Forced Server Updates

[jitspoe]

In light of recent situations, and after several requests, I think I'm going to have to start enforcing server version checks for the server list.  To list a few reasons:
- Cheaters are evading the global ban list simply by connecting to servers running an older version.
- People are reporting bugs that have already been fixed.
- Players are having some issues due to differences between versions.
- New and updating players join the game expecting to see the features/fixes listed in the news/readme, and they aren't there.

The last two, well, really most of those reasons can lead to unenjoyable experiences and cause people to abandon the game or revert back to earlier versions.  I know there were several complaints in the past about me "forcing" people to use the new version (despite the work I had done to maintain backwards compatibility), but I think this is necessary to help move the development of the game forward and combat cheating.

[KnacK]

THANK YOU!!!!!

[loial21]

God bless Q2 Digital Paintball. I will miss you.

[Reed]

- Cheaters are evading the global ban list simply by connecting to servers running an older version.

Does this mean that everyone will have to play on build16?

What about those people who dont cheat, but who prefer to play on older builds?

[jitspoe]

No, it means the servers will have to update to the latest build.  If players prefer older versions, however, they should give detailed feedback as to why.  Sooner or later, new client versions are going to be necessary to take advantage of new features, and by staying with old versions instead of providing feedback, players are hurting themselves as well as the development of the game.

[loial21]

What about those people who dont cheat, but who prefer to play on older builds?

Dearest Reed,
Welcome to my world. I complained about not being able to use q2 any longer with my game spy. So I decided to change .exe and use the stand-alone. To be honest I dont perfer it, it hinders me in several different ways.

1. I can not see the balls flying untill they splat.
 
2. I have had over 7500+ hours playing the q2 engine with the same models, skins, sounds, colors etc. Changing them took some getting used to. The new adaptations still cause me problems.

3. Different sounds. In some situations when the conditions are right I can not tell the difference between some steping in the distance of if someone is shooting at me in the distance

All of this combind has hindered my abilities that I was comfortable with. This does not sit well with me as I dont cheat and I play other q2 mods on Gamespy in which my other clan {WOD/HHR} was a major part of.

[KnacK]

Look:

This is called Software Progression.

There HAS to be a point in which it no longer makes sense to support older versions.  If Jit were to keep DP 100% backward compatible then Jit might as well stop ANY future development work as some, if not most, of the new things that are to be implemented WILL ABSOLUTELY NOT WORK with the older version(s).

So, for those that prefer the older versions, go get a server, run the older code, and play with the older clients.

I, on the other hand, as well as others, look forward to the new changes, as I have with each release, since DP was first introduced.

[loial21]

So, for those that prefer the older versions, go get a server, run the older code, and play with the older clients.

Dont get my wrong. I perfer new stuff, begged for it even. But some people around here are to chicken excrement to try new equipment / weaponry thus changing long practiced strategies.

Its the aesthetic changes that I dont like. I realize they are done for reasons beyond my initial comprehension. I just prefer to have models textures and sound importable (is that a word?).

[Eiii]

Importable? Yes. It's adding -able to import. Which is gramatically legal.
What's that about new equipment/weaponry? Last I checked, there's hasn't been an equipment/weaponry change pretty much ever. I don't even know what you're talking about, even though I can now read(ish) your posts.

[loial21]

A lot of post quakeworld players have asked for new equipment. Just to have a chicken excrement responce 'newbs' etc . WTF What wrong with change. Let me ask this, why not add some new equipment, weapons. I believe the primed / instaburst nades and removing the 300 hoppers are a prime example of new weapons and equipment, eiii.

New weapons would bring a new spark to this game, period.

Now that I have angered the DP 'gods' with heresay talk of new stuff. I will let them vent their explanations of why new weapons would not bring a new spark to a great game.

[jitspoe]

That's completely off-topic.  Please post a new thread or revive one of the many other "new weapon" threads that's already been started.  Further discussion of weapons here will be deleted. - jitler

[PiCaSSo]

I am a hard core die hard Quake 2 player... I've played it for many years and even I have b-i-t-c-h-e-d about the standalone version of DP. I played Q2 all the way up until build 14 was released and then finally realized how stubborn I was being. I hate change!!! I had been so used to Quake 2 after playing it for 6 of the 7 years I've been playing DP that nothing was going to convince me to change. 

The truth is that the standalone looks much better than quake 2 and once you get used to it, plays better than Q2.

I stopped using Quake 2 about 2 months ago.  the main reason is that I got tired of being called a hack so I started trying to use the most updated builds.  Still got called a hack occasionally because even the later builds were being hacked...

NOW Jitspoe has created a build that catches the majority of the hacks that are out there for the game and it is the first time since I have been playing this game that any true form of cheat protection has been made available,

It's time for everybody in this community to get on the same playing field and I am all for the direction Jitspoe is going...

If you hack this game GOODBYE...

I have no doubt that Jitspoe will take care of all the other bugs that might pop up so make sure and respectfully post bugs or problems in the appropriate place and help this game progress.

UPGRADE your clientside and serverside builds to 16 for the best gameplay and at the very least we'll all be playing equally.

Jitspoe... Koodos for all your efforts... I for one appreciate what you have done because without DP, I have no life   Thanks bud!

hehehe

PiCaSSo   

[Reed]

I wasn’t personally talking about quake2; ive used build 10 and never switched to a newer build. I tried using 14 and I just dont like it because of the whole messaging thing. The problem is you keep bundling things together, we get something good like cheat protection, but then its balanced out by the painful gun temp. Im all for fixing bugs, but can you not just fix them without putting in all the unnecessary things (eg. new models )

What would be nice is a ripped down version that has none of the new aesthetic things, or if you could put options in to make the new version look exactly the same as build 10 but include all the cheat protection and bug fixes, that would be a winner. Surely making a scaled down version would be easier and relatively smaller in size, it would also take less time to update? Just a suggestion.

[GreenAffairz]

For the short time i have been here I have gotten really used to Build 14 and I have disabled all settings including water/models on Build 16 but still get lag. I have never cheated online EVER and I dont intend to ever.

[P!nk]

Post removed

[jitspoe]

Reed: everything you've mentioned is configurable.  Read the readme.

[Reed]

Reed: everything you've mentioned is configurable.  Read the readme.

http://dpball.com/forums/index.php?topic=1843.msg20564#new