[bnejad]

The missing perspective here is Overwatch isn't very effective. Blantant cheaters are easy to find but anyone with half a brain can use certain types of cheats to remain easily undetected. The only solution valve has to stop cheaters is automatic detection through software which they do with VAC. However, "private" cheats (essentially paid for and only shared with small few, likely never advertised publicly) are notorious for never being detected.

Both may reduce some cheating but overall CSGO remains one of the most cheater infested games. The latest approach by valve is something called Prime matchmaking, where you must verify your identity with a phone number in an attempt to reduce throw away cheating accounts. This further divides the user base into smaller groups.

Many of the problems with cheating stem from the data passed between client and server. Though many of these design choices have advantages for other client performance/features, they allow cheating to prosper.

As a side note, third party match making such as ESEA use a more extensive and supposedly more effective anti cheat software. These services are usually paid as well.

[witty_username]

> Many of the problems with cheating stem from the data passed between client and server. Though many of these design choices have advantages for other client performance/features, they allow cheating to prosper.

Could you tell us more? What is one of these design choices?

[rasz_pl]

engines build on top of Quake/idTech3 (valve source,CoD) send only location of players in PVS (potentially visible set) and PHS (potentially hearable set, basically one leaf over from PVS). This means Wallhack will see everyone you can hear, that means every player on small maps like cod4 Showdown.

World of Tanks BigWorld on the other hand (python!!!lol, they finally started porting it to C after >6 years ..) only sends location of players that are in your direct cone of view. Combined with low server tick time(10Hz? for comparison Battlefield now has 120Hz servers), parts of client still in python and sub par graphical stack results in enemy tanks popping in the middle of open field, or 1 second after you peek over the corner.

They even had forced delayed spotting because game client didnt cache enemy tank models and displaying it immediately would result in engine stall/fps drop. It only took 6 years to go from terrible to bad:

http://worldoftanks.eu/en/news/pc-browser/46/version-916-spo...

[Natsu]

Not the OP, but I assume they mean that it sends things like the other players' locations, which can be found by cheaters to be seen with map hacks and such.

[ygra]

It got a little better a while ago, where they only distribute player locations to clients that have to be aware of that player due to either line of sight or being able to hear them. Faceit has a more aggressive system where player locations are only sent once you see them, which sometimes, in high-latency scenarios mean you suddenly see then appear somewhere without having them seen moving there. It's all a trade-off, I guess.

[ue_]

Doesn't this also mess with tactics such as being able to hear someone coming? I don't play CS:GO, but I do play Enemy Territory (id Software, 2003) and hearing when an enemy is coming is a crucial part of being able to get the first shot and kill someone.

Of course you could expand the limit of when to send data to the point where you can hear someone, but that wouldn't defeat short-range wallhacking, which is just about the only kind of wallhacking that's useful.

[chongli]

Yes. This sort of cheating is mitigated in DOTA 2 by not sending players' locations until they actually leave the fog of war.