Locking datafile access?

[shaggai]

Just wondering if there was a way that datafile access can be locked - either file by file or be offered only in a precompiled (and packed/encrypted) package so that a datafile set can only be used by end users and not modified?

[rob]

There is no ability to do this in AB right now, but it's possible it could be added. What are you trying to achieve by having this locking capability? I need to understand what your goal is so that I can think about how we might provide it in the engine.

[shaggai]

Really very limited in scope and not sure if it would be extensively used, or really needed.

The idea would be offer a verison of the files that could be considered tournament "insured" - that the files were as correct as they could be and could not be tampered with at all. They would have some watermark when printed, or a header which would say "tournament secured". That way tournaments could see that and be 100% sure that the content was not tampered with.

[rob]

This can essentially already be done without the need for locking. The technique is used by at least a few tournament organizers that I'm aware of. Instead of allowing players to print and bring their own rosters, the organizers have the players submit the roster electronically - either in advance or via memory stick. Then the organizers load the saved roster into their own copy of AB and print out the rosters themselves. With the "custom footer" option, official rosters are then branded at the bottom, just in case anyone questions the authenticity and validity of a roster.

We could potentially add something like this. It wouldn't make it into V3.2, since I'd want to first get a better handle of who would actually use this and exactly how they'd want it to work. If we got a solid idea on these two items, we should be able to add this capability.

Do you have any tournament organizers that have asked for this? Are there any organizers here on the forums that would care to share their experiences and how they would envision this capability being used in their tournaments and/or leagues?

[shaggai]

At the moment it's similar to one request that we had on the general posts we sent out in the community - in the sense that they want a large tournament sanction disclaimer or printed watermark on the printout.

I added the precompiled/encrypted idea since anyone who can tinker with the files could possibly do so and cause havok by changing something obvious (such as a stat) or someting harder to find (one of the procedures). If no one can change the files easily then its nearly a guarantee that the files are legit.

[rob]

Originally Posted by shaggai

At the moment it's similar to one request that we had on the general posts we sent out in the community - in the sense that they want a large tournament sanction disclaimer or printed watermark on the printout.

I added the precompiled/encrypted idea since anyone who can tinker with the files could possibly do so and cause havok by changing something obvious (such as a stat) or someting harder to find (one of the procedures). If no one can change the files easily then its nearly a guarantee that the files are legit.

Unfortunately, even if the data files are locked down, someone could readily print to PDF, then edit the PDF, and finally print the revised PDF. :-(

The only way that a tournament organizer can 100% guarantee that no one is cheating is to run all the submitted rosters through a vetted set of data files running on a computer that the tournament organizer controls. In many local tournaments, this has been SOP for years.

In the tournaments I've witnessed, option #1 is that tournament players submit their army list in advance and the organizer provides them with the verified printout for use during the game. In general, a watermark and/or colored paper is used to readily identify any unofficial rosters. Option #2 is that the army list is submitted at the time of the game and the organizer then enters those lists himself into a verified copy of AB - typically during the first round. Once re-entered, the organizer provides an official roster to the player for subsequent use. Any errors encountered result in penalties on the player and the player thereafter uses the corrected army list provided by the organizer.

Something like the above is the only way to be absolutely certain that all players have valid rosters and that no cheating is performed via the army list.