'Hundreds' of Battlefield 3 users banned for utilizing exploits

According to the official Battlefield Twitter account, "hundreds" of Battlefield 3 users have been banned for utilizing experience point exploits in DICE's recently released shooter.

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According to the official Battlefield Twitter account, "hundreds" of Battlefield 3 users have been banned for utilizing experience point exploits in DICE's recently released shooter.

"This week we've banned hundreds of offending accounts and have stats-wiped accounts for exploiting (such as boosting)," the Twitter account revealed. "We are working on banning as many people as we can as quickly as we can. We have a zero tolerance policy for cheating."

EA's tweet doesn't specify any particular exploit, but according to IGN they are referring to an engineer glitch that allows players to infinitely repair a friendly repair bot in hardcore matches. EA confirms a patch to eliminate the exploit is currently being developed and will arrive "soon."

Shacknews has contacted EA to clarify if the exploit above, and subsequent bans, are sweeping all three platforms Battlefield 3 is available on.

Should using the game's own systems against itself be cause for ban? Hacking a game is one thing, but discovering a loophole that the developer didn't realize was there? As Shacknews east coast editor Andrew Yoon said of the situation: "'Don't be a douchebag' should be a pretty good rule of thumb."

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

From The Chatty
  • reply
    November 14, 2011 4:30 PM

    Xav de Matos posted a new article, 'Hundreds' of Battlefield 3 users banned for utilizing exploits.

    According to the official Battlefield Twitter account, "hundreds" of Battlefield 3 users have been banned for utilizing experience point exploits in DICE's recently released shooter.

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      November 14, 2011 4:47 PM

      Good, hopefully some of the hackers will be caught as well

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      November 14, 2011 4:55 PM

      Owned.

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      November 14, 2011 5:02 PM

      Lol. Good stuff.

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      November 14, 2011 5:14 PM

      Sorry, but exploiting the game shouldn't be a ban-able offense. Hacking yes, but taking advantage of something the developers are at fault for shouldn't be punishable.
      I do agree with the stat-wiping though.

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        November 14, 2011 5:23 PM

        agreeed

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        November 14, 2011 5:25 PM

        [deleted]

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          November 14, 2011 5:33 PM

          knowingly exploiting is probably the only way for the dev to realize its broken and to fix it.

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          November 14, 2011 5:38 PM

          [deleted]

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            November 14, 2011 10:39 PM

            Right. Same with short skirts and leaving your door unlocked. Whatever happens is all your fault.

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          November 14, 2011 5:42 PM

          Exploiting for bullshit treadmllls is not exploiting in my book. I don't care enough to do that, but honestly thats the devleopers fault for forcing in a treadmill that doesn't need to be there.

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          November 14, 2011 7:13 PM

          Are we including physics tricks like Rocket Jumping and skiing in this...because those are things that make gaming better.

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          November 14, 2011 7:38 PM

          Like fuckers that exploit map problems. I remember people hiding under the map in WaW. Fuck them and their entire families.

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            November 15, 2011 8:01 AM

            Just yesterday I was killed by twice by two exploiting assholes at the Caspian border toll booth point. They found a way under the map inside one of the buildings (shown by kill cam).

            I got my revenge by grabbing a tank and leveling the whole building on their heads.

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          November 14, 2011 8:49 PM

          You are mistaken, sloppy develops and slow to patch ruins the game. The players have no responsibility to play by your made up rules.

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            November 14, 2011 10:24 PM

            [deleted]

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              November 14, 2011 11:08 PM

              Just because you don't agree with him doesn't mean his argument is fallacious. Also, there is no "spirit of fairness" in chess, the white player has a clear advantage, how is that fair?
              While I understand how you feel, I think you also have to understand that while certain systems do have faults and those faults will be exploited, this is not inherently a bad thing. Exploit means playing by the rules but in such a way that was not intended by their original designers. In the end, the ability to discover and take advantage of these exploits is incredibly interesting (like that Portal speedrun) moreso than someone who is just really good at aiming his cursor at someone's head and left clicking.
              It's like counting cards in blackjack, technically an "exploit" but kudos to the guy who came up with the idea and was able to do it.
              If you think that the ability to do this doesn't have its own merit, then I have nothing more to say.

