Firing Blanks
The developers behind powerful “auto-aim” mod User Vision have announced that they have ceased development on the software, following what was probably a sternly worded request from Call of Duty publisher Activision. The User Vision project has seemingly now been halted with no plans by the developer to continue plans to develop or release the tool.
User Vision first attracted eyes last week, when the powerful auto-aim software — which used learning software to continuously recalibrate its aim — was showcased in a video featuring the world’s most profitable shooter franchise, Call of Duty. Following a copyright claim from Activision, the video status change to unlisted, but it seems the publisher was not done with its cease & desist energy, and now the User Vision project is no more.
“My intent was never to do anything illegal,” read a statement from developer “USER101”. “At the end of the video that brought so much attention to this project, it stated ‘coming soon’. The software was never published […] This type of technology has other actual assistive benefits, for example, by pointing a webcam at yourself you could control movement without the use of limbs. Unfortunately, because of its potential negative impact I will not be developing it further.”
The removed video touted User Vision as “undetectable and unstoppable”, a notion that casts serious shade on any earnest declaration of noble usage. Even offering the developer the benefit of the doubt, creating an algorithm-learning aimbot — and then showcasing its capabilities on the biggest shooter on the planet — was never going to attract cheerful mail from said shooter’s publisher, especially while it is currently engaged in a hopeless ongoing battle to eradicate cheaters from its servers.
Auto-aim cheatmaker halts development at Activision’s request [Ars Technica]
