Comments on: Ridiculously high scores? No problem! http://www.interactivepulp.com/blog/2007/05/ridiculously-high-scores-no-problem Game Design and Interactive Pulp announcements Mon, 7 Jun 2010 15:34:25 -0700 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: Vaughn http://www.interactivepulp.com/blog/2007/05/ridiculously-high-scores-no-problem/comment-page-1#comment-93 Vaughn Fri, 09 Nov 2007 12:29:02 +0000 http://www.interactivepulp.com/blog/2007/05/ridiculously-high-scores-no-problem#comment-93 Holy crap. Way too much effort to cheat! I'd rather spend that effort writing my own game. :) Holy crap. Way too much effort to cheat! I’d rather spend that effort writing my own game. :)

]]> By: David Brackeen http://www.interactivepulp.com/blog/2007/05/ridiculously-high-scores-no-problem/comment-page-1#comment-17 David Brackeen Wed, 16 May 2007 18:21:41 +0000 http://www.interactivepulp.com/blog/2007/05/ridiculously-high-scores-no-problem#comment-17 You're right, there's really no way to detect a bot - if the bot creator is clever enough. What can I say, I'm impressed. I wouldn't mind seeing your code. You’re right, there’s really no way to detect a bot – if the bot creator is clever enough.

What can I say, I’m impressed. I wouldn’t mind seeing your code.

]]> By: xcheater http://www.interactivepulp.com/blog/2007/05/ridiculously-high-scores-no-problem/comment-page-1#comment-16 xcheater Wed, 16 May 2007 15:05:04 +0000 http://www.interactivepulp.com/blog/2007/05/ridiculously-high-scores-no-problem#comment-16 The problem of the game is that it gives complete information about the comming tiles. Even a person can take screenshot, pause the game and think about it for hour, then it is just clicking challenge... You should limit possibility to pause the game to time between levels ( in fact, when skull has reached the end of the row the state of the game is not different from paused game ). Creating the bot is not that hard, because you have to get pixel from only 11 positions to get everything you need for high score. First version of my program had 400 lines in C++. There is probably nothing what you can do about it. You can check that I'm clicking only on 12 distinct points, but I can add rand() there... You can count that I click 120 times per second ( sometimes game ignores first few clicks, so I'm clicking multiple times in loop :-) ), but I can limit that too. You can slightly move, or change colors of fruit, but that can be solved too. The best thing to do is to think about the games, which can not be played by bot or which can not be played by bot better then by human. Now I'm giving up, you can delete my high scores, because I know I had cheated. It was fun to write the bot. In the end it was reading the types of 11 tiles in the middle row and 14 comming tiles. If I executed it multiple times I believe I could score 150 000 ;-) But as I said: I really like the game. The problem of the game is that it gives complete information about the comming tiles. Even a person can take screenshot, pause the game and think about it for hour, then it is just clicking challenge… You should limit possibility to pause the game to time between levels ( in fact, when skull has reached the end of the row the state of the game is not different from paused game ).

Creating the bot is not that hard, because you have to get pixel from only 11 positions to get everything you need for high score. First version of my program had 400 lines in C++. There is probably nothing what you can do about it. You can check that I’m clicking only on 12 distinct points, but I can add rand() there… You can count that I click 120 times per second ( sometimes game ignores first few clicks, so I’m clicking multiple times in loop :-) ), but I can limit that too. You can slightly move, or change colors of fruit, but that can be solved too.

The best thing to do is to think about the games, which can not be played by bot or which can not be played by bot better then by human.
Now I’m giving up, you can delete my high scores, because I know I had cheated.

It was fun to write the bot. In the end it was reading the types of 11 tiles in the middle row and 14 comming tiles. If I executed it multiple times I believe I could score 150 000 ;-)

But as I said: I really like the game.

