Re: Games - A question
On Thu, Nov 29, 2001 at 05:07:28PM +0000, Keith O'Connell wrote:
>
> I was talking to a friend about the Alpha Centari port by Loki, it is
> for payment binary only as I understand it. Is this an anathema because
> there is no source code? Could it be that it is sensible because a game
> is an end in itself, unlike an editor, compiler or browser which are
> tools that it is reasonable to want to modify?
>
> If the source code is there then in a multiplier game, how can you be
> sure that your opponent has not tilted his client to enhance his game
> play?
I haven't heard of a commonly played closed source online game in which
people have been unable to cheat one way or another. I'm not sure how it's
done, but I know in all the games I've played (not many) there are always
cheaters who give themselves extra minerals, duplicate powerful items or
whatever. The problem is when the game designer assumes (usually for speed
reasons) to assume that the client can be trusted.
Well, if the source code is there, you could check to see if it is possible
to modify the client to cheat. But with an open source game, you can at
least see where the separation between client and server is, and may not
have to depend on trusted clients.
--
David Roundy
http://civet.berkeley.edu/droundy/
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