AAO25.com
America's Army => General Chat => Topic started by: Endy on Saturday, October 18, 2014, 19:12:19 PM
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I would like to point out the following to the community.
(iv) takes "screenshots" of the Licensee's computer screen at any given time while Assist is running
without notice to the Licensee.
TOS: http://aao25.com/forum/assist-support/current-tos/msg79525/ (http://aao25.com/forum/assist-support/current-tos/msg79525/)
This means when you have Assist running, they can take screenshots of what you are doing at any time.
I would like to point this out to the community because most people will not read this.
Remember Johnny that used to control AA Assist? He was doing a similar thing to spy on users.
UPDATE: In version 8.15 the feature of taking screenshots has been removed.
TOS (http://aao25.com/forum/assist-support/current-tos/msg0/?boardseen#new (http://aao25.com/forum/assist-support/current-tos/msg0/?boardseen#new)) has been updated and i would like to advice the community to thoroughly read it.
*EDIT*
Wuttt, an administrator edited this post, lol. Stop being dictators and post a reply if you have something to say.
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Exactly.
Eliz just removed my posts about the very same issue.
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I would like to point out the following to the community.
(iv) takes "screenshots" of the Licensee's computer screen at any given time while Assist is running
without notice to the Licensee.
TOS: http://aao25.com/forum/assist-support/current-tos/msg79525/ (http://aao25.com/forum/assist-support/current-tos/msg79525/)
This means when you have Assist running, they can take screenshots of what you are doing at any time.
I would like to point this out to the community because most people will not read this.
Remember Johnny that used to control AA Assist? He was doing a similar thing to spy on users.
Nothing new there, you have all agreed to that TOS every time you start a new version of the game.
It's not hidden in any way.
I even posted a copy here .
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Congratulations, you can read the ToU. You know that's why it's there, right? So you can read it. Nobody's trying to hide it.
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LOL, those people installing software on peoples machine that allows them to read/write/remove files, even format hard drive.
And they are now telling: "it's all fine".
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Its great that you have TOS. Nice! However you are using an illegal copy of AA to run servers (illegally) and sharing the game online (illegally, and yes it makes no difference if the game is free or not - the copyright is not yours), you are seriously violating users privacy when you are making screenshots of their PCs. Those are serious crimes and those TOS sentences you can shove up your a**. But lets keep it on the low... :D
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Yes but i'm making it more clear for the community to understand what Assist actually is doing and that the spying continues even after the big hassle we had with johnny.
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Yes but i'm making it more clear for the community to understand what Assist actually is doing and that the spying continues even after the big hassle we had with johnny.
I'm pretty sure that line from the ToU is clearly stated and easily understandable. Admit it, you're just trying to stir up drama.
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I'm pretty sure that line from the ToU is clearly stated and easily understandable. Admit it, you're just trying to stir up drama.
Can you answer me this question Killaman: Is AA Assist using an illegal copy of Americas Army in any way?
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Can you answer me this question Killaman: Is AA Assist using an illegal copy of Americas Army in any way?
OFC it is, that is obvious fact. But this is not the biggest problem here, as I believe _real_ creators of this game don't care.
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OFC it is, that is obvious fact. But this is not the biggest problem here, as I believe _real_ creators of this game don't care.
Well if they are using an illegal copy without having the "go" word of the creators then they are violating a law.
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Well if they are using an illegal copy without having the "go" word of the creators then they are violating a law.
Yes, it is true, but as I said, it is only a formal and theoretical issue.
More important is that they spy on users machines - that is far more serious violation of law. And no TOS can help about it. TOSes are not above law.
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Yes, it is true, but as I said, it is only a formal and theoretical issue.
More important is that they spy on users machines - that is far more serious violation of law. And no TOS can help about it. TOSes are not above law.
Yeah that's what i was thinking about aswell.
I remember johnny stepped back because a few others were taking steps to take him to court because of his spying activities.
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Well if they are using an illegal copy without having the "go" word of the creators then they are violating a law.
The creators of America's Army know about our project and have not contacted us about it being a problem.
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Yeah that's what i was thinking about aswell.
I remember johnny stepped back because a few others were taking steps to take him to court because of his spying activities.
Yes, it is true that there was a big incident about what Jonny put in the program. Jonny left and the awful feature has been removed. What happened is regrettable, but we've moved on from that.
If you don't like the fact that Assist can take screenshots, then don't use it. That's why the ToU is there, to let you know.
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Talking about screenshots: how long are they stored? And where?
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Yes, it is true that there was a big incident about what Jonny put in the program. Jonny left and the awful feature has been removed. What happened is regrettable, but we've moved on from that.
If you don't like the fact that Assist can take screenshots, then don't use it. That's why the ToU is there, to let you know.
The problem is
- TOS does not stand above the law to get spied on, something Assist is doing.
- The next one is that the creators of Assist are using an illegal copy of Americas Army which is also not allowed by the law.
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The problem is
- TOS does not stand above the law to get spied on, something Assist is doing.
- The next one is that the creators of Assist are using an illegal copy of Americas Army which is also not allowed by the law.
What exactly do you mean by an illegal copy of Americas Army? We do not have access to the source code, thus cannot change the actual game. The only thing questionable is redistribution, which could easily be solved if the creators of AA2 wanted to stop us. Again, they know about Assist.
