Version 1.728 of the PB Server for SoF2 has been released to our PB Master Servers for auto-update
and to our website download page. This is a maintenance release.
Version 1.724 of the PB Server for SoF2 has been released to our PB Master Servers for auto-update
and to our website download page. This is a maintenance release.
Version 2.152 of the PB Client for SoF2 has been released to our PB Master Servers for
auto-update and to our website download page. This is a maintenance release.
Version 2.112 of the PB Client for SoF2 has been released to our PB Master Servers for
auto-update and to our website download page. This is a maintenance release.
Version 2.068 of the PB Client for SoF2 has been released to our PB Master Servers for
auto-update and to our website download page. This is a maintenance release.
Version 1.644 of the PB Server for SoF2 has been released to our PB Master Servers for auto-update
and to our website download page. This version fixes a crash bug that was in v1.643 released earlier tonight.
Version 1.643 of the PB Server for SoF2 has been released to our PB Master Servers for auto-update
and to our website download page. This is a maintenance release.
Version 2.049 of the PB Client for SoF2 has been released to our PB Master Servers for
auto-update and to our website download page.
Release Notes for PB Client v2.049:
- this version includes new PB services, see our PB Services FAQ
for more info
Version 1.255 of the PB Server for SoF2 has been released to our PB Master Servers for auto-update
and to our website download page. This is a maintenance release.
Version 1.285 of the PB Client for SoF2 has been released to our PB Master Servers for
auto-update and to our website download page. This is a maintenance release.
Version 1.229 of the PB Server for SoF2 has been released to our PB Master Servers for
auto-update and to our website download page.
Release Notes for PB Server v1.229:
- we are opening up beta testing of a new remote control/logging facility
called PBUCON. Admins who wish to be involved in the open beta can find more information here:
PBUCON
Version 1.183 of the PB Server for SoF2 has been released to our PB Master Servers for auto-update
and to our website download page. This version addresses a crash bug reported by some linux admins
running v1.182. Admins whose PB is not correctly auto-updating can manually update
using PBSetup or by visiting the SoF2
Download page.
Version 1.182 of the PB Server for SoF2 has been released to our PB Master Servers for auto-update
and to our website download page. This version addresses a DLL conversion problem reported
by some linux admins running v1.180 that was released two days ago. Admins whose PB is not correctly
auto-updating can manually update using PBSetup
or by visiting the SoF2 Download page.
Version 1.232 of the PB Client for SoF2 has been released to our PB Master Servers for
auto-update and to our website download page. This is a maintenance release.
Version 1.180 of the PB Server for SoF2 has been released to our PB Master Servers for auto-update
and to our website download page.
Release Notes for PB Server v1.180:
- new command "pb_sv_help [filter(optional)]"; admins can use this command to display most PB Server
commands and settings with brief help notes; for example, issuing "pb_sv_help ss" shows the commands
and settings that contain "ss" (screenshot related functions)
- several new settings have been added to allow admins to customize colors in the PB WebTool; issue
"pb_sv_help http" to get the list
Version 1.217 of the PB Client for SoF2 has been released to our PB Master Servers for
auto-update and to our website download page. This is a maintenance release.
Version 1.166 of the PB Server for SoF2 has been released to our PB Master Servers for auto-update
and to our website download page. This version addresses a bug with PB Tasks where on some servers all
PB tasks will execute continuously.
Version 1.165 of the PB Server for SoF2 has been released to our PB Master Servers for auto-update
and to our website download page. This is a maintenance release.
Version 1.164 of the PB Server for SoF2 has been released to our PB Master Servers for auto-update
and to our website download page. This is a maintenance release.
Version 1.205 of the PB Client for SoF2 has been released to our PB Master Servers for
auto-update and to our website download page. This is a maintenance release.
Version 1.197 of the PB Client for SoF2 has been released to our PB Master Servers for
auto-update and to our website download page. This is a maintenance release.
Version 1.153 of the PB Client for SoF2 has been released to our PB Master Servers for
auto-update and to our website download page.
Release Notes for PB Client v1.153:
- returns the number of bytes and MD5 of files that are shorter than what the server is checking
for using MD5Tool lines (items that return a READ_FAIL to the PB Server)
Version 1.150 of the PB Server for SoF2 has been released to our PB Master Servers for auto-update
and to our website download page. This is a maintenance release.
Version 1.137 of the PB Server for SoF2 has been released to our PB Master Servers for auto-update
and to our website download page.
Release Notes for PB Server v1.136:
- no longer counts spaces as characters in the player name for purposes of checking for minimum name length
Version 1.136 of the PB Server for SoF2 has been released to our PB Master Servers for auto-update
and to our website download page.
Release Notes for PB Server v1.136:
- now correctly handles arbitrary port changes caused by some routers so that associated players do not stay in
INIT mode indefinitely
- the pb_sv_task command no longer requires quotes around the third [command] parameter when spaces are embedded
Version 1.128 of the PB Server for SoF2 has been released to our PB Master Servers for auto-update
and to our website download page.
Release Notes for PB Server v1.128:
- addressed bug with PB's Bad Name Facility not warning/kicking properly
Version 1.124 of the PB Server for SoF2 has been released to our PB Master Servers for auto-update
and to our website download page. This is a maintenance release.
We have confirmed that the recently released update for the Xfire (www.xfire.com) instant
messaging program has triggered PB Violations #90003 and #90011 when the chat overlay system
is used while playing on a PunkBuster enabled server in OpenGL mode. Today, Xfire released a
v1.31 update to correct the problem on their end. We encourage PB admins to give the benefit of
the doubt to players who received either of these violations since Dec. 30th. As these are
generic cheat hook detection algorithms, we will not be removing them from our system. Players
who use Xfire while playing on PB Servers should update to the new version immediately.
Version 1.123 of the PB Server for SoF2 has been released to our PB Master Servers for auto-update
and to our website download page. This is a maintenance release.
Version 1.122 of the PB Server for SoF2 has been released to our PB Master Servers for auto-update
and to our website download page.
Release Notes for PB Server v1.122:
- when PunkBuster kicks a player, the message sent to other connected players will now show the last 4
characters of the kicked player's PB GUID after the player's name
- new setting "pb_sv_filewhitelist [game_subfolder] [file1] [file2] ... [fileN]" can be used by PB admins to
limit the filenames allowed in a specific game subfolder; this can be used in conjunction with PB's MD5Tool
to check filesizes and file signatures of the allowable files
Version 1.129 of the PB Client for SoF2 has been released to our PB Master Servers for
auto-update and to our website download page. This is a maintenance release.
Version 1.126 of the PB Client for SoF2 has been released to our PB Master Servers for
auto-update and to our website download page.
Release Notes for PB Client v1.126:
- starting with this version 1.126, the PB Client now requires the game to be run as the
administrator user or equivalent under Windows XP/2K (see our
FAQ for more info).
Version 1.102 of the PB Server for SoF2 has been released to our PB Master Servers for auto-update
and to our website download page. This is a maintenance release.
Version 1.099 of the PB Server for SoF2 has been released to our PB Master Servers for auto-update
and to our website download page.
Release Notes for PB Server v1.099:
- new command "pb_sv_powerguid [GUID] [Power_Points] [Player_Name(optional)]"; admins can use this
command to add a player's GUID directly to the PB Player Power database at the server when the player
is not currently connected
Version 1.089 of the PB Server for SoF2 has been released to our PB Master Servers for auto-update
and to our website download page. This is a maintenance release.
Version 1.084 of the PB Server for SoF2 has been released to our PB Master Servers for
auto-update and to our website download page. The combination of yesterday's PB Client update
v1.078 and today's PB Server update bring to SoF2 the extended features of PunkBuster found
in other Quake3 engine based games. This includes the WebTool, Player Power, PB Rcon Facility and
PB Tasks. Our online PB manuals for SoF2 will be updated soon to fully document the additional
functionality.
