Do you feel guilty when you cheat?

[MsOtaku]

So here I am again, sloshed off my ass and I cheated in-game.... I maxed three skill perks to 100 and it leveled me up to 23ish and I haven't even killed my first dragon. Yay, booze!

 

I saved over my main save so I can't go back.

 

Just wondering, do anyone of you cheat and regret it or cheat and don't give a crap?  Again, I have NEVER finished the game and now I feel....well, like a cheater. I haven't learned any new spells or crafted OP armor - I had planned to do that later. Well, now that I'm sobering up (fast Metabolism) I'm regretting it.

 

Be honest. If you've played a looooooooooong time and haven't completed the game for one reason or another and cheated, did you feel bad and kept on going or zero fucks given?

 

Seriously, it's the setting up all the MCM menus that are making me not want to "start over" again.

 

P.S. I take gaming WAY too seriously.... send help.

[Derp McDerp]

I primarily use cheating to get around things that would otherwise be tedious and make me lose steam. At this point, I know what I want from Skyrim, so anything that gets in the way of that without being interesting or is just a straight time sink, I avoid. Mostly this means spawning more arrows than I'll ever need or spawning gear that would be a pain to craft or find.

[MsOtaku]

I HATE gathering for mats. So in earlier games I cheated and did a console search for mats and added them to my inventory. But this time, I just full out maxed out certain perks and feel guilty. A friend once told me, "This is your game. You paid for it. Play it however it makes you feel happy." Good advice. I don't want to go "God Mode" but, damn this guilt.... #GrowingUpCatholic

 

 

EDIT: I wish there was a cheat to advance in perk/skill level without leveling so I could feel like less of cheater when I'm in Riverwood and level 30....

[MsOtaku]

I primarily use cheating to get around things that would otherwise be tedious and make me lose steam. At this point, I know what I want from Skyrim, so anything that gets in the way of that without being interesting or is just a straight time sink, I avoid. Mostly this means spawning more arrows than I'll ever need or spawning gear that would be a pain to craft or find.

 

But what do you consider "tedious?"

[Content Consumer]

I generally cheat on time-consuming but un-fail-able tasks, or at least tasks which are extremely difficult to fail. Lockpicking, for example - since lockpicks are so damn common, and lockpicking so easy after you get a feel for it, just install a damn mod that makes the "sweet spot" big enough to cover the whole lock.

 

I also cheat on building materials, particularly Hearthfire stuff. There's no way I'm going to spend weeks schlepping around Skyrim and back again to a storage chest just because I need more resources to finish my house. Instant gratification ahoy!

 

Other times I cheat are when a game fucks up somehow, or when I fuck it up. For example, I do a lot of jumping around on cliffs, and when I get myself into a place I can't jump out of and don't want to fast travel away, might as well TCL out. Or using TCL to get up a cliff because it would take a fair hike around the other side of the hill to get up there the normal way. I'll also cheat on bugs and glitches of any kind, even those with a workaround.

 

And I guess it depends on what you consider cheating. In XCOM, for example, I won't load saves if a character dies or if my shot doesn't hit the target or whatever, unless it was due to a misclick - playing "hunt the pixel" in XCOM can be super irritating, and a momentary millimeter-jerk of the mouse can ruin your day.

Or like if I fail a 95% success hack, I'll call bullshit and just reload. Not in the spirit of the thing, but fuck it.

 

As for Skyrim, I'll also cheat quite extensively if I want something that's just barely out of reach. For example, if I'm in a field of flowers, and I need lots of ingredients, and I'm one skill point away from getting my "green thumb" perk, I'll just add the skill point or something.

 

 

 

 

Anyway, my thinking is - if you're having fun, and not hurting anyone else, does it matter if you're cheating or not? Game designers may disagree, and argue that cheating isn't playing the game how it was intended, and there's some truth to that - but what does it matter how someone enjoys the damn game, as long as they are enjoying it? 

[Kinky]

Why play the game if you don't want to play the game?

 

 

[Content Consumer]

 

EDIT: I wish there was a cheat to advance in perk/skill level without leveling so I could feel like less of cheater when I'm in Riverwood and level 30....

 

setav "skill" #

player.addperk xxxxx

 

That kind of thing?

