Cheats

[ggambett]

I'm implementing cheat codes for testing and debugging purposes in Betty's Beer Bar, and I started to wonder... do you have cheat codes in your games? What's the point? Do people ask for them? Do you implement them and then "leak" them somehow, or let users with lots and lots of time find them? I'd like to hear your opinion about this.

[Robert Cummings]

Doesn't make any difference to sales IMHO, and it will just slow you down. Use for debugging or if your game is truely hardcore and needs them.

[kerchen]

I think cheats and easter eggs can potentially make you game more fun and can even help word-of-mouth advertising of your game. For example, if you had an easter egg in BBB that, say, turns Betty into a cross-dressing man, you'd probably attract some extra attention to your game (though in this example it maybe not the kind of attention you *want* necessarily, but you get the idea). However, I'm opposed to cheats that let the player win more easily. I understand that if a player wants to cheat they should be able to, but I think enabling cheating reduces the value of your game. Why? Because, looking back on a game months after playing it, most people (I suspect) will probably only have a vague memory of the game. Which would you rather have: someone who tells their friends "I played it for a few hours and then used some cheats to get to the end," or "I played it for a weeks on end because I wanted to get to the end?" By enabling your players to fast-forward to the end, you've made it easier for them to forget your game. Just my two bits; I'm sure others will have diametrically opposing views. :)

[Savant]

That starts to smell of designer ego, however. Just because it wouldn't be satisfying for YOU to warp to the end doesn't mean it wouldn't be for someone else. To rebutt your statements - which would you rather have: "I had a great time playing this game" or "This game was really hard so I gave up"?

Personally, I love cheats in games. I don't want them handed to me but if I go searching on the web and find a code that helps me get past a certain level that I'm having trouble with my experience goes from "annoyance and putting the game on the shelf/uninstalling" to "continuing on with the rest of the game and having fun".

Whenever designers start to impose their own visions on how people "should" be playing their games, I get a little antsy. Get out of my way, let me have fun.

[Spaceman Spiff]

Cheat Codes (and related: Easter Eggs) have taken on a life of their own in the games industry. If you are working on a AAA title, you'll find that "cheat codes" are strongly expected of your game.

The usage of them I heard sited most often is to let reviewers go through the game and see all of the content without having the (insane sometimes) skills necessary to go through it the legal way. The next most often sited reason I've heard is that "all our competitors have them!" .. i.e. the keeping up with the Jones effect and making it another bullet point on the feature list.

In any case, the buying public of console and PC games has come to expect them, which is reason enough to consider them.

That said, I don't think they belong at all in many of the casual or indie games. to argue: what sort of cheat would make sense in Bejewelled? To allow illegal moves? Do that once, and the player loses much of the compulsion to go on.

As for a 2d-shooter with an insanely hard end-level boss? maybe yes so players won't get frustrated and just walk away from the game. But if that's the case, I would think it a problem with the game's design (Medal of Honor: Allied Assault: Sniper Town, I am looking at you!)

For a better idea than a cheat code in such a situation, look at Brothers in Arms: Road to Hill 30 -- if you get killed at the same point 3 times, on checkpoint reload, the game pops up a message box saying "Life isn't fair, but a game doesn't have to be -- want to restore to full health?" letting the player choose to temporarily make it a bit easier so they can move on. The scope is limited and the player doesn’t think they actually invoked a cheat code.

The line can get blurred with easter eggs, as often they are invoked with the same mechanisms as a cheat code that effects game play, such as “display secret credits” vs. “kill all opponents”. One has Zero impact on the game, the other 100% impact. It gets further blurred with bonus content such as the ED-207 Robot (from Robocop) in Age of Empires: fun, frivolous, but obviously not part of the Bronze age. Is that a cheat, easter egg, or combo? I’m not sure what to call it.

Back to the question at hand:

Yes, I implement a cheat code system, and also include a bunch of “developer build only” stuff such as a mechanism for changing critical runtime variables on the fly.

I also want to include out-and out easter eggs, as well as bonus content (that doesn’t take much effort) to reward people who spend time with the game.

[soniCron]

Which would you rather have: someone who tells their friends "I played it for a few hours and then used some cheats to get to the end," or "I played it for a weeks on end because I wanted to get to the end?" For what it's worth, my wife plays very few games if she can't cheat. She enjoys cheating because she doesn't really like the challenge, but she does like the play. She likes the "power" she feels from conquering a game, even if she didn't do it fairly. If the author is adamant about leaving out cheats, perhaps a "Super Easy" mode might suffice. But a game designer is not the player's "opponent". Don't forget about the popularity of Snood, which removed all the challenging aspects of Puzzle Bobble!

