Where Have All the Cheats Gone?

[Sofus]

^
Yeah and prevent us from modding the games aswell. For we all know that restrictions provide a more entertaining game.

People create and use mods for the very same reasons that alot of people use cheats. To alter the gameplay in specefic ways. Most people know how to properly use a developer console, even the ones that haven't been optimized for the use beyond developer testing.

If a game is too hard, turn down the difficulty. If it is still too hard, dont play it.
If a game is not fun for you dont play it.
If you can do something no one else can do, congrats. If someone else can do something you cant do (with or without cheating) GET USED TO IT.

1) The difficulty isn't the problem, it's the restrictions of the gameplay.
2) And what if I was playing Fallout New Vegas, and wanted to see some lines of dialogue at which I needed specefic perks/stats. Who in their right mind would start a new game and play through several hours to get to that point.
3)Which means a whole lot in a single player game....

Come to think of it. Are you by chance thinking of multiplayer games. Because if you aren't, then you need to lighten up. It seems to me as if you're upset about people getting achievements while their cheating.
I'm sure that if you think long enough about it, you'll eventually stumble upon the solution. I'll give you a hint.. it's been stated several times already.

 

[Iffat Nur]

I think this is what summarizes what I have been feeling in one of the best ways I can think of.

When I was young, one of the first things I would do when I got a new video game was check online for what cheat codes it has (to be fair, my idea of young is 2005, when I was 8). When I checked cheats for Most Wanted, I decided to see the Xbox 360 section and noticed these things called "Achievements". I dismissed them, thinking it was simply a special feature of the game.

Nowadays, Achievements and Trophies have now taken over the entire landscape, and have left the former tools of ultra fun in ashes. What used to be a great school activity, now is just a way for developers to almost taunt you. Even if the PC market still has trainers, it doesn't have the same vibe as being rewarded well for remembering a button combination and receiving the video game god's hand.

 

[CannibalCorpses]

Games are so easy nowadays there are no need for cheats anymore

EDIT: Cheat all you want as far as i'm concerned but never try to tell me your better than me afterwards. When you cheat nowadays you lose your ability to gain achievements so i know if your chatting shit or actually worthy of your boasts. They should add a 0 point achievement for anyone who cheats on a game so it's there in black and white for all to see...your true worth lol

 

[CannibalCorpses]

If a game is too hard, turn down the difficulty. If it is still too hard, dont play it.
If a game is not fun for you dont play it.
If you can do something no one else can do, congrats. If someone else can do something you cant do (with or without cheating) GET USED TO IT.

1) The difficulty isn't the problem, it's the restrictions of the gameplay.
2) And what if I was playing Fallout New Vegas, and wanted to see some lines of dialogue at which I needed specefic perks/stats. Who in their right mind would start a new game and play through several hours to get to that point.
3)Which means a whole lot in a single player game....

1) It's the restrictions in gameplay that make a game difficult or easy, remove those restrictions and you remove the challenge.
2) If you can't be arsed earning the right to those parts of the game then you don't deserve to enjoy them. I can be arsed and skipping the effort cheapens the experience for those of us who actually play the game properly.
3) If you can do something someone else can't do then you can feel good about yourself for being better than them. It means just as much in single player as in multiplayer, haven't you ever seen a game vid posted by a proud and boastfull master of it? Something to aspire to?

 

[CannibalCorpses]

I remember my first 2 hours of San Andreas.

Went as fast as possible.
As high as possible.
In any possible direction space allowed.
Flew a car faster than a plane.
Flew a fucking Airliner into a city.

Yeah, cheats enriched gaming. I can't think of a logical reason they;d be gone... Who is it costing to have them!?

If you bothered to play the game long enough you don't need to cheat for some of those things you mention

 

[Shadow-Phoenix]

I do believe the Konami code made it's way into both the Hellsing tv series and an episode of it's OVA:

 

[Captain Bobbossa]

You probably didn't need 3 pages to say that. I actually skipped the end of the first page, the whole of the second page and most of the third page because you were taking to long to get to the point. The writing in escapist articles has been severely lacking recently.

