'There are no plans to drop support for SteamOS': The Finals devs commit to Steam Deck and Linux players despite new kernel-level anti-cheat
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Not to mention you just cannot ever trust the client to be running the the code it says it is on the hardware it says it is.
And this is the problem. I really don’t think you’re aware of how fucking sophisticated cheats are. Anti-cheat software isn’t looking for people with high K:D’s or or snappy aimbots. The server can’t tell if you can see through the walls. The server has no way to know what’s also running on your computer.
Anti-cheat is looking for signs and signatures of those tools cheaters use. And, no, it’s not as easy as looking for a process called “TEH-HAX0RS.exe”. It’s borderline virus levels of sneaky, simulating regular processes. And, just like malware, there is business incentive for these people to be a step ahead of the anti-cheats because stupid kids still keep buying these fucking things. Antivirus and Anticheat are both fighting basically the same people.
I’m not going to disagree that it sucks and some games just make it too fucking easy to begin with by having poor code and structure, but by and large, if it was easy to detect cheaters in the server, it would have been done by now.
If privacy is your number one priority, abso-fucking-lutely don’t play the game. Or at least use a dedicated PC or game console. That said, ruining the enjoyment of the game for everyone else by letting cheaters have a field day will be less acceptable to the game buying public.
I do have some understanding of how both local and server-side cheat detection work.
How do you think processing of video output streams downstream from the output port with usb input assistance back into the PC should best be detected client-side, for example?
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For everyone who says we don’t want ring 0 or kernel level “root kits” I would agree, but then whats the solution when you can easily defeat these anti cheat solutions by going kernel level?
Genuine question, is there a solution?
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So wildly incorrect that I’m convinced you’re trolling.
You can think that if it helps you sleep if you like.
I guess BRs must all have some sort of airdrop beginning, a deadly moving circle and permadeath. In which case I guess Apex, Warzone and PUBG itself ceased to be BRs since they introduced respawning. From now on, everything will be labelled “Arena Shooter”.
You’re putting words in my mouth I never said. I also said goodbye, because this conversation is going nowhere. You just can’t accept the fact that you could possibly be wrong can you?
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For everyone who says we don’t want ring 0 or kernel level “root kits” I would agree, but then whats the solution when you can easily defeat these anti cheat solutions by going kernel level?
Genuine question, is there a solution?
There is a 2-part solution:
- Build a game people enjoy playing more than winning.
- If you need an anti-cheat solution, design one on a server side.
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I do have some understanding of how both local and server-side cheat detection work.
How do you think processing of video output streams downstream from the output port with usb input assistance back into the PC should best be detected client-side, for example?
Real fucking problem, yeah.
But think on this scale:
- Cheats built into game and anyone can turn on
- Cheats downloaded for free
- Cheats cost money and sophisticated
- Cheats require hardware and setup time and probably more money
The number of people that will cheat is less at each tier right? What if we remove the risk of ban at each tier vs a higher risk of ban?
If a dev does fucking nothing at those mid tiers, more people will cheat. If they build a reputation and ban a bunch of people, it encourages more people to give it up. Stubborn ones persist and go down to the next tier but they will be fewer in number. Ideally we make it so the cheat doesn’t work at each tier but each one is also harder to prevent.
It’s about playing the numbers. 1 in 100 players cheating sucks. 1 in 1000 cheaters isn’t great. 1 in a million? That’s a lot better risk.
So what happens if devices become popular and common? Great question. I guess everyone that gives a shit quits playing games? Every game is locked down with stream fed into AI, wave our hands and “magically” a server is making the decision for us?
I don’t know.
Until we get to that point, I accept the tools that work for now.
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For everyone who says we don’t want ring 0 or kernel level “root kits” I would agree, but then whats the solution when you can easily defeat these anti cheat solutions by going kernel level?
Genuine question, is there a solution?
What’s more important? Stopping people cheating at games via technology or digital freedom to prevent all kinds power abuse? (Forced obsolescence, surveillance, anti-features, etc)
Unauthorized Bread: Real rebellions involve jailbreaking IoT toasters
Cory Doctorow’s book, Radicalized, is up for a CBC award. To celebrate, here’s an excerpt.
Ars Technica (arstechnica.com)
I don’t care that much about games to be honest. If they get caught cheating, how about just legal action?
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You’re putting words in my mouth I never said. I also said goodbye, because this conversation is going nowhere. You just can’t accept the fact that you could possibly be wrong can you?
You just can’t accept the fact that you could possibly be wrong can you?
True I did double down on my completely facetious initial comment.
The conversation isn’t going nowhere because of me though. You’re obviously completely ready to discuss elements of game design and completely accepting that you might be wrong.
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You just can’t accept the fact that you could possibly be wrong can you?
True I did double down on my completely facetious initial comment.
The conversation isn’t going nowhere because of me though. You’re obviously completely ready to discuss elements of game design and completely accepting that you might be wrong.
Haha. “My initial comment was facetious”, the go to weasel phrase for someone that knows they’re wrong.
Go look up the official brand guidelines for the finals then think very hard about what kind of game it is. You don’t have to tell me, but I know you’re going to respond with an attempt at a snarky or “witty” reply anyway because you can’t help yourself.
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Real fucking problem, yeah.
But think on this scale:
- Cheats built into game and anyone can turn on
- Cheats downloaded for free
- Cheats cost money and sophisticated
- Cheats require hardware and setup time and probably more money
The number of people that will cheat is less at each tier right? What if we remove the risk of ban at each tier vs a higher risk of ban?
If a dev does fucking nothing at those mid tiers, more people will cheat. If they build a reputation and ban a bunch of people, it encourages more people to give it up. Stubborn ones persist and go down to the next tier but they will be fewer in number. Ideally we make it so the cheat doesn’t work at each tier but each one is also harder to prevent.
It’s about playing the numbers. 1 in 100 players cheating sucks. 1 in 1000 cheaters isn’t great. 1 in a million? That’s a lot better risk.
So what happens if devices become popular and common? Great question. I guess everyone that gives a shit quits playing games? Every game is locked down with stream fed into AI, wave our hands and “magically” a server is making the decision for us?
I don’t know.
Until we get to that point, I accept the tools that work for now.
Gonna skip most of your response because you fail to understand that barriers to entry in these area continue falling and are unstoppable. You will have to address this.
Thanks for the discussion, but I don’t think there is much more that you and I could discuss productively here.
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Haha. “My initial comment was facetious”, the go to weasel phrase for someone that knows they’re wrong.
Go look up the official brand guidelines for the finals then think very hard about what kind of game it is. You don’t have to tell me, but I know you’re going to respond with an attempt at a snarky or “witty” reply anyway because you can’t help yourself.
Did you read my username, or did you ignore that text like all the other text on your screen aside from the corporate messaging? At least you managed to understand my whole bit, if nothing else.
Meet you back here in a few years when Embark reveal their next game.
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Gonna skip most of your response because you fail to understand that barriers to entry in these area continue falling and are unstoppable. You will have to address this.
Thanks for the discussion, but I don’t think there is much more that you and I could discuss productively here.
Ha, this was no fucking discussion. You moved the goal posts, I pointed out why that new goal is still not a problem today, and you’re now trying to worm your way out by saying you didn’t read my response.
Classy. Fucking classy.