We need the ability to connect to CDS without game launch. Many of us have many problems associated with Alt-Tabing back and forth. Not the least of which is being disconnected from the game server.
Remember that it used to have the 'Just Test' feature.
The problem was that we were getting far too many people 'Just Testing' with hacks.
Excuse being, well, I was just testing.
To enable a CDS idle connect is just asking for people to try and circumvent it.
If you use it and it connects you directly to the game, disconnecting you if you exit, lessens the capability for circumvention.
The Alt-Tab problem (which BTW is a Windows problem, not CDC) is being remedied by removing the need to Alt-Tab.
Specifically removing the Server Log request and the Playerlist.
Nobody will have any need to Alt-Tab. And if you do, you do so at your own risk.
As far as proving that someone actually used CDC, there's still the logs.
And with the new log reader that I'm working on will make it very easy to point out problems.
E.g. AA match server x.x.x.x is supposed to be a 4v4, but only 7 show up in the log. Somebody didn't use it.
Until I can finish the log reader it'll be a little tougher on the Admins because they have to physically check the logs themselves, but in the end it'll be cake.
If the playerlist is removed, there will be no way to know before the start of the match if all players are using it. If the only way to check is for the admins to check the logs after a match, they are going to have to check every single match log after every match. Then, if a loss was reported, but the winning team didn't have all players connected, what happens?
There needs to be a way to verify all players to both teams prior to match start, otherwise this is all academic.
Correct me if I'm wrong, but when someone alt-tabs to Windows to i.e. confer to the leader of the other team (maybe solve some ping issues or other discussions), he does that at his own risk?
People will still have the need to alt-tab back to Windoze, disregardless of AACDC. Have you ever thought of that? Okay, it will be less than what it is now, but it wont be eliminated.
I agree with TSO Top, and would like to add something: if a bug would appear in a future version where some players would think they were joined but in actuality weren't, or at least didn't show up on playerlist (like the old DNS vs IP bug) and there was no way to verify that there was a problem BEFORE the match, we'd probably see a lot of innocent players banned from TWL.