197 replies to this topic

[Rev_ianc_bell]

O thank Inanna. Glad to see you come down on the right side of this.

[Grass_Hopper]

Sly/Alo - are we to assume there will be a tech change to prevent these applications from being utilized in game, or are we to "trust" that the players utilizing them currently will simply "delete" them now that the mods have been identified as a mechanism for unfair advantage (aka Cheating)?

[DrFerd]

Thank you WG!

[voyager35]

Grass_Hopper, on 16 September 2015 - 12:40 PM, said:

Sly/Alo - are we to assume there will be a tech change to prevent these applications from being utilized in game, or are we to "trust" that the players utilizing them currently will simply "delete" them now that the mods have been identified as a mechanism for unfair advantage (aka Cheating)?

 

You have a very important point... WG does not have a good record at finding who is using cheating MOD. They are doing very bad on the PC side, and I don't think they will do better here.

Edited by voyager35, 16 September 2015 - 06:44 PM.

[__dn8__]

HGrass_Hopper, on 16 September 2015 - 01:40 PM, said:

Sly/Alo - are we to assume there will be a tech change to prevent these applications from being utilized in game, or are we to "trust" that the players utilizing them currently will simply "delete" them now that the mods have been identified as a mechanism for unfair advantage (aka Cheating)?

 

Right!  The same people who did not see the problem with these mods are now being trusted to "do the right thing."  It's laughable.  

 

Regardless, an official position from WG is progress

Edited by __dn8__, 16 September 2015 - 06:45 PM.

[Libereco]

Now, how does WG know if I installed some mod to enhance my gameplay?

[Ziggoulous_Alpha]

umm what is a hit skin mod?

:^(

[ScumbagJuJu]

Libereco, on 16 September 2015 - 12:45 PM, said:

Now, how does WG know if I installed some mod to enhance my gameplay?

That is the magic question that I doubt they will ever be able to answer. 

[reluctanttheist]

Libereco, on 16 September 2015 - 10:45 AM, said:

Now, how does WG know if I installed some mod to enhance my gameplay?

 

They don't.  It's something they'd have to add to the program, and a hassle to do so I'm sure.

[Rion12]

reluctanttheist, on 16 September 2015 - 06:46 PM, said:

 

They don't.  It's something they'd have to add to the program, and a hassle to do so I'm sure.

 

For now, though, the official statement works as a deterrent.

 

Also prevents people from making the mods more evident to other the general playerbase through videos and whatnot.

[CC_Sly]

ahredstealth, on 16 September 2015 - 10:33 AM, said:

 

Well, swift~ish maybe...

 

That is being generous - there was lots of talks going on behind the scenes to figure out what we could do.

 

CptCheez, on 16 September 2015 - 10:33 AM, said:

 

Sly: Question about this one, since there are a few you didn't mention that I've been curious about.  I would assume both fall under the "Custom UI Elements" banner, but figured I'd ask.

 

1) Numerical reload timer.  There is a mod that will display a countdown timer for your next round's reload.  It's basically just a numerical version of the progress circle around the Fire button and will actively count down while you reload.  Looks like this:

 

Allowed or no?

 

2) Mod that changes the way tank icons are displayed in the team lists.  There are 2 different mods that display the tanks in the upper right/left corner lists differently (blue for TDs, red for mediums, etc.).  Examples of each:

 

 

 

Allowed or no?

 

1) That stat information is available for everyone and there is already a visual representation of it in the default client with the reloading circle. All a countdown timer does is change the circle to the number that is available in that stats page. If I put it to the "test question": 

 If 2 people who have never played Blitz before, and are of equal skill level, play a 1v1 match in the same tank; if one person has the mod in question and the other doesn't, will it give an advantage to the person using the mod?

 

No, since both of the reload indicators would signal the reload at the same time. They are just visually different.

 

Therefore, allowed. 

 

2) A bit more of a tricky one. Let's start off with the test question:

 If 2 people who have never played Blitz before, and are of equal skill level, play a 1v1 match in the same tank; if one person has the mod in question and the other doesn't, will it give an advantage to the person using the mod?

