General Discussions

Way back in the old MSDOS days when I first learned how programming works, I often added stats or health with HEX edits. Mostly in the old AD&D Ravenloft and Forgotten Realms games: Stone Prophet, Menzoberranzan, etc. This was just for fun, and as a kid I felt proud for figuring out how background systems of these programs worked.

As I got older, my love for games grew but my ability to play didn't keep up. Now I try to play a game without cheats first; but when I have to choose between hours of frustration and cramped up hands while not getting anywhere, or using a cheat and have hours of fun... well, that choice is very simple. Using cheats has enabled me to finish a lot of games.

Developers often add their own cheat console that are very simple to activate (Warcraft RTS, Oblivion, Skyrim, Dragon Age: Origins), so don't tell me all developers are totally against cheating. They want people to see the solo endgame, not get stuck halfway through and give up and never buy another game in the series again.

I do have a few rules for myself:
1) Try without cheats first and see how far you can get.
2) Use as few cheats as possible, and be especially wary of game breakers (teleport cheats often make you miss plot flags).
3) Never, EVER, use cheats in multi-player.

Does cheating make games easy? Easier, yes; but easy as in simple? ... You don't want to know how often I got "Mission Failed" in the Mass Effect Trilogy even with infinite health. Banshees really don't care about that cheat, and health also doesn't help much when you have timed events. I still miss a lot of achievements, because some are a real pain to get no matter how many cheats you throw at it.

Does cheating make games shorter? Well, sometimes you can skip the nonsense grind (get me 50 items of this, then get me 100 more, and now grind out 10 levels until you can actually use this reward), but I think my 100+ hours in each game in the Mass Effect trilogy, Dragon Age series, and Elder Scrolls series says otherwise. I even have over 400 Hours in Skyrim. Hours of fun I would not have had, because I never even would have tried a game in the first place (like Mass Effect, shooters are NOT hand friendly for me) of because I would have had to give up due to physical pain.

Do cheaters spoil the fun of other gamers? Us cheaters are part of the gaming community whatever our reasons to use them, in that way we are no different than modders or speedrunners. Not everyone may agree, but we have fun with the way we play games and we (well, most of us) do this without influencing the gameplay of others.
Developers can and do check if cheating programs are used, some make it so you can't get achievements of give you a 0-point achievement that calls you out on using cheats. I have no problem with that, because I play a game for the fun and story, not the gamer score.
Do you feel your achievements are of less value than mine because I get some when using cheats, then I would seriously suggest you do some thought about how much value there actually is in a number with no Real World value and the methods to get it. Your score did not suddenly get 500 pts lower because of me, and there is no zero-sum system in achievement scores.

I'm a disabled veteran who utilizes the talents of the Cheat Happens team in every game I can play.

I started computer gaming utilizing an old Apple IIe to work my way through such epic titles as the "Zork" series, "Leather Goddesses of Phobos", etc. Later I graduated to a self-modified Tandy PC and beyond until I was building my own computers and enjoying practically all of the old Sierra Online series of games in addition to many of the budding Role Playing Games that were coming out.

As time marched on, my physical capabilities began to diminish more rapidly - degraded in part to Uncle Sam's lousy agricultural methods as used in Southeast Asia - i.e. "Agent Orange". To see me now in my power chair with my oxygen tank and my shaking hands, you would find it difficult to believe I had started out my military career by jumping out of perfectly good airplanes.

In short - were it not for an organization like Cheat Happens - I would not be able to enjoy playing any kind of computer game as my "superb" hand & eye coordination is but a joke nowadays, nor can I handle a PC mouse without a bit of both concentration and effort. As it is with the cheats I utilize with ALL the computer games I own or acquire, I can actually play a game from start to finish rather than be confounded by my physical inability to play almost any game normally for more than 10 minutes before I lose it completely. I might add I am a single player only gamer - I have never cared for online gaming.

That is why I cheat!



[Edited by CoastalChris, 7/19/2017 8:46:32 AM]

I cant even remember what exact game it was, but I do rememeber facing something that was simply impossible to do without outside help. So
I looked around and found a trainer.

About 14 years ago I found a game I liked and made a server to co-op with some friends, and decided we could make thing a little easier editing some simple xml files. Which is where my first coding experience comes from.

Later I became co-owner for a private server gaming network,having around 400 players simultainiously. And ran into hackers whom simply ruined the gameplay for everybpdy online. Now i ended up using the same hacks to learn from them and to block them. In return along the route I picked up a thing or 2 about how trainers work and can make some simple ones.

Anytime I can get one over on the AI, it's a win for me. Been gaming since Atari 2600 and continue obviously today. Those times I had the action replay or the GameShark it always just felt right not getting bent over by the AI. I figure most AI hates to lose and are always programmed to be a step above no matter what. So it's refreshing for me to use a trainer to take it back to them. But I like playing the first round, (gameplay) normal then replay the game using cheats. I hope CH stays alive and well for years to come. I need the trainers!

Hello,
You say "Greetings fellow gamers and cheaters". Does that mean you also use cheats and/or trainers?
The quick answer to your first question for me is more Fun. Using trainers makes PC games more fun.

Once again speaking for my self the use of to many cheats and/or trainer options can make the game way to easy and my gaming experience not much fun, but I still love having the options.

Well, you see, we were having problems in our marriage and we had drifted apart. I met someone who really understood me and we hit it off. One thing led to another after a long discussion and it just happened...

Oh, wait, wrong definition of "cheat". 😀

Why else would i be here :P

With responsibilities and no time, I can't spend 100's of hours playing anymore. I still want to finish a game so cheating is the compromise. I used to play games all the way through properly before moving out of parents place but now its not realistic. Fortuneteller I only play single player games so it doesn't hurt anyone.