Seibertron wrote:Anyways, im working on the missions page. The new code is almost completed. Feedback will be welcome once I post it (ill let u know when I have done that). Most of it is just converting the old HTML but there is some actual changes with the code as well, including the new way I'll be handling factions in the future, which will allow an easier way to roll out factions. I really just want to keep it as autobots and decepticons until we get things ironed out way down the road, but im still going to lay down the foundation to make it easier.
Ryan, I appreciate you spending time on HMW, but I really wish you'd prioritise fixing the existing bugs we've been documenting in this thread - especially the new ones introduced since you've been working on the site updates - before making more changes to things that currently work even if they're not in the 'new' style yet.
Alternatively, you know that I'm very much up for working on it again and will rejoin at the drop of a hat if we can find a way to collab directly in the new paradigm.
Seibertron wrote:I'll address the pass code tomorrow. It was added at one point to prevent players from using bots or scripts. Why would that not be needed still?
Well, pragmatically, we simply don't have enough players for scripting to be an issue - in fact, I'd argue it'd be a
good thing right now, since it would mean there's more regular opposition available in missions. The bots at the top of the high score table are fully entrenched at this point and the players who care about rankings know who they care about beating.
On a more technical level, IMO the passcodes are a misapplication of the captcha-style approach (and were never actually needed). Those are primarily meant to stop bulk actions - mass-creating accounts, sending spam, launching expensive queries as a DOS attack, etc - note that those are all highly-repeatable actions that can be done more or less freely and as fast as the script can hit the server. None of those conditions apply here: the crucial difference is that even a scripted user has the same 6-bot limit as a regular user and has to wait for their missions / CR to finish like anyone else. They can't just keep launching missions as often as they like - the most they can do is eliminate downtime between game sessions.
Can they join more missions per day than a regular player? Yes, sure, though they're not going to be making much XP with it if they don't have other players to fight. Is that a big enough problem to be worth
adding friction to every player's core interaction with the game? Different question, and I would say not. (This is leaving aside the fact that my passcode hasn't changed since it started being required, making the whole exercise somewhat laughable.)
TL;DR:
the inconvenience of the passcode to our few remaining players far outweighs any hypothetical benefits, IMO.
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