Hello there. I've been playing TF2 for about 900 hours now and as such I have met my fair share of hackers. I'll be frank, they annoy me. I'm sure they annoy everyone. So one day I had a brainwave, and wrote it down, refined it, then posted it to the TF2 community who refined it a lot more, and gave feedback which changed a lot of ideas. So now here I am presenting this idea on how to improve the VAC System Version 2.1 to the community hoping it will get noticed. I posted this idea up here so that the community can refine and help point out problems in it I may have missed. Please give me constructive criticism in the comments, and I do hope that if this is indeed a good idea that Valve notices. This is also up on the Steam Community Discussions: http://steamcommunity.com/app/440/discussions/0/360670708795902096/?ctp=2
I appreciate this isn't related to TF2 Maps, but I'm trying to spread this to as many TF2 communities as possible, and frankly, TF2 Maps is a much nicer place than Steam. Be warned: a long article is ahead, and there's really no point in TL;DR for this.
The Problem
As we all know the Valve Anti-Cheat System is designed to ban these (hackers, cheaters, script-kiddies, whatever you want to call them) permanently. We also all know the most popular way to get these cheats is through LMAOBox. The VAC does a fairly good job of defeating these people but there will always be holes in it and the hackers take advantage of these. The problem is that the VAC is entirely computer run and its code determines who it catches. All LMAOBox (and other hacks) have to do is re-code and bam, uncatchable (mostly). VAC scripters then re-code as well, resulting in a VAC wave, but it’s an endless cycle. As for the people who have been banned, the system is very harsh and those who want to keep it up simply make new accounts.
My Suggestion
As well as being computer run, the VAC sytem should include more of a human touch. My suggestion is two-fold: volunteers and moderators. Private servers usually have their own administrators who patrol the servers and Valve servers get the VAC. What is needed is volunteer players to patrol all the servers and catch people out. I’m going to call these hypothetical people Junior Administrators. The vote system already exists and it enables kicking from a server but these volunteers should have power. Not the power to VAC ban people themselves, as in V1. Instead Junior Admins can flag a person who they believe as a hacker. This flag wouldn’t appear anywhere in normal gameplay, but other Junior Admins can see it and can keep an eye on that person. If they spot suspicious activity as well they can add another flag. If a certain amount of flags is reached, let’s go for 5, then the footage of their gameplay during the time they were flagged is sent to 3 random online moderators who can review it and determine if a ban is necessary. Every flag given by a Junior Admin is worth the same amount, and a Junior Admin cannot flag someone twice, they can flag someone again if their flag was cleared however. A moderator is not sent something if they’re offline, or the case may go nowhere. These moderators are experienced members of the community who Valve may want to hand pick. They would be chosen for various reasons, see recruitment section below. A decision is made based on the majority, i.e. 2 of them. This way if one is corrupt or makes a mistake, then an innocent person doesn’t get banned. I know the whole thing may seem an ambitious change but the sort of people I have in mind are people who are sick of the exploitation, who want to play the game. Also, this wouldn’t replace the current VAC System, just add to it. Plus, people should be given the chance to give reports to the Junior Admins. Unlike normal reports, these will go directly to a Junior Admin on the server. If there is no Junior Admin present, then it goes to an idle one. They can then take a look. Also, a moderator or private server admin does not have the powers of a Junior Admin and vice versa. Private server admins and moderators can be Junior Admins as well, but they have to go through the same recruitment system, see below, they don't get all the powers of the system just for occupying one role.
These Junior Admins will be undetectable because they would just be playing the game like normal, except they have authority. It’s not a job, they just do it when they’re playing.
What about people who make different accounts? Rather than banning the account itself something personal is needed to identify who they are. Thus if they make another account then the ban will still be present. This could be something like their e-mail, something where Valve is aware of its change.
