Accused of MQ2 use
 

I am not sure if there is a better forum to post this, but I need help. I have been accused of using MQ2 on my server and I am trying to clear my name. I have never used MQ2. If there is something in my version of Underfoot that is causing this to trigger, I need to know what is is so I can root it out. I am not seeing anything on my end that seems odd (I don't suddenly find myself on the other side of a zone for example).

I went from having a warm and wonderful relationship with the server leadership to getting vitriol thrown at me. I need to know what is causing this to clear my name.

http://i.imgur.com/esPenB4.jpg

Okay a few things.

First are you at liberty to say which server? Hell I get those reports on my own server from my own character. I could not even tell you how to use MQ2, never played with it.

I always find it better to rely on my players to report people. You normally get a feel for the hackers you need to watch, and that we do.

The GM sounds a bit like he may be new to the EqEmu scene. I have seen something as simple as lag or a normal port cause the hackers table to get filled with false entries.

You get messages like this....

Just from using the /target command to target your own corpse when it is over a certain distance. I would say the hackers table is just for a "reference", not to be used verbatim.

I look at logs like this all the time and I don't see any obvious cheating. I have ways of spotting particular things and these don't trigger my spidey senses.

There are a couple items of interest, but I would need to see full pattern details to confirm.

It would help if you can elaborate some of what you actually do look for, a PM would be fine.

I also do not see anything that jumps out at me. I cannot just trust the hackers table entirely. You get a feel for players after a while. It can simply be their play style, the way they talk in OOC, you just get a feel for your genuine players.

Some of my best players that have been with me from the beginning trip the hackers table, I know for a fact they hate hackers. They would no more use MQ2 than I would.

As I said I do not know much about MQ2 but looking at your timestamps you were in adjacent zones quite a few minutes apart. If you were warping around would you not make a larger leap? That in itself makes me think the log is false.

I have let the GM know about this thread in an effort to get a better handle on it. The concern they have is that my characters generates more reports than any other characters in game (for example, one of my peers had 4 reports to my 80). We (GM and I) are continuing to talk about it, and this feedback is heartening to me. I am also installing a fresh copy of my client from a different source in the event that the problem is something in the client I downloaded.

That will make no difference that I can think of.

It could be something as simple as you having higher latency or running faster. You want to see that hackers table trip? Jump on one of my boats, you can fill that log up quick.

As Provocating said it definitely looks like a combination of latency issues + a new server operator.

If you disconnect for a few seconds and run across the zone it'll show up as a huge warp.. Looking at this nothing looks super fishy. Even if they were legit logs nothing really crazy going on.

A big tip for new server operators.. The "moderate MQer" is very rare in my experience, most will make characters with the intent of just cheating on them and will generate TONS of logs (like 80 a day, not 80 over the span of a long time).

Just as well to be safe and to avoid things like this it's very easy to just keep stuff like this to yourself and watch the player invisible and anon. Can't really blame them for being mad though.. it's very disheartening as a content creator for someone to just skip around my zones ignoring most of the time I spent on it.

I strongly disagree with this statement. Maybe it's just because they all play on PEQ or EZ and don't look at other servers, but the people I know that play on EQEmu and use MQ2 would fall under "moderate MQer"

Only thing that bothers me is them wasting my time. I have more constructive things to do than ban players.

I'd guess these logs are from some kind of npc porter or gate spells. If you look at the misty thicket entries, they are all from a similar location.

Nice eye.

/10char

Probably an outdated tidbit, I haven't had a server open to the public for a few years by now.. but damn if I didn't have some interesting people running around back in the day.

It's a waste of everyone's time but for the sake of my sanity I've had to do it on a few occasions since I know 99% of the time if I confront them they'll just lie about it.

Tee hee

/10char

Is there some reason the GM didn't shadow you for a while to make a factual conclusion? The hackers table is usually full of garbage.

He actually did, there is more to the story. As usual there are two sides.

Which is why I asked :D

My story with prov is simple.

I used MQ2 to warp and made a bard kite macro.

Simple.

This is not about you. I am fairly certain chrsschb was referring to Theaccused

My 2 cp on MQ2- this is more to help the OP (Theaccused) feel a bit better about themselves.

I never used MQ2 before this year, ever; and was very openly opposed to using it under any circumstances. I figured that if I can't get a tracker or box a Ranger to find Quillmane or whatever NPC- then so be it (etc, etc, etc).

After playing on a few solo/low pop' servers now however, and being unable to find help when needed, under some ordinary circumstances the benign benefits of players using MQ2 "basic" or "stock" compile far outweigh the damage that can be done with even the most powerful macros. What convinced me was a very kind and helpful player who was using it on a server where it was allowed, helping me find certain spawns that were baffling even my high level Ranger; that and just plain ordinary help partnering (duoing) higher tier content that was crushing me even with a well-geared full group of bots (so much for "solo" content there).

After trying it out, I too enjoyed EQ again anew; knowing what was up in the zone made me able to navigate my toons better (no, not using warp or anything "malicious") and saved me from a few deaths to Fabled NPCs when I forgot to mash on my "/tar The_" social macro late at night.

So, using MQ2 isn't the end of the world, especially if "falsely accused" of using it; if you're helpful and respectful and people like you anyway, who cares; my mind has changed 180 degrees on this, alot of players probably feel this way now too. If someone is using this "taboo" just to get to you, they're doing a good job; don't let 'em. Just take the high road, and do what Fancy did when getting corpse camped, teabagged, and gang raped- well, just about everywhere--

/love
/say Are you guys through yet?

/smile
/say Going to get some ice cream now, let me know when I can LNS. Thanks
/bye

And otherwise, what the other server ops said; the hackers file is full of junk. The best way to exonerate yourself is to ignore the bullies; I bet when it comes to friends in game, you have more than they do.

And if you need a character reference, just PM me and I'll make a newbie on your server and help tip the balance.

=)

And if you need any help finding Quillmane, I can help there too!

The issue isn't people using it on servers that allow it, but on servers that do not. I have no issues with MQ2. I use it for balance testing and I also use it fully on other servers that allow it. But on my server, for the day-to-day player, it was not allowed. Content was created and balanced a specific way and having MQ2 would ruin that balance.

I can't speak for other server operators but I spend about 10x more time balancing content than I do creating it. So I'm generally fairly confident when I say, "this content is for X groups or Y players."