OT: Blizzard Entertainment disabled around 20,000 accounts of cheaters

[Mylon]

I don't think people cheat to win as much as they cheat to "earn" prizes. I recall that there were some prizes given away to the people on the top of the Starcraft ladder, and while I'm not sure if this is the case with Warcraft III it's probaby similar.

I've actually been considering the cheat potential of SEIV a bit, just for curiosity's sake, but I _think_ it's pretty secure given how turns can be easily generated remotely, thus it really doesn't matter what the components say they do in the player's computer, it's what they say on the host computer that matters. At least, I hope this is how it works. The other issue that could become a problem is people opening up your empire. I'm not sure if they can submit your turn for you, but that omnipresent view would make things pretty difficult. This could be potentially corrected if the save files were split up and distributed to the indivudal empires instead of packaged together.

One important thing to remember about cheating is that if it is possible, it is safe to assume it will happen. Map hacks in RTS games can be very difficult to stop because at least two computers in the group need to be aware of where every unit is and their status to prevent cheating of another fashion (invincibility, free unit production, ect...), but a cheat-free option would require a "moderator" to act as the omnipresent view and distribute limited map information to the other players. Providing this service to everyone would be very expensive with some 100,000 games going on at a time, and trusting a player to be the host gives them the ability to cheat but limits the ability of the other players to do as such.

I've had my own experiences of cheating among even my own friends. Thankfully it was in single player games, but I never really could understand the practice of using "unintended features" of the game to make it less interesting. I remember in Rise of the Triad if you plugged in the god mode code, the character never stopped yawning.

[ September 13, 2002, 15:40: Message edited by: Mylon ]

[Jmenschenfresser]

If 20,000 people are cheating, the environment is so diluted that I'd call the 'cheat' a 'mod' rather than a 'cheat.' Not that it makes it any less pathetic.

***craft games blow anyway.

[Arkcon]

Originally posted by Mylon:
I remember in Rise of the Triad if you plugged in the god mode code, the character never stopped yawning.

LOL, I never knew that. Pretty cool of them to put that in, was that Apogee, I only played the demo -- good gameplay, but they did lose interest with the blocky graphics. At least it didn't give me motion sickness like Half-Life. Seriously, I can't play these types of games.

[Wardad]

Winning can be fun, losing can be depressing. People with no ethics may see cheating as another tool. After all the next guy is likely to be cheating.

Warchild has unlearned a lot, and teaches me things I do not want to know. He would play MOO in "GOD" mode with cheats and enjoy taunting the AIs.

[geoschmo]

Originally posted by Wardad:
Winning can be fun, losing can be depressing. People with no ethics may see cheating as another tool. After all the next guy is likely to be cheating.

Well, if you are playing Warcraft on Blizzard.com, odds are good he is.

[Arkcon]

Originally posted by Wardad:
Winning can be fun, losing can be depressing. .

IMHO, someone older than 8 years old should be begining to conquer that feeling. I started my first PBW game. I'm against an organic race, a psycic race, a temporal race, and a religious race. I'm playing stock Jarenar. I have 3 small planets. I'm planning a noble death for my race, not galactic conquest

Originally posted by Wardad:

He would play MOO in "GOD" mode with cheats and enjoy taunting the AIs.

Oh wait, cheating against the AI? Well, if I only intend to play for a half hour sure. Even playing well against the AI is exploiting it.

[Atrocities]

I have but one thing to say.

Ahahahahahahahahahahhahahahahahaahhaahhahaahahahah ahhaahahahahahahahhaahhahahahahahahh Finally.

[ September 13, 2002, 20:09: Message edited by: Atrocities ]