Search the Community

tl;dr If a player logging on was, say (arbitrarily), within 300 meters of another player, the following would happen: the ear/eye indicators on the screen of (of both players) would flash red a few times. Hey all, I've been mulling over the issue of ghosting for a couple weeks. For those of you who don't know what it is, very briefly: ghosting typically takes place in a PVP encounter. Player A (the ghosting party) encounters Player B. Player A then logs off server 1 where player B exists, and logs onto server 2. On server 2, player A then moves to a position that is tactically advantageous, were he still on server 1. He then logs back onto server 1, and gains the upper hand through what is functionally, if not technically, an exploit. The problems with this are, as far as I can see, threefold. One: as mentioned, this is, at least functionally, an exploit. It uses the fact of character persistence in a way which, at least as it pertains to the 'realism' aspect of the mod, is unfair (as others have pointed out, the state of Chernarus does not have parallel dimensions. Frankly, it's just a cheap tactic. Two: It nullifies the value of smart gameplay. Of what use is setting up tactically advantageous positions (say, for example, guarding the only entrance to a building) if someone can materialize in said building behind you? Three: it is immersion breaking. See point one and two. So - what is there to be done about this? Others have offered at least partially viable solutions (login/logout timers, designated logout areas, and sundry. I do have a suggestion to add - one which I suspect might be easy to implement, not involve timers (which I believe have a good chance of punishing legitimate players), and not be too immersion breaking. What if upon logon, there was a script which checked for proximity to other players. If a player logging on was, say (arbitrarily), within 300 meters of another player, the following would happen: the ear/eye indicators on the screen of (of both players) would flash red a few times. That's it. A subtle way to alert the player already in-game and the player logging in that someone is now in the vicinity (without having moved there on the current server). This favors neither the person legitimately logging in or the player already in-game - it gives equal advantage to both. However, for those given to ghosting, it makes it harder to catch their opponent unfairly unaware. Let me know what you think. -{CQF}PV2 Bee

I'm for the server-side saved characters, would solve server hopping and disconnecting, and even ghosting maybe a ten minute timer before you can get to another server and actually keep your character, or something similar might work, too

this week alone i have been killed twice by someone spawning in the loading forrest and once by someone ghosting. all you need to do update your game manually and remove a file from the update. and boom you spawn as an invisible indestructible killing machine. this is gay. as bad as any hacks out there. fix it.

Do you think I have defined ghosting wrong? Don't think so actually :) At least here in the forum it is used in this way I think. Rocket is aware of this issue and has already tried to solve it. Didn't work though. He started with a small timer on logout (2 sec). I think he reverted this due to technical reasons. Log out timer is probably the most important tool vs DC to avoid death. But: It does not help very much against ghosting. And yes, I think it can help Rocket. With 50 threads and above about this topic he has to a) find them b) read through a lot of stories and complaints about DC c) read the same advices 10 times

ok, did some testing; Got shocked thanks to barbed wire, logged out, then in again on the same server to wait it out, then switched servers. Results: Logging into other servers, fine. Logging into server I was given the Shocked debuff on: always KO'd upon log in. It appears that the debuff is ghosting on the character, and applying the debuff upon log in, despite having elapsed time wise.

No longer give us shock status for random damage. I got damaged by a glitch/zombie, healed myself up, got a blood transfusion, got D/c'ed, and suddenly, I have to be unconscious for FIVE MINUTES? What the fuck, man? Give us shock status ONLY for being shot at, or hit, by another survivor. and then, make it impossible to log off while shock status is active. If you alt + F4 while in shock; fuck you, your character model stays in the game for the duration of the shock status, during which time you CAN and WILL be killed. No more ghosting. No more alt + f4'ing to get out of combat. No more being knocked unconscious upon log in because of a ZOMBIE or terrain glitch of all things.

tl;dr but GHOSTING is watching someones stream and using knowledge you shouldnt have against them, its not DCing before you die lol..

they despawned when he did, which means the game wasnt registering you. kinda odd unless you were in the wrong version server and were ghosting,

and if we seemed pissed that we were getting shot at it was because the guy shooting at us kept disconnecting and ghosting then logging back in to shoot us

"ghosting" I thought it was a term of ghosting between server dimensions. But I was wrong.

