Difference between revisions of "Hacking"

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(I have cleaned up this page, removed hacks that don't exist, added actual categories of hacks, and rewritten most of the text. If a content moderator has any suggestions for the writing, tell me.)
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{{Quotation|'''The Administrator'''|You were always a disappointment...|sound=Announcer_am_lastmanforfeit02.wav}}
 
{{Quotation|'''The Administrator'''|You were always a disappointment...|sound=Announcer_am_lastmanforfeit02.wav}}
  
'''Hacking''' is the means by which players can give themselves an unfair advantage over others through running programs which alter the game code. [[Valve]] has a strict policy against hackers in place with their [[VAC]] system (Valve Anti-Cheat system) and are able to suspend suspected players from all VAC-supported servers, including those in ''Team Fortress 2''. Hacking and players of such can be easily avoided by playing exclusively on VAC supported servers, yet it is not uncommon for them to enter these servers. Furthermore, VAC experiences a delay in issuing bans towards hackers, meaning a suspect could continue hacking for a number of days.
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'''Hacking''' is the use of third party programs to alter a game or gain an unfair advantage. [[Valve]] has a strict policy against hacking and will ban detected hackers with the [[VAC|Valve Anti-Cheat system]].  Most hacks are either engine hooks, which piggyback the client and report false information to the server, interceptions of game information, which record or report data that should be hidden from the player, or engine exploits, which alter the game to the player's advantage.
 
 
It should be noted that certain actions or instanced may not constitute as hacking. For example, server administrators that use or abuse console commands are not hacking but merely abusing their position. Players that make use of various glitches or exploits are not hacking, as the issues are in the game and not accessed through the use of a program. Users that experience high latency are, also, not hacking. Most servers will have policies in place of such things, and players are encouraged to approach the server administrators or moderators if they have an issue.
 
  
 
[[Image:Esp.png|thumb|200px|right|ESP hack on [[Dustbowl]]]]
 
[[Image:Esp.png|thumb|200px|right|ESP hack on [[Dustbowl]]]]
  
==Types of Hacking==
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==Common Hacks==
===Aim (Aimbot)===
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===Aimbots===
  
The program automatically locks onto player's hit boxes in the most viable position to the user. This can be identified by how the user's view will either shake wildly whilst still maintaining direct hits, or will appear to seamlessly follow other players regardless of speed or distance.
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These hacks aim and fire for the player.  They range from crude programs which fire at colored player models on the screen to extremely sophisticated engine hooks that detect the enemies' hitboxes by reading them from memory.  The most effective aimbots won't even move the mouse or fire at every opportunity. The player activates it for the next shot and aims near the enemy, and the aimbot assists him with a final tweak as he fires.
  
An alternative of the Aimbot is the Triggerbot. Here the user will appear to instantly fire once their crosshair passes over viable targets. This may be used in conjunction with the Aimbot. The program may also be used for [[Sticky Bomb]]s which can be identified if the suspected [[Demoman]] is in another area of the map.
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Some aimbots are even capable of aiming ahead, firing slow projectiles where enemies are most likely to be.
  
 
[[Image:Wallhack.jpg|thumb|200px|right|Example of r_drawothermodels_2 console command to only draw wireframes]]
 
[[Image:Wallhack.jpg|thumb|200px|right|Example of r_drawothermodels_2 console command to only draw wireframes]]
  
===Texture/Wall===
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===Wallhacks===
 
   
 
   
Also known as '''MatHack''', short for material hack, this allows the user to see the silhouettes of players through walls and other surfaces possibly through modifying the transparency of map textures and the visibility of player textures. It will therefore appear that the user is aware of other players even when no indication of their presence was made. A phenomena known as 'pre-firing' can also occur where the user will fire at a location before he would otherwise do so. For example, a Demoman using a Wall Hack may shoot [[Grenade Launcher|grenades]] at a doorway prior to the player walking through them. This can be difficult to differentiate from how a player normally acts. Another example is, when the user 'traces' (follows) a non-visible player through a wall or surface with their crosshair before they are able to see them. Then once the player appears in their line of sight, the user is already aimed at them. This is often the case with Snipers using a Wall Hack.
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These hacks allow the user to see players through walls and other obstacles. They range from engine hooks which detect player positions to altered video drivers and game files which render clear or translucent textures. The most effective wallhacks help the player "preaim" or even "prefire," preparing to shoot a foe as he comes into view.
 
 
===Speed===
 
  
The user's movement speed is increased beyond the normal capacities of the class used. This can extend to increased weapon fire speed. This is often obvious to spot, as the user will be moving beyond the maximum movement speed available in the game. The user, however, may also set the speed to only slightly above the maximum for a class, making it more difficult to discover.
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===ESP===
  
===Invulnerability===
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These hacks reveal information that would normally be hidden from the player.  They range from updates about enemy health and position to detailed summaries of equipment, ammunition, and status.  In Team Fortress 2, ESP is especially effective because it can reveal Medic Health and [[ÜberCharge]] levels.  Most of these hacks function by hooking the client and reading game data from memory.
  
It will appear to others that the user will either never or take longer than usual to die if under constant fire. This will be more clear if there is no viable healing source nearby such as a Medic or Dispenser, or if they are hit by weapons that would otherwise kill them such as a [[Scout]] against a [[Crit]]ical Rocket.
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===Speed Hacks===
  
===Critical===
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These hacks increase the user's speed.  The hacker moves faster, reloads faster, fires faster, and so forth.  Speedhacks work by altering the client's system clock.  For every second that passes on the server, the client believes it has operated for several seconds.  Whenever the server syncs up with the client, all the client commands are executed.  While most of the time this produces obvious results, some sophisticated speed hacks modify the system clock only a fraction.  The client then moves subtly faster, giving the player an edge that may be hard to detect.
  
