Crysis 2

Those who played the PC version of sci-fi shooter Crysis 2 online upon release know it suffered from cheaters.

 

Crytek UK, which created the multiplayer portion of the game, has combated many of the exploits and hacks used by those cheaters to gain an unfair advantage in the game – and ahead of its keynote at the Develop conference this week has revealed to Eurogamer how it did it, and how the cheaters gained a foothold in the first place.

 

Using hacks, players were able to give themselves extra points, trigger infinite energy cheats and exploit bugs that meant that you did not have to reload or suffer from recoil.

 

All of this contributed to an unfair advantage.

 

"We had patch windows open to us, and it was just about getting the right fixes into the right patches and getting them out to the community as soon as possible," Mark Tully, Crytek lead programmer, told Eurogamer.

 

"One thing we did have on our side on the PC, where most of the hacking was taking place, is the dedicated server program. That meant we had a load of trusted partners we could update the dedicated server software on. We probably updated that about four times for every client patch we updated the end user with.

 

"There was a lot of stuff going on behind the scenes to catch the cheaters at their dedicated servers and just kick them from the game. That's probably where a lot of the effort was.

 

"What people were seeing was, cheats that were working one day would suddenly not be working the next day even though nothing had apparently changed. It was just the server had been updated."

 

But how did Crysis 2, a triple-A, high-profile multi-platform game from a proven developer, ship with such a susceptibility to cheating?

 

According to Crytek UK, the developer simply didn't expect the game to get hacked on the scale it did.

 

"We did feel like the game seemed to attract a lot of attention from hackers and cheaters," Tully said. "More than we anticipated."

 

CryEngine 3, the Crytek-owned game engine used to create the game, also played a part.

 

"CryEngine as a whole is a very moddable thing," Tully explained. "It's a very flexible engine. Particularly on PC there are a lots of hooks that are perhaps left exposed that shouldn't be left exposed, which can leave you open to hacking if you're not careful.

 

"Obviously with the push onto consoles, which don't really suffer from the same kind of hacking and exploiting to the level they do on PC, it hadn't really been focused on as like, we need to go through the PC version with a fine tooth comb and close all these doors, many of which we weren't specifically familiar with, they weren't ones we'd actually added in multiplayer, but ones that had come with the CryEngine if you will.

 

"That was probably something we would have benefited from spending time on."

 

And if it could go back and create the game again, Crytek UK wouldn't repeat its mistakes.

 

"The things we've done post release are things if we'd thought about it beforehand and known it was going to happen, we could have done those," Crytek UK principal programmer Pete Hall explained.

 

"For example, on the PC, people were able to edit some of the data in the game and then go and play online, which wasn't our intention at all. It was as much a bug as anything else.

 

"Things like that we would definitely of fixed up in a heartbeat."

 

Now, four months after release, Crytek is happy with the state of Crysis 2's online multiplayer.

 

Crytek recently released a DirectX 11 patch for the PC version of the game, which allows those with powerful computers to ramp up the graphics.

 

This is the last patch scheduled by Crytek, Tully confirmed.

 

But the developer promised to dip back into support of the game if a hack emerges that demands attention.

 

"We're relatively happy with how things are at the moment," Hall said. "But there's always the thing with people cheating that they naturally are continually looking for an edge over other players. So new things will come to light and we probably will want to go back and look at them as they do.

 

"But I don't think there's anything we're aware of at the moment we desperately want to fix."

 

Crytek UK is heavily rumoured to be working on TimeSplitters 4 for the next-generation of home consoles.

 

The studio refused to confirm this was the case to Eurogamer, but did say a number of new projects are in the works, and vowed that they won't suffer from hacking and cheating in the same way Crysis 2 did.

 

"We've closed most of those now, so I wouldn't expect the same problems for future titles," Tully concluded.

 

"It's an ongoing battle with the hackers. There are a lot more of them than there are of us."

On the heels of last week's leak from EA, an official announcement of Crysis 3 came from the company this morning.

