We have Where do we stand on cheating in single player games?, about cheating in singleplayer games (which says "cheating in singleplayer is fine") and How do we stand on cheats, in particularly for multiplayer games? (which says "cheating in multiplayer is deplorable").
However, some games that are primarily singleplayer also have multiplayer components partially integrated into the singleplayer. Examples:
- Leaderboards (MANY games);
- invasions, both NPCs and players (Dark Souls, Watch_Dogs, Shadow of Mordor);
- optional co-op (Far Cry 4, Saint's Row 3 and 4, Assassin's Creed: Unity);
- objective sharing (Helix fragments in various assassin's Creed games);
- shared economy (some city management games);
- other shared elements.
These games are mainly singleplayer, but they have a multiplayer component included. This component may or may not be optional. This component may or may not involve direct interference with the gameplay of another player. This component may or may not be complete nonsense that is forced on players that play this game for the singleplayer storyline.
In case a game has such a multiplayer component, how should we handle requests for cheats for that game?
For example, as someone who only plays multiplayer because the next part in a gaming series they love is an MMORPG (SWTOR, WoW, ESO), I try to disable as much of this forced nonsense as possible in singleplayer games. I disable all online elements in Watch_Dogs, I play Far Cry 4 in offline mode,... I might want to ask how to cheat in a game where the singleplayer is infected cursed sprinkled with multiplayer components.
I am not asking 'what should we see as a cheat?". I'm asking "If a singleplayer game has multiplayer components in the singleplayer part, are we allowed to explain how to cheat in that game"? Example: Suppose I want to ask "How can I enable godmode in Watch_Dogs if all online interactions are disabled?". Believe me, I have no intention of ever messing with the online interactions of Watch_Dogs because I believe that crap has no place in a singleplayer game.