Why a server is flagged

A flag is not a ban and not a removal. It means one thing: we do not confirm what the server reports about itself, and therefore we do not show it in the lists. Below is what exactly we notice, how the flag is removed by itself and what to do if it was set by mistake.

what a flagged server loses

A place in the listsIt is neither in the game list, nor in search, nor in the “Honest top”.

Participation in countersIts players do not count toward the game's overall online or the numbers on the home page.

What remainsThe server page by direct link — with the flag, the reason and the date. The server keeps working and letting players in: we have nothing to do with the game itself.

three kinds of flags

292,208copiesThe same server at several addresses. We show the original.

729,089rows in networksDozens of identical entries from one owner.

173,728with fake onlineThe numbers do not behave the way real players do.

Hidden in total 1,195,025 rows; today another 24,114were added. The numbers are live — we recalculate every 10 minutes, and they come here straight from the catalog.

what we notice

A copy of another serverThe same server is already in the catalog under a different address. The original stays, the copy goes — otherwise one box would take up the results twice.

The same server at different addressesSeveral addresses present the same Steam identifier.

Identical player lineupThe same nicknames sit on several addresses in the same minute, and they join at the same time.

One server page on several addressesThe name, map and slot count repeat, and the copies' online matches.

One name on dozens of portsDozens of rows with the same name are registered on one address.

A network of identical rowsDozens of entries from one owner, created for places in the list rather than for players.

The same players on different portsA noticeable share of nicknames are listed on several ports of the address at once.

Many identical sessionsPlayers have almost the same time in game, and it lasts for hours.

The player list does not respondThe counter shows people, but the server stays silent when asked for the list.

A version the game does not haveThe server presents itself with a version the game never released.

The address stopped respondingNot a single port of the network responds to polls, yet the rows keep occupying the catalog.

Online does not behave like peopleThe numbers are there, but there is no real players' behavior behind them.

Online does not change at nightLive servers dip at 3–6 a.m. Yours is a flat line.

The counter is stuck at the maximumThe server shows full capacity for days. A live server never does that.

Online jumps like a sawBetween neighboring measurements the player count jumps in a way people do not come and go.

Bots where there are no botsThe game does not support bots, but the server reports them alongside people.

The counter exceeds the listThe claimed online does not match the length of the player list the server itself returns.

We show the signals but not the thresholds — otherwise people would start working around them. No single signal sets a flag on its own: the decision is assembled from several, and the server page says which ones fired for it.

how to remove a flag

Remove bots and fake-online pluginsThe flag is based on how the numbers behave. As long as the source of fake online keeps running, the signal is confirmed again at every check.
Wait a day — the check will repeat by itselfSignals are recalculated every 10 minutes. If none is confirmed for a full day, the flag is removed without a single email from you.
If it is a mistake — file an appealThe rule could also fire on an honest server: a night event, players from one country, several of your servers on one machine.

appeal

If it is a mistake — we will review it by hand

Write via contacts and attach three things: a link to the server page, the address with port and how you explain the discrepancy — a screenshot of the panel, online plugin settings, a list of your servers if there are several on one machine.

Then we recheck the server using the same signals and measurements (contested cases are reviewed by a person) and reply within 48 hours. If the flag was a mistake, it is removed together with its consequences. If not, we explain what exactly we see in the measurements. A review removed by the check is disputed with the same message: a human decision outranks the machine's.

The appeal form is in the owner dashboard: verify your rights to the server (a code in the name takes a couple of minutes), and “File an appeal” will appear in the server overview. Without the dashboard you can also write to us — in the same order and within the same time.

How we count →Questions and answers →Write to us →