GameBanshee Forums

I found out on Wiki that if (SPOIL alert)

Spoiler

you repair bound items from standing stones, and drop 'em from your inventory, you can then pick 'em up and they will stay with you instead of vanishing.

(End spoil).
Is this cheating or a glitch? I don't like cheating, but only feel a bit uncomfortable utilising glitches! :devil:

Obviously a cheatglitch

It's a glitch, a bit cheesy exploiting it, but I wouldn't call it cheating. Same thing works with cast spells too.

I believe the proper term for this is bug abuse
Intentionally using a technical mistake in the game to your advantage.
Mostly considered cheating, but not quite the same.

galraen wrote:It's a glitch, a bit cheesy exploiting it, but I wouldn't call it cheating. Same thing works with cast spells too.

Ah. Thank you, galraen, Stworca and AvatarOfLight.

galraen - what do you mean about cast spells working the same way? Guess I'm dense, cos I don't understand.

spoiler>

Spoiler

If you cast a bound item spell from your spellbook or a scroll the same glitch can be exploited.

<spoiler

Oh - right! Gosh, I'm really stupid! :speech: :laugh:

Thanks, galraen!

At least for me, it's all about immersion in the game. If the game has glitches or bugs that threaten the role playing experience, I have no problem abusing bugs or using "cheats" to maintain it. If my character could die because the terrain system prevents climbing to a spot that could obviously be negotiated by a reasonably agile humanoid, then I have no problem using terrain glitches to snipe hapless opponents who should be able to reach me. If I can't complete a quest because of a bug in the quest script, I would definitely use a console code to put it right. On the other hand, I would never use a console code to open a container just because my character lacked the skill to pick the lock or the patience to find the key. The bound item glitch might be a bit of a gray area, but if there's anybody in Tamriel who has the knowledge and resources to discover a way to make bound items permanent, it would be the head of the Mages Guild. So unless you use the glitch while playing Duh the Barbarian, it's OK by me

:laugh::laugh: I've never played a Barbarian but I might just do it for the sake of naming her Duh! :laugh::laugh:

Thanks for adding your viewpoint regarding cheats and such.

I'm just going to post a somewhat differing view. Please note in advance that I'm only talking about how I play games, not suggesting this applies to anyone else.

First off, I don't really make a distinction between cheat and glitch from a moral standpoint. As far as I'm concerned, they are the same thing, they are just implemented differently. So in asking if a cheat/ glitch is something to take advantage of, there are two considerations, the practical and the theoretical (moral).

From a practical point of view, the question is "Will using this affect my enjoyment of the game?". I find that using a lot of cheats causes me to have increased short term rewards (I have more fun right now), but tire of the game quickly. As a corollary, I am less likely to use cheats with games that I really enjoy structurally (Morrowind) and more likely to use them with games that I am bored with and just want to finish. I know going in that using the cheat will probably spoil the game for me.

The theoretical is a bit messy, since in a single player game it doesn't matter if you cheat, the only question is how you feel about it. A good way to look at that if you're not sure, though, is to imagine that you are playing a subscription based multi-player game. If you found out, in a pay to play game, that other people were taking advantage of this glitch, or worse that some people could and others couldn't, would your reaction be "The company should patch this bug and let us all play equally." or "The company should ban the people who are doing this because the game is supposed to be fair."?

If your answer is the second, then you think of this as a cheat.

Lemmus wrote:I'm just going to post a somewhat differing view. Please note in advance that I'm only talking about how I play games, not suggesting this applies to anyone else.

First off, I don't really make a distinction between cheat and glitch from a moral standpoint. As far as I'm concerned, they are the same thing, they are just implemented differently. So in asking if a cheat/ glitch is something to take advantage of, there are two considerations, the practical and the theoretical (moral).

From a practical point of view, the question is "Will using this affect my enjoyment of the game?". I find that using a lot of cheats causes me to have increased short term rewards (I have more fun right now), but tire of the game quickly. As a corollary, I am less likely to use cheats with games that I really enjoy structurally (Morrowind) and more likely to use them with games that I am bored with and just want to finish. I know going in that using the cheat will probably spoil the game for me.

The theoretical is a bit messy, since in a single player game it doesn't matter if you cheat, the only question is how you feel about it. A good way to look at that if you're not sure, though, is to imagine that you are playing a subscription based multi-player game. If you found out, in a pay to play game, that other people were taking advantage of this glitch, or worse that some people could and others couldn't, would your reaction be "The company should patch this bug and let us all play equally." or "The company should ban the people who are doing this because the game is supposed to be fair."?

If your answer is the second, then you think of this as a cheat.

Excellent point, Lemmus. You have put it clearly in perspective. Thank you.