If cheating cannot be fully eliminated through technical means, player participation in reporting cheaters should be actively encouraged. One effective approach could be introducing a bounty system.
Under this system, players who successfully report confirmed cheaters would receive limited or time-restricted in-game rewards.
For example, in Age of Empires IV, players who report verified cheaters could be little rewarded with an additional 50 gold at the start of their first ten quick-match games following the successful report.
This incentive not only motivates players to help maintain a fair gaming environment but also makes the reporting system more engaging and rewarding.
Brilliant. Because when I boot up an RTS, my first thought is always, âWhat this medieval battlefield really needs is a leaderboard of biggest snitchesâ. Nothing captures the spirit of real-time strategy quite like incentivizing backstabbing and turning goodwill into a micropayment grind. Who needs balanced maps and deep strategy when you can play Snitchâs Quest: Gold Rush Edition? Letâs call it what it is - an open invitation to toxicity, bribery, and economic chaos in the lobby.
What I do see is that cheating - and frankly, all forms of misconduct - arenât being treated with the seriousness they deserve. Iâve known players running modified scenarios for months on end, yet they face zero consequences. The core issue isnât a lack of player reports; itâs that those reports vanish into a black hole. Over 90% of my valid complaints about cheating, toxicity, or even explicit hate speech come back âno action takenâ, with no explanation, no transparency, and no intermediate steps (not even a one-day chat ban for someone clearly abusive).
Youâre putting the cart before the horse. The reason officials donât take action is because they possibility lack effective tools to reliably detect cheaters. What I proposed is an alternative approach -encouraging players to report suspicious behaviour, so that those consistently flagged can be reviewed more seriously and punished more effectively.
Yes, thereâs always a risk of malicious reporting, but players arenât powerless - they can appeal. Whatâs important is that this system creates pressure on actual cheaters, not just empty reports.
I genuinely believe this whould reduce cheating and help restore a healthier environment in the game I love. The internet - and online gaming - wasnât always like this. In the beginning, things were more harmonious. It was the rise of cheating that poisoned the atmosphere, not the community or even the lack of official response.
So I think your sarcasm is misdirected. The real frustration shouldnât be toward players proposing solutions - it should be toward the unchecked cheating thatâs hurting the game. More voices should speak up about this problem, not mock idea of improving the problem.
This will have the adverse effect of having everyone report everyone else each game. Itâs impossible to fully prevent cheating, map hacks are very easy to implement, almost impossible to detect and they exist on consoles too.