This is where the user will attack with a higher critical percentage than that of the 5% base. The player may therefore be firing unlimited Critical hits without an obvious means such as an [[ÜberCharge]].
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===Spinbots===
  
===Weapons===
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These hacks alter the client's behavior on the server without disturbing the client's gameplay experience.  Generally, the player appears to spin and crouch rapidly on the server, making his hitbox hard to gauge.  On the hacker's client, the spinning and crouching are entirely invisible.  These hacks either hook the engine and alter memory or perform a man-in-the-middle attack on outgoing packets.
  
This will allow the user to equip and use weapons that would otherwise not be available to that class, such a [[Scout]] with a [[Minigun]]. Note that this can be a plugin for a Randomizer server, in which case all players will have this effect.
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===Tapping Hacks===
  
===Oneshot hacks===
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These hacks alter network traffic to create latency.  Sophisticated programs allow packets from the server to the client but delay or lose packets from the client to the server, allowing the hacker to experience fairly low latency gameplay while the server reports that the player is extremely laggy.  These hacks are almost identical to actual network issues that clients often experience.
  
Any hit that the user deals against another player will result in an instant kill, no matter what weapon was used. Easier to identify if low damage weapons such as a [[Pistol]] are used.
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===Removals===
  
===Unlimited ammo===
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These hacks remove or alter gameplay elements to make the game easier to play.  A minor example would be a hack that removes the screen effects for bleeding and Jarate.  A major hack would remove weapon spread.  These generally rely on hooking the client and removing the feature or placing a man-in-the-middle program that alters incoming and outgoing packets.
  
Often hand in hand with the Invulnerability, this will allow the user infinite amounts of ammo. This can be seen where the user will not attempt to reload even after firing the maximum number of shots from their weapon.
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===Critical Hacks===
  
===Spawn===
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Unique to Team Fortress 2, these hacks hook the engine and attempt to determine if firing a shot will produce a critical hit.  Once the determination is made, the hack fires, thus ensuring that every shot is a critical shot.
  
Here the user will manipulate the game in such a way as to generate props or items in a place that may block a route. This can be obvious for players experienced with the map who may notice things out of place. The type of items spawned can range from minor props to ragdolls and gates.
 
 
[[Category:Gameplay]]
 
[[Category:Gameplay]]
  

Revision as of 18:00, 14 October 2010

Wallhacking on 2Fort
Wallhacking on 2Fort
You were always a disappointment...
The Administrator

Hacking is the use of third party programs to alter a game or gain an unfair advantage. Valve has a strict policy against hacking and will ban detected hackers with the Valve Anti-Cheat system. Most hacks are either engine hooks, which piggyback the client and report false information to the server, interceptions of game information, which record or report data that should be hidden from the player, or engine exploits, which alter the game to the player's advantage.

ESP hack on Dustbowl

Common Hacks

Aimbots

These hacks aim and fire for the player. They range from crude programs which fire at colored player models on the screen to extremely sophisticated engine hooks that detect the enemies' hitboxes by reading them from memory. The most effective aimbots won't even move the mouse or fire at every opportunity. The player activates it for the next shot and aims near the enemy, and the aimbot assists him with a final tweak as he fires.

Some aimbots are even capable of aiming ahead, firing slow projectiles where enemies are most likely to be.

File:Wallhack.jpg
Example of r_drawothermodels_2 console command to only draw wireframes

Wallhacks

These hacks allow the user to see players through walls and other obstacles. They range from engine hooks which detect player positions to altered video drivers and game files which render clear or translucent textures. The most effective wallhacks help the player "preaim" or even "prefire," preparing to shoot a foe as he comes into view.

ESP

These hacks reveal information that would normally be hidden from the player. They range from updates about enemy health and position to detailed summaries of equipment, ammunition, and status. In Team Fortress 2, ESP is especially effective because it can reveal Medic Health and ÜberCharge levels. Most of these hacks function by hooking the client and reading game data from memory.

Speed Hacks

These hacks increase the user's speed. The hacker moves faster, reloads faster, fires faster, and so forth. Speedhacks work by altering the client's system clock. For every second that passes on the server, the client believes it has operated for several seconds. Whenever the server syncs up with the client, all the client commands are executed. While most of the time this produces obvious results, some sophisticated speed hacks modify the system clock only a fraction. The client then moves subtly faster, giving the player an edge that may be hard to detect.

Spinbots

These hacks alter the client's behavior on the server without disturbing the client's gameplay experience. Generally, the player appears to spin and crouch rapidly on the server, making his hitbox hard to gauge. On the hacker's client, the spinning and crouching are entirely invisible. These hacks either hook the engine and alter memory or perform a man-in-the-middle attack on outgoing packets.

Tapping Hacks

These hacks alter network traffic to create latency. Sophisticated programs allow packets from the server to the client but delay or lose packets from the client to the server, allowing the hacker to experience fairly low latency gameplay while the server reports that the player is extremely laggy. These hacks are almost identical to actual network issues that clients often experience.

Removals

These hacks remove or alter gameplay elements to make the game easier to play. A minor example would be a hack that removes the screen effects for bleeding and Jarate. A major hack would remove weapon spread. These generally rely on hooking the client and removing the feature or placing a man-in-the-middle program that alters incoming and outgoing packets.

Critical Hacks

Unique to Team Fortress 2, these hacks hook the engine and attempt to determine if firing a shot will produce a critical hit. Once the determination is made, the hack fires, thus ensuring that every shot is a critical shot.

See Also