CHEAT POSSIBLE !!

[Xenomath]

ORIGINAL: PDiFolco

I don't imagine how it can notice if I've made a fresh install *and* copied again the pbem file I've received... unless you tinker with the registry database, but first this is unrecommended and second it's not very hard to edit it.

You don't need a trace on the computer that the game was previously installed, as you can store information in the save game you want to reopen.
For example a time stamp: If your game was installed later than the date of your first turn in the match, you reinstalled the game.

Or a savegame knows when it was opened in the past, and if your (encrypted) pbem log does not contain the right trace of having done that opening operation, you did open it with another installation of the game. I guess this is how it works, right?

[PDiFolco]

Sure you can try to trace/log everything. But now if I've a good reason to reinstall (crash, HD replacement, whatever..) I'd be detected as a cheater ?
And what timestamp do you use ? The one from the guy that has sent the file ? What if he has a wacky hour on his PC ?
In the end you'll have so many reasons for false alerts that it will not be useful.
There's no undo neither in the game, so there's plenty of reasons to start again without cheating. It happened to me today : instead of creating an HQ I click on the wrong option and get a unit. I had just 5 pp so no way of creating another HQ, should I have lost 1 turn (I was organizing my army for expansion in a random game) just because of that ?
As long as the game has "player hosting" for each player turn, and no centralised host, there's no real way to efficiently prevent cheating. It can just be made somewhat bothersome.

[SlowHand]

ORIGINAL: Rick
That being said, I'd support simply prohibiting having two simultaneous sessions running on the same computer, recognizing that a hard-core cheater would be able to use a different computer.

I would probably be pretty averse to playing with a mode that flat out would prohibit opening turn more than once. I would really unhappy if had a long game going on and and it got terminated, or corrupted by some unfortunate event totally unrelated to cheating.

(My emphasis added)

IMO Rick has put his finger on the issue. "Stuff" happens, and as a reasonable player, I would accept explanations from an opponent as to why a turn were opened twice; or know that he might be playing on two computers, which generates that "wiped logbook" message, IIRC.

OTOH, if an opponent had "explanations" every other turn and seemed to be uncannily ready for my Paradrop, THEN I'd probably put him/her on my "never play again" list.

If a "Terror Anti-Cheat" mode is developed, I hope it would be added as an option to the current one. If a truly competitive Ladder really takes off, it could be used on these shorter scenarios.

[seille]

AMEN Slowhand !! Could have been my posting.

PS. I challenged you Slowhand. Not interested to play me ? [:'(]

[Xenomath]

ORIGINAL: PDiFolco

In the end you'll have so many reasons for false alerts that it will not be useful.
There's no undo neither in the game, so there's plenty of reasons to start again without cheating. It happened to me today : instead of creating an HQ I click on the wrong option and get a unit. I had just 5 pp so no way of creating another HQ, should I have lost 1 turn (I was organizing my army for expansion in a random game) just because of that ?
As long as the game has "player hosting" for each player turn, and no centralised host, there's no real way to efficiently prevent cheating. It can just be made somewhat bothersome.

In the stated case you could have just disbanded the created unit. When disbanding you get back all PP.
But it's true, we have to prevent too many false alarms or the whole system is useless.
The thing currently generating the most false alarms is playing at different computers.
I know some players here use their PC at work in addition to the one at home.
Would it be possible to use some kind of central log on a server?

[Ande]

war is no place for sportmanship, fortunatly is this a game. therefore I would allow my opponent to changing computer or redo his turn if he present a reasonable explenation. I might have been a bit more sceptical if there is more at stake than some points in the ladder but this is not the case. I just trust the other players honesty and if he isn't, well, I wonder what kind of person it takes to cheat to cheat in this game

[SlowHand]

ORIGINAL: seille
PS. I challenged you Slowhand. Not interested to play me ? [:'(]

Hey, I just dropped by the Ladder site and saw the challenge: I accepted. Now, School me !!!

Note to Vic the Ladder site is not sending out emails when I've been challenged, which is twice in the past three days.

[Tagwyn]

I have had the computer accuse me of opeing a file for the third time!! Heck, I am lucky if I can make LEGAL moves!! LOL If I can ever learn how to download scenario files or make paradrops, then I'll be salty. I do not cheat by the way, even if only the computer accused me. T

[Vic]

ORIGINAL: SlowHand

ORIGINAL: seille
PS. I challenged you Slowhand. Not interested to play me ? [:'(]

Hey, I just dropped by the Ladder site and saw the challenge: I accepted. Now, School me !!!

Note to Vic the Ladder site is not sending out emails when I've been challenged, which is twice in the past three days.

it seems to be working fine for me. i just tested it.

are you sure the emails did not landed in your spam shreader. check your spam directory to be sure.

kind regards,
vic

[Vic]

ORIGINAL: Tagwyn

I have had the computer accuse me of opeing a file for the third time!! Heck, I am lucky if I can make LEGAL moves!! LOL If I can ever learn how to download scenario files or make paradrops, then I'll be salty. I do not cheat by the way, even if only the computer accused me. T

to download scenarios you have to register on www.advancedtactics.org
then receive an activation mail
then fill in the activation code from that mail on the site
then go to the scenariobank
select a scenario and click on the download link

kind reg,
vic