“We did not hit the mark”: TeamRICOCHET addresses shortcomings in Warzone and Black Ops 6’s anti-cheat integration ahead of changes for Season 2

"We did not hit the mark": TeamRICOCHET addresses shortcomings in Warzone and Black Ops 6's anti-cheat integration ahead of changes for Season 2

As a long-time Call of Duty enthusiast with countless hours invested in the series, I must say it’s been a rollercoaster of emotions lately. The rampant cheating issues in Black Ops 6 and Warzone have been frustrating to say the least. But, I appreciate Activision’s recent transparency about the situation and their efforts to combat cheaters through RICOCHET anti-cheat.

Cheating has been prevalent in Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 and Warzone after the Season 1 integration, even with the RICOCHET anti-cheat system. Previously, Activision disclosed that a data outage impacted the effectiveness of the anti-cheat software’s countermeasures following the release of Season 1 content for both games. In a recent blog post, TeamRICOCHET acknowledges that while the anti-cheat systems functioned well during Black Ops 6’s debut, they fell short in integrating RICOCHET Anti-Cheat at the start of Season 1 — specifically in Ranked Play.

During Season 1, Activision’s TeamRICOCHET, creators of Call of Duty’s exclusive anti-cheat system, announced that approximately 19,000 new account bans focused on cheaters in Ranked Play modes were issued. To maintain pace with the rising number of potentially fraudulent accounts being scrutinized, the team is intensifying ban waves every hour using their enhanced detection techniques, which have recently been upgraded.

Due to a high occurrence of cheating in Call of Duty: Warzone and Black Ops 6 multiplayer lists, TeamRICOCHET has grown their human moderation team and enhanced the capacity of their AI-powered Replay Investigation system. This is to manage the influx of reports concerning questionable behavior. Additional improvements are being made to RICOCHET anti-cheat, an in-house developed kernel-level driver for Call of Duty, as well as its supporting AI systems. These updates aim to identify and prevent problematic players prior to their game entry. For Black Ops 6 and Warzone Seasons 2 and 3, new client and server-side detection methods are under development.

Although we’ve achieved a lot, there’s still work to be done, and we can’t wait to reveal information about significant changes we have planned for the upcoming year,” the TeamRICOCHET team expressed.

"We did not hit the mark": TeamRICOCHET addresses shortcomings in Warzone and Black Ops 6's anti-cheat integration ahead of changes for Season 2

Shadowbans, spam reporting, and Ricochet

The news about stricter moderation and efforts against cheating in Call of Duty has sparked a range of reactions on social media from the game’s players. Activision, historically, has been secretive about the inner workings of Call of Duty. But in recent times, there’s been more transparency regarding the RICOCHET anti-cheat system. However, TeamRICOCHET needs to keep some aspects of their anti-cheat measures confidential to avoid cheaters figuring out ways around them.

The lack of clarity regarding anti-cheat measures within the community has sparked numerous speculations about these tactics, particularly focusing on the impact for those accused of cheating. TeamRICOCHET has admitted that players who are suspected of cheating may end up in restricted matchmaking. This revelation has caused some players to suspect that whenever they encounter apparent cheaters or experience increased lag, it might be due to excessive reporting.

"We did not hit the mark": TeamRICOCHET addresses shortcomings in Warzone and Black Ops 6's anti-cheat integration ahead of changes for Season 2

In earlier discussions about anti-cheat measures, it’s been clarified that excessive reports on cheating suspects carry limited influence in the detection process. However, reporting potential cheaters remains crucial as it helps identify players who have managed to bypass other detection mechanisms. Spamming reports against opponents has long been a common practice, but TeamRICOCHET already has systems in place to prevent frequent reporters from unfairly triggering a shadowban with false reports.

It’s more probable that early measures against cheating will rely on AI detection instead of misreports or manual intervention, as the main advantage of using AI is swift detection.

How to check for limited matchmaking and bans in Call of Duty: Warzone or Black Ops 6

Although a shadow ban due to spam reports is unlikely, it doesn’t make you immune to unintentional triggers of restricted matchmaking or unwanted enforcement actions. Mistakes can happen, and despite advanced AI detection and human moderation, some players may inadvertently be affected by countermeasures. For instance, during the initial phase of Modern Warfare 3 (2023), RICOCHET anti-cheat was issuing bans to PC players who had software for managing RGB installed. Over time, RICOCHET has evolved and improved substantially, but it still has potential for further growth.

If you think your account may be subject to restricted matchmaking or a complete ban, you can verify its current status by accessing Activision’s support site and logging in. Upon signing in, navigate to the Ban Appeal section where you can submit a request for assistance if a ban is active on your account at this time.

For those who haven’t experienced shadowbans yet, perhaps we’re not pushing ourselves enough in the game. Let me share some adjustable controller settings that could enhance your performance in Black Ops 6, or offer tips on how to accumulate XP quicker with a specific loadout. That way, you won’t feel compelled to use an unlocking tool to progress through the prestige levels. Additionally, learning to play hardcore multiplayer could help improve your Call of Duty skills overall.

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2024-12-18 13:09