Index ⇒ General Topics ⇒ Cheaters in online games - Activision

[Sandon]

Hello!

I want to ask you about cheaters in online-games. Ok often they are annoying, also because you cant be 100 % sure, that it is really a cheater or only a very skilled player or teamwork. Some of my friends are sometimes called cheater, but I'm sure they don't, they are skilled.

I play frequently with a bunch of friends COD and we ran into cheaters. But yesterday it was so obvious, that I can't understand that the player isn't banned after only one round playing. Ok, I don't know for sure that he played only one round, but I don't think so.

We played "Call Of Duty - Modern Warfare" and the map was "Shoothouse". The enemy player killed us through containers and beton walls. He saw us and was able to kill. Activision did the Ricochet anticheat-tool, but it seems not to work well. I've read today, that it was announced and short time after that it was known by cheat-programers.

Maybe can someone explain why it is nearly impossible to catch the cheaters. And is it so lucrative for the cheat programmers to do this?

We all marked the player as cheater and we do this not very often. Because we tell our friends also from time to time where we killed, and where maybe the next enemy is and we think other players do the same. Teamwork...

Most of the time we don't have to play against this players again, but I don't think they are banned. What we do more often is mark players for "exploit"(?). Sorry we play in german... For example: You can mark players if they kill instead doing objectives, is that exploit? Players only play this mode to push their kill/death-ratio.

[Scaryfun]

I can understand your frustration. It takes the fun out playing online when it's not a fair playing field.
I've read news of companies being shut down that write and sell cheats and they make millions of dollars. Where there's money to be made, criminal organizations move in on it.

Also, the anonymity of people online gives cheaters the freedom to not care how their actions ruin the online experience for others. It's the same with trolling and propaganda companies that have rooms full of people whose job is just to put out lies on internet.

[Virgil]

Usually if you play a game for some time you can tell if someone's cheater, and even if you can't other people in the game will. Some people are just that good or lucky and spend a lot of time in the game, especially if they exploit just one aspect - long range guns or close quarters, tanks or airplanes and etc. Usually if they are confronted out of their element they fail. Anyway, perfect aim or headshots through the whole map are dead giveaways, wallglitching is also noticeable. As to why they aren't punished - there are too much of them and I believe that your so to so say social credit drops gradually in these games until you are either banned or matched only with similar sacks of shit. Also, as multiplayer cheats are usually paid for, it's a continuous development to get ahead of security patches, so not everything is detected. I was more of Battlefield player, but I guess you can play at moderated servers at CoD as well, where you can report players directly to admin. I haven't played CoD online since the very first one and yeah, cheaters were a big issue there as well.

[Sandon]

Thanks for your both replies. Sorry if I write much more and still have questions.

@Scaryfun: Can you maybe tell us when you read about that companies that sell cheats? Only round about? It's interesting, that it began "normal", with companies. At least I play COD only because of my friends, without them I could'nt play any new online or offline game.

The people think there is an anonymity. But at least you can be most oft the time identified. But it is not worth it in most of the cases. But in onlinegames they often know your ID really good. But that it is not what you meant. But do they don't care and think, or do they? Isn't it more fun, if they see or hear, someone is angy about them and can't do anything. And you can tell him right into his face that you laugh? But maybe most players who cheat do it only for themself and friends, to be "better" and see themself on top of scoreboard, an share the pics.

For me is honor one of the things we are diffrent from animals. I mean it in german word "Ehre", but I'm not sure if it is 100% same in english. Not to get honor for something (be good in games for example). To have honor. Do the right thing, because you think it's right, not because you have fear of consequences if you take another way.

I think, and that is the reason i'am a bit frustrated, Activision makes billions with their games. Many millions on top with the shops and season passes. And some of my friends buy nearly everthing from them. They give players the ability to report for cheating, take advantage, bad nicknames etc. But if they have your money, they are less interested. OK maybe for season passes, but these people you've catched before, most of the time. At COD they changed the report thing. Until some months ago you could report after a round. Now you have to do it until the round or the short endscreen. Less time. Why? Most people should be able to remember things for some minutes. And why not rank reporters. Clear, you can't punish players only being reported often. But if you report most of the time correct, you should have a score or something. At least there are much more fair players in the games than cheaters. Maybe most of us only not remember them.

@Virgil: The thing with the luck is really sometimes hard to tell in Cod. There are rumors, that there are algorithms, that help casual gamers from time to time. And because of crossplay, where it is obviously, that players with gamepads have no fair chance without help against PC mouse players.

But do you have to pay more than once, because of the anti security patches, or do you have a subscription or something? What range we're talking of, do you know that? $5 to $20? Much more? I think you can't (or shouldn't) be sure to get something, that works or something you got not punished for.

