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RGL Anti-Cheat Updates

   exa   - 3/21/2020
The Anti-Cheat revamp article released last month highlights RGL's renewed commitment to actively combating cheating in a competitive setting to both deter and detect potential cheaters. Since the release of the previous article, we have made large strides in both internal and external measures in Anti-Cheat and this article goes into detail on a new external Anti-Cheat measure we are currently undertaking. Recording POV demos has always been an integral part of both competitive TF2 and in other major eSports leagues such as ESL to deter cheaters and to assist Anti-Cheat cases with POV demos for certain cases. With the lack of frequent demo requests in NA compared to other regions, both teams and players have become complacent and chose to stop recording demos because they are not requested on a regular basis, if ever.


Random POV Demo Requests


Following HL W5 Vigil matches, Anti-Cheat & HL Staff ran a beta test of an internal feature to randomly select 1 player per team per match to ensure players are complying with POV demo recording rules by requesting their demos. Currently this system is not being utilized by Traditional Sixes (more details below).

This is an example of the current system being used by Highlander Staff to give the players an idea of how we are currently automating these requests.



While players who have failed to submit demos for an Anti-Cheat related case have received penalties for the offense, this initiative has further highlighted the lack of POV demos from some players. It has also displayed the lack of knowledge of the consequences both players and teams face when the player fails to upload demos which were highlighted in the previous article. These consequences can be seen below and they have been in effect since the release of the Anti-Cheat Revamp article.


With the beta phase of this system ending following the random POV demo requests for HL W6 Lakeside matches, starting HL W7 Steel and in subsequent seasons for Highlander, players and teams will not be given any further amnesty for random POV demo checks and will start receiving both team and player penalties for failing to submit demos. With a number of potential cheaters failing to record POV demos due to an unforeseen circumstance, whether it be lack of knowledge or hardware issues, team and player compliance will now be forced to be mandatory with requests per match.

Highlander teams will also have received ample warnings prior to their weekend scrims, leaving no room for excuses should their players be requested for POV demos. These warnings will come in the form of:

  • This article
  • A message in match communications
  • An updated green header at the top of every page of the Highlander section
  • 2 weeks of random demo requests for Invite-Main teams


Playoff POV Demo Requests


Due to the prize pools, titles and recognition involved in postseason matches compared to a regular season match, if POV demos are requested by Anti-Cheat for an Anti-Cheat related case during playoffs and a suspect fails to submit these demos, it completely undermines the legitimacy of the match because players cannot be punished or vindicated in some cases.

In an effort to further highlight the existing rules surrounding POV Demo Requests during playoffs, players will immediately receive match bans in place of warnings for failing to submit POV demos, whether they are requested specifically for Anti-Cheat cases or a random POV demo check. It should be noted again that random POV demos are only restricted to Highlander for this season and demo requests in Sixes playoffs will only be made if a player is suspected. Sixes will have random POV demo requests starting in Season 3 and onwards.

It must also be highlighted that as per [1004.2.1] - Penalties during Playoffs, any major warning will result in a 20% reduction in prize pool and as per [1007.2.2] - Medals teams with major penalties will not receive medals.



System Expansion Into Other RGL.gg Formats


Currently, these requests are relegated to Highlander due to the Sixes season having been too close to the postseason when the two weeks of beta were being run, where potential bugs in the system and not enough staff training may cause panic and confusion for players right before playoffs. With the beta phase ending in Highlander and having bugs as well as staff training flushed out, this system will come into effect for Season 3 of Traditional Sixes and will also be available for all other formats.

Future Improvements


For the time being, the demo requests are communicated to team leaders through their division admins and moderators, creating a number of bottlenecks in the system. In the future, these requests will be put in match communications automatically after the player submits the results and match logs. We will also be deploying a demo submission form that will allow players to submit the links to their demos which will allow division staff to easily keep track of these demo requests.

These features will be communicated accordingly when they are ready but for the time being, leaders should forward the demo requests to their respective players and then the leaders can either let the player contact their division admin with the POV demos or the leader can do it on the player’s behalf. Teams should have at least ONE leader in the RGL.gg Discord so that we may contact you for demos and other issues.

FAQ


Q: I don't have POV demos, can I submit STVs instead?
A: No, STV demos will not be a substitute for POV demos in regards of random POV demo checks as this is a measure to ensure compliance to an already mandatory POV demo recording rule.

Q: Can I send in my stream VOD as a POV?
A: No, a VOD of any sort will never be accepted as a POV demo alternative in any circumstance. A POV .dem file must be handed in that is recorded using P-REC or Valve Recording.

Q: Which method should I be using to record demos?
A: You can use either P-REC or Valve In-Game Recording. There are a multitude of text and video guides that you may also follow to better understand and use these features. If you still need assistance with either method, feel free to reach out to a moderator or admin.

Q: Where should I upload my POV demo?
A: Please only use one of the following sites to upload their demos to Google Drive, OneDrive, Dropbox Mega, or MediaFire, other sites will be ignored due to insufficient download speeds and security reasons.

Q: How long should I hold onto my demos for?
A: Players should keep any of their recorded demos for the entire season.

Q: Should I record scrim demos?
A: Scrim demos will only be requested for Anti-Cheat related cases, they will not be requested at random as that is only the case for match POVs. Players are encouraged to record scrim demos so that in the event they are accused of cheating, Anti-Cheat may be able to use your POV demos to determine if STV evidence was insufficient.

Q: What should I set my link visibility to?
A: Make sure the link is fully visible to the public, staff will not accept demos that are hidden behind access requests.