Discourage use of VPN

[Wendell]

Hey Alex, I suspect there are still multis that have switched to VPN to avoid detection of using multiple nations. If you generate one ip address per nation with VPN the nation unique id will list one nation under it. Players use this to avoid detection of multis.

I suggest allowing just two IP addresses and if a individual logs on from a third IP address they lose 30% of their resources their military is reset to zero, and their infra is reduced to 500. In order to appeal this they must post each ip address they want to use on game appeals in the forums.

[Tiberius]

I disagree with limiting VPNs and IPs. The reasons being: VPNs may be the only way some people can access the game. Limiting IPs hinders players. As an example, I access the game from my home (1st IP), my mobile (2nd IP) and from work (3rd IP). The majority should not be punished due to the minority.

[Hassan]

I disagree. My precious mults are the only reason I get 200m per day. No way are we banning VPN usage while I'm around.

[Wendell]

1 hour ago, Tiberius said:

. As an example, I access the game from my home (1st IP), my mobile (2nd IP) and from work (3rd IP). The majority should not be punished due to the minority.

You shouldn't be playing games at your job.

[Majima Goro]

Banning multiple nations on an ip isnt the answer. Rather, every player should be verified.

Then multis will become something of the past

[Tiberius]

5 minutes ago, Deulos said:

You shouldn't be playing games at your job.

I can do what I like on break time. 

[Wendell]

4 minutes ago, ShadyAssassin said:

Banning multiple nations on an ip isnt the answer. Rather, every player should be verified.

Then multis will become something of the past

Show me where I said that. I said they should penalized for using more than two IP addresses. Verification already exists and players use VPN to get around that.

1 minute ago, Tiberius said:

I can do what I like on break time. 

You can't be on your phone at break time?

[Lancer]

1 hour ago, Deulos said:

Show me where I said that. I said they should penalized for using more than two IP addresses. Verification already exists and players use VPN to get around that.

See the quote below. VPN can get around verification, but it is also a security measure that many people use to protect their information. I would say that VPN in and of itself is not the problem, but the way it is used.

3 hours ago, Deulos said:

I suggest allowing just two IP addresses and if a individual logs on from a third IP address they lose 30% of their resources their military is reset to zero, and their infra is reduced to 500. In order to appeal this they must post each ip address they want to use on game appeals in the forums.

This will hurt normal players that play on the go more than it will hurt multi players. Also how is someone supposed to be able to identify the IP address that they are going to be assigned at, say, a McDonald's? Are they supposed to appeal for an address that they will only use once?

1 hour ago, Deulos said:

You can't be on your phone at break time?

You don't know that?

[Wendell]

40 minutes ago, Lancer said:

See the quote below. VPN can get around verification, but it is also a security measure that many people use to protect their information. I would say that VPN in and of itself is not the problem, but the way it is used.

This will hurt normal players that play on the go more than it will hurt multi players. Also how is someone supposed to be able to identify the IP address that they are going to be assigned at, say, a McDonald's? Are they supposed to appeal for an address that they will only use once?

You don't know that?

You've just repeated what was said above without any new info. I don't know why you even responded unless you are using a VPN to create multis.

[Cooper_]

4 hours ago, Deulos said:

Hey Alex, I suspect there are still multis that have switched to VPN to avoid detection of using multiple nations. If you generate one ip address per nation with VPN the nation unique id will list one nation under it. Players use this to avoid detection of multis.

To offer a relevant counterexample, I'm currently at college, and my college uses different IPs for each building.  I also play PnW when I'm home or on my phone too.  This seems awfully restrictive upon my playtime if I have to relegate it to only two IP locations. 

[Wendell]

5 minutes ago, Cooper_ said:

To offer a relevant counterexample, I'm currently at college, and my college uses different IPs for each building.  I also play PnW when I'm home or on my phone too.  This seems awfully restrictive upon my playtime if I have to relegate it to only two IP locations. 

Then use your phone. And one computer at home.

[Smokey1]

4 hours ago, Deulos said:

Hey Alex, I suspect there are still multis that have switched to VPN to avoid detection of using multiple nations. If you generate one ip address per nation with VPN the nation unique id will list one nation under it. Players use this to avoid detection of multis.

I suggest allowing just two IP addresses and if a individual logs on from a third IP address they lose 30% of their resources their military is reset to zero, and their infra is reduced to 500. In order to appeal this they must post each ip address they want to use on game appeals in the forums.

This would be a step backwards. Vpn use is increasing rapidly and no it's not so people can cheat in a browser game. Some countries restrict access to some websites and others encourage the use of Vpn. 

The next problem would be that anyone who uses mobile data will find that their IP changes everytime they connect. You also will notice that your home IP will change from time to time without you ever being aware. 

It would be very unfair to punish someone purely based on logging in on a mobile phone. 

While this subject is brought up though something that I think would be good is to actually do away with the unique ID and flagging people who have connected on the same network. It seems a very old fashion way to do it and only 2 weeks ago I found my nation had be flagged as being on the same network with someone else. I messaged the guy randomly just wondering if this nation was a friend I didn't know was playing the game but it turned out that we actually live about 4 hours away from each other but had got flagged for being on the same ip because we had connected to the same supermarket chain Wi-Fi. 

[Alex]

A lot of ISPs dynamically assign IP addresses. Many people don't have one constant IP address, even at home or from the same location. So this just isn't feasible/possible.

 

Just because you might not show up under the public Unique ID system if you change your IP, doesn't mean that I don't have a log of every IP you've used to access the game with. And I can lookup any IP address and see every player that accessed the game from that IP, when they did so, what browser they used, what OS they used, etc. I can come up with a pretty good fingerprint based on player activity & these other factors.

Even people making a multi on a VPN slip up and eventually accidentally log in through the wrong IP address, and it's very obvious based on the other similar patterns. I'm not too worried about failing to detect multis.

[Ayayay]

The fact that someone in 2019 thinks IP's are unique and can be used to determine identity is hilarious.

 

Even if we assume everyone on the planet has requested a static IP from their ISP provider, anyone who plays this game from their phones are immediately screwed. I remember a few years ago when @Alex implemented the trading block for people who had ever ended up with the same IP's and it immediately caused problems for people who had logged into pw from airports before causing sheepy to have to change it up a bit iirc.