In an ongoing battle against rampant cheating within its immersive PVP dungeon crawler, Dark and Darker, game developer Ironmace has taken an unconventional approach.

In the wake of a recent update that aimed to enhance the anti-hack system, the first-person RPG continues to be plagued by Dark & Darker cheaters. Seeking to address this issue, Ironmace is enlisting the game’s own community to help identify and report players who are disrupting the enjoyment of others.

The Intriguing Allure of Dark and Darker

With its gritty visual style and captivating player-versus-player gameplay, Dark and Darker captured the attention of gamers when Ironmace released a demo earlier this year.

The game’s unique blend of extraction-based mechanics set in a world reminiscent of Dungeons & Dragons proved to be a hit. However, Ironmace’s success was soon overshadowed by a legal dispute.

Nexon, a major South Korean gaming company that had formerly employed several members of the Ironmace team, alleged that Dark & Darker cheaters had unlawfully incorporated assets from their own in-development game, P3.

This legal battle led to Dark and Darker being temporarily removed from the Steam platform, a setback that Ironmace is determined to overcome in the future.

The Persistence of Cheating

Although Dark and Darker has now entered its early access phase, players who manage to access the game are confronting a frustrating challenge—Dark & Darker cheaters has infested the online experience. Despite improvements made to the game’s anti-hack system, Ironmace has been unable to stem the tide of cheaters who are tarnishing the gameplay for others.

Community as a Solution

In a bid to tackle this problem head-on, Ironmace has turned to the gaming community itself. Reports from PCGamesN reveal that Ironmace has issued a call on the Dark and Darker Discord channel, urging players to submit evidence of suspected cheaters along with their usernames.

To streamline the process for handling Dark & Darker cheaters reports, Ironmace has established a dedicated Discord account. Players possessing video evidence of potential hackers are encouraged to contact the Ironshield Support account on the game’s Discord server.

The message should include the hacker’s in-game alias. Notably, players are advised to direct their communications exclusively to Ironshield Support for the next 30 days. Ironmace’s strategy aims to facilitate the reporting process and improve their efforts against cheating.

Potential for Success

While it remains early to definitively gauge the efficacy of this approach, Ironmace is visibly committed to combating the issue of Dark & Darker cheaters. The game has certainly evolved since the time when Ironmace encouraged fans to torrent Dark and Darker after its removal from Steam.

However, challenges persist for the fantasy RPG. If the developer’s initiative to curb cheating proves successful, it could significantly smooth the path toward a successful final release.