Cheats ruin the game

[schnippi]

I had so much fun playing this game but as soon as I found out that you could cheat it ruined everything. Don't get me wrong, I know that I just could play without using cheats. But going going on a journey to gather some metals which takes hours isn't as much fun when you know you could just use a console command to spawn it immediately. Totally takes away the pleasure of gathering ressources. It just seems a waste of time...
Please remove the option to cheat/hack or at least make it visible somehow that someone cheated/hacked, so that I have a motivation to play legit.

[Elenoe]

lesson learned. For cheap this time. :)

[Uvirith]

Originally posted by schnippi:

I had so much fun playing this game but as soon as I found out that you could cheat it ruined everything. Don't get me wrong, I know that I just could play without using cheats. But going going on a journey to gather some metals which takes hours isn't as much fun when you know you could just use a console command to spawn it immediately. Totally takes away the pleasure of gathering ressources. It just seems a waste of time...
Please remove the option to cheat/hack or at least make it visible somehow that someone cheated/hacked, so that I have a motivation to play legit.

Well you have to type "iamaloser" in the console. I think thats punishment enough.

[Dervantar]

Really nice bait. Look how many ppl fall for it.

[Rhyagelle]

Your problem. Learn some control. If you can't, play on an online server where you cannot use the console command.

[Moth]

While I agree that lack of self control is a personal problem, most people here are still glossing over the worst thing that cheating does imo.

In a game like this, some people just like to create, and that's fine. (Like Minecraft creative mode) However, we can't sit here and act like people don't care about the progression/journey. I think most would agree that the grind on your way up is what makes this game fun.

The issue with people being able to cheat in items in single player, and then bring them over to any multiplayer world- without any indicator of them being cheated in items (or skills, for that matter)- ruins the progression. There's something VERY satisfying about building a set of iron armor without cheating.

Since cheating is so easy, there is really no concrete way to tell if another player has earned what they have or they just spawned it in on a SP world. Yes, it's just a game. Yes, you generally shouldn't play with randoms when you can be griefed. This game is best with friends. But again, we can't sit here and act like things don't have value. Obviously those of us with dozens of hours who haven't cheated care about building our way up in skills and resources.

Bottom line? The problem is that legitimate players come into question much more often in a game like this where its hard to tell the difference between cheating and playing. I really wish they'd just flag your character when you use the command console for cheats.

[Ruges]

I am ok with the console commands for people to play how ever they like in worlds that are ok with cheaters. However worlds that do not have cheats enabled should not allow players or items from worlds that do have cheats enabled.

[FadeXF]

Originally posted by Midnight Moth:

While I agree that lack of self control is a personal problem, most people here are still glossing over the worst thing that cheating does imo.

In a game like this, some people just like to create, and that's fine. (Like Minecraft creative mode) However, we can't sit here and act like people don't care about the progression/journey. I think most would agree that the grind on your way up is what makes this game fun.

The issue with people being able to cheat in items in single player, and then bring them over to any multiplayer world- without any indicator of them being cheated in items (or skills, for that matter)- ruins the progression. There's something VERY satisfying about building a set of iron armor without cheating.

Since cheating is so easy, there is really no concrete way to tell if another player has earned what they have or they just spawned it in on a SP world. Yes, it's just a game. Yes, you generally shouldn't play with randoms when you can be griefed. This game is best with friends. But again, we can't sit here and act like things don't have value. Obviously those of us with dozens of hours who haven't cheated care about building our way up in skills and resources.

Bottom line? The problem is that legitimate players come into question much more often in a game like this where its hard to tell the difference between cheating and playing. I really wish they'd just flag your character when you use the command console for cheats.

The thing is... every time I stop the person who is saying this and ask this directly:

How are you even SEEING public games let alone joining them? (My own list shows pages upon pages of servers locked with a key icon)

So if we aren't talking about public games - then this is YOU playing with a specific set of FRIENDS who you have... at the very base... some sort of basic communication with.

If you are saying "I don't trust the people I choose to play with" - then that sounds like you need to play with new people.

This whole thing (for me) boils down to you being a grown adult and have a grown adult discussion with people you play with: iterating that for YOU: a pure vanilla experience is VERY important to you and your wish is that everyone who plays with you never cheeses ore/metal or brings anything from other seeds.

Seems like communication here and playing with GOOD PEOPLE is key.

[Vault Traveler]

Its like masturbation if you cant stop look for a helping hand.

[Nasher]

It's SP and private CO-OP so it isn't a big deal. You will only ruin your own experience.

[Professor Goat]

sounds like an addict blaming the drug for existing instead of themselves for using it..

literally just sounds like an elitist player who wants to be "better" than anyone else..

