Do you cheat? (1 Viewer)

[Shawn C]

I normally don't cheat unless it's some silly game I have rented and really don't intend to buy or play anymore once I take it back to Hollywood Video. Mostly fighting games, etc.
Anyways, I absolutely HATE cheaters in online type games. Cheaters have already ruined MotoGP Online for the XBOX. Cheaters ruined Diablo when I played it. Cheaters ruined Unreal Tournament.
Cheating in an online environment is selfish, especially for a game like MotoGP where alot of people are trying to move up in the ranking but can NEVER get into the top 200 because of all of the asses that have found glitches in the tracks that allow them to cut their times in half.

 

[Chris Farmer]

First off, I wouldn't call a guide a "cheat." Even though it helps you in figuring out what to do next, you still have to be good enough to do it. I can read about how to beat the last boss of a game till hell freezes over, but I still have to be good enough to actually off him. that being said, I like to figure things out for myself overall, but if I've played for a while and just can't figure out where to go next, I'll turn to a guide without hesitation. Puzzle games are obviously exempt from this, although I did get minor help with Riven on a few of the more esoteric puzzles, even then I only looked up what the puzzle was asking, and not what the solution was.

As for real cheats, which are codes that give you weapons, make you invincible, or otherwise make the game itself easier, it depends on the game. for a blast-a-thon like Quake or something like that, yeah, I'll use codes. Those games are just about carnage, so let's load up on the big weapons and go hunting. For other games like Deus Ex, where character development is important and you're not supposed to get too powerful too early, then no. At least, not my first time through the game,, although playing Deus Ex with a master rating in all skills and level 4 augs across the board is quite a bit of fun...

 

[JasonK]

Anyways, I absolutely HATE cheaters in online type games.

Same here. It's one reason I'm glad that XBOX doesn't have a GameShark device. When Phantasy Star Online got hacked, I was ever-so-greatful to have a group of guys from the HTF to attack beasties with.

 

[Alex Spindler]

I don't cheat (use codes) almost as a rule. For the most part, I only use guides if I can't get that 100% goal for some game, or if I am irrevocably stuck on something (like for several days). Most of the time, when stuck, I just take a break for a day or two and approach it refreshed.

Also, given the extraordinary skill and talent of the Faq writers (well represented at the aforementioned Gamefaqs.com), I can't see any point to getting a strategy guide. Very few offer anywhere near the depth and completeness of a mature faq (which has the benefit of being updated often).

 

[Morgan Jolley]

Very few offer anywhere near the depth and completeness of a mature faq (which has the benefit of being updated often)

And, unlike Strategy Guides, FAQs are constantly updated with more accurate information, focus on one specific topic (like just one character in a game), or offer interesting information (like the GTA:VC Radio Station Scripts). You can also go and get help from people while you're playing a game if the FAQ is worded badly, unlike strategy guides. Then again, you could just buy a good guide (like the Versus Books guides, which kick ass) and not have to read things on your monitor or print out a bunch of pages.

Oh, I also try not to use FAQs/Guides on puzzle games, but always have to. I'm sorry, but Myst 3 and Shadowgate 64 are just too damn tough.

 

[MikeAlletto]

faqs, yes. cheats, no. I don't have time to sit for hours and hours just to see how the story pans out and experience the game. So I get the faq, put it on my laptop and put it next to me when I'm playing. If I get stuck i look up what to do next and move on.

 

[BertFalasco]

I don't use faqs or cheats in my opinion because it defies the purchase of the game and the experience, I hate spoiling anything.
There are exceptions like cheating after the game has been [thouroughly] beaten or you just cannot figure out a way to get past a certain dungeon/level/ whatever it may be but all in all I think it's for cheaters, hence cheating. I am not going to buy a game and just be a bum and *think* I am justifying my game yet just usinga guide or what not. Just like people don't eat spoiled food or cheating in school, you won't get the knowledge. Although school has quite a few exceptions .
-Bert

 

[Jay Mitchosky]

I'll use an FAQ/walkthrough when fun turns to frustration turns to anger and I just just want to get on with the f**king thing. Cheats are fun for unlocks, like in Jedi Starfighter so I could fly and X-Wing or TIE fighter. But like stated above I quite enjoy looking at a walkthrough after I've completed a level (say with Splinter Cell) to compare strategies. On a game like SC in particular it's interesting when a different approach was used to achieve the same goal.

 

[Bob McElfresh]

(I'm dating myself here )
Anyone remember the old Infocom text adventures and their "Invisi-Clues" guides?
They watched people play these text games and learned where people got stuck trying to get past a point. So they put a section in the "Invisi-Clue" about this part. Under the question they had 4 or more hints in invisible ink. You used a special marker to show the hints and the last one always told you exactly how to get past the problem. This way you could get little hints or the whole answer. (This was a big deal at 1 am.)
I like having the hints/walkthroughs available and yes I use them. I sometimes use GOD mode on shooters when a level suddenly jumps in difficulty. I also find a lot of games have re-play value with cheat codes.
I remember trying to play all 10 levels of Doom with just the shotgun and the cheat codes were required to get enough ammo. (I'd love to try Halo with just the pistol, but there is not enough ammo.) Un-real allows you to select some weapon and everybody gets that one and all the ammo changes to support it. But these are called "Modifiers" and not "cheats".
But this is all me-vs-the computer. For multi-player games, different story.
One of the shooters allowed you to enable/disable cheats for multi-players. More games should follow this model.

