Sadly no. The best thing you can do is blacklist the people who enter through leaked links.
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how do we know if the people enter through leaked links..???
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Basically you check the entries; if you only gave the GA link to Friends A, B, C, D & E but yet you see A, C, D, M, P, Z entered, something is fishy!
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I've seen you deleted a really good recent giveaway. That's sad. ;_;
Well, what kind of giveaway was it? Sgtools? Puzzle?
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Well, I couldn't remember it. Hmmm, so how did it get leaked? o.O Anyone could just check the post and click on it.
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To quote my note to support:
"Apparently, a friend told me and sent me a link to an area where somebody had gone onto a malicious site, and leaked my Invite-Only Gib. What then transpired was several entries of bots that were all unique.
They've done this to me once before long ago on a DS3 gib I made. I feel like i'm being targeted almost. In any case, since these "bots" aren't exactly easy to spot (which means they all have unique profiles and games on those accounts) means I cannot continue this.
I didn't receive this message until a little bit ago of me canceling this. I checked to verify the information on the website myself as well."
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I feel like i'm being targeted almost.
You're not the only one who have been having issues with this. I've basically started planting "traps" in my trains for leakers, and I've also started using a group I've made for forum events.
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That's a really shifty thing to have had done to you
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That is a shame. I was very excited to see that giveaway. I think the only way around it is with SGTools but that would then defeat the purpose maybe of an open giveaway like that.
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It's not a big deal for a bot to browse forum threads for potential private GA plain links.
You don't even have to be registered\logined to read the forum.
And... what was your friend doing on some malicious site?
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Cyber Security field. We often go to hacking sites (under VPNs of course) and attend conferences. A hacking website (mostly amateurs) was talking about SG. One such conference happening in October 6-7th in two days is called Grr-Con which is essentially a hacker's conference.
Tickets start at $250 in Grand Rapids, MI and they're already sold out except for a few special ones.
The site was a discussion for white-hat hackers, but there are always black-hat hackers who do their own thing and try to do some more malicious hacking.
I'm going to point out: All hacking websites are malicious because they deal with the concept of hacking into another person's information. Doesn't matter if white-hat or black-hat. That deals more with Ethical hacking though which is a long telling.
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Poor white-hats, dont put them in the same bag T.T
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Long answer but srsly... don't make week-long GAs if you don't want them to be leaked. pic related.
PS seems like google bot knows how to collapse SG comments :D
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Usually I do that so people who aren't on as much can have a chance. I've kinda reserved myself to invite-only due to bots running rampant on public
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that is sooooo annnoying - I was really looking forward to the drawing of that giveaway :( - slim chance of winning that game was better than no chance - but I fully appreciate why you deleted it in the end (sad for you - shiny wishes sent your way :)
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I'm sorry this happened to you. I entered the giveaway initially from your thread and saw the entries recently increase to public giveaway levels. It's sad that you had to cancel the GA, but better than giving it to a bot. Good luck with future giveaways.
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A lot of what I'm seeing lately from puzzlemakers is making a whitelist gib, emptying their WL and only adding the people who solved the puzzle. I guess is an alternative, as I'm not sure you have any way to stop leakage.
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And even then, you can't be sure that someone didn't give someone else the answers. I had an idea last month to make about 100 variables of a puzzle, so that each person would have to solve a different variable, to make sure no answers are being shared, but that would take a lot of time and work. I still intend to do something like that soon, though.
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It's really exhausting. And a lack of respect to leak the answers/link. I already don't get why people feel the need to blacklist puzzlemakers if they don't like/ can't solve the puzzle :(
Your current idea with the people having it wishlisted before a certain point in time is good too.
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agreed about the lack of respect - but the wishlist thing is only good for some I suppose - we rarely wishlist everything we want anymore - lack of time means we tend to only see some games when they come up for giveaways - then we click on them and decide if we want to enter - the wishlist thing means I cannot enter :( sad face here - but I appreciate why some choose to do it this way (not something I would get bent out of shape over at all)
I get more annoyed that many of the winners of my giveaways seem to rule breakers with multiple unactivated wins and even regifted items !!!! - but they are still free to enter all giveaways....
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Use your whitelist and personally invite people. It's what I do nowadays.
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Just whitelists sadly ...
Pretty much all my Invite only gibs links that ware hidden behind some kind of puzzle got Leaked one way or another >.<
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Yup, or on a close-group chat orrrr on a public giveaway description, few people read em.... Please, dont make another labyrynth
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The most effective and easiest way would probably be to not make any giveaways at all. But I'm doubting that it is in your interest or in the interest of those people who like your giveaways. You could try appealing to the honour feeling of the people (it will not work). Other than that your only chance is to limit the entry conditions: Creating a group for the giveaways or using the whitelist feature.
It is sadly the most effective solution for a problem that should not exist. Other than that you still have the possibility to develop a super advanced A.I. which is capable of finding the leakers and deleting their hard drive.
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I'm thinking I'll probably have to do some sort of group thing.
Though whitelist probably is another option
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Both no options when you want to have people on forums to have a chance.
