Post by mehtastic on Jun 25, 2019 21:08:20 GMT -5
Multiplaying is forbidden according to rule #8 of the game rules. But did you know that, with easy-to-acquire software and equipment, multiplaying is easy to perform undetected?
Introduction: Why Multiplay?
To be clear, multiplaying is a form of cheating, and I would not condone any form of cheating that deliberately and directly ruins another player's experience of the game - for example, by making a death squad of dwarf enforcers to kill the local 13-year-old busty female half-elf-that-looks-human that seems to be getting all the action lately. But given the state of the game, which suffers from an entitled, old-money playerbase that often looks down on new players and unrecognized characters and flaunts its wealth in the form of repeated karma characters, and sedentary socialite players on the middle of the karma ladder who aim for the long-lived karma requirement by playing some aide to a noble who can't do anything plotwise, a new player will find it hard to stand out. Even more difficult is the situation of a long-time player who has constantly been overlooked despite good and fair play, or even punished in the past for errant behavior.
However, there are ways to cheat that don't affect other players at all. Have you ever found yourself in any of the following situations:
- Needed money for some equipment, or to start a plot, but didn't have it and it was too risky to go out and get it?
- Need a sparring partner but your clan is inactive or disinterested in sparring, or you don't have a clan at all?
- Need someone to tag along with you to bait/tank aggressive creatures so you can comfortably slaughter them, or even better, train your throwing/archery skill from one room away?
These are all situations multiplaying can help with, and it's all rather easy.
That being said, multiplaying to gain a quick advantage for your character is harmless. If you're starting Armageddon with a clean slate, you may as well multiplay: you have nothing to lose! If you have an account already, understand that the rules state that your account will be banned for a month on the first offense, and permanently on the second. If you somehow get caught multiplaying, I am sorry, but I am also not liable for it. This document is simply a guide to discuss the merits of multiplaying and how it's generally done.
The Basic Setup
The safest way to multiplay is with two computers, because it leaves less room for mistakes, but you can do it easily with one computer as well. Ideally, you will also need a relatively inexpensive VPN service, such as Private Internet Access, but you could probably do this with a free proxy and a browser-based client. And frankly, given the IP address spying staff have done here in the past, you should already be using a VPN just to be safe. However, I will go over the steps for the safest way to do this:
Two-Computer Method
1) Acquire access to a VPN service such as Private Internet Access (PIA): www.privateinternetaccess.com/ or NordVPN: nordvpn.com/
2) Install the VPN service's client on one computer, henceforth known as "Alt Computer". Don't enable it yet.
3) Set up a MUD client on the Alt Computer if you haven't already.
4) Check your IP address on the Alt Computer by Googling "what is my ip".
5) Enable the VPN service on the Alt Computer. If you can choose between multiple locations, don't choose the absolute closest one, but go for something that's the next-closest or the third-closest, in case you are watched.
6) Check your IP again. It should be different, and matched to the locality you chose in the previous step.
7) Use your MUD client on the Alt Computer to set up a new Armageddon account with a new email address.
One-Computer Method
1) Install virtual machine software such as Oracle VirtualBox.
2) Create a virtual machine with Ubuntu Linux. Rather than reinvent the wheel by going over all the steps, I'll direct you to here: itsfoss.com/install-linux-in-virtualbox/
3) Follow the Two-Computer Method steps, except just do it in the Virtual Machine instead of on a second computer. Mudlet works well on Linux.
Despite its reputation, Linux is not that hard to use and once you're set up, you will only have to use it when you're on your alt.
The Staff Love Me Method
1) Say that your family/significant other/roommate/extremely smart pet wants to try Armageddon and you need to get past the one-player-per-household rule.
2) They will probably accept.
3) Play close, but not too close.
* I don't recommend this method because staff look at this the most. However, if you want to multiplay but don't want to invest in VPN software, this is your best bet.
What does all this stuff do, anyway?
VPN software masks your IP address and makes it appear as if you are in another location. When you log in to Armageddon, your IP address is logged and not only displayed to staff, but saved in a database so that staff can see where you have played from at any time. For this reason, and the possibility that there are stalkers on staff, you should be masking your IP address whether you multiplay or not, since IP address geolocation can be fairly precise - narrowing you down to a small town or a group of city blocks. However, since the effect is that it makes your Alt Computer or your Virtual Machine have a different IP address from your main computer, a not-super-observant staff member will think you are two different players. Just don't do anything stupid.
What now?
Ideally you will want to create a second character. Try to keep your description and background simple, four lines each at most, and just be a human male to fly under the radar. When you're in the starter shop, spend some time there looking over things to ensure you don't appear to be flying through like an experienced player.
After that, the world is yours.
- Need money? Drop your Alt Character's starter coins somewhere discreet that you can justify having your Main Character visit, either by suiciding them or by dropping the coins "by accident", say, in a pack.
- Have your Alt Character join your clan, and you will have a sparring partner any time you need one.
- Have your Main Character and Alt Character meet up to go ranging. You now have a disposable tank and kiter that can do pretty much whatever you need them to do.
You will obviously need to "play with yourself" some, by having your Main Character talk to your Alt Character and vice versa. While potentially confusing, this is a small price to pay for the immense advantages you get from multiplaying without bothering anyone else.
Mehtastic, you just posted cringe, you are gonna lose subscriber
I recognize that a post like this may seem a bit over-the-top. However, I am the guy who shared a leaked version of the staff's codebase a long time ago. I have an interest in helping people enjoy a game that is held in a stranglehold by oppressive staff and piss-poor player culture. Maybe you think right now that you don't need this guide because you feel the staff are fine and the players are friendly. But things like this always change, and when staff are on their best behavior there is nowhere for things to go but down. And at the very least, you should be using a VPN so that staff don't creep on you, especially if you enjoy playing female characters, or present as a female on the GDB/Discord.
