PunkBuster 'VALID' GUIDs?

(Agrado) #1

Does anyone know what the ‘VALID:’ means after GUIDs in PunkBuster lists? e.g.

]/pb_power
PunkBuster Client: 2 1 0/10 12345678(VALID:34) Moo
PunkBuster Client: 3 1 0/10 23456789(?) Moo2

(Rain) #2

The ‘VALID:’ info shows the number of days the GUID has been valid–i.e. the GUID age. I haven’t a clue why it doesn’t always list the age, though, as my guid is over 225 days old, and PB usually (but not always) displays its age.

(Agrado) #3

Ah, thanks. I thought it might be but I couldn’t work out why most of them it just said ‘?’. I guess that makes this feature basically completely useless :frowning:

(Rippin Kitten) #4

I think the original idea was to allow server admins to only allow players who have a GUID over a certain age. That way you could block out people who are “too new.” This would include both people who have freshly installed the game as well as people who have generated a new key. The latter would be useful to prevent lamers who get banned from a server, generate a new guid, and get around non-ip bans that way.

RK

(pgh) #5

Probably not the Newbie part but the part about Regenerated Keys after a ban sounds more likely :banghead:

(Agrado) #6

Indeed, there are undocumented (ha! as if any of the console commands or variables are documented) variables ‘pb_sv_minguidage’ and ‘sv_minguidage’ but I’m not sure if they work - and if PB can’t work out the GUID age most of the time they certainly won’t work!

From what I can tell, the GUID stuff is vastly overcomplicated and could’ve been made much more simple and reliable, but … wasn’t … for some reason.

(Rippin Kitten) #7

We tried using the guidage variables and it either kicked everyone or didn’t have any effect. I don’t think the setting was fully fleshed out before the game was completed.

RK

(Agrado) #8

Yes but bear in mind the PB code is constantly updated and doesn’t stop with 1.00/1.02/whatever version of ET.

(pgh) #9

Just because a programs code is constantly update doesnt mean they implement or fix old/new features. Could take another 5 releases of PB before they think about GUIDAge. Cant see anything being done about it tho as good as the idea sounds. Would save alot of Server Admins time and finally/hopefully put an end to OGC’rs, Wallhackers, Brightskinning, Speedhacking twats.

Would also like to hear of any full blacklisted players/clans caught/pb caught cheating, pref with proof please.

(ND80) #10

The guid age was ‘tested’ by PB several months back by several different server admins including myself. The idea behind the guid age was to either prevent completely new players from playing on a server or more importantly preventing banned players from getting a new guid instantly and returning to the same server.

Unfortunately, every test would kick many players from the server everytime a new map would start regardless of their guid age. As far as I know nothing more has been done for this potential useful tool, and the ‘test’ failed.