How do people duplicate items in online games?

[Connor2112]

The last thing I would want to do is try it, but I heard from a friend that on an online game called Neopets (http://www.neopets.com) a group of people managed to duplicate some itmes in the game. How in the heck can they do that?

[JustStuit]

I think you may be in the wrong type of forums. Btw, they uses bugs or loopholes in the code to do this or ways around what is allowed. There is no science in this unless they hack and you consider hacking science which I wouldn't.

[Connor2112]

ok. thanks, and sorry

[JustStuit]

No problem.

[5614]

What do you mean "duplicate items"???

 

There could just be a cheat in the game.

 

They could download the game and then modify it.

[Giacomo525]

I would consider "hacking" a science. Hacking seeks information about how systems and programs work. Hacking is a vital part of programming. However, this is not condoning "cracking" or illegal hacking.

[1veedo]

They could download the game and then modify it.

Downlaoding the source wouldn't help you, at all.

 

My account was frozen cause I found a couple flaw in the shop. You could sell something for 1np but trick the user into paying like 50000. After it generates your items, copy the html. In the edit shop front thing, you past the naviagation code (and an align=top) so it hides everything then repost the modified item html. You need to write your own little javascript to say "are you sure you want to buy X for 1np" or the person would see your tricky 50000np cheat (alternatively just make them buy it right then and there, though they mgiht notice it). The great thing is if you go back and put your items up for 1np, the shop wizard will put you up front. It's only the idiot buying your stuff that actually gets tricked.

 

An even easier hack makes users auto-buy some expensive item when they view your shop. That only works on Internet Explorer users, though.

 

The only trick to this is getting the encrypted referer. The site automatically generates that, you just have to document.write in the link.

 

PS: If you want to try this I recommend getting a new account. They'll catch you.

[concrete_hed]

I know this post is old but... One word. ArtMoney. Its a program that lets you edit memory addresses in your computer to change their value. Eg, one memory address could contain the amount of health you have in the game, you can simply change this value and then it changes it in the game.

 

This can be done on pretty much any program, but some online games such as runescape dont store the information about the player on your computer, it stores it on the RS server so there is no way to change it.

 

A little trick u might like to know, i used to play RS and i used to fool people into thinking i had millions of dollars when i had hardly any. All i did was withdraw all the money i had, use artmoney to search for that value and then change it. It works until you go to spend some money and then it just returns to its original value

[Klaynos]

this wouldn't work for neopets as everything is kept on the server. As is the way for nearly all if not all browser games....

[Cthulhu]

it will be due to a bug that someone was lucky enough to find

[Gilded]

^the Lord of R'lyeh is onto something indeed. There have been several online games where merely a bug has caused the exploit (i.e. Diablo, Diablo 2), no external programs needed.

 

Edit: I'll make up an example for you (even though I have very limited coding experience, not to mention netcode, so "those who can't, teach" applies here pretty well).

 

Let's say there is a mechanism that allows you to place an item into a separate container in your inventory and remove it from there at will. Let's assume some decisions the programmer has made. When you put an item to the container the item in the inventory is destroyed but a copy of this item is created in the container. Now, let's say the item would still appear in the inventory because the programmer forgot to include the code to destroy it, or delete the instance, if you will (in Java for example). Now, you can remove the item from the container and place it in your inventory, ending up with a copy of said item. This of course, is a very simplified case and a bug that would be noticed almost immediately, but when things get more complicated I'm not surprised at all that there are occasional bugs in MMORPGs that allow duplication of items.