OK, major clarification here, because there is a lot of misinformation/misunderstandings.
First, here is a rough timeline:
- I get reports of people using PE to skip RC progression, and the damage resulting from doing this. This was mainly in the form of server admins complaining to me that their server worlds had been severely damaged by players who got RC items too early, and mainly consisted of demands for config options to disable them/nerf them. After some confusion - as my initial suspicion was usually that they had modified something themselves - it becomes clear the players in question used Project E to shortcut RC progression. All but four servers had the tome enabled, exacerbating the problem. On three of the four remaining servers, the players got the first unit of material through brute force, and on the last, it was given to them by another user, under the guise of being able to look up its recipe in NEI (they claimed it was not working on their end).
- I go through the Project E source and find that Project E has an IMC-based "register custom EMC value" function, and that zero-value IMCs are effectively a blacklist. This was detailed in the comments of the code, and was thus intended functionality, not some exploit.
- Due to the IMC's system being ItemStack based (and thus needing a new message and entry for every damage value of every item), this resulted in several thousand IMC messages, which is unsurprisingly bad for performance.
- In light of this, I ask for an expanded system that does not necessitate this number of messages. This request goes over a month without reply.
- Lacking a reply, I blacklist all of my items from Project E in v4, using the all-value system. Loading times reach about 10 minutes.
- I strip down my handlers to blacklist only core items; loading times return to normal.
- I get a reply, saying two things: One, that the IMC system was never designed for blacklisting capability, and that it is impossible to make a more general based system. Neither are true, the former of which for the reasons I described, and the latter of which being demonstrably false through things like my own handlers.
- A couple months later, Project E removes the blacklisting system entirely, saying they need to rewrite their registries.
- The registries get rewritten (though remain very similar internally), but blacklisting support never re-appears.
- Around the time time, Kolatra finds EMC values on several of my custom-production items, including RC machines and CC crystalline stone. The rest of the Project E team swears that only things in the vanilla crafting table have EMC values calculated.
- I inquire about this, and request the support be re-added, as it is clear that even non-entry items are getting EMC values. Met with a rather strong lack of enthusiasm, I offer to do it myself.
- A debate ensues about the need for blacklisting in RC.
- It is made clear that a blacklist, if it ever gets re-added (unlikely), will be overrideable with configs, under the argument of "player choice trumps all".
- I ask again, trying to explain my problem. Several others agree also try to explain, including @kolatra, the only ProjectE team member who has ever touched my mods, as well as others like @frogfigther and @1M Industries.
- The response is flat denial, and a threat is made (not by sinkillerj, but by another PE member) to specifically add EMC to my items.
- One user gets extremely hostile, and I quote it here for the "stupid things people say" thread. People misinterpret it to think it was the PE team's responses I am posting it for, and the debate ensues.
Two major distinctions here.
One, yes, they can rewrite their system and change support levels at any time. That is within their right.
However, the fact they only did so after I started blacklisting things, and used the argument that it was never the intention of the system to allow that - when the code indicated otherwise - leads to suspicions of "bad faith".
Two, the threats to add EMC to my own items are not acceptable. That is not within the purview of their project, and is something they would have to devote time for
specifically for the purposes of breaking RC.
Several users here have stated that this is acceptable, that "teaching a lesson by making things worse" is defensible behavior.
It is not. It is immature and unproductive, and only serves to engender further hostility. I would never and have never done that, and I expect others to do the same.
Retaliatory behavior for no personal gain, with the only intent being to harass and/or penalize is not the kind of behavior one reasonably expects and requires of a reasonable adult.
Say what you want about my policies or the justification for my wanting to lock down my items. However, if you then take that disagreement and use it as a foundation for an argument that boils down to "I don't like X, so doing things Y, Z, A, and B about it are acceptable, even if I would normally condemn them", you are being either dishonest or are letting your personal biases override your capacity to behave fairly and rationally. It is essentially the same as saying "Dishonesty, hostility, and so on are normally unacceptable, but if they are being used to ends I agree with, then that is fine with me".
Finally, Project E remains the only "exploit" system I know of that can completely break RC, and has no means in either mod to stop it, and the only one where the author has effectively refused any leniency:
Minetweaker and Modtweaker's authors have agreed to leave my mods alone, and the former's author has expressed willingness to add hooks to replace my custom handling when it is convenient for him.
mark719 (of MagicCrops) has agreed to leave my mods alone.
MagicBees, ExtraBees, and Gendustry have agreed to leave my mods alone.
CraftingManager added hooks to help me blacklist my mods.
MooFluids and MystCraft have systems for blacklisting fluids.
GregTech has agreed to leave my mods alone.
Minechem does not allow for fabrication of my items.
ProjectE, arguably the most powerful of all, and the most likely to be abused....nothing (or more accurately, IMCs...until I started using it).
Also, for those claiming I break other mods - though I do have handing for several other mods, not once have I ever had another mod author come to me and say that I was breaking their mod, nor would I totally refuse to work with them if they did. While I would try to work out some agreement rather than totally removing a given item or feature - especially if it was popular - I will definitely listen to and act on their wishes.
Also, I will never
ever simply throw crash code if these mods are installed, whether or not they break RC. At the worst, I would log a console warning (and with RC, one of those handbook alerts) and refuse support and/or reject all balance/exploit complaints. That said, I would rather fix the actual problem and avoid that outcome, as noone wins in that scenario.
Finally, for those saying that this is not worth my time:
I spend rather little time on these sorts of things, maybe an hour a week, and likely less. That is an acceptable cost for the gain, that being less hostility and - crucially - fewer rumors and whisperings, that, as I have said before, can and will do major damage if left unchecked.
