Interviewing COD's Top Cheat Provider About The Future of Cheats

Summary

In an exclusive interview, the enigmatic figure Zeer from Phantom Overlay, a major cheat provider in the Call of Duty gaming community, shares insights on the current state and future of cheating in the game. Zeer discusses the effectiveness of Ricochet anti-cheat, the potential influence on streamers, and the pros and cons of in-house versus third-party anti-cheat systems. He also delves into the complexities of DMA cheats, their security advantages over traditional software cheats, and the likelihood of hardware and computer vision-based cheating becoming prevalent in the future. The conversation challenges perceptions on game integrity and the ongoing battle between developers and cheat providers.

Takeaways

• 🕵️‍♂️ The interview is with 'Zeer', the owner of Phantom Overlay, one of the largest Call of Duty cheat providers.
• 🎮 Ricochet anti-cheat is rated as moderately effective, with a score of 5 or 6, offering basic detections but lacking in targeted measures against advanced cheats.
• 🛡️ Ricochet's server-side anti-cheat can be useful in flagging players for review, but there is criticism regarding its underutilization and inefficiency in deeply reviewing flagged players.
• 💡 Zeer plans to offer DMA (Direct Memory Access) cheat software with a sharable web browser radar feature, indicating a shift towards more sophisticated and harder-to-detect cheating methods.
• 🤔 The theory that larger streamers might be given a high trust score by Activision to avoid shadowbans is discussed, suggesting potential preferential treatment.
• 🏭 The benefits of in-house anti-cheat systems include easier integration with game development, but they require significant resources and may not be as advanced as third-party solutions.
• 🔒 DMA cheats are considered more secure than software cheats because they run on a separate computer and interact with the game using hardware that mimics legitimate devices.
• 💡 The future of cheating in gaming is predicted to involve more hardware-based and computer vision cheating, which are harder for anti-cheat systems to detect.
• 💸 The cost of cheats is not a significant deterrent for dedicated cheaters, and even expensive forms of cheating are affordable enough not to discourage them.
• 📈 Despite the presence of anti-cheat measures, the demand for cheats remains high, and the market is not expected to become less saturated anytime soon.
• 📦 The interview concludes with an implication that a well-known female streamer is using Phantom Overlay cheats, though the name is not disclosed in the provided transcript.

Q & A

What is the current impact of cheating in Call of Duty Warzone?

Cheating in Call of Duty Warzone is affecting the player experience, with concerns about the effectiveness of anti-cheat measures and the potential for the situation to worsen in the future.

Who is Zeer of Phantom Overlay and what is his role?

Zeer is known as the architect of Phantom Overlay, a significant Call of Duty cheat provider. He operates anonymously and is a key figure in the discussion about cheating in the game.

How does Zeer rate the effectiveness of Ricochet anti-cheat on a scale of 1 to 10?

Zeer rates Ricochet anti-cheat as a five or six, acknowledging its strengths in detecting overlays and certain injection methods, but also pointing out its weaknesses such as missing targeted detections and inefficiencies in the shadowband system.

What is Zeer's opinion on the server-side anti-cheat system used by Call of Duty?

Zeer believes the server-side anti-cheat system can be useful when combined with player reports to flag certain players for review, but criticizes the lack of proper resource allocation for deep reviews of flagged players.

Does Zeer plan to offer DMA cheat software and what features will it include?

Yes, Zeer plans to offer DMA cheat software, which will include a sharable web browser radar feature in the future, and he also intends to work on computer vision capabilities.

What is Zeer's theory about the relationship between Ricochet anti-cheat and larger streamers?

Zeer theorizes that Activision might grant larger streamers a high trust score to prevent them from being shadowbanned, suggesting that while large streamers might not be cheating, they could be exempt from server-side evaluations that lead to shadow bans.

What are the advantages of using an in-house anti-cheat like Ricochet Antiche?

The advantages include easier integration with the game, better communication between game developers and anti-cheat developers, and the ability to advise on secure practices during game development.

What are the downsides of an in-house anti-cheat system compared to third-party solutions?

The downside is that the company has to manage a new business in addition to their game development or publishing business, which requires significant work, funding, flexibility, and time.

What is Zeer's stance on the effectiveness of third-party anti-cheat companies like Easy Antiche and Battle Eye?

Zeer believes that third-party anti-cheat companies are far ahead of any in-house anti-cheat he has seen, with strong anti-cheat software developed over several years.

What is Zeer's view on the future of cheating in Call of Duty, specifically regarding DMA cheats and computer vision?

Zeer foresees that hardware and computer vision cheating will become popular and possibly rampant in the future, suggesting a shift from traditional software cheats to more sophisticated methods.

How does Zeer think the price of cheats influences a player's decision to cheat?

Zeer believes that the price point has little influence on a player's decision to cheat, as even the most expensive forms of cheating are affordable and can be profited from through streaming or other means.

What is the largest streamer currently using Phantom Overlay cheats according to Zeer?

The script ends before revealing the name of the largest streamer using Phantom Overlay cheats, leaving this question unanswered.