Is password guessing cheating?

[Captain Kwok]

Any attempts to gather info outside of the confines of the game is cheating.

I just don't understand why people cheat...I mean it's only a game, it's not life or death. Geez.

[Suicide Junkie]

The passwords are meant to keep others out, because you're not supposed to be looking at other people's empires! Take a hint, and don't cheat.

If you want to see what somebody is up to, use an intel op!

[Tenryu]

It is incrediable that someone would even try that excuse. I'd shut that turkey right down if I was running a game. He is, obviously, dishonest, and therefore, also a liar.

[Zarix]

Looking into someone elses empire is cheating when playing a game of SEIV. It doesn't matter how you do it. Even in a game where there is no passwords it is still cheating.

A little OT but wouldn't it be interesting to play a game without passwords? That way people who are interested in the game but aren't playing could learn new strategies and just watch the game as it develops. Also after a players empire is dead they could see what went wrong.

The best solution would be to use passwords and then publish them on a web page. That way the players wouldn't accidentally open a wrong empire. Of course it might not be easy to find players that are honest and willing to reveal their strategies.

[Slaughtermeyer]

Historically I can think of at least one instance where one side did the equivalent of guessing the other side's password: the use of ULTRA and MAGIC by the Allies in World War II to break the enemy codes. Perhaps an interesting addition to SEIV or SEV would be to include a very costly intelligence mission that if successful would reveal the target's password, either permanently or for a randomly determined number of turns.

[disabled]

It would just be easier to create an intel that would allow you to see, monitor, and view everything the enemy does from your own turn.

Same for sabotage.

As for passwords, it's only practical use would be to game admins to check for cheating and to change players should the need arise (or to become a player themselves....)

[Suicide Junkie]

Historically I can think of at least one instance where one side did the equivalent of guessing the other side's password: the use of ULTRA and MAGIC by the Allies in World War II to break the enemy codes. Perhaps an interesting addition to SEIV or SEV would be to include a very costly intelligence mission that if successful would reveal the target's password, either permanently or for a randomly determined number of turns.

Any sort of password operation is totally unbalanced. Intel ops exist to change orders, view/intercept comms, on a one ship/message/something basis. Seeing the whole empire at once would cost you about 100 million intel points.

If anyone managed to pull that op off before the game was won, you'd know they were a cheater anyways.

[ June 29, 2002, 14:06: Message edited by: Suicide Junkie ]