Cheat Codes

[flame1396 9]

I personally want lots and lots of cheat codes - both ingame and through easy to edit files (XML).

Sculpting ignores the money aspect in city building, among other things, and I would like to be able to do whatever I want with my only limitation being the game itself, what the program itself can do and not just the limitations imposed on me through budgets and that junk.

[dasilva 3]

Why would you want cheat codes? I mean, if you are using cheat codes you are not playing the game for the associated gameplay and objectives... How do you play a city builder to get to the point you think cheat codes are so damn important?

[Nevets13 27]

For me, city building games are the only games I really use cheat codes in. Reason for this is the main reason I play city building games is to build my dream city, with all the tools I need already at my disposal. Sometimes the money element of the game can impede this, so I just ignore it.

[MrCinatit 30]

I've used cheats myself to help tell a story.

Whenever I make a city journal now, I do it with a specific idea in my mind - and a specific idea of how I want my city and regions to look like (most of the time). There are times when I do need cheats to accomplish these goals. For instance, in order to make a realistic farming region, I use a farming demand increase to better my chances to build those farms (otherwise, the game's natural demand for farms will decrease - and I many times will find myself needed to build less farms than are realistic.)

The same goes when making an instant metropolis.

This is not to say I do not use traditional cheats all of the time - I do not. My experience with the game has come to the extent I am able to create a moderately large city without the use of cheats.

Of course, this is without taking into some modifications which can also help city development - but that would be revisiting an ongoing argument which has lasted about six years lol.

[dasilva 3]

Then therefore you are not playing a game but using the game to build whatever you want, right? Some sort of sandbox mode where the simulation is more a barrier to your objectives than a real value...

Am I right?

[Sam 163]

Sometimes I like a sandbox mode (ok, a lot), sometimes I just use the cheats or mods to change the rules a bit for something different, or I use cheats to test something (eg to force a specific situation). I don't play much in the way of computer games, and I doubt I play any of them the way the designers intended. Like Mr. C I tend to have a specific goal of my own in mind, and the simulator is a tool to achieve that goal. I tend not to be interested in playing a specific sequence or story line put into the game. I've played SC4 since the day it came out and not grown tired of it, because it is so open ended and I'm not constrained to someone else's views on how the game "should" be played.

Either way I think "cheats" or at least mods are very important to a game, as they let a player mould the game to what they want. If a player can play the game the way they want then its much more enjoyable to them.

This site is a testament to the infinite versatility of SC4 and all the different ways it can be played, which is why it is probably my favourite game I have ever played. The players who have stayed here are not likely the kind who have left the game unaltered from the day they bought it four (five?) years ago.

[MrCinatit 30]

Originally posted by: dasilva Then therefore you are not playing a game but using the game to build whatever you want, right? Some sort of sandbox mode where the simulation is more a barrier to your objectives than a real value...

Am I right?quote>

You would be correct in saying there are sandbox modes available in SimCity 4 - to a point.

I am sure you are aware that the official cheats in the game had their limitations. The money cheat was limited, and most of the other cheats were not really that helpful.

What was helpful, though, was the modability of the game - we have the chance to change the game so much, we are essentially able to create our own little sandbox regions. Mods bringing money, larger police/fire/school/hospital coverage, lowering pollution, increasing pollution, bringing in additional rewards, changing the color of the streets, changing the color of the terrain, putting snow atop mountains, changing the traffic simulation, increasing commercial/industrial/agricultural demand and countless other modifications have helped us do this.

People now forget that, in the beginning, there were a lot of complaints about SimCity 4 - the largest complaints being about traffic simulation and building variety. Of course, a building tool helped the building variety. The modification-friendliness of the game helped the creation of a massive traffic simulation element called NAM.

I guess I am saying that the modifications in this game have changed the views of a lot of people concerning the use of cheats, especially when it comes to building our dream cities.

[Romaq 18]

I've played as far as I could on Caesar IV using cheats that provided unlimited money mostly because of time. I wanted to rush through it so I would have C4 as a context for SC:S development. I also enjoy having unlimited money within the game, as I don't in real life. I enjoy the maxim "any problem you can solve with money you have at your disposal is not a problem." I may use various cheats to get around certain limitations for a desired goal. I may elect NOT to use cheats because I desire the challenge. In the case of the Whatcom County area in which I live, water and power are very centralized. When I finally get around to attempting to recreate my city, I'm as likely to use 'water/ power/ garbage' cheats because the one dump in the area is over by the airport, the water comes from a treatment plant by Lake Whatcom and power comes from... various places. I think we buy some from Canada and at times sell power back to Canada. If I'm going to recreate an actual area, I'll do so and without the limitations imposed by the game. When I'm in that mode I think of SC4 as something like a scale train set and I'm going for the fun of recreating something actual, which is my idea of fun. In that sense, 'cheats' are no different than me taking an exacto knife and glue, and reshaping objects until I get the specific effect I want.

