DICE warns against unofficial Battlefield 3 servers

Battlefield 3 associated producer Barrie Tingle has warned gamers against the "temptation" of playing the upcoming shooter on unofficial servers, noting that doing so could compromise accounts.

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Battlefield 3 associate producer Barrie Tingle has warned gamers against the "temptation" of playing the upcoming shooter on unofficial servers, noting that doing so could compromise accounts.

Last week, Battlefield 3's server files leaked onto the internet, opening the floodgates to unofficial servers for the game's ongoing beta test on PC. Using the files, users have been able to adjust a number of properties, including increasing player counts from 32 to 100.

Writing on DICE's forum, Tingle (who goes by the username Bazajaytee) said that the team is currently working "to have these [unofficial] servers dealt with."

"Playing on those servers can cause your account to become compromised, stats to be altered or other issues to arise which may lead to having your account banned," Tingle wrote.

An account ban could result in a ban from EA's Origin store, locking players out of all titles they have purchased from the digital distribution service.

There are two ways this quote can be taken: either DICE is saying that simply playing on unofficial servers will result in an Origin account ban or there is a higher risk of security holes on these servers, which may lead to scenarios forcing DICE to take action (accounts being compromised or altered, for example). Of course, it would appear most have assumed the former.

Shacknews has contacted Tingle for clarification on his comments. Until then, he asks that players "please avoid temptation and remain on these official servers."

[via Reddit]

Xav de Matos was previously a games journalist creating content at Shacknews.

From The Chatty
  • reply
    October 4, 2011 4:45 PM

    Xav de Matos posted a new article, DICE warns against unofficial Battlefield 3 servers.

    Battlefield 3 associated producer Barrie Tingle has warned gamers against the "temptation" of playing the upcoming shooter on unofficial servers, noting that doing so could compromise accounts.

    • reply
      October 4, 2011 4:49 PM

      FUCK YEAH! Someone set up us an unofficial passworded shack beta server!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

      • reply
        October 4, 2011 6:05 PM

        NO!!! We can't be trusted to run a server by ourselves. Next thing you know we might try to mod it!!

        • reply
          October 4, 2011 6:12 PM

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          • reply
            October 5, 2011 3:42 AM

            Caspian 24/7 + UT sound pack

    • reply
      October 4, 2011 4:49 PM

      Thanks for the warning, dad.

    • reply
      October 4, 2011 4:52 PM

      [deleted]

      • reply
        October 4, 2011 4:57 PM

        no they appear in battlelog, and could possibly be chosen for a "quick match" as well.

        • reply
          October 4, 2011 5:04 PM

          haha! They can't be serious about this!

        • reply
          October 4, 2011 6:15 PM

          They were showing up in the battlelog browser, but I haven't seen them pop up since they went down for maintenance the other day. They must have figured out a way to filter them on their end. After playing a few rounds of conquest on Metro, Rush mode is even worse than it was.

          Would love to play some more but I haven't seen a non-32 / Rush server in a while.

        • reply
          October 4, 2011 6:33 PM

          That would be retarded if quick matching put a player into one of these unofficial servers and it got them banned.

        • reply
          October 5, 2011 7:26 AM

          So basically they're threatening to ban people for clicking one button INSIDE their game. JESUS FUCKING CHRIST.

    • reply
      October 4, 2011 4:57 PM

      [deleted]

    • reply
      October 4, 2011 4:58 PM

      hey barrie it's posted on battlelog, so it's not temptation, it's just right there like the rest

    • reply
      October 4, 2011 5:26 PM

      I want to play on a 64v64 player server.

      • jo3 legacy 10 years legacy 20 years
        reply
        October 4, 2011 5:40 PM

        i want vehicles!!!

      • reply
        October 4, 2011 6:13 PM

        Saw a few 256 player servers at one point. Couldn't connect to them though.

    • reply
      October 4, 2011 7:24 PM

      That's a nice way alienate your core user base and modding community. If it wasn't for the modding community, their games wouldn't have had the longevity that people still take for granted to this day. They owe most of their success to stellar mods like Desert Combat and Eve of Destruction. This is just another reason why people need to stop supporting companies like this. Buncha ungrateful pricks!

      • reply
        October 4, 2011 7:27 PM

        Yep, who is the next company to give us a good shooter that doesnt feel like CoD, I want Tribes and BF2!

    • reply
      October 4, 2011 7:25 PM

      Lemme guess, official servers can only be rented from hosting companies and anything setup by a "normal" person is going to be flagged as unofficial?

      • reply
        October 4, 2011 8:22 PM

        Of course. I have no doubt they'll be taking any legal action they can to stop unofficial servers from existing.

    • reply
      October 5, 2011 3:33 AM

      So, getting banned in one game leads to you getting banned on Origin? I think Steam does something remarkably different... not that anyone would ever use steam over Origin...

      This news entry reads like a idle threat.,,

      • reply
        October 5, 2011 3:36 AM

        Correction... it doesn't... it still sounds good though and the news entry still reads like a idle threat.

    • reply
      October 5, 2011 3:39 AM

      Remember when you could play on modded servers? Those were the days!

    • reply
      October 5, 2011 4:26 AM

      [deleted]

      • reply
        October 5, 2011 6:02 AM

        Piracy + DLC + Complication:

        The suits don't want it because theorhetically having ded server files out there, means they can be cracked and so people can play pirated multiplayer.

        The suits also don't want it because mods can cannibalize dlc and map pack plans. They are gonna charge $15 for the Back to Karkand expansion, intelligent modders could have released that themselves and or even more old maps, or new ones. You don't want to compete with "free" mods, for your paid DLC.

        The devs don't want it because it's a hassle. Having to secure and support the files, make them user friendly etc. They are busy crunching to make their game release on time, already spend too much time at the office and not sleeping, so having one less thing to get ready for the public, makes there lives just a little less worse.

        None of those reasons benefits the consumer mind you, but other then our $60, the consumer doesn't figure that high up in decisions most times...

    • reply
      October 5, 2011 7:31 AM

      That "industry" is fucking retarded. It behaves much worse towards its clients than any other sector. Why? Because they want to show they're not kids in games anymore. Pathetic.

      • reply
        October 5, 2011 7:35 AM

        Also customers are always entitled, any rational person would feel entitled when buying a product or service. Just try to sell shit in BtoC to see how it goes.

    • reply
      October 5, 2011 7:36 AM

      as time goes on, I miss the simplicity of playing bf1942, and hosting a server, with bots etc... it was easy back then.

      they gave you everything, and never limited anything.

    • reply
      October 5, 2011 7:45 AM

      What about users who don't read forums? How could they have any idea the other servers were improper?

    • reply
      October 5, 2011 8:07 AM

      a friend of mine ended up on an unofficial server last week, gained 1.6 million xp before he realized it was screwy.

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