Comments on: Socially Aware XBox Live Games http://codecube.net/2008/06/socially-aware-xbox-live-games/ Joel Martinez' weblog Wed, 14 Mar 2012 12:26:28 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.2 By: MrLeebo http://codecube.net/2008/06/socially-aware-xbox-live-games/comment-page-1/#comment-579 MrLeebo Fri, 07 Nov 2008 18:26:43 +0000 http://codecube.net/?p=51#comment-579 Technically there's nothing stopping a game like the mentioned Battlestar Galactica game from sending harmful packets to its own stability. There isn't any way to send messages to anything besides another instance of your own XNA game. For example, it's impossible to write a game that is able to spoof a Halo 3 Multiplayer session, even if you knew all the details about their packet data. Xbox Live just won't let the packets arrive. And the Compact Framework will throw an exception well before it lets you do something so dangerous that it might brick the system. Personally, think a game like this would be a wonderful experiment and a way for its authors to earn some renown (or notoriety) in the community. I'd love to be a part of it. Technically there’s nothing stopping a game like the mentioned Battlestar Galactica game from sending harmful packets to its own stability. There isn’t any way to send messages to anything besides another instance of your own XNA game. For example, it’s impossible to write a game that is able to spoof a Halo 3 Multiplayer session, even if you knew all the details about their packet data. Xbox Live just won’t let the packets arrive. And the Compact Framework will throw an exception well before it lets you do something so dangerous that it might brick the system. Personally, think a game like this would be a wonderful experiment and a way for its authors to earn some renown (or notoriety) in the community. I’d love to be a part of it.

]]> By: Trevor http://codecube.net/2008/06/socially-aware-xbox-live-games/comment-page-1/#comment-422 Trevor Wed, 25 Jun 2008 15:31:08 +0000 http://codecube.net/?p=51#comment-422 That's an interesting idear, sir. I'm not a big fan of online (as you can tell from the fact that I don't have my 360 hooked up to any kind of intertubes) because I generally don't see the need for online play, but you do raise some thought-provoking points. As a former tester, though, I do wonder if, given some of the TRC's for the 360, you can even construct a game that will allow that to happen. I suppose that the indie games that MS is letting on their network won't be held to the same standards (Ha! See the pun there? No? TRC..."Standards"? Ah, never mind.) as AAA titles. This does bring me back to the point of wondering about the possible security problems that we discussed last week. I mean, having a game that automatically transmits information across a neural network without verifying what its sending at all seems like a recipe for constructing something like WOW's Corrupted Blood plague. Except, if the code's malicious enough, a "Corrupted Blood" plague that bricks your 360. Having unleashed a little shower upon your parade, I still feel the need to point out that it's a good idea, and I'm likely just paranoid. I don't think it's possible to do something like that through the XNA network. But as someone who doesn't understand how to make the little gremlins in the box *work*, I prefer to huddle in my cave and try and placate the frightening computer deities. That’s an interesting idear, sir. I’m not a big fan of online (as you can tell from the fact that I don’t have my 360 hooked up to any kind of intertubes) because I generally don’t see the need for online play, but you do raise some thought-provoking points.

As a former tester, though, I do wonder if, given some of the TRC’s for the 360, you can even construct a game that will allow that to happen. I suppose that the indie games that MS is letting on their network won’t be held to the same standards (Ha! See the pun there? No? TRC…”Standards”? Ah, never mind.) as AAA titles. This does bring me back to the point of wondering about the possible security problems that we discussed last week. I mean, having a game that automatically transmits information across a neural network without verifying what its sending at all seems like a recipe for constructing something like WOW’s Corrupted Blood plague. Except, if the code’s malicious enough, a “Corrupted Blood” plague that bricks your 360.

Having unleashed a little shower upon your parade, I still feel the need to point out that it’s a good idea, and I’m likely just paranoid. I don’t think it’s possible to do something like that through the XNA network. But as someone who doesn’t understand how to make the little gremlins in the box *work*, I prefer to huddle in my cave and try and placate the frightening computer deities.

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