[Analysis] Rebornbuddys 1-50 Questing; Supporting Its Optimization

[scorpinot]

[SUB]Short version for the lazy viewer:[/SUB][HIDE]The questing pack takes lots of monitoring and does not have full class quest support. If you want to see full class questing/better side quest automation and are willing to support development then send me a tell with your $pledge amount, actual funds are not being taken. Pledges serve to represent incentive for potential developers, the higher the pledge the more likely this project will be started for real. There are no definite plans for development at this time.[/HIDE]

Being a user of Honorbuddy and now Rebornbuddy these past two months, I'd like to share my analysis and experience using the [Offical] Rebornbuddy Questing Pack. Before I jump into the details let's take a quick look to get a general idea of where the communty's interest lays by observing the thread view count:

>Poll - Click Me<​

I originally purchased RB for the automated leveling support with a main interest in the questing profile and Fate Bot. While Fate Bot delivers the questing pack is very suboptimal when considering the amount of manual input and monitoring needed. Disregarding the difference in development time (three years to seven months), comparing HB's leveling profile to RB's I noted over a 10x increase in the amount of manual intervention needed. This figure does not take into account the trials and dungeons needed for the main story, which adds around 4 hours of required playtime and a few hours of monitoring queue times. In my recent testing log thread, I made a record of each time manual intervention was needed while running the 1-50 profile for two level 50s and one 20.

Alternatively, a HB user would only suspect ~7 interventions running the 1-100 level profile, all of which include fast actions such as restarting the bot or loading a new file. Despite only having a very basic understanding of coding, looking at the chart I find myself questioning how simple it would be to fix the majority of these delays; a few of the categories could be resolved with quick temporary fixes. API bot swapping functionality would also be a significant step in reducing the run time of this profile, as fate leveling beats grinding by over 200% in time efficiency. The file design is also flawed as it results in unneeded stops due to dependencies on class quests. Which leads to my next topic of discussion: the optimization or rewriting of this profile.

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The current author seemingly has no plans to continue support for the 1-50 questing profile. Considering Heavenwards is around the corner, the amount of optimization this profile could use to reduce user monitoring and input, and the lack of full class-job quest support, I'd like to propose a solution for interested community members that will incentivise any developer(s) who take up the project.

[Example Draft]
Proposed project goal: Add automated support for all class quests level 1-50 and improve existing functions.
Proposed project requirements includes 2 parts:

1. Reforming file and folder structure into the following format:
   
   • Code automating all currently unsupported class quests will need to created. This task must be completed within a margin of 90%-100%
2. Eliminating 80% or more of the problems archived here - edits that are counter intuitive to the goal of this project main goal should be avoided.

Deadline: 100 days / # of developers

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My suggestion to developers is to start your own kickstarter with similar parameters and take donations as you develop the project, while also releasing progress reports in the form of class quest samples over time.

This idea is still in its inception, no actual funds are being taken at this time until a developer takes on the project.

To gauge interest, here's a mock fund below. Simply send me a tell with the amount you'd be willing to fund to this idea if someone were to work on it.

Current Pledge for Project: $35[HIDE]scorpinot : $35 + 1 account with several 50 classes for testing purposes
oni222: $5[/HIDE]

To developers: if you plan to take on this project and wish to use the 1-50 questing pack as a base, contact original creator kagamihiiragi17 for permission to use files.

 

[shadowrukia]

THis looks good, I hope they update that profile its so .....uh lets say it could use some work. well a lot.

 

[y2krazy]

I plan to code my own 1-50 (or what will become 1-60) to give everyone more options. Nothing scream "botter" like a bot train (everyone using the same profile) running through a zone.

Of course, my biggest hindrance is time/availability. If someone wants to pay me $50k/year to do this full-time, send me a PM, lol.

It will be done by me, in time, but again, with a full-time job, 1- to 1.5-hour commute each way, being married and having kids, you can see why my work isn't already done.

Thank you for the analysis work on the official pack, scorpinot. Good work, my friend! Useful for everyone moving forward.

 

[Wheredidigo]

First, let me be clear: I don't really have any experience making profiles.

