Hide AutoHotkey's process strings

[joedf]

Yes, it is true. We have no set rule on this subject.

[Noesis]

I'd like to know which vendors are doing this

Battlefield/Punkbuster used to, not sure about it now. Initially I wrote a scheduled task that would kill AHK when BF was active and re-execute it after, then I too realized AHK was detected through the 'Autohotkey' string, so a search&replace using a hex editor fixed that.

If game makers annoy a few users by boycotting AHK by thinking that will stop cheaters, it's not AHK's duty to circumvent that.

Yeah I was aware that Punkbuster did cause some problems at some stage. Truth is however, I think they changed it, as I used ahk uncompiled without issue in Punkbuster (Battlefield 3) sometime after seeing threads saying it wouldn't work. I can only assume they ultimately refined the detection system (based on what you said above about changing the process string).

I totally agree with your last sentence btw, and it is interesting because the knife cuts both ways, I mean at the end of the day, as far as cheat detection is concerned, it's actually kind of useless if it is just detecting based on a language used, it's going to cause false positives, and it's not going to stop cheating. Vendors doing it that way risk the backlash of boycotts themselves, just a shame the OP didn't say which vendors.

I'm assuming nothing cheaty like altering the process memory was going on with op's script(s), It could well be the cheat detection was actually working fine, and other ahk scripts wouldn't cause a problem.

[Exaskryz]

Exa I was thinking about closing and relaunching autmotically.

So the AHK script can use a Process, Wait or a WinWait to autoclose when it finds an incompatible program is trying to launch?

And for it to be restarted automatically, does Task Scheduler in windows let you launch a script (the one I mentioned launching manually, which is just a double click on my desktop) based on it seeing a program close?

I'd like to know which vendors are doing this

Battlefield/Punkbuster used to, not sure about it now. Initially I wrote a scheduled task that would kill AHK when BF was active and re-execute it after, then I too realized AHK was detected through the 'Autohotkey' string, so a search&replace using a hex editor fixed that.

If game makers annoy a few users by boycotting AHK by thinking that will stop cheaters, it's not AHK's duty to circumvent that.

Yeah I was aware that Punkbuster did cause some problems at some stage. Truth is however, I think they changed it, as I used ahk uncompiled without issue in Punkbuster (Battlefield 3) sometime after seeing threads saying it wouldn't work. I can only assume they ultimately refined the detection system (based on what you said above about changing the process string).

I totally agree with your last sentence btw, and it is interesting because the knife cuts both ways, I mean at the end of the day, as far as cheat detection is concerned, it's actually kind of useless if it is just detecting based on a language used, it's going to cause false positives, and it's not going to stop cheating. Vendors doing it that way risk the backlash of boycotts themselves, just a shame the OP didn't say which vendors.

I'm assuming nothing cheaty like altering the process memory was going on with op's script(s), It could well be the cheat detection was actually working fine, and other ahk scripts wouldn't cause a problem.

Another anti cheat system that I've had AHK detected by is XIGNCode. This software detected AHK running on another Windows User (simply logged out) and wouldn't let me play my game. However, I did find out that if I wanted to, I could use certain AHK scripts as long as there were no hotkeys. So it may simply be detecting a keyboard hook; PunkBuster might take the same approach.

[Noesis]

Another anti cheat system that I've had AHK detected by is XIGNCode. This software detected AHK running on another Windows User (simply logged out) and wouldn't let me play my game. However, I did find out that if I wanted to, I could use certain AHK scripts as long as there were no hotkeys. So it may simply be detecting a keyboard hook; PunkBuster might take the same approach.

Ok I hadn't heard of XIGNCode before, but to be honest after reading about it a bit this one seems to be an example of what not to do with regard to cheat detection. It also seems to be overly intrusive with it's scanning, and their own websites faq was a fairly long list of questions with the same answer of - contact support & send your log - for all but 2 of them, so it didn't inspire much faith or trust in the company that made it, ultimately, I'd be inclined to avoid it based on what I just read.

It is interesting you got ahk scripts to run at all though, as some of what I read was that it wouldn't even start a game if ahk was found installed (script didn't have to be running) - but this might have been an older version and was almost definitely for a different game. It might be detecting some hooks but C# programs using hooks apparently work with it so ?? I don't really know in this case.

Punkbuster on the other hand, actually tells you the methods it uses on its site (http://www.evenbalance.com/), i.e. 1. Game specific cheat research and detection, 2. Real-time, continuous memory scanning during gameplay & 3. Environment modification detection. So with Punkbuster, "these days" (because I don't doubt for a second that they used to do it the shoddy way) they won't necessarily stop you just because there is a hook on your system, but if there is other stuff also going on and it looks suspect you probably will be.

[nnnik]

Exa I was thinking about closing and relaunching autmotically.

So the AHK script can use a Process, Wait or a WinWait to autoclose when it finds an incompatible program is trying to launch?

And for it to be restarted automatically, does Task Scheduler in windows let you launch a script (the one I mentioned launching manually, which is just a double click on my desktop) based on it seeing a program close?

Maybe a program launcher built in AutoHotkey could detect and close all AutoHotkey processes when you launch certain programs, then closes itself and leave only a .exe that is written in another language that doesn't get detected that relaunches everything(?) once the program closes.

[guest3456]

i wonder if AHK_H.dll bypasses these "checks"

[evilC]

Yeah right, I'll petition all of them as if they would agree.

I'm also won't play hide and seek no more. I can't install this or that because ahk will be running.

It is better to stop using ONE so I can use TEN rather than can't use ten because of one.

So long ahk!

You can do most of the things that you can do with AHK using Logitech LGS LUA code.
Do they ban that? No.

Vendors banning AHK because of what CAN be done with it is using a sledgehammer to crack a nut, and totally disproportionate to the "threat".
It basically sends the message "Only rich people who can afford programmable mice can cheat in our games".

So yeah, I totally back up Lexikos' opinion on this one - AHK should not change to try and work around a bone-headed decision by the game's developers.

[joedf]

+1
Also, it isn't that hard to make your own patch to autohotkey.