Quote:
Originally Posted by Kobaz
One approach that I've considered (in another context mind you) would be as follows:
1) collect stats on kills per minute, aggros per minute, bosses aggroed / junk mobs etc on all accounts and characters on a server where there is no known hacking
2) deliberately run a hacker account and collect the same stats
3) decide on a statistically valid test that has sufficient power to get acceptable type I and type II error rates
4) introduce a reporting mechanism to allow players to report probable hackers
5) when tests flag hacking then change the server-side XP and loot code to remove the rewards for hacking
The downsides include:
1) reporting hacking as a form of griefing
2) massive increase in DB load
3) could easily punish creative players
4) a hell of a lot of work
5) would become an arms race, as hackers can see what the tests are in server code and just be sure to stay outside the critical stat range
6) false positives (type I errors) will be high if too aggressive at picking "hackers". Any attempt to reduce this will result in more hackers not being detected.
I do think that the best approach would be to somehow remove the reward for hacking though. This way legitimate uses of the tool in question could remain (I am not promoting MQ in any way). That program is useful for those with physical disabilities for example.
I suspect that all this is basically a flaw in the game by the way. As long as the mid-levels are just a time-sink on the way to "the real game" at level 70 this problem will not go away. Perhaps more creative and dynamic quests/tasks for all levels/races/classes would make people less interested in cheating.
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I think that's probably pretty similar to what professional MMOs do to prevent hacking. It's not likely to ever go away (especially considering we can't change the client), so you just do your best to reduce it.
An option (in addition to being able to report hackers) would be to keep temporary logs of players, say, half an hour of game time (and special events that are suspicious), then save the logs of a player when they're reported. This way a GM could look over the logs when investigating a report and ban the offending account if necessary. It isn't automatic, but it could cut down on hackers.
Now, if we had our own client too, that would be a different story...