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FFWN Game profile

Member
54

May 6th 2010, 6:04:46

Originally posted by ld:
i motion for not deleting the cheaters, but preventing them from logging in and open their countries for public landfarm... by announcing it publicly where all have an equal chance at the festivities that would follow. more land for the rest of us!!!! make an example of the cheating scum!!!


I could eat =)
ICQ 563913303
~Drop your fence and scale the pants this is serious business~

snawdog Game profile

Member
2413

May 6th 2010, 10:20:24

Originally posted by Banibal Dibs:
... just one more reason to get rid of 3rd party site access and bring the functionality directly into the game.

I agree Dibs, BC and EE combo is as close as we may get for awhile,and it aint bad.
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Theseus Game profile

Member
66

May 6th 2010, 10:44:04

I'm all for a good old fashioned public flogging, especially of some folks that may or may not have been mentioned in this thread, but IMHO the original post here is a bit unprofessional.

Not a world breaker by any means - devs bringing up rules and explaining that deletions are by accounts is all well and good, but I'm not sure it's the devs place to name names here. Dagstar would have came along and pointed it out soon enough. I felt the same of Mickster in EC when he would make a post to the effect of "xALLIANCEx, cheating is bad, mmmk?" This isn't the same kind of situation, but I still think it would be better if the mods stuck with reminding everyone of the rules, not publicly pointing out who has broken them. Unless of course this is SOP from now on, in which case I love it :P

dagga Game profile

Member
1560

May 6th 2010, 11:11:57

LOL thats bullfluff.

If you're cheating in this game, why should you be protected?
signatures are stupid.
Months since LaF netgained: 22

spawn Game profile

Member
1707

May 6th 2010, 12:23:59

Dibs, thats just an assumption on your part, dont assume publicly please :)
/slap iZarcon

All your deleted countries are belong to me!

RaHL_DK

Member
360

May 6th 2010, 13:00:10

Damn that Primeval!!! Ohh wait his 1A country is not on that list of deletions... hmmmmmm
The Death Knights
IMP aFA
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http://www.boxcarhosting.com/...start.php?clanID=DKnights

AxAlar Game profile

Member
565

May 6th 2010, 13:11:05

I wouldnt be surprised if we find out this was a third party that hacked/logged into the accounts.

I think this is honestly a play at discrediting NA yet again.

Hence why I believe deletions across all servers is retarded. Yet, again, I understand why it's being done, but still think its retarded.
-AxA
Mercenary for Hire
AIM: I The Brandon
ICQ: 167324517
MSN:

qzjul Game profile

Administrator
Game Development
10,263

May 6th 2010, 13:16:22

These are just country deletions, not account bans or anything; they can make a new country or make new countries next set; I *strongly* recommend everybody who thinks their login info may have been compromised change their password (I just added that section last night! :)

Also wrt methods of getting passwords:

Originally posted by Banibal Dibs:
trojans that load keyloggers.

Sure, but that's not really easy to do, in fact I would say it's bloody difficult; they could get your banking info to boot....

Originally posted by Banibal Dibs:
game database that isn't secured.

All our passwords are hashed, I couldn't get anybody's pass from the DB even if I wanted to.

Originally posted by Banibal Dibs:
3rd party database that isn't secured.

Possible, but I think most of the 3rd party ones here hash passwords now... ever since GT anyway heh

Originally posted by Banibal Dibs:
admin access to non-hashed password storage.

We don't have any non-hashed password storage;

Originally posted by Banibal Dibs:
3rd party access to cookies stored on the computer?

Cookies are linked with IP's so unless you can get their cookie *AND* their IP, then that'd be difficult....

Finally did the signature thing.

Devestation Game profile

Member
812

May 6th 2010, 13:29:30

You people are [i]dissapointed[/i]? I WOULD LOVE to delete some nations! POWAR TRIP! POWAR TRIP! POOOOWWAAAAAAARRRRRRRR!!!!!!!!

iZarcon Game profile

Administrator
Game Development
2150

May 6th 2010, 13:35:37

Originally posted by snawdog:
Originally posted by Banibal Dibs:
... just one more reason to get rid of 3rd party site access and bring the functionality directly into the game.

