New Server Testing

[ZERO]

I have finished beta testing the new VIP server locally and it will be placed on the main server for additional testing and development in a day or so. This server will be 20 slots 100tick and will be for VIP MOD. If you do not remember what that is please think back to the good old days of 1.6 with as_ maps. This server will be 24/7 as_ maps and thus is a VIP mod server.

Now with this server is also going to be the new ADMIN SYSTEM. The new plugins and system will be tested on this server prior to release. It will take a week or two of closed testing to ensure that everything is working correctly. After that the server will launch with the new admin plugins. Once the server has been running with these plugins live for a week to push out any other bugs the update will be rolled across the other servers.

While we are releasing a new server here, think of this more as a large scale test run of the new admin system. Rather than test it out and put it on the current servers right away I am instead launching a new server that starts off with the new system. This way any bugs will not effect the currently running servers during the initial testing and transition phase. This will also provide time for admins to learn the new commands, systems and protocols.

This update has been years in the making and I am very pleased to finally lay the groundwork for a new chapter in IBIS Gaming history. More details will be made available as time goes on and will be in this thread or a new one depending on the announcement itself. I would also like to thank you all for your support of IBIS Gaming over the years and especially to those of you who have also supported the servers by ordering admin and or reserved slots. Thanks to your contributions over the years we have had the ability to build this into a great community that continues to grow, expand and develop new services even while the rest of the world crumbles around us. :icon_mrgreen:

[maynard]

whoa... don't think ive played a VIP game in like 6 years.. maybe more Lol... this should be awesome!

glad 2 hear the new admin system will be launching soon.... 2011 will be a good year for IBIS.

[Holokauzt]

sounds fun...if id ont have vip i might get it...just to test server out...

[acolyte_to_jippity]

sounds fun...if id ont have vip i might get it...just to test server out...

what?

it's a gametype, like dm_, fy_,cs_, de_, zm_...

[DJ_MikeyRevile]

this might actually rip me from rift and get me back into CSS!

[BladeTwinSwords]

Wow, I remember VIP back in the old days. This will be awesome.

[Joker]

lol about fucking time, I have been wanting to play V.I.P. again for a while now:wtg:, because I can't even remember exactly how to play it off the top of my head :smirk:

[B1ackOut]

wow sweet i loved VIP its one of the things i really did miss about css.

[Holokauzt]

ahh i see wat vip means now for a sec i thought u had to purchase vip to play it nvm i remember this type of mode now....Where vip dies everyone dies and u gotta protect the vip...sounds fun...

[ZERO]

OK, so I have gotten the automated scripts working (I think) and now I just got to update the admin systems to the latest revision. Then after some internal tests I can then get all the current admins and reserved slot users activated. After that it will be automated and you will get or lose your admin or reserved slot instantly based off your subscription status.

Once that is setup correctly I can then get the test server online in order to test the game server side. From there we can proceed to closed public testing.

Note that there will be some time before I can offer all the features that you guys used to have. Some features will be removed or replaced with new commands. For example there will no longer be rcon on the servers for most admins. However I will be creating special commands to replace the functionality. This will allow you to still effectively run current rcon commands without having actual rcon powers. The reason for this is logically to ensure better security on the server. Lots of other changes are part of the new admin system itself and will be covered in another thread as I get everything set up. Below though is a brief and rough preview of what to expect with the new system:

Instant Access: No more waiting a few days for ZERO to get around to adding you. Admins and reserved slot users will be activated instantly when payment is confirmed. Likewise they will be deactivated when payment stops.

Automated Lockout: I will be hard coding a list of "no admin" users. These are people who have been "banned" from having admin but are not banned from the servers. Currently I manually check these ids against a list and so it is a simple matter of just having the script check for me prior to adding users. If a user is on the list it will just not give them admin but instead reserved slot; however, the user will logically be charged the full admin price they signed up for. If users try to abuse this somehow just like the existing system I will just perma ban them from everything.

