Realism vs Cheat Mods

[Guest marieruth]

I tend to start out with OP cheat mods or just cheats in general until I've played the game enough to feel confident to play it without cheats. I don't think cheat mods are bad as there is not a gun being pushed against your skull that is forcing you to download them. Players come in many forms, and there will always be mods that will allow you to customize how hard or easy you want your game to be.

[AstarteN7]

There really isn't any realism in video games. Your character gets slashed with a sword you see blood fly but there is no wound. Your character gets shot at point blank range, blood fly's  but again there is no wound. only death blows yield a gratuitous decapitation or severed arm/leg or as they were known in early fps's "gibs" but for the most part people couldn't handle a no-save start over on death game. it would feel pointless even if it had a wonderful story it would only be told in spurts (death happens). No one really wants to feel the kind of emotional realism that would make them sick to see a character have a hand/arm or leg severed scream in agonizing pain blood spurting with each heart beat or actually see what really happens when they slam there GTA car into a woman with a child in a carriage at a crosswalk.people talk about realism but what they actually want is very limited and safe, no real consequences involved other then the character having to pee or defecate or get digitally hungry. realism in aesthetic looks in graphics only with a hint of good story telling. I doubt many game characters would last more then ten minutes in gameplay if it were "realistic" in nature, death means death not a respawn point and not something you will experience with any character more then once. I doubt a game like that would get much attention other then the initial "lets see how frustrating it is".

And as PsychoMachina pointed out, Video game realism is subjective "a bit of an understatement" but non-the-less very true. It is up to the individual opinion of what "realism" means to them and what type they want in "their" game. but as far as cheat modes go, it was built into the game, has it's own console with commands. debug? really? 

 

I don't think any gamer uses the word realism in its literal context when referring to games. Realism in game is balanced by game mechanics (perhaps a poor choice of word) but I mean this as in it still has to be a game with structures, boundaries and mechanics. Many FPS and most notably the Battlefield franchise incorporate a lot of realism into their shooters. When you get shot at, you can run to a friendly medic who will drop down a med pack and for many gamer it is a realistic concept that was developed so that it has structure within the game play as oppose to Call of Duty, your health regenerates after a few seconds.

 

Bullet penetrates surface in real life and it is reflected as such in some modern military shooters, gravity affects bullet trajectory and many more concepts that were borrowed by what we see in real life but they must have limitations because replicating true bullet trajectory in game will mean that a player must first go to a a military school to learn how to snipe. 

[JerseyWalrus]

Realism, to me, is adding that extra feature that brings you into the world you're in. Skyrim has it's fantastical enemies and magic and what not but I can take 500 slashes to the chest by a greatsword as I'm naked and standing there? I get a mod that fixes that to add to the world that I am in. I can totally carry all these weapons on me but in my pockets? Get the mod that dresses your player in weapons. If it adds to the world in a sensible way, I would call that a realistic mod. But that's just me.

[Guest corespore]

Realism, to me, is adding that extra feature that brings you into the world you're in. Skyrim has it's fantastical enemies and magic and what not but I can take 500 slashes to the chest by a greatsword as I'm naked and standing there? I get a mod that fixes that to add to the world that I am in. I can totally carry all these weapons on me but in my pockets? Get the mod that dresses your player in weapons. If it adds to the world in a sensible way, I would call that a realistic mod. But that's just me.

That's a good point. I guess "realism" comes down to what gets you more interested in the game. 

[JerseyWalrus]

And then there's that special mod that turns Niko Belic into Iron Man with a fully working suit.... That's a special mod on it's own.

[Guest endgameaddiction]

realism vs god mode would made more sense as a title than cheat, even though god mode is cheating, but there's all forms of cheating as there are for realism. Getting shot point blank in an artery causing internal bleeding will be a result of eventually going into shock from too much loss of blood and dying. That would be more realistic in a game like this if there was no such thing as healing magic or potions which makes it a form of cheating in a friendly way to preserve the game in a non-fictional fantasy game style. In god mode, there is no death. No dizziness. No dehydration etc... You can jump off a 1,000 foot cliff and not lose a pinch of your HP. There is room for acceptance in both cases, but it's true that it all varies to each player and his/her point of view on what their selective is on choosing mods. I just stay away from people who are overly obsessed with realism and immersion because they end up taking a game too serious, which is supposed to be fun and enjoying. An escape from the reality.

[gregathit]

Not to stomp anyone's nuts with my size 16, iron shod boots, but WTF?  We are talking about a "game" right?  So where does "realism" come in?  That has always tweaked my nipples when folks whine about it.  Realism is a terrible word choice.  Correctly said would be to play the game, as the game maker designed it.  Well fuck that.  Since I laid down my cold hard cash, I'll play the game the way "I" want to play it and damn anyone who says otherwise.  

