Server Hopping Exploit Possible Fix

[randomisation 1]

Hey people!

A few people on the DayZ subreddit suggested I post this idea here. I don't know if it has been suggested here already, so forgive me if it has.

Basically, implement a server specific ban for 15 minutes, once you have logged off, so you cannot hop to another server to gain the advantage, then switch back (at least within 15 minutes).

I won't go into the pros and cons, as you can find more details by following the link below to the subreddit:

http://www.reddit.com/r/dayz/comments/v9oqg/server_hopping_and_mass_murder/

I am aware there are flaws, but please do not just attack the idea. Respond with alternatives or ways to improve upon it. Afterall, that is how progress is made! :)

[JKflipflop 40]

My idea is to start an invisible 15 minute timer from spawn. If you die or logout during those 15 minutes, you respawn unconscious for the remainder of the timer.

[Lulu! 3]

And if you crash from the server and want to rejoin your friends? If you have to go away from keyboard but don't want to leave your character sitting in-game to starve or get shot? Not to mention how many times I have to reset something or relog due to bugs like the giant grey wall of doom. No, in my opinion banning someone from the server for a set period of time just for leaving is quite silly.

[stig.bjerke@live.no 0]

If you die? So if you die within 15 minutes you spawn unconscious? That's a horrible idea.

I've spawned and got shot within 3 seconds of spawning several times before, and I do not want to wait an additional 15 minutes before I can start playing again.

And using a timer on the logout would be a bad idea now too. As I and many other are having serious FPS issues(Down in the 5fps range) on some servers and need to server hop for probably 1 hour before we can find a "good" server with 20+ fps.

Not to mention crashes.

[RATICUS 0]

the 15 Min timer is a good idea because it addresses the key problem.. the exploit of being attacked then login off to move then login back on to kill someone, right?

how about not being able to attack other players for 15 Min? simple but i think it would be affective but not to sure about how hard it would be to incorporate in the programming?

[randomisation 1]

And if you crash from the server and want to rejoin your friends? If you have to go away from keyboard but don't want to leave your character sitting in-game to starve or get shot? Not to mention how many times I have to reset something or relog due to bugs like the giant grey wall of doom. No' date=' in my opinion banning someone from the server for a set period of time just for leaving is quite silly.

[/quote']

[sarcasm] That's a really great suggestion. Thank you for your valuable input [/sarcasm]

Seriously though, what I am suggesting is not game breaking. I am not saying you get a global ban, you just cannot rejoin the same server. If you're OCD and have to play on a specific server, then you just need to wait 15 minutes. Otherwise you just join another for 15 mins, then swap back.

And using a timer on the logout would be a bad idea now too. As I and many other are having serious FPS issues(Down in the 5fps range) on some servers and need to server hop for probably 1 hour before we can find a "good" server with 20+ fps.

Not to mention crashes.

You can swap servers. If you're hopping because of lag/framerate' date=' why would you want to re-join a server within 15 minutes anyway? Surely you would keep trying new ones until you found a good one? As I said, the ban would be SERVER SPECIFIC. i.e. If you quit US 1, you can't re-join US 1 withing fifteen minutes, but you can join any other server.

With regards to server crashes, I'm pretty sure this can be worked around. i.e. If a the black list is wiped when the server is restarted, you can rejoin immediately.

the 15 Min timer is a good idea because it addresses the key problem.. the exploit of being attacked then login off to move then login back on to kill someone, right?

Yup, you got it! Thanks for the support.

[n4ndoz 20]

This kind of counter measure isn't good.

Because, as said by other players, it will cause unexpected dc's to screw your game.

A good system, if Imnot mistaken it is about to be implemented or is already, is to use "counters".

(will use a "algorythm", k?)

i.e.:

player logged in;

do {

if(first time) {

timer_active(10min){

if (player leaves) {

hopping_counter = hopping_counter + 1;

}

else {

if(player leaves) {

timer_active(5min) {

hopping_counter++;

}

}

}

}

} while(hoppin_counter <= 5);

A rude alg, but I didn't got any better way to expose my idea.

This would be ideal!

[Black Shard 0]

n4ndoz pretty much build upon a good idea.

However I would only count the counter up if the player joins another server. That way, even after a DC due to whatever, you could immediately rejoin the server you where last in.

Now the Problem with that is, you would have to track a server history for each player in this case. Also, simply tracking the last few servers is not enough, as someone might end up just switching to 5 different servers (if, say, we only track 4) to get into the desired server again.

Now you might want to impose a total limit of "hops" before some other action is taken. Whatever that is, would have to be up to discussion. "Easiest" way would be a DayZ "Global" Ban for 15 Minutes due to Server hopping.

Problem with that is, people who need to switch servers for whatever reason (performance problems like we had in the past, etc. pp).

So there is a lot more to take into account than it meets the eye at first

So granted rocket does state this is truly an exploit he wants to fix, there is quite a lot of thoughts to be made on this. However that's why we're here pretty much.

[randomisation 1]

This kind of counter measure isn't good.

Because' date=' as said by other players, it will cause unexpected dc's to screw your game.

A good system, if I'm not mistaken it is about to be implemented or is already, is to use "counters".

[/quote']

Good suggestion. Can you explain it in little more detail?

What happens if I use the server hopping exploit?

Will I be able to leave a server, join another, then rejoin the first at all?

If I can rejoin a server - even if it is logging my activity - I wont need to do it more than once to get behind you, kill you and loot your stuff... Or am I missing something?

I can only see this as an effective measure against those who are hopping back and forth multiple times, which I don't think is the case. It's usually just the once. That's all they need...

