Is is possible to cheat?
 

Just wondering if anyone knows if it is possible to cheat at a multiplayer game. I'm playing a multiplayer game and my opponent has technology that just seems amazing for the length of the game. By turn 39 I've seen ships with Solor Sail 3, Point defense 5, Uranium Cannon 5, Religous Talisman (which if I read the data files correctly requires Religour technology level 4) Mines and Light Cruisers. I know you can get some nice tech from special planets but this seems really wild to me. (either that or I'm really missing something!)

Re: Is is possible to cheat?
 

At turn 39? You're saying, 3.9 years into the game?

Hmm, I may be newbie to Space Empires, but something is sounding paranormal around here. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon8.gif

I suppose if the player made bee-lines to these techs, maybe, along with some ruins. But I don't know...

[ 26 March 2002: Message edited by: Arak Koba ]</p>

Re: Is is possible to cheat?
 

Maybe the guy just has:

All worlds in his home system are rock and all of them has ruins on it,

Has Traded or already Subjugated a race,

Or the famous one: Has the Advanced storage technique and Natural Merchants.

The Advanced Storage Technique give 4 extra facility slots per large (or was it medium?) planets and Natural merchants kill Space ports so One extra Facil Slot and quicker Expansion.

Edit: People here remember that GUTB? Saying he can research All that in 25 turns MY A**

[ 26 March 2002: Message edited by: TerranC ]</p>

Re: Is is possible to cheat?
 

That depends. What size start was it, what's his culture, and what's his Intelligence attribute. The religious thing makes me pause, but the rest seems plauseable.

Oh, and if you're in a 10-planet start all bets are off. Dimension X isn't that much farther and we've got people running around in battlecruisers, mines, fighters, PPBV, armor maxed, etc etc etc.

Phoenix-D

Re: Is is possible to cheat?
 

Yup 3.9 years. Guy is ancient race so could have made beeline for tech planets. But we are talking same serious expensive tech here. Also no advanced storage.


<blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by Arak Koba:
At turn 39? You're saying, 3.9 years into the game?

[ 26 March 2002: Message edited by: Arak Koba ]<hr></blockquote>

Re: Is is possible to cheat?
 

Never played multiplayer but can you or the host still check/uncheck empires in the "Players" menu and arrange a surrender? That would certainly speed up early research if it were possible.

Re: Is is possible to cheat?
 

Games stats were: single planet start, Home planet: bad, Tech level: low, Tech cost: Medium
Player stats are: Scientist, Inteligence: superior


<blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by Phoenix-D:
That depends. What size start was it, what's his culture, and what's his Intelligence attribute.
Phoenix-D<hr></blockquote>

Re: Is is possible to cheat?
 

I suspect that it might be possible to cheat (in some way) on a PBW game. Anyway, I can't imagine how a player could get extra research points or techs.
It is obviously possible if the game is hosted by a player (just as an example, he could mod the game without letting you know...).
BTW, he might have traded techs. I took part in a large game once (20 empires, no AIs, IIRC): extensive (and planned) tech trading among allies speeds up the process a lot.

Re: Is is possible to cheat?
 

Yes, trading techs with allies (especially if they coordinate to research different fields), and/or conquering AI's can let you fly through the techs.

PvK

Re: Is is possible to cheat?
 

<blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by DavidG:
Games stats were: single planet start, Home planet: bad, Tech level: low, Tech cost: Medium
Player stats are: Scientist, Inteligence: superior
<hr></blockquote>

All these points listed above might make one lean towards thinking that the possibility of cheating exists, but i know that in a single planet start game i will have 50k+ research points before turn 40. And if i wasnt building up my minerals and military infrastructure i could probably have close to 100k by turn 40.

Thru a combination of a few lucky ruins and a determined research focus on the technologies you have listed him as having it might be possible to get that level of technology that early in the game.

And as PvK said any ai takeovers are a bonus to all your resource production. If he has taken over a few of the nearest neighbours he could have huge research production by now (approaching 150k possibly)

Re: Is is possible to cheat?
 

I just whish I had some idea how it was possible cause I'd hate to be the sore loser that accusing someone of cheating just cause he beat me.
Tech trading is allowed in game and no AI players and 6 humans with only one dead so far.
To sum up the tech he has (that I know of):
Mines lvl 1 (and thus Constrution 1)
Ship Const lvl 4
Propulsion lvl 4
Religous tech lvl 4
Armour lvl 3 (and this Chemistry 1)
Stellar harnessing lvl 6
Explosive warheads lvl 3
Missle lvl 2
P.D. Weapons lvl 5 (and thus military science)
Projectile lvl 5.
and one extra colonization tech (likely from dead guy)

Re: Is is possible to cheat?
 

Is this a PBW game?

If it is then tell me which game and i can take a look at his turn. If its clean then no worries

I am still of the belief that its possible to achieve what he has.

Send details by email if u would prefer not to advertise which game in these forums


Gimboid
PBW Admin Team

Re: Is is possible to cheat?
 

Ya, I think it is (exceptional but) possible. The second colony tech is a clue that he has a tech partnership or at least consumed one or more AI players - not only does taking an AI get you their planets and facilities, but it also gives you +1 level in all their superior visible techs. Or, both - he could've absorbed an AI AND be partnering with someone and sharing techs and coordinating research efforts. Also, you said he was a scientist culture with superior intelligence, so I think that sounds pretty likely. He probably concentrated on religious tech to get the talismans. Best bet may be to get minsweeper tech 2 and try for a fatal stab - he may be weak in production/maintenance/repair/contrstruction and some other areas.

