You know that feeling?

The kind of feeling where you wish a time travel device was invented, so you can go back in time and beat the shit out of your past self? Yeah, well I do, because of several things I did/didn't do, regrets suck. The reason for this blog, and the aforementioned feeling is the way i played certain games.

I primarily play role playing games, sandbox games and strategy games. The first genre can have an open world and lots of freedom and choices as well as the option to create a God-like character. The second genre needs freedom and the third genre isn't really important to the point I'm trying to make. Just a couple of months ago, for me, two things were very important when it comes to RPGs.

1. Freedom (open world)
2. Character Development (the ability to create a God like character)

Now freedom and character development, among other things, are very important for RPG games, but my underlying reasons were completely retarded.

Looking back

While a device that allows us to travel through time isn't invented...yet, i can take you back, say, 2 months ago and introduce you to the way i played roleplaying games.

Gallery

                                                                                       (Ignore the quality, I swear it wasn't this bad when i took the shots)

                                                                                                                   Skyrim (Elder Scrolls) the

                                                                                                                         of open world RPGs.

So anyway, Crnobog is a level 60 Nord Mage, a character that utilizes 0 magicka when casting destruction spells, a character that can summon 2 dremora lords, a character that has over a 1.000 in armor rating (I think), 400 health and 390 magicka. A character, that can f*** up any enemy in this game, and walk away scot-free (And no, contrary to what you might be thinking right now this isn't some dick measuring contest or me showing off)

Ohhh look at that, it's a level 60 Nord Mage...so what, I got a level 81 mage, fool!

The catch? (There's always a catch) Crnobog, or rather I, found almost every location, but completed only 5 quests, and even then, only because i wanted to get my hands on Breezehome.

Gallery

So what's wrong with this (these) picture(s) (apart from the quality)?

Roleplaying games are obviously about putting you in the shoes of a character who finds himself/herself in an incredible situation. A situation, that you or I will never find ourselves in (excluding Fallout). So as said, freedom, character development and plot are very important elements for RPG games, but power leveling is NOT. So much time spent casting soul trap on the bodies of dead enemies, collecting and buying soul gems, raising smithing/enchanting/alchemy to a 100. I realized it's not the way RPGs are meant to be played, or at the very least, I didn't enjoy playing them like that.

What happened you ask? Well two things.

1. Arcanum: Of Steamworks and Magick Obscura (My second favorite RPG)
2. The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind

I've dabbled with Arcanum several years ago, and while i thought the setting and story were amazing and extremely unique I couldn't quite bring myself to finish it. Perhaps the biggest reason is the fact that i deleted and restarted dozens of characters. Why? Because I'm stupid that way. Similar situation with Morrowind.

Well, a month ago, I sat down in front of my PC, started a character on both Arcanum and Morrowind, and swore i would finish the games. Regardless of the mistakes, regardless of the choices and different paths. Regardless of the outcomes and incredible amounts of possibility. And i rediscovered a whole new way of playing roleplaying games, a way that was long lost to me. I wouldn't say i forced myself to play the games in the manner of "power leveling, unique equipment and God like characters be damned!". Rather it was like jumping into a ice cold pool of water, while shocking, it's also extremely refreshing.

Before Arcanum and Morrowind, open world RPGs represented the ability to never start a secondary quest or continue the main quest, instead of choices. They represented the ability to create God like characters, when i should have been worrying about immersing myself within the game, taking things easy so i could enjoy the story, characters, atmosphere and setting.

Conclusion

While power leveling or the goal of creating a God like character, min/maxing etc. is just another form of freedom in RPGs, these are not the objectives. Sure, I'll still probably effectively level my character in Oblivion or Morrowind, but instead of an increase of 5 in any attribute, i might let a 4 slip past or...*gasp* even a 3 (except Endurance, gotta raise that s*** up to a 100 ASAP!).

The point is, don't be a power gamer, there's so much more to games, the good ones at least, and roleplaying games especially. As I said, it is another form of freedom, but don't make that your objective.

Now If you'll excuse me, I have to replay a lot of games.

I'm oddly enough in the same boat as you but I completed more of the missions. The issue that I'm facing is that I've put so much time into making my destruction and illusion magic level high as well as exploring the environment that I've put in 80+ hours into Skyrim and have gotten NOTHING out of it in terms of story or narrative.

The thing is though...I'm kind of done with the game. I've had my fill. It was fun but I sort of don't want to put the time to wrap up the civil war stuff or the main story.

