[quake3] non-cheatable game

[Daniel Lord]

David Jackson wrote:

> At it's very core, you have to be able to protect your program code  
> and program data.  A good start would be to -not- use dynamically- 
> linked libraries.

Then there goes extensibility (mods, characters, map updates, etc)  
and with it upgrade revenue. That's commercially inviable out of the  
gate.
And even so, a clever hacker to document all entry points and patch  
the code anyway.


mike at hobbshouse.org wrote:

> At the end of the day, I've always figured that the best cheat  
> deterrent on-line is also the best cheat deterrent off-line: good  
> identification.

I think that's why Microsoft uses more rigid identification regimes  
on Xbox Live.
They also cut down on cheating by keeping the hardware platform  
constant and unchangeable (mostly).

I am reminded by the parallels to freedom in society: the more  
individual freedom one has, the more responsibility to behave morally  
and the greater the temptation and opportunity not to.
Microsoft has instituted a more totalitarian police-stat of on-line  
gaming. It reduces cheating substantially, but carries with it many  
costs.

For my part, I think ultimately Mike has the right idea: the more  
community and publicity a game provides players, the less their  
anonymity and the better their behavior.

Even major league baseball players (not to single out baseball), who  
many (thought not I) view as heroes, cheat if they think their  
behavior is in the shadows (Sammy Sosa, Barry Bonds, Pete Rose, Jose  
Canseco, and many, many more). There will always be cheaters. Rather  
than try to create a system you can trust implicitly, keep everything  
public and banish the cheaters.
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