You may have noticed that the GameTracker widgets on http://jdrgaming.com stopped working recently. The GameTracker web site currently shows this message: "GameTracker is currently undergoing database maintenance over the next 24-48 hours which may affect server ranks for a portion of servers." Unfortunately, they don't specify when the maintenance started, so I can't be sure when it will end.

I will continue to monitor the situation and report any additional information here. Hopefully this issue will resolve itself in the next day or so.

In the meantime, TPU is also tracked on Game-Monitor (http://www.game-monitor.com/bf1942_Ga...CO-OP.html). I've been trying to add TPU to TheCLQ since the IP change, but so far with no luck.

If anyone knows of any other useful server monitoring sites, please let me know.

Update 2012Oct27: Today the GameTracker web site shows this message: "GameTracker has experienced a database failure and has restored the majority of our tracked servers from backup. Please note: If your server was not restored, please re-add it using the add server form. For more information, visit the GameTracker Bug Reports Forum." Since the TPU servers are not showing, I will add them again and hopefully that will resolve the problem.

The IP address for TPU's WAN connection changed some time in the last few hours. Automated systems updated DNS records automatically, but issues remain.

Anyone joining TPU game servers by their IP address will need to switch to the new address:

• New: 24.86.121.160
• Old: 174.6.225.213

The Gamespy servers should update gradually over the next few hours, so anyone looking for TPU on the Gamespy server lists might not see it there for a while.

Other methods for joining TPU that depend on its IP being fixed (e.g. XFire) will also need to change the IP.

This web site, jdrgaming.com, is not affected by the IP change since it is hosted elsewhere. However, the GameTracker widgets used on the site will not work until I'm able to update the TPU server data on the Gametracker site. This may take a few days. Meanwhile, the TPU status widget at the top right of this site is still working fine. You can access that status display directly: tpustatus.jrc-core.com.

UPDATE: IP updates completed. Let me know if you have any problems connecting.

This morning there was an extended power outage that brought TPU down between about 6am and 7:30am PST. Time to start looking into a UPS, I guess!

As of 2012Oct09, the TPU stats are no longer being updated. I am looking into the problem.

Update: the company that hosts this site made some security changes, which stopped the stats database from updating. An exception was made for the TPU stats system and it's not working again.

I noticed a couple of maps in BG42 where the bots don't move, so I removed them from the map list: 4410-debrecen and 4406-pegasus_bridge. If anyone has the urge to try debugging the AI in those maps, by all means have a run at them.

After careful consideration, I have decided to bring TPU back online, with some changes. No punitive actions will be taken at this time, although that is still a possibility if things don't calm down.

The team ratio on all TPU maps is now 3:1 instead of 2:1. Since I cannot force players to play co-operatively or to avoid disrupting each other, I have decided to adjust the server parameters, with the hope that this will make co-operative play necessary in order to win. At the very least, I hope that this change will force players to break out of their habits and find new ways to play, win, and have fun on TPU.

I will continue to monitor the situation on TPU and will make additional changes if necessary.

Meanwhile, I'd like to encourage all players, especially the admins, to be more respectful of each other. Don't assume another player is trying to disrupt your gameplay. Instead, try asking them politely to play in a way that allows everyone to enjoy themselves. They may not even realize what they are doing is disruptive. If another player asks you to adjust your gameplay, respect their wishes, get creative, and find a way to win the battle while allowing everyone to have fun.

Finally, take a moment to think about the soldiers in WWII who never saw combat. Some soldiers in the 101st airborne in Europe never saw any action, despite being dropped into Normandy and Holland, and being in Bastogne. I'm sure some of these guys felt cheated. I'm sure some of them wanted desperately to see action, and I'm sure they talked about it. But did they accuse the guys who saw action of stealing their fun? I doubt it. Some jobs in war are less heroic than others. Someone has to man the artillery. Someone has to transport vehicles. Someone has to guard lonely outposts. If your team wins, you win, regardless of the way it happened and how many kills you got.

Here's Techdirt's take on a recent post at MediumDifficulty that describes one family's efforts to get past useless DRM just to play a game. Fun stuff.

TPU is down while I investigate a series of disruptions and possible admin abuse. If these issues can be resolved, TPU will be back up in a few days. Otherwise, it's down for good. Sorry about this.

The developers of Forgotten Hope 2 recently released a new set of server files (version 2.5.776a). There are a few bug fixes and a few changes that should make crashing less frequent. I've installed the new version on the TPU BF2 server. Let me know if you notice any problems.

By popular demand, TPU is switching from DCX back to DCFinal on Tuesdays, until further notice.