Money exploit: Confession Window

[Raa]

What if some of these exploiters don't even go on the forum? I know several players who never even realized a place like this existed.

[theirah]

It should be a motd, for after you finish fixing the bug. And I agree with extending the deadline a bit as well

[thazmaps]

I think it would only make sense to plug the hole in the boat before you bail water.  By taking the server offline is not punishing the player base, instead it is to protect it.  It is the responsible thing to do.  I myself appreciate them trying to protect the integrity of the game and the inventory of my characters by doing so 

I would also like to point out that finding an exploit is not cheating....

Actually, those that can hunt them down and find them are doing the community a great service as long as they are handling their findings responsibly.  As testers some of us are going to happen accross bugs in the game from time to time.  There is no reason to be embarassed in finding them, especially if there is a gain of some type to be made.  The right thing to do is to let a GM or Developer know through appropriate channels and move on.

Where it crosses into wrongdoing is when someone finds the bug and gains an unfair advantage by exploiting it and not notifying the PS team.  By gaining tria, stats, weapons, and the like you didn't rightly earn you have crossed the line.  By telling your friends about it and continuing to abuse it you are only making it worse. There is no good excuse for it other than laziness.  It is dishonorable and the end result will always be you lose what you gained and more, unfortunately the rest of us will suffer as well   

I agree with this also, it just feels like punishment to me though becuase Im not going to be able to play for a couple of days and now I didnt get to play while I had the chance, So now I have a big weekend of work ahead of me and didnt get to relax and play ps before my work begins. I waited for hours to play (when icould have done something constructive) and then a friend directed me to this topic.

[Meolae]

I just feel like Im being punished when they said the server will be down till people come forward [...]

That is not what Xillix stated at all. It is very clearly written that the server is down until the exploit itself is fixed, not until these 24 hours are up. (Although fixing bugs may take more than 24 hours anyway.)

Moreover, the dev team has every right to just ban all accounts who use exploits without a moment's notice. That they even give the wrongdoers 24 hours to admit their actions is commendable. No, not everyone is going to see this window of opportunity. But you know what, they had a much much longer window previously and they didn't think to take it. So screw 'em :)

[theirah]

it'd be nice if the reason a server was down could be placed on the server page, if it was intentional. I know you guys are very busy, but if you had a few moments, please?

[eldoth_terevan]

When something like this occurs, it is natural to say that it is a "problem" in the code. The reality of it is that there is no sign in the code that points saying, "problem is here". It can take much time to identify the nature of a "feature" such as this, longer to formulate a revision, and then longer to test it to be sure that it was fixed -- without breaking something else. I am fully supportive of keeping the server offline for as long as it takes to correct the problem.

[vedrit]

When something like this occurs, it is natural to say that it is a "problem" in the code. The reality of it is that there is no sign in the code that points saying, "problem is here". It can take much time to identify the nature of a "feature" such as this, longer to formulate a revision, and then longer to test it to be sure that it was fixed -- without breaking something else. I am fully supportive of keeping the server offline for as long as it takes to correct the problem.

If any one in here reads fantasy with magic in it (Which Im sure most do, seeing as how this is a fantasy game), codes work much the same way as magic. Just becuase you WANT it to do something in particular, and give it what you beleive to be the right structure, does not necessarily mean that it will do what you want with out any flaws or loop holes. It takes time and effort after the origional construction, hours of testing, before it is remotly close to being "perfected". Finding another bug is just one less thing that is causing a flaw in a seemingly flawless code.

[chuckmcdonald]

I hope this issue will be resolved soon. I miss fighting monsters and building my skills. Also miss talking to others. I work 9 hours a day and this helps me get my mind off work.
Since you know who exploited the issue. Why not just suspend the accounts of the ones who did it and let the rest of us have fun. 

[Kieve]

...Because the problem itself is still being fixed...?

Analogy: If your car was belching smoke and fire from the hood and you took it to a garage to get it fixed, would you walk up to the mechanic an hour later and say "I want my car back, don't care if it's fixed yet!" ...?
Have patience, take a deep breath, and remember that in the end it's just a game.

[vedrit]

this helps me get my mind off work.

As he said, it has become more than just a game, it is a stress-reliever, but i, too, want things to come back soon. I has been months since i have been able to play, and i got PS yesterday, but late at night, so i havent had much chance to play.
No rush, just stating my hopes.

[Kieve]

*Kieve nods slowly...*

Yeah, I understand about being personally invested... Perhaps just a game is phrasing it badly, but my point was that it's just a little hiccup in the big picture. Soon^(tm) everything will be back up and running, cheaters will get whatever comeuppance the devs see fit to deal out, and we'll all be happy campers again.
(well, mebbe not the cheaters...)
Until then, there are other more constructive uses of our collective time than standing around, twiddling our thumbs, and in some instances, complaining. Need stress relief? Fire up a good FPS and frag a buddy or three - or relax with a good puzzle game, or read a book. Write a book if you're so inclined.

Anyhow, I may be trying the 'calm voice of reason' bit, but my inner PS addict is screaming and gnawing on the bars of his cage...

[bilbous]

Coding is not magic, logic is complicated and compilers do not always see it as you do. It is usually your fault but sometimes it is the fault of whoever wrote the compiler. Finding someone else's mistake is often easier than finding your own but you need to be very proficient in coding to identify compiler bugs.

The confession window it what separates you from the Catholic priest.

Those who knowingly exploited this bug and have been around long enough probably exploited the previous ones and do not deserve the opportunity herein presented.

A full wipe is long overdue but likely is not contemplated because there are some valued high level players testing bugs at the top end of the scale that would not be able to get back to such a level in a reasonable time frame. These people are different from those with a lot of time to kill maxing out their characters without reporting anomalies unless they are affected negatively -- if any such people exist here.

[Hlaford]

Can I say 'I told you so?' :p
http://hydlaa.com/smf/index.php?topic=30028.0

[vedrit]

(Silly tangent-thoughts)
I didnt say coding WAS magic, i was using magic as an example. I have done coding before (Java, HTML, etc.) and, even if I know what I want to have happen, and know how to get it done, it doesnt always turn out right. There are some codes that I, and a few other people, have been working on together for weeks, and we still run into some problems.
You have to know EXACTLY what to put in in order for it to work EXACTLY how you want it.

J/W: But how did this bug get used? Was there some sort of command line that some one stumbled on? A certain place, or thing they went to or did? From my point of view, fixing the bug doesnt necessarily have to be the immediate result, just several all ways to access and exploit the bug. If people cant even use the bug, then it might as well not exist. You dont have to listen to me, since I dont have any experiance with the program you devs are using. Just thought I would give ya my passing thoughts.

As for those who deliberatly used the bug, yeah, they most likely have been around enough to know better or used a past bug, and should be delt with accordingly. For first time, accidental users, they shouldnt be treated too badly for something they didnt mean to do, or had no idea had happened. If you can find out how much money they got because of the bug, then they should loose that much. Other wise, they should loose 3/4 of their money, if possible,

[Lenade Lavor]

I found the weakness glyphs, and I also found a fair amount of circles in death realm. I can give the names of the people I saw near them that I suspected of cheating, but I would not like to do so in public in case I am mistaken. Who should I speak to?

*edit* I went back and read the original post all the way