csgo-osx-linux
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ValveSoftware
Duplicate and Redirect server
Good afternoon! I would like to report a problem with community servers. Recently, other people started to make copies of servers for redirect to 1 server in search. With a full copy of information about the players from the main server where the redirect goes. Because of this other game servers stop to be shown.
Example: https://i.imgur.com/ORfUZgs.jpg https://i.imgur.com/8cvIwbe.jpg
Examples of IP: 85.238.112.180:30018 185.86.76.76:30017 91.211.118.68:27555 - Main server 85.238.112.180:30017 51.83.165.158:30017 51.83.165.158:30018 185.86.76.76:30018 195.28.182.77:30018
Offtop
Useless issue. Valve will didn't do anything.
Why? They can't or can but too lazy for this or they have any else reasons but they will do nothing at all with this.
Look at trouble with Non-HDR maps for example.
Offtop
Useless issue. Valve will didn't do anything.
Why? They can't or can but too lazy for this or they have any else reasons but they will do nothing at all with this.
Look at trouble with Non-HDR maps for example.
The most important thing is to describe the problem (let us know that there is a problem). And whether they solve it or not we will not know. And I know that they are lazy.
Mirrorred community servers. 1 year old bug, and still not fixed
Issue transferred from https://github.com/ValveSoftware/csgo-osx-linux/issues/2767. @AidarSource posted on 2021-07-25T18:21:21:
Community servers create a large number of mirror servers that transfer players to another server. Now, to develop your project in the csgo is impossible, because the entire master-server is full of these servers, your server is not even visible to common players.
This FAKE(Mirror) servers violates Valve's policy of truth. I hope Valve values his community
How it works? It just copy main server info(players, tags, current_players, else you want) and then you can duplicate this thing to your new server(with new name, or you can set name like on your main server).
Also created a thread on reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/GlobalOffensive/comments/orgxn8/mirrored_community_servers/
@AidarSource commented on 2021-07-25T18:31:49:
just look at this servers....
and that's just the tip of the iceberg
Web API shows that each of the servers has own unique steamid, so technecally they are not mirrors, beside that in web API the numbers of players are different on each server and they are much smaller then the numbers in the server browser: ~5-15 players while server browser shows some 50-60 players on each server. They somehow make the game client use the number of players from A2S rather then the value from webapi. All the fake servers use player list caching and update it every 10 seconds unlike the real game servers, that can be part of the trick. Valve should increase the priority of this problem, the situation is getting insane.
@Alexeyt89
Not correct. This mirror servers uses fake players to spoof their server, because if they not spoof server with players, server won't show players in master-server. Target is master-server, not favorites tab or else stuff that uses A2S only.
Here is what i get calling steam api: A2S server players:
player_count=30
Master-server:
"players":27
Master-server uses real, right now playing users in server. Not A2S one, A2S only show up in favorites tab or if you press "Show info" button. So, to create fake server you need to know how to spoof your fake server with bytes of players(not real one)
Anyway valve is not that company that appreciate their community, so you can cry here all your life. But valve won't fix it anyway
I'll revive this issue a bit with my own take on the situation.
This is a duplicate of #2540 and was also brought up here, but this needs some more attention.
Some servers have been abusing the redirection possible via a SourceMod plugin by creating ghost-servers that will redirect you to the main server. These ghost servers spam the community server browser as you can see here and here.
You can identify a "ghost sever" because the same players will be on multiple game-servers, which is impossible.
This hurts legitimate servers by directing players away from the legitimate servers into the redirection servers. These servers offering redirect servers within the community browser hurt the community and mod-development part of the game, and as a game developed on the backbone of the community-made-mods, is very damaging to the future of people's projects and servers.
Hopefully this can be fixed easily without too much effort.