 

 

Frequently what I'll do is start a game, and once out in the world I'll instantly coc to qasmoke. I clear out some of the storage chests so I've got a safe place to store my gear, treasures, and trophies until I build or buy a house somewhere. Then I'll setav my smithing skill to 100 and add all the perks so I've got the full range of crafting abilities, and judiciously use additem so I can craft/get what I want to walk around Skyrim in - like, today I want to be a fire-wielding Dunmer mage, so I'll craft a crapload of clothing and accouterments until I get just the right look and feel for my character, get rid of the excess materials or items I decided not to use, reset my skills and perks, and teleport back to my starting area, ready to go.

I don't usually add enchantments, but sometimes I'll additem the enchantments I want and then disenchant them and then add them to my gear too.

[Content Consumer]

Why play the game if you don't want to play the game?

 

That is a common argument, and I see the point, but it kind of misses my point. I do want to play the game, but I want to play it my way. I see no difference between cheating and using mods - they both change the experience, which I believe is at the heart of the argument. There are those that see any digression from the vanilla way as somehow wrong, with cheating being the ultimate expression of wrongness, but mods are just that - playing the game differently than the designers intended.

 

Or, if one brings up the fact that the developers specifically released modding tools to allow people to mod and that somehow makes it okay while cheat codes are not, I'd like to point out that I modded the hell out of Daggerfall (mostly because I really like playing "paper dolls" there with better clothing and armor than the game has by default ). I wouldn't call that cheating, nor would most people, but fundamentally it's the same thing.

 

Also remember that people play games for different reasons. Person A might want to play a game for the sheer challenge, person B might want to play to get all the achievements, person C to just run around and explore and see the pretty sights, person D to play the game exactly as the designers intended with no variance. All of these are valid play styles, and if A mods the game to add more enemies, B fast-tracks through to 100% completion, C turns off combat with a cheat code, and D does none of the above, it's all fine.

[SteamPoweredLain]

I used to cheat when I was a kid since it made me feel clever and I was bad at games and couldn't do things myself

 

Now I'm much better at video games to a point where cheating feels kind of negligent to what I'm capable of with cleverness alone

 

I don't mind if people do it since after all it's your game but honestly why play at all if you don't want challenge or adversity to keep your brain on?

[GimmeBACON]

I thought this topic was going to be about real life cheating...

 

 No, not really, I cheat only for certain characters because sometimes the ends justify the means, like my dragonborn, whom isn't a mage, companion, thief, or assassin, why should I join a group he'd have no reason to to get a word? Why would I feel guilty for wanting my game and head-canon set up the way I want it to be?

 

Half-assed answer, I'm drunk.

[Derp McDerp]

 

I primarily use cheating to get around things that would otherwise be tedious and make me lose steam. At this point, I know what I want from Skyrim, so anything that gets in the way of that without being interesting or is just a straight time sink, I avoid. Mostly this means spawning more arrows than I'll ever need or spawning gear that would be a pain to craft or find.

 

But what do you consider "tedious?"

 

Mostly getting and keeping a supply of arrows. Just too annoying for me. I do the same thing with bullets in Fallout. I'm sure it's heresy but I don't care.

[MsOtaku]

 

Why play the game if you don't want to play the game?

 

That is a common argument, and I see the point, but it kind of misses my point. I do want to play the game, but I want to play it my way. I see no difference between cheating and using mods - they both change the experience, which I believe is at the heart of the argument. There are those that see any digression from the vanilla way as somehow wrong, with cheating being the ultimate expression of wrongness, but mods are just that - playing the game differently than the designers intended.

 

Or, if one brings up the fact that the developers specifically released modding tools to allow people to mod and that somehow makes it okay while cheat codes are not, I'd like to point out that I modded the hell out of Daggerfall (mostly because I really like playing "paper dolls" there with better clothing and armor than the game has by default ). I wouldn't call that cheating, nor would most people, but fundamentally it's the same thing.

 

Also remember that people play games for different reasons. Person A might want to play a game for the sheer challenge, person B might want to play to get all the achievements, person C to just run around and explore and see the pretty sights, person D to play the game exactly as the designers intended with no variance. All of these are valid play styles, and if A mods the game to add more enemies, B fast-tracks through to 100% completion, C turns off combat with a cheat code, and D does none of the above, it's all fine.

 

 

*applause* Exactly how I feel.

 

I used to cheat when I was a kid since it made me feel clever and I was bad at games and couldn't do things myself

 

Now I'm much better at video games to a point where cheating feels kind of negligent to what I'm capable of with cleverness alone

 

I don't mind if people do it since after all it's your game but honestly why play at all if you don't want challenge or adversity to keep your brain on?

