| Recurring |
one_organization, multiple_organization |
(a) The software failure incident related to cheating, glitches, exploits, and hacks in Tom Clancy’s The Division has happened again within the same organization, Ubisoft. The article mentions that several of Ubisoft’s biggest titles in recent years, including The Division, have shipped with technical problems of various kinds, such as glitches and hacks. Ubisoft has faced issues with technical problems in games like Assassin’s Creed Unity as well. This indicates a pattern of software failure incidents within the same organization [42987].
(b) The software failure incident related to cheating, glitches, exploits, and hacks in online multiplayer games like The Division is not unique to Ubisoft but is a widespread issue across the gaming industry. The article highlights that every big online game has to deal with hackers to some extent, but The Division has an endemic problem with hacking. The prevalence of cheating and hacking in online games is a common challenge faced by multiple organizations in the gaming industry, not just Ubisoft [42987]. |
| Phase (Design/Operation) |
design, operation |
(a) The software failure incident related to the design phase in The Division was primarily due to glitches, exploits, and hacks that players were able to take advantage of in the game. Players exploited faults in the game to gain unintended advantages, such as farming missions quickly, looting non-player characters repeatedly, and using third-party hacks for unfair competition [42987].
(b) The software failure incident related to the operation phase in The Division was mainly due to widespread cheating by players, particularly in the PvP area known as the Dark Zone. Hackers used cheating software to gain unfair advantages like flying, seeing through walls, and killing other players instantaneously. The game's networking model, which trusted certain client data, was blamed for allowing hackers to manipulate game variables like position, health, and rate of fire [42987]. |
| Boundary (Internal/External) |
within_system, outside_system |
(a) The software failure incident related to The Division's cheating problem, glitches, exploits, and hacks can be attributed to factors originating from within the system. Players were able to exploit faults in the game to their advantage, such as farming missions in seconds, using third-party hacks in PvP competition, and manipulating game code to acquire stacks of loot [42987]. The networking model of The Division was also criticized for trusting client data, making it susceptible to hacking and manipulation by players [42987].
(b) On the other hand, the widespread cheating and hacking issues in The Division were exacerbated by factors originating from outside the system. The presence of hackers who developed or paid for cheating software to gain unfair advantages, such as flying, seeing through walls, and killing other players instantaneously, contributed to the ruinous atmosphere within the game [42987]. Additionally, Ubisoft's response to the issues, including a lack of communication with the player base and errors of judgment, also played a role in the failure of addressing and resolving the cheating problem effectively [42987]. |
| Nature (Human/Non-human) |
non-human_actions, human_actions |
(a) The software failure incident occurring due to non-human actions:
The software failure incident in The Division was primarily due to glitches, exploits, and hacks within the game itself. Players were able to exploit faults in the game to their advantage, such as farming missions in seconds, using third-party hacks in PvP competition, and taking advantage of errors in the game's code to acquire loot stacks [42987].
(b) The software failure incident occurring due to human actions:
The failure in The Division was also exacerbated by human actions, particularly by players who engaged in cheating behaviors like exploiting glitches, using hacks, and manipulating the game's mechanics for personal gain. The presence of hackers in the Dark Zone, who used cheating software to gain unfair advantages like flying, seeing through walls, and killing other players instantaneously, further contributed to the software failure incident [42987]. |
| Dimension (Hardware/Software) |
software |
(a) The software failure incident occurring due to hardware:
- The articles do not mention any software failure incident occurring due to contributing factors originating in hardware. Therefore, there is no information available to address this aspect.
(b) The software failure incident occurring due to software:
- The software failure incident in this case is primarily due to software-related issues. The Division video game faced a critical mass of glitches, exploits, and hacks that threatened the game's immediate and long-term future on the PC [42987]. Players were able to exploit faults in the game to their advantage, leading to an unbalanced experience and impacting the game's loot economy [42987]. Additionally, the game's networking model, which trusted certain client data, allowed hackers to manipulate data like rate of fire, position, health, and other variables, leading to widespread cheating within the game [42987]. Ubisoft's response to the software-related issues was also criticized for a lack of communication with the player base and errors in judgment [42987]. |
| Objective (Malicious/Non-malicious) |
malicious, non-malicious |
(a) The software failure incident related to The Division video game involved both malicious and non-malicious factors:
Malicious:
- The incident involved cheating, hacking, and exploiting the game's code by players to gain an unfair advantage, such as using third-party hacks to cheat in player vs player competition [42987].
- Players were using cheating software that allowed them to do things they shouldn't be able to do, like fly, see through walls, and kill other players instantaneously [42987].
- The game's PvP area, the Dark Zone, was rife with cheats known as "hackers" who used cheating software to gain an unfair advantage over legitimate players [42987].