 

[Andre F]

I use FAQ's and books (my wife ususally gets me the official book when she picks me up a game is she thinks it a tough one), when playing games. It enhances my experience, because I don't have the time to sit for days on end with one part of a game. Even now I have a stack of GREAT games just waiting for me to play. So, IMHO it's cool for me....

 

[Tony Whalen]

Hmmm... I'll use FAQ's at times.... and occasionally a book/walkthrough... but only when I'm frustrated beyond belief. (Just had to look something up for the Abbitor (sp) level in Splinter Cell... was TOTALLY stuck.)
Bob, I *totally* remember those "Invis-Clue" books!! (Not to mention the Infocomm text games. I still remember the look on a friend's face when I told him I'd gotten a game called "Leather Goddesses of Phobos".)

 

[Paul Richardson]

I really try to avoid FAQs and hintbooks and such. One recent exception: Morrowind. I couldn't solve the first main quest, so I finally gave in and looked it up. I really pounded my head into the wall when I got the solution too. Since then, I haven't had any problems.
Sometimes, even the hints and FAQs do no good. There is one level on Super Monkey Ball 2 that I simply cannot pass. I've read all the tips everywhere and followed them to the letter, but I can't get through the level.
I have to laugh about the light bridge in Halo. I didn't get stuck there, but I did feel like a complete boob my first time through as I plowed right over the edge. I actually tumble off cliffs a lot in Halo.

 

[Joseph Young]

Anyone remember the old Infocom text adventures and their "Invisi-Clues" guides?

Haha, yes, definitely, I remember. If any games needed hints & clues, it was these. I remember playing a text-based game called Pirate's Cove or some-such thing, and the game has lived in infamy w/me for years, because I could never, for the life of me, get out of the small room where the game begins. I researched this game (long before the days of the internet mind you) and never found out how to actually get on with the damned game.
So I went ahead and started writing my own text-based adventures and saving them to audio cassette on my Commodore Vic-20.
Now, I have really dated myself.
As for cheats, I only use them once I've either exhausted my 'fun factor' with a game or if I've irreparably frustrated or stuck. But for me, the whole point to a game is lost if someone resorts to cheating right away. Being frustrated, stuck, and then finding a way through is one of the most rewarding aspects of videogames. With the exception of some ridiculously frustrating games, I don't like to cheat.
But FAQs are useful.
I have a tendancy to get stuck on the supposedly really obvious parts and breeze past the parts that everyone else can't pass. I'm weird that way.
Joseph

 

[Jason Seaver]

To a certain extent, though, I don't see the point of "cheating" - if you get blocked in a game to the point where you're bringing in outside references, it strikes me that that part of the game is poorly designed. I mean, if playing the game ceases to be fun, why keep playing? And if it takes a while to figure out how to proceed, that's not necessarily a bad thing - if the process is still fun (which is the point of most of these things), then one wouldn't mind how long it takes.

 

[Joe D]

I use game guides all the time when playing RPG's. They take too long and I miss too many items without them.

I don't cheat in FPS games. A big thrill for me was beating Quake 1 without cheating, that was a blast.

I do cheat while playing Grand Theft Auto however, I just wouldn't get very far without them.

So it depends, but I don't have time to putz around with a game for 100 hours just to say I didn't cheat.

 

[Jeff Kohn]

For me it depends on the game. For instance, Splinter Cell is a flexible game and figuring out what approach works for a given mission is a lot of fun, so I have no desire to cheat though there have been a few times when I got totally stuck and took a peak at a walkthough to figure out what I was missing.

Enclave, on the other hand was much too hard, especially when you factor in the lack of a save-game facility. I'm sorry, but playing through the whole level multiple times until you can beat the final baddie is not my idea of fun. I enjoyed that game much more once I started using the invicibility cheat.

For me, gaming is about having fun, not practicing again and again until I can beat some ridiculously hard challenge. I'm more interested in exploring new levels and advancing the story line than the challenge of combat. And with all the games that look intersting and I want to try out, who has time to spend 10 hours trying to get past one level of one game? My game-playing time is pretty limited as it is.

 

[Ted Lee]

I remember playing a text-based game called Pirate's Cove

man, i TOTALLY remember playing those games - even the pirate one!! those were my favorite.
"open door"
"get sword"

then you would try something like "f**k you" and it would give back some smart-ass remark!
as far as cheats go, i try not to use them unless it's a last resort kind of thing. to me, cheating takes all the fun out of the game. then there's no challenge...so what's the point.
however, if i get stuck, then a FAQ is certainly in order.
finally, once i'm done with the game, if i feel like going into "god mode" just so i can kick some ass then it's cool.

 

[Rob Speicher]

I'll use walkthroughs, but not cheat codes / game modifiers.

 

[Ricky Hustle]

Anyone remember the old Infocom text adventures and their "Invisi-Clues" guides?

Yes I do!

I use FAQs all the time. With a fulltime job, a wife, and a kid, I don't have time to keep up with the games that interest me. I have a 15 minute rule. If I cant figure out what to do next I get a hint. Then, a happy camper, I play on.

Cheats I never use.

 

[John Royster]

Well as the original poster I'll have to say I need to peek at an FAQ.
Still some goals in THPS4 that I can't figure out. :frowning: