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[Solution] Punkbuster causes Freeze .

Yeah I'm having this problem too. I'm afraid all these hard freezes are going to corrupt my HD.

It makes sense that its PB that's causing it, since I only started getting these crashes during the DDE beta when PB was first introduced.

I really hope TWI is on this issue because its rather game-breaking for me from a technical perspective. It's just one more reason for me to shelve RO2 until its done.
 
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Another Patch, but my Notebook crashed/freeze again (like in BFBC2)
I have try a lot, but it doesn't help :(

Maybe the next Patch could help me.

I am still having same issue with latest patch.
Crash entering PB enabled server.
Vac Only Server works perfectly with no crash whatsoever.

I tried uninstallation, maual update, etc... No fix.
My other PB games are working fine.
Please fix the problem.

Yeah I'm having this problem too. I'm afraid all these hard freezes are going to corrupt my HD.

It makes sense that its PB that's causing it, since I only started getting these crashes during the DDE beta when PB was first introduced.

I really hope TWI is on this issue because its rather game-breaking for me from a technical perspective. It's just one more reason for me to shelve RO2 until its done.

If you guys are sure the issues are only occurring when you join a PunkBuster enabled server, then you'll need to open a ticket with EvenBalance to get them to look into your problem.
 
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One thing i find really strange about PB is that it seems to be a server side version we have on our client mahines :

- It create a log each time we launch the game ( in the svlogs folder ).
- It check for last pbss number requested ( this is supposed to be server only to increment the pbsvss.htm file with next pbss )
- It have a svss folder ( this folder on servers is where all the players pbss are stored )
- It checks for rcon and also for PBpower and finally for pbsvmaps.

As far as i know for having run few servers this way of working is only for servers, when PB is running on a server, they don't run like this on client side usually.

Also in ROgame.ini in the [ROGame.ROGameInfo] section we have this setting :
PunkbusterServerProfile=2
As we can see also in the game console after we launch the game it clearly says as prefix message "Punkbuster Server" not like other UE3 based games saying " Punkbuster Client" ( see the black screenshot ).

On the white screenshot, one part is what pb folder looks like in "C:\Users\User\AppData\Local\PunkBuster\HOS\pb" compared to all others games using PB ( i got 4 other games running PB and all are the same ).

Anyone on this ? Is this normal for the game to have client PB being a server side one and acting like it ? Or is there something wrong here ? Anyone have a cue about this ? Why PB act like if am starting a server each time i launch my game and not act like usual PB running client side ? Maybe it's normal i don't know but that's the first time i see this for a game so ... :p



Edit : BTW the folder of the Beta located here : "C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\redorchestra2beta\pb" contain what seems to be the correct PB client side usual files, the content is the same as on the bottom part of the white screenhsot in attachment.

Funny is : the files pbsvc_hos.exe located in the beta folder and in the public released version seems to be the same according to a md5 hash, but beta seems to have created a correct pb folder into the game directory with all normal files( see path above ) when the public released version create a server side configuration on the game folder itself ( located here "C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\red orchestra 2\Binaries\Win32\pb" ) something seems wrong here.

:confused:
 

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From my personal experience with PB on most new games, it's PB crashing because of realtek onboard sound.

The way I fixed it was getting a new soundcard, I know this isn't ideal or an acceptable fix, But it's been happening for a year or so, and it's PB's fault not any of the games. It's a problem they refuse or to fix or choose to ignore.

Try disabling onboard sound in Device manager and playing the game for awhile to test it, I'd be suprised if it hard freeze's after that.
 
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I disabled onboard realtek sound in Device Manager and still experiencing the same.
Crash with PB enabled server Only. I did opened the ticket with EvenBalance about this issue last week but I have not recieved reponse from them yet.

My problem also started when DDE beta started to implement PB.
My other PB game, Quake 3 and BF2 is working fine so it must be something to do with RO2 intefering PB.

For time being, TW should provide VAC only official server for user like us.
 
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I know it is not RO2 related but I heard BF3 started Beta testing today.
If PB is on for BF3 then I am curios if RO2 user who is having punkbuster issue can play BF3 with PB enabled server with no issue. If one can play BF3 with PB, then there must something going with RO2 or perhaps with Unreal Engine 3 and Punkbuster.
 
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One thing i find really strange about PB is that it seems to be a server side version we have on our client mahines :

- It create a log each time we launch the game ( in the svlogs folder ).
- It check for last pbss number requested ( this is supposed to be server only to increment the pbsvss.htm file with next pbss )
- It have a svss folder ( this folder on servers is where all the players pbss are stored )
- It checks for rcon and also for PBpower and finally for pbsvmaps.

As far as i know for having run few servers this way of working is only for servers, when PB is running on a server, they don't run like this on client side usually.

Also in ROgame.ini in the [ROGame.ROGameInfo] section we have this setting :
PunkbusterServerProfile=2
As we can see also in the game console after we launch the game it clearly says as prefix message "Punkbuster Server" not like other UE3 based games saying " Punkbuster Client" ( see the black screenshot ).

On the white screenshot, one part is what pb folder looks like in "C:\Users\User\AppData\Local\PunkBuster\HOS\pb" compared to all others games using PB ( i got 4 other games running PB and all are the same ).

Anyone on this ? Is this normal for the game to have client PB being a server side one and acting like it ? Or is there something wrong here ? Anyone have a cue about this ? Why PB act like if am starting a server each time i launch my game and not act like usual PB running client side ? Maybe it's normal i don't know but that's the first time i see this for a game so ... :p



Edit : BTW the folder of the Beta located here : "C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\redorchestra2beta\pb" contain what seems to be the correct PB client side usual files, the content is the same as on the bottom part of the white screenhsot in attachment.

Funny is : the files pbsvc_hos.exe located in the beta folder and in the public released version seems to be the same according to a md5 hash, but beta seems to have created a correct pb folder into the game directory with all normal files( see path above ) when the public released version create a server side configuration on the game folder itself ( located here "C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\red orchestra 2\Binaries\Win32\pb" ) something seems wrong here.

:confused:

Good call, I've tired updating pb, uninstalling from control panel, disable audio, re-installing PB, re-installing RO, re-installing steam, but I'm going to assume at this point that there is nothing I can do to fix this other than playing only on non pb servers. So cheers, back to Boderlands for a bit and hopefully they'll at least fix this issue of clients running PB servers so I can try something else to fix their game.
 
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I just tried RO2 beta with stat and sound fix.
The punkbuster seems to work with beta. I could join the PB enabled server
with no issue.

People having an issue with Punkbuster, please try RO2 beta and check if your punkbuster is working or not.

I will also try BF3 beta and see if I have punkbuster problem or not.

Tripwire and Evenbalance, Please fix the problem. Beta seems to work fine so there must be some conflict between retail RO2 and PB.
 
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I tried to join the beta server with people in it, it crashes.
So no fix for punkbuster.
What makes it interesting is that when I joined beta server yeterdsay with no people playing it, it did not crash. I was able to spectate and move around the map with no issue.

Why was I able to join PB enabled beta sever yesterday with no crash and why I do start getting crash today? I really do not what is going on.
 
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So with today's beta patch, punkbuster issue is gone again.
I can join the punkbuster enabled test server with no crash.
The release note does not mention anything about the punkbuster being tweaked so
I do not know if they fixed the problem or if the problem just went away.

Anyways, for people who can access the beta and have punkbuster issue, please
try the beta and see if you can join the PB enabled server or not.

edit: OK, I played few beta games with NO PB issue.
I have opened the ticket with Evenbalance, so I will report my findings to them.
 
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