Since we are both reborn, of course I would choose the rich woman!

Chapter 423 The Most Taboo Things We Do When Making Games (6k views, please subscribe)

Lü Yao has been busy revitalizing the rural and pastoral economies in western Sichuan recently, and his concern for the company is limited to various written reports. Therefore, he learned about the situation described by the management of Shangnan Guang'an in the video conference relatively late.

However, Lü Yao was not unaware of the situation, but he did not expect it to be so serious.

Since its inception, PFS games have been accompanied by a constant struggle between cheating and anti-cheat measures.

Whether it's traditional FPS games like CS:GO and CF, or newer FPS games with skills like Overwatch and Apex Legends, there are a lot of cheats.

Wallhack, X-ray vision, radar, headshot lock, aimbot, invincibility...

These are all older cheats that rely on tampering with client data to achieve cheating effects.

However, this kind of effect is also very easy for game operators to find out, resulting in account bans.

As games continue to evolve, cheating techniques are becoming increasingly sophisticated.

For example, DMA, and heino.

While DMA (Device Memory Access) cheating technology is still considered a cheat, it's difficult for most game developers to detect. It's an external hardware cheat; it doesn't run directly on the target computer but instead reads memory directly through another device and the PCIe interface. Because it doesn't inject itself into the game process, traditional software-based detection methods are almost ineffective.

Heino is a kernel-driven cheat, which is software that runs at the operating system kernel level. It has higher privileges than anti-cheat systems and can easily hide itself.

This type of cheating is essentially turning the entire computer into a giant cheat box. The Heino cheat, with its lower-level and more core permissions, operates in the atmosphere, while the anti-cheat scanning system is on the ground, making it impossible to detect and punish the cheat system.

These two types of cheats are difficult to obtain.

But the most difficult thing is not the technology.

But the human heart.

No matter how advanced the technology is, there will always be more advanced technologies that can identify, block, and punish it, but how do you punish the most corrupt human heart?

Take DMA cheats as an example. Although this cheat scans memory through an external device and then maps it to the target computer, in essence, another computer transmits in-game information to the target computer. But no matter how it is transmitted, the behavior pattern of the cheat player is predictable.

Even though players later created simulated ballistics and aiming, there are still some flaws in the simulation.

Even if you can't catch them, you can still identify them by observing their behavior patterns in the game. For example, in the Treasure Hunt mode of PUBG, there is a cheat called "Treasure Mouse". This type of cheat can directly mark the high-value resources that have been produced in the game. Players who see this information will definitely "search for enemies in the void" and hunt them down from afar.

This behavior is very easy to identify. Even if you are deliberately circling around on the map, the subtle movements when supplies appear are easily recognized.

By combining the intelligent recognition technology from the Luoma Lake AI Center, it becomes easy to catch cheaters red-handed.

But what if the escorting player directly uses a humanoid remote-controlled cheat?
The map information in the PUBG Gold Rush game is roughly determined when you enter the game. Players using cheats can enter the game, share their cheat radar, and then exit by self-destructing. They can then remotely report enemy positions via WeChat voice. Meanwhile, players who pay for cheating are completely legitimate players.

In this situation, even AI wouldn't be able to help. With a strategist directing from behind and the "scheming" playstyle of PUBG, ambushing other players is practically guaranteed to be successful.

Most importantly, players who pay for the game cannot be identified as cheating or using hacks.

This is really eye-catching.

The senior management of Guangan Network Games is now facing this very problem.

In the process of fighting against external cheating groups, Guang'an Network Games Company has accumulated a large amount of anti-cheat technology, while external cheating technology is becoming increasingly rampant.

The senior management of Guang'an Networks do not believe that such intense anti-cheating measures can be sustained without backing.

Zhang Jingwen continued in the video conference: "Our game is becoming more and more influential, and it is showing signs of impacting the national gaming market. In terms of market share, especially in internet cafes, it has already surpassed Tencent's 'League of Legends' and 'PUBG.' Many people in the live streaming industry and game studios are full of expectations for our game."

"But the cheating in our game is becoming more and more rampant, which has affected the gaming experience of many normal players. Some of the cheaters are even popular streamers in our circle."

Yao Qiguang, the CEO of Guang'an Network Games, said at this time: "We are confident and capable of continuing to fight against cheating, but the effect of this offensive and defensive approach is not obvious. Moreover, no matter how we defend and counterattack, as our game becomes more and more popular, the number of cheats will only increase."

