Maybe a possibility to avoid cheaters

Because we can't believe the client side, each new items (when dropped on the floor) should be generated by trendy servers, with a key (a unique identifier, like CD key, but a player don't have to see it).
So in order :
- A player kill a creature.
- On the client side, the item is instantly dropped on the floor, the skin is generated by the host (not trendy servers)
- The host ask trendy servers for new items stats. On trendy side, in the database is added a new entry, composed of a unique key and the item stats. Everything is send to the host (then to all the players).

With that, when a player is joining, or equiping a new item, the host is checking with trendy, the validity of his equipment.

Advantage :
- No more cheaters
Default :
- Trendy server need a huge database and powerfull connectivity.

For those that don't understand anything (sorry i'm french, i know i don't speak english very good), just imagine it can work like online playing with CD-KEY. You can't generate game serial that work on steam.

If it take too much space in the database, don't use a unique key, save only stats in the DB. With that, lot's of items will be saved on each others.
Then, for example, if 2 sword that have 10 damage and 5 upgrades, they will take the same record in the DB.
The problem of this, is that it's possible for a cheater to look for a player weapon, and then, generate an item with the sames stats without problems.

But yes, it will still make a huge amount of query to trendy servers...

The impression I've gotten is that the Trendy servers already have enough to do as it is. To require the servers to verify not only every single item a player possesses, but also every item that spawns throughout a tense battle, seems like too much.

Every time i have a disconnection, it's the fault of steam, not trendy.
But i agree, for instance, it's nothing compared to the ressources needed if this thing was made.

The check could be limited to when players connect to a server, and when they equip a new piece.

The major factor all of these suggestions miss is that trendy is an indie company have you the vaguest idea just how much a server farm costs to run and maintain never mind purchase.
Not only do you have to actualy get a server farm big enough but you need full fail over servers and backup / disaster recovery servers in place.

It’s simply not viable for them to do things like that especialy such a small company.

Unless of cause you want trendy to make the cost of DD same as other games and pay a heft monthy fee :)

I'm guessing OP can go to trendy hq and install all of this for them?

Are you telling Trendy how to program ? Looks like it.

Do your job, let them do their job.

I've always suggested this but let's be realistic.

As said above, trendy is an indie company. They do not have the resources to run x amount of servers to do all of this.

The best way to avoid hackers is just play with friends and only use items you find yourself.

There would be a way to modify what the OP said and still use his idea without requiring huge amounts of bandwidth. Maybe as a part of weapon data trendy could attach a small 8byte string that signs "authentication" on the piece of equipment whenever logging on to secure servers. Or as a part of a ninja add-on they could put the authentication bit on the client side. Then that would check for the official authentication mark. No mark then a report could be generated and sent off to trendy flagging the account. Really everything could be done client side. *shrug* a thought.

Because we can't believe the client side, each new items (when dropped on the floor) should be generated by trendy servers, with a key (a unique identifier, like CD key, but a player don't have to see it).
So in order :
- A player kill a creature.
- On the client side, the item is instantly dropped on the floor, the skin is generated by the host (not trendy servers)
- The host ask trendy servers for new items stats. On trendy side, in the database is added a new entry, composed of a unique key and the item stats. Everything is send to the host (then to all the players).

With that, when a player is joining, or equiping a new item, the host is checking with trendy, the validity of his equipment.

Advantage :
- No more cheaters
Default :
- Trendy server need a huge database and powerfull connectivity.

For those that don't understand anything (sorry i'm french, i know i don't speak english very good), just imagine it can work like online playing with CD-KEY. You can't generate game serial that work on steam.

If it take too much space in the database, don't use a unique key, save only stats in the DB. With that, lot's of items will be saved on each others.
Then, for example, if 2 sword that have 10 damage and 5 upgrades, they will take the same record in the DB.
The problem of this, is that it's possible for a cheater to look for a player weapon, and then, generate an item with the sames stats without problems.

But yes, it will still make a huge amount of query to trendy servers...

As a developer I can say that that's pretty much exactly how it has to work.

But as a developer, I can also say that that would cost them WAY more money, and that's why they don't do it. The servers currently only store the info. They don't actually do any processing, and they're only accessed when the players' information changes.

And from what I know, they're just hooking into Steam Cloud from the backend invisibly and storing data on there, but not giving us direct access to that data. That's why there are so many rollbacks when Steam Cloud has issues, even on Ranked.

So you can get an A for correctly diagnosing and solving the problem, but sadly an F for financial viability.

[QUOTE]But yes, it will still make a huge amount of query to trendy servers...[/QUOTE]

This sentence implied many things :)