Your Policy on Walkthroughs

All the gamers I know have different rules on walkthroughs. I have one friend who takes it to the extreme and outright refuses to even glance at a walkthrough while playing a game. My other friend will look at a walkthrough, if he's having a lot of trouble with a certain part of the game. I have yet another friend who will play through a game using a walkthrough, so as to not miss any secrets.

I'm somewhere in the middle. I usually never need to use a walkthrough. The toughest challenges are the most fun when you find your own way of overcoming it. However, sometimes, I think it's unavoidable. In Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance and Radiant Dawn, there are invisible items hidden on specific squares on the map and it's impossible to know where they are without a guide. So for that, I'll use a walkthrough, but I never, ever, read the strategies in the walkthrough. Path of Radiance could be beaten in about 10 hours, but it took me around 20 because I had to repeat a couple levels at least 10 times.

For RPGs, I'll read a walkthrough after completing a dungeon to see if I missed anything. Not that it matters, because if I did, I don't return to get it, anyway. I won't look at walkthroughs even for optional bosses, though.

So how often do you use, if at all, walkthroughs?

Usually if I'm just absolutely stuck, which means doing something for like an hour and not making a single bit of progress, then yeah, I'll go for a strategy guide. For RPGs though it's usually just looking up strategies for bosses if I'm having trouble with them.

I read them for fun sometimes. It's good to know what I've missed. I only use them if I'm stuck though, except on rare occasions where there is collectables that I might miss.

Damn seeds in Lost Odyssey.

Before I enter a dungeon, I will look at a walkthrough and take note of the amount of treasures obtained within. If the dungeon has multiple floors, I look at each floor individually to make sure I have the proper count. I rarely use walkthroughs as a step-by-step guide on how to beat a game or a specific boss with a few exceptions. If the boss is incredibly difficult and I cannot think of a way to beat him, I'll look over a quick strategy or two to see what works and what doesn't. Likewise, if I'm fighting a boss and they hit ridiculously hard or harder than I think they should, I'll look to see if it is one of those encounters that you're supposed to lose.

I use walkthroughs on any game developed by tri-Ace. smurf those guys. smurf them in their god damn asses with a railroad spike.

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Originally Posted by Shoeberto

Usually if I'm just absolutely stuck, which means doing something for like an hour and not making a single bit of progress, then yeah, I'll go for a strategy guide. For RPGs though it's usually just looking up strategies for bosses if I'm having trouble with them.

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That's pretty much how I am with them, too. Although if I replay a game then I look at the walkthrough as often as I can be bothered, mostly to see if I can find things I missed the first time I played.

I never look at any kind of walkthrough unless I am stuck and am starting to get bored with the game. Considering the ease with completing games these days, that hardly ever happens.

When I play the game for the first time, walkthroughs are off limits. I use walkthroughs when replaying a game to obtain everything I couldn't find or do on my own.

Only in a very open world game and I become lost, exhausting all first to mind processes.

Nothing else, at all.

Typically I would only use it for things to freakishly annoying to find otherwise.

Dragoons Star dusts, DQ's Medals, and various things like that. Also for Legaia's Art moves. I have a failproof method for learning them anyway, all the guide does is cut down the countless hours of punching in every possible button combo. :p

Walkthroughs are fun to read if you don't ever plan to play the game. It's like spoiling yourself without enjoying the game. :-* Other than that, I use them when I'm stuck on something or need help locating hidden items.

I use them on an as-needed basis, and "need" is defined by if I'm either completely stuck or afraid I am going to miss something very important otherwise.

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Originally Posted by Raistlin

I use them on an as-needed basis, and "need" is defined by if I'm either completely stuck or afraid I am going to miss something very important otherwise.

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Same here.

I use it if I'm stuck or if something is so annoying it's more fun to just know than figure it out. You know, that stupid :bou::bou::bou::bou: they make you collect or the sidequests you'll never actually find otherwise. Or I did. Personally, I don't think the collect stuff is fun. These days I skip over it entirely for the most part no matter how good the reward is.

And then you have the really dumb stuff you'll never get by yourself like the Zodiac Spear, for smurf's sake.

I avoid walkthroughs/hints/spoilers the first time through any RPG, and follow them very closely on successive playthroughs in order to collect and experience everything.

I use them and seriously dont care, I play my games to enjoy them not get frustrated especially if I miss something good/important or forget a certain strategy.



Codes on the otherhand, that's a different story, I personally have zero tolerance for code users.

heheheheheheh

I never use a walkthrough until I beat the game at least once, even then I only use them sparingly.

edit: no wait actually I used one for FF12 but only to see Yiazmat's stats out of curiosity and how to get a certain chest in Pharos because it was driving me crazy.

i avoid walkthroughs first time, most contain spoilers, but i buy Strategy Guides... i use the bestiary sometimes, i usualy hope for maps because that's what i really play my games by, and i ignore the so-called winning strategies since they never work for me and i have better success with my strategies that fit my playstyle...
i often make 2 saves for an area 1 save for the begining of the area and 1 for saving during the area so when i finish an area i'll check the walkthrough, if i missed something critical or that can't be obtained later i'll go back to the beginning area save and start over... walkthroughs are for review after the fact...

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Originally Posted by Crimson

Codes on the otherhand, that's a different story, I personally have zero tolerance for code users.

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I only used to use codes in GTA games for fun, but have since then decided that codes are no longer acceptable :p

codes that are ingame i have no problem with, but cheat devices are uncool untill you beat it at least once legitimately...

