Weird gaming habits

[Norfleet]

I metagame the shit out of any more or less mechanically complex game before I start playing it.
I will read tons of guides and hints and will dissect the optimal powergaming mechanics (or at least identify noob traps and trash ones) before getting on with the game.
I will make mini-guides for myself for such games as well.
My first playthrough is always a (near-)completist one.

Yup, this is me, right there.

Out of curiosity, does this not spoil the game for you?

Nope. Science says spoilers don't exist. Belief in spoilers is equivalent to belief in unicorns.

And finally, I found out that spoiling the plot in advance does not detract from the experience in the least! Not just in the games, but in the films and books as well. Because the spoilerific moments are just that - moments in the overall story, where a lot of other things happen.

Well, yes, because science says spoilers don't exist. I always wondered why people kept claiming this notion, and then I found out that SCIENCE says this is exactly as bunkus as I had long suspected and those people are just idiots who belong in the same category as Flat Earthers.

 

[Naraya]

Norfleet

What do you mean by saying "spoilers don't exist"? Genuine question as I haven't heard that claim before. Or is it a joke?

 

[Norfleet]

I mean SCIENCE SAYS SPOILERS DON'T EXIST. I'm trying to find a better link to a more primary article, but I suppose the topic isn't so important that it matters. The Internet seems to have buried it in all the rabble-rabble-rah-rah and pay/login walls as usual.

 

[laclongquan]

I metagame the shit out of any more or less mechanically complex game before I start playing it.
I will read tons of guides and hints and will dissect the optimal powergaming mechanics (or at least identify noob traps and trash ones) before getting on with the game.
I will make mini-guides for myself for such games as well.
My first playthrough is always a (near-)completist one.

Out of curiosity, does this not spoil the game for you?
I used to do that but nowadays I prefer to learn as I play. I know it can be hard sometimes, there's this feeling of wasting time doing things 'improperly' but I don't think it can be avoided.

Meta and guides doesnt really spoil a game for me, unless it's a piece of shit relying on newness to impress players, in which case it always fail to impress me. My mantra is "If it doesnt worth replay at least once, it doesnt worth playing at all."
Gameplay and atmosphere come from good writing never transfer it well across text in guides or dry meta knowledge. For me, the fact that I heard plenty of spoilers from Codex, and read much guides concern Bloodlines, never lessen the impact of 1st run Malkavian. That batshit insane vamp wander from incident to incident, never knowing where reality end and where Malk-ness get in.... that impression cant be transfered across the guides or the Codexer's discussion.

Well, it helps that I am not much of a minmaxer. I will do it if need be, but I always feel happy in a party RPG where my char has spare room to role play some less than optimal build. Like a Deep Gnome Thief in IWD2, or an Engineer MC in Silent Storm Sentinels.

Also, I dont have backlog as such. I need to feel wanting to play a game before I even try, no matter that it's a much hyped game by Codex. I'd rather, and much happier, replay old games than trying a not-much-of-a-turnon game. Bloodlines 7 years after release, or KOTOR2 a decade later, are two examples. Out of RPGCodex Top 70 list, I play about 20, and feel not much a drive to try more. After my 1st run KOTOR2, I prolly would replay UFO Afterlight instead of the long awaited Age of Decadence.

 

[octavius]

Like Dreaad here, I am easily impressionable, and it takes a while to get a game or a movie out of my system. I absolutely can't switch between the games or play two of them simultaneously. After I finish one game, I can't start another one right away - I will read about on the forums, load saves to try out various 'what if' scenarios, read interviews with the developers etc... until I finally tire of it. Then I can move on to a new experience.

I can relate to that.

 

[T. Reich]

My mantra is "If it doesnt worth replay at least once, it doesnt worth playing at all."

That's... a pretty sound approach, actually!

 

[PulsatingBrain]

I mean SCIENCE SAYS SPOILERS DON'T EXIST. I'm trying to find a better link to a more primary article, but I suppose the topic isn't so important that it matters. The Internet seems to have buried it in all the rabble-rabble-rah-rah and pay/login walls as usual.

I've read this stated a few times, and saw a few different articles with research, but I can honestly say that spoilers legitimately spoil the fun for me.

EDIT - should also probably mention that I've never seen a study with a significant amount of people. And it was always based on fiction that the test group were not particularly invested in. It was always material provided by the people running the study. So, I would hardly say that feeling that a plot twist has been spoiled is flat-earth level thinking

 

[taxalot]

This could be a very long list of habits I share with everyone here. Like everyone, I play games in the order of a series if I can. This led me to delay a lot my playing of Assassin's Creed II because you know I had to go through AC1 before that, and that game was reported to be terrible. It's a habit I find it hard to hold, however. I'm trying to replay the entire Ultima series and for the life I can't feel enough courage to start the next in line, Ultima III, while replaying Serpent Isle.

I also have that weird fetish that the OP has and that he called "minimal ressource engagement". I like to play the games with the graphics set as low as possible as long as it's not too ugly, so as not to make the hardware suffer. It's probably bullshit, but that's how I like it, and before anyone says it's because of a shitty computer, I have an I7 4790k with a GTX 980. I like being stupid.

But the weirdest habit I have is difficulty choosing which games I play. I have less time, so it's only natural to switch to only playing one game. But I like variety, and it can sometimes be counterintuitive. So, it seems like I have to pick two games to play at the same time, and it's always a pain in the ass to find a decent combination. Shall it be AAA/REtro ? Shall it be RPG/unrelatedshit(action/TBS) ? Shall it be New Game/Replaying an old game ? At times, I feel like I could really do with a third game but I really do not have enough time for that. Right now I'm playing Yakuza 5 and still haven't decided which is going to be my second game.

 

[typical user]

Pick up everything which isn't nailed down.

