Doom Eternal and the Artistic Value of Cheat Codes

Update: LOL www.polygon.co...
I am a dirty filthy cheater and I will not apologize for my art.
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[@live4twilight4ever]

"that's not really cheating; that's just a different game mode" brilliant. love it.

[@Lvl99BlackMage]

Obviously Doom 2016 and Doom Eternal are a way to bring the spirit of the classic Doom to a modern format, but the way the cheat codes mirror Halo's hidden Skulls felt like an acknowledgement to Halo's influence in the FPS genre. The fact that two of the cheat codes, Party and Famine, are straight up Halo's Grunt Birthday Party and Famine skulls, even though they could have just changed the names or effects, made it feel that way. It made the game feel like it was made by fans for fans, not just of Doom, but of the FPS genre. I'm probably reading too much into this, but the videos are too good to binge watch without eventually commenting something, and I feel more confident talking about videogames than I do about other media.

[@jacksonlynch1731]

Yeah, this was my first thought, too. Halo did this to amazing effect with skulls, and the early games had an infinite ammo skull, as well. There are times where I want to play Halo: CE, but I really don't want to put in the effort to battle my way through the Library in the typically grueling style. So I pick up a rocket launcher and a shotgun, turn on infinite ammo, and supersoldier my way through it. I think it's cool that Doom is incorporating "cheat codes" into the game, and even cooler that it is a bit of a nod in Halo's direction while still feeling very true to the original Doom. What's even cooler is that Combat Evolved took a lot of inspiration from the original Doom, so it feels a little bit like things are coming full circle.

[@wordekable]

I remember in OG Modern Warfare there were those laptops to colloect that unlocked cheat codes. My favourite one made the game into an old silent movie, it sped up, got those film "tears" and I think also the music changed to the piano jingles. It was so much fun! There was also another one that made it black and white, which gave such a different feel and atmosphere to the game! I wish more developers included those unlockable cheats in their games!

[@cookies23z]

omfg, a single player game that lets you "cheat" or play easy without disabling content???! What a surprise! Honestly, any time "cheating in single player" is remotely in orbit of the topic... well, I think back to how Underrail's dev literally hides the files so you cant cheat engine or modify the game to make it easier... edit: oh, my boy folding ideas. cool :)

[@chrisd6287]

Operation cwal

[@vaporwaverabbit3389]

Shout out to Missingno. and Throwing yourself off the top of the Nexus in Demon's Souls to multiply items in your inventory.

[@koakoala2183]

Amazing analysis, I loved the attack on steve I think it was another great example to show your point. I agree with ya, cheat codes are wonderful additions, its cool that dooms cheat codes are so transformative.

[@GamingScan]

Great take! We also cheated a lot in this game to have some more fun. That's what it's all about, isn't it :)

[@ColonelCactus89]

“...with the Doom music turned off” yeah this is the guy right here officer

[@QuestionableObject]

Cheat codes were the only reason I got to see the story of Starcraft, Brood War and Warcraft when I was a kid

[@FargonNemeloc]

Cheatcodes were the only reason i 100% goldeneye and perfect dark Perfect dark, with battles against bots blindingly fast and accurate, and you only had the stun gun, that was really fun

[@Estarile]

This is practically a staple of the lego video games too. They have cheat codes (sorry, "power bricks") that range from giving you more money, to making you invincible, to making all the characters have silly mustaches.

[@bigchungus6827]

You can generally use cheat codes to bypass the process of acquiring those, though, so they're sorta double cheat codes. Also, you can use a cheat code to skip cutscenes, thank god.

[@endplanets]

Dude summons dogs only if you attack his shield. Halo has skulls which which do similar things and you also have to earn (varies per game). In Halo 2 you unlock invisibility for the main character, goofy dialogue (hard to earn), confetti, blindness, or enemies throw/drop more grenades to name a few.

