Ahead of the Marathon Server Slam weekend on Feb. 26 and its launch in early March, Bungie has outlined some of its client security features in their efforts to fight back against cheaters. The TL;DR is, cheaters will be permanently banned and there will be no second chances. But read on for the longer version.
Bungie states upfront that Marathon‘s dedicated servers are “fully authoritative on key combat and looting actions, providing a layer of protection against cheating”. The game will also have Fog of War, limiting the regions of a map that individual clients have knowledge of, and this should hopefully help to mitigate wall hacks. In addition to that, Marathon is built such that if you lose connection mid-run, you should be able to reconnect and continue from where you left off.
Finally, as mentioned previously, anyone found cheating or developing cheats will be permanently banned forever, with no second chances. Here’s a more in-depth explanation for each of the points:
Dedicated Server Networking
In Marathon, the dedicated server is fully authoritative over movement, shooting, actions, and inventory.
This new server authority model means that invalid client actions will be rejected without impacting other players’ experiences. This protects the gameplay experience against exploits such as teleporting, unlimited ammo, or damage manipulation.
We paired this model with new systems for client-side prediction and rewind. This allows your movements and actions to feel immediate and responsive in the moment, but the server can correct your view of the world to match what actually happened if it needs to.
Our new high-performance networking model includes server-side adjudication of every hit with per-shot tracking and redundant transmission to reduce the effect of packet loss and ensure that every bullet lands. The dedicated server performs aim compensation with rewind on every shot individually. This allows you to hit shots reliably on enemy players, even when they are moving rapidly in and out of cover, while you are compensating for bullet travel time. It also means that players with a good Internet connection can’t be shot behind cover.
Lastly, we’ve invested in a global network of datacenters to strive to provide players a network experience that is low-latency and responsive for most players worldwide.
Fog of War
The Marathon Fog of War system runs on the game server to limit the regions of a map that players have knowledge of, based on what they should be able to sense in their surroundings.
This helps keep gameplay secure from exploits that reveal the location of items or the contents of containers. It also helps keep your position hidden from other players’ clients, reducing the effectiveness of “wall hacks” or “ESP cheats.”
Client Security
In addition to the server-side security measures listed above, we’ve invested in several client-side security upgrades. We use a combination of third-party game security software plus additional proprietary security layers, many of which are new for Marathon. Our security includes both user-mode and kernel-mode components.
Game security is a never-ending arms war with bad actors. This means sharing details about methodologies for protecting our games can inform those bad actors how to defeat them. With that in mind, we hope this high-level snapshot gives you an idea of how we are addressing client security.
Analytics & Detections
Our servers are constantly collecting data on everything a player is doing. This telemetry is then run through our backend analysis system to look for unusual gameplay patterns and anomalies. Our security analysts are working hard to ensure a level playing field across all supported client platforms and input devices. So even if you see something suspect slip through in the moment, we may catch them later after a deeper dive in the data and issue a ban accordingly.
Connection Recovery
When you are in the middle of a high-stakes run, losing your network connection can lead to a life-or-death situation. If you crash or get disconnected, your shell will remain in the game world and can be protected by your crew. Restart your network connection if needed and launch back into the game to reconnect to your shell and complete your run.
In the event that an error occurs with Bungie’s server or network infrastructure, connection recovery may not be possible. We will attempt to ensure that any players affected by a server error will have their starting gear returned to them. Note: Gear refund only applies to a subset of server error conditions and will not cover gameplay losses due to Internet connectivity or client-side problems.
Economic Security
Over time you may fill your vault with weapons, gear, and anything else of value you acquire on Tau Ceti IV. We take your investment of time seriously. We will strive to keep your progress safe and protected from item duplication or other economic cheats.
Our Commitment to Ongoing Service
Networking and security will be an ongoing conversation with the Marathon community. We are committed to making your experiences on Tau Ceti IV fun, engaging, and fair. We will be continuously monitoring the live game and will make frequent updates and investments to our network technologies and security measures.
We are taking a strong stance against cheating and anyone found to be cheating or developing cheats will be permanently banned from playing Marathon forever, no second chances. That said, no system is perfect so we will have an appeals system to monitor for any issues in detection.
Marathon is set to be released for PC and consoles on March 5.
