Punkbuster issue with M11xR2 Optimus Discussion - BC2 and other titles

There's recent update for PB anticheat, so is the multiple direct3d problem being solved yet?

 

I haven't tried it yet, but given that via support they said it's up to nvidia to fix, I doubt it.

 

This is the whole log of closed support ticket~~

09/06/2010 02:43:07 - "Hendrik T"
Note #7: We are looking into this and working to resolve it as quickly as possible. I'm sorry for any inconvenience.
08/23/2010 12:44:31 - "DivineAura"
Note #6: I've downgraded my driver to 189.79 and the game works fine! But when I'm using newer driver (25x.xx and later), I keep getting kicked by punkbuster 'multiple direct 3d' problem, there is a forum saying that nvidia uses new direct 3d API for laptops with Optimus technology, so it causes punkbuster to detect the 'multiple direct 3d' problem.
http://forum.notebookreview.com/alienware-m11x/508604-nvidia-optimus-drivers-189-79-r2-only-3.html
08/22/2010 11:51:56 - "Hendrik T"
Note #5: Please quit 'AlienwareOn-ScreenDisplay' then try playing again.
07/31/2010 22:22:31 - "DivineAura"
---A LOT OF PROCESS NAMES HERE---
07/31/2010 21:08:14 - "Adam D"
Note #2: I'd like for you to give me a list of your currently running processes. To do this:

1. You'll need to download 'tasklist' from the following site: http://www.computerhope.com/download/winxp/tasklist.exe
2. Start the game, minimize it.
3. Click "Start" => "Run" => type "cmd"
4. Type "tasklist /SVC > tasks.txt"

This procedure will create a text file with a list of your current processes. The text file can be found at"C:/Documents and Settings/[your user]/tasks.txt". Paste the contents of this file into a new note on this ticket (you may need to put two notes or more if you have several of them).
07/30/2010 21:39:38 - "DivineAura"

 

I just played BFBC2 for 15 minutes online without getting kicked.

I think they fixed it!

 

Well i updated PB, played BFBC2 & Battlefield Heroes with no luck was kicked in 3 min on both. Would be sweet to play these games they run great on the R2.

This is on 258.96 btw.

 

Which drivers whiplash? I just went online with 258.96 drivers and was kicked after 2 mins for the usual reason.

 

oh geez......i think they haven't fix it yet.......maybe after some time?

 

I might try the dell drivers later.

 

I am using 259.47 drivers.

 

Anyone else confirm 259.47 working with PB?

 

Damn. I just played for about 20 minutes and then got kicked.

So... I guess it still doesn't work. It just took me longer to get kicked for some reason.

 

I just hope PB can REALLY see that ticket i sent lol.......
SO maybe we should just wait for a few for days ughhh

 

lol i just updated my drivers to those whiplashed used and for just a few mintues i swear i thought it was fixed then... BAM booted for d3d..... :C but yo can play for about 10min insted of teh 3.... strange.

 

ok i am new here but this is what I have been doing, I sent them an email and they opened a case for me and we have been email every day with ways they have been trying to fix it, there ideas have been crazy, like everything you can think of. we have exchanged over 20 e-mails. so after e-mail 10 they gave me a $20 card to spend at the EA store. the game still doesnt work but im glad i got 20 from them.

 

i want 20 dollars :c

 

@xSix
Well, you could send em off an e-mail demanding 20 bucks for this PB issue, as someone else was "compensated" for the PB issue.

 

i never demanded anything, i just told them my problem and went through solutions with them, when i couldn't understand their instructions i told them. they have been very helpful. i just wish i could rank up in bad company 2

 

lol i thought only EA can give EA coupons?
I think there's high chance of the problem being fixed...... feeling gooood

 

I wish I had video of the Dog Tags I took last night... I ran over the hill on Africa Harbor that everyone bogs down at... I had blasted two smoke grenades on it, and I had weight reduction and I ran at full blast, jumped the hill, spun in mid air, and stabbed the medic camping at the bottom behind the wall. It was probably my best stab ever. Then I dog tag'd a couple of campers with 50 cal's on Valpraiso which was classic. Man do they get mad... And then my son started screaming for hours straight and all gaming was done... I Love Autism... BW, StevenX

 

ea gave the coupon

 

oh so you sent the ticket to EA not PB lol

 

yeah, is there a way to send it to PB?

 

Yeah unfortunately it looks like all the update did is allow you to play about 10 minutes before being kicked.

PB/NVIDIA/EA need to stop this pissing match and come up with a solution to this problem.

