Requesting a Blacklist for Scripting Commands

[teetime 10]

I think most here knows that Arma 2 has a really serious Cheating Problem. Sometimes i am near to the point to say that the cheating in Arma 2 is out of controll.

Everyone who knows the Code of the latest Darky and other Cheatingtools know that the reason for this problem is similiar with the greatest advantage the Arma Game Series offers us players and scripters.

The possibilitie to script nearly everything.

In my eyes a possible answers to this problem could be a blacklist for script commands, which should be placed direct in the mission.sqm.

The Idea is simple if a scritping command is in this list then only the server is able to execute this command. Clients would not longer able to use this function.

At the moment most cheating Tools are usign the "setVehicleInit" command to broadcast their code.

So i think that in the case that we would have only the ability to block the "setVehicleInit" and the "createVehicle" command on the clients we would be able to terminate most of the cheating problems.

Of course such a tool would be only something for the more experienced scripters who know ways to createvehicles for Clients on the server, but i think there must be a point were we have to start to stop this cheating or the cheating will be the end for all public Servers (Server Operator simple dont have the time to stay online 24/7 or restart their Server every 3 hours. They have a Life too!).

So please BIS start thinking about that possibility or add something better in Arma 3!

[gossamersolid 150]

Well according to BIS, v2 signatures are still not bypassed, so if servers start switching to v2 signatures only, then we should have less of an issue.

Restricting our abilities to create missions isn't the way to solve this.

[teetime 10]

v2 has been already bypassed two days ago and now Arma 2 Cheating is on a total new level in my eyes.

The newest way can buypass every know protection only the BE Update from yesterday evening is the reason why our servers are still runnign but with some tricks you can make sure that BE needs more then 6 mins till you get found and kicked. More as enough tiem to fuck up a game or the whole server.

[sxp2high 16]

Yea right.. know your enemy :D

Quote from the enemy:

After several days of working with the sigcheck problem, I was finally able to figure out how to make a fully undetected mod-app.

But restricting commands would only protect very few missions and it would have to be dynamic, so we can allow commands for the time they are needed, which will mean extra work.

Something like that:

disableCommand "createVehicle";
waitUntil {Needed}
enableCommand "createVehicle";
createVehicle "Bla";
disableCommand "createVehicle";

Wow lots of extra work! :(

Not a bad idea, but it wont help on a large scale.

The only solution is:

A donation fund for penis enlargement for all the cheaters :D

[teetime 10]

You idea has a big risk inside because the logic answer of a cheater would be:

needed = true;

-> Have fun

In my eyes there must be a way to disable the most used cheating commands for the whole runtime of a mission ( ONLY AT THE CLIENT) and there should be no way to change this.

To point with the missions thats right. As i said that would be a tool only for more experienced scripters, but it would be a start and if you count all the server which are running a Gosamer- Benny- Warfare, a Domination or a Insurgency then this could be a way to protect more then 60% of the arma 2 servers.

The mean idea is if we found a way to take a cheating tool the possibility to broadcast his code then we shoudl be able to transfer the cheating problem from the global level to a local level.

[sxp2high 16]

It's not THAT easy, he would have to:

connect > download the mission > de-pbo > find the correct file > find the correct variable > (maybe adjust the cheat-tool) > rejoin > fuck things up

Disabling commands client side only will require workarounds for some situations, which means extra work again. But possible.

Anyway, i think it's pretty easy for BIS to implement this. Just overwriting the commands at mission load-up. So, it wouldn't be bad to at least have this option to blacklist.

[demonized 16]

Reality: any block will be surpassed by those motivated to do so with time.

Ban lists, IP bans, automatic server logs of those abusing code(not sure if already in), no mods allowed will go along way.

Best protection is: dont have public servers or issue admin rights to several regular "nice" publics, join or create a clan, get only motivated players wich work together to keep it all clean.

Youll never escape the hackers, they will always be there, that is the price we pay for our freedom in arma editing.

Our grief is their motivation, only real solution would be the donation fund mentioned above, but that would mean a very very very large fund :D