@ZombiePie: 80+ hours, not that much for a game like Skyrim. I'm over 250 hours in and i still want to play it. Oh well, back to Morrowind >:D

You Goddamn munchkin you.

Good that you stopped looking at everything like a spreadsheet. Some people never will. Even in games created by their friends.

Welcome to role playing games!

I became pretty god-like by the end of my play through as well, but I did that by playing through the content of the game so I feel good about it. I don't know how people just spend 100+ hours doing nothing but walking around, because you can do that at the same time as doing the quests anyway.

Skyrim is next to impossible for me to play because it's too dam easy to glitch the game and power level your character and I don't have the will power to stop myself. Not counting all the glitches in the game, all you need to do is start paying for training then pick pocketing the guy right after until you level up pick pocketing and you can just do that all the way to end game in no time at all. No matter how much I want to avoid it, the moment I find some way to exploit the game like that I just abuse it. That, and I find the combat and quests extremely dull and un-interesting with that game.

@Brodehouse: So, do i like, get an initiation ring or something? What's the secret handshake?

@Brendan: Well, in my mind it's always been "Get the leveling and perfection out of the way first, then on to quests." Fuck, was i stupid.

@crusader8463: I've been walking in your shoes brother for a long time, about 3 years? You just need to learn to let go, let the chips fall where they may, *other corny phrases*. The thing is, it's a lot easier when you've got a game that has no hard ending, like Skyrim. If you really want to, you can perfect the character after you're done with the sidequests/mainquest. And for games with hard endings, there's no point in perfecting your character, since after the ending you're just presented with the main menu. As for MMORPGs, well, i don't play those :P

@TheDudeOfGaming: I used to do it a lot in JRPG's back in the 90's. I'd find some spot somewhat early on and grind forever. Actually, the place I did it the most commonly was in Pokemon Blue, where I'd get that Magikarp before going into the cave before Cerulean City and I'd level it up into a Gyarados in the little patch of grass before I even stepped in the place. It seems crazy in hindsight.

@Brendan said:

@TheDudeOfGaming: I used to do it a lot in JRPG's back in the 90's. I'd find some spot somewhat early on and grind forever. Actually, the place I did it the most commonly was in Pokemon Blue, where I'd get that Magikarp before going into the cave before Cerulean City and I'd level it up into a Gyarados in the little patch of grass before I even stepped in the place. It seems crazy in hindsight.

I did exactly the same thing. Although as time went by and I started new playthroughs, I began to do it even earlier. Eventually it got to the point where I'd stay up all night and spend hours upon hours grinding Viridian Forest so I'd have a pretty useless level 20ish Raticate, a Butterfree, a Beedrill, a Mankey, a Pidgeotto, and a Wartortle by the time I got to the first gym. Just to show off to my friends. Then about two hours later I'd start encountering way better Pokemon and abandon most of the team I spent hours on. So pointless.

That was a good read, OP, I'd never imagined doing anything like that in Skyrim before, but it seems strangely appealing, part of me wants to boot the game up right now and see how long I can last just roaming around and not bothering with quests, could be an interesting way to play.

@crusader8463 said:

Skyrim is next to impossible for me to play because it's too dam easy to glitch the game and power level your character and I don't have the will power to stop myself. Not counting all the glitches in the game, all you need to do is start paying for training then pick pocketing the guy right after until you level up pick pocketing and you can just do that all the way to end game in no time at all. No matter how much I want to avoid it, the moment I find some way to exploit the game like that I just abuse it. That, and I find the combat and quests extremely dull and un-interesting with that game.

Exactly, using Skyrim as an example isn't great, as that game basically power-levels you even if you don't try to.

I look at the whole thing a very different way though, it's not my play-style that's the problem, it's the game. A major part of enjoying games is exploring fresh game-mechanics and figuring out how to "play the system". In RPGs levelling/loot is some of the core game mechanics. If the game allows you to break it's core mechanics, it's a poor game. In any other genre it would've easily been the games fault, but for some reason in RPGs "you're playing it wrong". What you need to do is realize that modern RPGs are very split experiences. You can have an incredibly interesting story and great characters that make the game worth playing, but that doesn't necessarily make it a great game. It's sorta like Asura's Wrath. Is it a great experience ? yes. Is it a great game ? no.

In the end it's not our fault if the game is designed to be easily broken. We shouldn't blindly accept poor gameplay in RPGs just because they usually deliver great stories and characters. There are plenty of games in all genres that have managed to marry both gameplay and story (even without being completely controlled and linear). We need to take RPGs off this pedestal where it's ok to say "you're playing it wrong".