Throughout Call of Duty’s history, cheaters have been a thorn in the side of both game developers and players alike. In Modern Warfare 3, Sledgehammer Games is taking a new step in combating hackers by applying AI “machine learning” to detect when a possible cheater is in the game.
The developers confirmed today that the RICOCHET anti-cheat system will examine both client and server data to find abnormal gameplay behavior, issue account challenges for any players who are under scrutiny, and compile all of the guilty accounts for the devs to take action.
It is a quick way to sift through thousands of reports and cheating cases, while also remaining accurate by having the human-based team verify these cases. Additionally, these new AI systems will not be issuing any bans to players, which means if you are locked out of your account, it was done at the hands of a human employee with the developer team.
AI will also be used with MW3’s Replay Investigation Tool, which is used to spot suspicious behavior from certain accounts, such as blatant wall hacks or raging, and alerts the team to review the issue. One program can review up to one thousand clips per day, which will only help the AI learn how to detect these situations at a much more efficient rate.
“We’re just getting started on Machine Learning integration for the Replay Investigation Tool, but we’re excited to see how it evolves over time,” the developers said in a blog post. “A major focus for this and many advancements is Ranked Play modes across our titles, combating anyone attempting to jump the ranks of the leaderboard unfairly.”
Hacking might never go away completely in Call of Duty, but the use of AI systems could help curb this rampant problem so players are able to enjoy their games without worrying about someone instantly locking onto their heads for an entire match.
