Hacking/Cheating/Exploiting
Why do people feel the need to use a hack, cheat or exploit in games? Is it just because they want to show everyone how "good" they are? Do they want to trash talk and then back it up by obliterating someone when they have "god mode" on and can't be killed? Or is it simply because they can and it's an easy way to enjoy the game, even if they aren't meant to do the things they can with the hack/cheat/exploit (henceforth known as hachexploit)?
Personally, back in my old old old Diablo 2 days, I used Maphack and bots, and then D2Loader with AutoTele and stuff for a while, until I was banned for it in Nov. 2009 (possibly 2008) I think it was. I have since learned my lesson, and do not use 3rd party programs, and I have [B][I]never[/I][/B] willingly used an exploit to gain an advantage. The 3rd party programs I used could technically be called a hack or a cheat, so I can't say I didn't use those willingly, but I have not used them for anything other than Diablo 2, of that much I am certain. So, why did I use them?
It made Diablo 2 more enjoyable for me; the maphack (MH) allowed me to easily find places I needed to go for rushes, didn't have to deal with the weather/lighting affects, and also allowed me to skirt past groups of minions if I didn't want to fight them. Botting gave me an item advantage, because I was able to find a lot of items really fast and with minimal effort, allowing me to enjoy the time I actually played the game that much more because I had awesome equipment. D2Loader and AutoTele helped a lot of the same way MH did, but was much faster because I could press 1 button and I'd be teleported to where I needed to be, making rushes faster and manual magic-finding runs that much easier and funner.
Is that justification for violating the ToS or the EULA? Was I right for using a hachexploit? The answer is "no "to both, it just took me a long time to realize it. I'm not going to lie, doing a rush in Diablo 2 is a pain in the ass now that I don't have/use MH, but it's not that much longer to do a rush now than it was with MH; maybe 10-20 minutes. The game hasn't changed, hasn't become any harder or easier, it just takes longer to get where you want to go. So, why did I do it? And why did millions of others do it?
Most importantly, why do people literally spend hundreds of hours looking for exploits that they can use, cheats that they can unlock, or hacks that they can make? If they get caught, they will likely suffer the same fate as myself and get banned, or at least suspended from the game they were using a hachexploit in. I think it boils down to just a few reasons:
[LIST][*]They give you an advantage over your competition[*]They make the game easier[*]We're all inherently lazy, and if we can find something to shortcut our route to getting stuff or accomplishing a goal, we'll use it[*]We almost always want to show off and show how good we are, and these hachexploits allow us to show off that much more[/LIST]There may be a few more, but those are the top ones that I can think of. To shorten them up, we're inherently lazy and always looking for an advantage over our opponents to show off our 1337 skillz, and will use any means necessary and available. This may not always be the case, but for a lot of those who use the hachexploits, it is. This is not acceptable to most everyone else who has never used hachexploits, or is a reformed hachexploiter.
The users of these hachexploits may have more enjoyment for themselves, but they end up ruining the enjoyment for many others, because they have that unfair advantage that we either cannot or will not have. Advantage should be gained through play time, familiarity with the game and it's mechanics, research, and a few other things depending on the game (positioning for an FPS as an example - gaining the high ground for a better vantage point). Advantage should not be manufactured or manipulated through the use of hachexploits, nor through the direct selling of power, but that's a discussion for another time ;)
So then, what can we, as not hachexploit users, do to fight the war on those that do use them? Honestly, there isn't much that we can do. Probably the easiest is that we could stoop to their level and start using hachexploits too, but that's neither a good solution, nor is it advisable. We could berate them in game (or after if you can't talk to them during), but again, not advisable and not a good solution. The easiest and probably most effective thing that we can do is report them to the company of the game they're currently playing, giving as much information about the situation as possible. Some companies will handle things fast and have a 0 tolerance for hachexploits; others say they have a 0 tolerance, but usually take quite a while to get rid of the hachexploiters and/or patch up the holes that allowed people to use the hachexploits in the first place. And, we can always show off our non-hachexploit skills and still kick the crap out of those who use them ;) In game, of course; I don't want anyone going to jail because they actually tracked someone down and beat them to a pulp in their own home :P
There may be other options, but our best course of action is to report all that we see using a hachexploit and hope that the company is responsible enough to punish the person and patch up the holes. For a game like Diablo 2, the time of really caring has long since passed, but for games like Black Ops, which is still in its infancy, companies will fight these people tooth and nail.
So, there's this big long blog post about hachexploits, and what did I actually say in all of it? Hachexploiting is rampant, and almost always violates the ToS or the EULA, but not much is done about it. Occasionally, people will get punished for using hachexploits, but it all depends on the company. Hachexploits give players an unfair advantage; what might take other players a long time to achieve or complete, hachexploiters can do it with the click/push of a few buttons. Companies know that hachexploits exist, and that people use and abuse them, but not all companies are good enough or responsible enough to do anything about it. Our best course of action, as non hachexploit users is to report those who do use them to the companies with as much information as possible, and cross our fingers that the company will do the right thing.
Until next time...
Personally, back in my old old old Diablo 2 days, I used Maphack and bots, and then D2Loader with AutoTele and stuff for a while, until I was banned for it in Nov. 2009 (possibly 2008) I think it was. I have since learned my lesson, and do not use 3rd party programs, and I have [B][I]never[/I][/B] willingly used an exploit to gain an advantage. The 3rd party programs I used could technically be called a hack or a cheat, so I can't say I didn't use those willingly, but I have not used them for anything other than Diablo 2, of that much I am certain. So, why did I use them?