So maybe I'll want the challenge and enjoy playing the game without cheats.

But sometimes, the challenge is creating some specific vision I have, and 'game challenge' is simply annoyance to be disposed of.

[rctshack 182]

The only reason usually used codes in SC4 were because of two reasons. First no sandbox mode so it was the only way to see the farthest reaches of the game, and secondly sometimes it was the only way to curve the unrealistic elements of SC4 that the developers did incorrectly. Mostly stuff like industry being WAY too pollutant.

[Romaq 18]

Romaq offers an 'I' for "The only reason *I* usually...." :-)

Sorry, just trying to be helpful. I had to reread the sentence just to be sure.

[Tropod 144]

For a game such as this, a lot of players like being able to do what they want, when they want, without restriction. I imagine this is the case to allow increased creativity on part of the player. If that includes having access to & using 'cheats' to achieve the players objective, then those mechanisms should allow &/or be available towards helping achieve that objective.

After awhile, certain game-playing mechanisms lose their necessity & their appeal. Budgets for example; when I first played SC4, I did find myself going or coming close to being bankrupt a couple of times. But after I got over this particular mechanism of the game, after awhile it became irrelevant & now I really see no point in such a mechanism personally. I much prefer 'just' playing the game, creating/building etc don't really care much for budget.

[Nevets13 27]

I don't mind handling the budget, but I don't let it getting in the way of my cities progress. Maybe once I have my city the way I want it I will mess around with the budget haha.

I do understand though that handling the economy is a big thing for a lot of players.

[flame1396 9]

Originally posted by: dasilva Why would you want cheat codes? I mean, if you are using cheat codes you are not playing the game for the associated gameplay and objectives... How do you play a city builder to get to the point you think cheat codes are so damn important? quote>

To build what looks good. Generally I find that eye-candy works well with game mechanics when the goal is realism. I don't play to balance a budget. I play for the satisfaction of building something that is truly awesome. Cities in SC4 that work well financially aren't usually awesome.

I build for eye-candy. Not putting cheat codes into CU that make it able to be played sandbox style makes it less versatile and if you notice.... most not-very-versatile games die after a couple years.

[beebs 129]

Originally posted by: flame1396

Originally posted by: dasilva Why would you want cheat codes? I mean, if you are using cheat codes you are not playing the game for the associated gameplay and objectives... How do you play a city builder to get to the point you think cheat codes are so damn important? quote>

To build what looks good. Generally I find that eye-candy works well with game mechanics when the goal is realism. I don't play to balance a budget. I play for the satisfaction of building something that is truly awesome. Cities in SC4 that work well financially aren't usually awesome.

I build for eye-candy. Not putting cheat codes into CU that make it able to be played sandbox style makes it less versatile and if you notice.... most not-very-versatile games die after a couple years.quote>

I think many people build like that as well. What I would love to see is a "budget free" mode. No budget to worry about, so you essentially have the freedom to craft your city how you want it, not how the budget allows.

[Sam 163]

Its not just budget though. Think about the cheats that people commonly use in sc4, its not just money cheats. Sometimes its making all the rewards available (ie circumventing the rules of the game as designed), some people use the remove water and power requirements cheat (not just for budget reasons), the plop all buildings cheat, flooding the city, the rain tool etc.

[dasilva 3]

So basically, what you are telling here is that you customize the game so that it brings you a tool to make your city regardless of the simulation and/or budget just to create virtually a city based on the buildings and assets you own, right?

[Kevin 101]

Think of it like this Philippe: Many Sc4 CJ's are like paintings, and Simcity 4 is the canvas and the paintbrush. When an artist is creating their art, they don't want to be bound by budget worries or the needs of their citizens. All they want to do is create the work of art that they have envisioned.

[lasergoat 0]

Cheese89 is right in that Simcity 4 is a canvas and I think one of the things cheat codes do for Simcity 4 is it expands the toolset.  I hardly ever use cheat codes, instead I use mods if it's that important for me to change the game.  However, there are times when I money cheat, especially in the beginning of a city, to get past having wait a long time for the budget to build up.  I'll usually use loans, but sometimes I'm just impatient.

I just want to point out that some people like sandbox freeform play, free from budgets.  I prefer the opposite and I grow all my cities from village to metropolis.  And I love mods that increase the difficulty and complexity of the game.  However, I don't want to force my style of play on those that like sandboxing it so I would like to suggest that in CU when you create your city, there is an option to shut off the budget for true sandbox mode (I believe this will be an option in Societies).  Or maybe instead of a budget, it has a running talley of all the costs so you can see how much at any time your city would cost in total.

[ExiL3 10]

Remember guys this thread is about CU, and not SC4 so even though we sometimes need cheats for SC4... as long as CU has a sandbox mode, then we more or less don't need cheats.

