The Alphaville Herald

31 Responses to “Interview with Nyk: Legendary Mazebot Programmer”

1. 

   Dyerbrook
   

   Feb 25th, 2004
   

   I am *so* glad somebody has found a way to have fun with this game, that has such long stretches of boredom in it. My hat’s off to Nyk. Everbody always squawks about how bots “ruin the economy”. Geez, they were sure great for *my* economy. I didn’t use them, although I once made a lot called AFK Gardens where I let the bots come in and roam, “All Watched Over By Machines of Loving Grace” and then finally made a “bot bog” to trap them. It was fun.
2. 

   Scrambled1
   

   Feb 25th, 2004
   

   No matter what, there will be no way of stopping Nyks programs or anybodys programs… they will continue to come no matter what maxis does… and people will continue to buy them… this isnt such a big deal, a bot that does pizza or code the same speed a human does it wont get more money than another group of people doing it themselves!

   Any by the way… Nyks bots are the best, I beta’d for each and every one and by far the bmazer beat the kmazer and just barley beat the speed of the Ma Zing… He is by far the God Programmer!

   Scrambled1
3. 

   RB
   

   Feb 25th, 2004
   

   re-writing my f’ing comments again cause i pressed 1 wrong key. !@#$%%$#@!

   I agree with Nyk. Getting widespread appreciation and recognition for what you do for others always makes it worthwhile =)

   Nyk however has no idea of the immense extent of the gratitude people have for his skills and achievements =)

   I see similarities between us both But Nyk is far ahead. He is a creator of services, I am just a provider. I still wish i had his huge skills tho. lol. I was always interested but never really bothered to learn.

   Bless people like Nyk for thier endeavours, whatever they may be.

   - RB

   p.s i like the whole arch nemesis thing between Nyk and Electronic A$$™ , it’s like a real drama story with plots and all. lol.

   Electronic A$$ ™ and © RB Industries Corporation 2004. Since i made up that term the other day. So i own it. lol. =P
4. 

   Kyrsten
   

   Feb 25th, 2004
   

   Nyk is truly the best there is, he is as the title of this article indicates, a legend in his own right. Those of us who know him, know his work is nothing more than flawless and in the simolean selling community he is “the” go-to guy. Let those Salem Witch hunters over at Stratics cry and whine and try to stop such a “ruining of the economy” they call it. You just can’t surpass Nyk’s brilliance!
5. 

   RB
   

   Feb 25th, 2004
   

   Would’nt you need an economy to wreck in the first place Kyrsten?

   Just pondering that. heh.

   - RB
6. 

   snow
   

   Feb 26th, 2004
   

   Awesome guy, awesome bots, what more to ask?
7. 

   Cocoanut
   

   Feb 26th, 2004
   

   Good heavens. This place is getting to be like TSO extreme. Add to that Uri’s childish comments in the thread below (is there a grad student posting as him?), and I fear this has to be the trashiest site I’ve been to in a long time.

   coco
8. 

   Simolean Seller Interviewed Yesterday
   

   Feb 26th, 2004
   

   Excellent Interview Nyk and Urizenus! I can never say it enough.. Nyk you truly are the greatest! We all welcome you back to the TSO scene with your many talents. It’s surprising with talents such as yours that you aren’t or haven’t been working for some sort of game company out here..

   Also maybe now some users (HINT!) will get off my back about “saying too much about bots”(LOL) in my recent interview.. Some users seem to think that you are not as well known or can be found on the net in the TSO community beyond one web forum, but contrary to their beleif you are quite well known and for good reason.
9. 

   Cocoanut
   

   Feb 26th, 2004
   

   I will add that I have been playing since November of 2002. So I know how it is the game can be fun. USED to be fun, before people like you came along and screwed it up, Nyk.

   It appalls me that none of you seem to consider cheating/breaking rules to be of any consequence. What kind of sportsmanship is that?

   I figure you will cheat in ANYTHING if you can get away with it. My respect for you couldn’t possibly be any lower than it is now. You’re lower than turnips on the ethics scale. I have only contempt for you.

