Editing config files in PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds is now a bannable offense, according to the updated rule list from the game’s developer, Bluehole.
With the recent introduction of foggy weather, players have been altering the game’s config files as a way to remove the mist. This gave them a significant advantage over other players.
Prior to the fog update, players were changing config files to improve the overall performance. However, as editing config files is now against the rules, players will be forced to use the standard game settings provided. This sucks for those on lesser hardware!
Here’s what Bluehole had to say about altering config files pre-foggy weather exploits:
“We don’t recommend users to alter their default game configuration .ini files or launch options. If advanced users wish to do so, we cannot guarantee the game will work as intended and are unable to provide support related to any changes to these files.”
And here’s their new stance:
“No, editing any game files to gain an unfair advantage is against the Rules of Conduct. This includes changing any game configuration files to result in changes that cannot be made via the in-game settings menu.”
PUBG‘s community manager, Andro Dars, took to Reddit to explain things further:
“We are not out to ban you, or your friends. This is not our job. We don’t like banning our players and only use it as a last resort. The job of the PUBG Community Team is to make sure that the largest possible amount of our players are enjoying themselves, respecting other players and playing fair.
Having said that, this far, the only group of people who have been banned for changing game files are those who have removed textures from the game. I sincerely hope that you all agree that removing grass, trees, buildings, etc. from the game is cheating. Cheaters get a permanent ban in our game. It is extremely rare for someone to get a permanent ban if they are not cheating. Their transgressions would have to be quite extraordinary. Those who have received a permanent ban for non-cheating offences are very few and very, VERY, far between.”
Though Dars says that only those who altered the environment have been banned so far, I’d still avoid any edits to your config files. Better safe, than banned!