This is directly from the EA ToS
Use or distribute unauthorized software programs or tools (such as "auto", "macro", hack or cheat software), or use exploits, bugs or problems in an EA Service to gain unfair advantage.
An Unauthorized Third-Party Program is a third-party program or file (such as a "add-on", "mod", "hack", "trainer", or "cheat") that EA believes (i) enables or facilitates cheating of any type; (ii) allows users to modify or hack the game interface, environment, and/or experience in any way not expressly authorized by EA; or (iii) intercepts, "mines", or otherwise collects information from or through the game.
Until EA changes the wording in the ToS they are "Technically" not banned as they are Hardware not software based, but I agree they do violate the nature of it, but when it comes down to splitting hairs EA chose its wording poorly and went with the very specific term of "software" not Hardware or Devices.
"Until EA changes the wording in the ToS they are "Technically" not banned as they are Hardware not software based, but I agree they do violate the nature of it, but when it comes down to splitting hairs EA chose its wording poorly and went with the very specific term of "software" not Hardware or Devices."
Uh you are wrong about that, the device your are talking about has it's own software and if one is using the device they are using the 3rd party software.
So just to be clear that does fall under the ToS and would be a violation of that. There is no loophole.
@Fr0d0T34B4gg1n5As @Asmodeus566 said even if these products are hardware that you have to physically install, it has a software that runs the cheats that people use and thats a 3rd party software.
I see a lot of misunderstanding in people's posts regarding this, thinking that couse its not a PC/Console program its not software based. Every piece of hardware that you connect to a game device needs its own software to run.
@Asmodeus566 @DeepBeats So my point is that with the broad terms EA has used, things like 3rd party voice chat could be considered a cheat program being that you can gain an unfair advantage over players by being in a voice chat and someone spectating/statpadding/cheating. IE there is legitimate use like there is with the Cronus and Titan for controllers on consoles and there is nefarious use which most of the consoles running this are doing. However the rules don't make a distinction other than to say it is at the whim of what EA Believes not even what they can prove. So according to what I am hearing from you all is that if there is a possible nefarious use it's banned because its a 3rd party software. So when are people going to start getting banned for using Discord and Team-speak over the EA approved and provided in-game voice chat?
I do understand that for any hardware to work it needs software to send it commands. My point to this is that just like Discord can be run on a separate device such as your cell phone, does this now mean EA has permission to ban me or scan my cell phone? No, they prolly don't even know when someone is cheating/statpadding whatever that way. So too is the Titan and Cronus the software they use cant be scanned by EA cause they only have permission to check for Software running not Hardware devices on our systems and EA only checks to see if you are running cheat programs such as dll hookers/modded files. These devices are entirely separate and run no program except what is internal to their Hardware. My whole point to this is EA has to scan for a HARDWARE ID not software to ban these devices and the Terms of Service only covers 3rd party software not hardware.
@Fr0d0T34B4gg1n5 well it's not, as it dosnt give an unfair advantage, the basis of the cheating philosophy, and mentioned earlier.
@OldTreeCreeper I have seen people use unauthorized 3rd party chat programs (discord/team-speak) to Engage or assist in cheating or other anti-competitive behavior (such as boosting, collusion, and match or matchmaking manipulation) a violation of the ToS that I reported. You say 3rd party chat programs don't give an unfair advantage, then why outline the illegitimate use of it in the ToS and provide an authorized option?
Still doesn't change the fact though that 3rd party voice chat is an unauthorized program that is technically prohibited by the ToS as EA has provided an Authorized in-game voice chat to prevent the illegitimate use of 3rd party voice chat software that I outlined.
Let's be truthful here anytime you use a 3rd party voice chat and merely saying "that dude over there killed me" to players that are alive, gives them an unfair advantage as the provided in-game voice chat prevents this collusion.
Also 3rd party chat bypass' EA services in-game voice chat meant to prevent collusion. This is a violation of the ToS for bypassing EA Services and anytime your character is dead and you give out any piece of in game information that is collusion and a violation of the ToS, I would argue this is the most common form of cheating/anti-competitive violation of the EA ToS in the game, and you are saying it is allowed.
Community ManagerHey folks,
This thread is getting pretty derailed and into some pretty off-topic hypotheticals that really aren't necessary.
Something like Discord is perfectly fine to use as an alternative to in-game chat, for example.
Locking it down here as this really is not a productive thread.
Community Manager
