(For those who don't want to read the whole thing, I have highlighted my ideas in a different color so you can find them quickly.)

 

Dear BioWare,

 

Before I start, I would just like to thank you for the efforts you have made to bring us an enjoyable game set in the Star Wars universe. Though it has it's problems like any other MMORPG, Star Wars: The Old Republic has thoroughly entertained me with it's storylines and gameplay.

 

However, as a person who cut her teeth in MMO's on the pvp-centric Dark Age of Camelot, playing for many hardcore eight versus eight RvR guilds, the main enjoyment I get out of any MMO is from player versus player combat. Though I find the pvp in SW:ToR to be more balanced than the pvp in World of Warcraft, there is a problem which is plaguing level 50 warzones, and to an extent their lower-level counterparts.

 

That problem is cheating and hacking. While I have always disliked MMO players who "cry hacks" every time they lose, the issue has become so rampant that most anyone other than those who willingly turn a blind eye can see it. Speedhacking, teleport hacking/map hacks, invisibility, and short-term invulnerability are all things that I have personally witnessed on multiple occasions. This may not even cover the whole gamut of hacks available.

 

I know that some players have been banned, but this has not served to discourage other players from following in their footsteps. I therefore propose the following actions which may help to lower the overall instances of cheating while at the same time causing would-be cheaters to think twice before they do.

 

1) Once a week or once a month, depending on the amount of cheaters banned, publicly post a "Cheater/Hacker Report." This would be a forum post which tells us the number of cheaters who have been ejected from the game in the past week or month. Understandably, privacy concerns and game policies prevent you from telling us who they are, but you could still tell us how many have been banned. This would let us know that you are actively policing the game - something many MMO's fail to do, which then causes people to wonder if Game Masters are policing it at all, or if all their tickets are just ignored.

 

2) Have a GM or two enter random warzones and actively monitor for cheating. If they choose warzones entirely at random, at random times and intervals, players will never know when the warzone they are in also contains a Game Master. These warzone monitors, however, should make their presence known once every great while so that players are aware that the possibility exists. This will help to "nip it in the bud" - players will be far less likely to cheat when they know that there could be somebody watching who could take all of their characters away.

 

3) When banning a player for cheating in pvp, ban them permanently. Show no mercy, give no quarter. These people are making your game less enjoyable for your legitimate players who are looking to have a good time. Even players on the same side as the cheaters feel a little miffed - their wins mean nothing because they were gotten via cheating. Don't just ban an account name, either. Ban their credit card, too. Ban anyone with that address or phone number. Show no mercy.

 

In closing, I would just like to reiterate once more that I am grateful that SW:ToR exists, as it has let me explore my favorite fantasy universe and walk in the heavy boots of a Mandalorian warrior. I have been able to explore the dry wastes of Tatooine and tread upon the soil of Alderaan. I love this game, and as a player who will be eternally grateful to have been able to experience it, I plead with you - please do something about all the cheating in warzones.

 

Thank you,

An MMO Veteran since 2003

 

 

PS - Trolls will not be fed.

Edited August 24, 2012 by silvershadows

i seen alot of hacking on my old server...new server not alot...if any.

The problem...youtube....if you research the hacks...they are on youtube and they even show you how to do it...

I myself strive the top gear and play with pretty good players...and would`nt lower myself to hacking...but man it`s so easy to do...i`m actullay surprised that i`m not seeing alot of hacking...

 

and if you think this is bad...you tube hacks for popular shooters...zillions of them.

hopefully BIO keeps on top of this problem and finds solutions fast...don`t let hackers ruin this game...

 

most popular shooters i play for only a few months....til the online play turns to craps because of hackers.

i seen alot of hacking on my old server...new server not alot...if any.

The problem...youtube....if you research the hacks...they are on youtube and they even show you how to do it...

I myself strive the top gear and play with pretty good players...and would`nt lower myself to hacking...but man it`s so easy to do...i`m actullay surprised that i`m not seeing alot of hacking...

 

and if you think this is bad...you tube hacks for popular shooters...zillions of them.

hopefully BIO keeps on top of this problem and finds solutions fast...don`t let hackers ruin this game...

 

most popular shooters i play for only a few months....til the online play turns to craps because of hackers.

