Ask a moderator about the forum and the rules

[.kju 3245]

one question:

lets make an example.

lets say MisterX has signed up on this forum.

MisterX is also a well known cheat creator and distributor for ArmA.

MisterX didn't infringe the rules of this forum so far.

what is your policy about this guy?

[Major Fubar 0]

one question:

lets make an example.

lets say MisterX has signed up on this forum.

MisterX is also a well known cheat creator and distributor for ArmA.

MisterX didn't infringe the rules of this forum so far.

what is your policy about this guy?

Good question.

Our policy is that we can only deal with what happens on this board. Anything that happens outside of this board is totally beyond our jurisdiction, so we cannot enact any punishment.

Naturally, if that person then commits an offence on these forums, he is subject to punishment.

The only possible exception I can think of is if the person has committed an offense directly against BIS as a company and one of the BIS staff members requests that individual be banned form the forums - but there have been no such cases that I am aware of.

[Colossus 2]

How possible is it to add a keycode* system in Ikonboard?

*(meaning a image is created with numbers and/or letters you have to type in)

The bots are getting really grumpy.

[kronzky 5]

Since the issue of forum software comes up again and again, here's some food for thought:

We're all very aware of the shortcomings of this board (the moderators probably more than anybody else, since we have to deal with it a lot more).

Unfortunately, transferring a database of this size, age and complexity to a new system is a major undertaking, with LOTS and LOTS of things that can and WILL go wrong. I'm sure none of you would be very happy if any posts or accounts got lost in the process, but that's the kind of issues that might happen when making a fundamental switch like this.

Apart from the complexity of a change, you will really only get to know the pitfalls and bugs of another system after you've already fully committed yourself to it, and have been using it for a while. And then it's too late...

So - switching systems is a step not to take lightly...

Even just adding a CAPTCHA mechanism (which by itself is far from hack-proof) requires some custom programming to integrate it into a an existing system. Which means BI would have to spend either money or their own time to do it. (And somehow I suspect that they might have more urgent things to do...)

Regarding the self-declared cheaters: I guess it depends on who comes across him...

Major Fubar is much "nicer" in that regard than I am, but if I come across somebody who's an official or recognized member of a cheating clan, then I will ban him on the spot, no matter his behaviour on this board. I will not let cheaters use this board to collect technical information to further "improve" their hacks, or to start flame-baiting here sooner or later. If they have publicly declared that their goal is to sabotage and ruin other peoples online games, then they have lost their right to use this board, no matter what kind of act they put on here.

[.kju 3245]

thanks for your response, Major Fubar!

[wex-q 0]

Unfortunately, transferring a database of this size, age and complexity to a new system is a major undertaking, with LOTS and LOTS of things that can and WILL go wrong. I'm sure none of you would be very happy if any posts or accounts got lost in the process, but that's the kind of issues that might happen when making a fundamental switch like this.

Apart from the complexity of a change, you will really only get to know the pitfalls and bugs of another system after you've already fully committed yourself to it, and have been using it for a while. And then it's too late...

So - switching systems is a step not to take lightly...

Even just adding a CAPTCHA mechanism (which by itself is far from hack-proof) requires some custom programming to integrate it into a an existing system. Which means BI would have to spend either money or their own time to do it. (And somehow I suspect that they might have more urgent things to do...)

Use phpmyadmin and dump all tables to SQL files?

And also, if the registration is a seperate file, you can with ease add captcha (or a system alike).

Although, if it's a document that do multiple tasks, you might just need to be a bit more careful.

But anyways, why don't try to dump all tables and import them into a new database, maybe with some altering of the names.

That should take a few weeks, and you can still keep this forums until everything is 100%.

And if postcounts would be lost, change it.

If accounts lost, re-register them (although, that's a bit worse then just loosing the postcount, but it's an easily fixed problem)

I think you should give it a shot instead of blaming this and that for the lack of simply trying[/].

I mean, what's there to be lost? The worst thing that can happen is that the new tables wont be imported correctly, but that's just a matter of tweaking to get it working.