Admin Levels: This is going to be the big deal of the new admin system. There will now be 3 common levels of admin: default, upper level, and clan. The last two will likely have similar powers however the clan will have higher immunity levels. This is to ensure that some special types of admin powers and or authority are reserved to users who have earned it. A system for applying for and being accepted as an upper level admin will be created. This will also provide a path for users to "prove themselves" so to speak for future clan consideration. As these levels of admin will have varied levels of immunity it will enable admins at higher levels to use admin powers on those of a lower level. (The TOS will be changed to reflect all the new policies created by the new system btw.) This will finally solve the problem of "new" but sometimes even old admins breaking rules with no immediate recourse. Now admin or clan members of a higher level will be able to use powers against those lower level admins as if they were normal players. All of this is automated so that it is impossible to use admin on a user of equal or greater level. Issues of admin seniority as in map changes ect are planned to remain unchanged from how they are now. This admin level system is ideally designed to accomplish the following goals:


Provide a more logical and clear path to eventual clan membership
Establish clear roles for users wishing to contribute more to the community
Enable the outstanding contributions of users to the community to stand out and be commended.
Reduce the burden of ban reviews and appeals (more on this in another post/thread)
Reduce admin abuse
Provide a clear and effective system for maintaining order on the server between players and admins

Better Banning: Bans will be instantly posted on the website along with the reason a user was banned, the length and the banning admin. This will greatly help with processing unbans and tracking abuse. In addition a system for accepting and reviewing user submitted bans and admin bans that want to be upgraded to perma status will be created. This is designed to ensure that the users who are perma banned are ones that deserve it. This is also meant to finally make it so that others besides ZERO have the ability to ban users based off submitted demo evidence. This will be handled by a voting based system for upper level admins and clan members that will be detailed more in the future.

Better Unbanning: In addition to the info above better unbanning will be possible by also creating a similar voting system for dealing with appeals. This will provide a way for users to get unbanned by an admin other than the one who posted the ban whereas currently only ZERO can make that decision. In addition it will be possible for the banning admins to easily track their bans via the website and issue unbans making the process simple and easy.

Admin Tracking: Thanks to new automated systems it will be easier than ever to track admin activities and find abuse.

SourceMod Integration: As the new admin system is built right into SM it will enable the creation of internal plugins that I can develop to further enhance the servers by offering new admin abilities and other such options.

Perma is Perma: The servers will likely be linked in their ban lists so that if your perma banned your gone from all our servers. This will dramatically help improve the playing experience on the servers by keeping hackers banned from all of them.

Forum Integration: Special admin sections and other such options will be possible so as to give some users additional rights and access automatically.

Simple Web Access: Admins will be able to issue some commands like bans and unbans via the web without even connecting to the server.

Special Levels: In addition to the 3 main levels some other levels will exist at the same time. One of these will be the owner level which is for me a jig which is the highest. The other level, being the lowest is for admin abusers. This will remove some powers from their default settings and additionally enable all other admins to use powers on them. This should really help to keep abusive admins in line.

[maynard]

this is awesome. far more in depth than I was expecting.

[ZERO]

Well this has been under development for about 3 years lol. :wtg:

[Andrew_Pavlik]

Ya this is awesome, I can't wait! And the only VIP map I ever played was oil rig(that I can remember) and I really enjoyed it.

[Joker]

OK, so I have gotten the automated scripts working (I think) and now I just got to update the admin systems to the latest revision. Then after some internal tests I can then get all the current admins and reserved slot users activated. After that it will be automated and you will get or lose your admin or reserved slot instantly based off your subscription status.

Once that is setup correctly I can then get the test server online in order to test the game server side. From there we can proceed to closed public testing.

Note that there will be some time before I can offer all the features that you guys used to have. Some features will be removed or replaced with new commands. For example there will no longer be rcon on the servers for most admins. However I will be creating special commands to replace the functionality. This will allow you to still effectively run current rcon commands without having actual rcon powers. The reason for this is logically to ensure better security on the server. Lots of other changes are part of the new admin system itself and will be covered in another thread as I get everything set up. Below though is a brief and rough preview of what to expect with the new system:

Instant Access: No more waiting a few days for ZERO to get around to adding you. Admins and reserved slot users will be activated instantly when payment is confirmed. Likewise they will be deactivated when payment stops.