Now that that's out of the way. I think the biggest challenge with making Quest Profiles for RB is the lack of built in functionality. HB's questing API is lightyear's beyond what is currently available within RB. Granted, the way OrderBot is currently, you have the ability to create your own Custom Tags, and I can tell you with 100% certainty that Kaga spent A LOT of time building custom tags to be able to even do the quests. One of the main problems RB has is the inability to travel between zones. There is nothing built in right now that would allow me to walk from Gridania to Eastern Thanalan. Yes, you can teleport, but in order to do these quests and have them be successful, you need to be able to walk between zones so you can take into account someone not already having an aetheryte unlocked.

While I do love the idea of a Kickstarter fund, I just don't think you're going to get the response needed to really do this. This community has shown that while some people will Donate/Support the CR/Plugins/Profiles they use....MOST people will not. A perfect example would be Destiny V2. This plugin basically gives you the ability to use FateBot to level ALL of your classes to 50 pretty much while being AFK. It has over 1700 downloads. It has received ZERO donations. Please don't take this as me whining about not getting donations. I'm just trying to point out that while you have a good idea and I hope the project comes to life. I just really doubt you're going to get very many pledges.

 

[scorpinot]

I just don't think you're going to get the response needed to really do this. This community has shown that while some people will Donate/Support the CR/Plugins/Profiles they use....MOST people will not.

The difference is those are freely available. If you put a monetized wall infront of a feature with enough consumer demand you'll see results. Now we wait and see how big the demand actually is in this case. The opportunities there, it would be interesting to see someone start a kickstarter for this or another wanted feature. Crafting the idea and taking pledges through just a thread is one thing, seeing someone capable of delivering the promised features through a more legitimate trackable funding method is another.

 

[MasterKilj]

Most profile packs as was stated above screams bot train if it becomes popular. A system like Robo's honorbuddy random path runner for farming mats on HB would be a great system to develop. Not sure if main profile packs for clearing main scenario is viable considering how much interaction you would have with non botters. There is already several reddit topics about how people are wanting to take up scouting all area's to control rmt and bots in general. First and foremost a bot should have is being able to hide its identity as a bot and detection should be its above priority above all else.

I would not use a bot for main scenarios unless you are able to do private group setups like most chinese bot armies utilize. Only reason chinese bot armies are not taken out at a faster time is because they group with themselves and not people in main scenario duty finder.

 

[Cloud30000]

Most profile packs as was stated above screams bot train if it becomes popular. A system like Robo's honorbuddy random path runner for farming mats on HB would be a great system to develop. Not sure if main profile packs for clearing main scenario is viable considering how much interaction you would have with non botters. There is already several reddit topics about how people are wanting to take up scouting all area's to control rmt and bots in general. First and foremost a bot should have is being able to hide its identity as a bot and detection should be its above priority above all else.

I would not use a bot for main scenarios unless you are able to do private group setups like most chinese bot armies utilize. Only reason chinese bot armies are not taken out at a faster time is because they group with themselves and not people in main scenario duty finder.

Based on my understanding on acquiring gil to sell, there is actually little to no benefit for "chinese bot armies" to run the main scenario quest line at all; they get a much smoother run by doing fates if they really want a high level DoW/DoM class, but the afk/effortless money is actually in the gathering classes. Just bot a Miner/Botanist in the most efficient way possible to collect the mats as fast as can be, then sell the mats for a quick turnaround. The most questing they need to do is just enough to unlock the retainers, which I'm not sure requires a duty finder group.

I believe the chinese farmers are also the most easy to spot, because they are typically abusing the mechanics to teleport and mine from inside of the terrain. However, they acquire mats soo much more quickly that way that the rewards of RMT from the mat sale profits far outweigh the risks at this time.

IMO, if SE ever cr*cks down on bots, which is very unlikely due to the order of magnitude lower active membership and income from subscriptions seriously limiting the support staff coupled with bots having little effect on active subscription numbers, it will be due to the RMT transactions which are well beyond any control RB can provide and not due to people botting through the main scenario quest lines to get to the end game.

Edit: Why is c.r.a.c.k. a filtered word? Seems unnecessarily arbitrary for a very common word

 

[freebox]

I will say that I don't really have the know how but would love to learn. If there is someone that is willing to help me learn the basics, and not have to go out to buy software...... I would be able to give it a go I have been looking at getting another account for farming, So I would even be able to start fresh. I have thought of doing the quests and the Class quest support.
If anyone want to help be a mentor I would love to at lest help.