You are technically correct but it still feels like an exploit. I’m not going to tell anyone what to do, but, like I said, I’d be interested in the official stance on this. 
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When you say “you can AFk for 20 minutes” that must involve some sort of button press like weighting a key or taping a mouse button when not using scripts.
From past discussions I remember that fixating a button for something like this is considered botting and can get you a ban. So better only do this actively
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It can’t count as scripting, as holding down some physical keys would be impossible to police. I think scripting/botting means complex inputs like some people have talked about in the past, seeing people farming gleam, regening, and minting using a script/bot.
James’ reference to ‘scripting as a means to play with a disability’ is in regards to things such as repetitive strain when pressing craft 30 times (as an example).
Edit: But i understand where you’re coming from, i’d too be interested to know officially
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Do you have a reference to this (I just want to know what I can do @Tiggs @monty1)? I would like to know, I am in no way trying to break the rules and posting it on the forums clearly shows I am not trying to hide it either. It’s just an attempt at creating automation within the game boundaries.
Besides, I think PS4 players already do AFK farming with slow-walk on controller to farm exp while having a weight on buttons to automate it? Not sure if anyone can confirm this.
I do not use any bug or exploits in the game either, as separately all of these things are part of the game and definitely not bugs/exploits. The only question is whether using a weight on a key is considered rule breaking, which I am not sure why it would be rule breaking.
Also edit: won’t use the farm until either Tiggs or Monty have confirmed what their stance is on this, just to be on the safe side! Or well, I can use it but then I manually have to do the pressing. 
There is even -built-in- mechanics against placing the same block over an over again and it’s a tip you can learn. You can also notice these anti-botting measures when you are standing still mining gleam spheres (like some people like doing even manually), after a while you should stop getting XP for it. You can obviously work around these measures by moving. For me this is clearly exploiting game mechanics that are not meant to be used that way, but again, I’m not speaking in any official capacity here
PS, the tip:
Found it again. It is a statement on Discord
If you auto click with a program or something like posted here makes no difference to the game
Part of this long discussion thread Keep your "macros" to your self
The only absolutely official statement was already posted above from James.
You are not actively playing when AFK so at best a gray area. We never hear about bans and as such we do not know if people were already banned for things like this.
I hear ya, but this literally states nothing about what the issue seems to be here. Both discord comment by Stretch and Forum comment by James are in regards to Scripts or Bots, neither which was used in this case. I get the issue here and why it seems controversial, but to me it’s just the same as Autorunning forwards in other games.
Besides, this is all just an attempt to bring automation to Boundless, something that is hardly seen before and may bring a lot of usefulness in many ways and make certain aspect less tedious.
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At least the Discord comment mentions auto-clickers. A constantly pressed button can be seen as a sort of auto-clicker.
Just want to prevent bans. Official statement would be best here 
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Yeah I am not using it until I have official confirmation. Or well, I can use it as long as I press the button constantly myself.
But also, it’s not actually clicking, it’s holding down a button which I press to start it off.
Whatever the case, I am not trying to get in to trouble here and I am being completely transparent here!
The main argument isn’t about clicking vs holding down the button, it’s about the fact that your character is doing things to gain things without you actively playing the game to do it.
Though, not that it could really be proven or disapproven, if you did it while you were still sitting there watching it then that part of the argument disappears.
The other side of the argument is about the fact that this is an exploit, which it truly is. Placing blocks for xp and lettings coils break them isn’t a new thing, it has absolutely been done before, it’s the fact that it’s now automated in a way that makes it so easy to use as a way to generate the player coin effectively for free (level crates).
Both of these stances were that of the previous devs though, so who knows how peeps feel about it now
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I think it would be impossible to police.
If you ask me from a moral standpoint I don’t think it should be allowed.
I will say though it’s just going to happen and there are some limitations in the game namely color rarity, crafting timers and grinding levels for more plots that I could see where someone might consider using a script or bot to technically “get ahead”.
Sticking with my moral compass I am against it, but if someone is doing it and the mechanics and the TOS allow them to do such a thing then that decision rests on them. I don’t care if they “get ahead” of me in some way in a game where there is no real benefit to “get ahead” of someone else.
Of the three things I mentioned:
-
Color Rarity - Someone could buy 20 accounts launch them all and then do their own gleambow hunts. While it would take actually purchasing the accounts and the ability to run that many accounts at one time, is it breaking any rules? I question that one as many of us do this when we go on hunts and bring 1-2 alts along with us too. On top of all that… color rarity and lack of official gleam hunts almost require you to do gleambow hunts to gain some of the colors.
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Crafting Timers - I personally feel the crafting timers are just fine, but I know there are a number of people that would love to automate this so that the crafting isn’t as tedious, but upon thinking I don’t know that you can script or bot this.
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XP and Plots - This one seems a little sketchy to me, but it’s simply the fact of someone being lazy and not wanting to buy plots. You don’t have to buy plots, but there is a monetary value placed on plots buy allowing a player to buy cubits and in turn use those to buy more plots. If you can automate the gaining of XP, you in turn are automating the generation of cubits and in the end gaining the ability to purchase items in the shop (plots, outfits, etc.).
As I stated, if someone wants to use a script or bot to “get ahead” I don’t really see much point in it, but then again I tend to take the high road… most of the time.
