cheating on PBEM

[Lumpkin]

Anyone else bothered by how easy it is to cheat on PBEM?

It seems by loading a multiplayer game from within a single-player game you can spy on the first player's map.

Also, I'm not aware of anything that alerts other players if someone reloads their turn.

[Grandpa Troll]

Re: cheating on PBEM

Originally posted by Lumpkin
Anyone else bothered by how easy it is to cheat on PBEM?

It seems by loading a multiplayer game from within a single-player game you can spy on the first player's map.

Also, I'm not aware of anything that alerts other players if someone reloads their turn.

well..how did you come upon this previously unknown ability?

[Dauphin]

Many a game is open to cheating, just play with people you have never had break your trust.

[Grandpa Troll]

Originally posted by Dauphin
Many a game is open to cheating, just play with people you have never had break your trust.

I can attest

Sir Dauphin has never broken my trust

[Lumpkin]

It didn't occur to me that loading a PBEM from within a single-player game would have that effect - that's how I discovered it

[Rommel2D]

Re: cheating on PBEM

Originally posted by Lumpkin Also, I'm not aware of anything that alerts other players if someone reloads their turn.

There is something like this encoded somewhere, as I've heard it mentioned about CF's GOTM. I'll see if I can find out if it works for PBEM and where it is...

[Grandpa Troll]

Re: Re: cheating on PBEM

Originally posted by Rommel2D

There is something like this encoded somewhere, as I've heard it mentioned about CF's GOTM. I'll see if I can find out if it works for PBEM and where it is...

Thanks Rommel2D

I would ask about this in advance, maybe an answer can or cant be given:

Say I load the save and maybe its a long one and get bumped or whatever, how will the save know the difference between legitimate and illigitimate reloading?

I dont cheat and suck quite easily at the games but enjoy them

I wish people didnt cheat but figure that allways someone will be one step ahead, in covering their tracks is all

Shame you or anyone else has to do this but it is much appreciated

Gramps

Oh and Merry Christmas

[Rommel2D]

Originally posted by Lumpkin
It didn't occur to me that loading a PBEM from within a single-player game would have that effect - that's how I discovered it

Yes, half the reason for passwords and secure turn measures is to prevent accidental loads.

How were you able to load a PBEM turn from SP? I just tried with v109 and v152 and both versions blocked me with a "cannot open MP games from SP" popup box...

[Rommel2D]

Originally posted by Grandpa Troll
Say I load the save and maybe its a long one and get bumped or whatever, how will the save know the difference between legitimate and illigitimate reloading?

It can't tell, its just a counter. If you just mention a load problem happened in the turn-tracker, then anyone looking at the counter would know why one or two extra reloads were recorded. If it says +96 for the counter, you might have a harder time explaining...

This method isn't foolproof or very convenient- I think the PiTBoSs will take care of these issues, among others, much better...

[Grandpa Troll]

Originally posted by Rommel2D

Yes, half the reason for passwords and secure turn measures is to prevent accidental loads.

How were you able to load a PBEM turn from SP? I just tried with v109 and v152 and both versions blocked me with a "cannot open MP games from SP" popup box...

thats what happened to me in Slaughterhouse 5

Its the only game I am in that I have to go the CIVIII Conquests route, save the save and start game and load game

I tried doing it through sp and gt that error

then realized I had to go to MP/PBEM/load


otherwise, as Rommel2D pointed out, error message

[Lumpkin]

How were you able to load a PBEM turn from SP? I just tried with v109 and v152 and both versions blocked me with a "cannot open MP games from SP" popup box...

I'm using v109 but I didn't get any error message, it just let me in. Haven't tried it since cos I don't want to cheat.

Thanks for the info everyone. I'm glad there's a reload counter somewhere and that this cheat only seems to work for me.

[Rommel2D]

The GOTM trick for counting reloads doesn't work for PBEMs. I guess, we have to wait for a release version of PiTBoSs for more secure PBEM gameplay...

[Dauphin]

Originally posted by Rommel2D

It can't tell, its just a counter. If you just mention a load problem happened in the turn-tracker, then anyone looking at the counter would know why one or two extra reloads were recorded. If it says +96 for the counter, you might have a harder time explaining...

1) Game comes in inbox, save a 'template' copy
2) Copy 'template' and save as 'Turn' (which necessarily has counter set to zero).
3) Play 'turn'.
4) If wanting to replay goto 2), else goto 5)
5) Send 'Save'.



What is GOTM?

[Grandpa Troll]

i am having enough problems with my civ teling me Im cheating them on being winners

I will just play and hope that someday someone said they had to cheat to beat me

then that person will feel my ire

[Rommel2D]

Originally posted by Dauphin What is GOTM?

Game of the Month, over at CFC. The indicators they use to detect cheating in SP don't work for the reasons you outlined. I have some ideas on how to make PBEM secure and I figured Firaxis might have come up with something also, but it looks like Pitboss will make the issue more or less moot...