Rust is a multiplayer game developed by FacePunch and has attained quite a level of popularity with an audience from all across the world. A testament to this can be presented by the fact that Rust managed to sell more than 1 million copies in its early access days on Steam. That is quite an impressive accomplishment indeed. The game evinces a high level of competition and challenge and is appropriate for those players who want the thrill and adrenaline-fuelled action.
Rust blends a unique mixture of resource-based building with a player-to-player contest. The gameplay is also frantic and exceptionally facilitating. It allows users to engage in combat with vehemence and uninhibited action. It is of little surprise that the game has achieved the level of prominence that it does at present. That is because it can be owed to the aforementioned attributes that the game embodies to the fullest.
The game has been the subject of profound attention as well and with that attention entails the risk of cheaters as well. Cheaters and Hackers are a constant nuisance in Rust as they derail the experience and spoil the immersion for other players. Many multiplayer games are faced with such ordeals but Rust and its cheating predicaments are prominently emphasized.
That is why Rust and its publisher have taken steps to ensure that cheating and other wayward infractions donât occur within the game. The Anti-Cheat system that they have implemented in the game is dubbed CheatPunch. The name is quite catchy and the developers tout it to be a phenomenal weapon against cheaters. But just how good is it? If you want the answer to this question then we suggest you keep on reading:
CheatPunch has been brought into effect on the gameâs official servers and has already been quite effective at discerning, identifying, and banning cheaters from the game. The anti-cheat program has been brought in to dissuade any future indiscretions or violations on part of the players as well.
CheatPunch is a computer-based program. It has been created to counter cheating software on Rust. It functions to detect and isolate cheating software within multiplayer games. Rust has always been rife with cheaters and this program was produced as a means of dissuading and stopping them. At present, there isnât much that we can share with you about this anti-cheating software.
However, we do know that CheatPunch sends information related to the gameâs version, screenshots in-game, the playerâs Steam ID, and other data to the official competent authorities at Rustâs headquarters.
The Rust Server also sends a different GET parameter to the same host (/?r=s is the server, /?r=c is the client).
CheatPunch evinces quite a several features and these are what define it and its effectiveness. You can learn more about these features and what they entail as follows:
CheatPunch uses a built-in database about clientsâ devices to conduct scanning in real-time.
The program utilizes several internet master servers and high-end security to ensure that no corrupted or invalid updates are installed on your PCs.
CheatPunch collects and sends status reports of all players to the relevant server frequently. The program can even notify and remove a violating player from the game when the need arises. It also informs other active players of the offending playerâs actions as well.
CheatPunchâs admins can also remove players from a game manually. They can even stipulate the specific period or duration for which these players are banned.
CheatPunch can even be modified and customized to sporadically check player settings. This allows the program to detect any potential exploits that players may implement on the gameâs engine.
CheatPunch can also be customized by the admins to warn clients about calculating MD5 Hashes of files partially within the installation directory of the game. The client can be removed from the server when the results are contrasted with a predetermined set of dissimilarities and configurations.
CheatPunch Administrators can solicit samples of screenshots from certain players and can customize the PB server to indiscriminately retrieve screenshots from players during a game session. But, it is entirely probable that screenshots may be blocked by a game exploit or expunges all visible evidence of a cheat to remain hidden. In doing so, the effectiveness of this feature is severely depleted.
CheatPunch is being tweaked to integrate a filter against offensive names within it. Theoretically, it will be able to prevent players from using names that can be construed as profane or undesirable.
CheatPunch can also be used by admins to seek out the keybindings and scripts of players on the game. This can be useful in locating any scripts that can be employed in hacking and exploitation of the game.
The official information about CheatPunch was uploaded on Rustâs official website. Garry Newman, the founder of Rustâs studio, has reported that about 4621 players have been banned after CheatPuch detected those using cheats and other illegal tools within the game. This happened on a weekend only.
Gary Newman further stated that the software is also denoted explicitly when a person is banned from the game. A notice is sent and displayed on the playerâs screen so that there is no doubt or ambivalence left on their part in this regard. You have been indulging in illegalities and the game makes a point of letting you know it with CheatPunch.
The software also prevents a person from getting unbanned if he or she has been banned in the first place. There is no exception and the policies are incredibly stringent in this regard. It matters not what excuse you present, or whatever compunction you exhibit for there will be no respite or reprieve coming. You will remain banned if caught by CheatPunch and that is a fact.
However, Newman also stated that while the current Cheating software wasnât able to overcome CheatPunchâs ministrations, it may not always be the case. There will come a time when the cheating technology will surpass CheatPunchâs safeguarding mechanisms and will fail in its assigned duties. However, the developers have reaffirmed their determination to fight the good fight and stand against players that engage in cheating and usage of hacks within Rust. CheatPunch may not be the answer to all your problems but it will certainly act as a deterrent long enough to expunge cheaters from the gameâs servers. While there have been rumors and narratives regarding CheatPunch getting obsolete and beaten soon, the developers are still adamant that they will continue their efforts towards the contrary.
CheatPunch is far from stable at present and that is why the developers are reticent and unwilling to allow access to 3rd party servers. However, server owners can choose to experience this program by updating to the latest version. They can use â-cheatpunchâ on the command line to run it. Also, since the creators arenât sure as to just how reliable or stable this tool is, they are currently only using CheatPunch on official servers. This is an endeavor to ensure that the program is working properly before it is licensed or released to the general users. The developers are also aiming to create a specific website that illustrates and enumerates the names of cheaters along with the details of their violations. This is so that they may experience some mortification and refrain from committing these crimes again.
The future does indeed look promising for CheatPunch as it is after all the brainchild of Newman, a man who has been a pioneer in the field. He was the one who introduced a system that locked out users of Rustâs pirated versions and they then had to contact Newman for assistance.
While there hasnât been any significant headway made towards eliminating CheatPunch as a threat, there are reports of some techniques had been effective at bypassing it. One of these methods involves appending your âhostsâ file. The latter can be found at the following location within your operating system:
C:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc\hosts with the following: 127.0.0.1 gsin256345.elasticbeanstalk.com
This is in response to a thread posted on Rustâs official forum by a developer. In this post, he mentioned that your game and account wonât be banned by Cheatpunch if your PC canât connect to the latterâs server.
To sum up, CheatPunch is an anti-cheat system that has been integrated into Rust by the developers. Ostensibly, the program looks promising and the fact that it managed to catch more than 4000 players within its first 48 hours of operation is incredible, to say the least. While the program is exceptional, it isnât impervious or invulnerable. There are flaws and cheaters may exploit them in the future to bypass the anti-cheat program entirely. However, the developers are equally diligent and have sworn to keep their efforts commensurate with those of the hackers. Only time will tell as to which side the scales tip in this competition. But for now, we can say that CheatPunch is a good anti-cheat tool and is endeavoring to perform its appointed task remarkably well.
