How do I know if I am PunkBuster Authenticated?
Old versions of PunkBuster went through "Authentication" procedures every few minutes and announced when each player had been Authenticated. The newer, integrated version is constantly Authenticating players during gameplay. To check your current status, press the tilde key (~) to bring down the Game Console. Enter "pb_plist" into the Game console (without the quotes) and then press the Tab key so the Game knows you are entering a command, then press the Enter key. The current PunkBuster status of all players will be displayed - use the PageUp / PageDown keys if necessary to scroll the console text up and down. There are 3 modes of PunkBuster status: INIT, UPDT, and OK. If it says OK next to a player's name, then that player is currently Authenticated.
What is a guid?
In general, GUID
is an acronym that stands for “globally unique identifier”. The guid inside PunkBuster is used to identify players with something more solid than their playing name or IP address. Your guid is loosely based on the cdkey that was used to install the game on your computer. When Server Admins kick or ban a player from their server(s), PunkBuster uses the player's guid to enforce the kick/ban. Since it is based on the game installation, it is a better way to identify individual players than by looking at their IP address or playing name. For those concerned about privacy, PunkBuster uses a 128-bit one-way hash (a mathematical function) to generate the guid from the cdkey so that no one can figure out or compute your cdkey by knowing your guid.
What do the AuthRate and RecentSS columns mean in the pb_plist output?
The AuthRate column shows how many times per minute PunkBuster has successfully Authenticated each Player. This value should normally settle to between 2 and 3 for all players after they have a status of "OK". The RecentSS column indicates how many screenshots the PunkBuster Server has requested from each player during the past few minutes. This value is available to all players so that "home team" Server Admins don't abuse the screenshot facility, for example by only capturing screenshots of opponents.
Why do I get a message on some servers asking me to change my name and how do I do that while playing?
PunkBuster includes a "BadName" Facility that some Server Admins use to prevent players from including "bad" words (such as racial slurs or profanity) in their playing names. If you wish to play on such servers and you get a message asking you to change your name, then you will need to change your name quickly to avoid being removed from the Server. There are 2 easy ways to change your name while playing. One way is to just click on your name on the Game's Limbo Screen and just edit the name directly. Another way is via the console, press the tilde (~) key to bring down the game console, and change your name by entering "name new_name" without the quotes, then press the "Tab" key, and finally the "Enter" key.
Why do I get messages on some servers telling me that I have cvar violations and what should I do about it?
A cvar is a game setting. Cvars can be used to customize the game, but cheaters sometimes abuse cvars to exploit holes or bugs in the game in order to cheat. Admins of PunkBuster Servers have the ability to add specific recurring checks for players' cvar values during gameplay. If you have downloaded or written game scripts to automate tasks, then those scripts almost certainly will add and/or change cvars in your system. You will receive a warning if a cvar on your system is not in the range allowed by the Admin of the Game Server to which you are currently connected - the warning will also include the allowed range of values for the specified cvar. If you do not heed the warning, then after a few seconds or minutes, the PunkBuster Server will raise a violation and remove you from the Game Server. To change the current value of any cvar, press the tilde (~) key to bring down the game console, and then type the cvarname followed by a space and the new value, then press the Tab key and then the Enter key. For example, entering "cg_shadows 0" as a command will set your cg_shadows cvar to the value of 0. The Game automatically saves most cvar changes so that the next time you play, any changes from a previous session will still be in effect.
Why do I see messages about server log files and "MD5" a few seconds after each map changes?
An MD5 is like a file signature and is used extensively by PunkBuster to ensure that files have not been altered or corrupted from their original state. These specific messages are designed especially for league (and other organized) matches to prevent Server Admins from falsifying log files. The provided information references one or more server log files that were generated for the previous game and can be used by all participating parties (Players and Server Admins) to check the integrity and authenticity of the logs which were generated during gameplay. Once a log file has been obtained from a Server Admin, a Player or League Official can compute the MD5 of the log file to confirm that it has not been changed or corrupted since the end of the match that was played. Programs that compute the MD5 of any file are freely available over the Internet. We have published one named 'pbmd5' and it can be downloaded from our website at Even Balance both for Win32 and Linux platforms.
What does "New Security Information Received" mean?
During gameplay, the PunkBuster Client will be contacting the Master PunkBuster Servers about new PunkBuster system, database and data files (see section PB Subdirectory and File Information for more information about these file types) as well as other crucial information. This message states that the new information has been received successfully from the Master PunkBuster Servers. If new versions of PunkBuster are transferred to the PunkBuster Client from the PunkBuster Server to which the player is connected, the received files will be validated for integrity based on this Security Information. PunkBuster Server software also confirms the integrity of newly obtained files based on similar Security Information. This is all part of a complicated system designed to prevent Server Admins (and other people) from sending viruses or other unwanted files to your computer using the PunkBuster auto-update system.
Do I have to re-configure my firewall or proxy to use PunkBuster?
In general, if a connection can play the Game online successfully without PunkBuster, then there will be no need to make any changes to a firewall or proxy that may be in use when PunkBuster is Installed and Enabled. PunkBuster communicates over the Internet (and in LAN environments) using the same network channels created and used by the Game, and therefore requires no changes.
How do I uninstall PunkBuster?
If you do not wish to use PunkBuster any longer, you may remove the entire “pb” folder inside your game folder. By removing this folder, the PunkBuster software will no longer be available. PunkBuster does not save information to other locations of your hard drive, nor does it change your system registry.
Can I link to your site?
Yes, but please do not mirror our download files. One of the following buttons can be used to link to us if you like.
Other questions? Visit our online forum at evenbalance.com