Xylobot is now Compatible with Ultima Online!
Xylobot is a generic game tool that is now compatible with Ultima Online.  Click here for more info on Xylobot.  Click here for compatibility issues.  

Xylobot replaces the general functions of UO Robot.  Xylobot is a blank slate though, scripts need to be written to make Ultima Online do what you need.  Check the Xylobot discussion boards for messages on new scripts that will work with UO.

Note - to use Xylobot with UO you must use 3D mode and run full screen.

Should I continue work on UO Robot?
I'm wondering if I should start working on UO Robot again, its been off line for a very long time.  If you would be interested in seeing me work on UO Robot, please leave some feedback in the message boards so I can get a feel for how many people are interested.

Thanks! 

November 14, 2000

EQM in the news again
EQ Macros was covered by a two page news article in PC Gamer.  Also, Check out this article that Gamers.com put up about Xylobot.

Xylobot is born
Check out Xylobot - a generic DirectX game tool.  Note that the site is still under construction, and I hope to have the beta version ready soon.

If the above link doesn't work for you, try this one.  The DNS for the website might not have propagated to your ISP yet.

Verant's Lawyers
Verant has brought in their lawyers, see the Call to Action.

EQ Macros in the News
EQ Macros has shown up on a few news & fan sites recently:

• Oct 5 - EQ Macros: The Verant Verdict
• Oct 4 - Verant leans on Ben Ziegler to Pull EQ Macros
• Sep 29 - Making EverQuest Easier to Play: Cheating or Not?
• Sep 29 - Cheat or Godsend?

Funny Story - Just Deserts
Check out this funny story over on Something Awful.  Its about two trolls named Brad & Gordon that get lost while traveling through EverQuest without the help of EQ Macros.

EQ Macros New Version - Build 26
Here are the new features:

• Added Map Select Window "]S". Select map from list of all maps.
• Added Waypoint Window "]Y"
• Displays map points and User waypoints
• User waypoints stored in mapname.USR (maptype "U", same format as "P")
• "Select" waypoint button - shows: distance, ETA, steering angle, & line to target on map
• "None" button - turn off current waypoint
• "Add" button - Set current /loc as a waypoint (autonamed "User_#")
• "Delete" button - deletes user waypoints (can't delete map points)
• "Rename" button - rename user waypoints (can't rename map points)
• "Close" - close the window
• Added "Select" button to Map window - press to toggle Map Select
• Added "WayPt" button to Map window - press to toggle WayPoint Window
• Added "Diagnostics" tab to EQM. Displays trace file.
• Can now maximize EQM to view readme file in Readme tab
• Added "Customer Downloads" link on Links tab (Full Version Only)
• Now checks eqdevice.txt file, sends trace line if error
• Pan feature now displays the /loc while panning the map
• "R" and "T" will now pause macros (but not un-pause)
• Added Help Window "]H" (displays readme file)
• Added Macro property "RestartText" - should be useful for Bard twisting.  Will restart macro from the beginning if RestartText is in the log
• Main Window (]E) is now a list, and displays key commands
• Bug Fix: if /who all returned > 1024 bytes, would not change map
• Bug Fix: CancelText property was looking at TriggerText

New Version - Build 25
I put up a new version of EQ Macros to download.  Fixed a few bugs with maps and some stability issues.  I totally rewrote the readme file.  Cleared out the EQ Macros page, and moved most of that stuff into the readme file.

New Version - now with MAP support
I've released EQ Macros v1.4.0.24 which has map support.  I've also created a new trial version.

• ]M - Toggle Map - Has zoom & pan features
• ]E - Main Menu (was ]M, changed to ]E)

Customer Comments
I've received a lot of nice customer comments recently.  I've compiled a few of them into this Customer Quote list.

New version of EQ Macros - v1.3.0.19
Lots has been happening lately with EQ Macros.  This version has some great new features:  Location Window and EQ Night Scope.  A new trial version is also ready.