Nice little ghosting/radar feature eh? than what would you suggestion to be a better option that the current bullshit that we have now.

Nice little ghosting/radar feature eh?

Server time is currently sync'd to Beijing, we may slide it over to Sydney time. Veteran +3rd person (debate over 3rd person rages, however currently it is felt we gain more potential players by having it), no name tags. no third person sights. Automatic restarts at 12 AM, 6 AM, 12 PM, 6 PM PACIFIC. Our Public Teamspeak is up 216.244.73.186 Server Rules. We will ban verifiable cases of; 1) Alt F4ing to avoid death in PvP 2) Ghosting in PvP Both activities are exploiting something Rocket will eventually resolve and their only purpose is to grief. We will obviously also Banhammer anyone we can confirm is hacking or observe hacking. Now onto the good stuff! Our goals for the server are as follows. To promote a tight knit, yet competitive core group of players. Ideally this will be several different groups who turn this into their home server. By establishing a close knit community we can take the first baby step towards securing the server as much as is possible against serious long term damage from hackers and hacking. Obviously we cannot currently prevent hackers, but, if the majority of the server knows each other we make it that much easier to suss out hackers, identify them and report them for a global ban. To help facilitate this, we aim to have a team speak server up for public use hopefully this weekend. We are also planning to hold some server events, the first of which is being planned for as soon as possible. EVENT #1 will be essentially as follows. We, TheMercs, will pick a location on the map, we will set up some fortifications (wire and sandbags), lay down some tents, load them up with goodies and supplies, and then invite the entire server to come kill us. We do not intend to go easily, but we will stay in position until death. Loot you can expect to see once we are kaput? SAW's AK's M4's NVG's DMR's M14's M107's Ammo (what ever is left!) Medical Supplies (what ever is left!) We will also explore the possibility of setting up and suppling a forward base camp for our eventual murderers to arm themselves with basic weapons, ammunition and medical supplies! For security purposes we will be exploring the possibility of temporarily passwording the server at or near capacity for the duration of this event to limit the potential for the event being ruined. This thread will be updated once we settle on a day (maybe this Sunday). If you like what you see here, please come join us.

This would be the ghoster's dream. The problem with ghosting is the chance you might get shot when you log in. Lets take that away from them. If this is implemented ghosters would have nothing to fear. They'd log in any old place and if they get spotted they'd log out and try again. Bad idea.

Come to TheMercs server it is based in Seattle. We want bandit groups, are planning some big events, are actively and aggressively policing for ALT-F4'rs and Ghosters in addition to hackers. You will never have to worry about our admins kicking or banning anyone for PvPing unless they are actively alt-f4ing or ghosting!

