Attension: Update your punkbuster or be banned on servers!!!

=T&A= CHARGER · Post by **=T&A= CHARGER** » 2007-02-22 00:39

From previous experience, if you have recently uninstalled/reinstalled Bf2 than you may have to manually update PB. Otherwise, like has been said here, 98% of us will have no need to.

MrD · Post by **MrD** » 2007-02-22 00:48

Just managed to manually update my PB, but then i'd recently reinstalled

Also, Admins should keep in mind that PunkBuster will not take a screenshot from a player who has minimized his local game or who has an application active other than the game itself. In those cases, an empty black screenshot image is sent with text at the bottom explaining why the Capture failed. Also, there are a few video display setups that cannot be correctly captured at this time. These setups also do not allow the game itself to take screenshots using the built-in non-PunkBuster method.

that's something that can happen to a lot of server admin when they drop to desktop to play with bf2cc

Desertfox · Post by **Desertfox** » 2007-02-22 00:54

Scottyboy wrote:this cheater you caught will be added to our ban list. Nice one.

People should bear in mind that not every black screenshot is a bad sign. But Im guessing repeated ones are dubious. Howver quote from PB below

Also, Admins should keep in mind that PunkBuster will not take a screenshot from a player who has minimized his local game or who has an application active other than the game itself. In those cases, an empty black screenshot image is sent with text at the bottom explaining why the Capture failed. Also, there are a few video display setups that cannot be correctly captured at this time. These setups also do not allow the game itself to take screenshots using the built-in non-PunkBuster method. [/quote

So I hope you do ensure several random screenshots over a period of time. and not just 3 or 4 over a few minutes.
That is why I dont 100% agree with this.

DVB-PARAMEDIC.CA wrote:Helix is a reputable squad (clan) and their word is solid and we @ the [DVB] will support them by adding the culprit to our ban list.

cheers,
PMED

I didnt mean the cheater that he posted (Which will be added to the devfile banlist

) I meant the post.

A-10Warthog · Post by **A-10Warthog** » 2007-02-22 00:56

Scottyboy wrote:this cheater you caught will be added to our ban list. Nice one.

People should bear in mind that not every black screenshot is a bad sign. But Im guessing repeated ones are dubious. Howver quote from PB below

Also, Admins should keep in mind that PunkBuster will not take a screenshot from a player who has minimized his local game or who has an application active other than the game itself. In those cases, an empty black screenshot image is sent with text at the bottom explaining why the Capture failed. Also, there are a few video display setups that cannot be correctly captured at this time. These setups also do not allow the game itself to take screenshots using the built-in non-PunkBuster method. [/quote

So I hope you do ensure several random screenshots over a period of time. and not just 3 or 4 over a few minutes.

well i always have aim msn xfire and sometimes some internet pages up, is this what you mean by this?

i had to manually update my pb once but that was in like.1 vbf2 patch, and it updated automatically after that. so my other question is do i have to do this?

Post by **PARAMEDIC.CA** » 2007-02-22 01:19

Desertfox wrote:I didnt mean the cheater that he posted (Which will be added to the devfile banlist ) I meant the post.

Cool, I think think all the admins agree about most of this stuff.

I wish there was a more colaborative intellegence and information gathering & sharing effort than just using the PR public forums. Most issues could be solved and concluded much faster if there was a 'team' effort instead of individual squads/clans/admins doing all the work by themselves.

Perhaps the competitive spirit of the "clan" is the biggest obstacle in making a strong, unified, and organized effort to stop cheating ??

: Is it possible that the PR folks could facilitate a neutral "space" for an official task force on cheating? discussion?

Anyways, great work by RAge and the gang at Helix.

Cheers,
PMED

R@ge · Post by **R@ge** » 2007-02-22 08:18

Scottyboy wrote:this cheater you caught will be added to our ban list. Nice one.

People should bear in mind that not every black screenshot is a bad sign. But Im guessing repeated ones are dubious. Howver quote from PB below

Also, Admins should keep in mind that PunkBuster will not take a screenshot from a player who has minimized his local game or who has an application active other than the game itself. In those cases, an empty black screenshot image is sent with text at the bottom explaining why the Capture failed. Also, there are a few video display setups that cannot be correctly captured at this time. These setups also do not allow the game itself to take screenshots using the built-in non-PunkBuster method.

So I hope you do ensure several random screenshots over a period of time. and not just 3 or 4 over a few minutes.

We know about this, and we will not ban a player if he just have some blank screens...
We are talking about players who we never have got a successful screenshot from, and usually over different maps and over time...

[-CT-] Moncai · Post by **[-CT-] Moncai** » 2007-02-22 08:24

sorry im ill and have probably interpreted this wrong

ops: Ive never had any probs with Punkbuster but should I still manually update? or is it only specific players?

:

Hx.Clavdivs · Post by **Hx.Clavdivs** » 2007-02-22 08:53

Moncai,
I think you wont have to do anything. The players this will effect are about only 1-2% of the community. (Or roughly that figure) I belive in the "if it aint broke, don't fix it".

