Re: [GD-Design] Off-line vs. on-line play and cheating

[Alain H. <ah...@re...>]

> But, I think the approach is to solve by design, not by technology
> (which is why I posted to design instead of say algorithms), since
> trying to solve it technologically is a losing proposition since the
> client is inherently untrustworthy.

Attempting to solve via design. I have to say that I don't see how it can be
done. I mean if you want some items in your game to have value (eg: the ub3r
starship) then I don't see how it won't be trivialized by hacks. But that
doesn't mean it can't be done, I'm about as far from omniscient as one can
get.

> Hackers have more time than game developers, so it's a
> losing battle when you try to fight them on their turf.

I don't know if they will always win. For example, I think, but I'm not
sure, that intertrust has not been hacked yet. Of course that could have
something to do with no one adopting their technology... And you have a
somewhat easier problem. If, for example, you required that the client log
in (for a new binary) every month or so you could make things much harder on
the hackers.

----- Original Message -----
From: "Brian Hook" <bri...@py...>
To: <gam...@li...>
Sent: Monday, July 22, 2002 11:15 AM
Subject: RE: [GD-Design] Off-line vs. on-line play and cheating


> > Wow. Attempting to make an always on line game cheat free is
> > already VERY hard.
>
> I am aware =)
>
> > However you are attempting to solve a much harder problem:
> > off line games.
>
> Correct.
>
> But, I think the approach is to solve by design, not by technology
> (which is why I posted to design instead of say algorithms), since
> trying to solve it technologically is a losing proposition since the
> client is inherently untrustworthy.
>
> > Oh, and I would change my binaries as frequently as
> > economically feasible. And make sure that each biniary is
> > different in some fundemental way (eg: automate the process
> > that changes the structures).
>
> This is why I don't want to solve it with technology: the time committed
> to trying to fix it is usually disproportionately longer than the
> benefits gained.  Hackers have more time than game developers, so it's a
> losing battle when you try to fight them on their turf.
>
> Brian
>
>
>
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