Meet Your Match
Since V1 we entered the era of Meet Your Match, and everything changed. There’s a new casual, but personally I don’t see any need to change my idea to suit it, just perhaps Junior Admins can flag people after the round has ended. We also got competitive. Now I don’t play competitive, but I do see one need for change. In competitive griefing does affect the overall experience so it would be included as a reason to flag. It wouldn’t result in a ban, just a cooldown.
Recruitment
To be a Junior Admin they need to have at least over 400 hours of TF2, regardless of class. They also need to be told of the rules, responsibilities and punishments that come with being one. They also need to do a questionnaire which offers situational questions e.g. ‘Would you flag someone if…’ as well as questions to demonstrate their knowledge of what hacking is and what it isn’t. They also need to prove they're a real player, this is done with a required number of matches played of any game mode, win or lose, or something as simple as captcha. If they have flags attatched to them, or have something that indicates they're a troll e.g. number of votekicks for griefing/trolling (which would have to be added), they'd be turned down.
To be a moderator you’ve got to be more active: at least 750 hours, regardless of class. A good account age and clean history. They’ve also gotta run some practices to see if they can do it properly, of course you get better with experience but still. Ideally they would be 18+ but I'm still working on a way you can guarantee that, suggestions are appreciated. They also have to prove they're a real player, see above, and that they're not a troll, see above.
Regulation
Now for the internal regulation. You can’t expect people to be eternally loyal and perfect, not taking advantage of their power. It isn’t possible for them to ban people on their own, but I would prefer if people weren’t randomly flagged all over the place, it could get annoying.
The Overwatch (CS:GO)
Now, in the previous thread, lots of people told me about how CS:GO has a very similar system: The Overwatch. Since then I did some research on The Overwatch, and I admit, my idea was similar, and this new idea is even more so. Still, I feel my idea my idea is a bit different and is more catered to TF2. For example The Overwatch deals with griefing as well, mine doesn’t, except in competitive. TF2 is more casual, griefing isn’t detrimental to your overall TF2 experience, except in competitive, where griefing would apply. Also, Overwatch’s moderators are chosen based on their competitive success and skill group. With my idea this isn’t necessary, you just have to have played a lot. Finally, in Overwatch, moderators can gain ‘Overwatch experience’ based on whether they are in the minority or majority on a decision, which means they can level up in it, giving them more influence and cases to oversee. This doesn’t exist in my idea, you’re equal to the other moderators. This prevents people losing influence if they make a mistake, and people getting too powerful.
Miscellaneous
While I’m here, I wanted to take the time to say a few other things. First I think VAC bans shouldn’t be instantly permanent. They should last a year and then those people should be given a second chance (What if they learned their lesson?). If they get caught again then it will be permanent. For anybody who thinks it’s lenient, it’s still permanent in the end. For anybody who thinks it’s harsh, it’s still better than before. Second, why can’t you do replays on official servers? It could be a way of submitting abuse or just because you want to, just a thought.
P.S. I will likely update this discussion based on community feedback so as I said: please give it. Also (I know this is asking a lot because this is, well, the internet (and you didn’t listen last time)) but could you please refrain from hate comments or arguments as I want to keep this thread positive and constructive.
P.P.S Although I have written this for TF2 I do suppose this idea (and Overwatch) may extend to other games outside of Valve. I haven't really thought about it but it is something to consider.
Thank you for your time.
I appreciate this isn't related to TF2 Maps, but I'm trying to spread this to as many TF2 communities as possible, and frankly, TF2 Maps is a much nicer place than Steam. Be warned: a long article is ahead, and there's really no point in TL;DR for this.
The Problem
As we all know the Valve Anti-Cheat System is designed to ban these (hackers, cheaters, script-kiddies, whatever you want to call them) permanently. We also all know the most popular way to get these cheats is through LMAOBox. The VAC does a fairly good job of defeating these people but there will always be holes in it and the hackers take advantage of these. The problem is that the VAC is entirely computer run and its code determines who it catches. All LMAOBox (and other hacks) have to do is re-code and bam, uncatchable (mostly). VAC scripters then re-code as well, resulting in a VAC wave, but it’s an endless cycle. As for the people who have been banned, the system is very harsh and those who want to keep it up simply make new accounts.
