Solutions?

[Deb4PSU]

I am trying to find solutions to the rampant hacks and stuff being run, and what I as a player should do. I have ignored the speed hacks, the ghost cams, the people talking in wide open game about the bone cutter, and any other number of little cheats some people run; but it is getting so you can't do anything unless you hide in tram. Some of us would like to play in fel, but are getting to the point we are no longer are capable. You do a spawn knowing you will get raided because you see the ghost cam pop up, but figure what the heck. Then when they kill you when the champ is up, they resort to wall of stone, para fields, and such to keep you from getting rezed, and taunt about no scrolls for you. All of this is against the rules, but you can't get a GM. You sit there for an hour or more and then get a canned response. What is the solution? Run and hide in tram? Resort to using the illegal programs that no one seems to care if you use in the game anymore? I know most of you here say you don't or won't run illegal programs. Do you stay in tram? If not, how to you make it a more level playing field?

 

[Ender]

Can't beat 'em, join 'em

Is probably the best answer. At this point in the game, nothing will happen sadly.

 

[Gheed]

Client file restructuring... I sense Punkbuster approaching. Perhaps they got a package deal. Have faith...

 

[Maplestone]

1) Accept that life's not fair.
2) Find what's fun for you.
3) Remind the devs that clients can never be trusted (even when punkbuster believes its watching).
4) Break down the individual issues that are game-breaking/distorting and brainstorm on U.Hall as to how to make them resistent to automation
5) Express infinite patience
6) return to step 1 a month after the fix you were sure would work

 

[Gellor]

EA COULD do something about the cheats:

1. Ensuring client files remain untampered... nothing tricky or special here.
2. Ensuring that the server does NOT trust what the client is sending. DUH. Client/server 101 anyone.
3. Fix exploits and such before releasing more eye candy.

Can't say there is an easy fix for an automated program because that would require daily updates on what is valid and not. *shrugs*

But there is nothing they can do about:

1. Player attitude - a player can tell you that your PvP ability is at the hind end of a goat till he is blue in the face... as long as he isn't profane, EA can't do a dang thing. Blocking gates or ways of exit: I've heard 15 different stories all changing on any given day. OTOH, I can't think of a single place that has one way to exit so the point is kind of moot there.
2. Players abilities - I am talking about real life abilities not game skills. Some people's lot in life is to be bad PvPer no matter how uber the template or gear. I've known a person or two who could wreck a shard with no skill over 110. *shrugs*

I've been on three sides of the PvP beating machine:

1. Hiding - staying in tram and let Fel rot. That is where I started.
2. Trying - attempted to do spawns. Sometimes got them done. Sometimes got wiped out and insulted. We dealt with the insults and kept trying.
3. Laying the smack down - yup, I've been part of the zerg the heck out of anything moving machine. Somedays the guild members are good with no smacktalk aside from the obligatory "nice fight". Otherdays, the guild was full of dung heads who gave all sorts of nasty smacktalk.

 

[Deb4PSU]

I am going to continue to try and do spawns. It is just getting aggrevating. The same guy pulled the same stuff with another guildie tonight. They went to page on him and for some reason it wouldn't work. I had the same problem today with the guy. Must be another new hack, along with the you can't call guards, and I can FU all day and it isn't in your journal. It seems that they are finding ways around any safety net noncheaters had. I know there will always be cheats. I don't expect otherwise, but it isn't too had for a real person to pop in when called, see the FUs flying and it isn't in a journal when they see it themselves, or to see someone standing in the open at a spawn talking about the hack they will run, and do something about it. I guess my main complaint is not we need punkbuster. What we need is real live GMs that come when stuff is going down, not a canned response an hour or so after the fact. I guess that is one of the cut backs that EA made because of the economy.

 

[Lord Patapon]

For the speedhacks, Devs won't be able to put an end to it, simply because it IS undetectable; even if you have a detection tool for it (which they had ... remember when they put it on ... oh, that was around ... Pub 15 or 16 if I remember well), you can still "slightly" speedhack and don't get caught.
I'm not a specialist in computers and stuff, but I've seen several explications about why it can't totally be stopped.

Except, maybe, if you put on Punkbuster. Which won't happen, in my opinion. (why was it brought up in the FoF, and then nothing was made with it ... ? Maybe they wait for something ... but what ?)

As for the rampant cheating in the game (both facets ... i've seen as much scripting on one facet than on the other... the difference is it isn't done for the same things; I'm growing tired of seeing cheating related with Fell everytime it comes up in a discussion.), the only thing to wait is a new client.
IF the game comes to a point, someday, where the vast majority of players leaves 2d client behind to pick up a new client, then scripting won't be as available as today (eg for everyone who knows how to search Google for such programs.)
The only ones able to script EVEN with a new client will be those with solid, hard knowledge in programmation, able to update this proggy by themselves ... which clearly isn't the majority of the player base. Far from it.

I hope they'll get the SA client right; that might stop a lot of junk going on in the game actually. But if they don't get it right ... well, I don't know, and I prefer to ignore that kind of future, for now. Too scary.

 

[Gellor]

I believe that with factions, you can turn off guards in faction towns. Got nailed like that the other night and that is what I'm putting that up to.

As I said, speed hacks are fixed through not trusting what the client is sending. As an example, the client sends 10 steps but the server says whoa, that isn't right, I only allow 7 and throws out the packet. (VERY simplified example)

The problem with checking every packet is server overhead(aka lag)

 

[ColterDC]

If you want to PvP in UO you're going to have to accept the fact that the vast majority of the players are cheating. If they're not cheating during the actual fight, they are cheating before hand by running BoD bots to get all sorts of runic tools to make the best armor in the game, or using a certain program to auto fill their backpack with pots, petals, etc or they're simply running a gold farming script in order to have billions of gold in the bank so they can buy the nicest items anytime they want.

Personally, I've pretty much given up on UO PvP. As an honest player I refuse to drop to their level and I really don't see how they get any satisfaction in a victory when they had to cheat to win.

If you're looking for some human competition there are tons of online games out there that actually give a crap about stopping the cheating. I have more fun playing a game of CoD, B-ball or Madden on my PS3 then I've ever had PvPing in UO.

 

[Turdnugget]

I PvP because it's fun to see the cheaters die and their reactions =)