[2019] Third-Party Software and You - A PSA

Greetings, Tenno.

We have seen a few requests lately, specifically requesting that we provide a list of software that we do and do not allow to run in conjunction with Warframe. While it is understood that some software is good and others are inherently bad or designed to assist cheating, there are some cases where software falls in gray areas.

The reason for this post is to have an updated reference about our policy on external, third-party software, and the potential pitfalls of using such software in conjunction with Warframe.

The simple, golden rule is this;

If you use external software in conjunction with Warframe, then you do so at your own risk.

While we could technically issue blanket bans on everything that alters the game files, the fact of the matter is that there's some software that can be useful and helpful for members of our community. This is where context is very important. The difficulty here is that it's incredibly hard for players to prove that they are not using a program nefariously, and while it is certainly possible that there are false positives (which a ticket to support can resolve), the ban will remain in place until your ticket can be processed.

This leads into why a list is not provided. If you have a piece of Macro software that is normally tolerated, but is then discovered to be the source of a future exploit, that software may get added to a ban list, and you could potentially be caught up in the automatic drag net. As stated above, there is no easy way to prove that the software used is benign.

Bans for altering game files, cheating and / or exploiting Warframe are hefty and final. Our stance on using such software is firm, and appealing against that ban is very difficult if we have reason to believe that you have been using said software for cheating, exploiting, or AFK farming.

The only way you can reliably, 100% avoid a ban for using external software is to simply not use it. 

Again, if you take anything away from this post, it should be this;

If you use external software in conjunction with Warframe, then you do so at your own risk.
 

1 minute ago, Modeaus said:

What about 3rd party hardware?

#EnjoyBan

IN SERIOUSNESS THOUGH, third party hardware (as long as it has no software that alters games files) should be fine, as hardware is really designed to be interchangeable and different on the PC. I would love to see someone play Warframe with an old-school console Light Gun though.

11 minutes ago, Voltage said:

I disagree. As per the Autohotkey announcement made years ago by [DE]Adam:

Source Link

This is a grey area and banning everyone might help your Maiming Strike issue, but it may affect many players who use Macros for other things. It would be nice if DE made a new announcement about Macros that is up to date with how the game is these days.

You should treat this post as one that supersedes previous statements made on the matter. This statement goes for all forms of third-party software, including macro programs. Again, the reason we do not issue blanket bans is because we do recognize the use these programs have for some members of the community. Sadly those same programs can be used for AFK farming and the like, so context is important here and is dealt with on a case-by-case basis.