Deadlock, the multiplayer online battle arena shooter currently open to selected play testers, has introduced an unconventional method for dealing with cheaters: transforming them into frogs.
In the recent 09-26-2024 update, Valve rolled out a new anti-cheat system. If the system detects cheating during gameplay, players are given two options: face an immediate ban or be turned into a frog before being banned. When this happens, the match does not count for either team.
The Deadlock Intel account on X (formerly Twitter) shared a clip illustrating the transformation. Once turned into a frog, players can only move slowly, making it nearly impossible to avoid incoming fire. Being a frog also makes one a conspicuous target, almost like wearing a visible mark of shame in the Deadlock community.
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This is what cheaters will look like if you turn them into a frog using the new anti-cheat
— Deadlock Intel (@IntelDeadlock) September 26, 2024
The anti-cheat feature is currently in its nascent stages, operating on what Valve describes as “conservative detection levels” while the development team works towards a more extensive solution. Meanwhile, players can still mute and report suspected cheaters both during and after a match using the ESC key.
Cheating poses a significant challenge in online multiplayer games, particularly in those from Valve. Titles like Counter-Strike: Global Offensive and the newer Counter-Strike 2 are notorious for cheater problems. Although Valve has its established anti-cheat system, it’s not foolproof, and the free-to-play nature of these games allows banned users to easily create new accounts.
Burton Johnsey, a former Valve employee, noted on X that the developer had previously contemplated a similar system for CS:GO, where cheaters would be transformed into chickens in a mode dubbed “FU Surprise Mode.”
Holy crap, they finally built codename “FU Surprise Mode”?!
When I worked on VAC, Rich and I designed this for CS but the cheater was a chicken. https://t.co/Q6BKGTCZwj
— BurtonJ (@sptonjohn) September 27, 2024
In addition to the frog transformation for cheaters, this latest update for Deadlock includes other enhancements, such as a new hero named Mirage, the ability to initiate custom matches, more features for private lobbies, and various tweaks for character performance.