Where there are games, there are hackers. It's a tried and true understanding that we'll never be without those who, for whatever reason, love to buy a game to not actually play it. And in the case of Ubisoft with For Honor, they're looking to take a stand before things get much worse.
Taking to Steam to outline their plans going forward, the publisher will soon begin to implement various sanctions for those found 'AFK Farming'.
For those not in the know, AFK Farming is essentially the idea of earning match rewards for not even playing the game. Not technically down to malicious bots or third-party programs, usually employing - and not paying - a rubber band for its tireless efforts at keeping a player's thumb-stick wedged away from its deadzone, players would circumvent being kicked from a game and reap the end-game rewards over and over while most likely playing some other game.
Understanding that such a practice ruins the online experience of others who may be teamed up with someone who's not even home, Ubisoft will begin penalising the offending players in various ways depending on the severity or frequency of their 'farming' adventures.
- 1st offense will trigger a warning, then, repeated violations may result in a Ubisoft account suspension applicable on the game (temporary or permanent).
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Actual disciplinary action depends on the severity of the behavior and shall be decided at Ubisoft’s discretion, on a case by case basis.
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Starting early next week, warning sanctions will be applied to all first time offenders.
Going forward, Ubisoft will be looking into ways to better identify offending players and preventing the soft-hack from even occurring in the first place. According to their last statement on the matter, they've already banned 400 players for the use of exploits on a user account level up from 60 during the Open Beta.
If you're hit with a ban and feel you have sufficient means to appeal the decision, you can plead your case here
