Anti-Cheat

[Somian]

Hi, I already posted this on the steam forums, but i'm not sure if anyone will read it there, soni'll post it here, too.

Defense Grid: The Awakening really is one of my favourite games. Only real problem are the cheaters spoiling the game. How can someone have a score of 68000 if I made it to 33500 after I tried the level 20 times? (and i'm on rank 33 on this level)

http://img17.imageshack.us/my.php?image=cheaters.jpg

just look at the pic. people can just hack their games and spoil the fun for over 50000 of the other players that don't cheat

My Idea to prevent cheating is that players have to upload a replay of their game after completion that gets verified by the server in order to upload their scores. This way, ppl can't build 489 towersin a level that has only 24 slots or just enter their desired score in a hex-editor.
However, the replay shouldn't be public so you cannot see the leader's tower setup.

Cheating like this on a system like steam is just ridicolous.

Microsoft's LIVE is safer, and users get banned if they cheat. Why not on steam? =/

Please, do something, or the game will be dead. I really enjoy it but I can't anymore if so many people are cheating! If anyone is cheating at all.

I may have to think about getting the XBOX360 version. I prefer the PC version due to better graphics, better friend-options on steam and optional mouse controls (I usually play defense grid with the 360 controller, though). however, if steam is just not cheat protected, i'll have to stick with LIVE, because this game really is a highscore-overkill-and-achievement-bragging-game. And what's a HOAABG that's got hacked? nothing! just a piece of useless software like a screen saver or a tax declaration 1996 software trial version on a scratched old computer magazine CD =(

[mokn]

The replay thing might work, i mean it's pretty obvious which scores are cheated. it'd just have to be done in a way where they would only need to watch 5 max replays a week.

A lot of games on xbox live and psn get cheated. I do like games where they show a replay of the top 10 but those are for shorter games, it creates competition i guess.

The game will be cheatable on xbox too unless they fix up some stuff like saves and add real time score tracking, a wave is worth the same no matter what (command tower adds a few %) this can all be tracked. Interest is always the same formula just based of cores and current resources, so an anti cheat that works in real time tracking the score would work.


Oh btw i had like 22 rank 1 and 2 but no top 10 in story mode, ignore that mode as most people with trainers use that mode when they play through the game. Also the pirate version which has a resource bug still submits scores.

[Somian]

i also dont understand, how a pirated version can submit scores? doesn't the server check the CD-key when the scores are uploaded (or the steam-ID in this case)

[takista]

Any Story or challenge score cannot be over 500,000. Only in grinder mode, gamers can get points higher than 500,000. Therefore All gamers whose story or challenge score is over 500,000 must be deleted from leaderboard.

And "Assessing the threat" cannot be over 27k in any mode (story, story challenge, relaxed). I bet.

My current 'Fire control' story score is 34,621.

I think that score over 36k in fire control is impossible to get.

[killemall]

There is something the legit gamers can do about it, at least on xbox.

File a complaint for System Tampering. Only a few flags are needed for that complaint type in order for MS to react, and since you can't create your own score unless you've tampered with the system, it's a legit complaint too.

Just go to any Leaderboard, and if you spot an obvious cheat (eg. using too many towers in a tower limit map)
> view gamercard
> File Complaint
> File Complaint (again)
> Tampering
> System tampering (or Cheat)
> File Complaint (yet again)