   One thing all of you have in common: You want to see TSO die. I don’t know why, but you will love that. That includes you, Uri. Remind me never to join a game you, Uri, have any “interest” in.

   I think what really rules all of you is you want to think you’re smarter than everyone else. You’re not. You’re the most screwed up bunch of jerks I’ve run across in a long time.

   coco
10. 

    A Sim
    

    Feb 26th, 2004
    

    Coco are you sure you aren’t some disgruntled “wanna-be” simolean seller or just a jealous sim?

    Your comments make no sense… How can what Nyk does or simolean sellers do that affect how you play TSO? You’ve probably never ever came in contact with them in the game or if you ever had you probably had no clue as to who they are.

    Besides they aren’t the ones making use of the money made by these bots, but in fact all the TSO players are so don’t point fingers and bad mouth them when its most likely your best friends in TSO that are buying this money and using it probably even sharing it with you. Yes if you’ve ever visited any of these money houses or skill houses that give away cash(100s, 1000s, millions) where do you think any if not all of that cash came from? Do you honestly think those home owners and roomies spend all day working earning the cash to give it away? They don’t have that much time to trust me noone does.

    Think about this if the players thought it was so horrific or so bad then why are there so many simolean selling web sites and an ebay section that used to be some 300 to 1,000 auctions or more. Because they demand and want it and someone has to provide it..

    Are you going to tell me you that “never” made use of any bug such as the old pinata bug where you earned $1,300 for each pinata bashed… heh!
11. 

    RB
    

    Feb 26th, 2004
    

    Never mind Coco “A Sim” . You probaly don’t know him/her like us. Coco is our resident far right (or is it left? i forget these things) conservative who is the morally correct counter balance to us lot. =) We don’t hate or even dislike him/her =D Just disagree. lol.

    *pretends to be a too attached stratics person and hands Coco a cookie*

    - RB
12. 

    Hyper
    

    Feb 26th, 2004
    

    What hurts me is the taken bets on when they will close TSO down i would really miss it a lot if they did that ive made some pretty stong friends on TSO i love logging in everyday and i really think i would break down into a fit of sobbing tears if they closed it down
13. 

    Nick
    

    Feb 26th, 2004
    

    Why does this website only put the negative points to the sims online
14. 

    RB
    

    Feb 26th, 2004
    

    Write a report on what actually good about it besides a few things Nick, then send it in. Then you will have something good to read =)

    - RB
15. 

    Cocoanut
    

    Feb 26th, 2004
    

    No, A Sim, I’m not a wannabee or jealous. You are correct that many, many players buy these Simoleons, and you are correct that I have virtually WITHOUT A DOUBT benefited from some of these Simoleons.

    These Simoleons would not have existed, however, were it not for the dedicated efforts of people who want to take their programming talents and use them to break rules and ruin a game, and the rest of you who use these programs to cheat and make rl money from it.

    None of you gets it. In the first place, you have no concept whatsoever of fair play. Your philosophy is every man for himself, the rules don’t matter, and the cleverest cheater not only wins, but also deserves adulation. To you, that IS the game.

    Secondly, if the best you can do in this life is to profit illegally off of someone else’s intellectual property (not to mention your fellow players), then you really aren’t so talented after all.

    And finally, you’re phenomenonally selfish. You consider the game mechanics your own personal playground to do with as you like. Never mind the rest of us. You congratulate yourselves in advance on next ruining pizza and the other multi-player objects. You don’t care what you do to the game. In fact, you actually look FORWARD to killing it as some sort of victory. Well, I hope you don’t and I want you all OUT of the game. And the sooner the better.

    You congratulate yourselves on hacking and slashing a game. What else do you do? Cheat at poker or golf? Evade taxes? Shoplift? Swindle old ladies and take candy from babies? Or is this somehow better or different?

    Big men.

    coco
16. 

    Banshee
    

    Feb 26th, 2004
    

    It seems that the difference here is what one makes of TSO as a *game*. If you approach TSO as a *game*, wanting the challenge of working your way through things, and measure your success against that of others who are doing the same thing, then it is very irritating indeed to see the newbie Sim down the street who is 3 days old and has a huge fully furnished house, despite not having a job or any skills to speak of.

