TM-FORUM

hi all!

Here's a new release to fix once for good (hopefully) the player's authentication.
Summary of the previous episodes: a few additional checks were added to the server to detected players that were changing login or using other people logins or fake logins. But they were only fixing the issue on the surface, and were easily circumvented.
So in this new version, we've introduce the correct fix (tm) for the issue, using rsa signature and the like, to make sure that people trying to connect with some login were actually validated and trusted by the master server.


Dedicated server for TMF, version 2009-10-09
You can download it from
http://files2.trackmaniaforever.com/Tra ... -10-09.zip
or
http://files2.trackmaniaforever.com/Tra ... -10-09.tgz

Changes:

• don't ban players when using a mix-mapped challenge with two checkpoints on the same spot. (not that this means it's supported, but at least it will hopefully not ban for no apparent reason people in good faith)
  
• ChatEnableManualRouting() can now take a additional boolean to enable a mode where only the player's message go through the routing callback but not the server ones. (This is to both avoid useless work, and to work around the issue that it is anyway impossible to make the server messages work correctly given that the callback doesn't give the recipient of the message)
  
• when the config was <p2p_cache_size>0</p2p_cache_size> (or in some other cases where the cache was too small), the server crashed at start time.
  
• ChooseNextChallengeList() and ChooseNextChallenge() now set IsListModified == true in the ChallengeListModified() callback
  
• Added more checks on invalid packets or invalid challenges to avoid crashes.
  
• New connection protocol with a signature check on the player login before allowing the connection, (if the client supports it.)
  
• New configuration to only allow recent client to connect:
  add <minimum_client_build>2009-10-08</minimum_client_build> to the <system_config> section to only allow client supporting the new connection protocol.

And so, there's also a new fix for the game available if you want to test a bit:
nations: http://files2.trackmaniaforever.com/TmN ... _Setup.exe
united: http://files2.trackmaniaforever.com/TmU ... _Setup.exe

It's mostly useful for the new login validation, but it includes some fixes too:

• fix for the crash when in multiplayer mode, the mouse is over a image in a server manialink page and the map changes.
  
• fixed the rumble on speedlink joypads
  
• issue with degraded texture quality for graphic cards with lots of RAM.
  
• issue with too restrictive access rights on the shared data folder, under vista.
  
• support for the new connection protocol with login signature checks
  
• clipping issues with the launcher and Japanese characters
  
• some little optimisations with load times
  
• add a few more fixes carried over from the dedicated server (crashes on invalid data or packets,..)

(and of course all the changes from previous fixes are also included)

The new protocol is supposed to allow a smooth transition (new clients can still connect to old servers, old clients can still connect to the new servers (if not forbidden via the config option).

The plan is to give those some testing, and if all goes fine (no regressions...), make it a more official patch.

(edit: As no problems are being reported, I remove the "beta" tag, and upload setups for the fix, with no changes to the actual files)

good i try the dedicated server on Nations Speed Addition Server

+1 on the fix for Speedlink rumble.

I think if you made it for all rumble gamepads then alot of people would be statisfied.

The rumble reacts on crashes and jumps as also crash finishes.

+1 on that Nadeo.

Would this setting allow checking for any older build date, or does it work purely with the new (and future) clients because of the changed protocol?

There's a bug in the beta client when it connects to a server with a build before 2009-10-08: the ClientVersion string in the player's GetDetailedPlayerInfo data is empty. This affects my client checks in XAseco.

Meanwhile, I've updated my version table and the Methods site with the new build(s).

In united the launcher tells me:



and not noted elsewhere 2.11.21

I can't confirm that, for both TMNF and TMUF the beta launcher shows me 2.11.21 like it should.

ok i will recheck it later. But isnt that data saved in nadeo.ini?! and in the .exe??

I presume the version is defined in one place in the .exe, and used everywhere else. It seems a little far-fetched to scan the .exe for that, but when the launcher and the ClientVersion upon a connect to the beta server show the same version, as they do for me, it's alright. And my TMNF nadeo.ini file also shows 2.11.21 (I reverted my TMUF client because of the aforementioned bug).

Thanks xbx, i'm going to test this asap.


Is that relevant to my 90% framerate drop when driving on grass when i have AA enabled?

I don't think so, I'm afraid.
I think (the graphics guy isn't here today to confirm), the bug was that when people had a big AGP aperture and big video RAM, the sum was overflowing 2GB (or 4GB?), and the game was thinking that they had very little memory and used very low resolution textures...

Unfortunately, I'm affraid "it work purely with the new (and future) clients" is the correct one.
The client build is sent much earlier in the new protocol, and tested much earlier.
the olders client client version isn't known until sometime *after* the connection -> so I can't prevent their connecting...


oups.. broken descending compatibility. I'll fix it.

Ok, thanks for the fast answer xbx.
Maybe it's something ATI driver or crossfire related but since an earlier clientupdate solved a lot of graphics problems on ATI cards i was hoping

ps, i understood Go, they all talk that way over here

Updated the first post with an updated version 2009-10-09 which fixes this backwards compatibility issue.
And add an extra fix in the dedicated server:

• ChooseNextChallengeList() and ChooseNextChallenge() now set IsListModified == true in the ChallengeListModified() callback

Well, tried the update (client version), but it also shows for me version 2.11.19 in the launcher. Running Windows Vista Ultimate x64, Dutch.

I noticed that when you redownload the whole client now its a different (updated) package. Without updates the download version is now 2.11.21.