Alternate Retirement Plan Server - banned for cheating?

[Jack]

I fired up DODS for the first time in years about two weeks ago. And I've been enjoying playing again until just now when I received my first ever ban from a server for "cheating".

I started playing DODS the day it launched nearly 15 years ago. Before that I had played DOD original for years. I'm a former CAL competitor but especially these days I'm far from skilled enough to be called a cheater. I'm playing on a laptop with onboard graphic for Christ's sake.

I've found other threads on here that reflect the same behavior from ARP admins. I added one on Steam but they did not accept my request. They are unwilling to discuss this. Why?

It's disappointing that one of the only strongly populated North American servers remaining after 15 years has admins that ban people for just trying to have a good time. There are literally a handful of people left playing this game, can we not simply be nice to each other at this point? I really don't understand.

[kaggnub]

Originally posted by Arizona ranger:

I fired up DODS for the first time in years about two weeks ago. And I've been enjoying playing again until just now when I received my first ever ban from a server for "cheating".

I started playing DODS the day it launched nearly 15 years ago. Before that I had played DOD original for years. I'm a former CAL competitor but especially these days I'm far from skilled enough to be called a cheater. I'm playing on a laptop with onboard graphic for Christ's sake.

I've found other threads on here that reflect the same behavior from ARP admins. I added one on Steam but they did not accept my request. They are unwilling to discuss this. Why?

It's disappointing that one of the only strongly populated North American servers remaining after 15 years has admins that ban people for just trying to have a good time. There are literally a handful of people left playing this game, can we not simply be nice to each other at this point? I really don't understand.

>necro all topics you find about them
>necro all topics you find about them with the same copypasta

does it hurt if you sit down? you really sound like it hurts a lot.
dude, chill.

[ArchoN]

Originally posted by // T.G.O. // kaggnub@weebshit:

>necro all topics you find about them
>necro all topics you find about them with the same copypasta

does it hurt if you sit down? you really sound like it hurts a lot.
dude, chill.

Well he's not wrong about anything he said. Can you tell me what this comment contributes to the solution of the issue? Or does it just make you feel good telling people to calm down about things that you don't even care about?

[kaggnub]

Originally posted by ArchoN:

Originally posted by // T.G.O. // kaggnub@weebshit:

>necro all topics you find about them
>necro all topics you find about them with the same copypasta

does it hurt if you sit down? you really sound like it hurts a lot.
dude, chill.

Well he's not wrong about anything he said. Can you tell me what this comment contributes to the solution of the issue? Or does it just make you feel good telling people to calm down about things that you don't even care about?

yes. and solution: go to another server.

btw: I wouldn't have posted if he didn't necro like 5 topics from somewhere very deep down. But because he's so salty, you need a whole saltmine for his salt, I thought it might be fun to troll around.

[Jack Schitt]

True: This game's community is dwindling down to nothing. There are less playing it every year and less servers to play on. Since there aren't any official servers for this game, I don't remember there ever being any official DOD:S servers but admit in advance I could be wrong, it's up to the community to run servers for the game to keep it alive. There are several options available to run your own server including free ones through the dedicated server app in the steam client library all Source games have. To use the Source Dedicated Server tool, though, a separate computer than the one you use to play is required which maybe a lot of people don't have. There is this option, which I'm not positive still works:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v9odaYUepfo&list=UUptYWEikX2bRgm_9R-XetTQ&index=11

I'm also not sure how well that will work to run a server IF it does still work. Valve may have something in place prohibiting it since that info was posted 7 years ago in 2013.

The thing here is that Valve nor Steam is going to do anything about it. People who run dedicated servers can do what they want with them including ban who they want from them for whatever reason they want or come up with. And since =ARP= doesn't have a website or way of contacting them to appeal a ban there's nothing that can be done toward appealing decisions the server owners made to ban someone from their servers.


The only options left are: Join another server or create your own.

I think what they mean about QuickSwitching is people use it to exploit the reloading animation so they can fire off another round more quickly with sniper rifles. I think it's still capable of being done that with a sniper rifle if you fire and hit your quickswitch key twice another round is available to fire avoiding the reloading animation. This is prohibited on almost all servers because it's a lame, cheap, cheat creating an unfair advantage for the person doing it over other players.

There's nothing wrong with =ARP= serve admin making attempts at retaining fair game play for everyone. It's not right that they're banning people from their servers frequently and without proof, but they can do that. It's their server and there's really nothing we can do about it.

[Jack]

When this happened I simply found another server. It's not a huge deal to me, it's more of an earworm and an issue of principle. If someone does something worth banning them for, give them a chance to fix it before you ban them from one of the handful of populated public servers that remains in the game.

We're a select group of people sharing a very specific game. That shouldn't be the time for exclusion.