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                November 14, 2011 11:14 PM

                [deleted]

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                  November 14, 2011 11:21 PM

                  My point is that the rules clearly allow for these kind of scenarios to occur. Same thing applies to Battlefield 3.
                  Gaining experience by repairing a damaged bot is a core part of the game.
                  Also, Portal is a single player experience, but competitive speed-running is not. It may not have online leaderboards like Super Meat Boy or Sonic Generations but there is still a "multiplayer" element to it.

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            November 15, 2011 1:18 AM

            Rofl tell this to all people of the houses I used to loot in ultima online by exploiting "loopholes". Probably directly contributed to hundreds of people quitting and never looking back

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        November 14, 2011 5:35 PM

        i bet they banned no one

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        November 14, 2011 5:37 PM

        [deleted]

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        November 14, 2011 5:38 PM

        If you reread the wording carefully, they stat-wiped accounts for exploiting, not banned them.

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          November 14, 2011 5:44 PM

          Xav needs to rewrite his title then.

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            November 14, 2011 5:48 PM

            [deleted]

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            November 14, 2011 5:52 PM

            Not really.

            ""This week we've banned hundreds of offending accounts and have stats-wiped accounts for exploiting (such as boosting)," "

            They stated they banned "hunderds of offending accounts" (ie hackers) AND "stats wiped accounts for exploiting (such as boosting" (ie people taking advantage of the infinite repair glitch).

            Thus no need to change the headline as they did both banning and stats wiping, just for seperate things.

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              November 14, 2011 5:54 PM

              I said Xav should change his title, because it's misleading Hundreds' of Battlefield 3 users banned for utilizing exploits

              I didn't read the official release, nor do I care to.

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                November 14, 2011 6:09 PM

                I didn't read the official release either. It's right in this here article that we are commenting on. I copied and pasted it without even leaving this page.

                Of course that's assuming you even read more than the headline and the comments.

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        November 14, 2011 8:47 PM

        They really should just fire someone at Dice instead. It's not the player's fault you can gain too much xp by playing the game a certain way. It is the developer's responsibility to not allow this in the game.

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          November 14, 2011 9:12 PM

          1 guy shoots the robot while the other constantly repairs. did you see the video? that's exploiting. fuck them, they know what they're doing

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            November 14, 2011 9:43 PM

            Shooting robots and repairing robots is not cheating or hacking. If those two mechanics allows for an exploit I suggests the developers apologize for their oversight and fix the issue.

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          November 14, 2011 9:15 PM

          And what if the same bug was allowing a player to glitch through the ground and kill enemies while remaining unharmed? Repeatedly every server? Not his fault right?

          Slippery slope aside, I understand what you're saying but it's not like the players we're unaware of what they were doing. They were intentionally exploiting the system that DICE had in place and wanted players to follow for a reason.

          Having their stats reset seems more than fair.

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            November 14, 2011 9:45 PM

            Shooting through the ground is not intended and totally outside of the fiction of Battle Field. Repairing is not. Still the developers should feel embarrassed and just fix the problem. Reset stats if they have to.

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              November 14, 2011 9:57 PM

              Your posts frustrate the hell out of me, I want so badly to write an appropriate reply but I'm pretty sure I would be banned.

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              November 15, 2011 4:54 AM

              Oh come on.

              Sitting at the spawn repairing your buddy's unharmed robot while not providing any support for your team or working towards the objective is just as "unintended" as falling through the ground and using it to your advantage. Trying to justify it otherwise is stupid.

              How convenient to see your little checklist for what is acceptable or not keeps getting items added to it as people call out cheating for what it is.

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                November 15, 2011 1:21 PM

                repairing is part of the regular rules of the game.

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          November 15, 2011 1:34 AM

          It was moronic to leave in. It's the same thing as revive boosting people did in BF2 all the time. Dice never seem to learn from past experience.

          This is also one of the reasons you need developers who know how to exploit in games, or at least QA guys.

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        November 15, 2011 12:01 PM

        oh it's this argument again

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      November 14, 2011 5:33 PM

      totally agreed whether it be hack or exploit it should be a bannable offense

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      November 14, 2011 5:36 PM

      good.

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      November 14, 2011 5:37 PM

      I wasn't affected by this, but it's BS.
      A portion of their customer base obviously doesn't enjoy the unlock/achievement game mechanic, and instead of understanding that and finding a way to keep those customers happy, they ban account.

