Let's talk Ethics (modding vs cheating)

[vvmachete]

Before any of you start to judge, remind yourself the name of this web site and why you are here in the first place.

I'll start by saying that I haven't used a mod menu in a while. When I did, I used it in story mode or online for my own private use and around friends ONLY. I teleported, used self-enhancing options inside jobs like survival or heists, spawned cars for fun and profit, gave (and received) money privately, and other good, clean fun options IN PRIVATE with my friends. I never used harm options on anyone. Never spawned any objects on top of anyone (except on my friends in private and with their consent and knowledge). Never used mass griefing options in freemode. Never took away weapons. Never kicked, froze or crashed anyone, even when I was on the receiving end of UFOs, ferris wheels or campfires. And, I have never used god mode, aimbot or modded ammo in freemode against other players. I consider that truly cheating and disrespectful.

When the 1.31 patch came out, I kind of felt relieved, because I knew mod menus wouldn't be around for a little while. It was refreshing not spawning into a session where you were greeted with a sofa or a foreign object inside your garage, or a mass explosion, or a windmill in front of your garage or LSC. It felt good not going into passive mode the second you joined a session for fear of a 13 year old prick with a menu blowing everyone up just for trololololol. It was actually fun playing the game normally, doing normal missions, having fun with friends. I even felt relief and joy when I read that the guys from Infamous decided to take out mass griefing options from their menu. Even though their menu is the most popular, there are still other menu developers who refuse to think the same way and kept options to ruin the game for everyone.

Mod menus are not making the game fun anymore, they're making the game intolerable. I just came out of a session where I got stuff spawned on me, sniped more times that I can care to count by people who were running, even emptied entire clips at close range and threw sticky bombs at characters who just wouldn't die. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy the occasional firefight just as much as anyone else, but I like fair fights. If you are a better player than me, I'm the first one to admit it. Kill me using your own skill, not using aimbot. I even publicly called out players on god mode, and one had the audacity to tell me not to worry, that it was all in good fun. Fun for who? It was certainly not fun for me, and I'm sure it wasn't for everyone else in the session trying to take him out. There was an objective in a mission, and he was cheating by blocking everyone from completing the objective. What's the point in playing a game mode where the objective is to take out another player, but he's on god mode and will not die? What's the point of even playing if others are going to cheat like that? I'm not mad because someone kept killing me. I'm pissed because someone with inferior skill used a mod to cheat against me and others.

Where do you draw the line as a gamer between modding and cheating? You could argue that spawning money or doing all that stuff I did in private is also cheating, and you would be absolutely right. We are all cheaters here, in that sense. That's what this whole web site is about. That's why you're reading this right now. But we are all here supposedly collectively cheating against the system, against the absurdly one-sided economy of the game. We should not be cheating against each other! Want to give yourself money and RP? Fine. Give yourself all weapons and vehicles? Go for it. You can spawn enough money to buy a yacht for everyone in a session, for all I care. But do those things in private. Don't come at me or other players unless you're prepared to do so in a fair and honest manner. If you shoot me, I die, and vice versa. If you don't like dying, get better at the game by playing it, not by using a tool.

Respect is the key word here. Respect your fellow gamers. We all paid good money to enjoy the game. Don't be such a selfish bastard and pretend you're the only one who has the right to have fun in this game. Respect MY right to enjoy the game, as well.

This is my opinion. What's yours? Remember the key word...

[xray25]

this a bit long text to read!

[vvmachete]

this a bit long text to read!

Took even longer to write! But it's important...

[Corogast2]

I am against being a total douche bag with cheats. However, that is just me.

[mnatali]

Fair play requires unconditional respect for opponents. We not play by the rules, we ruin the spirit of the game and it is impossible to play ...
Get blown up, kicked, game crashed. Many players have been forced to use cheats. Hacks & Cheats killed gameplay.
Only Rockstar can fix it. The game needs a good Anti-Cheat. Rockstar too greedy or inept to do it.

[Inuyasha22]

Fully agreeing with your text
But I don't see the problem in the players (judged by their behavior, a lot of them are simple-minded minors anyway),
but in R*'s way of giving the game clients too much power. I see they needed to implement the features in some way,
the easiest being completely client-powered gameplay, but well... let me ask..
Why does the attacker tell the victim it has been exploded? Or that it died?
Why can the attacker tell the victim that there is a money bag? Or a car? Anything at all?
Why didn't they include server-side health?

So yeah.. let's just say by providing an opportunity, R* created the cheats themselves.

[Michael Junior99]

Totally agree With you

[MrJbroster]

If you notice most of the anti-cheat system updates only detects money NOT rp or griefing unless someone reports I literally started with a new account and went from rank 1 to 950 and saw no change or ban but I spawn 5 mil on me instant ban. R* sells shark cards that's why they don't care for anything unless you show it to them via video but if they suddenly started selling RP and other features watch them closely monitor RP then

[bangboompow]

Totally agree with most of what you said. Modding games can make them a lot more fun, or a lot less fun depending on who is using the mods. Don't mess with other players who don't want to be messed with (in a bad way... give some a tank or a xmas tree and they laugh their asses off and have a great time). Don't use godmode and options like that to go around killing and blowing up everyone. Don't use the mods as an advantage over other players and fight fair if you need to, or want to fight. If you're an ass you're an ass, and you'll be one even if you don't have mods so modding is not the problem. When the menus aren't updated those people find other ways to grief and mess up the game (this time around i had a guy purposely messing up heists and laughing about it). We really should be able to freely mod this game, and doing so does not deserve punishment. The only ones who deserve any kind of punishment are the ones using mods to ruin the game for others.

[mnatali]

Rockstar may refuse service to anyone, at any time In the event of breaches in the license agreement. Rockstar much too kind to us. They give a second chance.
You work for free? Why do you want to Rockstar to work for free? Rockstar have to earn money.

[vvmachete]

We really should be able to freely mod this game, and doing so does not deserve punishment. The only ones who deserve any kind of punishment are the ones using mods to ruin the game for others.

Exactly...