How often do you get stuck (can't figure out how to continue) in games?

[ZedClampet]

This is not a "How dumb are you?" thread. A lot of times, games have peculiar logic that logical people have difficulty with, and sometimes they are just poorly done, or have a section that is poorly done, and you get little to no information to go on. Plus, I don't think we pay as close attention to details now as we did in the early years of gaming when you had no choice but to note everything because the game sure as hell wasn't going to help you any.

So no shame at all.

I guess there are two kinds of stuck: one kind just slows you down; the other kind you end up looking up the answer. As I mentioned before, I took a long break from gaming, and when I first came back, I would be constantly confused in some games as to what I should do or where I should go. I watched more YouTube videos on how to do things than I actually did things. I had to learn that vents were places you could travel through, etc. I got so lost and confused in the game FEAR that I almost quit multiple times. Those corridor shooters were my bane.

One game I actually gave up on was Duke Nukem 3D (@mainer 's post in another thread reminded me of it). I just reached a certain point and couldn't figure out where to go. There was no YouTube. I'm pretty sure that I didn't even think of searching the Internet for it in 1996 or '97. Who would put stuff like that online? lol

Anyway, I stopped playing Point & Click games because I ALWAYS got stuck at one point or another and really felt like it was cheating to use a walkthrough (This was awhile back. I have nothing against walkthroughs now).

But now it's been a long time since I regularly got stuck in a game. Probably it's because I've started playing different genres. I play very few AAA games, and it's hard to get stuck in things like Assassin's Creed or Far Cry, and it's basically impossible to get stuck in the majority of games I play: like Total War, Satisfactory, Craftopia, etc. I did get sort of stuck a few months ago when I couldn't figure out how to get an oil pan back on a car in Car Mechanic 18. I figured it out eventually, though.

So how about you all?

 

[Johnway]

TLDR: Super metroid and the point and click adventure.

I certainly see this more in old 8bit 16bit games where level design and concepts weren't all that well implemented. My recent bane was Super metroid on the snes. my biggest bane of that game is that progression is sometimes hidden behind secrets and hidden walls. Sure you get that scan thing to find them later on, but its still infuriating going through each area with a fine tooth comb trying to figure out what you can, cannot do or just figure out which way to go next. i think it could have probably done with some narrative.

But that's not the only things that make life miserable. Another annoying thing is how the gameplay rules just change. How do i get to the water section? you have to use a superbomb in the glass section of the tunnel. How was i suppose to know that? Some parts of the final section are scripted where you take damage to the verge of death. Considering its all real time you don't know if you screwed up or not (although this one is probably on me using retroarch save scumming my way to victory). But what really hacks me off is probably the last fight with the second form of motherbrain where it uses a unavoidable deadly beam. Don't have at least 3 tanks remaining fighting the form? Too bad, you die! Doesn't matter if you beat it, you get a middle finger for not doing it to the devs standards.

Throw in some annoying doors that are one way systems and the map not telling you which are doors. Throw in some annoying wall jumping sections, some UI niggles (why can't i see other parts of the world map without being there? ).

it just makes for a very stressful and downright annoying time. But i can't really be mad at a game thats over 20 years old.


of course, away from that we move to the point and click adventure. Pixel graphics, small one pixel sized objects, timed puzzles are things that make my heart sink. its not that you're thick, its technology limitations impeding your progression.

 

[mikeisekim]

It seems like it can almost be an incredibly trivial thing that trips me up at points. I blasted through Bioshock Infinite on my playthrough last year, but then booted up Burial at Sea part 2 and could not figure out what to do for the life of me at first.

The issue of "game design v. player error" comes up a lot, even within these linear games. Obviously point'n'clicks are supposed to (and designed) to take up a majority of your time in the realm of abstract thought in regards to how to progress, but I find myself questioning where the line gets drawn between pointing a big huge arrow towards a direction and letting a player get lost. I think each has their merits.

I think all in all, I find myself stuck at a place I probably shouldn't be about 10% of the time in any game, and it's tempting to immediately google, but that's part of the fun.

 

[Brian Boru]

Last one I clearly remember is The Talos Principle. There is one puzzle in that which imo is totally unfair—anyone who's played will probably instantly recall the one I mean, but I don't want to spoil others' misery in this post It's in what I recall as the 'circle of columns' area.

