Idiots Guide to Finding Aimbotters

[Nux]

Now before you say "OMGZ! ANOTHER AIMBOT THREAD?!" I feel this deserves a thread of it's own because it's about a guide to identifying them. Spectators and admins seem to be held as the best counter-measures for aimbotters, but admins aren't always around, or might not have a proper idea of what an aimbot looks like.

What I wanted to do is give some hints and tips for telling whether they're using an aimbot or not, so that others may identify them rather than pressuming they're just very good. Also, you can add to my guide by submitting the ways in which you find them.

Too often do I find myself the only one aware that some guy is aimbotting. The first tip I can give is:

Watch for inconsistency (things that don't make sense in their context). If you're speccing some guy and half the time he acts like a noob moving his mouse very slowly then suddenly his aim snaps onto some target, he's very likely using an aimbot. If he notices you speccing and suddenly he's no longer scoring the huge amount of kills he was before, then he's probably turned it off. These people are usually morons though and will easily slip up, giving you no doubt about his aimbot-usage.

People who use aimbots get so used to it, that you might see them shooting forward without moving the mouse for no particular reason. This is because they are expecting the aim to move toward their target, but their target hasn't arrived yet.

Another tell-tale sign is seeing the aim snap to targets that are already dead. This can panic them as they may be in mid-fight and can't stop the bot aiming at the floor. This is because the aimbot still registers that corpse as 'in use' while the dead players is viewing his death before respawning. Non-aimbotters don't have this trouble.

Even people who are very good at aiming miss shots. This just because they don't know exactly where the alien is going to go all the time. If you see the aim snaps firmly to a target without missing one shot- it's very likely he's botting.

Sometimes it's hard to see how fast their view changes and such, when you're not already spectating them. For this I can only suggest you be curious about their actions. If they behave strangely, or aren't wearing a combination of equipment that you'd expect a person scoring that highly wear- be suspicious. For example, I was just now playing human where I saw something strange. The guy who was on the top of the scoring list was going out with a lasgun and a battlesuit. This is suspicious because the dretches that he was picking off would only cause him trouble if he didn't know how to dodge and position himself well. An experienced player would take lasgun + light armour + helmet + Battery pack to ensure that he has plenty of ammo with which to defend himself. This guy on the other hand just wanted to act as a turret so he opted for more armour. Maybe he just hadn't played the game long enough to know this. If this is so, all the more reason to be suspicious of his high-score.

Generally, if a person is scoring well, that doesn't make him an aimbot. If he's scoring incredibly well, that gives you reason to be suspicious. That's when you spectate him to make sure. Don't accuse him straight off, without spectating first. If he turns out not to be an aimbotter, you'll just end up inflating his ego. =)

[jigidyjensen1]

Well, I don't aimbot, and i love the combination of a las gun and battle suit.  I think it is a great combination because it does give you extra protection, plus the las gun has a very long range and is helpful when you have a dragon or tyrant who is trying to run away.  But, I suppose an aimboter would like the combination too.

I think something to look out for is a player who loves the mass driver.  That is an aimboters favorite weapon because it will kill a dretch in one shot at any range.  However, the mass driver isn't a very good weapon in up close encounters with aliens.  It is a weapon that is generally used for longer range encounters due to its accuracy and the fact it can zoom.  An experienced player generally won't use a mass driver for close encounters since it has a slow reload time, is expensive to buy, and the truth is it is hard to hit a good dretch with it who knows how to move right.  A player would normally pick a shotgun or another weapon for such encounters.  If you see a player who picks a mass driver and kills dretches with every shot, especially at close range, that is a clue that he might be an aimbot.

Another clue to watch out for, is a play who doesn't seem to care about being killed when he is fully loaded with all sorts of equipment.  An honest player has to work hard in order to earn his credits, so if he has good weapons, he is usually not going to go on suicide charges and risk only have a rifle from then on.  An aimboter doesn't care.  It was easy for him to get the credits, and with his aimbot, it will be easy for him to get more credits.  So I guess another way to say it is if a player has high kills, and never seems to return to the med pad to heal because he always dies when he goes out, he might be an aimbot.

[Nux]

I was expecting someone would say they use that combination but don't aimbot. I mentioned it only because that's the first thing that grabbed my attention. It was unusual and so led to further investigation. Pickin up on such a small thing allowed me to see him for what he really was after spectating him.

