Current Events > Zelda devs be like, 'our highest priority is to remove obscure dupe glitches'

(+) Yeah! (+)

Seems like almost every game company is like this. Game breaking glitches are fine, but if there's an exploit, even if it's a single player game, then they'll patch it out in a heartbeat.

Why do they even care how their customers play the games their already paid for?

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Skill issue

Can you revert updates in that game?
If you can't, that's such a raw deal.

They did the same thing to that Elden game. They had a stomp attack that shot ice beams and was just about the only fun looking thing in the game, then they nerfed it to death almost immediately.

While participating in various threads surrounding the recent update, I was alarmed to discover that it seems that a substantial majority of the community (or at least the most vocal people) are in favor of duping, which I consider to be cheating. One common refrain that I heard is that because ToTK is a purely single-player game, with no multiplayer to speak of, it doesn't matter how anyone plays the game. But is this really a valid line of reasoning? Let's take a closer look. I've written my main objections to duping below, and my hope is that by the time you've finished reading this post, you'll come to understand why duping is cheating, why we should be urging Nintendo to remove the duping glitches, and why we should widely denounce those who choose to dupe in their games.

Fairness and Game Balance
One of the primary reasons to oppose duping in ToTK is rooted in fairness and game balance. The developers meticulously design the game's mechanics, challenges, and rewards to create an immersive and balanced experience for players. Duping disrupts this balance by allowing individuals to bypass the intended progression system. By duplicating items, players gain an unfair advantage over those who choose to play the game as intended, undermining the integrity of the gameplay itself. This not only diminishes the challenge and satisfaction for the individual who dupes but also diminishes the achievements of others who have invested time and effort to progress through the game legitimately.

Undermining Personal Satisfaction
Gaming is an avenue for personal growth, skill development, and the satisfaction that arises from overcoming challenges. By duping in ToTK, players deny themselves the opportunity to experience the true essence of the game. The sense of accomplishment derived from defeating challenging enemies, discovering hidden treasures, and solving intricate puzzles is overshadowed by the quick gratification gained through exploiting glitches. Ultimately, this erodes the individual player's ability to appreciate and value their own achievements, tarnishing the sense of personal satisfaction that comes from genuine progress.

Preservation of Immersion and Narrative
A crucial aspect of any single-player game, including ToTK, lies in its ability to create an immersive environment and a compelling narrative. Duping disrupts the intended progression and pacing of the story or side objectives (such as upgrading armor), potentially derailing the carefully crafted narrative and immersive experience. Furthermore, immersion is compromised when players opt for shortcuts that contradict the game's intended mechanics and logic. Duping undermines the trust between the player and the developers, as it subverts the immersive experience.

Implications for Game Development
Allowing and normalizing duping in ToTK can have far-reaching implications for the game development industry as a whole. Developers invest countless hours and resources into creating engaging and polished experiences for players. Glitches and exploits disrupt this creative process, forcing developers to divert time and effort from new content creation to patching these issues. By supporting and embracing duping, the community inadvertently encourages a cycle of diminished focus on quality control and encourages developers to prioritize fixing glitches over enhancing the overall gaming experience.

Encouraging a Positive and Respectful Gaming Community
The gaming community thrives on shared experiences, collaboration, and a sense of camaraderie. Denouncing duping in ToTK contributes to fostering a positive and respectful gaming culture. By promoting fair play and adhering to the intended rules of the game, players uphold the values of integrity, sportsmanship, and healthy competition. Embracing duping, on the other hand, can lead to an erosion of these values, breeding an environment where cheating and exploiting become normalized. This can ultimately harm the sense of community, trust, and enjoyment that gamers find in engaging with one another.

Conclusion
While the act of duping in a purely single-player game like ToTK may seem inconsequential on the surface, a deeper analysis reveals significant reasons to denounce and discourage such behavior. By understanding the impacts on fairness, personal satisfaction, immersion, game development, and community dynamics, it becomes evident that duping undermines the very essence of gaming as a fulfilling and enjoyable experience. As responsible members of the Zelda community, it is essential to uphold the principles of fair play, integrity, and respect for both the game developers and fellow players. Only by embracing these values can we ensure that Zelda, and gaming as a whole, remains a rewarding and enriching activity for all involved.

Meanwhile I still can't collect any fucking dragon parts because there's a glitch that makes the part disappear the minute it hits the ground

I mean it does not really affect gameplay, only grinding out stupid stuff. I duped all the stuff to upgrade all the armor to max, then I was done. I am sure that some of the people complaining about this looked at guides to find where certain bugs or things were to find a good farm spot around the map. Can't that be considered cheating? Let people play how they want to.

Fairness and Game Balance
One of the primary reasons to oppose duping in ToTK is rooted in fairness and game balance.

This. Its not cheating, its just wasting less time in a game thats almost certainly padded with dozens of hours of repetitive tedium like its predecessor.

It disrespects your time even more than BotW. I don't know how anybody can consider the game their goty.

It's a single player game

game balance still matters. take the hoarfrost stomp example -- it was so far ahead of everything else that if you tried to not use it you were practically just tying an arm behind your back for no reason. nothing in the game really stood a chance.

which i'm sure made players feel great and powerful, but these players don't ever stop and think 'hey maybe this game wasn't intended to be a frost stomp sim'.

They took the "BotW is too empty" complaints and did the exact wrong thing with "fixing" that, lol. Now there's way too fucking much to do and collect.

Yep. Game Freak and Niantic do the same thing.

Bethesda's also notorious for this. Oghma Infinium and Dogmeat duping glitches? Destroy with extreme prejudice. The Blood on the Ice quest remaining a broken mess months after release? This is fine.

Apparently this trend continued into Fallout '76, though I have no personal experience with that game (and the tact is slightly more tolerable in that case since it's an MMO).

I mean, all bugs arent created equal

fixing a broken story quest while also preserving peoples save data could be orders of magnitude more difficult than stopping a dupe glitch