[Surprising/indirect ways games called you out?]

I had an interesting moment in The Witcher 3, where I was in the bathhouse, and paused overly long next to one of the naked women. This game does seem to encourage you to ogle women (consider how many have their shirts half-open, lol). So, I was startled when the naked NPC said something like, “Are you staying then? It’s safer when you’re around.”

The moment really caught me off guard, as it seemed like I’d been very gently called out for my objectifying behaviour. I walked away feeling a bit guilty, hahah.

Anyone else experience any moments like this in a game?

[Games where you can’t comprehend how anyone plays on higher difficulty levels]

I play all the Dragon Age games on casual mode. I can’t even manage to play them on normal, lol. I have no idea how anyone plays them on higher levels. Some boss fights on casual take me 40 minutes as it is.

[Do you like being able to highlight the path?]

Do you like when games let you hit a button to highlight the path on the screen in front of you?

[Background music stuck in Dragon Age: Inquisition – fix?]

So, I was in the hold in the Frostback Basin, and fast travelled to Skyhold. The music with the drums followed me, and now it’s stuck. Reloading a previous save gets rid of it, but then reloading the most recent save brings it right back.

Anyone know how to make it stop? I’ve heard that going in and out of the war room might fix it (trying that later), at least temporarily, but that it may sometimes still come back.

[Games where you hit a wall surprisingly early in the main quest line]

Have you ever played any games where you hit a wall early in the main quest line and struggled to proceed? It could be because of difficulty, not understanding a game mechanic, or some other issue. How did you deal with it?

[What is your personal favorite era of gaming?]

Is there a particular era of gaming that is your favorite? Not necessarily the one you believe is objectively “best”—just the one you subjectively appreciate the most.

[How long does burnout last for you when you get frustrated by a game?]

If a game burns you out, how long do you typically stay away from it?

[Going into encounters with the wrong equipment or party]

Do you ever get well into a section in a game where there are no manual saves, only to find you came in poorly equipped for a fight? If so, do you try over and over to beat it as you came, or do you go all the way back to your last manual save so you can re-equip or switch party members?

[Games that leave out important details in dialogue?]

Sometimes games seem to leave quest-related details out of dialogue by mistake, and you have to find them in the quest notes. Though maybe I just pay poor attention? Has anyone else ever noticed this? I think I have encountered it in Elder Scrolls games and in The Witcher 3.

 

[Most times you ever had to repeat a boss fight, etc.?]

What is the largest number of times you can remember ever having to repeat a boss fight or another hard encounter in a game in order to progress? And was it due to difficulty, a bug, or not sure which?

For me it was the cart sequence in A Plague Tale: Innocence. I must’ve tried 20+ times before I finally found a workaround. This one was caused by a gray area between difficulty and a kind of bug, as the targeting seemed messed up on the stairs on console.

[How often do you clean your controller?]

How frequently do you clean your controller?

[Do you like seeing damage points during combat?]

Some games display damage points on the screen when you fight (i.e. Dragon Age). But I never find this very informative; it just seems like visual noise to me. An enemy’s health bar is useful to see, but I don’t understand the point of the numbers. Does anyone find them useful?

[Do you feel removed from the action when playing in third person?]

In games where you play in third person, do you feel “far away” from the action? I do in some, but not in others; it seems to depend on where the camera is.

[How important is tactical control to you in combat?]

How much precision tactical control do you want during combat if you’re playing a single player game where you have a party fighting alongside you? Are there certain factors that change how important this is or isn’t for you?

[What linear games would make terrible open worlds?]

Are there any linear game franchises you feel would absolutely not work with an open world format?

[Which of your games are you best at and worst at?]

Which of the games that you own (or have in the past) are you the best at? Which are you the worst at?

[Which studios and publishers are the worst at marketing?]

I’ve seen a lot of discussions over the past couple months about Bioware not being great at marketing (i.e. putting out trailers with tones that are mismatched for their games). What companies do you think are the worst at video game marketing?

[Most unusual/impressive cosplays you’ve seen?]

Have you seen any particularly unusual or striking cosplays that were really well-executed?

[Things about personal appearance you “got” for the first time after playing games?]

Are there any random things about personal appearance, grooming or fashion that only clicked for you after playing with character creation or in-game cosmetic options? Like for me, I never aesthetically was drawn to facial hair until I started playing male characters that had facial hair options to play with.

[Open world games where the exploration/”open” part felt unnecessary?]

Do you ever play any open world games where you don’t feel there is a “point” to the open world design, i.e. it isn’t really “adding” anything to your experience except time? What do these games have in common? I have a hard time putting my finger on what causes me to feel this way sometimes.

[Does anyone else just not get into crafting systems?]

Is there anyone else that avoids crafting a lot because it feels overwhelming?

[Very non-linear difficulty curves?]

What games feature difficulty curves that are shallow for most of the game, and then really steep at the end?

[What makes someone not fun to game with?]

What makes someone not fun to game with or watch game? I.e. I find it tedious to watch someone play who is prone to rage quitting.

[Games where playing evil aligned is actually compelling?]

Are there any games where playing evil isn’t just convenient or fun, but actually compelling/interesting?

[Games you wanted to be shorter or longer?]

What games would you have preferred to be shorter or longer than they are?