Then again, most games in history have some sort of cheats (especially newer games) coded into the game... why shouldn't CU have it???

take care,

[lasergoat 0]

Sandboxing it isn't the only reason to use cheats. Sometimes there are aspects of the game that arn't enjoyable and if a cheat can change that, then fine. Such as unlocking rewards, turning off pollution, bumping the bank account up a notch, etc., there are many reasons to use cheats. In Simcity's case, cheating is relative considering there isn't any way to win Simcity other than to challenge yourself with your own expectations. At the very least, cheating in Simcity is another way to customize the gameplay to meet ones desires.

[belfastuniguy 18]

In my view....

I do use cheats with SC4, simply because I like to create cities that reflect my creativity, there is no chance I would have been able to create my CJ without the use of cheats and people exploring the game and finding new ways to change and improve it.

By cheating you assume that are playing a game with a finish line as such, that is not the case with the current SC, if you had scenarios or tasks then maybe I would avoid the cheating, I would play these as I did in SC3Unlimited and they had their appeal but the sandbox concept is much and interesting to me.

If Cities Unlimited has such a sandbox mod the most likely I would still use it, but I would also still use cheats to control pollution and unlock rewards....if any...

That's my views anyways.

[Nevets13 27]

Very interesting responses. I would do more research into the subject tho Phillipe. I am thinking that hardcore city builders enjoy sandbox cities because they are building their "dream cities". I don't think this will be the same with the casual city builders who are playing the game for the challange of building the city, and wont be as interested in spending as much time on perfecting the city and using the mods.

I think there needs to be an even balance between challanging city building and sandbox city building.

Unfortunately, sandbox video gaming (I love it and think their is a huge future in it), is ripped apart by video game reviewers and critics. If a game doesn't have set goals or "end game" they go crazy and call it boring, and give it bad reviews....really really unfortunate.

[Kevin 101]

Originally posted by: ExiL3 Remember guys this thread is about CU, and not SC4 quote>

We know, we're just using Simcity 4 as a game we can compare CU to.

[KeanoManu 42]

Hm.. Sandbox, it depends. Will the game have objectives, where you build a city and then when the objectives are reached you'll go on and start a new city then yes, sandbox would be good to have.

But if, as i feel is the case with many games, Sandbox are just a little part of the game and you miss much when playing it, then no, regular cheatcodes are better.

I would prefer to have regular cheatcodes as in SC.

[Nevets13 27]

That is what we are discussing.

Sandbox means there are no set objectives made by the game. The player makes his or her own objectives. Everything they need is at there disposal.

The other mode should be be a Monte Cristo objective driven mode.

[flame1396 9]

Originally posted by: dasilva So basically, what you are telling here is that you customize the game so that it brings you a tool to make your city regardless of the simulation and/or budget just to create virtually a city based on the buildings and assets you own, right?quote>

Yep. Some people like playing a by-the-rules city sometimes. But there should be a way to build as we wish.

[MrCinatit 30]

Originally posted by: dasilva So basically, what you are telling here is that you customize the game so that it brings you a tool to make your city regardless of the simulation and/or budget just to create virtually a city based on the buildings and assets you own, right?quote>

Exactly.

Before SimCity 4, I never used cheats - but the game changed my outlook on what a cheat is, and how it can enhance the game when properly used.

[flame1396 9]

^ He said it better

[Tropod 144]

Originally posted by: dasilva So basically, what you are telling here is that you customize the game so that it brings you a tool to make your city regardless of the simulation and/or budget just to create virtually a city based on the buildings and assets you own, right?quote>

Yes, correct. The Simulation though? Depends what aspects you are referring to here in regards to the Simulation. Some people just like seeing or building a pretty city (i.e painting a picture), so they do not care much for simulators of any kind. But some people like myself like to be able to build a city & enjoy certain aspects of the simulator that go with building a city; like traffic simulator & seeing sims commuting about as a result of what I have built. Some people as pointed out already, do not care much for some simulators like the budge simulator.

I think when it comes to players, it is all about what we are able to create & what restrictions exist in the game that inhibit our ability to do this. The budget is one such restraint.

[Sam 163]

Tropod has a very good point. People will like different things in a sandbox mode. For example, some will want a completely freeform canvas. Others might like some of the basic simulators like traffic but just want to tweak them a bit, whereas others will want more parts eg traffic simulator, budget and disasters for example.

I like the traffic simulator in sc4 but its had a lot of alterations to the orginal version. I don't mind budget as long as I can cheat if I want to (I don't do it all that often for money). Another aspect I like in sc4 is the environmental aspect, but again, my game is significantly modded in this respect from the original to reflect what I personally think is a good thing (which the next person may not agree with).

I don't exactly want a blank canvas, as I like to see how the computer responds to what I do, and I like the variations in that response, so I don't want to necessarily remove all constraints. For example, I don't like plopping buildings, I like to zone and see what grows, and see how my city changes according to how I manage it.

I just don't necessarily like some of the other constraints that in sc4 were initially very difficult to alter, eg commute speeds, and volumes etc. I prefer to have the flexibility to customize everything.