I'm an Oolite Cheat

[Darkbee]

I've never had any sucess altering save files, either on elite or in oolite,

if i alter, the commander file disapears from my save directory within the game.

never been able to add money.

Are you using Notepad on Windows? Don't! That would be your problem. A proper editor that supports end of line characters from multiple platforms is best, like Notepad++.

And if you do succeed in cheating we're going to have to send da boyz round.

[Fatleaf]

And if you do succeed in cheating we're going to have to send da boyz round.

Or even worse put a trumble through your letter box

[Chrisfs]

Since you are the only person playing the game, it's not really cheating.
I have two games. One where I played without editing anything and one where I completely trick out my ship from the start and change things when I feel like it.

[Darkbee]

Since you are the only person playing the game, it's not really cheating.
I have two games. One where I played without editing anything and one where I completely trick out my ship from the start and change things when I feel like it.

So you're saying you can never cheat in 1 player games?

You're right, it really doesn't matter. You're not hurting anybody except yourself™. I try to follow the philosophy of once I've completed a game without cheating, then it's no holds barred. There are always exceptions of course, and at the end of the day my main aim of playing computer games is for enjoyment, so as long as I'm enjoying them (without ruining anyone else enjoyment) then I don't see the harm.

[Namttep]

Since its a one player game, yes you can cheat, and the person you're Cheating is yourself.

I've tried and failed, and left it at that but thanks for the info on Notepad++
I may check it out in a moment of personal weakness.

choose wisely in combat, Be Strong. may your lasers never overheat, and your missiles never be ecm'd


Ian

[Darkbee]

Grand Theft Auto 3 (or any in the series) is probably a prime example where cheating can potentially enhance/maximize the enjoyment of the game. However, I have completed the game without cheating so I don't feel too bad now about causing World War 3 in the streets of Liberty City.

On the other end of the scale, I play the open source FPS Assault Cube, which is an online, multiplayer game. Cheaters on that game completely ruin it for everybody and I despise them with a passion. I wish them nothing but ill.

... but I'm a peaceful person really, honest!

[Cholmondely]

New Wiki Page: Cheating

http://wiki.alioth.net/index.php/Cheating

This is the beginning of the dreaded page creation process. Any views/comments?

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Is it possible to cheat at Oolite? Does the term actually mean anything?

Cheat: definition (from www.thefreedictionary.com)

verb - transitive: ie it is done to somebody else: I cheated you

1. To deceive by trickery; swindle: cheated customers by overcharging them for purchases.
2. To deprive by trickery; defraud: cheated them of their land.
3. To mislead; fool: illusions that cheat the eye.
4. To elude; escape: cheat death.

verb - intransitive: ie it is not done to somebody else: I cheated. I can add you, but I don't need to!

1. To act dishonestly; practice fraud.
2. To violate rules deliberately, as in a game: was accused of cheating at cards.
3. Informal To be sexually unfaithful: cheat on a spouse.
4. Sports To position oneself closer to a certain area than is normal or expected: The shortstop cheated toward second base.

noun

1. An act of cheating; a fraud or swindle.
2. One who cheats; a swindler.
3. A technique that exploits a flaw or hidden feature in a video game or computer program.
4. Law Fraudulent acquisition of another's property.
5. Botany Any of several species of brome, especially Bromus secalinus, an annual European grass widespread as a weed.

Etymology: Middle English cheten, to confiscate, short for acheten, variant of escheten, from eschete, escheat; see escheat.

So. I'm not playing Oolite with anybody else, so I can't cheat them!

Can I cheat "Oolite" itself? Oolite is not "fixed", like the rules of Chess or Cricket (although they are changed every once in a while). And, I can rewrite Oolite (if I have the skills) to do what I like, with the rules that I like - it is "Open Code". Or, I can use OoCheat OXP to give myself oodles of dosh, or even just write the extra dosh into my Oolite save file. But is any of this cheating?

There has been much discussion on this subject, needless to say!

