EventBot

[Maverick]

There is a new bot in town: EventBot!

This bot has been designed to work as a solution to the ?help host request calls staff gets. It gathers all the requests by PM and show them to available staff who can pick from the most requested events!

So don't hesitate and PM your requests to EventBot:

:EventBot:!request <event>:[comments]

At <event> you have to specify what event/arena you want hosted. The [comments] are optional (maybe a reason why you want the event hosted?).

Have fun in Trench Wars!

If you have questions/comments/suggestions/sarcasm, please post here!

[Darkmoor]

Is this the bot that was shot down by dock in the past? I only recall some vague discussion about it.

Anyway, I hope this will not mean that only the most popular events are hosted from now on.

[Maverick]

Is this the bot that was shot down by dock in the past? I only recall some vague discussion about it.

Another staff member also recalls such a thing from a previous bot. However, this bot isn't the same (as I created it from scratch). So far, I've received no complaints against the concept (or reasons why it shouldn't be here) - I wonder what reasons Dock> had to disapprove it though.

Anyway, I hope this will not mean that only the most popular events are hosted from now on.

Probably not because picking what event to host is still up to the ERs. They are not rewarded if they host the most popular event.

[Stormwick]

so you can vote once? per hour?
easy to abuse?

[Dutch_]

So i cant use ?help anymore for ?go javduel? How does it work? Will stafmembers get a message or do they have to check the bot for requests?

[Maverick]

Stormwick: You can !request any time you like to (but you can use the command only once per minute to prevent spam/abuse).
Your !request will last for an hour. (Aka, it will show to staff for that time.) You are even able to change your request by just using the same command if your request hasn't expired yet (doing so will make your request last for another hour).

Dutch_: You can still use the ?help host command (as newbies probably won't know EventBot). RoboHelp will then PM you, recommending you to PM !request to EventBot.
Using EventBot is a better way to request events then using ?help as all the requests on EventBot are tallied, catched and easier displayed for staff. (For example, if you just used the ?help command to request an event, any staff that comes on after your request won't have seen it.)
All staffmembers will get a message about your request and they can check the top # requests on the bot if they want to.

[Cops]

it should be once per hour per IP, otherwise cops1,cops2,cops34, and cops69 can all vote for the same event.

[Rodge_Rabbit]

Another staff member also recalls such a thing from a previous bot. However, this bot isn't the same (as I created it from scratch). So far, I've received no complaints against the concept (or reasons why it shouldn't be here) - I wonder what reasons Dock> had to disapprove it though.

Hi
Actually a public response was given on Qan's thread what you can find below:
http://forums.trenchwars.org/showthread.php?t=15877

About EventBot, I had expressed no less than 5 times that I did not wish for EventBot to be created. I didn't know you created it, or I would have consulted with you. I apologize for this. I don't want any systems that give us statistical information on what players want to be hosted. This will mean lower staffers will know exactly what the players want, and in order to make them happy they'll host the exact same few events over and over and over again. If that's not a step back I don't know what is.

[Darkmoor]

Aha! Indeed, that is the post I was referring to, now that I see it again.
Hopefully this will work out better than predicted, now that you have it in use... but no high hopes on this one.

[Galaxy Turbo]

About EventBot, I had expressed no less than 5 times that I did not wish for EventBot to be created. I didn't know you created it, or I would have consulted with you. I apologize for this. I don't want any systems that give us statistical information on what players want to be hosted. This will mean lower staffers will know exactly what the players want, and in order to make them happy they'll host the exact same few events over and over and over again. If that's not a step back I don't know what is.

DoCk>'s got a point.

I'm not gonna debate it, I think it will benefit the zone in one way, but I don't exactly know how this will handle for the future, only time will tell.

[Fit of Rage]

Excuse me, did I misread something?

Two comments on what DoCk> has to say about EventBot:

1. What is the problem with hosting what people want to be hosted? If a sufficient number of people !request an event, why should the event not be hosted? I always thought the point of Continuum was to have fun, which includes playing what you want to play, not "Have hosters decide what they want to host and therefore what is available."

