What are your feelings on the use of cheats?

[Overly Critical]

Cheats in this case referring to trainers and editors, not built in enableable cheats.

I've been making trainers for games for awhile, and I usually don't put things into them that "break" the game, gameplay wise, but then again I just use them for myself, and not always at that.

But, what are your feelings on it? Over at DAC, they've got a justifiably harsh view of cheating (that it ruins the intent of the game.) However, it could also be argued that you can use cheats simply to better experience the full story of the game (IE, 10 in all stats and buff up your lockpick, science, repair, and speech skills so that you can do any quest in the game).

I'm playing devils advocate in this example, but I'd like to know others' opinions on the subject as well

 

[Gunslinger]

I just don't understand how people get so riled up at cheating in a single-player game. Does it hurt them? Does having someone else beat the game easily somehow subtract from their *own* experience?

Well, I've never cheated because I've never needed to cheat. I'm a fairly good FPS player and racing simulation player because I've got great hand and eye coordination. My hands are perpetually dancing over the W,A,S, and D key. And you don't really need to cheat on a RPG because it's really easy. In a game like Fallout, most situations can be solved in numerous ways. Conflict can be avoided with high Charisma and tons of NPCs. And once you've made the right character, it's a cinch.

So, no, I don't have any beef on cheaters. You're not really getting full experience or your money's worth when you cheat, but that's your decision. As long as it's only for single-player and not multi-player. Nothing more annoying than cheating in multi-player because it ruins the game balance, environment, and generally wastes everybody else's time. Nobody is impressed when you hop around the corner with you're wallhack and headshot all of the team with your auto-aim and recoil hack.

 

[Sander]

I cheated in several games, mainly when it became boring and I didn't want to do that particular task *again* when I knew I could do it.

I would never actually use cheats in a game like Fallout, in my opinion, it torally ruins the experience. One cool part to use it,though, would to make yourself almost invincible, but with 1 int/cha/luck to get the funny conversation options...

But I don't care whether someone else uses cheats or not, I probably won't...

 

[Demostrike]

I agree with the 2 above statments, one type of cheating really gets under my collar. This form of cheating does not only make the game boring but also ruins it for other people, its called Multiplayer cheating .
This form of cheating should be made illegal!

 

[Overly Critical]

As an avid player of diablo II (save the "if idiots could fly" commentary) online, I see more than my share of multiplayer cheating, and it disghusts me.

Although extrapolating this into reality is somewhat a stretch of logic, I consider the internet in general - and thus online games - to be an "extension" if you will of reality, albeit one without consequences in many cases. Thus, your actions in this consequence-free enviornment show more about your inner personality than your actions in the moderated-on-a-grander-scale life we live day to day.

To sum up that paragraph, if you cheat online you really suck. Really.

 

[MazeMouse]

Cheating..
I only do it if I already finished it without cheats

I first want to be sure I'm able to play the game. And what's the point in cheating AFTER you found out? Nothing really. But sometimes I don't feel like playing a 100hours RPG and I cheat to make it a 12 hours RPG (or something like that)

Just to speed up the game or something (to see the excellent story one more time )

 

[Shadowbird]

Cheating..
I only do it if I already finished it without cheats

Same here!
I like to test a new game out for an hour or so, then get all the cheating stuff I can (trainers, mods, savegame hackers, etc.), then use it once, have a little fun (about half the time I use to test the game), and then "put the cheating on the top shelf", and play the game without it. No cheating. And, after the game is finished honestly, I sometimes like to take in on another time, making full use of any cheat prog I have - *if* the game is interesting enough to play the second time.
Sounds complicated, but, then agian - so am I.

 

[Fallout]

Cheating..
I only do it if I already finished it without cheats

Same here!
I like to test a new game out for an hour or so, then get all the cheating stuff I can (trainers, mods, savegame hackers, etc.), then use it once, have a little fun (about half the time I use to test the game), and then "put the cheating on the top shelf", and play the game without it. No cheating. And, after the game is finished honestly, I sometimes like to take in on another time, making full use of any cheat prog I have - *if* the game is interesting enough to play the second time.
Sounds complicated, but, then agian - so am I.

damn straight, after i've beaten a game 10 or 20 times, then and only then do i use cheats :p

 

[[PCE]el_Prez]

yeah OC, cheating ruined Diablo 2 multiplayer (that was the the only way to play as far as i was concerned). we all agree that multiplayer cheating is stupid.

as far as single player cheating - im against it totally with only one exception... if your playing a game and theres absolutely no way you can pass a certain part. An example, i was playing Mafia and i got to the part where you have to win first place in a race. Im not a big fan of racing games and i guess im not that good at them either. i played that stupid race at least 20 times but i could never win, so i got around it with cheats. Then i continued to play the rest of the game w/out help.

people can do whatever they want with the games they buy but cheating is such a cop out.

 

[Starseeker]

Would you consider reading FAQs or Walkthroughs as cheating? I mean before you finish the game at least once.

When I was still going to school, I had more time to tough it out in RPGs that is layered with secrets and different things to do. I mean to say that I would have the time to play it once, and play it a second time to test every single options availible.

But I don't have that kind of time anymore, so I find myself constantly resorting to FAQs and walkthroughs before I even finish the game once. Some of my friends call that cheating. Because they believe it spoils the game. The surprise, the joy, and the frustration. Sometimes I don't feel justified the amount the time I put in to figure one puzzle out while I can take care a lot of other stuff. And I have too many games to play and too little time to play it.

I don't know if it can be called cheating. But if that's the case, then I shouldn't even be able to reload when I screw up. Because that would be just as unrealistic, isn't it?

 

[Kilus]

Cheating in multiplayer is ok if all parties agree or if you make a game and let people know cheats are allowed. Before I got the Internet I used to play a friend in modem games of Command and Conquer. After a while of playing it started to get boring so one day we just started cheating. The next day we discussed some rules about the cheating and after woods playing with cheats and some rules governing them the game was actually more fun for us then the non cheating games.

 

[talk2michael999]

Cheating..
I only do it if I already finished it without cheats

Me too. I get frustrated with repetition so i only play a game up to 3 times through, and then i just mess around with it and kill everybody and stuff with cheats. but never on the first time i play it, unless theres a part where i cant do and ive tried for ages, but the cheats only stay on til the end of that part.

 

[Shadowbird]

el_Prez]as far as single player cheating - im against it totally with only one exception... if your playing a game and theres absolutely no way you can pass a certain part. An example, i was playing Mafia and i got to the part where you have to win first place in a race. Im not a big fan of racing games and i guess im not that good at them either. i played that stupid race at least 20 times but i could never win, so i got around it with cheats. Then i continued to play the rest of the game w/out help.

but never on the first time i play it, unless theres a part where i cant do and ive tried for ages, but the cheats only stay on til the end of that part.

My moto for cheating in parts that I can't seem to finish:

"If you can't do it honestly, you are not worthy to be allowed cheating." I believe that cheating is something you earn by finishing the game. I did the Mafia race about 35-40 times before I finally managed to do it. Two days ago, I finally finished "Reactor Construction 2" (or whatever it's called) in Enter the Matrix (hard mode) - after trying to do it for 12 hours and about 30-40 times. When I finally did it, I couldn't understand why was it so hard. I guess I was just unlucky. I already finished Matrix on easy, but I'm still not using cheats until I know that I can finish it of hard.