Frequently Asked Questions about PunkBuster for Enemy Territory
PunkBuster kicks me for INIT FAILURE?
Usually, this message means your PB is not working properly. You should run our PBWEB program to make sure your PB is up to date. However, we have recently discovered that some broadband routers routinely drop OOB (Out of Band) packets for no apparent reason. Since all PB packets are OOB, these routers can actually block PB's communication (again for no apparent reason). To determine if the router is the cause of this problem for you, remove the router and connect directly to the internet. If you are able to play this way, then the cause is very likely the router. Based on user feedback, the following router brands/models are reported to have problems. Not necessarily all models of a brand might be affected, and the list is in no way complete but it can give you a few hints. Also, we do not claim that our list below shows the only solution to fix your issue, nor that it will fix it for sure even though it has worked for others. It could very well be that changing some settings in your router could help as well. Contacting the company directly might help you as well.
Linksys - possible solution: Use firmware 1.44.2
Motorola - possible solution: Update to latest firmware
Netgear - possible solution: Disable SPI (statefull packet inspection)
PunkBuster logs but does not kick me for #10006 violations?
The cause might be a router issue. Please see the above question PunkBuster kicks me for INIT FAILURE? to see if that helps you. PB will kick for this violation in future updates. If you wish to troubleshoot with us via icq to find out why it happens on your system, please contact us at support@evenbalance.com.
How come I never get a reply to emails I send to Even Balance?
Because of the spam and junk email problem that has proliferated over the Internet, more and more mail systems try to automatically filter out email based on where each email originates. Unfortunately, some of these filtering schemes are imperfect. Our support staff makes every effort to answer every single email (we get hundreds per day), usually the same day an email is received. If you have sent us an email and you do not receive a reply within 48 hours, that is almost certainly because your incoming mail server is not reachable from our outgoing mail server. Often this is a DNS problem that prevents our mail server from "finding" other mail servers. However, we have also learned that some "blacklist" services have blacklisted the whole subnet which contains our mail server's IP Address. Not because of anything we have done (we have never sent out spam and we do not allow our mail server to act as an open relay). If you do not get a reply from us, please send again just to be safe and if you still do not get a reply, you may want to troubleshoot by creating a "free" web based email account (such as at yahoo.com or at hotmail.com) and use that to send your email.
I downloaded Enemy Territory and do not have a CD or CDKey ... why do I sometimes see messages about a CDKey?
When playing Enemy Territory over the Internet on PunkBuster enabled servers, PunkBuster will automatically generate a CDKey for you. Most problems with CDKeys in Enemy Territory are caused by copying the game from one computer to another instead of installing from scratch. You can press the tilde key (the ~ key) to bring down the console inside the game and enter the command "/pb_myguid" (without the quotes) and PunkBuster will display your CDKey and the PunkBuster GUID which is used to identify players. Problems or error messages regarding the CDKey in Enemy Territory are best handled by emailing our support staff at support@evenbalance.com.
After installing Enemy Territory with PunkBuster, now my original Return to Castle Wolfenstein PunkBuster doesn't work right, what happened?
Enemy Territory is a completely separate game from Return to Castle Wolfenstein. It should NOT be installed into the same folder/directory where Return to Castle Wolfenstein is installed. Both games need their own distinct folder and separate "pb" folders because the PunkBuster editions for each game are not compatible with each other.
I have a good connection with low ping but my gameplay is not smooth sometimes with 'Connection Interrupted' problems and also messages that say MAX_PACKET_USERCMDS, what can I do to fix this?
Try setting the value of the cl_maxpackets cvar to 100 or 125. For example, enter this into your console (without the quotes): "/cl_maxpackets 100". If you continue to have problems, try also setting "/com_maxfps 75".
Why does PB spam "PB Server running Old Version" on some servers and how do I make it stop?
Some PB Server admins are not able or willing to fix their firewall so that their PunkBuster server can keep itself always auto-updated to the latest version. Therefore, when a new PB update comes out, their server(s) will continue running the old version until updated manually. When players join a PB Server that is running an old version, that old PB will try to 'downgrade' each player's PB to match the old version running at that server and the "PB Server running Old Version" message is generated every few seconds during this process. We encourage players to avoid servers like this as PB often does not work efficiently nor catch the latest cheats when old versions are running. If the attempts to 'downgrade' your PB fail, then you will be kicked. If you trust the server admin, you can enter "/pb_security 0" into your console to allow your PB to be downgraded. If you know how to get in touch with the admin, please let him/her know of the problems caused by not having a properly functioning / auto-updating PB Server.
How do I set up my PunkBuster server to allow GTV clients?
Set the pb_sv_specname PB Setting to the first few letters of the playername used by GTV clients that will connect. That way, the PB Server will keep the connecting GTV clients in SPEC status as long as there is 0 score for that "player". For example, add 'pb_sv_specname GTV' to the pbsv.cfg or pbsvuser.cfg file in the server's home "pb" folder.
What happened to the PunkBuster forums?
After taking a long, hard look at our support offerings, it was obvious that email-based support is far more effective at helping most users than providing an open forum. Our support staff work directly and one-on-one with users and admins who are having a problem that is not covered here in the FAQ. There was too much misinformation being posted on the forums and new users were often overwhelmed trying to find the answers to simple questions.
I'm a server admin, is there anything special that needs to be done in order to run multiple game servers with PB from the same server computer?
