Free Candy Van

[Aleon]

The server is unreachable most of the time, my in-game server browser fails to query anything apart from player count and current map.

The fact that no one even addressed the complaints regarding this is amusing.

Not that I'm so eager to join the server right now, but something being broken was bugging me. So I went ahead and tried to poke around see what could cause the issue.

Obviosuly, the first place I started looking was your website (http://www.bluedrake42.com). I couldn't load the site, browser times out. Interesting. Server is obviously not down, so let's start testing stuff. Pinging your website or the PR:BF2 server results in absolutely no response, all packages lost. Let's see teamspeak: same result.

At this point I'm thinking that my packages don't even reach the targets. Doesn't seem to be a firewall issue. Let's try a different IP. So I fired up my mobile net (different ISP), got a different computer, and surprise surprise, still same results. Everything related to your hosting is still unreachable. And here's the interesting part. As the next step, I got a quick proxy trough hide.me and, suddenly everything works. So it seems that I'm actually being blocked by something down the route. Let's check that. Trace shows that my packets get all the way to Montreal, and I get blocked off by an "OVH Hosting" server. Looking up on their website, they offer DDOS protection, which was my #1 suspect.

After a google search, and reading trough hosting forum posts from 2013 with people complaining about OVH blocking useful traffic, confirmation bias tells me I found the problem. It's unclear how many people are actually affected by this, but you might want to sort it out with your server provider.

[Bluedrake42]

The fact that no one even addressed the complaints regarding this is amusing.

Not that I'm so eager to join the server right now, but something being broken was bugging me. So I went ahead and tried to poke around see what could cause the issue.

Obviosuly, the first place I started looking was your website (http://www.bluedrake42.com). I couldn't load the site, browser times out. Interesting. Server is obviously not down, so let's start testing stuff. Pinging your website or the PR:BF2 server results in absolutely no response, all packages lost. Let's see teamspeak: same result.

At this point I'm thinking that my packages don't even reach the targets. Doesn't seem to be a firewall issue. Let's try a different IP. So I fired up my mobile net (different ISP), got a different computer, and surprise surprise, still same results. Everything related to your hosting is still unreachable. And here's the interesting part. As the next step, I got a quick proxy trough hide.me and, suddenly everything works. So it seems that I'm actually being blocked by something down the route. Let's check that. Trace shows that my packets get all the way to Montreal, and I get blocked off by an "OVH Hosting" server. Looking up on their website, they offer DDOS protection, which was my #1 suspect.

After a google search, and reading trough hosting forum posts from 2013 with people complaining about OVH blocking useful traffic, confirmation bias tells me I found the problem. It's unclear how many people are actually affected by this, but you might want to sort it out with your server provider.

Wow... that was actually an incredibly thorough investigation. Thank you so much for that for real, that actually is really helpful to us.

We do in fact have very strong DDoS protection, perhaps the strongest in the US. With Bluedrake42 and Free Candy Van being some of the most highest targeted server brands in the community we secured a deal with OVH to prevent attacks against our community.

I didn't realize this could have created collateral situations like the one you're describing, but now that I think about it its totally plausible. If you could please, post exactly what you posted here in the Technical support section of our forum and I'll have our technicians look at it.

I have a tech who works directly with the company providing us our DDoS protection, and if I have him review your case I'm sure we'll be able to get you through. You may have to provide some more details however, I'm expecting us to need to pinpoint your connection and whitelist it on our systems most likely.

Again, thanks for posting this information! I feel like if we had looked into this ourselves it would have taken us weeks to figure out.

[DC_K]

was playing on last night, stable server, just needs more admins during US primetime
there was an ******* or two that i reported that wouldn't stop grieving in all chat, but I'm sure it's been taken care of now (at least I hope)

thanks for providing a server for us to play on

[Bluedrake42]

was playing on last night, stable server, just needs more admins during US primetime
there was an ******* or two that i reported that wouldn't stop grieving in all chat, but I'm sure it's been taken care of now (at least I hope)

thanks for providing a server for us to play on

Did you report it on the website? People abuse the !r command all the time, website reports make the more serious infractions easier to track for our admins.

[DC_K]

Did you report it on the website? People abuse the !r command all the time, website reports make the more serious infractions easier to track for our admins.

nope, just !r

name rhymes with alv

[matty1053]

Sorry to ask... what's the rule on mumble chat? Had a squad leader who was talking non stop in squad lead chat. He never spoke to squads directly. Always the all squad chat. Having this all game got annoying: "SQUAD 6 ENEMY SQUAD BY YOU. TRANS GIVE ME A CRATE."