I'd also like that some programs such as web browsers keep much more intrusive and private data than a PC screenshot.
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Is AA Assist using an illegal copy of Americas Army in any way?
Yes.
More important is that they spy on users machines - that is far more serious violation of law. And no TOS can help about it. TOSes are not above law.
Correct.
The creators of America's Army know about our project and have not contacted us about it being a problem.
The creators he means programmers, they are not bothered. But the game belongs to the US government, and boy, I wouldn't go against them. Thin ice if you ask me.
Talking about screenshots: how long are they stored? And where?
Good question Bollie.
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Please take screenshots of the TOS with time and date, log the admin names and this website IP Address if we need to take any further steps.
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Please take screenshots of the TOS with time and date, log the admin names and this website IP Address if we need to take any further steps.
The admins just sh*t their pants now :D
Eliz: Nonono I am not admin of Assist. Killaman is.
Killaman: Nonono I also am not admin. Encyclopedia (Bart) is.
Bart: Nonono, I am only here to give advice. You know, I am a beta tester
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Endy - you are one of the real asses on this planet.
stop playing this game noob. I am surprised that you can read.
so fuck off and stay out of this community. you are not welcome again.
everybody do know what assist can do. and everybody do know what nsa can do. so what the hell are you talking about. you are a real noob.
play or stay out. so easy. you can choose. at nsa you can not.
I wish you all the best, hope you will survive on this planet.
drama queen.
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I am serious on this.
They are earning money through Vortexservers, this website is registrered to Paulo Sergio who has ties to vortexservers.com
Domain Name: AAO25.COM
Registrar URL: http://www.godaddy.com (http://www.godaddy.com)
Registrant Name: Paulo Sergio
Registrant Organization: AAO 2.5 Assist
Name Server: NS1.VORTEXSERVERS.COM
Name Server: NS2.VORTEXSERVERS.COM
DNSSEC: unsigned
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I'd also like that some programs such as web browsers keep much more intrusive and private data than a PC screenshot.
What data can be more intrusive than screenshots of desktop at any random time?
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Chill out Merlin. He is only pointing out something.... no need to react full retard on him.
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Endy - you are one of the real asses on this planet.
stop playing this game noob. I am surprised that you can read.
so fuck off and stay out of this community. you are not welcome again.
everybody do know what assist can do. and everybody do know what nsa can do. so what the hell are you talking about. you are a real noob.
play or stay out. so easy. you can choose. at nsa you can not.
I wish you all the best, hope you will survive on this planet.
drama queen.
Can you translate this to English?
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AAO25 is the best forum ever :D Gotta love it.
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@Merlin
H?, let this be clear: i appreciate the work they do to keep AA alive.
I do not appreciate to be spied on and i believe they do not need to spy on us.
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(https://aao25.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi2.kym-cdn.com%2Fphotos%2Fimages%2Foriginal%2F000%2F121%2F644%2Fimages.jpeg&hash=db973d77112cc1abfa9e145c7e360efb)
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What data can be more intrusive than screenshots of desktop at any random time?
The only time Assist can take a screenshot is when Assist is running. So it's not any random time. The feature is so that we can see what the user is seeing when playing.
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The only time Assist can take a screenshot is when Assist is running. So it's not any random time. The feature is so that we can see what the user is seeing when playing.
But i have assist also running when im watching midget porn. And i dont want to share my midget porn to you guys... it took me years to collect such nice movies and pics!
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I am serious on this.
They are earning money through Vortexservers, this website is registrered to Paulo Sergio who has ties to vortexservers.com
Domain Name: AAO25.COM
Registrar URL: http://www.godaddy.com (http://www.godaddy.com)
Registrant Name: Paulo Sergio
Registrant Organization: AAO 2.5 Assist
Name Server: NS1.VORTEXSERVERS.COM
Name Server: NS2.VORTEXSERVERS.COM
DNSSEC: unsigned
AAO25 is completely separate from Assist. Even if you wanted to try to take down assist, AAO25 isn't going to get you anything. It's just a website.
I'd also like to point out that Sergio has nothing to do with vortex servers. Vortex servers just hosts our site and video game servers. They host our site so we advertise their game servers. Not sure what getting this info is going to get you.
I'd also like to point out that being an admin on AAO25 is also completely separate from Assist. For example, I don't make any changes to assist. I don't have any code or ability to change any code. I'm simply an admin on the website. I mostly deal with community crap like this.
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I'd also like to point out that Sergio has nothing to do with vortex servers.
Sergio is the most reasonable person in whole assist administration. Let's not blame him here.
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America's Army 2.5 Assist
Classic America's Army
Brought to you by: big_sergio, blueblaster, elizsweden, natenkiki2004, vortex666br
Domain Name: AAO25.COM
Registrant Email: [email protected]
Registry Admin ID:
Admin Name: Paulo Sergio
Admin Organization: AAO 2.5 Assist
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So big sergio and Eliz are linked to Assist definately.
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And Spanky = Natenkiki2004 (http://natescomp.com/ (http://natescomp.com/) Free advertising for you there:P) also linked to Assist and moderator on this forum.
