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dblh3lix

DbLH3liX

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whatnitrus said:
All you need to do is put a game in window mode and minimize it on the lowest quality settings to achieve the same thing
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Which requires the game to be installed locally. Not an option for me. I look forward to actually playing all the games in my library. Not that I wanted to start an argument (again) or have to explain anything but I've idled twice. Ever. Once was today.
And yes, I found out the hard way that cards are eaten and turned in to badges. What I was wondering is where do the badges turn up from that are NOT dropped during game play. Yes, they're in the marketplace, but how? Magic? I dont really care for badges or leveling up. Perhaps I will in the future. Probably not.
 
bluespellconspirator

Lewitas

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whatnitrus said:
Yes, and what arch does is send steam information using the game ID via a query just like the AddFreeLicense one, when you use !ASF it actually sends javascript:AddFreeLicense with the game ID, it just does the work for you.

I didn't look into the idle part thoroughly for the record...I'm not sure if it sends steam false info saying you played longer than you have (instantly) or if it just idles and hides the Widow...but if it hides the window, why would you use it?

All you need to do is put a game in window mode and minimize it on the lowest quality settings to achieve the same thing...so I assume it sends Steam the same information the client would when you close your game, just faster.

Either way its still using the same script that steam uses internally on its site (check out the developer side of steam if you need proof) to make everything work.

If steam changes those internal functions, it would either force them to find a new method or break the farming entirely.

For example, if the games send encrypted unique identifiers each time during launch and shutdown...or worse--mid-game.

They would need to decrypt that code before they would be able to farm for cards, if it sends it mid-play using an internet or GSM based clock it may become impossible.

If that takes a long enough time to decrypt or they simply couldn't fake it...the farming app would become useless.

Also, the cards don't disappear unless you choose to make a badge (or thats an external app your running), badges go up to level 5...so you can actually do that 5 times max.

The cards are put on the market by users who sell them (the option is in the same area you buy them) either duplicates they don't need...or because thats why they farm cards in the first place.

I buy and sell mine to craft badges myself.

You never need to fully download a game, as soon as the game shows in your download list (or makes a shortcut) you can cancel the installation and uninstall the started installation and still keep the game.

But with that button, you won't need to even do that anymore.
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I was interested and checked code for IdleMaster. It looks like it's farming is just creating multiple processes with Appids with window hidden. Of course you can do it manually like you said (with some adjustment) but this way is quite convenient. Especially for non-programmers.
If I find some free time I will create fork to IdleMaster to add some needed by me features. I want to improve managing blacklist. I am adding there games which I am gonna play and don't want to have false timeplay. Now managing it is awfull.
 
whatnitrus

WhatNitrous

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dblh3lix said:
Which requires the game to be installed locally. Not an option for me. I look forward to actually playing all the games in my library. Not that I wanted to start an argument (again) or have to explain anything but I've idled twice. Ever. Once was today.
And yes, I found out the hard way that cards are eaten and turned in to badges. What I was wondering is where do the badges turn up from that are NOT dropped during game play. Yes, they're in the marketplace, but how? Magic? I dont really care for badges or leveling up. Perhaps I will in the future. Probably not.
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This isn't a argument, its informative, I said I didn't check the code thoroughly enough to completely explain.

I had no idea (since I don't use any external programs like that i don't make myself) it was doing it without the game installed on your drive...now I do.

Which actually makes the code more interesting. I may have to take a better look at it now ;)

The extra cards come from users selling them, they are added to the games themselves by the developers. You can sell them from the same page you buy them on the marketplace, I would guess that the majority of them ARE from card farmers, but I get a ton of dupes myself so who knows.

Think of it just like trading virtual baseball cards or trading game keys (and you can trade them as well as buy/sell them), steam made the market so you can setup trades, buy, or sell...whichever you prefer.

if you mean where does arch get them from...it just forces the game to think you have played long enough for them to drop like they normally would...and that process I know nothing about.
 
