Adjusting Battlefield 3's Brightness Could Get You Banned

[Karloff]

Adjusting Battlefield 3's Brightness Could Get You Banned


DICE claims the Battlefield 3 color mod is a "proper cheat."

If you love blue, then DICE's Battlefield 3 is not for you, as a color-altering mod for this modern action shooter has been tagged as a potential cheat by DICE designer Gustav Holling. The attached trailer shows off the mod's moves, turning washed-out backdrops into eye-popping scenes that, Holling says, is "to [sic] colorful" for Battlefield 3.

Holling, when asked about the mod on Twitter [https://twitter.com/gustavhalling/status/253005004288446464], responded by saying that "I wouldn't use those hacks if you don't want a perm ban on your account." When queried as to how DICE might know the mod was in place, Holling responded "It's a surprise for the cheaters modifying game files." Holling also described the brightness mod as a "proper cheat."

Some discussion [http://www.reddit.com/r/gaming/comments/10vala/battlefield_3_mod_removes_blue_lighting_color/c6gztvr] on Battlefield 3 forums, but the not-quite-final word was had by moderator halninekay: "Altering or modding the game files is not allowed and is a ToS violation." DICE's fear seems to be that, if the modders can get into the color gradient filter, they can get into a lot of other potentially game-changing places.

Even so, the PC has traditionally been modders heaven and a diktat from the publisher - whether or not it was ultimately inspired by EA, as some posters on the Battlefield 3 forums seemed to believe - isn't going to change that. Particularly not when the competition (why hello Valve, didn't see you there) actively encourages player participation in their sandbox.

Source: PC Gamer [http://www.pcgamer.com/2012/10/03/dice-hints-bans-color-correcting-battlefield-3-mo/]


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[nodlimax]

No week without at least one stupid statement of an EA emploeyee....

 

[SomeLameStuff]

Well, that sounds incredibly stupid. Are they still wondering why people don't like them I wonder...?

 

[vun]

I would come up with a snarky comment about getting punished for fixing the game for them, but the amount of stupid coming from DICE/EA is just too much.

 

[Proverbial Jon]

Holling says, is "to [sic] colorful" for Battlefield 3.

Holling, when asked about the mod on Twitter [https://twitter.com/gustavhalling/status/253005004288446464], responded by saying that "I wouldn't use those hacks if you don't want a perm ban on your account."

Wow. Someone's a bit butt-hurt that a mere modder made their game look better.

I really don't see how this is classed as cheating. So the game is brighter and enemies may be easier to see because there isn't a layer of washed out filth obscuring them... anyone can alter their monitor's brightness setting to achieve greater clarity. Sure that method would make the game look awful but no one would get banned for it.

 

[Kopikatsu]

I would actually be on DICE's side on this issue had Holling not called them cheaters like five different times. There are enough actual hackers running amok that you don't have to rage against the people who want a bit less grayscale.

 

[Petromir]

There must be a more appropriate way to deal with it than bans?

Though colour mods such as this can make it easier to see people thus adding an unfair advantage banning seems extreme.

EA should allow modded servers and unmodded servers, problem solved. Locking modders out completely is just going to make you unpopular, the best solution is giving them officially sanctioned playzones like valve does. Then when people do mod on the unmodded servers you have half a leg to stand on.

 

[Korten12]

Holling says, is "to [sic] colorful" for Battlefield 3.

Holling, when asked about the mod on Twitter [https://twitter.com/gustavhalling/status/253005004288446464], responded by saying that "I wouldn't use those hacks if you don't want a perm ban on your account."

Wow. Someone's a bit butt-hurt that a mere modder made their game look better.

Well it's not like the modder actually improved anything, they just removed the filters and the colors shown in the mod are what the games naturals colors are.

So apparently DICE doesn't want to see the game as they originally designed it. XD

 

[Xeraxis]

Even with the possibility of people gaining some sort of sight advantage amongst others or something else, I don't see what the big deal is. Much better to have that mod substitute the washed-out and boring looking landscape present in the game.

