Ways to Reduce Viewbombing Attempts

[olympe]

No, not that day. Sorry - but the owners of at least three of them were well aware of that and had carefully unfogged for the RIGHT MOMENT - and in a matter of about 2 hours they gained 13k views... That is NOT an accident ! It was a nasty day. There were posts from several people with sunset (for those were the ones affected ) lineages screwed over .

It wasn't a special day, just a mistake on my part.

 

Still, if the owners of the eggs unfogged them for the "right moment", why didn't these eggs hatch before accumulating 13k views? Because that's what usually happens if an egg is beyond the 4d mark and has enough stats to do so. Something doesn't add up here.

[Fuzzbucket]

It wasn't a special day, just a mistake on my part.

 

Still, if the owners of the eggs unfogged them for the "right moment", why didn't these eggs hatch before accumulating 13k views? Because that's what usually happens if an egg is beyond the 4d mark and has enough stats to do so. Something doesn't add up here.

They unfogged when they went to work, as it was after the "don't unfog them over breakfast" time - and put them on ONE fan site, and they had a reasonable number of views - they kept them low. (It's tough when you have a job/school, and you aren't on EDT !) When they came home....

 

This was an experienced player AND her daughter.

[Nectaris]

I personally think that instances of true viewbombing are rare enough that I really do not want to have to jump through hoops to get my eggs views. And all of these proposed security measures do nothing to prevent people from viewbombing in forums, and sites similar to yarolds. I was here before there were any fansites, and there were deaths from intentional viewbombings then too. Now I wouldn't necessarily mind if this was a third option(NOT tied to the general "doesn't accept aid" message, I don't want aid, but don't want the extra security measures).

[Fuzzbucket]

This I do agree with. I just fog when I shall be away from the machine for long enough to be a risk. I don't want to go all password protected - it's a hassle. I think personal VIGILANCE will do it !

 

This game isn't supposed to be automated !!!! We need to put in some time

[HeatherMarie]

But "fogging when away from computer" doesn't always work. It takes less then 5 minutes for an egg to get sick if someone else shoves it into hatcheries or auto-views it. I don't have to leave the computer for that to happen. I could be *on DragonCave*, hunting the biomes or something, and it'll happen.

 

IMO, the biggest problem here is that people just don't *GET* the whole "no aid" message. A lot of people think that the "no-aid" user just hasn't changed their default settings, or doesn't know any better, or would like aid but doesn't know how to change the setting, and so they go ahead and mess with the eggs anyways.

 

The suggestion brought up a few times before of different "aid" messages would solve that. The "default" could stay the same or be reworded, whatever, and then the "no aid" message could be something different and more direct, "This user has deliberately chosen to not allow help with their growing dragons, do not help this scroll in any way" or something.

 

I do agree that "jumping through hoops" for these options may not be the best way to go about it, though.

Edited October 26, 2011 by Marie19R

[Fuzzbucket]

When I was bombed - a year ago now - it was deliberate - no question.

 

But even if something gets sick - as long as you wander by your machine and refresh from time to time, you can usually fog in time to save, no ?

[Aamaranthine]

Maybe it can be programmed this way:

 

1: enter name in hathery.

 

2: api check: aid on or off?

 

3a: if aid on --> back to site/ add eggs/hatchies.

3b: if aid off --> to dragcave for login.

 

4a: if correct --> to site/ add eggs and hatchies.

4b: if not correct, give message: this user is not accepting aid.

This is great idea!

 

(I am just not sure how would the pw verification work.)

 

I had few of my eggs/hatchies viewbombed during the last weeks. Most of them weren't even ERs. Some of them died, some of them were saved. And it also happened when I was at the comp doing other things, check my hatchie 45 mins later and bam! 10k+ views...

[annageckos]

I personally think that instances of true viewbombing are rare enough that I really do not want to have to jump through hoops to get my eggs views. And all of these proposed security measures do nothing to prevent people from viewbombing in forums, and sites similar to yarolds. I was here before there were any fansites, and there were deaths from intentional viewbombings then too. Now I wouldn't necessarily mind if this was a third option(NOT tied to the general "doesn't accept aid" message, I don't want aid, but don't want the extra security measures).

You said what I was thinking, and said it better then I could have.

[stogucheme]

But "fogging when away from computer" doesn't always work. It takes less then 5 minutes for an egg to get sick if someone else shoves it into hatcheries or auto-views it. I don't have to leave the computer for that to happen. I could be *on DragonCave*, hunting the biomes or something, and it'll happen.

