The Great Debate

[DarkestPrayer69]

Is using a cheat table really cheating

or

is it just extra help for when you're stuck in a game and can't get past some parts

[EpirioteWarrior]

Who defines "what and how" the customer want to manage the product ? Has they company that sold the product specified in the contract specifically how you have to play it? Have you signed a contract? Has x person personally gifted the game to define how you manage it? Why you shouldn't consider as help rather, and why you should not consider playing with extra help?

Your game, your rules. Don't worry of the rest. You pay money to get the game, if they releasing to the market is the end of the story, it becomes property of the customer.

Yet there are plenty of companies that charge for that advantage, EA Ubisoft and so many on their own games. I find ironic that fans call the rest cheating yet close the eye on that. F that, I play how I want, anyone that wants to impose their playstyle has first to gift the product and buy with their own money, than they are in position to talk.

[Gutie]

Is using tools devs make to play a game at 2x/4x really cheating? (Such as FFX/X2 Remaster on PC). Are mods that alter a game, from something as simple as perhaps certain items dropping more frequently in one area and less in another cheating? You could argue by default yes it is in any sort of case where the game is altered from the original sense. Is buying DLC that gives items cheating? Is pay2win cheating? Again you can argue all of those are forms of cheating as well, where others would argue just because a dev is granting you the ability to cheat it is not.

I look at it this way. If its single player, no I do not, given I enjoy the game enough to go and get/and use a cheat for it. All it's doing is saving me the time to do it. Not at least in the sense of using them to cheat to gain an advantage over a real life person.

PVP/MP is a different story. Then you would most definitely be "Cheating" as there is a real human opponent you're seeking to get an edge on. AI in a single player game? Who cares. I have no ethical problems at all, let alone such meaningless things some manchild will cry about being cheated for like "Achievements." Again, if not in a MP context, who cares?

The difference between a dev opting to make my single player experience easier just because I may open my wallet a bit wider for them to vaccum the contents out and me choosing to use a cheat table has zero difference. Either both scenarios are cheating or none are as the outcome is either the same or at least somewhat similar and it harms nobody.

Spoiler

Side note: I genuinely believe that the notion of giving a "license" rather than sale of an electronic good should be illegal no less than if I buy a lamp at a store. The notion that a company somehow retains ownership of an item someone pays for and can sieze it back if it wants for whatever arbitrary reason it wants (usually the range of said reasons are constantly expanding with ToS that move the goal posts in their favor each time they are updated, requiring you to agree to even use the items you paid for) is absurd on its face as well.

Even the argument about "Creative works" is utter bullshit. I can buy a painting from someone and set it on fire if I want. They have no valid claim as they chose to make a sale. So too can I choose to do whatever I want with a game as long as I don't monetize what I do with it. I'm really waiting on someone who isn't a total moron to get elected somewhere that understands these basic concepts and what crap is getting pulled right now.

I do however have a rule of thumb I try to stick by. First playthrough if I've not played it in any form, I do not use it. If its a game I already played on console obviously it's fair game, especially if its a game from a long ass time ago on like PS2 I beat repeatedly back then. If its a game that's being buggy or AI is using exploits that are clearly not intended/not patched out on a new title (see paradox titles).