18 votes

What's your opinion on using cheats/mods to boost progress in extremely grindy games, ie: GTA5 Online?

Tags: ask

I've been using mods on GTA online for a couple of weeks now just to skip the grind.

I hate cheating but I hate fucking grinding, especially with the minimal hours I have to play each week.

16 comments

  1. [6]
    RabidTurtl
    Link
    Online: No. Single player: Knock yourself out.

    Online: No.

    Single player: Knock yourself out.

    28 votes
    1. Fin
      (edited )
      Link Parent
      The cheats and hacks made me hate GTA:O . I thought I would have really enjoyed it but it is totally ruined by those and the shark cards. I just hope this bullshit doesn't turn into "Western...

      The cheats and hacks made me hate GTA:O . I thought I would have really enjoyed it but it is totally ruined by those and the shark cards.

      I just hope this bullshit doesn't turn into "Western Bucks" for RDR2, I'm trying to hold out hope.

      3 votes
    2. [3]
      samhh
      Link Parent
      Why not online, assuming you're just giving yourself money to buy the stuff you'd otherwise need to grind for? This doesn't harm anyone else.

      Why not online, assuming you're just giving yourself money to buy the stuff you'd otherwise need to grind for? This doesn't harm anyone else.

      2 votes
      1. [2]
        RabidTurtl
        Link Parent
        It still harms. What are you using that money to do? Buy better gear to have an edge over other online players? Get ahead in leader boards? Even if it isn't as direct as an aimbot, it still shows...

        It still harms. What are you using that money to do? Buy better gear to have an edge over other online players? Get ahead in leader boards? Even if it isn't as direct as an aimbot, it still shows at best poor sportsmanship on your behalf. Why do you get special rules in a multiplayer setting?

        I don't play GTA5 Online, so I'm just assuming that is what it is used for.

        4 votes
        1. samhh
          Link Parent
          I haven't played much of GTA Online, but from what I can remember the things you purchased (cool vehicles, buildings, gear) weren't used in PVP, only PVE.

          I haven't played much of GTA Online, but from what I can remember the things you purchased (cool vehicles, buildings, gear) weren't used in PVP, only PVE.

          1 vote
    3. aphoenix
      Link Parent
      I generally agree, though I don't mind "cheating" in an online cooperative game, within reason. For example, I had a group of friends who were playing Borderlands 2 at about level 30 and I wanted...

      I generally agree, though I don't mind "cheating" in an online cooperative game, within reason.

      For example, I had a group of friends who were playing Borderlands 2 at about level 30 and I wanted to join. I had no BL2 saves at that level... until I made one using a save editor. That's certainly cheating, but I don't think it really had a negative effect on anything. I didn't have a competitive advantage over other people, and I didn't give myself so much high end gear that nobody else felt useful.

      1 vote
  2. [2]
    Heichou
    Link
    I feel like it's largely a based on morals thing. Rockstar can suck my left nut for what they did to GTA V so I don't care at all, hell, the most fun I've had with friends is when a hacker joined...

    I feel like it's largely a based on morals thing. Rockstar can suck my left nut for what they did to GTA V so I don't care at all, hell, the most fun I've had with friends is when a hacker joined the lobby and started causing chaos (also when he just tased us and spawned ridiculous amounts of money on us). The grind in GTA V is enormous so I don't blame anybody for hacking in money. It's when people actively disrupt other peoples' experience by crashing games/making them lose stuff/getting them banned that I take exception to

    11 votes
    1. hackergal
      Link Parent
      GTAV Online was designed to be a grind-fest to get you to buy those stupid shark cards. If people want to cheat in money, I don't have a problem with it because I detest those practices. I...

      GTAV Online was designed to be a grind-fest to get you to buy those stupid shark cards. If people want to cheat in money, I don't have a problem with it because I detest those practices. I personally just chose not to play GTAV Online, but I understand why people don't want to just give up on multiplayer altogether, especially when they paid $60 for the game.

      6 votes
  3. Diet_Coke
    (edited )
    Link
    Single player: it's yours, do with it what you will. Online sandboxes - don't make other people's experience worse and you're fine. Online competitive games - just no. I think it's a failure in...

    Single player: it's yours, do with it what you will.

    Online sandboxes - don't make other people's experience worse and you're fine.

    Online competitive games - just no.

    I think it's a failure in game design when people want to hack. GTA V singleplayer was great, GTA V Online never did it for me precisely because it's just a boring grind with strangers. And most people are dickheads. I can see why someone would want to hack it.

