Bulkhead, the developer behind the popular FPS Wardogs, is implementing a strict policy against players who exploit the game's economy. Following a recent patch aimed at improving server stability, the studio confirmed its commitment to combating cheaters and exploiters, with penalties ranging from temporary bans to permanent account suspension.
According to the game's early access patch notes released on September 14, players found to be abusing economic exploits, such as stockpiling money by exploiting bugs, will face a timed ban. The duration of this ban will depend on the player's previous infraction history, and their in-game cash and experience will be reset. This policy applies to players who intentionally leverage these exploits.
Further escalation in penalties is reserved for those who publicize cheating methods. "Showing economy exploits through tutorial content" will be considered "advertising cheats," resulting in an immediate permanent ban. However, Bulkhead has created an exception for players who discover an exploit and report it directly to the developers via Discord or social media. Such actions will be classified as an "alert," preventing a permanent ban and effectively aiding the development team in identifying and fixing issues.
Exploiting server mechanics to farm experience points will incur the most severe consequences, leading to a permanent ban of the player's account. The developer acknowledged that this policy is subject to feedback and may be adjusted if the community deems the penalties too harsh.
Bulkhead emphasized that while some initial exploits might go unnoticed, their backend systems are designed to flag persistent abusers. The studio differentiates between accidental discovery and deliberate exploitation, stating that "if you figure something out and test it once or twice, no biggy, thanks for helping us QA." However, repeated engagement with a discovered exploit is considered abuse.
Wardogs has seen significant success on Steam, currently boasting over 320,000 concurrent players. Despite a somewhat rocky launch, the development team is actively working to refine the game's systems, including addressing player concerns about closed doors and other community issues.