An AI bot deployed by cheaters in Rocket League

In the last few hours, videos have started showing some bots that have infiltrated Rocket League qualifiers. These bots are based on an AI RLGym created as part of a training project.

So far, it is unknown how, by whom, and where, but some community members managed to take the “Nexto” bot from RLGym to manipulate it, introduce it into ranked matches and damage the players’ game experience.

Another day, another Nexto in ranked… from RocketLeague

How to know if I am playing against a bot

This is tricky, as it is difficult to determine if you are playing against a Nexto bot or a real player. The American content creator, Jared “SunlessKhan” Zook, has set himself the task of demonstrating this on YouTube. He pretended to be a Nexto Bot in a qualifying game. It is complicated to know if you are playing against a bot or an extraordinarily talented player.

On the other hand, there are some bugs in the bot’s programming, but it is a “perfect player” that will surely win every game.

In response to all this, the developers of the game, Psyonix, have taken the trouble to confirm that a small number of players are using bots in competitive mode to cheat. However, the developers also assured that they are “actively investigating solutions.”

Other users have been troubled by this situation. For example, a user named, Tylerolson103, a member of the Rocket League community, said:

“The first match of 1v1 I get on after literally months and I get the bot that is just so annoying. The kickoffs are so fucked in 1s. I am unranked at 924 mmr. Hoping their is a patch for the exploitation of nexto in ranked matches sooner than later.”

About Rocket League

There is no doubt that Rocket League has had a spectacular few years since its acquisition by Epic Games. The game has flourished in every aspect, whether in casual or competitive play.

Now, with the additional comments by the community, demonstrating it with videos, the developers of the Nexto bot, RLGym, said:

“RLGym is incredibly lucky to have found a super passionate and understanding community, and we won’t let these cheaters stop us. We’re taking steps to ensure our bots can’t be abused in the future, and we can’t wait to show everyone the exciting projects we’ve been working on.”

How to spot a Nexto bot

One of the critical characteristics of AI bots is that they prefer ground gameplay and don’t tend to jump or perform aerial maneuvers. Unfortunately, this gives these bots away, as even professional players cannot control the ball so well on the ground.

The developers of these bots did not intend to use them as cheats. But when similar technology comes on the market, you can’t help it if people mistakenly take advantage of its benefits.

Header: Psyonix