Cheet Sheets 1995 April/May/CHEET40.ZIP/1HEATING.TXT

Text File | 1995-05-07 | 7KB | 141 lines

~To Cheat or not to Cheat


`The  arguments  for and  against  the use  of 'Cheat Material'
`whilst game playing.


~`                       By Simon Burrows
~`                       ────────────────



`As Rik  Rok once  said: "Somehow DOOM wouldn't be the same for
`me if I was killed every couple of rooms!".  And so say all of
`us!   It's a plain fact that computer gamers from Northants to
`New Guinea  practice the  fine art  of 'cheating'  so they may
`progress through the complex levels of their favourite game in
`less than quick time.

`The degree  to which  one 'cheats'  is a matter of preference.
`At its simplest level, special key combinations can be used to
`access  secret   cheat  menus   or  to  edit  certain  in-game
`statistics automatically,  such as the number of lives, height
`of jump  etc., in  the player's  favour.   For those, a little
`more practical,  lengthy solutions  or detailed playing guides
`offer the  chance for  players  to  breeze  through  the  more
`complex games  such those  from Sierra  and LucasArts. For the
`more  adventurous  among  us,  memory-resident  debuggers  and
`complex hex-editors  open  the  door  to  the  possibility  of
`hacking game  code to  give  infinite  lives,  extra  time  or
`colossal sums of money.

`The satisfaction  experienced from completing a tricky game is
`like nothing else a gamesplayer can experience.  Upon reaching
`the final  level with  one life left, players can be turned to
`jelly with  the thought  that one move could be the difference
`between completing the game they had been battling against for
`months, or  to be  once again  banished to the depths of level
`one to  start the whole quest again!  Those opposed to the use
`of 'cheat  material' state  that by resorting to these drastic
`lengths, to  make easy  that which  is meant  to be difficult,
`destroys this  satisfaction, and  makes the  limited effort it
`takes to 'cheat' absolutely worthless.

`This  argument  is  partially  true,  since  completing  large
`sections of  a game  solely with  the  use  of  a  'cheat'  is
`somewhat unsatisfying.   However,  in most  cases this  is not
`what 'cheat material' is designed for.  By using it to conquer
`small sections  of a game, which, despite great investments of
`time and  effort,  have  proved  impassable,  the  player  can
`advance to  new locations  and  challenges.    They  may  then
`continue through  the game  again, with, hopefully, no further
`need to 'cheat'.

`There has been much press attention recently towards the cost,
`to the  consumer, of buying a new game.  Much of the complaint
`has been  directed at  the gaming  giants: Sega  and Nintendo.
`However, just  as much  to blame  are those who make games for
`systems such  as the  PC, who charge anything from £10 for old
`budget releases  to £50  for so called 'fully-priced' releases
`which, although  usually boasting proudly their great graphics
`and sound,  often severely  lack in  any gameplay.   Those who
`attack the  use of 'cheat material' say that despite the large
`investment needed  to buy  a game,  consumers are  drastically
`reducing the  value for  money  of  their  purchase  by  using
`'cheats' which  turn a few months of gameplay into little more
`than a few hours - even less in some cases.

`However, if  new games  are to  be successful  when  they  are
`released, level  designers and  programmers alike  will always
`need to  spend time and money ensuring that levels are created
`of increasing  difficulty, which will challenge the players as
`they progress through the game, and add incentive to reach the
`end.   Therefore, there  will always  be a  large majority  of
`people who  will never  reach the end because the final stages
`of the game prove to be too difficult. This means that so long
`as the  player is strong-willed enough to use 'cheat material'
`only in  small  sections  of  the  game  where  they  find  it
`absolutely necessary,  it will actually unlock sections of the
`game  which  will  otherwise  never  be  reached,  and,  thus,
`increase the value for money of their purchase.

`Another argument  taken by those opposed to 'cheating' is that
`games aren't designed to be played in the state which 'cheats'
`leave them  in,  or  completed  as  easily  as  'cheats'  make
`possible.  They believe that the judgements of difficulty made
`by the  programmers and  designers  of  the  games  should  be
`respected by  leaving the  game as  it is.   The fact remains,
`however, that  it is  the programmers  who 'put'  the 'cheats'
`into the games.  It is obviously impossible to access a secret
`cheat menu  which isn't  there.  In simple terms, the 'cheats'
`are built  into the games in the primary stages so the testers
`may check  those parts  of the  game even  they cannot  reach!
`However, the  programmers don't  have to leave the 'cheats' in
`-   as they haven't in many games, such a 'Uridium II'   -  so
`if they  are left  in, users cannot be expected to not benefit
`from them if they wish to.

`What opponents  to 'cheat material' often forget is that there
`can be  two sides  to 'cheats'.    As  well  as  making  games
`ridiculously easy  for beginners,  some games support 'cheats'
`which will  actually add  an extra  level of difficulty on for
`those experts  who can complete the game in its hardest modes.
`An example  is DOOM  where certain 'hacks' can be administered
`to increase  the speed  and agility of enemies, make them more
`perceptive, or  increase the  power of  their attacks.  Taking
`these steps  can rejuvenate  a game for the expert gamesplayer
`and allow them once again to test their skills to the full.

`There is  now a  new generation of 'cheats' which, rather than
`reducing the  gameplay which  can be  enjoyed by  players, can
`enhance it  by adding new options and, in some cases, even new
`levels.  An example of this is 'Street Fighter II'. Ever since
`this, and  other games  in its  genre, have been released, the
`all-important question  "How can  I play the bosses?" has been
`asked.   The fact  is that  due to  the restrictions  of  home
`systems, you  cannot play the bosses.  That is, until now.  By
`using a  'cheat code'  using the  'Action  Replay'  cartridge,
`players can  unlock a  crude mode  where  the  bosses  can  be
`controlled.   This  is  an  astounding  way  to  increase  the
`expensive gameplay  which computer  owners  around  the  world
`invest in.

`"Will you  ever reach  the end?".   That's what Nintendo asked
`you to  consider in  their recent advertising campaign.  This,
`as many  things in life, is up to you.  If you're one of those
`chosen few who can complete a game without a 'cheat', then its
`entirely in your hands to crack the latest challenges.  Or, if
`you're in  the great  majority who  never quite make it to the
`end, then, to cheat, or not to cheat - that is YOUR choice!


`And, as Rik Rok also once said, "If only  life could be hacked
`so easily!".



`                           ═════════════
~`                      By:  Simon Burrows
`                           ═════════════