Lu Yao listened thoughtfully, then nodded and said, "Hmm, what President Yao said makes sense. I'll think about it and talk to you about this later."

Anti-cheat measures are indeed very troublesome, because game operators are not just fighting against one person, but against tens of thousands, even millions, of netizens across the entire internet.

No matter how brilliant your ideas or how advanced your skills, with so many uncultured but extremely eccentric individuals among the players, they're bound to come up with some unorthodox way to break the game.

But Lü Yao enjoys outsmarting and outmaneuvering players.

Lu Yao's favorite subject was also the study of human nature.

And cheat software, a product that relies heavily on human nature, is indeed a good research topic.

So after talking with Yao Qiguang and the others, Lü Yao began to think about the current situation and try to come up with a solution.

The problem of cheating is indeed unavoidable due to human greed and players' pursuit of "crushing" and "exhilarating" experiences. Whether it's NetEase's Overwatch, Tencent's PUBG, or CS:GO on Steam, there are numerous cheating issues.

These major game developers have indeed implemented a great deal of anti-cheat measures.

Although Tencent's technical capabilities have been criticized by outsiders, it does have some anti-cheat measures. An anti-cheat update can have an impact on players for at least a few days, and at the very least a day and a half.

Well, that's actually pretty good.

Tencent's technical department has limited manpower and resources; how can they compare to the vast number of genius players?

For example, the "virtual memory" technology developed by Tencent to combat cheating, combined with Tencent's driver-level anti-cheat system, makes many poorly made cheats on the market almost unusable. However, the blocking of DMA and Heino cheats can only rely on behavior detection and honeypot strategies for identification and screening.

This has inadvertently added a significant burden to the operation of the game.

The key issue is that these technologies have ways to circumvent them, and they are particularly easy to give players the impression of "putting in a lot of effort but getting no reward"—even though the game operators have made a lot of effort, players don't feel that it's that good.

Cheating software remains rampant.

The gaming environment remains harsh.

So--

Lu Yao reclined his chair in the car, half-lying on it, and quietly pondered—so, from another perspective, if he were a player, what would he do if he encountered a cheater?
They definitely hope that the cheaters will be severely punished.

However, most players in FPS games are quickly killed by a barrage of bullets, making it difficult to detect whether an opponent is cheating. Even if they do, they can only report them, but what happens after that?

The official verification process for games is very long.

The saying "A gentleman takes his revenge even after ten years" is completely unacceptable in the gaming world.

Gamers are after instant gratification. If you quit the game and report it, what happens then? Even if you get banned, so what? It's meaningless, completely meaningless.

Just like later on, with the continuous iteration and changes in the domestic game environment, as well as the official attitude of "League of Legends" towards being lazy, arrogant, and even stupid, the game environment of "League of Legends" has become worse and worse. In the end, apart from making money, the game had almost no other operational purpose.

The game is rife with scripts and cheats that run across the entire map. As long as you don't use skin-changing cheats, the probability and risk of your account being banned are extremely low.

Not to mention that Tencent itself adds a large number of bots to its games... This is a traditional skill of Tencent's operations. Whether it's League of Legends or Tencent's MOBA mobile games, there are a large number of bot players. These bot players are also an important means for Tencent to balance player data and increase daily active users.

So if you see players at the level of Tangren/Jiahao, or cheaters, reporting them won't help.

So what do players actually want?
Lu Yao instantly had an answer in his heart, and the answer was very simple—that was to beat up the cheater.

So how do you beat up the cheater?
It's also very simple.

Why not just give players cheats even more powerful than the cheaters themselves? Then add even more sarcastic, or even "pillar of shame" death methods to the game, and the players will be extremely satisfied! Even the viewers will be extremely satisfied!

Because of the "Internet sensory sharing effect," one player's revenge can make countless other players feel equally exhilarated.

This kind of scenario where players punish cheaters is also excellent material for online dissemination, which can further boost the popularity of the game "PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds".

Once you have an idea, the next step is to continuously refine it.

Therefore, Lü Yao immediately started a video conference.

When the executives from Guang'an Network Games reappeared in the video conference, Lü Yao shared his thoughts, adding some supplementary points: "I've given a deep consideration to the current types of cheats."

"Among so many types of cheats, the simpler and more blatant ones like aimbots, headshot locks, and invincibility are actually easier to spot, right? We don't need to pay too much attention to these types of cheats, right?" Yao Qiguang responded first: "That's right. These types of cheats can basically be banned after one game. Although many players or studios have dynamic machine codes set on their computers, so we can only ban accounts and not machines, these simple and blatant cheats don't attract players' attention."

