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Last Updated: 07-18-2020

This banning policy ("Policy") applies to your access and use of BF4DB (hereinafter referred to as the "Service"). Please read the Policy carefully.

THE SERVICE

The Service includes, but is not limited to, BF4DB.com, the official BF4DB Discord server, any social media account run by BF4DB, third-party game servers running our Procon plugin, the plugin itself, and/or any other tools/software developed and released by BF4DB.

ACCEPTING THESE TERMS

By accessing any part of the Service, you are agreeing to be bound by the terms of this Policy. If you disagree with any part of this Policy, please do not use the Service. Clarifications of this Policy will be made available upon written request to [email protected].

PLAYER GAMEPLAY RESTRICTIONS

Players who are banned by BF4DB will be subject to removal from servers running in the Ranked game mode that is also running the BF4DB Procon plugin at the discretion of the owner of the server. Players who are banned by BF4DB will be subject to having their information streamed to BF4DB on servers running in the Official game mode that is also running the BF4DB Procon plugin but will not be removed. Player information (including PBGUID, EAGUID, IPv4 Address, and Username) is streamed to the Service regardless of game mode, as long as the server is running the BF4DB Procon plugin. Any new account created by a player that is banned will also be banned if it determined to be the same individual.

IN-GAME BANNING POLICY

In order for a player ban to be made by BF4DB, the following conditions must be met:

Linked Accounts:

  • Accounts having overlapping IP and timestamp information will be considered a linked account. Player information streamed to the Service can be used for this purpose.

  • If an account is currently banned by BF4DB, all other accounts that are positively identified as a linked account will receive a ban for “Linked Account” as well. Similarly, if the main ban successfully appeals, all other alt bans will be lifted.

  • Accounts having the same Gravatar will be considered linked, and treated appropriately.

  • Accounts will not be linked if an account is marked as being stolen after an appeal UNLESS cheating is detected after the recovery date as set forth in the appeal.

Stat Evidence:

  • Stat-based bans will be considered on a case by case basis - any bans based specifically on stats must be detailed by the admin;

    • Abnormal ACC (accuracy);

    • Abnormal HSKR (headshot kill ratio);

    • Abnormal DMG (damage per hit);

    • Round Evidence:

    • Abnormal stats for that round;

    • Abnormal spotting ribbons per round;

    • No weapon-based kills, magic bullet;

    • Indication of pick-ups used in a round unavailable to that specific map;

Video Evidence:

  • All video evidence should be a minimum of one minute in length, although two minutes is preferred to provide context.

  • Video clips shorter than 1-2 minutes may be accepted if evidence of cheating is blatant and does not require a longer video for context (e.g. teleporting, health hack, loadout hack, etc.). However, we may ask for additional footage.

  • All videos must have a resolution of at least 720p at 30fps, with a resolution of 1080p at 60fps preferred.

  • Videos that are incomplete, muted, edited, modified or not the original upload may not be used. If possible, we ask that you have a longer recording available in case it's needed.

  • For copyright reasons, videos  submitted as evidence should not have any music in the background of the video (in a montage, for example) unless the audio is not required for context. In that case, the audio will be stripped from the video when being backed up by our staff.

Punkbuster Evidence:

  • Punkbuster Violations may ONLY be used as supporting evidence in a case against a player, per our policy change (read more here).

  • Punkbuster Global bans may ONLY be used as supporting evidence in a case against a player.

  • Punkbuster Screenshots submitted must be unaltered and unedited.

  • Third-Party software that has the capability of overlaying any kind of crosshair is not permitted by EA TOS and will result in a BF4DB ban for “Dirty PBSS”.

Third-Party Evidence:

  • Accounts on known cheat or script sites with matching usernames are circumstantial and cannot be the basis of a ban, but may be used as supporting evidence.

  • Bans issued by other Anti-Cheat services for any Punkbuster-related issue will NOT be enforced on BF4DB, per our policy change (read more here).

  • Resources from ACI (History Tool screenshots, etc) are not to be posted publicly and must be submitted privately to any Moderator, Administrator, or Director. Other third-party service policies on data sharing must be respected, and any violating information will be removed.

  • Bans that are issued by clans, communities, or individual server administrators will not be accepted without evidence to support the hacking/cheating claim.

