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Necrosis
Eager Tradesman
Joined: 14 Nov 2002
Posts: 41
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I am a guy who usually does one thing at a time, and that carries over to gaming. Typically, I pick out a single-player RPG (and I usually agonize over the choice) and play it 'til it's done. But now that I'm playing AC2 (my first MMORPG) and have Arx Fatalis, Divine Divinity, Icewind Dale II, etc. sitting on the shelf staring at me, I realize that I need to learn how to have a few games going at once. So, I thought I'd ask other RPGDotters for advice. How many different games are you typically involved with at once? How do you keep the story lines, characters, locales, etc. from getting all muddled? Do you have any problems jumping between different control schemes? Any suggestions would be appreciated.
P.S. Let's not get into a debate as to whether or not I should be playing AC2, or which of the single-player games I mentioned above should be the next one I play. I really just need to hear how you guys balance having more than one game going at a time. 
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Death: Peace, at last |
Mon Jan 13, 2003 10:48 pm |
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New_Maxx
Village Dweller
Joined: 12 Jan 2003
Posts: 16
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Typically the best way is to spread out the games logically, and make sure that adjacent titles are not overly similar. For instance, you could play Arx Fatalis on Day 1, Icewind Dale 2 on Day 2, and Divine Divinity on Day 3. When I play multiple games at once (which seems to be quite often), I usually don't take this approach, however. I just go with the flow, which means that I play one game for a few days in a row, then switch to another, etc., until eventually coming back to the original. Obviously if you wait too long you might have trouble springing back into your first title; so putting less time between them keeps that title from dropping in your mind. Likewise, too little time between titles may cause them to run together. So ultimately you want a golden mean; I dictate this by progression, because that enables you to choose different time schemes on-the-fly. Maybe I'll say 'five levels in this game' and then 'one more mini-boss in this one,' and so on, so as to keep interest in all at once without getting overly addicted to just one that will swallow all the time. |
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Tue Jan 14, 2003 1:38 am |
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Remus
Overgrown Cat
Joined: 03 Jul 2002
Posts: 1657
Location: Fish bowl |
@Quote - "How many different games are you typically involved with at once? How do you keep the story lines, characters, locales, etc. from getting all muddled? Do you have any problems jumping between different control schemes? Any suggestions would be appreciated."
Recently i haven't play much multiple games at once, since i finished most RPGs last year. I remember playing Divinity, MW, and FPS like UT2003, but never really confused, because Divinity has nice journal, MW got bad journal but i found a way around it - only do one or couples quests at once time so i never confused. UT2003 is all shooting, so nothing potentially confusing. I did have little problem with different control setup between different games, but only when i haven't the game for quite some time. However in FPS games, the is control very easy, not much storylines or characters, so no problem. |
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Tue Jan 14, 2003 1:39 am |
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Gothic Soul
Master of Shadows
Joined: 27 Aug 2002
Posts: 682
Location: Underdark |
I combine games of different genres My perfect combination are First Person Shooters with Role Playing Games thats awesome. Another Great combination was Grand Theft Auto 3 with Baldur's Gate (Dungeons & Dragons). But I've never had two or more RPG's at a time but I think I could try it. I have Baldur's Gate 2 and Arx Fatalis Waiting for me to finish BG original Saga.
Suggestions: Use two Rpg's at a time But of different Types like a AD&D with a Multiplayer RPG and a Normal RPG.
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"Whow, the necromancer is here" -Bartacus to myself |
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Tue Jan 14, 2003 2:48 am |
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Sk'ar
Village Leader
Joined: 01 Jan 2003
Posts: 93
Location: Old Camp, mining valley of Khorinis |
I multi-task a lot. Right now I've got NWN, UT2003, AOM, and a few others on my list. Its not hard for me. First, I assign one control layout to all of my games of a certian genre (i.e. control is always duck in FPS, J is always journal in RPGs, etc...). Also, as previously mentioned, I only take on a few quests at a time so they don't all get horribly confused. Finally, its best to try and not have anylong periods in which you do not play, becuase it gets hard to remember after a while.
Just my thoughts. Good luck on whatever your playing!
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~Ranger of the forest~
And the search for intelligence life on Earth and in the universe continues... |
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Tue Jan 14, 2003 4:42 am |
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Dhruin
Stranger In A Strange Land
Joined: 20 May 2002
Posts: 1825
Location: Sydney, Australia |
I always have multiple games going but if an RPG is good enough I usually play it from beginning to end. My biggest problem is when the "next best thing" comes along and I haven't finished the last!
There's no secret for me. I have a terrible memory for these sorts of things and usually spend 10 minutes reading through the journal or bumbling around. |
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Tue Jan 14, 2003 6:47 am |
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Danicek
The Old One
Joined: 15 Dec 2001
Posts: 5922
Location: Czech Republic |
I am able to play just one game at a time.
Normally I can not enjoy not only similar game at one time, but also two very different games at one time. For example it is not good for me (and for both games) to play Serious Sam2 and Gothic at one time.
But I guess there are people who are able to play even more than 2 games and still really enjoy them. You can see in normal life that there are really different people in this area. |
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Tue Jan 14, 2003 4:40 pm |
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xSamhainx
Paws of Doom
Joined: 11 Sep 2002
Posts: 2192
Location: San Diego |
I used to go die-hard one game at a time, but I found myself being frustrated for a variety of reasons-
1- Simply get bored with beans,beans and more beans, continually played "just to finish it already"
2- Getting stuck, and frustrated, and not being able to blow off steam. I use my games as a release valve for stress, as well as enjoyment. When Im "stuck" on a certain part of a game, and simply will not seek help or cheat, it gets ugly.
