diff --git a/Application/Main.cs b/Application/Main.cs
index f456fa7d9..a3f9839a4 100644
--- a/Application/Main.cs
+++ b/Application/Main.cs
@@ -58,7 +58,7 @@ namespace IW4MAdmin.Application
             {
                 ServerManager = ApplicationManager.GetInstance();
                 var configuration = ServerManager.GetApplicationSettings().Configuration();
-                Localization.Configure.Initialize(configuration?.EnableCustomLocale ?? false ? (configuration.CustomLocale ?? "windows-1252") : "windows-1252");
+                Localization.Configure.Initialize(configuration?.EnableCustomLocale ?? false ? (configuration.CustomLocale ?? "en-US") : "en-US");
 
                 // do any needed housekeeping file/folder migrations
                 ConfigurationMigration.MoveConfigFolder10518(null);
diff --git a/Application/RconParsers/BaseRConParser.cs b/Application/RconParsers/BaseRConParser.cs
index 8a5ac2bb6..7d9ed1ef0 100644
--- a/Application/RconParsers/BaseRConParser.cs
+++ b/Application/RconParsers/BaseRConParser.cs
@@ -162,6 +162,14 @@ namespace IW4MAdmin.Application.RconParsers
                         State = EFClient.ClientState.Connecting
                     };
 
+#if DEBUG
+                    if (client.NetworkId < 1000)
+                    {
+                        client.IPAddress = 2147483646;
+                        client.Ping = 0;
+                    }
+#endif
+
                     StatusPlayers.Add(client);
                 }
             }
diff --git a/SharedLibraryCore/PartialEntities/EFClient.cs b/SharedLibraryCore/PartialEntities/EFClient.cs
index ecb0757ec..12b419ace 100644
--- a/SharedLibraryCore/PartialEntities/EFClient.cs
+++ b/SharedLibraryCore/PartialEntities/EFClient.cs
@@ -552,7 +552,7 @@ namespace SharedLibraryCore.Database.Models
             // we want to get any penalties that are tied to their IP or AliasLink (but not necessarily their GUID)
             var activePenalties = await CurrentServer.Manager.GetPenaltyService().GetActivePenaltiesAsync(AliasLinkId, ipAddress);
 
-            var banPenalty = ReceivedPenalties.FirstOrDefault(_penalty => _penalty.Type == EFPenalty.PenaltyType.Ban);
+            var banPenalty = activePenalties.FirstOrDefault(_penalty => _penalty.Type == EFPenalty.PenaltyType.Ban);
             var tempbanPenalty = activePenalties.FirstOrDefault(_penalty => _penalty.Type == EFPenalty.PenaltyType.TempBan);
             var flagPenalty = activePenalties.FirstOrDefault(_penalty => _penalty.Type == EFPenalty.PenaltyType.Flag);
 
@@ -568,8 +568,9 @@ namespace SharedLibraryCore.Database.Models
 
                 else
                 {
-                    CurrentServer.Logger.WriteWarning($"Client {this} is GUID banned, but no previous penalty exists for their ban");
-                    Ban(loc["SERVER_BAN_UNKNOWN"], autoKickClient, false);
+                    CurrentServer.Logger.WriteDebug($"Client {this} is banned, but using a new GUID, we we're updating their level and kicking them");
+                    await SetLevel(Permission.Banned, autoKickClient).WaitAsync(Utilities.DefaultCommandTimeout, CurrentServer.Manager.CancellationToken);
+                    Kick(loc["SERVER_BAN_PREV"].FormatExt(banPenalty?.Offense), autoKickClient);
                     return false;
                 }
             }
@@ -585,7 +586,8 @@ namespace SharedLibraryCore.Database.Models
             // if we found a flag, we need to make sure all the accounts are flagged
             if (flagPenalty != null && Level != Permission.Flagged)
             {
-                SetLevel(Permission.Flagged, autoKickClient);
+                CurrentServer.Logger.WriteDebug($"Flagged client {this} joining with new GUID, so we are changing their level to flagged");
+                await SetLevel(Permission.Flagged, autoKickClient).WaitAsync(Utilities.DefaultCommandTimeout, CurrentServer.Manager.CancellationToken);
             }
 
