What games are you playing now?

[Hexprone]

FF games are not really open world at all -- I guess with the exception of the MMO, which is supposed to be quite good. And endless random encounters are their bread and butter.

Coming from modern WRPGs, I suspect any FF will feel very restrictive to you. You might try the new version of FFIX, which allows you to switch random encounters off.

But since you have FFIII already, why not give it a try? It represents the old-school side of the series reasonably well (it's a remake of a game originally for the NES).

 

[Hurls]

Thanks Hexprone, I will try FFXIII then!

 

[Hexprone]

Sorry, did you mean to type FFXIII rather than FFIII in your first post as well? That one I can't speak to, as I haven't played it.

 

[Carnifex]

I'm playing Final Fantasy three now, played about two hours on Friday and am enjoying it so far, looking forward to really getting into it tomorrow.

 

[Hurls]

sorry yes, FFXIII, my error

 

[purpleblob]

Decided to have another crack at PoE. Hopefully I can finish it this time around without getting too bored...

 

[Elel]

I didn't finish PoE, either. Too boring, indeed, especially characters. The priest was the only one remotely interesting in the party, and no NPCs were interesting at all. Just my opinion.

 

[wolfing]

I didn't finish PoE, either. Too boring, indeed, especially characters. The priest was the only one remotely interesting in the party, and no NPCs were interesting at all. Just my opinion.

Reading this I just realized that maybe stuff like this comes from younger gamers? I mean, I'm 46 and what you said just wouldn't make sense years ago. And then I started thinking, when did characters personalities start being more important than actual gameplay in RPGs? Certainly it wasn't an issue when playing Wizardry, Eye of the Beholder, even Ultima. The gold box games also didn't have characters with personalities that I remember. Then in Baldur's Gate we had some characters with a sliver of personality and ocassional banter. So I wonder at what point characters' personalities became the main aspect of RPGs instead of the actual gameplay?

 

[crpgnut]

I didn't finish PoE either, but I'm typically not a party-based crpg player. I prefer single-character. With that said, I'm now attempting Dragon Age: Inquisition. In the early-game you don't have to micro manage the party, so I'm doing fine. I did a little bit of party tactics against the Pride Demon but that has been it.

I don't really know what I'm doing, but I was left to wander on my own in the first town and I enjoy the exploration. If the whole game allows this type of stuff, I'll be in for a pleasant surprise. I guess I'm supposed to go to the Hinterlands next. Does my party automatically join me when I leave? I have a warrior lady, a rogue, and another mage. They're all boring and horribly acted out; which is why I hate party-based games. Can I leave them all behind?

Can you start a multi-player game and then play it single-player like in Baldur's gate? That would be really cool. Gonna check and see if that's possible....

 

[Elel]

Reading this I just realized that maybe stuff like this comes from younger gamers? I mean, I'm 46 and what you said just wouldn't make sense years ago. And then I started thinking, when did characters personalities start being more important than actual gameplay in RPGs? Certainly it wasn't an issue when playing Wizardry, Eye of the Beholder, even Ultima. The gold box games also didn't have characters with personalities that I remember. Then in Baldur's Gate we had some characters with a sliver of personality and ocassional banter. So I wonder at what point characters' personalities became the main aspect of RPGs instead of the actual gameplay?

Might be true. Or might be that different people are looking for different things in their games. Right now I admit I wouldn't play ANY game, of any genre, without interesting chacters and story. This is why I dropped playing shooters. And before when I used to play shooters, I basically just got satisfation from aiming and placing successful shots, especially online. As for the reason why I dropped playing them… I encountered my first RPG It was KOTOR and it had nice characters and story in spades, so maybe it set my preferences about RPG as a genre and nicely played into what I actually wanted in games? Before that I didn't know that such things were possible.

Gameplay-wise, I'd say BG games are my favorite, but whenever I tried to play really old games based on D&D, like Pool of Radiance, I found they were lacking something. Gameplay alone didn't do it for me. OK, about Pool of Radiance… I just failed to figure how to move around in battle and gave up (And I wanted to ask others about controls here, but then it slipped my mind). But still the point stands, old Gold Box games feel like they're laching something. And strangely the 1st POV in old RPG games turns me off.

 

[Moriendor]

I guess I'm supposed to go to the Hinterlands next. Does my party automatically join me when I leave? I have a warrior lady, a rogue, and another mage. They're all boring and horribly acted out; which is why I hate party-based games. Can I leave them all behind?

