How do you play games?

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When I play a game I find my self restarting because I done it wrong some how or I didn't want to do it like that so I would start again. Dishonored is a good example as if you want to do a sneaking play threw but you get caught do you continue or restart the game?. Same with collecting coins or tape recordings etc do you go out of the way to find them or just enjoy the game and if missed or get caught or killed etc just continue.
 
I just let things develop naturally. I find this is particularly beneficial in a game that has replay value. Things like achievements and such like invariably mean next to nothing to me.
 
I'm like that. When playing games like Fallout 3 I would reload a save if I failed a speak check or missed something. Probably not the best way to go about it, but I can't help it.

Also I'm a sucker for collecting things in games. I feel like I should collect them, especially if there is some sort of reward at the end. I find it quite fun to explore in games though, so I don't see this as a problem.
 
if i play stealthy game dishonored or thief back in a day or some other games i use quick save quick load if im not happy with outcome , sometimes not even in stealth games i do that
 
Generally, I try stealthy, and if it fails, fight my way out. I tend to just go with the flow in games. This is why I hate a lot of games that fail you for not playing a game as they want you to. Assassin's Creed 4 being the latest example.

I never, ever plan anything either. I prefer to just let things develop naturally. If I am playing something like X-Com or CIV for example, I don't care about build orders. I build what seems best at the time, and when it is finished, whatever seems best then. I have a lot more fun this way.
 
What about reading books and notes in games like these as I always think they got something big to do with the mission or story but I don't read them as if I wanted to read I would have gotten a good book instead.
 
I start a new character nearly everytime I boot up games like Skyrim. Think I'm on my 19th game of X-COM EW so far, no idea why but I always enjoy the first half of games like those, get bored, then restart using a different strategy (or character in Skyrims case).
 
Nowadays I just play through the main story, don't go out of my way to do anything else unless I really feel I would be missing out on something.
Would never complete anything otherwise.
I like games like sleeping dogs where you can do the main story and then go back to do the side quests if you really want to.

When I was younger in games like baldurs gate I would have to have no black on the map and it really anoyed me when you couldn't get somewhere to make it totally clear :mad:
 
I rarely replay any game, so I'll often save it before dialog choices so I can see the outcomes.

Story games I just don't bother with as they no longer grab me so I'll make my own adventure if it's open-world. Haven't enjoyed a good story since KOTOR and Dues Ex (that's the original by the way not the crappy console remake).
 
Generally, I try stealthy, and if it fails, fight my way out. I tend to just go with the flow in games. This is why I hate a lot of games that fail you for not playing a game as they want you to.

Instant-fail for being detected on stealth missions is an absolute bugbear of mine - yes, Splinter Cell Pandora Tomorrow, I'm looking at you!
I have a lot of respect for developers who design games such that if you make mistakes or take a different path it makes it more difficult (e.g. dispatching more guards) rather than just centre-printing MISSION FAILED in your face.

Anyway going back to the OP, when I was younger I used to be a bit OCD about this sort of thing, trying to make sure I did everything perfectly. I was a bit of a save-game whore and would even go to such lengths as backing up saves to avoid unwelcome consequences of failure. E.g. I used to play a tile-based RPG called Moraff's Dungeon, whereby if you got infected with disease/poison (very bad) it would auto-save your character. So when I came up against one I'd save, exit to DOS, backup the save, reload, and fight.
Likewise there was a time when I'd reload Championship Manager everytime I got knocked out of a competition :/ In terms of games with a lot to explore, I'd be very careful not to exit an area until I'd collected all the best gear (e.g. Secret weapons in Doom).

Nowadays I'm much more casual in my approach and while I don't exactly blitz my way through games, I don't lose any sleep over missed opportunities. Life is too short and there are too many more games to play; I'd rather 'beat' 20 games a year than 'complete' 5.

edit: I do still have a stash of years old savegames however including games I've completed where I have some vision of going back to explore other endings/story arcs, but I doubt I ever will.
 
Instant-fail for being detected on stealth missions is an absolute bugbear of mine - yes, Splinter Cell Pandora Tomorrow, I'm looking at you!
I have a lot of respect for developers who design games such that if you make mistakes or take a different path it makes it more difficult (e.g. dispatching more guards) rather than just centre-printing MISSION FAILED in your face.


I absolutely despise it. I was going on about it in the Assassin's Creed 4 thread, as it was really ruining my enjoyment of an otherwise great game!

It only seems to be Ubisoft who insist on this truly awful mechanic...Assassin's Creed, Splinter Cell: Blacklist, Far Cry 3. They are totally out of ideas when it comes to gameplay, so just add restrictions to make things seem different.
 
generally i just play a game and try to do achievement along the way if i can. however if there is a game a really want to get all the achievements for because i really really enjoyed it i will go back and do things just to get the achievement. Otherwise i just play to enjoy the game
 
I can't replay most games once I know whats going to happen. I will quick save/load quite a bit if I think I've missed anything interesting but I won't go back and play from scratch again.

Only games I've replayed to any extent are Quake 2, original Half-Life and the original Deus Ex. DX was amazing for finding new stuff or seeing stuff in a different light due to a previous play through.
 
depends on the genre of the game, but for 'free range' games I don't really re-start missions unless it bugs out or something goes seriously wrong [ie not just a less than ideal mission]

the only exception is kerbal space program, where I generally tend to get a pretty good idea of a mission's success early on and i'd tend to terminate early and make revisions.
 
Depends on the game. If playing hitman I'm like a ninja and will replay the level till I achieve silent assassin before moving onto the next. On cod I'm like a maniac lol horses for courses
 
I "RP" many games, if that makes any sense. Games like Enemy Unknown and CIV 5 would be a fine examples of that. It probably explains why I haven't beaten them either! For me the journey is more important than the destination.

In general power-gaming, optimum builds, achievements and the like simply don't interest me and detract from the experience. I don't play online that much either, which might explain my lack of 'win at all costs' attitude.
 
I just keep playing through games I like until I can breeze through a level to perfection. Then I like to play through that level every now and again :)
 
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