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People pay what they want to pay for gaming. and about you talk of assist can look limited on computher to find out if ther are hacker activities. is oke that you puth it again in the spotlight. but trust me all game`s have secundairy safety programs to keep the game playeble. Punk-buster / ACI / and if would not suprice me when STEAM has some features. to look into ther software. its a necessary evil. but we accept it. its calles trust . my bank account is still not be robbed.
I am serious on this.
They are earning money through Vortexservers, this website is registrered to Paulo Sergio who has ties to vortexservers.com
Domain Name: AAO25.COM
Registrar URL: http://www.godaddy.com (http://www.godaddy.com)
Registrant Name: Paulo Sergio
Registrant Organization: AAO 2.5 Assist
Name Server: NS1.VORTEXSERVERS.COM
Name Server: NS2.VORTEXSERVERS.COM
DNSSEC: unsigned
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Vanoke,
Ofcourse your bank account is not robbed lol (yet... kidding lol)
It's not about that, it's about they are breaching the law of distributing a game they are not allowed to do and earning money from it through vortexservers.
The next point is that they can spy on you anytime when you have Assist running WITHOUT you knowing it.
I am going to say it again:"I really appreciate the work they do to keep AA alive but i do not appreciate to be spied on and i am sure alot of people stand beside me on this point after the hassle with johnny.
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And i would like to inform the community that MrGoat who contributed to this topic has been banned by the AAO25 Admins for sharing his thoughts.
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Vanoke,
Ofcourse your bank account is not robbed lol (yet... kidding lol)
It's not about that, it's about they are breaching the law of distributing a game they are not allowed to do and earning money from it through vortexservers.
The next point is that they can spy on you anytime when you have Assist running WITHOUT you knowing it.
I am going to say it again:"I really appreciate the work they do to keep AA alive but i do not appreciate to be spied on and i am sure alot of people stand beside me on this point after the hassle with johnny.
We are not earning any money from it. Vortex servers is a separate company that just hosts our site and we advertise for them. That's a fairly standard deal for websites. The only money we get is from donations and that is just used to pay server costs.
Also, vortex servers DOES NOT host Assist, just the AAO25 website. Assist and AAO25 are hosted by different people in different parts of the world. You're trying to act clever but you have no idea what you're talking about.
Also, epicGoat isn't even banned...
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They cant ban MrGoat. He is unbanable. He will be back and stronger like always :D
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Oh yes! I want to donate to someone who is spying on me :D
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Thankfully i got unbanned after you wrote this, Endy. Thank you.
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Thankfully i got unbanned after you wrote this, Endy. Thank you.
Your welcome man
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Kinda agree with others, if I have assist running, I minimize screen by going to check my bank or paypal in web and screenshot is taken its a bs. That's to much going into privacy, maybe there is another way around with this anti cheat? Even games like COD or battlefield or other game doesn't have this.
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Kinda agree with others, if I have assist running, I minimize screen by going to check my bank or paypal in web and screenshot is taken its a bs. That's to much going into privacy, maybe there is another way around with this anti cheat? Even games like COD or battlefield or other game doesn't have this.
Of course you are 100% right. And then you have issues like:
- "where are SS stored?"
- "for how long?"
- "who can access it?"
- "how it is protected?"
etc.
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Kinda agree with others, if I have assist running, I minimize screen by going to check my bank or paypal in web and screenshot is taken its a bs. That's to much going into privacy, maybe there is another way around with this anti cheat? Even games like COD or battlefield or other game doesn't have this.
That's actually a very good point. I'm not exactly defending this, just stating that the ToU clearly states that this occurs.
Of course you are 100% right. And then you have issues like:
- "where are SS stored?"
- "for how long?"
- "who can access it?"
- "how it is protected?"
etc.
I can't answer this as I don't deal with any of that stuff.
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Kinda agree with others, if I have assist running, I minimize screen by going to check my bank or paypal in web and screenshot is taken its a bs. That's to much going into privacy, maybe there is another way around with this anti cheat? Even games like COD or battlefield or other game doesn't have this.
Same here, if they see how many figures you have on your bank account they know who to target easily.
It's really an issue and we can not wave our hand over it like it's nothing.
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That's actually a very good point. I'm not exactly defending this, just stating that the ToU clearly states that this occurs.
Again, good to see you are smart and reasonable Killa. Bad to see you are still try to cover it with TOS (repeat: TOS is not above law).
I can't answer this as I don't deal with any of that stuff.
And this is worrying by itself. Admin admitting he doesn't know what happens with such sensitive data? So who does? Probably single person: Eliz.
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Most of users here still raging after 203 has been disabled and this must be their hate and some kind of revenge. But in overall the anti cheat you are using is too much for this old damn game. I appreciate the work you are doing but it's too much, if now 50% of players finds out about it they will leave.
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if now 50% of players finds out about it they will leave.
All we need is to spread the word out to the community.
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@Merlin
H?, let this be clear: i appreciate the work they do to keep AA alive.
I do not appreciate to be spied on and i believe they do not need to spy on us.
yes, but you did say ok to the TOS. like I did. so what is your problem?
play or stay out, so easy it is.
here you have the choice, at NSA you don't have. and btw we have also a "NSA". so be careful, big brother is watching you :D
and btw: this all is real cold coffee. welcome and good morning. lol
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yes, but you did say ok to the TOS. like I did. so what is your problem?
play or stay out, so easy it is.
here you have the choice, at NSA you don't have. and btw we have also a "NSA". so be careful, big brother is watching you :D
and btw: this all is real cold coffee. welcome and good morning. lol
I barely can understand your post, but i will try.
