Hackers

Hackers

These glitches have become a major problem in Halo 2 multiplayer mode over Xbox Live. For example, players can use the aformentioned "super jump" on the Zanzibar (Level) to jump to the top of the level out of reach of most players. Since the release of the downloadable maps, Halo 2 hackers have begun to mod the maps on the hard drives of their Xboxes to receive advantages, such as weapons that do more damage, flying ground vehicles, etc. (Hackers are users who edit the game with formerly illegally modified consoles -- modifying Xbox consoles is now legal in the United States.) This has become such a widespread problem in the "Matchmaking" system that Bungie was forced to resolve the problem by releasing auto-updates which ban hackers from the system and terminate their accounts. Bungie has banned thousands of players and is working to clean up the rest, earning in the process the moniker 'Banhammer.' Several sites offer a list of cheaters and hackers.

Although there used to be several ways to mod, Xbox Live and Bungie have collaborated to rectify the programming mistakes and prevent the game from being modded as much. They are also reinforcing much stricter punishments for cheaters, such as instant bans and longer suspensions. It is also known that if you log onto xbox live with softmods turned off but your maps are modded, you have about 6 hours before Bungie bans you with the trusty hammer.