If you should find yourself unexplainably banned from a server, you might want to find their website and ask the reason. If they state its because of blank PB, well - there you have your answere.

arthuro12 · Post by **arthuro12** » 2007-02-22 10:08

'[R-PUB wrote:R@ge']I don't know why it helps updating the punkbuster; i have not made it...

HeliX is the first server doing this now, but more will follow....
And there is already others who have said that they ban players on if they always returns blank pbscreens....

i can't edit the topic title.. had to be something bit more general....

BTW: We have BUSTED another cheater on our server....
This time with a clean pbscreen!!!

GUID: 4dbd76acd68551b6f0e60cc5d4230d2a
Nick: [UAG] [UA]-=DeathruleR=

Good luck too you.. You are soon on the Master Ban list!!!!

DEATH TO THE CHEATER!!

BURN HIM AT THE STÂKES!!!!

BOOOoO BOOOOOO

Post by **bosco_** » 2007-02-22 14:39

Done.

Hx.Clavdivs · Post by **Hx.Clavdivs** » 2007-02-22 14:43

The really funny part? Fella has just played 4 hours of PR. And what happens the first time he tries it? He gets busted and posted on PB masterbanlist.

Gawd ... I love my hobby.

Aljen · Post by **Aljen** » 2007-02-22 15:03

I am probably stupid, but how do you know that guy was cheating? That small red stain in a screenshot?

Post by **bosco_** » 2007-02-22 15:04

Aljen wrote:I am probably stupid, but how do you know that guy was cheating? That small red stain in a screenshot?

Reddot to aim? More to say?

Batalla35 · Post by **Batalla35** » 2007-02-22 15:27

done

batalla35

[PTG]Jonny*5 · Post by **[PTG]Jonny*5** » 2007-02-22 15:42

30 secs done

i say everyone do this! even if you think you are up to date, It only takes 30 secs.

jackal22 · Post by **jackal22** » 2007-02-22 16:03

CAN SOMEBODY PLEASE write a easy reason as to why, im baffed everybody keeps saying random things that dont follow on...

please state:

1:what htis update does

2:will punkbuster auto update it anyway

3: will this affect other servers

^thats all i need to/ want to know before/ if i need to install

Gaz · Post by **Gaz** » 2007-02-22 16:09

while I agree about updating your PB client, all the song and dance about banning people who return blank screenshots will effect people who are not cheating too. Accusing people when they are banged to rights like the above picture is one thing, but when they are innocent is another. I have worked adminning in a big ladder site and we had a lot of close support from PsB and EvenBalance (makers of PunkBuster). Now this was 2+ years ago for Call of Duty, but the core PB client coding and workings/principles are common throughout all games covered by this particular AC system.

What I mean by this is that there's a lot of things dependent on whether a player will return a 'true' PB screenshot, or a blank/black screenshot.

The main one is player's bandwidth. The server requests a screenshot to be taken, and dependent on the player's bandwidth available at that precise moment, if it's too low, a black screenshot will be produced. So don't go banning people over this

People on 1mb and below connection and below are very prone to this. However, over a period of an hour, for example if 4 screenshots are requested by the PB server during this period, the LIKELYHOOD is that 1 will come back 'clean'.

However, if you have a regular user that has a strong connection, and they are returning black screenshots all the time, you can only be suspicious. You cannot class someone as a cheater because of this, as it's a quite weak case to uphold on a server admin's part. Although it's your server, and you are free to ban or suspect who you wish.

Don't forget, there are cheat programs out there that return screenshots that are 'clean', and the cheat turns itself off for 2 seconds while the ss is taken. Then there's ones out there that continualy block the feedback of the player's PB client to the server. Then there's the ones that are not caught by PB automatically but you can nail them by inspection of PB Screenshots (like above).

All I'm saying is be careful and ensure you have sufficient proof before labelling someone or banning someone from your server, for your clan's reputation's sake.

Any threads made by anyone classing someone as a 'cheater' because of black screenshots will be removed from these forums as it's not proof enough to class someone as such tbh.

Hope this helps a little

Gaz

EDIT: Updating your client usually happens automatically, and you will very rarely notice it (unless you are an avid reader of the console

). However, there are rare occasions where you will have to update PB manually. Doing so WILL NOT affect you connecting to other servers. If anything, having an updated client means you are safer than most other players if they havent already been updated automatically to the same version of protection.

1:what htis update does

It updates your client to check for new or previousl undetected hacks and processes running on your computer while playing a PB protected game.

2:will punkbuster auto update it anyway

98% of the time, yes. Though manually doing it just means you dont have to wait until PB decides to auto-update everyone to their newest version. No reason not to if you don't have any 3rd party apps running while playing PR, is there?

3: will this affect other servers

Not at all. As long as you have the same or newer version of the PB client for your game installed it can communicate effectivley with the server. Although having an older version of the client will cause you to be kicked if joining a PB protected server that has a newer server version. It cannot communicate with your client.