Authenticating a user based on their RuneScape account has always been a challenge, and I have yet to see a system which does it fluidly - but those are some really nice ideas that I hadn't considered before.
The only other reliable method I've come across was from Kandarin.net's Blog - it's supposedly a RuneScape social network getting ready to be released later this year. Here's a method they describe:
http://blog.kandarin.net/ wrote:
We all know there are people who pretend to be someone else in the Runescape community, and this has always been (as long as I can remember) an issue with the real people trying to sign up afterwards, only to see that their name is already taken. This is called name squatting.
I think the best way to deal with this is something like this. (I assume the user has signed up for an account on Kandarin.net and is now attempting to add a Runescape Account to their profile.)
User types in their Runescape Name, and is provided with information about whether its available or not.
If the name is not taken yet, they are given the following instructions for verifying their ownership of the name:
Don’t close this page
Log into your account on runescape.com (no links to runescape.com provided)
Navigate to the official Runescape Forums, and create a post on any public thread (one that is visible for everyone).
Once you have created your post, copy the link where the post is viewable
Go back to the account verification form, and paste in the link to the post in the input box shown
If the verification code was valid and the names match, the runescape account is added to their profile, if not, they are shown an error.
I think the best way to deal with this is something like this. (I assume the user has signed up for an account on Kandarin.net and is now attempting to add a Runescape Account to their profile.)
User types in their Runescape Name, and is provided with information about whether its available or not.
If the name is not taken yet, they are given the following instructions for verifying their ownership of the name:
Don’t close this page
Log into your account on runescape.com (no links to runescape.com provided)
Navigate to the official Runescape Forums, and create a post on any public thread (one that is visible for everyone).
Once you have created your post, copy the link where the post is viewable
Go back to the account verification form, and paste in the link to the post in the input box shown
If the verification code was valid and the names match, the runescape account is added to their profile, if not, they are shown an error.
However, your Refer a Friend idea seems even easier and wouldn't require users to post a random message on the forums.
I'm not sure if this will be implemented on RuneTrack anytime soon as RuneTrack is more of a public record-keeping site that doesn't need authentication, but I'm sure other sites (like Kandarin) could make good use of that tip.
