[TF2] Players can use the "extendfreeze" command to watch their killer play the game

[Ashetf2]

Title. This allows a gameplay info leak (Medic's position, for example) to the enemy team.

https://user-images.githubusercontent.com/63692647/197449923-ae90019c-30d1-49d6-ab47-54d7a315be16.mp4

[Wasmanr2]

If this command gets patched, that would prevent us from watching potential cheaters in our own team. And yes i use this command to spectate if someone is cheating from either team.

And i don't think this command matters in a "casual" scene. If your thought was going towards the 3rd party comp scene then it would be probably better to inform these parties instead.

[worMatty]

How would it prevent you spectating your own teammates while dead?

[Wasmanr2]

It wouldn't prevent me from spectating, it would make it more tedious. Since i wouldn't be able to increase my own respawn timer. And note that some cheaters aren't that obvious, so it takes a bit of time to ensure to not call out someone legit.

It also comes over more convincing when you can tell your own team that you at least spectated the guy for a minute, which may clear any uncertainty that your team would have when calling a votekick.

[FrozenDragon0]

I really don't think this is a problem in casual, competitive mode however this command should be blocked.

[jh34ghu43gu]

If this command gets patched, that would prevent us from watching potential cheaters in our own team. And yes i use this command to spectate if someone is cheating from either team.

I've never seen anyone use this for anything other than this; it would be a W for cheaters if this command got removed. If this is some actual gameplay breaking thing for comp players (I don't think sacrificing your respawn time for positional information is worthwhile /shrug) then maybe just fix it from leaving the freezecam state (the actual freezecam still) if used before you're put into spectate mode. Or blacklist it in comp mode like Dragon said.

[KiwifruitDev]

As of the October 27th, 2023 patch, this has been fixed:

• Fixed using the extendfreeze client command to continue spectating enemy players after being killed

https://www.teamfortress.com/post.php?id=211509

[rootino]

You better revert this change. If cheaters weren't rapid ingame and if we weren't completely reliant on community self-moderation tools removing this from casual wouldn't be a huge issue. But as it stands now this will only allow cheaters to get away with cheating more. Nothing has been fixed.

[RednotePL]

Please revert this "fix", it was one of the last reliable ways to check if someone was cheating.

[Ashetf2]

Damn I also started to use the command to check players. Valve plz revert and only apply it to Comp and Tournament pls? :(

[Platina6978]

Please revert this change. As people stated above, this one was of the only 'methods' we had in casual to more closely inspect suspicious actors.

[Kruphixx]

Agree with others. Either this fix should be reverted or simply spectator mode should be added to Casual.

[TheLivingM3m3]

I have never seen anybody use or used the command to gain information on the enemy team as there isn't really an incentive in casual play to do so. The loss of this command will just benefit cheaters as the anticheat is nigh useless on its own. The players have to do everything themselves and without being able to spectate their teammates it will be impossible.

[Nesmoen]

Patch tools to expose cheaters > Anti cheat efforts

[shockpast]

Damn I also started to use the command to check players. Valve plz revert and only apply it to Comp and Tournament pls? :(

This is hilarious.

[Nitroxyz]

This is really bad. Extendframe is the only way to definitively detemine if someone is hacking. This will potentionally allow cheaters to overtake TF2 again. This is very depressing. We have a cheater in every lobby but we cannot kick them since we cannot check their validity

[KimmyTF2]

Just allow players to spectate normally again. Meet Your Match and its consequences still haunt us to this day.

[UntiIted]

Agreed with everyone else, there is now no way to verify cheaters and there's so many of them in casual lobbies already