Modifying Server Query Replies == Evil?

[ghost of evilspy]

I've made my bot modify server replies so that it changes connection times for bots so that it will not show server uptime. Well, I think it's great feature but when I told what I had done some ppl did get very angry and told me to keep source to myself (at #amxxmod@gamesurge) and now I'm not sure if I should release such code.

What do you fellow bot coders think? Would you use such thing if it would appear? Is it evil? Is bot coder evil or the server admin that turns this feature on? Why ppl get angry over games? evilspy == ?

[The Storm]

Everything that can be done on server-side is not evil. I say release it, actually this can't do any harm.

[Onno Kreuzinger]

Hi,

first thanks for having made thougts about it prior releasing it, from the bot coder / Server admin side it's a nice feature: it helps hide bots, ppl get angry at bots more likely if they know that those are bots.
But on the other hand you might "open pandoras box" for cheaters, certainly not the main feature a bot should become famous for
I'd suggest you try to contact some dev at Valve, AFAIK we have had contacts in the past. They should be able to clarify "the danger" this code realy might have. I assume none from the few facts I read here, but might be the general implementation that can cause other harm.
(just my 2 cents)

Cheers Onno

[ghost of evilspy]

I don't trust Valve, something I learn while coding C-D.

This doesn't open any new ways to cheaters, it's just server side modification. Only real danger is that some people start running servers that show completely false information about server outside, like almost full server with players been online 30-120min + score alerted without using ingame fakeplayers. And modification doesn't even require code modified on server, it could be done on router of malicious server operator by simply alerting right packets (which are very easy to detect since HL1/Source don't use any encryption of server query protocol).