Massively OP Kickstarter donor Daveha is not amused with an MMO industry that seems content to let cheaters get away with their nefarious deeds. For this morning’s Daily Grind, he writes,
By trade I am a Director of an IT department, so I have a pretty good understanding of how things work in the IT field. My question has to do with MMO data gathering and the parsing of data to identify possible cheaters. I assume that most large MMOs have a relational database as part of their backend infrastructure. I also assume that these databases are huge with many tables and lots of data. In my experience I can sort and select data from the database that will give me information down to every click they make on my ecommerce website. If I can do that working with my DBA, what stops these MMO companies from doing the same to identify cheaters?
In Final Fantasy XIV, I reported the same bot for over two weeks through proper channels, but nothing was done. When I posted proof, I was banned from the forum! Why is it so hard for these companies to identify and remove these cheaters? If you have accurate timestamps from the report and positional data, not to mention a character’s name, what stops the company from using the information in the database to make a case from banning them from the game?
What’s the deal with studios and cheaters? Why is quashing MMO cheating so damn hard?
Every morning, the Massively Overpowered writers team up with mascot Mo to ask MMORPG players pointed questions about the massively multiplayer online roleplaying genre. Grab a mug of your preferred beverage and take a stab at answering the question posed in today’s Daily Grind!
