Self-imposed restrictions

[Vic]

For those who are into this sort of thing, what are some self-imposed restrictions/challenges you set for yourself to make a playthrough more fun?

 

[Tacgnol]

I avoid exploiting AI too much in Gothic games. It's quite easy to trap them in vulnerable spots if you know what you are doing.

 

[octavius]

Only rest once a day in CRPGs.

Don't do the combat waltz in Dungeon Master.

Play Ironman if feasible.

No savescumming for better loot or at level-ups.

No grinding or "farming".

 

[MadMaxHellfire]

if a game is so bad i need to impose myself arbitrary restrictions to have fun with it, i self-impose myself to uninstall it.

 

[Falksi]

No savescumming is a given.

1-3CC restrictions for arcade style games.

Try not to wank over scantily clad women until I've beaten the game.

 

[Disciple]

No savescumming or rest-spamming. No re-rolling stats.

 

[Keshik]

Only one I have is that I finish a game once I start it. This unfortunately has led me to finish some games I didnt enjoy, or just plain bad - Still Life 2 is a vivid example.

 

[markec]

I like Dishonored series and Prey but I find them to be a bit too easy. So I play them with restrictions, both I played with no powers usage of any kind and also Dishonored games I played also without any weapons.

 

[Unkillable Cat]

I don't use Quicksaves/Quickloads.

Not because I'm restricting myself, but because they tend to crash the game and be full of bugs.

 

[Khor1255]

For those who are into this sort of thing, what are some self-imposed restrictions/challenges you set for yourself to make a playthrough more fun?

In Age of Empires I make one of the original 3 that spawn a king after he kills a lion by himself. He must then remain alive throughout the game or I lose.

I normally do this by fortifying an area around the initial town center but since I then make him fish for the rest of his existence he sometimes gets killed by warships or invaders.

 

[MadMaxHellfire]

I don't use Quicksaves/Quickloads.

Not because I'm restricting myself, but because they tend to crash the game and be full of bugs.

i'm an f5 abuser, i hit it so much i dug a hole. that stuff never happened to me.

 

[octavius]

I don't use Quicksaves/Quickloads.

Not because I'm restricting myself, but because I tend to hit Quicksave instead of Quickload.

FTFY.

 

[Vic]

I don't use Quicksaves/Quickloads.

Not because I'm restricting myself, but because I tend to hit Quickload instead of Quicksave.

FTFY.

FTFY

 

[Beans00]

I try to live with negative consequences in encounters.

I replayed JA2 fairly recently with the wildfire mod(since I've never played wildfire) and by the end of the game I had like... ~25-30 dead mercs?
Unless it's something gamebreaking I find doing that always makes games more fun, to try and work through problems and challenges instead of reloading and trying again.


I also never meta game or look into games beyond seeing if it's going to be buggy. Using someone elses character build is boring imo(underrail for example).

 

[KörangarTheMighty]

Standard roleplay restrictions such as only doing what's in-character to do. Not going to loot the temple of Helm if I'm playing a lawful good character and so forth.
I eschew the restoration spells altogether in favor of alchemy when playing TES games, especially going out of my way to avoid the cheap ones that are spammable. When coming across reagents in games like that, I gather minimally, up to four, no matter the size of the patch.
No saving in combat.
When applicable, I take the time to eat/drink and sleep as a sort of money sink.
Sometimes if I feel like a game has been too lenient in regard to quest objectives or criteria, I'll self-punish, dump a bit of gold on the ground or modify my alignment negatively with a character editor later.
Often times, I avoid travelling at night, unless a quest specifically calls for it or I'm playing a class that does its work by night.
No fast travel, unless I just made the same trip.

 

[Zenithsan]

If a game needs self-imposed restrictions to be fun then it's a bad game (Except games I've played way too much). I uninstall it and play another game.
As a player I want to just play, I don't want to be a game designer at the same time.

 

[octavius]

If a game needs self-imposed restrictions to be fun then it's a bad game

A game can be flawed, like for example being too easy. You can either uninstall, whine about it, throw abuse at the designers, mod it, or use self-imposed restrictions.

 

[Nortar]

No pickpotecking and no stealing.
I loath the whole "romanticism of criminal life" thing.
This also means no combing through chests and drawers in NPC houses, taverns and such.
Dungeons are fair game though.