Fair Fight Resets / Bans:

  • Any evidence of a Fair Fight reset and/or ban will result in a BF4DB ban being issued.

Terms of Service Violations:

  • Those players who are found to be violating EA's Terms of Service will be flagged for TOS Violations. This flag will only be added to the offending account, and will not transfer to other accounts owned by the same person. 

Glitching:

  • Glitches considered to be "game-breaking" will result in a ban if proven to be used maliciously. This includes, but is not limited to, invisibility. These will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis.

Hacked/Stolen Accounts:

  • Accounts that have been compromised and used for cheating will banned accordingly. However, players who realize that their account has been stolen can appeal the ban provided that they submit proof that their account was compromised, and that it has been successfully recovered and secured. While the ban will not be lifted as the account was used to cheat with, it will be notated that it was stolen. If the player wishes to purchase a new account, they will not be banned for a linked account. **NOTE** BF4DB highly recommends purchasing a new copy of the game from a reputable source such as EA. Buying a second-hand account is at your own risk and is NOT recommended.

Illegal Weapons/Kits:

  • Players deemed to have used an illegal weapon (such as a DLC pick-up on a vanilla map, etc), or using a hacked kit (picking it up from a hacker) will be issued a ban for "Multihack". This can be appealed ONE time. If the player is determined to have used illegal weapons or kits again, a permanent ban will be issued.

Software Enhancers:

  • Software designed to give the player an unfair advantage (e.g. ASUS' Sonic Radar, mouse macros, etc.) are violations of EA's Terms of Service and will result in a permanent ban.

Server Crashing:

  • Individuals being positively identified as being responsible for (or assisting another individual in) intentionally crashing or otherwise disrupting server operations through the use of "crash tools", exploits, or any other means, will be issued a permanent system-wide BF4DB ban.

  • The Directors reserve the right to determine what constitutes sufficient evidence on a case-by-case basis, and all evidence used in a decision will be made available in the individual ban thread.

  • Crashing any official BF4DB server will be considered a cyberattack, and will be fully investigated. All information found during the course of the investigation including, but not limited to, IP addresses, GUIDs, EAGUIDs, or other account information will be made available to any law enforcement agency, server hosting provider or EA/DICE upon request. By joining our servers, you are agreeing to these conditions.

  • Those banned for server crashing will also be banned across all media platforms controlled by BF4DB including our website and Discord server.

  • Bans for server crashing are a lifetime, permanent bans, and will NOT be able to be appealed.

Appeal Escalation:

  • Individuals who have posted a ban appeal may escalate their case upon request, provided their ban has not been issued as a result of a Punkbuster Violation. Appeals made for Punkbuster Violations cannot be escalated, as in order for the ban to be lifted, Evenbalance must admit an error was made when the violation was registered.

WEBSITE BANNING POLICY

A user profile on BF4DB.com may be banned for one of the following reasons:

  • A user creates more than one ban appeal.
  • A user violates BF4DB policies.
  • A user fraudulently poses as a member of staff.
  • A user registers multiple accounts for the purpose of defrauding the report/appeal process.
  • A user acts in a toxic way towards another user or member of the staff, as determined by Administrators or Directors.
  • A known repeat offender registers a new account.
  • A user threatens the security of the Service, it's assets, staff, or users.

Policy Violations:

  • In the event that a user violated any BF4DB policies, that user will be issued a warning. BF4DB employs a "three-strike" method of moderation. On the third occasion, a permanent ban will be issued. At the Administrators' or Directors' discretion, depending on the violation and its severity, a ban may be handed down immediately. Examples of policy violations include, but may not be limited to:
    • Posting in other players' appeals.
    • Repeatedly submitting false player reports.
    • Repeatedly submitting incomplete player reports.
    • Posting more than one ban appeal.
    • Posting or releasing personal information of another player or user, including IP addresses.

DISCORD BANNING POLICY

  • Bans on Discord are issued at the discretion of the Administrators or Directors.
  • Bans may be issued based on real or perceived threats to the security of the Service or its members.
  • Known serial offenders may be banned without notice.
  • Bans may be issued for those to be confirmed hackers.
  • Inciting arguments, fights, or other toxic behavior will result in a ban.

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