Cheaters and Exploits!

Normally I am pretty quiet about cheaters, my focus is always on going forward not backwards

I was having a conversation with Dante yesterday regarding a list of things needing to be addressed over time, and it came to light I don't think the players that complain realize the amount of time required to do major systems or taken up by cheats and exploits. 

I first saw a bug in the contract system on Nov 13, it took me 2 updates to figure out it was not a bug but rather an exploit being used by a player.  Since it was being logged I was able to track down that only one player that was using it and found he had cheated the shard of over 800 million of gold!  This player was trying to be smart, he didn't tell staff or come forward. I was lucky to catch this early with anti-cheat code, so this exploit was caught early and did not effect the economy

I will be honest though, after 4 years of coding these systems, I can see bugs and exploits pretty effectively now.  The thing I am trying to stress here isn't the gold exploit or cheating, it is "Time" that all of this investigation takes to track and fix.  It took me from Nov 13 to yesterday to find and solve the issue.  All of this time I wanted to be working on the Vecna alter, not this.

I also tend to work in pieces of code rather then whole systems, this allows me to test very specific mechanics to ensure we have something solid with no mistakes. 

The new poisoning system is easy to imagine, but hard to code with all the other systems to consider?  This effects combat, it effects everything.  Takes time to come up with solutions for every aspect of it and then code it, test it. 

As you read above, a lot of players are not very honest and while some will fire back this is just a game who cares, my view is if you cannot be honest in "just a game"  I would hate to rely upon you when it really mattered then.

If you cheat, you will be caught!

Just know we are working hard on improving the shard, I code everyday in fact.  There is only so much time in a day to create new content for our Friday updates.  Some things like holidays, bugs and exploits will always take priority, but we do try to set future goals for new systems that players will enjoy...please be patient, it's on "the list"

It is easy for players to say say "This is broke" but while some bugs may seem small, they require a massive amount of time/code/ideas/solutions to fix.  If you do decide to complain, always send a solution with details for me to consider


Version 264
Contract System Updated:  Exploit patched, needed 3rd party scripts to find/use it.
WildFire Spell Updated:  Was not following the description of the spell, now should behave like a firefield.

I am going to add to what Kane said above:

The staff works very hard to be online around the clock to answer pages and we are all lucky we have dedicated people that enjoy creating this project for everyone to enjoy.  It is hard when we have players working against us on a daily basis, whether it be rude behavior, negative attitudes or exploits.

It is sad to catch players intentionally using an exploit, rather than disclosing it to staff.  This is the first time I have had to ban a popular player, that enjoys the shard and has always been a friendly person...

There will always be cheaters and exploiters, but it really is hard to believe a good, long-term player, that claims to love UO Evolution would use such a massive exploit to ruin OUR shard! 

The bottom line is that is wastes a lot of time and money trying to protect the shard from bad events.  I hope players keep a lookout for bad players and report them if you see suspicious activity.

Please read the rules:


Reporting bugs and exploits:

If you discover an exploit or bug, please report it to the staff immediately.

Do NOT intentionally use exploits.

DO NOT post the exploit on the forums, please private message the staff

Do not communicate any exploit to any other player. If you are seen explaining how to exploit to another player you will be punished.Do not talk about any exploit in public chat or discord

If you are causing the shard to crash, you will be banned

Cheating:

UO Evolution has a zero tolerance for cheating. We have custom code in place to detect cheating and auto-alerts the staff if rules are broken.

DO NOT use hack or cheat software on this shard, it will be detected and you will be banned! It is not worth it, so please don't even try

Throw the cheaters out - they will not be missed!!!


I will say this,  I appreciate all that the staff of this Shard does.  They all work very hard to create an environment that we all want to play in and enjoy.


Cheaters should realize that they are not only risking banishment, but they are also hurting the entire shard when they do the things they do. Gold exploits ruin the economy making everyone work harder to get the items that should be cheaper. Staff has to take the time to track down and fix these issues, which takes away from them doing what they enjoy - creating new and exciting content. And as Dante said, it can sometimes be hard on them to have to remove a popular player that everyone likes.


In the end, this is a Multiplayer game. If you choose to cheat, take it elsewhere. There are a ton of single player games that you can play, and if you choose to cheat only your experience is ruined. No everyone else's. This is a community, don't be selfish with your actions.

It's sad when people feel that they need to cheat. Especially when playing with other people. All they are doing is ruining the game for others and eventually themselves whether they cheat by putting too much money into the economy or while PvPing, and I say good riddance.That said, thank you staff for trying to keep cheaters off this shard, and thank you Kane especially for addressing the issue we discussed the other day so fast.