VAC Ban for Reverse Engineering on Private Server

[DontCallMeDoug]

I reverse engineer games as a hobby. It's a great way to learn lots of stuff about how computer games work beyond just writing code. If you're interested in doing this, I highly suggest you try it. Over a year ago, I received a VAC ban for editing code and memory addresses in a game of Left for Dead 2 while hosting a private server with some friends.

This is immensely frustrating for so many reasons. At the time, I was under the impression that by hosting a friends-only game on my private machine, I was creating an unofficial server. Unfortunately, I was wrong: even though I hosted the game on my own machine, VAC was in place. Frankly, I don't even know how to host a game without the VAC enabled. After receiving the VAC ban, my friends and I have been unable to figure out how to play the game together on an unofficial server, and there's no way to get it to work despite the game supposedly allowing unofficial servers.

It's also frustrating because no one in the game reported me for cheating. I don't mean, "Oh, I didn't get caught." I mean at the time, I was speaking with my friends about the edits and even sharing my screen. Since the VAC is apparently not dependent upon input from other players, this doesn't matter. I understand that the VAC exists to catch cheaters that ruin the game for other people. But what about when people are just poking around in a process that they're running on their own computer to see what's going on?

Yet another frustration about this is that we took care not to let the "hacks" effect any of our records/stats in the game. Other than the ensuing VAC ban, the only consequence of the changes was to fix players' health at a value for less than 5 minutes in a survival match. We don't have some ridiculous best-time stat or any otherwise unobtainable achievements resulting from this. Just a few minutes of "Oh, so that's how this code works."

However, by far, the most frustrating thing is the way Valve / Steam Support handles VAC bans. I should go so far as to say that Steam Support is a misnomer on almost all occasions, but this is exceptionally bad. The ban is permanent, non-negotiable, and you're ultimately at the receiving end of this automated system with little to no input. Steam Support can't remove or even appeal your ban, you can't contact someone who can, and there is ultimately no way to know if your response to your VAC ban notification is even received, much less reviewed.

The strangest thing to me is that I can create a new account with the exact same contact info as my account with a VAC ban, buy another "copy" of the game, and play on that account. Combined with the lack of support and the automatic and permanent nature of the ban, this makes me wonder if Valve has such terrible support as a way to increase revenue.

I would suggest the following changes:
- Give VAC banned players a better way to appeal their bans to the VAC team. After receiving a VAC ban, the whole process is like screaming into the void. Valve makes like $5 Billion on Steam annually; they can afford to let you talk to humans.
- Get inputs from other players in the game for VAC bans. If Valve is going to mete out such severe consequences, they should be able to support them.
- Let VAC bans expire. No person who is trying to hack at a game is going to wait a year for a ban to be lifted: they're just going to make another account and keep doing it.

To those who actually read this, thank you.

[ุ]

VAC bans are permanent, there was a time that VAC wasn't and all that happened is banned users would go right back to cheating.

You cannot appeal a VAC ban, as it's an automated system. Nothing can or likely will be done, as it's been proven the system was abused in the past.

[my new friend]

Originally posted by Zach:

Over a year ago, I received a VAC ban for editing code and memory addresses in a game of Left for Dead 2 while hosting a private server with some friends.

Editing/manipulating protected game files on a VAC enabled game will result in a VAC ban.

[Wolf Knight]

if a game uses VAC, all sessions of that game will be vac secured by default. it does not matter if the game session is private, 1v1, vs bots, vs plants, vs the ghost of games past, they are all vac secured games.

steam support does not deal with vac nor game bans, steam support assists mainly with account and billing issues. a game/vac ban is not an account nor billing issue, they dont have access to the information related to a game/vac ban.

vac only looks at what is happening with the computer, it does not use gameplay footage nor reports.

temp bans were tried, they did nothing.

[DontCallMeDoug]

Originally posted by my new friend:

Originally posted by Zach:

Over a year ago, I received a VAC ban for editing code and memory addresses in a game of Left for Dead 2 while hosting a private server with some friends.

Editing/manipulating protected game files on a VAC enabled game will result in a VAC ban.

I understand. My main gripe is that it's on by default when I'm the one hosting the server, and there's not really a big red button to say "enable anti-cheat."

[my new friend]

Originally posted by Zach:

Originally posted by my new friend:

Editing/manipulating protected game files on a VAC enabled game will result in a VAC ban.

I understand. My main gripe is that it's on by default when I'm the one hosting the server, and there's not really a big red button to say "enable anti-cheat."

-insecure in options disables vac in your server.

-insecure

Disable Valve Anti Cheat (VAC).

https://developer.valvesoftware.com/wiki/Command_Line_Options#Source_Games

[J4MESOX4D]

Originally posted by Zach:

Originally posted by my new friend:

Editing/manipulating protected game files on a VAC enabled game will result in a VAC ban.

I understand. My main gripe is that it's on by default when I'm the one hosting the server, and there's not really a big red button to say "enable anti-cheat."

The anti-cheat is enabled by default on all servers hence it being a VAC protected game. You have to use the console or your launch options to disable VAC.

[Silicon Vampire]

It’s your responsibility to understand all the consequences of your actions.

Choosing to manipulate the games memory without disabling VAC on the server was a bad one.

[DontCallMeDoug]

Originally posted by Wolf Knight:

if a game uses VAC, all sessions of that game will be vac secured by default. it does not matter if the game session is private, 1v1, vs bots, vs plants, vs the ghost of games past, they are all vac secured games.

Good to know. I thought there was a way to disable it when you host a server.

Originally posted by Wolf Knight:

a game/vac ban is not an account nor billing issue, they dont have access to the information related to a game/vac ban.

I disagree. Disabling content that someone has paid for with an account is very much an issue for that account.

Originally posted by Wolf Knight:

vac only looks at what is happening with the computer, it does not use gameplay footage nor reports.

I feel as if this was clear in my post, but perhaps not.

Originally posted by Wolf Knight:

temp bans were tried, they did nothing.

What do they accomplish now other than causing people to create accounts specifically for hacking?

[Gold]

ALL servers are VAC secured by default. The -insecure parameter is to be used if you want a VAC disabled server.

Anything that tampers with core files of the game is a cheat, so it doesn't matter what your intentions were. VAC has nothing to do with reports either.

There won't be a better way to appeal VAC bans because there's no way at all. VAC bans aren't meant to be appealed. There's one single chance to NOT screw things up.

Originally posted by Zach:

- Let VAC bans expire. No person who is trying to hack at a game is going to wait a year for a ban to be lifted: they're just going to make another account and keep doing it.

Accounts are banned, not people, that's obvious enough for them to NOT let VAC bans "expire".

Temporary bans were tried long ago, it didn't work.

[Snivy]

Originally posted by Zach:

What do they accomplish now other than causing people to create accounts specifically for hacking?

They keep cheaters from cheating on high value accounts, with no consequences whatsoever. Trading items in games you are banned in, is not a possibility for a reason.

Also cheating =/= hacking.

[DontCallMeDoug]

Originally posted by Silicon Vampire:

It’s your responsibility to understand all the consequences of your actions.

Choosing to manipulate the games memory without disabling VAC on the server was a bad one.

Oh, I agree. I wish at the time I had known the VAC would have been on and that I would have to disable it. I will say, it is sometimes difficult to know all of the factors at hand prior to taking an action.

[DontCallMeDoug]

Originally posted by Snivy:

Originally posted by Zach:

What do they accomplish now other than causing people to create accounts specifically for hacking?

They keep cheaters from cheating on high value accounts, with no consequences whatsoever. Trading items in games you are banned in, is not a possibility for a reason.

Also cheating =/= hacking.

I see your point. Sorry, I don't really trade items in games so I wasn't aware that this was also a consequence of the ban. Thanks for pointing that out.

[DontCallMeDoug]

To all of those pointing out the -insecure flag, thanks. Yes, I became aware of this after the fact.

As a side note, it seems that even when my friends and I launch the same with the flag, I can't find their games, etc. I had to create another account and buy the game through it.

[my new friend]

There is also this.

G. Restrictions on Use of Content and Services

You may not use the Content and Services for any purpose other than the permitted access to Steam and your Subscriptions, and to make personal, non-commercial use of your Subscriptions, except as otherwise permitted by this Agreement or applicable Subscription Terms. Except as otherwise permitted under this Agreement (including any Subscription Terms or Rules of Use), or under applicable law notwithstanding these restrictions, you may not, in whole or in part, copy, photocopy, reproduce, publish, distribute, translate, reverse engineer, derive source code from, modify, disassemble, decompile, create derivative works based on, or remove any proprietary notices or labels from the Content and Services or any software accessed via Steam without the prior consent, in writing, of Valve.

https://store.steampowered.com/subscriber_agreement/

[Judgmental Amaterasu]

Originally posted by Zach:

I reverse engineer games as a hobby. It's a great way to learn lots of stuff about how computer games work beyond just writing code. If you're interested in doing this, I highly suggest you try it. Over a year ago, I received a VAC ban for editing code and memory addresses in a game of Left for Dead 2 while hosting a private server with some friends.

This is immensely frustrating for so many reasons. At the time, I was under the impression that by hosting a friends-only game on my private machine, I was creating an unofficial server. Unfortunately, I was wrong: even though I hosted the game on my own machine, VAC was in place. Frankly, I don't even know how to host a game without the VAC enabled. After receiving the VAC ban, my friends and I have been unable to figure out how to play the game together on an unofficial server, and there's no way to get it to work despite the game supposedly allowing unofficial servers.

It's also frustrating because no one in the game reported me for cheating. I don't mean, "Oh, I didn't get caught." I mean at the time, I was speaking with my friends about the edits and even sharing my screen. Since the VAC is apparently not dependent upon input from other players, this doesn't matter. I understand that the VAC exists to catch cheaters that ruin the game for other people. But what about when people are just poking around in a process that they're running on their own computer to see what's going on?

Yet another frustration about this is that we took care not to let the "hacks" effect any of our records/stats in the game. Other than the ensuing VAC ban, the only consequence of the changes was to fix players' health at a value for less than 5 minutes in a survival match. We don't have some ridiculous best-time stat or any otherwise unobtainable achievements resulting from this. Just a few minutes of "Oh, so that's how this code works."

However, by far, the most frustrating thing is the way Valve / Steam Support handles VAC bans. I should go so far as to say that Steam Support is a misnomer on almost all occasions, but this is exceptionally bad. The ban is permanent, non-negotiable, and you're ultimately at the receiving end of this automated system with little to no input. Steam Support can't remove or even appeal your ban, you can't contact someone who can, and there is ultimately no way to know if your response to your VAC ban notification is even received, much less reviewed.

The strangest thing to me is that I can create a new account with the exact same contact info as my account with a VAC ban, buy another "copy" of the game, and play on that account. Combined with the lack of support and the automatic and permanent nature of the ban, this makes me wonder if Valve has such terrible support as a way to increase revenue.

I would suggest the following changes:
- Give VAC banned players a better way to appeal their bans to the VAC team. After receiving a VAC ban, the whole process is like screaming into the void. Valve makes like $5 Billion on Steam annually; they can afford to let you talk to humans.
- Get inputs from other players in the game for VAC bans. If Valve is going to mete out such severe consequences, they should be able to support them.
- Let VAC bans expire. No person who is trying to hack at a game is going to wait a year for a ban to be lifted: they're just going to make another account and keep doing it.

To those who actually read this, thank you.

Private server does not mean it isn't VAC enabled. No VAC banned players don't need a way to appeal bans. If you can't stop yourself from doing things that trigger VAC bans then you don't need to be part of game communites that utilize it.

"Let VAC bans expire. No person who is trying to hack at a game is going to wait a year for a ban to be lifted: they're just going to make another account and keep doing it."

The past experiments of having temporary VAC bans prove you wrong.