Do you take notes?

[Frindis]

Mostly I take notes if I do theory crafting, to write down something interesting like for example a visual clue, something in the game I could be using elsewhere, small tips/rumors while playing, or notes on what I should be doing next, etc.

An example of me taking notes is when I last played Gabriel Knight: The Sins of The Fathers and I wrote down a clue I got from one of the people I was interviewing. While the game does have a bunch of cassette tapes that have audio/text recordings of everyone you have talked to, it takes time to plow through them for clues, alas much faster to write it down on the go.

Do you take notes and if so, what types of notes?

 

[ZedClampet]

Mostly I take notes if I do theory crafting, to write down something interesting like for example a visual clue, something in the game I could be using elsewhere, small tips/rumors while playing, or notes on what I should be doing next, etc.

An example of me taking notes is when I last played Gabriel Knight: The Sins of The Fathers and I wrote down a clue I got from one of the people I was interviewing. While the game does have a bunch of cassette tapes that have audio/text recordings of everyone you have talked to, it takes time to plow through them for clues, alas much faster to write it down on the go.

Do you take notes and if so, what types of notes?

When I first started playing crpgs in the 80's, I never played without a notebook and graph paper. Nowadays, that isn't generally necessary, but I still take notes every now and then, usually in Steam's note system these days, but sometimes I'll pull out Excel or Word. In Weed Shop 3 I took notes on genetic crossbreeding, for instance. I even used the notes section in Steam to help me do reorders in Supermarket Simulator.

 

[Pifanjr]

I took a screenshot of a bunch of symbols in Marvel: Midnight Suns because you needed to input them in that specific order somewhere else on the map. Does that count?

 

[Frindis]

When I first started playing crpgs in the 80's, I never played without a notebook and graph paper. Nowadays, that isn't generally necessary, but I still take notes every now and then, usually in Steam's note system these days, but sometimes I'll pull out Excel or Word. In Weed Shop 3 I took notes on genetic crossbreeding, for instance. I even used the notes section in Steam to help me do reorders in Supermarket Simulator.

I checked out the Steam Note (didn't know that was a thing) I'm not sure if I will be using that instead of Notepad since I have two screens with Notepad on the other screen for easy access. Maybe this is more if you have only one monitor? With the notepad on another screen I can just glance at what I typed, but it seems that you have to alt+tab for accessing your notes on Steam?

I took a screenshot of a bunch of symbols in Marvel: Midnight Suns because you needed to input them in that specific order somewhere else on the map. Does that count?

Yeah, I do visual notes also. I do that with the screenshots for Tears of The Kingdom. The Switch has a small button you can press for quick screenshots/recording which is pretty neat. I take screenshots of recipes, strange statues, rumors, and other stuff that I think might be important or just as a reminder to get back there.

 

[ZedClampet]

it seems that you have to alt+tab for accessing your notes on Steam?

shift+tab It works okay for me since I only have one screen

 

[Hveðrungr]

I sometimes use the Steam Notes function. Normally though I have an excellent operating memory so I don't need to take notes.

However, an exception was made for the peerless Heaven's Vault. I have pages and pages of notes in an actual notebook about the grammar of Ancient. They will come in handy for reading the book version which I bought recently.

Btw Heaven's Vault, one of my favourite games ever, is 50% off in the Steam sale for another hour and a bit. Grab it if you don't have it already!

 

[ZedClampet]

Btw Heaven's Vault, one of my favourite games ever, is 50% off in the Steam sale for another hour and a bit. Grab it if you don't have it already!

Sure, why not...but that's the LAST one

 

[DXCHASE]

No, this aint the 90s lol.

If im using "notes" of some sorts, its usually off multiple websites that ill have in a seperate window on another screen, but thats about it. I feel that there is no strat/loadout/playstyle thats so unique (and practical/useable) that you wont find it on the internet somewhere.

 

[Colif]

When I first started playing crpgs in the 80's, I never played without a notebook and graph paper.

when we played Wizardry on the Apple II we had to have graph paper just to map the dungeons. Since it wasn't in the game. Now, with on screen maps, its unnecessary

Only notes I make now are builds for characters, if its easier to do than to use Alt tab to website showing it. I mean on paper, though I might use a word document if I think of it.

 

[Johnway]

i fairly often take notes, whether its a code or some transcript that i have to memorize, i just write it down. I rarely do maps but i do find myself writing notes for Path of Exile. For some reason even with POE builder open i still prefer to jot down notes on a note pad like a tick list and just use that instead.

 

[ZedClampet]

when we played Wizardry on the Apple II we had to have graph paper just to map the dungeons. Since it wasn't in the game. Now, with on screen maps, its unnecessary

Only notes I make now are builds for characters, if its easier to do than to use Alt tab to website showing it. I mean on paper, though I might use a word document if I think of it.

Loved Wizardry. I was hoping the remakes of the first two would go on a good sale, but no luck. The first one I mostly just watched a friend play on his dad's computer.

 

[Colif]

. The first one I mostly just watched a friend play on his dad's computer.

It wasn't our Apple, never owned one myself. I was fortunate enough to have friends with one.

they remade first two? I don't really want to play them again. they haven't aged well. The bosses name is just the producers name backwards, one of the floor maps is just their initials - I don't know which of the first two had that feature

I don't expect they are very big, I mean Zork was once used as a 404 error screen on some websites... i wish it still was. So I doubt an Apple game would use a lot of space.

