WARDOGS | THE HOTZONE | EP2 | “Anti Cheat”

Summary

This episode of The Hotzone focuses on WARDOGS’ anti-cheat efforts. The developers say they are preparing to ban roughly 185,000 players—about 5% of the game’s player base—after gathering enough evidence to act with greater confidence.

How cheating is identified

The team combines player reports, gameplay telemetry, hardware-level input data, and server records. It can also replay sessions to review suspicious behavior rather than relying on a single unusual incident.

Building a case

A single flag does not automatically result in a ban. The developers look for repeated patterns, such as implausible aim tracking, targeting players through walls, suspicious pre-firing, or other behavior inconsistent with typical human play. Because some cheaters adjust their behavior over time, reviewing historical data can reveal a broader pattern.

False-positive concerns

The team says it delayed bans until it had more data and confidence. Ordinary auto-clickers are not, by themselves, grounds for a ban, though repeated suspicious activity combined with other evidence may contribute to a case.

The developers also avoid explaining individual bans in detail, since doing so could give cheaters a playbook for appealing or evading detection.

Exploits and farming

The developers discuss coordinated servers used to farm XP, cash, and other in-game rewards. They demonstrate wiping the farming operation’s accumulated progress and say exploiters and people running such operations may face permanent bans.

Smurf accounts and repeat offenders

The team says it plans to act against smurf accounts and use hardware identification to link repeat offenders to new accounts.

What’s next

Player reports help flag suspicious accounts, but reports are validated against data and do not trigger bans on their own. The team is also considering a trust-score system that could let server admins set access requirements, with optional measures such as Secure Boot, TPM, or third-party identity verification. The developers say these measures would not be mandatory for everyone.

AI use

The developers say they do not use generative AI for art, animation, or voiceovers. They describe using AI to help organize and analyze large volumes of data and support development tools, including anti-cheat work. They frame this as part of an arms race, since cheat makers may also use AI.

Gamers and sources mentioned

• Featured participants: Lee (lead core tech programmer), Howard (community and UX), and Tim (creative director).
• Gamers referenced: Shroud, cited as an example of a top player’s headshot accuracy.
• Other sources and organizations: Steam and Valve; PC Gamer and IGN; Valorant, Counter-Strike, Battlefield, Call of Duty, Squad, Hell Let Loose, and Bellum.
• Anti-cheat providers: The providers discussed were not named.