 

Cheating is actually quite rampant on my server. A lot of people have either stopped playing or have started playing lower-level pvp because cheating is less frequent in the lowbie warzones. It can be rather frustrating to see someone pick up the ball in Huttball, for example, then disappear and reappear by the goal line.

 

Earlier I was playing my sentinel, solo guarding the western bunker in Novare coast. A powertech came up to me and we proceeded to fight. When it became clear he wasn't going to kill me one-on-one, he started to run away. So I snared him. Next thing I knew, he was speeding off faster than normal movement speed while snared - in fact, faster than I could run - and I'm combat spec'd and have 15 percent movement speed bonus at all times. I even hit transcendence for the extra speed burst and he still got away. There was nobody else near to give him a speedboost, and we were fighting at the western bunker, nowhere near the run speed power-up.

 

It was definitely not legit. That was the first time I had seen such blatant cheating in a lower level warzone. I rolled my eyes and logged on my mercenary for some 50 pvp.

Good letter, I really hope they will read it!

 

Just played a Voidstar. We won, but 2 min. before the end, one of the opponents came at least to the first door (we held them away from the doors until then). Before he could start capping, I threw a grenade that tossed him to the ground for some sec. I stood right next to him and waited for him to stand up and interrupt him again. He stood up, clicked the door and it immediately became red and said, "bomb planted". No capping time. I wished I would have filmed it. Then few moments later, the same guy ran to the bridge, clicked the console and the bridge opened. Again, no capping time.

 

I reported the warzone and the player with as many details I could provide. But I will never know if they do something about it. I would love a list with info about cheats.

I play with Fraps on at all times now and have caught a few instances of it.

 

However sometimes it is hard to tell if it's intentional cheating or just a horrible bug.

I play with Fraps on at all times now and have caught a few instances of it.

 

However sometimes it is hard to tell if it's intentional cheating or just a horrible bug.

 

You and I both play on Ebon Hawk, and unfortunately, I seem to see at least one instance of cheating from the Republic side in every warzone I'm in. Of course, there are warzones with no cheaters, but it seems far more likely that there will be at least one. It doesn't always win the game for them, but it certainly makes for some extremely lame moments.

 

I haven't spoken to many republic players to see what they feel the instance of cheating on Empire side is, though it seems to be a rather popular topic of conversation in Imperial Fleet pvp chat.

I've never seen someone cheat. Ever. I've been accused of cheating plenty of times because I normally play with a good team, we normally win, and we know how to optimally use speed buffs on each other. Anything else is lag or packet loss between you and the server.

 

However if you accuse someone of cheating to win when they clearly are not, they will only assume you are bad, and may laugh at you. If you really think someone is cheating report it and move on.

Like this one?

http://i47.tinypic.com/zikh8g.jpg

I've never seen someone cheat. Ever. I've been accused of cheating plenty of times because I normally play with a good team, we normally win, and we know how to optimally use speed buffs on each other. Anything else is lag or packet loss between you and the server.

 

However if you accuse someone of cheating to win when they clearly are not, they will only assume you are bad, and may laugh at you. If you really think someone is cheating report it and move on.

 

Unlike a lot of players, I actually do know the difference between cheating and legit play. There is an awful lot of cheating going on in random warzones at level 50. I don't want to hear any baloney about how random warzones don't count - for a great many players they do count, especially since the rated community on our server has been steadily going downhill (read: only a couple teams even do rated warzones).

 

I have never reported a player/team for cheating simply because they won. In fact, I have won plenty of games in which the opposition was cheating and still lost. That doesn't take away from their lack of sportsmanship nor from the fact that they are breaking many parts of the games EULA. I've also never once informed anyone that I thought they were cheating or that I was going to report them - that would defeat the purpose, as an intelligent person would then quit cheating/hacking for a few days until they were sure there wasn't a GM looking over their shoulder.

 

If you had bothered to read what I wrote in my original post, you would have seen where I pointed out that players tend to stop reporting cheats and hacks when they feel nothing is being done about it. I suggested ways for BioWare to let us know that they are, in fact, doing something about it. Whether or not you have personally seen someone cheating (chances are you have seen it but dismissed it as something else - for example, speedhacking itself can occasionally look like the speedhacking person is lagging - unless you are trying to chase them, then you'll quickly figure out the difference) is actually irrelevant.