Location Window - press "]L". This window shows:

• Current Position (x, y, z) in /loc coordinates
• Current View Angle (LX, LY, LZ)
• 360 degree Compass, with N, S, E, W markers
• Current Time
• Frames Per Second (FPS), calculated using last 30 frames
• Running Speed (in loc units per second)
• Transparent background to maximize view area. You can still resize the location window to provide a background if its hard to read.

Note: The location window displays statistics based on the camera, NOT the statistics of your character. When you are in 1st person view, then the camera matches your character's location. If you switch views though, you will see that the position & direction (and even running speed!) are those of the camera. For best use of the location view, press F9 until you are in 1st person view.

Other New Features:

• ]N - Night Scope Window, toggles Small / Large / Off
• ]L - Toggles Location Window (used to turn ON only)
• Location window:  Fixed -Y bug, Removed LX-LZ values, reorganized display
• Remember Zoom window position & size
• EQ+EQM Bitmap Capture tool
• ]M - Main Window - buttons to launch other windows (Capture tool, etc)

Buy Now - on Sale now for $20
Take advantage of all these great new features and buy EQ Macros now! 

New version of EQ Macros - v1.2.0.17
This version of EQ Macros has several new features and bug fixes.  The current version is being emailed out to all customers.  A new trial version is also ready.

New Features:

• The following command line parameters have been added:

  /C "Caption"
  Enter any stealth caption you want to use
  
  /R 
  Pick a random caption. Don't use with /C
  
  /S 
  Press the "Start" button automatically
  
  /L "C:\Program Files\EverQuest\EverQuest.exe"
  Launch file after startup. Also, if this is used the first two dialogs will be clicked automatically by EQ Macros. So you won't have to press the "Play Online" button or the "I Accept" button.
  
  Advanced users will probably want to use this command line:
  /R /S /L "C:\Program Files\EverQuest\EverQuest.exe"
  

• New Macro property: "CancelText". If you enter a value for this (by editing the MacroX.txt file), then the macro will automatically stop if it detects this text.
• New Macro property: "CanOverride". If set to true, then the trigger text for this macro can trigger even if another macro is running. Normally a macro can't trigger if another macro is running.
• Zoom Window - press "]Z" for a Zoom Window. Defaults to zooming the  experience bar (if you are in Inventory mode). This way you can see how many pixels until the next level. ;)
• Added a link to the EQ Macros Message board on the Links tab.
• Trial setup now copies DLL's to the system directory, and registers the COM DLLs with regsvr32.
• Added two sample macros to trial setup. They demonstrate triggers and CancelText properties. The first one (Macro1) activates with "Square" and stops with "StopSquare". The second one (Macro2) activates with "Circle" and stops with "StopCircle". The 2nd one also has CanOverride set to True, so you can type "Circle" while the square macro is running, and the square macro will stop and the circle macro will start.

Bug Fixes:

• Fixed the Catastrophic Failure in the NeedDrawMouse function
• Fixed the mouse-up bug when scrolling the web window

EQ Macros Versions OK
The version of EQ Macros I emailed to all customers is correct.  The EXE has a version of 1.1.0.15, and that's what displays in the about box.  But all of the DLLs are version 1.2.0.16, so it is correct.  Sorry for the confusion, next time I'll make sure that the EXE version number matches.  But don't worry, the copies I sent out are correct, and that's the version you should be using.

New Version of EQ Macros released!
The latest version of EQ Macros (1.2.0.16) has been emailed to all customers.  This version fixes the lockup problems running under Windows 95/98.  There are also some speed improvements for viewing web pages.  I also added a "Maximize" and "Restore" button to the web browser windows.

Please refer to the installation instructions, and the web support installation instructions for installing the latest version of EQ Macros.  The web support files have been updated, so you must download them again, and run the registration batch file too.

Still debugging Win95 version of EQ Macros
The latest version of EQ Macros (1.1.0.13) has known problems when used with Windows 95/98.  It crashes as soon as EverQuest starts up.  I have been working all weekend trying to debug it, but I don't have a fixed version yet.  Please rollback to version 1.0.0.11 if you use Win95/98.  If you have Windows 2000, the latest version works fine.  As soon as I have a fix, I will announce it and email all customers the new version.  Sorry for the inconvenience.