This thread tries to compile the ideas of the community regarding the following issues: - Ghosting strategy - Log out to avoid death Definitions: /// Ghosting strategy: One player logs out from Server A during a PvP duell, joins server B and moves to an advantegous position (e.g. behind his enemy), rejoins server A to kill him. Associated Problem: Player spawns behind you by accident (normal login). Minor problem, but relevant for hot spot locations. /// Log out to avoid death 3 different situations: - DC immediatly when being shot upon - DC when chased by Zombies - DC from a "danger situation" "Danger situation" means that you escaped the immediate danger but you are still not safe and should not log out. E.g.: Player is pinned down in a building. He is in cover, but still has to face the issue to get out of there. This issue cannot be addressed efficiently by e.g. a delay on logout. Assumptions: - We want to keep the principle of "1 character - all servers" - Players can loose connection for legit reasons. - Legit players should not be punished in a severe way for connection losses. - Realife > Gaming. We have to be able to log out relatively quickly (max 5minutes) without suffering a severe penealty. Some minor penalty may apply though. Perhaps there is not one right way to solve these problems while maintaining the "1 character - all server" system. Perhaps the solution will be a mix of different mechanics which will not prevent abuse competely, but will make it unattractive and therefore unlikely to happen. Possible solutions: 1.1 Logout timer. A player figure remains in the game for time X [3 minutes?] after DC and can be killed by Zeds / Players. Pro: - Strong effect on "DC to avoid death" - Medium effect on "ghosting" Contra: - Could punish legit players who experience connection loss while being in PvP or around Zombies. But: Legit connection losses are rather rare, aren't they? And: 99,7% of your time you are not in combat with another player 80% of your time you are not near zombies - "I know several people from the EU/AUS/NZ who play and get booted constantly because of ping. They don't have issues playing until players start coming together." [Zipper [82ndAB]] - Relativle weak effect regarding "danger situation", e.g. player pinned down behind cover can still escape 2.1 Timer of X min [15 min?] after DC prevents logging into the same server again. Pro: - Efficiently prevents ghosting techniques Con: - There are legit reasons to join the same server again 2.2 Variation: Timer of X min [15 min?] in the case: DC from server A, login to Server X, re-login to server A Pro: - Less legit reasons fur such a behavior 3.1 After loggin into the game you will be unconcious for time X [1 Minutes?] Pro: - Quite effective against Ghosting as they intend to log in next to your position. Contra: - Negative for legit players who are looking for a server with a good ping. Restrict timer to 1 minute might be a compromise. 4.1 No re-login in cities or major locations. . This following solution does not exactly prevent "DC to avoid death" or "Ghosting". "All cities and major locations (castles, airfields, etc) have a radius around them that you cannot spawn inside of. The zones will be posted by devs for all to see. If you log out within a zone, upon relog you will spawn just outside the zone (as close to where you logged out.) This solves many issues right away". [iherron] http://i.imgur.com/tp1Ho.jpg [Map from user DL1P] "Where the red circles mean you get moved out of the circles into random area close to but outside the circle. You could probably script a message saying your logging out in a red zone are you sure "yes" "no" buttons. All zones ignored if same server loggin and all zones ignored if re-spawn from death." [DL1P] Pro: - You can actually execute strategic ops on targets in high traffic zones, since you're able to clear buildings with confidence. - Reduces farming - Greatly reduces log-on kills in buildings/loot spots. - It does not take much time for a player to get out of a city Con: - Does not prevent "DC to avoid death" or "ghosting" - Light punishment for legit players who have to DC fast or have a connection loss. [Acceptable?] 4.2 Variation: Player cant log out in cities. Logout button does not work while in city. If connection loss: Punishment (X % of catching a cold) Pro: - Could prevents about 80% of the situations where player DC to get out of a "danger situation". (Why? Danger situation = Player pinned down in cover. If pinned down behind a tree in the wilderness the player wont survive a DC timer (if implemented). These sitations normally appear within towns when player hide behind or in a house) - Practical solution. Players can logout with low time effort (max 3 min to get out of town). Con: - Punishment for legit players (But: If a DC timer is implemented we would have already decided to put legit players at risk. See 2.1) 5.1 Special Save-Locations. Actually the opposite of the idea in 4.1. It is primarily designed to avoid "ghosting". Part of the game will be that you will have to find a place to log out for the "night" (=log off) This might sound a bit arcade on the first view. But it might have potential. Viable places: - Houses in small and medium towns - Your own tent - Perhaps reconsider the purpose of tents? (Make them lower in backpack usage, way more common, no storage capacity; Takes a x- minute animation [3 minutes?] to build up the tent; only outside of the city. Then the player can disconnect. The tent might disappear with him.) Or you enter any viable house and choose the option: "Choose as sleeping place" You can do this from time to time during while you are travelling to "update" your position. When you relog you will spawn at the last position you have "saved". If over x km [2km?] away from this position when logging out, you will spawn at your DC location. Punishment for not sleeping in a save location: X % chance to catch a cold If a player does not want to use his last "save point" he can choose from the menue at any time: "Sleep in wilderness" Pros: - Would further hinder the opportunity to ghost - Punishes players who "DC to avoid death" (X % chance to catch a cold) - Quite realistic mechanic (game immersion) - Players who are lost in the middle of nowwhere without a tent would have a problem which I find quite interisting. Cons: Punishes players who DC due to connection loss (X % chance to catch a cold) There has to be a penality for sleeping in the wilderness otherwise the system does not work 6.1 Server checks for other people in the area. Login not possible if other people in the area. Have not elaborated this opportunity yet. Please add your thoughts for this. Negative: Logging out together with friends in the same area impossible as long we dont have a team-system implemented. 7.1 Punishment for disconnecting while bleeding / being unconcscious/ Taking non fatal damage If player logs out after time X [60 seconds?] after he has taken damage OR is bleeding OR is unconscious -> Player dies Pro: Efficiently addresses "DC to avoid death" Contra: Can effect legit players (connection loss). Very unlikely though to disconnect in this timeframe. 8.1 Visual alert of players if someone logs in in the vicinity "What if upon logon, there was a script which checked for proximity to other players. If a player logging on was, say (arbitrarily), within 300 meters of another player, the following would happen: the ear/eye indicators on the screen of (of both players) would flash red a few times. That's it. A subtle way to alert the player already in-game and the player logging in that someone is now in the vicinity (without having moved there on the current server)." [b_Winter] Threads covered: Preventing "ghost" tactics (switching servers exploit) "Ghosting" Suggestion To fix server hopping, or not to fix server hopping. nti Server Hopping Suggestions The Ghosting issue Pvp Server hopping Fix idea for server hopping Server hopping: a way to limit it? Anti Server Hopping Suggestions Fix Server Hopping/Quick Leaving (Borderline Cheating) Server Hopping Exploit Possible Fix A different (partial?) solution to ghosting. If you log out within 20 seconds of taking non-fatal damage, you die. Server Hopping/Exploiting Prevention Idea Suggested Fix for DC'ing in PVE & PVP Disconnects. Cheating death through disconnects