Like a bunch a people here it varies from game to game. I'd like to see someone grab all 108 stars without one. You'd have to revisit every place with every team combination after every story event to make sure. Those are the only games I use a walkthrough the entire thing.

Everything else I'll use them if I'm totally stuck and CBA to figure it out on my own but that's usually for block puzzles. I'm also very stubborn about bosses. I won't go to a walkthrough for a boss until it's beaten my self worth like my little people on the TV.

I use walkthroughs only if I can't figure something out. Otherwise, I leave them alone.

When either my husband or myself resort to a walkthrough it's a huge deal and we mock the failed one unmercifully about it. Walkthroughs are for cheaters and losers!

Unless you read it after you've played or the second time you're playing, then it's fine.

I wrote my own FAQ for Silent Hill Origins, kind of: it was basically just a checklist of what items and enemies you could find in every room at any given time (factoring in respawns and the like). And I really only made it so I would never (more than once) have to be caught off-guard by monsters that appear right in front of you and scream horrifically as soon as you enter a room.

I have no problem quickly consulting a FAQ or Walkthrough if something in a game is just evading my grasp for some reason, or if I think I'm doing it right but dunno and want to make sure.

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Originally Posted by SomethingBig

I have one friend who takes it to the extreme and outright refuses to even glance at a walkthrough while playing a game.

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>>> I used to have that policy too, but then I realized that my free time is a precious thing..

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Originally Posted by Crimson

Codes on the otherhand, that's a different story, I personally have zero tolerance for code users.

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Are you the ultimate authority on how games should be enjoyed?

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Originally Posted by Kishi

I wrote my own FAQ for Silent Hill Origins, kind of: it was basically just a checklist of what items and enemies you could find in every room at any given time (factoring in respawns and the like). And I really only made it so I would never (more than once) have to be caught off-guard by monsters that appear right in front of you and scream horrifically as soon as you enter a room.

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Now I'm picturing Kishi screaming like a little girl caught in his tentacles. :yamete:

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Originally Posted by Raistlin

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Originally Posted by Crimson

Codes on the otherhand, that's a different story, I personally have zero tolerance for code users.

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Are you the ultimate authority on how games should be enjoyed?

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Yes. :mad2:

Most walkthrough I read where free with magazines, so I read them before I bought most games (most of them made me buy the games) but I only used them the first go, and what's good is that they didn't spoil. They where very careful about what they mentioned (this includes FFVII - However I did eventually get a hold of some FFVII walkthroughs that did spoil that scene, but that was after I had seen it so I didn't mind).

Unless I truly, madly, deeply need a walkthrough on my first playthrough I will avoid one. I'd rather sort things out for myself first time around. On subsequent attempts at the game, I don't have much of a problem using one if it's to remind myself of how to do something or to see if I missed anything first time around. It's not something I do regularly though.

Yeah playing a game and using a walkthrough eliminates the whole point of buying a game in the first place imo, to experience it firsthand and feel the wonder and frustration of it. Basically I feel they take the "magic" out of a game, so to speak. Though in games like FF12 I really can't blame someone for using one on the first go, that drop system was just too much for most people, or for referring to a guide for the weapon damage formulas. Basically using a walkthrough to see the more technical aspects of a game are more interesting than having it hold your hand throughout the game, at least to me, and it doesn't give anything away storywise while giving you an edge.

Speaking of that "eliminates the whole point of buying etc" ordeal.

I won't touch any of the boss fights that my sister asks me to do in any game ever.

in a game like final fantasy i will usally beat the regular game on my own then use the walkthrough for some of those tricky side quests

I use walkthroughs when I need them. That usually means I can't figure out where to go though and I have just about given up on the game.

If I have beaten the game then I probably don't need the walkthrough in the first place but a stupid fetch quest will have me busting out a guide ASAP as to spend as little time as possible on that quest that is really just a time filler because they couldn't make legit dungons for you to go through to get these items!

I was gonna write a walkthrough for .hack//G.U. because I hate the stupid fetch quests to unlock the special stuff. I have the keywords to most of the places I need to go to fight a specific enemy or find a particular animal or whatever. I just don't have them all and got lazy with doing that >.>

When I've been stuck for awhile I'll look at one. Nothing drags down an Ace Attorney game more than presenting every piece of evidence and every profile to every statement in a cross-examination to see which one works >.<

I usually will look at one for "Guide Dang It" things that would be almost impossible to get without consulting a guide or aren't even alluded to in the game itself, etc. Or if I simply get stuck somewhere I'll look at one, annoying puzzles usually do this to me, especially if they're combined with Guide Dang It above.

For me I sort of detest step by step walkthroughs... uggh. However, Treasure guides I do utilize(to some extent). I also utilize battle mechanics faqs.

How I use the above depends. If it is a game I think I will play lots(Legend of Dragoon was one example, Parasite Eve is another, as is Final Fantasy Tactics) then I go through the game the first time without even bother consulting a FAQ of any kind(heck I don't even read the manual). However, if I think I will only play the game once(very common these days) then I will at least consult the battle mechanics(so that I can have fun with it as I will and avoid getting 'stuck' due to improper setups). Also if the game appears to have a VERY annoying treasure system(as in it takes obscene amounts of OCD/Time to find what you want) then I have no issues using a treasure guide/map. I still don't want a step by step deal though.

I may check an online walkthrough if a game has got me completely stumped, though this is rare. I buy official walkthroughs for games that are so awesome that I will never get rid of them.