Hardware augmentation: Is it cheating?

[Tatwi]

Over on the official forums a lot of people talk about using various mice that allow them to change their DPI on the fly, some with mouse driver software that automatically adjusts based on one's movement. Others outright suggest that pressing a button on their mouse to overcome recoil is not cheating, because hey, "the software came with my mouse", so they say.

How do you feel about this?

Personally, I think it defeats the intended balance of the game play mechanics and as a result, it is cheating.

Have a look at my stats. I play this game using a normal Microsoft Comfort Curve 2000 keyboard, a Dell mouse from 2004 (which is very smooth on the bottom now after all these years!), a Core2 Q8200/GTS450/8GB DDR2 RAM computer, and the world's worst "highspeed" internet (commecial 802.11g where 90ms ping is fantastic and 150ms is normal, but the packet loss and randomness is maddening, let alone the God damned deep packet inspection throttling...). I often only get 10 to 25 FPS, with frequent complete stoppages of frames (*sigh* flying is great, trying to shoot things is shoot>0 FPS>crash...) in large fights, yet I somehow manage to be beat people 1 vs. 1 and even sometimes 3 vs. 1. As a result, I can't help but feel sorry for people who feel the need to augment their lack of skill with hardware and software crutches.

So yeah, when I kill you 1 vs 1, despite your handicaps, it's because you're bad and you should feel bad.

Seriously though, without a level playing field stats and any notion of "e-sports" seem pretty meaningless. What do you think?

[bpostal]

IDK, my mouse (logitech G9) has 'on the fly' sensitivity adjustment available and when I make use of it, primarily for AT MANA turrets and Bursters, it doesn't feel like cheating to me.
As for pressing a button to compensate for recoil? I'm not entirely sure what you're referring to so I'll refrain from commenting.

[Ghoest9]

Manually adjusting DPI on the fly would not be cheating because the hardware isnt playing the game for you.
(Personally i have tried it and it just makes me worse not better but Im sure it helps some people.)

Im not familier with the auto adjusting DPI so i wont comment on that.

But yes hardware that automatically compensates for recoil would be cheating.

[Tatwi]

Originally Posted by bpostal

As for pressing a button to compensate for recoil? I'm not entirely sure what you're referring to so I'll refrain from commenting.

I read a post in the tech support forum last week where the poster was defending himself for using a macro that compensates for recoil, because said macro was created with the software that came with his "gaming mouse". He was apparently banned and felt he should be unbanned.

[Kon]

using a button to adjust to a pre determined DPI to help you compensate for recoil is in my book ok but i never adjust my DPI im old school

using a macro with the mouse software to adjust the position of where the mouse "tracks" automatically so you just push a button and the macro does the work is cheating

[bpostal]

So as he pressed Mouse1 to fire his weapon, the macro moved his cursor downwards to compensate automatically? In effect, removing (or sidestepping) recoil?
That does seem a bit excessive and yeah, the guy should be banned. How hard is it to drag your mouse down manually while firing?

[ChipMHazard]

How on earth would a mouse macro be able to remove gun recoil, without actually acting exactly like an aimbot? Can't say that I've ever heard about something that could do that legally, but yes I would certainly say that is crossing the line for what is acceptable. Since that's basicly aimbotting.
Being able to change your DPI on the fly is fine imo.

[spuntron]

The primary mouse in question that's being discussed in that thread is the MMO7, which does not 'compensate for recoil' at the touch of a button. It has a button called the precision button that you can press that temporary sets your mouse at a pre-set DPI while you have it pressed down.

I own the mouse, and I never use the precision button, because I don't need it and feel it's cumbersome to use.

You're severely overstating the ability to adjust your DPI on the fly, as if you using an old mouse puts you at some distinct disadvantage when it really doesn't.

[Redshift]

i adjust my sensitivity on the fly, but it's just because i have a setting for ESF and a setting for normal gunplay

[Ruffdog]

Hardware augmentation: not cheating

Software augmentation: cheating with regard to macros. In-game sensitivity scaling is okay.

[ChipMHazard]

Originally Posted by spuntron

The primary mouse in question that's being discussed in that thread is the MMO7, which does not 'compensate for recoil' at the touch of a button. It has a button called the precision button that you can press that temporary sets your mouse at a pre-set DPI while you have it pressed down.

I own the mouse, and I never use the precision button, because I don't need it and feel it's cumbersome to use.

If that's the mouse they are claiming to be able to compensate for recoil then someone on the official forum has completely misunderstood something. It's just like the sniper button on the M60.

[Tatwi]

Sorry for confusing matters, as I was referring to two separate things.

1. The MM07 mouse thread, which is hardware augmentation via DPI adjustment. There are other mice with other automatic features.

2. A thread from a week or so ago where mouse macro software was used to automatically move the cursor down to the left when a button was pressed, thus removing recoil.

I personally feel that both of these things are forms of cheating, as they negate the intended parameters of the game.

[ChipMHazard]

Ah, ok that makes more sense then. Would still like to know what mouse would actually come with a script that basicly functions like an aimbotting hack, I have never heard about anything that even comes close

[Ghoest9]

How is manually changing your DPI cheating?

Do you even know what DPI is?

[Badjuju]

Originally Posted by Tatwi

I read a post in the tech support forum last week where the poster was defending himself for using a macro that compensates for recoil, because said macro was created with the software that came with his "gaming mouse". He was apparently banned and felt he should be unbanned.

I would say being able to adjust your mouse DPI for different situations is Not cheating, as in a previous example where some one said they change their DPI when using a turret. It simply allows you to bipass the settings. I don't believe this is the main issue at hand however based on you and another persons statement.

Using a macro to compensate for recoil is just cheap and undermines the game mechanics. I personally would consider it cheating. It dosn't matter where the source of the software comes from. Many companies trying to produce a product they are intending to sell are not going to be concerned if it gives an unfair advantage as long as that advantage is a selling point. Look at all the xbox controllers which turn semiautomatic weapons into fully auto.

Personally I am not going to get to worked up over it. There will always be people who find ways to gain unfair advantages in competitive games. I'll leave it up to SOE to handle it how they want to.

I will say that I will never understand why people pick up a competitive game if they never intend to compete. If you cheated to win you really didn't win. I guess some sad people simply enjoy making other people unhappy.