How can you compare administration of some old game to NSA? It is an obvious fact that governments spy on people. But it doesn't mean you can also do it.
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Most of users here still raging after 203 has been disabled and this must be their hate and some kind of revenge. But in overall the anti cheat you are using is too much for this old damn game. I appreciate the work you are doing but it's too much, if now 50% of players finds out about it they will leave.
It's the same what happened when johnny the one that started Assist was in charge, he was spying on people their desktops, he backed of when people were taking steps to take him to court.
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Merlin if you have some issue with banking or other issue what are you going to say? You will say yeh I agreed with their rules and nothing will be done about the issue. No money back, nothing at all you be able to do and do you really trust internet users?
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It's the same what happened when johnny the one that started Assist was in charge, he was spying on people their desktops, he backed of when people were taking steps to take him to court.
That was very different because people didn't know it was happening. Hell, I didn't even know it was happening. I didn't blame people for their concern then and I don't blame people for their concern now. However, it's clearly stated that this happens in our ToU now.
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It's the same what happened when johnny the one that started Assist was in charge, he was spying on people their desktops, he backed of when people were taking steps to take him to court.
Trojan affair.
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Merlin if you have some issue with banking or other issue what are you going to say? You will say yeh I agreed with their rules and nothing will be done about the issue. No money back, nothing at all you be able to do and do you really trust internet users?
True.
Most players are following assist administration like sheep, not foreseeing the consequences that might be in future.
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However, it's clearly stated that this happens in our ToU now.
Killa, how many times do I have to explain simple fact? TOS is not above law. You can't ask people to agree on something that is not legal. And spying is not legal.
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Just a question, is this time when community will take down assist and their anti cheat? I don't want to threat anyone but it is more than a tos, tos is nothing compared to spying on others, there are people here that really could be punished but hopefully everything can come to peace.
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Just a question, is this time when community will take down assist and their anti cheat? I don't want to threat anyone but it is more than a tos, tos is nothing compared to spying on others, there are people here that really could be punished but hopefully everything can come to peace.
Don't really get what you mean, but the problem is serious. Spying is oviously there, your PC desktop is snapshotted.
I had also my whole directory removed, but that was long time ago, so maybe this particular functionality is not there, but who knows.
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Btw most users don't know about it, they accept without reading it and it's sad that this will spread, sad that people will leave but this activity should be stopped.
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Btw most users don't know about it, they accept without reading it and it's sad that this will spread, sad that people will leave but this activity should be stopped.
Correct. People _never_ read such texts. They are simply not aware.
If you just told every player, what can happen with his desktop picture, he would delete assist immediately.
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Don't really get what you mean, but the problem is serious. Spying is oviously there, your PC desktop is snapshotted.
I don't think it's technically spying since the user knows it's happening, but that doesn't make it right. I agree with you. I'm going to try to get it removed, but it's not really up to me.
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Well if they are using an illegal copy without having the "go" word of the creators then they are violating a law.
I have personally talked with developers and higher up people. They have stated on more than one occasion that yes, we don't have permission but there's nothing damaging being done. There's no negative for them, no reason for them to go after us. We are simply keeping THEIR game alive. Their values, their ideas, their work. We aren't taking credit for the work. Sure, some of it had to be decompiled and we have added our own code but the majority of the game is unchanged and I believe as long as it stays that way, they have no reason to pursue us. However, if tomorrow they do decide to give us a cease and desist, we'll comply. We're not trying to fight the system or go against anyone, we simply wanted to keep this game alive. They benefit, the users benefit and we get something fun to do. Win-win-win.
I'll close this statement with a direct quote from one of the people I've talked to;
To be frank about it, I feel honored that you guys work as hard as you do - I'd love to see stronghold recreated in assist [identifyable information removed]. I think we owe you guys a great deal, and it's a shame that legally we can't come out and formally support what you're doing.
I've gotten enough of a feel for what your group's philosophical approach to the effort is - I have full confidence in what you're doing, so I don't think there's any real danger of crossing lines. Until there's nude models and swastikas and zombie dogz, I don't think we'll have any problem with where you're taking assist...so do what you think is best - you're putting in the work, after all.
I am serious on this.
They are earning money through Vortexservers, this website is registrered to Paulo Sergio who has ties to vortexservers.com
We all have ties to Vortex Servers. We don't earn money though. Nick, one of the owners, bought out our previous hoster, James (low ping servers). Vortex Servers hosts our website, AAO25.com and hosts several game servers with Assist. The only thing we give him in return are banners on our website, out of respect (he didn't even ask for them). He doesn't pay us, we don't pay him. Any money he's making from selling servers is purely to compensate for the bandwidth/disk space/support that they are using up.
And Spanky = Natenkiki2004 (http://natescomp.com/ (http://natescomp.com/) Free advertising for you there:P) also linked to Assist and moderator on this forum.
Oh no, you cracked my identity! :)
In all seriousness, let's discuss this like adults rather than subtly threatening people and scaring others. There's nothing to hide and nothing to broadcast. It's all been outlined in the TOS, nobody should be outraged. Whether the TOS is legal or not, that doesn't matter. The whole point of it is to outline what Assist is and what it does. If you don't agree with it, you can uninstall. It's that simple. If people don't read it, they can't be mad at us, we tried to tell them. It comes up as a big box when you install and every time we update. It's not like we're hiding it. I personally spent a lot of time trimming the TOS down to essentials and to cover everything that happens.