[JdB 151]

CAPTCHA is quite useless, as a few weeks ago the first bots capable of "reading" the codes generated by it have appeared. Read about the vulnerability of CAPTCHA [here]. In order to make a CAPTCHA nearly impossible to crack would also mean it would be pretty much impossible for the user to read it. CAPTCHA has been a short term plug, just like many others before it.

The time, effort and problems it would take to implement an already defeated security-system is simply not worth it.

[Placebo 29]

I think you should give it a shot instead of blaming this and that for the lack of simply trying[/].

As you cannot possibly know how much effort Hlavac has put into upgrading the forums, since I first started whining to him about upgrading them (12 months ago or whatever it was), I think it's rather inappropriate and judgemental to blame the issue on "lack of trying" is it not?

[wex-q 0]

I think you should give it a shot instead of blaming this and that for the lack of simply trying[/].

As you cannot possibly know how much effort Hlavac has put into upgrading the forums, since I first started whining to him about upgrading them (12 months ago or whatever it was), I think it's rather inappropriate and judgemental to blame the issue on "lack of trying" is it not?

Maybe because we never get to know anything?

Nah, I'll stop the whining, but let us know status?

[Major Fubar 0]

Put it this way, we know a forum upgrade would be nice. We know the current forum has shortcomings.

IF and WHEN definite plans are made for an upgrade, we'll do our best to notify everyone ahead of time, and even have a thread specifically for suggestions.

...until then, suffice to say...we know!

[sputnik monroe 102]

I hate that warning level bar below my avatar it looks like a filtered cigarette and I'm not a smoker and it just bugs me. Could I maybe have another warning level so it doesn't look like a cig any more?

 Thanks

*Edit*

Actually though I just took a look at other people who have two warning levels and it still looks a bit like  cig so could I maybe have two warning levels added? Just enough to reach arcoss half the bar perhaps so it doesn't look like a damn cigarette any more?

[mr burns 132]

This must be the first time ever that someone asks directly for a WL

Consider yourself lucky if none of the mods changes your usertitle to Joe Camel

[Major Fubar 0]

I hate that warning level bar below my avatar it looks like a filtered cigarette and I'm not a smoker and it just bugs me. Could I maybe have another warning level so it doesn't look like a cig any more?

Thanks

*Edit*

Actually though I just took a look at other people who have two warning levels and it still looks a bit like cig so could I maybe have two warning levels added? Just enough to reach arcoss half the bar perhaps so it doesn't look like a damn cigarette any more?

Continue flaming other members like you did just recently, and you can have all 5.

[Dwarden 1125]

instead of just using some advanced or classic Capcha

put also into use logical questions which only human may answer like

"count number of dogs on left picture" etc

no bot can handle such system,

spammers need to break this normal humans

combine captcha and this and you got win win situation

[wex-q 0]

instead of just using some advanced or classic Capcha

put also into use logical questions which only human may answer like

"count number of dogs on left picture" etc

no bot can handle such system,

spammers need to break this normal humans

combine captcha and this and you got win win situation

Exactly, just do a random number from 0-9, and have random_number1 + random_number2 = verify

And you must fill in what "random_number1 + random_number2 equals", and that value is called verify_compare.

And then verify and verify_compare is (you guessed it) compared.

Great idea, going to use it for my guestbook, wierd that I didn't think of it before

[baddo 0]

I read from somewhere that spammers use humans too to do the spamming work for them, in addition to using bots. That would mean asking a simple calculus question would not work (if the person got through 1st grade).

One solution could be to ask questions which only a person who played through Operation Flashpoint: Cold War Crisis could answer!

"Who is Angelina?"

Et cetera.

[wex-q 0]

Lets say you have a bot that register on this forum to spam.

You want to fool alot of people, so this bot registers like 500 times.

If the one administrating the bot realises he must answer 1+2, 5+3 and so forth 500 times, he might go somehwere else.

I read somewhere that people doing the registrationprogress for spambots is about 0.01% of all spambots that exists, ie, making simple equations such as 1+3 and alike would take away 99.9% of spambots.

Although, not 100% sure of that number, but it's probably somewhere in the range.