"I challenge you to achieve, I encourage you when you fail. I lay the traps… but I also provide the clues that the traps are there. As my customer, your entertainment is my responsibility. Sometimes I am your guide, sometimes your opponent, sometimes your mentor. Above all else, it is my role to see to it that you enjoy yourself. If my game does not give you pleasure, then I have failed." (From "What Kind of Designer are You? (http://www.gamasutra.com/features/20030127/adams_01.shtml)")

[ggambett]

it will just slow you down.
????? :confused:

[papillon]

what sort of cheat would make sense in Bejewelled?


A special 'I quit' command that forfeits the current game but does a REALLY SPECIAL SHINY visual effect in the process.

I suppose this counts more as an easter egg really, though.

A cheat command in Bejewelled that made the game play itself would be entertaining, but might need to be available only in the finished product. It could damage the compellingness of the demo if you could just sit back and watch, but 'screensaver mode' can be a cute thing to have, and should be easy to implement in a puzzle game like that which already has computer 'hints' programmed in.

[luggage]

Considering they take so little time to implement then you may as well put them in. They've been in games for years to give a title a second wind once sales start declining - usually leaked by the publisher. Working for Hasbro they insisted their games have cheat codes.

Once a game has been out for a while they get the cheats published in a magazine and create a little bit more coverage. This wouldn't quite work the same way with the internet but it can't hurt can it?

You can always release them to cheat websites, in your newsletter, reward them for completing tasks in the game, display them in small text for people to find and discover.

If it helps make your game better then it will increase sales.

[HairyTroll]

There are two ways of looking at it.

Take Grand Tourismo for example; For some hardcore gamers, the thrill comes from spending countless hours attempting to unlock the next car. Normal people just want to race the damn Ferrari already.

[soniCron]

There are two ways of looking at it. Uhm... that's 1 way, just for the record. ;) However, since cheats are optional, the inclusion in games creates a multi-faceted approach to the gaming.

[Dingo Games]

Take Grand Tourismo for example; For some hardcore gamers, the thrill comes from spending countless hours attempting to unlock the next car. Normal people just want to race the damn Ferrari already.
Gran Turismo has that "B-Spec" mode now which is sort of like cheating because you can just leave the game on and make money. But it is part of the game and doesn't really feel like cheating.


In my game, Laser Dolphin, there are tons of unlockable cheats. Some make the game easier but a lot of just for fun (giant dolphin, flying dolphin, enemies run away, etc.). But when you have turned on the cheat codes, beating levels doesn't count - it doesn't get recorded in your stats. So the player still has motivation for playing the game without cheat codes. There are also "type-in" style cheats which are good to give to reviewers.

There are also cheats in my other game Jack of All Trades. This is a space trading game where you must always earn money to get the next bigger ship. I really think that using certain cheats in this game ruin the game.. e.g. getting infinite money. Sometimes people ask me for the cheats. I usually try to provide them with a way to win without using cheats.. and also give them the cheats.

I don't know about the "designer ego" thing, but I know that in the past I have used cheats and afterwards regretted because the game wasn't fun anymore. I think this is true for games which rely on exploration or discovering new things.. if you cheat and see everything then you don't feel the urge to play any more.

Although cheats would also be good for testing things during development, I usually don't end up putting them in until the game is almost done. :rolleyes:

[iopred]

Heli Attack 3 launched with a 'cheat' area in the menu where you can type in cheats. From the amount of email I have received in 2 weeks, I highly recommend not doing it that way. As it stands I receive 5 or more emails an hour, a scary thing to wake up to every morning.

Edit: This is in addition to the fact the full list of codes is online.

Next game, it will be an unlock system, where completing a bunch of high difficulty challenges unlock them for free, or doing it like 'Lego Starwars' where you can simply purchase your cheats from a vendor with collected coins. Additionally, cheats that do things like progress levels, give infinite health etc. should be left as hidden key combos, and if these affect gameplay, should dissalow the player from submitting a score for the remainder of that game.

Finally, it is scary just how many people want to cheat, I was blown away.

[soniCron]

For what it's worth, my wife plays very few games if she can't cheat. Incidentally, she has yet to ask about any cheats for Betty's Beer Bar! ;)

[mahlzeit]

The other day I was playing a bunch of C64 games on the emulator. All of them had trainers added to them by crackers (har har). This got me to thinking: you might as well put in the trainer yourself and give players the option: play with trainer (infinite lives, invincibility, etc) or go for a hiscore.

