Login to access exclusive gaming content, win competition prizes
and post on our forums. Don't have an account? Create one now!
Why should you join?
Click here for full benefits!
Follow our Twitter feedHeavy Rain preview is in the house(!)
SIGN IN/JOIN UP
GamesForumsCheatsVideo
Project Gotham Racing 5 outed? | Natal details coming in Feb | BioWare working on original IP | Mass Effect 2 "surprise" this week | 2K's Spec Ops leaks in video | MW2 smashes Call of Duty 4 | Banned Xbox modders NOT one-million | Modern Warfare 2 video shows new gameplay modes? | Darksiders 'The Horseman's Road' Trailer | Bayonetta review: 10/10 "flawless" | Worms 2: Armageddon update released | Government recruiting soldiers over Xbox Live | New Halo, Shadow Complex and Gears... on cards | Dragon Age: Origins DLC revealed | Download Saints Row 2 on Xbox Live next week | Aliens vs. Predator WILL support dedicated servers | Modern Warfare 2 zombies could've happened | Kane & Lynch 2 gameplay info is in | BioShock 2 special edition detailed | Army of Two 2: Pimp my weaponry | Xtival returns to Live next weekend | Resident Evil 5 download episodes detailed | Modern Warfare 2 gameplay modes uncovered | No More Heroes Xbox 360/PS3 screenshots | "Huge" Epic Games announcement teased
All|PC|PlayStation|Xbox|Nintendo|Download PC Games
Search CVG
Computer And Video Games - The latest gaming news, reviews, previews & movies
CVG Home » Xbox » News
PreviousBionic Commando: launch trailer Batman: More awesome footage  Next

Cheats' Gamercards to be "tagged"

Microsoft's clampdown on unfair play continues
Stephen Toulouse, in charge of Xbox Live Policy and "Enforcement", has explained Microsoft's stance on dealing with those dirty, Gamerscore cheats.

Speaking on Major Nelson's podcast, he explained that "through a combination of profile resigning - which is against our terms of use - or what's known as glitching," people would "try to trade profiles as fast as you can to confuse the console and it might pass an achievement."

Gears of War 2Official trailer
1:06  Combustible map pack
Click to playClick to play in HD
Now playingMore videosShare this 
Watch tons of other game videos in HD over on our video channel!

But if you earn an achievement while you're not actually playing the game, that's against MS's terms of use.

When asked if Gamerscores could be reset over just one game, Toulouse said, "I'm going to go ahead and admit that the bar is a little bit higher than that, because we are a little bit conservative. It resets your score to zero but it also puts a tag that you've been caught cheating on your Gamercard. Since that's a pretty big scarlet letter, we want to make sure that we're absolutely sure."

You've been warned kids. Play nice.

computerandvideogames.com
// Interactive
Share this article:  
Digg.comFacebookGoogle BookmarksN4GGamerblips
del.icio.usRedditSlashdot.orgStumbleUpon
 
Read all 18 commentsPost a Comment
I don't get it. How is this possible and how does it work? It sounds pointless if all you are getting is achievements.
kinobick on 18 May '09
I gotta say, good going. Sony should take note.
Shin_Kojima on 18 May '09
<<insert pointless 360 bashing here>>
superdave on 18 May '09
Combination of hacking and game saving, the latter being where you copy a game save onto your profile and when you boot the game up it ticks all the achievements and awards them.

They can easily be spotted as achievements will be out of sink, like you could get your a 100 kill achievement before you get your 50. Another tell tale sign is when online achievements have no date stamp which means its being earned offline!!!

I personally think they should be banned online, although MS wont do that as cheaters money spends as well as anyone else's.
Miss Marvellous on 18 May '09
i know that you hex edit your gamerscore, whether the achievement is unlocked online or offline, timestamped or order. this can easily be hexxed and i know people that haven't been caught and probably won't be. ms fail.
smiffy117 on 18 May '09
All I see when somebody has a high gamer score or an insane achievment unlocked is a loser with nothing else to do. I guess even bigger losers see somebody they think is "awesome"?
horngreen on 18 May '09
I personally think they should be banned online, although MS wont do that as cheaters money spends as well as anyone else's.

I personally think anyone who feels the need to do this should sell their 360 and try to get out more. Rolling Eyes
flash501 on 18 May '09
Cheaters should be branded with 'CHEAT' across their gamercard. Ive worked really hard to get 11K in the last 8 months, including Sky Dive on Veteran on COD4, and Doll Cathcher on Fable 2.
TykerD3 on 19 May '09
I'm not really all that bothered about achievements (as my gamerscore will show) so I don't really get why people would want to risk losing their profile for the sake of having a higher number than somebody else.

