So it all started with the "comment button" that you may have seen on some crafts in SP.
These are actually links that link to a pinned comment, and it can be done by hovering above "Permalink" in the comment, right-clicking, and selecting "Copy Link Address".
So I thought: if comments can be linked, do upvote buttons have links too? The entire website runs on HTML after all.
And, as the title suggests, yes.
How is it done?
To explain, let me take this actually decent plane.
As you hover above the upvote link, the URL to upvote the craft appears at the bottom of the screen. You can then copy the link, paste it into a new tab, and voila, you have upvoted an aircraft without using the button!
Upvote link has been redacted for privacy reasons, otherwise this craft turns into the next German Corsair.
During the process, you will either get redirected to the homepage or even logged out. But when you go to the build, you will find that it's been upvoted by you.
So, we can upvote using links now. What does this mean?
Firstly, we can add "Upvote" buttons at the top of our posts, so those who don't want to read the description can upvote straight away. (I don't do this though, so read my descriptions or else.)
But secondly...
Links are dangerous now.
Picture this: you have a user with low points who doesn't understand why none of (their) crafts are getting upvotes. Then, he has a "brilliant" idea to make other users upvote his crafts accidentally so that he gets more points.
However, doing so is specifically against the rules, and they know that if another user is made to upvote their post, that user will report him to the mods.
So what does he do? Paste an unsuspecting link in a random forum post or comment.
The real danger is that after a user clicks on that link, they wouldn't even know that they've accidentally upvoted a craft, because they get redirected to the homepage!
And meanwhile, the guy who posted the link can quickly delete their message, disappear, and find their next target, and no one would know what to do.
So, why are you even posting this at all? Won't users learn how to make upvote links and then do the exact same scenario mentioned above?
Let me put this out: I was really hesitant to make this forum post, because it would make everyone here paranoid of links (linkphobia...?).
But honestly, there are definitely people here who've already figured this out. If I didn't post this, the mod team and other key users here wouldn't know about this threat that looms above us, and maybe someday, a user would be using upvote links undetected. Maybe they've already been doing it, and we would be none the wiser.
So, how do we stop this?
To prevent this scenario from happening, all you need to do is one very simple action: check the URL.
If you hover/press and hold on the link, and you see "Upvote" in the URL, do NOT click on it! Instead, report the comment or inform a mod. Warn fellow users too to prevent them from falling into the trap too.
Likewise, if you click on a link and it redirects you to the home or login page, report the OP immediately.
Conclusion
So yeah, that was a long passage. I may have taught you how to make upvote links, but use it for purposeful uses, not for gaining illegal points.
And for those wanting to profit off upvote links, remember, you now have an army of vigilant users standing in your way.
Edit: I’ve been informed that it’s not a big problem anymore, and I’ve slightly edited the post to reflect this.
@RepublicOfCursedPlanes Although the rules do not directly state anything about Hyperlink War all they mention is, and I quote:
"Don't tell someone: 'If you upvote my stuff, then I'll upvote your stuff.'
Don't make alternate accounts to upvote your own stuff.
Don't beg other users to upvote your stuff.
Don't cancel challenges that have successor points." In none of that do I see No Hyper link War allowed, in fact the only thing that comes close is no begging for Upvotes and your not begging your forcing against their will. And if the Mod's say for whatever reason do not do it, there's no rule that says listen to the Mod's, only too listen to the rules. lol
This is war.
It looked like a rickroll, I thought it was a rickroll, it was a rickroll😔😔
@RepublicOfCursedPlanes
Yo, Found A Goofy
@4planes the D-01 was inspired from the VFW-614, it’s just that mine has 3x the capacity
@RepublicOfCursedPlanes D-01 irl
@ToeTips well, yes.
Can it be used to spotlight too?
This was the exploit that allowed upvoting unlisted posts, it’s been around for a while.
@4planes true
I don't think it works only for upvotes, i think it's possible to make people log off using links or other things
Why is it a threat though?
I mean, I get that it's a way to unfairly get points but being totally honest I don't see anything harmful about it. It's just internet points.
I get that we value things differently but I don't see this as a threat but more of a tiny nuisance.
Edit: Now before you get mad at me and tell me how important fair points is to you, just know I'm not siding anything, just merely expressing my opinion. I'm not saying points are useless.
Ok I know this was made in light of my su-26, which I won’t link for obvious reasons.
I’d never heard about the rules regarding links, my su-26 has one of these buttons so im a stakeholder here.
I do wish the rules for the site are updated with this stuff but it never is so I’m not going to complain any further.
I’d remove the link but the post is curated, so I can’t do anything about it.
Honestly most people just log onto the site, upvote a few things in the hottest section, and go on with their day. It’s not a harmful thing these are just internet points lol. The thing you can’t abuse however is the download button, I’d rather look at that than upvotes, although upvotes are of much greater value.
Edit: links are always dangerous, pretty sure it’s a given to check what you’re clicking on
Pov: you just found out about force-do links
@RepublicOfCursedPlanes uhmmm, this doesnt sound like a good thing...
@WNP78 Busy with alot of stuff? That sounds like good news
@jamesPLANESii wait actually
This is exactly why this build has so many upvotes.
Interesting. I’ve been trying to figure out how to do the comment link button since I like to write a long description… Didn’t realize any of the other stuff was possible though (or at the very least it never crossed my mind)
it's not new, it's been known for over 7 years at this point. And while yes the design of the website could be changed to prevent it, we're kinda busy with a lot of stuff right now - it's not exactly an existential threat to anything and it can't be hidden, so if people abuse it we can just remove the points they got from it (or even more! :D)
It's not new, there had been several controversies around it, and we stated that linking the upvote link even so that "Users don't have to scroll" is not allowed.
@RepublicOfCursedPlanes ?
@TheAirbusLover