Warning: Use of Illegal Software on our Servers

[Bram Hengeveld]

In public servers there is a growing group of drivers racing with illegal pirated Skidmark software (don't click the download link). As a result of these growing numbers we have been checking our server logs thoroughly last night and the result is that some of our drivers are using the pirated games as well.

Thankfully those members can be counted on the fingers of two hands and out of the thousands that have signed up for a license membership that is pretty positive. So kudos to all who do support a developer by purchasing a legitimate copy of the game via www.steampowered.com and keep sim racing on PC alive

To the people with pirated software here is your first and final warning. Those of you who log in to race on our servers with games that you don't legally own will have their licensed membership revoked permanently. This means no more online racing at RD and back to the public servers.

We are not interested in the excuses that you may have to justify your illegal copy so don't bother starting a discussion to explain the reasons. We don't allow it.

 

[AngryPostmanSthlm]

I actually went on one of those SKIDROW servers and pissed everybody off in it

Now that was a fun idea think i do it too next time i see it

 

[Rupe Wilson]

 

[Kennett Ylitalo]

Just a thought, joining Skidrow servers most likely will get your Steam ID copied...

 

[Senad Subasic]

Just a thought, joining Skidrow servers most likely will get your Steam ID copied...

Isn't Steam_ID just a number anyway? Every person who joins gets the next available number.

I can provide a list of about 20.000.000 Steam ID's off the top of my head. Reasonable price too

 

[Kennett Ylitalo]

Isn't Steam_ID just a number anyway? Every person who joins gets the next available number.

I can provide a list of about 20.000.000 Steam ID's off the top of my head. Reasonable price too

The server log also shows your Steam account name..
Since they are able to use a steam id on the same server, i can picture that situation only to get worse, soon they will be able to use just any steam id, whether that person i on the same server or not..

 

[UMC 22]

I think you'll find that they already can use any number they want. It is in no way tied to who happens to be on the same server. It merely has to be a valid Steam ID, that's all. (To get past Steam's own validation system)

 

[Hiroshi Awazu]

Now that was a fun idea think i do it too next time i see it

Please don't do it. Let those idiots be and lets do our best to just keep them away from here.

 

[Marian Zelenka]

When I watch race logs, some guys don't have SteamUser and SteamID, just unknown. I'm sure they are legal, but looks like some bug. Or could it be steam in offline mode?

 

[Marco Bijl]

I am not sure why, and when that happens, but it happens to me as well. It's also with live update enabled.

 

[Hiroshi Awazu]

Well now everytime i see Skidmark, oop's i meant Skidrow i pull myself or Pauline out of the server regardless of whether it is going to be a good race or not. I see them a lot on the 100Bit servers which is unfortunate because at our time 12:00 am / 1:00 am PDT we usually find a decent group there then Skidrow shows up.

 

[Andrew Reed]

OK i was on the RaceRoom Forum and found this article quote"Server admins, put the Nordschleife (original Evo's version) in the EVENT QUEUE and skidrows will not be able to join. Even if they have "torrent" version of Evo, it's offline version and GDB file is different.
You dont need to run it, it can be last on the list of tracks, it will still prevent anyone without it to join.
Problem is that everyone has to have original Evo installed.
I've looked all over the net and there is no online (steam) version of nordschleife to be found, which is good."

So the only way to stop SKIDROW joining on the servers is to add Nords from GTR-Evo.. But is quoted only the few that own GTR-Evo can join too, but i feel that most that are connected via RD has GTR-Evo so should not case an issues to RD community

 

[Eric Stranne]

Well now everytime i see Skidmark, oop's i meant Skidrow i pull myself or Pauline out of the server regardless of whether it is going to be a good race or not. I see them a lot on the 100Bit servers which is unfortunate because at our time 12:00 am / 1:00 am PDT we usually find a decent group there then Skidrow shows up.

