Yesterday without warning, unframing was blocked. For those who are good at looking at the back code, you will find three lines that basically say if its not in a frame, reload. This was a deliberate action by Zynga as evidenced by the code. Upon review of the last post made on the Official Mafia Wars Blog, the last paragraph may give insight to this change [1]. Most of us have experienced problems with fighting. It’s not as easy to get an ice as it used to be and Zynga has contacted several script writers informing them that fight speeds of more than 3 attacks per second is causing too much load on the servers. They were also informed that “aggressive measures” may be taken to stop it.
We have also taken serious note of certain performance issues due to violation of Terms of Service, whether reported by the community or otherwise. While we work on introducing new features like the VIP program, we will always prioritize working on fixing performance issues that affect game-play. Please stay tuned for further announcements in this regard.Many players have been getting warning messages and the unframe block was also implemented in an attempt to bring game performance back to a normal state. One thing Zynga has always made clear is that they are trying to stop what they call “bots”. For the players, they have never defined what a “bot” is and only added the term “unauthorized” to section 1.9d to the Terms Of Service [1].
d. Use cheats, exploits, automation software, bots, hacks, mods or any unauthorized third party software designed to modify or interfere with the Service or any Zynga game experience.
Section “g” may explain what is some scripts are doing to the system.
g. Disrupt, overburden, or aid or assist in the disruption or overburdening of (1) any computer or server used to offer or support the Service or any Zynga game environment (each a "Server"); or (2) the enjoyment of the Service or any Zynga game by any other person.
Pistol Pete of Spockholm Mafia Tools is a member of the newly formed Player Advisory Committee and has discussed this very issue with Zynga representatives. Below is correspondence he sent to Zynga to explain why a unframe block won’t stop the “bots”.
“This should be considered a minor stop gap, at best. The bots you are trying to stop will find a workaround. In addition, most of the most destructive bots are using php or other languages to actually login into FB and subsequently MW to perform their actions. So blocking un-framing does not really change anything. In addition, most scripts including ours will run in a framed version of MW. It is just more annoying to have to tolerate all the FB fluff around the page. Screen real estate is important to many players. Personally I much prefer the MW on a black background. It keeps me more focused on the game and less likely to follow posts to MobWars.’/Pistol Pete
If Zynga does not reverse this block then the script writers will continue to work around it. I posted one such work around yesterday that really isn’t true unframing but it does provide a black back ground and if used properly will allow any script to run [1]. Many have problems or can’t get it to work and that should show that players who aren’t as computer savvy as others are now at a disadvantage. I believe that some scripts are fair to use because they are available to all players, only perform game actions one could do manually and don’t effect the game play of others. If players abuse these scripts or use unauthorized ones then they should be flagged. I doubt anyone other than the abusers should have a problem with that.
Team Spockholm and Brandon Venery have been working hard on simplifying the unframing process. The following was posted on the Spockholm Mafia Tool Fan Page [1]. I’m not going to post detailed instructions because I have faith Zynga will see that a unframe block is not the answer to the problem and reverse what was done.
Great news on the unframe front! Brandon Venery (very cool dude) created a small greasemonkey script (Firefox only at this point) that fixes the issue.3. Play game unframed! /Team SpockholmP.S. If you spread this script, be sure to credit Brandon properly.
While the screening and flagging process may not be ideal, if you are causing problems for the Zynga servers than you need to change your behavior. Many who have done nothing wrong get and will continue to get warning messages. If you get one, there is no need to panic or become a click monkey. Simply review how you play your game and change if you think you are putting in too many server requests. Faster is not always better!
If a script will fight faster than the recommended 3 attacks/second then you probably shouldn’t be using it. Some will argue that fighting manually is faster but it’s only possible to get so many requests through the servers. Many of your clicks don’t register. Its more likely to get flagged for manually fast clicking than for using the Assassin-a-Nator or Battlefield. Until Zynga provides us with more information on this subject, we really can't say what if anything is going to happen to those who abuse scripts.
Does anyone but me wonder why Zynga has such problems handling server traffic for 400,000 daily users when no such problem was being mentioned as recently as a year ago when Mafia Wars had 20 Million likes and 6 Million daily players?
ReplyDeleteSomething I too have been asking for a while now.
DeleteBasically Zynga are being too tight with the server bandwidth, dialled it down to a point where even basic game play becomes difficult (stuff like changing cities, banking, healing etc) and rather than admit what they've done they've taken the easy option and blamed scripts while trying to quietly sidle away hoping people will get used to the reduced performance.
