Incoming: Password Protection.

[myskaal 50]

Machinima posted their recent interview with Rocket yesterday. Circumstance (one of the crew was teleported to the Thunderdome during the interview) prompted information from him in regards to the issue of hacking and how it has affected players and the inability to avoid bored children with access to download scripts.

It's been a hot topic in here over the last several weeks. I'm posting the link below (linked at the relevant time mark).

http://youtu.be/y2ArIFO-v60?t=48m50s

It's unfortunate that a lot of what he was saying was cut out by the audio of the interviewer and others in the room talking over him but relevant info still managed to make it through: Allowing admins to password protect their servers/go private is under consideration.

I have been in search of a good "Home" server for months now. My quest has been plagued by servers that have ceased to exist, servers that become over run by scripters, servers on which the admins abuse their power, servers that feel good but I can't play on with a decent connection because of their location, and servers that aren't maintained properly and have terrible performance.

I don't play the deathmatch aspect of the game. My character is a survivor and that's how I play the game.

I am curious, then. If you as a server admin decided to password protect your server, what requirements would you have for allowing players onto your server? How would you decide who to give your password to?

How would a player like me be able to join your server?

Edited to clarify the question. I'm not asking for your opinions on whether servers should be allowed to password protect themselves.

Edited August 4, 2012 by EliJRn

[ODoyleRulez 195]

So he is going to allow password protected servers now? hmm.

[Priceless 154]

It is against rules to password protect your server. Head on over to my server it is managed daily by Heroes Fate a core group of players that have played games together for 8 years now. See you in game.

[run4way 45]

Like in minecraft? Sort of white-list.

[RavenX (DayZ) 7]

I thought passworded and private servers have been here for a while or since the start? I see them on the server list, says private, has a lock icon on it. That's not what that is?

[myskaal 50]

It is against rules to password protect your server. Head on over to my server it is managed daily by Heroes Fate a core group of players that have played games together for 8 years now. See you in game.

You might want to actually read the OP. ;)

I thought passworded and private servers have been here for a while or since the start? I see them on the server list, says private, has a lock icon on it. That's not what that is?

There are but currently they are violating the DayZ server hosting rules.

Edited August 4, 2012 by EliJRn

[Disgraced 1123]

Would be great.

I think a 5 (currency unit) charge per slot or something couldn't hurt.

I have been trying for the "home server" thing lately and it's paid off. I know where there a couple of rundown vehicles with some specific gear that someone stashed and it's helped me out.

It also been interesting watching one particular car somehow get more and more damaged over the last week. Like its falling into disrepair, out in the forest.

[myskaal 50]

Interesting. With so many admins complaining about the rules not allowing them to do this I would have thought more would have been excited to hear he is considering allowing it.

Strange.

Edited August 4, 2012 by EliJRn

[RavenX (DayZ) 7]

There are but currently they are violating the DayZ server hosting rules.

Ahh, well, that kinda sucks then. I was thinking of trying a "social experiment" of my own by running a server and only inviting people who I know that would actually play the game as it was intended and not hack the shit out of it. My next question was going to be to ask if hackers could get into a passworded server.

I would of invited people from here on the forums after they sent me a short interview via PM (also giving me the character name they would use on the server), in return for which they would get the password to the server and I would be able to kick/ban people who weren't on the list and ban anyone I find hacking.

I guess that experiment won't happen now until the rules change.

[Mindless (DayZ) 2]

It is against rules to password protect your server. Head on over to my server it is managed daily by Heroes Fate a core group of players that have played games together for 8 years now. See you in game.

Someone doesn't know how to/didn't want to read.

"It's unfortunate that a lot of what he was saying was cut out by the audio of the interviewer and others in the room talking over him but relevant info still managed to make it through: Allowing admins to password protect their servers/go private is under consideration."

Personally I think this would be a good idea as long as people weren't using this to abuse it.

For example my clan plays on our own passworded server (we don't actually have it passworded now) letting in people we trust and not hopping to other servers to grief.

Yes I know we could just do a private hive, but I prefer to stay on the regular hive so I can get updates directly from Rocket.

