Modders aren’t cheaters: Developer DICE shouldn’t ban Battlefield 3 fans for color mod

This post has been edited by the GamesBeat staff. Opinions by GamesBeat community writers do not necessarily reflect those of the staff.

Most modern military shooters have so few different colors that I can count all of it with one hand. That isn't a good thing as it just makes the game look like a brand-new coloring book for military-Hollywood fans.

Battlefield 3 is such a game without a vibrant color palette; however, modders might be able to help with the PC version. A video of the modders' work definitely makes Battlefield 3 more beautiful, but using this mod could lead to a permanent ban.

 

When the video was shown to Battlefield 3 gameplay designer Gustav Halling, he called it "too colorful" and warned of possible bans. "Also, I wouldn't use those hacks if you don't want a permanent ban on your account," tweeted Halling (now removed). "FYI warning."

So far, a few posters on a reddit thread have claimed that they were banned for using this mod. Maybe DICE is banning anyone from using this mod as it makes hostile forces more noticeable without the grey tint covering the player's eyes.

I know part of the job with game developers is to make sure cheaters don't ruin the experience of the game even for Battlefield 3. Part of what keeps these players goingis the multiplayer, and having a poor experience from a hacker always killing everyone with bots or cheats will ruin the experience fast.

But is this really hacking? Another part of selling a game is to make it visually appealing. Modders are always working to improve games' graphics — even old (but great) games like Thief 2 and Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind.

One concern DICE might have is that if hackers can change the color of the game, then they might be closer to changing the core mechanics to implement cheating tools. But if a player was just using this mod for single-player games, then it shouldn't be a problem, right? Unless DICE wants to label all modders as cheaters — the same people who gave us DayZ, DOTA, and Team Fortress.


[Source: PC Gamer]


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