I can't think of a website or other example where real personal information would be exposed. Even e-mails, you just see a list of topics, it's not like it's interactive and you can go digging. Same for financial websites, they don't supply you with information that can be used to compromise your identity. They only give you partial information like the last couple of numbers (if that) and don't give any personal information away. Any critical websites that deal with financial or personal information also don't show you passwords, they come up as little dots. As remote as the possibility is, I don't see anything to be gained. Besides, if our goal was to steal information and identities, we would have already done it.
So, we're not bad guys and maybe you agree. Then let's talk about the data. It is stored on the auth server, somewhere (I don't even know the exact location, IP or whatever). It is not publicly accessible. There's no web interface that can be hacked, nothing vulnerable. The data is only linked to users via BTID. We can only say, this screenshot belongs to this account. As you can imagine this is valuable from the standpoint of anti-cheat. It's very easy to see if there is a hack or exploit program running. We have banned users on this information when no other proof was available.
This feature is a far cry from what happened before. That had to do with being able to pull files off the computer. This is taking a screenshot. Most users will never have this happen to them. It is something that is only done when there is significant suspicion or partial evidence. It's not like a screenshot is being taken every 5 seconds on everybody's computer.
With all that said, if the community feels better with that feature removed and understands that our ability to keep the game clean will likely lessen, we can remove it.
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go to bed ladies, you are not real. do you think .... forget it. I do know a lot about banking and NSA, this for sure.
but I don't really think you to guys do know it, right? so go and sleep and take your dreams. you are not made for the real world, got it?
sleeeep, sleeeep well, mama is taking care of you, sure. daddy too, he is the best. he will cover you through everything.
BUT DO NOT PLAY AMERICA'S ARMY 2 - this is real bad. they do spy about everything, yes!! mama told me that. sure. oh pssssssst.........
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my last question about all that:
why are you still on this forum - you will loose all your data now... so go away and leave us alone.
thank you so much.
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Merlin, I know you're being silly but let's keep the thread clean and not give misinformation, even if it is silly.
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Well i am glad a door has opened and youse might have seen the light that it was not a good idea to add such a feature.
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Well i am glad a door has opened and youse might have seen the light that it was not a good idea to add such a feature.
Nobody said that. In fact, I think it's a great feature and I don't see a problem with it. It's helped us ban many cheating players which contributes to how clean this game is now. My whole point is, we can remove it if people want. We have other ways of detecting cheating players but this is a valued feature.
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Endy, what I can see about you, only as a server admin, is just great. this is today, the internet.
you are from the Netherlands,
Vriezenveen (NL) and your provider is
Ziggo
what else. most of the duchies do have this provider :)
you are using a asustek network card .... should I go further ?
this is the real world, wake up!
so think twice while playing or joining any internet address. hoooah
btw: without any screenshots, or something else. just the internet it is giving me this information. and much more if I would like .. hope you can sleep well :P
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The feature that allows screenshots to be taken has been removed from Assist v8.15. The update is scheduled to happen in the next several hours.
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The feature that allows screenshots to be taken has been removed from Assist v8.15. The update is scheduled to happen in the next several hours.
Eliz, I have to admit I need to change my opinion of you. After all, you still have some brains.
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I would like to point out the following to the community.
(iv) takes "screenshots" of the Licensee's computer screen at any given time while Assist is running
without notice to the Licensee.
TOS: http://aao25.com/forum/assist-support/current-tos/msg79525/ (http://aao25.com/forum/assist-support/current-tos/msg79525/)
This means when you have Assist running, they can take screenshots of what you are doing at any time.
I would like to point this out to the community because most people will not read this.
Remember Johnny that used to control AA Assist? He was doing a similar thing to spy on users.
omfg if you don't like uninstall the dam game, god dam cry babys everywhere, aapg does the same thing so does god dam aa3
GET OVER IT
if u got nothing to fucken hide then u shouldn't give a rats ass about asssit taking screen shots while its open
who in the right mind opens shit up while playing the game, like banking or documents with passwords and ect ect ect ect ect
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Its great that you have TOS. Nice! However you are using an illegal copy of AA to run servers (illegally) and sharing the game online (illegally, and yes it makes no difference if the game is free or not - the copyright is not yours), you are seriously violating users privacy when you are making screenshots of their PCs. Those are serious crimes and those TOS sentences you can shove up your a**. But lets keep it on the low... :D
THEN UNINSTALL THE FUCKEN GAME
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Wicked they don't do that ;p
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Hello,
Time for someone with a little bit of knowledge on this too chime in, and I am only talking about screenshots.
Anybody who has ever played a game that is protected by PunkBuster supplied by EvenBalance should already know that their software can take screen shots of you computers screen.
If the software is capturing something other than the game you are currently playing, do not blame the game provider, blame EvenBalance the provider of PunkBuster.
If you blame the game you are in error, if you blame the game provider you are in error.
Steve
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I know this has pretty much wrapped itself, but I figured I'd post anyway.