Feel free to shoot this idea down as i'm not sure of whether it's something that could even be applied. Upon logging in today, I was promptly shot and killed. I heard the shots before I even had a visual on the terrain where I had logged out, basically in a bush right next to a tree in a forest, so i wasn't out in the open. I could neither defend myself or make a retreat to a safer area, essentially I was killed without a single way of preventing it. I'm not unhappy about it, i can gather plenty of resources within the next two hours quite easily, but I could see other being upset if this had happened to them. What I would propose is a 15-30 second period of time whereby I cannot be damaged by another player, or likewise I could not damage them (a simple way to discourage 'ghosting' as well). Zombies however would be be able to attack me as well as me being able to attack them, my suggestion is simply a way to ensure a chancer cannot get the cheapest of all kills. Anyway like I said, feel free to shoot it down or even discuss if you've had similar experiences, but do try to be civil at least. Maybe you're the guy with the silenced automatic that killed me? Either way, let the opinions flow.. in a civilised manner please!

God no. That's what the 'shock' state is for' date=' and I think that's enough to 'punish' the people who try to log out [i']after a fight. Forcing people to have to play the game OR ELSE is just a bad idea, because this thing called Real Life tends to get in the way for many people. If you want to fight the combat loggers, there's only two things you need to do: give a 15 second countdown for normal disconnects. Give a 60 second countdown for someone who's either fired a shot, or is bleeding, or has zombie aggro. Each shot fired resets the countdown. I'd like it if people's locations were saved server-side, but that removes a great deal of persistence from the game. Alternatively, make it so that people who logged off in or on top of buildings are teleported somewhere on the ground nearby. This prevents people ghosting through barbed wire (which needs its hitbox resized, anyway), and makes it difficult for them to warp around and camp places.

Yes. This is a problem. Ghosting is a problem. I like the solution and I approve. Although I have a feeling there's probably a better solution... just need to figure it out.

