Public Server Passwords [ Required for entry]

Sir Lance-A-Lot · Post by **Sir Lance-A-Lot** » Sun May 21, 2006 4:43 pm

After playing Digital Paint Paintball 2 for some time, I find the server password function there very useful.

Servers with the password enabled are public, unlike the current bzflag method, which requires either group'ed spawn permissions, or just hosting the server privately [ not on the publiclist ].

It seems that a server-entry password could make private servers more active [ that is, with the people that are entitled to play on them ].

Applying the server-entry password would allow the server to remain on the publiclist for easy access, but would require a password to be entered in order to let a player into the server.

Forgive me if this has been brought up before, or is virtualy impossible to code - but it seems to work well in Paintball 2.

Spazzy McGee · Post by **Spazzy McGee** » Sun May 21, 2006 8:13 pm

why not use -advertise?

a password has it's drawbacks, for example if the password leaks. this is more likely if you have lots of people knowing the password.

Sir Lance-A-Lot · Post by **Sir Lance-A-Lot** » Sun May 21, 2006 8:26 pm

Spazzy Mcgee wrote:why not use -advertise?

a password has it's drawbacks, for example if the password leaks. this is more likely if you have lots of people knowing the password.

If I understand right, -advertise takes the server off the public list, correct?
This requires the end-user to enter the servername and port by hand - whereas a server on the serverlist would take out the task of having to manualy enter the private server and port, yet keeping the actual server private with the use of a password.

As for the password being revealed:
Server owners have logs [ at least the smart ones do ]
If they see a person that they didn't originaly intend to give the password to in their server, why not change the password?

Perhaps the setup/maintenance part of the idea could be more than that of groups, but it does make it way easier for the end-user.

Post by **L4m3r** » Sun May 21, 2006 8:55 pm

Sir Lance-A-Lot wrote:
Spazzy Mcgee wrote:why not use -advertise?

a password has it's drawbacks, for example if the password leaks. this is more likely if you have lots of people knowing the password.
If I understand right, -advertise takes the server off the public list, correct?
This requires the end-user to enter the servername and port by hand - whereas a server on the serverlist would take out the task of having to manualy enter the private server and port, yet keeping the actual server private with the use of a password.

No. Using -advertise will still list the server, but the list server will hide it from anyone who's not in the global group(s) that you specify.

This won't stop players from sharing the address, though. For that you can just give the SPAWN perm only to those you'd like to allow to play, effectively locking anyone else out.

Those two things would be a lot easier and cleaner than having to enter a password every time, having it change, etc etc.

That said, it'd be pretty easy to write a plugin for. Gnurdux already has something that makes you agree to a set of rules before spawning... I'm sure it could be easily adapted to accept a password instead.

JeffM · Post by **JeffM** » Sun May 21, 2006 9:37 pm

global groups and spawns are the reasons we don't have passwords.

Post by **macsforme** » Mon May 22, 2006 12:02 pm

If you're concerned about having people even come in, watch, or listen to chat on your server, then that would be another problem... is that what you want to control?

JeffM · Post by **JeffM** » Mon May 22, 2006 5:08 pm

if you REALY wanted to, you could make a plugin that required you to enter a password, and it would kick them if they did not do it in some time limit.

the bzflag protocoll isn't set up to ask for a password BEFORE join.