Non-malicious:
- Some players exploited faults in the game to acquire stacks of loot, which could be seen as a way to get around the frustration of acquiring gear through normal gameplay [42987].
- The game's networking model was blamed for the state of affairs, as certain client data was trusted by the server, making it susceptible to manipulation by hackers [42987].
- Ubisoft, the game's developer, was criticized for a lack of communication with the player base and errors of judgment in handling the issues, indicating non-malicious failures in addressing the problems [42987].
Overall, the incident involved a mix of malicious actions by players exploiting the game and non-malicious failures in the game's design and developer response. |
| Intent (Poor/Accidental Decisions) |
poor_decisions |
(a) The software failure incident related to The Division can be attributed to poor decisions made by the developers and publishers. The incident involved a critical mass of glitches, exploits, and hacks that threatened the game's immediate and long-term future on the PC [42987]. Ubisoft's response to the issues raised in the article was lacking, with a general lack of communication with the player base and errors of judgment like a community manager playing with glitchers on the game's official stream [42987]. Additionally, the game had a PvP area known as the Dark Zone, which became rife with cheats known as "hackers," leading to an endemic hacking problem within the game [42987]. Ubisoft's handling of the situation and the lack of effective measures to address the exploits and hacking issues can be seen as poor decisions that contributed to the software failure incident. |
| Capability (Incompetence/Accidental) |
development_incompetence, accidental |
(a) The software failure incident occurring due to development incompetence:
The incident in The Division was partly attributed to development incompetence as players were able to exploit faults in the game to their advantage. The game had a critical mass of glitches, exploits, and hacks that threatened its immediate and long-term future on the PC. Players were able to exploit faults in the game code to gain unintended bonuses, farm missions quickly, and cheat in player vs player competition [42987].
(b) The software failure incident occurring accidentally:
The incident in The Division also involved accidental factors contributing to the software failure. Players were able to take advantage of mistakes in the game's own code to acquire stacks of loot, leading to an unbalanced experience for participants. Additionally, the game's networking model, which trusted certain client data, was blamed for allowing hackers to manipulate data related to position, health, and other variables. This unintentional design flaw made the game susceptible to hacking and exploitation [42987]. |
| Duration |
permanent, temporary |
(a) The software failure incident related to cheating, glitches, exploits, and hacks in Tom Clancy’s The Division can be considered as a permanent failure. The incident involved a critical mass of glitches, exploits, and hacks that threatened the game’s immediate and long-term future on the PC [42987]. Players were exploiting faults in the game to their advantage, leading to an unbalanced experience for participants who didn't use the faults [42987]. The issue of cheating and hacking in the game's PvP area, the Dark Zone, was widespread and endemic, with hackers using cheating software to gain unfair advantages [42987]. The networking model of The Division was also blamed for the state of affairs, as certain client data was trusted by the server, making it susceptible to manipulation by hackers [42987].
(b) Despite efforts by Ubisoft to address the exploits and hacking situation in The Division through updates and adjustments to processes and policies, the incident can also be considered temporary. Ubisoft released statements mentioning ongoing work to track and deter exploiters, indicating a proactive approach to addressing the issue [42987]. Expectations were set for more details on the actions being taken to combat the exploits and hacking in the game [42987]. |
| Behaviour |
other |
(a) crash: The software failure incident in the article is not related to a crash where the system loses state and does not perform any of its intended functions. The failure is more focused on cheating, exploits, and hacks within the game [42987].
(b) omission: The failure is not due to the system omitting to perform its intended functions at an instance(s). Instead, the issue revolves around players exploiting faults in the game to gain advantages, such as using glitches to farm loot or using third-party hacks to cheat in player vs player competition [42987].
(c) timing: The failure is not related to the system performing its intended functions correctly but too late or too early. The main issue discussed in the article is the prevalence of cheating, hacks, and exploits within the game, affecting the balance and fairness of gameplay [42987].
(d) value: The failure is not due to the system performing its intended functions incorrectly in terms of providing value to the users. Instead, the issue lies in players exploiting faults in the game to gain unfair advantages, leading to an imbalanced gaming experience [42987].
(e) byzantine: The failure does not align with the system behaving erroneously with inconsistent responses and interactions, as described in a byzantine failure scenario. The main focus is on the widespread cheating and hacking within the game, affecting the overall gameplay experience for legitimate players [42987].
(f) other: The behavior of the software failure incident in the article can be categorized as a failure caused by widespread cheating, exploits, and hacks within the game, leading to an unbalanced and unfair gaming environment. Players are taking advantage of glitches and faults in the game to gain advantages over others, impacting the overall integrity of the gameplay [42987]. |