My Suggestion
As well as being computer run, the VAC sytem should include more of a human touch. My suggestion is two-fold: volunteers and moderators. Private servers usually have their own administrators who patrol the servers and Valve servers get the VAC. What is needed is volunteer players to patrol all the servers and catch people out. I’m going to call these hypothetical people Junior Administrators. The vote system already exists and it enables kicking from a server but these volunteers should have power. Not the power to VAC ban people themselves, as in V1. Instead Junior Admins can flag a person who they believe as a hacker. This flag wouldn’t appear anywhere in normal gameplay, but other Junior Admins can see it and can keep an eye on that person. If they spot suspicious activity as well they can add another flag. If a certain amount of flags is reached, let’s go for 5, then the footage of their gameplay during the time they were flagged is sent to 3 random online moderators who can review it and determine if a ban is necessary. Every flag given by a Junior Admin is worth the same amount, and a Junior Admin cannot flag someone twice, they can flag someone again if their flag was cleared however. A moderator is not sent something if they’re offline, or the case may go nowhere. These moderators are experienced members of the community who Valve may want to hand pick. They would be chosen for various reasons, see recruitment section below. A decision is made based on the majority, i.e. 2 of them. This way if one is corrupt or makes a mistake, then an innocent person doesn’t get banned. I know the whole thing may seem an ambitious change but the sort of people I have in mind are people who are sick of the exploitation, who want to play the game. Also, this wouldn’t replace the current VAC System, just add to it. Plus, people should be given the chance to give reports to the Junior Admins. Unlike normal reports, these will go directly to a Junior Admin on the server. If there is no Junior Admin present, then it goes to an idle one. They can then take a look. Also, a moderator or private server admin does not have the powers of a Junior Admin and vice versa. Private server admins and moderators can be Junior Admins as well, but they have to go through the same recruitment system, see below, they don't get all the powers of the system just for occupying one role.
These Junior Admins will be undetectable because they would just be playing the game like normal, except they have authority. It’s not a job, they just do it when they’re playing.
What about people who make different accounts? Rather than banning the account itself something personal is needed to identify who they are. Thus if they make another account then the ban will still be present. This could be something like their e-mail, something where Valve is aware of its change.
Meet Your Match
Since V1 we entered the era of Meet Your Match, and everything changed. There’s a new casual, but personally I don’t see any need to change my idea to suit it, just perhaps Junior Admins can flag people after the round has ended. We also got competitive. Now I don’t play competitive, but I do see one need for change. In competitive griefing does affect the overall experience so it would be included as a reason to flag. It wouldn’t result in a ban, just a cooldown.
Recruitment
To be a Junior Admin they need to have at least over 400 hours of TF2, regardless of class. They also need to be told of the rules, responsibilities and punishments that come with being one. They also need to do a questionnaire which offers situational questions e.g. ‘Would you flag someone if…’ as well as questions to demonstrate their knowledge of what hacking is and what it isn’t. They also need to prove they're a real player, this is done with a required number of matches played of any game mode, win or lose, or something as simple as captcha. If they have flags attatched to them, or have something that indicates they're a troll e.g. number of votekicks for griefing/trolling (which would have to be added), they'd be turned down.
To be a moderator you’ve got to be more active: at least 750 hours, regardless of class. A good account age and clean history. They’ve also gotta run some practices to see if they can do it properly, of course you get better with experience but still. Ideally they would be 18+ but I'm still working on a way you can guarantee that, suggestions are appreciated. They also have to prove they're a real player, see above, and that they're not a troll, see above.
Regulation
Now for the internal regulation. You can’t expect people to be eternally loyal and perfect, not taking advantage of their power. It isn’t possible for them to ban people on their own, but I would prefer if people weren’t randomly flagged all over the place, it could get annoying.