Myst and Riven are two others from the 90s. Maybe I was too impatient and didn't read enough of the books or videos… What's this 'online' place, who's there?

Royal Envoy 1—the hardest of the series—I couldn't figure out how to get 3 stars on one level in expert mode. Didn't get it until whenever I replayed it months later.

C&C Generals Zero Hour: there was one mission in the Generals Challenge mode on brutal difficulty. I was one of the USA generals—probably Air Force—up against the Chinese Tank general. He just steamrolled me every time before I could get anything like air power going. Got a specific build order online which enabled me to barely squeak thru.

 

[ZedClampet]

Last one I clearly remember is The Talos Principle. There is one puzzle in that which imo is totally unfair—anyone who's played will probably instantly recall the one I mean, but I don't want to spoil others' misery in this post It's in what I recall as the 'circle of columns' area.

Myst and Riven are two others from the 90s. Maybe I was too impatient and didn't read enough of the books or videos… What's this 'online' place, who's there?

Royal Envoy 1—the hardest of the series—I couldn't figure out how to get 3 stars on one level in expert mode. Didn't get it until whenever I replayed it months later.

C&C Generals Zero Hour: there was one mission in the Generals Challenge mode on brutal difficulty. I was one of the USA generals—probably Air Force—up against the Chinese Tank general. He just steamrolled me every time before I could get anything like air power going. Got a specific build order online which enabled me to barely squeak thru.

I loved The Talos Principle, but have no idea which puzzle you are talking about, but the only one I really remember was one where you had to manipulate three ghosts (of yourself) to do different things. That was amazingly fun.

I think you and I are sort of talking about different things, though. Puzzle games are supposed to trip you up, and difficulty spikes get us all. I was thinking more along the lines of "I just passed this same door 10 times. Where the hell am I supposed to go?" or "I can't figure out how to use this thing the game just gave me" or "I seem to have done all the things and have no idea what I'm supposed to do now."

Basically any time you might get stuck but aren't supposed to be. I did mention Point & Click, but I don't consider those puzzles. Puzzles contain logic. Point & Click games often defy logic. It's just random player abuse.

 

[Brian Boru]

The Talos Principle, but have no idea which puzzle you are talking about

Spoiler

you needed a phone to put to the screen to read a QR code

you and I are sort of talking about different things

You're right, my bad. Myst & Riven fit the bill of what you're asking, the others not.

 

[Zloth]

I think I got through Myst without help, but I know I spent a LONG LONG time walking back and forth through some corridors, missing a secret door each time. I got through a lot of Riven but I'm pretty certain I needed help on that one. Longest Journey wasn't even close. It didn't take long to get stuck and, when I looked up the answer, it got real obvious I would be looking the answers for most of the puzzles, so I gave up on it - and the whole point & click adventure genre along with it.

I tried Obduction and got some way into that, but I was still needing help from time to time. I gave up on it with just three achievements. It was OK, just not fun enough compared to other things I could be playing.

I get stuck in RPGs from time to time. It isn't normally not knowing where to go, though, it's more like "how do I beat this nasty" or "what's the answer to this riddle."

P.S. Really glad you asked. It turns out I still had Obduction installed from five years ago, despite having gotten a new PC since then! Steam noticed it was still sitting on my old drive, which I moved from one PC to the other!

Last one I clearly remember is The Talos Principle. There is one puzzle in that which imo is totally unfair—anyone who's played will probably instantly recall the one I mean, but I don't want to spoil others' misery in this post It's in what I recall as the 'circle of columns' area.

That must have been a gold star puzzle. I got through Talos Principle (with a few look-ups), but I didn't HAVE a phone that could read a QR code. I think I would have remembered that!

What's this 'online' place, who's there?

<speechfont=Vorlon>You have always been here.</speechfont>

 

[Colif]

i never found the ending of Journey

Spoiler

Trick answer: there isn't an end

Last time I got stuck in a game was probably before the internet came out or a platformer I couldn't do some move on. I can't remember one off top of head.

 

[Brian Boru]

The Talos Principle

didn't HAVE a phone that could read a QR code

According to this thread it's in section A3—too long since I played to remember, must give it another spin sometime.

 

[ZedClampet]

According to this thread it's in section A3—too long since I played to remember, must give it another spin sometime.

