Red Dead Redemption

I officially started playing today, and it's taking some getting used to after the last few fast games I've played. But I enjoyed the first 1% of the story so far. Looks and sounds great, hope the gunplay stays as easy as it was during the wolf attack. Pretty sure I killed at least a couple of them with just the sound of my gun, considering how shitty I am at aiming.

I'm maybe a couple of hours ahead of you and it's stayed at that difficulty level. It doesn't feel like the kind of game to suddenly have a massive spike.

No its not a very difficult game on the hole. If you fail a mission it just starts again. Getting gold on the missions is tougher though, and it can feel a little unfair as those often depend on finishing the missions quickly and cleanly, so when Arthur starts diddling around instead of shooting / running etc you know you've already failed

yeah you get used to the slugglish movements.

Currently I'm flip flopping between gta 5 and old Sand Andreas and the difference of character control is godalmighty.

I started GTAV but the character control was very similar to RDR2 and I found even the initial car chase quite challenging. Yes, very different to previous instalments I'd played

I don't mind the driving in gta5, as much as I have no problems with the horse control in RDR. But the on foot sluggish movement is such a back step imo, and that ragdoll nonsense can just fuck off.

My horse is dirty but I don't have a brush. I won't get one till I finish getting drunk then go back to camp and choose a specific mission. I feel bad for my horsey.

why don't you have a brush? don't you get one by default?

god, if only it were so simple

*pulls at sticky, tangled hair*

xp you don't start with one but apparently you get it when you sell a horse to someone.

just go galloping into the rivers

OK, just got another hour or so in. I'm enjoying this, but having never played anything like this I'm a little out of sync with it right now. Like, I'll be in a room, unsure of what to do, so I figure, ok, might as well go exploring. And then the next thing I know, I'm saddled up in a posse going to shoot a bunch of people or about to rob a train, but my brain is all, whoa, wait a minute, I don't feel like robbing a train right now, I just want to explore and get used to stuff.

Are you looking at the map? I made my little corner map as big as possible in the options. You'll get white or yellow spots with initials in there, representing a character who if you speak to them will either start or continue a mission. White ones are side missions, yellow ones are story. Annoyingly, the game won't usually let you back down from or leave a mission, so you're forced to get in your horse and go fishing or rustling or looting or whatever, even if you don't feel like it.

I went exploring and found a couple of people in a house who I shot and killed and oops, I have a feeling they were supposed to be part of a mission, probably debt collecting. Later on, Strauss was getting ready to reel off some names but only said one name and finished "and that's it". So yeah, exploring and getting a bit shooty is fun, but be careful who you kill.

I definitely gravitated toward a couple of the yellow destinations with initials because I wasn't sure what else I was supposed to be doing. Good to know those are the story missions. I'm still super super early, though, and I think way too early to mess up. There was one guy I was supposed to lasso, but for some reason I missed that instruction, so I caught up with him and just sort of hung out until I figured I had to do something, so I punched him out. And when I walked away it said I failed the mission, so that's one way to know I did something wrong, lol.

Oh yeah stuff like that happens to me all the time.
I don't like how it often rates your mission on how quickly you carried out certain tasks, but doesn't tell you first. Firstly, because Arthur is a slowpoke, secondly because I'm wont to faff around exploring every nook and cranny of a place before getting on with the job in hand.
I find it hard to accept that I've literally failed the whole game because I left a building the opposite way from an NPC.

Having got to chapter 4, I found myself getting a bit tired of going through the motions the game set out for me. I holed myself up in a lighthouse outside of Van Horn and started sniping random people. This, of course, raised an alarm and caused the odd person to climb the lighthouse and investigate, where upon I was able to knock them out and throw them off the side. Hours of pointless, sadistic fun. Of course, despite being high up and wearing a mask, someone in Van Horn eventually recognised me and I got chased out of town...

Here's a question: When I do something good or bad, I get a little plus/minus and a cowboy hat icon. This is meant to affect how people treat me in town, as well as the cost of items. But when I look at my metre, it always seems to be roughly in the middle. I can go around greeting everyone or insulting everyone and it doesn't seem to move.

i'm fairly certain the morality system is a little weighted depending on where you are in the story. no spoilers but it definitely pushes you to be a 'good' cowboy eventually

fuck that

i liked arthur too much to make him a devil tbh

I've been playing as a heel in RDR Online this go around, but it's pretty tough to really bottom out. You have to commit to being mean to your horses to get a very low rating. Thankfully you don't have to be all that low to unlock the evil online missions, and you can just switch back and forth for gold if you don't want to do the work of it.

