Another BOT!!! thread.....

well not really...ok well sort of.

I have hired a store model (it's actually a friend who has left his alt at my shop while he's gone to work for the day). Sometimes I have things that I really would like displayed in a 'real' sense because pictures don't always do things justice...so I put up a pose stand and this morning took his alt skin/shape/hair shopping, had her put on a gown and she is currently spinning in slow circles in my store. Since he had to leave for work, I figured that I could just set him up, he could leave, and then I would go and register him as a model for traffic purposes.

So anyhoo, once I finally figured out how to do that, I realized that because I can't access his account, I can't 'register' him as a scripted avatar...

and now for the burning question: is he a scripted avatar? If you hire someone to model and they are afk, does that make them scripted avatars? Do I need to register him and if so, is there a separate designation for 'this is someone working not a scripted avatar'?

I'm in a quandry Any help out there?

I really wouldn't bother with a few afk's .It might raise a few eyebrows if there were dozens but I don't think you need to worry.

First:
The av doesn't need to be registered as a scripted agent, because it's a voluntary option.

Second:
When the system stops counting registered scripted agents for traffic is when you really need an answer to your question because, although registering is voluntary, the scripted agent status was set up precisely for things like store models - so that bots can be used without adding to the traffic count, otherwise they will be judged as gaming traffic. So there is no cause for concern yet.

Third:
Your question was discussed in the 'scripted agents' blog. There are people who insist that any avatar that is left unamanned for more than just a few minutes is effectively a 'scripted agent' and should be registered as such. That's just opinion though, and those people are the diehard anti-bot types. What there isn't is an LL view of it, but what else do we expect.

My own opinion is that, if an avatar is left unmanned, and as a store model in the way you described, then it does come under the intention of the scripted agent status. On the other hand, if I leave my main or my alt logged in with a viewer but unmanned for hours while I go bowling, for instance, it's not and never will be a scripted agent, and I won't register it as one - unless LL come out with a firm opinion on that.

Finally:
It doesn't matter either way on land that is not set to show in search.

ETA:
This thread has the potential for a jolly good argument

The smouldering answer to your burning question is that your model is generating traffic points for your store. The avatar's typist is by intention absent from the keyboard - "gone to work for the day".
This is an offence if the model is on a parcel flagged for Search.

LL have outlawed traffic bots, but recognise that life isn't that simple.
LL recognise that some people require to have models, greeters, etc. on their parcels. They suggest that in order to avoid being accused of gaming Traffic, the parcel owners cut out 16m micro parcels in which to position these avatars. The micro parcels should be excluded from Search - so that avatars on the micro-parcels do not inflate Traffic for the main parcel.

That's a problem for people who have landlords who do not permit subdivision of parcels, or who require their models/bots/greeters/etc to move around.

Enter the "Scripted Agent" idea.
This was LL's new music for semantic dancing.
The intention seems to be that at some time in the future, avatars will not add to Traffic points for a parcel if they have Scripted Agent set on their account at the time.


LL would have been better to define it as Non-Traffic Agent status. That would cover every situation in which an avatar was present on a parcel but should not be adding to Traffic points.
If LL wanted to collect some interesting data on the uses and programming of Non-Traffic Agents in use, they could collect that via a drop-down on the Status indicator.


LL wish to prevent systematic gaming of Traffic.
Someone who goes AFK at intervals while logged in is unlikely to be in danger of being whacked.

Even the sad little souls who would deliberately leave their avatar logged in order to clock up traffic while they leave the building in RL are unlikely to be whacked.
They *should* be whacked as a matter of principle, but realistically, they are not worth the effort involved.

There's no one in the Governance Team office that would give a hoot at less than 12 traffic bots. But as your afk friend serves a "valid" demo purpose, its doubtful it would cause any issues at all, unless the afk avatar was demo-ing a megaprim rotating sign on Full Bright.

No it's not an offense. Gaming traffic is an offense these days, but store models are not - hence the 'scripted agent' status. When they change the traffic counting system so that it doesn't include scripted agents, then non-registered store models will be assumed to be there for the traffic, and will be an offense. At the moment, store models can't be judged as intentionally inflating the traffic because they are performing a useful and vaild function. Even if they are registered, they are still inflating the traffic. Unregistered store models won't be an offense until they introduce the new system that excludes scripted agents from the traffic count. Only then can unregistered ones be treated as gaming traffic.

Incidentally, store models were never an offense.

But some are quite "offensive".

Sorry. Moving along.

I wouldn't know about that.

Taking the high road.

Are you trying to say something? If you are, spit it out.

Awww, Phil...that sounded downright confrontational. I was teasing. Sorry. Promise it won't happen again. Will you spank me now?

To be honest, I really didn't know. I couldn't think of anything but you sounded so serious. Then again, I often post humour without smilies - serious/dry sounding. Anyway, yes - I'll spank you now

Pictures, or it didn't happen.

No picture - cos it didn't happen. Arielyn didn't get back to me about it

PHIL!! I thought at LEAST you'd IM me with the date and time! OK, watch for it...here it comes.....

Phil, I respect ya, enjoy ya and can't wait for the date. BTW, can the hubby join us?

HE wants me to spank him too??? er... no.

i know someone who is using 23 bots. I watched their traffic go from 5000 to 33,000 in 2 nights. This person has "models" and says they are registered bots, which clearly they are not since her traffic has significantly increased.

So ... worrying about one avie just going occassionally afk to model, i wouldnt concern myself about.

even scripted agents count as traffic for the time being..they still have to set it where they don't count..

that should be happening any year now hehehehe

That's one of the negative things for a while. Until LL stop registered avs from counting for traffic, there's an open door (almost an invitation) for stores and such to have bots that they wouldn't have had before the changes. But not many or they can be penalised for gaming traffic. Yesterday, someone posted in the other thread that he'd been given a warning for having just one bot which was registered. It, presumably, didn't have a valid purpose for being there and was seen as a traffic bot. So small numbers aren't safe.

Last night, I did something I've never done before. I used the map to go to where bunches of green dots were, and I was amazed at how many of them (most) were bots and camping. I didn't check land to see if any is set to show in search though.

Who are you and what have you done to Phil?

Do people actually report traffic bots?

I think they do, but Jack asked us not to report them.

It's really not an offence, taking the piss with umpteen bots is an offence, nobody is going to get their arse spanked over one model, even with scripted agent status set they still add traffic points.

I think Anya has possessed his avatar, we need to call an exorcist quickly!

Or not.

There is currently a pretty obvious bot farm where they call them 'models' lagging up my home sim. Their bots take up about half of the agent limit.

Countless people in the last few weeks who have either live in or visit that sim have ARed them. Yet still no word from LL and it continues on as normal.