Adjustment of secret server IP changes

[ivandrago]

This is a copy of my post in updates-section:

I've seen many updates to this game since I started playing 9-10 months ago. I can see the point in most of those updates.
Although I'm not used to expressing my opinion in public, I want you to know that IMO this update is the worst one so far.

Before this update I had plenty of options to enjoy myself with desinfect mission, planting spyware, installing my own virii and a bunch of other stuff you can do on secret servers.
May I remind you of the infamous 'matahari' spyware and a mysterious spyware invasion on SGP claimed servers.
I did pay a price for it (I've had my servers trashed at certain intervals) but I've already said before that this is part of the thrill of this game. Still I managed to maintain a position in top10 in both rounds.
What a huge difference to my current activities: all I do now is upgrading my farms while waiting for research to finish.

This post should not be read as a complaint in Emi's direction so I'm gonna make this suggestion hoping that you'll all agree with me and we can get this missing part back into the game.

I would like to suggest that secret servers will not change IP automatically, but instead give players the tools to
1) Initiate an IP change; This should be a longrunning process (like 48+ hours) to allow counteractions. In case of a succesfull IP change only the initiating player will get the new IP.
2) Initate a format. IP will remain the same but all software and virii will be gone and upgraded protections will be installed. This will give a blank server at which anyone will have their chance of installing their moneymakers.

[jager]

Hm, well thought suggestions. I like them both. And I agree with your view on the dynamics of current / past game - as expressed few times before. I'm afraid everything is put into this new faction upgrade and all hopes are going into that. I really hope it will be as successful as thought by the programmer and his whisperer

[Exousia]

In line with the factions update pending for Round 3, perhaps these could be part of the privileges of being part of a MegaCorp faction, that is, one can initiate formats and IP changes in order to sabotage rivals.

Of course, the idea of a counter for these actions is appealing. What did we have in mind for that? A simple process kill or something more interesting?

[Araeus]

I think cracking the player that initiated the IP change on that server and killing the process would be sufficient, but some sort of defense against that would be nice too (since that remote IP change will definitely take some time and all it would take is one second kill task button to kill it...)

[ivandrago]

Indeed Araeus ... the process should be killed on the machine that started it. That's what I too had in mind.
Although I didn't mention it in my previous post, this should apply to the format process also.

I think an IP change on your own server is sufficient defence against hackers who would want to stop your format/IP change process.

[Araeus]

But then comes the process tracer, so unless you reconnect and watch the whole time and get ready to IP change again you can't ensure your own safety.

Comes down to you need to be able to at least partially block the process tracer.  Make it defend a percentage based on it's version against an IP cloaker run by the server that initiated the process...