Is that type of chatting allowed?

[LiamBai]

If it's excessive that would come under the spam rule. Personally, I would warn him for spam and kick/resign if he didn't stop.
I also have this problem pretty regularly on FCV and one or two other servers, but most SLs start using the numpad if you shout at them a bit.

[matty1053]

If it's excessive that would come under the spam rule. Personally, I would warn him for spam and kick/resign if he didn't stop.
I also have this problem pretty regularly on FCV and one or two other servers, but most SLs start using the numpad if you shout at them a bit.

I don't really want to shout at them. But I just don't like to be pushed too far. Next time this occurs I will no doubt report them for spamming though.

But it was excessive. I LOVE communication but screaming intel to everyone at EVERY minute?

"ENEMY INFANTRY ON ME, MOVING SLOWLY NORTH EAST... TURNING A CORNER OF A HOUSE... I THINK THEY RELOADING!". Now that's ridiculous. Sad thing is the guy and his squad were not even near flag cap half of the game.

I nearly snapped at the guy when he told me to stop making fobs and help the team... I had to laugh a bit, just a bit.

According to his logic... a trans chopper is a HUUUGEE threat to our CAS squad... and the enemy CAS wasn't. So he was literally screaming every single movement where he was.

[Bluedrake42]

Yeahhhhhhhhhh... I mean that's not technically against the rules but yeah, I agree. Honestly he'll probably get over it in time, people like that do it for a while and then ease off when they realize how ridiculous they're being.

[Aleon]

If you could please, post exactly what you posted here in the Technical support section of our forum and I'll have our technicians look at it.

Since I can not properly reach your website, or register on it, I can't post the said thread. That's why I was writing all this here in the first place.

[Bluedrake42]

Since I can not properly reach your website, or register on it, I can't post the said thread. That's why I was writing all this here in the first place.

Has this problem been fixed since you last posted?

[fatalsushi83]

Just wanted to say I had a great time last Saturday with three amazing rounds on Burning, Beirut, and Marlin while Bluedrake was doing the livestream. If anyone who was in my squad those rounds is reading this, you guys did a great job.

EDIT:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R61YBGnZqow

I was leading the squad defending the T building that Bluedrake attacks from 5:20. We were the only squad in the cap zone and racked up over 20 kills before being getting overrun. It was fun to see it from another perspective so thanks for uploading!

[Aleon]

Has this problem been fixed since you last posted?

As of the last weekend, it was still present. I'm kind of out of ideas on my end, but if you guys need anything that I can help with, let me know.

[Bluedrake42]

As of the last weekend, it was still present. I'm kind of out of ideas on my end, but if you guys need anything that I can help with, let me know.

That is so weird... have you tried connecting to the site via a vpn? We haven't had this issue with anyone else.

[Aleon]

That is so weird... have you tried connecting to the site via a vpn? We haven't had this issue with anyone else.

Yes, proxies work, but I don't have access to a proper vpn and in-browser solutions don't load some site features properly (like the CAPTCHA at registering). The weird thing is I can't even connect with my android phone trough mobile internet. (Which is completely different from my cable provider.) Even if my computers were actually sending spam packages because of an unlikely infection, and thus get blocked legitly, my phone should be unaffected.

[Bluedrake42]

Just FYI our server has been down today due to technical difficulties our provider experienced that were out of our control. Everything appears to be fixed now, and hopefully the server will be restarted tonight.

[Acecombatzer0]

Server went back online around 0300 PRT, but mumble was down for the better part of an hour

I left before the server became fully populated

[Bluedrake42]

Yeah we're still having trouble with mumble since the shutdown, we're expecting it to be fixed permanently sometime soon.

[Bluedrake42]

Alright mumble is fixed, everything should be back to the way it was. Thanks for your patience

[Bluedrake42]

Hello everyone, as you know FCV is powered by our community and we work hard to do the best with the resources we have. Project Reality is a small place, and we are lucky enough to rely on the few experienced administrators kind enough to help and make FCV the place it is.

With that said, as always administrators come and go and we are constantly on the search for new experienced administrators to fill our ranks. Currently we are staffed at around 75% the manpower that we would prefer.

If you are interested in helping us continue to make our server and Project Reality the great place that it is, please consider filing an application with us to help administer Free Candy Van. Links will be provided below.

A community is only as great as the people that run it, and hopefully with the right people we can continue to make this place even better. <3

? Post an Application | Drakelings