Heya,

Is there any way to have my server listed without appearing on the rankings?

Gametracker's ranking tables (for ARMA 2 and DayZ at least) are simply a ranking of who doesn't mind DDOS'ing the competition. For some time the DayZ table was dominated by one particular DayZ server owner because the owner didn't hesitate to DDOS anyone that overtook him (I've since talked to the person that did the DDOS'ing--for money--and he confirms it). The same thing appears to be happening to the ARMA 2 listing now; #1, #3, #4 and possibly #5 have been attacked in the last 24 hours. I've spoken with the other server that was DDOS'ed at exactly the same time and the characteristics of the attack are identical.

I've removed my server and won't be adding it back unless I can find a way to do so without inviting attacks. It's a pity though because Gametracker provides some excellent services.

Does the server still have the same IP?

GameTracker does not currently offer private tracking services and I am not aware of any plans in the near future. We are sorry that you are subject to malicious attacks. I would recommend consulting your server provider/network administrator to look into implementing better network protection.

I'm not suggesting the listings would be private, just that they would be unranked. Nothing else about them would change. You can do the same thing now by deleting yourself every week (it looks like #4 has just done it, probably because they were being DDOS'ed or because they're a server intended for pirates and hackers to use and didn't want the attention).

As for DDOS protected services, even the low end ones start out costing more in a month than what most gaming communities pay in a year; so suggesting that to people seems a bit disingenuous.

Thanks for the great service you've provided, but I fear that your database will become far less complete and less useful as more and more people discover you can DDOS any gaming site offline for days with a PayPal account and a balance that would barely pay for a Frappé.

ianbanks wrote:
I'm not suggesting the listings would be private, just that they would be unranked. Nothing else about them would change. You can do the same thing now by deleting yourself every week (it looks like #4 has just done it, probably because they were being DDOS'ed or because they're a server intended for pirates and hackers to use and didn't want the attention).

As for DDOS protected services, even the low end ones start out costing more in a month than what most gaming communities pay in a year; so suggesting that to people seems a bit disingenuous.

Thanks for the great service you've provided, but I fear that your database will become far less complete and less useful as more and more people discover you can DDOS any gaming site offline for days with a PayPal account and a balance that would barely pay for a Frappé.
Unranked servers are still listed in the server list, just at the end. Your original request was to take it off the ranking list, which is essentially private tracking. It was my understanding that you wanted to be off the search list so people cannot find your server.

Unfortunately there are a large number of easy ways to find connection info for game servers, beyond the game itself and GameTracker. GameTracker is not alone.

You may also look into hosting your server with a hosting provider. Most data centers and specialized game server providers already provide such protection by using their services.

burn wrote:
Unranked servers are still listed in the server list, just at the end.

How does one do that? I haven't been able to find an option for it.

The issue isn't that people are finding the servers, it's that people are DDOS'ing specifically to drop servers from the top few entries of the ranking table to get themselves to #1. I'm well aware of the futility of trying to hide a server IP. Other than the position on your ranking list the DDOS'ers have no interest in the servers they're hitting. Your current ranking algorithm means that someone can drop a few hours on a booter service and knock a server off for half a day (20 minutes of a DDOS will have you blackholed for hours on most services) and have it drop down a few ranks on a competitive game.

As I said before, (at least for ARMA) DDOS protected isn't practical. It takes the monthly cost from $100-150 to over $1000/month. (Slotted servers might be cheaper, but slotted ARMA servers don't make it to the top 10)

Its something we'd have to do, but it could only be done for server you have claimed.