I'd say that MD is good for aimbotter who know when to fire. In my experience however, they'd more likely pick the lasgun because they don't want to have to time their shots and don't want long periods of time between shots while they're holding left mouse button, waiting for a dretch to come by.

[Survivor]

I think something to look out for is a player who loves the mass driver.  That is an aimboters favorite weapon because it will kill a dretch in one shot at any range.  However, the mass driver isn't a very good weapon in up close encounters with aliens.  It is a weapon that is generally used for longer range encounters due to its accuracy and the fact it can zoom.  An experienced player generally won't use a mass driver for close encounters since it has a slow reload time, is expensive to buy, and the truth is it is hard to hit a good dretch with it who knows how to move right.  A player would normally pick a shotgun or another weapon for such encounters.  If you see a player who picks a mass driver and kills dretches with every shot, especially at close range, that is a clue that he might be an aimbot.

You do not always expect to be caught in close range battle but sometimes you must. So the only really good point here is your last (underlined) sentence.

Another clue to watch out for, is a play who doesn't seem to care about being killed when he is fully loaded with all sorts of equipment.  An honest player has to work hard in order to earn his credits, so if he has good weapons, he is usually not going to go on suicide charges and risk only have a rifle from then on.  An aimboter doesn't care.  It was easy for him to get the credits, and with his aimbot, it will be easy for him to get more credits.  So I guess another way to say it is if a player has high kills, and never seems to return to the med pad to heal because he always dies when he goes out, he might be an aimbot.

High level players tend to do this as well. They bank up credits/evoes and then go on a rampage doing as much damage to the opposing team as they can. Usually the raids, even with their demise, result in enough cash to keep it up for a decent time during which heavy damage is dealt to enemy mapcontrol and bases. They do this because they know they are able to get plenty of cash when all they have is a mere larmor/helmet shotgun combo ($310).

[jigidyjensen1]

When good level players play in such a way that they never return to the med pad because they plan on playing it to the death, it is usually more towards then end of the game.  And it is not usually at the beginning when they are carrying expensive weapons such as mass drivers and chain guns, they are usually going to want to return and get their health back before they are killed if they have a chance.  Also you seem to miss understand what I was saying.  Yes a shotgun is a very cheap expendable weapon, if they are going to suicide, that is the logical weapon to choose.  Not  a mass driver which is 350 credits along or a chain gun that is 400 credits.

[KamikOzzy]

Take note of what level of mouse sensitivity they are using. If it seems to change in a drastic manner, they may have some assistance in repositioning the cursor.  :wink:

Dumb aimbotters/wallhackers keep shooting their targets after it goes around the corner. Make a demo, and when you watch it, do /r_showtris 1. I don't care how good a genuine player's aim is, he isn't going to keep locked on when he can't visibly detect his target.

[Paradox]

One thing to look for is sometimes these players will accidentally press the DEL key, thus spamming the aimbot dl message. Instant bans for these people.

We got an unnamedplayer the other day who just kept saying n_aim 1 n_aim 2, didnt know how to use cvars. These are instant bans too

[_Equilibrium_]

we should say how to spot wallhacks and autofire as well. i'm too lazy to do it. maybe a good samaritan will fell like typing mor ethan me.

[kevlarman]

we should say how to spot wallhacks and autofire as well. i'm too lazy to do it. maybe a good samaritan will fell like typing mor ethan me.

wallhacks are easy... just record a demo of them playing s1 humans and play it back with r_showtris 1.

[Odin]

Hmm, I always thought the aimbotter was the idiot, not the spotter.

[kevlarman]

Hmm, I always thought the aimbotter was the idiot, not the spotter.

considering how many good players that obviously didn't use aimbots i've seen accused of doing just that, i think calling the spotter an idiot is accurate.

[Steely Ann]

considering how many good players that obviously didn't use aimbots i've seen accused of doing just that, i think calling the spotter an idiot is accurate.

One of my many lame anecdotes: I once joined Avalanche, since the server I wanted to join was full up.  Got accused 14 times in one hour of aimbotting by 4 different players.  With a shotgun.  Who the fuck aimbots with a shotgun, eh?

[_Equilibrium_]

i've been accused of botting with luci. rofl. hitscan luci FTW!

