Asheron's Call Speed Hack
AKA "GEAR"

o Observations:

GEAR appears to take the packets that your client is sending to the server and multiply them up to 256 times. This sends a WHOLE lot more data than your client was ever intended to send. Since this is how GEAR works, it presumably is VERY detectable. All the admin would have to do is see who is sending an abnormally high volume of packets to the server. Again, I reiterate that it "appears" this is what GEAR does. I draw this conclusion because it seems this is the only way it could:

1.) provide this benefit across as many game platforms
as it does (AC, Q3, Half-Life...) and,
2.) operate completely seperate from the game client
itself.

I could put it on a hub and sniff the line to see the difference, it makes, but frankly all we really need to know is that it works. I don't have the time or inclination to sniff it. Perhaps someone else can undertake this project and report exactly how and why GEAR works the way it does. I do think it would be instructive to keep a copy of GEAR on hand for the other new MMOG's coming out to see if they are vulnerable to this exploit.

o Setting GEAR up:

You fire up the client and enter the password. The password is "www.sembe.com" - without the quotes, of course. I went to www.sembe.com to find the original documentation and FAQ's about speedhack.zip, but the site no longer exists.

After you start the client, you can choose, on a sliding scale, the rate at which you'll speed yourself up. You can speed yourself up (or slow yourself down) from a rate of 1/256th your normal speed to 256 TIMES your regular speed. You can even set a hotkey to raise and lower the magnitude of your speed-up. I didn't attempt to do this and am unsure of how well it works. I tried using the default hotkeys and they didn't work. However, alt-tabbing out of AC and changing your multiplier in the speedhack client works just fine.

o Warnings:

I tried various speeds and found that anything over 4x speed is completely unmanageable. Over 8x speed and you flood your pipe to the AC server with so much data that: 1.) You don't reliably allow any packets BACK to you from the server. 2.) You overwhelm the server with packets and get disconnected.

Regardless, you get error messages like:
- Server unreachable
- Can't talk to server at this time

In any case, you get disconnected.

Strangely, I found the lower settings to be the best. 2x was enough to cause others who saw me in the game to report that I was jumping all about at different places and they were unable to even turn fast enough to keep me in their field of vision (I was only level 3).

I do not know the bandwidth limitations of GEAR. I have only used it while playing on a LAN. Modem users may get flooded out completely if not careful.

Finally, when using GEAR, it is important to note that you will see sped-up animations of the creatures and other players in your field of vision. They are not moving any faster, but because your client is operating at a higher multiple, the only way it knows how to interpret other animations is to speed them up. Monsters and players all appear to run faster, but don't.

o Using Decal with GEAR:

It is very important if you are using Decal with GEAR to set your in-game settings in Decal to their highest thresholds. We only want a LOW volume of things to get through to Decal. Don't go looking for small things - only have decal scanning for things that are VERY important and that you're only going to come across once in a while.

Decal doesn't effect speedhack, but the amount of packets going out from your game are such that you don't want to flood out any information that gets filtered by Decal.

o Launching GEAR:

What I have done to run GEAR is the following:
Make sure you set the "AC Login Webpage" with a bookmark in IE.

1.) Go to the "AC Login Webpage" on Zone.com
2.) Login to your Zone client.
3.) Start Decal
4.) Start GEAR - enter password, set desired speed
multiple (2x)
5.) Enter the game by clicking on the link of the
server you wish to join.

o How to identify someone running GEAR:

The person running GEAR will appear to be hopping about the landscape. They are able to cast spells, swing blows, and launch arrows at an unrealisticly fast rate.

o Final analysis:

GEAR is amusing, but takes all the challenge away from the game and therefore causes it to not be very much fun. PvP on Darktide isn't terribly fair to begin with if levels are not reasonably close (+/- 5 levels) between the combatants. GEAR only makes this condition worse. Newbies might find something of a respite from constant PKing by high-level RPK losers (something of which Darktide has no lack) but ironically, the high-level RPKers are the individuals already in the know and therefore have the knowledge and access to GEAR that the n0oBs don't in the first place. GEAR completely removes even the "veil" of equity in PvP on Darktide. The only hope is that by making GEAR more widespread, it evens the playing field, game be damned.

o How to combat someone using GEAR on Darktide:

I don't know. The only real option is to take down the offending character's name, the location of the incident, the time of day, the server, and log out. Then report them. I don't know of an email address to which you report GEAR abusers.

You can't effectively fight someone who is GEARed unless your high level is able to make up for the GEAR factor (like level 60 fighting a 3rd level GEAR'er). Beyond that, the only truly effective means of fighting such people is to not engage them. If you see someone geared on Darktide, log out. If you're on a Carebear server and witness this, you can report them, but the fact that you're on a carebear server essentially protects you from them.

To Download Gear Click Here