Do you find stopping at 240,000 in fireworks cheating?

[WDWLIGHTNINGZ]

Well title says all really.

I don't find it cheating, but what do you think?

 

[redsfan]

I don't find it as cheating. I think it is part of the game.

 

[Groovydolly]

cheating i think

 

[AllisonY2K]

No, I don't see it as cheating. If you want to stop at 240K, you are totally free to do so. If you want to keep going beyond that, you are totally free to do so.

 

[Grendel]

just curious how this can be viewed as cheating? your not doing anything against the game? The game pays what it pays....VMK set it up that way...some people are playing for first others are playing for credits...how do others get hurt by this?

 

[Cassabella]

Definitely not. I don't ever try for first unless it's obvious the person below me won't make 240k. The game is set up so that you don't get as many credits for first, so since I want more credits, why should I keep playing?

 

[jeffgwins]

No this is not cheating, it is just a different aspect to the game. As has been stated, VMK would not have made it more credits to get 240,000 and not win if they didn't want you to do so. To me, it takes just as much skill to try and stop just over 240,000. It is a challenge to do that. Yes it is disappointing when you really need the 1300 credits and you try and stop at 240,000 and everyone else stops and you still win the game. But the bright side is, you still get 675 credits for winning. To me it would be cheating if VMK said not to do this in their values. But nowhere does it state that you can't try to get more credits by getting 240,000 and not winning the game.

 

[cteddiesgirl]

No this is not cheating, it is just a different aspect to the game. As has been stated, VMK would not have made it more credits to get 240,000 and not win if they didn't want you to do so.

I don't think VMK reasoning for having the credit distribution the way it is is so that people would purposely stop at 240k.
I think their reasoning is to discourage hacking to get win everytime and to give more credits to more people who can actually make it to that point but may never actually have a hope of getting in first.

Personally, depending on the people I'm playing against, I may feel good (knowing that the other people are always top scorers) or I may feel rotten. I generally feel rotten if I don't know the person or know that they don't always make it to level 5. I then feel as if I've cheated that person out of the higher credits.

And though some may play for first place, it's usually only those that don't know yet that they are getting fewer credits or they are trying to get on the high score list. When these people find out that they actually get fewer credits, then they may feel like the actual loser.

Now why is the winner supposed to feel like the loser?

I also think this "I need the credits so I'll sandbag" attitude is rotten. It's purely selfish. So I guess the other person who you just beat out of 625 credits doesn't need the credits themselves?
I had this happen to me on numerous occasions. It really upsets me when people say "Oh, I'm poor so I needed the credits" and they're wearing 10 bat magics and 3 infernos. Several of them being multiple stars.


I still think that most of these problems would be solved if they would make the winner come out the actual winner. Even if it's only 10 credits more.

 

[KingTryton]

Cheating! It is more of an "Art" stopping closest to 240k. Many times I have won in error by clicking off an extra firework. If I have a really good score going into the last round I'll continue on for a personal high score. Most of the time I'll stop at 240k for the awesome credits.

How can this be cheating?

 

[DemonLlama]

Cheating isn't exactly the best word, but those who feel like stopping is not in the spirit of a good competition also feel like those who are trying so hard to break the 240,000 barrier and win their own fireworks magic are cheated out of it oftentimes because everyone else stops and lets them come in first, thus no magic.

For me, it's like running my heart out in the race and then sitting down because I'll be rewarded for throwing the race. It just doesn't feel right to me and so I don't stop.

People only stop for the credits, if they changed the system and rewarded first place higher, it would cease to be "part of the game."

I think VMK sends some really poor messages to kids when they promote envy and quitting above the fun of the game.

I know I'm in the minority here, but the nice thing about the democracy of discussion boards is that alternate viewpoints can be heard. Thanks for listening.

 

[PrincessOp]

Yup, in my book it's cheating. Do I still sandbag? Yeah, sometimes. I'm not perfect, either - and if I've just dropped a ton of credits on something, sometimes I do try to recoup by sandbagging. I do play to my best score a lot too, though - since I like to get the practice on that last round (hopefully someday I'll break 270K! - 268K is my all-time high). I think that it would be a better game if the scoring system was different. I'd like to see the winner get the same as any player over 240k, maybe with a bonus.

 

[monsterkitty]

You know what I hate? (or hat in VMK language)

When you stop at 240,010 points because you are being selfish (hee hee), but win because the other top 4 places stopped at 240,009, 240,007, 240,003, and 204,001 points.

BTW, when I won this game, all of us going into the final level were over 230,000 so I know we could have all scored much higher than this.

 

[Laurabearz]

Continuing on pass 240,000 is easy... stopping at exactly 240,001 takes skill <grin>

 

[jeffgwins]

I don't think VMK reasoning for having the credit distribution the way it is is so that people would purposely stop at 240k.
I think their reasoning is to discourage hacking to get win everytime and to give more credits to more people who can actually make it to that point but may never actually have a hope of getting in first.

Personally, depending on the people I'm playing against, I may feel good (knowing that the other people are always top scorers) or I may feel rotten. I generally feel rotten if I don't know the person or know that they don't always make it to level 5. I then feel as if I've cheated that person out of the higher credits.