[--]
It's not about that, it's about they are breaching the law of distributing a game they are not allowed to do [--]
It seems that you don't want to play AA because it's distributed somebody other than the US army. You've stated this many times over the course of this thread. If that's the case, you're free to stop.
To my knoledge, this ability for Assist to take screenshots had been here ever since Jonny left, all the time the TOS has been the same and everyone has had the chance to read it.
This has nothing to do with whether or not I think it's the 'right' thing to do.
The fact that we no longer take any screenshots, doesn't mean the game we're distrubuted got any more legal than it was before. So if this is still something you're concerned about (even after what Spanky posted), you're free to stop playing.
But all in all, this has been resolved, so I guess it's just my take on the topic.
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The feature that allows screenshots to be taken has been removed from Assist v8.15. The update is scheduled to happen in the next several hours.
Anybody who has ever played a game that is protected by PunkBuster supplied by EvenBalance should already know that their software can take screen shots of you computers screen.
If Assist could figure out how to do this, I suspect no one would have problems with it.
Recently, I play the game on one screen and disable the other two. This way I know the only image it will return is the game. I personally never liked the TOS, but if I want to play the game, I have to learn to live within its boundaries.
Removing the screen grabber from 8.15 is probably a good thing, but alas, I suspect that if (once) script kiddies climb back onboard, the community will once again start to whine to Eliz and Co. to control the situation. It's a clear case of "Damned if you do, damned if you don't" and I suspect that if this happens that Eliz, Spanky and the rest don't get paid enough (i.e. probably nothing) to give a damn anymore...
OIC!
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This thread was ridiculous.
Steve pointed out the real facts. In addition to that, it's fairly obvious to say that even Punkbuster can take a random picture of your desktop, or the apps you're running at any given time (including your browser). Also consider that the punkbuster screenshots can be public.
http://forum.americasarmy.com/viewtopic.php?f=22&t=1164 (http://forum.americasarmy.com/viewtopic.php?f=22&t=1164)
Hello,
Time for someone with a little bit of knowledge on this too chime in, and I am only talking about screenshots.
Anybody who has ever played a game that is protected by PunkBuster supplied by EvenBalance should already know that their software can take screen shots of you computers screen.
If the software is capturing something other than the game you are currently playing, do not blame the game provider, blame EvenBalance the provider of PunkBuster.
If you blame the game you are in error, if you blame the game provider you are in error.
Steve
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Not long ago german sofware companie rocket did go to the stock exchange. they live by copying software make it better and sell it.
The total market value of the company could reach 6.2 billion.
http://www.sprout.nl/artikel/zo-goed-werkt-kopieermachine-rocket-internet (http://www.sprout.nl/artikel/zo-goed-werkt-kopieermachine-rocket-internet)
so were are we talking here about a little game whit some happy players! :style:
I have personally talked with developers and higher up people. They have stated on more than one occasion that yes, we don't have permission but there's nothing damaging being done. There's no negative for them, no reason for them to go after us. We are simply keeping THEIR game alive. Their values, their ideas, their work. We aren't taking credit for the work. Sure, some of it had to be decompiled and we have added our own code but the majority of the game is unchanged and I believe as long as it stays that way, they have no reason to pursue us. However, if tomorrow they do decide to give us a cease and desist, we'll comply. We're not trying to fight the system or go against anyone, we simply wanted to keep this game alive. They benefit, the users benefit and we get something fun to do. Win-win-win.
I'll close this statement with a direct quote from one of the people I've talked to;
We all have ties to Vortex Servers. We don't earn money though. Nick, one of the owners, bought out our previous hoster, James (low ping servers). Vortex Servers hosts our website, AAO25.com and hosts several game servers with Assist. The only thing we give him in return are banners on our website, out of respect (he didn't even ask for them). He doesn't pay us, we don't pay him. Any money he's making from selling servers is purely to compensate for the bandwidth/disk space/support that they are using up.
Oh no, you cracked my identity! :)
In all seriousness, let's discuss this like adults rather than subtly threatening people and scaring others. There's nothing to hide and nothing to broadcast. It's all been outlined in the TOS, nobody should be outraged. Whether the TOS is legal or not, that doesn't matter. The whole point of it is to outline what Assist is and what it does. If you don't agree with it, you can uninstall. It's that simple. If people don't read it, they can't be mad at us, we tried to tell them. It comes up as a big box when you install and every time we update. It's not like we're hiding it. I personally spent a lot of time trimming the TOS down to essentials and to cover everything that happens.
I can't think of a website or other example where real personal information would be exposed. Even e-mails, you just see a list of topics, it's not like it's interactive and you can go digging. Same for financial websites, they don't supply you with information that can be used to compromise your identity. They only give you partial information like the last couple of numbers (if that) and don't give any personal information away. Any critical websites that deal with financial or personal information also don't show you passwords, they come up as little dots. As remote as the possibility is, I don't see anything to be gained. Besides, if our goal was to steal information and identities, we would have already done it.
So, we're not bad guys and maybe you agree. Then let's talk about the data. It is stored on the auth server, somewhere (I don't even know the exact location, IP or whatever). It is not publicly accessible. There's no web interface that can be hacked, nothing vulnerable. The data is only linked to users via BTID. We can only say, this screenshot belongs to this account. As you can imagine this is valuable from the standpoint of anti-cheat. It's very easy to see if there is a hack or exploit program running. We have banned users on this information when no other proof was available.
This feature is a far cry from what happened before. That had to do with being able to pull files off the computer. This is taking a screenshot. Most users will never have this happen to them. It is something that is only done when there is significant suspicion or partial evidence. It's not like a screenshot is being taken every 5 seconds on everybody's computer.
With all that said, if the community feels better with that feature removed and understands that our ability to keep the game clean will likely lessen, we can remove it.
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If Assist could figure out how to do this, I suspect no one would have problems with it.
Recently, I play the game on one screen and disable the other two. This way I know the only image it will return is the game. I personally never liked the TOS, but if I want to play the game, I have to learn to live within its boundaries.
Removing the screen grabber from 8.15 is probably a good thing, but alas, I suspect that if (once) script kiddies climb back onboard, the community will once again start to whine to Eliz and Co. to control the situation. It's a clear case of "Damned if you do, damned if you don't" and I suspect that if this happens that Eliz, Spanky and the rest don't get paid enough (i.e. probably nothing) to give a damn anymore...
OIC!
I was thinking the same thing, just wait until a new hack gets coded which is only seen by punkbuster screenshots.
By the way, to all players here having a problem with this feature:
Open up your task manager, disable pnkbstrA.exe
It might stop you from playing any punkbuster game, but at least it is not spying on you anymore.
http://battletracker.com/forum/america-s-army-2-x-forums/america-s-army-discussions/178431-pb-is-taking-screens-of-your-desktop/ (http://battletracker.com/forum/america-s-army-2-x-forums/america-s-army-discussions/178431-pb-is-taking-screens-of-your-desktop/)
I do think it is good to have the discussion about the screenshot function, so we at least are on one line now.
And, outside of my admin position, I personally want to say this about the argument of the game not officially supported by the makers:
It is very sad that you come with all these arguments just because 203s got removed, you are now having a grudge against us and it seems like you are trying to stop us in any way.
What is your goal, do you really feel concerned that the game is not distributed by the US army anymore, or are you simply mad because of the latest community poll?
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Of course you are 100% right. And then you have issues like:
- "where are SS stored?"
- "for how long?"
- "who can access it?"
- "how it is protected?"
etc.
This topic might have started for the wrong reasons but those are actually pertinent questions.
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http://aao25.com/forum/news-82/25assist-version-8-15-has-been-released/msg79688/#new (http://aao25.com/forum/news-82/25assist-version-8-15-has-been-released/msg79688/#new)
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Allready take care off now.
Now i want to see a new TOS Posted...
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Thread title update & added an update in the first post.
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Like spanky said, you guys have another way of doing to avoid any hacking, removing this feature pleases me and we can frag on.
Just to say, punkbuster takes only game screenshots not a desktop. By reading the latest updates...
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Just to say, punkbuster takes only game screenshots not a desktop. By reading the latest updates...
But AA2 runs a old version of Punkbuster, they haven't updated it in ages.
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Im loling hard here. What a circus.
You guys dissapointed me.
Remove all anti cheat features, give'em what they want. I can use they arguments and reach a level wich leads to the end of this all, or you go full "correct" And "legal" or keep all necessary stuff for a better expirience in-game.
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And if u dont agree dont use assist and gtfo.
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It's a clear case of "Damned if you do, damned if you don't"
There has never been a more appropriate quote about this game and it's community.
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I can't seem to understand where admins get the courage to actually keep the game alive, while people aren't even gratefull and only give a fuck when things get bad.
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I can't seem to understand where admins get the courage to actually keep the game alive, while people aren't even gratefull and only give a fuck when things get bad.
As if they "got" bad. They had been the same for ages now. I'd be willing to bet (even though I wasn't an admin then), that this functionality hasn't been changed at all after Jonny left.
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As if they "got" bad. They had been the same for ages now. I'd be willing to bet (even though I wasn't an admin then), that this functionality hasn't been changed at all after Jonny left.
The screenshot feature was in there for a long time, over a year by looking at the ban list. I see over 75 users banned with additional proof, more than likely the majority of those had screenshots as proof. We could have 2x the amount of players right now, half of which would be hackers.
This is a fair warning to you users, if the hackers decide to come back, we no longer have this tool to help keep the game clean.
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But you said you have another way around spanky, how things change huh?
Can you just not remove pb? it sucks dick much, therefore there are quite a lot of bug kicks...
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As if they "got" bad. They had been the same for ages now. I'd be willing to bet (even though I wasn't an admin then), that this functionality hasn't been changed at all after Jonny left.
They went bad as in "omg they removed the 203's from the only map I liked on AA" and suddenly these same guys start finding reasons to be mad and start accusations, even threats. Or maybe the timing on both of these topics are just horrible
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But you said you have another way around spanky, how things change huh?
Can you just not remove pb? it sucks dick much, therefore there are quite a lot of bug kicks...
Sometimes the only way to catch them is by screenshots, if it wasn't needed, it wouldn't be there in the first place.
It is removed now, but when some hacker comes in, and we can't catch him now, that might be the consequence for this.
But if you think that is worth it, then it is ok for me.