Didn't do that puzzle. I started off intending to 100 percent the game (which is really weird because I NEVER care about that) but started skipping puzzles after awhile. By the time I got to the end, I wasn't in the mood to go back and do them. The good news is that my brain doesn't store game information, so I just realized tonight that I'm free to play the game again, and it will be like new--except for the story. I remember the story well.

 

[Zloth]

Seems the QR is in section A3 but it is for a Star puzzle. I left a LOT of those unsolved.

I tried to jump right back in and play the DLC a few months ago. Oooof. Too long since I had thought in terms of lasers. I got a few puzzles, but not enough.

 

[mainer]

I guess there are two kinds of stuck: one kind just slows you down; the other kind you end up looking up the answer.

You didn't mention boss or mini-boss fights as slow-downs or getting stuck, and I've had several of those over the years, so I won't mention those. Okay, I just did, but I won't reference those.

Years ago, back when many RPGs had one-step movement controls, like the Wizardry and Might & Magic games, some of the dungeons (which at the time felt massive) were a chore to complete; looking for a specific button to push to open a door, or a teleporter to take you to a new region. No mini-maps in those days, just graph paper and a pencil to track your progress.

Specifically, one of those games was Ravenloft Strahd's Possession. I spent hours in some of those dungeons just trying to find the right button to push to progress. I think I actually called one of the 1-900-Hintlines to get a solution for one or two.

Going forward in time a bit, there was Divinity 2 Ego Draconis. I loved the first 1/3 of the game, until a time came when you had to transform into a dragon, and progression depended upon you (in dragon form) had to defeat certain enemies. It was the enemies, but the gameplay change that defeated me. It was just this weird platforming style that i absolutely hated. I ended up dropping that game because of that change, which is a shame because I loved the first part.

A couple other games come to mind: Tomb Raider Angel of Darkness caused me to become stuck because I couldn't get past certain QTEs that were implemented and I ended up quitting. There was also the horse race in Two Worlds 2 that was required and was a huge pain, but I ended up completing it after several tries, but it definitely slowed me down.

In recent years there haven't been many games I've played that I became stuck on, or slowed me down significantly to the point of not being able to proceed. There were the Astarium Constellation puzzles in Dragon Age Inquisition, some of which I had to Google to solve, but those were side quests and not necessary to complete the main story.

 

[Johnway]

Going forward in time a bit, there was Divinity 2 Ego Draconis. I loved the first 1/3 of the game, until a time came when you had to transform into a dragon, and progression depended upon you (in dragon form) had to defeat certain enemies. It was the enemies, but the gameplay change that defeated me. It was just this weird platforming style that i absolutely hated. I ended up dropping that game because of that change, which is a shame because I loved the first part.

Ah yes, i had this game as well. the dragon sections and the foot sections were broken as hell. Why i couldn't bait the enemies out, transform into the dragon and hose them with fire? but no, they vanish and a different set of baddies had to be dealt with.

i do recall tha the game came with some bugs the devs couldn't fix. it usually involved enemies with exploding arrows that would travel around corners/obstacles etc and magically hit you. But that was the least of the problems, sometimes they would bug out and instakill you or deal huge amounts of damage. Ultimately you had to cheat or play it on easy just to survive the hit. I believe the directors cut had the cheats as the only viable solution to get around the bugs.

Did i like the game? meh. it was decidedly average for me. nothing compelling or outstanding . Remember it being a bit dull (although it had its moments).

 

[Withywarlock]

I frequently get stuck in games, and it's hard to say which exactly is my most embarrassing "durr" moment. My earliest was not knowing how to defeat Ripper Roo, the first boss of Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back, which required my dad to phone up a hotline. All I had to do was dodge the fairly easy to avoid bomb tiles and spin attack him. In fairness I had come to the logical conclusion that that amount of TNT would damage anyone, so why his health bar wasn't going down was beyond me.

But my favourite conversation piece is the tutorial of The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion (early game spoilers from here on out.) After the assassins successfully carried out their mission I had spent my whole weekend trying to figure out how to get into the sewers. Because I hadn't seen where the assassin had leapt out to slay the Emperor, I couldn't find the now-revealed passageway that would lead to the sewers. It wasn't until a mate told me at school where to go that I felt such a fool... and wouldn't be able to play for another week because I was away from my Xbox 360 for the duration.

