AMD to Smack Down Game Cheaters
Yesterday we reported on AMD's Fusion cloud computing system, where AMD will develop a super computer able to handle rendering, compression, and streaming of video game graphic server side and push out to gamers on any device. The concept behind the technology is nothing short of exciting.
Naturally, delivery of that technology is something of another topic. However, one interesting side effect of AMD's Fusion concept, is that it will inherently thwart gamers from cheating. Just exactly how is this done? Simply put, gamers will be unable to use cheat hacks or software to influence game play because everything is processed and rendered server side--on the cloud.
When a gamer uses cheat tools to cheat in a game, the tool modifies memory address locations and changes values. For example, a small cheat tool can locate the memory address location where a game stores ammo data, modify the value stored there, giving the user infinite ammo. Other more sophisticated cheats like bots, will also be thwarted. Bots perform a very similar action, reading memory and feedback from the game on the local side, and responding accordingly to automate tasks such as gold farming in World of Warcraft.
Because of the way the Fusion super computer will work, all game data is processed server side, and the only thing being sent to the user is streaming video. There's no actual data value in the local system's memory, since there's no real local client. In essence, a gamer will be controlling the game through a remote-control like interface.
Could this be the end of cheaters? We think not. But, will AMD's Fusion super computer cloud be the target of endless hack attacks? Time will tell. Do you cheat in games when you play? Or do you play by the rules?
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Why do I get the feeling that these wow gold would still find a way to beat the super computer thingy... I have to admit that I do buy my gold from time to time but thats just because I have that much time to spend grinding for my wow gold. And I make sure that I buy from sites who could guarantee that they don't do spam. You know what would be nice? Thats if that super computer would be able to speed up the grinding process! Now THAT I'm sure would be something that everyone would really appreciate.
Use this for free to play first person shooters : blackshot,combat arms,warrock,and what's that sucky browser one?
_ALL_ of them contain cheaters
No I'm not kidding.
Just another reason why Fusion Cloud is a great idea.
I remember some of the old aim bots that used a specific color from a characters skin. As soon as that color came onto the screen a local bot would track that color and move your mouse pointer with that color. I also think that this idea will not work well with certain games like WoW. Where streaming video will also have to have regions of mobs/characters/chest blah blah blah doing all this at what 30fps? lol so if i click on a mob (on nothing more then streaming video, it has to decipher what I intended to click on send that data back to the server, highlight in scene and re-render then resend video stream with updated data. I don't see this tech coming to fruition, not as they are making it out to be anyways.
Keep the build in cheat codes for games but turn if off for multilayer play.
Also let us have user mods and maps
I don't really think the 30fps issue is of as much concern as latency. You can compress an image down to 33KB, you can also cheat and do render updates only when needed. At 1MB/s thats 360MB/hour, 8GB/Day, 240GB/Month. This is running 24/7. It will most likely be at maximum half this value. Thats well within the download caps of most ISPs.
Great idea from the AMD boys.
I don't cheat while I play, it ruins the fun. But I do crack weak servers for admin powers.
Anyways, there's one thing you can be sure of - there will never be an end to cheaters. Hackers / crackers will always find a way. Trust me.
HD Gaming experience though, that to me says 1900x1080 with I assume HD audio as well. Any Action game is going to have constant manipulation of enviroment which means lots of updates. I can see how it might be possible on 64mbit connections. This seems aimed at a near future where instead of selling you a video card that might last you 5 years and only cost you 300$ we sell you a service for 10$ a month (+cost of games they support) for the rest of your life.
A bot can just automate keystrokes and mouse clicks. This concept does little to thwart that. None of this protection is new - cloud computing is used in many online games for other computers to confirm your computer's consistency - but this system is integrated and easier to enforce.
it's always hard to cheat online games than local or single player games. amd's cloud is just a Battle.net that also serves some graphics processing, now i just knew how difficult this undertaking can be for amd.
to blessedman's post above, by that time, you'll have discrete graphics card that is a hundred times faster than todays so it's a matter of how much graphics power the majority will want.
for now, this service is well for gaming devices such nintendo ds, psp, and smartphones. if this amd solution will work, microsoft might join in and create a handheld device.
it's always hard to cheat online games than local or single player games. amd's cloud is just a Battle.net that also serves some graphics processing, now i just knew how difficult this undertaking can be for amd.to blessedman's post above, by that time, you'll have discrete graphics card that is a hundred times faster than todays so it's a matter of how much graphics power the majority will want. for now, this service is well for gaming devices such nintendo ds, psp, and smartphones. if this amd solution will work, microsoft might join in and create a handheld device.