]]> By: xcheater http://www.interactivepulp.com/blog/2007/05/ridiculously-high-scores-no-problem/comment-page-1#comment-13 xcheater Wed, 16 May 2007 01:03:11 +0000 http://www.interactivepulp.com/blog/2007/05/ridiculously-high-scores-no-problem#comment-13 1) not the best one, but works http://youtube.com/watch?v=BxP-rrRo9yo 1) not the best one, but works

http://youtube.com/watch?v=BxP-rrRo9yo

]]> By: David Brackeen http://www.interactivepulp.com/blog/2007/05/ridiculously-high-scores-no-problem/comment-page-1#comment-12 David Brackeen Wed, 16 May 2007 00:53:34 +0000 http://www.interactivepulp.com/blog/2007/05/ridiculously-high-scores-no-problem#comment-12 Well, there's two things I would have no control over: 1) a bot to automatically play the game with the best strategy, or 2) if the game code has been edited on the client. But I don't think it's either of those. Care to give a hint? :) Well, there’s two things I would have no control over:

1) a bot to automatically play the game with the best strategy, or
2) if the game code has been edited on the client.

But I don’t think it’s either of those. Care to give a hint? :)

]]> By: xcheater http://www.interactivepulp.com/blog/2007/05/ridiculously-high-scores-no-problem/comment-page-1#comment-9 xcheater Tue, 15 May 2007 09:31:36 +0000 http://www.interactivepulp.com/blog/2007/05/ridiculously-high-scores-no-problem#comment-9 You assume, I'm changing game memory, and/or packets sent to/from server. That is wrong :-) So I will just use same method again.. Any ideas? You assume, I’m changing game memory, and/or packets sent to/from server. That is wrong :-) So I will just use same method again.. Any ideas?

]]> By: David Brackeen http://www.interactivepulp.com/blog/2007/05/ridiculously-high-scores-no-problem/comment-page-1#comment-8 David Brackeen Tue, 15 May 2007 01:47:57 +0000 http://www.interactivepulp.com/blog/2007/05/ridiculously-high-scores-no-problem#comment-8 108,440 on Year 34? Nice move, xcheater. You're right, there was a period in the game where the score was still easily hackable: the Game Over screen and the Submit Score screen. I've fixed it now. Care to take a stab at version 1.2.2? :) 108,440 on Year 34? Nice move, xcheater.

You’re right, there was a period in the game where the score was still easily hackable: the Game Over screen and the Submit Score screen. I’ve fixed it now. Care to take a stab at version 1.2.2? :)

]]> By: xcheater http://www.interactivepulp.com/blog/2007/05/ridiculously-high-scores-no-problem/comment-page-1#comment-5 xcheater Mon, 14 May 2007 09:10:04 +0000 http://www.interactivepulp.com/blog/2007/05/ridiculously-high-scores-no-problem#comment-5 Hi, encrypting the memory is useless, because it is still hackable. You have to decrypt it from time to time... Would it be possible to send user moves to server, to verify the score on server? Then, hacker will have to know the moves he has to play, not only the the score. The problem is, it will add (maybe) too big load on the server. Few comments to the game: - from 13th level the Goal was rising too slowly ( your score + constant + 20*level# ), this is not good, because depending on the luck you have, your score may vary in the range of 1000. If you are unlucky, you will end too soon, but if you have a good luck, you may play for another 25levels and increase score by 100k. I would suggest to make the Goal quadratic function of level# only -> not to depend on my_score_from_previous_level. Another solution would be to move skull faster each level. I would also like to see 6th type of fruit :-) I like the game very much, thanks for development. Hi,

encrypting the memory is useless, because it is still hackable. You have to decrypt it from time to time… Would it be possible to send user moves to server, to verify the score on server? Then, hacker will have to know the moves he has to play, not only the the score. The problem is, it will add (maybe) too big load on the server.

Few comments to the game:
– from 13th level the Goal was rising too slowly ( your score + constant + 20*level# ), this is not good, because depending on the luck you have, your score may vary in the range of 1000. If you are unlucky, you will end too soon, but if you have a good luck, you may play for another 25levels and increase score by 100k.
I would suggest to make the Goal quadratic function of level# only -> not to depend on my_score_from_previous_level. Another solution would be to move skull faster each level.
I would also like to see 6th type of fruit :-)

I like the game very much, thanks for development.

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