             // remove their auto flag
diff --git a/SharedLibraryCore/Services/PenaltyService.cs b/SharedLibraryCore/Services/PenaltyService.cs
index b77ee880b..c51c3b1d3 100644
--- a/SharedLibraryCore/Services/PenaltyService.cs
+++ b/SharedLibraryCore/Services/PenaltyService.cs
@@ -104,6 +104,8 @@ namespace SharedLibraryCore.Services
         /// <returns></returns>
         public async Task<IList<PenaltyInfo>> GetClientPenaltyForMetaAsync(int clientId, int count, int offset, DateTime? startAt)
         {
+            var linkedPenaltyType = Utilities.LinkedPenaltyTypes();
+
             using (var ctx = new DatabaseContext(true))
             {
                 var linkId = await ctx.Clients.AsNoTracking()
@@ -112,7 +114,7 @@ namespace SharedLibraryCore.Services
                     .FirstOrDefaultAsync();
 
                 var iqPenalties = ctx.Penalties.AsNoTracking()
-                    .Where(_penalty => _penalty.OffenderId == clientId || _penalty.PunisherId == clientId || _penalty.LinkId == linkId)
+                    .Where(_penalty => _penalty.OffenderId == clientId || _penalty.PunisherId == clientId || (linkedPenaltyType.Contains(_penalty.Type) && _penalty.LinkId == linkId))
                     .Where(_penalty => _penalty.When <= startAt)
                     .OrderByDescending(_penalty => _penalty.When)
                     .Skip(offset)
@@ -136,8 +138,7 @@ namespace SharedLibraryCore.Services
 #if DEBUG == true
                 var querySql = iqPenalties.ToSql();
 #endif
-
-                return await iqPenalties.ToListAsync();
+                return await iqPenalties.Distinct().ToListAsync();
             }
         }
 
diff --git a/SharedLibraryCore/Utilities.cs b/SharedLibraryCore/Utilities.cs
index 2e54b2a6e..2d5b11c56 100644
--- a/SharedLibraryCore/Utilities.cs
+++ b/SharedLibraryCore/Utilities.cs
@@ -31,7 +31,6 @@ namespace SharedLibraryCore
         public static Encoding EncodingType;
         public static Localization.Layout CurrentLocalization = new Localization.Layout(new Dictionary<string, string>());
         public static TimeSpan DefaultCommandTimeout = new TimeSpan(0, 0, 10);
-        public static CultureInfo BestCulture = CultureInfo.CreateSpecificCulture("en-US");
 
         public static EFClient IW4MAdminClient(Server server = null)
         {
@@ -295,6 +294,9 @@ namespace SharedLibraryCore
             else if (!string.IsNullOrEmpty(bot))
             {
                 id = -1;
+#if DEBUG
+                id = str.Sum(_c => _c);
+#endif
             }
 
             if (id == 0)
@@ -492,13 +494,20 @@ namespace SharedLibraryCore
             return "unknown";
         }
 
-        public static bool ShouldPenaltyApplyToAllProfiles(this PenaltyType penaltyType)
+        /// <summary>
+        /// returns a list of penalty types that should be shown across all profiles
+        /// </summary>
+        /// <returns></returns>
+        public static PenaltyType[] LinkedPenaltyTypes()
         {
-            return penaltyType == PenaltyType.Ban ||
-                penaltyType == PenaltyType.Unban ||
-                penaltyType == PenaltyType.Flag ||
-                penaltyType == PenaltyType.Unflag ||
-                penaltyType == PenaltyType.TempBan;
+            return new PenaltyType[]
+            {
+                PenaltyType.Ban,
+                PenaltyType.Unban,
+                PenaltyType.TempBan,
+                PenaltyType.Flag,
+                PenaltyType.Unflag,
+            };
         }
 
         /// <summary>