What If?

Atrocities · #1 September 18th, 2003, 08:16 AM

Now I can not do this, but it has occured to me that others might be able too. What if a player of a game could read the game log file? Or edit the plr files? What advantages would this give a person, and how might they exploit said advantage in the game?

Is this possible and if so, how can we prevent it from continuing?

How can we detect when a player is hacking the log and other files of a pbw game?

For the record, I am not accusing any one of any thing, it is just something that occured to me because of an incident that just happened with Tribe 2. (Some one was able to run a script that gave them unlimited energy and health and he and his clan used this script to win a clan championship. They cheated in other words to win many games.)

[ September 18, 2003, 07:19: Message edited by: Atrocities ]

Joachim · #2 September 18th, 2003, 08:23 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Atrocities:

For the record, I am not accusing any one of any thing, it is just something that occured to me because of an incident that just happened with Tribe 2. (Some one was able to run a script that gave them unlimited energy and health and he and his clan used this script to win a clan championship. They cheated in other words to win many games.)

I hope I never understand why people would cheat to win - Yeah great victory guys, you go feel like real big people...

narf poit chez BOOM · #3 September 18th, 2003, 08:30 AM

well, i once detected a cheat by pumping massive amounts of firepower into someone and watching him not die.

Atrocities · #4 September 18th, 2003, 08:42 AM

Ya cheating is bad, but I am just curious to see if someone could do it on PBW. There are a lot of computer savay people here, I am not one of them, and I am sure any one of them could easily do it if they wanted. Not that any one here would, but ya never know.

I really just want to know what hacking the log file or plr files would do. Would it give the player an advantage? If they hacked the files could they modify them and then upload altered data. For example, a player changes the settings on say DUC I to be as strong as WMG III for one game turn and obliterates a vastely supior fleet. Then changes them back for the next turn as not to be detected.

Or uses the info in the log file to judge threats and gain insider intel on an empire.

Or worse, alters his oponents weapoons and makes them utterly useless so his fleet of 25 escorts armed with DUC I desimates a fleet of 40 frigates packing DUC IV's.

If it is possible, how would be detect it? I mean the above example could be explained away in any number of ways, and that is the slick part of it.

If some devious individual or individuals have cracked the code what protection do we have? First you must know if the code can be craked, and if so, how. And once how, is it being cracked and by whom. A good defense is a strong hack proof code.

(One of the cheaters in the Tribes 2 was a long time Tribes friend. He even confired that they were cheating back in Tribes and had won many a ladder because of it. The clan has been ruined over this, and those players reps with it.)

[ September 18, 2003, 07:45: Message edited by: Atrocities ]

narf poit chez BOOM · #5 September 18th, 2003, 08:46 AM

the turn is processed of the hosts files as far as i know, so it wouldn't do anything.

there are a few possibilities i can think up, but i think it's best i keep them off a publically viewable forum. maybe email those thoughts to malfador.

i cheat sometimes on sp for fun. i'm pretty good at it if i do say so myself, as long as they don't encode or change there variable addresses regularly.

i just cannot understand why some people get mad about sp cheating.

Atrocities · #6 September 18th, 2003, 09:24 AM

I seldom play modified games in SP. I seldom use the cheats if ever but I don't pass judgement on those who do.

narf poit chez BOOM · #7 September 18th, 2003, 09:29 AM

gee, thanks.

Atrocities · #8 September 18th, 2003, 09:55 AM

Hey I thought you could use a ringing endorsment for single player cheating.

Afterall those evil EEE are coming and god only knows that your shipyards are still 30 turns away from producing your first defender class warship.

narf poit chez BOOM · #9 September 18th, 2003, 09:56 AM

only if i'm cheating in that game. if you just go cheating willy-nilly, you'll never stop.

dogscoff · #10 September 18th, 2003, 10:41 AM

Quote:

For example, a player changes the settings on say DUC I to be as strong as WMG III for one game turn and obliterates a vastely supior fleet.

I don't think this would be possible. If you think about it the plr files only need to contain designs, political Messages and orders. Everything else can be stored and processed on the host.

Therefore, the best you could do with a hacked plr file (I'm guessing) would be to create an impossible design (ie an escort with 12 DUCs & 15 engines) which would be pretty easy for your opponents to spot in-game. Furthermore, there may be checking on the host's side to weed out this kind of irregularity anyway.

Of course I'm probably wrong.