Random group IM, followed by two personal IM's

[Dahlia Endsleigh]

So last night, hanging on my piece of land with some friends, I get the most random group IM I have ever received...It was from a "bot" named Hal...He started a group chat, which included some residents I know, some that I don't...Anyways...I have never seen this bot before, never been contacted by him before. The bot, was half concious (if that makes sense) I would type something in the group chat, then somehow, it would ask me why I asked that in the group chat? Odd. It seemed half intellegent, so I kept on with it (it wasn't too bothersome to me, pretty entertaining seeing as half the stuff was gibberish) Any ways, I was wondering...anyone else get this rando IM? I have no idea how it concocted the residents it chose to speak to...but I was one of the two people, out of the 6 that were with me, that got these IM's.

[Chelsea Malibu]

Technically, there is no such thing as a fully automated bot per say. Bot's are still avatars that are done like any other account then automated in some way with a messaging script.  From what you are saying, this is more than likely just someone playing around which is just as annoying, I'm sure.

You can mute this person if you choose which should help or you can disable the group IM's.  But, you may also want to let the group owner know so that they can take action against this resident if they are abusing someone's group IM's.

In the end, it is the group owner's responsibility to control what happens in their group.

 

[Dahlia Endsleigh]

Well it wasn't from an actual group..it was like a group conversations, i.e. highlight one friend and shift to the bottom so that all the avatars friends are included...it was like a forced group conversation, but no actual group. I didn't mind, as I had time to spare It seemed that all the convos they were having with the other residents were different than mine as well...

[Phil Deakins]

I remember a while back - maybe a year ago - when someone posted in the forum that he, or his organisation, is developing an intelligent bot, and I think it's name was Hal. It attracted some popularity at the time. Perhaps it's still being worked on and perhaps that's what your Hal was.

[Dahlia Endsleigh]

I would love to find that! So I can talk to the person who created it...I wasn't bothered, but I would like to know how my avi's name was collected to be part of the conversation.

[Phil Deakins]

If it's the same bot, it used to go around SL and chat with people it came across, using their names. Getting nearby people's names is trivial - they are delivered to your viewer

What I don't understand is how it opened a conference chat without having the names in its Friends list, but perhaps a manipulation of the data being sent to and from the user will allow it. Perhaps it just needs a list of names. In viewers we generate a list of names from our Friends list but we don't have an independant command to open a conference chat with a list. However, the viewer can do that. I would think that the viewer doesn't need the Friends list - just a list of names to accompany a "start conference chat" command - and the Friends list is merely the means we given to generate the list.

[Dahlia Endsleigh]

That is actually pretty clever...But I am sure this is a violation somehow...sending unsolicited messages to unsuspecting residents...I have chatted up a couple of bot's in my time here, cannot recall Hal individually...but who knows maybe he had a bot alt somewhere I spoke to once

[Phil Deakins]

You might have chatted up one or more of my bots. They are on sex beds for demo purposes

I've occasionally seen people talk to them - even tip them. One guy was trying to get one of the girl bots to remove the rest of her clothes while he was demoing with her (she was in undies). But they are bots - nobody at any keyboard - and the signs say so, but people don't like to read.

[Dahlia Endsleigh]

Nah, I need no bed in SL...I post up in a tent and sleeping bag :matte-motes-big-grin:

[Senobia Xenga]

I've seen Hal and spoken to him recently. In local chat, tho - not IM or group settings. It's some kind of AI people are working on and there are 6 of them in all. They TP to random sims and engage people in conversation. Harmless and fun.

[Treasure Ballinger]

I remember when the scripter first told us about Hal too, Phil, in the forums.  People were excited about talking to him, and the more he talks to people, he 'learns' and adds to his repertoire.  Pretty fun!