So it's not just that I fail to make progress, it's that I fail in such idiotic ways. You know what they say about foolproofing: they'll just make a better fool. I should get into QA, really.

PS: I know all too well people's frustrations with Divinity 2: Ego Dragonis. Good game, I daresay great, but that second act went wonky. I think in the third act there's some sort of tower and.... I'm glad the game just continued crashing at that point because I wasn't going to wrap my head around it if I went further.

 

[McStabStab]

I really try hard not to look up walkthroughs, but if it gets to a point where I'm not having fun then I go searching. The whole point is to have fun in the end, right?!

I'm not great at CRPG games but I do love them, so using a wiki for a game like Divinity: Original Sin 2 doesn't bother me at all. It brings me up to the knowledge level of someone who has been playing them all their lives.

Real talk I just found out what a CC (Crowd Control) character build is and I have never created one.
I have 142 hours in D:OS2

 

[Zloth]

Go play a Controller in City of Heroes, @McStabStab - you'll learn the ways of CC.

What's all this Divinity 2 razzing!? Good action, good music, some great comedy, a little Tomb Raider platform action, and it worked nicely with 3D Vision. The Battle Tower is your home base, it shows up pretty early on.

I played it late, as usual, but it was still before the Developer's Cut showed up.

 

[Frag Maniac]

Oh yeah, I get stuck, sometimes so badly I'd rather just stoop to watching a YouTube video on a certain segment of a game, rather than wade through the tedium. It's generally either hard puzzles, or ones that have clues that make no sense to me, extremely useful upgrade items that require a lot of hunting to find, or even gameplay segments that are particularly hard to get through.

Conversely though, I also make lots of walkthrough videos to try and do the same for others. I figure it's a good way to pay forward what you've received.

 

[mjs warlord]

Hello zed i have 2 main interests in gaming they are diablo 3 and horizon zero dawn type games , main other interests are puzzle / point and click games.

With some puzzle/point and click games its not about how thick you are its about the AI keeping tabs on what you are doing. 2 examples , in one of the monkey island games you have to find a bronze hat but you will dig all day and not find it unless a game character has actually told you to go to the location. In blacksad their is a location where you are pretending to be somebody else and you are asked lots of questions , even if you give the right answer because you cheated and looked at a walkthrough you will still die , this is because the AI will know you did not visit a certain location and find the answer for yourself.

One type of puzzle the pees me off is say where you have to figure out a 4 digit code , you cant find clues anywhere and their is only 1 solution ...... using 1234567890 have you any idea how many combinations of a 4 digit code their is.

 

[Brian Boru]

using 1234567890 have you any idea how many combinations of a 4 digit code their is

5,040

In Excel, use =PERMUT(10,4)

 

[Pifanjr]

I've never had much of a problem using a walkthrough to get further into a game if I got stuck, though I didn't look up character builds. My fun didn't come from spending 15 minutes or more combing through a level or dungeon trying to find a hidden lever.

I do find myself looking up walkthroughs more often now that I have less time available for gaming. I even looked up a character build for Dark Souls, because I don't have the time to figure that out myself, as well as looking up where to find important items and what order to do the areas in. Then again, I didn't actually get all that far into the game, because mostly following a walkthrough takes away a lot of the atmosphere of the game.

I did look up how to solve the ruin puzzles of Warhammer 2, as the game gives you only minimal clues as to how each puzzle works and I somehow didn't realise the question mark on one of the dice was not just another random symbol.

There was also the horse race in Two Worlds 2 that was required and was a huge pain, but I ended up completing it after several tries, but it definitely slowed me down.

This reminds me of a motorcycle race you have to do really early in Mercenaries 2. I managed to do it when playing in Co-OP with a friend, but when I tried again in single-player I just couldn't get through it and eventually just gave up. Which really is a shame because from what I'd seen I think I would have absolutely loved the game.

 

[ZedClampet]

You didn't mention boss or mini-boss fights as slow-downs or getting stuck, and I've had several of those over the years, so I won't mention those. Okay, I just did, but I won't reference those.

Years ago, back when many RPGs had one-step movement controls, like the Wizardry and Might & Magic games, some of the dungeons (which at the time felt massive) were a chore to complete; looking for a specific button to push to open a door, or a teleporter to take you to a new region. No mini-maps in those days, just graph paper and a pencil to track your progress.

