You Won't Get Banned For Using Singleplayer GTA V Mods

[Steven Bogos]

You Won't Get Banned For Using Singleplayer GTA V Mods

Rockstar has given Grand Theft Auto V players the all-clear to mod the heck out of their singleplayer experience.

One of the main reasons PC gamers were eager to get their hands on the not be banned [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/139936-Rockstar-Games-Grand-Theft-Auto-V-PC-Delay-April-14-GTA] for modifying their singleplayer experience.

"To be clear, the modding policy in our license has not changed and is the same as for GTA IV," said a Rockstar representative. "Recent updates to GTA V PC had an unintended effect of making unplayable certain single player modifications.

"This was not intentional, no one has been banned for using single player modifications, and you should not worry about being banned or being relegated to the cheater pool just for using single player PC mods," it explained.

It said the only modifications it would take action against would be those which give players an unfair advantage in GTA Online.

In the Q&A, Rockstar also hinted that a version of the Rockstar editor may be making it's way to PS4 and Xbox One some time in the future, but due to the limitations of console hardware, self radio will forever be a PC exclusive. "[Self radio] just wouldn't technically be possible on the consoles as it requires more than the consoles allow at this time," it stated.

Source: Rockstar [http://www.rockstargames.com/newswire/article/52429/asked-answered-the-rockstar-editor-gta-online-updates?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=social&utm_content=askedandanswered&utm_campaign=asked_05072015]

Permalink

 

[Fappy]

I still don't understand the issue with Self Radio. They did it two console generations ago without any issues... like, what the fuck did they do wrong? On the PC version it fucks your CPU in the ass if you use it, tanking performance unless you have a monster processor.

 

[Silentpony_v1legacy]

When did mods become such a controversial thing?! I mean I get popular mods, I get mods that fix core gameplay problems, fuck it I even understand official/paid for mods...
but when did hacking a game to add tits/nudity or ponies or Star Wars lightsabers become the predominate selling point of a patch?!
Buy our game and we won't kick you off for near 9 months! What could be better?!

 

[Meximagician]

Out of curiosity, what about single player trainers?

Spoiler: What's a trainer?

A way of changing variable values (health, current animation, etc.) in a game while the game is running, kind of like console commands for games without an in-game developer console. Even simpler, a Game Genie for PC games, but software.

That was the only rumor I was still wondering about. Still, good to know mods are still OK. Now if only my computer met even the minimum requirements...

 

[Bob_McMillan]

What's a self radio?

 

[Strazdas]

Rockstar has given Grand Theft Auto V players the all-clear to mod the heck out of their singleplayer experience.

Are they going to reverse singleplayer modding bans they issued before this anouncement? are they going to decrypt their files? or is it just a PR bullshit statement?

"This was not intentional, no one has been banned for using single player modifications, and you should not worry about being banned or being relegated to the cheater pool just for using single player PC mods."

So then they are flat out lieing about it.

What's a self radio?

A radio station that plays songs you put in a folder instead of default radio stations. you can put any songs in it that you have on your PC.

 

[Angelous Wang]

Out of curiosity, what about single player trainers?

Spoiler: What's a trainer?

A way of changing variable values (health, current animation, etc.) in a game while the game is running, kind of like console commands for games without an in-game developer console. Even simpler, a Game Genie for PC games, but software.

That was the only rumor I was still wondering about. Still, good to know mods are still OK. Now if only my computer met even the minimum requirements...

They cannot even track that, offline anyway.

The reason they can tell if you are modding, is because they designed the game to announce any add files to your game to the rockstar server when you go online.

So they can tell what you've got added to your game when you go online with it.

Trainer on the other hand would not effect you game files at all.

They can catch trainers online because your online character is on their server, so they can track the script being sent to your character on the server. Though with most games they won't pick this up automatically normally someone has to complain you are cheater and then when they check you they will pick it up.

 

[Bat Vader]

Out of curiosity, what about single player trainers?

Spoiler: What's a trainer?

A way of changing variable values (health, current animation, etc.) in a game while the game is running, kind of like console commands for games without an in-game developer console. Even simpler, a Game Genie for PC games, but software.

That was the only rumor I was still wondering about. Still, good to know mods are still OK. Now if only my computer met even the minimum requirements...

They cannot even track that, offline anyway.

The reason they can tell if you are modding, is because they designed the game to announce any add files to your game to the rockstar server when you go online.

So they can tell what you've got added to your game when you go online with it.

Trainer on the other hand would not effect you game files at all.

They can catch trainers online because your online character is on their server, so they can track the script being sent to your character on the server. Though with most games they won't pick this up automatically normally someone has to complain you are cheater and then when they check you they will pick it up.

Yeah but people that cheat online are worse than the scummiest of pond scum. I use trainers or cheats in SP all the time.

 

[Petromir]

I still don't understand the issue with Self Radio. They did it two console generations ago without any issues... like, what the fuck did they do wrong? On the PC version it fucks your CPU in the ass if you use it, tanking performance unless you have a monster processor.

Who knows, maybe the way rights to files are allocated in the new way doesn't allow GTA Access, or the player can't be controlled by GTA. It may just be they are pushing it so hard alrerady the extra script just pushes the game over a performance cliff.

 

[alj]

Add and FOV slider and reduce the size of the goddam weapon models and people would not need to mod the online.

I am don't with GTA V away single layer was good, finished that , had a quick go on online , wait wait unskipable cutscene wait wait lag lag lag killed by random person over and over who had loads of weapons. Hand enough of that .