Version 1.078 of the PB Client for SoF2 has been released to our PB Master Servers for
auto-update and to our website download page. This is a maintenance release.
A new PBWEB v1.8 for linux has been released to our Updating PunkBuster
webpage. This version addresses a segfault issue reported
by several linux users.
Version 1.069 of the PB Client for SoF2 has been released to our PB Master Servers for
auto-update and to our website download page.
Release Notes for PB Client v1.069:
- contains a temporary workaround for the lockup conflict with nVidia v5x.xx forceware drivers until
nVidia corrects their backwards compatibility issues - the workaround may or may not solve the lockup problem
for individual users depending on hardware combinations
- removed the cg_thirdperson locked cvar requirement
We have put into effect a new policy of globally banning all PB GUIDs associated
with publicly posted CDKeys. Punks have been using these public CDKeys to cheat on PunkBuster
servers with private hacks. This news post is to give a heads up to the honest community about
why these bans are going into effect and also to once again warn about downloading and "testing"
cheats/hacks. Players should also NEVER use a peer-to-peer Internet file sharing program that shares
the game folders on their hard drive - that is the same as giving away your CDKey to punks. We will
not reverse these bans. If your GUID is banned in this sweep, then you will need to either play
on non-PB Servers or obtain and protect another legitimate CDKey that has not been delivered
(with or without your knowledge) to the punks.
Version 1.072 of the PB Server for SoF2 has been released to our PB Master Servers for auto-update
and to our website download page. Starting with this version of the PB Server, admins will be able to
perform file checks on connected players during gameplay using the new MD5Tool Facility. Using this
new facility should be considered beta testing until further notice. The MD5Tool Facility is documented
here.
Release Notes for PB Server v1.072:
- new commands pb_sv_md5tool, pb_sv_md5toollist, pb_sv_md5tooldel, and pb_sv_md5toolempty
- new setting pb_sv_md5toolfreq defaults to 60 (seconds)
Version 1.068 of the PB Client for SoF2 has been released to our PB Master Servers for
auto-update and to our website download page. This is a maintenance release.
Version 1.067 of the PB Client for SoF2 has been released to our PB Master Servers for
auto-update and to our website download page. We will shortly be releasing a new optional PB MD5Tool Facility for
PB Server Admins who want to check files on connected player systems to detect changes
in game files. Players are hereby warned that any detected attempts to
circumvent PB's new MD5Tool file checks will subject the Player's GUID/CDKey to permanent Global
PB GUID Ban with no recourse.
Release Notes for PB Client v1.067:
- new pb_logmd5tool setting defaults to 0; setting to 1 will cause PB to log all MD5Tool file check
query replies sent to connected PB Servers during gameplay
Version 1.066 of the PB Server for SoF2 has been released to our PB Master Servers for auto-update
and to our website download page.
Release Notes for PB Server v1.066:
- addressed glitch in loading banmask entries from PB ban files
- new pb_sv_maxConUpdates setting defaults to 12; PB Server will not send updates to more than this number of
clients simultaneously in an effort to cut down on update timeouts after a recent PB update
- new pb_sv_homepath command to display PB's home path
Version 1.061 of the PB Client for SoF2 has been released to our PB Master Servers for auto-update
and to our website download page. This is a maintenance release.
Version 1.060 of the PB Client for SoF2 has been released to our PB Master Servers for auto-update
and to our website download page. This is a maintenance release.
We have confirmed that new software (Bigpond Toolbar used primarily in Australia) has recently been
released which raises pre-existing PunkBuster violation #60045. This violation number has been removed
from our system. We encourage PB Admins to give the benefit of the doubt to players and ignore
instances of this violation occurring after December 3, 2003.