 

I bought the game when it first came out, never played it because I got heavily into WoW. Quit, then came back, saw all the mods, was new to modding Skyrim, restarted more times than I can remember and just want to finish the damn game before starting a new one where I don't cheat....except for using the console to get materials.

 

I thought this topic was going to be about real life cheating...

 

....

 

Half-assed answer, I'm drunk.

 

I heart you.

 

 

 

I primarily use cheating to get around things that would otherwise be tedious and make me lose steam. At this point, I know what I want from Skyrim, so anything that gets in the way of that without being interesting or is just a straight time sink, I avoid. Mostly this means spawning more arrows than I'll ever need or spawning gear that would be a pain to craft or find.

 

But what do you consider "tedious?"

 

Mostly getting and keeping a supply of arrows. Just too annoying for me. I do the same thing with bullets in Fallout. I'm sure it's heresy but I don't care.

 

 

Yup, giving myself a ton of ammo and potions and mats was how I started cheating.

I'm going to bed. WAY too much wine and I don't want to pass out on my key board. The discussion will continue! Thanks to all those that were honest with their replies. xoxo

[Content Consumer]

 

I don't mind if people do it since after all it's your game but honestly why play at all if you don't want challenge or adversity to keep your brain on?

 

There's this concept called "zen games" that I think is kind of new. At least, I haven't heard about it until very recently. Anyway, it's a game you play when you want to zone out for a bit and just chill without having any specific demands on your time. Kind of like a cigarette, I guess. Only not as fulfilling. 

 

A lot of people play Minecraft as their "zen game." Some people sew, some do origami, that kind of thing. I play a lot of tetris, particularly when I'm thinking about something and need a physical distraction while my brain gels on the topic at hand. If there was a cheat code to ensure that the blocks all fall at the same rate no matter how long I've been playing, I'd use it in a heartbeat.

 

Different people play games for different reasons. Challenge, adversity, or "keeping your brain on" are only a few reasons to play a game.

[jfraser]

i also use small cheats to get past inconveniences, such as turning off frostfall if i don't have warm gear due to a story-driven issue (usually slavery) or TGM'ing to get past things quickly. But as someone who also has never actually finished the main storyline, I would feel...not "guilty", but unfulfilled if I cheated my way to victory.

[jfraser]

 

 

I don't mind if people do it since after all it's your game but honestly why play at all if you don't want challenge or adversity to keep your brain on?

 

There's this concept called "zen games" that I think is kind of new. At least, I haven't heard about it until very recently. Anyway, it's a game you play when you want to zone out for a bit and just chill without having any specific demands on your time. Kind of like a cigarette, I guess. Only not as fulfilling. 

 

A lot of people play Minecraft as their "zen game." Some people sew, some do origami, that kind of thing. I play a lot of tetris, particularly when I'm thinking about something and need a physical distraction while my brain gels on the topic at hand. If there was a cheat code to ensure that the blocks all fall at the same rate no matter how long I've been playing, I'd use it in a heartbeat.

 

Different people play games for different reasons. Challenge, adversity, or "keeping your brain on" are only a few reasons to play a game.

 

A lot of people love being op and just going through killing things with ease. There are a lot of mods designed to give you extra health/armor/weapons/etc for exactly that purpose. and it's something I understand - i went through my own phase of loving being able to crush everything i met.  some people play the game as a form of catharsis to their normal lives - it has nothing at all to do with the destination, and everything to do with the journey.

[MsOtaku]

Why play the game if you don't want to play the game?

 

It's not that I don't want to play. That's not the reason at all. I bitch about this all the time but, modding Skyrim is way different than modding simpler games I did in the past.... (The Sims). Nearly three months now of trial and error, mod conflictions, etc. I'm so fed up that I just want to see how this game ends AND then play it with very little help. I LOVE the Elder Scrolls games, it's not that I don't want to play it, I'm just tired of not being able to from my own errors with modding. But once a game is modded I can't go vanilla. Plus the booze kicks in late at night and I do either really stupid or really smart shit.

 

That's all this topic was about. I felt super guilty and was just curious as how others felt. I do want to play the game. Hell, if I haven't learned any actual spells from which I maxed out my perks I don't have to and I'll just have tougher mobs and no new high end spells to kill them with. I now have a more difficult game! Just my dagger and novice flame spell.