Updated EQ Macros Web Support files
I have updated the EQ Macros Web Support files, so users should not receive the "Interface Not Supported" error message.  Download and unzip the files into your EQ Macros program directory, and run the "RunMe.bat" batch file.

New Version of EQ Macros Released!
Version 1.1.0.12 of EQ Macros is now being released.  This version includes support for viewing web pages while playing EQ.  A new version of EQ Macros is being emailed to all current customers.  Note that each customer must also download some new required files if they wish to view web pages (see installation notes).  I will update the trial version with the new web support in a few days.

Buy Now - only $20 with *unlimited* upgrades !!!
Take advantage of all these great new features and buy now!  

Nice Feedback
Here's an email I got from a happy user:

Oh man...This needs to be bundled with EverQuest! I've been playing for months and months and "My skill in carpel tunnel has improved (215)"! Whenever I was running I'd be clicking the Sense Heading; or, while standing still casting spells on myself in the hopes to improve. No more! Now I sit back and let EQ Macros do the wrist work!

I don't know how EverQuest could consider the program to be "cheating" -- @ lunch my friends and I were designing something that would simply press a key on the keyboard -- but your software does it for me! One design involved a boat magnet, a robot and a hardboiled egg...but your software is mucho easier :) ...

So, once again, thanks for the software! It is wonderful and I've told my EQ partners to get a copy as well (especially since my sense heading is now maxed for my level) :)

New version for Test Server
I've created a new version of EQ Macros that works on the test server.  If you are a customer and need this version, send me an email and I'll send it to you.  Since most people don't need it, I won't send out a mass email for this version. This fix will be included in the next version I do email to everyone.

Server Down Back Up
My server is back up after being down for 13 hours this morning.  The problem was with the Northpoint DSL connection.  I apologize to those who were trying to view the web page, or connect to the license server.  I plan on changing the license code so that it will be more reliable in the future.

EQ Macros progressing even further
Things are coming along great with EQ Macros.  I completed my tests on running my own GUI inside of EverQuest, and its working!!  Swing!  Right now its very basic, just says the words "EQ Macros" in the upper left corner.  But I can basically draw anything I want there.  I plan on adding a command window for EQ Macros, that will give feedback when recording, playing back, etc.  And I'll eventually add some advanced features, like viewing a web browser inside of EQ!  If you have any ideas for cool things to add to the GUI, please let me know.

Thread of the Day
EQ Macro users are pretty happy with the new "triggers" feature in EQ Macros v1.1.  Read more about it on today's Thread of the Day.

New Version of EQ Macros released!
The latest version of EQ Macros (v1.1.0.11) has been released.  Copies have been emailed to all customers.  The new trial version is ready too.

New Version of EQ Macros Looking Good
The new version of EQ Macros is coming along great.   I've implemented the following features:  

• "Stealth" insertion.  EQ Macros will no longer have to copy any files into the EverQuest directory or the Windows system directory.  Additionally, EQ Macro keys (e.g., "[", "]") are no longer passed on to the game.  This makes it impossible for Verant to detect without illegally searching your hard drive.  And you'll be able to rename the EXE & DLL, move them anywhere you want, change the window caption on the fly, etc.  I think this will remove any reason to be paranoid about using EQ Macros.
• Ten macro slots to record and playback
• Automatic saving and loading of all ten macro slots
• Recording options:
  • Choose a "looped" mode or "single play back" mode (per macro)
  • Choose "mouse & keyboard" mode or "keyboard-only" mode (per macro)
• Audible feedback - EQ Macros plays WAV files in response to the various commands.  This option can be toggled on and off by pressing "]V".
• Pause feature.  Pause is toggled with "]P".
• Easy calibration.  Just hit "]C" in the game, and EQ Macros will automatically trace the borders of the screen with the mouse

There are a few features that I want to work on before I release the next version.  They are:

• Triggers - scanning the log file and automatically playing a given macro based on text in the log file
• Add an "Undo last record" feature.  Given the current UI, its very easy to record over a macro you just wanted to play.