 

[Sofus]

If a game is too hard, turn down the difficulty. If it is still too hard, dont play it.
If a game is not fun for you dont play it.
If you can do something no one else can do, congrats. If someone else can do something you cant do (with or without cheating) GET USED TO IT.

1) The difficulty isn't the problem, it's the restrictions of the gameplay.
2) And what if I was playing Fallout New Vegas, and wanted to see some lines of dialogue at which I needed specefic perks/stats. Who in their right mind would start a new game and play through several hours to get to that point.
3)Which means a whole lot in a single player game....

1) It's the restrictions in gameplay that make a game difficult or easy, remove those restrictions and you remove the challenge.
2) If you can't be arsed earning the right to those parts of the game then you don't deserve to enjoy them. I can be arsed and skipping the effort cheapens the experience for those of us who actually play the game properly.
3) If you can do something someone else can't do then you can feel good about yourself for being better than them. It means just as much in single player as in multiplayer, haven't you ever seen a game vid posted by a proud and boastfull master of it? Something to aspire to?

1) I agree that a games restrictions affect the difficulty of the gameplay. But when you have already beaten the game and get bored of the current gameplay, mods and even cheats can alter the gameplay enough to extend the lifespan of a single player game.
2) Earning the right? that term can hardly be justified outside of online gaming.
3) That depends on the game. Lets take Minecraft for example. I have often searched for videos regarding what people have built, and am often in awe. That said, I see no reason why someone would feel good about completing Fallout 3 / NV a certain way, as it's designed to be completed.

I play video games to have fun. That sometimes involves resurrecting an npc in Fallout who I did not want to die. It could be to skip unwanted progression in a game that I have already completed, or it could simply be that I wanted to alter a gameplay which I have become bored of.

I do not make nor watch "Let's play" or any other such type of videos. I simply don't care what other people do with their game aslong as it doesn't affect me. I would ofcourse be offended if people cheated in multiplayer or co-op games, but when all it affects is themselves, then I see no reason why anyone would have a problem with it.

Aslong as developers make sure to disable the ability to get achievements when a cheat is activated, then I see no reason why anyone would think that cheats shouldn't be usable in a single player game.

Do everyone a favoure and ask yourself why it matters to you.

 

[Atmos Duality]

...If any of this rubs you the wrong way it's likely because everyting you have in your life has been handed to you with little or no question all the while people around you have been telling you how awesome you are.

100% wrong. Please stop posting such nonsense that you have no way of proving.
Or are there any other sweeping fallacies you would like to share with us today?

 

[Baldr]

Cheats were a side effect of porting games from arcade to console/PC. Game companies knew if the game was to easy, they couldn't maximize the profit if people were playing longer games and not feeding quarters into the machines. So when these game were brought from the arcades into the homes the difficulty level was was kept the same, but the game didn't cost a quarter anymore. People wanted to play longer without starting over. Cheating codes stayed for awhile, but became outdated, the games were easier, longer, and were replaced by better features.

 

[DustyDrB]

Ahhh...Game Shark. It turned shitty games into pure fun. God, I miss this in gaming. I would happily give up achievements for this option.

 

[Gabriel Dragulia]

Hell, I don't even get through the single campaigns anymore unless i am on easy. I have more things to do with my time, that is why i love one or two cheats. Even a simple money glitch in Oblivion will help you out greatly to get through the entire game and still have a wonderful experience. Easier to do on the PC than Console of course.

On the console, I bought the Frost Spire. The Flame Atronaught that you get to follow you, got lost falling into a pit in one of the dungeons, and is lost forever. I can't resummon him at all because he is still alive! This is why i don't buy DLC anymore on the consoles, that and the DLC takes up Overly Expensive HDD space. I get the PC version for cheap thru steam sales and then mod to my hearts content. The only reason i prefered Consoles for the longest time was they are dedicated to gaming and are automated to that purpose, plus you could lay on the couch or floor without the need of a keyboard or mouse. Now after saving a lot of money, I have my PC to a 55" with a wireless controller. I still miss they automation though!! I don't want to have to double click on anything!

