Problems playing online.

Post by **Mondoman9630** » Mon Aug 28, 2006 10:59 pm

I am getting an "Invalid CD Key" when I join games online. It does not happen all the time only once in a while. I am using a Legal Version and It's the CD key the Disk came with. When I enter the CD key it says "Valid Key". Whats the problem?

Post by **Captain** » Mon Aug 28, 2006 11:13 pm

Check to see if you can join pure/unpure and PB/no PB servers. Then we can dissect the problem. Also, refer to the FAQ

Post by **Mondoman9630** » Mon Aug 28, 2006 11:17 pm

How would I know if the server is pure/unpure and PB/no PB servers? I am guessing PB is Punkbuster?

Post by **Captain** » Tue Aug 29, 2006 12:17 am

You can always check for PB in the server list and when joining a server you'll usually see "Pure server" on the screen.

Post by **Mondoman9630** » Tue Aug 29, 2006 2:09 am

Some games I can join and they say, "Miss-Typed CD Key?" but it usually lets me join. Now as for the pure servers, Yes some are and some aren't. the Ones that are pure I randomly and able to join but unpure i can always join. punkbuster on or off does not make a dif. I have mine on. I can join games that I host as well. but I'm not sure if anyone is able to join mine.

Post by **^misantropia^** » Tue Aug 29, 2006 10:30 am

Before connecting, pull down the console and type: /timescale 100

Post by **Mondoman9630** » Wed Aug 30, 2006 3:29 am

I did that and it has no effect but making my screen wabble.

Post by **Mondoman9630** » Wed Aug 30, 2006 6:33 pm

I am still having the problem with my CD Key, Does anyone know what i can do to fix it?

Post by **dzjepp** » Wed Aug 30, 2006 7:59 pm

Originally posted by Bjoern PB Staff:
As someone brought the cd-key issue up again, I need to adress it.

The 'invalid cdkey', 'mistyped cdkey?' and 'client_unknown_to_auth' messages are not PB-related issues. id Software updated and turned on the master cdkey auth server after the 1.32 patch. As PB was added with 1.32, everyone seems to believe it's due to PB.

I'll give you some help here none the less, as we've been doing a lot of testing with players to get their Q3 to run.

Some players report that deleting the q3key file from the various folders where the game is installed will fix the problem after they re-enter their cdkey one more time. Others say that connecting to servers inside the game instead of using an external game browser such as gamespy or all-seeing-eye will fix the problem.

Sometimes the file holding the cdkey can get corrupted and can cause this problem. In working with other players, we have found that the following fixes this problem:

1) Exit the game
2) Use your windows explorer to browse to the directory where Quake3 is installed
3) Then browse into the 'baseq3' subdirectory
4) Delete the file called 'q3key'
5) Then launch Quake3 from the original Quake3 icon or start | programs menu (i.e. don't launch into a mod or by using GameSpy, etc.)
6) It should at this point ask you for your cdkey, you should re-enter your original 16 character cdkey at this point and exit the game. Be sure to enter the 16 character cdkey on your quake3 cd-case in all lower case letters (e.g. enter 'a' and NOT 'A' from your cd-key). NOTE: If your cdkey has 18 characters, then you are not finding the right key. Team Arena keys have 18 characters, Quake3 keys have 16.

If this does not fix the problem, then perhaps there is some type of firewall or security software blocking your game's communication to id's cdkey auth server. Be sure that UDP port 27952 is open for clear communication if you have a firewall or some type of security software.

Also, we have heard from some players that entering '/timescale 100' into the console when this happens solves the problem immediately for them.

Follow these steps and hope for the best.

Post by **Mondoman9630** » Thu Aug 31, 2006 7:15 pm

Ok I Deleted the file, booted the game with the original Icon, No mods. (i dont have any mods) and I am still getting the message, I am able to join the game when it says mistyped cd key but not able when it says Invalid CD Key. Pure or unpure server does not make a dif. nore PB. I tryed that "/timescale 100" and it made my graphics all wierd. How do i Change my Port to 27952?

Post by **Lenard** » Sat Sep 02, 2006 11:45 pm

Do you have a valid cd key?

Post by **Scourge** » Sat Sep 02, 2006 11:47 pm

Yes, he said so in his first post.

But, question: Did you purchase a new one or was it used?

Post by **Mondoman9630** » Sun Sep 03, 2006 5:19 am

I purchased an open package from best buy. But why would i have a problem? If the other person is not using my CD Key then I shouldn't have a problem right?Or if he is and as long as he is not on at the same time then I should be able to play right?

