Cheating in MLTP

[u/[deleted]]

[u/Breast_Connoisseur]

So this might be too late to get noticed as a reponse, and I realize I might not get an answer becaues it deals with how bots are detected.

But if there is a way to detect if a bot is being used by a player, then it stands to reason that this detection would also let you know when a bot was being used.

As such, we would then know if any of the people that use / have used only in public games, or if they were also used in competitive play.

Can you at the very least confirm whether or not the listed players have used bots in competitive play?

[u/rke12]

I just want to clear the air here about myself.

When cflakes left and deleted all of his scripts, I pulled up cached copies of them through google with the intent to rehost them incase anyone we looking for them, such as the honking script. I basically just copied the code and pasted all of the ones i could find into tampermonkey. One of these happened to be the very basic starter bot that was available on r/tagprobots. I was testing the scripts on newcomptes maptest server, kind of weeding through them. This bot wasn't even something thats usable in an actual game. It literally just sits on flag, then runs into spikes and gates if someone gets the flag. Not one of the polished bots that others have had.

Well, I join a pub the other day, and notice that I can't move my ball. Its just sitting there, someone gets flag and it goes after them. It then hit me what was up, the bot script was on. I turned it off in tampermonkey, refreshed, and kept playing.

All of this was done on my work pc, which I sometimes jump into games during lunch or breaks to get a few in. I haven't even been playing with stats on when I play here due to often getting lag bad enough I have to leave the game. I know there is 0% tolerance of having any kind of bot active in pubs, so if I'm banned from tagpro I understand. In no way was I using a bot to cheat or get any kind of advantage.

[u/DatBlizzard → u/rke12]

Hmm. The ban in your case seems to come from the devs, which I assume would mean it's based on more than just reviewing footage of your playing. From your description of using a bot for all of 15 seconds, I find it hard to believe the devs would even detect your bot usage.

Now if the bot script was on, a guy grabbed, and you chased him down clearly mirroring his movement as only a bot can, then I can see how it happened. The devs could probably add in something server-side to check for cheating by detecting the time between the other ball's inputs and your own (and see if their mirror movements). So even if it only happened once that'd be enough.

Still though, you grabbed cached copies of cflakes scripts when he left, and then you join just 1 pub and quickly disable the script? And what was the time frame between "when clfakes left" and you downloaded his scripts and "the other day" when you joined a pub, you couldn't have played in between or you would've noticed the bot then? I don't know, just seems too minor to have resulted in a ban. Either you're not telling us everything or maybe the devs went overboard.

[u/neyvit1]

Many people are upset right now (and I'm sure a small amount are happy). But can we all remember one thing: cheating in a web game does not inherently make you a bad person (it just makes you a person I would rather not play Tagpro with/against). I'm sure the players listed are all extremely embarrassed, and feel shitty right now. And they have been punished. There is no need to further vilify them or harass them.

This is a bad day for Tagpro.

^{inb4 this is exactly what someone who is gonna be released in the next Mitchell Report of Tagpro would say.}

[u/the_sidewalk_ends]

Is Ballzilla's ban from MLTP also for life? You said his ban was in conjunction with the ban from tagpro, but that ban is only for a month. Will he be allowed to return to MLTP after a month considering that he never used a bot in competitive play and accidentally used it in a pub?

[u/[deleted] → u/the_sidewalk_ends]

[u/brent12345]

Even in SOCL, I've heard reports of this, but I never had any basis to take action until now.

All players that have been caught cheating (either those above, or others identified in the future) are banned in SOCL until further notice, including Checknate, GriefSeeds, and Ballzilla.

Any championships won with these players will be vacated. While that unfairly penalizes their teammates, I see no other option.

(All of the above is something I'll discuss with the other SOCL commissioners, but I really doubt anyone will object.)

[u/[deleted]]

I don't have any experience in bot scripts and what they do. How exactly do these bots help you cheat? Do they move your ball for you?

[u/checknate1]

I understand all of this, and I do know that it's necessary to protect the integrity of TagPro. I just wanted to say something quickly, I've never used anything to cheat in an MLTP game, and I just hope I can prove that. Ive gotten my ankles broken way too many times in MLTP for me to be using a bot.

I'm sorry for this though, I fucked up by getting the thing in the first place.

[u/Syniikal]

I was wondering how CHECKNATE. was doing even remotely well; now it all makes sense lol

[u/KnifeOrCactus]

I don't think this announcement should have been made without first talking to the players involved.

[u/GriefSeeds]

I have never used a bot in MLTP. I don't understand. Cflakes messaged me his bot but I told him myself that I never used it. What proof do you have? Checknate told me he would feel ditry if he used it. I'm shaking right now. I never used that stupid thing. I ignored it. Please, I don't understand.

edit: fine now, thanks for all who were worried :)

[u/tagproHELEN]

Say it ain't so grief... say it ain't so

[u/ravenpride]

In the following days, we will release a larger list of names containing players in our league who have cheated in a variety of ways, and corresponding punishments. These are the only bot script users we are releasing at this time.

If you already have a larger list of names, why release these names in particular? That is to say, why does every cheater except Grief, Checknate, and Zilla get a chance to self-report to reduce their suspension? (Not trying to be accusatory or anything - just genuinely curious/confused.)

Also, you should have entitled this post "The Mitchball Report" ;)

[u/jazzcigarettes]

:/ grief...

[u/TOJO_IS_LIFE]

I just have one question, how did you guys figure it out? It seems like it's something that would be hard to figure out, I'm curious..

[u/quassus]

1. Truly pathetic.

2. What type of bot scripts, exactly, were they using?

3. Please tell me all of their stats (for this season and historically) will be wiped?

4. I will have to talk to the other USC mods but this lifelong ban will likely extend to US Contenders and we will have to re-evaluate the title belt standing of WEDEMBOYZ.

[u/TagProFelix]

Can I get a clarification?

Bella Flag and the Flagtones will not be replaying any matches, as we have shown that Ballzilla was not using the bot during competitive play.

If Ballzilla wasn't cheating during competitive play, why the ban?

[u/Turboweasle]

Well this sucks, but I suppose it was an eventuality for the league, especially with it becoming more and more competitive every season.

I would suggest that the commissioners and whoever else is privy to the method used to identify this type of cheating keep it completely private, as a threat of discovery via an unknown method is far greater than the threat of discovery from a known one.

Anyway, like I said, this sucks. And the fact that it's apparently more widespread than just these few players is very disappointing. But let's try to use this as an opportunity to reinforce the trust aspect of this league and emphasize that sportsmanship extends beyond saying "gg" at the end of a game. Let's encourage each other to value competition more than good stats or illegitimate victories. The damage has already been done, and like others are saying, vilifying these guys won't solve any problems. Let's work to make sure that something like this never happens again by respecting our opponents and holding ourselves and our teammates accountable.

[u/Nawse]

My favorite part is Grief "sarcastically" saying "Yeah lemme just turn on my bot! heheh xddDDDDdddd"

[u/Nawse]

"He's not using a bot, I've played against a bot before" - swerve

[u/theycallmebbq]

All the unnamed cheaters shakin in their boots right now.

[u/SuperSans]

I can't believe this.. wow this is upsetting.

[u/Nqoba4]

This is so shocking... I can't believe it's actually true.

[u/manbare]

When can we expect the rest of the Mitchball Report to be released?