"Apex Legends" forces cheaters to play against each other
Cheaters ruin online games. Now EA has come up with something new in the fight against unfair behaviour in "Apex Legends": It is now letting cheaters compete against each other online.
Cheats have been part of video games for as long as they have existed. In the past, game developers used them to efficiently find bugs during the test phase. Today, they are particularly interesting for casual gamers who want to be able to play a longer game to the end. In online games, however, cheats are frowned upon. "Apex Legends" has been struggling with cheaters since the beginning and has responded with the latest update: From now on, the smash hit from Respawn matches cheaters and lets them compete against each other.
When the usual measures fail...
The developers have tried everything to keep cheaters out of "Apex Legends". They have created AI to detect cheating programmes. Even filtering out spam accounts or two-factor authentication for suspicious accounts hardly brought any improvement. As the number of players increased rapidly, so did the number of cheaters.
It's not just the cheaters that are annoying - indirect cheaters are also a thorn in the side of game makers. This refers to players who do not use aimbots for better aiming and other cheats themselves, but who deliberately choose to be on the same team as cheaters: If you deliberately get involved with a cheater and make common cause, then you are automatically a cheater in the eyes of Respawn. Sounds logical.
...then we'll try something new
So the girls and boys from California got together and developed a new method to penalise cheaters. All those players who don't stick to the rules and cheat have to compete against their peers. Let someone else say that "an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth" retribution is outdated.
The interesting thing about this idea is that it also determines who is the best cheater among cheaters. So why not create a two-tier society and choose the best of both groups? After all, this is precisely the aim of any game based on the "Battle Royale" mode.
Why the whole thing will work
Why doesn't EA just ban the offending gamers? Because then the cheaters create a new account and the game starts all over again. Since they are cheaters, they can easily play their way back to the top. That's exactly what they're doing when they cheat. So Respawn throws all the cheaters into a new cage and lets them compete against each other - without them realising it. And that's the crux of the matter: they can play for hours without getting on the nerves of honest souls.
However, there is one disadvantage: Imagine being falsely accused of being a cheater and having to deal with cheaters from now on. It's not the most elegant solution ever. But an extremely brave and clever one, in my opinion. And as soon as you lose to all the cheaters, your accusers should realise relatively quickly that you are in fact not a cheater.
A never-ending story
In addition to the new ideas, the US game developer is also pushing its existing reporting measures against cheaters and accepting feedback from other Redditors. Respawn is also considering a system to make it even easier to report cheating players and another feature that lets you track your killer and report them if you suspect cheating.
If you no longer win a game with the latest update in "Apex Legends", then you should probably rethink your basic attitude as soon as possible.
When I'm not stuffing my face with sweets, you'll catch me running around in the gym hall. I’m a passionate floorball player and coach. On rainy days, I tinker with my homebuilt PCs, robots or other gadgets. Music is always my trusted companion. I also enjoy tackling hilly terrain on my road bike and criss-crossing the country on my cross-country skis.