Creating a shortcut

game.exe has a flag for debug or test mode (depending on which maker).

There are various ways of doing this, however the following is quick and simple and allows you to then have two files you can use in the same folder.

Create a new shortcut, and find game.exe in your game folder.

After the file name, enter the word debug (for rmxp) or test (for rmvx).

Press enter and your shortcut is made. This will now run game.exe with $DEBUG = true or $TEST = true.

Protecting against this

Well, before releasing your game you really should remove any debug items you have been deploying.

All debug/test mode does is set $DEBUG or $TEST to true.

Therefore, open the script editor.

Search (ctrl+shift+f) for "$DEBUG" or $TEST.

Comment out the offending lines.

A perhaps simpler method is to just add this to main:

$DEBUG = false
# or
$TEST = false

Or, if you want to be cocky, perhaps:

if $DEBUG or $TEST
  print "Cheating isn't nice!"
  exit
end

Although obviously that's a little overboard.

Is this hacking?

Not at all, you are just running the file as it was supposed to be ran.

Allowing debug/test mode in game.exe is quite useful for debugging, testing, running through other people's games they have perhaps sent you to test, and so on.

The limits of what debug/test mode will allow you to do are up to the maker. Me? Well, in my game being an online game I have a sort of raw log in the chat screen. When debug mode is on, all input and output is logged (none of it dangerous or abusable). I left debug mode enablable for if:

1. A player is curious and wants to see how things are done
2. A player is in trouble and can't describe a problem for support