Comments on: The Fantasy of Competence http://www.cultoftheturtle.com/2010/01/21/the-fantasy-of-competence/ Games, turtles and other things Wed, 18 Jan 2012 18:18:49 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 By: Max Battcher http://www.cultoftheturtle.com/2010/01/21/the-fantasy-of-competence/comment-page-1/#comment-338 Max Battcher Fri, 22 Jan 2010 21:27:27 +0000 http://www.cultoftheturtle.com/?p=75#comment-338 Yeah, that save was an "end of the night" save and was indeed luck that I had it. I've also never been strong in the "save early, save often" style of gameplay. Yeah, that save was an “end of the night” save and was indeed luck that I had it. I’ve also never been strong in the “save early, save often” style of gameplay.

]]> By: Joe Tortuga http://www.cultoftheturtle.com/2010/01/21/the-fantasy-of-competence/comment-page-1/#comment-337 Joe Tortuga Fri, 22 Jan 2010 15:03:22 +0000 http://www.cultoftheturtle.com/?p=75#comment-337 Maybe I should just do this then. I mainly want to get through the game at this point. I'm not sure I'm robbing myself of some sort of discovery, though. I do think a restart on Easy with a different set of characters might be interesting. Right now my main interest is in playing all the origins, but I doubt that'll get me the character I want to play (I really like mages, after all, and they all have a single origin.) I'm actually okay with AI/tactics type slots. FF XII did that really well for me, and it kept me interested in FF, as I was getting tired of that combat style. Maybe I should just do this then. I mainly want to get through the game at this point. I’m not sure I’m robbing myself of some sort of discovery, though. I do think a restart on Easy with a different set of characters might be interesting.

Right now my main interest is in playing all the origins, but I doubt that’ll get me the character I want to play (I really like mages, after all, and they all have a single origin.)

I’m actually okay with AI/tactics type slots. FF XII did that really well for me, and it kept me interested in FF, as I was getting tired of that combat style.

]]> By: Joe Tortuga http://www.cultoftheturtle.com/2010/01/21/the-fantasy-of-competence/comment-page-1/#comment-336 Joe Tortuga Fri, 22 Jan 2010 15:02:18 +0000 http://www.cultoftheturtle.com/?p=75#comment-336 The bridge is the one in the wilds, right before you get to the cache itself. The game saves itself as you walk up to it, even. There's a caster on the bridge, a few rogues and an archer on your side. Behind it are more fighters and archers, and about 7 traps set up on the far side of the bridge, which you hit if your melee characters follow the caster. I don't want a high price of failure either. Just let me keep moving forward from where I am, even if forward is really back. Don't make me go all the way to the beginning. You're lucky you had a save that far back, I probably wouldn't have. Well, now I will. The bridge is the one in the wilds, right before you get to the cache itself. The game saves itself as you walk up to it, even. There’s a caster on the bridge, a few rogues and an archer on your side. Behind it are more fighters and archers, and about 7 traps set up on the far side of the bridge, which you hit if your melee characters follow the caster.

I don’t want a high price of failure either. Just let me keep moving forward from where I am, even if forward is really back. Don’t make me go all the way to the beginning. You’re lucky you had a save that far back, I probably wouldn’t have. Well, now I will.

]]> By: Jorge Albor http://www.cultoftheturtle.com/2010/01/21/the-fantasy-of-competence/comment-page-1/#comment-334 Jorge Albor Fri, 22 Jan 2010 06:27:04 +0000 http://www.cultoftheturtle.com/?p=75#comment-334 I was having the same problem with my Rogue character. It was even more problematic with my side characters, who just didn't have the AI/tactics slots to take care of themselves. (Playing on the PS3). I felt utterly incompetent and was not enjoying myself at all. Then I put the game on easy, and have enjoyed it ever since. I was having the same problem with my Rogue character. It was even more problematic with my side characters, who just didn’t have the AI/tactics slots to take care of themselves. (Playing on the PS3). I felt utterly incompetent and was not enjoying myself at all. Then I put the game on easy, and have enjoyed it ever since.

]]> By: Max Battcher http://www.cultoftheturtle.com/2010/01/21/the-fantasy-of-competence/comment-page-1/#comment-333 Max Battcher Fri, 22 Jan 2010 04:48:34 +0000 http://www.cultoftheturtle.com/?p=75#comment-333 I don't recall the bridge you are having problems with (but the next time I redo that first battle at Ostagar I'll keep an eye out for it), so my moment of "no longer kicking butt" felt a bit more of a ragequit inducing moment. I made it all the way past the first suggested location on the big world map (Lothering) feeling like I was kicking some sort of butt (and I'm playing easy and I like that feeling of kicking butt all the way through a game) and made my first choice as to the next place I would visit on the world map, and it turns out that it was a poor choice. Eventually I had to drop back to my last Lothering save and undo hours of play to correct that "mistake". I typically don't appreciate games that require me to load saves from hours/days ago (hence my eternal preference to classic LucasArts games over classic Sierra games). It seems frustrating that the game gives you such a choice that unless you've played before you have no idea what you are getting into (and how well that challenge scales to your character at that point). The game is teaching me over and over that I need to keep a FAQ or the wiki handy at most big choices. (For instance, in this particular respect the FAQs make it clear that you should probably visit the Circle of Magi and/or Warden's Keep (if you own it) first out of Lothering, and yet the game itself doesn't make that clear at all...) I don’t recall the bridge you are having problems with (but the next time I redo that first battle at Ostagar I’ll keep an eye out for it), so my moment of “no longer kicking butt” felt a bit more of a ragequit inducing moment. I made it all the way past the first suggested location on the big world map (Lothering) feeling like I was kicking some sort of butt (and I’m playing easy and I like that feeling of kicking butt all the way through a game) and made my first choice as to the next place I would visit on the world map, and it turns out that it was a poor choice. Eventually I had to drop back to my last Lothering save and undo hours of play to correct that “mistake”. I typically don’t appreciate games that require me to load saves from hours/days ago (hence my eternal preference to classic LucasArts games over classic Sierra games).

It seems frustrating that the game gives you such a choice that unless you’ve played before you have no idea what you are getting into (and how well that challenge scales to your character at that point). The game is teaching me over and over that I need to keep a FAQ or the wiki handy at most big choices. (For instance, in this particular respect the FAQs make it clear that you should probably visit the Circle of Magi and/or Warden’s Keep (if you own it) first out of Lothering, and yet the game itself doesn’t make that clear at all…)

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