Maphack is ...cheating!

[amrobinson]

Blizzard has decided that map hack is cheating, because... it's unfair to other players!

Is this bizarre, or what?

It's clear that Blizzard somehow views Dx2 as a contest of some type. If we were talking about Warcraft or Starcraft, I could see it, but Diablo II?

I can believe that some would find map hack a useful program, since it allows players to selectively bypass some of Dx2's more obnoxious points, such as the darkness restrictions on vision, or endlessly searching for warp points. It's a pity Blizzard just doesn't buy map hack and incorporate it into the game as an option.

And I question Blizzard's claimed concern for 'other players' game quality. Blizzard is continuing its support for the growing harassment of legitimate players by rouge pvp players. Players are forced to constantly to look over their shoulders, or to abandon games altogether, to avoid ppl players, but apparently Blizzard considers this a positive part of game play.

Ok, I don't want to discuss all the negative aspects of pvp gaming, it's been done to death. I only mention it because it exposes the falsehood of Blizzard's silly claim, that they are concerned about game quality.

[Zath]

Cheating is cheating is cheating, and maphack is cheating. What's bizzare about that?

[WarBlade]

Blizzard has decided that map hack is cheating, because... it's unfair to other players!

Is this bizarre, or what?

Not at all.

I will just ask one question though. Do you use map hack?

[Taem]

It's clear that Blizzard somehow views Dx2 as a contest of some type

The only "contest" is between blizzard maintaining a HACK-FREE realms and having people, like you, use CHEATS!!!

There is only one redemable feature about maphack that I could possibly justify: The fact that it stopped drophackers! I personally know of at least 6 people who used maphack just for that sole purpose alone (at least that's what they've told me). So, from their point of view, blizzard has allowed the drop-hackers to kill off everyone, including their fan-base, in hardcore. With most drophackers having multiple cd-keys*, whats the stop them from going on a killing rampage now? And all the legit players who don't have a drop-hack protection? Is this fair? If this is the way Blizzard deals with hacks, I dont think I'll be putting a single dollar into WoW when it comes out. No, my cash is on Guild Wars, thank you.

* I also know of people who go to shops, such as EBX, where they DO HAVE a return policy and will purchase games just for their CD-Keys and return them. Also, if they own a cd-key that gets banned, they will just sell the CD on ebay with claims its in mint condition, forcing those purchase it to have to buy another CD-key from blizzards web-site. I also don't think this is very fair. A no-win situation for legit players, IMO.

[amrobinson]

What is a drophacker?

I've heard about programs to hack characters and items, but have not seen them. Is this something else?

[--Pete]

Hi,

So far the replies I've seen are knee jerk "It's cheating 'cause it's cheating and you suck" replies. Sort of sad to see such poor logic used on what is one of the best sites.

Now, other than a general vague impression from the name, I have no clue what maphack actually does. So I would like an intelligent reply to your question. Namely, just what about maphack makes it cheating when some other third party programs (like the accelerator) apparently aren't.

If someone out there could answer this with a degree of logic and intelligence, I'd be happy.

--Pete

[Taem]

Hail Pete,

I cut and pasted this dirrectly from the site that carries MapHack for your viewing pleasure:

Maphack is a freeware realm and single player hack for Diablo II and Diablo II LOD that adds many useful extra features.

Features :-

Reveal automap for whole act, including quest features, many shrines and cave/stairway level names.
Show all shrines on automap sooner than normal, each type with different graphics.
Full screen light radius, full infravision (see through walls) and sunny weather.
Show monsters, selected items, unopened chests and hostile arrows/bolts on automap.
Show special monsters and hostile players different colour on automap.
Show monster enchantments, auras and immunities on automap.
Change colour or hide selected items on ground.
Hide selected monster and missiles corpses.
Show rune numbers and number of sockets on items.
Virtual map scrolling, allowing casting or shooting at huge ranges.
Disable unwanted monster death animinations (eg shenk).
Change monster life bar colour.
Protect socketed items from accidental socketing.
Show if cow king killed in quest log.
View other players, iron golems, valkyries and shadow warriors/masters equipment.
Item and druid drop hack protection.
Automatic exit game on low life and/or hostility.
Many settings configurable.

I do not have time to go into each and every aspect of how this gives players advantages over other players because I have company, but there is the current list of changes for the current maphack.