Or, probably wiser than an attempted strike: try to find another human player or two and explain that there is a mega-techno-alliance that needs to be countered!

PvK

Re: Is is possible to cheat?
 

Well, DavidG mentioned no AI players, but one dead human. The second colonization tech strongly indicates the fortunate ruines and since his archrival has ancient race it is quite possible. If he hunted for ruines, get a second colonization, then get one or two good ruin planets from second planet type, there should be no problems getting so high in religios tech. The rest of technologies is not THAT advanced in fact.
Two colonization types earlier on means bunch of breathable planets and run away research.

Hey, all of you, switch to the Propotions mod, there will be no such an outrages stuff then !
http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon12.gif

Re: Is is possible to cheat?
 

If the empire that player defeated actually surrendered to him, it would be very easy for him to research straight up to Talisman, and grab all the broad tech base from ruins and deconstructed ships.

Note that he gets all the levels he wants if the empire surrendered, since he has tens of ships to analyse.

Re: Is is possible to cheat?
 

Just in case check if cheat codes weren't left on http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/tongue.gif

Re: Is is possible to cheat?
 

<blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by Suicide Junkie:
Note that he gets all the levels he wants if the empire surrendered, since he has tens of ships to analyse.<hr></blockquote>

Huh?? What does this mean? Does he not just get whatever tech is on the ship?

Re: Is is possible to cheat?
 

<blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><hr> not only does taking an AI get you their planets and facilities, but it also gives you +1 level in all their superior visible techs. <hr></blockquote> I could have sworn that a surrender gets you all of the victim's non-racial techs, not just +1 level.

Re: Is is possible to cheat?
 

Sorry. He can get as many levels in each tech as he wants, assuming the other guy has them.

It would only take three ships to get most of the tech listed below.

Re: Is is possible to cheat?
 

<blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><hr> It would only take three ships to get most of the tech listed below. <hr></blockquote>But that was my point; when I've gotten a race to surrender, I've gotten ALL of their tech WITHOUT analyzing ANY ships, not just one level of each.

Re: Is is possible to cheat?
 

But surrender is not a requirement of getting all those techs quickly. It couldn't be too hard to capture two or three ships via other means.

Re: Is is possible to cheat?
 

<blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by capnq:
I could have sworn that a surrender gets you all of the victim's non-racial techs, not just +1 level.<hr></blockquote>

I was pretty sure, when playing out 1.59 beta test game, that from surrenders I was only getting +1 level in techs, and only in those techs that I could have researched at that point.

That is, if the surrendering empire had phased energy weapons and I didn't even have physics 2 yet, I would gain one level of physics. I could be wrong, I guess.

PvK

Re: Is is possible to cheat?
 

In 1.49, a surrender has the exact same effect of receiving all of the retiring player's planets, units, ships and techs (I might have forgotten something else) as a gift.
This mean that you can only go up 1 tech level, provided you could research that technology and you had a lower tech level.
Anyway, this is just for the tech "gift", you can allways deconstruct & analyze all ships you obtain through the surrender.

Re: Is is possible to cheat?
 

I am at turn 47 of DiVersionary Strategems and i got a surrender at turn 10-15 so i had 5 homeworlds instead of 3 (as the other guy had hit his other 1). and with about 4 lucky gas giants, a comp surrending at turn 22 and giving up one homeworld i have roughly 80,000 reasearch a turn and am up high in some areas, i can't disclose for security reasons.

Re: Is is possible to cheat?
 

And I'll bet you haven't even considered getting Stellar Harnessing level 6 ?? (or at least at turn 39 you didn't) I gather the general consensus is that it is possible but it still seems pretty amazing to me. Mainly becuase I would think prior to turn 39 the total of 825,000 tech points it costs the Religous Tech and the 510,000 points for Steller Harnessing 6 would be better spent elsewhere.

<blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by Skulky:
I am at turn 47 of DiVersionary Strategems and i got a surrender at turn 10-15 so i had 5 homeworlds instead of 3 (as the other guy had hit his other 1). and with about 4 lucky gas giants, a comp surrending at turn 22 and giving up one homeworld i have roughly 80,000 reasearch a turn and am up high in some areas, i can't disclose for security reasons.<hr></blockquote>

Re: Is is possible to cheat?
 

I was playing in game, which was freeze by PBW admin in week ago. And we found out that there was a player who was cheating! He has manipulate his turn files and got many extra tech.

Your game sounds EXACTLY same kind of that we had. Even the techs are so similar, that there can be even same player!

You should ask PBW admin to check his turns!

Re: Is is possible to cheat?
 

Yes I was in several of the games affected by this player. In one game I run, by turn10, with only 1 planet, 100k starting bonus, low-tech, medium research cost, this player had managed to research:

construction-1 (50k)
mines-1 (50k)
military science-1 (50k?)
astrophysics-1 (50k?)
stellar manip-1 (100k)
applied research-2 (100k)
space yards-2 (200k?)
chemistry-1 (50k)
armor-4 (something like 75k)
sensors-1 (50k)
combat support-1 (50k)
propulsion-4 (~60k)
plus some other little things.

That's over 800,000 research points in 10 turns! when they were only earning 10k research points per turn.

Luckily PBW caught on and have worked with Malfador to close the loophole to prevent this sort of thing in the future.

<blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by Gerbbi:
I was playing in game, which was freeze by PBW admin in week ago. And we found out that there was a player who was cheating! He has manipulate his turn files and got many extra tech.

Your game sounds EXACTLY same kind of that we had. Even the techs are so similar, that there can be even same player!

You should ask PBW admin to check his turns!<hr></blockquote>