Hi,

I recently got back from vacation and saw that I've been banned from the SKY FFA server (https://imgur.com/a/doicXEx)

I've been a long time player on this server and would like to know the reason for it.

Following 4ofidamonds' ban, I have tried to record demos of any full match I play. Indeed, he and I have similar level & playstyle, which is why knowing for myself that he doesn't cheat but still got banned, I have been taking precautions when playing on the SKY server.

If you can provide the date & map on which I was banned I can see if I have the demo of it and provide justification for what apparently got me banned.

I couldn't find any other site/forums on which to post this; but if this is the wrong place please direct me to the proper address.

Thanks,

OKIDOKI

Like the ban says, you were voted out of game. The reason? You already have a great ping, there is no reason to do all the jumping around and going to places others cannot. You were warned in the past and you were playing pretty normal, not sure if diamonds got the bug back into you or not. I am not sure why you guys don't notice all the players leaving, some players do not complain in game they just leave. You are not banned on TDM, just tow the line and behave and the ban will be removed.

I know it might sound hypocritical because I have said in the past that I don't care if you do bounces and even elevators when you can, but that is if there are only a few players in game and everyone agrees. We have no problem of having fun when it gets boring but you need to be observant of other players, you see someone enter and they leave real quick it is most likely because they see some dude flying through the air and then trick shooting them. They are going to think oh great a hacker is here and they leave. It happens.

I would also like to see your cfg file.

The cfg file is normally located in your COD4 folder>players>profiles>your username It is called config_mp.cfg

You can either copy and paste the text here or upload the file to an external drive/site like 4shared, google drive, etc and then post the link here. Also any screenshots or videos you might have are also helpful.


Mac

Places/username*/library/Application Support/Call of Duty 4/players/profiles/username*/config_mp.cfg

Steam

C:\SteamLibrary\steamapps\common\Call of Duty 4\players\profiles\user

Other

C:\Users\username\AppData\Local\CallofDuty4MW\players\profiles\username

Thanks for your quick reply Cat, I appreciate it.

Here is my config : https://www.dropbox.com/s/lykvrk3y2msmkon/OKIDOKI_config_mp.cfg?dl=0

Not sure if you see them in the file but in terms of binds I have elevator binds (usual ones) and fps binds (125 250 333).

I have used elevator binds on my first connections to SKY servers but once I realized SKY was running an anti-elevator script, I never used them again. Just wanted to make it clear in case you or other admins think I do elevators.

The FPS binds I use on jumping servers. I might've switched FPS on SKY servers if I see I'm not at 333 (my default when playing).

With regards to bounces, I follow the usual rule: if the bounce goes to an otherwise unachievable place (e.g. the pipeline bounce), I don't kill anyone from that place.
The bounces which don't land me anywhere but back on the ground I do more frequently because there's no advantage gained. It's target practice for others and my score is always lower if try to hit those in a match.

This brings me on to your point that bounces/jumping are likely the reason why people leave.

Whilst it might happen and I agree to work towards reducing those moments, I think this is definitely not the predominant reason.

Having played for a very long time and having been banned from different servers, I can tell you that what gets people frustrated is being killed repeatedly (i.e. when I play the game normally, trying to get kills).

The moments I'm called a hacker are 99.99% after I've killed someone at least 10-20 times and the killcam shows either a quick/reflex kill or a kill in which I could hear them coming.

That's when the "!report okidoki", "okidoki hack", "okidoki wh", etc. come in. They leave (yes I do notice it) because I have good ping, good headphones (= wallhack bans) and good aim/understanding; all of which make it frustrating for someone in Peru with no sound and no hours in the game.

Players very rarely complain when I'm running around trying to hit a creek bounce over and over, getting repeatedly killed by them or fall damage.


So I'm not sure if I understand the ban philosophy here...


It seems to me that the best players share a deep appreciation and understanding of the game which the majority of players don't or don't yet. It's why we still play this game after 14 years.

However, by ensuring people are not leaving the server, those devoted players are made a target since they are the ones to blame.

I support issuing bans for elevators and even bounces if they are clearly abused but at what point do we call a spade a spade and realize that a few bounces in a game where you're winning 50-8 is probably not the reason people are leaving.

That's why I was worried when 4ofdiamonds got banned...he didn't give me the bug, it's the exact opposite. He made me realize that anyone decent can and will be banned because there is a threshold beyond which no matter how regular you play you will be voted out...bounces or no bounces.

This is happening on most servers now and it means that the people who are the most likely to continue playing and devoting themselves to the game are eventually going to fade out because they have no good servers left to play on.

To me this is not the way forward for the game nor SKY servers.

To give you one example, the ARES servers are now giving admin access to donators, as a way to get more money to maintain the server (https://vogonhq.com/donate.html).

In the same time, both me and 4ofdiamonds got banned from their servers.
Now I would've happily donated because I played on those servers a lot and enjoyed the moments I've had there.
That’s the mindset of any experienced player that wants to see this game kept afloat.
But by banning me, they have removed yet another player who was the most willing to donate and are left forced to take measures like giving admin access to get donations.

I'm not saying SKY servers are in the same boat or have the same mentality towards this. I also don’t have your perspective as an admin and can only share my thoughts & experiences. But I view this as a growing issue that is the nail in the coffin for the game and I thought I should at least point it out and get your thoughts on it.

Cheers,


OKIDOKI

I have never seen COD4 dying as much as lately. We all know it is a very old game.

I am very concerned when I see players dominating over and over, and Yes, it is number one reason why players leave. Not necessarily because someone is cheating but because face it, no one likes to be continuously killed. So yeah, I will ban someone for dominating for absolutely no other reason than that Might seem unfair but I try to warn players first. I base my game play on what type of players are in game at the moment, and most admins here have been instructed to do the same, so if they/we can't sometimes play to our extreme best, that goes for anyone. Yeah Yeah I know that sounds retarded but I'd rather see players on server than empty, so it is a fine line and Catch-22 situation. Just try to be aware of the other players is all I ask. Heck, sometimes I will not even call in a heli when I am dominating. Just to keep it fair for all. With that said, Ok, your ban has been lifted.

Drastic times call for drastic measures

I appreciate your honesty and agree with you there's no simple answer... the admins have to make tough calls and I respect that. I like your idea of not calling killstreaks; I usually start every match playing sniper to make it harder for myself as well.

I'll try to keep more of an eye out on the amount of players when I join vs. when I leave and will keep recording demos so I can figure how conservative I have to play.

If it gets to the point where I have to adapt my playstyle so much that it's no fun or you really have no choice but to ban me then I won't fight it and will view it like my time has come

Let me know if there's anything beyond my own playstyle I can do to help the servers, donation or otherwise.

Cheers

Hi Cat,

So apparently it's Djanus that banned me (said so himself).

Can you talk to him and see if he can agree to having me back ?

I don't think he's as willing/cares to hear my point of view since he bans me as soon as I join.

Appreciate it

I didn't ban you, I just kicked you out for a while and it wasn't right away and you know why

Hi Djanus,

Yes I meant kicked and was talking about the game yesterday (2021-10-13). I joined and you said "I thought I banned/kicked you" then I said "I spoke to Cat" and soon after you kicked me (I must've been 2 kills in).

You kicked me before I could even record a demo or point to this forum, which is fine but I just want to make sure you and Cat are on the same page to avoid any confusion.

I think it can also help me if you call out whatever I did wrong as soon as you see it. Maybe next time tell me something like "that jump on that car is not allowed" or "don't use your uav" before kicking me.

It'll help me understand what I can or can't do because at the moment I'm not 100% clear on what you yourself allow.

Thank you (and Cat) for replying to me here !