    On the other hand, there are a good number of people who do not play TSO this way – ie, who really do not care whether they are maxed in five skills, advancesd to the fifth promotion level at the robot factory and the like – but who really just want to hang out with their friends. I would think that when people in this category are the ones buying the simoleans it bothers noone.

    Where the issue comes up is for those people who want to succeed at the *game* aspects in terms of having a top 5 house or something like that who decide to circumvent the system by purcashing simoleans. That’s where I think the unfairness comes in. If someone wants to get some simoleans to make themselves a nice retreat where they can entertain their friends, I don’t see that as an issue. But if someone wants to buy their way into a top 5 house with out-of-game money that seems to me to be a much bigger deal because they are using the money to compete in the game unfairly.

    Banshee
17. 

    A Sim
    

    Feb 26th, 2004
    

    Well coco as you say you TOO NO DOUBTEDLY HAVE BENEFITTED from the use of these ill gotten simoleams so therfore that makes you just as bad as the people creating them? You stand here crticizing or chastizing them, but yet you benefit from the fruits of their labor..

    I guess it’s “Do as I say, but don’t do as I do” huh?

    I’m sorry maybe i’m stupid, but how does someone selling simoleans to another player, both of whom you’ll probably never ever see in the game affect how you play? Well besides the fact that you to have benefitted from these ill gotten simolean.. That tells me that without those players you too would not have succeeded in TSO..

    Listen they aren’t stealing anything from any of the players and players want it and pay to get what these people offer. The players want it.

    They consider the game mechanics their own playground to do with what they want? Well guess what, so do 1000s of players daily that use the game mechanics to do what they want and feel is their right to.

    Nobody here is congratulating anyone on ruining or causing the removal of anything… Matter of fact Maxis would have NEVER removed the maze until ALL the “holier-then-thou” people screamed and whined until Maxis finally took some sort of action and when they did finally take action you blame the other people when in fact it was THE PLAYERS SCREAMING FOR ACTION TO BE TAKEN THAT CAUSED IT..

    Nobody here is hacking or slashing the game in any way what so ever either so PLEASE get a true understanding of what they do before you speak.. They create programs that emulate the actions of a human being that would be playing the game nothing more.. They don’t edit or alter the game in any way. Yes may say that the mazers may have gone at superhuman speeds, but you can’t blame the programmers that TSO allowed for this to happen. It was a game design flaw that TSO could have easily fixed but chose NOT to until the “holier-then-thou” people screamede and demandede action.. Then TSO removed the maze well you got what you asked for! Don’t blame the rest for your requests..
18. 

    Sydk
    

    Feb 26th, 2004
    

    Excellent Interview Nyk and Urizenus! NYK, I am just so glad to see you are back, and that we have been able to make the great friendship that we have. Nyks bots are the best, I beta tested for each and every one of his bots and by far the bmazer beat the kmazer. He is by far the God Programmer! Those of us who know him, we know his work is nothing more than flawless and he is “the” go-to guy. I can never say it enough.. Nyk you truly are the greatest!!!
19. 

    CherryBomb
    

    Feb 26th, 2004
    

    Yes, I’ve heard the argument that “some people just want to hang out and have fun. They’re not doing anything to stop you from playing the way you want to play, so why worry?”

    The fact is, though, that most of the people buying Simoleons were not just looking for a shortcut to a comfy house. Watching people burn through millions to get a rare pet was a harmless hoot, but the business of paying visitors for skill points or job objects has put a real burden on anybody who wants to run a top ten lot. It’s also tedious and annoying to listen to everybody calling out numbers and chasing after roomies to get their payouts.

    That said, I have more respect for the people who were smart enough to actually write the programs than I do for the ones who just bought one, then turned around and started minting Simoleons. They don’t even have the excuse of wanting to show the world how clever they are, so they have to fall back on “We’re just providing a service that people want”. I think I’ve heard the same rationalization from gangsters.