What truly disgusts players are those cheating methods that are clearly enabled yet leave no trace.

For example, X-ray vision and treasure hunting.

A cheater can drive with two bosses, then the cheater can self-destruct and leave the command, making it very easy to lead the entire map.

This method of cheating is also the most difficult.

So Lu Yao tentatively said to you, "In conventional anti-cheat technology, there is a technique called honeypot, right?"

Zhang Jingwen replied, "Yes, Mr. Lü. This method involves adding hidden data within the game. Green players who enter the game normally cannot see this data, but DMA or Heino technology can scan this hidden data, thereby helping us to judge player behavior and reducing the difficulty for us to determine player behavior."

Lu Yao then laughed and said, "Then why don't we players add invisible players to the game specifically to combat cheating?"

what?
Let players fight against players?

As soon as this idea was proposed, the first thought that popped into the minds of veteran game development technicians like Zhang Jingwen was—how can ordinary players deal with players who are using cheats?
But a game development talent like Yao Qiguang, who has a deep understanding of human nature, immediately thought of a possibility—that is, to give the players in the game a cheat that is even stronger than a regular cheat! In this way, ordinary players can naturally defeat the cheater.

Lu Yao's method immediately reminded Yao Qiguang of the famous line uttered by the Jiajing Emperor in the TV series "Da Ming Dynasty": "Let heroes investigate heroes, let good men investigate good men."

That was a brilliant move!

As Yao Qiguang's eyes gradually brightened, Lü Yao continued, "Currently, in the 'PUBG's' treasure hunting mode, there are 18 players per map, right? We'll add two 'ghost player' units. These players are invisible to regular players, and ghost players can't see regular players either. Only by scanning the ghost player's cheater, or by having a cheater lock onto a ghost player's paid escort player, can you interact with them through 'ghost data' and thus collapse into reality."

"After that, as long as the ghost player kills a cheater, he will receive a corresponding resource reward, which is no less than a big gold. This reward can be set according to the severity of the situation."

"After killing a player, it would be best to have the ghost player erect a 'pillar of shame' in the game, hanging the cheater or the one who evaded the risks on the pillar of shame, thereby increasing the entertainment value of the game."

After Lü Yao finished speaking, everyone in the video conference fell silent and pondered.

This plan does seem feasible at first glance.

However, there are also problems.

Feng Ji, who had been silent all along, said, "President Lü, I have a question. What if the selected ghost player also uses resource cheats or wallhacks? Wouldn't that make them invincible?"

Lu Yao said, "This is why the honeypot tactic exists. If a ghost player gives their teammate wallhacks, then as long as they reach the honeypot, the corresponding data will be read and transmitted to other ghost players, allowing them to hunt down the cheating player."

"Even if someone cheats by bypassing the game itself, their cheating behavior will be detected by the honeypot and the game's AI, thus triggering a hunt by the ghost player."

Feng Ji continued, "What if both ghost players are cheaters?"

Lu Yao thought for a moment and said, "Then let's add two AI ghost players to the game, letting the AI ​​hunt down the cheating players. This is a backup plan. Also, we can promote it on social media, because this kind of player-versus-player 'Werewolf' game will definitely attract a lot of attention."

"Then we'll set the selection criteria for 'ghost players' to be purely 'green' players, encouraging more players to maintain a fair gaming environment in order to experience the gameplay of 'Ghost Hunter,' gradually reversing the current situation where cheating is rampant."

This solution is indeed very good.

However, if the game mechanics of ghost players, the honeypot scanning and identification system, the interaction judgment between the virtual and real worlds, and other technologies are to be applied to the game, it would be equivalent to rewriting the entire underlying architecture of the game.

This is a huge undertaking. Even though many of the internal models and mechanisms in all of Guang'an's games have independent code, incorporating these new mechanisms and code and ensuring there are no runtime bugs is still a very large undertaking.

But Guang'an is least afraid of having a heavy workload.

Especially the members of the "PUBG" project team. After "PUBG" gradually became popular and became one of the three giants of internet cafes, the employees of the "PUBG" project team were full of energy every day. This year, the revenue was second only to Guang'an's "Honor of Kings", which means that they can finally hold their heads high this year!
The bonuses are plentiful.

So Zhang Jingwen readily agreed: "Okay! We'll do as you say, Mr. Lü."

This isn't an anti-cheat system anymore; it's directly changing the gameplay.

