Regarding Section IDs

[Sodaboy]

It's come to my attention that some users have been altering their section ID after character creation to get an ID they want while keeping the name they want. We all know that it's annoying that you can't use the name that you want to hunt the rares that you want for your character most times. It's obvious why SEGA decided to use section IDs, due to the way the drop tables are designed and the number of items in the game, but, as said, it is annoying.

People may think changing your section ID is harmless, but not everybody can do this, and it is an exploit. Plus, when you're constantly changing your section ID to hunt what you want, it does become abusive to other players.

So, I've come up with a compromise that some may not like, since this server provides mostly a vanilla Blue Burst experience.

Soon, I will patch the server to:

A) Not allow any changes in the Dressing Room outside of your outfit and hair. Even if you use a hacked EXE to change your name, proportions, and section ID, the changes will not stick and the server will ignore them.

B) Automatically recalculate section IDs based on your name and apply them to your character before you enter a ship.

C) Allow a one time change of your section ID via a command that is saved permanently to your character. This one time change will override the calculation explained above if it is set. Once you change your section ID using the command, you may never change your section ID again.

D) Allow a one time change of your name via a command that is saved permanently to your character. Once you change your name using the command, you may never change your name again.

The commands referenced in C & D will only be accessible for the first 20 levels of your character. After which, you cannot use them again. However, when I first introduce the commands, they will be available for one week for all characters regardless of level, so that people can take advantage of them since they were not able to do so when they created their character.

Let me know what you think.

 

[Gnome]

I'm fine with this idea, I like that you still allow for people to keep their desired names and ID's
I think alot of people would be okay with this and it would help stop people constantly switching to hunt for particular items.

If you have a goal in mind, create your character and name accordingly.

If you need to hunt a certain item, team up with someone that has the right ID, make friends...socialise!

 

[Sodaboy]

If you have a goal in mind, create your character and name accordingly.

The point of this is so people can use any name they want when creating their character, the only thing they have to plan is what section ID they'd like to use for the life of their character. Once they create their character, they can use the new section ID change command ONE TIME ONLY to permanently set their section ID to whatever they like. (It can't be changed in the future, whether through packets, memory editing, or hacked EXE.)

We can get rid of names like "Gnome_____", just imagine those underscores as a ton of extra spaces at the end.

 

[Eistee]

Seems like a really good idea to me.

 

[Sodaboy]

Just patched the login server to disallow section ID, name, or any other changes that aren't normally allowed during dressing room.

Droids can only change their head and costume. Humans and Newmans can change costume, hair style and hair color.

Still haven't patched it to flip you off when you access the dressing room by other means when you don't have the team privileges to do so, but I'll get around to that.

 

[Sodaboy]

Login server now doesn't trust client for section ID during character creation.

Login server also reapplies the proper ID to your character data after you log off or change blocks.

EDIT: Now the login server won't allow dressing room when enabled with edited EXE or memory. You have to be in a team with the proper rights in order to use the dressing room or else the login server will disconnect you during confirmation of changes.

 

[Neirene]

I really like the measures taken in the points A and B to avoid people cheating the Section ID system, however I must disagree with the other two points, sure it looks silly for people to have names with spaces and weird letters to find the section ID they want to play with but I beleive it's part of the charm of this system and it's how the game is since pretty much the Dreamcast release.

By adding a command to the game to manually change this even if it's considered a "safe" mod you are definitvely drifting away from the "Vanilla" PSO experience and relates to my previous thread regarding a similar topic.

But at the very end it's what the majority of the people decides, this is as usual just my opinion regarding this situation.

 

[root]

So is character proportion not going to be allowed to be changed? I made one of my characters too small and was just going to change it later, but if it's not allowed, i'll just remake the character before I level it too far.

 

[Sodaboy]

It's already patched, so you cannot change proportions.

 

[Sodaboy]

Implemented new commands. No further discussion on this topic is needed.