It made Diablo 2 more enjoyable for me; the maphack (MH) allowed me to easily find places I needed to go for rushes, didn't have to deal with the weather/lighting affects, and also allowed me to skirt past groups of minions if I didn't want to fight them. Botting gave me an item advantage, because I was able to find a lot of items really fast and with minimal effort, allowing me to enjoy the time I actually played the game that much more because I had awesome equipment. D2Loader and AutoTele helped a lot of the same way MH did, but was much faster because I could press 1 button and I'd be teleported to where I needed to be, making rushes faster and manual magic-finding runs that much easier and funner.
Is that justification for violating the ToS or the EULA? Was I right for using a hachexploit? The answer is "no "to both, it just took me a long time to realize it. I'm not going to lie, doing a rush in Diablo 2 is a pain in the ass now that I don't have/use MH, but it's not that much longer to do a rush now than it was with MH; maybe 10-20 minutes. The game hasn't changed, hasn't become any harder or easier, it just takes longer to get where you want to go. So, why did I do it? And why did millions of others do it?
Most importantly, why do people literally spend hundreds of hours looking for exploits that they can use, cheats that they can unlock, or hacks that they can make? If they get caught, they will likely suffer the same fate as myself and get banned, or at least suspended from the game they were using a hachexploit in. I think it boils down to just a few reasons:
[LIST][*]They give you an advantage over your competition[*]They make the game easier[*]We're all inherently lazy, and if we can find something to shortcut our route to getting stuff or accomplishing a goal, we'll use it[*]We almost always want to show off and show how good we are, and these hachexploits allow us to show off that much more[/LIST]There may be a few more, but those are the top ones that I can think of. To shorten them up, we're inherently lazy and always looking for an advantage over our opponents to show off our 1337 skillz, and will use any means necessary and available. This may not always be the case, but for a lot of those who use the hachexploits, it is. This is not acceptable to most everyone else who has never used hachexploits, or is a reformed hachexploiter.
The users of these hachexploits may have more enjoyment for themselves, but they end up ruining the enjoyment for many others, because they have that unfair advantage that we either cannot or will not have. Advantage should be gained through play time, familiarity with the game and it's mechanics, research, and a few other things depending on the game (positioning for an FPS as an example - gaining the high ground for a better vantage point). Advantage should not be manufactured or manipulated through the use of hachexploits, nor through the direct selling of power, but that's a discussion for another time ;)
So then, what can we, as not hachexploit users, do to fight the war on those that do use them? Honestly, there isn't much that we can do. Probably the easiest is that we could stoop to their level and start using hachexploits too, but that's neither a good solution, nor is it advisable. We could berate them in game (or after if you can't talk to them during), but again, not advisable and not a good solution. The easiest and probably most effective thing that we can do is report them to the company of the game they're currently playing, giving as much information about the situation as possible. Some companies will handle things fast and have a 0 tolerance for hachexploits; others say they have a 0 tolerance, but usually take quite a while to get rid of the hachexploiters and/or patch up the holes that allowed people to use the hachexploits in the first place. And, we can always show off our non-hachexploit skills and still kick the crap out of those who use them ;) In game, of course; I don't want anyone going to jail because they actually tracked someone down and beat them to a pulp in their own home :P
There may be other options, but our best course of action is to report all that we see using a hachexploit and hope that the company is responsible enough to punish the person and patch up the holes. For a game like Diablo 2, the time of really caring has long since passed, but for games like Black Ops, which is still in its infancy, companies will fight these people tooth and nail.
So, there's this big long blog post about hachexploits, and what did I actually say in all of it? Hachexploiting is rampant, and almost always violates the ToS or the EULA, but not much is done about it. Occasionally, people will get punished for using hachexploits, but it all depends on the company. Hachexploits give players an unfair advantage; what might take other players a long time to achieve or complete, hachexploiters can do it with the click/push of a few buttons. Companies know that hachexploits exist, and that people use and abuse them, but not all companies are good enough or responsible enough to do anything about it. Our best course of action, as non hachexploit users is to report those who do use them to the companies with as much information as possible, and cross our fingers that the company will do the right thing.
Until next time...
Total Comments 2
Comments
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Interesting post, Fallen. I think there is one underlying reason for people hacking/cheating/exploiting: it's an easy way out.
In reality, hacking just presents an easier means to an end. As you stated, people are inherently lazy. If there is an easier way to reach a goal, then 99% of the time people will take it. Thankfully, most people aren't even willing to put in the effort to research how simple it is to implement simple hacks and exploits of games.
The people that hack consistently are the ones that are someday going to stab you behind the back at work, take credit for something you did, and beam in the limelight when all is said and done. Some may disagree and say that the two may be completely unrelated, but once you get in the habit of taking the easy road, it, like every other habit, is very difficult to break.Posted 01-20-2011 at 01:22 AM by -
Yea, and I kinda touched on that a bit, when I said it makes the game easier. I could have expanded on it, and probably would have said about the exact same thing you did.
Glad I don't work with many hackers... Or at least that I know of
I do know what you mean, though; those that look for the easy way out will always try and take credit for the good and lay blame off for the bad, keeping themselves in the spotlight all the time. Very hard people to deal with and work with.Posted 01-20-2011 at 11:13 AM by WNxFallen 