Automated Lockout: I will be hard coding a list of "no admin" users. These are people who have been "banned" from having admin but are not banned from the servers. Currently I manually check these ids against a list and so it is a simple matter of just having the script check for me prior to adding users. If a user is on the list it will just not give them admin but instead reserved slot; however, the user will logically be charged the full admin price they signed up for. If users try to abuse this somehow just like the existing system I will just perma ban them from everything.

Admin Levels: This is going to be the big deal of the new admin system. There will now be 3 common levels of admin: default, upper level, and clan. The last two will likely have similar powers however the clan will have higher immunity levels. This is to ensure that some special types of admin powers and or authority are reserved to users who have earned it. A system for applying for and being accepted as an upper level admin will be created. This will also provide a path for users to "prove themselves" so to speak for future clan consideration. As these levels of admin will have varied levels of immunity it will enable admins at higher levels to use admin powers on those of a lower level. (The TOS will be changed to reflect all the new policies created by the new system btw.) This will finally solve the problem of "new" but sometimes even old admins breaking rules with no immediate recourse. Now admin or clan members of a higher level will be able to use powers against those lower level admins as if they were normal players. All of this is automated so that it is impossible to use admin on a user of equal or greater level. Issues of admin seniority as in map changes ect are planned to remain unchanged from how they are now. This admin level system is ideally designed to accomplish the following goals:


Provide a more logical and clear path to eventual clan membership
Establish clear roles for users wishing to contribute more to the community
Enable the outstanding contributions of users to the community to stand out and be commended.
Reduce the burden of ban reviews and appeals (more on this in another post/thread)
Reduce admin abuse
Provide a clear and effective system for maintaining order on the server between players and admins

Better Banning: Bans will be instantly posted on the website along with the reason a user was banned, the length and the banning admin. This will greatly help with processing unbans and tracking abuse. In addition a system for accepting and reviewing user submitted bans and admin bans that want to be upgraded to perma status will be created. This is designed to ensure that the users who are perma banned are ones that deserve it. This is also meant to finally make it so that others besides ZERO have the ability to ban users based off submitted demo evidence. This will be handled by a voting based system for upper level admins and clan members that will be detailed more in the future.

Better Unbanning: In addition to the info above better unbanning will be possible by also creating a similar voting system for dealing with appeals. This will provide a way for users to get unbanned by an admin other than the one who posted the ban whereas currently only ZERO can make that decision. In addition it will be possible for the banning admins to easily track their bans via the website and issue unbans making the process simple and easy.

Admin Tracking: Thanks to new automated systems it will be easier than ever to track admin activities and find abuse.

SourceMod Integration: As the new admin system is built right into SM it will enable the creation of internal plugins that I can develop to further enhance the servers by offering new admin abilities and other such options.

Perma is Perma: The servers will likely be linked in their ban lists so that if your perma banned your gone from all our servers. This will dramatically help improve the playing experience on the servers by keeping hackers banned from all of them.

Forum Integration: Special admin sections and other such options will be possible so as to give some users additional rights and access automatically.

Simple Web Access: Admins will be able to issue some commands like bans and unbans via the web without even connecting to the server.

Special Levels: In addition to the 3 main levels some other levels will exist at the same time. One of these will be the owner level which is for me a jig which is the highest. The other level, being the lowest is for admin abusers. This will remove some powers from their default settings and additionally enable all other admins to use powers on them. This should really help to keep abusive admins in line.

good stuff zero I have to admit that I rather like the new setup from the brief description that you gave us:wtg:. I would also like to know more about the applications for the "higher" admin, but I know that won't be discussed untill later.:banghead:

[Link]

sounds like the culmination of a lot of hard work is going to pay off soon. thanks for the time you've put in, zero.

i'm eager to check out the VIP server..sounds fun. :)

[Spasm]

wow really impressed, good job zero :)

[ZERO]

This may take a while b/c I got to wait for people to order admin/reserved slot in order to test if the connection is working... and if it does not work I then half to wait again after I change it... :headache:

[OMGBEARS]

I love you, ZERO.

That is all.

