| Author |
Exploit: Charged Device Swapping |
Mithrandir
Chief Marshal
Joined: October 22, 2001
Posts: 1276
|  Posted: 2005-08-30 17:23
Human beings are an inventive lot. Since Oct 23, 4004BC, we have been constantly faced with problems and situations that need a creative solution. The human mind, being adaptable and powerful, has always risen to the challenge, helping to provide new and better ways for humans to live.
The leap into gaming is no different. Creative minds set down the framework, logical minds created the code, and eager, explorative minds examined the world created. They adapted to the situations provided, and attempted to master this new, virtual world. In DarkSpace, players are confronted with situations they don't normally face in real ife, and they they are constantly striving to overcome setbacks, achieve success, and gain for themselves. This takes many forms.
Unfortunately, some forms were not intended by the Creator. In the infinite creativity of the human mind, darkness dwells. The fight for glory and gain usually follows established channels and systems, and is good. But there are those among us who would pervert the system, break the rules, avoid the limitations set down for the common good, and exploit their way to hell.
Thus we have yet another exploit to announce and enforce. This latest patch brought a new "feature," whereby gadgets do not lose their charge or ammo when removed from a ship. When remounted, they are exactly as they left - fully loaded and ready to go. At first, this seemed innocent and useful. However, those with more devious intent have managed to twist it into another abuse of the game.
As now stated in the RoC as section 3.3.h:
Weapon/Device Swapping
Description: Swapping out devices to circumvent the recharge time and energy usage.
Why it's an Exploit: The limitation for devices was coded to prevent rapid firing and jumping. Swapping devices in and out to circumvent this is a clear exploit of this designed limitation. This will be addressed in code in the future.
Example: Carrying a second core weapon, such as a QST, in your hold. After firing the first, you swap in the second and fire it as well. This allows you double the fire rate of normal, creating a ship that is far more powerful than designed. This is an exploit. Or, carrying a second Worm Hole Generation device or jump drive, to circumvent the timer on those.
I'll provide an example to explain the exploit.
JoeNoob is piloting a Heavy Cruiser. He has a Tachyon drive fully charged and installed, but he removes it, places it in his hold, and buys and mounts another. This second drive charges, and he places it in his hold as well. He then mounts a third, waits for it to charge, and then off he jumps. Joe flys into K'Luth territory, intent on finding a target. Right as his jump ends, four Kluth decloak next to him. Alarmed and outgunned, Joe quickly swaps in JumpDrive#1 in his hold, which is still charged from before - and immediately jumps 20k away. However, the kluth all follow, but Joe swaps in JumpDrive#2 which is still charged as well, and again jumps away, this time to safety.
Joe was thus able to jump three times in the span of 10 seconds. If he were just using one jump drive, it would have taken him two minutes to do the same. Since Joe was bypassing in-game limits and timers, and thus gaining an unfair advantage over others (namely his Kluth attackers), he was exploiting.
If players are found doing things like this in game - whether it be with Jump Drives, Worm Holes, QSTs, or anything - they are exploiting.
As usual, the punishments for exploiting vary based on the situation, but rest assured that those who exploit will be punished. In this case, everyone exploiting in such a manner can expect a kick. However, they may get much more - depending upon the severity of their actions, and the advantage they attain, they may also be subjected to: bans of increasing duration, garage wipes, partial stat wipes, full stat wipes, and castration.
If you notice someone in the game with a suspiciously high recharge rate on any of their weapons or devices, /report them. In this case, the best way to handle it is as follows.
1. Notice the problem, and take note of the player. If possible, write down their ID number and name, which can be found via a /find ThePlayer'sName.
2. Take a screenshot of them firing or jumping or doing whatever their gadget exploit allows. This will show them performing the action in question as well as provide a time stamp via the server timer.
3. Take another screenshot when they perform the action again. This shows their second use with the timer in the server shown as well.
4. /report the situation. Provide the ID and name of the player exploiting, and ask if a mod will handle the situation immediately.
Here the situation forks. If the player is still in the process of cheating, a mod will come in and observe the situation and take action as necessary. If they can't attend in person, you'll likely need to logout of the game in order to fully report the situation, given the need for proof.
If a mod responds, you'll need to follow their directions. In general, though, you will need to post the pictures online and then direct the mod to them.
If nobody responds immediately, you will need to post the pictures online and then email those links to community@palestar.com. An admin will read the email and take care of the situation as necessary.
To post pictures, you'll need to convert the .tga files in your Darkspace folder into jpg, gif, or png format, and then upload them to a server. A convenient, and free, server can be found at www.imageshack.us Follow the directions there, then send the link either to the mod in charge of the situation or the email provided above.
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Dwarden
Admiral
CHIMERA
Joined: June 07, 2001
Posts: 1072
From: Czech Republic
| Posted: 2005-08-31 07:54
n/m wrong forum topic ... sry
[ This Message was edited by: Dwarden on 2005-08-31 18:38 ]
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Drafell
Grand Admiral
Mythica
Joined: May 30, 2003
Posts: 2449
From: United Kingdom
| Posted: 2005-12-14 16:54
In reference to armor swapping.
Quote:
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On 2005-12-14 01:41, Scotty wrote:
There was a lot of discussion on this yesterday in the lobby. I made a clear statement to this point.
If you are using Armor out of cargo that is precharged - you are exploiting the timer. If you are changing the Armor form one panel to another it is not realistic but not an exploit.
I hope that clears this up.
Scotty
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Regardless of players' personal opinions, "armor rotation" is NOT an exploit despite the improbability of being able to do so. This is the official staff postition. So please can we stop the constant arguements (it is not widely used anyway), and get on with playing the game.
We will continue to monitor the situation.
That's it, end of discussion.
[small][ This Message was edited by: Drafell on 2005-12-14 16:56 ][/small]
[edit]fixed some spelling
[ This Message was edited by: Doran on 2005-12-14 17:01 ]
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It's gone now, no longer here...Yet still I see, and still I fear.rnrn
rnrn
DarkSpace Developer - Retired
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Doran
Chief Marshal
Galactic Navy
Joined: March 29, 2003
Posts: 4032
From: The Gideon Unit
| Posted: 2007-11-30 16:52
bump.
or in french: le bump.
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