What did I do wrong to get banned?

[Prong2005]

To whom it may concern,

I have played on the ECGN Servers for quite a while without any issues. What drew me to the servers was how well they were policed by the ECGN members. Until now, I have never had any issues with the admins.... ever.

So what did I do to get banned???

I run a very structured BlackHawk crew. My crew specializes in hard core teamwork to provide a valuable resource to our commander.

My typical loadout for our chopper is listed below.

F1 - Pilot - Supply - Me
F2 - Left door gunner - Medic
F3 - Right door gunner - Supply
F4 - Right side open - Spec Ops - To engage ground assets
F5 - Rear left - Engineer - In flight repairs
F6 - Rear right - Engineer - In flight repairs

With the above configuration, my team is able to attack ground assets, infantry, and armor. Although we still get shot down alot by IGLA nests, most of the time we get rammed by the opposing team in a jet.

The other night we had a ECGN member who joined our crew for almost an hour of game play. We all had VOIP enabled and were haveing a GREAT time. This ECGN member was quite impressed with our teamwork and even complimented us on our skills. He said he rarely sees teamwork like ours on the ECGN servers.

The ECGN member then left our group to play with his friends, but thanked us for the experience flying with us. We bid him farewell and went back to doing what we do best. How cool was that? We got a compliment from a regular! WOOT!

Almost 45 minutes later I started to get switched to the other team randomly. I thought the recent patches fixed this issue, so I dealt with it and waited to get back, only to be switched again and again. Needless to say, it's hard to be a squad leader when you are constantly switched to the other side.

After about 6 forced switches, I get a message that I have been banned form the server.

Banned for what? I really do not know.

We weren't stealing vehicles, we were playing as a team, we were capping flags, and destroying the enemy. It just so happens that some of the enemy were ECGN members.

So I ask again... What did I do to get banned?

Was it because I had NO kills, but a high rate of assists? Most of my points came from flying the chopper and keeping my team from getting killed. Flying is all that I do, but I am very good at it.

Is being a good chopper pilot or running a well tuned team grounds for a perma ban?

Is killing ECGN members on the opposite team also grounds for a perma ban?

This experience made me think of what the ECGN member said to me about the lack of teamwork on the servers.

Could this be WHY there isn't much teamwork on the servers?

Please let me know what I did wrong...

Thanks,

Prong2005
BlackHawk1 Pilot

[BladeRunner Profile]

In game name, approximate date and time of ban, name
of the ECGN public server you were playing on.
We need that information before we can proceed.

Thanks
BladeRunner

[Prong2005]

Originally posted by BladeRunner
In game name, approximate date and time of ban, name
of the ECGN public server you were playing on.
We need that information before we can proceed.

Thanks
BladeRunner

Thanks for the follow up,

In Game Name: Prong2005
Date and Time: The 19th or 20th / Late afternoon
IP Address: 205.177.13.8 Port: 16567

ECGN Amnion was the person that gamed with us for about an hour. I think thats the proper spelling of his name.

The following members were logged in as well:

ECGN AHXtreme42
ECGN Twister026
ECGN Eastblade
ECGN do_not_kill

Thanks for investigating this,

Prong2005

[BladeRunner Profile]

Prong, normal ban policy is that the admin that banned you
will respond to your request for an unbanning.

The logs don't show who banned you so we have to wait for
a while to give that admin a chance to see this thread
and reply.

In the mean time you might should look this thread over,
it's server rules for the ECGN public servers.
http://forums.powervs.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=14658

[Chacal Profile Website]

Yes, that's the procedure. It can take a few days before the admin logs in here and sees this message.

Originally posted by Prong2005

Almost 45 minutes later I started to get switched to the other team randomly. I thought the recent patches fixed this issue, so I dealt with it and waited to get back, only to be switched again and again. Needless to say, it's hard to be a squad leader when you are constantly switched to the other side.

Team switch is there for a reason: it means the teams are unbalanced, either in numbers or in skills. Please stay on the team you are put on. Too bad if it breaks up your team.

This may have no relation to your ban though.

[Prong2005]

Originally posted by Chacal
Yes, that's the procedure. It can take a few days before the admin logs in here and sees this message.



Team switch is there for a reason: it means the teams are unbalanced, either in numbers or in skills. Please stay on the team you are put on. Too bad if it breaks up your team.

This may have no relation to your ban though.

