TheWalkingDude (DayZ)

Better for dayz - you know, the topic of this forum....

This isn't strictly about game servers so sorry if this isn't a perfect fit in this section but I couldn't think of where else to put it (seems a bit too niche a question for general). Can anyone elaborate on how the backend of DayZ is built? From what I understand there is a DB server (or servers) which actual game servers interface with via what I'm guessing is probably a webservice or API of some sort. Is this correct? Or maybe game servers talk directly to the DB and there is no middleware service? Does anyone know the technologies involved? I'm a web developer by trade and I have a curiosity for such things. Would be interesting to know how this beast is put together because technically wise it works pretty damn well really.

Cool thanks. I wonder if anyone involved in the project is a node.js fan - its strengths seem very suited to a high traffic concurrent task like this, and maybe even a object store/NoSQL DB like Mongo or something. It would be pretty easy to bang out an API that game servers talk to the hive with in node.js.

You are a mental midget.

+1. They should still stop you running rampant in towns/cities but they only need to be slow and numerous to do that i.e. to keep you moving. Plus if they are slow but persistent, it will make you stand out a lot more to other players, which is mechanism enough to treat the Zs seriously, even if they are easy to escape from.

The quick fix is to adopt remote execution detection and prevention on the server side. A command like TP'ing doesn't go straight to each client - it goes through the server first. I think DayZ's popularity as a mod has warranted this work by BI specifically for the mod (or any other that may happen to get popular in the future).

I've been reading around and it seems if a server has deployed the latest anti hack measures (official and not - I believe there is a 3rd party tool used to block certain commands now), then it seems rampant hacking has been toned down a little bit? It will take a while for most server admins to catch up and I expect counters, but perhaps things are improving for the better even without standalone. I always thought it would be possible to simply block certain remote commands, but it would take a little bit of working around as only DayZ would implement it, and hopefully this is the case.

It can be done without doing anything special from what I can tell but yeah, go ahead if you like confusing interfaces that don't make sense and multiple steps to do something as simply as update - DC does it in like two mouse clicks.

They followed it up with a mass unbanning because they screwed everything up and mostly banned innocent people. There are hacks to still play with banned GUIDs (confirmed) and there are probably hacks to spoof GUIDs anyway. It's all completely useless.

Wow I can't believe I'm the first to say this, but... Pics or it didn't happen.

What we need is some whitehats to go and DDoS their web servers off the face of the earth. Test their forum software for any exploits and missing security patches. Leave them to IRC channels and other low volume channels to spread their corruption. I wonder if Anonymous are on the side of the people here.

Yeah I figured - damn you professional types and your professionalism :P I'll say what you can't - ARMA2 is an abortion of a security mess and the excuse about it needing to be open is aimed at convincing people who don't know better. There's this engine called the Source Engine which is pretty open too - a couple of good mods on it and it can be script driven. Funny how TF2 doesn't suffer because of it.

You bought DayZ, deal with it. Am I doing it right?

Man, I'd love to hear your opinion on ARMA2's "clients can do anything" approach to engine scripting. Maybe EA should make more games for "military contractors" but still market them on Steam as mainstream shooters - they'd reduce their budgets by a lot (although you may no longer be employed :P).

Yeah probably - I'm guessing this is how mods are made in ARMA2. The harsh truth here is ARMA2 is just not fixable without a massive redo, which is what the standalone is hoping to achieve.

Anyone who denies the possibility of GUID spoofing is simply not very computer savvy. I can't say I have proof a method out there exists for this but there is no way anyone who has any insight into the world of hackers and exploiters would ever say something can't be done.

Release a patch which disables scripting from any source other than the server executables itself. Screw the ARMA2 gamers, this is DayZ's now :)

Yeah I like the "you didn't buy DayZ" one. Like 99% of DayZ players would have bought ARMA2 otherwise. It is splitting hairs and an argument out of touch with reality.

Look, I gotta say it is strange viewing from both sides. But I have seen forum members I do know and trust elsewhere around the net make the claim (I'm not banned BTW - at least I wasn't 24hrs or so ago).

The sad thing is as this is going on, the effects of hacking have barely seen a bump in the horizon. From what I gather this ban wave is a result of processing a load of server logs that shows commands being executed. Has anyone stopped to think that maybe hackers have a way of spoofing which user executed the command? They have hacked just about everything else including the ability to get a server's RCON password. And yet we have people here refusing to believe anything except 100% of people banned were hackers? Some people have no idea at all.

I find it hard to believe everyone here and on other forums complaining about being banned are all scripters. It doesn't make sense - they know to contact BE about fixing it, so why would they care to post on random forums about it if they were hackers - noone knows they got banned so why advertise it. People are clearly annoyed by this and are venting, and I've seen enough reports on forums with people I have played with and are trusted within a small community of DayZ players who are either directly affected or know someone who is to believe there is something to this. And regardless of whether BE's detection methods mean it is unlikely, it could be as simple as BE running a script of their own to mass ban offending GUIDs and having a bug in the script which is causing something like this.

What is the point in reporting how lucky you have been to not have seen any hacks? You could have played for 5 minutes for all anyone knows, and who cares? it's as redundant as the hacking complaining threads. Even more so because there is clearly a problem - noone gives a shit if you've fluked your way into not being affected.

It's not just the amount of hackers but also the type - I'll be interested to hear the last decent game which was prone to hackers who can do absolutely anything in a multi player game. There is no such thing.

Will they ban if a hacker changes gear in your inventory? this happened to me, but since you can't respawn anymore I figured I'd just roll with it. I have like 1 murder to my name since May so I'm not a PvP fan so I don't really feel like I'm cheating - I'm kinda just waiting to be hacked to death again and figure I may as well enjoy the wait with the kickass gear a hacker gave me.

The model thing was just an analogy - you know what I mean :P It should be as impossible to change another client as it is to..... <insert stupidly impossible thing here>.