DETECTING CHEATERS IN COUNTER-STRIKE
Cheaters are ruining Counter-Strike as we know it. Punkbuster stopped making its anti-cheat program and now all we have to stop these terrible gamers are server admins. Valve said that they were implementing an anti-cheat system into their next build but I just can't wait that long. Before I begin, I'll let you know that I cheated in the past. Yes, I know you want to spit on me. That's understandable. But, after about 4 hours of it I got terribly bored. There's no challenge with cheating. Now that I'm back to being a decent gamer. I want to share my knowledge of cheating and how to detect it with you. So, let's get started.
The most common cheating package contains the following tools:auto-aim This feature automatically points your weapon at an enemies head. You can change where it points by typing 'bot_aim chest' or 'bot_aim thigh' or whatever in the console.
auto-shoot This tool works with the auto-aim thing. Without a second to spare, it automatically shoots at whatever is spotted with auto-aim. The most common cheat system has different config files for different weapons. For example, a high-recoil weapon like the AK47 will burst-fire about 3 shots when an opponent is in your sight. A low-recoil gun will let off about 5 rounds at your target and then pause for a little while before continuing the assault.
player squares This gimmick puts a square or rectangle around every players chest. Terrorists have a red square and Counter-Terrorists have a blue square. This shape doesn't disappear when you loose sight of a player. It can be seen through walls, other players and pretty much about anything. The closer you get to a player, the larger the square or rectangle gets around him or her. Squares are also put on defuser kits and bombs.
see through stuff The most used cheat package lets you see through certain parts of maps such as doors, boxes, et cetera. It doesn't help very much considering that a very small amount of most maps contain these transparent objects.
special radar Instead of having a radar which only displays the people on your team, this special radar displays everyone and some objects like the bomb and defuser kits.
speed cheat This is the most detectable cheat out there. That probably explains why it is hardly ever used. Pretty much, this program speeds up your entire computer and makes your player move faster. Also, you can unload a 30 round clip in about half a second if you want. This program does not come with the commonly used package but it is still widely spread.
Flashbangs and smoke grenades do not affect cheaters. The sprites that would originally appear are added to an ignore list. Many of these cheats are hardly or not detectable so what can we do to confirm a cheater?
Firstly, do not accuse someone after they shoot you a couple times. If you suspect someone is cheating, stay quiet and observe them in spectator mode. Yelling out, "I think that Mr. Bigglesworth (who actually is cheating) is cheating!" is a reason for Mr. Bigglesworth to turn off his cheats and start sucking for a couple rounds. Auto-aim is often the tool that reveils cheaters. Say that our good friend Mr. Bigglesworth is running one way. If an enemy were to appear behind him somewhere, his auto-aim bot would automatically turn 180 degrees and start shooting. This is quite easy to spot in spectator mode.
One other thing that usually gives up a cheater is auto-shoot. At the very second when an enemy dies after being auto-shot, the firing by the cheater stops, too. Any normal player would have at least 1 shot after their opponent dies because they cannot react as fast as an artificial intelligence can. If Mr. Bigglesworth (our cheater) were to be confronted with multiple enemies, his auto-bot would go crazy pointing in different directions at different players. If you ever spectate something like that I believe it is safe to take action by telling an admin or following some of the instructions listed at the bottom of the page.
Being able to see people through walls usually distracts you from what the game is about: trying to find someone to shoot. Although this method of catching cheaters isn't very efficient, it still gives some evidence. Observe your suspected cheater in spectator mode. If he or she doesn't check corners that he or she passes and just constantly walks towards enemies to kill, then start to point out that person. Remember, don't share your thoughts on who you think is a cheater until you have some decent evidence.
It would be good if you could get 2 or 3 supporting facts before you start pointing fingers at a player. If you suspect someone, just keep your eye on them for a bit. Have patience. You're probably saying: "Okay. Now, I know who a cheater is but what should I do to stop that unl33t scoundrel?" Simple.
If you can't contact an admin then
Admin Mod is the answer to your question. This tool often gives regular players the option to vote-kick a certain player by typing 'admin_vote_kick' in console. If you don't know what a vote-kick is, it gives every single person in the server a chance to give their say on if a cheater (or sometimes regular player) should be kicked or not. To see if a certain server has Admin Mod, just type 'admin_help' in console. If Admin Mod is there, all of the commands that you can use will be listed. On several servers, you aren't given the rights to use the feature in which case you should try to contact an admin or person with server rights. Sadly, there isn't much else that you can do if an Admin program isn't installed. Let's just hope that Valve comes up with that anti-cheat thing soon.