Limited resting.
And no resting where it's logically impossible, like outside of boss room.

And never ever use potions, because I might need them later!

 

[Machocruz]

I don't use sticky/auto cover. I position myself "manually". If a game doesn't let me get behind cover without pressing a cover button, I don't play that game.

 

[Curious_Tongue]

No unnecessary NPC deaths.

 

[Curious_Tongue]

No pickpotecking and no stealing.
I loath the whole "romanticism of criminal life" thing.
This also means no combing through chests and drawers in NPC houses, taverns and such.

This is interesting.

Out of curiosity, can you pick evil options in dialogue?

 

[Late Bloomer]

I usually do self imposed restrictions only after having beaten the game. I'll use recent games I have played.

EQ2 - I have a character i am playing who doesn't use mounts unless they are required.

Coloring Game 2 - Don't use any of the auto fill in options

Fallout 4 - No fast travel, I use a dice system I made to choose my SPECIAL perks each level, No AI manipulation (terrain mostly), Hardcore ( 1 life ), no abusing the economy (water farms etc)

Elden Ring - No Summons, No Fast Travel

Skyrim - Heavily modded game where I only do the things my character would do. I usually type out a backstory. Don't go around talking to everyone. Run from fights if a coward. Don't join every faction. No goal of finishing the game unless that is the character I am makings goal. Eat, sleep, don't do every quest offered. Try to make it as real as possible while still being fun. No abusing the economy (selling alchemical potions mostly).

Thats the most recent ones I can think of.

 

[Iucounu]

If I've played a game many times I like to exploit and break the missions in different ways, sneak out of the intended playing areas and similar mischief. I see it as a bonus when games let you do such things, but if the developers have gone out of their way to prevent it I feel cheated.

 

[Raghar]

For those who are into this sort of thing, what are some self-imposed restrictions/challenges you set for yourself to make a playthrough more fun?

I try to avoid exploiting AI in strategy games, and try to play realistic warfare.
In RPG I tend to use counting ironman, and do load from autosave on wipe, and try to avoid wipe as much as possible.

 

[Zombra]

I like building out whole sets of 'headcanon' behavioral rules for characters in freeform RPGs. I had a really good time in New Vegas and did even better with Skyrim.

My current notes for four different Starfield characters:

