Mark's guide to x-ray and dealing with appeals/bans
Aug 7, 2017 23:22:11 GMT
Kitty, X47man, and 12 more like this
Post by MarkE13 on Aug 7, 2017 23:22:11 GMT
I figured I’d write this to help some legit players try and avoid x-ray bans as I see the same excuses repeated over and over in the ban appeals.
Understanding X-ray and the Tools Used to Catch It
X-ray is tool used by cheaters to easily find resources such as valuable ores and mob spawners. Players do this by highlighting and ignoring any blocks of their choosing. By highlighting diamond ore and ignoring stone, for example, it makes finding diamonds super easy. It is usually paired with another tool called Fullbright which increases the game’s brightness and eliminates the need for torches or any other light source. x-ray can be either be found as a downloadable mod or texture pack. x-ray is not allowed on Simplex and most other servers and if you are suspected of using it, you will be banned.
Anti-X-Ray is a plug-in the staff members use to investigate players who are suspected of cheating. Anti-X-Ray sets a limit on the number of diamond ore a player can mine. This limit fluctuates. It decreases when you mine the diamond ore and increases as you play. When you mine a large amount of diamonds in a short amount of time, as x-rayers do, you will reach the limit and it will notify the staff members. When they have time, the staff members will then investigate your mine.
Logblock is an anti-griefing tool which keeps a record of any block changes. Staff members use Logblock to investigate suspected x-ray mines as it shows who hit what and when and allows things to be undone or rolled back.
If your mine appears normal your limit can be reset by a staff member and you will be able to continue mining. If your mine looks suspicious you may be banned.
Avoiding the Ban
You can easily avoid being banned for x-ray if you follow some type of discernible pattern when mining. The most common pattern I see is a long tunnel with branches every three blocks which is called strip or branch mining. Other methods I’ve seen include cave mining which is self-explanatory or quarry mining where you mine every possible block in some area.
Random mining is not a reliable method for finding diamonds. Many people mine randomly due to boredom but it can also be an indication of x-ray. No amount of skill, experience, or luck can explain or defend a random mine if you find yourself banned. Random mines and x-ray mines look identical. If you wish to avoid that suspicion and possibly being banned, avoid mining randomly.
You can also be banned for x-ray if you mine diamonds for or with someone else who is suspected of x-raying. If you are mining with someone and they seem unusually lucky or if a new player claims to have hit the limit in chat and asks you to mine diamonds for them, be cautious.
Appealing a Ban
There is no 100% foolproof way for staff to tell if a player is x-raying. All bans are technically for players "suspected" of x-raying but some players do make it much easier to tell than others. Making an appeal is your opportunity as a player to find out why staff members have found your mines suspicious. Mining randomly and being lucky are some of the most common defenses people claim in appeals and they literally prove nothing. Screenshots of your launcher and files also prove nothing as these files can be easily removed after the fact. However, a mine following some method or pattern can easily be defended. First time bans for x-ray are 7 days. We do not immediately perm ban, not because we are unsure of our findings, but because we like to give our players another chance. Use this time to remove any x-ray mods or x-ray texture packs and can come back clean to the server. If the staff made a mistake and you have not x-rayed, don't complain and throw a tantrum in your appeal, it accomplishes nothing. Instead maybe look back at your mine and try to determine what could have led us to that conclusion. Maybe try changing your method of mining. Keep in mind, people found suspected of x-raying twice are banned permanently.
Understanding X-ray and the Tools Used to Catch It
X-ray is tool used by cheaters to easily find resources such as valuable ores and mob spawners. Players do this by highlighting and ignoring any blocks of their choosing. By highlighting diamond ore and ignoring stone, for example, it makes finding diamonds super easy. It is usually paired with another tool called Fullbright which increases the game’s brightness and eliminates the need for torches or any other light source. x-ray can be either be found as a downloadable mod or texture pack. x-ray is not allowed on Simplex and most other servers and if you are suspected of using it, you will be banned.
Anti-X-Ray is a plug-in the staff members use to investigate players who are suspected of cheating. Anti-X-Ray sets a limit on the number of diamond ore a player can mine. This limit fluctuates. It decreases when you mine the diamond ore and increases as you play. When you mine a large amount of diamonds in a short amount of time, as x-rayers do, you will reach the limit and it will notify the staff members. When they have time, the staff members will then investigate your mine.
Logblock is an anti-griefing tool which keeps a record of any block changes. Staff members use Logblock to investigate suspected x-ray mines as it shows who hit what and when and allows things to be undone or rolled back.
If your mine appears normal your limit can be reset by a staff member and you will be able to continue mining. If your mine looks suspicious you may be banned.
Avoiding the Ban
You can easily avoid being banned for x-ray if you follow some type of discernible pattern when mining. The most common pattern I see is a long tunnel with branches every three blocks which is called strip or branch mining. Other methods I’ve seen include cave mining which is self-explanatory or quarry mining where you mine every possible block in some area.
Random mining is not a reliable method for finding diamonds. Many people mine randomly due to boredom but it can also be an indication of x-ray. No amount of skill, experience, or luck can explain or defend a random mine if you find yourself banned. Random mines and x-ray mines look identical. If you wish to avoid that suspicion and possibly being banned, avoid mining randomly.
You can also be banned for x-ray if you mine diamonds for or with someone else who is suspected of x-raying. If you are mining with someone and they seem unusually lucky or if a new player claims to have hit the limit in chat and asks you to mine diamonds for them, be cautious.
Appealing a Ban
There is no 100% foolproof way for staff to tell if a player is x-raying. All bans are technically for players "suspected" of x-raying but some players do make it much easier to tell than others. Making an appeal is your opportunity as a player to find out why staff members have found your mines suspicious. Mining randomly and being lucky are some of the most common defenses people claim in appeals and they literally prove nothing. Screenshots of your launcher and files also prove nothing as these files can be easily removed after the fact. However, a mine following some method or pattern can easily be defended. First time bans for x-ray are 7 days. We do not immediately perm ban, not because we are unsure of our findings, but because we like to give our players another chance. Use this time to remove any x-ray mods or x-ray texture packs and can come back clean to the server. If the staff made a mistake and you have not x-rayed, don't complain and throw a tantrum in your appeal, it accomplishes nothing. Instead maybe look back at your mine and try to determine what could have led us to that conclusion. Maybe try changing your method of mining. Keep in mind, people found suspected of x-raying twice are banned permanently.
