ZDaemon has opted an server-side nickname authentication system

[StrikerMan780]

I personally would enjoy a Login system. I could go on for ages listing reasons as to why, but there's many of them. (Including Unique Identifiers for use in modding, banning nitwits, etc, etc.)

The reason I mention modding, is because It would allow server owners to make their own admin mods and whatnot, sort of like how you can with SourceMod for the Source Engine. Ie: have a script trigger if the activator has the correct unique ID. (SourceMod is a lot of fun to make plugins for, I might add.. I've been making my own for about a year now, and have learned a lot.)

Now... if this login system could be integrated with the forum and bug tracker into one gigantic all-in-one system, that would be pretty damn cool.

[Ænima]

It would make it easier for me to add item-saving and XP-remembering for Mercenaries!

I'd like to have the option to alias, though. Like, login and then change my actual nick and still be authed.

[President People]

I'd like to have the option to alias, though. Like, login and then change my actual nick and still be authed.

That's how Aleph One (Marathon port) currently does it. You register on mariusnet, enter that same login and password in the Player preferences in-game, and you're allowed to type whatever you want in your player name field. If someone wants to know who you are, they can just type .info on you in the metachat to see your username. If a Guest is impersonating an admin/user, just ignore him. No login, no proof (within reason; Aleph One's a small community).

If we're going to be forced to log in, I wouldn't mind this way. You can still alias silly names, but you can't easily impersonate/troll.

[StrikerMan780]

I'd like to have the option to alias, though. Like, login and then change my actual nick and still be authed.

That's how Aleph One (Marathon port) currently does it. You register on mariusnet, enter that same login and password in the Player preferences in-game, and you're allowed to type whatever you want in your player name field. If someone wants to know who you are, they can just type .info on you in the metachat to see your username. If a Guest is impersonating an admin/user, just ignore him. No login, no proof (within reason; Aleph One's a small community).

If we're going to be forced to log in, I wouldn't mind this way. You can still alias silly names, but you can't easily impersonate/troll.

That would be the way to do it.

[Luke]

I'd like to have the option to alias, though. Like, login and then change my actual nick and still be authed.

That's how Aleph One (Marathon port) currently does it. You register on mariusnet, enter that same login and password in the Player preferences in-game, and you're allowed to type whatever you want in your player name field. If someone wants to know who you are, they can just type .info on you in the metachat to see your username. If a Guest is impersonating an admin/user, just ignore him. No login, no proof (within reason; Aleph One's a small community).

If we're going to be forced to log in, I wouldn't mind this way. You can still alias silly names, but you can't easily impersonate/troll.

That would be the way to do it.

Definitely. I'd like such login system.

[The Toxic Avenger]

That actually sounds like it could work, but I'm not completely ready to go with that just yet.

[Spleen]

I completely urge Zandronum development team to not go this way because we do have a mutual right to have these things and it is something that any gaming community must need in order to be fair.

If the master server is open source, then I don't see the problem. Anyone could set up their master server - there's nothing inherently authoritative in using special rules on yours. Isn't that the whole point of open source?

In addition, a nickname system and anonymity don't have to be in conflict. The nickname system would allow you to reserve certain names, but if you wanted anonymity that badly, any nonreserved name could still be used by anyone.

For example, I could log in as Spleen, or I could anonymously call myself Foobarbaz1234, assuming that the name Foobarbaz1234 was not taken. If is taken, I'd have to pick a different name if I wanted to be anonymous.

With IPv6 the amount of allocatable IPs will be virtually infinite, why would they force customers to stick to a single IP?

If they force each device (not customer) to stick to a single IP forever (which they can because there are enough IPs for all devices), devices (and customers with them) can be tracked perfectly. And you can bet that many companies want perfect trackability of customers. That's how targeted advertisement work.

I don't think this would ever happen: if the device physically moves, keeping the same IP address would cause routing issues. Isn't that why phones with internet are routed through another address by your mobile ISP, at the cost of latency that would make Zandronum unplayable?

Or does IPv6 have a workaround that I'm not aware of?

[Dark-Assassin]

If someone wants to know who you are, they can just type .info on you in the metachat to see your username.

That could be possible here with no additional commands, just an extention to the playerinfo <PID> command. Perhaps also list all login names when just doing the plain playerinfo for the list.

[Nubcakes]

Are you doing something you should be ashamed of, so you don't want people to know who you are? Why are you trying to hide behind a false name? I use the same name everywhere I go in the Internet.

Honestly if you have to alias to enjoy the game, then you probably shouldn't be playing period.

Yeah, if you have to alias then it's probably because you're up to no good.

I think this is a gross overgeneralization.
Some people like the anonymity and not being recognized.
Some people like different names.
Some people roleplay as different characters with different names.
Some people don't want to have a reputation, good or bad.
Some people like shitting around with their friends and putting silly things as their name.
Some people just want to play, not have to deal with people who associate them with other things.

There are plenty of perfectly good and perfectly bad reasons to alias. Not everyone has to have a solidified identity in the community, and not everyone who doesn't want one has seedy/shady reasons behind it.
I alias, like. All the goddamn time, myself.

I am going toss my support in for this. I frequently use different handles to simply mess with people on the basis of names alone.

If you want to make some sort of authentication at least have the decency to make it an option for servers. Make like check box that says "Use master server name authentication?"