Re: is it fair to use config file remove muzzle flash?

You have to make changes to config to play at stretched resolution - all streamers do it and it's not considered cheating. 

Right...which is why it just got banned from competitive fortnite right?

I gotta hand it off to Epic Games for taking care of Fortnite. I know there were plenty of cheaters in there too but for a similar game in construct, they handled those issues quickly to keep Fortnite's content creators able to play. Able to create content. That also put them on the map for all the competitive tournaments they've had.

Devil's advocate position:

• videoconfig.txt isn't a 'game file'.

It's stored in the user directory not the game install directory. As a user file it is intended to be edited.

• If editing these cvars was not intended, why are they there?

Respawn could have made them read-only cheat protected, or simply not exposed them as cvars to begin with.

Exposing them and then expecting players not to use them is sloppy programming plain & simple.

• Manually editing config files to gain competitive (or performance) advantage has been present in pc games since the dawn of time*. *(or at least, the dawn of the FPS genre)

Pro players in professional tournaments, playing for cash prizes have been doing this since.... well Quake (1996), or earlier.

• No 3rd party application is involved, anyone can make these changes.
• If I'm not mistaken, all these config edits can be achieved by adding them as command-line arguments; functionality that's officially exposed by the Origin launcher.

Personally I find it perverse that a game targeted squarely at the casual end of the gaming demographic would take issue with behaviour that's been the status quo among professional gamers for a very very* long time. *(indeed longer than many of those complaining have been alive!)

Some clarification from EA, or Respawn is sorely needed here, as the terms of service are vague & contrary to what many consider to the common sense status quo.

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@TheJumpingJawa wrote:

Devil's advocate position:

• videoconfig.txt isn't a 'game file'.

It's stored in the user directory not the game install directory. As a user file it is intended to be edited.

• If editing these cvars was not intended, why are they there?

Respawn could have made them read-only cheat protected, or simply not exposed them as cvars to begin with.

Exposing them and then expecting players not to use them is sloppy programming plain & simple.

• Manually editing config files to gain competitive (or performance) advantage has been present in pc games since the dawn of time*. *(or at least, the dawn of the FPS genre)

Pro players in professional tournaments, playing for cash prizes have been doing this since.... well Quake (1996), or earlier.

• No 3rd party application is involved, anyone can make these changes.
• If I'm not mistaken, all these config edits can be achieved by adding them as command-line arguments; functionality that's officially exposed by the Origin launcher.

Personally I find it perverse that a game targeted squarely at the casual end of the gaming demographic would take issue with behaviour that's been the status quo among professional gamers for a very very* long time. *(indeed longer than many of those complaining have been alive!)

Some clarification from EA, or Respawn is sorely needed here, as the terms of service are vague & contrary to what many consider to the common sense status quo.

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If a player modifies their game in such a way that it breaks the rules then they are at risk of being banned. Regardless of anything that anyone has ever done in any game at any level and at any time in the history of the universe since the dawning of time including when the dinosaurs were around or before computers or people were invented.

"breaks the rules" and there-in lies the problem; the 'rules' are unclear.

For example, am I free to put whatever I like in Origin's Apex launch parameters?

If so, I can still 'cheat' without ever needing to modify any config file nor utilise any external program.

I don't want to get into a debate about the ethics of 'games as a service', but it seems undeniable that having nebulous 'rules' is squarely to the benefit of EA.

Anything that makes it easy for them to justify a ban, and so steal back anything & everything you've already paid for, is to their benefit & the consumer's determent.

They're not just the Judge, Jury & Executioner, they're the Legislature too!

@TheJumpingJawa No, and that's the problem with people trying to get around doing it.

They're fully aware that they are cheating but they want to lie or make an excuse for it. You sound very capable to me. If you can modify a config file, I don't think you need 'rules of cheating' in Apex being explained to you.

Incase you do: altering fps/fov- ok. Anything else- not ok.

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@newname4504 wrote:

@TheJumpingJawa No, and that's the problem with people trying to get around doing it.

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What specifically is that 'No' in response to? Editing Apex launch parameters through Origin?

Can you cite the rule being broken, or official statement that supports your assertion?

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@TheJumpingJawa wrote:

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@newname4504 wrote:

@TheJumpingJawa No, and that's the problem with people trying to get around doing it.

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What specifically is that 'No' in response to? Editing Apex launch parameters through Origin?

Can you cite the rule being broken, or official statement that supports your assertion?

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This is a public forum and the answers are all opinions.  My opinion is that it is cheating.  If you want an official answer then ask an official source.  Hopefully this will stop you from thinking that anyone owes you an explanation for there opinions.