Bug or exploit? (It is essentially cheating)

#1

So I’ve come across a larger amount of people playing the predator that are using an exploit. It’s pretty simple: Playing with an open mic, but no sound coming through it. I’ve noticed this circumvents the predators clicking sounds. I can see they are near, but cannot zero in due to the lack of directional sound. I was able to reproduce this in a private match. People are doing this deliberately. Exploiting a game mechanic or bug that gives you an unfair advantage is considered cheating and against the ToS. This can be solved in a couple of ways.

  1. Ban offenders (not my first choice as it involves time to investigate cases and players reported)

  2. Give fireteams a directional indicator for predators playing with an open mic. There is no reason for a predator to have his mic open at any time, even push to talk.

  3. Predators playing with an open mic should be unable to use soundbased pinpointing, screw up their thermal vision or even be able to hear anything, because they are to “loud” themselves.

  4. Make it so the mic doesn’t overwrite the clicking sounds. Or if his mic is open, have them make a lot more clicking sounds.

My first choice would be the 2nd option. This would be the biggest deterrent for using this exploit.

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#2

sounds like what some people are doin’ with macros lol

#3

You’re right. I’ve noticed this as well, when I see the Predator player has his mic on during the hunt there are no sounds to indicate his presence. The only sounds are those made by the Predators weapons. They need to look into this ASAP.

#4

I still make sounds when Mine is in. Sounds like a glitch. I hear the FT announce my presence.

#5

Switching Camo and vision still makes sound, movement still makes sound. But no mandible clicking. And they can see your Mic is open on screen, so they know you are near, just not able to pinpoint you using the sounds the predator normally makes.

#6

I would agree, seems like an exploit.

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#7

dont need to ban anyone or do anything drastic just need to fix it so the sound still plays when they chat/open mic.

I like to use my mic as pred to spook out people and taunt them etc. im not inteding an exploit and i didnt know that was a thing. but its just needs patching its definitly not intended i would say.

Just need to fix it thats all.

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#8

I encountered a player using this exploit last night. But instead of being silent on the mic he was broadcasting so loud I had to take my headset of. I have game sound coming through my 5.1 and use a one ear headset for Comms, there was NO Predator noises until the moment he started slicing with his wrist blades which was the only way we knew he was amongst us meaning we had to rush to that teammate and open fire. Managed to kill him but still…

Again today I came across another player using this exploit. The mic symbol was visible most of the match and he knew what he was doing, even though he tried to deny it when I called him out for it at the post match screen.
As soon as I realised what they were intending to do I began recording on my PS4. What do I do with the footage??

#9

if you mute the pred at the start of the game is this a temporary workaround?

#10

Agreed. Bans are a bit too heavy, maybe a three day ban for repeat offenders where there is evidence that they’ve been using it over and over for successive wins.

Devs need to check into this quick.

#11

Not sure, I’ll try it next time👍🏼

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#12

Doesn’t this go along with what alot of other people want which is for there to be no clicking or for the clicking to sound like its coming from all around?

It’s funny how you say ban isn’t your first choice but you literally have it as number 1 lol. Considering the pred makes a lotta noise in other areas I dont see this as that much of a problem.

But to Ban, or have their vision get screwed up or even have them more clicking seems like way too much. I’ve already gotten used to the clicking and this doesn’t really apply to me as I’m usually not in game chat, and when I do go into game chat its after the fighting starts or is done.

Like I’m in a psn party all the time , then sometimes il switch to game chat.

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#13

@Fire, do read more carefully,

And give 4 possible solves. That does not mean that the 1st possible solution is my first choice. But is the usual MO of companies to ban players that behaved in a manner that does not fit the ToS or EULA. It is pretty common to ban players that cheat or exploit a bug or game mechanic that was not intended to be used that way.

No. One of the marketing points of this game was the use of directional sound and the ability to find either hunter or prey this way. The developers have not made any adjustments to this, and it is people using their hardware to have their predator make no sound (or to much in @VENN7eance’s case) to get an advantage. This is against the ToS/EULA. The audio decoy is in the game for a reason.

