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EA_Lanna's avatar
EA_Lanna
Icon for Community Manager rankCommunity Manager
3 years ago

Re: Cheating Smurf

Hi @demmons12,

Thanks for reaching out. I'm afraid we're not equipped to process cheating reports through the forums, and naming and shaming players on here can lead to harassment so we ask members not to name and shame other gamers on this forum (as a result of this, we've removed the attachment to keep your post within the forum rules, please keep them in mind for again). 

We do have official channels in place to receive reports and route them through to the team looking into them. This EA Help Article goes into that in more detail: "Report players for cheating, abuse, and harassment". The channels differ depending on what platform the cheating taking place on.

Thanks

- EA_Lanna

17 Replies

  • ohlookyoudeadno's avatar
    ohlookyoudeadno
    Not applicable
    3 years ago

    I was going to do same thing. A hardcheater aimbot Banglore was carrying his friend. He knows he will got banned. What about guy he carrying? Cant send a picture video? Cant report real villian? And they also curse me alot at voice chat when i say im reporting you. Its another deep unfair situation if we ever text ingame f...ff bamm we got banned but all racist and all another level offansive speech accepted in apex and origin platform. HOW COME FAIR?

  • XHelperZ's avatar
    XHelperZ
    Hero+
    3 years ago

    @ohlookyoudeadnow 

    You can report these types of users via the in-game reporting system.

    Videos can be shared as long all names are censored out of the video itself, this is to prevent any witch hunting and so forth.

  • XxColdFangxX's avatar
    XxColdFangxX
    Not applicable
    3 years ago
    @XHelperZ
    How about when you see a lvl 1 smurf as a champion before a br match? You can't really report them, there's no option from the screen, and you can't look them up either cause it just gives you the option to add friend.
  • OldTreeCreeper's avatar
    OldTreeCreeper
    Hero+
    3 years ago

    @ohlookyoudeadnow afaik if someone is on a cheating team they all get banned if caught.

    @XxColdFangxX 

    This is the current position on smurfing afaik from apex hideouts.

    "So does this mean I can get banned for doing the “Solo to masters in all legend”?

    " No. This is intended for players that abuse the system and create new accounts consistently to farm lower level lobbies. Having one smurf to do a grind like that will not get you banned"

    https://mobile.twitter.com/rspn_hideouts/status/1390020385706364929

    The question put to Conor was about a ranked challenge. He replied:

    "create new accounts consistently to farm lower level lobbies."

    To me, it seems to be very specifically about banning farming pub or farming ranked smurfs, who are specifically and persistently wipeing out lower level lobbies for whatever reason. Not ranked challenge smurfs who are passing through.

    I used to think all smurfing was bannable, until I saw Hideouts clarification. I don't know why such a distinction was made.

    I think they probably are destroying noob lobbies at the beginning, but after a short while they are no longer in noob lobbies. You have to get to level 10 to start ranked, so you have to make some effort to get there quick and would get put on the top lobbies of whatever level you are at, because of that.

    How many players actually do a ranked grind to master like that? Not that many I would think.

    Idk but there must be a much bigger issue, visible in the data, with a larger number of players creating new accounts on a constant basis, purely to farm noob pub lobbies, constantly ruining those lobbies, probably to ruin the novice experience, much like trolling.


    Would they put the effort in to get to level 10 before losing interest and starting afresh?

    With the accounts being free, it seems to me to be more of a moral position that has been taken to try and protect genuine new players, as against hacks etc which is imo actual cheating.

    Ranked demotion itself creates a smurf issue, where I was recently stomped by a premade previous x2 season master trio in silver III.

    Changing an account platform creates the same issue, with no cross progression.

    Neither could be considered cheating imo.

    Smurfing is frowned on but not a bannable offence unless in very specific circumstances. I have learned its not a simple issue.

    If you miss the opportunity to report a cheater in game then report them to "hideouts", with evidence if possible.

    https://mobile.twitter.com/RSPN_Hideouts

  • XxColdFangxX's avatar
    XxColdFangxX
    Not applicable
    3 years ago

    @OldTreeCreeper
    Yea I've heard about this.
    This is as you yourself have mentioned in another post, we can't really tell the difference between one smurf or another.
    I will very much continue to report anyone I believe is smurfing as it is not fair one bit to the casual player base to be used as target practice.

    And there is no reason excuse good enough to make me believe other wise..

    We are all fed up with it and have been asking for a long time to get rid of them, yet the devs sit there with their thumbs up their * wondering why player base is declining

  • OldTreeCreeper's avatar
    OldTreeCreeper
    Hero+
    3 years ago

    @XxColdFangxX yep guilty of repeating myself, but I think it's important to do so when it's brought up. It may lessen the frustration a bit. I don't worry about this any more because I now understand what's going on. 

  • OldTreeCreeper's avatar
    OldTreeCreeper
    Hero+
    3 years ago

    @XxColdFangxX no it dosnt, as I said I don't think its appropriate, but I don't make the rules and the rules are the same for everyone. Its the same with any game, but once you know the how and why, you can choose to let it go. 

    For example: I have a very conservative style of play at times, for a number of reasons, and it is not liked by some of my squaddies, but it does not break any rules and I enjoy my game time. 

  • XxColdFangxX's avatar
    XxColdFangxX
    Not applicable
    3 years ago
    @OldTreeCreeper
    Why would anyone let go getting steam rolled by a level 10 smurf?
    It makes game play pointless as you can't go one match without a smurf.
    Sure rules are rules but none of the good games allow the exploitation of their weaker players.
    Having a specific play style is very a very different thing than smurfing and you really can't compare the two.
    At this rate, especially if this so called new mm thing doesn't work out, the only thing getting leg go of will be the game itself.
  • OldTreeCreeper's avatar
    OldTreeCreeper
    Hero+
    3 years ago

    @XxColdFangxX that would be your choice to let the game go, warts and all. 

    My point was that my play style and smurfing can lead to other players being frustrated.

    The point of letting go is that there is nothing you can do about it as any reports about it would be a waste of time, venting frustration if you will, and achieve nothing as it is not breaking the rules. 

  • XxColdFangxX's avatar
    XxColdFangxX
    Not applicable
    3 years ago
    @OldTreeCreeper
    It's also been mentioned in the forums here by cheeseman who had an actual graph showing the player decline.
    Not sure where he gets his sources but I'm sure they're more reliable.
  • Midnight9746's avatar
    Midnight9746
    Hero+
    3 years ago

    @OldTreeCreeper: "afaik if someone is on a cheating team they all get banned if caught."

    That's only if the other player is playing more than a few matches with the cheater(s), and usually if they're squaded up together.

    You're not going to get banned if one game you get a random cheater teammate, (even two games in a row), but you will get banned if you repeatedly play with that cheater, whether you know they're cheating or not.

  • OldTreeCreeper's avatar
    OldTreeCreeper
    Hero+
    3 years ago

    @Midnight9746 I'd like to see the official bit on that one, not getting banned on playing one game in a premade squad with a cheater. 

    I can't see EA distinguishing between 1 match and a few. 

    I don't think I inferred that you would get banned if you were teamed up with a random cheater by the game. I did say cheating team, that implies everyone on the team is cheating, ie squading up with a cheater in a premade is cheating too, knowingly or unknowingly. 

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