Maybe it's just me, but as your character is not server specific, I don't see why changing server is really an issue. If you have friends, surely they won't mind changing server? My friends and I regularly have to switch to a new server (in most games), due to them being full, or if we are slotted onto opposite teams, lagging, etc. It's not a big deal.

[n4ndoz 20]

n4ndoz pretty much build upon a good idea.

However I would only count the counter up if the player joins another server. That way' date=' even after a DC due to whatever, you could immediately rejoin the server you where last in.

Now the Problem with that is, you would have to track a server history for each player in this case. Also, simply tracking the last few servers is not enough, as someone might end up just switching to 5 different servers (if, say, we only track 4) to get into the desired server again.

Now you might want to impose a total limit of "hops" before some other action is taken. Whatever that is, would have to be up to discussion. "Easiest" way would be a DayZ "Global" Ban for 15 Minutes due to Server hopping.

Problem with that is, people who need to switch servers for whatever reason (performance problems like we had in the past, etc. pp).

So there is a lot more to take into account than it meets the eye at first

So granted rocket does state this is truly an exploit he wants to fix, there is quite a lot of thoughts to be made on this. However that's why we're here pretty much.

[/quote']

Yeah, bud, the alg was pretty ambiguous and, as I said, rude.

But about the tracking issue it is easily solved giving this task to the client, not to the server.

Each time the player tries to connect, the mod save the info, while running the script, counting. Each successful attempt of connection it will count, the problem is to identify what was a successful attempt and what wasn't.

Im not used to network programming, so this way it's hard for me to give dev's a tool/solution. This is just what I implemented on a game I made on class, and my prof. said it would be usefull when it comes to networks! =)

[randomisation 1]

But about the tracking issue it is easily solved giving this task to the client' date=' not to the server.

Each time the player tries to connect, the mod save the info, while running the script, counting. Each successful attempt of connection it will count, the problem is to identify what was a successful attempt and what wasn't.

[/quote']

I'm no programmer, nor an expert in these things, but by letting the client (Which I generally understand to be your computer?) handle the logging, can't this be manipulated, if you know how/where to look?

Like I said, I'm just looking for a clearer explaination of how this would work? I hope it does!! :)

[Igor (DayZ) 96]

And if you crash from the server and want to rejoin your friends? If you have to go away from keyboard but don't want to leave your character sitting in-game to starve or get shot? Not to mention how many times I have to reset something or relog due to bugs like the giant grey wall of doom. No' date=' in my opinion banning someone from the server for a set period of time just for leaving is quite silly.

[/quote']

He knows what he's talking about.

[n4ndoz 20]

This kind of counter measure isn't good.

Because' date=' as said by other players, it will cause unexpected dc's to screw your game.

A good system, if I'm not mistaken it is about to be implemented or is already, is to use "counters".

[/quote']

Good suggestion. Can you explain it in little more detail?

What happens if I use the server hopping exploit?

Will I be able to leave a server, join another, then rejoin the first at all?

If I can rejoin a server - even if it is logging my activity - I wont need to do it more than once to get behind you, kill you and loot your stuff... Or am I missing something?

I can only see this as an effective measure against those who are hopping back and forth multiple times, which I don't think is the case. It's usually just the once. That's all they need...

Maybe it's just me, but as your character is not server specific, I don't see why changing server is really an issue. If you have friends, surely they won't mind changing server? My friends and I regularly have to switch to a new server (in most games), due to them being full, or if we are slotted onto opposite teams, lagging, etc. It's not a big deal.

Well, bud, as I said(one more time) it is a rude agl, not a flawless one.

If u want I can make some work at it to try to implement a full solution.

"If I can rejoin a server - even if it is logging my activity - I wont need to do it more than once to get behind you, kill you and loot your stuff... Or am I missing something?" Good question.

One thing I'd sugest is to make the players to respawn at specific "random" areas, around the place they were in. Obviously, checking a safe place, where he would be far from zombies and players. It is not the ideal, but would do. This is stuff of respawning at the exact location you were, even if you are not on the same server isn't good. I already had the bad experience to be in the middle of nowhere and suddenly get killed by a player that was there! =) Bad luck, I guess, but is a possibility.

[kloust! 0]

The #1, best way to solve this, is to have the player's body remain for 10-15 seconds after logging out. Problem entirely solved.

[EDIT]

You could also make it so that each person has a new character on every server! This would encourage people to stay on a server, and play at night too.

This way, the SERVER would store player information, and rocket wouldn't have to pay so much money storing the 300,000 or so profiles that exist currently.

[n4ndoz 20]

But about the tracking issue it is easily solved giving this task to the client' date=' not to the server.

Each time the player tries to connect, the mod save the info, while running the script, counting. Each successful attempt of connection it will count, the problem is to identify what was a successful attempt and what wasn't.

[/quote']

I'm no programmer, nor an expert in these things, but by letting the client (Which I generally understand to be your computer?) handle the logging, can't this be manipulated, if you know how/where to look?

Like I said, I'm just looking for a clearer explaination of how this would work? I hope it does!! :)

Yeah, it would be stored at the players computer. But a good work makes it hard to avoid security and manipulate information. Im not an expert too, Im new to prog, and Im not used to this security-coding stuff, but one thing I can asure you, there are measures to make this kind of info safe.

This would be "hackable" like all other variables on the program, but working on it's security(like "converting this part of code to assembly", wich is a hard prog language) makes it only "hackable" by really experienced guys, and those are hard to find.

But, in fact, it is more an "opinion"/reply than a suggestion perse. I think I would work on the idea and put it all explained on a thread. Wait some days, my University is on a strike(don't know if it's the word for: "workers getting mad and not working, screamming, for better conditions"), so I've got plenty of time to think about it! =)