All in all things are going great, and I'll be emailing out a new version to all current owners this weekend.  I hope to post a new trial version this weekend too.

Reasonable macro policy from Verant
After much controversy on the EQ Message boards about macroing and 3rd party programs, Gordon responded with a comment that implies Verant is only opposed to unattended macroing.  Here's a quote:

... In reference to "macroing", we're opposed to any software, device, or contraption, used by a player to perform tasks in-game while not at the computer. This is considered cheating.  I think that this wording should substantially eliminate the concerns of the disabled or those with impaired dexterity...

Read more about it at Casters Realm.  This means you should be safe to use EQ Macros as long as you are at the computer watching it.  However, if you set up EQ Macros to run overnight while you're not there, you could get banned if you are caught.

Continuing work on EQ Macros
I am working on the next version of EQ Macros.  Currently I am testing a new set of routines to add a user interface inside of EverQuest.  When (or if!) I get this to work, many cool features will be possible, including but not limited to having a web browser running within EQ, etc.  The good news is that my technique for inserting a GUI works for the DirectX sample applications.  The bad news is that it currently crashes under EQ.  :(  I'll keep you posted on my progress.

"EQ Macros is INCREDIBLE for Bards..."
Check out what one user has to say about how much EQ Macros helps for his bard character in User Feedback.

New Version of UO Robot
Put up a new version of UO Robot.  This deals with some of the issues with the latest patch.

*Beta* Documentation for UO Robot
Here's some beta documentation for UO Robot.  Thanks to Mrs. M for submitting this.

More Macros
Added several new macros to the EQ Macro Listing page, thanks to NicG.  He does some interesting things, including increasing faction.

Fixed EQ Macros Message Board
I fixed the EQ Macros message board.  You should now be able to post as a user and anonymously.  Please let me know if you can't post.

Trial Version!
The long-awaited trial version for EQ Macros has been posted.  Download it and record & play your own macros.  Note that the trial version is limited to two minutes of total macro playback time.

Guild Discounts
I've added an option where you can purchase EQ Macros with a Guild Discount.

New Macros
Added several new macros to the EQ Macro Listing page.  Thanks go out to DaveT for submitting these.

Books & Software Link
Added a new page with links to Books & Software

Free Stuff
Added Ben's EQ Log Analyzer as a free download, source code (Delphi) included.

EQ Macros now has Mouse Support!
A new version of EQ Macros (v1.0.0.7) was emailed out to all customers.  This version has mouse support.  I've also updated the EQ Macros Page with a link to a fishing macro.  I hope to add more macros to this page.  If you have some suggestions, or steps on creating a good macro, please send them to me!

Updated EQ Macros 
A new version of EQ Macros (v1.0.0.6) was emailed out to all customers.  This version works with the latest EverQuest patch.

New build ready for download
UO Robot v2.0.0.11 is now ready for download.  Here is what's new in this version:

• Now detects when losing hit points, and casts Greater Heal on character and recalls away if hit points are ever below Max Hit points.  Very useful for towns that are overrun by Trolls, Ratmen, etc. and the guards don't help.
• Now is more "forgiving" if it can't contact the license server on a single check.  This should keep it from stopping if it can't connect to the license server for a short time.
• Various speed ups and bug fixes.

EQ Macros
I added a page exclusively for EQ Macros.  I added a list of Frequently Asked Questions, and will continue to update this as I receive more feedback.

Update:  I just added an EQ Macros message board.  The General Discussion group is for everyone, and you can post anonymously (cowardly) if you wish.  Only those who purchase EQ Macros can access the Owner's group.

Note to Owner's:  To access the Owner's group, create a user account on WebBoard, then click on the Owner's group link, and click on "Request Access".  After I confirm it, you will receive an email that you have access.

Message Board & License Server problems
I apologize for the problems (Server 500 errors) with the Message Board and License Server.  These are tools I wrote myself using Delphi, MS Access, and IIS.  I'm not sure what the culprit is, but I suspect Delphi's implementation of ADO, but it could be an MS Access or IIS problem too.