whatnitrus

WhatNitrous

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bluespellconspirator said:
I was interested and checked code for IdleMaster. It looks like it's farming is just creating multiple processes with Appids with window hidden. Of course you can do it manually like you said (with some adjustment) but this way is quite convenient. Especially for non-programmers.
If I find some free time I will create fork to IdleMaster to add some needed by me features. I want to improve managing blacklist. I am adding there games which I am gonna play and don't want to have false timeplay. Now managing it is awfull.
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I was guessing that was the case (and it is convenient), I'm not saying anything about using them...I'm saying that if steam kills the server side functionality, they will need to be changed or end up useless...that was where this all came up. a little blue "add to account" button :ROFLMAO:

Note to you and anyone else using that program...before using it on any game, set the quality to as low as possible, it is still going to 'think' its playing to some extent and suck up resources...although it may set it to low automatically like the NVIDIA Control Panel and GeForce does.
 
bluespellconspirator

Lewitas

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320
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93
whatnitrus said:
I was guessing that was the case (and it is convenient), I'm not saying anything about using them...I'm saying that if steam kills the server side functionality, they will need to be changed or end up useless...that was where this all came up. a little blue "add to account" button :ROFLMAO:

Note to you and anyone else using that program...before using it on any game, set the quality to as low as possible, it is still going to 'think' its playing to some extent and suck up resources...although it may set it to low automatically like the NVIDIA Control Panel and GeForce does.
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I think you are wrong in second part. It creates 'dummy' processes with appIds, which do nothing only running. So I believe resources needed for it are very very low. Steam probably tracks all processes with matching AppIds. So you don't need to 'play' game you just need create dummy process which is doing nothing (name of process doesn't matter only AppId argument). If it would worked like you said I believe my notebook would die when I was farming cards last time from 100+ games. :)
As for server side I think that it is not used much in farming. Only get some informations about account like number of games, cards, timeplay.
 
whatnitrus

WhatNitrous

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bluespellconspirator said:
I think you are wrong in second part. It creates 'dummy' processes with appIds, which do nothing only running. So I believe resources needed for it are very very low. Steam probably tracks all processes with matching AppIds. So you don't need to 'play' game you just need create dummy process which is doing nothing (name of process doesn't matter only AppId argument). If it would worked like you said I believe my notebook would die when I was farming cards last time from 100+ games. :)
As for server side I think that it is not used much in farming. Only get some informations about account like number of games, cards, timeplay.
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You actually have a good point and are likely correct, hell I made a fake GetMac.exe to return a false MAC address for my PC since you can't ever truly change that :ROFLMAO:

The process id and fake window is probably a good bet, especially if its not eating resources like you said.

I have never even seem that program but it makes perfect sense.

EDIT:

In truth I've never seen arch actually run either except from screeshots here, i grabbed the code to simply see if you could shut off farming for one of the users here, may have actually been dblh3lix but idk :LOL:
 
whatnitrus

WhatNitrous

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burningpixel82 said:
Me neither I have Steamdb
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I meant I don't have SteamDB on my device.
bluespellconspirator said:
Wait are you talking about new button on website? :) You all have just try check free game which you don't have e.g. Sunday Gold: Prologue on Steam
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Actually its on the mobile app too, so I figure it would be on the client...thats also why I had a feeling it has something to do with the script, no mobile option could add a free game before except using AddFreeLicense
 
yellowsorcerypotent

TurdSplat

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burningpixel82 said:
Mine looks exactly the same without any plugin and standard FF theme.
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I remember now, during a recent Firefox upgrade it asked if you wanted to change your Default Theme to Dark, I tried it briefly but it made my drop down menu on Firefox Multi-Account Containers (Plugin) unreadable at times. I'd like to try it again, but I'm afraid It'll do the same thing, maybe I'll try that Dark Mode plugin instead. :ROFLMAO:
 
whatnitrus

WhatNitrous

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yellowsorcerypotent said:
I remember now, during a recent Firefox upgrade it asked if you wanted to change your Default Theme to Dark, I tried it briefly but it made my drop down menu on Firefox Multi-Account Containers (Plugin) unreadable at times. I'd like to try it again, but I'm afraid It'll do the same thing, maybe I'll try that Dark Mode plugin instead. :ROFLMAO:
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I actually had my chrome go wackjob on me during its latest update on PC so I couldn't read the NVIDIA driver page, they added some new stupid option that didn't work out with my monitor, GPU, or G-Sync. I may need to upgrade my monitors firmware since I leave that unplugged usually...but if not, you'd think chrome would have considered NVIDIA a priority site to test :ROFLMAO:
 
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