Most sounds of the predator have easy fixes, like smart movement, leaping instead of walking, crouched walking instead of running across the brances of a tree. The choice to toggle your thermal vision/active camouflage is also up to the player. The clicking sound of the predator is involuntary, just like the jabbering the FT does most of the time.

Like I said, banning people is not what I’d want. But for people that want misuse their mic there has to be a deterrent or at least a big drawback. A directional indicator would be the biggest one. And it’s already in place for the AI and the Predator has something similar when in thermal. Or why could the predator himself not get some kind of feedback loop when having an open mic?

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#14

If they remove the clicking the they better give us thermal goggles (which will be available in the future, you can bet on that especially if/when they introduce night time maps). Even with surround sound and directional sound output, knowing the general direction that the clicking appears to come from isn’t any good especially if the Predator is completely motionless since they’re totally invisible. Most people look straight into the trees, but the Predator could be crouched behind a rocky overlook, in the bushes, pretty much anywhere and skilled Predators use the clicking to their advantage.

The ONLY Pred players asking for the clicking to be removed are noobs or inexperienced Predator players that can’t maximise the advantages that all their tech and tools give them.

Fireteam have a bigger issue with their characters shouting “mudding up!”/“applying camo” which a half competent Pred player can easily zero in on. That’s a real sound effect issue, not the clicking mandibles.

#15

are people fqiling this can also be done in reverse you can use it to find the predtor easier too

#16

The point is that it’s a big/exploit and shouldn’t be in the game at all. I don’t want cheats to find the Predator, I want to play the game as it was intended and advertised. This game has the potential to be the definitive game of the franchise, something old school fans of the Predator IP have been asking for for three decades. To have it ruined by exploits and cheaters is a tragedy that has to be stopped as soon as it’s discovered.

#17

You know in cases like these I really wish all of these things could be discussed through an actual conversation. Like spoken conversation. It gets annoying when I put a small thing which only has 1 or 2 main points, and people try break it down like I said 50 things.

So that way the conversation can go by faster. But fine here we go.

First off, you say you dont want a ban but yet, its literally your number 1 option. That kind of contradicts what you say. You say you dont want it but its number one.

Secondly, the reason I say I dont consider it that much of a problem is because when I play ft, I dont really go by the clicking sounds, I go by the loud ass footsteps.
Even in the tress you can hear that.

Mind you I’m not an enemy here or just trying to shut you down.
I just dont see not having clicks as that much of a problem. Like I said I’ve gotten used to my pred having a conversation with itself loud enough for ft to hear. So at this point whether it stays or goes, I don’t really care.

I just think it’s too much to try and punish players who dont want a click. Thats all.

#18

But hearing I hope this is mud is pretty funny. Yeah I guess that’s a problem but I’ve gotten used to it? Idk. Btw I’m all for ft getting thermal if a night map comes out but then what’s the preds counter to it? You basically make cloak useless.

Idk. But aside from just night mode I hope if they do give ft thermal then the maps become bigger than they are. Cause the only solution I see playing further away.

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#19

Bigger maps are a must, the current ones are easily memorised and Predator players that have played alot of Fireteam to rank up will be able to anticipate what missions their opponents are playing and where key objectives are so they can just throw traps and wait. Backwater is definitely the worst map because the Predator knows that the fishing village is where it’s at🙄

I’d like the timer to be removed as well, so the hunt can’t be drawn out and played really strategically with stealth. Or at the very least, double the current times given for missions.

If they added a Hardcore mode, where there wasn’t any objectives other than to get from the starting point (meaning no helicopter infiltration intro, maybe some other cinematic with a narrative that relates to the map) to the exfiltration zone alive before the Predator wipes you all out would cater to all the types of players in this game. Some people just want to hunt the Predator and go off on their own excursion, leaving the remaining FT members weakened against AI and Predator…

Like I said, the potential is huge here and I hope we see this game continue to grow, succeed and expand into something bigger (campaign mode?).

Peace, and happy hunting.

#20

If they do something about this then they damn well better fix the bullshit of using macros to escape nets ridiculously quick