 

[ZedClampet]

It wasn't our Apple, never owned one myself. I was fortunate enough to have friends with one.

they remade first two? I don't really want to play them again. they haven't aged well. The bosses name is just the producers name backwards, one of the floor maps is just their initials - I don't know which of the first two had that feature

I don't expect they are very big, I mean Zork was once used as a 404 error screen on some websites... i wish it still was. So I doubt an Apple game would use a lot of space.

Here's the first one:

Wizardry: Proving Grounds of the Mad Overlord on Steam

Wizardry: Proving Grounds of the Mad Overlord is a full 3D remake of the first game in the legendary Wizardry series of RPGs.

store.steampowered.com

Takes 2 GB because they completely redid the graphics. I may have been confused about the second one, as I don't see it now. Maybe they only remade the first one.

 

[Colif]

I think I want to remember what it looked like back then compared to now

Before I even saw it I knew they had to have redone graphics since original wasn't on PC, but I didn't expect it to be that upgraded.

the old interface was what I expected, just on a PC. This isn't an accurate representation of what game was.

not even close.

Even has an ingame map... getting lost isn't fun I guess. I wonder if its as hard as original was. Really easy to die.

I see it has same spells so base game is likely similar but everything on top, not so much.

 

[ZedClampet]

I think I want to remember what it looked like back then compared to now

Before I even saw it I knew they had to have redone graphics since original wasn't on PC, but I didn't expect it to be that upgraded.

the old interface was what I expected, just on a PC. This isn't an accurate representation of what game was.

not even close. I see it has same spells so base game is likely similar but everything on top, not so much.

Who would want to play the original game today except for a few old farts who don't remember how bad it really was? I'm glad they reworked it.

The review you posted just proves it--even updated, he's a young guy who couldn't get past the dated gameplay.

 

[Zloth]

I take notes in X4 pretty often, once I get established. Building big stations takes a lot of materials, so I write down what's needed. On paper. I've still got enough leftover notebooks and pads from college and various 'working meetings' where a notepad was provided to carry me through for a long, long time.

Outside of that one game, though, I never take notes anymore. Back in the 90's, yeah, definitely. Paper and pencil were always near (and a calculator, too).

 

[Brian Boru]

the peerless Heaven's Vault

Been on my WL for a while, made by the 80 Days people so it should have a story beyond the usual game quality.

Only notes I make now are builds for characters, if its easier to do than to use Alt tab to website showing it

Screenshot > Paste. 2 clicks beats writing a little essay or recipe or whatever—Alt+Tab is the same as looking away at your notebook, isn't it?

Do you take notes and if so, what types of notes?

One of my OneNote notebooks is devoted to video games, so yeah, I take a lot. Probably more from external sources than from within games, eg trying to get comparative info on 100 guns or viable build sequences for different strats. Couple of examples:

Far Cry 6

I just completed a quest I gave myself, to capture all 21 enemy bases Undetected, No Alarms, and securing the extra Bonus. Here's an except from the relevant OneNote page tracking key info and quest progress:

Here's the left side of the same page 'Camp costs + Bases':

That's just 1 of ~20 FC6 pages.

Civilization V

Civ5 is my other main big game at the moment, which I'm testing to see how I can make it play with a wide empire and Raging Barbarians. Here's one of my 8 pages about it, incl the structure of the Video Games notebook:

It looks like this is going to work, in which case there will be a good few more pages.

Replay Games

Of course, this level of research is only for games I envisage replaying a number of times. It's much easier to screenshot webpages and save + format the text from the image, than it is to go find that page again next year—if it still exists then, or still ranks in search engines.

 

[Hveðrungr]

[Heaven's Vault has] been on my WL for a while, made by the 80 Days people so it should have a story beyond the usual game quality.

Yes, though I should warn you that it is arguably the last good Inkle game.

 

[BeardyHat]

I took a screenshot of a bunch of symbols in Marvel: Midnight Suns because you needed to input them in that specific order somewhere else on the map. Does that count?

This is what I do if I need to remember a thing.

I take lots of notes for other stuff in life, but games are just not something I do that for.

 

[Zloth]

Screenshot > Paste. 2 clicks beats writing a little essay or recipe or whatever—Alt+Tab is the same as looking away at your notebook, isn't it?

Alt-tab can (theoretically) crash the game. Looking away can't. (Looking back... well, as long as you've blinded the PC's camera, that should be fine as well. )

 

[Brian Boru]

Alt-tab can (theoretically) crash the game

Rare in my limited experience, but WinKey+M has worked for those.

Looking away can't

Depends where the notes are. If you left them in the old house cross country—eg 'We're not in Kansas anymore'—the PC might have rebooted or disintegrated before you get back from there

 

[Colif]

Some of my older games don't like snipping tool.
Torchlight 2 just as likely to freeze or ignore the button press. It might be a win 11 thing as it didn't always happen.
they were created before snipping tool as well.

 

[Smellincoffee]

I do for PC Building Simulator when trying to put in a big shopping order. I mitigate this somewhat by having a large supply of "basics" -- I basically pretend I'm Compaq.