Cheating in online games: Encyclopedia II - Cheating in online games - Types of Cheats

Cheating in online games - Types of Cheats

Cheating in online games - User Settings

Typically a player can change settings within a game to make it suit their play style and system. These alterations are generally not cheating, except in extreme circumstances. Changing the keyboard layout to make it easier to use is for example usually accepted. But issues such as changing in-game player models and textures, or modifying the brightness or gamma in order to make it easier to see in dark areas are sometimes borderline cheating.

Cheating in online games - Exploits

Usually included in this concept of cheating is the use of existing bugs or gameplay aspects unintended by the developers known as exploits. Gamers are divided as to whether all exploitation is cheating, though most consider exploits as cheats if they are particularly unfair. It is also difficult to classify some activities as exploits, because sometimes unintended features in games can make them much more fun to play, like bunny hopping in Quake. However, most exploits are unbalancing to a multiplayer game, and are called cheats because they are based on mistakes by the developers. For example, Duping ruins a synthetic economy and is rarely intended, and therefore is usually called a cheat.

Cheating in online games - External Software

The most unbalancing cheats usually come from external software. Either the program that runs the game is modified to allow the player to cheat, or other software is run which produces the same results. Wallhacks, aimbots, and other cheats fall into this category.

Cheating in online games - Cheesing

Cheesing (occasionally referred to as "cheap") is not cheating per se; it refers to players in online multiplayer football games such as Madden and NCAA making playcalls that wouldn't be made in real life, such as going for it on 4th down on their own 20. While doing this is within the rules unless players have formed a league and made an agreement not to cheese, it is generally frowned upon.

Adapted from the Wikipedia article "Types of Cheats", under the G.N U Free Docmentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki