How to Spot a Real Counter-Strike Hacker

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Despite this site being a veritable source of knowledge and tips to help you stomp the competition, it is going to eventually lead to you going past being a pubstar, and into a constantly accused hacker. So for all you admins out there, pay close attention.

Taking it Personal

First things first. Just because someone is dropping bullet bombs on you every round, does not make him (or her) a hacker. Never base an accusation solely on someone beaning you every round. Unless it's painfully obvious, like someone noclipping or running around upside down, your best bet is to spec, or get someone with a non-admin name to join and spec.

What to Look For

This is the hard part. There are a good number of Counter-Strike hacks out there, and just as many players that are great at hiding the fact that they're cheating. You have to be diligent with your sound, remember some people have 7.1 surround sound, or 360 degree headphones and can hear quite clearly in any direction. Also, watch the radar. A good player will constantly check the radar and be able to make very accurate assumptions based on:

• Where a teammate died.
• What direction the teammate was heading.
• What direction the teammate was facing.
• Where the teammate was in regards to the locations of your other teammates.

Another factor that may seem like someone is hacking, is if they are able to kill someone without even being able to see them. There can be a few reasons for this:

• Angles. A lot of the time you can spot (or be spotted) without being able to see the other person. Refer to this guide on angles to see what I mean.
• Specing. Some players that die early in the round will observe the habits and skills of the opposing team. This will let them choose where to prefire next round, or have a good idea of where certain people are going/hiding.
• Anticipating common hiding/camping spots. You got prefired? You most likely are sitting behind a crate or door/wall that people sit behind on a regular basis, some players will just prefire in certain areas just in case, if it's a common spot.
• Shadows. Seriously people, make sure you have shadows turned on, and on high. Also be aware of where your shadow is at all times. Refer to this guide on shadows to see what I mean... your shadow will cast through things like doors.
• Your model clips through thin objects. So if you have your barrel poking through the middle of a door, you deserve the headshot that's coming your way.
• Your viewpoint is roughly in your upper chest. You do not see out the eyes of your player model, so if your head suddenly gets detached, remember that your point of view is lower than your head.

Also, if someone is spraying and keeps getting miraculous headshots, just watch the direction of the gun and see how the player controls the recoil. This is a tough one to spot but don't forget that you can somewhat control your spray. Here's the article on the AK-47, which shows recoil patterns.

Now the Problem. Good Hackers

There will always be people that hack, in any game, everyday. A lot will do everything in their power to make themselves seem legit. Even letting themselves get killed regularly just to keep the suspicions down, or toggling. Also, despite the info given above, it's hard to differentiate between a skilled player using the above tactics, or someone who is ghosting (a friend specing you and relaying everything to the player hunting you). Your best bet is to record a demo, and get the opinions of a few different people that deal with hackers on a regular basis. Remember, there as just as many skilled players as there are hackers out there, your decision in the matter can very often be a tough one.

In some later notes we'll go over certain hacks and how to spot them each individually. But for now, I will leave you with two videos. One is a demo of someone (is that me?) who is not actually hacking but may appear to be to some players; In the second video is someone being a retard cheater.

Not Actually Hacking

Llama Hacker

And as Kaizen has mentioned before, if you are cheating, check out this website: http://www.a1b2c3.com/suilodge/metfun1.htm