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DeleteBasically Zynga are being too tight with the server bandwidth
^^ one can not view images on their forums without logging in (bandwidth saving from those guesting gee they suck!)
Hey Zynga why dont u just sht down the game? seems all you do is annoy your paying customers!
ReplyDeletethe DAU on mafia wars is on a down trend and no new players are showing up, so at least consider payinf some respects to the veteran players!
Well, what if someone fights at normal speeds(using scripts) but utilising 2 computers at the same time? Is this causing too many requests on the servers? Keep up the good work :-)
ReplyDeleteyou are the greatest!!!
ReplyDeleteThank you Loot Lady, Pistol Pete and Brandon Venery for ALL the great work you do.
ReplyDeleteUnframeing issue solved !
Zynga punishes Loot Lady.
http://www.funnyjunk.com/funny_gifs/3458677/smack+dat+ass/
I haven't received even one warning when running the assassinator yet (knock on wood). BUT on several occasions i have been warned when fighting manually, especially in battles. To me this means the problem is not in script usage, but on zynga side. If they roll out a feature that simply requires you to click like hell, then they should have provided the needed conditions for this feature to work beforehand. And this is true not only for battles - when one fights some health monster, manual clicking as fast as possible is the only way to bring the opponent down, before they are able to heal again.
ReplyDeleteZynga should change the fighting radically, to reflect the actual situation with the big health, which really is the main reason for the unavoidable use of scripts at present. Maybe bring back the moscow style fights, even for a while and as an experiment only. I think this will make the ices easier and will bring a lot of players (me included) back to manual gaming, which is far more enjoyable than just pressing the green button and then watching some numbers changing on the screen.
Thanks Jen, as always useful info!
ReplyDeleteI've had warnings but have never fought using scripts. I'm not anti-scripts, I use them in other areas of the game. I admit I'm an addicted click monkey when fighting, it's one of the few parts of the game I still enjoy.
Once I'd read this, I understood why I'm getting warnings. I then went to fight. I had someone count how many clicks I process per second. I have fast motor skills.
I've discovered I can click 5 times per second easily. If I can do that relaxed, many others will too. When I pushed, I could click over 5. My laptop click rates have always been set to max, years before MY existed to accommodate my speed.
Am I now going to be considered a bot? Are we going to have to ptove what we are capable of manually?
The solution is simple! If Zynga servers are overloading at anything over 3 clicks per second, which is going to always be me and many others, there is no need for scripts to be rewritten and fixes found!
Zynga need to upgrade their servers to cope with speeds that are achievable manually. It hardly takes being Einstein to work that out!
For months we've watched the daily playing figures drop. If their servers can't cope with the few that are playing, should there suddenly be a renewed interest in the game, their servers are not going to overload but explode!!
For those that don't fight manually, it sucks! It takes forever for screens to refresh, by the time they do most targets are iced. The heal screen takes forever to appear. Occasionally it doesn't or won't clear and has to be clicked away by which time the target has been iced. Often when I'm out of health before the heal screen appears the screen jumps and I find myself in the Tournament screen, robbing screen, opening tabs for other games or spending RPs I never intended to, The result is my target has gone and been iced by another player. If using a health pack it has to be manually clicked away, wasting more time. Every fight screen has to be clicked away to get a new fight screen. When selecting a target the screen doesn't automatically take you to the fight screen area, that would be too easy, instead more time is wasted scrolling up and down, the target has usually been iced. I used 2,000 stamina earlier to achieve 1 ice - crazy!! I spend more time clicking unnecessary rubbish than clicking to fight.
No wonder folks use scripts!!!
At least the old fight system was simple. Maybe not as informative or as pretty and we couldn't revenge attack but it was smoother, stamina went further, icing was easier. Work on the problems above Zynga. Make manual fighting fun and more would do it. It's only idiots like me that tolerate this bollocks daily!
Why are simple solutions for Zynga so complicated? They can't penalise people for being human. No two of us are the same. What Zynga have done is remove the ability for those with disabilities who can't fight other than using scripts. That's discrimination!
Instead of fixing all the fight glitches, instead they roll out what they see as blanket solutions for problems that don't exist. They know who the violators are. We all do. If a player's fight numbers read more like numbers given to bankers in bonuses - shut them down and leave the rest of us to play in peace - without glitches!!
