I'm bad at starting new games

[Jokzore]

Every time i start a game using a system I'm not already familiar with I spend about an hour researching, looking up what people are doing, what builds they're using , which skills are useful and which not. I have this paranoia that Im somehow gonna botch the build and find out what I did wrong 10 hours deep into the game , and I hate having to restart.

So the question is, what do you do when you play a new game for the first time? How do you decide on what stats/abilities you want? Did you ever mess up a character so bad that you had to restart, if so how long did it take you to realize it?

 

[Darth Roxor]

So the question is, what do you do when you play a new game for the first time?

i write a scolding review

 

[Lacrymas]

RPGs have this element to them, you aren't sure which stats are useful and which aren't before actually playing the game. You end up making a botched build because of this, I'm not sure how this can be remedied or even if we want it to be remedied. In the past RPGs were made with the assumption that you are going to play the more than once anyway, I guess.

 

[Jokzore]

RPGs have this element to them, you aren't sure which stats are useful and which aren't before actually playing the game. You end up making a botched build because of this, I'm not sure how this can be remedied or even if we want it to be remedied. In the past RPGs were made with the assumption that you are going to play the more than once anyway, I guess.

They were also made in familiar systems such as D&D though, which makes it far easier to make at least a semi-competent build.

 

[soulburner]

I had a phase like this after I discovered RPGs are awesome and started catching up on all the games I missed. I researched a lot and was actually stressed during character creation. It sort of passed naturally and now I still do my research when starting a new game but I'm no longer scared of botching a build. If I find out in the middle of a game I could have used different stats, skills or whatever... I don't restart, I carry on (I don't think I ever created a character that could get stuck and not continue playing one way or another). If the game is good, I may replay it and distribute points differently.

 

[IncendiaryDevice]

Half the fun is making random builds and then either struggling through a self-imposed harder difficulty or, conversely, stumbling upon the secret OP builds and lolling at the game as you roflstomp over demons. I have no idea what your issue is, sounds like some form of OCD. Maybe do some yoga or a big bag of weed before starting one up next time?

Overcoming angst

 

[Baron Dupek]

See people? This would not happen if publishers still include manuals to every game copy...

 

[valcik]

Teasing and heating myself up with good old manual, possibly for days before starting the game, that's the best way!

 

[Lacrymas]

I still read manuals to older games, the last one was X-Com (the first one), the game is very intimidating at first.

 

[Tigranes]

FOMO.

It is a lot more enjoyable to suppress that urge and barge around discovering and making mistakes - allowing you to have unique experiences instead of a cookie cutter walkthrough. At some point you realise youre just reenacting other peoples builds and tactics and fights if you look stuff up too much.

In most RPGs made after~1997, you will rarely be screwed by doing it this way - and theres nothing more pointless than agonising that you missed out on 0.5 dps or one more magic item.

 

[ChasinTheTrane]

I try to complete as much as I can without doing any outside research. Half of the time I'm stuck with a terrible build, but I'm bitter and believe that games shouldn't need outside training, at least if they're single player!

 

[canakin]

I used to have that problem too but I found that maxing str and picking the biggest two handed weapon works in 99% of games.

 

[Severian Silk]

Sometimes I delay starting a game indefinitely because I am afraid I will pick the "wrong" stats.

 

[Tigranes]

the worst part is when you just know you should've taken that obscure skill/perk/item three hours ago and now you're in deep fucking shit because the game offers little to no reactivity

Except you're never in deep fucking shit for, as I say, any game after the mid-90s or so. Even in, say, Underrail, you can waste 50 points on Mercantile or something and still be just fine. (I suppose AOD is an exception for a number of reasons.)

 

[lukaszek]

deterministic system > RNG

 

[IncendiaryDevice]

^nutter

Spoiler

 

[lukaszek]

deterministic system > RNG

 

[Saduj]

I don't worry about builds so much anymore because most CRPGs are easy enough that it doesn't matter. I did end up having to start Underrail over because a build that was fine in the early alpha was no good in the final game. But for the most part, I'd rather play what I want than worry about optimal builds. But I do still catch myself playing more cautiously when I start a new game. For some reason I think everything I do will have heavy C&C despite that almost never being the case.

 

[Valky]

I don't research most games going in and expect to have a subpar setup. I just roll with it and think of it as added challenge.

 

[Excidium II]

Every time i start a game using a system I'm not already familiar with I spend about an hour researching, looking up what people are doing, what builds they're using , which skills are useful and which not. I have this paranoia that Im somehow gonna botch the build and find out what I did wrong 10 hours deep into the game , and I hate having to restart.

