Feels like im being hacked?? Any one else.

[Teljkon b]

So just a second ago I was flying around and went to add a new loadout try some new weapons you know. And so as I was flying around my brand-new plasma accelerator in my brand-new gimbaled multi-canons and I decided let's go into this combat zone and see if I can blast and heads and found that the loadout was very lacking needless to say this loadout had me getting hammered. The weird thing about is I was just in this combat zone and the powers were a little bit more balanced. I was having a hard time believing that that much damage was done in just a few minutes to the side I was fighting for. Just then I have a P versus P encounter in the combat zone that like I said I was already getting hammered in. I kinda chalked it up to my loadout and decided to move along. So I run off to the station and I I go to myself okay let me switch back to my old loadout and then we'll see who's the hotshot. Then back at the little station and go to change out my weapons and just as I see my old weapons siting there waiting for me to refit them. Bam 404 error lost connection with server. Not the full game crashing mind you just whatever server was controlling my weapons being parked at that station how do i know this they just disappear as an option fro outfitting that's how.

Now the timing of this is incredibly convenient for these two players that I was going up against and it just feels like the game is hacked. I don't know why but it feels like the mechanical Turk is working in the background pulling levers against me. I have had this experience several other times. Where it seems like the whole game starts to just bug out inside the favor of other people when I have PVP encounters. I really liked the game so far but I'm going to having a hard time giving you guys more of my money if this is how the game operates I feel like your servers are hacked. If I can't rely on the game to act in a reliable way than it becomes unfun to play I understand that you should have to run around to find good weapons at the right stations and it is a good part of the game but if I can try different load out's and rely on the mechanism that is supposed to protect me from losing weapons that I just outfitted than theirs a problem. Now I could have reported this as a bug but I also want other players to chime in on this and tell me if they've had similar experiences. It really really feels like some other players are hacking your server architecture to get an advantage inside PVP encounters. Now I get that different people want to do different things but the whole solo thing isn't what I find cool about this game I'm stoked to fight other players but I need things work the way they're supposed to. And when I was just inside this combat zone seconds ago and there weren't any other players there and then I come back and the whole look of this zone is changed to be entirely weighted against my side. This is either clearly a problem with how instances combine. Or maybe someone's imposing the instance they're playing in on mine I have no idea how the back into your servers work but not kosher. I feel like you guys rolling out a whole new section of the game while this part is really not done right yet or possibly compromised is kind of premature.

 

[Windscreen Smudge]

Fun to read, but 100% improbable. Anyone spending the time or resources to hack FD's servers is going to go for the servers with credit card information, not your Python.

I think you should look into just what kind of effort it takes to do what you think just happened.

 

[TIVBS]

Youre not the first one I've heard this happen. From what I hear, they are able to run scripts that can manipulate memory and revert previous outfitting and manipulate current ship damage. Though if they do this hack, you should be able to submit a ticket and as long as you have specific info like exact times of attack, where you were, etc, FD can see this in the logs and take appropriate action. But make sure you have detailed info if you ticket this.

Fun to read, but 100% improbable. Anyone spending the time or resources to hack FD's servers is going to go for the servers with credit card information, not your Python.

I think you should look into just what kind of effort it takes to do what you think just happened.

Theres actual hackers that manipulate the game outcomes for their benefit (because they have accounts and play the game), not just stealing real money. the P2P architecture is really vulnerable to this kind of hacks. Some hacks will not be detectable and some can be easily spotted.

 

[Windscreen Smudge]

Youre not the first one I've heard this happen. From what I hear, they are able to run scripts that can manipulate memory and revert previous outfitting and manipulate current ship damage. Though if they do this hack, you should be able to submit a ticket and as long as you have specific info like exact times of attack, where you were, etc, FD can see this in the logs and take appropriate action. But make sure you have detailed info if you ticket this.



Theres actual hackers that manipulate the game outcomes for their benefit (because they have accounts and play the game), not just stealing real money. the P2P architecture is really vulnerable to this kind of hacks. Some hacks will not be detectable and some can be easily spotted.