 

ok so bad Company 2 has a twitter feed, and they probably want to keep it as nice as possible, if people tweet about PB not working on a model of a computer do you think it would get their attention more?

the community manager also has a twitter feed

 

go ahead! maybe worth a try?

 

im thinking of saying something like
"is there a planned fix for the know punkbuster issue with optimus drivers? or are you ignoring it?

ideas?

 

I would definitely do that if I had a Twitter... but I don't.

I do have a Facebook though.

Messing around with their PR could be a good way to bring attention to the issue... and there might even be other people that chime in with the same problem.

Unfortunately it looks like BFBC2, EA, and Punkbuster do not allow writing on their walls on Facebook.

 

Start a "I hate PunkBuster" Facebook page. I really think efforts are better spent trying to recruit hackers to hack their site/servers and crash them. PB does not give a damn and no form of rational/proper/patient or civil communication with them seems to work.

Really I think we should petition Dell to implement R1 features so that R2 owners can choose Optimus or manual-switching. I bet we would get better results. I personally would leave my Nvidia graphics enabled all the time and disable Intel HD unless I was at the airport.

 

im liking the idea of the R1 type graphic switching.

if anyone has twitter the twitter accounts are
OfficialBFBC2-that the official twitter account
zh1nto-that is the community managers account on twitter

 

There have been multiple threads on this lately. Moving forward, lets confine the 'Punkbuster/M11xR2 Optimus' discussion to one thread.

With that, can one of you recap exactly what the issue is with the 11xR2 Optimus driver/PB? I'd like to keep the discussion going here but the more I look into this (see: http://forums.nvidia.com/index.php?showtopic=178208), the more I see this as a general NBR Gaming forum thread. Need specific info on this so we can keep it going in the AW 11x subforum - thread title has been changed. Please post details. Hopefully, we can get Brian on this and he can have a look.

Thanks.

 

@All - please dont flame me here. In may/june Nvidia changed the way the drivers are packaged/developed and now it causes the multiple direct3d error we see. I think the push back should be on Nvidia since (Release without Testing/User Acceptance = Failure!)... The change was made by nvidia and the pushback should most likely be to them. This is not just a Alienware/Dell issue. All optimus customers are experiencing this problem.

BW, StevenX

 

Essentially there is an issue with Optimus and Punkbuster in that whenever Optimus goes from using the integrated Intel Graphics to the NVidia 335m, Punkbuster detects it as multiple D3D9.dll from the two graphics cards and kicks the player out of the game.

The only driver set that works is the 189 modified drivers but then most of the games releases within the last 6 months will not play on those drivers.

Evenbalance says this is an Nvidia issue. Nvidia says it's an Evenbalance issue.

Bottom line - the "issue" is killing all my enthusiasm for the M11x and has me telling other potential buyers to hold off until this problem gets fixed.

What goods a gaming machine if you can't get an adequate driver set to play your games? You need one set to play PB games, and another driver set to play all the others? (Keep in mind that these must be installed uninstalled with driver sweep or PB will still kick you out)

As of right now, for me, the M11x is nothing but a sexy $1500 netbook because of this problem.

If I wanted just a netbook, I would've spent $300 on a netbook. Instead I spent $1500 expecting to get an 11" gaming machine that could play all new games at medium to high settings.

Because of this stupid software PB bug/driver issue - I'm sitting on a $1500 netbook.

Because of this problem, I don't recommend the m11x. And if you insist on it, then get the R1.

The R1 - Half the price, with none of the headaches.

Seriously Alienware/Dell, as a hardcore desktop gamer who ventured into the world of gaming notebooks thinking the technology and price finally met in the center - and all I have to say is, you're losing me fast.

I wanted to play my brand new spanking R2 exchange, delivered on Fri. It was just sitting there, calling to me. But I wanted to play BFBC2,

So I had to fire up the old desktop...

I think what bothers me the most is the attitude all the companies are taking on this problem, pointing a finger at the other -

It's like school on Sunday - No Class.

 

Thanks for the background info guys. From what I have read in the threads here as well as on other forums, this definitely needs to be addressed by NV. Hopefully, our resident AW reps will take notice and get these two (NV and PB) talking.

truth be told, I never liked PB anyway. Its system is old and and certainly does not prevent all the cheats/hacks out there. If I were an R2 owner, I would be furious though. BC2 is a kick-butt title! Not to sidetrack the thread, but hopefully MOH does not utilize PB.

 

Negative. Just tried a fresh install and yes the game plays WONDERFULLY but I was kicked as soon as I was killed.

