CS:GO Cheating & Latest News From PALOMA Cheating Allegations
CS:GO has been a leading tactical FPS game since its launch in 2012, and owes its success to its predecessor, Counter Strike, which dominated the industry. Despite being the oldest tact-fps title to use built-in anti-cheat software, Counter Strike has been plagued with cheaters from the outset. Valve has been working to prevent the game from being contaminated but has had limited success.
The recent incident during the $20,000 online tournament’s championship match of season six of the European Pro League has brought this issue to light, and Valve must act to resolve it. Fans and players have engaged in a contentious discussion about the cheating allegations on social media sites like Reddit and Twitter.
This article will investigate these accusations and provide the latest updates on the situation. Additionally, we will explore how CS:GO can adopt a robust anti-cheat system similar to that of Valorant. So, let’s get started!
PALOMA’s Wallhack: To Be or Not to Be?
Starting off, let’s define a few terms and give a quick overview of the subject at hand. A wallhack is a type of cheat that gives players the ability to see through walls and other barriers on the map, giving them knowledge of the enemy’s position and movements.
Originally founded in November 2022 as Permitta Esports, PALOMA is a team that has only recently gained recognition in the CS:GO community. There are six members of the team: Layner, Casey, OLIMP, sNx, and iso. In February 2024, they were able to advance to the IEM Katowice Play-In stage, but they were unable to do so. Later, they joined Polish organization PALOMA after leaving Permitta Esports.
During their match against Monte in the grand finals of EPL season 6, which can be viewed in its entirety at https://cover.gg/matches/current, PALOMA surprised many fans, analysts, and players, including former NaVi professional Viktor “sdy” Orudzhev, who accused them of cheating.
Sdy’s Allegations
Sdy stated that anyone with knowledge of the game could see that PALOMA was using cheats and should be banned from future competitions. He also expressed disappointment with the European Pro League for not having an anti-cheat system in place to prevent such incidents.
To support his allegations, sdy provided two video clips from the grand finals. In one clip, Casey appeared to be using a wallhack by looking at the wall before jumping to avoid an AWP shot. In the other clip, Layner was seen switching quickly from a flashbang to a rifle and killing a Monte player who was about to peek from A bombsite.
EPL’s Official Statement
The tournament’s administrators issued a formal statement in response to sdy’s accusations. According to EPL, there is no proof that PALOMA cheated. The event planners emphasized that fair play and integrity are always given top priority, and they urged anyone with supporting evidence to submit it for examination.
The response to the statement has been mixed – with some individuals supporting sdy’s accusations and others defending PALOMA’s innocence. It is important to note that none of the Monte or PALOMA players have publicly responded to the statement by the EPL.
How Valve Can Implement Anti-Cheat Software?
Although it is uncertain who is at fault in the PALOMA and Monte situation and may remain unknown, one aspect in which sdy is undeniably correct is his criticism of EPL and Valve for not having an anti-cheat system in place to prevent such incidents.
The History
Cheating remains a persistent issue in the Counter-Strike community since the first release. Valve responded to this problem with the introduction of the Valve Anti-Cheat (VAC) system in 2002, which was designed to detect and prevent various cheating applications.
However, despite VAC, the CS community has found numerous ways to bypass it over the years. Valve has attempted to combat this with periodic large-scale account bans, but the issue persists with no desired level of success.
The Suggestion
In the light of these considerations, Valve developer John McDonald recently acknowledged the issue of cheating in CS:GO and stated that Valve is working on a solution.
Byfron Technologies, a company previously involved with Riot Games (Valorant) and Blizzard Entertainment, has offered to help address the issue. While Valorant has a more strict approach to combating cheaters, with the right support, Valve could create a better anti-cheat system and a more fair playing environment for CS:GO players.
