While Helldivers 2 can be fun, there are several issues with the game that hamper the battle for Super Earth. Several bugs and technical problems have been present since launch day, but there is another, more sinister threat that plagues not only this game but almost every online game on the market.
Hackers. There isn’t a live-service game out there that doesn’t have its fair share of people breaking the rules and ruining other people’s experiences. Studios now implement anti-cheat software in their games to reduce their presence, but it seems some fans have an issue with this solution.
Helldivers 2 Fans Ask for Changes to Anti-Cheat Software Implementation
Most hackers on online shooters do what they do to get more kills and have an unfair advantage over their opponents. So, many anti-cheat programs work by filtering out these hackers so others can have a good time. However, Helldivers 2 is a PvE game, so the chances of another player being negatively affected by a hacker are slim.
However, Arrowhead Game Studio has implemented the nProtect GameGuard anti-cheat toolkit to keep players from trying anything funny. This is becoming an issue for players, with one posting on the Helldivers subreddit calling the software “cheap” and “extremely invasive.” They go so far as to say that the Helldivers 2 frame rate issue, which has been tanking, may be because of the software!
The poster believes that a kernel-level anti-cheat is unnecessary for a PvE game where players can easily kick a cheater from their match. They even harken back to the original Helldivers that had cheaters, but it did not affect the overall game. One commenter suggests an alternate use for the anti-cheat, which is to protect the microtransactions.
Another states that Arrowhead has a contract with nProtect for the game and might breach an ongoing contract to not use it.
However, it seems most would prefer dealing with a cheater as opposed to shoddy performance.
One comment does state how a cheater who disabled cooldown on their stratagems ruined the game for everyone by spawning multiple turrets, but, as stated before, this can be fixed easily by simply kicking the offending player from the match.
Helldivers 2 Technical Issues Continue to Grow and Affect Public Perception
Every live-service game is going to have some bugs and glitches. While this is expected, Helldivers 2 players have been spotting quite a few off-late and demanding Arrowhead to direct some resources toward fixing these issues, as they are severely hampering the experience.
With the studio now taking more time to release Warbonds, it should have both time and talent to release patches. This decision was made after their latest Warbond, Viper Commandos, which was highly criticized. The studio could also work on a better implementation of the anti-cheat so it is not as resource-intensive.
Arrowhead has its work cut out for itself to ensure Helldivers 2 is not only a stable but also an enjoyable experience.
Continued exposure to such issues will further tank the player count, which took a massive hit during the account-linking incident.
Do you think Helldivers 2 should abandon their anti-cheat software? Let us know in the comments below!
