I've made my feelings known in another thread in regards to these servers, sounds like EA agrees with me. Here's an email sent to Ranked server providers (taken from www.totalbf2.com website):

 

Hi Guys,

 

We have noticed an increase in behavior where leased servers are being used by clans solely to pad players stats, even to the extent where clans are institutionalizing rules that forbid normal play. Currently the favored method is for player admins to set rules where players must use either a knife or Pistol, players must revive each other, and players must not take flags. This creates environments where players gain stats unrealistically and creates an imbalance in the ranked server playing field. In our opinion, these players are breaking EA's Terms of Service, and we have begun taking action on the clans involved. However, clan coordination to this extreme requires us to create a long-term solution for this (separate from any scoring changes in 1.03).

 

As a group, Ranked Partners included, we need to work together to aggressively crack down on any server that is found to be promoting stats exploiting in order to maintain the integrity of the stats system.

 

The following steps will be taken each time we locate a server exploiting through enforced admin rules:

 

1. Customer support will strip the stats from those caught on the server at the time of discovery and anyone sharing a clan tag with the offenders that seem to have any anomalous stats.

 

2. We will contact the Trusted Partner who has leased the instance in question to the offending clan and request that the clan is immediately moved over to a non-Ranked server. This clan should not be given an opportunity to lease another Ranked Server from said partner, as they have too many avenues of coordinating exploitative actions.

 

3. If said clan continues to have access to a Ranked server, we will be removing the IP of offending server from the validated list shortly after contacting the Ranked Partner connected with them.

 

Please keep in mind we are not holding the hosting partner responsible for the actions of these clients. Also note that the tools we need to employ if we reach step 3 may impact other clients you are hosting. Because of this, we do ask that each partner works to ensure that clans/groups that engage in this behavior are removed from your clientele. We have 'busted' a few servers already and those partners have been exceptional in their response to correct the errant behavior.

 

Notify your clients that if they are running their servers in the manner described above or in any manner which could be questionable that they must cease such actions and run pure servers. Please forward any reasonable questions your clients have to me, off list, and I will reply.

 

TFD

They were fun to play on for about 2 hours, then it gets pretty boring. If I get bored again I am sure I can find a Pistol/Knife unranked server. Doesn't really matter to me.

Those servers weren't to have fun on, it was only to raise stats. And so this is great that EA is finally taking action.

I feel like as along as people arent getting someone off reviving him then killing him again then it is not "stat padding". If I shoot you with a pistol knife or whatever one on one then I should get credit for that as long as you are not letting me do so. I went in one of those servers a few weeks ago and I come out with about the same number of points as I would in a regular server. Now considering that why is it padding?

 

Pistols and knife combat has been allowed in alot of games before and a lot of people enjoy. I am not crazy about it but to each is own. I just do not see anything to justify it being called "stat padding" never the less I would highly recommend nobody go in these servers as you may get your rank reset.

The problem I have is, its a Ranked server, and is supposed to be available to anyone to play on. In most of those cases, if I whipped out an assault rifle and plugged ya' while you were trying to knife me, then I would get banned from the server. That ain't right. Get an unranked server and do your little knife fights, oh wait, then you wouldn't get to abnormally inflate your knife and revive scores... Thats my point. I play the game to play, not go for specific rewards. If I get an award/medal, great, but I earned it honestly, without help. If you're in a server with a bunch of people slinging around knifes, of course, it's going to be easier to get knife kills, or whatever the server is after trying to get. Me, I say, don't bring a knife to a gun fight..

 

TFD

Me, I say, don't bring a knife to a gun fight..

oh man i so agree with that.

 

example:

 

gen.kad: wanna knife?

 

player: sure

 

gen.kad: where?

 

player: your spawn

 

'gen.kad kills player with M4'

 

um... i mean i havent done that before....

...I'm sorry, "Revive"?

...I'm sorry, "Revive"?

Something the medic class can do, if you find a "critically wounded" soldier, you can bring them back. It usually ends up like this:

 

Soldier gets shot.

 

Medic revives Soldier.

 

Soldier and Medic get killed by the same guy that shot the Soldier the first time.

 

Both respawn from the beginning and start over.

I like those servers and in way I agree with statecop. I play on them and only get the same score I do in a normal game. They do say pistol/knife/revive for a reason. So yes if you did pull out an AR, you should be banned/kicked for it. Now I have never played on a server where you couldn't cap flags at all, but I usually go to the same server.

 

I don't think it is stat padding in anyway playing on these servers. Yes it may be easier to get more knife/pistol/revives, but unless the enemy is letting you kill them over and over again. Then I don't agree that it is stat padding in anyway. It would be the same if you were on an explosives only server or something. You pull out a gun, you get banned. It wouldn't be stat padding there unless again the enemy was letting you kill them. Then they have an friendly reviving them. So you could kill them again. Now to me, that is stat padding and I do not like anyone that is doing that.

 

Anyway, that is my opinion of this. I also like going to the servers because its a different feel from the usuall game play of BF2. Instead of having to worry about capping all the time. Its more of a like one big kill fest! Which is something I really really enjoy.

so, as a player who has just been shot and critically wounded: am I now laying on the ground, hoping to be revived? if I never get revived, what happens? if I -am- revived, i just get up and walk around and kill some more?

so, as a player who has just been shot and critically wounded: am I now laying on the ground, hoping to be revived? if I never get revived, what happens? if I -am- revived, i just get up and walk around and kill some more?

Klif that is pretty much how it works. There is a timer that pops up when you die and say you get killed by a stray pistol round it may only take you 5 Seconds before you respawn at the point you picked, but if you get shot with say a tank round it may be 12 seconds on the timer. If at anytime during that time before it hits zero a medic comes by and shocks you back to life you jump up and go at it again. After about 2 revives it usually will not let you be jolted back again or if you get hit directly with ARTY or something like that you sometime will not be able to be revived.

I like those servers and in way I agree with statecop. I play on them and only get the same score I do in a normal game. They do say pistol/knife/revive for a reason. So yes if you did pull out an AR, you should be banned/kicked for it. Now I have never played on a server where you couldn't cap flags at all, but I usually go to the same server.

 

I don't think it is stat padding in anyway playing on these servers. Yes it may be easier to get more knife/pistol/revives, but unless the enemy is letting you kill them over and over again. Then I don't agree that it is stat padding in anyway. It would be the same if you were on an explosives only server or something. You pull out a gun, you get banned. It wouldn't be stat padding there unless again the enemy was letting you kill them. Then they have an friendly reviving them. So you could kill them again. Now to me, that is stat padding and I do not like anyone that is doing that.

 

Anyway, that is my opinion of this. I also like going to the servers because its a different feel from the usuall game play of BF2. Instead of having to worry about capping all the time. Its more of a like one big kill fest! Which is something I really really enjoy.

It's not really point padding, because it's still fighting, and in this case, the combat is possibly a bit more even. It is a cheap way to get awards though, and that's the point of the servers. I agree, this shouldn't be allowed on RANKED servers. If you want to have "fun games" do it on a non ranked server.

yep

 

the point of the knife pistol badge

is that they are hard to get on a regular server were your fighting ar's

 

when you only use knife/pistol it levels the field and makes it easier to get those badges which isnt right

 

all ranked servers should have the same rules regarding how the game is played

 

if you want to have fun get an unranked server

you should not be able to lock ranked servers.

That's basically saying that only the people you want to get points can get points.

With the patch, I don't think you can lock ranked servers. You can however admin them, and kick/ban those who don't play like you want them too.

 

TFD

The veteran pistol and knife are easy to get...the Expert is really hard to get...

Expert pistol was hard to get as well as the knife. I'm not going to lie I did get my expert badges for both on those servers, but I got the pistol vetran in regular play. I actually got both basics in 1 round. I just didn't see it being very fun getting 18 pistols kills in one round during regular play, nor knives for that matter.

I'm afraid I must agree with EA on this, which doesn't sit to well with me

 

Ranked servers are all supposed to have the same basic rule and weapon set to properly reflect the abilties of each of the players. If each server changes or bans what weapons you can or cannot use, it does not properly measure the players who play on it against the ones who play on the pure servers.

 

I agree that such a ruleset would be fun to play from time to time. But keep them on the unranked servers.

If you wan't to be commander 24/7 I can see it affecting you since a higher ranked player will be able to take it, but other than that... I don't see another players rank/badges/score/ribbons/gold medals affecting anyone but their ego.

"commander"? Explain!

(also, I can't help myself -- you realize "want" doesn't deserve an apostrophe, yes?)

"commander"? Explain!

 

(also, I can't help myself -- you realize "want" doesn't deserve an apostrophe, yes?)

The commander is one player on each team who basically sits the regular combat out to direct the team's troops in battle. The player is self-nominated, and if there is more than one vying for the position, the one with the highest rank gets the job. In addition to a live "satellite feed" of a map and imagery, this player has access to a "scan" that identifies all enemy locations, as well as a UAV that he can place that alerts the team of enemy locations in a small area, artillery and supply drops. Each of these correlates to an object on the map (such as the UAV trailer) that can be destroyed by the enemy and would then require repair by an engineer. It's an interesting challenge, and can be rewarded with commander points and extra rank points based on the team's average score if your team wins.

The commander is one player on each team who basically sits the regular combat out to direct the team's troops in battle. The player is self-nominated, and if there is more than one vying for the position, the one with the highest rank gets the job. In addition to a live "satellite feed" of a map and imagery, this player has access to a "scan" that identifies all enemy locations, as well as a UAV that he can place that alerts the team of enemy locations in a small area, artillery and supply drops. Each of these correlates to an object on the map (such as the UAV trailer) that can be destroyed by the enemy and would then require repair by an engineer. It's an interesting challenge, and can be rewarded with commander points and extra rank points based on the team's average score if your team wins.

dude, that's an incredibly cool idea! does it actually work well in-game, too?

now i really want this game!

It works incredibly well and when yo win you get double your points.

The only thing is you need to have the points to get commander when everyone else has many and you have few you are outta luck unless they are nice enough to let you have a crack at it.

I see some guys have 115,000 global points. WOW. I have only 630 or so since I changed my name.

 

P.S. get this game Klif because we need your in game chat and humor and grammar correction.

P.S. get this game Klif because we need your in game chat and humor and grammar correction.

There is an issue on two fronts: (A) My video-card won't allow it. ( My checkbook won't allow it. I call my checkbook "Klif's Woman", and she's very mean about my funds.

"commander"? Explain!

 

(also, I can't help myself -- you realize "want" doesn't deserve an apostrophe, yes?)

thats the commander screeen