The team switch for squad leaders was supposed to be fixed in the patch. I know that has been addressed because it never happens on any of the other servers I have played on since the fix. For some reason, I feel I was being switched on purpose. Even when I switched back to the proper team, and the teams were balanced, I was moved once again.

I read through the rules posted, and I still can not see any rule that I may have broken.

[Chacal Profile Website]

It's possible you were switched on purpose. We do that at times. Stay on the team you were switched to.

[Prong2005]

Originally posted by Chacal
It's possible you were switched on purpose. We do that at times. Stay on the team you were switched to.

No disrespect intended Sir, but now I am curious...

I assume that ECGN is a group of players that play as a team on these servers? I assume that ECGN runs squads for specific purposes on the battlefield? If that is correct, then I pose the following question to you.

Isn't it bad form and unsportsman like to break up a competing team, by forcing the squad leader of that team to the other side to gain a tactical advantage? Especially if that team is turning the tides of battle in favor of winning?

How would ECGN feel if this policy was used on them in a server not policed by ECGN members? Breaking up effective squads by forcing the squad leaders to team switch?

The whole reason why I play Battlefield 2 is to compete against other teams on an even battlefield. Playing on an uneven battlefield that can be modified by an admin to gain a tactical advantage for the other team seems a bit sketchy at best.

I urge you to contact the ECGN player that I mentioned earlier, who played with us for that hour, and ask him for his thoughts on this matter. He is probably best suited to give you more insight on how we operate as a team, and our overall effectiveness on the battlefield.

[Chacal Profile Website]

I understand your concern, but I think you're confused about our purpose.

ECGN is not a clan, it's a game server rental business. We run public servers on which a player community has developped over the years, but they are PUBLIC servers, not clan servers.

We want to ensure an enjoyable playing experience for the general public. The most important requirements for this is that the teams must be kept balanced (1).

For this reason, ECGN players, like all players, must spread evenly between the two teams. This includes visiting clans and specialized squads such as yours, unless of course the server is used for a scheduled private match.

Players are often reminded to balance teams. When this doesn't work, admins will switch players. Those with similar tags (ECGN or otherwise) will be especially targeted because they have the most impact on team balance. Switching back means you're disobeying an admin.

No ECGN admin does that for personal or tactical advantage, as you seem to imply.

Now, I understand that this doesn't fit with your usual playing mode. You seem to be very specialized as a BH squad. You even sign your posts as a BH pilot. You mention competiton and effectiveness as motivators.

Sorry, but if that's the case I'm not sure the public ECGN #1 server is the right place for you. If you join our server and switch teams in order to be together, you're breaking a rule already.

Also, you may not know this but the Blackhawk has been a touchy topic here since BF2 came out. Until a few months ago we had a specific rule against BH whoring, this rule has been suspended after the first patch but it wasn't an unanimous decision. If you spend all your time in a BH you won't get much respect from most of our regs as it is still widely considered point whoring.

---------------------------------
(1) The most accurate metric for balanced teams is score. If during the course of an evening most of the rounds end up very close (say, less than 50 points difference), then the teams are balanced. If they end up consistently with a large difference in favor of the same team, then the teams are unbalanced.

[Prong2005]

Originally posted by Chacal
I understand your concern, but I think you're confused about our purpose.

ECGN is not a clan, it's a game server rental business. We run public servers on which a player community has developped over the years, but they are PUBLIC servers, not clan servers.

Yes, I am very confused now. So if ECGN members are not team mates (aka a clan) then who are they? Employees that play on the servers and police them? Or are they also community members that have purchased slots on the specific server they are playing on for a monthly fee?

Originally posted by Chacal
We want to ensure an enjoyable playing experience for the general public. The most important requirements for this is that the teams must be kept balanced (1).

For this reason, ECGN players, like all players, must spread evenly between the two teams. This includes visiting clans and specialized squads such as yours, unless of course the server is used for a scheduled private match.

Battlefield 2 is a squad based game of tactical warfare. Breaking up squads for the purpose of providing an enjoyable experience for others seems a bit rash don't you think? In fact, it's counterproductive to the end result, winning the round?

Originally posted by Chacal
Players are often reminded to balance teams. When this doesn't work, admins will switch players. Those with similar tags (ECGN or otherwise) will be especially targeted because they have the most impact on team balance. Switching back means you're disobeying an admin.