Player-centric gaming

The one area regarded by many as cheating is to have some advantage which the NPCs cannot get: that the playing field is unfairly tipped towards the player. This is tied in with the doctrine of player-centrism which it is felt that Oolite eschews (see Diziet Sma more recently - and Winston back at the start). Compared to Classic Elite, Oolite is indeed far less player-centric: it's not just that your ship moves inside the Ooniverse (rather than the universe moving around your ship - as in Elite). The debates about the Energy Bomb (see there) show the importance of this - and how many people felt it was a cheat (the people who wanted to keep it, wanted to keep faith with Classic Elite where it was one of the five weapons in the original game). Oolite being Oolite, it was eventually removed but preserved as an OXP option. Also see the debates over Norby's Telescope OXP in the 2013 thread below, and the discussion half way through the 2012 thread.

But there are still two areas where Oolite retains some of Elite's player centrism: the Torus Drive (NPCs don't have it) and the existence of Shields (NPCs just have Energy banks). And again, Oolite being Oolite, people such as Rustem started writing OXPs to try and even the playing field.

Svengali was very much against 'cheating' (whatever he meant by it), and tried to create a set of icons in the 2013 thread to let people know what the effects of an OXP would be on game balance. He had already in 2010 developed the OXP Levelindicators to indicate what sort of Elite rating one would need to tackle the OXP (if a ship or a mission for example).
Smivs seemed to feel that cheating was adding an OXP which made the modified Oolite easier than the Vanilla game. He devised the Gameplay and Balance Indicator to show this (in July 2014).

OXPs

OoCheat OXP by Thargoid (2010)
Killit OXP
OMGLaser
Energy Bomb
Illicit Unlock OXP - still seen as a cheat? (see below)
How to tweak OXZ's

Links

BB thread 2005/6 when flying an NPC ship was felt to be a cheat (even though Illicit Unlock OXP came out in 2005). This taboo did not last. See here (2011 - the feeling was already a minority feeling). And notice the Category at the bottom of this page which excludes Illicit Unlock (created by Jaz in 2013).

BB thread 2010
BB thread 2012 discussion in middle is based on player-centrist assumptions
BB thread 2013 more focused on cheating OXPs (and with links to other relevant threads)
BB thread 2017 rather short - but recent

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

The new wiki page has the working links.

I've more to add, but am interested in feedback!

Cholmondeley

[tsoj]

I would argue that the phrase "using cheats" is becoming disconnected from the classical meaning of "cheating". Personally, I associate it more with the act of changing the gameplay of a computer game to something that is different from the intended or original way of play. For example, you could use a "cheat code" to spawn a much more dangerous enemy, which nobody would say is cheating (or at least I assume so), even though it is "using cheats".

In my opinion, in a single player game, the process of using cheats only becomes cheating if you make reaching your goal (whatever that may be) easier, while also believing or convincing yourself, that you're not actually playing an easier game.

[stranger]

Cheating in single-player game is controversial matter. You have no unfair advantage over any human player indeed – just unfair advantage over NPCs. It is only your decision is it acceptable for your game experience. Personally I prefer to play using more clever tactics, not overpowered weapons, avionics upgrades etc. So I never try autolocks, telescope etc.

But there are still two areas where Oolite retains some of Elite's player centrism: the Torus Drive (NPCs don't have it) and the existence of Shields (NPCs just have Energy banks). And again, Oolite being Oolite, people such as Rustem started writing OXPs to try and even the playing field.

Right. On the other hand, NPCs don’t have any damageable equipment – only energy damage.
It will be nice to have NPCs with shields AND damageable equipment in future game releases. Now we have only possibility to improve game balance using OXPs.
Hard Way with fuel consumption and shields recharge after Torus flight was my attempt to compensate unfair using of Torus flight available only to player .
There is nice Custom Shields OXP dealing with NPCs shields – it simulates forward AND aft shield on NPCs ships!
Illicit Unlock has no any cheats AFAIK. It just allows the player to fly all the Classic Elite Ships. So it is rated as neutral on difficulty scale.

[Cholmondely]

Reading the above entries makes me wonder - why was illicit unlock so controversial? Could it be that the original players back in 2003-6 were all Elite afficionados and were coloured by this in their thinking? Having spent hours and hours (and hours!) playing Elite, and being immersed in Elite's rules, this OXP allowed one to break the rules to one's own benefit to get a better ship (say a viper interceptor, unbuyable in the old versions of Elite), making the game easier overall. This would then link in with Smiv's understanding of cheating.