Yes. Each instance of the game server must have its fs_homepath server cvar set to a distinct location. Fs_homepath can be set on the command line that launches the server and admins should set up a separate directory for each running server instance and make sure the various running servers point to those separate directories. For example, say you have servers A, B and C. You can create the following directories: /users/whatever/et-a /users/whatever/et-b /users/whatever/et-c Then in your command line for launching server A, add "+set fs_homepath /users/whatever/et-a" to the other parameters you have. Add similar corresponding items to the command lines for servers B and C. By doing the above, the multiple PB servers don't conflict with each other during updates.
I keep getting kicked off of servers and I see messages about technical errors for pbcl.dll or pbag.dll, or messages about DISTRESS or Update timeout ... what is wrong?
These problems are almost always caused when your PunkBuster can't keep itself updated for some reason. Sometimes they are caused when the server you are trying to play on is running an old version of PunkBuster. If this happens to you on every PB server you try to play on, then please click here for help on getting your PunkBuster updated. If this problem happens only on one or a few PB Servers, then the cause is most likely that those servers are outdated; in that case, you should avoid those servers. If you must play on these servers enter "/pb_security 0" at the game console - this will make the PB Client disable security checks for the (old) update. Do this only on PB Servers you trust.
How do I enable PunkBuster?
At the game's main screen, press your tilde key (the ~ key) to bring down the console. Then type in this line (without the quotes): "/pb_cl_enable". You should see text displayed showing the PB Client version number and also saying that PB is now Enabled. If not, you should reinstall the latest game update patch and make sure that PunkBuster is installed as part of that patch update installation.
Why doesn't my PunkBuster Client work even though everything is installed properly?
Check the fs_homepath game cvar from the game console (enter "\fs_homepath"). Then, using the explorer program on your computer, verify that the path pointed to by fs_homepath does in fact have a "pb" subfolder that includes at least these three files: pbsv.dll, pbcl.dll and pbag.dll (or pbsv.so, pbcl.so, and pbag.so on Linux systems). If not, then either locate and copy the "pb" folder from your game installation into the fs_homepath location, or change the fs_homepath cvar to point to your game installation. Note that the "pb" folder must have read and write permissions. We realize this can be a tricky topic. If you need further assistance, please email support@evenbalance.com.
My computer locks up or "chugs" sometimes while I'm playing with PunkBuster Enabled, what can cause this?
PunkBuster "pushes" hardware and the Windows Operating System more than most software and uses functions in the Windows API (low level functions) that aren't used by most other programs. As such, there are a few cases where using PB can actually expose flaky hardware or other situations that don't cause problems for other software. Here are a few things that have helped other users make these problems get better or go away completely:
If you are running Windows NT4/2000/XP, try lowering the priority of the game process. You can do this either by opening the Task-Manager while the game is running, or launch the game by using the command "start /belownormal c:\games\et\et.exe" from a command prompt or in the target field of your desktop shortcut used to launch the game. Lowering the game process priority does not reduce game performance (or just very little depending on the number of programs you are running next to the game).
Make sure you are using the latest version of PunkBuster (the latest version is always on our Download page) - also this link may help manually update your PB to the latest version when necessary
From the game's main screen, press the tilde key (the ~ key) to bring down the console and enter the following line (without the quotes): "/pb_system 1".
Never close other programs from your Windows Task Manager before playing the game, either leave them running or close them through the proper interface - killing a process doesn't always work completely even if it stops showing in the Task Manager and renegade threads seem to conflict with PB more than other programs that may be running in memory. There is a free utility that some players use called EndItAll to close all extra programs before they play to avoid software conflicts, crashes and lockups. You can get it from here.
Check the add/remove programs list in your Control Panel and uninstall any programs that you don't use or that you don't know what they are.
One program that seems to conflict with PB more than others is Norton Anti-Virus. If you have it installed, try uninstalling it to see if the lockups go away. Some players have reported that when this is the culprit, they can reinstall Norton Anti-Virus and the lockups don't come back.
Other background programs that seem to conflict with PB for some users are Sound Blaster Live software and helper programs that come with video cards (especially ATI keyboard shortcut programs).
Some players discovered that they had a computer virus and that the lockups vanished after it was fully removed.
Experiment with the pb_sleep setting ... try setting it to 20, 250, or 500 to see if that affects your game performance. A few players have reported that all the problems go away when they "tweak" this setting.
In extreme cases, a few users have reported that replacing their RAM (memory) or video/sound cards fixed the problem.
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. You may request a list of all checked cvar rangess from the server using the pb_cvarlist command. You will see all checked cvars, the allowed ranges and also any of your cvars that are currently set outside the allowed ranges.
What does "Received Master Security Information" 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.
How can I turn off PunkBuster Messages?
By default, PunkBuster outputs to both the top of the playing screen and also to the game console. If you want to prevent PunkBuster from sending output to the playing screen, add [skipnotify] to the beginning of your pb_msgprefix setting (see the Settings section on our online PB for Players manual for more info). Output will only be sent to your game console in this case.
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. If, however, you had to adjust your firewall to use the game in the first place, you may need to extend that adjustment to include ports used by PB's auto-update feature. PunkBuster for Enemy Territory uses outgoing UDP Port 27960 to communicate with Master Servers. This is the same port used by default by Enemy Territory for gameplay.
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.