[Nux]

Yup. It's easy to be accused of aimbotting when you aim alot better than some person has ever seen. This is, as I said, largely a compliment. The point of this guide is to give people a better idea of what makes an aimbotter. If they know what distinguishes good players from aimbotters then they're less likely to make that mistake.

To test your aimbot-spotting skillz, I give you a demo to watch. If you think you can tell me what is suspicious in this demo, then watch my second demo.

[Eeeew Spiders]

I forgot who posted it the first time, but it has been repeatedly mentioned by several others: if you are sure its an aimbot, its an aimbot, if there is a slight doubt, it very likely is not an aimbot (though having watched the NT vs FU scrim, an aimbot in the hands of a skilled aimbotter can be hard to spot, but nonetheless it has been spotted).

False accusations usually are made by players that don't take the time to spec a player before making an accusation. Ingame accusations are ignorable.

Though I see the number of aimbotters increase last 2 month or so (thanks for the many threads about those), on the servers I play it was more fun than a real grief. It seems that these new leet aimbots have a autodisconnect on aimbot jokes.

[_Equilibrium_]

skilled aimbotter

that made me laugh

[Survivor]

When good level players play in such a way that they never return to the med pad because they plan on playing it to the death, it is usually more towards then end of the game.  And it is not usually at the beginning when they are carrying expensive weapons such as mass drivers and chain guns, they are usually going to want to return and get their health back before they are killed if they have a chance.  Also you seem to miss understand what I was saying.  Yes a shotgun is a very cheap expendable weapon, if they are going to suicide, that is the logical weapon to choose.  Not  a mass driver which is 350 credits along or a chain gun that is 400 credits.

You misunderstood me. They generally bank up to $2000 creds. Then they go on rampages because when you don't have to save health and ammo you can go twice as far into enemy territory. In going so deep they encounter weak enemies who have retreated, forward unguarded eggs and boosters and maybe even the alien base.
All of which can provide credits for the player or a tactical disadvantage for the aliens when killed. Good players find this is worth the death.
They will also usually do this with high ammo weapons or high mobility combos such as luci+batpack, lasgun+batpack, psaw+gren+jetpack while using larmor/helmet. The bsuit just doesn't cut it for infiltrations.
They stop doing this around $310 credits because with the larmor/helmet/shotgun combo it's pretty easy to provide fire support and defense at their own base for getting your creds back up. It however is not a combination which will get you deep into enemy territory.

A good player, when in this situation, will care less about dying than about seriously weakening the enemy.

[jigidyjensen1]

I believe you still mis understand me.  An aimboter wont just bank up credits, they will play that way throughout the entire game, and every time they leave the base they fight to the death.

Also, yes there are a lot of aimbot accusations, but remember that aimboters fervently deny that they aimbot.  Did anyone see the invincis demo.  A clear aimboter, yet he still posts in here and denies it.

Aimboter = Lier

That doesn't mean that people don't get falsely accused, but aimboters do deny that they aimbot.

[jigidyjensen1]

I am not the best player, but I have scored over a 100 kills in a game before, and I have never been accused of aimboting.

[Survivor]

And innocent people say they aimbot? Only people with a high reputation jokingly say that they aimbot and aimbotters who get a kick out of it.

As to cheating, I've only been accused once and that went to 'oh it's him' when I changed to my usual name.

Fact is text does not do that well in describing how an aimbot looks. Better would be to have a few demoes compressed into a youtube or better yet downloadable divx movie which has been edited with slowmo and textpopups to show people how it looks and clarify on issues.

[Eeeew Spiders]

skilled aimbotter

that made me laugh

laughing is important when dealing with aimbotters
But you know what I mean. A skilled aimbotter is someone who reads Nux' tutorial about spotting aimbotters and tries to avoid all suspicious behavior except the aimbot's snapping on target feature.

Fu:Manchu in the clan war against NT was such a guy. Very difficult to spot. Luckely nonetheless spotable.

I find it a pity that those that aimbot do not talk openly about it in this forum. I would really like to know for example: how does it feel when you loose a match while using an aimbot. I would think this should be more damaging for ego than loosing against a group of skilled players in a fair fight. So to me it seems to work quite the opposite for ego boost addicted players. What does Dr. Ruth has to say about this?

In my experience in other games, and evlesoa proofs this point, is that cheaters are usually those that seem to be convinced that they are so good to be able to beat the best. When they can't, they automatically assume that any more skilled opponent must be cheating and in their eyes justifies using a cheat. These people need more real live friends to learn that there is always someone who can do something better than you. Or they should try picking up a musical instrument and learn that skill requires practice and not google.

