[Resolved] Banned for opening a server?

[Kilogram of Feathers]

I know i have a bad reputation here for that whole BlackCop thing but even though ive been trying to avoid starting more shit i got banned by Azzy literally 5 minutes into a EU server.

As i understand it, a person got banned for cheating and i share the same location as them (Iraq). Iam currently visiting relatives in Kurdistan, iam set to go back to canada, columbines in 2 weeks. i told Azzy about this after they asked me where i live, to which i got banned.

Its worth noting that i sometimes use ProtonVPN in order to make spotify work here.

Ive been playing this game for a long time, the only rule violation ive done was insult moderators (sorry abt that). This time i literally didnt do anything.

also i dont know if this is worth adding, but a similar situation happened to me and a friend of mines over at backpack.tf. both of us got banned for apparently being alt accounts to some guy living in the same region who was breaking rules.

 

[VintagePC]

Your appeal has been received and I'll look into it and get back to you.

 

[VintagePC]

I've reviewed our logs and is far too much of a coincidence that it is not once, but at least twice that you have connected to our servers with an IP address used by a confirmed cheater.

Given this as well as some inconsistencies with what you've claimed above, either you're the unluckiest person alive or there is something highly suspicious going on here, and as a result your ban will not be overturned at this time.

 

[Kilogram of Feathers]

Man i swear i didnt do anything this isnt right. I dont know what other information i can give to prove that. Is there anything else i can do to help my case? and can you point out the inconsistencies so i could try straightening them out?

 

[VintagePC]

Well, there are at least three points of interest for which I would need a plausible explanation:

- Do you have an explanation for how it is that in two instances you connected from the same IP address as a known cheater, with less than 15 minutes of time difference?

- Why is it that only after this ban was issued, have you started using VPN services to visit the forums?

- How long have you been visiting relatives in Kurdistan and/or when were you last home/playing from Canada?

 

[Kilogram of Feathers]

1. I haven't been playing the game for some weeks now, as I had to study for the IB external exams. In fact, I deleted the game as to focus on my studies. recently, I completed my last paper, two days after that I redownloaded the game and this happened. i have no idea why the cheater and i share an IP, this is all i know.

2. I've heard from the in game chat and the tf2c discord that playing with a vpn gets you banned. i dont know how true this is but just to be safe I didn't use a VPN when i had the game opened (even when not in a server). But since i got banned, i felt like it wouldn't cause any damage. (just to renote: i use a vpn alot in order to make spotify work here, i was using it when i started this thread)

3. We were able to move to Germany in 2014 due to a war, like most Kurds. from there we moved to Canada a year later, however I was not able to take big belongings such as my pc with me. Because of that, I have a pc in Canada and a pc at our old house, I use whichever is available to burn time based on what games I have installed on each. Since internet is pretty weak download-wise here (I think its because of the neighborhood sharing it using LAN wires, its what a relative of mines says), I mostly play small size games like tf2c contrary to the one in Canada which I use to play AAA games and the such.

as to how long I've been visiting relatives here: We come back to Kurdistan on 2 occasions every year

1. as i mentioned before, for Ramadan and the Eid that follows

2. to visit my grandmother every year, as she's sick and its a cultural thing to visit weak elders in my town.

I hope these answered any concerns, if not, i'll get into more detail.

 

[VintagePC]

Thanks for the explanations, and apologies for the delay. My Mondays are always hectic.

1. You may have clarified this in item 3; if there is a large local LAN sharing a single internet connection then most likely they are sharing an IP address as well, so at least it's plausible there is someone else that is actively cheating.

2. We don't explicitly ban players using a VPN but we do know who may be using one. In the past we have certainly had to block players connecting via VPN to mitigate issues with nefarious actors/bots/etc. Of course, using a VPN does inherently have a higher risk of sharing an address with a nefarious player and situations such as these.

3. Thanks for the info - I'm sorry to hear about your grandmother, but of course I'm glad to hear you're able to visit and spend time with her.

Have you ever played TF2C on our servers from Canada? Doesn't sound like it based on your comments about AAA games, but I'd just like to confirm.

~Vintage

 

[Kilogram of Feathers]

Thank you for your condolences.

Apart from the internet, my pc in Iraq is pretty weak. I primarily play Indie games, Tf2, and source mods such as this one. However my PC in Canada is able to handle larger gamers, so I haven't really felt the need to play Tf2c, closest thing to it that I actively play in Canada is live tf2.

 

[VintagePC]

Thanks for clarifying; I think that explains what I observed - I'll approve your appeal and remove the ban.

I do apologize for the inconvenience.

 

[Kilogram of Feathers]

Thank you.