Making My Mod Less Exploitable

[DrakeTheDragon]

Following this thought for a moment, I now wonder if it'd be possible to remove the "plain-text" source code of scripts from the ESP once it was compiled, via TES4Edit or something. The CS doesn't decompile the compiled code back into ObScript scource code when you open it, so the uncompiled source must be stored seperately somehow. If it is possible to remove this plain-text version of the scripts, at least the scripting part of the ESP will become totally unmoddable. But unless I got some proof it can be done or an idea how it's only a thought for now.

[Arthmoor]

Yes, you can use TES4Edit to remove the script source code. Obviously doing so means you'll need a release copy of the mod and one to keep for yourself in case you have to come back and tweak. You can even get really crazy and remove the source from all the result scripts as well.

[Hickory]

It's not malicious at all if you are warned up front.

 

Scenario: I'm going to smash your front window in. Oh, by the way, I've warned you up front, so it's not malicious.

[Quetzlsacatanango]

That's an awful analogy and you know it.

 

A more apt one would be, here's a Playstation 10. I'm giving it to you for free. Just letting you know that if you open it up to see the guts, it may asplode all over you and your house. You can choose to accept my gift or not. If you accept it you can choose to open it up and see the guts or not. Just letting you know what will happen if you choose to open it up.

[Hickory]

That's an awful analogy and you know it.

 

A more apt one would be, here's a Playstation 10. I'm giving it to you for free. Just letting you know that if you open it up to see the guts, it may asplode all over you and your house. You can choose to accept my gift or not. If you accept it you can choose to open it up and see the guts or not. Just letting you know what will happen if you choose to open it up.

 

Not at all. It's all about intent. Don't floss it over with 'choice'.

[buddah]

If the mod is designed to cause problems under x condition, it would probably fall into the malicious category thereby getting removed.

 

But my question is this, are you making something to enhance the gaming experience for the community or making something to satisfy your own ego.

 

The way it reads is I made this and if you try to cheat it your computer will blow up in your face and it is your fault as you have been warned.

 

As a modder, I think there are better ways to spend my time to enhance the game.

[HeyYou]

If the mod is designed to cause problems under x condition, it would probably fall into the malicious category thereby getting removed.

 

But my question is this, are you making something to enhance the gaming experience for the community or making something to satisfy your own ego.

 

The way it reads is I made this and if you try to cheat it your computer will blow up in your face and it is your fault as you have been warned.

 

As a modder, I think there are better ways to spend my time to enhance the game.

 

And as a mod user as well, I feel the same way.

[Quetzlsacatanango]

I thought we weren't in to dictating to mod authors the best ways to spend their modding time...

[Ranokoa]

If the mod is designed to cause problems under x condition, it would probably fall into the malicious category thereby getting removed.

 

But my question is this, are you making something to enhance the gaming experience for the community or making something to satisfy your own ego.

 

The way it reads is I made this and if you try to cheat it your computer will blow up in your face and it is your fault as you have been warned.

 

As a modder, I think there are better ways to spend my time to enhance the game.

 

Thank you for asking an actual question rather than just do what seems to be the only thing being done here: Say the same thing over and over and over and over and never appear to read the replies. Hopefully others will follow suite and we can actually redirect all this energy to being put in a productive way, rather than just words thrown without care of response.

 

This is something that will enhance the gaming experience, at least in my opinion, and the only part my ego holds in this is..... Zombie is playing with an apple... That's new. It's the size of her head, rofl. Where was I? Right. Only part my ego holds is in not spoiling what the mod is until I release it. Idk why that's a major part of the satisfaction for modding but it is. At least for me.

 

I will again say, I am only protecting the very few essentials that are needed. IE: Writing their scripts slightly obscurely to the point where only I can figure it out, which is easy FOR ME because I already have a system in my head that I use for such things (Although not normally in modding) where I can read what would be to other people a random bunch of numbers and letters, as a smooth and coherent passage.

 

When I say this mod will "break" the game or whatever till you disable it, I don't mean that it will actually break your game. The point of this mod is that once you start it you will not be able to escape the confines of the interior cells that comprise my mod. This isn't for any other reason than what my mod is. It's a mini-game that has nothing to do with lore, will require a new save character as I will skill check and level check and all those lovelies and it will deny access to starting the minigame if you are "too strong".

 

Opening the console will do one of a few things. I might make it spawn a bunch of zombies in front of you, I mean just kill the player, I might just make a messagebox pop up that says "Console disabled in this mod" or some sorts. I am NOT going to make it crash anything.

 

Really, people, get off the whole crash thing. I'm not going to cause intentional crashing, I'm not going to break anyone's saves, I'm not going to do anything to make the mod unmoddable anymore! REALLY I don't know how many times I have to say it. Hell, the TITLE says it "Adding extra STEPS to deter would-be cheaters". Idk about you, but how do you step if your feet are cut off? It's really starting to tick me off, actually, that no one seems to be getting this concept! It's like everyone is all offended that the idea was mentioned but it's the only thing people want to talk about despite the fact it's the opposite of what I am trying to talk about.

 

Oh, by the way, this response is worded as if I am talking to everyone here. Not just you Buddah. You haven't agitated me in the least in this thread.

 

Quite potentially the number of obscure and hidden scripts can be as small as 3, to as large as 5 or maybe 6, although 6 would be a really tiny script that doesn't truly need more obscurity aside from name.

 

There will be nothing that causes an intentional bug, is malicious, harms anyone computers or games, or causes any damage that can not be undone with a simple disabling of the mod.

 

If you're wearing a camouflage uniform to try and stay hidden, I think it's be sufficient. I do not think you need to tear out every one of your organs and paint them too just to "make sure the bullet has a hard time finding his way around." So stop thinking the very same way with my mod! I am talking about a FEW things. Only a couple areas really need attention in this. It should take me all of 1 to 2 hours to do every single thing needed to try and prevent cheaters.

 

If someone is really intent on finding a way to cheat, they will be able to. I'm not trying to make my safe unable to be opened by anyone, I'm trying to make the path towards the safe too agitating for people to want to go down. All I'm trying to prevent for cheaters is the advantage.

 

The advantage meaning: They are still playing the game, just with more force in their punch.

 

The point is to make it HARDER to cheat, not impossible. I'm also not saying that this will actually make it hard to cheat, just harder. And again, this is all of secondary concern. I'm not going to be spending a million hours trying to make it so only the top scientific mind can decipher it all.

 

South Park just popped on. It made me forget everything else I was ganna say >_<

 

Anyways, I hope this is enough. All I want to do is hide the ESSENTIAL FEW. All I want to do is protect the COUPLE THINGS that need it.

 

If anybody here who has read this decides they want to cheat my game, that's their prerogative. My prerogative is to make it just a little harder for them to do that. Doing so will not break the game, although, just like absolutely every other mod out there, if they don't know what their doing and mess with the wrong things, they might break their mod.

 

 

Please, PLEASE read through this topic before posting anything else. More than likely the answer will already be there, as every single thing I've said here I'm pretty sure I've said already quite a few times, just in different wording.

 

Be well, sleep well, fight well, live long.

~Ranokoa

 

PS: Also, please follow suite with Buddah. State your concern, ask a question that I can answer, and pleeeease read my answer before stating your concern about the same thing again.

[SomeWelshGuy]

But it's just a case of using the console.

 

tcl

tgm

coc weye

player.setav speed 255

 

Or giving yourself a super sword you made in the CS or whatever. You can't stop people "cheating" in a single player game that's so open to modification like this one.