RDO is so relaxing

Tell me about it, for better or for worse. I just started chapter ... II? And the only problem I have with it is when it leaves me sitting around and I think, well, what am I supposed to be doing? Taking a nap? I guess I can do that. Or do I got put some money in the money jar? Um, sure. Is there some wood for me to chop? Probably, I guess.

there are tons of side missions, indicated in white on minimap and plenty of random encounters. ride towards remote buildings on the map or go to a city you haven't been to yet, they will pop up. you can solve a serial killer mystery or find a vampire. they're there. it's not going to addle you with stimulation basically ever though. it's about soaking in the amazing landscape they made

And the only problem I have with it is when it leaves me sitting around and I think, well, what am I supposed to be doing?

if it's anything like every other game on earth, either walk near the campfire and everyone will be very conspicuously discussing the same thing and thinking it would take a hero to complete that task, or check your quests list

or look at the map and go to the town

i would say though, imo the best parts of that game are when it leaves you alone and you forget what it wants you to be doing

Oh, I mean, I know there are things I *can* do. I can advance the story, etc., by going for the yellow spots on the map. Just early in the game, I don't know if there's anything else I *should* be doing. Should I be hunting? Should I shave? Does it matter what order I do things in? I got an alert that my clothes were too warm, but I seem to now be wearing different clothes. Do I need ... a wardrobe?

Or similarly, we robbed a train. There were like a dozen dead people. I walked around looting them but mostly found only spare change and horse medicine, or the occasional cigar or something. All the while the main dude is like "yo, Arthur, hustle!" But I wasn't sure if it mattered if I left the dead people alone, or if it was important to search them for stuff before I moved on.

Josh, do people keep telling you to put on warmer clothes even if you're wearing a massive thick coat in warm temperatures? Mine"s been doing that since the start and I think it must be a glitch

my online character is a small bald man, with nothing on but red braces, red trousers, and a red trilby hat. And sometimes a big thick fur coat if I venture north. Look out for me!

i don't have an online subscription. is it fun to play? i've heard mixed reviews, but it sounds quite good?

I played with a friend and loved it until we finished the main quests, then it quickly became a chore. Okay if you don't mind grinding for gold.

My friend now just wants to lassoo crocs and drag them into St Denis all the time, but I would much rather explore and mess about in single player mode.

The number of times I muttered to myself "fuck's sake, this fucking game" last night. I love it and hate it at the same time.

It's so bloody fussy about the way it insists you do things. "You failed the mission because you kept shooting the enemies and didn't retreat back inside the building". "You failed the mission because you didn't stay within 5 metres of an NPC", "You got bronze because you drank a health potion"... Jesus H.

Summoning the entire police force of St Denis because I accidentally pointed a gun at someone instead of saying hello. Getting chased and shot-at by a passer by for a cheeky comment I made about them being "the local hard man".

Arthur deciding he's going to stand on top of a small structure instead of hiding behind it during a gunfight. Thanks mate.

Arrthur insisting on walking at a snails pace down the stairs while his house is under attack from dozens of O'Driscolls.

The list goes on, and yet I love playing. It's just this Venn diagram of pernicketiness and elements that seem plain unfair can be very frustrating and don't help to suspend disbelief.

Yeah, rockstar missions no longer allow an element of free will anymore, since gta4 I would say. For example a mission in gta5 sees you steal a jetski that you don't even care about and flee some attackers, but for some reason if the jetski is destroyed or grounded the mission fails - why? Makes little sense.

It's like they have this huge element of technical accomplishment in their games marred by unbelievably dick-ripping gameplay flaws.

Bring me back the days where I can park several buses in a road to win a mission.

I'm super early still, so I haven't had many mission options just yet. The warm weather warning I got when I was arriving at my new camp on the long wagon/storytelling trip. It gave me an alert that the warm weather would make me feel bad or something and suggested I dress for the temperature, but as far as I could tell I was wearing everything I owned already, and for that matter I never got the warning again. Then after the fast forward in the camp I seem to be wearing something else, so I guess no problem? I'm pretty sure I lost my hat when I robbed the train, but the hat came back, too.

My biggest (small) problem is telling the voices apart when we're riding as a posse and everyone is talking. Oh, and my horse sometimes, too. I'll be listening along and then realize I'm suddenly falling behind because I thought I was controlling someone else. And Arthur's voice I sometimes confuse for Dutch in the same situation. It's all been pretty forgiving so far, though, especially since I don't care about bronze or gold medals or whatever, I just want to complete missions and do what I have to do. I assume certain missions have a time limit or something, but I seemed to be able to get away with (for example) looting bodies on the train mid mission while my partner kept yelling "Arthur, what are you doing, we've got to stop this train!"

