Obssesive power-gaming burnout syndrome

[DarkHorsePlague]

Hey Qt3.
I am an obsessive power-gaming min/maxer, who can't finish RPGs.

From Baldur's Gate to Planescape: Torment to Oblivion, I get really stuck in RPGs having to do every last side-quest, and find every last item and secret. And then, inevitably, I burn out before getting far into the game.

I find that, even though I might enjoy them less, I've beaten many more FPSs than RPGs.

Anyone here the same way?

[Calistas]

Same boat. HL2, Ep 1, Ep 2, Bioshock (not an RPG in my book) all finished. I'd finish the BF:Bad Company single player if I ever played it (love the MP too much), but the last RPG I actually finished was probably Fallout. I have tended to consider myself more of an RPG'er than an FPSer, but the facts indicate otherwise!

[Morberis]

I was, and still to some extent am. I've gotten around it though by taking my time with the game and to a lesser extent browsing the web while I play.

[idrisz]

I almost never finish FPS unless it's extremely short or require for research. But I occasionally will stop at the last boss of a RPG knowing that I will wiped the floor with him/her.

With non-linear game like Oblivion/Morrowind, usually I don't bother completing the main storyline, I did manage finish Shivering Isle for Oblivion though.

[JZigish]

When I get about halfway through an RPG, I make a conscious effort to sit down and decide what "Fully Complete" means for me. If there's a convenient percentage, then I use that. Otherwise, I pick a completion criteria that is difficult, but not impossible.

Because completion is really a relative idea in complicated non-linear RPGs, you can have control over what goals you're obsessively going after, such that it's only SOMEWHAT obsessive :) At least that's what works for me.

[metta]

Hey Qt3.
I am an obsessive power-gaming min/maxer, who can't finish RPGs.



How obsessive can you be if you never finish any?

[jellyfish]

Check out this thread...
http://www.quartertothree.com/game-talk/showthread.php?t=41618

[unbongwah]

My solution: play shorter RPGs! E.g., Fable, Jade Empire, NWN 2:MotB. The NWN series is good because there are a ton of fan-made modules for both games which are relatively short. They suit my "OCD + ADD" personality better than most retail RPGs, ironically.

[hong]

Jade Empire can be finished in something like 20 hours, Mass Effect in 30. That includes sidequests. I think they offer just as much, if not more value for money than traditional massive CRPGs, because it's much easier to jump straight back in after finishing.

[Sol Invictus]

I can't finish games if they feel too monotonous or if the combat feels unrewarding or tedious. Planescape: Torment had a good enough story that I felt I could slog through the combat without getting bored by it. NWN2 and Oblivion didn't share the same quality, though, sadly.

Thankfully, Fallout 3 manages to be a fantastic experience all around (especially in combat, which was Oblivion's biggest weakness!) so I don't see myself quitting it like I quit Oblivion.

[ProStyle]

How obsessive can you be if you never finish any?
Yeah, forest for the trees, etc...

[RepoMan]

I finished Mass Effect, and I ground every single goddamned quest in that game down to a nubbin. On the other hand, I never finished Oblivion (probably got 1/3 through) or Neverwinter Nights (20%, tops). So it varies widely. Fallout 3, though, is smelling like completion.