    9 votes
  4. SheepWolf
    Link
    I don't cheat in online games vs other players for a variety of reasons but I do for single player games. Usually I'll just want to get through the story and experience the game not collect 1000...

    I don't cheat in online games vs other players for a variety of reasons but I do for single player games. Usually I'll just want to get through the story and experience the game not collect 1000 of X, kill 300 of the same enemy, or anything else that is boring and tedious.

    It's unfortunate that many games have grinding aspects to them so when I hear about those I try to avoid them. The downside to cheating is that sometimes it makes the game trivially easy and that ends up taking away any challenge and making the game not so fun. I think of it as a balancing act.

    4 votes
  5. Lex
    Link
    I'm of the opinion it's fine as long as it doesn't negatively impact other player's experience in any way. Giving yourself all weapons in SP mode or spawning jets for your friends in a closed...

    I'm of the opinion it's fine as long as it doesn't negatively impact other player's experience in any way. Giving yourself all weapons in SP mode or spawning jets for your friends in a closed online lobby is fine in my eyes, but once you start doing that stuff in public sessions it begins to indirectly (or directly if you're being particularly careless) negatively impact the experience for others which is not cool in my book.

    2 votes
  6. StubbornLights
    Link
    Having seen some of the grind of GTA V Online, I can't actually blame you that much. It seems like its goal is to get people to buy the currency (literally called "Whale Shark" cards for one...

    Having seen some of the grind of GTA V Online, I can't actually blame you that much. It seems like its goal is to get people to buy the currency (literally called "Whale Shark" cards for one tier). Also, none of the online vehicles got added to the single player game for people who were uninterested in Online, but wanted to enjoy sandboxing w/ them. I've heard issues with Rockstar banning people for mods though, including ones intended for single player.

    That said, I'm assuming the mods you're using are just currency or similar. If you're using an aimbot, or... I dunno, are there hacks for races?-- something that directly affects other players, that's less acceptable. But man, GTA V Online seems way too grindy for me to try.

    2 votes
  7. Abrown
    Link
    Single player? Cheat away. Multiplayer? No, you're messing with the experience of other people and that's not cool. If everyone agrees to cheat, that's another thing then. I used to be hardcore...

    Single player? Cheat away. Multiplayer? No, you're messing with the experience of other people and that's not cool. If everyone agrees to cheat, that's another thing then. I used to be hardcore into Minecraft and we eventually all started using hacked clients on one Factions server and it actually made the experience even more fun for all of us (due to the increased amount of general chaos that would occur). The server's description even had a disclaimer that warned users of the dangers of not cheating.

    2 votes
  8. Cliftonia
    Link
    Fine with me. I have no particular respect for grinding as an activity online or offline. I enjoy it in some games, others not at all.

    Fine with me. I have no particular respect for grinding as an activity online or offline. I enjoy it in some games, others not at all.

    2 votes
  9. nsz
    Link
    Was playing age of empires 3 with flatmates in Lan and Vs computer. Where where all kind of competing, leveling the home city etc it was exciting. Then I found where to eddit the save to level up...

    Was playing age of empires 3 with flatmates in Lan and Vs computer. Where where all kind of competing, leveling the home city etc it was exciting. Then I found where to eddit the save to level up the home city. Complety killed it after like 1 game, made it feel kind on pointless.

    So I guess be weary, it's a very thin line where if you find yourself on the wrong side suddenly it all seems pointless and you loose interest in the game.

    1 vote
  10. Lynx
    Link
    In single player, of course, do whatever you want. It doesn't affect anyone else - it might ruin the game for you, tough luck. In multiplayer, it entirely depends on the game. Staying with the...

    In single player, of course, do whatever you want. It doesn't affect anyone else - it might ruin the game for you, tough luck.

    In multiplayer, it entirely depends on the game. Staying with the example of GTA:O, I don't care if you spend thousands of hours grinding, thousands of dollars buying cash or nothing at all by cheating money. Hell, I've done it myself plenty of times to keep the game interesting. It's not like I have a way to check where you got your money, so why should it bother me?

    When it comes to other cheats in GTA, it's a little more difficult. Spawn some expensive as crap, awesome vehicle for others? That's awesome, thanks. Lock everyone in the session in cages or spawn water fountains underneath them for infinite death? Fuck you. Basically, if I can keep playing however I want, knock yourself out.

    The same with competitive multiplayer really, I don't care if someone cheats only to skip the grind. Playtime shouldn't affect one's performance, only skill. You're better with all the top weapons unlocked? Have fun.

    I used to be a little shit as well, did a lot of stupid things on PvP Minecraft servers with hacked clients. Again, not ok if it necessarily affects other's gameplay.

    1 vote