This is becoming ridiculous!!!!
I spoke to zynga support about this quite a few mths ago about getting this message when getting my quota of ices..normal play and while in battle. she replied that she plays MW and also gets this message from clicking to fast..She told me not to worry, so should I? My point is if zynga's own staff are aware of this and why it occurs... why bother trying to do some thing about it when they them selves know their method doesnt work>
ReplyDeleteWhy don't they just lower the progression ices. I don't know, like 100 ices or 75 ices a day instead of 150 ices.
ReplyDeleteZynga's new motto: "Solving problems that don't exist, one day at a time ... because we have nothing better to do"
ReplyDeleteAnthony
I read this whole situation as preparing to implement "phase one" of the "VIP" pay for play options they've been "testing". There is no reason at all for them to increase game performance right now. Think about it - if they're going to make it "faster" for players that pay, wouldn't that mean that it would have to be "slower" for players that don't? In my opinion that's exactly the source of the performance problems - not scripts or bots or anything else, but the artificial delays that they have both programmed into the game code (you folks that read the code know exactly what I'm talking about) and what's tied to each account at the server end (yes Virginia, they *can* make things slower on an account by account basis, and already do).
ReplyDeleteOh - did I say that I've learned not to particularly trust or take their explanations at face value any more? One of the best things Zynga could do for this (and all) of their games would be to become a bit more open and transparent in their dealings with players.
You took the words right out of my mouth. We are being prepped for roll-out of the VIP pass.
DeleteAlso, the savvy player has learned how to achieve family ice goals without spending on stamina by piecing an experience point quilt together everyday. Now with slower server response, our stamina to ice ratio has increased and we end up having to buy stamina packs to complete family goals.
I use an imac and safari as a browser, i have been able to use spockholm scripts but can't seem to install the toolbar. can anyone help me?
ReplyDeleteFirst of all it is Zynga has junk servers if " 3 attacks per second is causing too much load on the servers. " is true I fight manual and ninja click aprox 7-10 clicks a sec. I am sure that is how most people fight manual. Search google for mouse click speed test. I also use Assassin or Slayer here and there I will say they are about half speed of what I click manual.
ReplyDeleteI get a warning EVERY time I click on a fan blast link, and I mean every single fanblast gives me the unusual activity warning, and I get them none-stop when doing battles as my family has a no scripts in battles policy.
ReplyDeleteTaking down high health players is easier manual anyway :)
here is a fun test to see how fast you actually click manual Manual fighting is and will always be 10x faster than any script. Only benifit to the script is Filters for tags that are allies manual you can not read just have to hit or they all dead. Script will filter your allies tags out.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.urban75.com/Mag/java7.html Go have fun and see whet your click speed is.
Explain how it's 10x faster when most of your click requests aren't being registered?
DeleteWhen using battlefield it lowers the click/request rate as it receives errors from the server meaning clicks not registered.
You can click as fast as you like, you're not getting anymore requests through any faster than scripts.
"AnonymousMar 22, 2012 02:42 AM
ReplyDeleteBasically Zynga are being too tight with the server bandwidth, dialled it down to a point where even basic game play becomes difficult (stuff like changing cities, banking, healing etc) and rather than admit what they've done they've taken the easy option and blamed scripts while trying to quietly sidle away hoping people will get used to the reduced performance."
I have to agree with what this poster said. I played on MS and we had lightning fast fighting until about a year and a half before it was shut down. Towards the end fighting reacted there just as it does on FB now during peak fighting times. There were even some accounts that could not fight at all. I will point out that there were no scripts on MS for fighting. We also had dramatically fewer players in that time period than before. What it came down to was Zynga pulled servers when the numbers dropped. You can bet they have done the same on FB.
I can't get assassin-a-nator to run either... any ideas? Or is that blocked also?
ReplyDeleteThe subject of fight scripts has come up a couple of times now on your blog recently suggesting that we stick with the Spockholm or BF versions. I am going to go out on a limb and assume that unlocked is the version that users should be weary of using.
ReplyDeleteI do not know the technical speak for the difference between unlocked or the other two as far as how they work. I will say that I prefer the unlocked version because I can interact with it. I can fight manually picking off of my rival list in a war and let unlocked continue to do the monkey clicks after I have selected my target. Allowing me to be a part of fighting. Unlike BF and the Spockholm version that allows me to plug in a list and hit go. Using unlocked allows me to take the time to socialize while still being a part of the fight by manually selecting who I am fighting without having to wear my wrist out attacking the same person over 5k times (high health targets!) each fight. While I do know you can opt to let unlocked do it all for you that would be no more fun for me than logging a list of id's in the other two fighting helpers. unlocked at least gives me the option to be a part of it.
