Multiple Planets on the same IP / exception problems

[Ramihyn]

Running several planets "on the same IP" obviously is a problem MHs and players have to deal with. Exceptions may result in "limited legal multying" while still having legal players be deleted which seems to be a rising concern/problem.

To give legal players coming from the same IP increased certainty/protection, i suggest to create a stand-alone client which simply consists out of two functions:

a) implement a WWW-widget/gadget (potentially limited to *.planetarion.com)

b) implement a function to either check if another instance of this client is running on the same machine or create a unique string from a machines configuration and send it to a script on the PA servers which make sure no two matching configurations are allowed on the same IP (multying) or alternatively just log the unique string for a MH to check on later.

So anybody who would want to be safe from beeing "accidently" deleted for multiing because they are on the same IP like somebody else (who they probably dont even know about), can use this client software to play a planet instead of using a generic browser where these kind of checks may be impractical to implement. The MH's could use the knowledge that somebody uses this client instead a generic browser in their judgement.

It takes a rather small amount of work to do such a client in a language like VB but for portability i would suggest using something like PureBasic which enables you to offer a very small native binary executable for download on Windows, Linux and Mac OS X systems compiled from the same source. Those systems should cover over 95% of all players. It doesnt interfere with any other PA development and therefore can be added and removed anytime without problems.

Downsides:

It wouldnt stop a multi from the same IP using one machine for each planet or using something like VMWARE to run the tool on the same machine but both of these actions are a rather harsh penalty in infrastructure to run multiple planets

ps: and in theory if all planets from the same IP use this client, they shouldnt be restricted anymore in interaction which enables fully cooperative play of housemates, workmates, classmates etc. again. In schools/Uni you may have a problem though as people usually can use several computers at once and run a client on each of them.

[Ultimate Newbie]

I am a computer know-nothing, but if you had two people accessing the game from the same computer (even if the browser was closed), wouldnt that result in a flag being set up as the 'configuration string' would be the same?

The thing with making cheating devices more precise, is that if you are legit then it gets harder and harder to prove your innocence (which you have to do more and more). Granted, the instances in which this would happen would be quite rare, but it might be something to think about...

[Ramihyn]

Originally Posted by Ultimate Newbie

I am a computer know-nothing, but if you had two people accessing the game from the same computer (even if the browser was closed), wouldnt that result in a flag being set up as the 'configuration string' would be the same?

If you work with configuration "strings" - yes it would. The flag however shouldnt go off when different planets play from the same computer (though that might be a interesting additional information for your MHs) but when more then one planet on the same IP is using the same configuration "string" (possibly at the same time).

Originally Posted by Ultimate Newbie

The thing with making cheating devices more precise, is that if you are legit then it gets harder and harder to prove your innocence (which you have to do more and more). Granted, the instances in which this would happen would be quite rare, but it might be something to think about...

Im not sure what you are pointing at? Obviously making such a unique configuration string would need to be done properly. Usually a processor serialnumber (if available), information about the installed harddisk, information about the created partitions (serial numbers), ethernet MAC-adress, possible software license numbers like windows XP registration info is usually used. For legal reasons you would use digital hashes to store/forward information about the collected data so the data itself doesnt leave the players machine.

Obviously it would become hard for anybody to convince people of a mistake if you collect all those infos into a identification string and two strings are identical, the IPs are identical and multiple planets are controlled by the same machine at the same time

Compare it to the current situation which seems to rely just on the IP as technical "evidence".

[Ramihyn]

This is a proof of concept of the mentioned standalone "PA client". It creates a simple window with a Webclient area where it opens "www.planetarion.com" initially. It implements the more complex solution of transparently appending a machine-ID to every URL. This way it is very flexible and could do all kind of other stuff too without having to change anything with the existing PA code base.

On windows it uses the Internet explorer by default and the code intercepts fired Events to pipe them through the function "LinkCallBack" where the handling of the URls is done.