If any hacker breaches the security on the servers FD, or any company, is required by law to disclose the breach of security within 24 hours to all who could have possibly been affected.

There are no server hacks going on. Everything you described is being done client side.

 

[TIVBS]

If any hacker breaches the security on the servers FD, or any company, is required by law to disclose the breach of security within 24 hours to all who could have possibly been affected.

There are no server hacks going on. Everything you described is being done client side.

Yes exactly why I said p2p

 

[Windscreen Smudge]

Yes exactly why I said p2p

That's... Not how the P2P works. This isn't DIRECT P2P, or else we'd be asking for each other's lobby names and passwords. Everything still runs through a server. You want to get at another player's machine, you need to get through the server first.

 

[TIVBS]

That's... Not how the P2P works. This isn't DIRECT P2P, or else we'd be asking for each other's lobby names and passwords. Everything still runs through a server. You want to get at another player's machine, you need to get through the server first.

Well thats what they are doing then, FD has said they are aware of it and do what they can to prevent and punish

 

[Kitfox]

I just read the OP textwall as him trying out some unfamiliar weapons, is poor at combat zone situational awareness and was probably straddled by a pair of Anacondas, with some Eagles biting his ankles like rabid corgis for good measure.

Along come some other commanders and see an opportunity for an easy kill...

Then chuck in a fairly common server fail.

 

[JessieColt]

I just read the OP textwall as him trying out some unfamiliar weapons, is poor at combat zone situational awareness and was probably straddled by a pair of Anacondas, with some Eagles biting his ankles like rabid corgis for good measure.

Along come some other commanders and see an opportunity for an easy kill...

Then chuck in a fairly common server fail.

I pretty much have to agree with everything you have said.

Most likely the servers choked when showing you your Buy Back gear and puked and caused the crash. Buy Back is only good for a limited amount of time and then the items can no longer be purchased back.

There is a very good possibility that you hit that timer just as the outfitting screens loaded up, and the system couldn't handle the fail situation and crashed.

Unfortunate, but not a hack. Just a run of the mill fail scenario that the servers didn't know how to deal with.

 

[Ism]

CZ balance changes every time you enter the instance. One time your selected side may be kicking butt. Exit then enter again and it could be balanced or tipped in the enemies favor.

 

[Morbad]

Almost certainly a case of paranoia or failure to understand how ED's instancing works rather than someone hacking.

Stuff you sell to a station will only remain available for rebuy if that instance has been held open by someone and you have landed back in it. You may have lost connection to the peer or matchmaking server, and been placed in a fresh instance on reconnection. Your old instance probably disappeared with the other CMDR who was holding it.

That's... Not how the P2P works. This isn't DIRECT P2P, or else we'd be asking for each other's lobby names and passwords. Everything still runs through a server. You want to get at another player's machine, you need to get through the server first.

This is not really true.

ED does have a matchmaking server, but peers are directly connected to other peers and peers host instances.

 

[Redgum]

There are script kiddies out there running client side scripts that provide them numerous advantages in PVP fights.
I was jumped by two of these kids driving Eagles and although everything on my Cobra III is 'A' grade level 4, they had my shields down in less than 5 seconds and were firing 3 weapons plus torpedos ...from Eagles... and to top it all off, there was something REALLY wrong with the Frame Shift drive - it took the whole time to get 1/2 charge. There was only 2 Eagles and when I've been jumped by 3 NPC's the FS drive didn't take 1/10th of the time.

There will always be some who are social misfits and malcontents looking to jolly themselves with cheats. Hence for the most part, I play in SOLO until FD gets around to fixing most of these issues.

I'm worndering what might happen if you're under attack and simply disconnect / exit -> save and return into SOLO during a PVP encounter? Might be the thing to do. Take away their jollies.

 

[Schmack]

CZ balance changes every time you enter the instance. One time your selected side may be kicking butt. Exit then enter again and it could be balanced or tipped in the enemies favor.