[@unclevivid9028]

Blind didnt make you invisible. Or was there the ability to gain camouflage for master chief? Because arbiter is also a main character xD

[@endplanets]

@@unclevivid9028 Yup, you unlock invisibility for the Master Chief at the cost of losing your flashlight. And blindness makes your HUD invisible.

[@weirdofromhalo]

Yeah the Halo skulls are so fun. Also, you don't really "earn" them. You find them. Which is a different type of reward.

[@lnrs]

eric should be so much more popular with this production quality and generally really interesting videos

[@luigivercotti6410]

Your Starcraft bit reminded me of how I play all my RTS's, almost always, C&C (Generals, ZH (vanilla SHW, and RotR), and RA3) and DoW (Dark Crusade and Soulstorm, especially with the Apocalypse mod). I'd be the ultimate turtle, hunkering massively every close resource point and my base with ludicrous defenses, and then drop building after building and tech up to the endgame things and build a stupendous amount of them. I'd build like more than a hundred nukes, box the AI bot in their tiny base, then just fire all them all and stare at 15 seconds of pure whitescreen and explosion sounds followed by the "we win" message and jingle as the light fades to reveal a massive scorched crater where their base used to be.

[@TheMenasaur]

Just finished watching all of your videos, loving your work!

[@swishyclang9175]

I've never played Doom but I wholly support cheat codes and playing a game in whatever ways suit you - art is to be appreciated, and everyone has their own way of doing so

[@zenmail42]

Undiscovered gem here! You are so goin to a be a top essayist

[@kelzling]

This video deserves more views, had me giggling multiple times. Great stuff. :)

[@KeifersIsAwesome]

Hopefully you've come to the same conclusion about the Marauder at this point that most other people have.

[@jon2922]

My god, the overkilling Steve bit triggered a childhood memory, playing Stronghold as a child, realising turtling is an option because old AI was stupid then building up several hundred archer units and using them to re-enact the ending from 300 on the tiny enemy army, years before 300 was a thing. I never finished that game and I loved it.

[@mechanomics2649]

This video is exactly why it's ridiculous for people to cry about easy modes being in games and claiming that it ruins them. It's also why it's ridiculous that games by and large stopped being released with cheat codes and are instead sometimes sold to the player as DLC.

[@zacharycondon1098]

Im really surprised you didnt mention halo’s skulls

[@madsam7582]

Yeah they even have the same name.

[@tinkergnomad]

Is it really cheating if you're not playing *against* anyone else? I've never understood this attitude. I'm changing the game to make it more fun for myself, not to beat someone else. An ex of mine gave me $h1t for exploring in WoW (many, many years ago) saying very angrily "see, this is why you're not catching up to us in level, because you spend time doing stupid stuff like this." "You mean enjoying the game? Yeah. Clearly I've missed the point of the game. I thought it was to have fun, but clearly it's more important to level up."

[@lucyarisato6850]

Oh hey, another fan of Doug! As soon as you brought up Skyrim, I was like ‘wait a minute, I know a guy that-‘ and before I could even finish my thought, bears were appearing onscreen.

[@GothAlice]

If the outcome has a complex dependence on initial conditions, I would like control over those conditions to extend the value and replay-ability of a game. I occasionally pull up games of various ages, a hex memory editor, and see what I can do to get more entertainment out of the product. I particularly love games which provide modding capability for this same reason. Edit to add: and yes, I often mod games in ways that make them harder, that would savagely punish a player new to the game.

[@alameachan]

Finally someone who gets why I cheat. And why I never cheat in Multiplayer.

[@denisvodovozov1099]

Ur using the wrong tools for the Marauder btw. Try hitting him with the Ballista and Super Shotty when he flashes green. Other than that the video is pretty good I have no complaints.

[@yolgiebear]

Some cheats will stay with me forever. I remember playing GTA 1 with cheats on and trying to create the biggest chain explosions ever. Minecraft meets GTA or so...