    At the bottom of this moral slag heap of self-delusion are the Simoleon buyers who, at the same time, tell them that it is perfectly OK to buy Simoleons (it’s not illegal), while pretending to the rest of the world that they got the money by hard work and ingenuity.

    And don’t let me forget Maxis, who seems to have been in a deep coma while all of this was going on. There’s no excuse for letting a game get this far out of control. Their “swift and decisive action” was about six months overdue. None of this stuff has really affected me personally, but the level of hyprocrisy and self-righteousness is making me nauseous.
20. 

    Fiddle
    

    Feb 26th, 2004
    

    If it wasn’t for easy access to simoleans, I really think alot of people would just quit TSO. Building houses and decorating is one of the only fun aspects of this game besides chatting with people. And upgrading a lot costs a fair bit. No one wants to buy a game and then have to wait around for weeks while their sim has a enough skill and money to start building. If skilling and making simoleans was fun, more people would feel great about doing it. But it’s an absolute bore. I actually think that simolean sellers and makers have kept the game going by enabling sims to do what they want in the game and have more fun with it. It’s a game. It’s supposed to be entertaining.
21. 

    scrambled1
    

    Feb 26th, 2004
    

    Well then.. reading the above, I must point out one thing… and I quote
    “Excellent Interview Nyk and Urizenus! NYK, I am just so glad to see you are back, and that we have been able to make the great friendship that we have. Nyks bots are the best, I beta tested for each and every one of his bots and by far the bmazer beat the kmazer. He is by far the God Programmer! Those of us who know him, we know his work is nothing more than flawless and he is “the” go-to guy. I can never say it enough.. Nyk you truly are the greatest!!!

    Posted by: Sydk at February 26, 2004 11:25 AM ”

    First I have to say… I believe you stole sentences in that from me, and the simoleanseller, and Krysten… How hard is it to post YOUR thaughts?

    and on another matter…

    “These Simoleons would not have existed, however, were it not for the dedicated efforts of people who want to take their programming talents and use them to break rules and ruin a game, and the rest of you who use these programs to cheat and make rl money from it.”

    1. Talents INDEED… Dont you use talents to do things?… I mean theres something that you see that can be done, but it will be against the rules.. wouldnt you still try to do it?.. I would
    2. Programmers broke the rules because there was people (like you, an every day player) that were moaning for simoleans and used exploits/cheats/glitches to obtain them… then maxis fixed them, so they wanted something new.. and came to their friends that they know that know somebody that can program and they asked them… and there goes the chain of events that started the Mazers, Bots and so on
    and to add another note… even before the first maze bot… people were using macro programs to do single job objects… also breaking the rules.
    3. Not everyone used the program to make simoleans and make money… people used it so they could get the amount of simoleans they needed without paying the rediculus (*before the market crashed*) amout of money for it…

    and finally

    Nyk was not the first programmer to make a Maze Bot.. to be true he was one of the last… its just that this man made the best of the best… with all that a person needed… so dont pin this all on him when he came in at the end… blame the creator of the Mysimsonlinecheats or the kmazer or the other ones that YOU never saw…
22. 

    Michelle
    

    Feb 27th, 2004
    

    Coco,
    Get a life. I resent all of your comments against Nyk. Nyk is the only TRUE person on TSO that I have met. I started playing in September 03. Nyk was kind enough to explain how the game works, would always come around to help me skill at my store and give social interactions such as Hi 5′s & Handshakes.
    Nyk was always there when I had problems too ie; how to ignore disgusting IM’s from Girls and Guys. Without knowledge of ignore and banning these cyber & scamming ppl from my property I would have quit TSO altogether. To me, Nyk is my best friend on TSO and RL. He has been there for me through all my ups and downs without judgement. Nyk is a kind, caring person with an extremely intelligent mind. I doubt I can say the same for you Coco. Maybe you can use your energy to help charity organisations instead of sending negative energy to the world. It is just a game. Nyk created programs for further enjoyment of the game for people who desired to share his creative mind. Nobody shoved it in your face and said buy it, so how does it hurt you? The comments you posted on 26th are downright slander. You obviously think you are above everybody else. Maybe you spend too much time on your pc hiding from RL coz nobody can stand your arrogance. You don’t have a life so you look down on peoples achievements to feel better about yourself? Well, take a good hard look at yourself. Perhaps, maybe you’re just hard up. So, go toss yourself and quit your whining.
23. 