[soniCron]

...you might as well put in the trainer yourself and give players the option: play with trainer (infinite lives, invincibility, etc) or go for a hiscore. That would make it a "cheat". ;) Trainers are designed to modify the memory of a program to afford the player extra functionality that wasn't originally intended by the developer (usually in the form of invincibility, infinite money, and the like).

[mahlzeit]

Duh. But it's not a cheat that's hidden and that you have to go lookup on the net. It's right there in your face. ;)

[kerchen]

That starts to smell of designer ego, however. Just because it wouldn't be satisfying for YOU to warp to the end doesn't mean it wouldn't be for someone else. To rebutt your statements - which would you rather have: "I had a great time playing this game" or "This game was really hard so I gave up"?

Whenever designers start to impose their own visions on how people "should" be playing their games, I get a little antsy. Get out of my way, let me have fun.

Hey, I agree with you. I'm not at all concerned about cheats from a design standpoint. If a player wants to play the game differently from how the designer intended, so be it--it's their game to play how they want (with the notable exception of multiplayer games--allowing cheating in those games usually destroys the game unless there's a mechanism to alert other players to a player's use of a cheat). All I'm saying is that, from a business/marketing standpoint, the presence of cheats in a game *could* reduce the lifetime of that game. If I find a game too difficult, I lose interest in that game pretty quickly regardless of whether or not there are cheats. By giving the player the option of fast-forwarding through the game, one is also giving them the option of fast-forwarding through the period of time when they might mention the game to other people. Of course this is all just speculation and opinion. ;)

[Savant]

All I'm saying is that, from a business/marketing standpoint, the presence of cheats in a game *could* reduce the lifetime of that game.
And it could extend it as well. I know there are several games I would have stopped playing if I couldn't have found a cheat to get past some stupidly hard level or puzzle.

But yeah, I think we agree. :)

[C_Coder]

I did need to get into the game fast for testing so I had to make some kind of control panel. I did one of those quake style consoles. Then I said, why not just leave it there in the release version? You can make many things in it especialy since I use the lua scripting engine and anything you type is parsed by the engine for maximum customization. :D

I quite like it and I agree on having cheats especially when you cannot get through the game and you want to know what you paid for ;)

[cliffski]

I get maybe 2 requests a week for the starship tycoon cheats. Cheats are a good thing. I stopped playing half Life 2 because I couldnt beat some tedious jumping puzzle. there is maybe 5% of your players who will get stuck somewhere and give up. cheat codes let them keep playing.
They paid for the game, let them have the cheats, feel free to implement them only in the full version.

[BantamCityGames]

I included 2 cheats in Invadazoid, but don't plan on releasing them for at least the next few weeks. I have one that turns invasion and boss modes into "shooter mode" where the ball goes away and you have a permanent plasma cannon, and I have another cheat that gives the player 99 lives and a plasma cannon and missle deflector. The cheats are really just to add an extra nugget of fun and also for the players that can't get too far on their own it gives them a chance to see the whole game.

[Robert Cummings]

I won't be adding cheats. For the casual market, they are not necessary. By slowing down, I mean it's easy to get caught up making easter eggs and cheats that only a minority will ever see instead of coding stuff everyone will see.

[Black Hydra]

I think some easy and quick cheats could really help you out.

Something like a cheat that makes you invulnerable.

You want to make a downside to using such a cheat such as:

1) Highscore games could make your highscore invalid (or perhaps some special color to indicate you cheated) so that players can feel better about playing the game honestly.

2) Certain features can only be unlocked if you played the level through fairly

I think if the player wants to cheat, let him. Who are you to decide how the game should be played by others? Don't let your ego get in the way of others enjoying your game.

You want to make the cheats somewhat undesirable so that there is a reason for not cheating, but still allows poorer players to enjoy your game.

For example: A game like Ricochet could have special cheats, but players who cheated wouldn't be able to include the rings they collected for the trophies you can win. Or in BreakQuest, the key that allows you to play the mission in Arcade Mode wouldn't be unlocked if you cheated to get it.

I don't like to punish players in the game, but if you make the implication that cheating is meant to be used to complete the game then players will probably complain your game was too easy. Just something minor, so if they want the challenge they can play with it but if they just want the shallow gratification of beating the game easily, then give them that too.

