What game are you currently playing?

[JanJansen]

I am playing Northgard, it's RTS in a Norse mythological setting. I play the Android version but I have heard it is easier to manage on PC. Most of the time I have no idea what I am supposed to be doing, but I play casually without pressure and learn more every day.

 

[JanJansen]

I started playing XCOM 2. I'm still having fun with Northgard but RTS is not good to play on public transport, turn-based works better there.
I wonder how many people have experience with XCOM 2? I might open a thread to share impressions (I'm not a storywriter) and ask noob questions.

 

[WarChiefZeke]

I started playing XCOM 2. I'm still having fun with Northgard but RTS is not good to play on public transport, turn-based works better there.
I wonder how many people have experience with XCOM 2? I might open a thread to share impressions (I'm not a storywriter) and ask noob questions.

I've played quite a bit of XCom 2, definitely no pro, but I can give what advice worked for me

 

[JustKneller]

I started playing XCOM 2. I'm still having fun with Northgard but RTS is not good to play on public transport, turn-based works better there.
I wonder how many people have experience with XCOM 2? I might open a thread to share impressions (I'm not a storywriter) and ask noob questions.

I have a dramatic past with the X-Com games. I think I'm a better than average player, but I've never finished them because the same thing happens every time.

1) I play the game and I'm doing well.
2) I get far into the game and then one of my squaddies gets killed.
3) I think about what happened and realized I actually had a smarter move and could have prevented their death.
4) I beat myself up over it and abandon the run.

I mean, I know that getting through the game with no deaths is a rather lofty goal, but still, I feel like those games have only RNG screwed me like once or twice, maybe, and all my other deaths were my own fault. I don't know why I took it so hard. But, I guess I'm just trying to bring the troops home.

But, if I were to make a list of the closest-to-perfect-designed games, X-Com would be on that list.

 

[JanJansen]

I mean, in my case I am talking about rookie difficulty and reading basic guides. Sounds like I can get some answers here when I get stuck

 

[mlnevese]

The first time I played XCom I gave up and stopped playing for a few months. Then I lowered the difficulty, started learning what works and what doesn't. Now I can play in the hardest setting if I really want to, but i don't think it's as fun as the middle level of difficulty.

The thing to remember is that the game is yours and you can enjoy it as you like. Also, there is no deadline. Take your time to finish it, or don't finish and restart as many times as you want

 

[Skatan]

Loved Xcom 1 and replayed it three times IIRC, but never enjoyed Xcom 2. The game play shift was hard to pinpoint but it was something very different in how they played out that made me never push far into Xcom 2. Strange that. But yeah, totally agree with Mlnvese, whatever fits your playstyle, your definition of fun, is the way to go. I peruse too much and too many reddit subs and the culture of playing games on hard/hardest difficulty setting has become very, very common. I've seen too many players to count that join a sub and asks for advice how to beat Game X on "Ultra hardcore you will die in real life if your charname lose even 1 HP" without even trying Normal or Easy first. It's an interesting shift in gaming behavior I would guess is tied to maybe Twitch and Youtube playthroughs. But I digress.

Wrapping up my EU4 Anbennar playthrough. I play Dwarves and I will say this is one of the greatest mods of any game I've ever played. It's incredibly impressive what fans manage to make in their free time! Sometimes even better than the original game.

 

[mlnevese]

Loved Xcom 1 and replayed it three times IIRC, but never enjoyed Xcom 2. The game play shift was hard to pinpoint but it was something very different in how they played out that made me never push far into Xcom 2. Strange that. But yeah, totally agree with Mlnvese, whatever fits your playstyle, your definition of fun, is the way to go. I peruse too much and too many reddit subs and the culture of playing games on hard/hardest difficulty setting has become very, very common. I've seen too many players to count that join a sub and asks for advice how to beat Game X on "Ultra hardcore you will die in real life if your charname lose even 1 HP" without even trying Normal or Easy first. It's an interesting shift in gaming behavior I would guess is tied to maybe Twitch and Youtube playthroughs. But I digress.

Wrapping up my EU4 Anbennar playthrough. I play Dwarves and I will say this is one of the greatest mods of any game I've ever played. It's incredibly impressive what fans manage to make in their free time! Sometimes even better than the original game.

The old culture of learn the game before you start playing the hardest difficulties is dead... people seem to want to play only on the extra hardcore, aliens will kill your planet for real if you fail mode...

 

[JustKneller]

how to beat Game X on "Ultra hardcore you will die in real life if your charname lose even 1 HP" without even trying Normal or Easy first. It's an interesting shift in gaming behavior I would guess is tied to maybe Twitch and Youtube playthroughs.

Is it a shift? I remember playing Deus Ex back in the day, then playing it again with only stealth kills, then playing it again with stealth no kills, then playing it again pure stealth no takedowns. I remember similar approaches with Thief: The Dark Project. I always thought these trends were coming from a) more old school gamers who are used to games being more challenging or b) new school gamers who actually want some kind of challenge in their games.

 

[mlnevese]

Is it a shift? I remember playing Deus Ex back in the day, then playing it again with only stealth kills, then playing it again with stealth no kills, then playing it again pure stealth no takedowns. I remember similar approaches with Thief: The Dark Project. I always thought these trends were coming from a) more old school gamers who are used to games being more challenging or b) new school gamers who actually want some kind of challenge in their games.

The key here is playing it again... People now seem to want to beat the game in the hardest difficulty in the first play. Things like beating XCom 2 in Ironman using only one soldier in your squad.