 

Don't be a meanie. I was just curious as to how others felt.

There's this concept called "zen games" that I think is kind of new. At least, I haven't heard about it until very recently. Anyway, it's a game you play when you want to zone out for a bit and just chill without having any specific demands on your time. Kind of like a cigarette, I guess. Only not as fulfilling. 

 

A lot of people play Minecraft as their "zen game." Some people sew, some do origami, that kind of thing. I play a lot of tetris, particularly when I'm thinking about something and need a physical distraction while my brain gels on the topic at hand. If there was a cheat code to ensure that the blocks all fall at the same rate no matter how long I've been playing, I'd use it in a heartbeat.

 

Different people play games for different reasons. Challenge, adversity, or "keeping your brain on" are only a few reasons to play a game.

 

 

 

i also use small cheats to get past inconveniences, such as turning off frostfall if i don't have warm gear due to a story-driven issue (usually slavery) or TGM'ing to get past things quickly. But as someone who also has never actually finished the main storyline, I would feel...not "guilty", but unfulfilled if I cheated my way to victory.

 

I heart you both.

[jfraser]

 

Why play the game if you don't want to play the game?

 

It's not that I don't want to play. That's not the reason at all. I bitch about this all the time but, modding Skyrim is way different than modding simpler games I did in the past.... (The Sims). Nearly three months now of trial and error, mod conflictions, etc. I'm so fed up that I just want to see how this game ends AND then play it with very little help. I LOVE the Elder Scrolls games, it's not that I don't want to play it, I'm just tired of not being able to from my own errors with modding. But once a game is modded I can't go vanilla. Plus the booze kicks in late at night and I do either really stupid or really smart shit.

 

That's all this topic was about. I felt super guilty and was just curious as how others felt. I do want to play the game. Hell, if I haven't learned any actual spells from which I maxed out my perks I don't have to and I'll just have tougher mobs and no new high end spells to kill them with. I now have a more difficult game! Just my dagger and novice flame spell.

 

Don't be a meanie. I was just curious as to how others felt.

There's this concept called "zen games" that I think is kind of new. At least, I haven't heard about it until very recently. Anyway, it's a game you play when you want to zone out for a bit and just chill without having any specific demands on your time. Kind of like a cigarette, I guess. Only not as fulfilling. 

 

A lot of people play Minecraft as their "zen game." Some people sew, some do origami, that kind of thing. I play a lot of tetris, particularly when I'm thinking about something and need a physical distraction while my brain gels on the topic at hand. If there was a cheat code to ensure that the blocks all fall at the same rate no matter how long I've been playing, I'd use it in a heartbeat.

 

Different people play games for different reasons. Challenge, adversity, or "keeping your brain on" are only a few reasons to play a game.

 

 

 

i also use small cheats to get past inconveniences, such as turning off frostfall if i don't have warm gear due to a story-driven issue (usually slavery) or TGM'ing to get past things quickly. But as someone who also has never actually finished the main storyline, I would feel...not "guilty", but unfulfilled if I cheated my way to victory.

 

I heart you both.

 

 

Aren't you supposed to be sleeping?

[MsOtaku]

 

Aren't you supposed to be sleeping?

 

 

I'm going.... had a bit left in my glass.

[Captain Cobra]

Not really.

[Guest]

You guysh are grape when you're drunk.

Seriously cogent and (what's a synonym meaning "smart").

Today you just got home from church and you can't remember writing in this thread,

and you're probably thinking "OMG did I say that??"

But you spelled perfectly, you didn't lose your head, and you read stuff, I'm so jealous.

 

Wine....I remember wine.

 

Will you be told of in stories?

  Will you curse future generations?

   or will you forget...

    Let your wind be your guide

     Your future lies before you ,end scene. 

 

 

[Kinky]

 

Why play the game if you don't want to play the game?

 

That is a common argument, and I see the point, but it kind of misses my point. I do want to play the game, but I want to play it my way. I see no difference between cheating and using mods - they both change the experience, which I believe is at the heart of the argument. There are those that see any digression from the vanilla way as somehow wrong, with cheating being the ultimate expression of wrongness, but mods are just that - playing the game differently than the designers intended.

 

Or, if one brings up the fact that the developers specifically released modding tools to allow people to mod and that somehow makes it okay while cheat codes are not, I'd like to point out that I modded the hell out of Daggerfall (mostly because I really like playing "paper dolls" there with better clothing and armor than the game has by default ). I wouldn't call that cheating, nor would most people, but fundamentally it's the same thing.