Or are there some players that use aimbot because one time in their life they want to know how it is to pwn? Also there they fail, cause you only pwn when you win when it was really very hard to win and the odds were against you.

[Nux]

A skilled aimbotter is someone who reads Nux' tutorial about spotting aimbotters and tries to avoid all suspicious behavior except the aimbot's snapping on target feature.

You raise an interesting point here. I can only hope I'm right in pressuming that the kind of people who use aimbots are also the kind of people who wouldn't bother reading in-depth discussions on forums.

I find it a pity that those that aimbot do not talk openly about it in this forum.

I'm sure there was at least one in the 'Spread of Aimbots' thread. Null he calls himself. He talked about his making of the aimbot and such.

how does it feel when you loose a match while using an aimbot.

Sadly, I don't think they feel bad enough. Though they might think "darn, this aimbot doesn't work" they aren't as likely to have played the game for as long or with as much enthusiasm as a player who developed skill playing the game alot for a long time.

What do they get out of it? I can imagine they want to be the unstoppable force without any practice. I can also imagine they have problems socially and like to take it out on people over the internet where they can't be punched in the face for it.

[Computer[SU]]

Honestly I think most people that aimbot are relatively new players who get owned inside and out by skilled players for a couple weeks.  This treatment discourages them from trying to improve their play at all, while simultaneously increasing their desire to instantly become like those skilled players and get a lot of kills.

In a way, an aimbot addresses both of these issues - it doesn't require any practice and it improves play (well, at least kills) significantly.

People using bots and hacks probably think the same way people using steroids in professional sports do:  I deserve to be the best, other people do it too, even though I am getting some help I am still working hard, it's not that much of an advantage, anyone can do it.

[Nux]

"]"This treatment discourages them from trying to improve their play at all

If they're using an aimbot then they've already chosen to cheat. If they don't admit it, then they've chosen to deceive. These people have already shown their worth to the trem-community. They've no intention to develop skill of their own.

[jit]

question: can one aimbot with the dragoon??
yesterday @ D*S Painsaw>>>, Ghostshell~ accused Yarou for aimbotting with his goon. he said aimbotting but it was probably just autoaim and snapping.

[Computer[SU]]

"]"This treatment discourages them from trying to improve their play at all

If they're using an aimbot then they've already chosen to cheat. If they don't admit it, then they've chosen to deceive. These people have already shown their worth to the trem-community. They've no intention to develop skill of their own.

I was talking about the thought process leading up to botting, not after it's already started.

[Eeeew Spiders]

I imagine that you can, though i'd think it will require more practice to do it right than using aimbot as a human where you simply press fire and go out for a stroll.

I have only seen yarou play a view times, but it is hard to imagine that he would benefit in anyway by using an aimbot. He is one of the most rapid strafe users I saw and I can imagine that aimbot is not very compatible with using strafe a lot since you keep turning in all directions (and with this I gave away one of my aimbot spotting cues :/ )

[Nux]

question: can one aimbot with the dragoon??
yesterday @ D*S Painsaw>>>, Ghostshell~ accused Yarou for aimbotting with his goon. he said aimbotting but it was probably just autoaim and snapping.

Yep. I've seen it done with a mara and a dretch aswell. It's exactly the same bot.

"]I was talking about the thought process leading up to botting, not after it's already started.

If they haven't used it yet, they're not aimbotters and this 'treatment' isn't for them. I think the people who use them would already have a good idea of how much people approve of them.

[Eeeew Spiders]

I was talking about after the aimbotter found out that to win a match teamplay counts more than killcount

I think people should disagree less when they are actually on the same line of thought but highlight different aspects of a matter

[Nux]

That's very true.

You have stacked up a mighty kill-score. This however was a waste of time, because while you were busy NOT taking down their base, they managed to reach s3 and swarmed YOUR base. You have lost. =)

That said, if you are capable of racking up kills fast, your more likely to be the one killing all their spawns with some mighty s3 weapon.

Another aimbot-spotting tip occurs to me. If you don't recognise some guy who's suddenly getting very good kill-scores, you have reason to be suspicious. For the most part, players who play very well are also very well known (sorry if someone has already said this).

Has anyone watched my demos yet? Did they help?