Are online FPS at risk of dying from cheats

[jim g]

OK, so MW1 was great, then ruined by hacks. MW2 destroyed by the game makers to some extent, but, lag switchers, modded joypads, hacks etc. are taking cheating to whole new level. And lets be frank, 12 year old kids don't give a flying F**k about hacking, boosting cheating etc. Hell every FPS I have played in the last 4 years, just gets attacked by lame so called gamers.

So my question is, is this now out of the control of the developers, are we now doomed to play with cheating twats forever in FPS? (or indeed ANY online game: even F1 2010 was full of cheaters!)

[Neon Ignition]

Probably but then people tend to go OTT when they encounter hacks and boosters etc, in most cases a gamer of reasonable skill can get around them. I can play COD4 fine still with the scoring I get remaining consistent with games that don't include hackers, that might just be me though

Either way, online FPS's are in no risk of dying anytime soon

[averybluemonkey]

That stuffs no biggie there's been far worse on PC for years - aimbats, wallhacks, all sorts and those had no effect on the game's they targetted.

[EvilBoris]

Any developer worth their salt should be able to see these things coming, very little hardcore cheating goes on the Halo :Reach, compared to halo 2/3 where it became rife (that's without a single patch too)

As he said, PC games have had it far far worse and more widespread for years and they are doing fine, it just means that they need to make it harder for people to do so.

[Charlie]

I wish they were at risk of dying but I fear nothing will stop the juggernaut that is the FPS.

[nakamura]

I have no idea why people play games to cheat. There can be no satisfaction from it. Unless they just want to piss people off.

[Flabio]

I have no idea why people play games to cheat.

Read this. It's really really good and gave me a great understanding of the motivations behind cheaters and griefers.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Cheating-Mia-Consalvo/dp/0262513285

[Guts]

I have no idea why people play games to cheat.

I've heard they do it "for the lolz" or something similar.

Edit: Why does the forum cencor "lul.z"?

[Decider-VT]

Edit: Why does the forum cencor "lul.z"?

So people can't refer to lul.zsec by name.

I wish they were at risk of dying but I fear nothing will stop the juggernaut that is the FPS.

I'm honestly surprised that they haven't died through stagnation yet but the COD crowd seem to be satisfied with more of the same every year. Hence COD Elite, I suppose.

[monel]

When I wander into a retail games outlet from time to time, if any staff start a conversation with me, it eventually comes to, 'Do you play COD?'. I say, 'No', and they look at me funny.

[toythatkills]

I have no idea why people play games to cheat. There can be no satisfaction from it. Unless they just want to piss people off.

Some people get satisfaction from winning, like normal people. Some people get satisfaction from presenting the illusion that they're better than other people, like those atheists that don't shut up about how people that believe in God are morons, and people that cheat.

[Flabio]

Seriously, have a read of that book I linked. There's *way* more to it then just wanting to be a dick...

[Wools]

I?ve been playing online shooters since the original Quake, and have been playing on a far more frequent level since I got Xbox Live with Halo 3 in 2007. Although I have encountered hacked servers and cheating players, they only accounted for less than 1% of my total games.

The original question is split between will online gaming be ruined by cheats (Such as hackers) or in-game cheaters. (Such as those who play annoyingly in racing games who ram into you, or those who play against the game type such as boosters in COD)

I guess actual cheaters or hackers will be controlled as long as the servers are controlled by closed networks or servers such as Xbox Live or Steam. However, I?ve been surprised by games that have been hacked on the Xbox 360 such as COD4 & Team Fortress 2. In certain matches on those games, the map or player data was significantly altered where the map had been re-designed, the player was unable to fire or was able to jump great distances! The degree of the changes was quite vast and I had no idea that this level of change was possible on a closed platform.

As for players who act like twats or game the system, certain measures can be put in place on a per game basis. Persistent quitting can be dealt with as penalties and certain play styles can be curbed, but when the whole point of online play is to play together, the very nature of that is to play with different characters and personalities. You?ll get the gentleman driver and the BMW driver, the dedicated sniper and the blood lust mentalist, the lone adventure and the band of merry griefers, people playing for fun, people playing for competition and people gaming the system.

You?ll never be able to change people?s mind sets, but you can guide them gently down a path to where people can play happily. Although the next Modern Warfare is much derided, one of the COD Elite benefits is the opportunity to specify who you are, what your play style is and what hobbies you enjoy. Although on the surface it?s superficial and has not had the chance to show it could work, this method of grouping together of like minded players, could allow for a more harmonious and flowing online play. The players who want to scream and get in close play together, those who just want to have fun but play by the rules can team up, along with all other subsets of a diverse online community.

Online is not going away, but I think it will become a better place to be as Developers put certain measures in place were we?re slightly funnelled down a path, where we can have fun with others who share similar traits.

[Decider-VT]

When I wander into a retail games outlet from time to time, if any staff start a conversation with me, it eventually comes to, 'Do you play COD?'. I say, 'No', and they look at me funny.

They're leading into a pre-order sales pitch. Someone from Game asked me that once and baulked when I told him I didn't like the multiplayer.

[toythatkills]

Seriously, have a read of that book I linked. There's *way* more to it then just wanting to be a dick...

Can't you summarise? ?14 is a lot for a book that none of us care about that much

Saying that people want to be a dicks wasn't my point at all, by the way, if that post was aimed at me!