[Moth]

"The thing is... every time I stop the person who is saying this and ask this directly:

How are you even SEEING public games let alone joining them? (My own list shows pages upon pages of servers locked with a key icon)

So if we aren't talking about public games - then this is YOU playing with a specific set of FRIENDS who you have... at the very base... some sort of basic communication with.

If you are saying "I don't trust the people I choose to play with" - then that sounds like you need to play with new people.

This whole thing (for me) boils down to you being a grown adult and have a grown adult discussion with people you play with: iterating that for YOU: a pure vanilla experience is VERY important to you and your wish is that everyone who plays with you never cheeses ore/metal or brings anything from other seeds.

Seems like communication here and playing with GOOD PEOPLE is key."

I totally get your point and you're right, most of the time you'll be playing with friends you can trust. I am not seeing public lobbies.

I should have clarified that the issues I mentioned prevent a game like this from being fully open imo. Hugely popular games like this can have wonderful communities, but unfortunately, part of engaging with and building that community means playing with strangers. And while I think most people are good, there will always be cheaters that look like anyone else who will sneak into public lobbies and artificially speed up the progression because they lack self control. If there were a way to flag cheated characters and items, it would be a good step towards opening this game up.

After all, you can have several vikings on a world at once, but not everyone has several friends to play with.

[FadeXF]

Originally posted by Nasher:

It's SP and private CO-OP so it isn't a big deal. You will only ruin your own experience.

That's what I've been alluding to.

It's super dishonest to me with these threads - the angle that people try to come at this debate is essentially that they feel their experience needs to be globally protected. Cutting out the BS: they want developers to make it so 1 character = 1 world.

What's dishonest is that they don't come out to argue that - instead they sort of weasel this whole "when I'm in a public game, I can't tell if my play style is protected" - and when push comes to shove EVERY SINGLE ONE admits they have never once played in an actually full on public server. Not one of them.

So using that angle as your main standing piece is incredibly dishonest.

[Professor Goat]

Originally posted by FadeXF:

Originally posted by Nasher:

It's SP and private CO-OP so it isn't a big deal. You will only ruin your own experience.

That's what I've been alluding to.

It's super dishonest to me with these threads - the angle that people try to come at this debate is essentially that they feel their experience needs to be globally protected. Cutting out the BS: they want developers to make it so 1 character = 1 world.

What's dishonest is that they don't come out to argue that - instead they sort of weasel this whole "when I'm in a public game, I can't tell if my play style is protected" - and when push comes to shove EVERY SINGLE ONE admits they have never once played in an actually full on public server. Not one of them.

So using that angle as your main standing piece is incredibly dishonest.

YUP. "Please remove the option to cheat/hack or at least make it visible somehow that someone cheated/hacked, so that I have a motivation to play legit." -op

clearly its an elitist thing regarding his own social circle..

[Scoobysnacklover]

Holy Braindead Batman

[Shiva]

Originally posted by schnippi:

I had so much fun playing this game but as soon as I found out that you could cheat it ruined everything. Don't get me wrong, I know that I just could play without using cheats. But going going on a journey to gather some metals which takes hours isn't as much fun when you know you could just use a console command to spawn it immediately. Totally takes away the pleasure of gathering ressources. It just seems a waste of time...
Please remove the option to cheat/hack or at least make it visible somehow that someone cheated/hacked, so that I have a motivation to play legit.

Please understand that, while i sympathize with your ideology, its not worth it from a developer's standpoint to fix it currently.

Firstly, its entirely possible to use a text editor to give yourself level 255 gear and make it 1 shot literally everything (this is not possible with armor for some reason, which simply gets deleted, so max lvl is 3 on armor)

Second, I agree that having the ability to cheat is tempting and definitely can ruin motivation but as others have said, its a personal problem. Cheating, in and of itself, exists as an inherent issue with the predictability of code and of the entertainment media in general. People have been cheating at games since games were invented (and i mean *all* games, not just digital).

Third, attempting to remove the ability to cheat (that is, remove the ability to text edit) is impossible. With the correct understanding of code and the dedication to sit down and figure out which sets of (00 00 00 01) are what your looking for, you're capable of editing anything in the game. The commands merely simplify this for the dev's testing purposes. Removing these commands (while possible) isn't in their best interest. Its a coop game with a variety of tastes. If people enjoy cheating in things and building, so be it. If you currently play with people who cheat, find new people to play with.

Lastly, please understand that I'm saying the above as a professional coder and is not meant to be disparaging or insult you in any way. Its simply a reality. For larger companies, encrypting their software is *possible* but remember.... There are cheaters in every game, even the best guarded ones. BILLIONS are invested into security mechanics every year, and every year they fall short of eliminating cheaters. Its a never ending war that i wouldn't expect an indie-dev to solve.