    ajdown@jp
    

    Feb 28th, 2004
    

    Nobody can deny that the game has been screwed up by all these bots – if it wasn’t for these cheaters – and yes it IS cheating – then SARP wouldn’t need to exist, and so many people wouldn’t be able to do payouts to bribe people to artificially boost their position in the top 100 list instead of actually putting effort into it.

    The only good that comes out of bots is that a few people make a lot of money – at the expense of every other player.

    I so wish EA would bring a lawsuit against one of these bot makers for all they do, maybe that would make them think twice.

    aj
24. 

    RB
    

    Feb 29th, 2004
    

    There are no grounds for a lawsuit.

    EA aren’t that smart either. they barley run TSO right, how would they do a lawsuit? lol.

    - RB
25. 

    scrambled1
    

    Feb 29th, 2004
    

    jeeze… there have been no boundries broken that could result in a lawsuit… now if they programmer has hacked into a server then that is grounds for lawsuits.. but building a program to do something that a human would do just even faster is no way near a lawsuit.. if that was the case… there would be many games that would have barley any players

    About 1/3 of TSO’s players/account subscribers are TSO Sellers that buy more accounts to run these bot/programs if it wasnt for them playing then there would be no sellers… that would make no “mafias” since they are practically the main buyers of simolean sellers… and then there would be less of the “average day player” since they dont want to spend all day at a chalkboard.. they want to play with their friends… its a domino effect…
26. 

    A Sim
    

    Feb 29th, 2004
    

    SARP, Heh cut me a break.. If they are the same sims posting at sttratics then they too have bought these simoleans, not all but several have.

    There are no grounds for a lawsuit for the use of 3rd party programs..

    Also Mafia’s are but a very small percentage of buyers for these simoleans.. There are far more regular gamers that are not mafia members who buy simoleans every day.. Mafia’s are most likely less then 10% of them..
27. 

    RB
    

    Feb 29th, 2004
    

    Agreed. A Very large share were just everyday simmers i noticed. No special interest groups.

    - RB

    ” EA are Newbies at TSO =) “
28. 

    ajdown@jp
    

    Feb 29th, 2004
    

    I don’t want to start another debate about SARP, but I felt it necessary to just clarify that it is the principle of ‘bonus for nothing’ payouts that we stand against, regardless of whether the money was legitimately earnt, or illegaly obtained through the use of a third party program.

    aj
    SARP Press & Publicity Officer
29. 

    Docosa
    

    Mar 2nd, 2004
    

    Truthfully, I really like some of the points Coco has made. Fair play is a lost concept to most people playing online games these days.

    While both the simolean sellers and bot programmers are generally a group of good individuals, that doesn’t make us innocent (oops, did I say us?). Just because a relatively decent person exploits a system doesn’t mean they have the right too. Whether the reason is to make simoleans easier than the treadmill put in place by the game, or to turn a real profit, both are as much an exploit as the other. And even if someone can’t see how it effects others, doesn’t make it any better if they are still exploiting the system unfairly in terms of how it was conceptually designed.

    However, is it really so bad to have a bunch of people who -think- they aren’t ruining the game, as so obviously stated in their posts. Would you rather have a majority of people around who realize what’s happening but don’t care one way or the other? Or even worse, are actually intent on ruining it and admit to it?

    I’ve always seen TSO as a social experiment. That’s how I’ve always treated it. To me, exploiters fit into my view and game style. I’m just glad I haven’t seen too many truely destructive and deviant individuals.

    -=Docosa, a day late and a penny short=-
30. 

    Scrambled1
    

    Mar 4th, 2004
    

    ::claps::
31. 

    Scrambled1
    

    Mar 4th, 2004
    

    ::claps::

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