 

Nothing bad could come out of a proactive approach toward getting cheaters out of a game - unless, of course, you're the cheater.

 

I'm sorry, but watching a powertech who is snared speed away from me at faster than ataru run speed AND transcendence (nowhere near a run speed power-up, thank you very much) is not lag or packet loss between me and the server. It is a speedhack. CCing someone only to watch them instantly plant a bomb as you are hitting them (and watching your commands go through to the server) is not lag or packet loss, it is a hack.

 

All you have to do is go to YouTube and search for swtor pvp cheats/hacks and you will find out just how easy it is to do these things. Denying that cheating exists doesn't elevate you to some awesome level of super cool, it just makes you look silly.

Edited August 25, 2012 by silvershadows

Full support to OP. I couldnt agree more. Not that I need to argue with the trollsters but I can tell you this since this game has launched, 2 of my reports assisted Bioware in patching this game with exploits in pvp matches that they patched. These were exploits that players used to cheat in warzones. Bioware has confirmed they kick players for cheating and confirmed they have ejected players for cheating and actively work towards pacthing against cheats, hacks and exploits. And if you search for it on the web, its not hard to find videos and offers that allude and directly talk about hacks, exploits and cheats..so I always get a laugh when someone comes on these threads to claim they have never seen a cheat..my response..Bioware staff obviously have seen it so anyone claiming otherwise isnt making any sense.

 

My only complaint with Bioware is the silence in this matter. I know when they first announced they had made bans, a lot of my matches changed real fast as previously impervious players were suddenly dying real quick in warzones.

Essentially, criminals dont act when they see a cop car and its no different here. I know a lot of experienced pvpers who quit this game in disgust because of the cheating and I think Bioware really could reclaim their rep if they adopted the OP's suggestions.

 

When this game launched, I said this was what I had seen take down other games I played and Bioware fell into the same trap. If you allow the losers and exploiters to run the game, eventually thats all you have left and obviously new subs drop off until the game just dies.

 

Sadly, since the changes to this game seem to show Bioware plans to turn it into Star Wars: The Old Cash Shop...I dont expect these changes to be made. As long as they recoup their losses, they arent going to turn away anyone with a bank account. But I always hope against hope so your move Bioware prove me wrong.

After the recent fiasco at Canderous Ordo the present policy is that cheating is accepted.

After the recent fiasco at Canderous Ordo the present policy is that cheating is accepted.

 

Explain please? I don't often read the forums other than glancing at the Fan Fic forums to see if any non-smut has been posted or if anyone's read my stuff. I prefer to do my research on other websites and in game itself, I just grew so tired of seeing the poor sportsmanship and friends/acquaintances either quitting the game entirely or quitting level 50 pvp that I finally came here to say something.

 

If it's not something you're supposed to discuss on the forums, feel free to send me a private message

I'm sorry, but watching a powertech who is snared speed away from me at faster than ataru run speed AND transcendence (nowhere near a run speed power-up, thank you very much) is not lag or packet loss between me and the server. It is a speedhack.

 

Ok let's summerize. PT's hyrdaulic-overrides = 8 seconds of immunity to slows/roots/stuns + 30% movement increase. Throw a mara's predation in there 50% for 10 seconds and you've got yourself a bloody fast PT for 8-10 seconds. Maybe a few slows on you. Cause PT's like slows. I'd say this can be easily explained without cheats.

We could even add another 20% for 3 seconds from a sorc healers bubble.

 

I haven't seen anything since pre-release from which I could say without a doubt that it was a cheat. Nothing.

But them again maybe i'm just lucky and the players on my server don't bother with them.

imp marauder on ramp close to end zone yesterday, vanishes with ball (i thought he must of threw it before using camo) then reappears to score a few seconds later still carrying the ball. (while we are looking around for the ball and player....)

 

Sorry but it is hacking, killing pvp in this game. must be far more frustrating for ranked warzone peeps..

Before the server merges, I got "reported" by a Sorc for hacking (immune to damage). Resilience was confusing to them, I guess, and I got a good laugh about it. Never contacted by Bioware.