[WarBlade]

Holy Crap.
It does all that??? :blink:

And here I thought it was just a 'reveal all on the automap' hack. Well I'd say several of those features would be legit IMO, like disabling Shenk's little death storm, but being able to tag items and corpses . . . ? And peple still ask if map hack is cheating??? :huh:

Jeez, that's pretty ____ed up. :(

Thanks for the heads up. I can see why people hate it so much now. <_<

[Dozer]

One word:

mapHACK

What did you think it was? :rolleyes:

[Kevin]

This is simple, though my initial answer is going to point out that the D2 accelerator is cheating as well, though it is arguable that it gives others an advantage (from using it I feel it does actually, though very minor, and I really wish it would be incorporated into the game). But lets get back to maphack.

First, what is cheating? Well, we can use the Dictionary.com definition. '2. To violate rules deliberately, as in a game'. So, what are the 'rules' of D2? Well, that would be what the game is like as provided by Blizzard at the current patch version or whatever rules may be agreed upon by all players in a closed environment such as a LAN game. So, the game mechanics such as the way the map is displayed, the way the spell effects are drawn, etc, are the rules of the game. Maphack alters these rules from some players and not others, and is done deliberately. So, is it cheating? Yes, plain and simple. This also means that D2 accelerator, as I mentioned is cheating as well.

Alright that isn't what people are interested in in this debate. They want to know how maphack gives an advantage or ruins the game for other people. Let's go into general things that don't even involve PvP before we get specific. I join an open game and wish to party with someone. I like to play the game through and not rush. I am lucky enough to find others who want to play this way. Now, some maphack rusher comes in, and since maphack enables you to zip right to the quest items, they go and complete them and force me to start a new game, or join them to get the quest and not allow me to play the way I wanted to. Yeah, that can be done by general griefers and doesn't require maphack, but it certainly aided by maphack.

I am in a party and don't use maphack, others do. So, when drops hit, it takes me longer to filter out what hit the ground since maphack isn't doing it for me, making it harder for me to try and pick up nice or valuable items. Skilled 'ninja grabbers' who don't use maphack can do the same, but I have a much better chance against them.

Maphackers find the bosses faster, and can charge up to them killing them while I am still exploring and have an even better chance of getting items. Maphackers who are hiding it, still have a tendency to speed up the pace of the game by getting to exits quicker, removes some of the exploratory factor of the game from those who like it, but still want to be party friendly.

Let's go specific now, thanks to MEAT for providing a list of maphack features. Much of this is already covered in the general area so I just deleted many of the features where I already talked about this.

Show all shrines on automap sooner than normal, each type with different graphics.
Note big by itself, but cheaters get to use gem and experience shrines more easily than I do.

Full screen light radius, full infravision (see through walls) and sunny weather.
Same deal, advantaged into knowing what you are facing sooner. Allows PK'ers to leave party knowing that the next room is going to be a furball and making it harder to defend yourself (had this happen to me a couple of times where they just give a full, going to town real quick message).

Show monster enchantments, auras and immunities on automap.
Encourages annoying one trick pony builds by enabling them to aviod areas they can't deal with. Causes me to hear them whine about going to new areas when partied with them.

Change colour or hide selected items on ground.
Discussed already

Show rune numbers and number of sockets on items.
Knowing just what to pick up and what to leave on the ground allows you to get that item for the runeword and not me.

Virtual map scrolling, allowing casting or shooting at huge ranges.
Since you are cheating on killing things early, that ruins my fun of being able to fight monsters

Protect socketed items from accidental socketing.
While this one should still be a feature, why do cheaters not have to worry about accidently wasting an item for socketing and hence losing the time in trying to find it again, when legits don't?

Automatic exit game on low life and/or hostility.
Do I even have to explain how this is cheating in PvP or Hardcore?


Maphack adversely affects my playing of the game directly and indirectly by encouraging annoying behavior. That is the connotation side of cheating.

This does seperate maphack from D2 accelerator because the very minor advantages that I feel D2A can give you (easier to deal with monsters due to better vision when using Blizzard or Frozen orb), have very little or no affect on other players. That makes it a mostly benign form of cheating which is why Blizzard isn't concerned about it, IMO. Maphack as I pointed out, does ruin the game quality for non maphack users.

I have better things to do with my time now than explain the obvious, so I am done. If valid specific points are raised I might spend time repsonding again.

[Dozer]

Okay, a serious reply:

On Single Player, (the way I see it anyway) using maphack is your own choice - it ruins the fun of the game, but you aren't taking away from the experience of someone else.


But on Realms, you are playing, indirectly, with over 50,000 people somettimes. Using maphack hurts each and every one of them (that aren't using it themselves) by giving you an UNFAIR advantage. You actually think it is fair to see what other people are wearing? Some sort of X-ray vision? Don't fool yourself.

PvP? DESIGNED into the game. They intentionally (although some think it is flawed) put that in there. Seeing other people's inventory and even seeing what stats bosses have on the minimap is NOT designed into the game.

