The Dink Network

Another question --

If I recall correctly, there wasn't much security in a D-Mod. If people wanted to view the entire map, they only needed to load it into the editor (unless, perhaps, you put the entire game on some high-numbered vision, but even then it seems like that only worked for the sprites). It seems like I did that with Dinkanoid, but people still figured out how to cheat by just making the hardbox on the paddle super-wide.

I never downloaded the 1.08 version of Dink. Does it address D-Mod security at all? Are there decompilers for .d files? How do D-Mod authors today keep their games from being cheated/spoiled... or do they?

Thanks,

---- Mike.

In a short answer, no. If someone wants to cheat, they will be able to.

Ah... shoot. I thought that would probably be the answer.

You can still make it very difficult for them, buy making hidden verification variables in all your compiled scripts, (ie, if you add +1 to str, you also add +1 to statvar, and if the results don't match, carry out anti-cheat measure x, let's say double the stats of all monsters)
You would also have to make script names not easily identifiable, so people can't attach them to objects they place on the map, no scripts called boostpot.d, instead call it jkr3.d or something equally inane. Also could make it that each script that increases stats is only called once, to prevent someone from finding out how to duplicate the map object and increase their stats that way, but how you would do that is left as an exercise to the reader.

About naming your scripts, if you use // comments, I know there's this program out there that searches through all text files for a certain word of phrase, so it wouldn't be that hard to find it, really.

The best anti-cheat is making the game balanced. Therefore, people don't have to cheat.

"I never downloaded the 1.08 version of Dink."

Download it! It doesn't address Dmod security, but it does add a whole bunch of new functions for Dmodders, fixes some bugs and of course comes with a way improved DinkC help file.

BUt if people want to cheat let them go others that download the d-mods use it good and make fun with it

What are you saying?

Something like "Let people cheat. Go (as in good-for-you) those who just download and play, use it good (I suppose without cheating, that is) and have fun that way"

I think.

I think that's more confusing than Brink's post. ^^ I thought it was pretty understandable anyway.

I agree with him, most people acknowledge cheating can ruin the entire game and only do it when they're really stuck.

umm... errr... cheating ruins the game?

anyway, is there a script that is always run during dink or would i have to put anti-cheating scripts into scripts and make it so that every screen loads that script?

is it possible to attach scripts to the arrow keys so when dink moves it checks for any used cheats?

if there is any easy way, please tell!

No, and that would be mighty inefficient anyway.

I'm not against a cheat or a nudge when stuck -- there are games in general I'd never have finished playing otherwise, and I have a big collection waiting to play next. It's not so much that I want to be sure people can never cheat -- there are just times where it's better if you can't.

Take a competition, for instance. If I recall correctly, we actually cancelled the Dinkanoid competition when we found out one or more people had cheated. The prize (or prizes -- I don't recall) was money. It was probably the wrong environment, since somehow, some way there would probably have been cheating even if it didn't involve the Dink engine at all.

In video games, the cheats are part of the game (unless, I guess, you're using something like a Game Genie). The developers leave stuff in there for testing purposes, and as easter eggs, and to give some exclusive content to magazines in exchange for coverage -- that type of thing. But you *ordinarily* wouldn't see somebody copy the game from the DVD, hack it, create a new DVD, and load it up again on their PlayStation or X-Box. The different with a D-Mod is that the developer tools are there and they're already familiar to the people who'd actually *play* the D-Mod. There's no hurdle, really, in cheating.

Which brings me around to my original reason for asking. I've been into Interactive Fiction for the last few years (Text Adventures, if you prefer -- my stuff's at http://www.sidneymerk.com). I've been looking at graphic adventures -- both the point-and-click kind, and things like Sierra or LucasArts/SCUMM games -- too. It occurrs to me that it's probably possible to make a traditional "adventure game" (no combat) using the Dink engine. In fact, maybe somebody has already done this? I don't know.

I'm really rusty on the D-Mod format, though. You can't create clickable hot-spots except on a title screen, right? I mean, could you have clickable buttons (i.e., change between "look" and "use" and so forth) while still allowing Dink (or the main character) to be controlled via the keyboard? My thinking is no, you can't, but I don't remember exactly.

Security, in this regard, is mainly to help curb people's natural urge to cheat. Granted, somebody would write a walkthrough and it's the same difference, but it's just kind of the principal of it. If there were secret areas and easter eggs and so forth, it'd be really easy to discover on Day 1 without some kind of security.

Anyway, I'm just brainstorming here. Just wondering if any of that had been addressed in 1.08, but it doesn't sound like it has. 1.08 can do more than 256-color graphics though, right?

"You can't create clickable hot-spots except on a title screen, right?"
You can use the mouse in-game, but not Dink at the same time because the mouse pointer is Dink just with a different brain (13).

"1.08 can do more than 256-color graphics though, right?"
Yes, 1.08 supports true-colour.