CHEATERS vol.1

In last posted I've talked about crazy number of players from USA servers, coming to Europe, cheating. That fact that new maphack is out since few weeks ago and that they rapidly subscribed to it just tells how these wannabes want to progress.

COMEBACK

Aprox 4 weeks ago I decided to fully comeback to Warcraft. It is a huge blessing to have a hobby like this that is fun and mentally demanding. I always liked strategy games because I think that advancing our strategies we advance as a whole. Chess, cards and video games are offering healthy competition to human beings.

STRATEGY

Imagine you start a chess game and somehow your opponent can see all the moves you are going to make. Or imagine that you play poker and your opponent can see your cards. Now try to transfer that feeling onto Warcraft 3 and you will begin to realize how damaging cheats are, not only to a player that has been cheated, but to the whole idea of advancing as a whole. Two players in one game are creating third entity called battle.

GAME OF INCOMPLETE INFORMATION

Warcraft 3, as poker is a game of incomplete information. The minimap in our bottom left corner helps us to articulate ours and our opponents moves, places of interest and to shape in game strategy. Being able to see what your opponent is doing, even just for a second, completely destroy the idea of the battle. That is what maphack does to Warcraft 3.

CHARACTERS

During battle.net history I've seen and observed all types of characters. According to their traits, after many years of observing, I realized that certain types are more inclined to cheat than others. Smurfers in first place, since their main account credibility has been lost on their main accounts. Cheaters who come from other realms, because their credibility has been lost on their main realms. Custom game dodgers who comply with last two types mentioned. The line that can be drawn between them is the line of lost credibility.

ITS NOT EASY TO PROVE

Today, to prove that someone maphacks is not as easy task as before. Like, 10 years ago, hackers were so blatant that they would click on opponents units even tho these units were under fog of war. By pressing CTRL+C while watching replay one could determine the exact moment when the maphacker clicked on unseen units and exposure was as easy task.

CTRL+C

Like every cancer, maphack spread and advanced to next levels. Instead of just displaying minimap it got more functions. Cheaters could now toggle it off and on, click on opponents units without being detected by CTRL+C, show hero inventory, players resources and so on. 

HACKERS GOT BETTER

It is important to note that with all these years, cheaters got sophisticated, they learnt they lesson. They created certain patterns when playing on certain maps in specific matchups. They started to fake scoutings, check spots even tho they can see whole map under the fog. 

FEAR

They are doing this because they are tired of being exposed and banned in return. They are aware that once they are caught again, at current time of battle.net that has 200 players online at the time I'm writing this, it will be impossible for them to rebuild themselves. When community is smaller, everyone knows what everyone is doing.

USA+HACK

For the past few days, I've met at least 5 different players that come from USA servers and have a cheating history. Some of these players spend great time in channel clan WaR and they play custom games when they are not cheating in ladder. They also cheat in custom games. It is important to note that these players have same behaving patterns that they had few years ago. This is how it goes:

1. They create new account so nobody could connect them with their history

2. They start playing ladder and they are conservative with their cheating, meaning, they cheat hard only against players that are worth beating but not by cheating blatantly in every game they play, no, they fake scouts, make "logical" plays and so on

3. They connect with certain types of people who are their ticket to the "elite"

4. They eventually realize that in order to become elite, they have to win elite players which is impossible for them because if they are going to win they have to hack obviously which is something they don't want because it took them a lot of time and effort to "clean" and separate them from their history

5. They start to create smurf accounts to fill the emptiness from the realization in the last paragraph 

6. They get accused by people like myself

7. They get defended by people who are inexperienced, have their own motives which are not motives of everyone

8. Chaos is created and in this chaos everyone becomes aware that maphacker is back. Everyone is waiting for his mistake so he can be exposed and cycle repeated.

9. Hacker gets exposed eventually 

10. Cycle repeats.

CREDIBILITY

Let me tell you this, I've witnessed these chaotic moments so many times and for past 16 years. I've never made a wrong maphack accusation. I've held clans and being part of clans that gathered the best and most respectable players of many Warcraft 3 eras. Accusing someone of maphack for me is not an easy sentence that some people just spit out when they are angry because they lost the game. It is different when you are playing the game on certain level for so many years and when you recently got there or you got somewhere but that somewhere is miles below where you are supposed to be before you accuse someone of cheating. Or defend, because defending the wrongdoer is the wrong do.

LOGIC

Back to the USA players and why so many USA players cheat. First of all, their community is smaller therefore has less good players. If you have the village of 50 houses and you beat every male in 1v1 combat you will look to go to the city to see how strong you are. It is common. But also, if you pulled a knife that you shouldn't pull in one of those combats, every single male from those 50 houses will be looking to beat you up so you are moving to the city again. 

NAMES

And that is what CaldWellKid, CERON, 1337ness and other USA players have been doing for the past years. 

More on this subject with replays and analysis soon.