Killzone Dev Keeping Watch for PS3 Hackers

[Logan Westbrook]

Killzone Dev Keeping Watch for PS3 Hackers

Games now need regular patches to keep cheaters at bay, says Killzone 3's producer.

Guerrilla Games, makers of the Killzone series, says that the recent security problems on the PS3 are a significant concern for the studio, and it is "aggressively" monitoring the online elements of Killzone 3 to make sure that hackers and cheaters aren't spoiling the fun for everyone else.

Producer Steven Ter Heide said that Guerrilla was working with Sony on moderation issues, such as making sure that any reports of misbehavior were thoroughly investigated, and that it had a very clear picture what was going on in the game. He also said that Guerrilla still had work to do on the development side, as it had to examine its data, identify any "holes" in the game and make sure that they got fixed. He said that the reality was that games now required regular patches to stay ahead of the hackers.

The idea of regular patches doesn't sound too appealing, but a steady of stream of updates is fast becoming the PS3's calling card. Given the choice between fewer updates and a hack free game however, it's a safe bet that most players will choose the latter. It's just unfortunate that recent events have made that choice necessary at all.

Source: CVG [http://www.computerandvideogames.com/290388/news/killzone-3-dev-aggressively-monitoring-ps3-jailbreak-users]



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[New Troll]

Updates are fine and dandy. Even the biggest ones don't take all that long and it's easy to find soemthing else to do while it's going on. I'm a patient person, I can wait. Usually just come here and see what's happening and by the time I'm done, game was patched hours ago.

 

[Syntax Error]

You might want to rephrase the title... I thought Guerilla were keeping track of guys who modded their PS3's.

 

[Baresark]

Now they need their own version of punkbuster to prevent cheating. i wasn't aware this was actually a problem on consoles, I know it's a real issue on the PC games.

 

[uppitycracker]

Now they need their own version of punkbuster to prevent cheating. i wasn't aware this was actually a problem on consoles, I know it's a real issue on the PC games.

it's not a huge issue on PC games these days, depends on the game really. but ya the PS3 is prolly plagued with far more hackers than the PC, by a stretch. the complete lack of attention that is given to the PS3 in this regard is the reason why, tho.... hopefully that is a changing thing for them right now.

 

[Jumplion]

Who is against automated patches? I love to see them because it gives me the sensation the Dev's still care somehow.

I do to, it does give a sense that the game is still relevant, but it's not really the best option either. I'd be annoying to come home after a long day's work, put in the game, and then wait even longer so a patch can go through. That and not everybody has a steady/decent internet connection, so it's not exactly the best solution for everybody.

 

[Zannah]

So now we complain about devs caring for their finished product, patching it and keeping it updated? Wait, what?

 

[ProGrasTiNation]

Good,its one thing to run homebrew or linux ,but if you cheat online your an idiot.

 

[Jumplion]

So now we complain about devs caring for their finished product, patching it and keeping it updated? Wait, what?

Like I said before;

I do to, it does give a sense that the game is still relevant, but it's not really the best option either. I'd be annoying to come home after a long day's work, put in the game, and then wait even longer so a patch can go through. That and not everybody has a steady/decent internet connection, so it's not exactly the best solution for everybody.

If the updates are for future map-packs and downloadable content, that'd be cool. If it's just a regular update every other week for security, I doubt most people would be so hot about it.

 

[Delusibeta]

So now we complain about devs caring for their finished product, patching it and keeping it updated? Wait, what?

Like I said before;

I do to, it does give a sense that the game is still relevant, but it's not really the best option either. I'd be annoying to come home after a long day's work, put in the game, and then wait even longer so a patch can go through. That and not everybody has a steady/decent internet connection, so it's not exactly the best solution for everybody.

If the updates are for future map-packs and downloadable content, that'd be cool. If it's just a regular update every other week for security, I doubt most people would be so hot about it.

I don't hear much complaining about people who play multiplayer Source games (i.e. Counter Strike Source, Day of Defeat Source, Team Fortress 2 etc. etc.)

 

[Jumplion]

So now we complain about devs caring for their finished product, patching it and keeping it updated? Wait, what?

Like I said before;

I do to, it does give a sense that the game is still relevant, but it's not really the best option either. I'd be annoying to come home after a long day's work, put in the game, and then wait even longer so a patch can go through. That and not everybody has a steady/decent internet connection, so it's not exactly the best solution for everybody.

If the updates are for future map-packs and downloadable content, that'd be cool. If it's just a regular update every other week for security, I doubt most people would be so hot about it.

I don't hear much complaining about people who play multiplayer Source games (i.e. Counter Strike Source, Day of Defeat Source, Team Fortress 2 etc. etc.)

That usually because those updates change the game itself, and are extremely small to begin with.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not really complaining here, I'm just giving the other side. If the updates are more like TF2, where they constantly tweak and introduce new mechanics, that'd be great. Keeping cheaters at bay is also good, though not really the best choice.

 

[Zannah]

If the updates are for future map-packs and downloadable content, that'd be cool. If it's just a regular update every other week for security, I doubt most people would be so hot about it.

Even then - it still means people keep working to improve a product for you, without expecting further payment. Complaining about that strikes me as complaining about free food, because it takes soooo long to eat.

 

[Jumplion]

If the updates are for future map-packs and downloadable content, that'd be cool. If it's just a regular update every other week for security, I doubt most people would be so hot about it.

Even then - it still means people keep working to improve a product for you, without expecting further payment. Complaining about that strikes me as complaining about free food, because it takes soooo long to eat.

Eh, like I said, I'm not really complaining, I'm just giving the other side.

 

[BENZOOKA]

If only there was a waterproof and easy way to kill stop cheaters. I hate and despise them with a passion.

 

[TxMxRonin]

Just got done playing a match where a player got kicked and banned but I have no idea if they were hacking or not as I wasn't in the match long enough to notice.

 

[Keava]

Oh my. Tragic. Poor console developers will actually have to bother with their games post-production. It's about damn time that they start worrying about their games past the first week of release and maybe working on not just eliminating cheaters but also improving the core gameplay through said patches while they already have to fix the coding.

Maybe that in turn will also force console companies to further improve their patching process eliminating the long bottlenecks called 'quality control', or at least speeding the whole process up.

One can only dream.

 

[teh_gunslinger]

I'm just glad I use a console so I don't have to deal with patches like the PC. Oh...

On a serious note: it's hard for me to care that they now have to support their product. Just sad they weren't already.

I'd say this is an excellent argument in favour of dedicated servers as it would allow the server admins to do their own banning.

 

[GeneticallyModifiedDucks]

Who is against automated patches? I love to see them because it gives me the sensation the Dev's still care somehow.

I do to, it does give a sense that the game is still relevant, but it's not really the best option either. I'd be annoying to come home after a long day's work, put in the game, and then wait even longer so a patch can go through. That and not everybody has a steady/decent internet connection, so it's not exactly the best solution for everybody.

Without a connection like that, you're probably not playing online multiplayer anyway. Hence no need for the patches. And the hackers can't bother people who play single player in any way.