Hacking-cheating in Game

[capiqu]

Originally Posted by Renegadeknight

What if they made the registration more strict. Like needing real information or something.

Do you mean something like texting a confirmation code to a cellphone for every new account?

[Renegadeknight]

Originally Posted by capiqu

Do you mean something like texting a confirmation number to a cellphone for every new account?

not a 100% sure what I mean. What I'm trying to get at is to link it to something in real life that would be hard to replace or fake. Perhaps using a real name and credit card to confirm it, or something. Not really sure what would be the best way to do it.

[james]

Originally Posted by Renegadeknight

not a 100% sure what I mean. What I'm trying to get at is to link it to something in real life that would be hard to replace or fake. Perhaps using a real name and credit card to confirm it, or something. Not really sure what would be the best way to do it.

You can't, using a credit card would kill like 50 percent of the f2p audience.

[Renegadeknight]

Originally Posted by james

You can't, using a credit card would kill like 50 percent of the f2p audience.

yeah I know what you mean. That is why I said I'm not sure the best way to do it. My point is to connect it to real life to make it difficult to make infinite amount of accounts.

[Flaropri]

Originally Posted by dafuq

i really wonder how they get into EVERY GAMES BETA or even tech test

.. their admin cant be that lucky

You don't need to be invited to get software if you're willing to hack for it.



Anyway, I'm sure Punkbuster isn't the only thing they're doing to attempt to reduce hacking, and they'd be stupid to say what all else they would be using.

[Galzus]

I don't know why anti-cheat teams don't just plant a "mole" in cheating communities, download paid hacks, and make some easy blacklisting :|

[Pyreal]

Couldn't SOE set up a few smart guys to buy the hacks and figure out how they work and then plug the hole?

[Durandal]

Originally Posted by capiqu

Do you mean something like texting a confirmation code to a cellphone for every new account?

this, facebook already does this, you need a unique email and phone number per account, this way it is substantially harder to just make a new accnt after being banned

[Dubious]

phone number and/or credit card
atleast 1 of those should be required

every teenager got a mobile phone so it shouldnt be a problem..

[Flaropri]

Originally Posted by Pyreal

Couldn't SOE set up a few smart guys to buy the hacks and figure out how they work and then plug the hole?

They could, and I'd be surprised if they didn't. However, it also depends on where the hole is, and how it can be plugged without otherwise effecting game-play (if possible) or creating a new hole(s).

Ultimately, you aren't going to stop people from hacking (either you are on the defensive, responding to specific threats as best you can, or you have terribly intrusive anti-cheating software that prevents legit people from playing like Brawl Busters and invades people's privacy and still on the defensive, trying to respond to new threats as they come). The important things are to make it difficult enough to be done so that it isn't overly prolific, and to completely ban-hammer people that cheat in the first place.


On of the good things about persistent accounts is that they encourage people to hang onto them, even if they don't pay for them, because they sink time into them. People who are willing to put that time into it are less likely to use cheats and risk losing it all. People who don't care and cheat anyway will get bored because there's no persistent progression and without persistence there is little this game offers that can't be had in other games or other forms of entertainment in general.


Then all you have to worry about is DDOS from disgruntled a-holes, and there's not that much that can be done other than having a good bandwidth and shiz (and criminal prosecution).

[Thoreaux]

Originally Posted by Dubious

phone number and/or credit card
atleast 1 of those should be required

every teenager got a mobile phone so it shouldnt be a problem..

I actually really like the phone idea. To make a new account, either:

A) Enter a CC number which is validated by SOE, but not charged.

-or-

B) Enter a mobile phone number, receive a code via text message, and use that to validate.


That way, the hassle of making a new account becomes prohibitive for cheaters, but not enough to turn too many people away.

[kaibutzu]

and even if u do hardware ban u can still spoof HW ids and most paid hacking sites do it for u now once u load the hack and dont start with ips or macaddress there just as easy to change to

[capiqu]

Thinking about what Renagade posted made me think about linking accounts to cell phone numbers. When u start a new account Soe will text you a confirmation code that you would have to enter to activate the account yes both Facebook and my bank use this method. If someone gets banned and start a new account then they would need a new phone number. This would make it more costly to them in time and or money hopefully discouraging most from getting banned in the first place.

[SkarBlade]

Originally Posted by Braveliltoaster

that doesn't surprise me, and the fact that the games free to play its going to be a mess. SoE said they will have GM's looking for hackers, big deal they get banned and they start a new account its a never ending cycle and that is what pisses me off. If someone gets caught hacking they should be banned from the game permanently, Like a hardware ban!

They can IP ban but they will just come back. Hackers are A-holes. Plain and simple.

Originally Posted by capiqu

Thinking about what Renagade posted made me think about linking accounts to cell phone numbers. When u start a new account Soe will text you a confirmation code that you would have to enter to activate the account yes both Facebook and my bank use this method. If someone gets banned and start a new account then they would need a new phone number. This would make it more costly to them in time and or money hopefully discouraging most from getting banned in the first place.

Sure if people want it through a text but I rather have it call the phone and give me a number so I can enter.

[Pyreal]

The phone linked acct seems like a pretty good idea. I doubt someone is going to go out and buy a tracfone so they can get a new acct activated.

Originally Posted by Flaropri

They could, and I'd be surprised if they didn't. However, it also depends on where the hole is, and how it can be plugged without otherwise effecting game-play (if possible) or creating a new hole(s).

I see your point.

SOE could also simply figure out what vulnerability the hack is exploiting in order to find the users of that hack in order to cull them. They wouldn't even have to close the vulnerability, just monitor it.