To add context to what I'm about to say, I play on PS5 and have always been a console gamer. I have played many AAA titles that include PvP as a strong aspect in their gameplay (including SoT). I finally decided to stop using the "prefer controller players only" setting so I could get faster matchmaking, more active servers, etc.
No problems, this went fine, HG was a little harder, but nothing I couldn't handle and I saw no cheaters.
Until recently.
Maybe my experience is unique and I am just lucky that I have avoided cheaters on games for this long, but I think it's because the chances of meeting both a PC player while on console, and one awful enough to cheat, are low.
I have seen 2 cheaters in only the last 2 days of playing Hourglass and 5-6 more in the week before now.
First it was a guy flying and clipping through my ship while bombarding me with "skill issue" and "it's just server lag" excuses for my repeated deaths at the hands of a cheater. The second enemy spawned ON my ship during the intro emerge animation and became unkillable right after I respawned.
Previous cheaters have aimbot sniped me, ran around lightning fast, become immortal, and one particularly interesting guy matchmade against me in a 4 player galleon (I'm solo/duo sloop most of the time). I thought the galleon was a glitch, but it became clear by the laughing, insults and my cannon shots going through their ship, that something more sinister was at play.
I have NEVER been one to complain about cheaters, I never encounter them, and I never hear about them from friends.
But I have no choice but to complain, until this calms, I am not going to attempt more than a 2 streak in Hourglass for fear of it ending unfairly.
I understand that cheating is a difficult problem for devs, but I love Hourglass and hate to see it ruined for anyone so please try to fix this because the issue is far from solved.