My reason for bringing up the old topics is to make a visual statement, to drive home the point that I'm not alone in this and that banning people indiscriminately is no way to treat the community. This space is the only chance of ARP ever seeing this issue arise (given their lack of a forum or website). They probably don't come here but it's worth a shot.

I strongly agree that they can run their server however they wish, but I and several others did nothing wrong. During my brief time on ARP I did two notable things: accidentally TK'd the admin Lady Squirrel (for which I immediately apologized) and carried a decent KD as a Sniper. That's probably where the issue arose - I was sniping the moment I was banned.

I was not quickswitching and I never have, though I often switch after firing so I don't go back into the scope. I will generally sit back for a moment after firing to disrupt the flow of a sniper battle. If I'm firing again immediately, I'll stay on the sniper and let it scope me in again automatically. But if I need to run or spend time in cover after a shot, or need to reassess the field when I do fire again, I'll switch into something else so I don't get scoped in again. The only alternative is to let the scope come up again and then unscope manually which would be a massive waste of time.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but that's not an exploit. Anyone who watches me will clearly see what I'm doing. I guess someone who sees me switch weapons after firing could assume, without ever asking, that I'm quickswitching. And if I am doing something wrong I'd be glad to fix it.

At the end of the day, it's not a big deal. There are other servers. I'm more verbose than I am upset. I just see an issue in the community and I think it's right to discuss it.

[Jack Schitt]

I agree with you that it's not right how they're ban-happy. There one of the only older and popular servers left. Their itchy ban finger isn't helping the community or the game survive and it's definitely not helping any of it improve. The (sad) fact is that they can do as they wish.

QuickSwitching is another term being mis-used like the word troll.

Technically pressing 1 through 4 is also quickswitching. It's practically the same thing as pressing Q to switch between the current and last weapon. What some people mean by prohibiting "QuickSwitching" is what I described before avoiding the reload animation. What you described you're doing is not exploiting it you're simply using a feature of the game as it's intended to be used.

[MythΩs⌐]

butt hurt clan is butt hurt

[OldMemes.biz]

Weird. It seems TGO people are on a campaign in these forums to defend ARP behavior. A different TGO person got their panties twisted in a different thread about the same thing.

Also, I unsub'd as soon as I commented. Don't care what TGO people have to say to my comment.

[ofc1978™]

Originally posted by // T.G.O. // kaggnub@weebshit:

Originally posted by ArchoN:

Well he's not wrong about anything he said. Can you tell me what this comment contributes to the solution of the issue? Or does it just make you feel good telling people to calm down about things that you don't even care about?

yes. and solution: go to another server.

btw: I wouldn't have posted if he didn't necro like 5 topics from somewhere very deep down. But because he's so salty, you need a whole saltmine for his salt, I thought it might be fun to troll around.

Du bist aber auch ein kleiner Lümmel...oder? Du schreibst überall deinen Honig-Senf dazu du Noob. Lass die Leut doch mal in Ruhe du Vollpfosten. Oder ist das hier das einzigste was kannst du Depp. Geh ma zocken ohne zu flamme und mimimimi und spam ma hier die Leutz net voll du Kind des Zorns.

[kaggnub]

Originally posted by ofc1978:

Originally posted by // T.G.O. // kaggnub@weebshit:

yes. and solution: go to another server.

btw: I wouldn't have posted if he didn't necro like 5 topics from somewhere very deep down. But because he's so salty, you need a whole saltmine for his salt, I thought it might be fun to troll around.

Du bist aber auch ein kleiner Lümmel...oder? Du schreibst überall deinen Honig-Senf dazu du Noob. Lass die Leut doch mal in Ruhe du Vollpfosten. Oder ist das hier das einzigste was kannst du Depp. Geh ma zocken ohne zu flamme und mimimimi und spam ma hier die Leutz net voll du Kind des Zorns. :ins:

Topkek, bezichtigst mich was, das du selbst machst :D Nice. Wie nennt man das nochmal? Hmmmm....
Bezieht sich übrigens auf Flamen als auch aufs Posten.
Und die 1980er Pornos haben angerufen, sie hätten gern das Wort "Lümmel" zurück.

Aber danke für den netten Nickname! Daraus lässt sich sicher was basteln. kappa.

[Ultimate_troll]

Play vpn

[Jack Schitt]

I've joined ARP servers recently to check this out for myself. They had an issue with my display name and told me to change it. I left and played on another server. I did change my name though and joined later and didn't have a problem. Their server, their rules. Gotta follow their rules is all.

[momeNtum]

There are more people in this thread than all US servers combines it's pretty amazing.

[<BIOKLEEN>]

Look here are the real facts about the ARP server - they have a 5 year history of admin abuse and being rude to gamer's - they ban people even if you don't cheat/hack

[<BIOKLEEN>]

Their server should be shut down by hacker' period!