Brood War has always had cheat codes. They are a way to try a build you have never had the money for, see how a late game army actually fights, or just watch a hundred Carriers leave port. They were never allowed in multiplayer, and they still are not.
How to enter a cheat
- Start a game against the computer.
- Press Enter to open the chat line.
- Type the code and press Enter again.
Capital letters and extra spaces do not matter. When the code is taken, the game answers Cheat enabled. Anything that is not a working code simply shows as your own chat line, and nothing happens.
Some codes are switches: type operation cwal once to turn it on and again to turn it off.
What works here today
| Code | What it does | Here |
|---|---|---|
| show me the money | Adds 10,000 minerals and 10,000 vespene gas. Type it again for more. | Works |
| operation cwal | Buildings, units, research and upgrades finish far faster. Type it again to switch it off. | Works |
One catch, for now: the computer gets the same 10,000 minerals and gas, and operation cwal speeds it up as much as you. That is a fault in the game engine, and we are fixing it.
Those two are the codes the game engine under Play SC:BW implements. The rest of the list below is coming as we extend that engine. Until then, typing one of them does nothing and shows as a chat line.
Every Brood War cheat code
| Code | What it does | Here |
|---|---|---|
| show me the money | 10,000 minerals and 10,000 gas | Works |
| operation cwal | Much faster building, training, research and upgrades | Works |
| power overwhelming | Your units and buildings take no damage | Not yet |
| black sheep wall | Reveals the whole map | Not yet |
| war aint what it used to be | Turns off the fog of war | Not yet |
| whats mine is mine | Adds 500 minerals | Not yet |
| breathe deep | Adds 500 vespene gas | Not yet |
| food for thought | Build and train past your supply limit | Not yet |
| the gathering | Spells cost no energy | Not yet |
| medieval man | Every unit upgrade for free | Not yet |
| something for nothing | Every upgrade becomes available | Not yet |
| modify the phase variance | Build any building, whatever its requirements | Not yet |
| noglues | The enemy cannot cast spells | Not yet |
| staying alive | The game does not end in your victory | Not yet |
| there is no cow level | You win the game at once | Not yet |
| game over man | You lose the game at once | Not yet |
| ophelia | In the campaign, lets you jump to any mission by typing its name | Not yet |
| radio free zerg | Playing Zerg, plays a hidden song | Not yet |
The last few only mean something in a campaign, which Play SC:BW does not have yet.
Where cheats work
Only in games against the computer. They are switched off in every game with another player in it: ranked, unranked, private rooms and matches with friends. A cheat code typed there is an ordinary chat message.
A game where you used a cheat is reported as one, so it never counts as a straight result.
Good uses for them
- Try a build you have read about. Money and speed take the waiting out, so you can check whether a timing is even possible before you practise it for real.
- See a fight before you commit to it. Build the army you think beats another one, and find out.
- Learn what the late game looks like. Most practice games never get there. With show me the money you can play with every tech on the map.
When you want to know how good you really are, turn them off and play the computer straight, or play online.