Then there was the encounter with an "unmanned commander" at an AXCZ ... which was chased off by a Thargoid Interceptor ..... no indication if that was a bot, a cheat, or a bug of some kind.
Who has encountered a cheater using a hack?
- Thread starter Agony_Aunt
- Start date
I’ve not personally encountered any obvious cheats, but they they were subtle I might have never known. I’ve seen videos of an anaconda that was running down FDLs and killing them within 5 seconds. This guy only got a 1 day ban according to the email from frontier he posted on reddit. Frontier permanently banning the protester was a stupid move IMO. With that said, the protesters way to protest was not exactly bright either but he didn’t deserve a permaban.
Deleted member 110222
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Couldn't say for certain.
But that's just it. I couldn't say for certain either way.
But that's just it. I couldn't say for certain either way.
From outside to start with? No, and several pads get lit up simultaneously. Again, no. And the station was busy, so again no.What's so amazing about it? Under certain conditions (station not too busy) everyone could do this little stunt, with help of a simple logical deduction.
Can you imagine why I suddenly must think of Kurt Cobain?
I've seen plenty of credible second-hand accounts of hacks, so I'm well aware they exist, but I have not personally encountered anything I was convinced was a hack. I've seen a lot of weird stuff, but most of it was not beyond the sort of phenomena I've personally experienced when I was certain no-one was hacking.
Obviously, I cannot say for certain that I have never encountered a hack first hand. Indeed, I'd be very surprised if there weren't at least a few cases that simply weren't blatant enough, or that could readily have been explained by something else.
You said this CMDR flew into the station ahead of you. Chances are that this individual was also docking and simply mistook your assigned pad for their own, or guessed which pad you were assigned based on ship size and was trying to direct you to it.
I would not have seen anything suspicious about this encounter, as described.
Obviously, I cannot say for certain that I have never encountered a hack first hand. Indeed, I'd be very surprised if there weren't at least a few cases that simply weren't blatant enough, or that could readily have been explained by something else.
You said this CMDR flew into the station ahead of you. Chances are that this individual was also docking and simply mistook your assigned pad for their own, or guessed which pad you were assigned based on ship size and was trying to direct you to it.
I would not have seen anything suspicious about this encounter, as described.
One of the problems that cheating creates is that we become suspicious of what turn out to be legitimate game mechanics.
You doubt what you are seeing.
For example: years ago I saw a streamer combat log because his opponent kept disappearing.
Quoth the streamer: “He’s a hacker” and task kill combat log.
Of course the “hacker” was just using Silent Running.
Another example yesterday:
A wingmate had been flailing away at a Vulture CMDR with multiple full volleys, and the shields would just not drop.
"I think he's running cheats".
Well, I had a go and with a couple of rams dropped his shields and eventually killed him.
And I'm sure Mister Vulture thought there was something fishy about me, with my disappearing act, shieldless and the hull that just wont quit. (G5 armour and 5x G5 HRPs and 3x MRPs - come at me bro).
Engineering sure makes for a variety of ship capabilities.
BUT.
The doubt that this plants within victims (of G5 engineering) is matched by the doubt that Frontier has that ANY cheating is going on.
To spend weeks monitoring traffic, to develop programs that hook into the public API and demonstrate that normal traffic CAN be differentiated from BOTs (sorry to bring up botting in a cheating thread but they do seem to live in the same cess pit). To co-ordinate across several groups to track data and pool evidence.
To then be told that "Your opposition are Professional Players"
THAT really stings.
Frontier need to stop with the: "There's not very many cheaters" and the "Are you SURE it's not Professional Players?"
Frontier need to display some scalps: "We found this one active from 2017 to Feb 2018" We banned X accounts this month". We have looked at the logs you have shown us and identified 4 accounts that are highly suspicious"
ENOUGH WITH THE SILENCE!
You doubt what you are seeing.
For example: years ago I saw a streamer combat log because his opponent kept disappearing.
Quoth the streamer: “He’s a hacker” and task kill combat log.
Of course the “hacker” was just using Silent Running.
Another example yesterday:
A wingmate had been flailing away at a Vulture CMDR with multiple full volleys, and the shields would just not drop.
"I think he's running cheats".
Well, I had a go and with a couple of rams dropped his shields and eventually killed him.
And I'm sure Mister Vulture thought there was something fishy about me, with my disappearing act, shieldless and the hull that just wont quit. (G5 armour and 5x G5 HRPs and 3x MRPs - come at me bro).
Engineering sure makes for a variety of ship capabilities.
BUT.
The doubt that this plants within victims (of G5 engineering) is matched by the doubt that Frontier has that ANY cheating is going on.
To spend weeks monitoring traffic, to develop programs that hook into the public API and demonstrate that normal traffic CAN be differentiated from BOTs (sorry to bring up botting in a cheating thread but they do seem to live in the same cess pit). To co-ordinate across several groups to track data and pool evidence.
To then be told that "Your opposition are Professional Players"
THAT really stings.
Frontier need to stop with the: "There's not very many cheaters" and the "Are you SURE it's not Professional Players?"
Frontier need to display some scalps: "We found this one active from 2017 to Feb 2018" We banned X accounts this month". We have looked at the logs you have shown us and identified 4 accounts that are highly suspicious"
ENOUGH WITH THE SILENCE!
Now is where id usually chime in about mobius, but since playing on ps4, i have to chose solo or pay a subscription... so at one point i started doing that on pc and haven't looked back.
Its quite elegant they removed board hopping.
Its quite elegant they removed board hopping.
