Minecraft anticheat guide
FairPlay Scaffold Cursor Aim Checks Explained
How FairPlay's cursor aim checks for scaffolding compare crosshair position on a clicked face with placements, and how staff should read alerts.
What do the cursor aim checks watch?
Cursor aim checks look at where on a clicked face the crosshair pointed when a block was placed. Five FairPlay checks sit here: ScaffoldAngle, ScaffoldPosition, ScaffoldCursorFingerprint, ScaffoldFaceAperturePitchFlick and ScaffoldRotationPlace. Together they ask whether the aim point and look direction agree with the placement the server recorded, and whether aim across many placements looks too uniform.
Which aim patterns do they target?
Aim checks target placements that the player's view did not clearly support. A player who always aims at the same spot on each face, or who snaps the view just before a placement, leaves a narrow aim history. The checks compare that history with the block that was placed.
What legitimate aiming can resemble these checks?
Many players aim the same way on every bridge, and that habit alone is ordinary. Aim also depends on the input device. A touch screen sets the crosshair with a tap, and a controller moves it in steps. Latency can place the recorded look direction a step behind the block that was placed.
How should staff read aim alerts?
Aim alerts are easiest to read as a pattern across a session, not a single event. Check whether the alert occurs during fast bridging or during slow, careful placement. Note the face, whether the player had just been moving, and whether the same aim shows up on other bridges.
What should you tune only in staging?
Aim checks depend on how aim samples are gathered and how many placements they need before they alert. Change those settings only on staging. Run a routine with centered aim, fixed-angle aim and a mobile session, then compare alerts before and after each change. Note every change in your staging log.
How does bridge shape change aim alerts?
Aim changes with the shape of the bridge. A straight line of blocks asks the player to aim at one face direction again and again, so the aim history looks narrow even for a careful player. A diagonal or stepped bridge asks for more varied aim. Tower-ups usually keep the view on the floor and the top face, which narrows the history in a different way.
Test each shape on staging with the same player, device and connection. One route can make an aim alert look stronger or weaker than the player's real habit, so compare several runs before drawing a conclusion.
What should a cursor alert review record?
A cursor alert review is only useful when it records the context. Write down the face, the bridge direction, the device, the connection quality and whether the player was moving. Without those details, the next reviewer cannot tell a habit from a one-off moment. Keep the notes short and consistent so that patterns show up when you search the log later.
Also record what the player says about their setup. Ask whether they aim at the center on purpose, keep a fixed view, or play on touch. Their answer is not proof either way, but it points the review at the right test.
What have we not verified?
No detection rate, error rate or staging result for these checks appears here. The descriptions above reflect what each check compares. Test the behavior on your own clients and versions before relying on a cursor alert.
FAQ
Is centered aiming a cheat?
No. Many players aim at the center. The check reads a pattern across placements, so one centered bridge is ordinary play, and staff should look at the whole session.
Why would a mobile player trigger a cursor alert?
Touch aiming sets the crosshair with taps, which can make the recorded aim look unusual. Test mobile bridging in staging to see how it looks on your setup.
What does a rotation-place alert mean?
It means the look direction did not agree with the candidate block the server considered for that placement. Check movement and latency before reading it as intent.