I agree Dibs, BC and EE combo is as close as we may get for awhile,and it aint bad.


i don't agree with dibs. mixing clans sites with that goes on in EE would not be a bad thing. clan's forum rules would have to be tightened to match those of EE's ingame rules in order to keep a good image for the game, and then game mods/admins(such as those that run/participate in other alliances) would have to be the ones that were ultimately held responsible for bad content on the forum posts, so you'd have to see a lot more EE Admins intervene in internal clan affairs.

hope that made sense.

i think that the current mods have a lot more control over how secure third party sites are these days, because if they feel that a third party site isn't up to par with security, they can simply pull their access to the API's(wasn't possible before) and the sites would become null and void.. this method is probably the best method to use. if DM's site for LaE turns out to not be very secure(and I can see this happening, simply with it being so new) then the admins for EE can easilly enforce DM to improve the security or risk losing the stats access he has.

not picking on LaE, just using as an example. would even apply if my site, http://www.letskillstuff.org was found to be insecure or involved in cheating of some form(which i seriously doubt it would ever be).


Originally posted by Banibal Dibs:
how many ways to get username/password combos, let me count the ways.

trojans that load keyloggers.
game database that isn't secured.
3rd party database that isn't secured.
admin access to non-hashed password storage.
3rd party access to cookies stored on the computer?

people cheat to disrupt the game, or gain an unfair advantage in it.


was just going to post about this as well, but Qzjul beat me to it.

will mention that third party sites couldn't really do much in regards to keyloggers except to block the use of JS/etc on their site.

also, at least on the part of LKS, we go to great lengths to ensure the security of our database and login details. even gaining access to the hashed data on our cookies would lead you nowhere, as we use various other methods as well as the cookie to match the user to the information stored in our database.




basically, the idea that all 3rd party sites fail in comparison to the game's security is just ludicrous. it hasn't even been proven that LaE's site is to blame.. it's probably just propaganda for NA/LaE to save face and cause confusion over the fact that they've been caught with their pants down.
-iZarcon
EE Developer


http://www.letskillstuff.org

Just A Thought TAM Game profile

Member
507

May 6th 2010, 13:39:09

"I *strongly* recommend everybody who thinks their login info may have been compromised change their password (I just added that section last night! :)"

Aboot time there was a preferences option to do that. (Yes, I am aware you could do it by claiming you forgot your password and resetting it, but I wasn't smart enough or dishonest enough to think of it).

Ironically, the 10+ hours of admin time wasted to smoke out these alleged cheaters did something positive with that change!

If I may add a suggestion that doesn't belong on this thread; add the ability to search the news by clan tag. Not everyone has, or wants, access to 3rd party sites for those tools.

Ivan Game profile

Member
2368

May 6th 2010, 13:40:22


Like someone posted earlier im suprised that NA hasnt booted them from their tag for cheating or sent IP's around to other alliances as is and has been normal procedure for awhile

Im also dissappointed to see posts from Axa and Mrford that posts in a negative way about the deletions, frankly i think they were nice not to permban them for 2 months

As for posting the countries publically, I dont see what the problem with that is and it has been done for years as well. not by moderators sure but when IX had 40 deletions in 03 it sure was posted on AT like many other cases

Ivan
Head of fluff
Survival of the Fittest

Dragonlance Game profile

Member
1611

May 6th 2010, 14:18:49

thankyou ivan someone else talking common sense.

AxAlar Game profile

Member
565

May 6th 2010, 18:11:17

Ivan, I agree with the deletions, and I'm not worried cause I know if any of those countries can prove their independence from the other, the mods will probably reinstate them. However, I'm just not a fan of the whole different servers policy.

The only reason I'm not a fan of the whole different servers deletions thing is because I couldn't give a rats ass about FFA, and if my EE password wasn't my uber universal password, I'd probably let someone login to my FFA account ;p Since it is my uber password that I use for at least 3 other important things, I wouldnt though ;p

It's entirely plausible from what I've read that these guys cheated in FFA, but not in Alliance. Again, I understand that with the login info, they COULD have cheated in alliance to if they wanted to. I just know there are other players that play FFA like me that dont give two fluffs about it. Butttttt I'm not an admin so I just throw out my two cents, even though I know this isn't something that will change.

