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FrankWurst's avatar
FrankWurst
Seasoned Rookie
2 years ago

Re: Forced install of a kernel-level program on PC (Anticheat merged thread)

Product: EA SPORTS™ WRC
Platform:PC
Summarize your bug Stop kernel-level EA anti cheat in the next upcoming patch.
How often does the bug occur? Every time (100%)
Steps: How can we find the bug ourselves? https://steamcommunity.com/games/1849250/announcements/detail/4188988499354675175
What happens when the bug occurs? https://steamcommunity.com/games/1849250/announcements/detail/4188988499354675175
What do you expect to see? No kernel level anti cheat software.

Stop kernel-level EA anti cheat in the next upcoming patch. This is a highly invasive and unnecessary back door that will be installed with the next patch. It will also stop the game from running on Linux and Steam deck. EA anti cheat runs at kernel level and will have access to pretty much everything on your computer. Please make yourself heard and tell EA that this is not what we want.

You can read here what kernel level anti cheat means and why it's bad: https://www.reddit.com/r/gaming/comments/xf1cwr/the_insanity_of_eas_anticheat_system_by_a_kernel/

18 Replies

  • Cheaters are only a problem in a small part of the game, namely online events and leaderboards. Someone who mainly plays single player modes doesn't care about leaderboard times that are a second or thirty quicker but will still have to sacrifice their privacy just to play the game. In my mind that's not a reasonable demand from the developers as long as the game is not an Esports-first title. If that's the aim, provide a dedicated version of the game for Esports events.

  • Neumondz's avatar
    Neumondz
    2 years ago
    @FrankWurst I have Steam Deck and I use Linux on desktop. Can I avoid updating, to keep older version so that I can play offline? I really do not care about online features, and I really love the game.
  • samsagax's avatar
    samsagax
    2 years ago

    Cheaters are not a real problem. This level of Anticheat is a real threat to security and also will make all Linux installs useless. Please don't.

    Another thing is, that cheaters that really want to cheat will do so at the hardware level. With the current tools you can put a good marshalling in place for cheat runs that can be croudsourced and based on telemetry.

    Otherwise, I'll ask for a refund. I can't play what I legally purchased.

  • Adding a AC this inclusive to this game doesnt solve anything. This is not Rainbow Six Siege in which the AC is a joke and cheaters are running free. If people are seriously using cheats to get a advantage, they should be able to get reported through the proper methods, club admins, online reports, etc, and get banned. This game is not a FPS shooter  and we did not agree to this when we purchased the game.

  • Ash2ruin's avatar
    Ash2ruin
    2 years ago

    Yeah. This is garbage and should have been announced at launch. Guess that's on me for having given EA a second chance and we're headed back to another decade long boycott.

  • GRF_Rebl's avatar
    GRF_Rebl
    Seasoned Newcomer
    2 years ago

    Windows and Linux players alike won't like the anti-cheat at all. Make it optional. There's no need for it for 99% of the playerbase. If you need it for e-sports, make those players use it. The rest of us don't need it at all.

  • longtomjr's avatar
    longtomjr
    2 years ago

    I just want to add my feedback here as well.

    I play on Linux, and I love the game, but will not be able to play if Kernel level anti-cheat gets added. I know I am in the minority, but I still want to mention this.

    Along with the above, I would not be comfortable installing a black box onto any Operating System and give it Kernel level access. I think adding this requirement to a game after release breaks trust, especially since cheating does not have a much of an impact on the gameplay (as opposed to a shooter where a cheater can ruin the game for everyone).

    I urge you to please reconsider implementing EA Anti-Cheat in the game. I understand the commitment to fair play, but I believe that Kernel level anti cheat is not the answer, and will harm the consumer (whether they know it or not).

    If that is not an option, please make the anti-cheat optional for single player and club play (make it optional for the club owner to enable or disable it). I know this will require extra dev work, but it will allow more people to continue playing the awesome game you made.

    Kind Regards

  • Oscar_Burant's avatar
    Oscar_Burant
    New Rookie
    2 years ago

    I seriously don't understand why an anticheat would be needed for this game. I feel like the negative aspects of a kernel level anticheat definitely outweigh the benefits.

