Rockstar cracks down on RDR cheats

By Ellie Gibson Published 21 July, 2010

Update set to hack off hackers.

Rockstar is taking cheaters to task with a new update for Red Dead Redemption.

"We'd just like to let all fans and players of Red Dead Redemption multiplayer know that we're aware a few rotten apples persist in the online world, trying to make the experience unpleasant for everyone else," reads a message on the company's website.

"Obviously, these multiplayer modes can be great fun when everyone is on the up-and-up, so to ensure we preserve the integrity of gameplay for all online, we are actively working on new features to counter against the isolated incidents of abuse that go on."

In other words, Rockstar is preparing an update for release on Xbox Live and PSN "within the next month". It will foil both hackers and cheaters, and "Those who have been detected to be cheating beyond a shadow of doubt will be promptly banned from the Red Dead online world for a period of our discretion."

There's also good news for those who have been getting grief in Free Roam. They will get the option to flee by Transporting and respawning in a new region of their choice. "And those who are bullying repeatedly will face a new challenge: when a player gets a 6 kill streak in Free Roam, they will become "Most Wanted." This alerts other players of their status as a player-killer, and also sends NPC law response after them," says Rockstar.

Better behave then.

Picture of Ellie.

About Ellie Gibson

Since joining Eurogamer in the mid 2000s, Ellie has written about subjects as diverse as the fall of Gizmondo, the rise of Hollyoaks actresses in Red Alert games and the noise a bear makes under NSFW circumstances.

Read more articles from Ellie by visiting the Ellie Gibson archive page.

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Comments (25) Latest comment 2 years ago

Comments threads automatically close after 30 days, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • Slint1000 #1 2 years ago

    This is great news. I can see the transporter option to escape the occasional spawnkilling player being used quite a bit.

    Nothing worse than getting caught in a death cycle!

  • roquey Verified Lead Quality Assurance Tester and Compliance Specialist, Universally Speaking #2 2 years ago

    YEEEEHAW!

  • kingmong #3 2 years ago

    Hackers and cheaters?

    I know about the XP grinding exploit, but is there anything else?

  • Harmonica #4 2 years ago

    ...there's always something else. People go to ridiculous lengths.

    Not sure about the PVP only amounting to six kills before you have the law after you. Considering how easy it is for them to take you down, that might make proper free roam battles end rather prematurely.

  • The_Inquisitor #5 2 years ago

    Honour no longer has a place in the west it seems, you can understand why Marston was so peeved.

  • ZizouFC #6 2 years ago

    Thank God. It's almost impossible to get challenges done if you land up in a free roam full of assholes. It's a horrible feeling when you press select and see everyone is in a posse, send a posse join request only to be rejected. You know you won't last long. The maps only so big.
    Edited by 1 at 21/07/10 @ 09:22

  • Floppy #7 2 years ago

    I stopped playing Public Free Roam after continually getting it handed to me by lynching posses. Not to mention having my head blown off by my own posse team member, just because he wanted to wipe the rest of his team out with the gattling gun.

  • Ryboy #8 2 years ago

    Cheating? In a Rockstar game?!

    NEVER!

  • Madder-Max #9 2 years ago

    The anti griefing sounds like fun because its a pain having to find a good spot to build a bounty. This sounds great and will act as an incentive to shoot people in free roam.

  • I\'mListening #10 2 years ago

    I never shoot anyone that hasn't shot me first - I don't like to...but, if they do and then do it again I'm sorry but I have to own them, which I promptly do until they decide to ride away and then I leave them alone.

    Don't look at me that way.

    They started it!

  • Madder-Max #11 2 years ago

    plus you will have other players attracting the law too so this could be epic

  • Spooke #12 2 years ago

    too little too late... we stopped playing the MP on RDR about 3 days after launch.

  • Jackface #13 2 years ago

    "too little too late... we stopped playing the MP on RDR about 3 days after launch."

    Aw man, Rockstar are gonna be gutted! I heard they'd made these modes purely for you and your posse because they'd been personally offended by your swift dismissal of the game. The fact that they're too late is going to render the whole update meaningless for them now. Their own fault I guess.

  • geeza2020 #14 2 years ago

    Spooke:

    I didnt stop playing it. I still play it now and again, its a laugh.
    Edited by 1 at 21/07/10 @ 10:48

  • CaptainQuint #15 2 years ago

    Am I the only one who can enjoys the challenge of being "bullied" by a posse of two or three players? More than once I managed to get the upperhand and chase 'em off. It can be great fun, so long as the environment offers a degree of cover.

  • razzastuta #16 2 years ago

    Aw man, Rockstar are gonna be gutted! I heard they'd made these modes purely for you and your posse because they'd been personally offended by your swift dismissal of the game. The fact that they're too late is going to render the whole update meaningless for them now. Their own fault I guess.

    Nice point jackface, but if Spooke chooses not to play the MP then that's his choice, and he's entitled to it, surely? Just because some players don't like the MP aspect of a game doesn't mean they write it off entirely. I loved GTA4 but never played the MP much (just didn't get into it). Never stopped me playing the single player though - and I still recommend the game now.
    Edited by 2 at 21/07/10 @ 12:36

  • metalangel #17 2 years ago

    When I did the "be most wanted for 10 minutes" I must have gotten really lucky as there were half a dozen others in the game and nobody came after me. Usually it's like wasps to a pint of beer.

    On the same note, to spawn somewhere and be immediately killed by some passing twat is extremely irritating and while I'm glad steps are being taken I cannot understand how Rockstar didn't anticipate this coming in the first place.

  • dirk_aircool #18 2 years ago

    they know its going to happen. they just dont give a shit.the only good thing is that they are alledgedly tackling some of the problems.not much profit to be made after game is sold and all the DLC is bought.

  • SeanBeansGravyBoat #19 2 years ago

    The only way that they could possibly fix this "issue" would be to offer a free roam mode where there is no PVP allowed, like some MMO's do. Unless they do that you're always going to get players killing other players no matter what they do. This solution sounds like it is going to completely kill any legitimate Free Roam gunfights that do sometimes kick off and are a lot of fun.

    As for people saying they can't get challenges done because of being killed by other players, why not just use the Private Free Roam mode instead? If you get a couple of friends in with you there are very few, if any, challenges that can't be done that way.

  • brseg #20 2 years ago

    I guess it will help. The killstreak can be reset after 5 minutes or something, so it wont affect 'genuine' gunfights, just those who go on a killing frenzy. Nothing to stop them carrying on after they respawn though...

    I thought a simpler method would be: shoot at any NPC or player with no bounty == gives you a bounty. Plus,you only show on the map if you have bounty. At the moment you get XP for killing anyone, so it doesn't really suggest any bad consequence for killing everything in sight.
    Edited by 1 at 21/07/10 @ 15:13

  • Golgo #21 2 years ago

    Isn't betraying each other what outlaws do best?

    Sooner have the Wild West than the Well-Mannered West, me.

  • ronuds #22 2 years ago

    Cheating in a video game is so pathetic.

  • Kaminari #23 2 years ago

    @Introvertigo

    Best suggestion ever. For good measure, throw in a pair of grizzlis and disable the griefer's shotgun. I want to be there when the griefer's gangbanged by the bloody pack.

  • Madder-Max #24 2 years ago

    Got into an excellent good natured random sniping fest last night which was great fun. hope the update doesnt stop this sort of thing.

    Anyone know at what level more female characters are unlocked? Im level 22 atm.

  • Grievous1976 #25 2 years ago

    So they are taking the Wild out of the Wild West. Whilst random Gunfights were fun and random at best it was quite annoying when one particular idiot 'Noob' would continually try his best to piss you off and fail miserably. Hopefully this update won't detract from the overall escence that is the Wild Wild West.