This is a very good point...what do you think about having the sickness message pop up wherever you are? Not that annoying thing that moves the whole page down, but something simple like this:

Image description: The word 'Dashboard' has a bright red speech bubble next to it. Inside the speech bubble is the number two.

(Replace 'dashboard' with 'dragons' and pretend the number is an exclamation point or something.)

 

And then you click on it, are brought to your scroll, and can read the whole sickness message. Come to think of it, something like this for teleport would be nice, too.

[Fuzzbucket]

At the moment there actually seems to be some vindictive viewbombing going on. Horrid - but that is what it looks like, as it is happening to CBs and not just ones where people may just be following their offspring.

 

I know you can hide your scroll. But then even you can't add things to fan sites.

And you can fog - but then they get no views.

I don't know if this is codeable - but is there a way to hide your growing things so that even someone who finds out the code cannot add them to fansites - a version of "hide" so that if they are hidden in this way, ONLY YOU can add them? You'd be able to set your options on your scroll so that the fansites could only see them if you added them. Is that feasible ?

 

If it is - can we haz it ? Because the "do not accept aid" rule is nice but unenforceable, obviously.

 

 

[StormWizard212]

I think the only way for something like this to be possible though would be for fansites to implement it themselves, needing an account and password or something to verify that your scroll is yours. I can't see a way that TJ would be able to control who puts what into fansites. I just can't see how something like that would actually work.

 

I don't really get this though. If you have your eggs hidden, then how are they going to get views anyway? I think the best solution is to simply do what everyone has already been doing - checking your scroll regularly to make sure that your eggs/hatchlings aren't sick when you're at the computer, then fogging them when you're going to be away for an extended period of time. It's worked fine for me and a lot of other people so I don't see why we can't just keep doing that.

 

Or there was a BSA suggestion for grays to be able to fog and unfog at specific times, which you could look into if you haven't already. But I don't really see how we could find a solution this way. I don't really get how it could work, but maybe you could clarify that for me if you think it could?

[White-Sword-Master]

We all know that rule is being broken all the time and they do it b/c of reasons they think are utmost of importance when it is not......

 

Anyhow, i would like something like this, @above, maybe a thing called invisible....

 

Invisibility: Allows player to add there eggs to fansites but when egg is clicked, it is appeared fogged and don't gain views or clicks except on fansites only.

 

Just a thought...

 

@Fuzz: You could do like I do, utlilise the view bombers pleasure by letting your egg get sick on purpose, me viewbompbing my own egg and then when it says it has soft shell, incubate and og it, then it'll hatch when it can as it already has enough views, just needs time, usualy 3 days later my eggs hatch that way.....Then the viewbombers are like, wha the, and so on....

 

Its worked for me everytime....

[skauble]

I'm pretty sure there used to be some kind of suggestion about Guardians perhaps being able to prevent this kind of thing - guarding's their business, after all.

 

I really think something like that would probably be better because, as StormWizard212 pointed out, the whole thing with only allowing the scroll owner to add the eggs would probably have to be done on the fansite's side of things. And even then, it would probably have to involve people entering their scroll password there. I have nothing but respect for fansites and don't believe any of the current ones would do/allow malicious things to happen to people's scroll, but that doesn't mean that will always be the case or that the information can't fall into the wrong hands because of ineffective security.

 

The only thing that I can even think of that would do what your suggesting might be something where you have an option that denies outside access of your dragons images and links, and then have a box where you can add in an exception as you place them. So, if you wanted to add your dragons to Allure, you would have the deny access option set, and then there would be a box where you could add http://www.coup-detat.info/NDER/ as an exception and then your scroll info could be accessed by that domain.

 

However, aside from the fact that I doubt it would work (my ideas rarely do ), it seems like that could use a lot of extra resources filtering things, besides being really complex. And while I don't want to make light of the problem - I've had someone stick one of my eggs places before and almost get it killed - I just don't think this is a wide-spread enough problem to justify some kind of huge coding overhaul. I'm not saying it's not an issue, just that I think that it could be far more efficiently handled from a protective dragon/BSA stance.

[annageckos]

I wouldn't use this, too much trouble too me. But I want to know, how would it work. How would the system stop others from posting your eggs? Wouldn't it have to be done from the fan sites' side?

[DSAX]

I'm pretty sure there used to be some kind of suggestion about Guardians perhaps being able to prevent this kind of thing - guarding's their business, after all.

 

I really think something like that would probably be better because, as StormWizard212 pointed out, the whole thing with only allowing the scroll owner to add the eggs would probably have to be done on the fansite's side of things. And even then, it would probably have to involve people entering their scroll password there. I have nothing but respect for fansites and don't believe any of the current ones would do/allow malicious things to happen to people's scroll, but that doesn't mean that will always be the case or that the information can't fall into the wrong hands because of ineffective security.

 

The only thing that I can even think of that would do what your suggesting might be something where you have an option that denies outside access of your dragons images and links, and then have a box where you can add in an exception as you place them. So, if you wanted to add your dragons to Allure, you would have the deny access option set, and then there would be a box where you could add http://www.coup-detat.info/NDER/ as an exception and then your scroll info could be accessed by that domain.

 

However, aside from the fact that I doubt it would work (my ideas rarely do ), it seems like that could use a lot of extra resources filtering things, besides being really complex. And while I don't want to make light of the problem - I've had someone stick one of my eggs places before and almost get it killed - I just don't think this is a wide-spread enough problem to justify some kind of huge coding overhaul. I'm not saying it's not an issue, just that I think that it could be far more efficiently handled from a protective dragon/BSA stance.

I would love seeing a picture of a GoN saying:

 

 

I don't think so.

[White-Sword-Master]

Gee, completely skip over my suggestion, thanks guys, i really say thank you.... [/sarcasm]

 

Invisibility: Allows player to add there eggs to fansites but when egg is clicked, it is appeared fogged and don't gain views or clicks except on fansites only.

 

I'm betting it would be codeable, it should not be too hard, and fansites would then not be forced to add security logins....

 

-----

 

DSAX: I think it'd be funnier if it said, " Nah aht aht uh, you naughty naughty viewbomber"

[skauble]

Gee, completely skip over my suggestion, thanks guys, i really say thank you.... [/sarcasm]

 

Invisibility: Allows player to add there eggs to fansites but when egg is clicked, it is appeared fogged and don't gain views or clicks except on fansites only.

 

I'm betting it would be codeable, it should not be too hard, and fansites would then not be forced to add security logins....

 

-----

 

DSAX: I think it'd be funnier if it said, " Nah aht aht uh, you naughty naughty viewbomber"

I'm not sure I understand. If the egg can be added to a fansite and collect views there, then why wouldn't a viewbomber just add the eggs to a bunch of fansites and kill it that way? Once you put it on a fansite, the code for it is there - just hovering over the egg shows it. But even if someone couldn't get it from hovering over the egg, couldn't they just pull it from the page source code and then add it to all the other fansites and kill it?

 

Also, as funny as the GoN thing would be, I want to note that the original suggestion was for the actual Guardian dragons. I don't even want to imagine what would happen around here if you needed a GoN to protect your scroll.

[Infinis]

I think the only way for something like this to be possible though would be for fansites to implement it themselves, needing an account and password or something to verify that your scroll is yours.

 

Didn't TJ say something to the effect that fansites DO have the ability to do this but choose not to at one point in some other possibly-long-gone thread? I recall it being said but I don't remember where so I could be wrong, but.... I know EATW uses this same function when you want to make an offer on their "Dragonmarket" so they can find your scroll so you can offer stuff for trade.

 

As nice as this idea is, fogging is reasonably easy and quick to do and so is hiding the scroll. Going through the fansites and removing your scroll (on the ones you can do so) is usually also quick and easy, as is just outright hiding your scroll. :x I understand it's upsetting to get viewbombed but maybe since I've never had a serious viewbombing I don't quite understand the need/want for this. <<

[Fuzzbucket]

I think the only way for something like this to be possible though would be for fansites to implement it themselves, needing an account and password or something to verify that your scroll is yours. I can't see a way that TJ would be able to control who puts what into fansites. I just can't see how something like that would actually work.

 

I don't really get this though. If you have your eggs hidden, then how are they going to get views anyway? I think the best solution is to simply do what everyone has already been doing - checking your scroll regularly to make sure that your eggs/hatchlings aren't sick when you're at the computer, then fogging them when you're going to be away for an extended period of time. It's worked fine for me and a lot of other people so I don't see why we can't just keep doing that.

 

Or there was a BSA suggestion for grays to be able to fog and unfog at specific times, which you could look into if you haven't already. But I don't really see how we could find a solution this way. I don't really get how it could work, but maybe you could clarify that for me if you think it could?

No - the point is that YOU should be able to put them in fansites but no-one else could If you FOG them then yes, they don't get views. And yes, fansites can do this - but there is STILL nothing to stop a determined bomber finding a fansite that doesn't insist on a password and using that.

 

I suspect it is uncodable - but I just thought it was worth a shot asking. TJ can do things I had never thought possible, so... I have no idea how it would work, or IF it could work. I just feel very sorry for the people that have been being bombed.

 

I do fog a lot, and mercifully so far - since the one time I was bombed overnight - this hasn't; been an issue for me lately.... But one shouldn't HAVE to !

 

@White-Sword-Master - I did see your suggestion - how would it help for the eggs to "appear fogged and gain views on fansites only" - someone is PUTTING people's eggs on fansites and then they are gaining views,. That is the whole point. The specific case I have in mind, the member has gone around taking them out - and they get put right back in again. As skauble pointed out.

 

@infinis - someone here is having this problem right now, and it does appear to be malicious. That bothers me - as I do know (or think I know !) that TJ has no way to tell who is putting eggs in fansites.

 

ETA just seen one option in another thread entirely that might help a LITTLE, in that at least individual codes would be harder to add:

 

Perhaps TJ could to do the opposite of hiding the adults? i.e.: Make an option on your account page to hide eggs/unfrozen hatchlings on your scroll.

After all, you can hide your adults with one check box. Perhaps the opposite could also be made possible this way.

 

That way people can still see your collection of adults (and thus see if they'd like to have a certain pair for a breeding request or for whatever reason you'd like to show your adults). At the same time the eggs/unfrozen hatchlings are protected.

Edited February 16, 2012 by fuzzbucket

[DSAX]

Much simpler solution: make other people viewing your scroll/eggs/dragons/hatchies see tinyurl links

 

The whole thing depends on the code; if they can't get it, they can't ER other peoples eggs/hatchies

 

The way it would work: the Cave stores a cookie verifying you are the owner of ---- scroll. Whenever you click one of your dragons on that page, you get regular links.

 

If you are NOT the owner of that scroll, all the dragons, the scroll etc. is a tinyurl link.

 

Could also be used against multi scrolling.

 

[Fuzzbucket]

At the moment, adding a scroll name to a fansite gets all unhidden eggs/hatchies available to post there. So that alone won't do it.

 

We already have that sort of cookie - that's why no-one but me can see my valentines etc.

[Nectaris]

The problem I have is that I don't know how that would stop people from adding them to normal forum signatures, or at places like harold's. I was here before fansites, and there was intentional viewbombing then too.

[skauble]

Much simpler solution: make other people viewing your scroll/eggs/dragons/hatchies see tinyurl links

 

The whole thing depends on the code; if they can't get it, they can't ER other peoples eggs/hatchies

 

The way it would work: the Cave stores a cookie verifying you are the owner of ---- scroll. Whenever you click one of your dragons on that page, you get regular links.

 

If you are NOT the owner of that scroll, all the dragons, the scroll etc. is a tinyurl link.

 

Could also be used against multi scrolling.

But what about the image? If you view or save the image of a posted egg then you have the code.

 

 

Also, I found the original Guardian protection suggestion. It was pre-BSA, so the concept has moved to that section, but this thread had some rather interesting ideas. The reason that I'm posting it is because the entire concept of that thread came up in direct response to a view bombing incident, so it's not just a general protective measure that could help with this; the idea was first brought up to stop malicious posting of eggs. So there may still be a lot of things there that might be easier to incorporate, and would give the added bonus of a BSA for the Guardian, which is both a fun new feature and would speed up the Volcano biome.

[Obscure_Trash]

Went ahead and merged, because I think the only way for fansites to only add eggs when they just belong to you would be through the API login, which I've edited into the first post here so it wouldn't get lost. o3o

[White-Sword-Master]

@Sockpuppet: Ah, okay, i was like wha....oh, I remember suggesting this, but the front page is way different......lol...Leave and come back after awhile and forget what you do, makes ya wonder....Thanks for the clarification....

 

@Sockpuppet and Fuzzbucket:

Also, thats about the only way I can see is enforcing an API login -[Majority still could put the url of the egg in forum signatures if they felt like it or use a a pagerefresher as all they need is the image code] unless you can somehow hide the url of the egg in a fansite but the fansite can see it and give it views but other places can't.....Not sure if possible, but maybe pluasible....