 

I wouldn't lose so many damn matches if I was hacking, that's for sure! LOL

 

Now, on the Ebon Hawk, one sith guild is constantly spamming "guild of a known cheater/hacker" in /say during warzones. I've played with most of my guildmates since launch, in and out of the same guild, and with/against in WZs, and I've never seen anyone cheating or hacking. Typically I laugh at people who call hacking at me, it's ridiculous. )(Nevermind that over half my guild quit when F2P was announced.)

 

There are some very very bad PuGs on Ebon Hawk, on both sides. People wearing PvE gear. People not watching nodes. People trying to 1v1 all the time, etc. The least of my worries are cheats and hacks.

I support the OP.

 

The new cheater FOTM are programs like netlimiter:

Creating artificial lag to prevent damage, avoid cc, and glitch away from certain death.

 

Sofware like that used to be mostly a PVE cheat - glitch by tough mobs without having to fight them etc.

But now it is frequently used in PVP because it's hard to prove that it is actually a hack.

Many inexperienced or unaware players will never even notice what happened or chalk it up to a lagspike.

So it's low risk and high reward for the cheater.

 

To my knowledge, Bioware's only "preventive" measure is that they will delete this post and/or thread.

As if being hush-hush about it will make the problem somehow go away.

Ok let's summerize. PT's hyrdaulic-overrides = 8 seconds of immunity to slows/roots/stuns + 30% movement increase. Throw a mara's predation in there 50% for 10 seconds and you've got yourself a bloody fast PT for 8-10 seconds. Maybe a few slows on you. Cause PT's like slows. I'd say this can be easily explained without cheats.

We could even add another 20% for 3 seconds from a sorc healers bubble.

 

I haven't seen anything since pre-release from which I could say without a doubt that it was a cheat. Nothing.

But them again maybe i'm just lucky and the players on my server don't bother with them.

 

We were the only ones around, I had no slows on myself, the guy was actually pretty terrible and would have easily died had he not gone running off at mach 10. I know cheating when I see it

Ive done the same and played most online games that have ever come out and there are hackers in all of them for awhile i agree with all steps put forward that is a good way to make things start working but it seems bioware is actively correcting things like easy access to datacrons by the casual solo er and other very unimportant junk they go so far as accuse someone reporting a bug as lying its a great tactic if you work for another company.

 

at 50 the game is destroyed ive seen more hacks with 50 warzones than at any other level a half geared stooge runs in and 6 fully geared pvp vets charge him at the beginning the stooge takes them all down and his hitpoint barely go half way down and that isnt a cause for any kind of investigation yes reylon on the baragan colony server just kick back its not like bio ware will fix this soon enough to recover from anyone that enjoys playing a fair match of pvp

I haven't seen anything since pre-release from which I could say without a doubt that it was a cheat. Nothing.

 

Without any doubt? I've seen a lot on my server, first Vrook now Bergeren, that could be hacks or could be bugs. But it seems bugs happen wearing the same guild tags much more frequently.

 

Always sad when you play the other side and find out someone you looked up to is uninterruptable, and isn't a commando specced for shield or someone with cover mechanic... or people you thought were amazing because they score so much somehow "disappear" with the ball.

 

Or in the 50 crowd, people boasting about how good they and their guild are took part in Ilum kill trading... these were my heroes.

(For those who don't want to read the whole thing, I have highlighted my ideas in a different color so you can find them quickly.)

 

Dear BioWare,

 

Before I start, I would just like to thank you for the efforts you have made to bring us an enjoyable game set in the Star Wars universe. Though it has it's problems like any other MMORPG, Star Wars: The Old Republic has thoroughly entertained me with it's storylines and gameplay.

 

However, as a person who cut her teeth in MMO's on the pvp-centric Dark Age of Camelot, playing for many hardcore eight versus eight RvR guilds, the main enjoyment I get out of any MMO is from player versus player combat. Though I find the pvp in SW:ToR to be more balanced than the pvp in World of Warcraft, there is a problem which is plaguing level 50 warzones, and to an extent their lower-level counterparts.

