I'm kinda scared...

asshat · Post by **asshat** » Mon Dec 09, 2002 2:53 am

Greetings,

I've noticed that getting a list of a zone's NPCs (/who npc) causes a lot of info to be downloaded from the server that, presumably, wouldn't otherwise be sent to my client at that point in time.

I honestly don't use MQ for macros (I really don't), I just like to be able to tell the levels of the mobs I'm fighting so that I know which ones will summon and which won't. I use /whotarget for that, but it is presumably pulling the info from the server as well, just on a more limited basis.

Here's my question: is this activity (i.e. level and other info about mobs being sent to the client) something that SoE actively looks for and might have flagged to set an alarm off, or am I relatively safe in using these commands? I realize that making use of MQ in the first place is a risk, but I don't want to be taking a *stupid* risk and basically broadcasting my use of it.

I used the search feature, but couldn't really find any relevant info, so my apologies if this has already been answered in the past. Thanks in advance for any helpful input you might have.

morannon · Post by **morannon** » Mon Dec 09, 2002 3:07 am

Its all information your client has, nothing is sent when you type /who.

When you enter a zone, you are sent information about *every* PC / NPC in the zone - the client decides what you can and cannot see.

All MQ does, is use the information in memory to display more information than usual.

asshat · Post by **asshat** » Mon Dec 09, 2002 3:26 am

You absolutely positive about that?

I actually checked my network traffic before, during, and after issuing the "/who npc" command, and there was definitely more info being sent to my client right after that command was issued. The more NPCs there are in a zone, the more info is sent. I seem to remember reading in another post recently that NPC info is now stored server-side, which lends support to what I observed.

I dunno. I've been using that command for a while, but after I got a little worried and tested it (after I read that other post I mentioned), I was a little scared with the results I got...

Anyone else out there have any support for or refutations of what I observed during my test, or any input on whether or not SoE checks for stuff like this? Thanks a bunch.

motd2k · Post by **motd2k** » Mon Dec 09, 2002 4:31 am

NPC is NOT stored exclusivly server-side, this can be seen from the existance of ShowEQ - it's totally passive (well, okay... it _USED_ to be totally passive) and yet it still know of the existance of every NPC in zone. Fear not young one, many of us have been using /who NPC for a LONG time and if you really are that worried about being banned - DONT USE MQ!!!!

MOTD

morannon · Post by **morannon** » Mon Dec 09, 2002 9:01 am

Look through the source code - specifically the SuperWho suite of functions in eqlib.cpp

You can see all they do is traverse the in-memory spawn info lists.

Valerian · Post by **Valerian** » Mon Dec 09, 2002 12:11 pm

the extra bandwidth is used because /who npc stops EQ execution while it walks the spawn list, which takes some time. EQ simply has to catch up on the packets that would have been sent during that time.

asshat · Post by **asshat** » Mon Dec 09, 2002 5:05 pm

A-ha! That's the answer I was looking for. Thanks, Valerian.

It was that mysterious added traffic after running the command which was really throwing me off. I couldn't figure out a reason for it, but your explanation makes perfect sense.

Thanks to the other posters for all the other input, too. /salute

Lane · Post by **Lane** » Mon Dec 09, 2002 5:26 pm

Just to give you another small piece of mind... There are programs out there that monitor your network connection and they see all of the NPC and PCs in each zone and your computer running EQ does nothing special, so you can be sure that your computer is not asking specifically for the information.

You computer gets all of this information when you zone in. Usually before you even get your screen back.

-Lane

rizwank · Post by **rizwank** » Wed Dec 11, 2002 12:00 pm

um, asshat, do i know you?

asshat · Post by **asshat** » Thu Dec 12, 2002 2:51 am

Hrmmm, not sure, Rizwank. Not by this name, at least...

The main public boards I post on are EQTraders, usually just when I have questions about something or can answer a question, and the Brell Rants board for when I feel like being goofy and trolling around.

I usually just lurk on most of the other boards I frequent.