Do You Think Infinite Lives is Cheating?

[dunpeal2064]

My two cents:

I think, on an individual basis (ie not comparing scores or game clears with other players), the question shouldn't be "Is this cheating?", but "Am I cheating myself out of something that I was intended to experience?"

Using infinite lives in R-Type Delta hardly changes the game, you still have to tackle every task in long enough segments that you are required to learn the game appropriately. The only difference between a 100 credit clear and 1 credit clear of R-Type is consistency.

If the game spawns you where you died, then infinite lives would drastically change the design of the game. lets take Contra for example. By using infinite lives, you are negating the need to learn, really, anything about the game, other than how to jump. This means that you are actually not experiencing the game, you are walking along the programmed floors, you are looking at the graphics and listening to the soundtrack, but you are not "playing" the game, or at the very least, you aren't required to. Level design, balance, difficulty curve, all of those things are no longer in place.

For me personally, if I want to play a game, I want to play the game, I don't want to "have played" the game, or just sight-see. If the game is too hard, I want to play it until I either overcome it, or give up. Since the word "Mastery" was brought up, I think its also fair to point out that very, very few games require mastery of their engine or design to complete without cheating, even very difficult ones. Its just a process of learning from your mistakes, understanding why things happen in the game. Doing this will also let you judge the game more harshly. Were there any out-of-place boss fights, either too easy or too hard? Does the game teach you things appropriately, and then force you to use the things you've learned? For me, infinite lives would null a lot of this, and I would feel like I was playing a hack of the game more than the game itself.

As for practicing, anything is fair. I am okay with breaking a game down to its coding (Not that I can, luckily others do that for me) if it will let me understand or practice a difficult section better. This is all "outside of the game", anything goes. Its the same way I would look at a sport, a card game, music, anything. There are no rules when it comes to improving yourself, the rules only start when you press start or put that credit in

All that said, in the grand scheme of things, infinite lives is definitely cheating.

[KayJay]

@Erik_Twice (sorry, i haven't fully grasped the "quote" system yet)

Maybe i don't get a sense of accomplishment sometimes, but i certainly do have fun. If i beat an easy level, i'm not gonna be like "well, i deserved that" because it was an easy level. Does that mean i didn't have fun playing the level? absolutely not.


I just wanna have fun when i play games. If feeling like i accomplished something overrides the feeling of fun, than i'm out. Games are entertainment to me, not jobs, or tasks.

For a more retro example, the original Zelda didn't have lives, but was still a very challenging game (even with a map, the dungeons were tough) but instead of having you lose lives, they let you try as many times as you want. It's that game design that lets you not be afraid to go over in that cave, for fear that you'll get a game over. It let's you take chances, and doesn't punish the player for experimentation.


I see where your coming from, i'm just saying I'm much different in that regard. I don't really disagree with you, i think that, with a subject like this, it's really subjective and anyone could be right or wrong. I just don't like the concept of lives very much (older games are the exception, because game design was alien back then)


One more thing: i do like hard games. I love the Mega Man series, Contra, and i like having a challenge. Thing is, i've still been unable to beat a single Mega Man game (even though i love the series to bits)