http://feeds.wired.c...~3/tOWjpysx7Pg/

Most StarCraft II players can only own a few battlecruisers. Maybe 10 or 15, if they play their cards right, but even with that kind of titanic fleet, your average gamer will still fall to the proper combination of opposition spacecraft in the real-time strategy game.

StarCraft II player gm0ney did things a bit differently.

Using a “trainer” program he downloaded from the website Cheat Happens, he found he could remove the game’s supply limit and steamroll his opponents with hundreds of gargantuan warships. If it looked like he might lose, he could switch to God Mode and watch his units turn invincible.

He was clearly cheating, and that’s why Blizzard Entertainment suspended him from playing the game for two weeks in early October.

Exactly the sort of punishment one would expect from a responsible gamemaker, no? After all, nobody wants to be a hapless player caught in the cross hairs of a military machine built by somebody who isn’t playing by the rules.

But there’s a twist: Gm0ney got suspended for gaming the system against the game’s AI, not for mobilizing his illicit fleet against other players. He might have been playing online, but no other players were directly affected by his actions.

Still, gm0ney got caught up in a sweep, during which Blizzard reportedly banned 5,000 StarCraft players for cheating.

“While single-player games only appear to be you and a computer at first, your achievements and gamer score also [carry] weight and prestige for your online play,” Blizzard wrote to another Cheat Happens user, according to O’Rorke.

Don't even have an appropriately censored response for this. Maybe I'll comment later.

so dude no sympathy from me here, blizzard makes sure to put it in your face that these things are a no no. everytime there is an update for their games you must accepts the End User License Agreement and the Terms of Service. Hell you can't even accept the terms of the eula without scrolling all the way to the bottom. so at one point in time all of the rules have past every players eyes regardless of them admitting it or not.

im not sure if you guys can see this part without logging into a battle/net account but straight from the terms

http://us.blizzard.c...termsofuse.html

Additional License Limitations.

The license granted to you in Section 1 is subject to the limitations set forth in Sections 1 and 2 (collectively, the "License Limitations"). Any use of the Service or any Game in violation of the License Limitations will be regarded as an infringement of Blizzard's copyrights in and to the Service and/or Game. You agree that you will not, under any circumstances:

1. use cheats, automation software (bots), hacks, mods or any other unauthorized third-party software designed to modify the Service, any Game or any Game experience;
   

while it is unfortunate for him he did break the rules that he agreed to. its kinda like stealing a candy bar, its only 89 cents but you still broke the rules and now need to deal with the consequences

Yeah there is no doubt that Blizzard had the right. However it doesnt change the fact that what he was doing had no effect on anyone but him. It's similar to a cop giving you a ticket for 1mph over. Its illegal and the cop has the right but who were you hurting?

well in all fairness he did do something that affected other people, there are alot of achievements that you can get in single player vs the ai and in campaign. and there are alot of people that put alot of time and pride into their achievements. and removing the pop cap to make an *** ton of battlecruisers makes most things easy mode. if it didnt update to an online leaderboard where you are ranked i would be more on the side of this didnt hurt nobody, but its not.

I'll concede the rankings point since it does mean a lot to some people ( cheaters are usually pretty obvious though ) . However, just means they need a way to either disable ranking.

(I skimmed)

But let's be real here, how long before this kiddo decided to try and pull this in a match against other players?

I thinkt hey were jsut preventing an issue from forming

I say Blizzard is 100% correct in banning him, especially because some of the singleplayer stuff DOES carry to multi (like titles and stuff).

People should just play the games the way they're meant to be played. I hate modders.

Everyone has a valid point, and I understand the cheating aspect for online. It's also possible that he would have taken his cheating exploits online ( provided that the trainer would work in those games ) . He didn't though and he was just trying to have a little extra fun while talking to friends online. I'm certainly not anti modding. Without modders there wouldn't be cool stuff like the 'Dead Space' Starcraft 2 port you linked Chris. Modding almost always adds longevity to a game. Whether the mods are full reworks of the game or just cheats.

The only time cheating would not bother me is if it will have zero effect on any other person or party. In this case, he was playing against the AI, but that stuff still carries over to leaderboards and multiplayer, so a ban is a good idea.

The only time cheating would not bother me is if it will have zero effect on any other person or party. In this case, he was playing against the AI, but that stuff still carries over to leaderboards and multiplayer, so a ban is a good idea.

^^This

@Dat: You make a valid point, but the key difference is they are creating new works of their own using modding tools, not affecting the CURRENT game. Know what I mean?

@Skylark

Well, I don't think banning is the right approach to a guy who might have padded his achievements and leaderboard position. Better to ban him from the leaderboards. As far as achievements, well, besides the leaderboard effects then who cares if he shows as having the cheevos.

@Chris

Modding doesn't always change everything about a game. I can MOD Oblivion and start with an uber powerful spell that kills everything, and I can do it using the tools they provide. The slight difference to what I said is what this guy was doing and what a lot of 'trainers' do is they run beside the game and intercept the code to hack it basically. Giving unlimited whatever, etc. I still don't see a problem with this on a single player basis. Look at the Bolo patch for Just Cause 2. There is absolutely no denying that the invincible tether adds tons of fun to the game. Not to mention has allowed for some pretty great videos due to that same fact. Still a mod, and exactly the kind the SC2 user used. Modding is changing the game to fit what you want. I don't see a problem with trying to get even more enjoyment from a game.

lols

Care to clarify which point you find amusing and why? (I sound like the teachers who use to get on me in class. lol)

@Chris

Modding doesn't always change everything about a game. I can MOD Oblivion and start with an uber powerful spell that kills everything, and I can do it using the tools they provide. The slight difference to what I said is what this guy was doing and what a lot of 'trainers' do is they run beside the game and intercept the code to hack it basically. Giving unlimited whatever, etc. I still don't see a problem with this on a single player basis. Look at the Bolo patch for Just Cause 2. There is absolutely no denying that the invincible tether adds tons of fun to the game. Not to mention has allowed for some pretty great videos due to that same fact. Still a mod, and exactly the kind the SC2 user used. Modding is changing the game to fit what you want. I don't see a problem with trying to get even more enjoyment from a game.

As you pointed out, there is a difference between singleplayer and multiplayer. *shrugs*

When a game has both, i.e. Starcraft, and the two kind of mesh together, then modding the official game is a no-no.

Care to clarify which point you find amusing and why? (I sound like the teachers who use to get on me in class. lol)

the entire debate over this is what im laughing at, its pointless

Hah. Most arguments are. But nothing wrong with a good debate.