Shattered Kingdoms

Kicking off the Q&A for the code update announcement made here.

The primary thrust of this update is to deliver the first major action items based on the December poll for changes desired to excite existing players:
Vote: Best changes to retain/excite existing players

Specifically, Item #4 is 'More regulation: Hoarding'. So we have a new package of updates designed to better define and regulate hoarding and other types of multiplay related cheating. Some of these changes have been in for a few months and were soft announced here in the forums when they went in. Other tracking changes also went in some time ago and were gathering data over the last month or two. But the trigger on monthly update actions did not take affect until last night.

This bullet point has been active since January and is already explained in a thread starting from here:
Ideas: More regulation for hoarding / item transfers

This bullet point has been active since the February monthly update and is explained in a thread starting from here:
Get all back. Can't hold that many items

The thrust of these changes is discussed here and went active during February with the first affects seen last night:
De-Hoarding Code

Due to some feedback, I did not make wilderness time count for nothing, but it does count less than a normal room. To offset the loss of some miscellaneous hours spent in your HQ or wandering around the wilderness, you get something more than 1:1 hours when you spend quality time at the inn.

Being a hoarder has now been quantified with a status that will show up on their character score. During the monthly update, the game tracks how many limited items they lost due to low hours. If that number of item goes above a specific threshold, they will get the Scarlet [H] on their score sheet for the next 7 real days.

Only that character (and admins) can see this status. While the status is in force (see above), the character will not be able to acquire NEW items. (Meaning new for them, not newly spawned items). Any newly acquired items will always be stolen by thieves at logout. The point of this is so that characters who are hoarders cannot just log back on immediately after the update and reacquire all the items that they just lost. They will be forced to wait awhile so that other people have a chance to acquire them first.

You won't see these tools first-hand, but they are available for investigative purposes. They will make it much easier for admins to prove accusations of cheating or hoarding and therefore actively penalize it. But they still require active use and admins can't investigate everyone. So even with all the other updates, we need people to speak up when they believe another player is cheating or hoarding.

What's a proxy? Let Me Google That For You

Sometimes there are legitimate uses for proxies, but playing SK is no longer one of them. Cheaters use proxies to try to hide their cheating. The game now detects the use of many kinds of proxies automatically. If we catch you using them, we will assume that you are trying to cheat and proceed with penalties. Even if they are not automatically detected, if we have other evidence to believe you are using them, you will be prosecuted accordingly. Don't use proxies. Connect to the game via a normal local connection, or you can safely use the FMUD client we host at the main website and via our Facebook page.

I might have missed it in the update thread, but how does one acquire the "hoarder status?"

I like a lot of the changes I read there, particularly the anti-hoarding changes and improved cheating tools available to imms. Solid package.

Hopefully my updated post above answers your questions.

It did, but I'm concerned that the new status (particularly how it's acquired) doesn't properly address the issue. However, the new hour calculations might handle the main issues that I see with it. Still think it's a solid package of changes.

Are scrolls, wands, staves, and treasures part of the dehoarding mechanics' domain?

Yes, they always have been part of the monthly de-hoarding. The new way of recording playtime for item purposes is used by the monthly system and therefore affects all types of items, not just wearables.

Cool.

If we are not able to play the game from certain locations without a proxy, are we now no longer encouraged to play the game? That's the only thing I'm still not sure I read correctly.

On related note, does this include an SSH proxy that uses your "home" IP to connect to the MUD? If so, this change just gutted my ability to play SK since I would speculate most of my play time is via proxy from work.

I was about to say--I don't have problems connecting to SK, but I have problems connecting to other muds because they use ports that are blocked by my school, and I'm sure that workplaces would be eager to block them as well. Trying to prevent people from using proxies to circumvent the rules is a great idea, but we need to make sure that there are conveniently accessible exceptions for legitimate proxy use.

You should be careful about connecting to SK from work, because the traffic is completely unencrypted plaintext.

Anyone with the ability to view your network traffic, including something as simple as another user on the same hub as you, can easily read and log your SK session and all of its contents.

Various encrypted proxies provided a solution at one point, but it looks like we're treated like cheaters if we use that now?