From my perspective it's not a cheat. But I don't have the same background (see below). And as Oolite grew and attracted people who had good memories of Elite but were not dedicated fans in the same way, attitudes started to change. Also, this must have been helped by Aegidian's rewrite of the game code allowing OXPs and the plethora of ship OXPs which were then written (Oosat 1 -2006- has more ship OXPs than all the other varieties of OXP put together)!

An example of the mind-set back in 2000:

The Elite Purity Test
Welcome to Version 1 (final) (11th July 2000) of the Elite Purity Test. Re-formatted and slightly updated using Lyx (LaTeX) in 2007 [and corrected again in August thanks to the keen eyes of the Commander of Frontier Astro] .

There is also a (pintable) PDF version of this file with LaTeX source code. The source could be useful if you wanted to extract the questions for some reason. Click here to go to the downloads section. Use this address to link directly to the HTML version of the test (with no side menu etc).

Introduction

Q What is Elite?
A Er, if you have to ask this you are probably in the wrong place but... Elite was an innovative space trading and combat game that was originally written for the BBC micro computer in 1984 by David Braben and Ian Bell. The game has since been ported to many different platforms. David Braben later continued the series, first with Frontier Elite 2 and then Frontier First Encounters.

Q What is a purity test?
A A "purity test'' is a series of questions that can be used to determine how closely a person adheres to a particular lifestyle or personality type. The questions in a purity test can usually be answered with a yes or no. At the end of the test, the number of affirmative answers are compared to the total number of questions to determine the overall score and the "purity'' of the person being tested.

Notes

In this test, "Elite" usually refers to any version of Elite, Frontier: Elite 2 or Frontier: First Encounters.

If you cannot answer a question or you do not understand the question, this is the same as answering the question with a no (do not award yourself a point).

General Elite Questions
Do you have at least one version of Elite installed on your machine right now?
Do you own an original copy of Elite?
Have you ever bought a ``redundant'' copy of Elite, just to add to your collection?
Do you own original copies of more than two versions of Elite?
Have you ever written notes for Elite on paper?
Have you ever played Elite on an emulator?
Have you ever entered into a discussion with another person about Elite IV ideas (on-line)?
Have you ever entered into a discussion with another person about Elite IV ideas (IRL)?
Have you ever given a newbie technical assistance in setting up their machine to run Elite?
Have you read The Dark Wheel?
Have you read Imprint?
Have you ever converted another person over to playing Elite?
If so, did it take over their life?
Do you often try out other space sims in the vain hope of having an Elite style high?
Have you ever left a machine running Elite for more than 24 hours?
Are you Elite?
Have you ever played ``Java-Elite''?
Do you have a hated class of ship, which you attack on sight?
Do you have an Elite ship identification chart on your wall?
Are you Elite on more than one version of Elite or on more than one platform?
Have you had a career in mining?
Have you had a career in piracy?
Do you follow the FEU fan fiction?
Do you currently have more than one commander on the go?
Have you played a heavily modified Elite such as Elite A on the Beeb or Russian Elite on the Spectrum?
Have you completed all of the secret mission in a version of "classic" Elite.
Have you played Elite on an 8bit machine (not emulated).
Have you played Elite on a 16bit machine (not emulated).

Bell and Braben
Do you know (without looking it up) the URL for Ian Bell's web site?
Do you know (without looking it up) David Braben's email address?
Do you know (without looking it up) the URL for Frontier Developments?
Can you name two of Ian Bell's interests apart from programming?
Have you ever personally emailed either DB or IB?
Have you ever received an email from DB or IB?
Have you met IB or DB IRL?
Are you DB or IB?
Do you have a picture of DB on you hard disk?
Do you have a picture of IB on your hard disk?

Online
Have you posted to the Alt.Fan.Elite NG?
Did the thread last more than 10 posts?
Did the thread last more than 100 posts?
Have you ever posted an Elite IV idea to the NG?
Have you used the #alt.fan.elite IRC channel?
Are you familiar with the whole DB vs. IB thing?
Do your email or NG messages contain a signature that includes an Elite reference?

Creative
Are you making a (non programming) contribution to an Elite tribute project?
Are you writing an Elite inspired game?
Are you the author of a web site that contains a significant amount of Elite orientated content?
Have you ever written any Elite fiction?
Have you created any Elite inspired artwork?
Have you ever created any Elite inspired music?
Have you ever made a real life model of an Elite ship (card, paper, Lego, etc?)

