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Why IP Bans Won't Work
dreadlordmikey
Member Posts: 59 Arc User
I see folks suggesting IP bans as a way to get rid of bots/farmers/exploiters and whatnot. There are a couple of reasons this is a very bad idea.
Assuming you're using a cable modem, you can easily obtain a new IP address. Power down your cable modem. Wait a minute. Connect it again. When it's finished recycling, you'll be reassigned a new IP address by your cable provider.
Further, many homes use internal wireless networks. They do this by connecting a Wireless Access Point (WAP) to the cable modem, and the computers then connect to the WAP. The WAP then makes sure that requests between computers and the cable modem get routed properly. But the game actually only sees the IP address of the cable modem. So if you ban the IP address of the cable modem, and there are multiple players at that IP address, no one at that IP address will be able to play.
Banning IP addresses is a horrible solution. It's easy to get around it, so it doesn't actually solve the problem. Also, it can end up preventing all people in a household from being able to play the game, when only one player is actually exploiting the game.
This is why the developers won't (or shouldn't) choose to use it to get rid of bots and their ilk.
Assuming you're using a cable modem, you can easily obtain a new IP address. Power down your cable modem. Wait a minute. Connect it again. When it's finished recycling, you'll be reassigned a new IP address by your cable provider.
Further, many homes use internal wireless networks. They do this by connecting a Wireless Access Point (WAP) to the cable modem, and the computers then connect to the WAP. The WAP then makes sure that requests between computers and the cable modem get routed properly. But the game actually only sees the IP address of the cable modem. So if you ban the IP address of the cable modem, and there are multiple players at that IP address, no one at that IP address will be able to play.
Banning IP addresses is a horrible solution. It's easy to get around it, so it doesn't actually solve the problem. Also, it can end up preventing all people in a household from being able to play the game, when only one player is actually exploiting the game.
This is why the developers won't (or shouldn't) choose to use it to get rid of bots and their ilk.
"Over the course of my many years I have learned one thing: I don't know anything, I only think I do. And I'm not even sure about that." -- Rasgard the Wise
Post edited by dreadlordmikey on
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You dont have to give them any information that is identifiable or accurate, such as a credit card, so not likely to be traced. If you get caught, what have you lost? ....a free account tied to a worthless email, so why wouldnt you?....Honor? Integrity?....*snaps fingers and hold up finger with suddent thought* sense of fair play?!?!.....*shakes head* nope...I cant think of a single reason that someone in today's society wouldnt.
Now, if you were paying with a credit card, that has to have a billing address tied to it....like in those nasty terribad sub based MMOs.....there is at least some notion of accountability. But even those are not full proof.
Face it though, this was a quick cash grab game for PWI to recoup it's millions it poured out to buy cryptic and there is little to nothing that will come of this. The longer the investigation, the less people will think about it, and then they(PWI) can drop it and not worry about....but they have to investigate long enough for it to slide off the front page.