patch 2.60b + ETPro 325/326 - integrity failures for clients

McNite · Post by **McNite** » Sat Dec 02, 2006 7:49 pm

Welcome lol

I didnt cause the split, I merely suggested a solution of how to get rid of it again, but its just a feedback... do with it what u like.

gotenks · Post by **gotenks** » Sat Dec 02, 2006 10:35 pm

lol reyalp, don't you wish you had a way to disable all etpro servers still running on 2.60? i mean being lazy is one thing, but intentionally having clients not update and stay voulnerable to hax is another

McSteve · Post by **McSteve** » Sat Dec 02, 2006 11:22 pm

McNite wrote: So just to summarize: our main mistake was to update to 3.2.6, we ll stick with 3.2.5 from now on (unless there ll be a new release that allows 2.60 in as well).

It saddens me to see statements like this. It seems like so many server admins are quite happy to use the benefits of etpro on their public servers when it suits them i.e. because it fixes so many bugs in vanilla ET, but aren't quite so ready to give back to the community when it matters (by upgrading to 3.2.6/2.60b).

We all took a big hit with the update. I updated my own community's server a few days after the release and it was painful sitting watching all the connects and immediate disconnects. I am friends with the admins of what was at the time the UK's second most popular ETPro public server, Midnight Spikage. They put up banners for a few weeks giving instructions for the switch, but they still took a big hit on the change.

Be proactive, do whatever you can to help your own community/regulars get off their asses and make the switch. I myself took the following steps:

- I put "use 2.60b" in the MOTD and in the server name
- I used a "polluting" pk3 file in the server's etpro folder. This changed the camp_map.tga file with one I had customised with a url that clients could go to and read instructions on how to upgrade. Even clients with the wrong ET.exe would download it before their connection was terminated (if they had cl_allowdownload 1, which is default and unlikely to have been changed by people who didn't know how to update). Since it was called zz_gwload.pk3, it would be displayed when they connected to any other servers. Click here for the message I displayed. If you want to use the pk3, please feel free to do so, get it here.
- I got in touch with as many server admins as I could to find their intentions and 'nudge' them in the direction of 3.2.6. All the ones I spoke to have since updated save one, who decided to switch to jaymod (his server, his choice I suppose).
- I created auto-installer files to help the hapless Windows user who cant handle zip files and posted them on various forums. It was interesting to see some of the links with counters on, indeed the links here show that the 2.60b installer has been downloaded about 4 times more than the 2.60 reverter. Again feel free to use them.

If you aren't going to change to ETPro 3.2.6, then completely remove ETPro from your server tbh, you dont deserve the benefits of it. My advice, bite the bullet and take the hit for a few weeks, you WILL get your players back in a relatively short time. It will certainly be easier for you now that other admins have paved the way for you.

Lagger · Post by **Lagger** » Sun Dec 03, 2006 1:13 am

Nice McSteve

Now all you have to do is set 'sv_cvar cl_allowdowload EQ 1' in the server config

gotenks · Post by **gotenks** » Sun Dec 03, 2006 4:22 am

Lagger wrote:Nice McSteve

Now all you have to do is set 'sv_cvar cl_allowdowload EQ 1' in the server config

sv_cvar will only make it for that server, then it'll change back... use forcecvar to turn it on for them (iirc)

deej · Post by **deej** » Sun Dec 03, 2006 5:49 am

ReyalP wrote:The number of etpro pubs has declined dramatically since the switch.

I thought the crew wasn't concerned with that?

Guess you'll have to add omni-bot support & cross-campaign xp-save if you want to score more non-empty pub servers

.

McNite · Post by **McNite** » Sun Dec 03, 2006 6:06 am

Another GOOD thing which would make ETPro popular with pubs is a feature that allows autoshuffling after campaigns or even after a certain amount of maps or when the XP difference between teams is getting bigger than a defined difference.

Deus · Post by **Deus** » Sun Dec 03, 2006 6:13 am

McNite wrote:Another GOOD thing which would make ETPro popular with pubs is a feature that allows autoshuffling after campaigns or even after a certain amount of maps or when the XP difference between teams is getting bigger than a defined difference.

I disagree, cause when i go pubbing with one or two friends of mine we get seperated all the time which is teh suq.

There is lua for stuff like that.

McSteve · Post by **McSteve** » Sun Dec 03, 2006 6:43 am

Also admin_mod. Like it has been said before, there is no reason to add things into ETPro that already exist elsewhere. I find adminmod perfect for customising an ETPro server towards public play.

p.s. no point in doing forcecvar stuff etc for clients, they cant connect so they dont get subjected to server settings anyway. I didnt see it as a problem since those who will struggle with the switch to 2.60b are probably just casual players with the default setting of cl_allowdownload 1 untouched.

ReyalP · Post by **ReyalP** » Sun Dec 03, 2006 2:22 pm

deej wrote: Guess you'll have to add omni-bot support & cross-campaign xp-save if you want to score more non-empty pub servers .

There's a difference between catering to people who want idiotic features and making it easy for the average joe to play the latest version.

The point is that the upgrade troubles have had a significant impact on players. Also, from a purely selfish personal perspective, I'd rather have a few more etpro pubs to choose from. Adding xpsave and the other shubidoicy would negate most of the reason for that

deej · Post by **deej** » Sun Dec 03, 2006 3:13 pm

ReyalP wrote:The point is that the upgrade troubles have had a significant impact on players.

Granted. Unzipping an exe is a very difficult task for most people.

ReyalP wrote:Also, from a purely selfish personal perspective, I'd rather have a few more etpro pubs to choose from. Adding xpsave and the other shubidoicy would negate most of the reason for that

Yeah but now you're stuck with the checken & the egg problem. You dislike the fact that there are too little pubs but you don't want to add any pub specific features that apparently seem to cater to the masses.

Looking at splatterladder data, a lot of people seem to like the not-so-cool-if-you're-a-comp player features and tend to go play there. So that's going to leave you with a lot of empty etpro servers since people tend to join filled servers, not empty ones.

If you want to seduce the pub player, give him what he wants. The customer is always right

.

gotenks · Post by **gotenks** » Sun Dec 03, 2006 3:51 pm

1. most people just download the zip file, not the exe file... eventhough win xp natively supports it, alot of people still can't figure out where to put the files, also an exe file looks alot more official then a zip file... so alot of people don't figure they need it
2. changing the base structure of a mod is not the best way to cater to the public... should bestbuy add a food department because Wal-Mart has one?

deej · Post by **deej** » Mon Dec 04, 2006 9:24 am

gotenks wrote:should bestbuy add a food department because Wal-Mart has one?

If they want to lure Walmart food customers, yes.

gotenks · Post by **gotenks** » Mon Dec 04, 2006 10:12 am

the same people that go to walmart to buy food, go to walmart to buy electronics... best buy sells electronics (generally of a higher quality)... so best buy should sell food to draw in the customers... who probably still won't end up buying the electronics

deej · Post by **deej** » Mon Dec 04, 2006 10:20 am

gotenks wrote:the same people that go to walmart to buy food, go to walmart to buy electronics... best buy sells electronics (generally of a higher quality)... so best buy should sell food to draw in the customers... who probably still won't end up buying the electronics

In that case Best Buy shouldn't whine about Walmart people not buying at them and keep aiming at the "better electronics shopper".