Computer Setup
Is your machine capable of running Elite?
Have you ever bought a joystick (or other pointing device) just to play elite on?
Have you ever made extra provisions on you hard disk just so that you can run a version of Elite (such as having a DOS only partition) or have you made extra provisions in any of your start-up files so that a version of Elite will run?
Do you have Elite installed on more than one machine right now?
Have you ever upgraded your machine to make an Elite series game run better?
Do you have an Elite related backdrop/theme on your desktop?
Is Elite on your Start Bar or other application launcher utility?
Can you load Elite with just a hot key?
Do you have more than two versions of Elite installed on your machine?
More than four?
Do you have more than five Elite related web sites in your bookmarks file?
More than ten?
Do you have an Elite folder on your HD for docs and pictures?

I've left out the 2 sections on Frontier

Real Life

School Days
When at school/collage, did you ever do a project, the content of which was inspired by the Elite universe?
Did you ever teach you mum to load the cassette version of Elite so that when you came home from dinner time you didn't have to wait for it to load ("Remember mother, 11:50 start the tape!")?
Did you ever bunk off school to play Elite?
Have you ever (illicitly) played Elite on a school/college computer?

Obsession
When walking from place to place, do you start to fantasise about Elite IV?
Do often fantasise about the content of cut-scenes for Elite IV?
Do you often fantasise about working at Frontier Developments or with Ian Bell?
Have you ever considered buying a bread bin to be like the man himself?
Could you draw a Cobra MK III free hand?
Did you contribute to The Elite Purity Test?
Do you feel a bit guilty when you play other space sims?
Have you ever refused an opportunity for sex in favour of a game of Elite?
Do you feel a bit guilty when you realise that you haven't played Elite in a while?
Have you ever dreamt of Ian Bell or David Braben?
Do you often "get in a quick game of Elite" before a film and end up missing the start of the film (or the whole film)?
Have you ever been forced to end a relationship (or been dumped) because your partner couldn't understand your obsession with Elite?
Have you ever been forced to end a relationship (or been dumped) because your partner couldn't understand your need to shout a "Right On Commander" during the crucial moment of intimacy?
Have you ever set up the seating in front of your computer so it feels like you're sitting in the cockpit of your craft?
Have you ever trained a "friend" to be your co - pilot ("Launch missile on my signal only!")?
Do you always watch the introduction to FE2 and FFE all the way through every time you run the game?
Do often wish that you could be transported into and live in the Elite universe?
Do you prefer Elite to real life?
Have you ever "borrowed" or bought a projection display just to play Elite?

Bonus Sections.

Pay a penalty of two points for each of the bonus sections you choose to attempt. Once you have subtracted two points from your overall score, you may attempt all of the questions in that particular bonus section. You may choose to attempt as many or as few of the bonus sections as you like. That's right - if you do really well in the rest of the test and in the bonus sections, you could score more than 100%

Acorn Archimedes Elite

Have you ever lost your temper with the missionaries when they are trying to force you to repent and been forced to relieve them of their lives?
Do you know who Rantan Pino was?
Do you know who Zartid was was?
Do you know who Zurid Pino was?
Have you done the Arried - Diquer rally?
Do you often defend traders who are being attacked?
Have you completed all of the missions?

Elite A (BBC Micro)

Do you have Elite A installed on you machine?
Are you playing it on a real BBC Micro (not emulated)?
Have you ever done a very long range (eg corner to corner) special delivery without cheating or docking?
Have you survived Witchspace or an Anarchy system in an Adder?
Have you flown (and survived) without lasers to save space?
Have you ever shot at a Ghavial thinking it was an asteroid?

Programming/Hacking

Are you programming an Elite tribute game?
Have you ever written an Elite utility (ship hacker etc)?
Have you got the Elite BBC sources on your machine right now?
Have you ever hacked an Elite save file?
Have you ever hacked the program files or support files of an Elite game?
Have you ever disassembled any of the Elite game code?
Have you written a program that plots any of the Elite ships?
Have you written an Elite style 3d starfield?
Do you understand why Braben used 64bit ints in Frontier and FE2?

Calculating Your Score

Your final score is calculated with the following method:

Divide the total number of questions (137) by the number of questions you were able to answer yes to. Now multiply this result by 100. This gives the percentage of questions that you were able to answer yes to.

