When good games go wrong: to cheat or not?

[GESancMan]

@cckerberos

IIRC, the most recent cheating I did was in Fallout 3, where I used the console to alter the running speed. It just seemed like it took forever to get anywhere in the wastes.

I’m reminded of another example: in the Baldur’s Gate games and Neverwinter Nights, I always give my characters Boot of Speed, because the regular movement speed is way too slow.

@RickJay

Modding the game isn’t the same as cheating at all. It’s just changing the rules of the game. If there’s no spies, you can’t use them either.

That said, I don’t think “cheat” is a term that really works at all if you’re playing against a machine. “Cheating” implies a violation of fairness. My PC is just a tool; I can’t be fair or unfair to it any more than it’s unfair to my television to make it easier to watch by plugging in a DVR.

Enhancing the gaming experience by changing the game just means you’re getting more value out of the game.

Well, I did put “cheat” in quotes when talking about Civ 4. I don’t really consider modding the game cheating, but… well, I guess I’ve spent too much time reading the Civfanatics forums, where a lot of people have a huge chip on their shoulder about what they consider cheating (e.g., a lot of them consider simply reloading the game a cheat). I should have known better than to expect that here.

[Skywatcher]

@control-z

My policy is if I’m enjoying the game and good at it, but reach a point where the game design doesn’t make sense or unreasonable, or there is a bug, it’s ok to cheat a little to continue the game.

Right.

Carmageddon 3: towing the bomb with the ridiculously short timer. I used a cheat to pause the timer.

Silent Storm: the warehouse that blows up and ends the game if you take too long. Again used a cheat to pause the timer.

[Anaamika]

Hell yes, I cheat. I play lots of games on Xbox so I can’t mod or cheat them, but most things on PC I cheat happily. Baldur’s Gate, Planescape: Torment, Icewind Dale. Who am I cheating, exactly? I am having fun, so I do it.

Kotor and KOTOR II, also. My reasoning is, I am playing for the story and the interactions, not for the “challenge”.