[Anthony Flack]

I think for any content-based game, cheats are an essential addition. You don't have to widely publicise them (I think it's probably a good thing if someone has to go out of their way a little to find a cheat). And I also think it's fair to not allow unlockables and highscores etc, to be earned while the game is in a "cheat mode". But rest assured, if you have a content-based game, people will email you asking for cheats. Often.

Customer: "I really love your game! It's the greatest! But I'm stuck on level 3! I sooooo want to see what happens next, is there a cheat code?"

You: "No. For the casual market, they are not necessary."

[svero]

I usually have cheats and I tend to leave them in the game. I also tend to leave my save game files etc.. pretty open and easy to edit. Often they're just in plain text format. I figure if people want to cheat let em'. Most people wont go out of their way to open a save file etc.. In a few games I've advertised the cheats in the user manual. A Snake's Life is an example of that. Aargon has an open all levels cheat in the Dexterity version.

Sometimes I get strange letters from cheaters. Like someone who figured out my save game file or some other way to cheat saying "haha... you guys are no good it was soooo easy to figure out this save game file and cheat" like they pulled one over on me. That's happened a couple of times.

[Hamumu]

Yes, cheats are a must! And people love them. Even more if you have unlockable easter eggs and whatnot, but definitely don't forget the basic type-in cheats that outright cheat. Some people (some kids...) demand them before they'll even try your game.

[Gilzu]

Yes, cheats are a must! And people love them. Even more if you have unlockable easter eggs and whatnot, but definitely don't forget the basic type-in cheats that outright cheat. Some people (some kids...) demand them before they'll even try your game.

one word: IDDQD :D

I was too afraid to play doom as a youngster, Fear of being slaughtered everytime...

i might even call it a child mode where you can give it to a child, and you know it will keep him busy for hours. or even better - after playing tons of levels you get a reward instead of "GAMEOVER". funny stuff like kerchen suggested, or just give some weird superpowers to the character (for the players who finished the game). I really think it boosts replayability.

[soniCron]

I was too afraid to play doom as a youngster, Fear of being slaughtered everytime... i might even call it a child mode where you can give it to a child, and you know it will keep him busy for hours. Yes. Doom is the ultimate babysitter.

[iopred]

Your forgetting: IDSPISPOPD, Hamamu must know a few things about that one!

Speaking of Doom cheats, the multiplayer map cheat was the worst mistake in iD's history.

[tolik]

Bejeweled 2 Cheats/Hints:
http://www.gamefaqs.com/computer/doswin/code/925204.html

Zuma Easter Egg:
http://www.gamefaqs.com/computer/doswin/code/924613.html

[Jim Buck]

I remember that people were snooping the .exe of the first PS1 game I did in order to find the strings used in the cheat code tests.. so, for the 2nd game, I encrypted the codes and a secret message.. but left a plaintext message taunting them. :)

[djinni]

One of my friends is a cheat-addict, so if we both play the same game he will ruin the experience for me by unlocking all the best items and/or getting really far ahead :mad: Personally, if a game is so hard I have to use cheats, it makes me feel unfulfilled knowing that I have cheated...

[Drake]

Zuma Easter Egg:
http://www.gamefaqs.com/computer/doswin/code/924613.htmlBy storing crucial game variables in an XML file, PopCap has even opened the world of game hacking to the casual gamer! They are truly ahead of the curve. :)

[soniCron]

By storing crucial game variables in an XML file, PopCap has even opened the world of game hacking to the casual gamer! They are truly ahead of the curve. :) You just wait until I add, "This Menu Item Does Not Exist" to my menu. Perhaps a little "2 Million Point BONUS!!" or "UNLIMITED Lives!!" might be vague enough for anyone less than hardcore gamers?

[Drake]

I believe in cheats for those who want them, and will be including several in Rabidlab's soon-to-be-released action/platformer. It will be possible to discover them by reaching secret areas in the game, but I was also planning on parceling them out in a tips-and-tricks section of the monthly newsletter. Since we will only have one game to talk about at first, this seems like a good way to pad it out.

[Diragor]

I have always loved cheats in games, for very different reasons throughout my gaming history. When I was younger I used to use them in console games when something was too hard for me. Now I use them mostly for replay value. I loved Half-Life 2 and refused to cheat or use walkthroughs the first time through, but after beating it I started over and cheated like crazy. The first time it was fun for the challenge and exploration, but after that it's also fun to be Rambo and just mow over everything.