You're just trying to torture me now.

Anyway, I sort of miss those days. Loved making my little maps in Wizardry and Bard's Tale. In Might and Magic, I also kept a notebook handy to log who gave me quests and where I could find them again, among other things. Don't remember ever getting stuck in those games, but it's been a long time...

I bought all those old Might and Magic games on GoG and need to play them. I just absolutely loved them. I've also got 10 on Ubi Connect that I've never played. I wish someone other than Ubisoft had the Might and Magic IP these days. They'll probably never make another one.

Edit: It appears I have the early ones on GoG, 9 on Connect and 10 on Steam. Maybe I need GoG Galaxy after all @Brian Boru?

 

[ZedClampet]

I've never had much of a problem using a walkthrough to get further into a game if I got stuck, though I didn't look up character builds. My fun didn't come from spending 15 minutes or more combing through a level or dungeon trying to find a hidden lever.

Cheater

@Brian Boru how about the road kills in FC5. I seem to remember you being stuck on how to do that for awhile. And didn't you say you looked up a walkthrough for one of the prepper stash vaults? IDK, maybe I've muddied the waters too much in my "explanation" above for what I meant. I do that often, I think.

 

[Brian Boru]

how about the road kills in FC5

Oh yeah, made a couple of attempts and gave up on it—it's only a side mission. I tried it with a chopper, but ended up with me as the roadkill Tried driving up and down a road, no joy. Oh well, no biggie.

didn't you say you looked up a walkthrough for one of the prepper stash vaults?

Umm… quite possible, I don—oh hang on, it was one which involved grappling across an underground acid lake, with multiple routes. I don't like those platformer-style grappling missions even above ground where I can see clearly, so yeah, all I wanted was to get thru that one asap and move on.

 

[mainer]

You're just trying to torture me now.

A little torture can be fun at times !

Anyway, I sort of miss those days. Loved making my little maps in Wizardry and Bard's Tale. In Might and Magic, I also kept a notebook handy to log who gave me quests and where I could find them again, among other things. Don't remember ever getting stuck in those games, but it's been a long time...

I bought all those old Might and Magic games on GoG and need to play them. I just absolutely loved them.

Edit: It appears I have the early ones on GoG, 9 on Connect and 10 on Steam. Maybe I need GoG Galaxy after all

I definitely have fond memories of those days, keeping a pad of graph paper, a pencil, and the manual on my desk as I explored. But I do admit that I like a game that has good auto-map and mini-map features, especially if there are options (or mods) that allow the player to tweak the mapping features to his/her preference. I also still have a pad of graph paper handy just in case, and will occasionally still use it to help solve certain puzzles.

Yeah, I got M&M 1-9 on GOG during some sale awhile back, I think the whole bundle was well under $10 (this is where GOG shines in relation to your other post). At the time, GOG didn't have M&M 10, which I thought strange, and I don't really know why. I ended up getting that on Steam on some sale, though if it will run is another matter. The one thing I remember from playing it originally, is that the bugs late in the game were so bad that I couldn't finish it.

I really need and want to play that whole series again at some point, but finding the time to do it is the most difficult part.

What's all this Divinity 2 razzing!? Good action, good music, some great comedy, a little Tomb Raider platform action, and it worked nicely with 3D Vision. The Battle Tower is your home base, it shows up pretty early on.

I'm not saying it was a bad game by any means, and I personally loved it, up until that dragon transformation part; the platforming gameplay just didn't suit me and I found it frustrating. Some players loved it, but I wasn't having fun and wasn't immersed anymore, as it just felt like an arcade game at that point. I hate giving up on a game, but sometimes it's necessary for my sanity (well, okay, it's too late for my sanity, but I couldn't continue with the game).

 

[Zloth]

I definitely have fond memories of those days, keeping a pad of graph paper, a pencil, and the manual on my desk as I explored.

I almost never used graph paper. I had some handy (still needed it for AD&D!), but I would only need graph paper for mazes.

I'm not saying it was a bad game by any means, and I personally loved it, up until that dragon transformation part...

That was at the end of the tutorial/beginner region. Kinda like saying you enjoyed Elder Scrolls: Oblivion until you got out of the prison, only less absurd.