3- Sitting here staring at a stack of games i "just had to have", yet focused and primarily only playing one. Dark Age of Camelot and Baldurs gate really did this number on me.
As much as I can, I use standard "Sam's 3D controls" and "Sam's RTS controls" schemes. First thing I do in any game is jump into the options and set up WASD-style movement/camera controls. For the mouse, Left click is fire, right click is jump, middle is cycle weapons, middle button is alt fire. I dont care about default controls, if you cannot reconfigure the controls in a game, oft times its going to be a coaster at my house. There are exceptions of course, if the game is good enough, like WC3, ill learn to live with it, but ill gripe alot. I always set up my controls for all games as close to my template as possible.
It depends on the genres. I can only play one RTS at a time, right now its Age of Mythology, next is WC3. I can play a little SP campaign or something of WC3, but I havent gone into the "Random Map" type of build up and conquer skirmish for hours thing yet. I only do skirmishes one RTS at a time, so i can fully enjoy all the diffrent civs, technologies, etc. RtS's are an art, yet they are an exact science as well. Rpgs are diffrent, thanks to the "quest log" that most games have standard now, its not hard for me to dive right back in. Right now I have Gothic, Dungeon Siege, and NWN going. RPG's are pretty basic. Quest logs are pretty standard now, you shouldnt have a problem with storylines, just read the journal/quest log a bitwhen you go back into a game.
I usually have one "Nihilist Title" going, for when I get creamed by the Egyptians in RTS, or stuck on some stupid RPG puzzle. Its usually a FPS like UT, or something along the lines of Bloodrayne. This can kinda "purge" you a little, half of playing RPGs for me is *wanting* to play them. After playing such flat-out mindless carnage and bloodshed, youll be nice and ready to go back to talking to NPC's and looking for that ultimate weapon or armor drop.
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“Then away out in the woods I heard that kind of a sound that a ghost makes when it wants to tell about something that's on its mind and can't make itself understood, and so can't rest easy in its grave, and has to go about that way every night grieving.”-Mark Twain |
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Thu Jan 16, 2003 4:03 am |
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dteowner
Shoegazer
Joined: 21 Mar 2002
Posts: 7570
Location: Third Hero of Erathia |
Sorry, like Danicek, I'm a monogamous gamer. Like you, when I try to play multiple games, I get confused about what I'm doing. Since I usually plan my actions in an RPG about 3 steps ahead ("I'll clear this dungeon, then hit town to dump stuff and pick up another quest, and then return the widget to King Miser"), just reviewing the journal doesn't always give me enough info to step back into my gameplan.
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=Proud Member of the Non-Flamers Guild=
=Benevolent Dictator, X2/X3 and Morrowind/Oblivion Forums=
Sorry. No pearls of wisdom in this oyster.
RIP Red Wings How 'Bout Dem Cowboys! |
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Thu Jan 16, 2003 4:21 am |
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shaman's tear
Eager Tradesman
Joined: 14 Jul 2002
Posts: 29
Location: Florida,USA |
I've found that I get the most satisfaction from rpg's if I stick with just playing one at time.I can really get into the characters/story deeper and take time to explore the scenery more by doing that.I do like having a few non-rpg's(currently ghost recon & eq) installed when I just want a break for stress-relief blow-stuff-up mindless fun.Also,a bonus is by time finish the current rpg the newest,brightest,must-have rpg that I passed on can usually be picked for a cheaper price than at release.
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This is the strangest life i've ever known... |
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Sun Jan 19, 2003 11:03 pm |
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Guybrush Threepwood
High Emperor
Joined: 19 Jun 2002
Posts: 500
Location: Oklahoma |
heh....if only the brightest newest rpg would be available near me. The two stores I frequent for games are always lacking....like Arx Fatalis isn't out for me....only a preorder box with a few slight sample stuff.....I don't care for online ordering....but alas....looks like I might have to.
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"What are you gonna do? Release the dogs?! Or the bees?! Or dogs with bees in their mouth so that when they bark they shoot bees at you?" - Homer Simpson |
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Mon Jan 20, 2003 10:43 am |
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Jaz
Late Night Spook
Joined: 20 Jan 2002
Posts: 9708
Location: RPGDot |
I'm the typical multi-tasker, always playing several games at once. While there's always the one game I find so immersive and interesting it needs to be finished ASAP (~ the shark), there are a host of others flocking around it (~the remora). Right now my shark is Enclave, surrounded by a school of Arx Fatalis, amped Snowboarding, Dead or Alive 3, Might and Magic 9 and - right, still playing it - Dune Emperor. And there's always Doom Legacy if I don't feel the inclination to play anything else.
I'm pretty much the same as most other multi-taskers here in that I always configure my controls the same way (if possible).
I'm afraid I'll have to play a bit faster, however, since some of my 'most wanted' aren't too far away now (respectively on their way to my home like Splinter Cell) - Unreal 2, C&C Generals and Deus Ex 2 are coming, the first two being scheduled for release in the same week...
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Jaz |
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Mon Jan 20, 2003 6:53 pm |
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Lintra
Elf Friend
Joined: 23 Apr 2002
Posts: 9448
Location: Bermuda, the triangle place with SANDY BEACHES |
quote:
Originally posted by dteowner
Sorry, like Danicek, I'm a monogamous gamer. Like you, when I try to play multiple games, I get confused about what I'm doing. Since I usually plan my actions in an RPG about 3 steps ahead ("I'll clear this dungeon, then hit town to dump stuff and pick up another quest, and then return the widget to King Miser"), just reviewing the journal doesn't always give me enough info to step back into my gameplan.
Ditto for me.
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=Member of The Nonflamers' Guild=
=Just plain clueless= |
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Mon Jan 20, 2003 7:55 pm |
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