[soniCron]

Of course, the best cheat ever:

Up, Up, Down, Down, Left, Right, Left, Right, B, A, B, A

:D

[Drake]

Of course, the best cheat ever:

Up, Up, Down, Down, Left, Right, Left, Right, B, A, B, A

:DIndeed. Do you have the shirt (http://www.gameskins.com/item--The-Code-Tee--gssh017)?

30th post! "Don't call me junior."

[soniCron]

Indeed. Do you have the shirt (http://www.gameskins.com/item--The-Code-Tee--gssh017)? Almost. But I disagreed with it's message. See, I used to play with a friend, so the final code was Up, Up, Down, Down, Left, Right, Left, Right, B, A, B, A, Select, Start in order to select the "2 Player" game. Oh well, guess you can't have everything...

[Black Hydra]

I think leaving taunting mysterious for how to unlock special things can really keep people playing.

After seeing that "Special Bonus for Passive Resistance" in Platypus I spent a good part of the demo time trying to figure out how to do it....

[Anthony Flack]

People email me about that quite a lot. Did you figure it out?

[Black Hydra]

Nope... fun to try though.

I tried avoiding every enemy in a level. Note: It really isn't nearly as satisfying as killing everything. And I also tried smashing my ship into enemies. But that quickly ended the game.... very cryptic. I'd like to add something like that into my game.

[Anthony Flack]

You have to avoid every enemy, and also not die. I think it was actually the generation of an explosion of any kind that de-flagged the bonus.

Not as much fun as shooting though, yeah. But I do like secrets. I intended to put in lots, but I ran out of time (and steam) so that's actually the only one. Cletus Clay is going to be the most stuffed-to-the-gills with secrets game ever, though.

[Omega]

All versions of Bejeweled will flash the two gems you need to swap to continue, if you pause for about 7 seconds. I was wondering how my sister was so good, and she told me the secret.

I have seen a lot of Bejeweled and PopCap discussions here, and about their success, but maybe this 'nobody can be bad at bejeweled' is part of the secret of Bejeweled's success?

Same with Platypus. I just downloaded the demo, and put in virtual quarters to keep playing after I had already run out of lives.

[Anthony Flack]

Can you do that now? Oh.

[Spaceman Spiff]

I have seen a lot of Bejeweled and PopCap discussions here, and about their success, but maybe this 'nobody can be bad at bejeweled' is part of the secret of Bejeweled's success?

Try this: Start play Bejeweled (1) for a few minutes. Then decide you want the game to end (no more moves). How fast can you get there?

[James C. Smith]

maybe this 'nobody can be bad at bejeweled' is part of the secret of Bejeweled's success?

I think it is. I discovered this some time ago and have discussed it here many times. Casual gamers like easy game. They like to think they are good at the game. They never like to loose. My gut instinct is to assume that a game must be challenging to but fun and the player must risk death to enjoy victory. I have learned to suppress that instinct. Give the player plenty of hints and don't penalize them for it. Novice players should be able to succeed. But you should still have extra reward for fore skilled players.

[James C. Smith]

Start play Bejeweled (1) for a few minutes. Then decide you want the game to end (no more moves). How fast can you get there?

Yes. It is very hard to looses in the "standard" mode of play in bejeweled. I think that is why I always preferred the "timed" more or "action" mode or whatever they call it.

I have also found that it is hard to loose a game of Zuma. I once wanted to see how they designed the game over screen. I was very surprised how long it took me to die 3 times when I was trying as hard as I could to die quickly.

[Savant]

I have also found that it is hard to loose a game of Zuma. I once wanted to see how they designed the game over screen. I was very surprised how long it took me to die 3 times when I was trying as hard as I could to die quickly.
In Zuma? All you would have to do is not shoot any marbles and let the snake reach the end point ... or am I thinking of the wrong game?

[soniCron]

In Zuma? All you would have to do is not shoot any marbles and let the snake reach the end point ... or am I thinking of the wrong game? Well, in order to die faster, you'll want to shoot as many unmatching balls as possible. Nobody "playing" the game will just let the thing run out, but if they're trying to play, he's basically saying they can screw up a whole hell of a lot before the game is over.

[Black Hydra]

I think one thing that is very good is to create the illusion of a challenge while still letting the player win.

Good games can do this very well, as you really feel like you are winning a difficult challenge, however it is actually very hard to lose.

A good method of this can also be in secretly making the game easier just before they are about to lose. So if the game has some sort of meter for time, as the players time drops to a lower amount the rate at which the meter runs out is lowered so it gives them the appearance that they "just slipped by" but really they had a lot more time.