Lu Yao then added, "By the way, with PUBG being so popular right now, I looked at the company's plans for next year, and they're planning to hold tournaments to keep the game fresh, right?"

Zhang Jingwen replied, "Yes, Mr. Lü, what are your instructions?"

Lu Yao raised his finger: "I'll just say one thing. Although PUBG naturally has e-sports data and FPS is a highly competitive game, the reason why the Treasure Hunt mode is so popular is mainly due to the diversified gameplay brought by searching, attacking and retreating."

Under this gameplay style, players all have their own unique understanding of the game itself.

Players who prefer a survival-oriented playstyle and focus on developing their character in a defensive manner might play a possession-based playstyle, like the "killer rat."

Players who simply enjoy scavenging and looting, and who like to experience the thrill of running from high-risk areas in vehicles, often play the "hamster" or "run-and-knife" style.

Players who enjoy fighting and clearing maps can go for a heavy-armored assault and experience an exhilarating feeling after clearing the map.

It is precisely because of this diverse gameplay and understanding of the game that the "treasure hunting" style has become so popular so quickly, and the identities of players from different styles will continue to change over time.

For example, a player who is a "rat" (a player who is initially inactive) might finally save up enough money and start building an aggressive build, only to go bankrupt and return to being a "rat" again; an aggressive player might also go bankrupt overnight and have to hire someone to run a knife to earn money so they can continue their aggressive build.

Players who rely on possession might get tired of the possession mechanic and start attacking aggressively...

In short, once you get hooked on this intense, aggressive approach, it's truly a horrible addiction.

For players' game matches, it is essential to ensure that the map design is good, allowing different players to find their place within it.

As for official esports tournaments, players have different ideas. Esports players participate in tournaments for prize money, and their professionalism and skills are completely different from those of ordinary players. Therefore, the gameplay in esports can be different from that of ordinary players.

For example, to increase competitiveness, the value and function of players' dog tags are greatly enhanced, thereby motivating players to fight fiercely and collect the dog tags left in the box after the opponent dies.

In order to ensure the gameplay of searching, attacking, and withdrawing, "shopping points" can be set up in the game.

The game directly incorporates the pre-match preparation phase of the "Treasure Hunt" mode into the game itself. Players can then use initial funds to collect high-value resources or collect the opponent's "dog tags" to exchange for high-value, high-powered equipment during the match, thereby increasing the game's competitiveness, tactics, and fun.

If players become interested in this competitive mode in the future, then we can make it a separate game mode for players to enter, train, or compete for rankings.

Lu Yao's final advice was: "Although we make games, the thing we should never do is teach players how to play games."

This is an absolute red flag!
Players have their own ideas about how to play a game and how it becomes popular. The purpose of holding esports events is to ensure the popularity of the game itself, not to make players try to match the performance of professional players.

To play games well, you need talent, and in addition to talent, you also need to be young.

Not every player can be like Faker.

Therefore, changing the original gameplay for the sake of esports events, and having the game designers teach players how to play the game, is simply putting the cart before the horse.

League of Legends made this mistake, Apex Legends made this mistake, and Delta Force players made this mistake too!

League of Legends made a particularly egregious mistake in this regard, especially with the arrival of the Mythic item update, which made countless players feel restricted and constrained. The increasingly formulaic and monotonous gameplay of heroes led to the rapid demise of League of Legends.

While League of Legends after the Mythic version appears to be alive, it has actually been dead for quite some time. Its continued operation is merely the process of the corpse of League of Legends decaying after its death.

Lu Yao's words were not only addressed to Zhang Jingwen's team leading "PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds," but also to other project leaders at Guang'an Network Games.

After everyone listened, Yao Qiguang was the first to speak: "What President Lü said makes a lot of sense. I have also recently discovered this problem. I have found that many planners do not play games themselves, or have a rather one-sided understanding of games. In the future, we will pay more attention to the gameplay styles that players discover and develop on their own, and incorporate these gameplay styles into the game to increase its playability."

Lu Yao nodded: "With President Yao keeping an eye on things, I feel very reassured. That's all for today. Remember to forward me a copy of your recent work log; I need to keep an eye on it."

Zhang Jingwen: "Okay!"

After the video conference ended again, Lü Yao couldn't help but sigh.

It's already 2018. Although IG will win the championship this year, League of Legends will also truly die this year.

such a pity……

What a pity.

Even today, Lü Yao still misses the AP Sword Saint of yesteryear.

(End of this chapter)