Multiple Personalities

clanless_Coyote

I know I'm relatively new to the tribes community, but I am hopefully proving myself on the battlefield and contributing on the boards as well, so therefore I trust you will take any suggestions I make in the sprit they are intended.

It seems to me that one of the most annoying things about tribes is the ability to login as anyone, and act the muppet. I have been reading previous posts (ref:Crankyesque activities) and can see the issues that arise as a result of this multiple personality 'gap' in the code.

The suggestion I have (for server side scripting) is ....

Is it possible to trace the IP address of the sessions being activitated on the server, so that regardless of what name/handle is used, a match on IP address would yield the true source. Therefore - when someone acts the muppet enough times that the administrator is forced to kick or 'ban' them, a simple lookup on an established list of 'banned' IP addresses at sesion initiation would yield the true identity of the impending muppet.

I accept that this is not foolproof. Other players may use the same desktop/IP address, or a player may access from several, but it is at least a step in the right direction. Technically I'm not sure what is possible on the server side, but I thought it would be worth exploring. Possibly some variation on the above approach would lead to better control of the 'quality' of gaming on the server.


Whaddya think?

Regards,
[clanless]Coyote
"Abandon All Hope!"

Brit

Not foolproof? indeedy. Lets sit down and say "Dynamic IP's" together

--Brit--

clanless_Coyote

IS there no way to trace the sources?

Dr_Teeth

The server already knows the source - how else is it going to send the packets? You can ban by IP, but it's basically worthless. All the person has to do is reconnect to their ISP, get a different IP and reconnect.
Meanwhile someone else could be given the banned IP by the ISP and wouldn't be able to connect to the server even though they were blameless.

There are two ways around this:

1. Use some evil ID system like that inside the intel chips to ban a certain computer - this would nail average home users, but this isn't fool-proof, as they could find some way to deactivate/spoof IDs.

2. Implement a Tribes nickserv, a la IRC. This way no-one can impersonate you, which is the main concern I have. This doesn't stop muppets who keep causing hassle, but eventually they'll give up - it takes about 2 seconds for me to kick someone - it takes minutes before they can return. I win in the long run.

Teeth.

Cranky

Hey Clanless,
Don't use my name and muppetry in the same sentence, eh? I'll dust you in the game any time my ping is under 200, and you'll simply die trying to get even.... The multiple personality ****e lasted about a week and a half, and has more to do with this board than the game itself. You know this stuff, if you've talked to the people in rl who claim they've talked to you. Now stop demonstrating your IP muppetry and go learn to play.

Hobbes

Now that the voice from the muppets gallery is finished.

The Nickserv is a pretty good idea. Have a registration file on your machine (ini file?) get the server to query the file with the persons username and password and check it against the server list.

If someone is already on that list and you don't have the file or your password doesn't match, kick them off the server and tell them to change thier name.

It will stop impersonations, not muppets though.

clanless_Coyote

I knew if I played dumb long enough Cranky would show up.

Perhaps I should use [clueless]Coyote, it might save time.

Anytime, anywhere, any map Cranky, come see me for some spanky!

[clanless]Coyote
"Abandon All Hope!"

Cranky

Thanks, Coyote.... I find it amusing that you think you are 'playing' dumb. I've killed you so MANY times, under so MANY different guises. Alas, you just don't know it.

Hobbes, forcing servers to do password checking is a reasonable answer to the issue, but am I the only person who has noticed delays in the game when people are joining? Do you REALLY want to lose packets because the server has to do this extra work?
If so, go right ahead and promote the idea. I think it's basically ridiculous, given that none of the IGN players with the exception of Dhoctuir Mantach have anything so meritorious about them that it matters who gets their nicks. As we've heard here before, Tribes isn't personas, it's people.
Just fill in your real name on your character profile, and ***** when people start stealing that, too.

Hey, Clanless: Doesn't it BOTHER you that you weren't the first Coyote, nor are you the best? I don't notice the other, better one ever complaining that you stole his nick, even though you did....

---

Die, Jade, Die!!!

clanless_Coyote

...... I never said anything about the nethouse.....

Regards,
[clanless]Coyote
"Abandon All Hope!"

Brit

Hehe - you two gonna have a scrap of what?

--Brit--

Jade

Coyote,

This Saturaday, your soul is mine. I am going to spend the whole night hunting you down. Your ****ed.

Jade,
Coyotes X-Lover !

clanless_Coyote

Nah, just some good clean 0-ping death on a stick .

I may get creamed, then again I may do some Cranky spanking of my own.... Either way I'm likely to come out meaner, leaner and completely blind from staring at a friggin' screen for too long.

Oh yes - I forgot to mention drunk. Most certainly I will emerge from this event sozzled.

Regards
[clanless]Coyote
"Abandon All Hope!"

clanless_Coyote

Cranky - lets get a few things sorted shall we?

1. I operate under many guises too, so don't be so sure about your performance.

2. I've always been Coyote, for many years now. The fact that another lad or lassie goes by that name in TRIBES is nothing to me. I steal nothing.

3. As I understand it (from a mutual collegue) you and I will be in the same place next Saturday night for a TRIBE-A-THON. That being the case - lets have some fun. Whaddya think?

Regards,

[clanless]Coyote
"Abandon All Hope!"

tHE vAGGABOND

kewl

cranky is coming to the nethouse......

the plot thickens.........

Cranky

Heh heh, now they'll be mugging anybody at the Nethouse with a nasal twang.... Coyote, much though it grieves me to drop my hostile demeanor in these boards, I do look forward to meeting you Saturday. I've been hearing your praises (not about Tribes, of course) for the last year or so. The only thing I really know about you is that when I tk'd you on Bollicky's server, you yourself got--cranky.....

Cheers!

Brit

Mein Gott, hast Cranky finally seen the light? Will he become a fully fledged 'nice person'.. tune in next week...

*KERPOW* *WHAM* *SCHRAWWWWW*

clanless_Coyote

Hey Cranky,

you caught me off guard on that server - I was sober!

Anyways - I've been hearing about your exploits as well. There will be some pidgeons at this session (by invitation) to provide cannon fodder so it should be a bit of crack.

Mind you - now I've got Jade after my soul it seems. Should be useful - since I didn't even know I had one. I thought the christian brothers had removed in my earlier years

Little Tip: When myself and our mutual friend are too drunk to make sense - ask us about DOMINOS??????????

****and no, I'm not talking about the table game ****

Regards,

[clanless]Coyote
"Abandon All Hope!"

PS - Just how 'modified' is the server and maps etc for this session?

Cranky

Dominos, eh? Hmmm.... Not the pizza, that wouldn't be interesting enough.... I will try to remember. Also, it's unlikely that Jade will be there Saturday, since I was supposed to be giving him a lift if he needed one, and he hasn't told me yay or nay.
Jade, send email if you want the transportation, or call me at work tomorrow.

And Brit: Try to remember that I was playing Tribes here in Eire months before your arrival, and until various muppets caused me to live up to my nickname, I was regarded by many as the nicest guy that ever was. You, on the other hand, are regarded as somebody who will mortar his entire team if they are surrounding an enemy you feel like killing. Not to mention wandering off a map in the middle of a match that isn't going your way. Not that I think those qualities are in any way bad. To each his own. Slan!