Want to keep !smurfs?
Moderator: Moderators
Want to keep !smurfs?
Judging only by negative reactions in forums, smurfs is very unpopular service.
I made this poll to check how many people like it.
I made this poll to check how many people like it.
- Machiosabre
- Posts: 1474
- Joined: 25 Dec 2005, 22:56
Note that primary aim of !smurfs is to help skill-balance games.
Many skilled players often start a new account with newbie rank and prior !smurfs there was no easy way of telling whether they are real newbies or smurfers. Such players break team balance of games especially when using automated rank-based balancing like !balance on autohosts.
Many skilled players often start a new account with newbie rank and prior !smurfs there was no easy way of telling whether they are real newbies or smurfers. Such players break team balance of games especially when using automated rank-based balancing like !balance on autohosts.
Well, as a notoriously evil smurfer, I can guarantee that I NEVER tell ANYONE who I am when I use a different account. ~~
That aside, as the !smurfs feature includes names but not playtime, it's not really in a position to do any good for the players who need it the most. If someone with 400+ hours of playtime gets surprised, then they probably deserve it. Great way to adjust rigged games - smurfs for justice!
Given that most mods will freely hand out playtime information to most people who ask most of the time, I'm still not sure why it's hidden to begin with; as an alternative, sucking up to Betalord until he gave us new ranks would stop smurfing all but completely until the new rank requirements were met, 'cause we all wanna be 1337 with gold stars and fuzzy rainbows and stuff.
Can I vote Neutral? ~~
That aside, as the !smurfs feature includes names but not playtime, it's not really in a position to do any good for the players who need it the most. If someone with 400+ hours of playtime gets surprised, then they probably deserve it. Great way to adjust rigged games - smurfs for justice!

Given that most mods will freely hand out playtime information to most people who ask most of the time, I'm still not sure why it's hidden to begin with; as an alternative, sucking up to Betalord until he gave us new ranks would stop smurfing all but completely until the new rank requirements were met, 'cause we all wanna be 1337 with gold stars and fuzzy rainbows and stuff.
Can I vote Neutral? ~~
Meh, in my experience it hasn't been very useful. People who aren't really smurfing get labeled as such for various reasons (I take my computer to a friends house to LAN and I get labeled, for example), and people who want to smurf without being known still can (proxy, like Dragon said).
I've never seen it be used to balance a game, either, so the only time I've ever actually seen it used was when someone on the forums tried to talk smack because I showed up as smurfing (see LAN example)...
I've never seen it be used to balance a game, either, so the only time I've ever actually seen it used was when someone on the forums tried to talk smack because I showed up as smurfing (see LAN example)...
Please show my one public proxy that allows you to smurf 
Protocol used doesnt go through proxy so it's nowhere near easy to avoid detection..
You would need custom made tunneling software running on seperate ISP and you would need to use it only for your "fake" account to avoid detection.
Also running such tunnel could also decrease performance of spring. (Due to added ping and often reduced bandwidth)

Protocol used doesnt go through proxy so it's nowhere near easy to avoid detection..
You would need custom made tunneling software running on seperate ISP and you would need to use it only for your "fake" account to avoid detection.
Also running such tunnel could also decrease performance of spring. (Due to added ping and often reduced bandwidth)
tasclient allows proxies via http which means anyone can use the Tor network to gain anonymity from !smurf
Also, now the protocol has changed all they have todo is never join a game with an autohost in it.
However there is nothing stopping a lobby dev from pointing out smurfs and using code to thwart them regardless of proxies.
Also, now the protocol has changed all they have todo is never join a game with an autohost in it.
However there is nothing stopping a lobby dev from pointing out smurfs and using code to thwart them regardless of proxies.
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- Posts: 272
- Joined: 30 May 2006, 17:06
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- Posts: 272
- Joined: 30 May 2006, 17:06
- PauloMorfeo
- Posts: 2004
- Joined: 15 Dec 2004, 20:53
More than half a year ago, i used alternate accounts at times, when i still had a clan and we were infamously rated as rushers and many didn't wanted to play with any of us. Still do very ocasionaly.
What i have to say is that it is amazing to see the poor treatment we get as soon as we become a unknown person. Everyone bitches at you, insults you, etc, etc, etc, many show no respect for you. I dare not think how many were newbies and left the lobby to never return after such kind of treatments that i saw (and ocasionaly still see).
What i have to say is that it is amazing to see the poor treatment we get as soon as we become a unknown person. Everyone bitches at you, insults you, etc, etc, etc, many show no respect for you. I dare not think how many were newbies and left the lobby to never return after such kind of treatments that i saw (and ocasionaly still see).
- SwiftSpear
- Classic Community Lead
- Posts: 7287
- Joined: 12 Aug 2005, 09:29
I should moderate through proxy on a smurf account... Might make things fairer... Although it most likely would just make people bitch and moan.PauloMorfeo wrote:More than half a year ago, i used alternate accounts at times, when i still had a clan and we were infamously rated as rushers and many didn't wanted to play with any of us. Still do very ocasionaly.
What i have to say is that it is amazing to see the poor treatment we get as soon as we become a unknown person. Everyone bitches at you, insults you, etc, etc, etc, many show no respect for you. I dare not think how many were newbies and left the lobby to never return after such kind of treatments that i saw (and ocasionaly still see).