No ECGN admin does that for personal or tactical advantage, as you seem to imply.

So instead of balancing the teams by moving individual players that do not belong to a team to the other side, ECGN will target squad leaders and / or currently established teams with clan tags? What possible value does this add to a game designed for squad based combat? What message do you think this sends to visitors and possible first time customers?

Originally posted by Chacal
Now, I understand that this doesn't fit with your usual playing mode. You seem to be very specialized as a BH squad. You even sign your posts as a BH pilot. You mention competiton and effectiveness as motivators.

Sorry, but if that's the case I'm not sure the public ECGN #1 server is the right place for you. If you join our server and switch teams in order to be together, you're breaking a rule already.

I can understand your point about switching teams and unbalancing the numbers per side, and I can respect that. What I don't understand is why players aren't allowed to play as a team in a squad based game, especially if they waited to be in that squad to play as a team.

Is ECGN the right place for me? Considering the path this conversation has taken, maybe it isn't. In so many words, you have devalued me as a future customer either as a server operator or a monthly subscriber for a slot on one of the public servers.

Originally posted by Chacal
Also, you may not know this but the Blackhawk has been a touchy topic here since BF2 came out. Until a few months ago we had a specific rule against BH whoring, this rule has been suspended after the first patch but it wasn't an unanimous decision. If you spend all your time in a BH you won't get much respect from most of our regs as it is still widely considered point whoring.

I am well aware of what used to happen with the Blackhawks prior to the patch, and I am pleased they fixed it. What saddens me is the other whoreing going on with jets and attack helicopters that consistantly straife spawn points on carriers and uncappable flags.

What about the lone wolf who spends an entire round in a jet, never getting shot down once? I guess he is allowed because he is not affiliated with a team, and he is certainly not flying a Blackhawk.

You seem to think that we are some sort of professional clan or something. I do have a few regular players that I keep in touch with, but most of the time, the crew I fly with is assembled from the very server I happen to be playing on at the moment.

When I was banned from your server, four of the six members onboard the Blackhawk was players from your server.

[Evan Profile Website]

Originally posted by Prong2005
Yes, I am very confused now. So if ECGN members are not team mates (aka a clan) then who are they? Employees that play on the servers and police them? Or are they also community members that have purchased slots on the specific server they are playing on for a monthly fee?



Battlefield 2 is a squad based game of tactical warfare. Breaking up squads for the purpose of providing an enjoyable experience for others seems a bit rash don't you think? In fact, it's counterproductive to the end result, winning the round?



So instead of balancing the teams by moving individual players that do not belong to a team to the other side, ECGN will target squad leaders and / or currently established teams with clan tags? What possible value does this add to a game designed for squad based combat? What message do you think this sends to visitors and possible first time customers?



I can understand your point about switching teams and unbalancing the numbers per side, and I can respect that. What I don't understand is why players aren't allowed to play as a team in a squad based game, especially if they waited to be in that squad to play as a team.

Is ECGN the right place for me? Considering the path this conversation has taken, maybe it isn't. In so many words, you have devalued me as a future customer either as a server operator or a monthly subscriber for a slot on one of the public servers.



I am well aware of what used to happen with the Blackhawks prior to the patch, and I am pleased they fixed it. What saddens me is the other whoreing going on with jets and attack helicopters that consistantly straife spawn points on carriers and uncappable flags.

What about the lone wolf who spends an entire round in a jet, never getting shot down once? I guess he is allowed because he is not affiliated with a team, and he is certainly not flying a Blackhawk.

You seem to think that we are some sort of professional clan or something. I do have a few regular players that I keep in touch with, but most of the time, the crew I fly with is assembled from the very server I happen to be playing on at the moment.

When I was banned from your server, four of the six members onboard the Blackhawk was players from your server.

Just responding to the first part..

The ECGN staff (I'm one of them) run the servers. According to EA regulations for hosting ranked servers, we MUST put up a bunch of public ranked BF2 servers for the community. Normally we'd only have 1 or 2 public BF servers up for the public to enjoy.

The ones you see with the [ECGN] tag are just regulars who have played here for a while and are well respected and team players (most of the time). [ECGN-A] means they are an admin (but they are NOT staff members, except for 3 of us - Weasel Meat, Me, MMmmGood). Admins are carefully selected when it comes time to bring up new admins. No one pays a fee to be an admin or play on these free public servers.