And though some may play for first place, it's usually only those that don't know yet that they are getting fewer credits or they are trying to get on the high score list. When these people find out that they actually get fewer credits, then they may feel like the actual loser.

Now why is the winner supposed to feel like the loser?

I also think this "I need the credits so I'll sandbag" attitude is rotten. It's purely selfish. So I guess the other person who you just beat out of 625 credits doesn't need the credits themselves?
I had this happen to me on numerous occasions. It really upsets me when people say "Oh, I'm poor so I needed the credits" and they're wearing 10 bat magics and 3 infernos. Several of them being multiple stars.


I still think that most of these problems would be solved if they would make the winner come out the actual winner. Even if it's only 10 credits more.

Great words to think about. That is why i love the dis boards. You can get all kinds of different opinions about a subject and still totally respect the words stated. Thanks for the different perspective cteddiesgirl!

 

[qruthie]

I don't think stopping at 240,000 is cheating or not in the spirit of the game. It's a different strategy. Yes, it is selfish to opt for more credits rather than give someone else the opportunity to win their fireworks magic or earn more credits. But I have no problem with people being selfish and I don't have an issue with people who want a bigger payoff for the same amount of work. Your mileage may vary.

I don't see a significant difference between stopping at 240,000 and playing friendly pirates with DIS rules. I don't see a significant difference between stopping at 240,000 and setting up a ghosts game with three people playing against one person in order to help that person complete a task for a quest. Again, your mileage may vary.

Something to think about... If it's selfish to stop at 240,000 in order to earn more credits, then I believe it is also selfish to expect others to try for the highest score possible in order to allow you to earn more credits or fireworks magic. Again, I have no problem with people being selfish, I'm selfish and proud of it. I do have a problem if someone calls me selfish because I stop at 240,000 yet doesn't believe that they are just as selfish by expecting me to go for first place in order to allow them to increase their payoff from the game. Would I "throw" a fireworks game and come in first place to help someone get their fireworks magic pin? Yes! Just don't expect me to do that every game and for every player in VMK.

It is possible to win fireworks magic for the first time by always coming in first place. One of my characters kept hitting 240,000 but came in first every time. Nobody was sand bagging, I just happened to play a string of games against people who couldn't get to 240,000. At some point I received the fireworks magic pin. I didn't keep track of my wins because I didn't expect to get the pin that way so I have no idea how many times I had to win. I'd guess it was about ten to twenty times though.

 

[Grendel]

Yup, in my book it's cheating. Do I still sandbag? Yeah, sometimes. I'm not perfect, either - and if I've just dropped a ton of credits on something, sometimes I do try to recoup by sandbagging. I do play to my best score a lot too, though - since I like to get the practice on that last round (hopefully someday I'll break 270K! - 268K is my all-time high). I think that it would be a better game if the scoring system was different. I'd like to see the winner get the same as any player over 240k, maybe with a bonus.

???? which book is that...just curious....but Im cheating if I dont try to win?
I just dont see it. Im sure we can have a litany of why VMK has 240K as the magic number but not being first means getting Fireworks magic and getting 1.3k. All of its kind of moot. Its the system that VMK setup. If there is a technical problem because somehow there is worrying over scripting or some such to cheat to get into first place...then fix the problem...they do have the technology. Id like to try and win...its kind of boring playing to the same score( thats why i play pirates mostly now )...unfortunately..VMK has set "win" up as second place...it just happens that to "win" this game...you dont have to get the most points...you have to get the closest to 240k without going under....thats the conditions..

lets face it its a skill based game...if VMK changed it to give out the most credits for high score..then the same people that are getting the credits now would be getting it then...they know how to play the game...well...

 

[Sparkle_Cherry]

I don't think its cheating to try and stop at 240K, I agree with jeffgwins. It's a challenge, and if you're playing against people you don't know then you can't really know if they're going to shoot for first or not.

Sometimes if I'm doing really well then I'll shoot for first to see if I can beat my high score, but most of the time I just aim for 240K. Its more credits, right? But I think its also important to aim higher so that you can improve, otherwise you might stay at a 240K plateau and actually get worse at fireworks.

I really don't see how it could be cheating

~C.B.

 

[JuniorSpaceAce]

How can it even be conceived to be cheating by stopping at 240,000?? If I choose to stop at 240,000 it is my decision to "lose" the game.

But using this "cheat" theory, I guess the same also has to be applied to when a quest calls for a score of 50,000 or 75,000 and you quit just so you can satisfy the requirement and continue the quest. I guess that is cheating too. Go figure....

 

[darkacre]

Cheating = breaking the rules. There are no rules that require a person to try to achieve any particular score. There are only rewards for the various scores, levels and standings. One can argue, I suppose, that it is unsportsmanlike, but as long as no rules are broken, no one can reasonably argue that it constitutes cheating.

 

[Alionette]

Sorry, just kind of have to put this out here. Kind of a small rant, but please don't get mad at me.

In fireworks, I almost never stop anymore. Lately I've been getting decent scores, and am pretty happy with what I've done. Personally, I think it's the staff's fault, especially because they are making prices high, putting things in a loop for us with ride competitions, etc. If you have a problem with this, go talk to staff, don't complain to us who are just trying to "get by".

Lion