 

I know this has been covered, but honestly, optimus is a great system in theory and slowly becoming better in application.
If it keeps getting better(like it is) it will be the future of laptops all over the place, it's already fairly widespread in many new machines now.
This is NOT, repeat NOT, an Nvidia issue. This is Punkbusters issue for not including an exception for optimus users. Having multiple D3D devices isn't an issue for hacking, if it is I'd like to seem them explain why.
Punkbuster is the problem here, not Nvidia. Remember that.

 

I agree, but like I said in my other post, Evenbalance doesn't care. Dell/AW and/or Nvidia are more likely to come up with a solution.

 

The problem is they won't. PB is such an outdated old piece of crap, why would the bother. At best unless PB gets it's crap together soon, we will only see it around for another 4-5 years. Less games are being bundled with it for a reason, it doesn't stop anything, and causes more grief for legit users than it does for people that want to circumvent it.

 

Agreed - why I mentioned NV needs to address. I think in the end, nobody really cares who is at fault here as long as the issue is resolved.

 

I bought this computer because I like small. The only game I play is BFBC2, but I must admit, this PB issue is making someone money because I'm finding myself buying new games to play on this lappy because I can't play the game I love!

We need to start some sort of petition to get their attention better or Im gonna be in big trouble with my bank!

 

i did send their community leader a tweet earlier but no response so far, I must say I have had an issue w/ PB every battlefield game I have bought. and EA is just giving me weird things to do now. if people want I can post my entire email exchange with them.

 

ok update i have tweeted the guy directly twice and no response, you guys should get twitter accounts and ask them whats up.

 

Sorry to say but look:
PunkBuster and Medal of Honor - PBBans

Although that'll save a bit of cash for R2 owners . . .

 

:{ I wanna stop using these modded drivers so I can see SC2 on quality settings again! Tho playing bfbc2 is worth sc2 looking ugly.

 

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!
I was looking forward to that game...

 

Doesn't shock me - DICE chose PB for BC2, why not for MOH.

 

pbbans make me cry, I just want to play BC2 ranked

 

After a month at nagging EvenBalance on their support ticket, basically they say its nvidia's problem and that they will not fix it as it will let 'many hackers through'

I've sent tickets to both EA and PB, they both refuse to talk to developers. They're just blaming Nvidia atm. Its not going to be fixed by PB.

some punkbuster servers do not enforce the pb restrictions. I suggest if you are part of a community with their own server that you request the restrictions NOT be put on.

Too many places it can fail, such has hash checks etc. Overclocking gets you kicked as well. Its overkill what they are doing, the best way to keep hackers out is having a community.

 

Hi

I have had my R2 for a while but don't really play online at the moment but would like to start soonish. Please treat me like an absolute know nothing noob in this area!!.
I have come from a console world and all I know is xbox live so click multiplayer, free for all and off you go. This whole PC online gaming is confusing the hell out of me.

If there is a thread or good guide you can point me too then please do.

In BFBC2 for example I search for multiplayer and get a massive list of games but with so many different icons and info its well...again confusing.
Are some private games? or can anyone join in?
So many options to think about.

Punkbuster I understand is to stop hackers or cheats or both but in what way? whats being hacked my computer??
Do I really need to have punkbuster to play fairly?

Sorry for the complete lack of knowledge in this area but I want to know before I go online and get cheated the hell out of!!

thanks in advance

 

It'd be difficult to explain if you don't understand the server client model, but what the hell I have an hour before class starts.

Basically you have a server that is dedicated on handling the traffic between you and other players, you upload your control commands and current actions to the server, the server will send you back the control commands and current actions of other players. This ensures you are all seeing the same things, It also means the server has some authority on what actions you can or cannot take (such as cheats or team killing or abuse) and if it feels your misbehaving can close the connection.

The server also has to authenticate with a master server that is run by EA, and it can check players clients to see if they are unique with this master server. The servers also upload their information to this master server such as current map and how many players are on that server.

When you play the game and load up the server browser, the game will talk to this master server which will then generate a list of servers for you give what criteria you have set on the right hand side.

Punkbuster is a separate program the runs in the back ground that hooks into the game. It scans to see if the game has been modified in some way and also scans your memory to see if any 'known' hack programs are currently running on your system. If it finds one, it will report it to the server you're currently playing on & master server and you get banned from both.

Its not required to play fairly, best way to play fairly is find a large clan who run their own server.

 

@zwany

many thanks for the detailed info and for going to the time to write it. +rep