Halo server IP banning - Chris H. please?

[McGrandpa [AGQx]]

Hi, just FYI, I've learned why my server was indeed banned.

I buy my games, I install them, and most of the time I can happily store the cd
in a CD book and forget it until I need to reinstall the game. Not with Halo.
So, I located a 'no-cd' patch for it.
I played Halo online, and for a little bit, I ran a listen server. Then that
stopped, and you heard my
issues about it.

Gamespy/MS or whatever detected I was running a 'cracked server'. This
automatically seems to imply 'thief' so GameSpy indeed banned my server IP from
their master server listings. This also meant that my server won't show in the
in game server list.

I'd since bought and installed a new 60g hd, reinstalled XP on it, and all my
software, including Halo. I did not *yet* install that no-cd patch. I replied
to GameSpys reply to me saying what I had done. My IP has changed, it's
dynamic. However I'm not running that patch so should not run into getting
banned.

Thanks for speaking with me about this, and I have not seen my ISP add any Halo
ng's yet. Usually takes a week for them to fill requests.

McG.

 

[Chris H.]

Good to know the reason, and thanks for posting back. I'm not on the
GameSpy-type level, but I've heard a lot of the games are going to that
approach for a reason: It keeps the games honest.

If one has the ability to have a "LAN party" with the intent to disrupt
normal game play by having three or four friends at the same location, it
destroys the games for other people. It can still be done, unfortunately,
but each participant must have a valid CD for the game. Xbox Live! does
something similar in banning modded machines.

About the newsgroup access: Just set up your Outlook Express for the
msnews.microsoft.com news server and you'll be able to download all the
Microsoft newsgroups, then subscribe to any you wish. No sign-in, no
password, and it is free to all users around the world no matter the ISP.
The microsoft.public.xbox.halo newsgroup handles both PC and Xbox versions.

 

[McGrandpa [AGQx]]

Yeah, they *could* do a check without the cd in the drive. However, the
launcher won't even start it without it present. SO. I'm glad I've got two
drives. Anyway, I have added the MS news server and found the xbox halo ng.
Thanks Chris, appreciate it!

I'm sure there are at least a couple of others who remember that thread. I'm
equally sure that there will be a larger number of people who will learn
something from all this about the cd check and cracked server IP banning I'm
honest, I buy what I use both retail and shareware. I simply dislike the
inconvenience of having to put the cd in the drive whenever I want to play a
game or whatever. I also know quite a number of people like me in this. I
realize too there are some that would rather not buy a thing, but take it for no
pay at all. Yeah that's dead wrong. I can't help that. I can just do my part
and buy the things I want, not steal them.

I'm sure you've heard this one too, I believe that the people that make the
software can and should so a little more to take care of the people who do take
care of them. It gets so that I often consider simply not buying a new product
at all until I can see not only the good in it that I do want, but the bad or
nuisance parts I do not want to see. I am pleased that the
anti-cheat/anti-theft measures employed with Halo aren't all that bad. Simply
one nuisance (so far). Some things are getting far worse than I'd ever
expected. Such as with Valve and Steam. As much as I looked forward to Half
Life 2, I am split on whether to even bother with it.

But come on with Halo2, as long as it's no worse than Halo I'll buy it

McG.
McG.