New software ideas

[Brok Ironfist]

I think it would be great if we could load software that would improve our interface. i.e. give us additional options when working with certain objects, such as IP addresses.

Program: IP Viewer

  While examing the logfile, the IP viewer will offer additional information pertaining to an IP address.  The higher the version the more info available.

  Example (we normally see the following):
        admin logged in from [111.222.333.444]

  With the IP Viewer it would show:
        admin logged in from [111.222.333.444]   (Secret Omnicron Server)

        NOTE: the name would only show if it is in your IP database.  Otherwise it would show (Unknown Server)

        Depending on the version of the viewer:
                       clicking on the server name itself could provide us with (since last login)
                                 the highest level software  (higher version would show more files)
                                 server stats:  free space/bandwidth/memory
                                 Virus's installed:                                 

                       IF Unknown Server, clicking on it would add the IP to your database for future exploitation.
                                    --  There are many times I see an IP address that I've wanted to add to my database,
                                           but I was in the middle of hops so had to write down or try and remember to add later.


Program:IP Notes

      Enhances your IP database with the ability to add notes and tags.

            --> Notes could be linked to the notepad and not necessary seen in the IP database itself (just a link to a specific note).
            --> Tags would be an image or word that would allow the user to flag the server in someway. 
                     This would be an additional column similar to admin/owned.
                      Possible flags:
                                / Full                     -  No Bandwidth or server space available
                              / Avoid         -  Has a virus installed that scans for incoming virus's or such
                                                                   that I would prefer to ignore on my hops.
                                / hacked         -  indicates that I have installed a virus or such that I want to be able to easily find.


Program:Create Bounce Chain                             

            When using this program the user has the ability to create a chain of bounces by clicking on the IP address in either the IP Database or other locations (i.e. running programs).  Submitting the chain would then automatically bounce through each server.

            Higher versions could automatically log in and delete your log entries with your current Log Deleter program.


Program: Log Scanner

            Would allow you to search an log for a text string (i.e. IP address or text string).



There are probably many other programs that could be loaded that would improve the hacker's life.  Not needed but would make some tasks easier. 

These could be program that are unable to be researched without a certain skill (i.e. interface design) of a certain level.  Otherwise they would be found randomly on a server (just as other programs are). 

Perhaps even using skill levels to limit how high someone can research a program.  Each type of program would require it's own skill.  Your skill level would determine the version level of a program (or multiple thereof).  This would work well with the factions.  The faction percentages could be used to enhance your maximum version of research.


Just some thoughts.  Love the game.

-Brok

[Exousia]

Hmm...

[Brok Ironfist]

Couple of other ideas:

War dialer:

    Will begin a scan through IP addresses, pinging the address to attempt a valid location trace.  (i.e. wargames the movie).  Higher version faster it will run.


IP Log Scanner:

    A process that is run on another server that will go through the log file and copy down all IP addresses found.  The scanner does not try to determine if the logs are modified, just looks for new IP addresses that you current do not have.

[bontrose]

great idea...(and already the new guy has more good ideas than me ) lol

[Exousia]

Spreadsheets, & copy/paste covers most of this.

War Dialer? Then what's the point of the IP dealer? Or IP change for that matter?

IP log scanner? Your browser has this little thing called "find."

"Create Bounce Chain" has already been rejected and anti-listed.

Also, SGP is developing a handy tool to automate a lot of these things, so it's only a matter of time. 

[bontrose]

hmm

[Brok Ironfist]

Spreadsheets, & copy/paste covers most of this.

Yep, that's what I'm doing now.  If I had the time or will-power I'd write my own screen scraper, but I'd prefer not to have to create my own programs.

     War Dialer? Then what's the point of the IP dealer? Or IP change for that matter?

War dialer could be slow.  But it could give newbies another avenue of attaining IP's that normally would be beyond their reach.  Not much different than me logging into each server, accepting all missions, connecting and adding IP's to my database.  The first day I added more than a hundred IP's by this method and I didn't even know what the  I was doing. 

IP log scanner? Your browser has this little thing called "find."

Yep, do this too.  But, still have to resort to copying all IP's I find into notepad, wait til I disconnect, the manually connect to each one, add IP to database and so forth.  Then repeat for each page of the log.

"Create Bounce Chain" has already been rejected and anti-listed.

Also, SGP is developing a handy tool to automate a lot of these things, so it's only a matter of time. 

It's great that SGP is developing an external tool that will do most of this, but wouldn't that 'software package' bypass many of the restrictions placed on a player in game?  Such as AP, Memory and CPU costs to perform the functions? 

In addition, I could see many of these features breaking TOS if done outside of the game. 

Plus the multitude of requests against a server, instead of the ingame installed program.  Take WarDialer for example:  wouldn't be that hard for me to write a script to populate the connect box with an IP address, hit connect, check for a valid IP and log it.  Repeat 4+ billion times.  Would kill the real server with the number of requests I could pump out.  Add the 15 or so active players doing this on a regular basis and we'd be creating our own DOS attack.


