Possible solution to the Mercing problem but would you use it?

  • Hey - turns out IRC is out and something a little more modern has taken it's place... A little thing called Discord!

    Join our community @ https://discord.gg/JuaSzXBZrk for a pick-up game, or just to rekindle with fellow community members.

Originally posted by Malfuncti0N
Snap question - why NT, not Linux?
Click to expand...

Because for this app coding it for NT won't be too much different from coding it for 9x, there are some different locations and some other small things that need to be changed for NT but apart from that not much difference (as far as the app is concerned). I'll also be using some of the Windows enviroment to generate info needed by the prog. Linux is a completely different kettle of fish altogether. Maybe someone could port to prog over to Linux but I've no idea about that right now.

Also I don't run Linux myself and have no experience with coding for Linux so probably better to leave it alone as I don't know what the prog would do under Linux.

Darkheart
 
1st Aren't there any other ways of detecting it's the same person?
2nd would it have to run constently?
3rd if it doesn't have to run constently why not use java?
only point java has it has open source :/ anyone with a decompiler can view the code. Tho if this is a problem depends on how u detect/process everything else.

I got some java expierence and am willing to cooperate. Java would also mean it would run on any computer :)
 
The UT side of it would be simple, and best handled by a UDP data transmission. When some1 joins a server, the server sends a UDP packet with the player name and IP in, the system check this person is logged in and sends a UDP packet back saying yes or no, if the server doesn't recieve a yes in a specified timeout period it kicks that player. About 5 mins worth of coding, wouldn't take me long at all.

Yeah players would be forced to use registered nick (as PB does too), not big deal.

Thanx
 
1st Aren't there any other ways of detecting it's the same person?
Click to expand...

None that I know of, a machine+user+IP check would seem to be the best way.

2nd would it have to run constently?
Click to expand...
Yes but very little CPU & Bandwidth usage,I have tried a little sandbox program that does nothing except send about the amount of data required between client and server, CPU useage is about 1% and in 5 minutes it clocked up about less than 2Kb of data.
3rd if it doesn't have to run constently why not use java?
only point java has it has open source :/ anyone with a decompiler can view the code. Tho if this is a problem depends on how u detect/process everything else.
Click to expand...
Sorry I don't do Java and it will help if the code isn't visible so people can't see:

1) What info I'm getting from the PC
2) What algorithms I run on it.
3) What files are accessed.

Java will also push up the CPU Utilisation I think.

The UT side of it would be simple, and best handled by a UDP data transmission. When some1 joins a server, the server sends a UDP packet with the player name and IP in, the system check this person is logged in and sends a UDP packet back saying yes or no, if the server doesn't recieve a yes in a specified timeout period it kicks that player. About 5 mins worth of coding, wouldn't take me long at all.
Click to expand...

I'm thinking of using TCP (simpler and more reliable) rather than UDP LMK if this is a problem.

Darkheart
 
Last edited:
in the case of phears idea it would mean java is out of the question btw. java is ez to hack so u would have to do less in the java client and more @ the server.. lot safer
 
I dont know shit about coding but this sounds good idea though would it be possable to put it into the league mod, reason for doing this is that mainly only league servers run the mod also would let you know who has just joined the server inside ut, dunno if that would be possable but sounds like a good way to go ?
 
you can reverse engineer C++ progs as well as java classes.

For an application like this Java aint a good choice IMO becuase the Java VM would need too much ressources and besides that you either force others to dld the runtime or start their browsers which would cost ressources too
 
ok well heres what i think

for people who dont use isdn or 56k
every NIC has a Mac Address this is a unique address that only that NIC has. If u could workout some Validation process then that could be an alternative.

DIsadvantage is that it wouldnt work with 56k/isdn but maybe it could be a start untill we find a more viable solution.

Was wondering do isdn cards or 56k modems have any sort of unique serial or product code that the computer recognises ?
 
Phear I think what your talking about in your most recent post isn't going to work. As long as it remains a voluntary system the people are free to use it to show they don't use mercs but if they can't or won't then they don't have to. If your talking about kicking people off the server they are not authenticated then I think we will have a problem. Not EVERYONE is going to be able to run this program (as already discussed, Linux, Mac, using Cybercafe etc.) so it's not fair they should be kicked from a match because they can't use the client.

Granted this is much less effective as we can only show those people who ARN'T mercing and provide QA for that but I think if we are going for a MANDATORY approach as you suggest in your most recent post I think it would cause problems and be very unpopular.

I think sticking with the voluntary scheme is better one thing I'm pretty sure of is that there will be some bugs and we don't want people kicked off mid-match because of a programming glitch, CSHP has shown us that kicking players for violations is hard to get right.

Maybe we could add this as an option where all match players agree to it but it seems unlikely unless we could add some added value like cheat nuking as well, and even then I dunno.

Relax my ICQ is: 108302483 I should be on around 8:00ish (GMT) tonight.

Darkheart
 
Don't worry about generating ID's I have a much more secure system than just taking one piece of hardware (like Drive serial or MAC Address). The encryption + ID + Comms side is no problem for me, Web intergration (for distributing prog + seeds) and UT intergration is stuff I will need help with.

Darkheart
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top Bottom
Back