 

In this case the answer is no, but it may change in a group setting. So we would need to take a closer look at what the mod does. At adds additional information to the tank names. Specifically you can now tell what tank type each tier is and the nation that tank belongs to. Does this give an advantage, debatable. It is taking information that is already available in game in an in progress match, (Tank Type, Tank Tier, and Tank Name) and consolidating it into a single place. The only thing that is added that is not readily available in game in an in progress match is the nation each tank belongs to. Knowing the nation does not give a distinct advantage and since all the other information is available in game in an in progress match -

 

This mod is allowed.         

 

[Powman5703]

[CptCheez]

CC_Sly, on 16 September 2015 - 02:52 PM, said:

That is being generous 

 

"Swift" was a relative term.  Since WG is a multi-national corporation, "swift" means something different than it would be to individuals.

 

And thanks for the info on the others!

[voyager35]

Ziggoulous_Alpha, on 16 September 2015 - 12:45 PM, said:

umm what is a hit skin mod?

:^(

 

You can google it.

http://lmgtfy.com/?q=skin+mod+wot 

 

 

 

Edited by voyager35, 16 September 2015 - 07:25 PM.

[someguyfromPitt]

So yinz gonna ban Hitler for using the hit skin mod?

 

[Delta256]

It is nice to see that certain mods ARE allowed by WG, instead of them just prohibiting the modification of the client entirely.

[metalwolfknight]

And so thus the dark days of knowing how putridly bad your team is with XVM start...

[Darkchlor]

Personally, I'm a big fan of modding as a lot of people who are a bit more enthused with the game. I'm all for using Admiral Akbar in place of the the 6th sense icon or use German tanker voices, because it's just better and more interesting. I don't use hit box skins, but I do want to point to a few questions and concerns that I think everyone should consider, before jumping the gun with "hacks/cheats" or "haters gonna hate" comments. The first one is debatable, but I think a lot of people just jumped on the crusade without actually thinking about the process.

 

1. Is it really practical as an advantage? 

 

-The issue with skin mods is that it displays it on a surface that has very little accuracy unless you are looking at it as it is. Any decent player knows that the modules are three dimensional inside the tank and that when the tanks are moving or angled, they are much more complicated to hit. In this case, in 99.99% of the case, it wouldn't prove to be an advantage.

-If anything it would be a distraction, causing the person who is tunnel visioning a module, to spend more time aiming and less time shooting and maneuvering.

 

-Something to compare it to. I've seen people post replacement for the models of the tank itself with semi-transparent skins that show the module as a 3D component. Now that's actually an advantage.

 

2. Is it actually enforceable?

There are mods that are acceptable, however the mods that may or may not be acceptable require and use (rather alter) the same files. How do you actually plan to check who has what? If you allow zero modifications, then doing a file check would be an easy solution. What's WG's game plan on that?

 

---------------

 

Heck if anyone should make a useful skin mod, they should probably just make a skin that shows spaced armor. It's kind of ugly to see someone shoot a T95 on the side and hit the spaced armor, or to watch people shoot heat into E100 skirts. The information on location of the modules is already given by numerous amounts of wikipedia and WoT sites. Or better yet, how about someone just replace all tank skins with bright hot pink paint, so they are easier to spot.

 

What I am trying to say here is that, there are always going to be people trying to bend and twist the rules if you allow it. Going back to your example of using hit box mods as an advantage. It's an advantage when a group of people have access to it, and the other group/population do not. However, if everyone in the community has access a mod, then refusal to use such material shouldn't constitute being disadvantaged.

Edited by Darkchlor, 16 September 2015 - 07:33 PM.

[Bbm_14]

 

Im not going to be 'cute' with vids nor "funny" dialog...

 

'Mods' are wrong for this realm'

 

My 'track/post" record speaks for me so please at least read.

 

Open letter: WG, this, a potential 'bad' idea for it will/could create a vacuum of "Exodus" of core clients for fear of what is losing already implemented.

 

If it is a  'marketing campaign' to draw more clients it may work, but, never forget the "KISS" principal... and don't lose the old dogs who actually spend coin..

 

(yep, I'm no 'freeloader' unlike many I face. otherwise I wouldn't have a 'right' to an opinion)

 

[Lokeen]

Thanks for this Sly....and WG!