Re: Game idea....

[Mads Bondo Dydensborg <madsdyd@challenge.dk>]

On Fri, 9 Jul 1999, Christoph Reichenbach wrote:
> > modify the client. Or, as many of my objections focus on; he can use the
> > client code to write a proxy that enable him to cheat in a wide varity of
> > ways.
> 
> And just how should that work if he doesn't have the key?

OK, I assumed you were talking about a scenario like this:

player starts client 
client connects to server
client retrieves key from server
client and server communicates using this encrypted key

With source, I use the code base of the client to construct a proxy;
player starts proxy
proxy connects to server
proxy retrieves key from server
proxy and server communicates using this encrypted key
player starts client
client connects to proxy
proxy pass "standard/phony" key to client (not really important)
proxy and client communicats using phony key.

The proxy - in this setup - is left to do what ever it wants with the
packets.

If I have missed something please point it out.

> 
> > With binary distributed code only, encryption (where the keys are updated
> > frequently) can help solve a lot of the problems. With source available,
> > I cant really see a solution.
> 
> I'm talking about /encryption/ here, not /obfuscation/. If you encrypt
> something with one of the usual algorithms, you can only decrypt it with the
> correct pair of prime numbers (or near-prime numbers). Finding them with your
> average Alpha cluster takes a few hours, for small keys.

Yes, but if you have the code that can decrypt alread - and you will need
this, I assume, to use the information at the client side, it is trivial.

> Having the source code won't help you there. Most of those algorithms are well
> documented, so anyone who knows how something is encrypted can decrypt it-
> provided that he has the correct key.

I know that - my assumption is that the client actually -decrypts- the
information, and that the player has access to the client code.

I have a feeling I am not understanding you here. Please explain.

Thanks,

Mads

-- 
Mads Bondo Dydensborg.                               madsdyd@challenge.dk
'Open Systems' means no fences. And no fences means no use for Gates.
                                                        - Sun Microsystems