So the question is, what do you do when you play a new game for the first time? How do you decide on what stats/abilities you want? Did you ever mess up a character so bad that you had to restart, if so how long did it take you to realize it?

I start, dislike my setup after a while, restart a few more times, get bored of redoing the starting area and shelf it for a few months.

 

[Vorark]

I start, dislike my setup after a while, restart a few more times, get bored of redoing the starting area and shelf it for a few months.

Basically what happened to me in Divinity OS.

 

[Black Angel]

Go headfirst like a man. That's the big fun

This. Did it with Underrail, made a p. dumb build with stats and skills stretched thin. Still finished it, anyway.
(Except for Deep Caverns. No fucking way I'm going through that shithole without looking up some hints since at the time it wasn't patched to the way it is now)

 

[anvi]

I go head first. Usually it is fine, a few times the build I have gone for has been weak but that was not my fault, and I still managed to finish whatever shitty game it was.

 

[YES!]

Every time i start a game using a system I'm not already familiar with I spend about an hour researching, looking up what people are doing, what builds they're using , which skills are useful and which not. I have this paranoia that Im somehow gonna botch the build and find out what I did wrong 10 hours deep into the game , and I hate having to restart.

So the question is, what do you do when you play a new game for the first time? How do you decide on what stats/abilities you want? Did you ever mess up a character so bad that you had to restart, if so how long did it take you to realize it?

This is what gets me to love rpgs. What other people are doing never crosses my mind. The only time I look anything up is if the tooltips or manual is very vague on a specific I would really like to know.

1) This isn't the 20th century so games are pretty fucking easy and forgiving even if you find out something you took or build upon isn't as great as you thought. Most games people consider rpgs are rpg lite slightly interactive movies. They are designed so no one can gimp a character or characters. There are no bad builds and even if there were combat is so retardedly easy it literally doesn't matter at all. They make the games specifically so if you are thinking you are doing it wrong.

2) For games that actually manage to have worth while chargen/dev and a worthy combat model where bad builds are unforgiving I make good builds. I love systems and love looking for exploits/good shit in builds. If I ever such a bad build or builds I couldn't progress and had to restart I would have a new favorite game.

 

[commie]

Every time i start a game using a system I'm not already familiar with I spend about an hour researching, looking up what people are doing, what builds they're using , which skills are useful and which not. I have this paranoia that Im somehow gonna botch the build and find out what I did wrong 10 hours deep into the game , and I hate having to restart.

So the question is, what do you do when you play a new game for the first time? How do you decide on what stats/abilities you want? Did you ever mess up a character so bad that you had to restart, if so how long did it take you to realize it?

This is the peril of the internet age, perceived lack of time and many games. In early 90's you just ran with a build after getting some idea from the manual and if it became a chore to grind past parts you could just pop into an inn and create another character to swap out and then fight a few mooks to get them up to speed in the case of blobbers or just took it on the chin and started again.

These days you have more crap to choose from along with a backlog that may stretch 20 years so there is a feeling that you should shortcut your way past the trial and error and just find some optimum build. I recommend that you DON'T do that. Just play the game and see if the mechanics and setting etc. gel with you. If they do, then either persevere or restart with your own alternate build. Games that challenge you yet are still enjoyable are rare these days so you don't want a shortcut to easy street. OTOH if you find a game a bit 'meh' and get the feelz that a good build is going to be trial and error, then you can take a peek at some optimum build. A lot of grindy second tier jap blobbers for example benefit from a quick perusal to get an idea for a character or two. Even then I wouldn't recommend going through an entire list as you just might as well let the game play itself.

Single character games, unless you really do stupid shit like put points only into strength as a wizard, you won't have problems completing so no point cheating your way there. Just follow the tropes and you'll get by. If the game is good, you might want to experiment with another build in future. If it's average, well you won't bother going back to it anyway.

Too many here ask for builds for PoE, Underrail, AoD, MM, Wiz..fuck, you do that AFTER you finish the game and want ideas for fun builds, not before playing it yourself. Easier said and done of course as there is a tendency to want to build a character for storyfag rpg's to get all the options in first playthrough, but you can usually figure out to put points in CHA and INT and pick dialogue skills to max that side out anyway. Then just focus on melee or ranged with the rest. This will actually make your character a bit more interesting by having a combat weakness rather than being good all round.