Curse

Linksys · Sep 21, 2007, 04:33 AM // 04:33

I'm sure it would be easy for them to add this. I don't know much about programming. But when you're at the character select screen and one of the characters is displayed, there's a delete button. It could be a matter of simply not having the button there at all for a period of time(which can be renewed at any time). If they're afraid of a hacker with programming expertise forcing a deletion without the button, can't they remove the function completely for the character(s) of our choice?

Archaic · Sep 21, 2007, 04:39 AM // 04:39

Just wanted to point out that it is, very unlikely, that if you read, and are conscious of what is going on, that you will delete your character. I don't think ANet needs to hold your hand with everything you do.

Linksys · Sep 21, 2007, 04:52 AM // 04:52

Quote:

Originally Posted by Archaic

Just wanted to point out that it is, very unlikely, that if you read, and are conscious of what is going on, that you will delete your character. I don't think ANet needs to hold your hand with everything you do.

I know but the real reason for this is in the event an account gets hacked and the hacker intentionally deletes characters. The hacker may think it's a prank when it really causes emotional distress. Or the hacker may know about the emotional distress and wants to intentionally cause it. Anyways, this is really to protect characters from hackers.

Even if thousands of people use this option and only a few of them get hacked, it's still a lot of people who will at least enjoy an added layer of security. If a hacker gets through the layer of account access, they're stopped at the protection from character deletion. They would have to hack Anet itself to go any further.

I just offer "user error" as another official reason for them to publicize so they don't give the impression that their online game is easily hack-able. A public or customer relations and advertising sort of thing.

Sleeper Service · Sep 21, 2007, 08:56 AM // 08:56

sorry people but can we please keep to the topic subject.
Lets just assume "X" reason account may be compromised and focus on options.

lucifer_uk · Sep 21, 2007, 11:13 AM // 11:13

It just makes people feel safer. Items can be earned again, gold can be refarmed, missions can be won again. But titles are probably the hardest and most time consuming element of GW and its something that could easily be saved in the event of an account being compromised.

Like linksys said, if 1000s of people use this option and only 1 or 2 needed to use its services, Then its succeeded.

Just because you live in an area with no crime you'd still set your house alarm just in case as well as locking your doors, just for that added security and piece of mind.

Hyper.nl · Sep 23, 2007, 07:57 PM // 19:57

Great idea, I like to have the best possible protection for my primary character. I've put so much time in it. An option to make it not deletable would be great.

gremlin · Sep 23, 2007, 08:41 PM // 20:41

Since the biggest threat seems to come from a keylogger recording your keypresses when entering your password the obvious solution is to have a method to enter passwords without typing.

Its a little more tedious but if on starting the game, a box with the alphabet, numbers and allowed symbols appeared then you could click with your mouse to enter the password.

Will that not defeat a keylogger program since the keyboard wasnt used.

not my idea I saw it online as a proposed method of entering credit card numbers safely.

PureEvilYak · Sep 23, 2007, 09:18 PM // 21:18

/signed. I know that I'd like to make my main undeletable. And any protection is good, in my book.

Diva Signet · Sep 23, 2007, 11:02 PM // 23:02

So I'm not completely on board with any one of the ideas posted above; rather, I like a combination. I think you should be able to flag your characters as "protected" (or whatever word Anet wants to use), and for a period of time (two or three months), that character can not be immediately deleted. I like the "ghost" idea of having the character in some way faded out, but not deleted. In this state, the character would still take up a character slot, but would not be playable and would have a counter (at first days, then hours, then minutes) until deletion when you select him/her. This protection would be permanent for an extended period of time (months, as stated before) so a hacker or other person wouldn't be able to remove and immediately delete.

Though most of Guild Wars players won't have their accounts hacked, it would give almost all of us the extra peace of mind that even if for some very odd reason the account becomes compromised, it's not the end of the world. Even if it was never needed (we can only wish), it seems to me that the sense of security brought about by such a feature would be reason enough in itself.

Given the above qualifications, /signed.

draxynnic · Sep 24, 2007, 12:51 AM // 00:51

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheRaven

The paid retrieval idea is good, but I wonder how much protection it would really offer. How many folks would actually take advantage of it? I'm sure most of us are egostical enough to think, "well, I'll never be hacked! So, I'm not paying for something like this!" These are the same folks that see the threads posted by players that accidentally deleted their main characters when they meant to delete the pvp only ranger right next to him and think to themselves, "what a retard, I'd never do that!"

I'd take it. I don't use third-party tools or any of the other things that are traditionally vectors for a Trojan, but a layer of additional protection just-in-case would be greatly appreciated, especially since I don't see myself deleting any of my PvE characters.

It would also provide a 'safety net' for that rumoured bug that occasionally crops up where the system deletes the wrong character. Certainly makes me hesitant to make a PvP or any other kind of temporary character.

Linksys · Sep 24, 2007, 01:27 AM // 01:27

And again, if Anet adds this feature and states "incase your account is hacked," it may make new gamers think the game is susceptible to hacking which of course is not the case. So they can publicly cite "user error deletion" as the "official reason" for it. But we know the reason is really the worst case scenario.

Loviatar · Sep 24, 2007, 01:48 AM // 01:48

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sleeper Service

character retrieval service provided by anet for a low cost.
character backup provided by anet for a low cost.

Items and cash would be lost obviously. else there would be abuse.
nothing is free.
(EvE does it)

the head programmers who designed, programmed, and coded the account database have stated several times that rolling back /spoofing /recovering /altering an individual account is impossible without starting from scratch and recoding the entire database which they will not do.

it is a case of all or nothing on a rollback

it is not a case of we wont

it is a case of we cant no matter how much you offer to pay

Linksys · Sep 24, 2007, 03:07 AM // 03:07

True about rollback and I'm sure Anet has to use plenty of resources just to keep all the characters and items in the GW world in existence.

OlMurraniKasale · Sep 24, 2007, 05:25 AM // 05:25

How about this as an added bonus to the great suggestions already listed above - if you change anything in your account, say the email address or password (as I imagine a hacker might try to do), an email goes to your old email account and won't actually change anything until you reply. It would be a "must do and you can't access anything on the account until you do" kinda thing.

By itself of course, it won't stop a hacker from looting you, but with some other things sugegsted above, it would make a richer prevention system. It could also activate if you tried to delete your character.
-----
Storytelling the fire at Gunnar's Hold? You bet!

Linksys · Sep 24, 2007, 07:23 AM // 07:23

But what if a hacker accesses the email account too? Then he/she can just reply or do whatever is needed.

If Anet is up for the effort, they could start a database where gamers call in and set up some kind of verbal password or personal information verification system. Not everyone keeps their boxes and key codes. Completely optional of course and not everyone will bother doing it.

Riot Narita · May 01, 2008, 02:45 PM // 14:45

Resurrecting this... given the current round of people reporting their accounts hacked, I'd really like to see A-net give us some way of protecting characters from deletion.

I'm in favour of allowing people to make at least character permanently undeletable... but failing that, at least allowing people to select delayed deletion on their characters.