Cheating - A Research Thread

[TrevHead]

Anything the game allows me to do is fair game, that said MP is all about having fun as a group and anyone having fun at the expense of the rest of the group is a dick imo. What is classed as fun depends on the game, as while the semi griefing in Dark Souls and Eve Online could be thought of as bad sportsmanship, it isn't as thats the culture of the game.

Easy mode or walkthoughs is sort of cheating atleast in a personal sense.

Wikis or guides that tell me about the inner workings like stats or high scoring systems isn't cheating because it helps me fully understand the game and formulate good strategies

 

[Rumpsteak]

I suppose if I had to reduce it to it's simplest form it would be "Intentionally performing any action that is not allowed by the game's normal rule-set.

Would omissions in the rule-set still count as those behaviors?

Example: In an old RPG (cant remember the name) you could be de-leveled by a mob, the mob was designed to be encountered around lvl10 with a max cap at lvl20 (dnd rules). If you encountered this mob at lvl1 you get de-leveled to lvl 0, which the game did not expect and instead represented the level as lvl255 making you the most powerful being in the entire game.

Apologies in the late reply, I forgot totally about posting in this thread. The answer I would have there is no it's not cheating. It's an error in the design of the rules. Doing it intentionally would be exploiting said design error and not cheating as, while not intended, is permitted by how the game is designed.

 

[tseroff]

I would say that cheating is when someone uses an exploit/glitch or mod to help them.

Hey! Welcome to the Escapist! It's always great to welcome new users

OT: I think that any attempt to modify gameplay is cheating with the exception of changing difficulty up, but I wouldn't even do that unless normal mode was ridiculously easy. If normal mode is too hard, I'll struggle through it as many times as I need to in order to beat the hard part. In a humorous example, on my first playthrough of Deus EX: HR, I played through the battle with Malik and her chopper about fifty times in order to get the desired result (which I didn't learn until after that it wasn't necessary; I felt even more validated then)

As for my opinion, I believe that cheats are for making a game MORE fun, not LESS hard. I would use an infinite ammo cheat to dick around killing NPCs that respawn or a Godmode cheat to jump of tall buildings. Fun stuff like that.

Also, my Captcha was an advertisement! What the hell, captcha? Whatever happened to Pony Assassins or mouth tower?

 

[ThrobbingEgo]

Is it even possible to 'cheat' in a single-player game? If you're not impacting the experience of others, is there any ethical reason not to add in an 'instant win' button? Cheating is a social phenomenon where an individual curtails a system for their own gain at the detriment to those who play fairly. If it's a single player game, the only person you could possibly wrong with your actions is yourself, which is a moot point if you're okay with it.

If you're using unsanctioned outside software or information in a multiplayer game, then you're just being a dick.

 

[Aaron Sylvester]

In singleplayer, don't give a damn, cheat away to your heart's content.

In multiplayer, I wish I could hunt down those cheaters and blow off both their kneecaps with a .44 magnum.

Yes I like my multiplayer ^_^

 

[spartan231490]

Anything, and I mean anything, that alters the parameters of the game. The one exception is GTA, because those games were meant to be cheated.

 

[Brutal Peanut]

Pretty much hacking or using an outside exploit to gain a unfair advantage. Especially with some of those invincible ones. I tend to only consider it cheating in competitive online-play; when you are supposed to be matching skills and wits with other players in order to win. My friend however, likes to hound me by saying that I am cheater, because on my third Skyrim play-through - I gave myself money and lock-picks just to have an easier start. He hasn't really let it go since he found out.

I guess it depends on the individual.

 

[Lopende Paddo]

Cheating in single-player is at worst cheating yourself out of some fun. unlimited ammo god-mode and all that regular stuff.

in multi-player its cheating others out of they're fun which is just an asshole thing to do.
This includes wall hacks, aim bots, modded OP characters and all the other stuff people do to just ruin the game for everyone involved but themselves

In single-player I cheat when A. i finished the game and want to screw around or B. the game is broken.

In multi-player I never cheat and those that do are... TOTAL ASSHOLES AND I SAY TO YOU:

Chupe mantequilla de mi culo!
Elif air ab dinikh!
Gladna Karpatska valchitza s dalag kosam minet da ti prai deeba!
Cao ni zu zong shi ba dai!
Afatottari!
Glirit mortin hed sarma shinem!
Da bog da trazio detzoo Gaygerovim broyachem!
Sa-mi bagi mana-n cur si sa-mi faci laba la cacat!
Je bent een uit de baarmoeder geslingerde mislukte abortus!

depending on your point of origin.

 

[CrimsonBlaze]

I always tend to play games as honestly as possible and finish games without having any form of cheating device or cheat codes (many times in their highest level of difficulty). After I've completed the game once (or multiple times), I might restart the game and add some codes in order to experience something different (i.e. using only certain weapons, accessing some helpful items early, etc.)

I tend to do this in order to enrich an experience and not to exploit the game in general. I do not cheat online and anyone who does is a low life that couldn't do much without needing to do so in the first place.

 

[WanderingFool]

Cheating is expoliting either a bug or code in a game to give you an advantage you wouldnt normally have.

Cheating is acceptable, so long as no one is hurt by it. Cheating in a single-player game only hurts yourself (or so they say). Its when you do it online that you become scum.

 

[StylinBones]

Cheating is when you use hax. Hax let you see dudes through walls and not get banged by flashes and etc. Hax are pretty cool in general. They let you have a good kill/death ratio in call of duty and like counter-strike and Socom and stuff.

 

[redhatman]

I would say that cheating is when someone uses an exploit/glitch or mod to help them.