Version 1.059 of the PB Client for SoF2 has been released to our PB Master Servers for auto-update
and to our website download page. This is a maintenance release.
Version 1.058 of the PB Client for SoF2 has been released to our PB Master Servers for auto-update
and to our website download page.
Release Notes for PB Client v1.058:
- updated PB Restriction kicking
Version 1.057 of the PB Client for SoF2 has been released to our PB Master Servers for auto-update
and to our website download page.
Release Notes for PB Client v1.057:
- initial PB Restrictions checking (see post for PB Server v1.061 dated 12.4.2003)
Version 1.061 of the PB Server for SoF2 has been released to our PB Master Servers for auto-update
and to our website download page. This version includes a new PunkBuster facility called PB Restrictions. By default,
PB Restrictions are Enabled; the pb_sv_restrictions setting may be set to 0 by server admins who do not wish for PB
to kick for PB Restrictions. Kicking for PB Restrictions will be announced to players that join PB servers in the
"WARNING: PB Kicks for ... All PB Restrictions on this server" message shortly after joining a server where
PB Restrictions are Enabled. Initially, this facility will only work properly on
Internet based PB Servers but will be extended to LAN servers in a future update. We expect to activate PB
Restriction logging/kicking after the next PB Client update. Players who are kicked for a PB Restriction will be
notified of the reason they were kicked. Additionally, PB Restrictions will be logged on all PB Servers even
when kicking is disabled.
In general, the PB Restriction facility represents a tighter set of parameters for playing on PB Servers. A player who
fails a PB Restriction check should not necessarily be considered a cheater, so we advise PB Admins to consider
initial PB kicks for restrictions to be warnings to the players who are kicked so that they may either honor the
restriction by correcting their setup or play on other servers. However, we also encourage PB admins to deal
with repeat offenders of PB Restrictions as they see fit. The initial group of restrictions will deal with
unusual opengl32.dll access or hooking. Players whose systems do not return proper information about the game using a
single opengl32.dll system file will be considered restricted by this new facility (Note: Anyone still trying
to play PB games running under Windows NT v4 is going to be considered restricted by default). Future updates may
require the most current version of DirectX/display drivers to be installed, etc. We will
gladly accept and consider suggestions for future restriction possibilities from the community via email to
research@evenbalance.com.
Release Notes for PB Server v1.061:
- new pb_sv_restrictions setting defaults to 1 (which means kicking for PB Restrictions is Enabled)
- addressed bug in Linux PB Server that caused PB to not be able to restart itself (such as after an update) on some
Linux servers
Version 1.054 of the PB Client for SoF2 has been released to our PB Master Servers for auto-update
and to our website download page.
Release Notes for PB Client v1.054:
- improved internal performance
Version 1.057 of the PB Server for SoF2 has been released to our PB Master Servers for auto-update
and to our website download page.
Release Notes for PB Server v1.057:
- new pb_sv_lan setting defaults to 0; when set to 1, PB will behave as though it has no Internet access
- added threaded DNS resolution to win32 version to reduce hanging associated with DNS lookups in
some environments
Version 1.046 of the PB Client for SoF2 has been released to our PB Master Servers for auto-update
and to our website download page.
Release Notes for PB Client v1.046:
- addressed console display glitch that affected a very few players
Version 1.045 of the PB Client for SoF2 has been released to our PB Master Servers for auto-update
and to our website download page.
Release Notes for PB Client v1.045:
- addressed locked cvar violation message bug (non kicking) that affected some players
- new pb_cdkeyverauto setting defaults to 0; when set to 1, PB issues a pb_cdkeyver command automatically upon
attempting to connect to a server; this is useful for players who have certain routers that randomly drop OOB packets
and cause the GUID: UNKN kicking on PB servers
- new pb_webupdate command adds the PBWEB functionality directly into the PB client; PBWEB should no longer be
required to manually update PB clients; PunkBuster will automatically issue this command when necessary to auto-update
during gameplay before going into distress mode
Version 1.044 of the PB Client for SoF2 has been released to our PB Master Servers for auto-update
and to our website download page.