This problem can't be fixed by a simple patch. Fake servers should be manually filtered on a regular basis as they can't be accuratelly identified by algirithms. In sole CSGO there are about 8000+ servers and there are other games with the same problem. There are cheap services which generate server tokens automatically within minutes after a server gets banned. Huge human resources would be required to fight fake servers. As Valve is a commercial company, they can't open a new department without clear commercial plan.They need to make profit. Even fixing serious defects has been protracting as they don't find it commercially efficient. This is neither defect nor crash, the affected group is only server owners who make much less then 1% of CS:GO users. That's why the priority is so low.
This problem can't be fixed by a simple patch. Fake servers should be manually filtered on a regular basis as they can't be accuratelly identified by algirithms. In sole CSGO there are about 8000+ servers and there are other games with the same problem. There are cheap services which generate server tokens automatically within minutes after a server gets banned. Huge human resources would be required to fight fake servers. As Valve is a commercial company, they can't open a new department without clear commercial plan.They need to make profit. Even fixing serious defects has been protracting as they don't find it commercially efficient. This is neither defect nor crash, the affected group is only server owners who make much less then 1% of CS:GO users. That's why the priority is so low.
This is all irrelevant, Valve needs to simply block servers from redirecting players to other servers by whatever means, and then these ghost servers will become completely invalid. There is no need for a "human resource team".
This is all irrelevant, Valve needs to simply block servers from redirecting players to other servers by whatever means, and then these ghost servers will become completely invalid. There is no need for a "human resource team".
Somehow in CS:S it didn't solve the problem. I could play on a fake server and still be on the main one with the real players. They somehow merged fake servers into the real ones. Whatever restriction is made, they will find a workaround. It will only harm fair users.
the affected group is only server owners who make much less then 1% of CS:GO users
This is also pizdezh, regular users don't want to see fake servers either
The problem with the redirect servers is that it kills the original community aspect that is already on a decline. CSGO has become hyper-competitive. These redirects are killing what remains of community gamemodes that so many people have fond memories of.
Valve could simply disallow non-official CSGO servers from using the redirect methods, whilst keeping it for themselves in whatever way they need to.
This problem has become even worse recently with servers even faking the gamemode, and then redirectin to the main server. You will join a dm_ or surf_ server only to be redirected to the master ze_ server.
Does this look like a good user experience for a newcomer who hasn't used server browser yet?
You can't easily look for different servers (if for example you visited one server, didn't like and wish to try out another) because most of them look exactly the same and will redirect you to the same main server. Absolutely terrible experience.
I've even seen reports of redirects crossing between gamemodes (you will see a ttt_ map being played on the server, but when you connect, you end up on a dm_ server). This renders server browser almost useless. Why should user be guessing as to what server they connect instead of just looking at the title/gamemode/map played and be sure they connect to the correct server.
I am no expert, but 2 possible solutions I see are either: disabling redirect functionality for non-official servers (I've heard that GOTV servers use this) or making the process of registering a server that displays on server browsers much stricter (and remove all redirect server present now by the way).
These are no good ideas, because:
- Fake servers can work without redirects. CS:S proved that. Blocking redirects will only stop fakes for a short time.
- It will mostly hurt server owners who don't use fakes and host their small servers on their home computers. Those who own fakes can pay extra money to bypass the limits and they will do it. They keep hundreds of servers, it is not cheap. Few extra $ per month will make no difference for them. For any action there is a counter-action just like forever lasting fight with cheaters. Simple solutions will not work here.
- They cannot, the principle of the redirect is to set up ghost servers that send you to the main server as soon as you join.
- These server owners still pay for these redirect servers, it costs them money, but the amount of money generated by the server obviously outweighs the price of these redirects.
These redirect servers are actively bringing the community server aspect of the game down and in a decline because no one wants to see this awful spam of terrible servers that make you download many many assets just to play.
It is a simple solution, it's not hard to just disallow custom servers from using this method, or patching it properly. I see no interest in trying to oppose the issue as it only benefits those using the redirects.
With the sourcecode for redirect servers now being public, this problem will only escalate from here...