I have a dozen or so 360 games and played several that I've borrowed from a friend, but I haven't got 1000 points in any yet. Forza 2 is my closest with 800-something, and I'm fine with that. I usually average around 50% because I play for fun and refuse to mindlessly grind the same bit over and over for the sake of some numbers next to my name Smile
Dajmin on 19 May '09
Hey HORNGREEN, you took the words right from my mouth.

I think the gamerscore is great though because it determines the sados from just normal gamers.

I couldnt give as s*** about achievments of scores.
EvilWaterman on 19 May '09
I'm not really all that bothered about achievements (as my gamerscore will show) so I don't really get why people would want to risk losing their profile for the sake of having a higher number than somebody else.

I have a dozen or so 360 games and played several that I've borrowed from a friend, but I haven't got 1000 points in any yet. Forza 2 is my closest with 800-something, and I'm fine with that. I usually average around 50% because I play for fun and refuse to mindlessly grind the same bit over and over for the sake of some numbers next to my name Smile

800 out of Forza 2 is damn good going - that's one game that doesn't make it easy for you. What level are you?

Smile
ParmaViolet on 19 May '09
Is it just me, or is this article lacking in practical details? When the hell will this policy be introduced? Has it been already? What form will this metaphorical scarlet letter take? And so on.

I know the info is taken from a podcast but couldn't they do some supplementary investigations to flesh the report out a bit. Y'know, just like journalists do? C'mon CVG.
VirtualCrack on 19 May '09
800 out of Forza 2 is damn good going - that's one game that doesn't make it easy for you. What level are you?

Whatever the highest is, 50 is it? Completed the arcade modes and career mode with wins and golds across the board.

I changed my locale a couple of times to try and unlock more cars, but it's expensive and I'm now out of money Smile
Dajmin on 19 May '09
They were supposed to have done this with the infamouse Gears of War 2 rank-glitchers, Epic even threatened it in the little 'news' section at the main menu of the game.... but they didn't.

All that happens is Epic reset your rank, and the glitchers even get to keep their bogus achievements.


Justice?
flameswordsman on 19 May '09
What happens if your 360 breaks? Surely you copy your profile onto the replacement, right?

I had similar issues with the PS3 when changing the HDD for a 320gb one from back up. You gain the trophies/Achievements offline in this case and then synchronised with the server!!
Barca Azul on 19 May '09
800 out of Forza 2 is damn good going - that's one game that doesn't make it easy for you. What level are you?

Whatever the highest is, 50 is it? Completed the arcade modes and career mode with wins and golds across the board.

I changed my locale a couple of times to try and unlock more cars, but it's expensive and I'm now out of money Smile

Not bad, not bad at all...I'm still yet to reach level 40 - I really need to finish it off, but I got a little stuck and then got distracted by other games.

Smile
ParmaViolet on 19 May '09
What happens if your 360 breaks? Surely you copy your profile onto the replacement, right?

I had similar issues with the PS3 when changing the HDD for a 320gb one from back up. You gain the trophies/Achievements offline in this case and then synchronised with the server!!

Gamerscore is tied to the account (providing you've been online with your account then it should be fine). The moment you get a new 360 and sign in with your details you will have the same Gamerscore back.

And then the saves once reloaded wouldn't then trigger achievements as you would already have them. In the event the saves are put on first, without an account signed in they wouldn't be able to activate achievements (AFAIK).

For totally offline accounts.... bugger knows Surprised
MPH on 19 May '09
I had 12000 g and i could not get broadban after i had set up my account and in the time i was offline i
got about 2000g and i got banned when i signed
r35gtr on 26 May '09
Read all 18 commentsPost a Comment
// Related Content
Reviews:
Interviews:
News:
More Related
// The Best ofCVG
Get FREE games at FileRadar.
News | Reviews | Previews | Features | Interviews | Cheats | Hardware | Forums | Competitions | Blogs
Top Games: Tomb Raider: Underworld | Grand Theft Auto IV | Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare | Burnout Paradise | Halo 3 | Xbox 360 Elite
Bioshock | Rainbow Six: Vegas | Spec Ops | Kane & Lynch 2: Dog Days | EA Sports MMA
Top Reviews: Assassins Creed 2 | Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 | Dragon Age: Origins | DJ Hero | Tekken 6 | GTA IV: The Ballad of Gay Tony
Borderlands | Smackdown vs RAW 2010 | PES 2010 | Forza Motorsport 3 | Gears of War 2
Copyright 2006 - 2009 Future Publishing Limited,
Beauford Court, 30 Monmouth Street, Bath, UK BA1 2BW
England and Wales company registration number 2008885