Release Notes for PB Client v1.044:
- addressed lag problem experienced by some players after PB sent a master server query
Version 1.043 of the PB Client for SoF2 has been released to our PB Master Servers for auto-update
and to our website download page. We have received a few reports from players who have confirmed valid Cdkeys
getting a GUID Status of "UNKN" on PB Servers. In every case where we have worked with these players, the problem
has been traced to the player's router dropping Cdkey Authorize packets going to Raven's Cdkey Auth Server. This seems
to happen frequently on the newer Netgear routers with stateful packet inspection. We have added a new console command
to this new PB Version called /pb_cdkeyver that causes PB to force a Cdkey Auth packet to go to Raven's Cdkey Auth Server.
In testing with players, this seems to all but eliminate the GUID UNKN problem they reported. If you get GUID UNKN on SoF2 PB
Servers, try entering /pb_cdkeyver into your console before joining a server.
Release Notes for PB Client v1.043:
- new pb_lan setting defaults to 0; when set to 1, PB will behave as though it has no Internet access
- new pb_cdkeyver command forces PB to send a Cdkey Authorize packet to Raven's Cdkey Auth Server for players who get
GUID UNKN on PB Servers
Version 1.041 of the PB Server for SoF2 has been released to our PB Master Servers for auto-update
and to our website download page.
Release Notes for PB Server v1.041:
- new command pb_sv_badnameempty empties the list of badnames (from PB's memory); the list is reloaded
from the pbbans.dat file once the PB server is restarted
Version 1.040 of the PB Server for SoF2 has been released to our PB Master Servers for auto-update
and to our website download page.
Release Notes for PB Server v1.040:
- will kick players with GUID status of UNKN unless pb_sv_guidRelax is set to relax kicking for UNKN GUIDs
Version 1.039 of the PB Server for SoF2 has been released to our PB Master Servers for auto-update
and to our website download page.
Release Notes for PB Server v1.039:
- updated to use the new GUID Auth server built in to Raven's Cdkey auth system; GUIDs will be marked
as (VALID), (UNKN) or (LAN) under the new system in the pb_plist (and pb_sv_plist) display
- NOTE: the pb_sv_lanmask setting can be used on PB Servers to specify which player IP Addresses are to
be considered (LAN) players; PB will not try to GUID Auth players joining from those IP Addresses;
for example, if the LAN mask is set so that all local players have an IP Address of the form 192.168.x.x,
then issue "pb_sv_lanmask 192.168" at the PB Server (this can also be added to the pbsvuser.cfg file at
the server to have PB 'remember' this setting each time it is initialized)
- the pb_sv_guidRelax setting controls PB's kicking behavior related to GUIDS; this setting
is cumulative based on adding the values for the conditions desired; 1=UNKN Guid, 4=DUPLICATE Guids;
the default for this setting is 0 which means that PB will kick for both UNKN GUIDs and for cases where
two or more different players are on the PB Server with the same GUID; keep in mind that we can/will
temporarily override this setting from the PB Master servers so if your PB Server does not kick for UNKN
GUIDs when pb_sv_guidRelax is set to 0, then that is why
Even Balance has been working with Raven to extend the SOF2 CdKey Authorization protocol to include PunkBuster
GUID Auth information. This system, similar to the one recently put into place for Quake3, will prevent punks
from being able to use fake or hacked CdKeys on PB Servers in order to get around bans and kicks. We are ready
to begin testing the new system. PB Admins who are interested in testing the pre-release builds should
email us at testing@evenbalance.com and express interest. The pb_plist
console command for players connected to the new PB Servers will start showing "VALID", "LAN", or "UNKN" (Unknown)
after each Player's GUID. Once the new system is past the testing phase, PunkBuster will be able to automatically
remove all players with a GUID Status of "UNKN" forcing them to use a valid CdKey in order to continue gameplay
on PB Servers. As with the Quake3 GUID Auth system, any punk caught attempting to hack PunkBuster directly or
using a cheat that tries to hack PunkBuster will be subject to a permanent CdKey/GUID-based ban from all
Internet-based PB Servers without recourse.
