Server Help

LVZ/LVL Questions - LVZ "hacking"

underdog - Thu Jun 16, 2005 1:03 am
Post subject: LVZ "hacking"

I made an event in Extreme Games called 'nesting' and one of the features is that mines, flags, and greens all share the same graphic. (Sneaky) .. While it won't completely ruin the game, it will give an advantage if somebody can override the LVZ that they download and replace it so they can tell the difference.

First question, which I'm almost positive is yes is: Can they override the arena's lvz? And my second one is Can I stop them from doing it?

underdog
EG Mod

CypherJF - Thu Jun 16, 2005 2:46 am
Post subject:

You can replace any default images provided by Continuum by using LVZs, yes. As far as replacing another LVZ object with another LVZ - I'm not sure how Continuum picks which one to use if there are 2 of the same file in different LVZs.

As far as stopping people from overriding the graphics? Just don't allow them to use LVZs in the first place

Mr Ekted - Thu Jun 16, 2005 3:58 am
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You can override any of the normal game gfx but placing that file into the areana subdirectory. If Cont loads more than one LVZ with the same image or object id, it ignores all but the first it encounters.

It's too bad dog, that's an interesting idea.

xrestassuredx - Fri Jun 17, 2005 4:45 am
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i'm pretty sure that downloaded arena lvzs will override anything the user puts in his folder. changing the images in the graphics folder will replace any default images, of course, but any lvz specified in misc:levelfiles for an arena will override those. if the user tries to change the downloaded lvz in his zone folder, it will redownload, much as if they tried to hack a map. i'm pretty sure that's how it works, from my experience..

Cyan~Fire - Fri Jun 17, 2005 7:44 am
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But Ekted's saying that if a user puts the same image into an LVZ that Cont loads first, Cont will only load that one, thus allowing the user to override any downloaded LVZ replacements.

Maverick - Fri Jun 17, 2005 7:45 am
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yes, but I'm sure this can be abused the same way as the map hack abused map (down)loading.

No, you can not stop players to "override" aka hack lvz (down)loading, since this is a client "bug".

Note, like map hacking, lvz hacking musn't be the easiest job to do, so your lvz are pretty safe.

Smong - Fri Jun 17, 2005 9:19 am
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If a lvz checksum were added to the protocol then you could choose to speclock players that override lvz.

Dr Brain - Fri Jun 17, 2005 10:07 am
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Then of course there is the option in Continuum to turn off lvz graphics entirely. That way they don't even have to go through a lot of complicated stuff. Just a single check box.

xor eax - Fri Jun 17, 2005 10:53 am
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If a lvz checksum were added it could be hacked too.

Mr Ekted - Fri Jun 17, 2005 12:06 pm
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Overriding replacement graphics is not a bug, it was designed that way. The intention was that if a zone had some fancy explosion, for exmaple, any user who hated it (or for whom it was too much for their gfx card) could put whatever explosion they wanted in that arena directory. The issue of a specific graphics being critical to the play of the arena was not a design consideration. It would be possible to add flags to files in LVZ to require them to be used, but this would require a client update, and we all know that isn't going to happen.

Mr Ekted - Fri Jun 17, 2005 12:09 pm
Post subject:

xor eax wrote:

If a lvz checksum were added it could be hacked too.

It's almost impossible to hack a checksum. You would have to create a modified version of an LVZ that had the same checksum as the one the server has. This is one of the things the checksum process is designed to prevent. The only reason the map hack works is because of a flaw in the way Cont checks then loads a map file.

(Deactived B l a h e r) - Sat Jun 18, 2005 12:42 pm
Post subject:

If you have "+" befor the name of the lvz in the set it will become secoundary and the other lvz on will become the main lvz and will over ride the other.
N/m I didn't understand the first post. I'm having a blonde day today.

Mr Ekted - Sat Jun 18, 2005 2:28 pm
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The + makes the LVZ optional, which means any user can disable its contents in Options/Other/Use-Optional-Level-Graphics-And-Sound. That is all it does.

Smong - Mon Jun 20, 2005 5:23 am
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Dr Brain wrote:

Then of course there is the option in Continuum to turn off lvz graphics entirely. That way they don't even have to go through a lot of complicated stuff. Just a single check box.

Is that the option you were talking about Dr Brain? Or is there another option 'to turn off lvz graphics entirely'?

Dr Brain - Mon Jun 20, 2005 7:14 am
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Seems as though I was wrong. I thought there were two. One to turn off the optional, and one to turn them off altogether.

Muskrat - Mon Jun 20, 2005 3:42 pm
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Dr Brain wrote:

Seems as though I was wrong.

WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!??!?!?!

xrestassuredx - Mon Jun 20, 2005 5:43 pm
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maybe i'm missing something, but i still don't see a way to override flag/prize graphics in continuum. there are checkboxes to ignore certain graphics altogether, explosions, bomb trails, thrust, ship rolls, etc, and an option to turn of option level graphics/sound. where do you turn off all custom graphics? i don't see it...

Muskrat - Mon Jun 20, 2005 7:24 pm
Post subject:

Re-read this thread more closely....

underdog - Mon Jun 20, 2005 7:56 pm
Post subject: Thanks for the responses

Big discussion. Thanks for the help guys. Turning off the custom graphics only gives a slight advantage in my event anyway. People who just HATE the suspense of getting a mine or a flag they can do whatever they want, I don't care.

SuSE - Sat Jul 02, 2005 3:56 pm
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You don't have to use LVZ to replace images, but it doesn't help you much.

Iirc there are some situations where you cannot replace LVZ images.

Anonymous - Sat Jul 02, 2005 8:57 pm
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If only people would enjoy the challenge of the game and not seek other ways to get ''excitement'' or become number 1
alas that is the point of the game