On the subject of cheating.
04-01-2009, 06:37 PM
Cheats have been in games for decades and were originally left behind (accidentally) by the game designers so they can test game features out without having to start over. I mean, features like 'God Mode' and 'Warp' were initially installed so they could betatest it without having to reset the game. Other cheats such as 'mo money' and others were installed so extra gear or items could be tested.
Of course, cheats have evolved to the point that players try and discover them to enhance their playing experience. A little known game called 'Rise of the Triad' (from the makers of Doom ? ), not only had 'God Mode' but had a comical cheat called... 'Chicken Mode' where you morphed down to a chicken, clucking and pecking at the bad guys. :P
I don't mind cheat codes as I think I would install them in my game for testing purposes. Of course, I intend to make the cheat codes hard to figure out.
Bugs? Hate them. The most insidious bug is the dreaded 'stuck in the wall' bug. Ouch. If a puzzle or minigame is so hard that a bug is the ONLY way to beat it, then somebody better reconsider that puzzle.
Bugs... should... be... squashed.
A simple way to add cheats would probably be through simple 'events'. Using a tree, stump or log in a map to call up a cheat. Find some gold in a hollow log that refills, Knock over a tombstone to bring up the godmode switch, other things like that.
Another way would be to have something like the 'F9' button (ye olde Debug button) to bring up a new screen where you need to type in the name of a cheat. I'd actually use Shift + F8 rather than F9 for coding purposes. Follow that with the screen asking for some text entry like you'd see in the 'Enter Hero Name' window. If what you enter matches a cheat code, the cheat code is turned on.
Besides using the cheat code window I mentioned, a 'NewGame+' option if you beat the game already can extra features like new characters with extra abilities, new skills or items and maybe even more quests to make the game fresh.
I never thought about a NewGame+' option as I'd want the player to be able to have a fresh experience every time they play... possibly by using a random quest feature or something that changes the options every time you start a new game.
Of course, cheats have evolved to the point that players try and discover them to enhance their playing experience. A little known game called 'Rise of the Triad' (from the makers of Doom ? ), not only had 'God Mode' but had a comical cheat called... 'Chicken Mode' where you morphed down to a chicken, clucking and pecking at the bad guys. :P
I don't mind cheat codes as I think I would install them in my game for testing purposes. Of course, I intend to make the cheat codes hard to figure out.
* * *
Bugs? Hate them. The most insidious bug is the dreaded 'stuck in the wall' bug. Ouch. If a puzzle or minigame is so hard that a bug is the ONLY way to beat it, then somebody better reconsider that puzzle.
Bugs... should... be... squashed.
* * *
A simple way to add cheats would probably be through simple 'events'. Using a tree, stump or log in a map to call up a cheat. Find some gold in a hollow log that refills, Knock over a tombstone to bring up the godmode switch, other things like that.
Another way would be to have something like the 'F9' button (ye olde Debug button) to bring up a new screen where you need to type in the name of a cheat. I'd actually use Shift + F8 rather than F9 for coding purposes. Follow that with the screen asking for some text entry like you'd see in the 'Enter Hero Name' window. If what you enter matches a cheat code, the cheat code is turned on.
* * *
Besides using the cheat code window I mentioned, a 'NewGame+' option if you beat the game already can extra features like new characters with extra abilities, new skills or items and maybe even more quests to make the game fresh.
I never thought about a NewGame+' option as I'd want the player to be able to have a fresh experience every time they play... possibly by using a random quest feature or something that changes the options every time you start a new game.