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We were asked what Mafia Spirits take is on cheating. We were asked; How would we perceive or define cheating and/or the use of scripts in Mafia Wars?
Many players have the belief that if it's possible to do and anyone could do it then it's not cheating. The sadness to this ideology is that it is an undermining and ever-growing ideology or philosophy that is wrong and is desensitizing people to the concept of what a cheater is.
Here at Mafia Spirit we believe that there are a set of standards that one should understand and know when it comes to understanding cheating. We believe that it starts with a set of rules or standards that are set forth by the parent entity. In the case of Mafia Wars the parent entity is Zynga.
Zynga, being the parent entity, has set forth their rules and standards that are contained within their TOS (Terms Of Service).
CHEATING AND HACKING - You agree that you will not, under any circumstances:
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d. Use cheats, exploits, automation software, bots, hacks, mods or any unauthorized third party software designed to modify or interfere with the Service or any Zynga game experience;
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e. Use the Service in order to design or assist in the design of cheats, automation software, bots, hacks, mods or any other unauthorized third party software designed to modify or interfere with the Service or any Zynga game experience;
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f. Without Zynga’s express written consent, modify or cause to be modified any files that are a part of the Service;
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g. Disrupt, overburden, or aid or assist in the disruption or overburdening of (1) any computer or server used to offer or support the Service or any Zynga game environment (each a "Server"); or (2) the enjoyment of the Service or any Zynga game by any other person;
You can clearly see that Zynga states that the use of cheats, exploits, automation software, bots, hacks, mods or any unauthorized third party software designed to modify or interfere with the Service or any Zynga game experience or to use the Service in order to design or assist in the design of cheats, automation software, bots, hacks, mods or any other unauthorized third party software designed to modify or interfere with the Service or any Zynga game experience are ALL considered to be cheats according to Zynga’s TOS (Terms Of Service).
We now must understand what is meant by the use of the word cheat. We gain an understanding of what the word cheat means by looking at some of the highly recognized and reputable sources that provide what could be considered as ‘generally accepted principles’ or ‘generally accepted definitions’ of the word cheat. Two such sources include the Merriam-Webster Dictionary and wikipedia.
According to Merriam-Webster the definition of cheat is as follows;
Definition of CHEAT
Definition of CHEAT (as defined by Merriam-Webster)
1cheat
verb \ˈchēt\
transitive verb
1: to deprive of something valuable by the use of deceit or fraud
2: to influence or lead by deceit, trick, or artifice
3: to elude or thwart by or as if by outwitting <cheat death>
intransitive verb
1a : to practice fraud or trickery b : to violate rules dishonestly <cheat at cards> <cheating on a test>
2: to be sexually unfaithful —usually used with on <was cheating on his wife>
3: to position oneself defensively near a particular area in anticipation of a play in that area <the shortstop was cheating toward second base>
— cheat·er noun
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2cheat
noun
1: the act or an instance of fraudulently deceiving : deception,fraud
2: one that cheats : pretender, deceiver
3 [probably from a deceptive resemblance to grain]a : chess 1b : cheatgrass
4: the obtaining of property from another by an intentional active distortion of the truth
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According to wikipedia the definition of cheat is as follows;
Cheating (as defined by wikipedia) refers to an immoral way of achieving a goal. It is generally used for the breaking of rules to gain advantage in a competitive situation. The rules infringed may be explicit, or they may be from an unwritten code of conduct based on morality, ethics or custom, making the identification of cheating a subjective process.
wikipedia gives a more in-depth or broader explanation which relates more to Mafia Wars.
In video games
Main article: Cheating in video games
In video games, cheating can take the form of secret access codes in single-player games (such as the Konami code) which unlock a bonus for the player when entered, and add-ons or exploits which give players an unfair advantage in online multiplayer games.
Attitudes towards cheating vary. On one hand, cheating allows casual players to complete games at much-accelerated speed, and this is especially helpful nowadays as typical Role Playing Games (RPGs) can take well over ten hours to finish. For single-player games, this is largely a matter of taste. On the other hand, as internet-based multi-player games, such as MMORPGs are becoming more and more popular, cheating in those types of games is often prohibited. In many circles, the purchasing of items or currency from sources outside the game is also considered to be cheating. The Terms of Service from many games where this is possible, directly prohibits this activity.[citation needed] An example would be, in the Pokémon franchise the player can hack for items and Pokémon unavailable at that time or in that game, and they can hack for experience gain to level their party to become incredibly powerful early.
In First Person Shooter (FPS) games, players can use multihacks containing different kind of cheats. These include: Aimbot (automatically aims at targets), Wallhack (allows the cheater to see targets through walls), and ESP (displays information about the targets).[citation needed]
Another form of video game cheating is when a player does things unforeseen by the programmers to permit changes to the way enemies are encountered (or objectives met). This could be through means of a "Hack" where altered game files are substituted for the normal files, or image graphics changed to permit greater visibility of the targets, etc.
Another type of cheat would be an exploit cheat where an advantage is gained through an unintended game exploit, such as skipping a weapon reload timer by quickly switching weapons back and forth without actually reloading the weapons. Generally speaking, there is often some concern that this is not truly cheating, as it is the fault of the programmers that such an exploit exists in the first place. However, technically, as with live sports, it is cheating if the player is not playing the game in a formally approved manner, breaking unwritten rules. In some cases, this behavior is directly prohibited by the Terms of Service of the game.
Unless you have express written consent, to modify or cause to be modified any files that are a part of the Service you ARE essentially cheating! If you create or use any 3rd party scripts or hacks or the like then you ARE cheating. If you exploit a programming error or an in-game glitch to better your character you could be considered cheating.
The exploitation of a programming error or an in-game glitch could be argued since I did not find anywhere within the TOS (Terms Of Service) that this kind of action is in violation of the TOS (Terms Of Service).
The problem with what is or isn’t considered a cheat in today’s Mafia Wars is that Zynga has done a poor job at policing their own game. Zynga is well aware that the script writers, users, and abusers are rampant in Mafia Wars. Zynga is also well aware that many of these script writers, users, and abusers spend untold amounts of real money on the game, Mafia Wars.
In fact, many of the script writers and users are members of the PAC (Players Advisory Committee). Although we will likely never hear anything about it, It should also be noted that there should be player changes in the PAC soon.
Therefore, Until Zynga does more than post a refreshed update about their TOS (Terms Of Service) it is like there is an unspoken rule that the use of scripts in Mafia Wars is an acceptable practice. Zynga (the parent entity) has done next to nothing to curb the use of the scripts. In fact, with events and features such as the Icebord or Death by Ice Events it appears that Zynga actually encourages the use of scripts.
If you do use scripts cheats, exploits, automation software, bots, hacks, mods or any unauthorized third party software you ARE still cheating and you do use them at your own risk. Zynga can change what and how they police the use of their services at any time and without notice or discretion.
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