<Mr. Brady hat on>
You know kids, when you cheat, you’re really cheating yourself!
<Mr. Brady hat off>
I don’t play computer games, other than the occasional Solitaire, but cheating in competition is, well, cheating. But if it’s just you vs. the computer, my take would be it’s either learning the code inside out or taking the lazy way out, depending on whether your id or superego is dominant that day.
I’m a big fan of Starseige: TRIBES right now, an online team based computer game. I remember when no mods were created… all the top OGL clans used cheat packs. However, the game has been patched up many many times and since Tribes 2 is out, I doubt I’ll be seeing much of it anymore.
JET -
You’ll need a Yahoo ID for the one I’m on…got to groups.yahoo.com and search for a mailing list called “SimWatch.” It’s one of the best ones there, IMO.
The thing about Doom/Doom2 is that while I would presume that the original levels released by ID Software are winnable, there is no such guarantee for third party WAD levels. Anyone can create a level with so many monsters that it’s unwinnable, or misdesign the level so you can’t reach the end.
I think of it this way: If the only way I can finish a level is by “dying” my way through it 100 times, so that I’ve memorized where every monster, ambush, and trap is waiting for me; and where I have to follow a perfect strategy of rationing my health and ammo based on foreknowledge of what’s coming up; then invoking the cheat codes doesn’t make much difference at that point.
BTW: I absolutely suck at Doom. I don’t think I’ve ever played a brand-new level to the end without dying at least once.
About what Max said, if a code is programed into a game is it a cheat, or just an option? I’m thinking of games like the sims or simcity etc which the game programers programed the “cheats” into the game, not using something outside of a game, like a trainer or those game shark things. Cheating sounds like something that the game wasn’t meant to do. Now, using a program like Sim Edit, that I’d consider cheating, since the game definitely isn’t set up to do what the program does.
It’s okay to play around with those cheat codes for Wolfenstein 3-D, Doom, and similar games…but if you’re always in “God mode” where’s the challenge? You do get to see all the splendid gore from blasting away Nazi scumbags, but it gets to the point where it’s like shooting fish in a barrel. The cooler cheat codes are the ones where it just does wacky things, like in Mortal Kombat where you can change identities in the middle of a fight or turn your opponent into a baby, or where you get to some secret level with strange new opponents in some fighting game.
Several people have said that they consider it a waste of money to cheat your way through a game. Personally, I suck at Half-life type games and if I didn’t turn on god mode about half way thru, I’d never see the end levels. So to me, NOT using the cheats is a waste of money.
After I have completed a game (or as far as I can get) then I may use cheats just to add another dimension to the game and make it interesting once again. I never use a cheat to help me win or complete a game first time around. it just isn’t in my nature.
Morally wrong? no…
I must say that, it is extremely boring though. I think that, if you cheat in a game, you should’ve already won the game, but that is just me. the system with GoldenEye works great, earn your cheats. You can’t just input a cheat code, you have to unlock them, and the best cheats are extremely difficult to unlock.
In The Sims I have one neighborhood that has absolutely no cheating. After I got bored creating lavish houses and weird families, I kept playing the non-cheating one to see how nice I could get the houses. It’s really a lot funner that way for me, though occasionally I had the urge to build an expensive house in another neighborhood.
After finding out you could make several thousand dollars a day making gnomes once you got your mechanical skill high enough kind of took the fun out of the non-cheating neighborhood - I still feel like I am cheating by exploiting this feature in a way that I don’t think was intentional (I can’t believe they intended garden gnome manufacturing to be more lucrative than any career).
As to using cheats at the beginning and trying not to later, that can cause problems because your bills are based on the value of your possessions.
I don’t see anything wrong with using cheats in single player games, but I think a lot of times people miss out on the fun of the games by overusing cheat codes. Back when Doom was the big thing, I had a friend who always played in God Mode with all weapons, and I didn’t see the point. Half the fun of the game was avoiding getting killed.
I found myself playing Hellfire last night and cheating a bit. Basically I got sick of walking my 4th level Bard all the way across a level to get to the stairs, so I fired up a trainer and gave her teleport at level 1. Does it ruin the game? Nope. I just use it for shortcuts. Sad thing is, after I did it, the first thought (right after “Aww…much better…” 
) was “hey, I can bring this up on SD.”
Lumpy, so I take it you never finished the 26th level of “Hell Revealed”? 
Trust me, the only way to get good at DOOM is to not use cheat codes. Try recording your play sessions and watch them for stuff you can improve. I used to be scared to death of cyberdemons, but now I can take 3 or 4 on at once and not break a sweat.
Bah, bills aren’t that much, especially since all your stuff depreciates so quickly. I gave a family $100,000 to start and they get by just fine on a single-income military salary.
I tend to get hint books with, or shortly after, I buy a game like Diablo II. I like having an idea of what to expect next while I still play the game. I only use cheat files or trainers when I either I have completed the game/current scenario (Rollercoaster Tycoon), or exhausted all other options and am still unable to attain the requirements (NFS:PU or 1NSANE). I also cheat games which I have had for a long time but just don’t have the time to play “by the rules” (The Sims).
I agree with most of the previous posters
single player cheating is not morally wrong (since you ‘harm’ no-one else), but it’s bad for your skill
if the game has design flaws, I guess you may need to cheat, since the idea is to enjoy it
cheating in multi-player is morally wrong
I teach Computer Strategy games at my School (really!).
We’ve used Civ 1 and Civ 2, Railroad Tycoon and are currently on Heroes of Might and Magic 3. (These are all turn-based games of skill).
Each new term, there’s usually one kid who immediately asks for cheat codes, including the one which instantly ‘wins’ the game. I ask why use it? Oh, comes the reply “IT WOULD SHOW I’M GOOD AT THE GAME”. :rolleyes:
Do you want to be classified with that sort of thinking?!
Sims isn’t a goal-oriented game, really, so cheating doesn’t matter much, imho. I use the money cheat so I can make houses with themes. Where would Utena and Anthy be without the Ends-Of-The-World Highway running around the bedroom? Or a completely pink kitchen? And Kamui needs a meditation room! And don’t even get me started on Brainiac 5 & Invisible Kid’s special needs…
The only other games I play are RPGs, and I tend to buy help books for those just because they’ve gotten so you can’t beat them without the books. They expect you to buy the books and make the games so they’ll be challenging anyway.
Sorry for the double post, just wanted to clarify, the RPGs I’m referring to are the Final Fantasy type. Afraid I don’t play any on the computer.
Like Badtz Maru, I have cheating and non-cheating neighborhoods on The Sims (although I’ve wiped out most of my cheating homes of late). I actually enjoy playing the game, getting promotions and earning enough to do household improvements, but some days I just want to build a spanky-cool house with all the mod cons.
It’s funny - I build my non-cheating houses as small and as cheap as possible, so I end up with a neighborhood of tiny houses that gradually grow and expand as the families make more money. My SIL (who is 14) cheats, and has huge sprawling mansions, but whenever she sees my neighborhoods, she’s always enthralled by how small and cute the houses are, and tells me I’m so clever. She’s actually had me design and build houses for her that are done on a budget because she can’t do it herself.
I agree with the majority - cheating in multiplayer is bad, cheating in single player is your own choice, and neither good nor bad (“The only person you’re cheating is yourself!”)