 

[Deathlyphil]

EA should allow modded servers and unmodded servers, problem solved. Locking modders out completely is just going to make you unpopular, the best solution is giving them officially sanctioned playzones like valve does. Then when people do mod on the unmodded servers you have half a leg to stand on.

I agree. This mod makes the levels look stunning. I can see both sides of the argument, but the 'WAAAAA!!! It's my ball!" response from EA/DICE is disappointing.

 

[FitzOmega]

DICE's fear seems to be that, if the modders can get into the color gradient filter, they can get into a lot of other potentially game-changing places.

Well, here's all the problem. DICE never really want to give the possibility to mod the game, and so a lot of thing is client based and with no server check. When people just wanted to correct the colors they found out some interresing things like.

http://i.imgur.com/VDeJm.jpg
(Look at the zoom level)

So yeah.. It can be game breaking.

 

[Petromir]

Holling says, is "to [sic] colorful" for Battlefield 3.

Holling, when asked about the mod on Twitter [https://twitter.com/gustavhalling/status/253005004288446464], responded by saying that "I wouldn't use those hacks if you don't want a perm ban on your account."

Wow. Someone's a bit butt-hurt that a mere modder made their game look better.

Well it's not like the modder actually improved anything, they just removed the filters and the colors shown in the mod are what the games naturals colors are.

So apparently DICE doesn't want to see the game as they originally designed it. XD

The game was originally designed to look like it did with the filters etc. applied. Colour grades are a big part of the design and art. Its a bit like the brightness/gamma adjustments many games ask you to do with a logo on first run so it looks like they imagined it.

 

[ThriKreen]

Makes sense, from a multiplayer aspect how can this be viewed any different from a mod that washes out the environment textures and makes the player textures pop out in a bright red and blue version, and removes all the shadows?

Of course someone could say "Well can't their anti-cheat detection software make an exception for this?", but some enterprising modder could just fake the signature and piggy back off this one's.

Sucks for modders, I will admit that, but one can see where this is coming from if you want to make your game fair and balanced across the board.

 

[EvilChameleon]

Garbage response to a meaningless problem. Way to go DICE.

 

[Entitled]

Another example of content holders caring more about securing total control over their users, than about having a sane business model.

 

[DugMachine]

Bad response but I see where they're coming from. This can definitely give an advantage over the people who don't have this. The darkness in this game has sometimes saved me and being clear as day would make me a sitting duck.

Should have servers that allow these sorts of mods though.

edit: Really nice looking mod though. This game is in desperate need of some color that's for sure.

 

[snekadid]

It's because the mod goes against EAs campaign against colors that they have waged against the games they make for years. Its because EA is composed entirely of hideous colorblind molemutants that hate us for our ability to see colors.

Honestly? Who is surprised that DICE is the one that did this? They haven't made anything decent ever, someone doing this just shows how poor their games are if removing things they did makes them better. Hypothetically, if we deleted the whole game we would have a masterpiece.

 

[Korten12]

Holling says, is "to [sic] colorful" for Battlefield 3.

Holling, when asked about the mod on Twitter [https://twitter.com/gustavhalling/status/253005004288446464], responded by saying that "I wouldn't use those hacks if you don't want a perm ban on your account."

Wow. Someone's a bit butt-hurt that a mere modder made their game look better.

Well it's not like the modder actually improved anything, they just removed the filters and the colors shown in the mod are what the games naturals colors are.

So apparently DICE doesn't want to see the game as they originally designed it. XD

The game was originally designed to look like it did with the filters etc. applied. Colour grades are a big part of the design and art. Its a bit like the brightness/gamma adjustments many games ask you to do with a logo on first run so it looks like they imagined it.

Well yeah, but what I meant was that they needed to first design it with the bright colors and then the filters.