  • skelmy's avatar
    skelmy
    2 years ago

    I stand with this as well, EA / Codemasters did NOT state this was going to be a kernel anti cheat game at launch and its false advertising, IF they did this at launch I WOULD NEVER have bought this game, NO DiRT Rally by Codemasters has EVER had a kernel anti cheat, and so I will be requiring a FULL refund from Valve on Steam, until EA makes their Kernel anti cheat work on Linux and with the new Linux NT Kernel Sync Driver being added to the Linux Kernel V 6.10 mainline release this summer then all Win NT Kernel Anti Cheats should be able to just be run in Linux Userspace in Proton/GE-Proton/WINE Staging, and listening to the Linux devs it would be pretty impossible to create anti cheats for Linux with that in place on Linux running the WIn NT Kernel Anti Cheats that I have been reading up on and watching them talking about this. So either EA gets their act together this summer when the Linux NT Kernel Sync Driver is released in Linux Kernel 6.10 and sort this out, or I get a full refund and stop playing any games that EA wants to try and FORCE people into ONLY using Windows, this is an ABSOLUTE SCANDAL as gaming companies are FORCING people to use ONE OS by a corporation ONLY which is a MONOPOLY and I HOPE this goes against laws in the EU and all OVER the world and the big gaming companies INCLUDING Microsoft get FORCED to create this in Linux with the Linux NT Kernel Sync Driver, as there is NO EXCUSE other than to create a fascist dictatorship model of a tech monopoly into using just ONE OS.

    Sort it out EA, Linux is growing now by 400% a year, and largely due to the Indian Open Source Initiative, India is the largest country on the planet, the largest democracy on earth and the fastest growing economy, and they are all switching to Linux, so there will be a boom over the next coming couple of years seeing as Microsoft is ending support for Win 10 next Oct 2025.

  • samsagax's avatar
    samsagax
    2 years ago

    The statement that this game.is essentially offline and cheaters are not a problem is essentially true.

    The game can be marshalled against "cheaters" by simply croudsourcing moderation of the leaderboards. And requiring special moderation when playing eSports. Even the WRC pots penalties for cutting corners after the fact. Is not a shooter, you don't need to be sniffing all my memory and processes with the potential security and privacy risks it involves.

  • DashimakiG's avatar
    DashimakiG
    2 years ago

    I am not opposed to the introduction of EA Anti-Cheat, but I am concerned that abnormal leaderboard data is left uncorrected without being automatically corrected.
    Is this a game bug, Racenet bug, cheat, or normal?

    I have submitted a feedback report. EA's response is
    ”WE REVIEWED YOUR REPORT AND DIDN'T TAKE ANY ACTION THIS TIME.”

    I wonder if installing EA Anti-Cheat will fix this?

  • renze21's avatar
    renze21
    2 years ago

    Is there a person sitting at EA and thinking every day how to make the company even worse, arrogant, greedy and out of touch???

    God, this company... Unbelievable...

  • OTT2's avatar
    OTT2
    Rising Scout
    2 years ago

    Side effect of me wanting to give Frank credit for originally having the more popular thread before the merge.  Marking an "answer" gives a thread the tick to say that it's "solved" without any nuance, and in this case the issue definitely isn't solved on EA's end.

    EDIT: Since Frank is also mad about it, I looked for the option to unselect an answer and found it.  This is once again marked as an unsolved thread.

  • renze21's avatar
    renze21
    2 years ago

    Thanks guys!

    Seems that you are some of the few who care about this topic... 😢

  • Fear-Factor777's avatar
    Fear-Factor777
    Rising Scout
    2 years ago

    I am massively dissapointed.
    The few months it was ok even with the only option to play on a screen.


    Then the awaited VR was launched and its for me a desaster.
    I am tired of fumble around and find the optimal settings because it do not run out of the box.
    Yeah yeah... its beta bla bla. BS.

    And now we have to get a anticheat crap on top??
    Wtf.

    I saw already in the beginning and posted lot of stuff about shortcuts and shown the evidence but no one cared.
    Ive stopped driving in time trials and other "competitive modes".
    I drive only in singleplayer or private club events.

    I DONT NEED THAT CRAPPY ANTICHEAT *.
    And this game is just a next lesson for future.
    Believe me, i love rally and had hope for a good rally platform but i dont will be a test candidate for you next game.
    You had your chance but it looks like EA seems to love to destroy the last chance for this niche game cathegory.

    I uninstall it now.
    Congrats

  • 100% agree, and the dumb thing is, if you play against AI there is only one who is cheating. The AI scores are all over the place. Maybe fix this first? And then triple screen support? En then maybe introduce anti cheat for online competition / e-sports only. This is typical EA lying about things.

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