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Activision’s New Anti-Cheat Tactic in Call of Duty: Hallucinations to Disorient Cheaters

The newest anti-cheat tactic in Call of Duty may count as psychological warfare if we’re being dramatic enough.

Activision, the developer of Call of Duty, has been employing various tactics to combat cheating in the game. Their newest effort is the use of “hallucinations” to confuse and disorient cheaters. When Activision’s systems detect or suspect a cheater, a clone of a real player, called a “hallucination,” is deployed to trick the cheater into thinking they are encountering a genuine opponent. The hallucinations move, look, and interact with the world just like a human player and emit the same kinds of hidden information that cheaters receive through their illicit tools. Hallucinations are deployed close to suspected cheaters, and if a suspicious player interacts with a hallucination, they will be detected as a hacker.

Anti-Cheat Tactic

Ricochet, the anti-cheat team behind this strategy, claims that allowing cheaters to remain in the game in a mitigated state provides valuable data on how cheaters operate, which can be used to improve future anti-cheat measures. In addition to the use of hallucinations, Activision has been taking other steps to combat cheating, such as disabling the ability to see targets or taking away weapons from cheaters. They have also been monitoring the use of XIM-style controller passthrough devices, which allow players to use keyboard and mouse controls on consoles, giving them an unfair advantage over players using traditional controllers.

Also read: Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare Review: Is It Free To Play? Why Is It So Big?

While Activision’s anti-cheat measures may help reduce cheating in Call of Duty, it’s important to note that cheating is a constantly evolving problem, and cheaters are always finding new ways to exploit the game. In the past, Activision has employed other hacker mitigations, such as Quicksand, which would slow down or freeze cheaters in place. However, it was wound down due to its potential to disrupt the game experience for legitimate players. An updated version may be added in the future.

In summary, Activision is using a variety of strategies to combat cheating in Call of Duty, including the use of hallucinations to disorient cheaters. They believe that allowing cheaters to remain in the game in a mitigated state provides valuable data to improve future anti-cheat measures.

While these measures may help reduce cheating, it’s important to continue developing new strategies to keep up with cheaters’ constantly evolving tactics.


What is the newest anti-cheat strategy in Call of Duty?

The newest anti-cheat strategy in Call of Duty is the use of “hallucinations” to disorient and confuse cheaters. These “hallucinations” are clones of real players that move, look, and interact with the world just like a human player, and emit the same hidden information that cheaters receive through their illicit tools.

Why is Activision employing this tactic?

Activision is using hallucinations to combat cheating in Call of Duty because it provides valuable data on how cheaters operate, which can be used to improve future anti-cheat measures.

What other steps has Activision taken to combat cheating in Call of Duty?

In addition to the use of hallucinations, Activision has been disabling the ability to see targets or taking away weapons from cheaters. They have also been monitoring the use of XIM-style controller passthrough devices, which allow players to use keyboard and mouse controls on consoles, giving them an unfair advantage over players using traditional controllers.

How effective is this anti-cheat strategy?

While it may help reduce cheating in Call of Duty, it’s important to note that cheating is a constantly evolving problem, and cheaters are always finding new ways to exploit the game. Therefore, it’s important to continue developing new strategies to keep up with cheaters’ constantly evolving tactics.

Has Activision employed other hacker mitigations in the past?

Yes, Activision has employed other hacker mitigations in the past, such as Quicksand, which would slow down or freeze cheaters in place. However, it was wound down due to its potential to disrupt the game experience for legitimate players. An updated version may be added in the future.