Escape from Tarkov players are fed up with cheaters and are abandoning the game in favor of CS:GO among other things. A YouTube video showing the scale of the problem broke the camel’s back.
The problem of cheaters in the online shooter Escape from Tarkov is as old as the game itself. It’s been around since it was made available in beta in 2017, but instead of decreasing, it continues to increase. Some say there are now more cheaters than ever.
A YouTube user nicknamed g0at decided to show the extent of the phenomenon. Deciding that the end justifies the means, he decided to use tricks himself, especially the ESP (Extrasensory Perception), with which – thanks to the “super senses” – he saw the position of other players on the map, their health, their statistics, their equipment or the direction in which they were looking.
The experiment yielded an alarming, but not necessarily surprising, conclusion:
“About 60% of my raids involved cheaters. One night I ran into them on five raids in a row,” g0at said.
Interestingly, through 125 matches the youtuber said he hasn’t come across any cheaters who would fly around the map (literally), be invulnerable to damage (in exchange for a weird stance), move at a significantly higher speed or would use an aimbot. Plus, you were much more likely to find them at night. Therefore, it can be concluded that cheaters in Escape from Tarkov they are extremely cautious.
As did?
Initially, g0at tried various tactics, such as exposing himself in a difficult, unobvious position, which would still allow other players to shoot clearly. Honest people are unlikely to catch it, while cheaters using ESP will be highlighted in red.
However, this solution wasn’t 100% effective, as it didn’t eliminate players with very good skills and a sharp eye from the equation. Thus, the Youtuber decided to use a specific movement, known in the hacker community as the wiggle. It feels like rocking back and forth and (usually) communicates the peaceful intentions of the sender.
The trick was to do this by looking at players you shouldn’t be able to see without using cheats. Of course, it also worked the other way around. So if someone responded with the same move, that meant that, like g0at, they were using ESP.
“It should be noted that the Internet user invited another YouTuber to the test, who preferred to remain anonymous. Interestingly, he was more concerned about the reaction of cheaters than game developers.
A Divided Community
advertising cheating
It might have seemed like players would appreciate g0at’s efforts and the truth he brought to light. Many of them did. However much of the community treated the internet user’s material as fraudulent advertising. However, many people note that the issue is so big and old that even if some players decide to start using cheats after watching the video, it won’t make much of a difference.
Exodus to CS:GO
Some claim that so many cheats in Escape from Tarkov, which, as I noted above, have been a problem for a long time, contributed to the massive return of players CS:GO, recently noticed on Steam. Suffice it to say that yesterday he saw a new record – The Valve shooter was launched simultaneously on the accounts of 1,355,797 users of the platform.
Not bad is an understatement. Source: Steam DB.
One thing is sure – the cheaters are pointed out as the main reason why people drop out Escape from Tarkov (although they are not the only ones).
Gamers vs Streamers
It should be added that Internet users who broadcast gameplay are quite critical of g0at’s video, much more than “normal” players (you can find an example video below). They accuse him, among other things, of an inappropriate and immoral way of acquiring data and resentful that his video was not taken down by, or rather: at the suggestion of Battlestate Games, the creators of Escape from Tarkov. After all, this would be the destination for all videos demonstrating cheating, regardless of their topic.
The community has started to question this difference of opinion between gamers and streamers. Some netizens have come to wonder if the difference in reception of g0at’s material is due to the former simply enjoying the truth, while the latter fear a viewer exodus, which will also result in fewer people watching Escape from Tarkov streams
It is worth mentioning that a lot of hate started to appear in discussions about the issue in question. Some posts were deleted by automatic and/or human moderation from the game’s subreddit, which did not please the community. The moderators assured that they will do their best to keep the discussion going while they play Escape from Tarkov themselves and care about the fairness of the game. However, they stipulated that they will ensure that the discussions are civil.
What are the developers saying?
Battlestate Games not only (apparently) took no action to remove the g0at video, but also commented on the situation in question on Reddit. The developers said they’ve been dealing with cheaters for a long time, and yet people keep accusing them of being passive.
- The developers claim that they are currently banning several thousand cheats per day.usually soon after you start using cheats.
- An anti-cheat system called Battleye, which protects Escape from Tarkov, would be updated regularly; he reportedly received four patches in the past week alone.
- Unfortunately, the cheats are also updated regularly.
- The developers intend to start working on new automated methods to detect cheaters. These should improve both the quality and speed of response.
- The ticketing system is also continuously improved.
the community seems doubt these guarantees, which are worth adding, look very similar each time the problem of the cheater worsens. “They’re actively working to improve security, just like I’m striving to be a millionaire,” wallywot wrote in a review thread, which has far more “upvotes” than the developer’s post.
Battlestate Games is a Russian studio. The company was originally founded in St. Petersburg. The developers have moved their headquarters to London, although some team members continue to operate from Russia.