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        November 14, 2011 6:11 PM

        So - because someone doesn't like it they don't have to play by the same rules as everyone else? That sounds like BS to me.

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          November 14, 2011 8:52 PM

          The rules allowed for gaining xp at a faster rate.

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        November 14, 2011 6:12 PM

        If you don't like a major function of the game then you play something else, you don't cheat

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          November 14, 2011 6:23 PM

          I don't really see it as cheating. I think unlocks are a horrible game design, and exploits the skinner box behavior that game designers love to use.

          If you argue that unlocks offer an advantage to those who have them; then I'll argue that unlocks unbalance the game and favor those who put more time into it. Using the exploit then levels the playing field in a competitive multiplayer environment. Hell the pre-order DLC that unlocked guns could then be considered an official cheat by your logic.

          if you argue that unlocks don't provide an advantage to the player, then why do you care? Let people have their unlocks if it doesn't affect you.

          Would it help if I called you a hypocrite? http://www.shacknews.com/article/58772/evening-reading?id=20002805#item_20002805

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          November 14, 2011 10:43 PM

          but people laugh at me then :( (I got a lol for not playing because of unlocks)

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        November 14, 2011 6:31 PM

        So if they offer all the unlocks for say 20 bucks down the road, you would be happy to pay?

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          November 14, 2011 6:40 PM

          hell no. I'm just saying let those people who enjoy unlocks grind them out. Everyone else can use this exploit.

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            November 14, 2011 7:00 PM

            I dont "like" grinding out unlocks. but I enjoy the satisfaction of getting it done, and I dont want other people to just get the same shit without having to try too.

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        November 14, 2011 6:43 PM

        erhm, they arent banning, and if I have to level up. so should you. not glitching some bug to get more points like a cheap-ass.

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          November 14, 2011 6:47 PM

          Well with the exploit you don't have to grind to level up, you can choose to if you want, but don't force your shitty choices on everyone else.

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            November 14, 2011 6:50 PM

            Trying to justify exploiting a bug or design flaw is ridiculous. Just stop now.

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              November 14, 2011 6:52 PM

              and idling on a TF2 server is not an exploit? Get over yourself.

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                November 14, 2011 6:57 PM

                How is that an exploit? What game mechanic are you exploiting exactly? I could see an argument for running an external program to idle as an exploit, but staying afk in a server? lol.

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                November 14, 2011 8:06 PM

                TF2 unlocks are cosmetic, BF3 unlocks are not.

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              November 15, 2011 3:20 AM

              There's still something to be said about being lazy enough to leave such an exploit in your game and then getting all mad when people actually find and use it. They should have found it while testing.

              Still, less boosters is always welcome.

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                November 16, 2011 10:13 AM

                I agree with you, this should have been caught in testing. Boosters don't bother me, they actually have to play the game to be able to boost. The glichers on the other hand should get a punishment because everyone knows about glitches but those should not be used to take advantage of other users.

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            November 14, 2011 6:51 PM

            And an exploit is not a given choice. You are Taking advantage of an unintended bug

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              November 14, 2011 6:53 PM

              Resetting their account and patching the exploit is more suitable.

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            November 14, 2011 6:56 PM

            Well you do now, and if you exploited you deserve to have your stats reset. People work hard to get where they have gotten in level up games, and they don't appreciate people who try to take shortcuts.

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            November 14, 2011 9:39 PM

            Here's a choice: Don't play the game.

            Don't bring your shitty justifications up in here.

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              November 14, 2011 9:42 PM

              Agreed.

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              November 14, 2011 9:47 PM

              [deleted]

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                November 14, 2011 9:49 PM

                [deleted]

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                  November 14, 2011 11:07 PM

                  eh whatever dude. I'm just raging against unlocks in a competitive multiplayer game. I don't think they are conducive to a balanced and fair game-field.

                  I'm I glad that you replied to this thread with your insightful post.

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                    November 15, 2011 2:37 AM

                    if everything were unlocked from the get-go I'd already be done with the game. As it is, I have about 90-95% of the unlocks and haven't lost my desire to play.

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            November 14, 2011 9:51 PM

            Go occupy somewhere else.

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          November 14, 2011 9:13 PM

          not only that but having 2 players hang out in the corner exploiting and using up space on a server and not helping the team

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        November 14, 2011 8:27 PM

        They aren't banning them, read it again. If you are exploiting, I'm sorry but you deserve to have your shit wiped.