Besides, the point is moot. Your characters are on their servers - they can do whatever they want with them.

[--Pete]

Hi,

Well, we can use the Dictionary.com definition. '2. To violate rules deliberately, as in a game'.

Sorry, this definition sucks. For instance, if you are playing in a golf tournament (golf is on my mind from another thread) and somebody puts a fifteenth club in your bag and you don't notice it but an official does, you are disqualified for cheating. Also, if you record one or more *extra* strokes on your score card by accident, sign it off and turn it in, if the error is detected, you again are disqualified for cheating.

So first thing I don't like in that definition is the "deliberately" part. That's just not the way it really is.

But we have an even bigger problem.

So, what are the 'rules' of D2? Well, that would be what the game is like as provided by Blizzard at the current patch version or whatever rules may be agreed upon by all players in a closed environment such as a LAN game. So, the game mechanics such as the way the map is displayed, the way the spell effects are drawn, etc, are the rules of the game.

You pose a question. Then you answer it with an answer that is, in effect, "everything not explicitly permitted is prohibited." But there is no reason not to adopt the attitude "everything not expressly prohibited is permitted." As a matter of fact, that is exactly the way the rules are interpreted in every other game and sport. That's why rules committees exist, to patch the loopholes that exist in any set of rules. But, until the rules committee specifically outlaw any behavior, that behavior is within the rules (although it might be "unsportsmanlike", a concept even more nebulous than cheating).

So, in effect what makes maphack a cheat is simply that the rules committee (Buzzard) has declared it so. And that is why the accelerator is *not* (at this time) a cheat.

Once again, as is so often confused on this board, is what is "legit" (i.e., fits into the style of play we prefer) and what is "legal" (i.e., not cheating).

So, there is no question that maphack is cheating -- Buzzard says so and it is their game. However, "whatever rules may be agreed upon by all players in a closed environment such as a LAN game." takes precedence over Buzzard's ruling. If a group playing on a LAN wanted to use maphack, that would make it legal for that group. That decision may very well be cheesy, but it is a decision that that group can make, just as they can play any mod (also not supported by Buzzard) whether it makes the game more challenging or less.

However, Buzzard could just as well have said that they liked the maphack features and incorporated then into the game. Wouldn't be the first time that Buzzard made a decision that this group did not approve of. Won't be the last. In which case, maphack would have been legal, part of the game as a matter of fact.

Now, thanks to MEAT for supplying the list of "features" of maphack.

Some of those features are neutral and would not effect the game if everyone had them. Some of those features are cheesy and would make this already too easy game easier. Some of the features would actually enhanced the game (what does it really get you to pick up an item, look at it, then throw it away?)

Maphack as I pointed out, does ruin the game quality for non maphack users.

Yes. So what? Minimum system requirements "ruin" the game for non ultra-system users. Dial up connection through a crappy line ruins the game for a non cable, DSL, etc. user.

What makes maphack a cheat is nothing more and nothing less than Buzzard declaring it one.

What makes parts of maphack cheesy should not need explaining to Lurkers.

And a "hack" is not a bad thing except to ignorant newbies. http://info.astrian.net/jargon/terms/h/hack.html

--Pete

[Griselda]

From the forum FAQ:

Cheating in any form is not allowed here. That includes the use of maphack in Diablo II. USING MAPHACK IS CHEATING (no arguments to the contrary are accepted). If you use cheats in multiplayer games, you are not welcome at the Lurker Lounge, and its administrators and posters would appreciate it if you respected our opinion and moved to another website with less stringent attitudes about cheaters. Any posters found admitting that they use cheats will be banned on sight.

From the forums rules:

Avoid hotbutton issues.
Basically put, there are some issues and topics that are useless to debate on an Internet forum. You'll never be able to change people's minds on hotbutton political issues such as abortion or gun control. Yet, various people always try to do just that on every forum out there. Here's the deal: many posters try to make a name for themselves by starting a thread on just such an issue just so they can have a special thrill over watching a hundred posts spring up from their inciting topic. They'll then feed the conversation along by constantly nibbling at other posters' arguments. Once the topic has dried up, they'll move on to the next one, and keep doing it for weeks, causing gargantuan threads over and over. This is known as trolling, and the moderators WILL put a stop to you if they catch you in the act.

Pete, I agree that an actual discussion of the issue would be a worthwhile endeavor, regardless of my personal distaste for maphack and other "features," but it's also about as hotbutton as it gets. I'm also thinking that we're being trolled here, and I don't think we need to wait until poor Jimmy has been beaten into a pulp yet again to close the thread.

amrobinson, if you use maphack, you are not welcome to post here.

-Griselda