26 Oct 2024 - Thanks to a few tweaks to the back-end infrastructure, the server save will now last 10 minutes at most, rather than way over 20 as it did before.
Check full changelog...
Player Level: 8 Profession: Sorcerer Residence: Thais
Posts: 8
Re: Current state of scanning characters
Hello.
Currently, most of the players, especially dominando members, are in possession of scanning softwares.
This software detects all of the characters you have basing on the logins/logouts times. So if you want to have a noob char to have some fun and kill some rune maker or do low-lvl random pk, you have some chances that you kill a guy who has 100 level and will end your game on your main character. Or if you want to deceive this software, wait some time before relogging. How much time you ask? Who the fuck knows, such algorithms can work very differently and I believe that a perfect algorithm will always find you.
My question is - HOW it is not forbidden?
While the server tries to be as cheat-friendly as possible and bans for any MC, macros etc, it allows such game-destroying thing.
The logic behind forbidding any cheats is because it gives advantage, automates the gameplay and in general makes things easier.
Then how a tool which can totally fuck someone's game is allowed? Imagine someone spends few months to make some 50 level, then he is bored and go mess around with 8 level. He unluckily messes with wrong person, then this person checks his main account and hunts him with his 150 level. Yeah, it surely gives less advantage in game than if someone made runes with macro... /s And not even mentioning that these guys spend shittons of money on this game making it even easier, but pay2win aspect is understandable and cannot be avoided in such game.
And don't tell me that you can't have influence on external softwares or that it is hard to detect if someone uses it. It is even easier to check it than checking if someone uses macro. In most cases, it would be straight-forward that someone used it, because why would some high level suddenly fuck your gameplay for no reason. And also, it would be sufficient to hide login/logout logs from the publicly shared data.
TLDR: Forbid scanning softwares, it gives more advantage than some macros and it is still allowed. It is easy to get rid of this stuff by hiding logs about login/logout dates or by seeing who kills who.
Edit: I am aware that there is a lot of data stored already and someone may already know someone's characters, but even making this rule for all characters created after 25.10.2023 would be a good step already.
Currently, most of the players, especially dominando members, are in possession of scanning softwares.
This software detects all of the characters you have basing on the logins/logouts times. So if you want to have a noob char to have some fun and kill some rune maker or do low-lvl random pk, you have some chances that you kill a guy who has 100 level and will end your game on your main character. Or if you want to deceive this software, wait some time before relogging. How much time you ask? Who the fuck knows, such algorithms can work very differently and I believe that a perfect algorithm will always find you.
My question is - HOW it is not forbidden?
While the server tries to be as cheat-friendly as possible and bans for any MC, macros etc, it allows such game-destroying thing.
The logic behind forbidding any cheats is because it gives advantage, automates the gameplay and in general makes things easier.
Then how a tool which can totally fuck someone's game is allowed? Imagine someone spends few months to make some 50 level, then he is bored and go mess around with 8 level. He unluckily messes with wrong person, then this person checks his main account and hunts him with his 150 level. Yeah, it surely gives less advantage in game than if someone made runes with macro... /s And not even mentioning that these guys spend shittons of money on this game making it even easier, but pay2win aspect is understandable and cannot be avoided in such game.
And don't tell me that you can't have influence on external softwares or that it is hard to detect if someone uses it. It is even easier to check it than checking if someone uses macro. In most cases, it would be straight-forward that someone used it, because why would some high level suddenly fuck your gameplay for no reason. And also, it would be sufficient to hide login/logout logs from the publicly shared data.
TLDR: Forbid scanning softwares, it gives more advantage than some macros and it is still allowed. It is easy to get rid of this stuff by hiding logs about login/logout dates or by seeing who kills who.
Edit: I am aware that there is a lot of data stored already and someone may already know someone's characters, but even making this rule for all characters created after 25.10.2023 would be a good step already.
And how would they "forbid it"? When they have absolutely no idea who uses it
Currently, most of the players, especially dominando members, are in possession of scanning softwares.
