Graphics hacks in GW? - Guild Wars Forums

Zakarr · Aug 13, 2006, 01:11 PM // 13:11

Seeing through walls is pretty useless in GW but how about hacks which alter character and skill effect rendering? Monks would be rendered with blue transparency, warriors with yellow transparency and so. Spell effects would have some noticeable color code effects so for example mesmers can see them easier and interrupt. The bad side about this is that people who know what they are doing, can manipulate a game specific rendering profile so video card will render certain things very different only in that certain game. This is completely invisible for server detection. Nothing of this will go servers because it is client side process.

My question is that what Anet can do about these? I'm pretty sure, some guilds might use them. Perhaps not top guilds because they have proven their skills in monitored sessions.

Numa Pompilius · Aug 13, 2006, 02:19 PM // 14:19

While possible to do, I think the advantage is very limited. It's not like you can't already see a monk, or see the spell effect. The only thing I can think of offhand I'd like to see is that someone is using a rez-signet, that's about it...

This is quite different from e.g. Counterstrike, where people use color-coded skins (often shining like lamps) to make the enemy easily visible also at long distance and to separate friend from foe - needs we simply don't have in GW.

mega_jamie · Aug 14, 2006, 01:19 PM // 13:19

It would require a third party program would it on?

Since graphics hacks in other games, such as CSS (counter Strike) you have to change your files on your comp and convince the server they are elgal, such as extra long gun models, or bright skins on the enemy.

With GW, since it all plays from 1 central server, and your files are checked and updated/fixed whenever you log on, I think it would be extremely difficult.

Zakarr · Aug 14, 2006, 02:17 PM // 14:17

It would go like this:

GW: Direct3D, tell the video card that I need these textures for characters
Direct3D: Video card, use these textures for characters
Hack: No, use these textures instead
Video card: Ok

GW ---> Direct3D ---> Hack ---> Video card (dont actually know if this is the right order)

AFAIK, GW or any other game really can't check if video card did exactly the same job as required. I'm not sure how difficult it is to re-program video card commands before they reach the video card but it doesn't require any modifications to the game files.

Some of you probably have seen things like NVIDIA Dawn demo ran in ATI card with OpenGL wrapper and NVIDIA gained performance boosts in 3DMark03 by replacing some graphics processes with faster and lower quality ones. Futuremark can only check it by running several tests and look the screen. This reveals that it is impossible to verify by AI

Hockster · Aug 14, 2006, 04:26 PM // 16:26

Just don't come whining here when your account gets banned for running a hack. Even one so completely pathetic as this one would be.

Zakarr · Aug 14, 2006, 05:33 PM // 17:33

You assume too much.

People usually talk that GW is unhackable so this is just a remind that something might be possible and it doesn't require server-side manipulation.

Doomlord_Slayermann · Aug 14, 2006, 05:48 PM // 17:48

This isn't even really a hack. Guild Wars already has visual and audio cues for everything anyways; they're just more subtle than "monk in blue and ele in red". Any good PvPer will recognize the big ones anyways (rez sig for example). You could indeed do this and probably make it very hard to detect, but what's the point?

gabrial heart · Aug 14, 2006, 05:55 PM // 17:55

Yeah, but hacking usually means the hacker is gaining some advantage by doing so... In this case there really isn't any advantage, just a switch in graphic texturing. GW is hackable, just that the hacks are pretty easy to spot server-side because they require spoofing or spamming the server. Plenty of hacks you can write, just expect to be caught!

Aug 13, 2006, 01:11 PM // 13:11	#1
Zakarr Jungle Guide Join Date: May 2005 Location: Finland	Graphics hacks in GW? Seeing through walls is pretty useless in GW but how about hacks which alter character and skill effect rendering? Monks would be rendered with blue transparency, warriors with yellow transparency and so. Spell effects would have some noticeable color code effects so for example mesmers can see them easier and interrupt. The bad side about this is that people who know what they are doing, can manipulate a game specific rendering profile so video card will render certain things very different only in that certain game. This is completely invisible for server detection. Nothing of this will go servers because it is client side process. My question is that what Anet can do about these? I'm pretty sure, some guilds might use them. Perhaps not top guilds because they have proven their skills in monitored sessions.

Aug 13, 2006, 02:19 PM // 14:19	#2
Numa Pompilius Grotto Attendant Join Date: May 2005 Location: At an Insit.. Intis... a house. Guild: Live Forever Or Die Trying [GLHF] Profession: W/Me	While possible to do, I think the advantage is very limited. It's not like you can't already see a monk, or see the spell effect. The only thing I can think of offhand I'd like to see is that someone is using a rez-signet, that's about it... This is quite different from e.g. Counterstrike, where people use color-coded skins (often shining like lamps) to make the enemy easily visible also at long distance and to separate friend from foe - needs we simply don't have in GW.

Aug 14, 2006, 01:19 PM // 13:19	#3
mega_jamie Wilds Pathfinder Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: UK Guild: Warlords of Ruin Profession: A/Mo	It would require a third party program would it on? Since graphics hacks in other games, such as CSS (counter Strike) you have to change your files on your comp and convince the server they are elgal, such as extra long gun models, or bright skins on the enemy. With GW, since it all plays from 1 central server, and your files are checked and updated/fixed whenever you log on, I think it would be extremely difficult.

Aug 14, 2006, 02:17 PM // 14:17	#4
Zakarr Jungle Guide Join Date: May 2005 Location: Finland	It would go like this: GW: Direct3D, tell the video card that I need these textures for characters Direct3D: Video card, use these textures for characters Hack: No, use these textures instead Video card: Ok GW ---> Direct3D ---> Hack ---> Video card (dont actually know if this is the right order) AFAIK, GW or any other game really can't check if video card did exactly the same job as required. I'm not sure how difficult it is to re-program video card commands before they reach the video card but it doesn't require any modifications to the game files. Some of you probably have seen things like NVIDIA Dawn demo ran in ATI card with OpenGL wrapper and NVIDIA gained performance boosts in 3DMark03 by replacing some graphics processes with faster and lower quality ones. Futuremark can only check it by running several tests and look the screen. This reveals that it is impossible to verify by AI

Aug 14, 2006, 04:26 PM // 16:26	#5
Hockster Banned Join Date: Jul 2005	Just don't come whining here when your account gets banned for running a hack. Even one so completely pathetic as this one would be.

Aug 14, 2006, 05:33 PM // 17:33	#6
Zakarr Jungle Guide Join Date: May 2005 Location: Finland	You assume too much. People usually talk that GW is unhackable so this is just a remind that something might be possible and it doesn't require server-side manipulation.

Aug 14, 2006, 05:48 PM // 17:48	#7
Doomlord_Slayermann Jungle Guide Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Chicago IL Guild: Dark Phoenix Risin [DPR] Profession: W/P	This isn't even really a hack. Guild Wars already has visual and audio cues for everything anyways; they're just more subtle than "monk in blue and ele in red". Any good PvPer will recognize the big ones anyways (rez sig for example). You could indeed do this and probably make it very hard to detect, but what's the point?

Aug 14, 2006, 05:55 PM // 17:55	#8
gabrial heart Wilds Pathfinder Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Las Vegas Guild: Beautiful Peoples Club [LIPO] Profession: Mo/Me	Yeah, but hacking usually means the hacker is gaining some advantage by doing so... In this case there really isn't any advantage, just a switch in graphic texturing. GW is hackable, just that the hacks are pretty easy to spot server-side because they require spoofing or spamming the server. Plenty of hacks you can write, just expect to be caught!