Version 1.041 of the PB Client for SoF2 has been released to our PB Master Servers for auto-update
and to our website download page.
Release Notes for PB Client v1.041:
- addressed glitches related to screenshots on some computers
Version 1.034 of the PB Client for SoF2 has been released to our PB Master Servers for auto-update
and to our website download page.
Release Notes for PB Client v1.034:
- addressed a bug whereby some cvar warnings were not being displayed to players on the playing screen
Version 1.035 of the PB Server for SoF2 has been released to our PB Master Servers for auto-update
and to our website download page.
Release Notes for PB Server v1.035:
- PB Server now checks 2 additional client cvar ranges: cl_pitchspeed (OUT -50 50) and com_maxfps (OUT 0.000001 29)
Version 1.033 of the PB Client for SoF2 has been released to our PB Master Servers for auto-update
and to our website download page.
Version 1.032 of the PB Server for SoF2 has been released to our
website download page. It will be released to our Master auto-update servers pending feedback
from Admins.
Release Notes for PB Server v1.032:
- Now 'guards' IP addresses that are suspicious and kicks players using the guarded IP Addresses if
their PB attempts immediate update downloads upon joining
- IP addresses are automatically added to the new IP Guard list when a player's PB fails to update
after three consecutive tries
- PB Admins can also manually add IP Addresses and/or netmasks to the new IP Guard list with the
new pb_sv_ipguard command; example: pb_sv_ipguard 192.168.1
- NOTE: Currently, the IP Guard list is not saved to disk, it is cleared each time the PB Server is
restarted
- PB Admins can now permanently ban players connecting with specific IP Addresses and/or
netmasks from their PB Servers with the pb_sv_banmask command; example: pb_sv_banmask 192.168.1
- Now kicks players with non-zero frags and/or deaths if their PB Client does not fully
authenticate within a few seconds of joining the server
- addressed bug with pb_sv_banlist command so that it now filters according to documentation
- improved efficiency of initializing connecting PB Clients
- now kicks phantom players (players with an invalid game status yet a non-zero frag/death)
- updated some existing and added new log lines produced by PB Server
- improved detection and handling of corrupted security data (pbsv.db file)
We have confirmed that new software has recently been released which raises pre-existing
PunkBuster violation #60056. This violation number has been removed from our system. We encourage
PB Admins to give the benefit of the doubt to players and ignore recent instances of this violation.
We have confirmed that new software has recently been released which raises long-standing
PunkBuster violation #70001. This violation number has been removed from our system. We encourage
PB Admins to give the benefit of the doubt to players and ignore recent instances of this violation.
Version 1.028 of the PB Client for SoF2 has been released to our PB Master Servers for auto-update
and to our website download page.
Version 1.026 of the PB Client for SoF2 has been released to our PB Master Servers for auto-update
and to our website download page.
Version 1.023 of the PB Client for SoF2 has been released to our PB Master Servers for auto-update
and to our website download page.
Release Notes for PB Client v1.023:
- new pb_ignore setting defaults to 0; set to 1 for PB to not report O/S Exception Errors
(useful to players running under WINE)
- new pb_autoexec setting to hold the name of a user-created script that PB will execute after each
new server connection; players can create or edit pbcl.cfg with a text editor such as notepad and add
a line such as 'pb_autoexec pbgame'; then in the SoF2 'base' folder create a file called pbgame.cfg and
enter commands that should be executed automatically after each connection
- new /pb_myguid console command locally displays the currently entered cdkey and resulting
full PB GUID
Version 1.018 of the PB Server for SoF2 has been released to our PB Master Servers
and download page. Please report any problems to support@evenbalance.com.
Version 1.018 of the PB Server for SoF2 has been released to our PB Master Servers for pre-release testing. In order to test the pre-release, PB Admins should download
pbsv.db for SoF2
into the appropriate home "pb" directory and overwrite your existing pbsv.db file. Then issue a pb_sv_restart command followed by a pb_sv_update command. This should initiate an auto-update to PB Server version v1.018. If pb_sv_restart does not properly restart your server, exiting the game server and re-launching it would be required instead of issuing the pb_sv_restart command. If your server updates to v1.018 but you experience problems and want to go back to the prior version, you should exit the game server and overwrite the pbsv.dll (or pbsv.so under linux or pbsv.mac under mac osx) with the pbsvold.dll file in the home "pb" directory and then restart the game server. Please send feedback via email about v1.018 and your experience following this update process to testing@evenbalance.com.
Release Notes for v1.018:
- The pb_sv_noguidgrace setting now defaults to 1 which means PB will remove players who refuse
to enter a valid cdkey 1 second after joining the PB Server
- The SoF2 version now has 2 additional built-in cvar range checks for the r_ext_multitexture and
r_allowextensions cvars
As requested by Raven Software, in order to combat the more and more common lag-based script cheats being used in SoF2, we have added 3 cvar range checks to the PB Server for SoF2. These are for the snaps, cl_maxpackets and rate player cvars. We have released PB Server v1.015 to the PB Master Servers but only for pre-release testing at this time (pending feedback from PB Admins). In order to test the pre-release, SoF2 PB Admins should download pbsv.db into the appropriate home "pb" directory and overwrite your existing pbsv.db file (NOTE: Do not download this pbsv.db file into the "pb" directory for any game except SoF2). Then issue a pb_sv_restart command followed by a pb_sv_update command. This should initiate an auto-update to PB Server version v1.015. If pb_sv_restart does not properly restart your server, exiting the game server and re-launching it would be required instead of issuing the pb_sv_restart command. If your server updates to v1.015 but you experience problems and want to go back to the prior version, you should exit the game server and overwrite the pbsv.dll (or pbsv.so under linux or pbsv.mac under mac osx) with the pbsvold.dll file in the home "pb" directory and then restart the game server. Please send feedback via email about v1.015 and your experience following this update process to testing@evenbalance.com.
New cheat detection patterns #110003 and #110004 of the AutoFire variety were added to the PB violation system a few hours ago for all games we support. We have been able to confirm that at least one legitimate program (Team Speak Server v1.22) can cause PB to raise these violations falsely. PB Admins should not ban or suspect any players who were tagged with these violations for cheating. Any admins who have a question about this issue should email info@evenbalance.com. We apologize for the inconvenience to any players who were accused of cheating due to one of these violations.
The v1.013 PB Client update that was released this week for SoF2 and RtCW is working well and we're hearing good feedback from several plas that previous problems have been resolved in v1.013. The v1.014 PB Client update that was released yesterday for Quake3 includes newly developed code to work with the new PB Guid Auth server that has recently been developed and is currently in testing. Unfortunately, several players had some problems with v1.014 that did not arise in our internal testing. Version 1.009 of the PB Server for Q3A was released last night and v1.015 of the PB Client this morning in efforts to address the problems that players had with v1.014. Specifically, players were getting 'Invalid Parameter', 'Corruption', 'Distress' and 'Server using old version' messages on some servers. These messages are all symptoms of the same bug in the new Guid Auth code which has now been addressed with the v1.009 PB Server and v1.015 PB Client releases.
