Raz
Count
Almost all modern games allow the player to save and load their progress at almost any point in the game. This has been made even easier by mapping the save and load functions to the F5 and F6 (or F9) keys. At some point after the introduction of the quicksave, things have been going wrong. I often find myself obsessively quicksaving every few seconds. This allows me to quickload if things go less than perfectly.
For example, Turn Based Tactical games often rely on semi-random rolls. In Jagged Alliance 2, you can usually take out whole enemy sectors without losing a single merc. If your guys get shot, they perform worse during the battle and may require a few days of healing. If they die, it means losing an investment which may severely alter your performance in successive battles. That's why I often find myself quickloading after my guys gets so much as a scratch. Just reload until you get some good rolls in your favour. I know it would be much better if you dealt with the consequences, but the perfectionist in me doesn't allow me to let my best guys die. It's the same story with X-Com (I'd never retreat or let the Aliens destroy an interceptor) or the Total War games (never let a city be captured). I remember it being particularly bad in Fallout 3 too.
This sort of renders any difficulty level useless, and you never have to face any consequences resulted from losing. I'm trying to get over it, but even then I am very selective in what losses should be tolerated. Even then I have to create some arbitrary rules myself that should regulate how I play (I can always still do the special plead). All in all, I prefer the game would regulate the possibilities of metagaming, like a checkpoint system.
So, do you guys obsessively hit F5 after each decision or action in some games?
For example, Turn Based Tactical games often rely on semi-random rolls. In Jagged Alliance 2, you can usually take out whole enemy sectors without losing a single merc. If your guys get shot, they perform worse during the battle and may require a few days of healing. If they die, it means losing an investment which may severely alter your performance in successive battles. That's why I often find myself quickloading after my guys gets so much as a scratch. Just reload until you get some good rolls in your favour. I know it would be much better if you dealt with the consequences, but the perfectionist in me doesn't allow me to let my best guys die. It's the same story with X-Com (I'd never retreat or let the Aliens destroy an interceptor) or the Total War games (never let a city be captured). I remember it being particularly bad in Fallout 3 too.
This sort of renders any difficulty level useless, and you never have to face any consequences resulted from losing. I'm trying to get over it, but even then I am very selective in what losses should be tolerated. Even then I have to create some arbitrary rules myself that should regulate how I play (I can always still do the special plead). All in all, I prefer the game would regulate the possibilities of metagaming, like a checkpoint system.
So, do you guys obsessively hit F5 after each decision or action in some games?
Perhaps I shouldn't have told you.