[ZERO]

Well so far I can only get it to work manually but luckily still within vb :banghead:

[ZERO]

Ok I have now learned basic sql programing. As a result the mod now works. So I will now continue to modify it as needed to get all the features cross integrated. Test server is on schedule for alpha release this week.

[ZERO]

Ok all the databases are setup and admins and reserved slot users initialized. Within the next 48 hours the test server will become available. For now only the web side is up.

You can view the web admin system here: http://www.ibisgaming.com/sourcebans/

You are able to log in with your forum information. If your password does not work just reset it (the e-mail will be the one your forum account uses).

If you have admin and log in you will be able to access some other sections allowing you to ban and unban players.

Even after your admin expires your account will remain so that there is always a log of your admin data. Only the privileges will be removed to prevent access to the powers.

Clan members will automatically get their clan level powers when they subscribe to admin.

*Note that the new admin system will only grant admin when there is money. So if you pay by check it will likely not activate until the money arrives. Likewise if your payment fails admin will automatically be removed until payment arrives. From what I understand the service will automatically start from the time the payment arrives NOT when you sign up. This also applys if the payment was late in that the admin will take effect from the time the payment comes in not the original order day.

If you currently have admin and your powers within this system are not working there are a few possibilities:


You did not order admin via the forums.

Solution: pm zero and cancel your admin and order again via the forums. ZERO will then refund your last order if possible to prevent overlap. I can not refund your new payment b/c the system will automatically remove you.

Your have not entered your or the correct steamid into the forums.

Solution: edit your profile with the correct steamid. Once the correct steam id is entered your profile will automatically update to reflect the changes and your admin or reserved slot in the server will work correctly
See this for how to get it: http://www.ibisgaming.com/content.php/137-Find-Your-STEAM-ID once you have

There is an unknown error!

Solution: Just save your profile again and see if that works. If not pm zero and your problem will be investigated and fixed.



Note that I am also going to be testing and developing the automated admin ban list in order to prevent "bad" admins from being able to get any powers if they order and or if another user sets their steamid to that of a "bad" admin thus giving them powers.

[maynard]

If you currently have admin and your powers within this system are not working there are a few possibilities:

1. You did not order admin via the forums.
* Solution: pm zero and cancel your admin and order again via the forums. ZERO will then refund your last order if possible to prevent overlap. I can not refund your new payment b/c the system will automatically remove you.

well I guess that's the category I fall under... will do it tomorrow.

[ZERO]

Added support to ban players after they disconnect. Please check that this does not allow you to perma ban if you do not have the rights.

---------- Post added at 07:06 PM ---------- Previous post was at 06:52 PM ----------

Also as for the categories and order of the commands I can adjust that as we want so feel free to post ideas of how you would like to have the admin menu organized. :wtg:

[ZERO]

team swap support has been added :wtg:

---------- Post added at 07:29 PM ---------- Previous post was at 07:22 PM ----------

easy way to restart the map via: sm_reloadmap has been added just run the command in console. :wtg:

[ZERO]

spray tracing support added :wtg:

[acolyte_to_jippity]

Also as for the categories and order of the commands I can adjust that as we want so feel free to post ideas of how you would like to have the admin menu organized. :wtg:

identical to what we have now. (spelling errors and all)

[ZERO]

observe client support added. It will auto enter sb_status in console. :wtg:

---------- Post added at 08:11 PM ---------- Previous post was at 08:09 PM ----------

give cash added same as before but like everything else the commands are sm_ instead of ma_



sm_cash <target> <value>
Set's <target>'s cash to <value>
sm_setcash <target> <value>
Same as above
sm_addcash <target> <value>
Adds <value> to <target>'s cash
sm_autocash <target> <value>
Sets <target>'s cash to <value> every time they spawn until canceled or they reconnect
Use sm_autocash <target> -1 to cancel



---------- Post added at 08:12 PM ---------- Previous post was at 08:11 PM ----------

killer info display added

[ZERO]

updated to remove the Bots Overseer from the menu

created plugin to reload map if sourcetv is not present.

[ZERO]

rate detection added so you can use sm_rates ect to get the info.