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Just to echo what Bart said, take a look at this:
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/464376/aac_maap/S-779959-J95Q.jpg
(https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/464376/aac_maap/S-779959-J95Q.jpg)
This was back when our ONLY detection for UnrealBot was screenshots. There was no GUI in-game so PB screenshots were useless and at the time, we didn't have any other methods of detection. Without Assist screenshots, there would be many more hackers in Assist and the hack makers would still be making hacks.
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Ofcourse it's way more worth it than being spied on and besides that the servers have admins.
Let this be clear, WE do not like to get spied on.
If youse do then feel free to put up a livestream so we can watch your desktop 24/7.
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Ofcourse it's way more worth it than being spied on and besides that the servers have admins.
Let this be clear, WE do not like to get spied on.
If youse do then feel free to put up a livestream so we can watch your desktop 24/7.
Nobody got spied on. For the few that did get screenshots taken, it was one or two, hardly "spying" and a far cry from a 24/7 live stream.
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Nobody got spied on. For the few that did get screenshots taken, it was one or two, hardly "spying" and a far cry from a 24/7 live stream.
Ok then let me put it this way. If your TV was connected to my computer and everytime you turned on your TV it would give me the possibillity to take a screenshot without you knowing, how would you feel? It would feel like being spied on right? The thought of knowing that someone can see what you are doing, urghhh.
/Edit
Oh wait this already happens with Smart TVs.
Is that where we want to head as a civilization? Always someone looking over your shoulder.
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Dude Ur such a... Its that simple, this info was public, if u didnt read its Ur fault, no one can blame us for its own lazyness. Dont want to Run the risk? Simple dont use the software.
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Dude Ur such a...
Genious?
Then why did it get removed, must have been a point otherwise you wouldn't nearly lose your tempahhhh ;)
Nice nickname there bud, keep up the posting like you do to show the community how an administrator reacts :up:
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Genious?
Then why did it get removed, must have been a point otherwise you wouldn't nearly lose your tempahhhh ;)
Nice nickname there bud, keep up the posting like you do to show the community how an administrator reacts :up:
Keep up the posting like you do to show admins how little shit players like you give about the game as a whole as long as they can play their game. What you don't seem to understand is that the guys working for this project have GOOD intentions. They want the game to be more alive, not for them cauz not even half of them still play the game anymore on a daily/weekly basis, but so people like you could play on it.
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Endy, you should calm down.
you can get hot when I do publish your private address, right :)
btw: only with normal internet search functions. I bet I would get it, should I?
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Keep up the posting like you do to show admins how little shit players like you give about the game as a whole as long as they can play their game. What you don't seem to understand is that the guys working for this project have GOOD intentions. They want the game to be more alive, not for them cauz not even half of them still play the game anymore on a daily/weekly basis, but so people like you could play on it.
The funny thing is, he doesn't even seem to like the fact that we're letting him play this game.
He's one of the guys here who accuses us of 'distributing a game illegally'. And the only reason one would do that is if they don't really wish to play.
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Nobody got spied on. For the few that did get screenshots taken, it was one or two, hardly "spying" and a far cry from a 24/7 live stream.
Only screenshots got taken from people who were very suspicious, with the only intention to find out if he is using any program to gain an advantage. So no, never was there a screenshot of you in it.
The reason it got removed now, is because apparently you guys do not want it. That is ok for me, but when you come across some cheater multiple times, you know what caused it.
All of this is made with good intentions, to make YOU play this game cheatfree, and to give you an enjoyable experience. The fact that you are attacking us for just trying to make the gameplay as pleasant as possible is what surprises me, especially when the suggestion started that we illegally distribute a game.
So tell me, what motivates you to start this full discussion, is it because you have been mad before because of something, or do you really worry that someone might see something which is private?
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Endy, you should calm down.
you can get hot when I do publish your private address, right :)
btw: only with normal internet search functions. I bet I would get it, should I?
Is that a threat?
You really think i'm that dumb and think you have have my address? Dude i lol at you big time.
You're not the only one with programming skills, don't forget ;)
You come up with Vriezenveen dude, come onnnn, shows how shit your skills are.
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@Ganja
Read my posts again before throwing such useless words into this topic.
I said i appreciate it that they do this work to keep AA alive.
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Only screenshots got taken from people who were very suspicious, with the only intention to find out if he is using any program to gain an advantage. So no, never was there a screenshot of you in it.
The reason it got removed now, is because apparently you guys do not want it. That is ok for me, but when you come across some cheater multiple times, you know what caused it.
All of this is made with good intentions, to make YOU play this game cheatfree, and to give you an enjoyable experience. The fact that you are attacking us for just trying to make the gameplay as pleasant as possible is what surprises me, especially when the suggestion started that we illegally distribute a game.
So tell me, what motivates you to start this full discussion, is it because you have been mad before because of something, or do you really worry that someone might see something which is private?
Then put a livestream up of your desktop if you give fuck about privacy.
Because that's the reason why this topic has started, PRIVACY.
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- Point has been made clear about Assist invading the privacy of users.
- The feature got removed and i am happy i could contribute to make this happen.
/Closed
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- Point has been made clear about Assist invading the privacy of users.
- The feature got removed and i am happy i could contribute to make this happen.
/Closed
Then put a livestream up of your desktop if you give fuck about privacy.
Because that's the reason why this topic has started, PRIVACY.
Why the hell did you bring in the 'illegally distributed game' argument then? It's just because you wanted to bitch and moan.