[@cidmatrix9643]

I loved messing with the cheats in age of empires, they made the game a completely new experience

[@morganstiefvater2019]

Maybe if everyone yelled when someone touched them like Harley does, that message at the end wouldn't still be just as relevant a year later.

[@Warhawk76]

Love the cat at the end!!

[@mr.everwind5225]

Holy crap, every comment is only three weeks old.... You have been algorithmed my friend

[@whtiequillBj]

I love this video! I like how you say its not expected and make references to current events. It is the norm and will be for a long time. even after this is over.

[@cyberstrikebeast7997]

Big head mode in just cause 3

[@ChrisPorterHoward]

you are the american hbomberguy and i LOVE IT

[@LordRavenscraft]

Haha, that's a high compliment! He does incredible work.

[@chrisd6287]

Operation cwal

[@diclonius7]

As a teenager, the most fun I had in starcraft was do a 1v4, me vs ai, go protoss, build a million carriers, and watch the carnage and fireworks. It was beautiful.

[@arnav-matta]

You’re going to hit a million subs and cross it! Your content quality is very high and it’s just a matter of time! Good luck and never give up!

[@mq5731]

Kinda feels like he's fat shaming the Mancubus...Welcome to hell I guess...

[@TJMartinek]

Just because I suck at video games doesn't mean I don't enjoy them! I appreciate cheats and story mode so much.

[@FargonNemeloc]

I was about to rage against raven if he didnt mentioned dk mode and paintball mode on goldeneye, and next comment: dk mode 🤣

[@bonesylrc]

Great stuff man. That was a wonderful perspective on what cheat codes can add to a game.

[@raygedd9693]

I’m so happy to see people making video essays about FPS’s like Doom. I love these games and it rules that people with a good critical eye have interesting things to say about them w/r/t art

[@renatocorvaro6924]

Spoiler for Doom Eternal: You shoot monsters.

[@spartanwar1185]

If you like the party cheat code so much You should check out the pyrovision goggles from Team Fortress 2 (Though then again TF2 is already a more light-hearted game than something like Doom) Anywho, i disagree with achievements being unlockable with cheats enabled They usually downgrade the amount of skill needed to complete something, to _achieve_ something And thus, they downgrade the value of _achievements_ At the very least, i would prefer if achievements earned with cheats enabled are marked with a sign to signify that I absolutely hate ruining my cheat-free records by accidentally unlocking an achievement when i'm fooling around for shits and giggles

[@spartanwar1185]

wow i changed alot over the course of a year 2023 me thinks being able to cheat is fine, progression or not (but maybe that could be a choice) Besides, it reminds me of how i used cheats in Supreme Commander 2 (an RTS game) to play the game with self-established rules that would never exist in the base game Such as having infinite resources, but i delete my ACU (the main unit used to build anything) and can only spawn an allocated number of experimental units (read: really powerful) And so i change the way i play from being a resource and strategy game, to one more focused on tactics I cannot afford to lose any of my experimentals, because i only have a limited amount So i have to use them in a supremely efficient manner, i can choose one of my units to be a mobile factory which would permit me to produce expendable units (not permitting the creation of engineers though) But ultimately i have no true base, so my units would be vulnerable to artillery if they stayed still Plus, it feels really satisfying to best other experimentals created by normally-functioning factions when i do so through being more tactical and smart (micromanaging the hell out of them) And it also means i don't have to babysit a base too, so i can afford to micromanage, the only things i have to protect ARE my units And boy, is it fun! (for me atleast)

[@General12th]

This is a really good video, with some excellent points.

[@123owly]

Subbed, liked, commented.

[@Abhothra]

KITTIE!!!!!

[@matiasbosques3002]

[@eden822]

i bet you've already seen it but if you haven't check out polygon's video on doom eternal as a descendent of slapstick!

[@theirishpotato6588]

I liked the story. Smh.

[@General12th]

smh my head