Poll: What's your attitude towards exploits?

[irishda]

I was inspired by the recent D3 article that explains the immortal wizard exploit to find out the community's overall opinion on exploits in general. When you find one in your game or online, do you stop playing, use it, or keep playing but don't use it?

There was one comment on the article that caught my attention, essentially

it's Blizzard's fault the exploit is in there, so they shouldn't punish anyone for using it

There's kind of an unwritten rule between games and gamers, and that is to play fair. Not just in multi-player but also in single player as well, since finding some sort of back door that gets you the end result is kind of a complete disregard for the experience and the work put into it. So even if you find an exploit, using it kind of breaks the unspoken agreement you had with the game.

Personally, I've found proponents of the "it's there, why not use it crowd" to be one of two groups. Either they're constantly looking for the "best" way to do something, and that best way just happens to be an exploit that makes you invincible or puts you in an advantageous spot (the hardcore "optimal build" crowd). Or they're too lazy to do the work the game was asking for, and this is the easiest way (the casual "I want everything but I don't wanna earn it" crowd). Either way it boils down to looking for the "easiest" way to play something.

To me that kind of violates the spirit of the game. The point was never about doing something "the best way" or about beating it/unlocking everything. The point of the game was for you to PLAY it, and have fun doing it. If the only way for you to have fun was to find the easiest way to play it, then that makes it seem less like a game and more like an obstacle you had to hurdle no matter what.

 

[Archetypal_Maniac]

Loaded question, exploits come in many forms.

 

[krazykidd]

I agree it's the developpers fault . Either they patch it , or accept their fault , but the player is in no way responsible . If it's in the game use it . I personally don't like to exploit anything, but i won't ***** at players who do , it's there in the game why not use it .

I kinda frown upon it in multiplayer games though , but it's up to the developper to fix it , not the player to not heed to the temptation .

 

[darlarosa]

I don't think they are wrong or anything. They can often help balance a broken aspect of a system, and are fun to toy with sometimes.

 

[PrinceOfShapeir]

Depends on the exploit. Tribes' skiing system was originally an exploit that fit so well into the game that they coded it in. Single player exploiting no one actually cares about. But in a competitive situation, exploiting to get an advantage is pretty much the ultimate douche move.

 

[StriderShinryu]

Sure the existence of exploits is the developers fault, but actual exploits should never be used unless all players involved are aware they are being used and accept their usage. That, of course, doesn't mean that every player has to use them, just that they are okay with someone else using them. It's, quite frankly, impossible for a developer to seek out and remove every single exploit or bug in their games before release. There's just no way even a team of a hundred testers working regular hours can do the same thing as hundreds of thousands or even millions of players playing the game around the clock.

In a game like Diablo 3 where the always online nature and the cash auction house tie every player together regardless whether they are directly playing together or not, there is never going to be any way to have every player agree. This isn't playing a game with your buddy sitting next to you on the couch where you both agree that it's okay to use a cheat.

 

[Vault101]

one thing I don't belive in is abitrary rules....

if its in the game..its "fair-game"

 

[Rylot]

Usually I'll try and not use glitches and 'play fair'. I don't usually use online so I'm not worried about cheating other people. The exception is Dark Souls. If I find a cheat to get by an enemy I'm going to abuse the shit out of it. Most of these revolve around the Black Knight in Undead Berg or the Fat trolls in Blighttown falling off of ledges.

 

[NegaWiki]

I use exploits only when it helps me with immersion. My character in Skyrim is supposed to be the ultimate warrior who fights wearing only a ring and amulet. Using the fortify restoration glitch ensures that I don't die while fighting.
However if a game is multiplayer then I would abstain from using it.
Single player: yes
Multiplayer: No

 

[Kahunaburger]

Depends on the exploit. If it makes the game more fun (wavedashing, skiing) it's a good thing. If it makes the game less fun, not so much. But in general I tend to err on the side of "don't hate the player, hate the game."

