American Civil War Game Club (ACWGC)

Why can't campaigns be encrypted like individual scenarios?

Any possibility HPS is going to address this?

Brig Gen Kyle FitzMaurice
4th Engineers, 2nd Inf Div, I Corp,
Army of Alabama
CSA

Because of the carry-over between campaign scenarios, encryption can't be done.

It is something that has been brought up many times, but the answer is that is can't and will not be done.

So, no encryption for campaigns.



<b><font color="gold">Ernie Sands, General
4th Brigade, Cavalry Division, XIV Corps,
Army of Cumberland, USA


ACWGC Records Site Administrator
</b></font id="gold">

Someone might bring up at Tillercon whether a password without encryption could be added.

This would at least keep you from accidently openning the Campaign file as the wrong side which I have accidentally done not realizing I hadn't updated it with the last turn sent to me.


General Kennon Whitehead
Chatham Grays
2/3/IV AoM (CSA)

What would be the difference between a password and encryption?, just asking.

Lt. Gen. D. Groce
Commander
V Corps AoP
"beyond our ideas of right and wrong there is a field, I will meet you there"

I agree with Kennon. I don't really care if it is encrypted or not (and along with David G, not sure exactly what that means), but just give us a password protected file so that you cannot open a file by mistake.


Maj Gen Gary Krenek
3rd Division Commanding
III Corps
ANV

Password protected and encrypted are the same thing.

The campaign engine cannot handle password and/or encrypted files.

If you produce a numbering system with your files, you will greatly reduce the possibility of opening the wrong file. <font color="red"><b><font size="5">ALSO, the game ask if you want to see the replay of XYZ side.

Rename the files you send as joe_vs_sam_antietam_rebs-20. Your opponent would rename his to joe_vs_sam_antietam_union-20,etc. </font id="red"></b></font id="size5">

It adds only seconds to your file transfer.

<b><font color="gold">Ernie Sands, General
4th Brigade, Cavalry Division, XIV Corps,
Army of Cumberland, USA


ACWGC Records Site Administrator
</b></font id="gold">

No passwords and encryption are not the same thing. Any application can prompt for and use a password. Files are encrypted. Normally they go together but not necessarily.

What I proposed is that the Campaign game front-end prompt you for a password for each side. This way before you could open the campaign file you would have to acknowledge you are the one that started the game for that side. The application can save it wherever it is convient. The files would not be encrypted. If someone wants to cheat they could do it just like they can now, read the battle file. It is strictly a means to help prevent you from just clicking away without paying attention to which side is being openned up. This is handy for stopping people from screwing up when they are playing to many games or drank to much.

General Kennon Whitehead
Chatham Grays
2/3/IV AoM (CSA)

<blockquote id="quote"><font size="3" face="book antiqua" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"><i>Originally posted by KWhitehead</i>
<br />No passwords and encryption are not the same thing. Any application can prompt for and use a password. Files are encrypted. Normally they go together but not necessarily.

What I proposed is that the Campaign game front-end prompt you for a password for each side. This way before you could open the campaign file you would have to acknowledge you are the one that started the game for that side. The application can save it wherever it is convient. The files would not be encrypted. If someone wants to cheat they could do it just like they can now, read the battle file. It is strictly a means to help prevent you from just clicking away without paying attention to which side is being openned up. This is handy for stopping people from screwing up when they are playing to many games or drank to much.

<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote"></font id="quote">

This is the very simple answer to your VERY pressing NON-problem:

Password protected and encrypted are the same thing.

The campaign engine cannot handle password and/or encrypted files.

If you produce a numbering system with your files, you will greatly reduce the possibility of opening the wrong file. ALSO, the game ask if you want to see the replay of XYZ side.

Rename the files you send as joe_vs_sam_antietam_rebs-20. Your opponent would rename his to joe_vs_sam_antietam_union-20,etc.

It adds only seconds to your file transfer.

<b><font color="gold">Ernie Sands, General
4th Brigade, Cavalry Division, XIV Corps,
Army of Cumberland, USA


ACWGC Records Site Administrator
</b></font id="gold">

<blockquote id="quote"><font size="3" face="book antiqua" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"><i>Originally posted by Ernie Sands</i>
Password protected and encrypted are the same thing.
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote"></font id="quote">

Are you quite sure?

The pbem files of standalone games are encrypted, so that you cannot read them even though you can open them in an editor. The password makes sure that only the authorized user can open the file for his own side in the game. But how exactly are the two things connected? I think passwords used on the internet get encrypted themselves to protect them, but this doesn't apply here, as the password is entered locally ... I suppose it should be possible to add a simple routine for campaign games making it so that a password has to entered in the game, linked to a side, so that only this side can open its own file, even though the file itself is not encrypted, and since it isn't, the campaign engine shouldn't have a problem with the file .... or?

I am definitely no computer wizard, but this sounds so simple I wonder whether it should't be possible. And yes, I have played literally scores of campaigns in this club, the CCC and the NWC without any great problems with this, as I have simply learned to pay attention to which side's replay is being offered to me, but it's a workaround for a problem that really shouldn't have to be there.

<center>Gen. Walter, USA
<i>The Blue Blitz</i>
[url="http://www.acwgc-usa.org/"][/url]
<i>"... and keep moving on."</i>

</center>

Passwords having nothing to do with encryption. Encryption is a separate process. Many things use passwords but don't use encryption. Encryption is only necessary when a user can access parts of an application without going through the application and by doing so would be able to cheat.

And I can make the statement from the point of view of an expert having spent 30 years writing applications and protecting data from users. Usually the reason for protecting data from users is to keep them from accidentally screwing the data up. I have rarely used encryption for this since there are better and easier ways to do it in the Corporate environment.

What I proposed for was using a password to keep the player from screwing up not cheating. As for cheating I could probably break the encryption if I wanted depending on what type they used. Encryption, since the government limits it, only protects to a certain degree by making it require so much time and resources that it isn't worth the persons time to break it.

General Kennon Whitehead
Chatham Grays
2/3/IV AoM (CSA)

<blockquote id="quote"><font size="3" face="book antiqua" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"><i>Originally posted by KWhitehead</i>
Encryption is only necessary when a user can access parts of an application without going through the application ...
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote"></font id="quote">

Like opening the .bte file in an editor ...

<center>Gen. Walter, USA
<i>The Blue Blitz</i>
[url="http://www.acwgc-usa.org/"][/url]
<i>"... and keep moving on."</i>

</center>

<blockquote id="quote"><font size="3" face="book antiqua" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"><i>Originally posted by KWhitehead</i>
<br />Passwords having nothing to do with encryption. Encryption is a separate process. Many things use passwords but don't use encryption. Encryption is only necessary when a user can access parts of an application without going through the application and by doing so would be able to cheat.

And I can make the statement from the point of view of an expert having spent 30 years writing applications and protecting data from users. Usually the reason for protecting data from users is to keep them from accidentally screwing the data up. I have rarely used encryption for this since there are better and easier ways to do it in the Corporate environment.

What I proposed for was using a password to keep the player from screwing up not cheating. As for cheating I could probably break the encryption if I wanted depending on what type they used. Encryption, since the government limits it, only protects to a certain degree by making it require so much time and resources that it isn't worth the persons time to break it.
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote"></font id="quote">

As an EXPERT, why not write an email to support (at) hpssims.com. Give them your great ideas about passwords and how this will SOLVE all the problems that in 10 plus years they have not been able to solve. And if it will work, that is great.

I am sure they will give your suggestions all the consideration they deserve.

HPS and John Tiller/Rich Hamilton have always been very responsive about suggestions.

As it (passwords and/or encryption) are PROBABLY not a solution that will work, then other solutions should be used and THOSE suggestions are easily done by the players.


<b><font color="gold">Ernie Sands, General
4th Brigade, Cavalry Division, XIV Corps,
Army of Cumberland, USA


ACWGC Records Site Administrator
</b></font id="gold">

I am not trying to solve all their problems. I don't consider the lack of a password on the Campaigns a serious problem. I just offer a suggestion that would prevent errors without requiring them to do a serious rewrite of their app.

If they wanted too they could make the Campaign app able to read and write to the encrypted file. They just aren't willing to commit the programming time to do this. My suggestion for a password without encryption might be something they are willing to do but not know how the application is written I don't know how difficult it really is.

General Kennon Whitehead
Chatham Grays
2/3/IV AoM (CSA)

You should make the suggestion in an email to HPS support.

<b><font color="gold">Ernie Sands, General
4th Brigade, Cavalry Division, XIV Corps,
Army of Cumberland, USA


ACWGC Records Site Administrator
</b></font id="gold">