Is it possible to cheat online?

[s0mmieUK]

I love WipEout. I'm not the best pilot in the world, but I can hold my own. I don't mind losing a fair race, but have had occasion to suspect that not all races online are fair and can't help but suspect there may be some cheating going on. I hope what I describe below are just glitches, but would be interested to hear if you have experienced anything similar.

First, ships that seem impossible to overtake. The minute you catch up with them, they boost into the distance. They aren't barrel rolling, and it happens in games where weapon hints are on, so you can tell they don't have a speed boost stored, so how on Earth are they achieving such a speed increase when you try to overtake? Is it a paticular tactic or skill that can be learned or is it a cheat, glitch or exploit? It ruins the fun of the game if the race doesn't feel fair.

Next thing I have noticed is double weapons. This is much rarer but does seem to happen. A ship will fire off a weapon, then immediately drop a bomb, some mines or use a speed bost etc. How can a ship fire off two seperate weapons in a row without passing a pickup pad?

The only other thing springs to mind is one that I am fairly certain was a glitch is invisible ships. In one race, I started at the front of the grid. No ships overtook me, but from the second the race started I was already in second place and something like 6 seconds behind at the first sector. By the second lap the invisible ship in pole position had establised a 15 second lead. How can they do this??

I want to stress, I am not a sore loser. Some of the most enjoyable, exciting races I have had are ones where I have lost against a better pilot, or someone has performed some amazing manouvre or a great weapon use at the last minute. Fair races are fun whether you win or lose, right?

It's just sometimes it doesn't always seem to be fair.

[Frailavi]

1. Ships don't always show the BR animation. Just assume they did.

2. Can't say I've seen this myself. A recorded clip (I know it'd be hard to get) would probably be needed first before we could really tell you how.

3. Sometimes lag does funny things. It can allow players to start 10 seconds ahead, or in my case allow me to start 30 seconds behind on TJ while I watch myself getting quaked before the camera is even behind my ship.

[s0mmieUK]

Ah, I didn't realise that the BR animation didn't always show. That would probably explain it.

I don't have any video capture equipment, so the weapons glitch would be hard to prove, but hopefully someone else would have experienced something similar.

The third one I am confident was just a glitch, just thouhght it was worth mentioning.

I always assume these things are glitches and accidents as opposed to foul play, but given that the PS3 and PSN is not the closed system it once was and that other games have suffered at the hands of hacks and exploits, it's good to be cautious I think!

[Colonel]

The double weapons pads thing is interesting. I've heard accusations of people cheating in that way in Eliminator online, and had previously thought those allegations were true. Things have come to light recently that suggest it's probably just bollocks though. Not sure about double weapons in races though, haven't seen it.

[UB3R~JKP]

To be honest, I there there are cheaters. I came across someone (a lot actually) who got Boost-Bomb-Boost-Bomb for a whole race, they weren't a noob either. Not someone on the zone though but an established pilot none-the-less. Maybe he's just really lucky.

[Colonel]

UB3R - It's bound to happen from time to time I reckon. I've done Elims where all I've got is cannons and leech beams for three or four laps, it pretty much ruins your chances of winning.

[tug_14]

well, R3BU5ER , cheating online is possible ^^
i did it ...

get some air to take a "big" shortcut is not impossible , IMO ...

[UB3R~JKP]

I know what you're talking about Tug.

[R3BU5ER]

No, cheating online is absolutely not possible. Trust me. I'm racing online for 2 years now....What you are experiencing is lag. For example: I had a 1vs1 race last week and my opponent was at the start/finish line all the 5 laps, But there were weapon pads taken when I crossed them, when the race was finished I lost by maybe half a second. I asked him WTF!? And he said he saw me at the start/finish line all the time

Lot's of strange lags and glitches can appear online...