StaceyPowers

In another thread, both @kingpotato and @killamch89 mentioned that they don't like long tutorials in video games. I'm someone who can sometimes benefit from them, being as I have executive function deficits which make me slow to pick up on super basic stuff involving menus and controls. I often need to repeat an action a bunch of times to teach my muscles to do things right (my brain will never fully consciously pick up on this stuff). But at the same time, nothing is more annoying than having to play for 30 minutes or more before you can even make a save file. I think arguably the best tutorial/intro in a game I've played is The Last of Us. You're given as much or as little time as you need to in the house as Sarah to get used to the controls with zero pressure. Then when you leave, well, there's never been another intro sequence which hit me harder or pulled me in faster than that first chapter. What are some of the best and worst tutorials you've encountered in video games?

@killamch89 started a thread on most overhyped games. And it got me wondering how much hype is ideal for a game to begin with. I think that a lot of games that were overhyped would have been better received if they hadn't been (i.e. No Man's Sky), yet obviously hype gets the word out. So how much is enough, and how much is too much?

When you play a character in an MMO, how closely does that character mirror your own personality/beliefs? I’m watching Westworld for the first time, and there’s a theme in the show that Westworld (which is essential a sort of RL game) reveals peoples’ true selves. I’ve long held the same belief regarding MMOs, and have asserted that even when players create characters which appear very different from them on the surface, they are an expression of something latent to who they are underneath. I’ve encountered a lot of resistance to that argument, probably because claiming that one’s character is entirely disconnected from oneself makes it easy to abdicate responsibility (i.e. for in-game bullying or other behaviours the player considers potentially shameful). What are your feelings about the matter? And when you play a character in an MMO, how much do you feel like that person is partly or entirely “you?”

I nominate everyone you mentioned, @DC, as all have been actively contributing great conversation as always :)

Those who share my relationship values, which by itself is pretty hard to come by. What about you?

Bioshock Infinite.

Good to know you still exist :) Well, even if you're not actively gaming a lot, we'd still love to see more of you around here!

Either you or @LadyDay (who I haven't seen in some time), because I always feel like I'm on a wavelength with both of you and like we'd have a great time. I also relate to you because of matters of disability. Gaming gives both of us a breathing space, and it'd be fun to share it.

Do you have any game-themed clothing, jewelry, or other accessories that you wear/carry everywhere? I only have one item, a recently-obtained Bioshock-themed ring that says, “A man chooses, a slave obeys.” I also would like to craft a choker like Elizabeth’s in Bioshock Infinite, but make it reversible with the cage on one side and the bird on the other. I'm also in the process of teaching myself art nouveau and deco design so that I can make my own tattoo, not necessarily Bioshock-themed, but with the same overall flavour. What about you? Do you wear anything to express your video game fandom? @killamch89 @DylanC @Alyxx @kingpotato @skyfire @The Blackangel @Executor Akamia @Aerielle del Rosario

I kind of feel this way every day now when I read the news.

When you put in a new game for the first time, are there any pet peeves you have where you’re instantly annoyed, and thinking, “How will I ever put up with this?” Like for example, I get irritated by fonts I find hard to read, controls I find really unintuitive (especially when the trigger key is R2 instead of R1, but not for what seems like a good reason), and confusing menu navigation. And I get really peeved by unwanted or intrusive HUD/quest displays. Like in Dragon Age Inquisition, that awful quest box that appears on the right-hand side of the screen and just … stays. What about you? What drives you crazy the instant you see it and potentially annoys you for the rest of a game?

I noticed @The Blackangel created a thread for worst dressed characters in games, so I thought I'd make one for best dressed characters. Which characters in games do you think have been the most fashionably attired? I realize this is a woefully cheesy pick, but I am fond of Morrigan's somewhat silly revealing outfit in Dragon Age Origins. It has a kind of elegance to it, and suits her--and I always get irritated at the comments from other characters trying to tell her to replace it.

Oh, it is the hotkeying I can't figure out! For some reason nothing will map. I have no idea what I'm pressing wrong, but I'm on PS3, so you probably can't help there.

Playing a mage in Dragon Age II, I was running around in what looked like a bathrobe with a codpiece for half the game. That was pretty bad.

If you are planning on purchasing a PlayStation 5 or Xbox Scarlett, how long do you intend to wait to do so? Will you buy the console right away when it releases? Will you wait a few months? A year? Several years? Since I have skipped a generation (PS4), I will probably not wait long to buy a PS5 after it comes out. Once I make a space for it in my tiny home, I will wait for the initial price drop, and then get it immediately. What about you? @killamch89 @kingpotato @The Blackangel @DylanC @skyfire @Executor Akamia @Alyxx

@killamch89 was telling me about laptop cooling pads, and it got me wondering, does anyone know if there are cooling pads for consoles, or if one can just use a laptop cooling pad for a console? We've talked in the past on another thread about ideas for keeping consoles cool on hot days, but I don't think anyone brought this idea up.

Wasn't Morrowind an open world game too? I agree that Skyrim's dungeons do seem more streamlined--and I find the menus likewise. I didn't know you can change spells on the fly in Oblivion. How do you do that? I have been opening the menu each time.

@The Blackangel How did you actually figure that out? By the third exchange, I'd have been assuming the problem was somehow on my end. The whole ordeal would've made me super angry. @DylanC I just hope it won't like ... get worse over time, like Fallout's issues. But I think that has to do with how Fallout save data accumulates, and hopefully Oblivion doesn't have that issue. Skyrim doesn't seem to, or if it does, I've simply never gotten a large enough save file for the game to start breaking.

Thanks! I like that it can also raise the keyboard/screen.

It's really interesting how the way we see ourselves impacts the characters we create, even if they don't actually look like us.

Oh yeah, in a mulitplayer game that'd be terrible. One more reason for me to mainly stick with single player games, lol. Because I mix up controls constantly between games.

Regarding death to vegetables, which veggies are your favorites to murder and devour? :)

I have something like this, but it usually happens when typing. I think it's the result of branching thoughts and hyperfocus issues, but I am not sure. It makes me anxious for professional reasons, because I am always afraid that these errors will slip past me at work.

Best TV show or film you've watched this year?

How would you order all you've played from best to worst? I hadn't thought of that--that new features might render some old ones incompatible, so they get sacrificed.