I think you really need to read more about Fusion. It is NOT a Battle.net like system where a client has a local install on a game and they just use a server to link up multiplayer communication.
/ Tuan
Note to editor: "supercomputer" is one word.
A bot can just automate keystrokes and mouse clicks. This concept does little to thwart that. None of this protection is new - cloud computing is used in many online games for other computers to confirm your computer's consistency - but this system is integrated and easier to enforce.
And the bot would automate mouse clicks in response to what? How would that bot understand the video feed? It isn't game data in memory. There isn't any game data in client side memory, it's all on server side. All the player sees is the video stream of what was rendered on the Fusion Render Cloud.
/ Tuan
I think this will work well. Think SlingBox HD... if that can send HD quality video at nearly 30 fps... then this cloud solution could work very very well!!!
I don't really think the 30fps issue is of as much concern as latency. You can compress an image down to 33KB, you can also cheat and do render updates only when needed. At 1MB/s thats 360MB/hour, 8GB/Day, 240GB/Month. This is running 24/7. It will most likely be at maximum half this value. Thats well within the download caps of most ISPs.
Thank god fios has no caps.. Personaly i wouldnt have the ISP's if it capped me or i just simply wouldnt have internet. unless prices dropped drasticly it wouldnt be worth it.
It definitely will not withold people from using turbo key combinations,like needed to do a combo attack!
Also, many games can bring up a console, and have internal cheat codes.
If not, a user can always find ways.
All you need to do is know someone on the "serverside" of the cloud.
It is only a matter of time before, someone develops a program/script to manipulate the serverside, and for a the right price, a cheater, is reintroduced/reborn again, into the cloud. It will happen, because it can happen.
There is no such thing as security, esp in the world of computers.
Wake up, step outside, and live people.
All you need to do is know someone on the "serverside" of the cloud.It is only a matter of time before, someone develops a program/script to manipulate the serverside, and for a the right price, a cheater, is reintroduced/reborn again, into the cloud. It will happen, because it can happen.
You are correct in that server-side cheating/admin abuse is not addressed by this system and that same abuse will render this "remote-arcade" system even more meaningless.
It also does not address latency cheating, where the cheater manipulates the timing of his I/O packets for advantage.
I prefer the detect and ban method. Sophisticated data collection and analysis, present in almost every game these days can reveal even subtle cheating and out comes the ban-hammer.
Cheaters are generally skilless, banning them improves over all game play and encourages self-advancement.
there would be too much lag/latency, I vote no!
Yes there would be way too much latency. Dont forget, latency is bad enough, but latency + large data transfer + processing time = really bad lag. It's totally unworkable for anything interactive.
ok cheating aside, this idea stinks on a modder level no cheating also = no mods, if you every imersed your self in any of valve's or epic'sgames you know their best feature is thier moddability, countless hlf 1, hlf 2 and UT mods exsist , if every game was going to start using this amd system I'd be ready to scream bloody murder, thankfully NOT all game makers are AMD only fans. this idea will hardly replace gaming as it is now (THANK GOD!) there willstill be aneed for future gpu's as long as there are THOUSANDS of game developing companies many of which have thier own ideas about what is good or not for THEIR buisness model, keyword "thier" not amd's so as many others have said , this idea of amd's is a pipe dream it may happen but only on the scale of how many game makers want to sign up for it, i just don't see the whole idustry jumping at this bit. i see it more as system that is similar to valve's steam system , some games are on it, some arnt , and you can still get the retail game at a store near you ! P.S. I AM NOT a intel fanboy , infact my last 5 comps have been amd all the way, jsut don't see this replacing the "status Quo"
i don't think so. game developers want people to make mods. more mods means more replayability means more sales. while cheaters ruin gameplay, mods help it. i think developers will still make SDKs and level editors for games that are played on amd's "cloud". they'll figure it out.
as far as latency/lag, call me a skeptic, but i don't see it happening for desktops. sending 1920x1080 (or in many cases, larger) images @30 fps with multi channel sound just doesn't sound feasible. however, sending 480x320 resolution to play HL2 on an iphone...that sounds much more realistic, and pretty cool.