I haven't played too much of Zuma but the one thing I felt they did well was that when you felt like it was just about to close in on you, you could fire a shot that would collapse it backwards a fair bit. That made you feel like you just dodged a bullet, but I think that their must have been some concious intention on the designers part to make it feel like you are being challenged more than you actually are.

[James C. Smith]

In Zuma? All you would have to do is not shoot any marbles and let the snake reach the end point ... or am I thinking of the wrong game?

Yep that's the game. If you do nothing for long enough you will die. But it takes a few minutes. I tried to accelerate the death process by firing marbles as fast as I could to quickly extend the length of the snake. But random rapid clicking results in enough accidental matches that it still takes a while to loose one life. And then you have two more lives.

[Abscissa]

I think one thing that is very good is to create the illusion of a challenge while still letting the player win.That's just what I was thinking too. I remember playing Super Groovy (http://www.insaneplay.com/supergroovy.htm) and finding it a very interesting concept, and well-polished, but I got bored of it almost immediately because there didn't appear to be much of a loosing condition or sense of danger (other than not getting a bonus you were aiming for, and the red-flippy-thing you would have to try to get caught by.)

[Larry Hastings]

For another data point, my game not only has cheats, it has a full-fledged cheats console, where you can see the currently active cheats, and activate / deactivate the cheats as necessary. I also threw in "play this song", and some SEKRIT debugging commands like "turn off all sound" (for when I'm running it under the debugger and I left sound on) and "turn sound back on" and such. Plus, the UI is totally old-skool. :)

(Before you ask, Mike: the game is on the back burner right now, as my current contract is totally on fire. Sigh.)

[NuriumGames]

I added a few cheats for BreakQuest (infinite lives, infinite bullets, change to whatever level you want and infinite gravity), I think is good to have and does not hurt if you don't want to use them.

I sent them to a few places and now these are now in a bunch of cheat sites. They also come very handy for reviewers.

[Sharpfish]

I tried to accelerate the death process by firing marbles as fast as I could to quickly extend the length of the snake. But random rapid clicking results in enough accidental matches that it still takes a while to loose one life. And then you have two more lives.


I have seen this "random clicking" produces "win-win" situations in MANY casual games. When I first found this out I was dismayed by the apparent lack of real challenge, or incentive to use brain power.. since then I have realised it was possibly (not in all cases) an intentional side effect/trade off of having the difficulty level easy enough for the casual players who seek rewards in the first 30 seconds. I am not saying they would click randomly to beat it (though some may - it is NO fun though) but rather, by making a game that "easy" and casual-friendly, there is the random success phenomenon inherent in the game. I suppose really great games make it EASY while removing the totally random success (through the design of the gameplay from the early stages).

[James C. Smith]

It seems few indie/casual games have cheat codes. Or if they do, they're not exposed in any way that I can find them (i.e. search 'Diner Dash cheat', look in the docs, on the website, etc.)

I would think cheat codes (maybe only for the full version, not the demo) would be a good idea - to let a user skip a puzzle they found particularly difficult, or just see the end of the game. A user may just get a mental block with a particular puzzle, or maybe you, the game developer messed up and made a particular puzzle a little harder than it should have been (yes, I know we should test and catch these, but they do slip through sometimes).

So, are people including cheat codes in their games and I'm just missing them? Any reason not to include cheat codes for full versions?

I usually let users skip level without having to know a lookup a code. If you want to make it easier on the casual user, why make them know a secret code. In BKR, if you loose a level 2 times in a row then the third time you get an option to skip it.

We always include cheat codes in the games to help develop and test the game. For Ricochet, we have a special private forum where volunteers help test the user made levels before they are published in the web site. We give those testers the cheat codes to help them test. But we don’t publicize the cheat codes.

I an not saying publicizing the cheat codes is a bad idea. It can be a good way to get extra free press and more word of mouth. I just think it is a bad way to try to make the game easier or more accessible. But it can be a good way to do other things.

[lowpoly]

A good method of this can also be in secretly making the game easier just before they are about to lose. So if the game has some sort of meter for time, as the players time drops to a lower amount the rate at which the meter runs out is lowered so it gives them the appearance that they "just slipped by" but really they had a lot more time.


This is something I was considering myself and I think it's definitely a good idea, but if I can go off on a tangent for a second, how about using this tactic inversely. What's the consensus on ramping up the difficulty level based on player performance? From my gaming experience, rubber-banding is one of those annoying little tricks that make you swear out, 'the computer cheats!' :D

I like the idea of a dynamic difficulty level, but at the same time I think the player should be rewarded for mastery.