EDIT: Just to add I know there were previous exploits in the game that were exploited and quite a few of those players are still around.
Oh wow of all the old junk you don’t want pulled out of the closet 
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I’m new’ish I apparently missed all the so-called exploit days.
I am not denying having done it because I literally show it in the video. But I just want to say I didn’t do anything with malicious intent, hence why I am waiting for the new owners to give us their thoughts.
I personally don’t see it as an exploit. Sure, maybe intentions were not to use for this purpose but that goes for many things - it’s just being creative with the tools presented.
OK with some time to read this:
The fact that people are AFK earning (premium currency) is not what you want to advertise really, is it?
Wierd, dodgy, super specific analysis like “typically a macro is defined blah blah but also this is a key weight so no matter it’s not any kind of macro or bot…”
This is directly, literally actively targeted at the spirit of the only “hard” guideline which James would ever give - You’re encouraging AFK “play”.
You’re using your construct to effectively steal plotting rights, and this is a game where players are plotting in the same set of public worlds as you are likely to be. There is no “not hurting anyone” there is no “not getting advantage” here.
All that ■■■■ aside, putting this out front just shows a potential new player that if they want to ever ‘keep up’, ‘catch up’, or compete with existing players they’re going to have to play the game automatically in some fashion.
I’d love to appreciate your work on the technicals here - but it’s honestly unlikely that anyone who thinks this through want to paint this image over the game.
James stating that came on the heels of literally a thread about using software and physical aids to help an actual disabled person play the game.
Yes gleam farming, for instance, is ten minutes of repeating the same two button clicks over and over. No complex inputs no problem, right? And “gleam farming” is also “every block” farming. This means it’s orb farming, fragment farming, if you want even yam farming. Though now we can make actual farms for some of those with better yield.
I don’t know how many people automated to the level of running their machines (you mention minting) but it’s not hard if you can handle a touch of scripting instead of just recording, but if you’re willing to set up your inventory you can record a quick one to dump stuff.
So anyways as far as my opinion on whether is is quality of fair game play in any way, it’s not. If anyone wants they can read the rant from me linked above. You can find similar rants on a lot of game forums, all the “it isn’t a bot” in the world doesn’t change how this pans out and to be entirely honest - this is a method of AFK play and violates the only clear “opinion” the previous owners would ever give on the matter.
Finding this build in game would reasonably be grounds for a ban, if actual gameplay was being moderated in any way. That won’t happen, I’m sure. Posting this to the forum is ballsy though. It is in no way good advertisement for the game.
Another set of pings for @monty1 and @Tiggs.
Sure lets have another round.
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In the end, I hope @monty1 can learn a thing or two about the things that have been or are still being exploited or used as a way to get ahead in the game. I hope they have someone monitoring the game from inside the game including chat logs, builds and of course exploits.
Thinking of ways to let players gain more plots/XP in game might be an option, but looking to monetize that might be another even more so than it already is.
I still consider myself a new player as compared to a lot of the veterans here, but I do know I have about 7000 plots available to me across all my alts. I have zero need for another 7000 … I do not plan to plot an entire world, but I am sure there are those that would have no problem doing that.
EDIT: Just let people who own a sovereign fully plot on that sovereign. I’d be ok with that and more sovereigns would probably be purchased.
Like I said, I didn’t have any malicious intent with posting this, it was literally to teach people what’s possible. But I think we should just wait for Tiggs and Monty. I will tear it down and remove the video instantly if that is their decision.
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Explain to me then why you don’t get XP for a block being placed on the same spot twice or more times? Why did the developers go out of their way to hinder you from doing that, even going as far as to popping up a message each time you do it, unless you disable it? Because to me that screams “Don’t do that”. Finding a way to work around this limitation is kinda the definition of an exploit to me. You are exploiting the fact that they had to limit the awareness of where you placed a block last to a technical feasible way because the only other feasible option would’ve been to remove XP gains for placing blocks completely.
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You get experience from placing block on the same spot if you go to sanctum/another planet, come back and place again, so it’s not exactly that straight forward. Xp block farms have been around for a loooooong time, just not automated with coils. @Grimdian
Besides, this would be (or should) be completely fine if I, myself, just hold jump and right hand button down. Then nobody can say it’s “botting or scripting” 
Also, this “hardly” gives an edge over others, someone can just spend 10k USD on plots and they already have more plots than I do. But again, like I said, if this is indeed deemed against the rules, I will tear it down right away.
Personally, I fully understand. It’s a neat technical achievement. My first thread on the matter from a couple of months after release you can see that if this was encouraged actively I would be behind it.
That doesn’t change the facts about what it is though, and how it’s generally perceived. You can skim any of the threads on this topic (not all of them have come from me) and you will certainly find that in general - this angers and frustrates existing players to varying levels.
If the activity was encouraged we could share tools and then it becomes cultural rather than competitive in some very real and important ways. But also, we have PS4 players here we just invite them to cross-play in a game where the PC players have an amazing suite of bots available?
The first “not a bot” argument? Probably the first XP grinding exploit that did get us restrictions on “mining the same block”. It was definitely determined that it didn’t matter whether you were using a software macro, a hardware macro, a rubber band or one of those little pecking bird toys - the activity was exploitative.
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