Arrowhead has switched to Straightforward Anti-Cheat to chop down on cheaters in Helldivers 2, however that call has confirmed controversial on Steam. The brand new anti-cheat was supposed to stop mods that give gamers unfair benefits, however it’s damaged mods gamers use to tidy up the sport.
“We all know mods are a part of the DNA of PC gaming and gaming communities as an entire,” the studio wrote in a put up final week. “Usually, we recognize the creativity behind beauty and non-gameplay mods, which gamers can get pleasure from with out negatively impacting those that play alongside them.
“The place we have to enhance is how we defend gamers towards modifications that create unfair benefits or negatively affect others, which fits past software program manipulation to tamper with our sport.”
Following the change, current critiques on Steam plummeted to “Largely Adverse,” whereas all-time critiques of the sport stay “Largely Constructive.” Many have known as out Arrowhead for punishing gamers for utilizing mods that repair, of their opinion, points with the sport the developer has failed to handle.
Helpful mods embody hellpod steering fixes, smoother vaulting and climbing mechanics, AI enhancements, and extra. Straightforward Anti-Cheat doesn’t differentiate between these and, say, mods that give gamers invincibility.
Some gamers have claimed the anti-cheat blocked them from launching the sport in any respect, regardless of no mod installs. Presently, within the UK, the sport doesn’t even seem on Steam.
“Arrowhead may have embraced the mods,” one Steam evaluate mentioned. “There may have been Workshop help, Left 4 Lifeless 2 remains to be thriving to this present day. Arrowhead may have had public vanilla lobbies separate from modded ones. Baldur’s Gate 3 has this!”
Helldivers 2 is a co-op sport the place gamers work collectively to combat off varied alien races throughout the galaxy, as enemies fill the display screen, bullets fly, and your squadmates die in horrible and hilarious methods. From Arrowhead’s perspective, mods may allow you to grind to unlock all these cosmetics you might in any other case pay actual cash for.
IGN has requested Arrowhead for remark.
Kirk McKeand is a Contributor on IGN Information. Discover him on Twitter @MckKirk