[MrMadakey 13]

I am sorry but i completely agree with passwording servers i have my own server and i have to pay money to keep that server online...

y should i have to pay for a server for everybody else to just complain about it all the time and hackers to feel free to come in and get passed that SHITTY battle eye all the time its ridiculous

if they start allowing to password servers i am doing this immediately and if u want to join in on the server well thats your choice and people should ask if they can join in on the fun instead of having random hackers who think its funny to ruin everyone elses fun just because battle eye doesnt work

and before anybody says battle eye does work I BEG TO DIFFER

[myskaal 50]

Honestly, with the WAY overboard scripting that's happening currently and BattleEye's inability to protect the servers, I think allowing servers to be private/passworded is great.

As he said in the interview, there were reasons up to this point for not allowing it. However, the experiment is past the need for it. The data has been collected and the evidence given. So there is no real reason to continue to force servers to be a free for all for scumbag script kiddies.

My only concern is: how is a player like me, who can't afford at the moment to pay someone (like Disgraced - yes even 5 extra bucks a month is not something I can guarantee I'll have right now) going to be able to get into your (the admins of the servers) server? How would you handle allowing players to join?

Also, obviously, passwording is only going to assist in stopping the scripting issues. It still doesn't put an end to server stability problems or abusive admins.

Edited August 4, 2012 by EliJRn

[myskaal 50]

Edited the original post to highlight the actual discussion I'm looking to have here. ;)

[BonnyBrown 28]

Passworded servers should be forced onto a separate hive so all the scrubs who want to farm all day without any risk can't come with that gear and fight the real men who get their gear with the threat of death at any time.

[Cerven 80]

Honestly, with the WAY overboard scripting that's happening currently and BattleEye's inability to protect the servers, I think allowing servers to be private/passworded is great.

As he said in the interview, there were reasons up to this point for not allowing it. However, the experiment is past the need for it. The data has been collected and the evidence given. So there is no real reason to continue to force servers to be a free for all for scumbag script kiddies.

My only concern is: how is a player like me, who can't afford at the moment to pay someone (like Disgraced - yes even 5 extra bucks a month is not something I can guarantee I'll have right now) going to be able to get into your (the admins of the servers) server? How would you handle allowing players to join?

Also, obviously, passwording is only going to assist in stopping the scripting issues. It still doesn't put an end to server stability problems or abusive admins.

I've run a few servers on a multitude of games over the years, and the solution is a little simpler than you think.

A server owner like myself makes a post on a public forum ( like this one ) advertising his server, explaining what they're about, what the rules are, etc. etc. In my instance, I'd provide a link to my website where you'd fill out a small application, telling me about yourself.

After that, you'd be given probationary access for 30 days, and at the end of that you'd be a full time member. Our clan would sponsor the server, and to join our clan you'd have to pay a monthly membership fee ( something like 5 dollars or somesuch to pay for the server ). However, if you just wanted to be a server member, you'd pay nothing and be free to play as long as you were within the rules.

Clan members usually get perks like priority seating in the server, teamspeak access, etc.

Usually people end up wanting to be clan members just based on the fact that the server is well run, people are respectful when they have issues, that sort of thing.

[myskaal 50]

Thank you for that response, Cerven.

[MrGreen72 15]

Hmm, as a suggestion for a password rule could be that if a server admin has multiple servers (2 or more servers) he would be allowed to password one server.

A passworded server would be great for a DayZ PvE RP with restricted factions PvP at military bases and in Cherno for example. With free registration for all who accept the rules.

Just my two cents about it.

Edited August 4, 2012 by MrGreen72

[RavenX (DayZ) 7]

I've run a few servers on a multitude of games over the years, and the solution is a little simpler than you think.

A server owner like myself makes a post on a public forum ( like this one ) advertising his server, explaining what they're about, what the rules are, etc. etc. In my instance, I'd provide a link to my website where you'd fill out a small application, telling me about yourself.

After that, you'd be given probationary access for 30 days, and at the end of that you'd be a full time member. Our clan would sponsor the server, and to join our clan you'd have to pay a monthly membership fee ( something like 5 dollars or somesuch to pay for the server ). However, if you just wanted to be a server member, you'd pay nothing and be free to play as long as you were within the rules.