As was said before, ECGN itself is a business. The community within it however, is just that - a community. And we are damn proud of it.

[Chacal Profile Website]

Originally posted by Prong2005
Yes, I am very confused now. So if ECGN members are not team mates (aka a clan) then who are they? Employees that play on the servers and police them? Or are they also community members that have purchased slots on the specific server they are playing on for a monthly fee?

Neither. They're just people who came here, liked the place and stayed. When they feel like it, they start wearing an ECGN tag. Nobody pays for playing on our public servers, customers are people who rent servers. They can do what they want with their own servers.

Originally posted by Prong2005
Battlefield 2 is a squad based game of tactical warfare. Breaking up squads for the purpose of providing an enjoyable experience for others seems a bit rash don't you think? In fact, it's counterproductive to the end result, winning the round?

Actually, we're not going out of our way to break up squads. It happens sometimes but squads are not a factor in the decision. As for your question, no, I don't think so and yes, it's counterproductive to YOUR end result but not ours, which is to keep the server fun for all and prevent point whoring. Also keep in mind that switching players is a kind of last resort action, admins do that when there's no other way to restore balance.

Originally posted by Prong2005
So instead of balancing the teams by moving individual players that do not belong to a team to the other side, ECGN will target squad leaders and / or currently established teams with clan tags? What possible value does this add to a game designed for squad based combat? What message do you think this sends to visitors and possible first time customers?

The idea is balancing skills. Moving individuals with a low score wouldn't make sense. Again, it doesn't matter if they're in a squad or not.

The message we send to visitors is "this is a place for a fun game where you won't get point-whored by clans". The message we send to customers is "It's a good idea to rent your server at ECGN because you can get a powerful 60-man server like this public one, with a good ping and a great service". It has nothing to do with our rules since customers can admin their own servers any way they want.

Originally posted by Prong2005
I can understand your point about switching teams and unbalancing the numbers per side, and I can respect that. What I don't understand is why players aren't allowed to play as a team in a squad based game, especially if they waited to be in that squad to play as a team.

Actually they're allowed to, and encouraged to. I misread your first post, you seemed to say you had a permanent, specialized squad or clan always playing together in a BH. That is why I said perhaps ECGN public servers aren't the right place for you: we can't guarantee we'll never break your team up.

Originally posted by Prong2005
Is ECGN the right place for me? Considering the path this conversation has taken, maybe it isn't. In so many words, you have devalued me as a future customer either as a server operator or a monthly subscriber for a slot on one of the public servers.

I have done no such thing. I'm trying to be honest about what kind of service we can provide on our free public servers. Customers get their own servers and it has nothing to do with this current issue.

Originally posted by Prong2005
I am well aware of what used to happen with the Blackhawks prior to the patch, and I am pleased they fixed it. What saddens me is the other whoreing going on with jets and attack helicopters that consistantly straife spawn points on carriers and uncappable flags.

What about the lone wolf who spends an entire round in a jet, never getting shot down once? I guess he is allowed because he is not affiliated with a team, and he is certainly not flying a Blackhawk.

In my personal opinion you are absolutely correct. This is considered lame by a significant part of the community. This has also been a controversial matter here and still is. However, to stay on topic, if that lone wolf racks a high score he'll probably be one of the first to be forcefully switched.

Originally posted by Prong2005
You seem to think that we are some sort of professional clan or something. I do have a few regular players that I keep in touch with, but most of the time, the crew I fly with is assembled from the very server I happen to be playing on at the moment. When I was banned from your server, four of the six members onboard the Blackhawk was players from your server.

Now you're talking. Feel free to build squads that way any time you wish.
In other news, we can now see squads in our remote manager, so perhaps it will be possible now for admins to take that into account.

[donkey_nutz Profile]

here is a pic of your finely tuned black hawk exploiting.. i watched you for over 45 minutes doing this flying around having your squadmates trow out ammo nades and c4 CONSTANTLY. and with you being support you gaind points by doing so.. this is a cheap way to win a round by exploiting the ranking system.... and buy the way dont take it personal.. if someone racked up 160+ points in a jet i would switch them too... its no fun for eather team if the games are more that 200 points between theam for 4 or 5 maps in a row...

[donkey_nutz Profile]

adn here is a pic of your WHOLE SQUAD camping for the black hawk

[donkey_nutz Profile]