"But I agree with Son Goku... cheaters are what started the game's downfall many years ago. We're certainly going to do anything we can to prevent them "

Not all cheaters were the downfall of this game heh. I was a good cheater the majority of my cheating days. It was rare that the countries ever helped each other directly or indirectly and just as rare for me to kill fluff with multis. I did however, help keep some small alliances afloat by leading them when no one else did, which probably kept player numbers up for the game. Cheat, I did, though it wasn't the cheating that caused the downfall per se.
-AxA
Mercenary for Hire
AIM: I The Brandon
ICQ: 167324517
MSN:

Akula Game profile

Member
EE Patron
4113

May 6th 2010, 18:19:45

time to let NA, LAE and other tags to sort out this mess amongst themselves and the game administrators

good luck folks - you need it :(

Edited By: Akula on May 6th 2010, 18:20:20
=============================
"Astra inclinant, sed non obligant"

SOL http://sol.ghqnet.com/
=============================

locket Game profile

Member
6176

May 6th 2010, 18:21:18

Originally posted by AxAlar:

Not all cheaters were the downfall of this game heh. I was a good cheater the majority of my cheating days. It was rare that the countries ever helped each other directly or indirectly and just as rare for me to kill fluff with multis. I did however, help keep some small alliances afloat by leading them when no one else did, which probably kept player numbers up for the game. Cheat, I did, though it wasn't the cheating that caused the downfall per se.


Rare dosnt mean never. And the game was meant for you to have 1 country so in my opinion anything over the 1 country was a part of ruining the game

AxAlar Game profile

Member
565

May 6th 2010, 18:27:33

Thats correct, there was a set I ran multis to kill FBI (also the set I was a JR in RD).

But the other 3 years of cheating I dont think I personally contributed to the downfall of the game.

And before anyone tries to put a bad word in about my currently, I have a tendency of reporting my own players if I think their cheating. Thats something Pang/Slaggy can probably vouch for.
-AxA
Mercenary for Hire
AIM: I The Brandon
ICQ: 167324517
MSN:

Slagpit Game profile

Administrator
Game Development
5055

May 6th 2010, 18:54:22

Players can also have their username changed upon their request by sending an email to .

Servant Game profile

Member
EE Patron
1250

May 6th 2010, 19:05:57

Correction,
the kick was for the suicide

Even if you got restored, you would not be allowed back in.
Assuming, you were deleted by mods.....and got restored.. and not just self deleted.
Z is #1

AoS Game profile

Member
521

May 6th 2010, 19:31:53

All this talk about hash, but nobody sounds high. :( Disappoint.
The dreamer is banished to obscurity.

Pangaea

Administrator
Game Development
822

May 6th 2010, 19:57:48

we're not going to talk about our security publicly...

but I will state that everything we have on EE is secure.

We're not using SSL (mainly due to budget issues.... ie we had no budget when we coded this :p) but we're able to provide a considerable level of security and the only improvement would be going to an SSL type setup.

Any "hacking" that went on was not done on the EE site.
-=Dave=-
Earth Empires Staff
pangaea [at] earthempires [dot] com

Boxcar - Earth Empires' Clan & Alliance Hosting
http://www.boxcarhosting.com

mrford Game profile

Member
21,378

May 6th 2010, 20:51:27

the hacking was not through EE or boxcar

it was done through LaE's site

but the mods already know this, dont you?
Swagger of a Chupacabra

[21:37:01] <&KILLERfluffY> when I was doing FA stuff for sof the person who gave me the longest angry rant was Mr Ford

mrford Game profile

Member
21,378

May 6th 2010, 21:02:51

no, they do not

but if information was obtained through malicious actions, and used ingame to harm an alliance, would it not be the mods responsibility to undo the damage, and punish the offender?
Swagger of a Chupacabra

[21:37:01] <&KILLERfluffY> when I was doing FA stuff for sof the person who gave me the longest angry rant was Mr Ford

W Game profile

Member
239

May 6th 2010, 21:11:53

if the passwords were compromised, even outside of the mods control, by malicious means, and if this has been demonstrated to the mods (i don't know if it has) and no harmful actions (or even log-ins) were caused in a particular server, why then are they "stuck having to" delete the countries in those servers???

why not just suspend the accounts until the user resets the password? delete countries that were logged into yes. but the others, it just doesn't make sense. if the user wasn't cheating, and no harm was caused, i don't see the logic in it.
[9:22pm] xHx: on a fluff ton of tech
[9:22pm] xHx was kicked from the chat room by Hellcat. (Badwords Detected!)
[9:22pm] Within[SnG]: what?? fluff this
[9:22pm] You were kicked from the chat room by Hellcat. (Badwords Detected!)

