Why not make everything server sided?

[Slickback (DayZ) 21]

TLDR is at bottom

As of a few hours ago, I have had this game for a week (queue party poppers and streamers). The one thing I noticed both first hand and through the players here on this lovely forum, is the problems with hackers and script kiddies. Until today for some bizarre reason, it had not occurred in my mind that most of this game is client sided. I had only found out through the help of a very knowledgeable and generous player that DayZ, was in fact, client sided!

Now I'm not too familiar with client sided and server sided games, but I know enough to know that server sided games are extremely more difficult to hack than client sided. In fact, it is a felony to even hack a server sided game. At least to my knowledge making things server sided costs a minimal amount of money to do. For instance, if you are familiar with Realm of the Mad God, it started out a few years ago with only two developers and it was client sided. However, in the first year the developers had a huge hacking problem, much like DayZ, and made everything server-sided. After that hacking had almost vanished.

TLDR: So my question is, why can't Rocket and the other developers make DayZ server sided? Since the mod is still based off of Arma 2 would it be considered some type of copyright infringement?

[andreasb 45]

All mods for arma are client, and server side.

You need the mods on both sides. This is not minecraft...

Edited August 26, 2012 by AndreasB

[welch 11]

I read somewhere that if all the zeds were reliant on the server for pathing and such, then the game performance would drastically reduce, even if it did make zombies less glitchy.

Too much stress on them, even if DayZ is basically backed by the devs...

[Slickback (DayZ) 21]

All mods for arma are client, and server side.

You need the mods on both sides. This is not minecraft...

Hmm, the majority of Arma 2's revenue was due to the fact that people wanted to play DayZ. As far as my knowledge goes of the subject, it seems both DayZ developers and Arma 2 developers are helpful towards one another. So going off what you said, could DayZ be hosted on Arma 2's side to allow data to be server sided?

[andreasb 45]

afaik, no. All mods for ArmA2 are needed both client side, and server side. (Well, almost all. Some are just client side, and some are only server side, though very few.)

ArmA2 has always had players. THe problem now is that we are getting all kind of ... idiots we .. honestly dont want in our ArmA2 world (read cod kiddies), (By "we" i mean my opinion)

Edited August 26, 2012 by AndreasB

[Thorne (DayZ) 10]

TLDR is at bottom

As of a few hours ago, I have had this game for a week (queue party poppers and streamers). The one thing I noticed both first hand and through the players here on this lovely forum, is the problems with hackers and script kiddies. Until today for some bizarre reason, it had not occurred in my mind that most of this game is client sided. I had only found out through the help of a very knowledgeable and generous player that DayZ, was in fact, client sided!

Now I'm not too familiar with client sided and server sided games, but I know enough to know that server sided games are extremely more difficult to hack than client sided. In fact, it is a felony to even hack a server sided game. At least to my knowledge making things server sided costs a minimal amount of money to do. For instance, if you are familiar with Realm of the Mad God, it started out a few years ago with only two developers and it was client sided. However, in the first year the developers had a huge hacking problem, much like DayZ, and made everything server-sided. After that hacking had almost vanished.

TLDR: So my question is, why can't Rocket and the other developers make DayZ server sided? Since the mod is still based off of Arma 2 would it be considered some type of copyright infringement?

First, welcome to HackZ. Within a month, the rampant hacking will likely have ruined any enjoyment you currently derive from this game.

Second, the problem with hacking in DayZ is only partly caused by the open-ended, client-side design of the Arma II engine. It is also partly caused by the type of gamers that DayZ attracts. For some reason, this game attracts a substrata of immature individuals who derive pleasure from hacking or griefing more than actually playing the game. There are many YouTube videos of notable DayZ forum veterans hacking in-game. In a sense, the DayZ community is its own worst enemy and the current hacking phenomenon highlights its collective flaws.

As many DayZ players like griefing others, they tend to favor hacking over regular gameplay.

Edited August 26, 2012 by Thorne

[Slickback (DayZ) 21]

Well that is disappointing.....I was sort of hoping for DayZs' hacking problems to be over with soon. Oh well, thanks for the informative posts (both of you).

[andreasb 45]

First, welcome to HackZ. Within two more weeks, the rampant hacking will likely have ruined any enjoyment you currently derive from this game. Second, the problem with hacking in DayZ is only partly caused to the open-ended, client-side nature of the Arma II engine. It is also caused by the type of gamers that DayZ attracts. The nature of this game attracts individuals who derive pleasure from hacking or griefing more than actually playing the game. There are many YouTube videos of notable DayZ forum veterans hacking in-game. In a sense, the DayZ community is its own worst enemy and the current hacking phenomenon highlights its personality flaws.

The worst enemy is the .... INCREDIBLY annoying hosting rules that basicly state that we cant remove someone without having 1000% proof. If they just let admins be admins, we would be fine.

If I think someone is hacking, let me ban him/remove him.

[welch 11]

They already talked about giving Admins powers to kick for clan-members and such. They explained that people would abuse and kick for killing, making em mad, etc.