 

[JanJansen]

I always thought these trends were coming from a) more old school gamers who are used to games being more challenging or b) new school gamers who actually want some kind of challenge in their games.

See, that's it. "Who actually want some kind of challenge in their games". I assume you don't mean it that way but some people's attitude, especially in certain subreddits etc, suggests that you're not a "real" gamer if you start with the low difficulty or all tools the game gives you.

For me it's enough challenge to learn the new mechanics and coordination. If I get so bored that I fall asleep during a mission, I can restart with higher difficulty. Or take higher difficulty the next campaign I do. I have no interest to run into frustration in my free time. And I lack ambition, at least in gaming. For me, it is like I am taking a round in the park on my bike after work, not trying to qualify for Tour de France.

Rookie difficulty and not ashamed of it. I didn't try to run before I could crawl.

 

[JustKneller]

The key here is playing it again..

I gotcha. Fair point.

See, that's it. "Who actually want some kind of challenge in their games". I assume you don't mean it that way but some people's attitude, especially in certain subreddits etc, suggests that you're not a "real" gamer if you start with the low difficulty or all tools the game gives you.

I definitely didn't mean it that way. What I did mean to say, though, was there's a combination of games getting easier and newer school gamers wanting to be hand-held more (quest markers, not having to figure stuff out, etc.). It's one thing to want to get acclimated to a challenging game at a lower difficulty. It's another thing to want gaming to just be a participation trophy.

I think this (hopefully satirical) video sums it up pretty well:

 

[m7600]

Some of my fondest video gaming memories involve having to actually make some maps with pencil and paper in order to be able to advance, lol. Or writing down the quests, or just taking notes in general. Old school RPGs are so unforgiving and at some times confusing (especially with the dungeon layouts) that you just have to use pencil and paper, even though you're playing a video game. I'm aware that this sort of gaming experience is not for everyone, but I absolutely enjoy it.

 

[JanJansen]

What I did mean to say, though, was there's a combination of games getting easier and newer school gamers wanting to be hand-held more (quest markers, not having to figure stuff out, etc.). It's one thing to want to get acclimated to a challenging game at a lower difficulty. It's another thing to want gaming to just be a participation trophy.

Fair enough. I think both has a place. I see nothing wrong with options to enjoy a game like some interactive movie if a person wants the experience and has no interest in getting wiped by the first miniboss 20 times or walking for 3 real time hours through empty grassland because they have no idea where the hell that questgiver or item is.

I'm all for options. Various difficulty settings, custom settings, options to turn off quest markers for who doesn't want them. And not forcing our own preferences on others or implying our way to play is superior to theirs.

 

[JustKneller]

I'm aware that this sort of gaming experience is not for everyone, but I absolutely enjoy it.

Exactly. I actually enjoy plotting out builds for the earlier Fallout games, which are sorta kinda shat on by newer school Fallout players. Meanwhile, I think that Fallout 4 is the worst game in the series to date (well, 76 is worse, but I haven't really touched it). Aside from the terrible writing, even with mods and a host of self-imposed limitations, I simply can't make Fallout 4 more than a walking simulator. And, it's one thing to want to spend time in a walking simulator, but it's another to act like it's more of a game than a game that demands more thought and effort.

 

[mlnevese]

Some of my fondest video gaming memories involve having to actually make some maps with pencil and paper in order to be able to advance, lol. Or writing down the quests, or just taking notes in general. Old school RPGs are so unforgiving and at some times confusing (especially with the dungeon layouts) that you just have to use pencil and paper, even though you're playing a video game. I'm aware that this sort of gaming experience is not for everyone, but I absolutely enjoy it.

I remember all the mapping and notes back when Eye of the Beholder was released... The satisfaction when my suspicion a secret room must exist in some point of the map was confirmed. The truth is nowadays I wouldn't have time for this, but it was fun when I could do it.

 

[JustKneller]

The truth is nowadays I wouldn't have time for this

I know the feeling, but I compensate by taking forever to play a game. I don't want to sacrifice on the experience.

 

[Skatan]

Is it a shift? I remember playing Deus Ex back in the day, then playing it again with only stealth kills, then playing it again with stealth no kills, then playing it again pure stealth no takedowns. I remember similar approaches with Thief: The Dark Project. I always thought these trends were coming from a) more old school gamers who are used to games being more challenging or b) new school gamers who actually want some kind of challenge in their games.

Mlnvese already replied what I meant, but you would not fall into the category of players I mentioned above with this behavior. And I don't judge, people can play whatever and however they want of course, I just observe and comment on what I see (which of course is but a fraction of what actually happens across the globe. Many players never comment online and thus it's easy to make incorrect assumptions due to incomplete data).

 

[JanJansen]

I know the feeling, but I compensate by taking forever to play a game. I don't want to sacrifice on the experience.

Just to clarify, it was also not my intention to criticize how you like to play, only that I have a different way and that I don't like when people look down on casual players. But if you want to, you can look down on me. Happens all the time with gnomes

 

[JustKneller]

Just to clarify, I'm not looking down on casual players. There are a number of games that I just play casually and don't go hardcore with it (Baldur's Gate is actually one of them). I do kinda look down on new school gamers who crap on old school games because they lack quest markers and other hand holding under the guise of "QoL". It's like in that video I posted. Fallout is actually not that hard or opaque if you just look around a little and put some effort in. I don't think that someone who curb stomps Fallout 4 (an absurdly easy game even with difficulty mods) is a more skilled gamer than someone who stumbles through classic Fallout. However, I've often seen an attitude from the former where they think they have crazy skills for their munchkin build that rolls the game but write off the classic games as "unplayable" trash.