Please.... block all UT2004 demo servers from the Master Server...

[GreatEmerald]

Hmm, a very good idea... I'd never think of that. That would mean that the cheater would simply get a timeout error each time he tried to connect to the server. And you can even set up IP ranges/masks and such.

[HornDog]

AS in the 1973 movie "Papillon" just before the prisoners boarded the ships headed for Devils island heard "...France is rid of you." And so it goes for a player with their IP on the firewall. They are unable to go to your website and complain on your forum about their innocence and then call you every obscenity ever conceived. Life is good with a firewall.

[(ODC)wrench]

If you know that your test scripts are flagged by AntiTCC maybe you should consider a second "clean" install of UT2004 for online gaming.

Check out the OceanaUT mutator called "MapMixer":
http://mapmixer.oceaniaut.com/index....xer&page=about

It enables you to store & load different "profiles".
If it's swapping stuff into/out the path
(or swapping UT2004.ini files, each with different named paths)
antiTCC may ignore those custom packages which are "not residing in the current path".

IOW, just ensure your "profile" used during online play doesn't contain
path=
lines pointing to the directories where your dev (unknown) packages reside.

[izelol]

Please do this Epic.

Right now most of the popular servers use the DEMO cd-key.

With using demo cd-key and latest version of ut2004 you can play like everywhere.

All it would take is to block (ban) the demo cd-key/hash from master server.

Right now i can't just find a decent game because everyone is playing where users with pirated ut2004 play. Thanks to demo cd-key you can't ban anyone buy GUID. Only IP, but cheaters can cheange proxies withing minutes.

This is really annoying and should be stopped. If epic doesn't support piracy they will do it.

Examples of cracked (servers using demo cd-key: techcom ons, all rembo's servers, Homeboy trial...

Example: you can even play vctf with demo key:


As you can see, those are the most popular vctf servers aswell.

And there like 1 cheater in every server. If not exactly aimbotters but radars.
In ons i've quite often run into people who you can not target lock Avril on (some exploit?). Really ****** me off.

Epic please do this. So the people who actually like the demo will buy it. And so we would have a cleaner ut2004 community.
And so the people with the legit game could actually play with other legit players.

Or you wanna leave ut2004 like you did with ut99? Right now you can download ut99 and play where you want without any cd-keys/cracks whatever.

Please don't make ut2004 like that.

Ive played this game for years and would like to continue.
sorry for my english. Iam foreign.

[GreatEmerald]

So the people who actually like the demo will buy it. And so we would have a cleaner ut2004 community.

The problem is that this won't work like you say. If you get the demo, try a game online, see that it works - you get the game. If you get the demo, try a game online and you get a huge YOU ARE BANNED warning, you will never get the full game.
The only fix would be an update to the demo servers. And this won't be happening because Epic obviously dropped active support. The best we can hope is that Epic would release the source code so the community could patch it themselves.

[HornDog]

The problem is that this won't work like you say. If you get the demo, try a game online, see that it works - you get the game. If you get the demo, try a game online and you get a huge YOU ARE BANNED warning, you will never get the full game.
The only fix would be an update to the demo servers. And this won't be happening because Epic obviously dropped active support. The best we can hope is that Epic would release the source code so the community could patch it themselves.

That's one way of looking at it. Another way is: most of the players that play an the Demo server already have the game but would rather play using their hacks. They probably don't have the newer ones that get through security. Or they just enjoy tormenting the honest player with out the possibility of banishment.

[GreatEmerald]

most of the players that play an the Demo server already have the game but would rather play using their hacks.

That doesn't make sense. If you prefer demo to the full game, you won't buy the full game. Besides, if a player hacks the demo, he will probably hack the full game as well (except the servers).

[izelol]

The problem is that this won't work like you say. If you get the demo, try a game online, see that it works - you get the game. If you get the demo, try a game online and you get a huge YOU ARE BANNED warning, you will never get the full game.
The only fix would be an update to the demo servers. And this won't be happening because Epic obviously dropped active support. The best we can hope is that Epic would release the source code so the community could patch it themselves.

Even if there would be some sort of update, the people using cracked servers are not gonna update.
Banning demo key wouldn't get an ban message, just 'invalid cd-key' or something like that when going to server browser. Or maybe, somehow it could be done so that players using demo get message telling 'demo isn't supported anymore'.

And i don't really think many players download a demo of ut2004, to check it out if it's good. It's been out over 5 years, there's reviews, everything where people can find info if this game is cool or not. Ut2004 isn't sold anymore separately much anyway in retail (maybe on Steam).
Few months ago even the links to ut2004 demo on the ut2003 official website were down...

Take L4D for example, demo was there for a month max.

Sometimes when i want to play ONS it seems to me that theres even more players on demo /pirated servers than on full legit ones.

