Cheating

[Pie Bot]

I want to know what are your opinions on cheating, which, for the purpose of this thread includes exploring bugs and glitches, the game save system, cheat codes, and what not.

As for myself, I don't really mind in single-player, sometimes it makes the game more fun, but it's awful in multi-player, it eliminates the competition feeling ...

And I'm pretty liberal to some cheats like "Infinite money"; sooner or later you'd get the money anyway and by the time you get it you probably wont have anything worth spending it available

[Freya]

Heh... when I was little, I always cheated (or to be more precise: I let my brothers cheat for me ). That was mostly because I wasn't able to finish a game all by myself. I just couldn't stand trying a level more than once.
I clearly remember the horrible R-L-combinations we had to do to get all the weapons in Tomb Raider... *shudders*

As for now, I don't like cheating anymore. I've become more patient, so I beat the games by myself. The only thing I do every once in a while is to read a walkthrough to find some items or stuff...

[SuperSabin]

I like to cheat when I'm experimenting with stuff. I used to use it to help me get through the game but now I'm more mess around/experimental with them.

[Dranzer]

It's kind of a bitch thing to do in a multi-player game, but I see nothing wrong with it otherwise, sometimes it can make the gaming experience all the more interesting. For instance, OPing a character so you can go kamakazee and rage the **** out on shit is always awesome, even of you die sometimes in the process. I'm totally speaking from personal experience .

Anywho, some glitches can be fun to mess with. I also don't think they necessarily make a game easier, it really depends on how the game's difficulty increases.

[Taco-Calamitous]

Generally, I don't cheat anymore. I used to a lot, but not anymore. You can't really get that much enjoyment out of a game when all the challenge is gone.

Sometimes cheating and glitches are fun, though. See how much you can mess with the game. On my last computer, I had Oblivion (the disk is still around somewhere, but it isn't installed on here) and I had a bunch of mods on it that made me untouchable (except for some random spells for some reason) allowed me to recruit anyone to come along with me (as long as their disposition was at like 99% or so) and among others, one that allowed me to carry corpses when I was sneaking. So this one time, I went into a guard barracks and just kept sneak killing all the guards, and then I'd carry them and put their bodies through doors and walls. Due to the physics of that game, it causes their bodies to violently convulse. Also, parts of their bodies would stretch abnormally long. Showed my roommate at the time, and it freaked him out, heh. Anyhoo...

Wuv, Yer Mom

[Mystyrion]

Depends on how you exactly define the term "Cheating".

Halo 2, arguably the most competitive Halo, had various bugs and glitches. While the Bungie team considered them cheats, most of the competitive online community (including MLG) supported some of them. Mostly the button combos, BXR (melee, punch faster than normal), BXB(double melee faster), RRX(double shot). These types of things added a large layer of skill gap into the game.
So in terms of something like this I'm okay with it.

I'm also okay with hacking, modding, and cheating as far as by yourself or with friends in a controlled environment or not causing grief to anyone. I mean some of the coolest glitches in Halo 1 were just getting out of the map or launching a warthog to ridiculous distances. Thats fine with me as well.

But with everyone else, modding or hacking on a online game to gain ranks, achievements, etc. is just wrong.

[Merlin]

I could care less what you do in a single player game, but if you buy gold/gear/PL for a MMO you should be banned. I won't wish on you that your account is hacked and your identity stolen, but it's pretty sad when you PAY MONEY to cheat. That's pretty desperate. Of course, I hate bots in games too, especially teleport bots. I can MAYBE understand a fishing bot because fishing is boring as hell... but teleport bots?

[Xanatos]

Counter Strike servers are full of cheaters nowdays, it's kinda iritating when brats with no skill whatsoever beat you with ease. I've seen kids who are willing to pay up to 30$ per month to get their fresh dose of "undetected" cheats, "caugh"Battlefield 3"caugh", I mean where's fun in that, but to be honest I don't really care, I rarely play multiplayer these day.

If cheats are going to offer me something new when I'm done with everything the game has to offer than I'll probably use them. I also used cheats a lot while playing oldschool "hard as ****" games.

[Crescent]

Ive always HATED cheats on games and when I did put em on it was only after I had finished it, multiple times. Id tell my brothers off for using cheats when I watched them play as a kid. The only game I vividly remember putting cheats on was Grand Theft Auto 3 & Vice City. Raising the wanted level to six stars, making all the cars explode, More Weapons, unlocking the Rhino Tank and attracting followers then blowing em all up n chainsawing em was SOOO much fun! I find many games nowadays are easy, too easy if you ask me because of the emphasis on graphics rather than gameplay. Cheats aren't in my vocab when it comes to video games. I wanna see how good/crap I am XD

[Hunter T]

The only time I use cheats are when I mess up horribly in a romhack and don't want to have to restart a huge level again.

However, I may consider the option of making easy romhacks harder with cheats.

[Rowan]

Wheres the fullfilment when cheating a game? You're basically taking away any challenge the game had to offer just to win it, and for what? I always detested the idea of cheating and wonder what people get out of it. Technically you havn't properly beaten a game until you've beaten it without cheats, so you're just wasting your time.

[Kurt Zisa]

I have an Action Reply for my DS which I from time to time. Usualy it's for things like Wi-fi only events for Pokemon, where it's the only way to 'legetimatly' catch event exclusive legendaries and such. Or for unlocking the blacksmith on FFIII that allows you to get the ultimate weapons. This way I can actualy complete these games.
Other than that I stay away from most other cheats. What's the fun of getting max cash or fully leveled characters? If you want the game pretty much beat for you, buy it second hand with the previous file intact.