 

If you want "realism", turn off your computer and go outside.....just be sure to put some shades on.....it is bright as fuck out there.             

[JerseyWalrus]

Not to stomp anyone's nuts with my size 16, iron shod boots, but WTF?  We are talking about a "game" right?  So where does "realism" come in?  That has always tweaked my nipples when folks whine about it.  Realism is a terrible word choice.  Correctly said would be to play the game, as the game maker designed it.  Well fuck that.  Since I laid down my cold hard cash, I'll play the game the way "I" want to play it and damn anyone who says otherwise.  

 

If you want "realism", turn off your computer and go outside.....just be sure to put some shades on.....it is bright as fuck out there.             

Is... is there modding for this "outside"? Can I quicksave? No? ;-; Can I TGM?       

[Guest Omega1084]

I can't play Real Life. I got a bad version from piratebay and it ate my HDD, my SDD, my HDMI, my ADHD, my HDTV and my ABCs. :[

 

 

 

My character can summon giant meteorites that can successfully annihilate every NPC that's outside if cast from DragonsReach and aimed at the Cloud District.

Deal with it.

[shades.gif goes here.]

[Guest corespore]

Not to stomp anyone's nuts with my size 16, iron shod boots, but WTF?  We are talking about a "game" right?  So where does "realism" come in?  That has always tweaked my nipples when folks whine about it.  Realism is a terrible word choice.  Correctly said would be to play the game, as the game maker designed it.  Well fuck that.  Since I laid down my cold hard cash, I'll play the game the way "I" want to play it and damn anyone who says otherwise.  

 

If you want "realism", turn off your computer and go outside.....just be sure to put some shades on.....it is bright as fuck out there.             

Outside (GASP) he's gone completely mad! Someone stop that madman before he starts doing crazy shit like eating vegetables and exercising. There is no place here for that kind of talk.....outside?.....(shudders).....there's people outside, and germs, and fresh air, and plants, and animals.  

 

 

 

[PsychoMachina]

Not to stomp anyone's nuts with my size 16, iron shod boots, but WTF?  We are talking about a "game" right?  So where does "realism" come in?  That has always tweaked my nipples when folks whine about it.  Realism is a terrible word choice.  Correctly said would be to play the game, as the game maker designed it.  Well fuck that.  Since I laid down my cold hard cash, I'll play the game the way "I" want to play it and damn anyone who says otherwise.  

 

If you want "realism", turn off your computer and go outside.....just be sure to put some shades on.....it is bright as fuck out there.             

 

[JerseyWalrus]

 

Not to stomp anyone's nuts with my size 16, iron shod boots, but WTF?  We are talking about a "game" right?  So where does "realism" come in?  That has always tweaked my nipples when folks whine about it.  Realism is a terrible word choice.  Correctly said would be to play the game, as the game maker designed it.  Well fuck that.  Since I laid down my cold hard cash, I'll play the game the way "I" want to play it and damn anyone who says otherwise.  

 

If you want "realism", turn off your computer and go outside.....just be sure to put some shades on.....it is bright as fuck out there.             

 

reality_is_the_worst_computer_game.jpg

 

Not like using an Apple is much better 

[Nergui]

When reading mod descrioptions, there are two words that almost always cause me to lose interest - "rebalance" and "realism".

Even worse is the phrase "rebalanced for realism". But there are people who like that sort of thing.

[gregathit]

When reading mod descrioptions, there are two words that almost always cause me to lose interest - "rebalance" and "realism".

Even worse is the phrase "rebalanced for realism". But there are people who like that sort of thing.

 

Agreed.  

 

If they want to use those terms, there needs to be some type of system to implement the computer kicking you in the nuts or slapping you in the face.

[Guest corespore]

Then i better keep quiet about my Realistic Mod for Realism and Rebalanced Nosepicking.

[gregathit]

Actually I was looking for something like that.  I'll be buggered playing a game that doesn't have farting and nose picking!  Those are must fucking haves!!!!        

[Thulas]

And this is were immersion comes in:

You can do the actual farting and nosepicking yourself! What a great game, so immersive that you play it with your own body!

[Guest Mogie56]

then there's HDT Physics so when your character farts his/her ass cheeks repeatedly slap together, now that's immersion.

Oh and don't forget about bugger flicking                       

[Guest Omega1084]

Booger flicking does 10 damage to certain characters and drains their magicka a bit because they're so grossed out they have a mini-panic attack.

REALISM!

[Guest corespore]

I need to be more careful about my joking, a place like LL such a comment might actually result in a mod like that being made. And knowing my morbid curiosity i'd have no choice but to add it to my mods list........a nose picking mod......ugh, I'd never forgive myself....or would i ? 

[Jormungandr]

I need to be more careful about my joking, a place like LL such a comment might actually result in a mod like that being made. And knowing my morbid curiosity i'd have no choice but to add it to my mods list........a nose picking mod......ugh, I'd never forgive myself....or would i ? 