Version 1.013 of the PunkBuster Client has been released via auto-update and is on our download pages for RtCW and SoF2. It will be released soon for Quake3. Due to players having problems with recent changes to PB's memory scanning, version 1.013, by default, uses our original memory scan code. For the players who have problems with that, the setting 'pb_system 1' can be used to switch to the new memory scanning code. Most players have no problems with either the old or new code and may find that using 'pb_system 1' will yield the best game performance while PB is enabled. Version 1.013 "remembers" the pb_system setting without having to manually edit or write config files. Also, the pb_sleep setting remains in version 1.013 for players who wish to tweak PB's cpu timeslice in an effort to gain the best performance for their individual systems. As always, please report any problems to support@evenbalance.com. Players and Admins who have problems auto-updating to v1.013 should visit our support page for information on the PBWEB applet that aids in getting updated to the latest PB versions.
PunkBuster is designed to auto-update so that users (players and admins) do not have manually update their PB files. However, for players and admins who do from time to time have to manually update their PunkBuster files for various reasons, we have recently developed a small utility applet called PBWEB for use in making this process as painless as possible. After receiving very good feedback from players and admins who have used this utility over the past few days, we're making it available to the general user base. Please see our Support Page for more information.
Release Notes for prior PB Server Version updates
12/12/02 v1.005
- fixed bug related to kicking for changed GUIDs; only affected servers having an old local PB
Client version
12/12/02 v1.004
- fixed bug that was kicking spectator clients even when pb_sv_specname was set properly
- new pb_sv_minname setting defaults to 0 which means disabled; otherwise requires player
names to be at least as long as the pb_sv_minname value (after stripping colors from the name)
- now detects and kicks for changed GUIDs
11/26/02 v1.001
- fixed bug related to new pb_sv_noguidgrace setting that was kicking NO_GUID players
immediately rather than after the grace period
11/26/02 v1.000
- new pb_sv_updategrace setting to specify the number of seconds a PB Client is given
to update (if necessary) before being removed - default is 600 (10 minutes)
- new pb_sv_noguidgrace setting to specify the number of seconds a player is allowed
to stay on the server with a 'NO_GUID' identifyer before being removed - default is 0
which means NO_GUID players are not removed
11/24/02 v0.998
- outbound PB Packets are now queued and sent once per frame (max) in an effort to
address packet bursts (also pb_sv_sleep setting is ignored starting with this
PB Server version)
- new GUID system assigns player GUIDs at the server so that punks can't impersonate
other players
- violations are now logged with player GUID and IP Address
- temporarily disabled duplicate GUID/CDKEY violations while testing this version
- logs and reports (if/when necessary) to players when the server is using an old
version of the PB Client
11/6/02 v0.996
- temporarily removed the 'invalid guid' and 'changed cdkey' violations because of
problems with some mods - will reintroduce in a future update
- new pb_sv_taskempty command clears the PB task list
- fixed (for consistency) order of arguments for pb_sv_power command (slot # now is
first, then power points)
11/2/02 v0.995
- does not kick for 'too many initializations' (until that bug gets straightened out)
- client queries using pb_cvarval are now ignored if the text "pass" is in the query
(used to be "password")
- player guids and IP addresses are logged in the violation logs
- the kicking for extended characters bug has been fixed (now only kicks if pb_sv_extChar is 0)
- players named 'all' are kicked with a BadName violation
- new pb_sv_emptyname setting defaults to 0 which means players with empty (blank, or "")
name are kicked with a BadName violation
- pb_sv_cvarLogging can now be set to 0 which means PB will not log cvar reports to disk
(may reduce lag)
- bad web key attempts are now logged with source IP address:port
- new command pb_sv_newlog causes PB to close current log, increment log file number and
open a new log
note: use "pb_sv_task 1800 1800 pb_sv_newlog" (for example) to open a new log every 30 minutes
- now kicks players whose guid/cdkey changes during play or who have a malformed guid
- PB log filenaming/sequencing problems have been addressed
- does not log 10002/10004 violations (this bug will be fully addressed in a future update)
- pb_sv_dupmask can be set to a LAN netmask to not kick players on a LAN for duplicate guids
(i.e. pb_sv_dupmask 192.168 will cover all players whose ip starts with 192.168)
