2.0 Release Delayed
Unfortunately my work contract was extended, so I can't devote the time I'd like to UO Robot.  The contract should end within 2-3 weeks, at which point I can put more time into it.  Currently the project is on hold.  Once again RL is getting in the way of UO.  :(  

I apologize for the lack of news on this site.  It is important to note that this is only a delay, the new version is NOT cancelled.

New Contact Info
I've updated the Contact Info page.  I'm now using AIM instead of ICQ.

UO Robot 2.0 Release Date
I can't say for certain, but I'm expecting to get a beta out the end of October.

UO Robot 2.0 in Development
UO Robot will undergo a complete overhaul.  I intend to completely redesign the user interface (staring from scratch), and only keep the basic functions (like image searching, journal decoding, etc) from the old code base.  The new UO Robot will replace all other programs, which will be included as modules in the new UO Robot.  These modules will be ScribeBot, TailorBot, and soon to come MinerBot and LumberjackBot.  Here's what you can expect from UO Robot 2.0:

• New user interface - more intuitive and easy to use
• Usable "out of the box".  No more complex configuration.  Basic tasks will be available immediately, while the more complex tasks will require some simple configuration.  The new configuration will be smart.  It will scan your UO.CFG for the macros it needs (like inscription, recall spell, etc), and will also check to make sure your options are compatible (font colors & styles, etc).
• Extendable and customizable.  It will also include the functionality planned for Macro Buddy.  This means you will be able to write your own macros with UO Robot 2.0.   They can be either macros within UO Robot, or driven externally via ActiveX scripting.  This means you can write your own macros that take advantage of bitmap searching, journal decoding, and high-level functions like "Buy_Required_Items", etc.
• Usable on more systems - 800x600 screen resolution on up, and any color depth over 15-bit color.
• Optional features to help you comply with OSI's attended macroing policy (if you've been checking this page recently, you know why!).  This feature (which can be turned off entirely or in parts if desired) will have a combination of warnings, triggers, and reminders to keep your character from getting penalized for macroing.
• Complete documentation - including installation, setup & configuration, example macros, step-by-step instructions for using all features, etc.
• The beta and evaluation programs will be a little more strict than the current "free for all".  You'll have to fill out a form to get your own trial serial number and license key.  This will be done online, and will email your trial key to you immediately.  I hope this will encourage more quality feedback during beta and testing.
• It will only cost twenty bucks ($20).  Yes, you heard right.  ;)  I'm basically slashing the price to 33% of what it was before.  And this will include many more features.  Note that owners of UO Robot 1.0 will get a free upgrade to 2.0 for all features.

Let me know what you think about my new plans.  -Ben

BotCam hits a little snag
Looks like BotCam's days are numbered.  If you look at it, you'll notice that it hasn't updated since about 2:47 pm.  That's when my character got thrown in the penalty box for unattended macroing (and supposedly will be there for 24 hours).  How unattended scribing interferes with anyone else's game playing is beyond me.

It seems apparent that a BotCam of unattending macroing (showing my character's location & appearance also) is not such a wise idea. ;)  Oh well, it was fun while it lasted.  :(  From now on the BotCam will only be "live" when I can sit here and watch it, so that a GM doesn't boot me off the game.

Did I get screwed or was I just a moron?  Send me an email and let me know.   -Ben

BotCam is now LIVE!
The UO Robot BotCam is now live!.   It refreshes with a new screen shot of UO Robot every minute.  You can check up on the progress throughout the day, see how much gold it automatically generates, etc.

Server Outage
I apologize, the UO Robot server was down last night from about 8 pm until this morning around 5 am.  The DSL connection was out, and the only thing I can do is to wait for it to come back online.  I'm going to call my ISP to determine what the problem was, and how it can be prevented in the future.

Another update
Uploaded a new version of UO Robot.  This version fixes some problems with the new graphics.  Also uploaded a new version of Tailor Bot that fixes some searching problems.

DSL is up and Running
DSL seems to be running fairly well.  I will now host the downloads directly on the UO Robot server, rather than on my AOL page.  The current speed is 160 Kbps, I can increase this if the need arrises.

Are you Happy?
I haven't received much feedback about UO Robot lately.  Are you happy with the product?  Does it work for you?  Are there additions you would like to see?  Please send me feedback.   Thanks!

Another update
Uploaded a new version of UO Robot.  This version works with the new login screens.

Server Problems
I apologize for the downtime today on the UO Robot License Server.   The server was down from 11:00 am until 5:30 pm.  The dial-up connection was still there, but TCP-IP wasn't working for some reason.  The server is back up now.

Upgrading to DSL - Take Two
The highly trained (ahem) Northpoint installers are going to take another stab at getting DSL to work tomorrow between 8-10 am.  The server will most likely be down for that time.  I expect it to be back up at around 10:30 (whether the DSL works or not!).

Login Changes
The latest Ultima Online patch has broken UO Robot's login code.  The current workaround is to manually log in to UO, and then run UO Robot.  I will have a new version to fix this problem within the next 3 or 4 days.

Upgrading Server to DSL
I am updating my server system to 160 Kbps DSL (a five-fold speed increase from the current 28.8 speed!).  This upgrade should occur today between 1:00 and 4:00 pm.  Most likely the UO Robot License Server will be down for that time.   However, when the web server (and license server) come back up, it should be much quicker!

UO Robot is Still Alive!
Yes, I know the web page hasn't been updated in one month.  Real Life has gotten in the way.  However, I will be spending a lot more time on UO Robot in the near future.  Keep checking back, I think you'll like what you see!