UncleC Game profile

Member
66

May 6th 2010, 21:13:16

So by that logic dibs, if anyone manages to hack into your country, by any means, and you get deleted, then you are more than willing to take the deletion even though it was through no fault of your own?

NA - Lazy ass DL
Lords

mrford Game profile

Member
21,378

May 6th 2010, 21:14:08

UC is wise beyond his years!
Swagger of a Chupacabra

[21:37:01] <&KILLERfluffY> when I was doing FA stuff for sof the person who gave me the longest angry rant was Mr Ford

UncleC Game profile

Member
66

May 6th 2010, 21:49:08

So someone logs into your country, messes around, but doesn't do anything harmful, and you are gonna delete your own country? Heck, you might not even know the person has compromised your account if they were just logging into it to try to get you deleted for cheating.
NA - Lazy ass DL
Lords

UncleC Game profile

Member
66

May 6th 2010, 22:13:18

Booyahh!
NA - Lazy ass DL
Lords

Deerhunter Game profile

Member
2113

May 6th 2010, 22:29:06

Dibs grow a pair and face the music for your actions now... And next set look me up... Id be glad to lay the smackdown on your punk Arrse...
Ya, tho i walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I shall fear no retals,
Cause i have the biggest, baddest, and toughest country in the valley!

dagga Game profile

Member
1560

May 6th 2010, 22:31:33

Why bother listening to Bannibal? He can't take a few grabs without suiciding and then deleting his country. He's a man's man!
signatures are stupid.
Months since LaF netgained: 22

qzjul Game profile

Administrator
Game Development
10,263

May 6th 2010, 22:47:34

mmm we're not using md5, that's only 32 bit i think? and there's lookup tables for alot of md5's... we're using much stronger security than that;

and no you can't just pass your hashed password in...

we don't use SSL, but, as pang said, budget (&time actually) was the reason for that.... not that a web game should need SSL tbh... do you have SSL into facebook? we're not a bank =/


as Pang said, SSL is about all the security we could add at this point....

(and even SSL can be spoofed)
Finally did the signature thing.

Pangaea

Administrator
Game Development
822

May 6th 2010, 22:55:37

if you put your password into a site or give it to anyone else, you are technically account sharing, as another party now has access to your account. You should NEVER give your username and/or password to anyone or submit it to a hosting site for any reason. Or even to the admins... we don't need nor want to know people passwords.

Just some food for thought.

If I were people trying to defend LAE/NA, I wouldn't try to make it seem like the mods are doing anything wrong here and trying to play it up as a technicality... if anything, I feel we are being FAR too lenient on them.
-=Dave=-
Earth Empires Staff
pangaea [at] earthempires [dot] com

Boxcar - Earth Empires' Clan & Alliance Hosting
http://www.boxcarhosting.com

snawdog Game profile

Member
2413

May 6th 2010, 23:00:28

Originally posted by Pangaea:
... if anything, I feel we are being FAR too lenient on them.


WOW Pang @@!

Edited By: snawdog on May 6th 2010, 23:05:00
ICQ 364553524
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Thunder Game profile

Member
2322

May 6th 2010, 23:17:48

No bias was intendeded in that last statement by Pang / sarcasm
Thunder
ICQ 56183127
MSN


2010 Armchair GMs League Champion
DEFEATER OF MRFORD!
FoCuS'D

NA FA/Senate
Lords


Ninja since born....Awesome Forever!

dagga Game profile

Member
1560

May 6th 2010, 23:30:16

Food for thought - catching the morons who were stupid enough to get caught is rarely the sum of the problem but the tip of the iceberg.
signatures are stupid.
Months since LaF netgained: 22

Eric171 Game profile

Member
460

May 7th 2010, 5:49:49

I confess I am a big supporter of cross-server deletions. I even made this suggestion directly to Dragon (from SOL) to pass to game coders even before EE went public, just the same as with the single login for all games.

Punish cheaters, and punish them hard.

Trife Game profile

Member
5817

May 7th 2010, 15:51:36

Would someone please think of the cheaters' feelings!?

I agree wholeheartedly with Eric171.

'Punish cheaters, and punish them hard.'

Edited By: Trife on May 7th 2010, 15:58:28

gregg Game profile

Member
141

May 7th 2010, 16:16:26

no one seriously doubts that LaE cheats.

look at the threads they openly brag that there are only fifteen LaE members but they have over 800 countries

they are so open about it it can only mean they are so well conneced they do not fear reprisal
RESTRICT LaE to 80% of its cheat size