But as above stated, a combination of all these would make a near-to-watertight seal of the forum, perhaps a captcha, then 3+4, then "In what country lies London?" or something.

Even if it would require some more coding, I guess it would make a forum 99.99999999999% spamfree.

But keep in mind, the amount of spambots that the BI Forums has had must be under 100, which isn't that much.

My bud had a forum, he got like 200 spambots registering each day. (Though, after installing Captcha it was brought down to less then 1 per day)

My points of view

[sputnik monroe 102]

Quote[/b] ]Continue flaming other members like you did just recently, and you can have all 5.  

 I didn't flame any one lately, perhaps I told a certain individual something he needed to hear. It may of sounded harsh but you have to keep in mind the individual I was speaking to and what he said which lead me to speak to him in the manner I did. Given that context he was simply a victim of cause and effect, you reap what you sew. I think it could safely be argued that it was he doing the flaming, I simply fell into his trap.

 Then again it is your board, your house, your rules and all are at your mercy or favour so fair enough. I'll stop responding to trolls in the offtopic area of these boards. (I know I've said that before on average of once a year, it's hard sometimes though when some one really hits a nerve by "flaming" your entire nation and an entire gereration.)

[mr burns 132]

it's hard sometimes though when some one really hits a nerve by "flaming" your entire nation and an entire gereration.)

Thats what the "Report this post to a moderator" button is there for.

Usually the mods show up pretty quick once you gave ´em a hint finding a place to rock

[Major Fubar 0]

Quote[/b] ]Continue flaming other members like you did just recently, and you can have all 5.

I didn't flame any one lately, perhaps I told a certain individual something he needed to hear. It may of sounded harsh but you have to keep in mind the individual I was speaking to and what he said which lead me to speak to him in the manner I did. Given that context he was simply a victim of cause and effect, you reap what you sew. I think it could safely be argued that it was he doing the flaming, I simply fell into his trap.

Then again it is your board, your house, your rules and all are at your mercy or favour so fair enough. I'll stop responding to trolls in the offtopic area of these boards. (I know I've said that before on average of once a year, it's hard sometimes though when some one really hits a nerve by "flaming" your entire nation and an entire gereration.)

This isn't really a discussion for here, so feel free to PM me, but some of your posts lately have definitely been flaming, and you're lucky not to have been given a PR and WL increase already. I don't know in what universe you could possibly consider "So really, fuck you, you little stuck up narcissistic pretentious prick." NOT to be flaming. Suffice to say we are keeping our eyes open, particularly in the political threads, and we currently have a zero tolerance policy.

Disagreeing with someone's social or political idealogy is NOT an excuse to call people names or flame them on these forums. Period.

[BloodOmen 0]

Hmm i got a nice question.

I dunno if its been answered.

Whats is classed as too Off-topic.

Banana riding a pink elephant

But seriously .... Whats is classed as too off-topic, because i see more and more threads locked because of it.

[wex-q 0]

Whats is classed as too Off-topic.

I belive that is upto the moderators common sense when regarding the thread.

If you got a thread locked, you could always just PM a mod and get it unlocked if you think it should be contributing (but make sure you have bloody good arguments! ).

[Major Fubar 0]

By strictest definition, OT is - For discussions not strictly related to Operation Flashpoint. Topics should still be related in some way, for example: military, politics, science and other military games.

We allow some leeway, but in the end it is up to the mods to make their judgement call. If you ever want to post something and are not sure if it's too OT for OT, feel free to PM a moderator and ask their opinion before posting.

[WangoTango 0]

Could a mod please correct my missprint of my topic title in ArmA Troubleshooting. I meant to type "Above the recommended specs, still runs like a 3 legged dog." Not sure how I screwed it up, but I cannot edit the title from my end.

Thanks.

BB

[BloodOmen 0]

By strictest definition, OT is - For discussions not strictly related to Operation Flashpoint. Topics should still be related in some way, for example: military, politics, science and other military games.

We allow some leeway, but in the end it is up to the mods to make their judgement call. If you ever want to post something and are not sure if it's too OT for OT, feel free to PM a moderator and ask their opinion before posting.

Good to know