        Play the game just like everyone else or if you feel that strongly about unlocks play another game. The amount of time it takes to start unlocking weapons is so small, it's a bullshit excuse.

        If you're having problems unlocking weapons then I'd worry more about getting better at the game and less about how it's "not fair".

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          November 14, 2011 9:13 PM

          Yeah, that's true - unlocking is part of the game mechanic. If you exploit the unlocking you're cheating, plain and simple.

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        November 14, 2011 9:38 PM

        Fuuuuuuuuck that. Boosting points is bullshit.

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        November 15, 2011 1:41 AM

        Valve ignored the people who used the achievement unlocker to get the class weapons after at first being against it.

        I'd liked to have seen BF3 with a hybrid system so that casual players aren't fucked over compared to people who put in 12 hours a day. Give a small trickle of points when players are offline that they can top up ingame like normal You log in after a few days and you can unlock a weapon or something even if you aren't captain murder face.

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      November 14, 2011 6:55 PM

      I thought "oh good" they banned cheaters... and then I realized it was just people grinding dumb XP. Kinda sucks to be those people since they weren't actually hacking.

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        November 14, 2011 6:57 PM

        Hackers got banned, exploiters got their stats deservedly reset. This headline needs to be fixed

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      November 14, 2011 10:42 PM

      What EXACTLY constitutes an "experience" exploit - because the demands on time is fucked up in this game for unlocks - I'm 30 hours in and just did my medic - and it's the fastest to unlock - am I looking at 200 hours for all the classes and still needing a lot more for all the guns?

      I don't have a problem with an exploit within reason - the coop one for failing that mission sounds good to me :/

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        November 14, 2011 11:40 PM

        Because it's not an RPG that requires you to "grind XP"? Just play as you normally would and the unlocks will come. The point of the game is to win and work as a team. The unlocks are just a reward for actually doing something. The "powerful" unlocks come in at about 30 hours for all classes combined. After that, they're just incremental.

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        November 15, 2011 12:03 AM

        Medic is not the fastest to unlock everything. Engineer and Support both take less overall points to unlock all the guns.

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        November 15, 2011 2:00 AM

        [deleted]

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          November 15, 2011 2:44 AM

          I'm enjoying the game without the unlocks but I would love it if they were say.. 20% faster?

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        November 15, 2011 7:50 AM

        there is no reason to play BF3 the way you did. every time you post about how you "unlocked medic" my brain goes into a spin.

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      November 14, 2011 11:09 PM

      This is good news.

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      November 15, 2011 12:23 AM

      I say make the matchmaking algorithm such that all the cheaters and/or exploiters play with each other.
      Ban them from playing with people who want to have a 'fair' game within the intended mechanics of the game.
      I have no problem with this, let them have their fun with other dimwits.
      The problem is when they come into normal matches where people actually try to play fair and help each other, as the game intended to accomplish the goals in the game.

      That said, I HATE the unlocking crap in this game, but I would never ever exploit ( and that also includes spawncamping) the game to get anything that's not rightfully mine. You see, I hate the unlocks mostly due to the unbalance it introduces, not that I feel I need to level my own soldier.

      For example I think I've managed to get into the chopper about 2-3 times totally (in about 25 hours online play time) and Yet I have 0 points for it, due to me not having flares (mostly), I last about 20 seconds before someone blows it up, I never even have time to master the controls. It's completely unfair and unbalanced, by this rate I need to play 100s of hour to get the necessary (for minimal survival) unlocks for the chopper, its such a stupid mechanics and make the game a really boring grind fest, when I just want to hop in and have some fun, and that also includes flying.

      I like flying, and vehicles.
      Fortunately tanks are easier, mostly due to their easier controls and abundances, so for the moment I just ignore that there are flying things and concentrate on ground warfare, its stupid though, because its not what I really want, I want to be able to use all vehicles.









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      November 15, 2011 1:02 AM

      "We are working on banning as many people as we can as quickly as we can.

      UPDATE bf_three.players SET banned = "1";

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      November 15, 2011 6:20 AM

      get that crap outta here

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      November 17, 2011 11:57 AM

      Honestly I don't agree with the exploits but I would have done it just because it was there, and well, I'm tired of seeing max level guys right now. It's probably 2 or 3 per match. And the unlocks most definitely gives you an edge, but when you kill everyone easily, what's the point?

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