You can but the game will become quite a bit more challenging if you go solo all the time .
The party only automatically joins you when required by the story. Otherwise when you return to "camp" and you exit the camp you always get the screen where you can choose who to take with you. If you want to go solo, sure, just do it and leave the party slots empty.

 

[crpgnut]

Okay, I've only done Haven, so I guess it is meant to be solo-able since there is no combat unless you attack the wildlife. Doing so will get you wiped out as a mage without a tank nearby I tried. This bull killed me in one hit.

 

[lackblogger]

I'm typically not a party-based crpg player. I prefer single-character.... I'm now attempting Dragon Age: Inquisition... I don't really know what I'm doing... which is why I hate party-based games.... Can I leave them all behind... Can you start a multi-player game and then play it single-player like in Baldur's gate? That would be really cool. Gonna check and see if that's possible….

You really do invite mockery sometimes, like leave the gate open and wander off for a Happy Meal, but it's such an easy target that I'd feel bad for trying, like ignoring a child challenging you to an arm wrestle because they'll definitely beat you next time. But I can't resist saying, like, really can't resist, why are you even picking up a game with a format you hate? With all your experience and as someone who's gone way past the point of experimentation. Does the graphics addict in you force your arm stronger than your taste arm?

 

[crpgnut]

It has good exploration. I rarely finish party-based games but they all give me several hours of fun. I've never finished BG, BGII, DAO, and probably a horde of others. I'll get enough fun to be worth the time. Money means very little to me at this point in my life.
Time has greater and greater value, but I think I can give this a few hours.

Why do the haters of Bethesda games buy them every time? The difference between me and them is that I won't pop up in nearly every single thread posted about these party-based games, trying to justify my existence in my vitriol.

Why would I care if you mock me? What are you to me, that your mockery would be anything but meaningless noise? If it makes you happy, then I'm perfectly okay with it.

 

[Thrasher]

Yes there are elements in every game that probably displease each of us. But it's not always clear if the good will outweigh the bad, so we hope, and try them anyway.

 

[Nukester]

I picked up TESO from the Steam sale and have been playing that for the most part. I bought the cheaper version so I cant play an Imperial and am a bit limited in race / class combo's. I havent deleved very deep at all, finishing the tutorial and some other dungeon in Port something or other (came from Daggerfall), but its been ok so far. Its been weird to see others all around me fighting invisible foes or talking to invisible people though. Thats something I still have to get used to

Im still having a blast on EQ - Project 1999 though

 

[lackblogger]

@the nut

I've not bought a Bethesda game for nearly a decade. During my learning phase I tried Morrowind and didn't last beyond the first hour. I tried Oblivion and didn't last beyond the first hour. I rarely join in discussions about the game and when I do it will be on my personal hobby horse of "what is an RPG", which I do with practically all RPGs, even the ones I love.

It's great that you have money to burn, but when you have money to burn it seems even stranger to spend time on things you know for a fact aren't designed to appeal to you, most people only do that if "well it was on discount and for $3 I take what I can get". Aren't you Bethesda fans just locked in mod-mode for the 6 months following a new release? Is F4 failing on the mod front or something?

 

[Thrasher]

Mod kit for FO4 hasn't been released yet. I play pretty much vanilla, so it doesn't matter. Mods are for later, if I still care then.

re ESO, I've found the quests and personalities in the Ebonheart Pact much more interesting than those in the Aldmeri dominion. But the setting is a visual rehash of Skyrim and Morrowind (plus the newer setting of Black Marsh).

On the other hand, the Aldmeri Dominion has Summerset Isles, Valenwood, and Elswhyr, which haven't been the subject of the ES games for a while. I have to say that the jungles and big trees in Valenwood are pretty cool.

Haven't done much in the Daggerfall Covenent.

 

[Moriendor]

Why do the haters of Bethesda games buy them every time?

To be fair to the haters, I believe that most of them have admitted to pirating instead of buying their Beth games .

 

[Jaz]

Aren't you Bethesda fans just locked in mod-mode for the 6 months following a new release?

I tried Morrowind with mods once. Mods that made everything purrty. Uninstalled them two days later - whatever that game was, it wasn't Morrowind.
I want my games vanilla. A game must please me right OOTB or not at all. The only mod I have still in use is Borderless Cyrodiil for Oblivion - other than that, none. Not even my Minecraft is modded.

I played all the Elder Scrolls games (minus the mobile games) starting with Arena, spending years of RL time in that world, but I still have to leave the Vault in FO III. The setting just doesn't seem to do anything for me. But then, I didn't like the first two FO games all that much, either.