 

Also remember that people play games for different reasons. Person A might want to play a game for the sheer challenge, person B might want to play to get all the achievements, person C to just run around and explore and see the pretty sights, person D to play the game exactly as the designers intended with no variance. All of these are valid play styles, and if A mods the game to add more enemies, B fast-tracks through to 100% completion, C turns off combat with a cheat code, and D does none of the above, it's all fine.

 

 

Modding in general is not equal to cheating.

 

Cheating is when you do something so that you skip part of the game where you would otherwise have to do something in order to progress.

 

Mods can do cheating similar to what console codes do and again if you install those mods i ask:

why you play the game if you dont want to play the game?

 

Modding can also be considered opposite of cheating with mods like frostfall that make the game even more challenging than intended.

 

Warcraft 3 has cheat code that moves you to next map and you can complete whole game in under 5 minutes like that. Why would you do that?

Dota for warcraft (mod) is aditional challenge and not a cheat.

 

Playing game your way by skipping game content or tasks = cheating.

Playing game your way by playing aditional content or tasks (mods) is not cheating.

 

Difference between mods and cheating explained.

 

 

[Content Consumer]

 

Modding in general is not equal to cheating.

 

Cheating is when you do something so that you skip part of the game where you would otherwise have to do something in order to progress.

 

Mods can do cheating similar to what console codes do and again if you install those mods i ask:

why you play the game if you dont want to play the game?

 

Modding can also be considered opposite of cheating with mods like frostfall that make the game even more challenging than intended.

 

Warcraft 3 has cheat code that moves you to next map and you can complete whole game in under 5 minutes like that. Why would you do that?

Dota for warcraft (mod) is aditional challenge and not a cheat.

 

Playing game your way by skipping game content or tasks = cheating.

Playing game your way by playing aditional content or tasks (mods) is not cheating.

 

Difference between mods and cheating explained.

 

 

Thank you for explaining the difference between modding and cheating.

 

Correct me if I'm wrong, but it seems that you believe that anything that makes the game more "challenging" is fine, while anything that skips content is cheating. Would non-challenge-added mods, such as Sexlab mods for example, fall into an acceptable middle ground? And where would, say, lowering the difficulty level fall on your scale?

 

 

Playing game your way by skipping game content or tasks = cheating.

Playing game your way by playing aditional content or tasks (mods) is not cheating.

Forgive me if I'm way off here, but it seems like you're saying, essentially:

• Playing the game your way is bad
• Playing the game your way is okay as long as it's really my way

And I know you didn't mean that, so maybe my question should be instead, do you think that "cheating" as you've defined is a bad thing to do?

[Kinky]

 

 

 

Simple really:

Skipping game content = not playing the game.

Logic: If you skipped something - you did not play it.

 

My way or your way doesnt matter

Difference is skipping is cheating, not skipping is not cheating.

 

There is no bad or not bad. Its either you want to play the game or you don't.

Original poster seems undecided.

 

[GimmeBACON]

 

Modding in general is not equal to cheating.

 

Cheating is when you do something so that you skip part of the game where you would otherwise have to do something in order to progress.

 

Mods can do cheating similar to what console codes do and again if you install those mods i ask:

why you play the game if you dont want to play the game?

 

Modding can also be considered opposite of cheating with mods like frostfall that make the game even more challenging than intended.

 

Warcraft 3 has cheat code that moves you to next map and you can complete whole game in under 5 minutes like that. Why would you do that?

Dota for warcraft (mod) is aditional challenge and not a cheat.

 

Playing game your way by skipping game content or tasks = cheating.

Playing game your way by playing aditional content or tasks (mods) is not cheating.

 

Difference between mods and cheating explained.

http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cheat   Put simply; to act unfairly in order to gain an advantage. Mods don't also do this? between god weapons, teleport spells and Additemmenu... yes, yes they do. To be non-biased, all mods in question would have to have stats on line with vanilla, because to be stronger would be an unfair advantage, and thus "cheating".

[Kinky]

 

 

http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cheat   Put simply; to act unfairly in order to gain an advantage. Mods don't also do this? between god weapons, teleport spells and Additemmenu... yes, yes they do. To be non-biased, all mods in question would have to have stats on line with vanilla, because to be stronger would be an unfair advantage, and thus "cheating".

 

 

Read the post you quoted