It also checks your rates on spawn and if they are too low it tells you to increase them to the minimum recommended. For users with high choke and or loss it will notify admins so if the server is lagging up it is easier for them to determine what player is causing the lag. Logically there may be cases where an individual user only lags for a round or something ect. However the choke and loss reports when above 50 really will help any admins trying to inform players of ways to lower their ping or latency. :wtg:

Example:
Player ''Im The Bo$$'' have 'rate 7500', valid: 20000-350000
Player ''Im The Bo$$'' have 'cl_cmdrate 30', valid: 100-1010
Player ''Im The Bo$$'' have 'cl_updaterate 20', valid: 100-1010

[ZERO]

tk menu has been added please test out the different options. Note that 10tks will cause a ban of 5min. (I do not think it will ban admins though)

---------- Post added at 05:19 PM ---------- Previous post was at 05:14 PM ----------

admin txt back logging added. This is so that I can easily have a unique record of every action any admin preforms that is unique to their steam id as I do now.

[ZERO]

High ping kick mod added: this offers some changes from what we had before


Limit is now dynamic so that it is instead of 175ms it will be 150ms + the ping of the lowest player

This prevents server lag or connection issues effecting everyone from kicking some clients


There is now a limit of X+70 for choke where X is the choke of the user with the lowest choke

This prevents lag on the server that is not detectable via ping. These users not only have bad registration but you can not hit them correctly. The choke from these clients also creates even more server side lag. Users who are having crazy high choke need to lower their grafix settings and or adjust their rates.
As this is a new feature if it causes problems we can disable it.


There is now a limit of X+70 for loss where X is the loss of the user with the lowest loss

This prevents lag from users with bad connections. Please turn your torrents off, fix your router or stop using a cellphone to try to play on the server! Loss is an indication of packet loss which can create server lag for everyone.
This can also be caused by a shitty ISP so if it is not you and logically it is not us (or everyone would be getting kicked) then it is your crappy ISP.


*Note that 70 for both of the above is VERY VERY high. This takes care of users who's connections are so bad they are making the actual server unstable.
*Note that all ADMINS and RESERVED SLOT USERS are IMMUNE
*Note that users are warned via chat a few times prior to being kicked.

[ZERO]

AFK manager added. New features over previous:


Admins/reserved slot users can only be moved to spec but not kicked
Will be moved to spec if you do not move from spawn in 30sec
Will be moved to spec if you do not move for 60sec
Detects mouse movement and not just physical movement to prevent misdirection of people not moving for one reason or another. (with the exception of spawn)
Will warn you before moving you to spec or kicking you
For non admin/reserved slot users they will be kicked after 4min afk in spec.

These new features not only should prevent false positives but also will work much faster than what we have now in that it is time based and not round based. GG users will be especially happy as I know this is a common issue in there.

---------- Post added at 06:00 PM ---------- Previous post was at 05:59 PM ----------

Expect us to enter public testing of the new admin system and the launch of the server by Monday.

[ZERO]

Weapon restricting has been added. 1 awp per team should be allowed when there are 6 players on. This still needs to be tested though.

[ZERO]

mute and gag options added. these should work even with the team talk plugin which has been updated to work with it. Please test this out and let me know if it is working correctly :wtg:

[Darkphoenix]

I definitly like the AFK manager, best thing ever... what is the difference between mute and gag

[acolyte_to_jippity]

I definitly like the AFK manager, best thing ever... what is the difference between mute and gag

gag simply stops voice i think.

they can still type

[ZERO]

mute turns them into a mute...
gag prevents them from using chat.

[Joker]

zero's right in this case because an easy way to think about it is that if you mute something like a t.v. for instance you can't hear it anymore, as for gag if stops your mouth from moving at all (in this case stops from typing).

[Rosie]

I think we should organize a designated test time. I have went on and played, but when no one else is on its hard to see how its running. Also me not being an admin means that I can be the admin test bitch. (Mute, Gag, kick ......) I can play pretty much any night after 11 Eastern in case this thing takes off.

[maynard]

we don't need 2 organize anything... grab 1 other person and go in the server and you can test whatever you want. only takes 2 ppl.

[ZERO]

Yea, I have even run some tests while some others were in the server a few times. :wtg: