[HostBot] How to detect hostbot validity?

[Flux]

Let's say that I have a host bot named "FluxBot" hosting a map. How can I make it so that only my bot can host the map and no other host bot can?

I tried using GetPlayerName on Player11 (Observer) but it did not return "FluxBot". Any workaround?

Please don't give me answer such as why you wanna make it so that only "FluxBot" can host the map, this is a theoretical example only, I don't really have a bot and other people tested it and showed me a screenshot of the result that GetPlayerName doesn't return the correct name

 

[Dr Super Good]

Let's say that I have a host bot named "FluxBot" hosting a map. How can I make it so that only my bot can host the map and no other host bot can?

This is generally a bad idea. Eventually, once you have long given up WC3, you will not operate a robot anymore and people may still want to play the map. If you plan to do this for official host events then consider also releasing a version of the map with those features disabled but not requiring a host robot.

I recall there being some way to communicate with robots using some synchronization natives. This was used by one of the RISK game communities to provide minimap streams of active RISK sessions on their robots.

What one could do with this is implement a asymmetric encryption system into WC3 and use that to try and validate the if the robot is authentic. This would be done by the session sending a random message to the robot to encrypt with its private key and return. The session then decrypts the encrypted message with the public key and checks if it matches the original message. This adds some level of protection against people imitating your robot, however from a security point of view the private key may weaken over time if someone actively tries to solve it.

 

[DracoL1ch]

any protection can be avoided dozen ways. but if you really gonna into that, observers doesn't take 11+ slots, they take the first non-human non-available slot (meaning they can share AI's slot if theres any)

 

[Flux]

Thanks! have some reps.

@DSG, synchronization natives? Can you give more info about it so I can research more about it.

@DracoL1ch, you're right.

 

[Dr Super Good]

@DSG, synchronization natives? Can you give more info about it so I can research more about it.

I do not know the details next to one of the RISK developers made a system where game state was communicated to the hosting robot which then updated virtual minimaps on a server for people to see how the game was progressing.