What’s considered “cheating”
- Thread starter KitCat
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Lew Zealand
Helper
IMO consulting the Wiki and any other info about NPCs/Gifts/etc. is not cheating at all as Stardew Valley is so flexible that everyone can play the same game a thousand different ways and all do their own thing. And that's even before adding in Mods.
The only way I could consider anything "cheating" is if you dip into the wiki too often on your first playthrough, then you are cheating yourself. IMO that's serious as this game is sooo wonderful and involving on that first playthrough that getting too many spoilers will ruin that amazing and pristine first experience and you can never get that back.
That's not cheating the game, it's cheating yourself.
The only way I could consider anything "cheating" is if you dip into the wiki too often on your first playthrough, then you are cheating yourself. IMO that's serious as this game is sooo wonderful and involving on that first playthrough that getting too many spoilers will ruin that amazing and pristine first experience and you can never get that back.
That's not cheating the game, it's cheating yourself.
Ereo
Helper
I don’t think you can cheat in a game where you’re not competing against somebody else.
I agree with Lew that using the wiki too much on your first playthrough is cheating yourself.
and maybe Item spawner mods could be considered cheating but again, if you don’t compete and enjoy the endgame more, there’s no harm.
I agree with Lew that using the wiki too much on your first playthrough is cheating yourself.
and maybe Item spawner mods could be considered cheating but again, if you don’t compete and enjoy the endgame more, there’s no harm.
Quirinea
Farmer
I think cheating does not matter in a game that has no such achievements that you could boast about. I'm cheating all the time using fishing mods, time stop etc. getting a less challenging game. I feel using an item spawner would be a wrong type of cheat if used for something else than fixing a bug (like losing a tool that you cannot find again or the thing that a tool ending into lost and found loses it's dearly payed enhancements).
Like I'm playing Pokémon Go. There are some cheats using the "flight mode". Some people use that in PVP and that's real bad (you're spoiling other peoples game). But another use is for those infuriating "get n [difficult throws] in a row" I dismiss such tasks if I can and take somehing else. If I cannot I finally use that cheat. No-one suffers from that.
(I've also been complaining about those "in a row" -tasks. I have about 1/100 probability to getting a certain throw if I do not try. If I try the probability is much lower.)
Like I'm playing Pokémon Go. There are some cheats using the "flight mode". Some people use that in PVP and that's real bad (you're spoiling other peoples game). But another use is for those infuriating "get n [difficult throws] in a row" I dismiss such tasks if I can and take somehing else. If I cannot I finally use that cheat. No-one suffers from that.
(I've also been complaining about those "in a row" -tasks. I have about 1/100 probability to getting a certain throw if I do not try. If I try the probability is much lower.)
Jayamos
Farmer
OTOH I used the wiki constantly on my first playthrough. Limited experience with games, limited time to play, memory like a sieve, plus I enjoy research 
. It helped me understand the mechanics of the game without too much frustration. I think the commonality here is, as usual, do whatever gives you a fun and interesting level of challenge.
. It helped me understand the mechanics of the game without too much frustration. I think the commonality here is, as usual, do whatever gives you a fun and interesting level of challenge.
REtroGeekery
Farmer
I would say no. Memorizing an NPC's schedule isn't an achievement or anything in the game. There isn't even a way to keep track of it in-game. Whether you just remembered Marnie has a doctor's appointment on her birthday or you looked it up isn't really giving you an unfair advantage over anyone else. To that end, SDV is mostly single player with multiplayer being cooperative play and no leader boards, so I don't really think it's the kind of game where cheating (especially in the sense of just looking up information) would matter much either way.
Njin
Planter
There are guides to help you figure things out for yourself and there are guides to cheating. Using a walkthrough or Info you learn on a forum or the wiki isn't cheating It's having questions and finding answers for yourself. In a way that is part of the game. some people may consider that cheating yourself and I see where some will come to that conclusion . But on your subsequent playthroughs you already have this information , so does that make it it cheating to know things?? would every new save you make be the save of a fraudulent cheater??? I don't think so. Let's put it Into chess , There are master chess players that know all the moves. Even the prodigies learned something from some one. They have all learned something , No doubt all of the best strats they know were all learned externally from the game board watching others play & reading up on the theories and such . If learning info is cheating and knowing that info is cheating than that would make every game after the first one played a game between cheaters, cheating like crazy... No, I think we can draw the line at information. guides and forums walkthroughs they are fine i think it would be more spoiling things for yourself over cheating yourself.. Glitches, manipulations to the game and exploits on the other hand are ways you cheat the game and in a MP PVP Game that is considered cheating, and in a game played by yourself is considered cheating yourself...
