Board Thread:Game Discussion/@comment-38264419-20190122174617/@comment-28169398-20190128182443

I used to agree with the exploit vs. cheat definition, but after having extensive conversations with FM about it I am more of the mindset that exploit=cheat.

Farming by spending hours and hours to generate level up rewards creates inflation in the game. To combat the increased gold in the game that isn't paid for the designers:
 * Increase the cost of new cars and their upgrades
 * They reduce the payouts for fame and completion of LTS, SEs and Career Series
 * They use new assets in fewer series so you can use those assets less meaning that you can enjoy them less
 * Flood the game with events and content so players are spending most of their time simply trying to keep up with new content, steering them away from the exploits

Using these exploits, even the 10-Lap exploit drives this inflationary cycle, which means it cheats players out of being able to enjoy the game with out either spending substantial money on IAPs or time running the exploits as well, basically all of the complaints that people in this thread are logging here.

The 10-Lap farming is an exploit, and FM has left it in as explained above, but it is limited. The most that you can collect for free is 2x the fame payout, and this only happens once a month. All other times it is either less than 2x fame or you are actually paying them 1 gold a race to use the Fame Agent. It is also limited by service times or generates revenue with VIP purchase. And you can win the race staying completely on track with no cuts. FM can also estimate the cost of this and factor it in to future costs by looking at the prevalence that this race is run.

Perpetual Endurances are cheats because they are uncontrolled and unlimited by all things but time. You can start a single race and run that race all day long. You can double that fame with a Free Fame Agent and you aren't getting stopped by service or the end of the race, even if you have run hundreds of laps. With a single race, with no incentive to even buy a VIP for a car, you can level up at the very least once in the day. The only way to reach the perpetual point is to run large cuts. This is not how the optimization of the race was done, which is why the perpetual point of spawning cars on track gets triggered. It is much more difficult to estimate the costs or this, as it can be unlimited, so if they do factor it in to costs, they would likely use a worst case scenario meaning that the gap between costs and rewards are expanded even more.

If FM wants to leave these exploits in their code and the players want to continue to exploit them, it only serves to continue the cycle of more expensive and packed updates with more and more repetitive content that has to be slogged through to stay afloat. And if FM closes the loopholes but not the costs and the economy, then no one will be able to keep up.

It is a vicious cycle. We force FMs hand, which causes them to force the Player's hand, which forces FM.... It is what it is. All I am saying is this is why it is the way it is and we should all accept some responsibility for it, just the same as FM needs to take responsibility for their part in it. But there are no angels in this story.