A few modifications here and there in video games can be harmless, except if it's an online multiplayer game and it gives you an unfair advantage against other players. Some cannot seem to grasp that concept, and Activision has run out of creative ways to mess with cheaters.
Activision Goes For Simpler Measures
Even now, there are still countless players who continue to use cheats despite all the warnings and consequences that it can lead to. After all the fun ways that Activision punishes those using aim assist, it will just resort to exiting the game once the player is detected.
The team behind the anti-cheat system, Ricochet said that repeated use of such tools may lead to further account action. Heavier punishments can range from temporary suspension or an outright permanent ban, as mentioned by Engadget.
In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Team Ricochet said that the security detection systems target players using tools to activate aim assist while using a mouse and keyboard. As you know, aim assist already comes with console players as controllers don't have the same accuracy as a mouse.
There have been several entertaining ways that Activision has dealt with cheaters. For one, the video game developer introduced the splat anti-cheat measure, which cuts the players off from their parachutes so they would plummet to their deaths.
Another way that the company messed with unfair players was by deploying hallucinations, particularly a clone of real players that were in the match. Only the ones detected with cheating tools would be able to see the hallucinations.
It's also clever since naturally, the cheater would want to eliminate that clone. It will then reveal that they are using restricted tools to gain an advantage, and would inadvertently reveal themselves as hackers in the game.
Call of Duty is Targeting Toxic Players Too
Even if you are abiding by the rules, you might still be kicked out of the game if you're not a good sport. Anyone who has tried to play multiplayer games knows well enough how toxic players can be, especially if they are losing.
While there are good systems now to detect insensitive language in text chats, such languages through voice chats may be harder to detect. Luckily, Call of Duty has found a way to catch players who tend to blurt out offensive words through their mics.
Using AI, specifically a system called ToxMod, behaviors like hate speech, discrimination, and harassment can be detected in real time, as reported by The Verge. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II and Call of Duty: Warzone already have the moderation system in place.
Other than the words themselves, moderators will also determine the extent of the offense by "supplying relevant and accurate context," which could mean that the emotions and how loud the players are speaking could factor into whether they would be flagged or not.
With all these measures in place, you'd think that Call of Duty players would stop using cheats, but this problem is persistent to this day. If you happen to find someone who seems to be way too good, the best thing to do is report the player instead of calling them out.