Unless you want it only to access able a small group of people, but then again you could have done that form start on. that you didnt means you wanted for everyone to have a chance to find / enter it.
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I'm with dingbat above :) - but i do not have a cute gif to offer in exchange for the chance later on if you do decide to re-do the giveaway in another form - groveling is not beneath me, but I figured just concentrating shiny wishes to you really hard might work :) - giggle
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Stop making gibs? Yes? @EDIT: How could ya Adelion :f? You were faster [4s] :< Yes.
Um... Do a public ones so you wont have to worry about leaking them anywhere?
The other solutions were already posted group/WL so that is all for now. Yes.
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Wow, nearly three years on Steamgifts and I think this is the first time I ninja'ed a post ^^ To bad I'm not part of the SG Achievement group.
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That's a really good script, I'll start using it. Thanks. :)
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Well, there's no real solution for it. Whitelist and group giveaways atleast limit the possibilities of unfair behavior.
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There are so many distasteful puns but alas not so many real ideas, I don't think there is any effort free foolproof method.
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As has been suggested, blacklisting is the only way forward. I have toyed with hosting an event which starts at a certain value and for every "cheater" or "leak" the value of the game decreases. Implementing it would be difficult however.
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almost all bots are lvl 0 or 1, so try to make giveaways for lvl 3+ or some like that. The best way is WL for sure.
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1) You can ask people to make screenshot of solved puzzle , BUT it can be tiresome.
2) In the middle of puzzle make instruction to solver for him 100% post a special text in your previous GA, but it can clutter your messages inbox. checked it - this option is a bad concept
3) Whitelist and Group management also can be tiresome so level 3+ is easiest but it can contradict with your rules of how you want to do events
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Slap some joint compound on there. Caulk is good too. In an emergency use duct tape until you have a more permanent solution.
I hope this helps.
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Anyway to Stop Gib Leakage?
Sorry, someone HAD to suggest it.
Now, I'm perfectly aware that there're people who are completely avert to it, but that's really the only good answer that's not "stop making gibs".
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+1 for sgtools
I don't get it though, why are some people opposed to it? From my perspective (as a relatively new community member) it's an amazing tool, and does what the site should already do automatically...
What's the story behind the aversion some people seem to have against it?
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Why are some people opposed to it?
https://www.steamgifts.com/discussion/b736C/tool-sgtools-new-section-deals/search?page=24#0e1mCuX
And that's what prompted cg to post this: https://www.steamgifts.com/discussion/Vn6ZQ/guidelines-update-referrals-gleam
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Mmmh I see, for some reason I had the impression people disliked sgtools even before the referral link issue...
Thanks ^^
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Why apologize? It's the solution to the problem raised by the OP. If he or others don't like it, we'll be happy to hear about the alternative.
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So sad...i've seen now you've delted D2 :( :(
Damn leechers, damn!
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I knew it was too good to be true entering a gib for d2 with only ~50 entries when I remember correctly ;)... sucks for you :/ (and me ;P)
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That's a shame, I was kinda looking forward to that Dishonored 2 giveaway...
Like others, I would suggest protecting the GA with sgtools. This way you can make sure the winner went through proper channels.
Maybe it can also help to add a cv requirement, at least level 1 or 2 (I can't recall whether your original GA had one or not)
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Wouldn't they just instead of leaking the "gib link" leak the "sgtools link"? Unless the sgtools link actually blocks the bots out somehow, it still doesn't really protect you.
Personally I think a level 3 level requirement (either with or without sgtools) would probably be the best way to filter out the bots. Level 3 can be earner -relatively- easy if you have given away a few proper games. Bots usually don't give enough to get to level 3 though.
And to be honest. Kerros usually does such amazing gibs, having to be level 3 to enter isn't that much to ask :3
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Passing the filter would still be needed, in order for an entry to be considered valid.
Invalid entries gets into lots of trouble, both on SGTools, and with SG support.
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Well yeah, but as I said, they could just leak the sgtools link instead of the gib link (considering not much is in the rules)? That way they'll still be "valid"
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Still better than nothing, I guess...
But if someone could pass the filter anyway, I don't see why they would need to get the link leaked to them.
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I'm guessing usually the gib link would be behind a puzzle. If the sgtools link would now be behind the puzzle, it wouldn't matter, the people can still leak it so the ones that get leaked to don't have to finish the puzzle themselves.
But yes, I agree. Using an SGTOOLS with a "no rules broken" "no multiple wins" etc. will probably filter out most of those shitty bots. Even if they were to somehow get past it once or twice, surely they will get banned sometime for doing something wrong D:
Or I hope so anyways :3
Bad guys usually get what they deserve!
Or so I would like to believe anyways :3
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Yep, SGTools implements a strike system, users who enter giveaways bypassing the filters are suspended from all SGTools giveaways, with the duration increasing with each infraction (1 month, 3 months, 6 months, then permanent).
There're currently 14 users who are banned from SGTools, according to the last report (August 27th).
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SGtools come to mind to know if you have users who bypassed the filters.
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Topic ^
Would like to know
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