That doesn't make sense. If you prefer demo to the full game, you won't buy the full game. Besides, if a player hacks the demo, he will probably hack the full game as well (except the servers).

The thing is, Full servers are protected.
And players won't that easily go cheating with their own cd-key. In demo or cracked servers everyone uses demo cd-key which doesn't prevent game hackers.

[GreatEmerald]

Even if there would be some sort of update, the people using cracked servers are not gonna update.

Well, that's easy: just change the demo cd key, and make the demo allow only latest demo servers to connect. This will force everyone to upgrade, leaving no place for cheating.

[HornDog]

That doesn't make sense. If you prefer demo to the full game, you won't buy the full game. Besides, if a player hacks the demo, he will probably hack the full game as well (except the servers).

It's not about the game it's about a free ticket to the "freak show." The demo servers are where the actions is. It's the "Roman coliseum." It's the wild west. It's where the bad kids hang out after school.

[grice]

That's one way of looking at it. Another way is: most of the players that play an the Demo server already have the game but would rather play using their hacks. They probably don't have the newer ones that get through security. Or they just enjoy tormenting the honest player with out the possibility of banishment.

The thing is, Full servers are protected.
And players won't that easily go cheating with their own cd-key. In demo or cracked servers everyone uses demo cd-key which doesn't prevent game hackers.

Another thing about playing on demo servers only for certain people who obviously have the full game (tell by skins/characters) is because antitcc retail servers kicks people who are using warez keys coz they downloaded the game. The game pirates don't get kicked on demo servers. I was reminded of this the other day on an antitcc server when somebody got kicked out with the message "xxxxx is using an illegal cd key!" Naturally, those are usually the types of people who run hacks, aimbot, trash talk, spew profanities and generally make a nuisance of themselves. That is the game that they are being allowed to play on the UT2004 demo servers for free.

I believe the demo version had at least 2 fatal mistakes : (1) FAR too much content, and (2) the ability to go online and play that content on public servers. In effect, the demo is a free version of the game competing directly with the retail game like a cancerous growth on a healthy body. If multiplayer had been restricted to retail ONLY right from the beginning, the multiplayer scene would surely be much different for the better now.

[grice]

The problem is that this won't work like you say. If you get the demo, try a game online, see that it works - you get the game. If you get the demo, try a game online and you get a huge YOU ARE BANNED warning, you will never get the full game.
The only fix would be an update to the demo servers. And this won't be happening because Epic obviously dropped active support. The best we can hope is that Epic would release the source code so the community could patch it themselves.

I agree. Turn the support of the game over to trusted members, eg : authors of antitcc, so the community can clean it up and continue to release new patches/updates. It's happened in other games which, despite their age, are still very active and have a healthy community.

btw, I should amend my earlier suggestion on p 1 to only antitcc servers with latest version being allowed to show up in the official stats. Non antitcc retail servers be allowed to show in master server browser but not stats. In which case, if that is implemented, the stats should be reset. Stats, as they stand, are too subject to scamming and hacking and, other than in the context of a given game, are almost useless overall.

[GreatEmerald]

The game pirates don't get kicked on demo servers.

I believe the demo version had at least 2 fatal mistakes : (1) FAR too much content, and (2) the ability to go online and play that content on public servers. In effect, the demo is a free version of the game competing directly with the retail game like a cancerous growth on a healthy body. If multiplayer had been restricted to retail ONLY right from the beginning, the multiplayer scene would surely be much different for the better now.

Really? That's interesting, this is really a bug. They shouldn't be able to connect, whether to demo or non-demo servers (actually, not even to the Master Server). That makes it unfair, because of those player models you mentioned etc.

I don't agree with that... There isn't too much content on the demo. Only a few maps, no possibility to add more, only a few models... Though it's rather strange that they decided to add other player models to the game, just not allow you (or bots) to use them... Logically the demo should only have those models (thus less space required), and revert to the default characters if there is a model from the full game (like it does for custom models).
And, like I've said, I don't agree with #2 either, you can't restrict demo players from trying online games, because otherwise they won't see the most of the game. And that means less games sold, less money go to Epic and there are a lot less players online. Even I bought UT2004 just because I played the demo, and it was cool.

[Piglet]

The problem is that this won't work like you say. If you get the demo, try a game online, see that it works - you get the game. If you get the demo, try a game online and you get a huge YOU ARE BANNED warning, you will never get the full game.

No. If you try the demo and try a game online and get a message "Thank you for trying the demo, upgrade to a full version online on this link and you can join all the other people having fun online" then you might just click the link and buy the game.

[GreatEmerald]

No. If you try the demo and try a game online and get a message "Thank you for trying the demo, upgrade to a full version online on this link and you can join all the other people having fun online" then you might just click the link and buy the game.

Hmm, that does make sense. But then you will have to change the demo anyway, so it would better be to simply add an anticheat and that's all.