Hey! Welcome to the Escapist! It's always great to welcome new users

OT: I think that any attempt to modify gameplay is cheating with the exception of changing difficulty up, but I wouldn't even do that unless normal mode was ridiculously easy. If normal mode is too hard, I'll struggle through it as many times as I need to in order to beat the hard part. In a humorous example, on my first playthrough of Deus EX: HR, I played through the battle with Malik and her chopper about fifty times in order to get the desired result (which I didn't learn until after that it wasn't necessary; I felt even more validated then)

As for my opinion, I believe that cheats are for making a game MORE fun, not LESS hard. I would use an infinite ammo cheat to dick around killing NPCs that respawn or a Godmode cheat to jump of tall buildings. Fun stuff like that.

Also, my Captcha was an advertisement! What the hell, captcha? Whatever happened to Pony Assassins or mouth tower?

Thanks for the welcome . I think that the difference between what you are saying and i am saying is that i am focusing on multi-player, whereas you are focusing on single-player. The difference being that the sort of cheats you were talking about, while fun on single-player, can ruin multi-player eg godmode.

So you could say we are both right.

 

[StBishop]

"Breaking the rules"

I can't explain it much better than that. I will give an example of something(s) I consider cheating and something(s) I do not consider cheating.

Cheating:
Using glitches, stats, positions, quantities etc are changed (eg. Missingno)

Not Cheating:
Using work arounds (Buying archery lessons from your companion in skyrim, asking to see his stuff, and then taking your money back.)

Cheating:
Becoming invincible, getting unlimited something, godmode, flight when it's not intended etc. (Cheat codes)

Not Cheating:
Exploits or min/maxing (Buying "perma-stun" builds in MOBAs; huge health regen from items, provided they are obtained through "proper" channels eg, looted, bought, upgraded etc)

Feel free to ask questions, I feel I didn't explain properly.

 

[zehydra]

Cheating is essentially impossible in single-player mode and single-player cheating should not really be taken seriously.

Cheating in multiplayer is where it is problematic, since cheating in multiplayer involves violation of agreed upon rules, rather than defacto laws of the game.

For instance, the defacto laws of the game (like gravity) apply in the same way real life laws apply to real life. Flying around the map in a game where there is normally gravity to hold you down is not necessarily cheating (although it usually requires some hacking tool).

However, if the game rules dictate that this is not allowed, then of course it would then in fact be cheating. Cheating is a breach of contract created by all of the players playing together.

When one person decides to no longer abide by the rules, he has broken this contract and embarked on a totally new game of his own, despite the fact that the others believe he is still playing with them.

Only the truly deluded could believe that one can actually "win" a game by cheating.

 

[Soviet Steve]

What do you think constitutes cheating in a video game and why?

Altering the rules of the game to your own benefit, for instance contra code extending the amount of extra lives you have or using the console to add full Daedra Armor in Morrowind.

Simply allowing the AI to be an idiot who likes to fail walking up stairs I don't count as cheating.

 

[aguspal]

"Breaking the rules"

I can't explain it much better than that. I will give an example of something(s) I consider cheating and something(s) I do not consider cheating.

Cheating:
Using glitches, stats, positions, quantities etc are changed (eg. Missingno)

Not Cheating:
Using work arounds (Buying archery lessons from your companion in skyrim, asking to see his stuff, and then taking your money back.)

Cheating:
Becoming invincible, getting unlimited something, godmode, flight when it's not intended etc. (Cheat codes)

Not Cheating:
Exploits or min/maxing (Buying "perma-stun" builds in MOBAs; huge health regen from items, provided they are obtained through "proper" channels eg, looted, bought, upgraded etc)

Feel free to ask questions, I feel I didn't explain properly.

Ok because you asked:

Apparently, in your opinion if you use exploits is not cheating... but glitches are cheating? Arent glitches exploits as well? Well at least IMO.

 

[RobfromtheGulag]

Cheating: using an optional feature purposefully included by devs (whether easily accessible or not [ie gameshark/*.config altering]) to alter a game from its basic settings.

In single player, IDGAF. The 'worst' that can happen is you get achievements and/or brag that you beat some difficulty. That's up to you. In the end you know if you beat ExpertUberHard-Mode legitimately or not.

Multiplayer, I'm all about a fair playing field. If someone else cheats, the same cheats should be immediately accessible to you. If no one is cheating, you should not be cheating. On top of the inherent bragging rights, this is ruining someone else's experience.

Do no harm.

Exploits/Glitches/Hacks fall into seperate categories IMO. Cheating is something that the game came with that was programmed by developers. Devs generally have a god mode for important characters or whatnot, so you can tap into that code with a gameshark, ingame option, or basic config file editting. A hack is altering/adding the code at a significant level. Exploits/glitchs were not intended by developers, but are generally byproducts of the stock game code; thus by default they are accessible to everyone.

 

[remnant_phoenix]

Circumventing the games natural limitations for your personal gain.

For the record, I have no qualms with folks who do this in any incarnation offline.
Online with other players however, you are scum.

Both are cheating though.
Using an exploit is cheating as well.

Agreed, agreed, and agreed. Anything that goes outside the intended rules and challenge of the game to give yourself an edge that wasn't a part of the game's designed rules and challenge is cheating.

Also, if you want to cheat in single-player, go nuts. It's only affecting you.

Also also, if you cheat in any type of competitive setting then you are undermining the spirit of competition and undermining those who are striving to rise to the challenge without cheating, and you should be unquestionably ashamed of yourself...dirty cheater.