DarkStar Communications

Rick Rolled.

In gaming related news, WOW gold farmers got Rick Rolled legally.

While I’m not going to directly link to the Youtube videos (a link from a page with as popular as this one only helps their search rank), rest assured a simple Google search for Ventrilo harassment will return a whole slew of links to people connecting to random Vent Servers and annoying the users on the server. Honestly, after three videos I stopped watching; I didn’t laugh at these and all three times I stopped after the first 30 seconds. If you’ve heard one you’ve heard them all.

Thanks to proxies and dynamic DNS from their ISPs, they often keep coming back, even if muted, kicked, or banned. They’re as resilient pests as cockroaches. (These Ventrilo cockroaches quickly ruin a raid, whilst Raid can quickly ruin cockroaches. Ironic!)

Ventrilo Harassment isn’t just a fad, it’s here to stay. It happens regardless of who your Ventrilo provider is, and there is nothing practical we can do as a Vent and Teamspeak server company to prevent these. If you are frequented by people dropping in to play obnoxious or offensive sound files, there are a few things you can do to stop or limit their harassment.

1) The most secure thing you can do is to lock down your server with a password. The password doesn’t even need to be complicated, most harassers just move on to another server. Something as simple as your guild name can help prevent 99% of all harassing users.

2) Ventrilo 3.0 allows for more elaborate permission in Ventrilo. Silencing all unregistered users is a good way to make sure they can’t harass you with sound. Don’t forget to make sure they can’t use keyboard TTS and wave macros and make sure they can’t play music. While slightly less powerful than suggestion #1, this allows people to connect to your server where they can then communicate with you via text chat or editing their comment.

3) Request an IP or port change. DarkStar is always happy to move client servers to a different IP or port - just submit a support ticket letting us know you’d like your server moved.

4) Do what your mother told you; ignore them. If all of your guild members ignore them 100%, they might leave. Hah. Sure. Well, if you’ve explored all other options, this one might work.

I know comedy, and Ventrilo harassment is definitely not comedy. Good luck out there, the internet is a wild place.

To end on a better note, this looks like a lot of fun.

Mac users cannot, without an elaborate workaround, connect to a voice server unless it uses the Speex codec. Fortunately, both Ventrilo and Teamspeak allow Speex to be set up as the server codec, allowing more universal connectivity. To set your server to use the Speex codec, just log on to http://my.darkstarllc.com/ and navigate to the control panel using the lefthand menu. Select your server, and pick one of the Speex codecs provided. We allow you to use all codecs, including the highest quality premium codecs, so I encourage you to use the highest quality that you can squeeze through your home connection.

On a side note, GSM codec is widely used in other VOIP (voice over IP) communications, including cell phones and most office VOIP phones. I personally prefer the GSM codec when there are no Mac users.

To connect to two servers at the same time, just type -m at the end of the Ventrilo shortcut. To do this, right click on the Ventrilo shortcut, select properties, and at the end of the ‘Target’ box, add -m.

The text should look something like this:

"C:Program FilesVentriloVentrilo.exe" -m

This will let you open up more than one copy of the program. You’ll probably want to set up two Ventrilo profiles so you can use different Push-To-Talk hotkeys.

I see a lot of tickets and emails come through asking for a sponsorship from DarkStar. I want as many of you as possible to get sponsorships, so I just thought I’d write up a few tips. These tips don’t guarantee sponsorships, but it might help you get a better idea of the middle ground sponsorships seek to reach.

1. Be honest in your application. I cannot stress this enough; lying on the application always means no sponsorship. If you claim you won CAL-I, we’ll be very impressed and go look to see your name at the top of the list. If it’s not there, “Lucy’s god some splainin’ to do.”
2. Having a website is worth tons of points. You need to show that you’re organized. Guilds come and go, and we want to know you’re not fly-by-night.
3. Win some tournaments first. Remember, if we want our ad shown at the World series, we’re going to sponsor the Yankees before we sponsor the Cubs. I love the Cubbies, but let’s face it, winning speaks louder than losing. A couple wins really bolsters the application.

We’re looking for people who will get our name out there. Be prepared to tell us what sets your guild apart from every other guild out there. Odds are, if you’re getting a sponsorship, you are also an ideal customer. We need a reason why both parties are better off sponsored than as a customer/provider relationship.

Mailing a case of imported beer is a great way to put us in a mood to accept your sponsorship. Inquiring for the sponsorship, and then including at the bottom, “Oh by the way, I was hoping I could send you a case of imported beer, what’s your address?” will win points, assuming you follow through.

Of course I need to note that following these tips doesn’t guarantee you a sponsorship, but should put you a step ahead of whoever didn’t read this.