LOL.

 my already low opinion of Evenbalance just hit rock bottom.

 any company that can't handle open forum discussion has no business being involved with the gaming industry.

- g

I agree my friend!!
I installed this game 3 times and I still don't know for sure if PB will continue to work right.

Well, before we tar and feather them, maybe we should give em' a chance to get them back up (in case they're down due to Slammer or something)...?  

Uhm yeah... Like I was saying, uhm... E-mail support is uhm... Much better... or... something.

Forums are only as good as the people that moderate them... (shall we say Raven dev team forum).  The Evenbalance forum got out of hand because they let it.  It was their forum.  If things are done better by email, why not change to email for the Raven dev team???  Evenbalance is merely doing away with an irritation: to which they have no massive interest in correcting:  as in incorrect kicks from games and a fanatical focus on cd key checks versus making their software better and nailing true gaming cheaters.

Furthermore, when something is run poorly, there is always a shoddy excuse and always those willing to help them paper over their problems.

Sure, I get kicked from servers for some stupid non-conforming... non-cheat issue all the time.  I just keep trying until I can play.  I love the game and will play it until I do not love it anymore.

I am beyond being a fan boy.  I can see the day when another game will take my interest.  SOF and SOF2 has been a great, all be it bumpy, ride.

This issue has almost been run totally into the ground and no matter what is said events are already in motion with Evenbalance.  Hopefully, we can get something different down the road like Punkbuster (but not Publisher paid ilk).   It should be community based, not old murk (cd key checker) in new guise (get the cheaters).   Currently, there is no maximum focus on perfecting the software.

Furthermore, you now have a total cabal of isolated overloads controlling who plays and how you play it.  The pure gamer is pushed out.  Things now run from Publisher... to Evenbalance... to Punksbusted.

I think the quote below (from Punksbusted) sums up the whole mess of what our anti-cheat chain of command really means:

"There is no way to prove or disprove the information on this site,"

... Well, if Evenbalance were paid to make the gamers happy with good code that everyone had faith in, then the above disclaimer would not be needed.

Publisher:  you have a problem... send 'em an email.
…..Activision…
“If you have emailed us and have not received a response, log into our site using the My Stuff link and ensure you have your email address listed correctly. While you are logged into our site you can actually view and update your submitted email.”  …Yawn!!!!!!!!
Evenbalance: you have a problem... send 'em an email.
Punksbusted:  you have a problem... send 'em an email.

... A real Star Chamber triad.

All that is left is this dev team forum.  What does that tell you?  Raven people are the creators who care.  These days, once something leaves the artists hands, it generally goes down hill after that!!

I will always buy a Raven game even if it has Punkbuster.  I know I will enjoy it and get more than my money's worth.  Unfortunately, a little piece of something seems to be lost forever...

PunksBusted isn't related to the publisher or EvenBalance.
PunksBusted is an implementation, by the community, of something Admins have been asking for - a central location foir Admins to report GUIDs of persons caught cheating on their servers, so that Admins can share these GUIDs and prevent them from moving from one server to another.

Rev,

Sometimes I don't put things the best way...


Here goes:   There are some fine people associated with Punksbusted and the goal of those admins is to be praised.

A personal example:  Many years ago I formed a competitive youth baseball program.  We had 13-14 year olds playing on a 90ft diamond, using real American league baseballs, pro equipment and pro uniforms.  All of this was to give the best players the best experience.  We raised tons of money and went to the best tournaments.  The program expanded and became outrageously expensive.  It also became corrupt.  I found coaches using scholarships to recruit talented players instead of paying for the kids who simply could not afford the hundreds of dollars for everything.  I was the Chairman of the program but had lost control:  good intentions down the drain.

That is my story.  I include Punksbusted because it is a de facto part of the anti-cheat system.   It actually legitimizes the lousy job done by Evenbalance.  Every time I get booted from a server I curse their name.

I also write these things as a voice crying in the gaming wilderness to those quality admins to continue to fight against the tide.

The Punksbusted website has the same ugly air and lingo about it as does Evenbalance:  and they both advertise "don't call us we'll call you."   I have had this exchange with Ramrod.  My position remains the same.  We need something like Punkbuster but what we have now is money-grubbing, code-for-hire that has weaseled its way into the system.

It’s called “follow the money.”  Evenbalance was obviously paid to generate software to kick people… collateral damage is ignored.  If they were paid to make the game enjoyable, then preventing innocent people from being kicked would be their number one priority… it obviously isn’t.  They were paid for the internal cd key check… work done… b*gger-off unhappy gamer.

Again, Punksbusted is related to and joined at the hip (as it were) to Evenbalance because they agree to use their software (and even a variation of the name Punkbuster).  Punksbusted uses Punkbuster as source for banning people.   If that is not a relationship then Clinton really didn’t have sex.