2. I fail to see how a few zealots repeatly using the !request command directly implies that those events that they want will be hosted over and over again. Staffers are people too. They get tired of hosting the same event as soon or sooner than most people get tired of playing it. (I know this from 2+ month's experience as an <ER>). Any staffer with any amount of reason will not host the same thing repeatedly, and staffers in general will communicate as to what's being hosted. EventBot hasn't taken away the 1-event-at-a-time courtesy that I'm assuming still exists (at least when I was staff). Also, if someone keeps spamming for an event, say pictionary and all they ask for is pictionary, available hosts may not even like hosting pictionary. So it won't happen.

This bot is not a step back for the zone, it's a step forward. Staffers can at least now have a general idea of the event or TYPE of events wanted at any given time, though this does not automatically require that they be hosted immediately or at all. I would say if anything, it provides better feedback for staff and a better playing environment for general players.

Where's the problem?

PS: For what it's worth, great job with EventBot, MMaverick.

[Static Burn]

I like it. I think you should add a feature where everyone (not just staff) can view what events people are requesting.

[Vatican Assassin]

Excuse me, did I misread something?

Two comments on what DoCk> has to say about EventBot:

1. What is the problem with hosting what people want to be hosted? If a sufficient number of people !request an event, why should the event not be hosted? I always thought the point of Continuum was to have fun, which includes playing what you want to play, not "Have hosters decide what they want to host and therefore what is available."

2. I fail to see how a few zealots repeatly using the !request command directly implies that those events that they want will be hosted over and over again. Staffers are people too. They get tired of hosting the same event as soon or sooner than most people get tired of playing it. (I know this from 2+ month's experience as an <ER>). Any staffer with any amount of reason will not host the same thing repeatedly, and staffers in general will communicate as to what's being hosted. EventBot hasn't taken away the 1-event-at-a-time courtesy that I'm assuming still exists (at least when I was staff). Also, if someone keeps spamming for an event, say pictionary and all they ask for is pictionary, available hosts may not even like hosting pictionary. So it won't happen.

This bot is not a step back for the zone, it's a step forward. Staffers can at least now have a general idea of the event or TYPE of events wanted at any given time, though this does not automatically require that they be hosted immediately or at all. I would say if anything, it provides better feedback for staff and a better playing environment for general players.

Where's the problem?

PS: For what it's worth, great job with EventBot, MMaverick.

ya, i think you are missing his point. the events that always get asked for already do get played a lot. i believe zeus' concern is that now, events that do not requested a lot, or at all, will never be hosted. you may think, if they never get requested, why host them? because there are many events that will never get played again, or so rarely that they might as well not exist. so you have a boiling down of events, and many get lost and forgotten. at least, thats what I think zeus was afraid of, and i'm sure he's right, whether or not its a bad thing is up to you.

[Maverick]

Reply to above posts about qan's EventBot

Yes, it's using the same name. (hell did I know this name was used in the past for a different bot..)

I've read qan's and Dock>'s posts about this and it seems this was a different bot as it tallied all the requests and stores them permanently. This would create the possibility to render statistics from these numbers.
Like Dock> said, this might be a problem as it would mean only a number of popular events would be hosted as they would be requested the most.
Nonetheless, I haven't ever seen this bot so I can't really tell what it exactly did and exactly why Dock> would disagree to it so much.

The current EventBot was created with a different mindset. I just wanted to create the possibility for ERs that come online, to see what events the past hour were requested. It's up to them if they host the most requested event(s).
This system also makes the event requesting more fair for the players as their request is really lasting the full hour instead of a single ?help alert that was sent to staff (amongst all other ?help and ?cheater alerts).

Keep in mind that the current ERs are still required to host the less popular and requested events to show the public our "forgotten" but fun events.

[Fit of Rage]

Exactly the points I made, MMav. I totally agree.