Add me on Steam (http://steamcommunity.com/id/EricStranne) as I am an Admin there, and I'm online on the servers as much as I can, and constantly kick SKIDROWs. Give me a shout and I'll break out the Banhammer (or Kickhammer for them)

 

[Hiroshi Awazu]

Cool good to know, I will do that. It is unfortunate that we are not able to race on RD's servers but the times are not good for us.Even the U.S times are too early for us but there is nothing that can be done about this. I will do the odd EU Sunday morning race but I'm pretty tired at 2am ( we are -8 pdt).

I will say that 100Bit is the best open servers hands down, well behaved racers there and at our time that we are on, Pauline does quite well for grid position

 

[Rupe Wilson]

OK i was on the RaceRoom Forum and found this article quote"Server admins, put the Nordschleife (original Evo's version) in the EVENT QUEUE and skidrows will not be able to join. Even if they have "torrent" version of Evo, it's offline version and GDB file is different.
You dont need to run it, it can be last on the list of tracks, it will still prevent anyone without it to join.
Problem is that everyone has to have original Evo installed.
I've looked all over the net and there is no online (steam) version of nordschleife to be found, which is good."

So the only way to stop SKIDROW joining on the servers is to add Nords from GTR-Evo.. But is quoted only the few that own GTR-Evo can join too, but i feel that most that are connected via RD has GTR-Evo so should not case an issues to RD community

So Simbin are still blaming Valve, Valve doesn't seem bothered, skidrow gets away with it,,, so this simple little solution GTR EVO track,
So Simbin could give us a track and update it every week..just to get a file mismatch of the old track,,
Skidrow can race with any car but not if they don't have a track, skidrow will be fed of updating.... bye bye troubles..
Or don't race on open servers...

 

[Marco Bijl]

Skidrow will not be fed up with updating.

IF you do what you suggest, they are going to find a way around the track issue as well. It's a game between the producers, and the hackers, which never ends. One thinks of something new, the other sees it as a challenge to break it as soon as possible.

That last remark is the best options. Just do not race on the public servers. Besides the skidrow *sses, there are more reasons NOT to go there. Somehow, everytime I do a public race, I get frustrated because of driving standards, and I feel like I am on the play fair

 

[Rupe Wilson]

Very true,
But the casual menace gamer might .
A file mismatch detours even our racers after 10 Min's of not being able to get onto the server...

 

[Marco Bijl]

Well, the major problem is that we can not join a game with a different car. This has been "solved" by skidrow.
When mos public servers will have this feature of an unknown track, or a track with a mismatch, I am pretty sure they will implement a fix for that in their new hack.

Besided that, wew are looking from a server side perspective. Most "casual" racers look from a joining perspective. When you want to join a game, the server side has to setup the additional track. From the racers side, you can't tell if they have done so or not. So in fact, for 99% of all the publiuc servers, you still keep the same issues It's not detectable for "us" to see if they have the nord in queue or not.

So it IS a nice trick to have for ourselves, when we setup a public server. But from a joining point of view, this info is kinda useless. And this topic is seen from the driving point of view (joining a game, rather then hosting one.)

 

[UMC 22]

Bypassing this 'fix' is extremely easy and won't even take Skidrow or any other piracy team to do it. I could do it right now if I wanted to, as could pretty much anyone else. It'll become freely available the moment servers running Nords become too numerous.

 

[Martin Leyfield]

I have been impersonared; driver name, steam id, and steam name.
I did not get banned because I was a respected member of the community in question (100Mbit).
The owner admin has my ip address and got the ip address of the impersonator.
100Mbit reported the wrecker to his ISP for internet abuse and I hope they cut him off.
The ISP of the wrecker was Orange and the address range was for Nottingham, UK.

If people want to race without a password I recommend small races with unusual cars, Nords, or WTCC on C-ONline (as it has collisions off and ghost cars. It is not proper racing but is good for competing on times).

 

[Bram Hengeveld]

Those public servers seriously need to upgrade and stop running the same boring wtcc 2006/2007 content online to get a full server.. Its now 2012 and several packs have been released to enrich the game: use it.