This is represented by the following formula:

Number of questions answered yes (including the questions in bonus sections) = Y

Final score=F

Total number of questions=T

F=(Y/T)*100

So, for example, if you got a score of 58 and there were 137 you would perform the following calculation:

F=(58/118)*100=49 (rounded down)

Final score=49%

Remember, it is possible to score more then 100% if you excel at both the normal sections and bonus sections. Don't forget to subtract 2 from your score for each bonus section attempted.

Table of ratings

0-10% Harmless
This is a very poor score. You really need to get out less often. If you are in a relationship with a GF/BF/spouse right now, you should probably get out of it so that you have more free time to pursue the Elite life style.

10%-20% Mostly Harmless
This is also a poor score. Play more Elite. Spend more time on-line discussing Elite. Make sure Elite is installed at all times and ready to play.

20%-30% Poor
To obtain this score you have obviously invested a bit of your time in playing Elite. It indicates that you have made a good start in a career in Elite but you still have a long way to go.

30%-40% Competent
You could probably take a Cobra Mk III out of the hanger and take it out for spin without getting lost. You are obviously spending far too much time away from your computer and Elite.

40%-50% Average
You can probably play the game to a reasonable level and converse with other pilots about some of the more simplistic elements of the Elite universe. You probably invested some of your childhood time wisely and have a chance of decent future in Elite. If a fellow pilot had to go get some food or answer the phone, he could probably trust you with the controls for a few moments.

50%-60% Above Average
The is a respectable score. You probably have a few interests outside your computer but you know what matters in life - playing Elite. You can converse with other Elite commanders without embarrassing yourself too much and you would forfeit a night out if you had just started a new commander. You win most of your battles in space and always have a commander on the go.

60%-70% Dangerous
In a sane world, every school child would be able to achieve a score of this type. You are a good pilot and you have tried most of the different careers within Elite. When you are in a crowded room, you automatically look up if someone says a word such as "replete" or "meat". You have few interests outside the greatest series of games ever created and you start to become irritable if you have to go very long without playing it.

70%-80% Deadly
Like Elite but not as good.

80%-90% Elite
This is a very good score. You have been an Elite player for most of your life. You have other interests that compliment your love of Elite but you haven't wasted you life fostering personal relationships or building a career. Going outside, working and personal relationships are distractions that take you away from your machine and The Game. You have tried pretty much everything it is possible to do in an Elite game and it has paid off. Most people cross over to the other side of the street or duck into a shop if they see you coming because they know that you will start talking about Elite. You mentally divide the world into Elite players and None-Elite players and avoid the latter. You are very opinionated and well informed about every facet of Elite and DB would do well to bring you in as a technical consultant on the next Elite game. Your real life is rather empty but who cares when your Elite life is so rich?

90%-100% David Braben/Ian Bell
Admit it. You were hoping that this was a test sent by Galcop to find earth based people to abduct and place in the Elite universe, to be supplied with a ship, some fuel and some starting cash. You find it difficult differentiate between things that happen in (so called) real life and the Elite universe. The real world seems like the memory of a dream which becomes fainter every day for you. Your whole life style is streamlined to make sure that you have plenty of time to play Elite. The only meaningful conversations that you have are with other Elite pilots and the topic of conversation rarely strays from Elite. You (informally) follow a religion based on the worship of David Braben and Ian Bell. If they ever came to your house (your dream come true) they would be impressed with your mighty collection of Elite materials, your extensive knowledge of each of the games, your insightful suggestions for the sequels and your tireless devotion to Elite. Sir, I salute you.

List Of Contributors
Henry S
IQ
Impaler
John Jordan
Matt Williams
Matt Dibb
Paul Roberts
Silver
Michael Reed
Kevin Prest
Lockheed
Ian Barwick
Simon Chalands
Wolfsheart

From https://www.unmusic.co.uk/elitepurity/elitepurity.html

[stranger]

Have you ever been forced to end a relationship (or been dumped) because your partner couldn't understand your need to shout a "Right On Commander" during the crucial moment of intimacy?

No. What a shame! Definitely I'm NOT Elite purist

[Cody]

Have you ever been forced to end a relationship (or been dumped) because your partner couldn't understand your need to shout a "Right On Commander" during the crucial moment of intimacy?

No. What a shame! Definitely I'm NOT Elite purist

<chuckles> I know of two cases where "that game" was mentioned in divorce discussions with solicitors.