Only true if another CMDR isn't still in the instance. If said CMDR remains in instance, it will not rebalance just because you left. According to the OP, there was another player.

I highly doubt there was cheating going on though, here's why: I went into a CZ yesterday with a Vulture and took about about 50 ships before I got bored and left. Then I went back later with a A grade Python and just like that my shields were gone, I hadn't fired at a single ship. Now you might think I met said CMDR as well however I was in Solo. What happened was that I entered into the middle of the fray (actually it was a security area) and was instantly a target.

If you go in with turrets set to "fire at will" you will draw the fire from every ship you shoot at, and depending on your weapon count that can be 5 or 6. Go in with 2 HPs and you can quite easily pick and choose your encounters.

 

[Pendra]

Instancing. You are always in an instance that may be shared by others. The server can run many different instances of the same area. Imagine that like parallel universes.

Problem is, you cant tell which insta you are in and cant move between them by command.

The connection loss at the buyback was not a hack. How would they know that you wanted to buyback?

 

[Ism]

Only true if another CMDR isn't still in the instance. If said CMDR remains in instance, it will not rebalance just because you left. According to the OP, there was another player.

You're right, I just didn't read the post that way.

 

[CmdrJacks]

Youre not the first one I've heard this happen. From what I hear, they are able to run scripts that can manipulate memory and revert previous outfitting and manipulate current ship damage.

If a hacker is modifying the memory of the OPs remote machine then he has bigger problems than missing loadouts....

 

[Berty Dastard]

What FD servers? FD uses Amazon servers. If they are hacked we will hear about it - and so will the rest of the computing world

 

[Teljkon b]

This is correct when i had left the instance moments earlier it was being run by my side for the most part. I come to the same CZ and now its being run by the other side and there is a player there on the other side! I understand that instances are parallel how ever there should be some consistency between the zone i just left and the zone i am just now showing up in. Its kinda stupid if you think about it that its completely random.

As far as the timer for buy backs I was less than 5 minutes I find it hard to believe that you don't have at least 10 minutes to fly back and get your old weapons. I factually have gone and flown to a much further away RE site and right back and been able to get my weapons back. So I highly doubt I hit the timer. Now is this true that they have noticed and admitted the problem exists of players hacking the PVP servers from inside the game. I am not an expert in programming but I don't think it would be all that hard to snip the connection. A fairly basic scripts could detect what servers or Virtual server im connected to. If you took the time to play with your game and profile what kinda builds frontier uses for what tasks you could identify what servers you could expect another players game to be running the same scripts. Ive played with VM's from amazon not the most stable things in the world. Now of course we cant even agree if the script that controls this piece of the game runs locally or not? I have also noticed all the problems seem to be time based oddly.

Your indeed correct I did go in Guns blazing but only because I was just there and expected at least a balanced distribution. BTW I FLY and FDL not python. This is indeed a separate game play issue. Its kinda dumb if you think about it that the instance I was just in was completely different less than 10 minutes latter. Just like jumping in and out of RE sites until you find an instance with big ships is unrealistic so is leaving a spot you were just in and it not being at least balanced. Fact is lets face it PVP is buggy as hell. lets talk about damage I fly A FDL and I had better luck in a ASP hunting in CZ's. It took a better beating and I could take down big ships faster. should a much cheaper ship with a worse load out do more damage? I have definably noticed some PVP interactions being lopsided in ways that seem screwed up people who's shields are just like tanks and never go down then Ill go a replicate there builds as best i can and I don't have the same luck. All the shield boosters in the world and it seems like they make no difference. Even if these aren't Script kiddies its not fun. So?

Now has Frontier admitted there are people hacking the game? If so where?

 

[babelfisch]

"Good. Out of the door. Line on the left. One tinfoil each. Next."

 

[CrustyGoth]

You ought to be careful... not only are they clearly hacking you but to know that you were heading back to the station to refit your old weapons they must either be bugging your house or reading your mind. That means they already know that you know. Get out now!