 

[wizzy555]

Even if you aren't banned, trainers are generally a bad idea and should only be used as a last resort. Compromising the internal memory of a process is a serious issue in software terms, if he hit the wrong thing the program could do almost anything, say delete your documents.

 

[Ambitiousmould]

So they say, "the only modifications it would take action against would be those which give players an unfair advantage in GTA Online."

Does that mean if you got a mod that, say, reskins a Vintage Pistol into a revolver (yes this is something I would very much like) but changes nothing else, they would leave you alone? Or is it far more likely that they would immediately ban anyone using any modified files online at all, as I imagine there is no viable way of checking ever mod that everone might use?

 

[Dango]

Funny they only say that they won't ban players as a friend of mine is still counting down a 2 week suspension after using an FOV mod for GTA V's single player.

Also the language in their statement still reads as harboring some secret and irrational hatred for mods.

 

[CrystalShadow]

Even if you aren't banned, trainers are generally a bad idea and should only be used as a last resort. Compromising the internal memory of a process is a serious issue in software terms, if he hit the wrong thing the program could do almost anything, say delete your documents.

Depends on what it's doing. Modifying the memory of another process isn't possible without some security flaw anyway, because it requires kernel level privileges...
Even windows isn't stupid enough to randomly let one process overwrite the memory space of another.

Anyway, most trainers I know of don't do anything to the memory of a running process. They alter the data in the save files.
At worst that will crash a game, depending on how robust the code that loads save files is...
More likely if it messes something up the file will just get treated as being unreadable and ignored...

Hardly the same level of risk as memory hacks...
But as I said, how would even do that with any code that doesn't set off a dozen security warnings?

 

[wizzy555]

Even if you aren't banned, trainers are generally a bad idea and should only be used as a last resort. Compromising the internal memory of a process is a serious issue in software terms, if he hit the wrong thing the program could do almost anything, say delete your documents.

Depends on what it's doing. Modifying the memory of another process isn't possible without some security flaw anyway, because it requires kernel level privileges...
Even windows isn't stupid enough to randomly let one process overwrite the memory space of another.

Anyway, most trainers I know of don't do anything to the memory of a running process. They alter the data in the save files.
At worst that will crash a game, depending on how robust the code that loads save files is...
More likely if it messes something up the file will just get treated as being unreadable and ignored...

Hardly the same level of risk as memory hacks...
But as I said, how would even do that with any code that doesn't set off a dozen security warnings?

Ah I must have heard the wrong explanation of what a trainer was doing. Yes modifying save files is many times less dangerous than what is essentially targeted memory corruption.

 

[BeerTent]

I still don't understand the issue with Self Radio. They did it two console generations ago without any issues... like, what the fuck did they do wrong? On the PC version it fucks your CPU in the ass if you use it, tanking performance unless you have a monster processor.

I've never had performance issues while using Self radio. No idea what files you're using.

If I'm not mistaken, the Xbox (The Gen1 fella.) had it's own music player built into the dashboard. Self Radio probably used files from that, as the music player. Should games take advantage of it, was meant to play over in-game music. We don't have that functionality with the newer consoles. We also don't have the worst imaginable security protocols with newer consoles too. (We all remember how mind-blowingly easy it was to hack the Gen1 Xbox?)

Odds are, the newer consoles don't have a music player designed to play over select games soundtracks, and they don't have positively abysmal security practices... I could be wrong though... Last game console I played was... Well, you guessed it. The Gen1 Xbox. Before that, the PSX, and before that? Genesis...

 

[LordLundar]

Anyway, most trainers I know of don't do anything to the memory of a running process. They alter the data in the save files.
At worst that will crash a game, depending on how robust the code that loads save files is...
More likely if it messes something up the file will just get treated as being unreadable and ignored...

Hardly the same level of risk as memory hacks...
But as I said, how would even do that with any code that doesn't set off a dozen security warnings?

You're confusing a save editor with a trainer. A save editor does what you are describing. A trainer does modify memory values but those values are stored in RAM and at the worst case scenario causes the game to crash which will force the game to be shut down and be purged from the RAM. In fact, a poorly made save editor is FAR more hazardous to a game than a poorly made trainer because of the temporary nature of what the trainer affects while a save editor can corrupt the save completely which would require the player to start over.

 

[DugMachine]

Good now maybe they can get off their asses and start banning the ridiculous amount of people hacking online. Seems like every session I join has hackers just blowing people up out of nowhere from a mile away and being impervious to bullets.

 

[wizzy555]

Anyway, most trainers I know of don't do anything to the memory of a running process. They alter the data in the save files.
At worst that will crash a game, depending on how robust the code that loads save files is...
More likely if it messes something up the file will just get treated as being unreadable and ignored...

Hardly the same level of risk as memory hacks...
But as I said, how would even do that with any code that doesn't set off a dozen security warnings?

You're confusing a save editor with a trainer. A save editor does what you are describing. A trainer does modify memory values but those values are stored in RAM and at the worst case scenario causes the game to crash which will force the game to be shut down and be purged from the RAM. In fact, a poorly made save editor is FAR more hazardous to a game than a poorly made trainer because of the temporary nature of what the trainer affects while a save editor can corrupt the save completely which would require the player to start over.

Nah, changing internal RAM states is far more dangerous. Saved game files can be backed up and replaced and tend to get validated when read into the buffer.

Say the in game memory has a list of files temporary files it needs to delete when it exits, and it has a list of documents it got while searching for your saved games (not the best design, but it happens). Then you corrupt the boundary between those lists. When the game exits it deletes your documents, or worse for the developer it sends malformed packets to the server and crashes it for everyone else.