- Abuse. If a Junior Admin is found to be abusing the system i.e. flagging everyone in a server for no reason, they could have their powers removed. I would suggest removal for 2-3 months, then 4-6, then permanent.
- Spam. People who spam reports at Junior Admins (i.e. giving lots of reports in a short space of time) will be given a cooldown on it. If a report is given twice for the same person in a short space of time, the second one will be ignored. After a while, if no Junior Admin comes, they can send another.
- Missed Opportunity. If a person who is cheating leaves before they get justice then a Junior Admin should be able to access a separate list from the normal player list, of people who have left in the past ten minutes.
- Inactivity. Not in-game but when Junior Admins do not play the game for a very long time, say 8 months. When this happens they will be removed as Junior Admins, nothing more. They will be able to come back later. This would be the same for moderators, except they would take longer to be removed, say, a year, because it takes more to be a moderator than a junior admin. Also, if a moderator is given a case and doesn’t respond to it in, say, a week, it will be given to someone else.
- Privileges. I personally don’t want people becoming Junior Admins simply because they want special privileges. The Junior Admins will be allowed authority to flag and patrol servers but nothing more. They will not be immune to kicking due to inactivity nor to domination etc. or even the system itself. They will still have to pay at the store and work for items. Merely authority.
- Conflict. What happens when there is a conflict of interest? I already mentioned private servers have their own admins so if a private server’s admin is hacking or one is around when there is a cheater then I hope to promote working together. Private server’s admins have the power to ban from their server, Junior Admins have what I have listed. If a private server’s admin wishes to ban someone from a server because of hacking then the Junior Admin can flag the player as well. If the Private Admin wishes to ban because of other reasons e.g. exploiting or griefing, then the Junior Admin will not partake. Private server admins are treated like any other player in the system. Also, see above, private server admins do not have the power of Junior Admins and vice versa, unless they apply for the role as well.
- Cheating. Junior Admins are also not immune to the system, and can be banned in just the same way as any other person. None are exempt from justice in the system.
- Not-Hacking: It’s important that Junior Admins don’t flag people for the wrong reasons. I’m specifically talking about things people download that give them aimbot and such. What shouldn’t be a ban reason is if someone is griefing (except competitive) or exploiting e.g. leaving map boundaries.
The Overwatch (CS:GO)
Now, in the previous thread, lots of people told me about how CS:GO has a very similar system: The Overwatch. Since then I did some research on The Overwatch, and I admit, my idea was similar, and this new idea is even more so. Still, I feel my idea my idea is a bit different and is more catered to TF2. For example The Overwatch deals with griefing as well, mine doesn’t, except in competitive. TF2 is more casual, griefing isn’t detrimental to your overall TF2 experience, except in competitive, where griefing would apply. Also, Overwatch’s moderators are chosen based on their competitive success and skill group. With my idea this isn’t necessary, you just have to have played a lot. Finally, in Overwatch, moderators can gain ‘Overwatch experience’ based on whether they are in the minority or majority on a decision, which means they can level up in it, giving them more influence and cases to oversee. This doesn’t exist in my idea, you’re equal to the other moderators. This prevents people losing influence if they make a mistake, and people getting too powerful.
Miscellaneous
While I’m here, I wanted to take the time to say a few other things. First I think VAC bans shouldn’t be instantly permanent. They should last a year and then those people should be given a second chance (What if they learned their lesson?). If they get caught again then it will be permanent. For anybody who thinks it’s lenient, it’s still permanent in the end. For anybody who thinks it’s harsh, it’s still better than before. Second, why can’t you do replays on official servers? It could be a way of submitting abuse or just because you want to, just a thought.
P.S. I will likely update this discussion based on community feedback so as I said: please give it. Also (I know this is asking a lot because this is, well, the internet (and you didn’t listen last time)) but could you please refrain from hate comments or arguments as I want to keep this thread positive and constructive.
P.P.S Although I have written this for TF2 I do suppose this idea (and Overwatch) may extend to other games outside of Valve. I haven't really thought about it but it is something to consider.
Thank you for your time.
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