 

That problem is cheating and hacking. While I have always disliked MMO players who "cry hacks" every time they lose, the issue has become so rampant that most anyone other than those who willingly turn a blind eye can see it. Speedhacking, teleport hacking/map hacks, invisibility, and short-term invulnerability are all things that I have personally witnessed on multiple occasions. This may not even cover the whole gamut of hacks available.

 

I know that some players have been banned, but this has not served to discourage other players from following in their footsteps. I therefore propose the following actions which may help to lower the overall instances of cheating while at the same time causing would-be cheaters to think twice before they do.

 

1) Once a week or once a month, depending on the amount of cheaters banned, publicly post a "Cheater/Hacker Report." This would be a forum post which tells us the number of cheaters who have been ejected from the game in the past week or month. Understandably, privacy concerns and game policies prevent you from telling us who they are, but you could still tell us how many have been banned. This would let us know that you are actively policing the game - something many MMO's fail to do, which then causes people to wonder if Game Masters are policing it at all, or if all their tickets are just ignored.

 

2) Have a GM or two enter random warzones and actively monitor for cheating. If they choose warzones entirely at random, at random times and intervals, players will never know when the warzone they are in also contains a Game Master. These warzone monitors, however, should make their presence known once every great while so that players are aware that the possibility exists. This will help to "nip it in the bud" - players will be far less likely to cheat when they know that there could be somebody watching who could take all of their characters away.

 

3) When banning a player for cheating in pvp, ban them permanently. Show no mercy, give no quarter. These people are making your game less enjoyable for your legitimate players who are looking to have a good time. Even players on the same side as the cheaters feel a little miffed - their wins mean nothing because they were gotten via cheating. Don't just ban an account name, either. Ban their credit card, too. Ban anyone with that address or phone number. Show no mercy.

 

In closing, I would just like to reiterate once more that I am grateful that SW:ToR exists, as it has let me explore my favorite fantasy universe and walk in the heavy boots of a Mandalorian warrior. I have been able to explore the dry wastes of Tatooine and tread upon the soil of Alderaan. I love this game, and as a player who will be eternally grateful to have been able to experience it, I plead with you - please do something about all the cheating in warzones.

 

Thank you,

An MMO Veteran since 2003

 

 

PS - Trolls will not be fed.

 

LOL!!!!! This is hilarious. No offense but you must really suck at your class to make such a big "cheater post."

All of the things that you call "speed hacking" are actually ABILITIES!

Edited September 5, 2012 by TrumpetNut
adding

imp marauder on ramp close to end zone yesterday, vanishes with ball (i thought he must of threw it before using camo) then reappears to score a few seconds later still carrying the ball. (while we are looking around for the ball and player....)

 

Sorry but it is hacking, killing pvp in this game. must be far more frustrating for ranked warzone peeps..

 

How fast is your computer? Do you lag? Somebody might have passed it back to him so think about it! And try a marauder w ball in huttball yourself before you start complaining

How fast is your computer? Do you lag? Somebody might have passed it back to him so think about it! And try a marauder w ball in huttball yourself before you start complaining

 

I'm guessing when he said "I thought he might have passed it before camo" and "While we are looking around for ball and player" that it had occurred to him that there might have been some passing going on, and that he dismissed that theory based on the lack of other players present.

 

Jus sayin.

It would be nice to see a list. One hack we witnessed and recorded was the teleport one. The player would get the hutball and appear frozen in place. You could not target them then they dissapear and you hear and see the score. Then that same person is back at center. I hope these people got banned, but who knows. One thing people noticed was the match got real laggy when this happened. We played a team yesterday in Voidstar that would die and be on the other side of their door and teleport past the bridge back to the battle. Never once leaving their res point. They claimed they were being pulled. We all know better. All we could do was record , report and send in.

I'm starting to see these things more and more frequently. People speeding away at light speed while snared, getting out of the spawn room to 3-cap before the match even starts, capping a node while completely invisible, warping halfway across the Huttball map, even an instant cap or two. It is happening and it sours the entire warzone for everyone on the opposing team.

 

If someone on my own team were doing something of the sort, I would not hesitate to report them. I want warzones to be fair and challenging. I don't want to cheat to win. I can't speak for everyone but I would wager that I am in the nonvocal majority in this regard.

Nerco'd threat....and LOL @ people who claim all these exploits.