How often do you come back to a game after some time off and have no idea how to do anything?

[ZedClampet]

This happens to me all the time. Some games it's not a big deal, but complex games kill me when I try to come back to them. I hadn't played No Man's Sky in about 18 months and went back in for the Frontiers update and spent half my time thinking things like, "There was a way to do a different scan. How did I do that? Wait, didn't I have a portable refinery? How do I access that? Didn't I have a gun? Pretty sure I had one somewhere."

Sometimes it even keeps me from going back to games, just the idea of having to relearn systems. Of course, sometimes I start playing a game again and learn new things that I didn't know the first time.

 

[Brian Boru]

All the time in Civilization games. Often it would be a few days, and as long as it was near mid-game or later, I wouldn't have a clue what plans I already had in motion, or what route I was planning for the near future. But not an issue—just re-roll and start a new game, since I always enjoy the start more.

Outside of 4X, doesn't happen much. I replay a number of games annually and I'm good after a quick orientation.

But I guess you're asking more about mechanics. That happens a bit but not enough to be noticeable—probably because I don't play a wide range of games, so the replayables' mechanics mostly stick.

the idea of having to relearn systems

I don't like that either, it's one of the reasons I don't buy games until all the expansions and DLC and final patches & mods have been released—I have neither the time nor patience to play 4-5 different versions of a game.

 

[ZedClampet]

All the time in Civilization games. Often it would be a few days, and as long as it was near mid-game or later, I wouldn't have a clue what plans I already had in motion, or what route I was planning for the near future. But not an issue—just re-roll and start a new game, since I always enjoy the start more.

Outside of 4X, doesn't happen much. I replay a number of games annually and I'm good after a quick orientation.

But I guess you're asking more about mechanics. That happens a bit but not enough to be noticeable—probably because I don't play a wide range of games, so the replayables' mechanics mostly stick.


I don't like that either, it's one of the reasons I don't buy games until all the expansions and DLC and final patches & mods have been released—I have neither the time nor patience to play 4-5 different versions of a game.

I'm definitely with you on Civilization. No point to trying to pick up an old campaign, even though I play Civ 5 and almost always am going for a science victory.

 

[Pifanjr]

Absolutely for Civilization games. I also have the same problem with Dwarf Fortress, which has at least 10 times as much stuff going on and the information is spread over dozens of different screens.

I've had it happen with some other games as well, but I can usually figure out what the controls were and what I was doing pretty quickly. One game I do remember not touching for several months is the first Mass Effect game and I'm very glad I decided to pick it up again.

I'm a bit worried about picking up Kingdom Come: Deliverance again. I won't have time for it any time soon and the combat is pretty complex, so I'm worried I will have completely forgotten how to fight when I do play again.

 

[Frindis]

If it has been years, then I will take some time to kickstart the braiiinZ again, depending on the genre. I recently started taking up Dayz Standalone again, and while it has not been that long since I last played it, I missed some of the finer details, like how you can one-punch a guy with a can of food or how to navigate properly using the surroundings. Tidbits like that could potentially change the outcome of a fight or you even managing to survive out in the green yonder.

 

[mainer]

It happened to me with both Divinity Original Sin, & DOS2. I would start playing, and get bogged down for some reason, take a break that often ended up being weeks, then go back and not understand what the hell I was doing. Or what all that crap in my inventory was, or how to manage the combat, or being completely dissatisfied with my character(s). So when I went back to those games, I'd just start over. Sometimes more than once. But eventually, with both games, I hit a point where I really got into it the game, invested in the story, and played through the end. I hate leaving games unfinished.

There are also been a few times, with heavily modded games like Skyrim, Fallout 4, or Fallout New Vegas; where I'd hit a wall after 300 hours or so and just needed a break to play something else. Not always, but it happens at times. In those cases, I keep a notebook on my desk about the game state when I left it. What I was doing, where my next destination was going to be, who I talked to or needed to talk to, that sort of thing. Going back, it usually takes less than an hour or so to get back in the flow (and then I wonder why I left in the first place). The combat in those games is so familiar that it's never an issue of relearning battle strategy.

 

[Colif]

I already know it will happen to me in Diablo 2 if its released (I haven't looked) this year. Its 20 years since I last played it, I have an excuse. Only videos I seen of the game inbetween are speedruns and they don't go everywhere.

I would probably be like that with games I only stopped playing last year.

 

[Johnway]

There have been a few occasions. It generally happening a lot as i try getting screenshots for games for our quiz. Its usually ui stuff that i've forgotten about like in Dead island for example i thought that the 8 weapons in my wheel was my lot. Then i realized that i had a whole arsenal of weapons in my pocket and picked up from there.

i think RTS games is probably where it happens the most. Star craft 2 springs to mind. i finished the Keeper of the void expansion and when the final epilogue battle required the 3 factions to be played my heart sank when i was expected to use the Zerg to win. I completely forgotten the tech tree, which structure did what and what they looked at. So expecting me to defeat the final boss with them was the worst case scenario. The terran army i could blag it with their generic tech trees and units. A recent example was Direct action i forget all the controls and i just didn't take a photo in the end my heart wasn't in it to play it.

 

[MrShadow]

This happens to me all the time. Some games it's not a big deal, but complex games kill me when I try to come back to them. I hadn't played No Man's Sky in about 18 months and went back in for the Frontiers update and spent half my time thinking things like, "There was a way to do a different scan. How did I do that? Wait, didn't I have a portable refinery? How do I access that? Didn't I have a gun? Pretty sure I had one somewhere."

Sometimes it even keeps me from going back to games, just the idea of having to relearn systems. Of course, sometimes I start playing a game again and learn new things that I didn't know the first time.

it describes my 32 yrs relationship with gaming almost completely, i have no short term or working memory due to lifelong epilepsy damage,everytime i start a game it is like starting a new game and it is extremely frustrating.
playing spirit of the north just for example- when i logged back on,on another hour that day or the next day for example,i wont remember the level or which direction the fox is going so im stumped,and ill spend hours trying to work out what direction im going,worse case-ill go on youtube to look it up, even worser case,ill stop playing.
some games provide a catch up every time you log on,which i love but not enough do it,itd be a good gaming tool to provide a visual catch up in the games acesibility section,as its not always about getting further than other gamers but purely being on the same level with them.