PB Cvar restrictions (Admins)

(DG) #1

Wondering what people are using for their PB cvar restrictions, preferably looking for fairly relaxed, researched restrictions designed more to combat actual cheats + exploits rather than “ugly mode”.

I’m using:

pb_sv_cvar rate in 3000 25000
pb_sv_cvar snaps in 20 40
pb_sv_cvar cl_maxpackets in 30 100
pb_sv_cvar cl_timenudge in -50 0
pb_sv_cvar cg_bobup in 0 0.005
pb_sv_cvar m_pitch out -0.015 0.015
pb_sv_cvar m_yaw in 0.022
pb_sv_cvar cl_freelook in 1
pb_sv_cvar com_maxfps out 0.00001 40
pb_sv_cvar r_picmip in 0 3
pb_sv_cvar r_flares in 0 1
pb_sv_cvar r_rmse in 0
pb_sv_cvar r_overbrightbits in 0 4
pb_sv_cvar r_mapoverbrightbits in 0 4
pb_sv_cvar cg_shadows in 0 1
pb_sv_cvar cg_fov in 90 120
pb_sv_cvar cg_thirdperson in 0
pb_sv_cvar r_softwareGL in 0
pb_sv_cvar r_allowextensions in 1

clanbase use what i think is a straight cut+paste from rtcw:

pb_sv_cvar cl_maxpackets in 30 100
pb_sv_cvar cl_timenudge in -50 0
pb_sv_cvar rate in 3000 25000
pb_sv_cvar snaps in 20 40
pb_sv_cvar r_picmip in 0 5
pb_sv_cvar r_picmip2 in 0 5
pb_sv_cvar r_mapoverbrightbits in 0 4
pb_sv_cvar r_overbrightbits in 0 4
pb_sv_cvar r_ext_NV_fog_dist in 0
pb_sv_cvar com_maxfps out 0.00001 40
pb_sv_cvar m_pitch out -0.015 0.015
pb_sv_cvar cg_fov in 90 125
pb_sv_cvar cg_shadows in 0 1
pb_sv_cvar cl_freelook in 1
pb_sv_cvar m_yaw in -0.022 0.022
pb_sv_cvar r_rmse in 0
pb_sv_cvar cg_bobup in 0 0.005
pb_sv_cvar cg_bobpitch in 0 0.002
pb_sv_cvar cg_bobroll in 0 0.002

Two settings I really dont know much about are from the suggested cvars:
r_softwareGL in 0
r_allowextensions in 1
anyone know much about these?
any cvars to add?

ps. no comments about how you think player’s configs should be thanks.

(SCDS_reyalP) #2

r_allowextensions lets the renderer use opengl extensions. So this config requires users to have extensions enabled. Normally opengl extensions are a good thing (you can get faster performance, better eyecandy etc) but some drivers have buggy implementations of the extensions. So requireing them to be enabled may prevent some people (mostly with older or oddball video cards) from playing.

I’m not sure the reason many configs require extensions. I suppose there is some exploit related to disabling them, but most extensions also have their own cvar to enable/disable them. :???:

Curiously, r_softwareGL doesn’t seem to be a valid cvar. It may be a typo of r_allowSoftwareGL, which is.
This permits the game to use software rendering if no hardware support is available. Normally, quake3 games just quit with an error if there is no hardware opengl. I don’t know what exploits are associated with allowing software rendering, aside from single digit frame rates. Probably some opengl hack, but you can do that without software gl.

cg_thirdperson is cheatprotected. Unless you have specific reason to believe that this is the only one on which cheat protection can be bypassed, I’d suggest a few others:
r_showtris in 0
r_shownormals in 0
r_wolffog in 1
r_drawfoliage in 1

Those are just off the top of my head, I’m sure many others are exploitable. However, you cannot just go through cvarlist and add all the ones with a C next to them to the pb config, because some are modified internally (cg_skybox comes to mind).

Currently, it seems that pb detects these violations but doesn’t kick for them.

edit:
Oh, if you want modem players to be able to play, you should allow cl_maxpackets down to 15, because that is the default if you set your connection type to modem.

another edit:
No point in allowing picmip over 3, because the game caps it at that regardless of pb. Afaik the same applies to itensity and overbrightbits, but I’m not sure what the limits are.

(DG) #3

CAL added it to their rtcw cvars, they seem to think there is some expliot with it.

PB is detecting cheat-protected cvars atm because there is a hack for them, but it not kicking until theyre sure its not going to kick players that have trailing spaces or whatever (probably put in by those cfg parsers?).

ty :slight_smile:

(Homer J) #4

Not quite. they added them just in case somebody does manage to find an exploit.

(SCDS_reyalP) #5

Not quite. they added them just in case somebody does manage to find an exploit.[/quote]
That makes no sense, because there are many cheat protected cvars which are much worse than cg_thirdperson. Why would they restrict only that one ?

Either they are really ignorant, or they had some very specific problem with that cvar.

If it were my server, I would restrict some of the other ones. :moo:

(DG) #6

Once again, we have a cvar to add! Yes, I know how much everyone loves updating there CAL config so we mange to squeeze a second cvar in this week. What lucky cvar get limited this time around? None other then cg_thirdperson.

pb_sv_cvar cg_thirdperson in 0

Normally this should be cheat protected on any server that have pure set to 1. Well unfortunately there is a nasty little bug that managed to slip by.

doesnt sound like they just put it in for the fun of it.