BTW.  These are just ideas I have.  Things that I feel would improve the game by not having to go outside of the simulated environment of the HP universe to accomplish something.

[Exousia]

"Create Bounce Chain" has already been rejected and anti-listed.

Also, SGP is developing a handy tool to automate a lot of these things, so it's only a matter of time. 

It's great that SGP is developing an external tool that will do most of this, but wouldn't that 'software package' bypass many of the restrictions placed on a player in game?  Such as AP, Memory and CPU costs to perform the functions? 

In addition, I could see many of these features breaking TOS if done outside of the game. 

Plus the multitude of requests against a server, instead of the ingame installed program.  Take WarDialer for example:  wouldn't be that hard for me to write a script to populate the connect box with an IP address, hit connect, check for a valid IP and log it.  Repeat 4+ billion times.  Would kill the real server with the number of requests I could pump out.  Add the 15 or so active players doing this on a regular basis and we'd be creating our own DOS attack.


BTW.  These are just ideas I have.  Things that I feel would improve the game by not having to go outside of the simulated environment of the HP universe to accomplish something.

Don't be silly. The SGP tool works with the program and is a collaborative effort with Sir Emi. So, no, it would not bypass any limiting features or violate the TOS. It would simply make some of these more tedious tasks less tedious. That is all.

I'd be more a fan of the War Dialer idea if there wasn't an IP dealer.

[Brok Ironfist]

Sorry, I wasn't trying to imply that your tool would break TOS.  I did see comments that you were working with Sir Emi on it.

But, say if I or others were to create the same thing on my own.  That would be against TOS.

I don't mind the idea of these types of tools, but from past experience those in the know usually gain from them while those without suffer. 

My suggestions were also to remove some of the tedious factor from copy/tab/paste/tab/paste situations.  I've always like more options in games than having to resort to outside tools.

Of course, that isn't to say that these options would be top priority in the programming cycle.  Which I do understand quite a bit about as I do work in an IT shop.  I specialize in Data Analysis aspect of programming and our to-do list is well into 2011.  New priorities come and old ones become obsolete quite frequently.  My suggestions are just that... Suggestions and basically become a RFC (Request for Comment) and if approved by the governing council of Jedi then prioritized as needed.

-Brok

[Exousia]

In spite of what others would like to have us believe, SGP has always and will always work to further the HP community. Were this not true, I would not be associated with them. So, of course we're also working on documentation and training tools as well as making it user friendly so, hopefully, those won't be problems with this tool. We strive to be on top, just as any group, but we also strive to make the game more enjoyable for all who play it.

End of soap box.

Returning to Moderator Mode.

Yeah, there are quite a few little fixes like that which have been and are lingering on the to do list. I may have to give Emi a little nudge and see what he's up to. Usually when he's quiet for a while, he's working on some big update. I figure he's incorporating more mission types which have been suggested over time. The big updates tend to be followed by a quick catchup on some of the smaller updates, though the big updates tend to occur at or near end-of-round.

As you can imagine, Sir Emi's to-do list is pretty long as well. This is the third online game which he has developed himself, so he can get pretty busy.

[DamascuS]

Hmm, your first couple of suggestions Brok are more or less what has been implemented in the program, such as additions to the server display, and other calculations such as; the maximum file version of each type of virii that can be installed, or how long it would take you to upload a specific program without actually starting the upload (saves time & log space cancelling the task if it takes too long ), and then there is my personal favourite...the server stats extrapolator! (when it actually wants to work...i'm sure emi keeps changing the formula on purpose!)

The program we are developing is basically all kinds of little tweaks like that, and a few extras such as an expanded database, that basically serve as an interface to the game, you could say it is basically a browser that is only able to visit HP lol. However sad to say, even though we were hoping to get it into testing at the start of R3, it is still very much in development as i have had to re-write a lot of it due to the updates that have happened, and then there is the issue of staying within the ToS, but emi is always on hand to give us a slap if we cross the line

Anyway, just wanted to clear that up

Actually...i'm wondering if we should make a specific thread, outlining the intended features.....Ebolla?

[Exousia]

Since there seems to be some uncertainty and even a little trepidation regarding the SGP HP tool program, I should think that's a good idea.

[Brok Ironfist]

...you could say it is basically a browser that is only able to visit HP lol.

Anyway, just wanted to clear that up

So your program would act as a front end and you would play HP inside of it?  That's cool. 

That would make the play and the utility seamless.  I like that a lot.

-Brok

[DamascuS]

So your program would act as a front end and you would play HP inside of it?  That's cool. 
-Brok

Exactly

Since there seems to be some uncertainty and even a little trepidation regarding the SGP HP tool program, I should think that's a good idea.

Agreed, i will see what i can come up with over the next week or so, gotta see if i can find my todo lists too before Ebolla cracks the whip out again.

[siremi]

Very good software ideas, we can add as many as we want.

Please take the time to suggest more new software types.
Some of them may be done, even if the idea has been rejected before so don't worry, suggest away.