The developers of the military shooter Wardogs are implementing a strict policy against players exploiting bugs and dedicating excessive time to XP farming servers. In a recent announcement, Bulkhead detailed measures aimed at curbing these practices, including permanent bans for repeat offenders and those who utilize servers primarily for rapid progression.
Wardogs, which launched in early access last week and saw significant player engagement with over 400,000 concurrent Steam players, centers its gameplay around accumulating in-game currency. The game promotes a mercenary ethos where "cash is king," with various actions yielding individual payouts. However, this focus on wealth acquisition has led to a subset of players seeking to circumvent the intended progression through exploits and dedicated farming servers.
To address this, the developers are rolling out a patch that enhances the game's server browser and introduces a dedicated feed for community servers. As an apology for initial shortcomings in their community server strategy, players in these servers will receive an additional 5% end-of-match cash bonus. The developers encourage players to use these official community servers for legitimate grinding.
Simultaneously, Bulkhead is taking a firm stance against those who abuse the game's economy. Players found to be exploiting cash exploits and bugs will face resets of their in-game cash and XP. The severity of the penalty, including temporary bans, will depend on the frequency and nature of the infractions. Furthermore, individuals creating content that advertises cheats or provides tutorials on exploiting game systems without reporting the issues may receive a permanent ban.
The most severe penalties are reserved for participants in XP server farms. The developers stated they actively track server activity and will issue permanent bans to accounts detected joining such servers for more than a few minutes. Bulkhead emphasized that while minor testing of newly discovered mechanics is acceptable, prolonged and repetitive exploitation of exploits will be considered abuse.
The developers acknowledge the inherent challenge in balancing a game economy that encourages resource acquisition with the need to prevent systemic abuse. They aim to maintain a fair and enjoyable experience for all players by actively monitoring and addressing exploits, ensuring that the game's economic loop remains intact.