Free cash bug

[Thanks_for_the_upgrade]

I noticed a HUGE bug that some people may be taking advantage of.  I had some alliance members try it and it appears to be system wide.  I looked at the "how to report a bug" thread but it doesn't really concern any of the bullet points, so here is my description....

I first discovered this when I sent a broker request to the wrong broker.  It was an order worth about 1B of down payment.  I then canceled the request, refreshed the page, and noticed my airline value had jumped 1B.  For example, I had a value of about 35B, I requested 1B in aircraft, I immediately realized I sent the request to the wrong person so I retracted it, then a moment or two later I was at 36B.   The bug does right itself but ONLY when you make another broker request or buy a plane.  

I've had several alliance members experiment with it and they all experience the same thing.  It doesn't mean anything in the short term of course, but in the waning days if someone has a few billion in cash and is wise to the glitch they could conceivably pull the sham and shoot ahead several billion dollars.

[Air Elbonia]

It doesn't give cash, it just artificially boosts your airline value... I'm looking into a solution at the moment, basically it double-sees that brokerage request money.

[Wolfhound]

It doesn't give cash, it just artificially boosts your airline value... I'm looking into a solution at the moment, basically it double-sees that brokerage request money.

So I too think it might be doubling up on the downpayment.  It corrects itself when you order aircraft.  It's a bit of a shock the first time it happens, as you scramble to figure out why your valuation jumped by a billion!

[Thanks_for_the_upgrade]

It doesn't give cash, it just artificially boosts your airline value... I'm looking into a solution at the moment, basically it double-sees that brokerage request money.

Well, yes, my bad.  I meant cash as in value.

Wolfhound is correct, it increases your value by the down payment.  I thought about keeping my mouth shut and doing this at the last minute with an estimated 36 Billion I'll have at the end of the game if I cease all current buying/brokering.  But then I thought, if I'm doing it maybe somebody else is and maybe they have more cash than me.   So I blew the whistle.

[Thanks_for_the_upgrade]

It doesn't give cash, it just artificially boosts your airline value... I'm looking into a solution at the moment, basically it double-sees that brokerage request money.

So I too think it might be doubling up on the downpayment.  It corrects itself when you order aircraft.  It's a bit of a shock the first time it happens, as you scramble to figure out why your valuation jumped by a billion!

Before you fix it, let me do it one more time in about 12 hours.

[Wolfhound]

It doesn't give cash, it just artificially boosts your airline value... I'm looking into a solution at the moment, basically it double-sees that brokerage request money.

So I too think it might be doubling up on the downpayment.  It corrects itself when you order aircraft.  It's a bit of a shock the first time it happens, as you scramble to figure out why your valuation jumped by a billion!

Before you fix it, let me do it one more time in about 12 hours.

I wonder has anyone exploited it in the past.  There's probably no good way to check it, other than just monitor value and watch for an unexpected jump in valuation with no attendant increase in the fleet size that could be explained by the closure of a brokerage deal.

[AirHanoverInternational]

I remember this was reported in the past. But I cannot find it. AFAIK dktc wrote players that take advantages of it will be punished somehow.

[Hot Drink]

i've found out that at the first time after retract i gain 200,000,000(the downpayment), the value up for that.
But after i put down the second bokerage(bug), the thing will deduct my value gain last time, so it may only made profit for 1 time(so this may be a one-way bug then) :?

[dktc]

If I remember correctly, the value should correct itself somehow (either when you order another plane, or when the plane delivered, or at the next month change). This is a known bug that we have figured out in a value jump investigation. The issue is in fact simple as in someone knowingly abuse a bug, and so if we have prove that the someone is abusing the bug, we would use one way or another to restore the correct value for the account. The quickest way to do it, is to take cash away. So... ooooops... sorry, 100 million have been deducted from your account, and now you are at -80 million cash. If you need a reset, let us know   (and of course, when the value is restored automatically, you would have 200% gain deducted. <- another ooops :twisted: )

[Chavaquiah]

Previous two threads about this subject:

http://stephenm.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=4107

Just for clarification: unlike what I thought happened, retracting a request does (falsely) increase company value?

If so, is it possible to correct that?

That is correct as of right now and it is going to be corrected. This is a cheat that if anyone continue to abuse, would get disciplined.

http://stephenm.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=4229

I know I read about this in some thread outside the bugs area but can't find it.
Even though it's temporary the airline value rises when I cancel a brokerage request. The increased value disappears after a minute or two so there's no use in mass requests to boost value  
Minor thing regarding functionality, just wanted to let you know.

[Thanks_for_the_upgrade]

Sure it's been mentioned twice and it went twice unresolved.  Third time's the charm.  

[Thanks_for_the_upgrade]

I just did the request retraction and went up 20,000,000,000 in value.  I did this because this is how I think people could slip around and in to the lead at the very last second.  It's an artificial value increase but the rankings don't see it that way.