[Feedback] Add Epic Easy Anti-Cheat to FFXIV before is too late

[KariTheFox]

Wasn't Valorent's anti-cheat a rootkit lmao?

I don't get why you guys are simping for getting malware and rootkits installed on your system.

"Valorant has a custom security rootkit software called 'Vanguard' which has kernel level access on PCs that have the game installed. Vanguard is basically the 'anti-cheat' software that runs in background on your system (irrespective of whether you are playing Valorant at a given time or not) and Vanguard starts functioning with the booting process itself, even before you reach the Windows login screen.

What you may not be aware of is that Vanguard collects and transfers your data. A lot of it. Not only does it collect your personal information (name, billing address, basic details, contact number etc.), it also collects your preferences, time of activity, friendlist, key bindings, chat logs and voice chat recordings, PC specifications, browsing history, ISP details and geographical location! Not only does Vanguard collect and store all this information, it is also permitted to transfer your data to third parties and Riot's parent/holding and subsidiary companies."

Haha what the fuck Id prefer a world where sometimes a cheater ruins a pvp match. They're so short anyway, who cares?

[Johners]

Haha what the fuck Id prefer a world where sometimes a cheater ruins a pvp match. They're so short anyway, who cares?

Square Enix collect our personal information when we sign up and create an account to play Final Fantasy XIV, an anti-cheat doesn't do this. Square Enix also knows when and where we login, an anti-cheat doesn't do this. The friends list is stored server side already based on the people you add/remove.

What an anti-cheat does, and while you can technically classify it as a malware, is looks for third party programs interacting with the game in ways it shouldn't. This includes sending information to the game client or reading the applications memory. Certain programs like OBS and peripheral configuration software like Logitech G Hub could technically trigger an anti-cheat but usually there's a whitelist of known/approved applications to avoid super common things triggering the anti-cheat.

It's not a one-size fits all solution though. It's a tool part of a entire set in the cat and mouse game against cheating. Online games need a clean and integral game environment to help ensure legitimate players aren't punished by those with an unfair advantage. The quality and complexity of cheats has improved drastically these last years with it being a big money business for people to sell cheats to cheaters (or hacker or w/e you wish to call them).

If Square Enix sets a precedent that use of plugins/third-party programs is ok or simply doesn't give themselves the toolset to moderate it, you're going to increase the likelihood of legitimate players being driven away and that includes the entire PlayStation audience that doesn't have access to them (and why other cross-platform titles have toggles for console users to not play with PC because even the best anti-cheat isn't perfect on it's own).

[MintnHoney]

Square Enix collect our personal information when we sign up and create an account to play Final Fantasy XIV, an anti-cheat doesn't do this.

Wanna bet?

[redheadturk]

Haha what the fuck Id prefer a world where sometimes a cheater ruins a pvp match. They're so short anyway, who cares?

And this is why I don't play Valorant. I refuse to play a game that requires you to install a rootkit on your PC to play it.

[Larirawiel]

What an anti-cheat does, and while you can technically classify it as a malware, is looks for third party programs interacting with the game in ways it shouldn't. This includes sending information to the game client or reading the applications memory. Certain programs like OBS and peripheral configuration software like Logitech G Hub could technically trigger an anti-cheat but usually there's a whitelist of known/approved applications to avoid super common things triggering the anti-cheat.

If you run the game in a VM and let cheat software access the game from the host then anti cheat tools have no chance to detect it. The only chance you have is to shutdown the game when a VM is detected. But this is also not easy.

Cheers

[Mosha]

Square Enix collect our personal information when we sign up and create an account to play Final Fantasy XIV, an anti-cheat doesn't do this. Square Enix also knows when and where we login, an anti-cheat doesn't do this. The friends list is stored server side already based on the people you add/remove.

What an anti-cheat does, and while you can technically classify it as a malware, is looks for third party programs interacting with the game in ways it shouldn't. This includes sending information to the game client or reading the applications memory. Certain programs like OBS and peripheral configuration software like Logitech G Hub could technically trigger an anti-cheat but usually there's a whitelist of known/approved applications to avoid super common things triggering the anti-cheat.

It's not a one-size fits all solution though. It's a tool part of a entire set in the cat and mouse game against cheating. Online games need a clean and integral game environment to help ensure legitimate players aren't punished by those with an unfair advantage. The quality and complexity of cheats has improved drastically these last years with it being a big money business for people to sell cheats to cheaters (or hacker or w/e you wish to call them).

If Square Enix sets a precedent that use of plugins/third-party programs is ok or simply doesn't give themselves the toolset to moderate it, you're going to increase the likelihood of legitimate players being driven away and that includes the entire PlayStation audience that doesn't have access to them (and why other cross-platform titles have toggles for console users to not play with PC because even the best anti-cheat isn't perfect on it's own).

the person you are replying to shows why anti-cheat is bad and dangerous to the consumer end of.

[SpiralMask]

@OP: EAC is both awful and ironically laughably easy to bypass, it will serve no purpose other than to make it an unholy pain to install/run/play ffxiv for regular players (elden ring is a great example--many people experiencing whitescreen crashes on launch and other CTDs found that EAC was being a shit for some reason and completely uninstalling everything epic games related managed to fix it, if even that worked)

[Canadane]

Putting aside whether or not people should be banned for UI and QoL mods, how is SE supposed to detect people using those kinds of mods without running intrusive anticheat programs that check for third party programs and modifications to the games dlls?

Start actually taking evidence as provided into account.
They dismiss many reports with pictures or video as they could be doctored. But instead of dismissing it, use it to build a case against the players.
Anyone with a screenshot showing off their mods could very well find themselves gone.

[KariTheFox]

Start actually taking evidence as provided into account.
They dismiss many reports with pictures or video as they could be doctored. But instead of dismissing it, use it to build a case against the players.
Anyone with a screenshot showing off their mods could very well find themselves gone.

And diverting resources to comb the internet and collect information on people who take modded screenshots will prevent cheating in pvp - how, exactly?

Edit: Actually, now that I think about it. Under this system, what's to stop a malicious third party from say - taking a modded screenshot of my character, making an online account on say, twitter or some other social media, claiming to be me, and getting me banned for using third party mods?

[Mosha]

And diverting resources to comb the internet and collect information on people who take modded screenshots will prevent cheating in pvp - how, exactly?

it wouldn't, the only time they can is if they can 100% link the images to your 14 account. e.g using the character name or linking people who report you.