Open Source 3D Games

[Justin Dugger]

> I am curious about what ideas of open source that software like punkbuster
> could be considered to be actively fighting against.

The GNU software sets forth a couple of simple rights of what I like
to call Liberated Software (avoids that whole free beer concept).  You
should be free to use the software for any purpose. You should be free
to modify code.  There's more, but those are the two might become
sticklers.

Social software is different from regular software in that the
majority of the value is in the social structure it interacts with and
builds.  Integrating punkbuster into your software says to its users
"please do not change the software."  People don't even have the
source, and they're changing it! Essentailly, the way I interpret it,
the GNU principals must allow cheating through software modification.
Any use includes cheating. I'm not a cheater, I don't like being
cheated against.  But the conflicting desires need be resolved
somehow.

Now, there is a counter-argument. It goes like this: people are still
free to play open source games, and free to change them, they just
can't play on my server.  If you want to cheat, start your own server.
But I think HomeLAN proved just how cheaters feel about being
sandboxed.  Moderated game server saw far more cheating than their
Servers for Cheaters.

Another solution I've long considered is a matching service. Just
match players in terms of skill.  Cheaters, non-cheaters, it doesn't
matter. In a way, you might consider it a handicap.  Cheaters ruin the
game by being significantly better than their opponents, right?  Their
unfair advantage significantly changes the otherwise fair outcome of
the game.  What should end up happening is that cheaters play
themselves (and perhaps amusingly accuse each other), with a certain
amount of simply excellent players getting a most excruciating
challenge.  Of course, this requires the active tracking and rationing
of identities, which probably cannot be done without a fee.  The fee
being the best way to moderate people from creating new accounts as
workaround bans, and also serving to pay other needs.

Justin Dugger