It seems that wreckers are a big problem on demo servers. Unfortunately, the demo servers are all that people have access to before buying the whole game. Since demo drivers don't have a registered name, there's no way to ban wreckers from demo servers. Perhaps the next version of the demo could require a similar registration as the full game so that demo servers can maintain ban lists and have something remotely resembling clean, fun racing.
Make the demo require a registered username.
Excellent idea, I just posted in one of the "wrecker" threads in the main section the same thing. Note, I didn't steal your idea here and post it elsewhere LOL. I posted it about 10 minutes ago, then made it through the forum to this post, LOL.
I think this would be a good idea.
There is however, also something to be said for simple, immediate and unregistered access to online play... Maybe a Demo registration could be an option and servers could be set up to allow all people or just registered ones.
There is however, also something to be said for simple, immediate and unregistered access to online play... Maybe a Demo registration could be an option and servers could be set up to allow all people or just registered ones.
And what would stop the wreckers not to register again when their first username would be banned on most of the servers? Good idea but needs something more 
I don't know if this is possible. But you could make it so each download has a demo username locked to it which you can't change. That way in order to get a new demo ID you'd have to download the program again. This would surely discourage people because they'd have to download a fairly big file every time.
The problem would be how to record this information in the executable in such a way that its not hex-editable, and also in such a way that its all automated. I'm pretty sure Scawen doesnt want to have to manually compile, or provide information to compile a new executable per user, not only for each download, but also patches, etc.
Again, a nice idea, but impractical given LFS' business model.
Again, a nice idea, but impractical given LFS' business model.
Well, you can't just change your name using a registered copy of S2 and magically be removed from ban lists. If the demo had a similar registration then it could work. Of course it's hard to speculate without knowing all the details of the code like Scawen does, but surely something can be done. When there are as many posts about wreckers as there are, and when a major gaming mag says the worst thing about a game is the people playing it, it's a problem that needs to be addressed.
Maybe if the demo wasn't multiplayer...... 
If the demo user account is locked to an email address it might work. Yes its easy to get free email addy's but if you have to go through the loop od getting a new email addy, registering LFS etc every time you are banned it might start to have an effect.
Also it will be possible to build up a central ban list then managed by the master server
Also it will be possible to build up a central ban list then managed by the master server
This idea is not so bad BUT :
- you loose one of the great interest of the game (ok, wrecking is also annoying)
- until now, an AI car can't be much more reliable than a usual wrecker... Offline playing hides the truth : LFS is designed firstly as a multiplayer game for mature people...
Getting rid of unwanteds is all fine and dandy, but we shouldn't throw up too much of a barrier for people who want to just take a quick peek at the game (and become totally addicted in 2 minutes...
).I think 24h waiting does just that. Having to register your demo with e-mail validation is barrier enough imho.
And no matter how hard you make it, there will always be Myg0t pieces of *** that go to enormous lengths to tick people off, we're never going to be able to stop that with any reasonable measure I think.
Haha, yeah of course :rolleyes:
---
"Hey look dude, I found a demo of something claiming to be a true racing sim! Just what we've been looking for forever."
"Great! Let's try it out"
"OK.. hmm have to register, well ok, this game looks promising, so here we go"
*waits*
"WTH, 24h till my account is activated?!"
*deletes demo*
---
Great marketing strategy!
thats a bad idea
+1
Not buying a license is a bad idea.
I don't like the idea of having demo users have to be registed some just want to download and play and that's the fun of demo servers the amount of wreckers. I love some times going into a demo server and avoiding all the wreckers as a challange. If you don't like demo wreckers it's simple, just don't play demo.
Don't think anyone commented on this(got sidetracked). Sounds like a good idea, if possible. The servers with registered users only would have an easier time keeping the lapper clean. No need for 24 hour stuff. Just registering requires an email-- getting new mail addresses may be pain enough. Right?
maybe I'm stupid, or I'm a demo racer...
you can ban people from demo servers
AFAIK they only last an hour or a day, but I think you can ban them forever
They can reconnect under a different IP mere seconds later. Banning is practically useless on demo servers, especially against dedicated wreckers.
Also, the maximum ban period is 4 weeks I think, even if a higher value is entered. SP demo would suck, LFS being an online racing sim. I would never have bough LFS without being able to try the MP first, and doubt this would have changed had the AI been decent.
Registering for a demo account would be tolerable, although I have deleted several demos that required registration for this very reason. IMO it is very difficult to force ppl who want to try a free demo to register or go through other hoops. The best thing about the demo was being able to Just Race(tm), I'd like to see this not changed.
Registering for a demo account would be tolerable, although I have deleted several demos that required registration for this very reason. IMO it is very difficult to force ppl who want to try a free demo to register or go through other hoops. The best thing about the demo was being able to Just Race(tm), I'd like to see this not changed.
LFS (demo) could supply the master server with one of these hardware-based keys, if the key doesn't exist an 'account' is created needing no user input, the player gets assigned a username tied to this 'account' (guest19538 etc.), which server admins can properly ban.
Instead of tying it to an account, would it work if, when connecting, LFS just sent the HWID to the server, in which case the username and IP of the connectee would be irrelevant and the ban would register the ID in bans.ban?
*Oh yeah, and what happens when more than one person plays LFS on the same PC, but only one is an intentional wrecker? For example if the kid brother's a bit of a tosser but the big bro is quite clean a driver.
*Oh yeah, and what happens when more than one person plays LFS on the same PC, but only one is an intentional wrecker? For example if the kid brother's a bit of a tosser but the big bro is quite clean a driver.
Big bro buys a license and passwords his PC.
Big bro unzips LFS to a different location and leaves that locked, passwords his PC, and prevents bro using the unlocked LFS using security options built into the NTFS file system
thats why theres a great thing known as user names on computers lol
and someone had a fantastic idea of having the ability to put passwords on them so no one can mess with your stuff
brilliant idea isnt it lol
+1 for idea, but its too impractical
just need to make a blacklist lol
and someone had a fantastic idea of having the ability to put passwords on them so no one can mess with your stuff
brilliant idea isnt it lol
+1 for idea, but its too impractical
just need to make a blacklist lol
Make the demo require a registered username.
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