Rhiannon
Farmer
I think Lew says it all perfectly. But I will admit that I totally "cheated" in this manner on my first save (and the second one following). BUT, I usually tried to guess unless it's a birthday. So partially cheating? Is that a thing?
Confused
Rancher
No, I don't think that's cheating, you're simply using resources to help you with a rather expansive game. People always do that in other games, looking up stuff when you can't find the answer immediately.
What I would consider "cheating" is when you use the game's bugs to gain from it. Like the statue of perfection glitch, or using your sword to clip into places you haven't unlocked yet. But at the end of the day, you can play SV any way you want, it's your game, and you get to make the rules.
What I would consider "cheating" is when you use the game's bugs to gain from it. Like the statue of perfection glitch, or using your sword to clip into places you haven't unlocked yet. But at the end of the day, you can play SV any way you want, it's your game, and you get to make the rules.
Lenora Rose
Farmer
I used the Wiki when figuring something out for myself would absolutely have decreased my game enjoyment... so, sparingly but with no particular feelings of guilt when I did.
I have opinions about where the line is in mods between quality of life and cheat, but they're not clean crisp lines. If a person HATES fishing then auto catch or generally "make it less frustrating " mods keep them going? Eh, it's their game. A person has a hand tremor and can't do fine control? Well absolutely mods that would be a total cheat for ME aren't a cheat for them. And if you're making mods, things that let you test out the details without having to play through another solid month each time make sense. I still prefer mods that bring in new characters or places or such over most quality of life mods, but that's all taste.
What I actually think is the closest to a real cheat is actually the "name your character, pet or farm animal something that spawns a huge pile of stuff" which is in the base game code, but I also watched the super crazy speed runs that use them, so...
I have opinions about where the line is in mods between quality of life and cheat, but they're not clean crisp lines. If a person HATES fishing then auto catch or generally "make it less frustrating " mods keep them going? Eh, it's their game. A person has a hand tremor and can't do fine control? Well absolutely mods that would be a total cheat for ME aren't a cheat for them. And if you're making mods, things that let you test out the details without having to play through another solid month each time make sense. I still prefer mods that bring in new characters or places or such over most quality of life mods, but that's all taste.
What I actually think is the closest to a real cheat is actually the "name your character, pet or farm animal something that spawns a huge pile of stuff" which is in the base game code, but I also watched the super crazy speed runs that use them, so...
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Lew Zealand
Helper
Yes yes yes to all of this!
I consulted the wiki for liked and loved gifts because I was getting frustrated not knowing during my first playthrough. And I mainlined the Wiki for the Golden Walnuts after v1.5 was released because I was just bewildered, though that was a much later playthrough.
I simply don't want anyone to spoil their first playthrough with too many storyline spoilers because IMO that was the magic of the first playthrough. It's not a complex thing, it's so simple. But it has this intangible something that works so perfectly that I want everyone to experience it.
I guess I'm trying to live vicariously through all the people out there who are playing for the first time. Jealous!
ShneekeyTheLost
Rancher
The concept of 'cheating' is not one properly applied to Stardew Valley unless there is some sort of competition or tournament in which case 'cheating' is going to be defined by the tournament rules.
I mean, I guess you could set challenges for yourself to follow, and breaking the rules you set down might count as 'cheating', but that's more self-imposed limitations.
Error: Concept irrelevant to source material.
I mean, I guess you could set challenges for yourself to follow, and breaking the rules you set down might count as 'cheating', but that's more self-imposed limitations.
Error: Concept irrelevant to source material.
MogBeoulve
Farmer
A long time ago, my friend and I spent many long hours recording villager gift preferences in Harvest Moon. (This resulted in me asking, "Have I cheesed Anna yet?" which I possibly will never live down.) I created a massive, multi-page spreadsheet only to realize that since their responses were often vague, it was not always useful (we weren't sure if they liked the gift or if so, how much). So, well, I feel like I've done my time. If you pay attention to Stardew Valley as you play, many of the villager preferences are told to you and even recorded for future reference. I don't feel like that's cheating. I still hand out random gifts from time to time just to see how people react, but I don't stress over their responses.
Besides, if I really need to make a friend, I just dip into my stack of iridium felted rabbit feet and we're best buddies in no time. If anything feels like cheating, that does!
Besides, if I really need to make a friend, I just dip into my stack of iridium felted rabbit feet and we're best buddies in no time. If anything feels like cheating, that does!