Punk Buster Needs Your Server

(Pegger) #1

Might have been posted already, if not, this is an e-mail I got a few days ago:

ET specific news:

We are ready to begin testing the Minimum GUID Age feature of PunkBuster for Enemy Territory. This will allow admins to require players to have had a GUID for a certain number of days before being allowed to join their server(s) … sort of like an advanced server type of thing.

If you run one or more ET servers with PB enabled, please email us at testing@evenbalance.com and express your interest in helping pre-test this feature.

Please visit our site at http://www.evenbalance.com for more information.

Regards,
Even Balance, Inc.

Bust them brats!

(ND80) #2

I’ve been testing this feature on two of my servers. In theory, this is a great feature to help with 1)running a server minus complete noobs and more importantly 2)prevening people banned from instantly creating a new guid and returning to the server.

Having said that, the first two versions of this pb feature that we have tested are borked. Each map start about 85% of the players get kicked regardless of the pbguidage.

Hopefully it will be corrected.

(Fenris) #3

In theory, this is a great feature to help with 1)running a server minus complete noobs…

I see the way this might be attractive but isn’t this feature also a great “killer” of new players, i.e. if “everyone” were to implent this there would be quite a limited number of servers where new players would be able to get on. Of course they could install the game and wait a few days before playing, but I don’t think that will happen, more likely it will cause a drop in potential new players who instead move on to other games.

Just my thoughts on this feature, and I do not think noob always equals beginner/new player :slight_smile:

(Kendle) #4

Have to say I’ve got mixed feelings about this. If this takes off there’s a danger that new players will have no-where to play, or at best their choices will be limited.

Furthermore, players with new GUID’s will not just be new players but also those that have been banned from servers and have had to change their GUID. So the new players will not only be limited in their choice of server, but they’ll have to put up with the lamers that have recently been banned from playing elsewhere.

(Sauron|EFG) #5

Using this to prevent cheaters from getting back immediately is good, but please don’t expect to get rid of noobs.

  1. They can not be identied by how long ago they installed the game.
  2. If they only get to play with other noobs a lot of them will remain noobs.
(Fenris) #6

Hmm, excuse me but I don’t quite see how this would prevent cheaters ?
Kicking for cvars, yes, wallhacks etc, yes, but for not having a GUID old enough :???:

(skinner) #7

but also people who re-format every few weeks never get to play on decent servers, what a dumb fuckin idea

(Ozzie) #8

After a player gets kicked for the things you mention, they reinstall ET, which creates a new key, and they can get back on the server. With this option, that will no longer work.

(Fenris) #9

Ok, didn’t think of that, hehe :smiley:
But actually most servers just kick for cheating (afaik) and does not ban, so it would serve no great purpose to reinstall.
Also, re-joining and attempting to cheat again would then most likely re-kick/ban them, so I still don’t quite see the point of this utility.

(ND80) #10

I agree that this is not a feature I would want to see implemented across the board, but I do plan on using it (if ever corrected) on several of my servers where I would like to control the number of completely new installs from playing. With as many servers as I have now, I can afford to be selective on a few. :slight_smile:

(ND80) #11

Not true, even if you reformat or delete your game entirely, you can save your ET Key and thus keep the same guid.

(Pegger) #12

I like the idea as a server option which is what it will be. Keeps the clueless people out, TK’ers who get banned can’t return five minutes later with a new name and a fresh GUID to continue greifing. Cheaters that get caught after a half hour can’t just return and play again until caught, continually deleting their GUID and having a new one made up when they connect.

Not every server will run it, so noobs will still have a place to play when they first download the game, heh, a few days later and they can play on all the servers.

I don’t know why anybody would be against such a server setting, unless you fall into any of the above descriptions. This is a good thing for ET.

(DG) #13

atm it just seems to be creating an empty server, too many people getting kicked (regardless of how old the guid, though it doesnt seem to kick me :???: ).

also, i fail to see what is stopping people from repeatedly renaming their cdkey file to have several “old” guid’s in reserve. Cant see this helping against anyone remotely clued in.