Why not trying to buy those developers? Let them work for you, not against you. But you save money on the wrong end.

And what cost range is it we're talking about if sub? I think for games like Warzone, there are maybe free tools, to get customers for the other games. But there must be more than a million people outside, that are looking for cheat-software online and many pay for it.

Most of Battle.net games are nearly never cheap. I like Battlefield 1 and 5, because i can play medic. I don't have to concentrate so much, as I have to, if I only can kill enemies. At a sell on steam I bought BF4, BF1 and BF5 again, because I didn't had BF4 and some of the BF1-DLC's. All 3 games with all DLC's for about 13-14 euro and I managed that most of the others also bought the games. My friends bought me most of the COD games.

You should know who is a cheater if you play a game some time, that's true. Also in COD Black Ops we ran into a group that was obviously a clan. Most of our good players were online, players who are found in nearly every round on the top of the scoreboard. At the end of the round 3 enemy players had 30.000 points (more is not possible). A 4th player had about 27 or 29 k points. I can't remember players with 15.000 points. Sometime players get more than 10.000. But most of the time it is less then 10.000. But I have to admit that I wasn't 100 percent sure. At least I voted also for cheater, because our best player from Switzerland thought they cheat. At least I perhaps had voted for "take advantage". Because it was domination and early it was clear we had no chance. But they didn't do the objective a lot. First they looked obviously, that we can't do much objective, but maybe also, that we should not quit. I told this early in the game, because another player of us said, that we can win (because of the points at the moment). I said, no way, they only don't play for the goals and I was right. But most of the time I'm very careful to accuse someone. Oh, I have to say, the we sadly only play in hardcore mode. For me harder, because I have also to concentrate not to kill our players, but there is also no killcam where you can see what you're enemy saw last.

Because of my illness or disease, I've got slower nearly every year and for me it is exhausting to play fast and concentrate and talking much. On good days I can play for some rounds on my good level a few years ago, but I can recognize when I've got slower and more inaccurate.

But that reminds me at Enemy Territory. I've played a lot on a specific server called shiven. Most of us were german or from poland. But we also had an player who played from india. But there was also one from Germany who get called in game often as cheater. I didn't believed that. But he was annoyed about the accusations, that he posted on the forum. He wrote about walking speed and clocktime (at ET both sides start with different timer for respawn, usually the attacking side has 20 sec. timer and defender 30) and some more. I was interesting to read.

At least COD-games give you nearly nothing to decide where you want to play. Only filters for maps and game modes. At least every EA-game has still a Server-browser. You don't have to use it, but you can.

[hfric]

my two cents

Code: Select all

https://torrentfreak.com/call-of-duty-cheat-maker-engineowning-sued-by-activision-under-the-dmca-210106/

[Scaryfun]

https://screenrant.com/worlds-largest-v ... -arrested/
China arrested 10 members of the cheat-selling company "Chicken Drumstick." The company created cheats for large games like Call of Duty and Overwatch and sold them to subscribers, who paid between $10 a day and $200 a month for access to the hacks. Police also destroyed 17 cheats that they found on company computers and seized $46 million in assets, which included a number of luxury cars. The company is estimated to have made $76 million in revenue, with Chinese authorities calling it the "world's biggest" cheats company.

[Sandon]

Thank you very much hfric and Scaryfun and sorry for my late reply. I've read your posts last week, but wasn't well the last days.

I've vistited the site mentioned in your link, hfric. And it was quite interesting, what the cheat engine can and how much you can "tweak". The slogan about: we believe everybody should have the ability to win in onlinegames (if he or she pays us...) says all. All games I played online 2021 are in the list. That's sad. The prices are lower than the one Scaryfun mentioned. The chinese site was more expansive! I think $99 was most for a month, but differs from game to game. But longest was 180 days I think.

I've learned a lot.

Maybe Activision has done something before. But cheating was a problem, because I played it not for nearly a decade. Ricochet come really late and isn't the answer.

Thank you all for your answers and informations.

[Ali Akbar]

Well, I slouldn't be in this topic because honestly, I do cheat in games, but the difference is that I cheat in singleplayer games. And not all of them: only in games that have that stupid health system in like the first COD or DOOM and Quake games, and games that might take me weeks to complete, like RPG games like Titan Quest Anniversary Edition. But I never have cheated in online games and never had the intent to do so, because cheating solo is one thing, but cheating online is unacceptable, because you are hurting other players for your benefit, and my Mother taught me treat others as I want to be treated, and I would really hate it if some cheater ruined my multiplayer match, so why sould I do the same thing to hundreds of other plyers. And I'll be honest, it is no fun cheating online. I used to play Counter Strike (the original one) with my Uncle and Cousins and the alertness, challenge, unpredictability and vulnerability made it fun. I just wish that those other people at least understood the words "fair game".