And then I played Fallout 3 and Bethesda fucked me over. Twice. Once, because of my habit. Second, because that game was fucking bad.

 

[deuxhero]

If a game has no limits on inventory space, I try to collect one of every item. I don't give it that much seriousness, but I try to buy one of everything in shops and avoid selling items I only have 1 of and don't exist purely to be sold (this has saved me from making a sidequest unwinnable at least once.).

By contrast I'm very sell happy if inventory is in anyway limited, even if it's so high it is impossible to hit the limit with normal play.

 

[Drax]

This. I can't let go of any item that could be considered "not common as shit".

 

[Unkillable Cat]

If a game has no limits on inventory space, I try to collect one of every item.

If I have no limit on inventory space, I take EVERYTING THAT ISN'T NAILED DOWN.

If I can use it, I keep it around, otherwise I sell it. There's always someone who pays good money for Generic Item #546.

 

[Machocruz]

Perfectionism - If a game has level/mission rankings and/or a list of optional or hidden objectives, I keep replaying to try to get the highest rank and clear all the objectives before i move onto the next mission, on my first playthrough. If there are significant roadblocks in the way of this (usually time or poor/tedious design), my enthusiasm for the game gets completely deflated and I stop playing. Thing is, these objectives or ranks are usually designed for you to come back with upgrades or tools you get later in the game, or after you have beaten the game, not your first time through like I keep trying to do. What's the definition of insanity again?

Consumerism - I only finish games I bought. Have never finished any of the many games I have either emulated or torrented, no matter how much I was enjoying them. Money has a way of prioritizing things.

Stealthism - Doesn't matter the genre or if the other options are more fun, better designed or more interesting. If the option to sneak is there, I will take it always.

Perfectionism 2: Stealthism - I always try to ghost on my first playthrough. If I get spotted, I reload. Thief levels take me hours.

Pefectionism 3: Well laid plans - If a scenario doesn't go how I envision it, like a stealth sequence or perfect ambush, I will keep reloading until it does. Games that involve a lot of setting things up and precise timing windows (e.g. Hitman, MGSV, Commandos 2) especially. And I'm real particular too. Like in STALKER: CoP, the quest where you have to get the artifact from the dredge station and are confronted by 3 stalkers: I had to kill them in a certain way, from a certain position, certain weapons, and do it without getting hit, and I reloaded at least times until I pulled it off.

Have Sniper Rifle, Will Default - Prioritize sniping over any other type of shooting.

One Shot, One Kill - Almost always prefer single shot or semi automatic fire, even when full auto is available on the same gun or is the cooler/better option. I do better in MP shooters with semi auto weapons, too.

 

[Hobo Elf]

I prefer to play a game as vanilla as possible. If I use a mod it's usually something that fixes bugs or enhances the performance. I don't really use graphics enhancing mods either. They just cheapen the experience for me.

 

[Mangoose]

I prefer to play a game as vanilla as possible. If I use a mod it's usually something that fixes bugs or enhances the performance. I don't really use graphics enhancing mods either. They just cheapen the experience for me.

Why vanilla and not chocolate?

 

[Tigranes]

I prefer to play a game as vanilla as possible. If I use a mod it's usually something that fixes bugs or enhances the performance. I don't really use graphics enhancing mods either. They just cheapen the experience for me.

Why vanilla and not chocolate?

Plz ban for terrible funny

 

[Mangoose]

Decline be with you.

 

[Tigranes]

I can't remember what that's from, but touche.

 

[Corporate_Jew_Master]

erotic asphyxiation when I enter Unatco offices

Modding/Hex editing anything that I can. I've never even played a single hour of EU/DH/CK2 in vanilla. The moment I see some mechanic that I don't like or come up with one that would be suitable, I exit the game and spend hours tweaking what I can, trying to figure out what I can or cannot do with the game files.

And eating while playing turn based strategy games. Something very comfy about munching away happily while thousands die in a virtual world.

 

[OndrejSc]

 

[oddech_wymarlych_swiatow]

I cannot play single player games that requires always online status.... fuck this shit... if I finally try full version of Diablo 3, it will be an offline PS3 port.

 

[Dodo1610]

1. Hatred for armors: I never use bulky heavy armor instead I usally look for good looking light armor or clothing and keep that for the rest of the game.

2. rarely finish a game:I play lots of games but I finish very few and those i have finished I often I usually replay after .

3. Stealth: If a game has stealth, I will use it for the whole game

4. Use the same Characters: I have a few chrackters that i reuse in every RPG I play

 

[unfairlight]

I don't like killing dogs in video games. I guess that's PTSD from shoveldog or something.

 

[Barbalos]

1. I have often started an RPG, and for whatever reason, quit early or mid-way through. A few weeks/months later, I will restart the game from the beginning, and the process repeats. Eventually this creates a pattern where I've played the beginning of a game half a dozen times and it's just unbearable for me to get through it, even though I really want to finish the damn game!

2. I am extremely aware of how hot my CPU and GPU are running when I am playing any game. I use a program called SidebarDiagnostics as a hardware monitor on my second monitor, and I'll tweak the graphics settings down, lower the resolution and play in windowed, whatever I have to do to get the temperatures down to the point where I'm not worrying about it. This is because I did have a laptop that ran too hot and the components were damaged, making it unusable. If a game will not stop using resources when it is minimized from full screen, I will often give up on trying to play it (unless it is really good). This is one of the things I really like about older CRPGS, that they are almost always much less demanding on my hardware.

 

[PulsatingBrain]

A few weeks/months later, I will restart the game from the beginning

I do this to a degree. Sometimes I'll play the first few hours a good few times to decide if I still want to play it at some point. I'll decide I either want to remove it from backlog or play it later, but not now. Don't know why I do this.