LinkCallBack only allows URLs in the subdomain of "planetarion.com" and basically rewrites any valid URL with a appended Machine ID generated in the function "MakeMachineID". The function "MakeMachineID" is a dummy function for now and just returns a static string as ID. Usually you would fill a global string on the first call and simply pass it on for any subsequent call or something like that. A routine which generates a machine-ID would also need to include some kind of secret validation code inside of it to verify that the ID wasnt tampered with. You could use a challenge-response type algorithm where the challenge comes from a PA URL. If you want to be serious - this could be a code fragment so manipulating the client could be detected if its done right.

For the technically interested - the "IDispatch_Invoke" function handles the Events and collects the DOM data to call the LinkCallBack function.

The sources need PureBasic to compile (www.purebasic.com). I used the PureVisionXP library for the automatic window resizing and you need to license it to use it. If you want to recompile the code with the trial version of purebasic and without the PureVisionXP library, you can just edit the "WindowCallback()" function and remove the calls to the "PVDynamic_" functions. Resizing and probably min/maximising a window will stop working but thats all - you can compile the source without paying anything and without having to rely on my compiled executable. Just install PureBasic, create a directory "paclient" somewhere and store all source files there. Open PureBasic and load "paclient.pb" - press F5 or use "create executable - thats all.

The client is 30kb as windows binary - no other external DLLs or anything needed. Packed into a zip archive it is only 14kb.

Source links:
http://www.reconstructor.com/paclient/paclient.pb
http://www.reconstructor.com/paclien...t_Constants.pb
http://www.reconstructor.com/paclien...ent_Windows.pb
http://www.reconstructor.com/paclien...adgetExtras.pb

Binary client link:
http://www.reconstructor.com/paclient/paclient.zip

[Ramihyn]

It seems that my suggestion was misunderstood by most. The suggestion is not to find multis, it is not for cheating either - it is a standalone client which appends a unique Machine-ID to every URL you call during playing PA with it. This (if used by MHs) can avoid unjust closures for people playing on the same IP without knowing it.

If any cheater would use this code as a base to develop some cheating tool, i would take pity on them cause this approach is way too lowlevel and complicated for that

[Thex]

Its a bit too high tech for me.

However, with this method can I play on my home PC, a couple of different work PC's, my parents and in law's PC's and my Smartphone (Windows Mobile 2003)? I don't mind downloading a client, but I don't want to be limited where I play.

[Ramihyn]

Originally Posted by Thex

Its a bit too high tech for me.

However, with this method can I play on my home PC, a couple of different work PC's, my parents and in law's PC's and my Smartphone (Windows Mobile 2003)? I don't mind downloading a client, but I don't want to be limited where I play.

Yes, you can play anywhere you want with this client - as long as it runs on your operating system (not sure about your smartphone with Windows Mobile 2003)

You could fully ignore this client anyway but then you live with the risk of IP collisions and its outcome resulting in possible bans just like you do now.

[Heartless]

Originally Posted by Ramihyn

It seems that my suggestion was misunderstood by most. The suggestion is not to find multis, it is not for cheating either - it is a standalone client which appends a unique Machine-ID to every URL you call during playing PA with it. This (if used by MHs) can avoid unjust closures for people playing on the same IP without knowing it.

If any cheater would use this code as a base to develop some cheating tool, i would take pity on them cause this approach is way too lowlevel and complicated for that

I have not take an in-depth look at your tool, but it's fairly easy to abuse it if it is based upon the MachineID only: Simply generate a random MachineID for every instance of the program and voila - you can have 5 accounts on one IP and PC without MH detecting you.

[Ramihyn]

Originally Posted by Heartless

I have not take an in-depth look at your tool, but it's fairly easy to abuse it if it is based upon the MachineID only: Simply generate a random MachineID for every instance of the program and voila - you can have 5 accounts on one IP and PC without MH detecting you.

http://pirate.planetarion.com/showpo...90&postcount=9