Re: How to report Mass Effect 3 Multiplayer Cheater?

@STG_Mordin
I think there are certain weapon parameters that are local (mag size and rate of fire), at least in some cases. So I wouldn't worry that they are somehow modifying your game.

Given that, I think it is best to just accept the occasional cheat (as you mentioned you normally do). It's a 11 year old game, and co-op at that. So yeah, when it happens to me, I just last through that game and drop lobby (more annoying if it is yours, I admit).

@DoctorDAM 

I don't think that's how it works.

As an example, there's a mod on NexusMods which removes shotgun fire delay in multiplayer. The host must have this mod installed to have any effect. Clients without the mod installed on a modified host game will be unaffected.

So yes, if he can change parameters in my game without me having to install the same modifications then I am rightfully worried.

@EA_ShepardCheck your DM please (I sent you a link to the video), and then tell me whether that's the gaming experience I should expect from EA multiplayer games?

All this talk about inclusivity, safe spaces, making sure that everyone is having fun, fair, and balanced gameplay, and you are telling me that EA can't even stop cheating this blatant?

I am a big fan of Mass Effect franchise, I sank a lot of money into those games, bought them on disc when they first came out, then digital on Steam, I have both the original trilogy and the (poorly) remastered Legendary edition. I have gifted ME3 to a couple of friends, and I even bought ME:Andromeda despite bad reviews and atrocious state of the game at launch.

But if this is the experience I can count on going forward when I play multiplayer in EA games, tell me why should I even consider buying the next Mass Effect game or any other EA game for that matter?

So EA not only won't protect players from abuse, but they are also actively protecting the cheaters -- I am not allowed to "name and shame" the cheater here to warn other players because "even cheaters have a right to privacy"?

In real life everyone has the right to privacy until they break the law. Once there is reasonable doubt (someone reports them to the authorities and the claim is valid) they automatically lose their right to privacy, and if the bad deed is proven they can lose other rights too. I don't see why it should be any different just because it's happening on the Internet.

How I see it, many game companies tolerate cheaters because they can extract profit from them -- they get banned, they create new account, buy the game again, rinse, repeat. The fact that it creates toxic environment for normal players who also paid for the right to enjoy the game apparently can't be allowed to stand in the way of corporate profits.

@STG_Mordin 

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STG_Mordin wrote:

All this talk about inclusivity, safe spaces, making sure that everyone is having fun, fair, and balanced gameplay, and you are telling me that EA can't even stop cheating this blatant?

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That is not at all what @EA_Shepard  said.
What he did say was that there is a different team responsible for such reports and any follow up, as there should be, as community managers have a completely different area of expertise.

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STG_Mordin wrote:

So EA not only won't protect players from abuse, but they are also actively protecting the cheaters -- I am not allowed to "name and shame" the cheater here to warn other players because "even cheaters have a right to privacy"?
In real life everyone has the right to privacy until they break the law. Once there is reasonable doubt (someone reports them to the authorities and the claim is valid) they automatically lose their right to privacy, and if the bad deed is proven they can lose other rights too. I don't see why it should be any different just because it's happening on the Internet.

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I don't know where you live, but where I live (Europe), even convicted people have a right to privacy.
So yes, "even" cheaters have a right to privacy.

But even the comparison is pretty ridicules imho. We are talking about people that trick in a computer game, not criminals.

You can't name and shame people here because we don't want flame wars on this board, and because you have no right to be prosecutor and judge at the same time, not even "on the Internet".

Cheaters annoy, but many people that just play very good are accused of cheating and that's why the Terms of Service team at EA is responsible to determine who is a cheater and who is not. 
Besides, the whole issue is incredibly complicated, far beyond what I have addressed so far.

EA_Shepard gave you the link you asked for, there is nothing that can be done on this board beyond that.

If you can't accept this, then there is in fact no other way than to stop playing.

@holger1405 

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That is not at all what @EA_Shepard said. What he did say was that there is a different team responsible for such reports and any follow up, as there should be, as community managers have a completely different area of expertise.

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Why are you white-knighting for them? Nobody asked your opinion.

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I don't know where you live, but where I live (Europe), even convicted people have a right to privacy.

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Depends on what they are convicted for. People have the right to know that a certain individual is dangerous so they can avoid them.

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We are talking about people that trick in a computer game, not criminals.

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No, we are talking about griefers who are ruining the game for other players by cheating, wasting their (usually scarce) free time, and depriving them of something they also paid for.

Cheating is a serious disruption in multiplayer matches. Maybe you found two other players and liked how the game went until a cheater joined and then you are forced to leave. When you exit you lose your consumable gear, you lose people you were playing with unless you can remember their nicks and try adding them as friends, and given poor matchmaking you are often left waiting for your lobby to fill up again which is a giant waste of time.

Also since EA is a US-based company, if they are cheating by remotely hacking the host's game process, they are quite literally breaking the law -- US Computer Fraud and Abuse Act, and since they couldn't do that without reverse-engineering the game code, they are also violating Digital Millennium Copyright Act.

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Cheaters annoy, but many people that just play very good are accused of cheating...

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Except that's totally not the case here because I also have video proof.

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If you can't accept this, then there is in fact no other way than to stop playing.

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Nobody sane could accept a majority of normal players being bullied by a handful of cheaters. Instead of forcing them to stop playing you are asking normal players to stop playing. That's how you lose player base and customers.

TL;DR -- other game companies take cheating more seriously and are willing to look at the evidence and take steps against cheating players. EA doesn't do this and apparently doesn't want to, not to mention that it also seems to have people like you willing to defend the status quo. You are not adding anything of value to this discussion so maybe you should take your own advice and "stop playing".

Stop with the "white knight" accusations. So absurd, that is not what was happening.

To answer your question - if you play on PC, you should install ME3Tweaks Mod Manager, and then you have access to the in-game console. If you are the host, you can killviewedactor, you can instant kick, you can do whatever. This also allows in-game text chat.

Be aware, this is also an avenue to easy cheating. Because no one cared 10 years ago, and still no one cares now. If I am in a match with a cheater, and it is affecting me, I quit the match and look for another.

Stop shrieking into an abyss about an ancient game that is not competitive, it is silly at best. If you need credits for your manifest, I understand the frustration but it took me over 1000 hours of Gold+ play from new release to max my manifest, and that includes so many games broken by the Vanguard glitch that you will never know about.

Why so serious dot gif - there is no risk of remote code execution.

Finally, there is a Friend's List. You don't have to play a public match ever. Go to Reddit or the nu-BSN and find some people that are willing to carry you, they exist. If you don't want to be carried, make your own friends.

Screaming at an extremely helpful non-employee here is a poor use of this website and you, the one who claims to be the offended party, just treated a good and helpful person like dirt.

I hope to see you on the field, don't accuse me of cheating when I sextuple your score.