Clan members usually get perks like priority seating in the server, teamspeak access, etc.

Usually people end up wanting to be clan members just based on the fact that the server is well run, people are respectful when they have issues, that sort of thing.

Yeap, that's what I was thinking with my post above. I too have the hardware torun my own server. The only thing I'm lacking is that it's here at home and if I did it I'd run it over cable internet and not a dedicated T5.

[EgoBreaker 0]

If we did password protection.

Web site would be advertised in title of game

Fill out applicaiton.

- In Game User Name

- Maybe some other minor info to weed out the chumps.

Would get access to a forum on our board that would give out password change updates.

[Lady Kyrah 1110]

It's not "incoming" it's being "considered".

[lentWolf 24]

I would like to see this. I see no reason for there to NOT be passwording. All of the 'logic' that has been used to ban password-protected servers is based on the idea that clans/groups may use passworded servers to 'hoard' or accumulate gear. Well - newsflash - this is going to happen regardless of password protection. The difference is that, without password protection, you'll have more hackers doing the hoarding.

If hackers aren't a problem on your server, you don't have to feel obligated to password protect - the point is to give admins the option. This mod would be NOTHING without the thousands of paying players willing to host servers (sure, you'd have players interested - but they'd have nowhere to play), so binding admins' hands behind their backs is going to kill the community, not help it. This isn't a drastic change, and honestly may not make that much of a difference against hackers - but it's a step in the right direction. Give the admins OPTIONS.

Edited August 5, 2012 by lentWolf

[tced 45]

I am curious, then. If you as a server admin decided to password protect your server, what requirements would you have for allowing players onto your server? How would you decide who to give your password to?

How would a player like me be able to join your server?

Edited to clarify the question. I'm not asking for your opinions on whether servers should be allowed to password protect themselves.

Great post & question. I support password protection as it the best & strongest protection against hackers, plus it makes finding hackers a lot easier via the group of players that would be on the server.

As for how you would join, our server is maintained by our gaming community & we would ask that players simply join our community & join our DayZ group (we have multiple games such as BF3/Arma2/BC2) & you would receive access to our server. We would post some simply rules to follow, such as how to respond if/when a hack is used on the server. This would give those on our server a simply protocol to follow, meaning only the hacker would not know what our procedure was in case of a hack, hence the hackers actions on the server would help to identify the hacker & quickly be removed from our community/server.

Of course, there is no perfect system, but this would be better than the current free for all we now have. We don't ban ppl for killing Admins or anything stupid like that, we would allow players to play just as they always have, only have them informed on what they are to do in case of a hacker, we also provide a TeamSpeak server for them to quickly report a hacker to our Admins, again given them a more secure sense while their on the server & providing a much more safer environment to game.

[crash_better 0]

Give the admins OPTIONS.

I'm in too. Many admins do kick and ban players from their "test"servers and won't let you play on it. The first time this happened, I just went nuts, told them they can't do this and I'll report them. But I got the point. I have no more fun playing on servers, just to wait for some idiot to spawn all players together, locating tents and kill everybody just with a mouseclick. I even considered getting a server for me and my friends, but due to the restrictions, I didn't rent one. The possibility of closing a server or just getting an invite to it is frustrating, but I think this is a good chance to control hacking on your server.

[andreasb 45]

If anything DayZ staff needs to give server owner power back to the owners... While I respect the rules as they are, I do not agree with them in any way.

A server admins should be able to:

- Kick players to make room for their own players

- have less than 40 slots.

- kick whoever they want for whatever reason.

Cant understand why DayZ staff has to be so controlling of the servers.. Yes, its connected to their hive, but still...If you dont like how a server runs, join another one.

[KField86 237]

Each player that applied would go through a lengthly interview, with it ending over voice comms so I can get a feel for the kind of character/player they are. If they fit the bill, they get the password and go on probationary status for about a week. If all goes well, they stay. If they do anything stupid, they get warned. They disregard my warning? They get banned.

Pretty simple.