1. When someone is bleeding/knocked out or has blinking food/water they can't log out. Even if they alt F4 their character stays in game. This is for mainly combat loggers. It is also lame that you can log out and wait for a friend to bring you supplies to survive. 2. Your location is reset to the coast when entering a different server from your previous one. This is to mainly prevent people from ghosting and logging into towns looking for free kills. I feel it is also important for the game to promote single server use. This will prevent server hopping but won't screw over people that want/need to change servers. This will promote people to play more on one server instead leaving servers to avoid night time or other people completely. Also as people play more on one server it creates the feeling that you are playing the game with other people instead of alone. You learn who you can trust and who to avoid. What areas that might be dangerous to go into. You'll also run into strangers that you've never seen before. This gives the game more of a feel that I believe Rocket is looking for. 3. When someone has zombie aggro they can't log out. The new way farm loot is to just sprint through zombies looking at all the loot spawns then logging out when you see something you need. When you log back in the zombies have magically disappeared and you have the ability to loot from the pile of loot you saw before. This needs to be prevented for obvious reasons. EDIT: After thinking about it for a while. I realized the location being saved server side is easily exploitable. Not a Good idea. I'm still in favor of your location being reset if you change servers.

I agree with the OP. I think performing the generic 'doing something' animation could be used during this time, to simulate having to pack/unpack your sleeping bag/bedroll. During logout, the timer and animation could be cancelled by movement or firing, in case you need to defend yourself (like with the bandaging animation.) However, the login animation could NOT be cancelled, to help prevent server hopping. You don't like it, don't logout in town. Also, as I suggested in the other thread started by rocket on this exploit, how do you feel about game servers automatically giving players a temporary ban when you disconnect, to prevent the server hopping / ghosting. Could even be up to an hour long (and the long time for this would also help to prevent ghosting to kill other players.)

With the server hopping and ghosting, I'd be willing to entertain that idea.

How about don't feed into a central server. I don't understand why this was ever done in the first place - it's a bizarre contradiction of the purported approximation of reality that can be easily avoided. Either we have one persistent world for everyone, or people have a different character in a different location per server. If you log out of any server, your character remains for several minutes on that server. Next time you log in, you might log in dead. No ghosting, no logging off to avoid death in most cases, even to avoid zombies.

I don't think your kicking idea is harsh enough. I think you should be limited to one (maybe two to account for server instability) spawn per server per 3-4 hour time period. It would (a) make death more meaningful and realistic, especially for those playing in groups and those who are substantially geared up (can't run back to your dead body or have your buddies come pick you up), and (b) help reduce some of the server hopping, ghosting, suiciding for better spawns, DCing to avoid death etc. In addition (or maybe instead) put a 15-30 minute cooldown (enough so that it's more than just a short break in the action, but not so much to cause the average player to just call it a day and quit) on killed players before respawn. Or hell, give everyone a cooldown. Encourage payers to have a relationship with their servers (i.e. know what time of day it's going to be and how well your connection to the server is) so that people aren't constantly hopping. Of course you'd need to put in some sort of caveat to reduce/eliminate any additional griefing (spawnsniping, streamsniping, etc) that might result from the new spawn mechanics. For instance, any death that is the result of PvP where one of the players has recently spawned (say in the last 5 minutes) would grant the killed player an additional spawn and/or no cooldown period.

Maybe, but that method doesn't stop the people that quickly D/C immediately after getting killed, (so fast that the master server doesn't log their death,) and then reconnect in order to try and kill you. Had it happen to me several times, and they can just keep doing it over and over and over again if they want. I also feel that an hour is fair for the reason that if someone comes across a group that is guarding a location, such as a campsite, it's reasonable to assume that thê may be there for a longer duration, and being able to wait out a few minutes on a shorter cooldown timer would still allow the server ghosting. Only real downside about my method I think is if you were to legitimately lose your connection. But in this case, it's likely either a bad server for you to be playing on in the first place, or your Internet sucks.