For non-war daily ices I can use whatever... it really wouldn't matter to me. I would not, however, manually use 50k stam per day if Zynga took the option of fighting scripts out of the picture. Zynga should take a look at how this fighting program works and implement some of it's features. Mainly the ability to allow me to fight off rival tab without expecting me to manually click through the high health that so many of the hardcore players now have. I know you guys have mentioned several times on the podcast about being click monkey's. Zynga created high health and high stam now they need to address a less click monkey way of working with it. And before anyone says well you can fight in Chicago, Brazil or London... no thanks. When playing war you don't want to burn through all your stam in 5 minutes.
Much love and appreciation for all the other spockholm tools. I couldn't play without them. Scratch that, I wouldn't play without them. The Assassin-a-Nator is a great program but not when you want to be involved in the fight.
Anyone notice that this speed situation happened around the same time you can buy for less than $20 a month access to 40% faster fights and jobs and building?
ReplyDeletei play 24/7 on multiple accounts with aan mwap ect and i can not see what people mean by slow server requests this is light speed to me compared to other games im able to ice 400 people per hour easy. like pete says all the server requests they would want to stop are php and people jamming there servers using programs like fiddler to send 1000 requests per second
ReplyDeleteLOL,, 3 attacks per second rules will benefit those player with high health. I got 20K health,, and if you don't click fast you won't ice me easily.
ReplyDeleteWhat a crock of shiot! They did all of this and the performance is weaker at best. They are the ones that shoved free health and/or near free health down our throats now they have no way to fix it so they blame scripts. This is a joke and they are a joke
ReplyDeleteseems like really they don't want this game to succeed rather turn people off of the game they have to relize also n0o one new is joining mw alls those are is just mini's and thats all no one will join a game when the company made it clear they don't care about the end user's when they need to relize it us end user's that are keeping the game going not them with out us end users they would have nothing just another Enron in the making in my books. build up the numbers so when they completly pull the rug from under us they will be loaded what people need to stop doing is creating all these mini's and usually is just trouble makers who create the mini's or re-sell the accounts or use them to scam others and what needs to be done is people need to start making reports with the bbb and if they do close up shop sue them for everything as thats our money not theirs also tired of people crying over these builds quit whining and glogging up the wall no one cares if you dont want to build cause their are those of us who do with out spending a dime of gp's i don't complain about stupid stuff when you have the option to build props or not no ones forseing you to its just your loss thats all..for months i have not been able to except mw request for friend wanting to jopin my mafia just for it to be an error every time zygnerds needs to correct this issue aswell their are days i cant play unless i go directly to mafiawars.com zygnerds need to correct that aswell my third is with traders why is gun rails and that other garbage still top trades when they are not required anymore for building att or def when u can build one for 6 att or def rather the 5 like come on they are useless.peopel who have had others close their accounts while back i was victem of a scammer and hacker who was mad because i refused to bow down to him so he contacted fb and had my farm closed down and fb asked for me to sign in from the comp used on certain which i did and they still never re-opened it just goes to show fb and zygna are both guilty of neglect of their end users i do relize why fb has brought timeline from myspace i thinik they are trying to push zygna out but zygna to dumb to relize and if that is their plan ytou'll see how fast fb will become unused just as quick...i dont care who don't like my post or comments on here in regards to the cry baby's and traders..everyone has a choice.
ReplyDeleteThat's pretty much what they did with Dragon Wars, Space Wars, and Pirates, too. They made really bad design choices (including the same basic design flaws they made in MW) and completely screwed up the games. After a while, it was pointless to even try to join in. Zynga let the games fester for a while (as long as there was enough revenue from the old players) and then just cut the games off. Zynga has made their money on this one; now they're bored and want to move on. MW will be around only as long as the CC players keep forking over the bucks.
DeleteClick click click click.... I'm done with MW until Zynga get's a grip on reality. If they want to cater to level 100 players have fun.
ReplyDeleteAppears that Z is implementing the MySpace game plan in FB......Z can control the Server loads....and with their other games now much more popular than MW.........servers are being dedicated to those other games......MW will go the way it did on the MySpace platform...it is just a matter of time.
ReplyDelete