In the short term, if you are having problems obtaining a trial license (and please try the normal way first), send me an email with the same information you would enter on the new user form, and I'll manually create an account for you.  I hope to have a chance to look at it next week (Tue or Wed).  I will either port to a different database, or try running my own web server on a different port (if IIS is the problem).  Once again, sorry for the trouble obtaining a license key, etc.

New Product:  EQ Macros
I have developed a new product called "EQ Macros".  This tool is designed for EverQuest, not for Ultima Online.  It basically lets you record and playback (looped) keyboard macros.  If you're interested in making your life easier in EverQuest, click here to purchase EQ Macros.  And right now I'm offering free upgrades for ALL later versions of EQ Macros if you buy now!  ;)

New build ready for download
UO Robot v2.0.0.10 is now ready for download.  Important Note:  I added a few servers (Test Center, Formosa), and to keep everything in order I had to change the server ID's.  This means that you must reenter the Server field for each of your characters in the chars table.  Sorry for the inconvenience.

This new version provides more feedback (as status messages), and performs a few more checks when making system calls.  Hopefully this will resolve some of the mysterious errors some users have been experiencing.

Note you must upgrade to the new version, because the license server will flag your old executable is too old, and give you an invalid license error message.

I'm back
I was away for the weekend (I'm in the Army Reserves, and we had our range fire exercise this weekend), but I'm now back.  I've also signed up for ICQ (68108250), so that's another way you can contact me if you are having trouble configuring UO Robot.

Another Beta put up
I just put up version 2.0.0.9.  This should fix a big problem where screen captures were offset if your system wasn't calibrated correctly.

Beta ready for download
You can now download the beta of UO Robot 2.0 and get a trial license key.

Check back here soon for some documentation.  Here's a quick screenshot to get you started:

Web Site Updates
Well, I made my donation ($450) to the Bill Gates foundation, and upgraded my web server to Windows 2000 Server from NT 4.0.  I then had to go out and buy 128 MB RAM ($200) so that my machine could run the thing.  Windows 2000 does seem pretty nice so far though.

Message Board Updates
I also updated the message boards.  You can now see the "Beta" group in the group listings, you just can't access it unless you sign up.  I also added the capability for anonymous postings, so that you can post if you want to remain anonymous.

Beta Progress
So far I've sped up the login procedure considerably.  The login code used to search for the login bitmaps all over the screen.  Since the login bitmaps don't move, UO Robot now searches for them only at their given location.  This has sped up the process considerably, it now only takes about 11-12 seconds to start UO, and log in your character.

The new method is faster, but has a downside for those Windows users who have changed the settings for the desktop (like changing the default font for window captions).  The user must have the default small fonts selected, otherwise bitmaps won't line up correctly.  The large fonts make the window caption taller, and pushes all of the bitmaps down a bit.  I'm not sure how this will affect international users, etc.  Hopefully this will all be worked out in the beta.

Ideas for Determining Player Location
The old version of UO Robot never really knew where it was, it would just display whatever text was used to describe the rune for that vendor.  I'm thinking of making this code more robust, possibly by using the overhead map (the one you get when you hit ALT-R).  I'm hoping for each vendor location, I can create a "signature" from the overhead map.  This signature will be a very quick calculation of the number of Red pixels, blue pixels, green pixels, etc.  UO Robot can then determine the players location by calculating the signature of the current overhead map, and comparing it against all known signatures.
  

Beta Board signup
To get access to the beta group, you must create a user account in WebBoard, log in to WebBoard, and then click the link below.  You will then get an email a short while later telling you that you have access.

UO Robot 2.0 Beta discussion

Set up Message Boards
I set up some message boards for UO Robot.  I would prefer if you used the Message Board rather than the Forums, as the board is easier to read.  Also, it sends me automatic emails when messages are posted, so its easier to check that way too. 

Starting up again
Some other projects have winded down, so I'll finally have some time to start working on UO Robot again.  Sorry for the delays!

Old News

Copyright © 2000 Ben Ziegler. All rights reserved.
Revised: May 07, 2002.