[ZantetsukeN]

I don't cheat, at all. I think the last game I cheated on was GTA 4 when I wanted to get rid of a 5 star wanted level, and ended up raising it. From that day onwards, I have not cheated one bit.

Sure they used to be fun back in the day, but now they just seem pointless to me. When you cheat, you take away the competition from the game, which is the thing I like most about gaming: Challenging yourself.

Although the part I like is proving you have done something without cheats. I remember on Tony Hawk's American Wasteland I got a combo score of 147 million points. No one believed I did it without cheats. Then, at one of my mate's gaming events, I proved it by beating it by another 2 million.

[Hobaginator]

Ive always HATED cheats on games and when I did put em on it was only after I had finished it, multiple times.

I find many games nowadays are easy, too easy if you ask me because of the emphasis on graphics rather than gameplay. Cheats aren't in my vocab when it comes to video games. I wanna see how good/crap I am XD

In partial response to you, and Freya... I think cheats in single player games are fine, so long as they require a archaic cypher of button combinations, coordination and perfect timing that increase in difficulty depending on the godmoad level of the cheat code. It should take three days of practice, half a cup of perspiration, and an endless pit of enfuriation before you're rewarded with having obtained the skill to enter the cheat code in the game! I think the gamesharks nowadays are too easy... Back in my day, you had to WORK for you cheat codes! I loved those button cobinations! And yeah, agreed, I always liked to beat a game before I used cheats... they can extend a game's playability once you go through all the content.

If you have a godmode cheat in a game, it should be require a button combination similar to King from Tekken's invincible 18 move combos... Both are a godmode cheat, if you think of it that way. I used to love whipping King's 18 move combo out on scrubs in the arcade who thought they were the baddest thing on the joystick with Kazuya's whirlwind kick spam.

[EmperorLeo]

Generally, I would cheat in single player games to see what are some of the items I never knew about. I remember playing through the first Xenosaga game and just barely being able to get to one of the later bosses in the game. I recall no matter how many times I fought him, he slaughtered me without much effort, so I popped in game shark and realized there was a mountain of items I missed and needed to find.
I also like to play fire emblem on emulation and just force really good level ups. I'm a grinder time that likes to see progression in characters and thoroughly enjoy the moment I realize that the characters in the game are stupidly powerful and can destroy just about anything that comes in their way.

[Heartless Angel]

I'll always play a game through once with no cheats or exploits. After that, I'll break that game as far as it can be broken. At that point, I'm just there to **** around. As for multiplayer, I hardly ever play that kinda stuff in general, but when I do, It's a fair game on my end.

[Michael Swayne]

One of my brother's friends taught me some Grand Theft Auto cheats. He was going to teach my brother, but my brother never could get the button combination right, and his thumbs couldn't input them fast enough. So when he would need his Wanted rating down, I would have to lower it for him. I have never used them for myself though. When my brother would save his game, a message would come up that made me not want to use cheats when I played.

I have no problem with people or myself looking up stuff online to find certain items, equipment, etc. in games. When I play, I want to have the full gaming experience, and so I normally look up where stuff is or I may check out a guide. I was playing a Crash Bandicoot game years ago, and asked a friend to look up how to find the Secret Levels in order to get all the Gems. And I am constantly asking Rowan for help on Final Fantasy VII.

But like most of the above responses, I don't think it is right to use cheats in a competitive environment. I have never played many online games, so I only know what I have been told. One console game experience I had was when a friend and I were playing Nascar '98. We were racing, and all of a sudden I was going off the track. I had been hit by the ball shooter cheat my friend was using against me. I thought it wasn't fair for him to use it when I had no idea how to do it, so he taught me how. Then we spent a good 15 minutes just shooting each other.

So, as long as all people involved know about a specific cheat in competition, I am fine with that. Kinda like House Rules or something.

[Squall]

I don't mind putting in cheat codes if you're with friends playing a multi-player game; ie GameShark cheats. When I was younger, my brother and I would play Goldeneye for n64 and we'd use the GameShark to unlock all characters, levels and unique modes like paintball to make it more fun. Once the cheating is used to gain an advantage online is where my issues arise.

[Jinkasima]

cheating takes away the fun and challenge of the game, only games i cheat on is like GTA after i'd finished the game and i'm just messing about, i do use strategy guides or walkthroughs if i'm stuck or if i'm replaying the game and i want every thing possible etc.

i just dont see the point in buying a game just to cheat your way through without any sort of challenge

[Kyrel]

First playthroughs should be blind.

After that, I don't think it is condemnable to use walkthroughs or guides to complete the game at 100%.
As for cheating and exploiting bugs, it is up to the player. If it's solely for amusement then I wouldn't say it's as pathetic.

[Musashiden]

There was a time when I had to rely on cheating to beat practically any game outside of an RPG. I don't really do it anymore, though. Strangely enough, that's thanks to The Sims 2. I used to use the simoleons cheat endlessly and just build outrageous houses, but it got boring as shit after a while. I started a family with the intention of not cheating, and found myself immersed and addicted to making ends meet and earning my goodies. After that I started applying the same strategy to other games and realized I had been missing out on a hell of a lot. I really don't see the point in cheating in a game until you've done all there is to do yourself. Then, for shits and giggles, turn on god mode and wreak havoc. It's more fulfilling that way.

[Nidogod]

It's really simple for me.

Single player - Do whatever the **** it takes for you to get the most enjoyment out of a title.

Multiplayer - Play by the same rules as everyone else.

[Zuulghast]

Cheating defeats the purpose of playing the game.

There are some obvious exceptions, like no-clipping when your model becomes stuck between textures or something.

Cheating because "the game is hard" simply means you need more gaming experience before taking on that particular game. IMO, start with Super Mario Bros. for the NES and work your way up.