Enjoy!
Introduction: Why Multiplay?
To be clear, multiplaying is a form of cheating, and I would not condone any form of cheating that deliberately and directly ruins another player's experience of the game - for example, by making a death squad of dwarf enforcers to kill the local 13-year-old busty female half-elf-that-looks-human that seems to be getting all the action lately. But given the state of the game, which suffers from an entitled, old-money playerbase that often looks down on new players and unrecognized characters and flaunts its wealth in the form of repeated karma characters, and sedentary socialite players on the middle of the karma ladder who aim for the long-lived karma requirement by playing some aide to a noble who can't do anything plotwise, a new player will find it hard to stand out. Even more difficult is the situation of a long-time player who has constantly been overlooked despite good and fair play, or even punished in the past for errant behavior.
However, there are ways to cheat that don't affect other players at all. Have you ever found yourself in any of the following situations:
- Needed money for some equipment, or to start a plot, but didn't have it and it was too risky to go out and get it?
- Need a sparring partner but your clan is inactive or disinterested in sparring, or you don't have a clan at all?
- Need someone to tag along with you to bait/tank aggressive creatures so you can comfortably slaughter them, or even better, train your throwing/archery skill from one room away?
These are all situations multiplaying can help with, and it's all rather easy.
That being said, multiplaying to gain a quick advantage for your character is harmless. If you're starting Armageddon with a clean slate, you may as well multiplay: you have nothing to lose! If you have an account already, understand that the rules state that your account will be banned for a month on the first offense, and permanently on the second. If you somehow get caught multiplaying, I am sorry, but I am also not liable for it. This document is simply a guide to discuss the merits of multiplaying and how it's generally done.
The Basic Setup
The safest way to multiplay is with two computers, because it leaves less room for mistakes, but you can do it easily with one computer as well. Ideally, you will also need a relatively inexpensive VPN service, such as Private Internet Access, but you could probably do this with a free proxy and a browser-based client. And frankly, given the IP address spying staff have done here in the past, you should already be using a VPN just to be safe. However, I will go over the steps for the safest way to do this:
Two-Computer Method
1) Acquire access to a VPN service such as Private Internet Access (PIA): www.privateinternetaccess.com/ or NordVPN: nordvpn.com/
2) Install the VPN service's client on one computer, henceforth known as "Alt Computer". Don't enable it yet.
3) Set up a MUD client on the Alt Computer if you haven't already.
4) Check your IP address on the Alt Computer by Googling "what is my ip".
5) Enable the VPN service on the Alt Computer. If you can choose between multiple locations, don't choose the absolute closest one, but go for something that's the next-closest or the third-closest, in case you are watched.
6) Check your IP again. It should be different, and matched to the locality you chose in the previous step.
7) Use your MUD client on the Alt Computer to set up a new Armageddon account with a new email address.
One-Computer Method
1) Install virtual machine software such as Oracle VirtualBox.
2) Create a virtual machine with Ubuntu Linux. Rather than reinvent the wheel by going over all the steps, I'll direct you to here: itsfoss.com/install-linux-in-virtualbox/
3) Follow the Two-Computer Method steps, except just do it in the Virtual Machine instead of on a second computer. Mudlet works well on Linux.
Despite its reputation, Linux is not that hard to use and once you're set up, you will only have to use it when you're on your alt.
The Staff Love Me Method
1) Say that your family/significant other/roommate/extremely smart pet wants to try Armageddon and you need to get past the one-player-per-household rule.
2) They will probably accept.
3) Play close, but not too close.
* I don't recommend this method because staff look at this the most. However, if you want to multiplay but don't want to invest in VPN software, this is your best bet.
What does all this stuff do, anyway?
VPN software masks your IP address and makes it appear as if you are in another location. When you log in to Armageddon, your IP address is logged and not only displayed to staff, but saved in a database so that staff can see where you have played from at any time. For this reason, and the possibility that there are stalkers on staff, you should be masking your IP address whether you multiplay or not, since IP address geolocation can be fairly precise - narrowing you down to a small town or a group of city blocks. However, since the effect is that it makes your Alt Computer or your Virtual Machine have a different IP address from your main computer, a not-super-observant staff member will think you are two different players. Just don't do anything stupid.
What now?
Ideally you will want to create a second character. Try to keep your description and background simple, four lines each at most, and just be a human male to fly under the radar. When you're in the starter shop, spend some time there looking over things to ensure you don't appear to be flying through like an experienced player.
After that, the world is yours.
- Need money? Drop your Alt Character's starter coins somewhere discreet that you can justify having your Main Character visit, either by suiciding them or by dropping the coins "by accident", say, in a pack.
- Have your Alt Character join your clan, and you will have a sparring partner any time you need one.
- Have your Main Character and Alt Character meet up to go ranging. You now have a disposable tank and kiter that can do pretty much whatever you need them to do.
You will obviously need to "play with yourself" some, by having your Main Character talk to your Alt Character and vice versa. While potentially confusing, this is a small price to pay for the immense advantages you get from multiplaying without bothering anyone else.
Mehtastic, you just posted cringe, you are gonna lose subscriber
I recognize that a post like this may seem a bit over-the-top. However, I am the guy who shared a leaked version of the staff's codebase a long time ago. I have an interest in helping people enjoy a game that is held in a stranglehold by oppressive staff and piss-poor player culture. Maybe you think right now that you don't need this guide because you feel the staff are fine and the players are friendly. But things like this always change, and when staff are on their best behavior there is nowhere for things to go but down. And at the very least, you should be using a VPN so that staff don't creep on you, especially if you enjoy playing female characters, or present as a female on the GDB/Discord.
Enjoy!
