashdot kept me hooked on technology and geek culture all the way through middle school and high school. The articles and discussions on slashdot definitely influenced my decision to pursue a BS and MS in computer science, and then begin my professional life working in software development.

It sounds corny but it's hard to think of anything else that had such a profound impact on my life. While I don't read as religiously as I did in those early years, I still drop by now and again for nostalgia's sake.

Thanks again for creating this community.

Algorithmic trading is not effective if you have to pay commission on your trades. Their software only works if it's used by a corporation with
1) network connections to stock exchanges
2) seats on those exchanges, which allows stock to be traded directly instead of through a broker

If you can't beat a scripted bot in terrible gear than you are probably the worst wow player on the planet.

You might think it's easy to detect but I never heard from any GMs (and they were pretty hardcore about cracking down on bots at this time).

People did send tells early on when I was actively developing it and the code caused some weird behavior, like running in circles or against walls. They would usually ask if I was a bot looking to see if anyone would reply.

#1, those are zero sum games. It's completely different.

#2, my bot did not give anyone an unfair edge. My bot was similar to an above average player. It had to follow the rules of the game just as everyone else did.

I think it's a sad, sad commentary on our society when people take videogames so seriously.

Wow, that's a... unique way of looking at it. I really didn't care about the other side losing. The point of the battleground is to help your team win. It was less effective than if I was playing and giving it my all, but more effective than the average player (since almost nobody healed in battlegrounds).

This is actually the first time I've seen this reaction to BG botting with a smart bot. Most people are glad it's one less AFK bot sitting in the cave in AV.

Definitely, I've always enjoyed checking out game mods, map editors and other customizations.

Quake 1 was one of my favorite games, I still can't believe how long I played it, but between running a server and trying all the different game modes that came out, there was a lot to keep me busy and interested other than just playing it.

Well I did say "one of". I enjoyed arena and raiding as well.

Also, it was the process of developing the behavior that was fun, not "watching" it.

Perhaps you don't play wow, or the rules have changed, but that's not how the battlegrounds worked (a few years ago).

There is no bonus for being first on the meters. Being first was not depriving anyone of anything. It's merely a way to show how effective the code was.

You cannot steal honor from anyone. Everyone gets the same honor based on how many kills they're involved in and how well the team does in the match.

One of the biggest reasons one side would lose a BG is lack of healing, so if anything my bot was probably helping people gain honor.