Banning mortar scripts

[Spark2]

The thing is, Mortar scripts are nothing more than movement macros, how the hell are you going to ban them? You can ban the cl_*speeds (only values below 70 make a difference for mortar, so locking it on > 70 might be a reasonable thing), but it would not change the scripts in any meaningful way. The only way I can see would be to completely disable Mortar aiming using the keyboard (+left, +right, +lookup, +lookdown commands) or blocking the wait command in general. Even then, you could easily write a software which sends the appropriate input signals. In fact I wouldn't be surprised if there would be driver software which lets you set up mouse macros, just like keyboard macros.
It's nothing different from rocket jump scripts or sprintjump scripts. The only reason why it's so much more useful for a mortar is, that it saves you from remembering all those coordinates and is faster than looking up the coordinates (from a list or script) and then adjusting the Mortar manually. And it's less error prone...
It's not faster because you can't make the Mortar rotate faster and unless the script is of godlike complexity, it will have to return to a default position after each shot, effectually making it slower than a good human Mortar. Making "combo" scripts which aim at two or more targets in a row seems to be impossible to my knowledge.

[Spark2]

Any team worth their salt will be able to get around it. You can see where the mortars have hit. You either avoid those spots, or you wait for them to hit and then go forward. It's actually EASIER to avoid them when the person is using a script, because they're hitting the same spots every time. A good mortar will vary his spots depending on where the other team is moving.

That's a good argument, but it has to be said that, if the Mortar is good, there won't be no second time. Unless it's a defense Mortar, which isn't that powerful anyway.

[FraUz]

I totally agree with sphere and kendle. I use mortar too, and my worst problem is to aim exactly sometimes for very very few degrees; even covering a dyna plant at the north oasis gun, wich needs 1 uber-precise shot, would be the easiest defence you could use.
I also didn't see mentioned spawnkilling: with such a script I can immagine how much you can increase its efficiency, without killing your brain for that second shot accuracy or those last-time-thoughts that belongs to human error.

[Sphere]

Going back to my original point, this thread is designed to find out if there are settings that can be controled which limit the use/effectiveness of scripts. Any suggestions are welcome

But, for the record....

..OF COURSE shooting at the right spots is important..

Yes. That's the whole point.

You either avoid those spots, or you wait for them to hit and then go forward.

Imagine they have 10 of these 'spots' in key locations. Then consider what it would be like to play under those conditions.

A good mortar will vary his spots depending on where the other team is moving.

And a script gives you a whole bunch of them at a touch of a button. On every phase of every map.

[SickBoy]

Any team worth their salt will be able to get around it.

We could easily do without pb and etpro anti-cheat, because if you are worth your salt, you shouldn't whine about cheaters

The wall/ballhacker: all you need is better accuracy
the aimbott0r: all you need is a weapon with splashdamage and shoot him before he shoots you. should be easy with a mortarscript
the godmode player: easy to get around because all you need to do is complete your objective. Not hard at all if you're worth your salt.

[eclipse+]

Holy shit, another stupid thread.

Scripts for mortars?

boo fucking hoo. I can write some coordinates on a piece of paper and you would get bad because i've practiced hitting spots, mostly, DUE TO COMPETITION.

Getting mad for a script for motars..rofl. gg

[Grizbo]

Holy shit, another stupid thread.

Scripts for mortars?

boo fucking hoo. I can write some coordinates on a piece of paper and you would get bad because i've practiced hitting spots, mostly, DUE TO COMPETITION.

Getting mad for a script for motars..rofl. gg

Thank you for an excellent and well thought out reply there. You are a genius to have summed up your valid points so eloquently, so as to not come across as a complete retard!

To be fair to Sphere, his intention in the original post was pure and simple asking for ways in which it could be banned. His clan has a server, they admin it, not unreasonable to ask how to disable something they dislike being used there, eh? For competition and a wider argument on fair/not fair/cheat etc, its a separate issue really.

[ReyalP]

let me guess...

bugmortar.cfg: Faster, smoother mortaring, and bugged explosion boxes!!!!1111

Hopefully someone will take the time to demonstrate that this is
1) real
2) a significant advantage
Before trying to convince the etpro team to 'fix' it.

Myself, I don't see how it is much different than writing down your coords on a bit of paper. But I am open to being proved wrong.

Simple 'fix' in any case, just disable keyboard based turning. Completely.
forcevar cl_pitchspeed 0
forcevar cl_yawspeed 0

No more mortar script. Or bugprone script. Or strafe jump script. Or keyboard players (all 2 of them).

Etpro could do the same thing, only when the mortar is deployed.

[Herve]

I dont get how you can't see the differences between this script and writing the coords on a piece of paper.

If youre a mortar, and press a button to automatically shoot at a certain spot, dont you think that would take considerably less time and effort than *looking on a piece of paper, manually adjusting your aim to that spot, making sure the first shot was on target so you dont waste your energy, looking back at the paper to figure out another coordinate, manually adjusting the aim again... etc...

Sure its kind of like the 'paper' thing, but it takes CONSIDERABLY less time, which is everything in ET. This also takes out the advantage that players that have practiced the mortar over and over to get just the right spots memorized have.

And eclipse obviously hasn't read the entire thread.

BTW we have yet to see a script like this in the States.

[Spark2]

Yes it's real reyalP, it was demonstrated in the CB semi final game and we tested it.
I couldn't care less because it's really just a set of macros. Of course it's easier to use the macros than to remember the exact coordinates yourself (or to look them up each time), but if something is _that_ repetitive, then nobody should be surprised that players try to automate it. That's the whole purpose of scripts after all.

[RoadKillPuppy]

Here's a demo I found floating on the net.

http://demos.localhost.co.nz/et/mortarbot.dm_83

Use the 'insert' key to track the mortar.

RKP

[SickBoy]

Look at that demo... and then tell us all again about the "piece of paper"

[bani]

there's really no way to block mortar scripts.

we could block keyboard aiming in etpro, but anyone can just use an external mouse macro recorder (there are tons) to automate it. there's no way for any anticheat system to block them all.

leagues should probably think long and hard about the role of mortars, chargetimes and skill awards in competition, rather than fussing about blocking the unblockable.

[Grizbo]

Here's a demo I found floating on the net.

http://demos.localhost.co.nz/et/mortarbot.dm_83

Use the 'insert' key to track the mortar.

RKP

Just a little addition to anyone watching the demo, press G (or whatever key you have bound) to get the command map up and see where the hits land, rather than just watch the movement (which is still mechanical, but you see the precision much more clearly seeing the mortar hits on the map)

[SickBoy]

Here's a demo I found floating on the net.

http://demos.localhost.co.nz/et/mortarbot.dm_83

Use the 'insert' key to track the mortar.

RKP

Just a little addition to anyone watching the demo, press G (or whatever key you have bound) to get the command map up and see where the hits land, rather than just watch the movement (which is still mechanical, but you see the precision much more clearly seeing the mortar hits on the map)

At least read what you quote
Follow the mortar with 'insert'.