You know, I had fun with the frost spire.. mostly actually not because of the frost spire.
The Glitch where you could be in the spire, delete the DLC, and suddenly spawn, floating in pitch black next to the inside of a house. you move towards the house REEEAALLY slowly, eventually you get in, go outside, grab the mace of doom or whatever. go inside another house, grab the core, which would spawn ALL the cores in your backpack. You were encumbered, you couldn't move... and the cores just kept on spawning inside your backpack... I loved that glitch.

see, those are good times... I did play oblivion through, without cheats... mostly... (money glitch ftw xD) but yeah... I had fun! even with problems/cheats and whatever...

 

[CannibalCorpses]

1) I agree that a games restrictions affect the difficulty of the gameplay. But when you have already beaten the game and get bored of the current gameplay, mods and even cheats can alter the gameplay enough to extend the lifespan of a single player game.
2) Earning the right? that term can hardly be justified outside of online gaming.
3) That depends on the game. Lets take Minecraft for example. I have often searched for videos regarding what people have built, and am often in awe. That said, I see no reason why someone would feel good about completing Fallout 3 / NV a certain way, as it's designed to be completed.

I play video games to have fun. That sometimes involves resurrecting an npc in Fallout who I did not want to die. It could be to skip unwanted progression in a game that I have already completed, or it could simply be that I wanted to alter a gameplay which I have become bored of.

I do not make nor watch "Let's play" or any other such type of videos. I simply don't care what other people do with their game aslong as it doesn't affect me. I would ofcourse be offended if people cheated in multiplayer or co-op games, but when all it affects is themselves, then I see no reason why anyone would have a problem with it.

Aslong as developers make sure to disable the ability to get achievements when a cheat is activated, then I see no reason why anyone would think that cheats shouldn't be usable in a single player game.

Do everyone a favoure and ask yourself why it matters to you.

1) fair enough when you finish a game, i take issue when people cheat to finish a game. Once you've finished it you do whatever you want man...i do. I still don't cheat but i do mess around trying to break stuff or make the graphics glitch or survive impossible things etc.
2) it can and i do but thats just me.
3) when you are in awe of these things don't you think about how you would do it yourself? do you always look for the easiest route to that or do you just do it the normal way? Would you bother digging out what you need or just magically appear it in your inventory?

I'll take up Fallout directly because i played that game more than anything else in the last few years. The named items take quite a long time to find and are hidden in the hardest places in the game. You earn the right to use them by exploring those places. Creating the item in your inventory is not something earned or deserved, it's just shit. I got all the named items and weapons in one playthrough. I got all the stat books so i had max skills in everything. I stored everything i found so i had everything in large quantities. I did all the quests correctly by loading if i failed. I did everything in that game without cheating and i did do 'everything'. I even did speedruns of how quickly i could finish the game.
There is no need to cheat on games like these.

Game modding cheats are fine though. Extra explosions, giant heads, silly physics...i don't mind them. I mind god mode and infinite ammo and weapon creators. When i've spent days of my life mastering a game and learning everything there is to know, it's kinda shit that i can't get anywhere near the top of a leaderboard because some bastards cheat their way past. When i spend months of my life mastering guitar hero and rock band and some shit bag can get just as far using no fail mode it pisses me off.

I play to have fun aswell. But my fun comes from being better than everyone else once the first playthrough is done. I want to prove that putting the effort in is what makes people good at games and the people who cheat completely undermine that. I have a mate with over 200000 gamerscore and i will never be able to catch him up because he cheats and uses walkthroughs on the first playthrough. When i used to play Diablo 2 with my mates i had to count their skills to level because they kept cheating and adding unfair advantages and then claiming they hadn't and were just better than me. Their items were always higher level than was possible aswell. On pools of radiance i did every quest and got to the final boss which was ridiculous to beat, it took me ages. My mate said i was shit because he did it first time. So i went to his house and had a look at his characters and they were 15 levels higher than mine. It wasn't possible and when i pointed that out he backed down and confessed.

Do you see why it bothers me? That is where my perspective is on cheating. If you don't compete then i can see where your perspective lies aswell.

That why it matters to me and that is why i don't like it.

 

[Gabriel Dragulia]

1) I agree that a games restrictions affect the difficulty of the gameplay. But when you have already beaten the game and get bored of the current gameplay, mods and even cheats can alter the gameplay enough to extend the lifespan of a single player game.
2) Earning the right? that term can hardly be justified outside of online gaming.
3) That depends on the game. Lets take Minecraft for example. I have often searched for videos regarding what people have built, and am often in awe. That said, I see no reason why someone would feel good about completing Fallout 3 / NV a certain way, as it's designed to be completed.

I play video games to have fun. That sometimes involves resurrecting an npc in Fallout who I did not want to die. It could be to skip unwanted progression in a game that I have already completed, or it could simply be that I wanted to alter a gameplay which I have become bored of.

I do not make nor watch "Let's play" or any other such type of videos. I simply don't care what other people do with their game aslong as it doesn't affect me. I would ofcourse be offended if people cheated in multiplayer or co-op games, but when all it affects is themselves, then I see no reason why anyone would have a problem with it.

Aslong as developers make sure to disable the ability to get achievements when a cheat is activated, then I see no reason why anyone would think that cheats shouldn't be usable in a single player game.

Do everyone a favoure and ask yourself why it matters to you.

1) fair enough when you finish a game, i take issue when people cheat to finish a game. Once you've finished it you do whatever you want man...i do. I still don't cheat but i do mess around trying to break stuff or make the graphics glitch or survive impossible things etc.
2) it can and i do but thats just me.
3) when you are in awe of these things don't you think about how you would do it yourself? do you always look for the easiest route to that or do you just do it the normal way? Would you bother digging out what you need or just magically appear it in your inventory?

I'll take up Fallout directly because i played that game more than anything else in the last few years. The named items take quite a long time to find and are hidden in the hardest places in the game. You earn the right to use them by exploring those places. Creating the item in your inventory is not something earned or deserved, it's just shit. I got all the named items and weapons in one playthrough. I got all the stat books so i had max skills in everything. I stored everything i found so i had everything in large quantities. I did all the quests correctly by loading if i failed. I did everything in that game without cheating and i did do 'everything'. I even did speedruns of how quickly i could finish the game.
There is no need to cheat on games like these.

Game modding cheats are fine though. Extra explosions, giant heads, silly physics...i don't mind them. I mind god mode and infinite ammo and weapon creators. When i've spent days of my life mastering a game and learning everything there is to know, it's kinda shit that i can't get anywhere near the top of a leaderboard because some bastards cheat their way past. When i spend months of my life mastering guitar hero and rock band and some shit bag can get just as far using no fail mode it pisses me off.

I play to have fun aswell. But my fun comes from being better than everyone else once the first playthrough is done. I want to prove that putting the effort in is what makes people good at games and the people who cheat completely undermine that. I have a mate with over 200000 gamerscore and i will never be able to catch him up because he cheats and uses walkthroughs on the first playthrough. When i used to play Diablo 2 with my mates i had to count their skills to level because they kept cheating and adding unfair advantages and then claiming they hadn't and were just better than me. Their items were always higher level than was possible aswell. On pools of radiance i did every quest and got to the final boss which was ridiculous to beat, it took me ages. My mate said i was shit because he did it first time. So i went to his house and had a look at his characters and they were 15 levels higher than mine. It wasn't possible and when i pointed that out he backed down and confessed.

Do you see why it bothers me? That is where my perspective is on cheating. If you don't compete then i can see where your perspective lies aswell.

That why it matters to me and that is why i don't like it.

I understand your point, but I think you're taking it too hard.

You are a competitive person... so don't compare yourself to cheaters.
ignore the cheaters.
I like cheating to have fun after finishing the game.
for example, I got through Guitar Hero 3, and Through The Fire And Flames, without cheating...
broke my hands, but finished it.
after that, I started cheating... because I could. I felt satisfied, so blargh.

but yeah... basically, just ignore them =]

 

[CannibalCorpses]

for example, I got through Guitar Hero 3, and Through The Fire And Flames, without cheating

Congrats...thats quite a feat. I got stuck on Slayer, damn them sweeps are vicious! One of my favourite bands aswell...ahh well. I'll manage it one day!

 

[KissofKetchup]

Cheating isn't dead really, it's just called modding now.

 

[Sonic Doctor]

Where Have All the Cheats Gone?

Cheating used to be an integral part of videogame culture, but Achievements and Trophies ruined that fun forever.

Read Full Article

I bet that it wouldn't be too hard for developers to do it. All they have to do is make it so the system and game recognize that cheat codes are in use, and when that happens it shuts off the achievement system until the codes are deactivated.

But the problem is:

They can still do it and even a code breaker type service, the trouble is they do not want to and gaming has become more boring from it...

Developers don't want to take the probable extra week or two to make it work.

 

[Sonic Doctor]

Ahhh...Game Shark. It turned shitty games into pure fun. God, I miss this in gaming. I wouldn't happily give up achievements for this option.

Yes, such devices bring back fond memories.

I once had a gameboy game editor called Pelican. It was hilarious fun. I used it back in the day to edit my original Pokemon Red version.

Oh boy, my friend was freaked out and pissed when I threw out a pumped up level 100 Caterpie that toasted his Venusaur with flamethrower, dropping it in one shot.

Basically, the editor let me do anything, I could change that Caterpie into any Pokemon I wanted, make it level 100 with all stats at 999, and give it any move I wanted it to use. Case in point the Caterpie using flamethrower.

I could also give myself all the money I needed, I then would by 99 Pokeballs, then use the editor to turn them into Masterballs. But I could turn them into anything, like getting a practically infinite supply of rare candies, but of course the editor's boosting power made that idea null and void.

The thing was awesome.

 

[ezeroast]

I loved the goldeneye system where you unlocked cheats as you played. Finnish a particular lvl at a particular difficulty and ding you get a particular cheat.

 

[DustyDrB]

Why do people miss cheats? Cheats existed back in the day because they provided an alternative to actually workong to beat the games, which were undeniably much harder back then. Games these days are more about providing an experience, so cheats don't really contribute anything.

Nope, that's not it. Most people still took pride in beating the game "the right way". But there was undeniable joy in being able to go back to the game afterwards and duel wield every weapon with infinite ammo. The game kicked our butts...yet we made it through. And then came back with two rocket launchers, yelling manically, "I'm baaaaack!!!!"

I'm the kind of guy who piles difficulty on top of what the game already provides. I'll forgo the use of a certain weapon just because it doesn't fit my character, even if it is a powerful weapon. Hell, my last playthrough of Fallout: New Vegas was as a character who specialized only in non-combat skills. Still, there is much fun to be had in coming back later as an overpowered behemoth.

Aside from that, not all cheats made you stronger. Sometimes it was just a stupid easter egg, like in Star Wars: Shadow of the Empire (type in your name as "Wampa Stompa" and you get to play the first level as a Wampa). And I remember a baseball game I had on the N64. There was a cheat that unlocked secret teams. There were lots of things like that.

Ahhh...Game Shark. It turned shitty games into pure fun. God, I miss this in gaming. I wouldn't happily give up achievements for this option.

Yes, such devices bring back fond memories.

I once had a gameboy game editor called Pelican. It was hilarious fun. I used it back in the day to edit my original Pokemon Red version.

Oh boy, my friend was freaked out and pissed when I threw out a pumped up level 100 Caterpie that toasted his Venusaur with flamethrower, dropping it in one shot.

Basically, the editor let me do anything, I could change that Caterpie into any Pokemon I wanted, make it level 100 with all stats at 999, and give it any move I wanted it to use. Case in point the Caterpie using flamethrower.

I could also give myself all the money I needed, I then would by 99 Pokeballs, then use the editor to turn them into Masterballs. But I could turn them into anything, like getting a practically infinite supply of rare candies, but of course the editor's boosting power made that idea null and void.

The thing was awesome.

Wow...that was one hell of a typo in my post (even though you got my meaning anyway). I meant to say I "would happily", not "wouldn't happily".

I completely forgot about the Pelican. I used one of those on a friend's Gameboy, though I can't remember for what game.

With the Gameshark, there were those times when I entered the code wrong. Then I had to double-check everything. So I had to get back onto the internet [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=svmYyeRY11o] (provided no one was using the phone), wait forever for the pages to load, make sure to write down the code this time...

Cheating was hard work.