 

You forgot itching and how to scratch at the correct areas. Especially the correct areas.

 

 

 

On topic: I find it rather interesting, what annoys me the most about this 'the game is too easy' poop are the overhauls at the nexus. Most if not all of them are terribly biased on the authors oppinion of how the difficulty in other peoples games should be. Crap like slowing the player down while wearing heavy armor is just annoying, unnecessary and more a hindrance if anything. Getting two-shot by a mudcrab is laughable the first time but the second and third you're going to hate the game.

 

Now.. i'm playing mostly on master and legendary depending on how far i've progressed my character in terms of gear/power. I should also note here, i'm NOT using any kind of vanilla exploits, i.e. enchanting/alchemy loop. And boy do i get my ass whooped by the occasional high level enemy (bandit chief, <insert dragon variant here>, Draugr Deathlords are my favourite!) when i'm not paying attention. The only really important cut into my games difficulty is vampiric thirst. Running around with -150% fire resistance makes you pray whenever you see a dragon that it just breathes frost but not fire. If fire, i'm getting one-shot by a draconic airstrike.

 

Now i'm really wondering what's with this whole 'game is too easy' stuff. Do these people lack some kind of discipline so that they enchant their ass golden and one-hit everything, going to the nexus afterwards barking stuff around like 'the game is too easy!' ? Just trying to get attention by saying they are veterans in a game where the player actually defines everything?

 

Back to the overhauls, i always have the feeling the authors of said overhauls are desperately trying to almost force their own idea of how YOUR game should work onto the player, whenever i'm reading the description of one of those. It's one thing trying to spice the game up and another trying to force other people to play their own game the way you want.

 

 

Another good example would be the USKP (oh curse me i'm saying bad things about the USKP!) and the necromage perk. The USKP 'fixes' the necromage perk, not affecting (For uninformed people, the necromage perk increases the effectiveness of your spells against undead targes by 25%, this also takes the player into account when he/she is a vampire). vampire player characters. Now WHERE did bethesda state that this wasn't intentional? Logic-wise it's, well, logical! Unless vampires aren't undead, which they are, even if controlled by the guy who's enjoying his game at home infront of his PC. Right, nowhere, so why the ahaha the 'fix' ? It's entirely out of logic for the player not having the effect of the perk while being a vampire. So much for realism.

 

Conclusion: Plays on legendary, says the game is too easy -> Set yourself some limits and be imaginative on your own, or keep busting shit with two hits up. Your choice. After all the player defines the game.

[Guest]

I've tried really hard to like Requiem which is the literal opposite of those glorified console hack mods, but I just find it off the scale obnoxious. At least when Demon Souls holds you down and shits in your face it does it with style and panache -  you can't help but think "yeah I deserved that"  while you resist the urge to pummel your gamepad into very fine dust.

 

Having your knickers repeatedly pulled down by lowly bandits and wolves that have suddenly become olympic fencing champions while your own abilities have been nerfed to new born baby calf level ineffectiveness as you flail about with a steel sword that might as well be a french bread stick for all the damage it's ever going to do...that's just taking the piss. 

 

I really like a few 'realism' mods like the no level ones, the random encounter stuff, also those that make the combat AI cleverer and fairer for NPCs like them using potions or having perks  - that's a good way to make the game feel fun and alive. But a great many of those sorts of mods just make everything that's already clumsy and lumpen about Skyrim's mechanics and turn it up to 11.

[Guest Omega1084]

I stopped using SPERG and went back to using the vanilla perks.

I find myself having fun with the game again, you know, without shitting ghosts automatically whenever someone so much as notices me.

[Nergui]

Mods like iNeed and it's ilk if done well are worthwhile, at least for those ones where the author hasn't developed featureitis* and added tons of unneeded 'difficulty'. Sort of like hardcore mode in FONV.

 

*Featureitis is a modding condition where the author adds lots of extra 'features' that do little more than add bloat to an already well designed mod.

"perfection is finally attained not when there is no longer anything to add, but when there is no longer anything to take away" - Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

[Guest]

Yeah that's true enough. I found iNeed a huge relief after RND which to me is just way over-egging the pudding. 

 

I think maybe that's the difference in mindset between unpaid mod authors and professional devs. The former are limited by resources available to them and how broad a skill set they can bring to their project, but they don't really have anybody to tell them that their mod is reaching a critical mass of features and they need to back the fuck off the mic before the whole thing starts to resemble a very elaborate wedding cake. 

 

The latter have less of those kinds of limitations and far more resources, but they're working to all kinds of commercial constraints that act as natural brakes on any potential creative excesses.

 

But then, that's why stuff like iNeed even exists, because Bethesda are so busy throwing all sorts of good stuff overboard in order to get lean for consoles and meet commercial deadlines.