This software detects all of the characters you have basing on the logins/logouts times. So if you want to have a noob char to have some fun and kill some rune maker or do low-lvl random pk, you have some chances that you kill a guy who has 100 level and will end your game on your main character. Or if you want to deceive this software, wait some time before relogging. How much time you ask? Who the fuck knows, such algorithms can work very differently and I believe that a perfect algorithm will always find you.
My question is - HOW it is not forbidden?
While the server tries to be as cheat-friendly as possible and bans for any MC, macros etc, it allows such game-destroying thing.
The logic behind forbidding any cheats is because it gives advantage, automates the gameplay and in general makes things easier.
Then how a tool which can totally fuck someone's game is allowed? Imagine someone spends few months to make some 50 level, then he is bored and go mess around with 8 level. He unluckily messes with wrong person, then this person checks his main account and hunts him with his 150 level. Yeah, it surely gives less advantage in game than if someone made runes with macro... /s And not even mentioning that these guys spend shittons of money on this game making it even easier, but pay2win aspect is understandable and cannot be avoided in such game.
And don't tell me that you can't have influence on external softwares or that it is hard to detect if someone uses it. It is even easier to check it than checking if someone uses macro. In most cases, it would be straight-forward that someone used it, because why would some high level suddenly fuck your gameplay for no reason. And also, it would be sufficient to hide login/logout logs from the publicly shared data.
TLDR: Forbid scanning softwares, it gives more advantage than some macros and it is still allowed. It is easy to get rid of this stuff by hiding logs about login/logout dates or by seeing who kills who.
Edit: I am aware that there is a lot of data stored already and someone may already know someone's characters, but even making this rule for all characters created after 25.10.2023 would be a good step already.
And how would they "forbid it"? When they have absolutely no idea who uses it
Just by stating this and adding this to rules.
It is very easy to prove someone has checked your chars. If you messed with someone on your noob char and suddenly you get randomly killed by Kapten Beng, you know he scanned your account. All you need is evidence in form of for example recorded tibiacams (you messing around then you suddenly being killed/hunted/asked for payment from other chars).
Another solution is simple, as I said - totally remove login/logout logs from websites, so there will be no data to parse through.
Player Level: 11 Profession: Druid Residence: Kazordoon
Posts: 44
Re: Current state of scanning characters
I dont agree it is a problem, but if the staff do think it is, easier solution would be removing the who is online pages and hiding all other characters in the same account regardless if the owner chose to hide it. If they do it. I believe removing exiva would also be warranted.
Currently, most of the players, especially dominando members, are in possession of scanning softwares.
This software detects all of the characters you have basing on the logins/logouts times. So if you want to have a noob char to have some fun and kill some rune maker or do low-lvl random pk, you have some chances that you kill a guy who has 100 level and will end your game on your main character. Or if you want to deceive this software, wait some time before relogging. How much time you ask? Who the fuck knows, such algorithms can work very differently and I believe that a perfect algorithm will always find you.
My question is - HOW it is not forbidden?
While the server tries to be as cheat-friendly as possible and bans for any MC, macros etc, it allows such game-destroying thing.
The logic behind forbidding any cheats is because it gives advantage, automates the gameplay and in general makes things easier.
Then how a tool which can totally fuck someone's game is allowed? Imagine someone spends few months to make some 50 level, then he is bored and go mess around with 8 level. He unluckily messes with wrong person, then this person checks his main account and hunts him with his 150 level. Yeah, it surely gives less advantage in game than if someone made runes with macro... /s And not even mentioning that these guys spend shittons of money on this game making it even easier, but pay2win aspect is understandable and cannot be avoided in such game.
And don't tell me that you can't have influence on external softwares or that it is hard to detect if someone uses it. It is even easier to check it than checking if someone uses macro. In most cases, it would be straight-forward that someone used it, because why would some high level suddenly fuck your gameplay for no reason. And also, it would be sufficient to hide login/logout logs from the publicly shared data.
TLDR: Forbid scanning softwares, it gives more advantage than some macros and it is still allowed. It is easy to get rid of this stuff by hiding logs about login/logout dates or by seeing who kills who.
Edit: I am aware that there is a lot of data stored already and someone may already know someone's characters, but even making this rule for all characters created after 25.10.2023 would be a good step already.
And how would they "forbid it"? When they have absolutely no idea who uses it
Just by stating this and adding this to rules.
It is very easy to prove someone has checked your chars. If you messed with someone on your noob char and suddenly you get randomly killed by Kapten Beng, you know he scanned your account. All you need is evidence in form of for example recorded tibiacams (you messing around then you suddenly being killed/hunted/asked for payment from other chars).
Another solution is simple, as I said - totally remove login/logout logs from websites, so there will be no data to parse through.
Its basically 100% impossible to prove that I scanned any character just because I decided to kill someone ingame. Its like in court, it doesn't matter what you know, its what you can prove, and this simply is impossible
It is very easy to prove someone has checked your chars. If you messed with someone on your noob char and suddenly you get randomly killed by Kapten Beng, you know he scanned your account. All you need is evidence in form of for example recorded tibiacams (you messing around then you suddenly being killed/hunted/asked for payment from other chars).
You are basically saying that if you have an alt char for PK, no one should be allowed to kill your main character, under the threat of a ban, because it would automatically imply that they have used some scanner? Sorry, but it doesn't make any sense. Killing other players with an alt char does not at all grant you protection against being killed yourself. If you can PK and mess with the others, so can they. Therefore you may as well be killed by anyone and for any reason (or no reason at all). It does not say anything about the use of a scanner. Not to mention, that even if your doings on that 'hidden' character were exactly the reason, they could have obtained that knowledge in many other ways, not necessairly by personally using a scanner.
There is no way to connect those scanners to specific accounts/characters, because they work entirely outside of the game. People who made them are most likely not even Tibiantis players. They only share their knowledge with Tibiantis players (or rather assumptions based on the publicly available information and some probabilistics). We cannot punish anyone for having knowledge or assumptions, nor can we prove in what way it was guessed. Therefore, any expectations that we are going to ban players for that reason are highly unrealistic.
As for blocking those scanners - we put in place some measures to make it more difficult, e.g. since the website update the online list refreshes only once every 5 minutes, we also have a strict limit of requests per IP address. But we are not going to fight them at all cost. We will not remove the online list completely, because it serves a purpose for many players.
You should also keep in mind, that if you proceed instant relogs between characters, there is always a chance someone may notice it and guess your characters, especially if we add certain behavior patterns. So, when you choose to play a role of a rogue it is solely up to you to be cunning as one. Do not expect the admins to protect you.
Player Level: 8 Profession: Sorcerer Residence: Thais
Posts: 8
Re: Current state of scanning characters
Its basically 100% impossible to prove that I scanned any character just because I decided to kill someone ingame. Its like in court, it doesn't matter what you know, its what you can prove, and this simply is impossible
Some cases could be solved if you did investigation long enough, as in the court, but I get it nobody wants to spend time on this here. That's why I would be glad if the data was harder/impossible to achieve.
As for blocking those scanners - we put in place some measures to make it more difficult, e.g. since the website update the online list refreshes only once every 5 minutes, we also have a strict limit of requests per IP address. But we are not going to fight them at all cost. We will not remove the online list completely, because it serves a purpose for many players.
You should also keep in mind, that if you proceed instant relogs between characters, there is always a chance someone may notice it and guess your characters, especially if we add certain behavior patterns. So, when you choose to play a role of a rogue it is solely up to you to be cunning as one. Do not expect the admins to protect you.
I am aware that alt chars may be recognized basing on certain behaviours. I think the only solution would be to delete online list from public access, but as you said, it was always important piece of the game. Although it's nice that there are some limitations. I am wondering if there's any easy solution to entirely avoid gathering this data.