I've never played a Rockstar game before, but it's definitely an incredible mishmash of beautiful cinematic design and writing and voice acting and cut scenes yet kind of weirdly ... undramatic game play. It feels like a literally immerse world, like I've been dropped into a movie that's already been written and I'm mostly along for the ride. My "freedom" has already been factored. But again, I'm really, really early game, and it's definitely enjoyable to spend time in the world. Of course, it helps that I like westerns.

xp yes, it's the fact there's only one way to skin whatever cat they've given you. there's no room for creativity in the missions. you HAVE to complete it the way the game tells you or you fail. so if you think "i'll sneak up behind these enemies and shoot them from behind" or "I'll climb up here and snipe them from a window", that's a no-no, even though it makes tactical sense. Unfortunately that does make RDR2's story seem like a series of old-school Duck Hunt-style arcade shooters strung together by an elaborate interactive stage play where you have to concentrate on what people are saying while making sure you don't accidentally steer your horse off-course.

Having not really played many open world games before, it just further underscores how exceptional "Breath of the Wild" is.

My biggest (small) problem is telling the voices apart when we're riding as a posse and everyone is talking.

I found this confusing too, but in settings there's an option (which should be a default really, but it's not) to have the character's name come up in front of the dialogue. The other thing I would do is expand the size of the in-game corner map to maximum.

Josh, have you played Witcher 3? It's not quite as technically accomplished and polished as RDR2 but these little niggles seem less apparent, perhaps BECAUSE it's not trying to bite off more than it can chew.

No, I know I have Witcher 3, but I haven't gotten around to it yet.

I think I opted out of subtitles, but maybe I'll turn them back on just to learn who everyone is.

I only had a few minutes to play today, so I decided to ride out from camp and just look around. Then I thought, well, I might as well hunt something. So I tied up my horse and walked into the wilderness looking for animals. Then I heard someone yelling and shooting. It took me forever to find their horse, which ran to me ... then past me, pursued by a mountain lion that immediately jumped on my face instead and killed me.

When I started again I saw a few random riders on the road. No idea who they were, since they seemed to ignore me. And I lost my hat again, too. Oh, and I killed a wild turkey, but seem unable to give it to Pearson, who is sitting at a table. Kind of want to hold off on missions until I figure out mechanics and whatnot.

It feels like a literally immerse world, like I've been dropped into a movie that's already been written and I'm mostly along for the ride

such is life [puffs pipe]

I'd definitely like to know the correct way to hunt without destroying the pelt of whatever I just shot. Also, a way to fish where I actually catch something.

Also, a way to fish where I actually catch something.

Man, this game almost seems too realistic.

have you unlocked manual tagging with dead eye yet? that makes it a lot easier, just aim for the head xp. i think express bullets help too

What gun are you using for the hunting, it can also make a difference.

I got pretty good at the fishing, just reel in when the fish isn't struggling.

generally try to use arrows for smaller animals.
haven't really got the hang of dead eye and tracking yet. i mean, i've used them but with dead eye i panic because it only gives you about 2 seconds to aim and fire, and for some reason i find the tracking route really difficult to see properly.

Anyone come across some very creepy True Detective-style dismembered bodies yet? Intrigued as to what that's all about. Stumbled on one very early on in the game and one more recently. I assume that's all going to be revealed soon.

Yeah, think I found two areas but I didn't follow up on it. It's something I keep meaning to investigate more of.

Again, have only dipped into this, but an important thing I learned is that your auto-aim button (I think L2 on the PS4?) resets when you release the button. So if you hold and aim and shoot someone, release the button and repress it and it automatically jumps to the next target. The first few gunfights I had I just kept L2 pressed down, but it's important to release between shots. Maybe this was obvious to everyone but me, lol.

there should be maps at each murder scene, there are four total xxp

OK, I think I need some help, because I'm kind of struggling with what I should be doing and how to do it, just figuring things out. For example, I'm hanging out at the Overlook camp, checking things out. I haven't been playing much, but at one point someone told me I wasn't dressed for the weather. Was that just small talk, or is the game telling me to put on warmer clothes? How was I supposed to know the temperature, or is that the mechanic (someone will tell me)? What happens if I am not dressed right? Like, is this a fashion thing or something I need to be aware of? And I think I'm supposed to help around the camp, which I've done bit of, but ... should I be hunting? Does it matter how much time I spend on that? Does it matter how far off I make it from camp? I was exploring this abandoned camp and think I found a guy in jail, but I couldn't seem to interact with him. Was he dead? Was that just local color? And when I left it was night time. Is that a problem/something to be aware of? A bit earlier I came across a guy changing a horse's shoe, and afaict the horse kicked him in the head and killed him, so ... I looted the body. Was this what I was supposed to do? I tried to bring the body back to camp, but it wouldn't let me. And I think I can upgrade my satchel. Do I need pelts and skins for that? Does that take time to grind throughout the game, or should I be focusing on that now?

And as for personal stats, at one point I looked bedraggled, so I took a nap and now seem to be less stooped and haggard. Is that what was happening, I was tired? Do I need to sleep? Do I need to eat? How often do I need to eat? I'm having trouble figuring all this stuff out before I pursue more of the yellow story quests. I mean, I get that I *am* playing the game, in some way, but right now I can't even figure out how to make the onscreen radar map bigger.