In Crysis 3, players will again assume the persona of Laurence "Prophet" Barnes in a battle waged against Cell Corporation. You'll have a wicked-cool composite bow in your arsenal, along with an enhanced nanosuit and a bevy of alien technology.

You can pre-order the game now. For more background on the game's setting, as well as some info on the pre-order bonuses, here's the full press release from EA:

April 16, 2012 – The hunted becomes the hunter! Electronic Arts Inc. and award-winning developer Crytek GmbH, today announced Crysis® 3, the premier sandbox shooter experience of 2013. Powered by Crytek’s proprietary CryENGINE®, Crysis 3 advances the state of the art with unparalleled visuals and dynamic shooter gameplay.

Players take on the role of ‘Prophet’ as he returns to New York, only to discover that the city has been encased in a Nanodome created by the corrupt Cell Corporation. The New York City Liberty Dome is a veritable urban rainforest teeming with overgrown trees, dense swamplands and raging rivers. Within the Liberty Dome, seven distinct and treacherous environments become known as the Seven Wonders. This dangerous new world demands advanced weapons and tactics. Prophet will utilize a lethal composite bow, an enhanced Nanosuit and devastating alien tech to become the deadliest hunter on the planet.

“Crysis 3 is a thrilling mix of sandbox gameplay, advanced combat and hi-tech human and alien weaponry that shooter fans will love,” said Cevat Yerli, Chief Executive Officer of Crytek. “Leveraging the latest CryENGINE technology, we’re able to deliver seven unique themes that offer stunning and visually loaded gameplay experiences. We cannot wait until people get their hands on the game.”

Set in 2047, Prophet is on a revenge mission after uncovering the truth behind Cell Corporation’s motives for building the quarantined Nanodomes. The citizens were told that the giant citywide structures were resurrected to protect the population and to cleanse these metropolises of the remnants of Ceph forces. In reality, the Nanodomes are CELL’s covert attempt at a land and technology grab in their quest for global domination. With Alien Ceph lurking around every corner and human enemies on the attack, nobody is safe in the path of vengeance. Everyone is a target in Prophet’s quest for retribution.

Crytek also announced that players who are ready to start the hunt can pre-order the Crysis® 3 Hunter Edition* today. The Crysis 3 Hunter Edition gives players the tools to become the ultimate hunter in multiplayer with early access to the new signature bow and its attachments, plus the Hunter Nanosuit module which adds additional power and functionality to the super-suit. Gamers who pre-order now will also have a head start when playing online with a bonus XP boost up to level 5, a unique bow skin and three exclusive dog tags to hunt in style**. The Crysis 3 Hunter Edition is available on Origin.com and other participating retailers for £49.99.

In addition to receiving the Crysis 3 Hunter Edition, select retailers are offering gamers that pre-order Crysis 3 the following early multiplayer unlocks:

· Stalker Pack – Includes the base game, all Hunter Edition content and the following early multiplayer unlocks: for players who like to stalk their prey from the shadows the Stalker Pack provides early multiplayer access to the deadly semi-auto Jackal shotgun. This powerful, close-range shotgun comes with a unique silencer attachment, custom weapon skin and two exclusive themed in-game dog tags.

· Overkill Pack – Includes the base game, all Hunter Edition content and the following early multiplayer unlocks: the Overkill Pack features early multiplayer access to the Typhoon assault weapon and skin. Spewing 500 rounds a second, the Typhoon gives players the ability to go guns blazing to take back the Liberty Dome. Also included are two exclusive Overkill themed in-game dog tags.

· Predator Pack – Includes the base game, all the Hunter Edition content and the following early multiplayer unlocks: the Predator Pack delivers early multiplayer access to the Feline submachine gun and exclusive camo. With an extremely fast rate of fire and a 60 round magazine the Feline is highly effective and deadly, at short range.

Developed by Crytek and powered by the proprietary cutting edge CryENGINE technology, Crysis 3 will be available spring 2013 for the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system, PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system and PC.