Guide to cheating in computer games

Note: I usually only play games on PC's. Thus this little guide will contain mostly cheats for computer games, not consoles.

1. Cheat Codes

By far the most common type of cheat in computer games. In PC's they usually involve typing in a codeword while you are playing a game or something similar. In consoles it usually is typing in a code in a screen or using a combination of buttons and directions on the gamepad to activate the cheat.

This is the best way to cheat. It is quick and easy and there are many databases on the internet containing such codes for your perusal. Famous cheat codes such as IDDQD in Doom and FUNDS in SimCity are well remembered by hardcore gamers. But I guess I am just a game-obssessed freak.

2. Solution / Walkthrough / Walkthru / Game Guide

A document of some sort giving you the exact actions that you need to perform in order to beat the game. Usually contains a big warning SPOILERS! to ward off people who really want to beat the game by themselves. This type of cheat is usally for RPG's} and [adventure games.

3. Trainer

A memory-resident program that is activated before starting the game. It usually locks or alters a specific memory location that correlates inside the game to a known value, such as health points, mana, money, blah blah. The cheater then can change the desired value at his leisure. The only real problem with this type of cheat is that trainers only work on specific versions of the game. If an update is released and you still need to cheat, you are screwed.

4. Editor

I have not seen this type of cheat for a while, probably due to the recent inclusion of cheat codes in all recent games. It edits values of known locations of game files. These are usually save files, but it could be the .EXE or .INI files.

5. FAQ / Strategy Guide

While not exactly a cheat, I have decided to include it anyways. All this does is provide gamers with general playing tips, basic approches to beating the game, and information on the game.

6. Hex (Hexadecimal) cheat

The dark horse of all cheats. By far the most difficult to pull off. I have not done this for years, once again, due to the proliferation of cheat codes. The initial success of this method cheating (for me, in sixth grade cheating on Civilization) is usually met with elation and euphoria. It involves using a hex-editor program and diving into the game files to search for the wanted values (usually gold or other equivalent monetary medium) in base-16 form and changing them. The difficult part is first of all, there usually are many many many of the same values in a file (especially in a large file) and secondly, the order of bytes are reversed (this is too complicated to explain, so I will not do it here. Go to the Adrenaline Vault). But after doing all the work in this type of cheat, the satisfaction of success is usually well worth it.

And that is it! This is a summary of everything I have learned in cheating in computer games in the last 12 years. As Lord British of Ultima fame said: "It is alright to steal as long as you don't get caught.".

Update:

To Ed Halley: What is your problem? I am trying to be informative and you do a writeup that is totally asshole-like. I did not encourage the use of cheats in multiplayer, nor did I indicate my joy in ruining others. Go and node about your hate elsewhere.

This is more common in console games, since they can't be patched, but another form of cheating is exploiting loopholes that give you extra lives, gold, etc. For example, in MVP Baseball 2004, if you save a season game at the end, but before playoffs, you can save, exit, reload to keep gaining MVP points to unlock extra features. Or, in Link's Awakening DX, theres a hidden dungeon you can exit and re-enter to collect rupees (the game's currency), until you're maxed out.

There's another form of cheating I've come into contact with mainly in fighting games such as Capcom's Street Fighter (or any fighting game for that matter). Some players, mainly unskilled n00bs, will pick a character that's overpowered and whore one move that just happens to go through whatever the other player throws at them.

And finally, the console equivalent of the above mentioned editor, the gameshark, action replay, or any such type of cheat device.