Post by **Scourge** » Sun Sep 03, 2006 6:51 am

Mondoman9630 wrote:I purchased an open package from best buy. But why would i have a problem? If the other person is not using my CD Key then I shouldn't have a problem right?Or if he is and as long as he is not on at the same time then I should be able to play right?

Do you mean you purchased an already opened package of q3? If so, then it means a world of difference. If someone has already registered the cdkey then you will not be able to use it as it is already in the system.

Post by **Mondoman9630** » Sun Sep 03, 2006 7:41 am

But in order to register it i have to send by mail it wont connect electronicaly, or does that mean i am screwed?

Post by **busetibi** » Sun Sep 03, 2006 9:39 am

long shot, have you made the cd key folder "Read Only" ?
if not, try it.

Post by **Mondoman9630** » Mon Sep 04, 2006 3:51 am

No i have not tryed it, I will try, Thanks.

Post by **Scourge** » Mon Sep 04, 2006 4:05 am

Mondoman9630 wrote:But in order to register it i have to send by mail it wont connect electronicaly, or does that mean i am screwed?

No, not that registration. What I mean is that if someone else owned that particular disk before and used the cdkey to play online then you won't be able to. But if you bought it brand new, then it's something else that's causing the problem

Post by **Mondoman9630** » Mon Sep 04, 2006 4:36 am

Ok, lets try this concept. If I own 4 computers and I want to play on one of my other computers I should be able to use it on any of my computers. (like any online game; Warcraft Starcraft and diablo) consider this being the case as long as i am not logged on with the same cd key on another computer i shouldnt have a problem playing.

Post by **Scourge** » Mon Sep 04, 2006 6:50 am

By all this explaining, I'm starting to get the feeling it may not be a new disk. Otherwise you would have just said, 'yes, it's brand new'. I'm not trying to accuse you of anything, but answering that question will make a difference on diagnosing the problem.

Post by **dzjepp** » Mon Sep 04, 2006 6:07 pm

2 (or more people) should have no problems playing on the same key as long as they are not playing at the same time. That said, if you do have a used (or open as you put it) copy of the game there is a chance the person that previously used the game might still be an active player, or maybe the cd-key happened to be banned or something. Actually now that I think of it the auth. server isn't very accurate anyway. 2 people can probably play at the same time as long as they are not connecting to the same server. I think I've seen it happen before, even with patch 1.32 (which is supposed to have stricker cd-key authorization).

Post by **Foo** » Mon Sep 04, 2006 6:58 pm

If you get a valid key when you put it in but an invalid key when playing online, then it's an invalid key. In almost every case this is because the key came from a fake key generator and not from an official retail product. Very occasionally, this can happen when the CD-Key is entered with some minor errors.

There is no keygen in the public domain that can generate valid keys for online authentication (not just for Q3, for many other online games too e.g. Half Life. All they can do is generate keys which the game accepts offline.

If you're absolutely positive it's entered correctly in quake (you can open c:\program files\quake iii arena\baseq3\CDKEY with notepad to check it) and it still says invalid key, then it really is invalid. End of story. It won't work online.

And if that's how it is, this forum has nothing more to offer you to get it working, you'll have to take it back to the store or whatever.

Regarding valid CD Keys: The key is checked against the master key server when you try to log onto your game. The master server will permit 2 concurrent logins with the same CD Key, to allow you to move between servers without encountering problems as you switch. Theoretically you can be playing with 2 separate copies of Q3 with the same key online at the same time and it will work reasonably well.

However 2 is the limit. The only way to get more than 2 copies of quake online with the same CD Key is to go to a non-authenticating game server (of which there is an increasing number as the game ages).

Hope that clears it up.

Post by **Mondoman9630** » Tue Sep 05, 2006 11:28 pm

Well as for the CD-Key, Its the key off the CD case. It does not look like the sticker was removed or modified. As I said before it was an Open Package. So I'm sure somebody might be using it to play online but the question is how many are using it if there are people using it.

I tryed making the CD-Key File Read only and I am no longer having the "Invalid CD Key" problem but Occassionally i get "Miss-typed CD Key?" It still alows me to play but I would rather clear it up completely.

I hope I don't have to go buy a new game.

Post by **Foo** » Tue Sep 05, 2006 11:36 pm

If the message goes away then the key is valid, but it's taking a bit of time to authenticate with the master server. I think this is normally down to a router issue, perhaps being slow opening ports.

Post by **Mondoman9630** » Tue Sep 05, 2006 11:42 pm

I don't have a router. My Computer connects directly with the Cable Modem. Could it be a firewall?