Short Concept	Thrill seeker	Hapless Everywoman	White Collar Criminal	Boring academic turned motivated explorer
Background	Beast Hunter or Gangster or Ronin	Chef	Industrialist? Cyber Runner?	Professor
Trait 1	Wanted	Kid Stuff or Extrovert	Neon Street Rat ?	Freestar Settler
Trait 2	Alien DNA	Terra Firma	Dream Home	Introvert
Trait 3	Introvert	UC Native	Taskmaster ?	[Religion ?]
Faction?	Crimson Fleet	United Colonies	Ryujin Industries	Freestar Collective
Full Concept	The thrill of the hunt matters more than anything. Such things as wealth, influence, and morality pale in comparison to the greatest high one can experience: pitting oneself against another living being for the highest stakes possible.	You are a normal UC citizen and student at an expensive college majoring in culinary nutrition, with a minor in engineering. You have accepted a work study summer course with Argos Mining. Things will go horribly wrong.	When your high-ranking boss at a Neon corporation died suddenly on vacation, you knew before anyone else, saw a loophole in property law, and signing his name forged a protected offworld account as his beneficiary. By the time the authorities burst into your office you were long gone on a black market passenger shuttle. Moving quickly, you dumped the money into a luxurious property on yet another world, using innovative electronic misdirection to prevent the funds being tracked. Unfortunately, the funds were reclaimed and you are now stuck owning the property with a colossal mortgage, as well as being pursued by your boss' rightful heirs. You have taken a job with a mining company under yet another assumed name to avoid detection, but you still have the keys and codes to the house.	You are a dull, intelligent man, an undecorated veteran of the Colony Wars and currently a professor of geology. Hired by Argos Extractors to examine a mining asteroid, you come across a phenomenon that reinvigorates your wonder of science.
Gameplay Rules	* You are a predator, never prey. Never allow others to exploit you. Hunt those who think they are hunting you. * Assert dominance in conversations. Generally they are a waste of your time. * Kill all who challenge you. Kill by remote control if that's the only way. Kill at a distance to prove your mastery of weapons. Kill from stealth if needed to overcome the odds. But whenever you can, kill with a blade while looking your victim in the eye as the final light fades. * If none challenge you, find challenging situations. If nothing else there are always new planets and new alien monsters. * Be stylish and audacious. * Empathy was burned out of you when your DNA was altered. You don't care about other people at all, except to prove your strength against them. Some who stand before you will use emotional appeals to save themselves. Don't fall for this. * You tend not to search for loot, and you definitely don't read journals or otherwise seek lore or other information. * You will have an encounter with a strange alien artifact and experience cosmic visions. Do not share your experience with others! Some may learn of your connection to the anomaly and try to track you down. Elude them as you have eluded so many others. If the visions persist then you may be forced to seek out and confront the source of the visions but you will do it without help.	* You are not a warrior, policeman, or adventurer. You are terrified of violence. Run away. Even stealth is risky and frightening when the guards are liable to kill you if they catch you. Look for other ways to acheive your objectives. * You are not an astronaut and get "space sick". Avoid strenuous activity while in space. Get back to solid ground as soon as you can. * Don't touch dead bodies. Ick! * Although intelligent, you have lived your life in the "bubble" of the United Colonies and you support their conservative politics and policies. You are thoughtful and well-spoken, and have enough understanding of non-UC philosophies to discuss and dismiss them. You are not a fanatic however and are open to change. * Space is vast and terrifying, and the game's story will probably take you to dangerous places despite your misgivings. Keeping other people with you will make you feel safe. * When you discover an alien artifact and have crazy visions, Constellation will promise to solve the problem and end the bad dreams, but you are the key. Help them. * You are not a "leader", but since you treat people well sometimes they want to help you with your problems. Accept them. * You want to help others with their problems too. Accept missions that make sense for you. This never includes fighting, killing, exterminating etc.	* You are not a fighter. Never willingly enter a head-on combat situation. At the start of the game you are not a murderer either, but this may change. * You are an amoral opportunist only loyal to yourself. Loot bodies, seek advantages, steal, lie, double cross, etc. * Work for Ryujin, work for Xenofresh, work for the small fry, work for the highest bidder AND everyone else from whom you can get payment up front. * You are greedy. Money is a huge issue after things went wrong with the inheritance theft. Pay off the mortgage. * There is nothing wrong with "legitimate" profits, especially if you can get other people to do the work. Build a uranium mine, breed animals for cosmetics testing, whatever the game allows. Whatever works as long as you don't get punished for it. * Whatever is going on with the alien artifacts may be a huge opportunity to become rich and powerful. Guard your secrets jealously and exploit them for gain. * Use others to achieve your goals. They are not your friends. At best, they are your employees ... though they may not know this. * You are addicted to the designer drug Aurora. Always keep at least 10 doses in inventory and take the drug all the time.	* You are utterly fascinated by the anomaly; it will reawaken the scientific enthusiasm of your youth, and other considerations will seem insignificant in comparison. * You saw enough killing in the Wars to last many lifetimes. Life is not especially precious to you, and your military training will come back to you quickly. You are not a cruel or violent person but the skills are still there. * Immediate moral considerations generally do not move you, and you are not a trusting type. You would not stop to help a child look for a lost puppy. However you can be appealed to by grandiose talk about the greater good, humanity's future, etc. You will likely be awestruck by the visions of the anomaly and inspired to realize your destiny. * You can also be motivated by the possibility of gaining fame and respect as a scientist. Getting rich off this whole thing would be nice too, although you are not exactly the type to pull a gold tooth out of the head of a corpse. * Indulge NPCs in long boring conversations. Find out everything they know. At the same time, remember that extended social interactions are draining to you.

I also like setting myself other little goals in games to do things "my way". I particularly remember playing through Desperados: Wanted Dead or Alive with the rule that I would not kill anyone unless they clearly deserved it. Murderous bandits could be killed, but soldiers and prison guards were always left alive. It was not easy doing that prison break because the whole first half is Cooper only and he can't tie people up.