License Server Outage
The license server crashed last night, so many of your were unable to use UO Robot or Tailor Bot last night.  The license server crashed because of input from very old client versions of UO Robot.  I have upgraded the license server to check for this invalid input, and to issue a warning message if the user is running an older version than available on the download page.

Another update
Uploaded a new version of UO Robot and Tailor Bot.  Check out the History page for what got fixed.

I think UO Robot is pretty stable now.  It is not easy to configure, but it is definitely possible if someone wants to do it.  I now plan to spend some time working on the Macro Buddy program.

New Version of UO Robot
Uploaded a new version of UO Robot.  Check out the History page for what got fixed.

Reports from the field
Relvinian reports that he can make about 2.5 K gold / hour using TailorBot.  I think this assumes already having a reserve of 800 cloth before beginning the clock.

New Version of UO Robot
Uploaded a new version of UO Robot.  This version is the highly anticipated version that is easier to configure.

• There's a new "Misc" page on the options form that lets you customize some more settings.
• You can now just type in the Vendor names for your locations, rather than having to capture bitmaps.
• Several bugs have also been fixed, see the History page.

Please see this list of Tips on Configuring UO Robot.

Income Stats
I've improved UO Robot to the point where I feel OK posting some stats on how much gold you can make.  If you have a high level scribe (Inscription at 90+), and you use UO Robot with the "Make & Sell Scrolls" option, you can make 8 - 12 K gold per day (running ~22 hours).  That is slower than making gold playing the game at an hourly basis, but then you are working to make the gold.   UO Robot can work 24 hours a day no problem (minus 1 or 2 for server downtime).   Just let UO Robot do the work for you!  Its like the Terminator for making gold, it never stops!  ;)

Make REAL Money!
Did you know that UO Robot has a referral program?  When you buy UO Robot, you get a referral number.  If you tell your friends and they buy UO Robot, you make real cash!  Click here to see how you can make money!

Actually, if you want to talk about some serious cash, you can use UO Robot to make gold to sell on ebay.  You'll make up the cost of UO Robot in about 2-3 weeks!  Check out how much money people are making on ebay!

New Version of UO Robot
Uploaded a new version of UO Robot.  Note that this version mainly fixes bugs and speeds it up, it does not yet have the easy configuration.  That will be in the next release.

Secure online ordering has been added!
The Purchase page now has links to GetSoftware so you can purchase UO Robot securely over the web.   And check out the amazing special offer!

Products Page
I added the new Products page.   It describes all of the products in the UO Robot lineup.  You can also see at a glance what new products are coming down the pipeline.

Fixed & Enhanced Tailor Bot
You can now use both white and gray cloth with Tailor Bot.  Also added several important items that it can make.  Added Cloth Tracking^TM to Tailor Bot - it now has a better idea of which items it can make with the available cloth.  I also added a couple of speed improvements.  Go to the Downloads page to download it.  Check out the new Tailor Bot screenshot for help on configuring it properly.

Please fill out the survey
I'm going to work on the bots that I think people want the most.  Let me know what you want by filling out the survey form.  Thanks!

Tailor Bot (beta) is now ready for download!
Tailor Bot takes the grunt work out of tailoring.  Best of all, this one is super easy to setup.  Just arrange a couple of backpacks, and hit the "Go" button!  You can even start using it with a brand new character (start with Tailoring at 50).  Go to the Downloads page to download it.  Note that you do not need UO Robot to use Tailor Bot, they are completely separate and stand-alone apps.

Check out this screenshot on how easy it is to arrange the backpacks.

Congrats to the first *successful* UO Robot User!
I got feedback today that someone finally got UO Robot to run through a cycle!   Woo hoo!  Yes, this proves that its way to hard to configure.  But it also proves that it works.  Here's the feedback:

Web page updates
I've created two new sections:  Known Bugs and Feedback.  I added "How to use the Bitmap Capture Utility" to the FAQ

Happy Birthday to Me!
I turn 29 today.  One last year before the big three-oh.  My birthday wish is to figure out how to make UO Robot more configurable.  ;)

New Version Uploaded!
A new version of UO Robot has been uploaded, this version has "Scribe Bot" working!  This thing is amazing, it continuously makes scrolls, sells them to the vendors, and buys more reagents.  Its the perpetual Gold Machine!!!  Its still kind of hard to set up, but its worth it.

Click here to download the new version.

Changes to User Interface
Look for some big changes coming soon to the UO Robot user interface.  I realize in its current state that it is very hard to configure.  As a matter of fact, I really don't think anyone at all has gotten it to work.  If you have, please let me know!

My plans are to totally simplify the user interface.   My new design is basically a "Go" button.  It will provide macros for tailoring.  Hopefully you will be able to create a new character with a Tailoring skill of "50", and then just hit the "Go" button and be off to the races.

I'm hoping to get this out sometime late this weekend.

Here's my ICQ
I added my ICQ # to the contacts page, just ICQ me if you want to chat about UO Robot.  ICQ # 41527219

New Survey
Added a new Survey Form.   Please fill it out, thanks!

Beta is Ready!
The UO Robot beta is ready for download!!!  The download size is about 493K.  Simply unzip the file into a directory (C:\Program Files\UO Robot), and place a shortcut to UORobot.exe on your desktop.  Then run the program and hit the "Configuration" icon.

Newsgroups
I've opened up two newsgroups on this server to discuss UO Robot.  Go to the Forums page for more info.

Copyright © 2000 Ben Ziegler. All rights reserved.
Revised: February 16, 2000.