This is one of the big misconceptions about cheaters. They don't need to use a cheat. They do it because they find it attractive. No one needs to cheat. Even PvPers don't need to cheat. I'd venture a guess that there's no cheat that will allow you to make credits faster than you can make void opal farming. Granted, you can couple the two, but the insane amount of money to be had just a jump away from the high selling stations is incredible. I cannot imagine someone "needs" to cheat for that reason.
I think anyone using a cheat like that isn't disciplined enough to restrict themselves to that 15% gain though, especially when they have the other 85% right there at their fingertips. That's the thing - people who are really good at PvP don't have tools to stay alive most likely, they have skills and engineering. People who suck at it and find ways to win regardless aren't looking for 10 - 15% increase.This.
@Agony_Aunt
The worst problem is that you simply can't tell.
1) remember the vid here about the Krait/Mamba ganker combo. We had a healthy debate wether it is cheating or not, at least in the case of the Mamba.
The Krait was very obvious.
2) the cheat/hack allegedly allows you to slider things. So how can I know I lost to a good build if he just gives himself 10 or 15 % advantage?
100 % is blatantly obvious, invulnerability too. But giving myself +10%? boosting every stat from dps to shield mj to regen? I won't be beaten very often after that.
And frankly I don't know if I ran into gankers. I had encounters long ago where I died quickly and propably too quickly. Am I sure it was cheating? No of course not.
Could it have been cheating? Well, yeah obviously.
And this is only the PvP side.
That's the problem. Now with that stuff in the open (no, not that open
- Are you SURE FD detects people cheating themselves bigger jumpranges to reach previously unreachable systems?
- Are you sure FD detects people one-jumping their gank-de-lances to Colonia or EA?
- Are you sure FD detects people making themselves invulnerable in solo and breaking your precious PMF?
- Are you sure FD detects people skipping supercruise to cheat in CGs?
It's a matter of trust. Losing trust is simple, regaining it not so much.
If there was money involved, all bets are off. I've seen respected, career competitors cheat by small margins to win and get busted, when they could have won straight up without cheating, because there was money involved and they didn't want to take the chance.
Contrary to what you said, I can certainly think of how jump range hacking can help those doing core mining. Because prices of VOs drop after a while at any given station after selling them boatloads, jumping to/from another hotspot or station with a high selling price with a jump hack would speed up the process greatly.
But then again, jump range hacks are easily detectable and bannable.
Hacking the flight speed and maneuverability also makes core mining in a big tubby lardass ship with a huge cargo space very easy. Think core mining in a T9/T10 or Cutter that can turn like a Sidewinder or Eagle.
Not come across one in all the years Iv been playing, not anyone that stood out anyway. Though often wondered how I can roam around the black for days, weeks without seeing an explored system (by another cmdr) until I find that Planetary Nebula - then BOOM! discovered by .....
Don't for a minute think they don't exist, every game is likely to have small amount of players using cheats & hacks, probably always have, always will. Some games I'v played allow the creation & use of modding in their games, which in my opinion, probably makes the games that don't a 'challenge' to the hacker.
Frontier, as usual, are damned if they do, damned if they don't.
Sure they won't/can't discuss anything relating to cheats/hacks & their users, other than their usual statement about "terms & conditions during account sign up".
Any action taken to counter cheating or actions against individuals will not be announced by any software house, other than the usual "we're continually dedicated to working on it" comments.
It's Frontier's silence & lack of communicating with it's own playerbase that exaggerates things like this, sadly they've created a rod for their own back.
I doubt now that even if Frontier started publishing numbers of cheaters banned that some wouldn't beleive them anyway!
Don't for a minute think they don't exist, every game is likely to have small amount of players using cheats & hacks, probably always have, always will. Some games I'v played allow the creation & use of modding in their games, which in my opinion, probably makes the games that don't a 'challenge' to the hacker.
Frontier, as usual, are damned if they do, damned if they don't.
Sure they won't/can't discuss anything relating to cheats/hacks & their users, other than their usual statement about "terms & conditions during account sign up".
Any action taken to counter cheating or actions against individuals will not be announced by any software house, other than the usual "we're continually dedicated to working on it" comments.
It's Frontier's silence & lack of communicating with it's own playerbase that exaggerates things like this, sadly they've created a rod for their own back.
I doubt now that even if Frontier started publishing numbers of cheaters banned that some wouldn't beleive them anyway!
This is just strange. Who would want to attract attention to themslelves like this (except for the guy who protested)? I can understand some people accidentally going into open using a cheat. I can understand perhaps the odd fool who flies in open (presumably someone with extra accounts who doesn't care about bans), but to attract attention like that, its rather strange.
If i might put my tinfoil hat on for the moment, i'd even be willing to suspect that someone who is salty about this whole affair has an alt account and doing it to make it look like the problem is worse than it actually is.
Meh, maybe just someone who doesn't care about losing an account.
You could be shooting with pulses at a thermal resistant shield with all pips into its systems while being shot at without enough pips in your own system capacitors.It was the second match I'd ever played, and I thought I was in for a sneaky as he was at 1 ring after dispatching another ship - I know I hit him several times before being equally dispatched
That was the only time though - but from comments raised on this forum it doesn't appear to be too rare, even if not 'epidemic' level!
You could also have had two attackers at the same time.
That's what I meant when I said "couple the two". I just don't see the time saved as meaningful when the mining takes the bulk of the time anyhow.
Not everyone is enamored with this game. Not everyone has a reputation within it to uphold. Some are just passing through, and want to get as much salt as they can before they move to the next thing.
With the power levels engineers grant I would never now.