> I feel like the whole thread of this conversation is going the wrong > way. Ppl keep wanting to make more and more complex/technical > solutions to this problem of cheating. Signatures, IDs, etc. etc. etc. > It's very much like if someone breaks into your house - so you put
<snip> > I have no "fix", but I do have a feeling that the "harder walls = better > security" is not the way to solve this problem. You're all thinking > very comfortably inside the box - need to think outside the box. True. More complicated "solutions" lead to more problems. Also anything requiring changes to CD keys or WON authorization is probably right out since Valve/Sierra can't go back and modify the millions of CDs and keys that are already out there and, as it's already been pointed out, cheaters already have hundreds of CD keys anyway. If you invalidate all of those keys, they will still be able to get more. Get away from the mindset of "banning someone and they're gone forever". Like Tim stated, it's a difficult problem to solve (and might be unsolvable). Whatever solutions get implemented, you should realize that ANYTHING done on the client can be hacked/patched/bypassed. So spending lots of time on complex schemes to validate/authenticate/monitor a client might be easily bypassed in 5 minutes by a simple hack to the client executables or DLL files (which you have NO control over once they are downloaded to the client). I think the best solution would have to be something that is ACTIVE. Something that monitors players FROM THE SERVER and something that is able to dynamically update itself as new cheat information becomes available. These types of systems are NOT trivial to design or implement (getting back to the complicated solutions again). The only other alternatives are, to quit playing the game and move on to something else (not good if you REALLY love playing the game), let the cheaters cheat and play the game fairly (not taking it so seriously that it pisses you off), or always play on a password protected server where you know everyone else and know that everyone who plays on that server feels the same way about cheaters as you do. Jeffrey "botman" Broome _______________________________________________ To unsubscribe, edit your list preferences, or view the list archives, please visit: http://list.valvesoftware.com/mailman/listinfo/hlcoders