 

[TehCookie]

If it's single player go for it, you're not hurting anyone. If it's multiplayer it depends if you are you playing with your friends and want to screw with them for the lulz or are you competing for your e-peen.

 

[gmaverick019_v1legacy]

Depends on the exploit. Tribes' skiing system was originally an exploit that fit so well into the game that they coded it in. Single player exploiting no one actually cares about. But in a competitive situation, exploiting to get an advantage is pretty much the ultimate douche move.

basically this

in single player, go nuts, have fun, i would be more than happy/proud of someone finding an exploit and/or using it in a creative way to their advantage.

that cuntthroat who spams it in multiplayer and claims all skill?

i'll personally come helicopter kick you in the face, you doucherocket.

 

[Keoul]

Heh exploits you say...
I suppose my reaction would depend on precedent, if previous exploiters got banned or something I'd steer clear of it.
If it was an exploit on Team Fortress however...

Spoiler

Use it as much as possible before they fix it!

 

[Vigormortis]

one thing I don't belive in is abitrary rules....

if its in the game..its "fair-game"

I don't know, I've always been more of a "fair-play" kind of guy instead of a "fair-game" guy.

I mean, if it's an exploit in a single-player, what do I care? Go nuts. It's not hurting anyone. Likewise, if it's something that might affect a leader-board, again go nuts. Leader-boards are really nothing but stupid dick-waving contests anyway.

However, utilizing an exploit or game-bug, purposefully, to gain an unfair advantage over the other players/team in a legitimate online match is one of the biggest "dick-moves" one can pull.

Though, it's hilarious to see some ass-hat use an exploit to win a match and then claim it was all "skill". That always cracks me up.

 

[TallanKhan]

Depends on the exploit and the game. As a rule of thumb i prefer not to use them, I try to play a game in the spirit it was intended. However if its a minor exploit or the game is particularly tedious I tend to discover a more exploit-friendly disposition.

 

[Kurt Horsting]

one thing I don't belive in is abitrary rules....

if its in the game..its "fair-game"

I agree for the most part, but as long as it contributes to a more interesting game.

Good exploits are like roll-canceling in Capcom vs snk 2. You can use this exploit to make any special move WAY more invincible then it should be (about 1/4 of a second) but its really hard to do (The timing window is about under 5/60ths of a second) and you can still throw the opponent using it. Basically, it made cvs2 more interesting.

If the exploit is so good or just breaks the game and makes it not worth playing, its a dick move to use and people should stop wasting their time with a bad game.

 

[Kurt Horsting]

one thing I don't belive in is abitrary rules....

if its in the game..its "fair-game"

I agree for the most part, but as long as it contributes to a more interesting game.

Good exploits are like roll-canceling in Capcom vs snk 2. You can use this exploit to make any special move WAY more invincible then it should be (about 1/4 of a second) but its really hard to do (The timing window is about under 5/60ths of a second) and you can still throw the opponent using it. Basically, it made cvs2 more interesting.

If the exploit is so good or just breaks the game and makes it not worth playing, its a dick move to use and people should stop wasting their time with a bad game.

 

[Euphbug]

Alright, this is not a easy question to give only one answer to. Basically it boils down to a few elements. First off, if it is another persons single player game, then they can do as they please. Doesn't ruin my fun as I will not use them, and their game does not mess with my own. If it is a co-op with me included I will not join in on the exploit if it is meant to break the game or make it insanely easy to win.

Now with multiplayer it comes down to one thing, how much does the exploit damage the chances of one of the teams losing. No matter if it hurts my own or my enemies teams, I find those exploits bad.

On the side of whose fault it is (developer or gamer) I say it is a very simple sliding scale. If the exploit was just found and the developer is working on fixing it right away then the fault lies manly with the gamer who uses it. If it is an old exploit that has been in game for a long time and is well known, then that is the developers fault for not fixing it. Either way, not one side is at fault alone, and only time tells who gets more blame.