FAQ writing and why you suck at it

[Owyn_Merrilin]

Really? There have been several occasions where I've found that useful, almost all of them involving used games whose previous owner lost the manual. It's especially helpful when the game has important actions caused by button combinations that are not immediately obvious, like Mobile Suit Gundam: Journey to Jaburo, which is the game that most recently did this to me.

I can understand the lack of an instruction manual making those sections relevent and the longer combo suggestions are useful at times, however what I was trying to get at is some people include a diagram of say a ps3 controller with labels "this is the analog stick" which I find highly unnecessary and slightly patronising.

I guess that would be kind of annoying, although the only faqs I've seen go to that extent were for 16 bit era games, where the controls were less standardized and the diagrams could actually be useful. Labeling the analog stick would be a bit patronizing, especially for someone serious enough about gaming to check a faq.

 

[freedomweasel]

You read FAQs to pass games? Back in the day we just beat our head into a wall untill we came with a new way to pass the obstacle, sometimes for weeks or months at a time, either that or accept defeat and never ever play that game again.

And the game store was on the top of that snowy hill over there?

Yes! How did you know? Also we had to go uphill both to the store and back home from it.

The convoluted routes you old farts took.. I'll never understand.

You had to be there to understand. It built character you know. If you don't pass a game on your own then why even bother? Where's the satisfaction of beating a challenge and making it your own personal experience? If you go through a game listening to someone else's instructions how is it different from watching a movie?

Getting all serious on me now?

I definitely agree with you though. If I look up a guide it's almost always to get past a point in the game where I don't even know where to begin, not because the puzzle or section is hard, but because I don't understand how the controls work in that section or something. Sometimes I'll look up a guide for an RPG to min/max a second or third play through too. All in all though, I usually like the game to put up enough of a challenge that I don't feel like I'm just sitting there watching.

 

[xdgt]

Getting all serious on me now?

I definitely agree with you though. If I look up a guide it's almost always to get past a point in the game where I don't even know where to begin, not because the puzzle or section is hard, but because I don't understand how the controls work in that section or something. Sometimes I'll look up a guide for an RPG to min/max a second or third play through too. All in all though, I usually like the game to put up enough of a challenge that I don't feel like I'm just sitting there watching.

It was either that or "Get off my lawn, you whippersnappers! I busted my ass at the factory for 40 years just so I could get my first cartridge, which I had to play on black and white TV. We had to tell the 4 ninja turtles apart by how dark their gray clothes were! We had 2 buttons, hit and jump and you couldn't do them both at the same time either. The difficulty modes were hard and kick your ass, and if you died you had to start from the begining of the game. You kids nowadays go outside and have games falls in your laps like dead flies. When we got stuck in a game we would go in every corner and press every possible button untill we got unstuck. With 2 joysticks and a family of 5 we had 2 buttons for each. We didn't have no manuals either so we had to find out the secret codes by using brute force for days straight."
You get the idea. But I really honestly try to avoid spoiling the game by reading manuals and FAQs online and sometimes even the official manual that comes with the game.

 

[Mr.Petey]

With regards to the slap-in-the-face glossing over on supposed "easy bits", I've had this trouble before with some Fallout 2 faqs when I was struggling on the Enclave oil rig and the optional side quest of defeating Melchior (sp)

I'm guessing on the whole some faq writers only lucked out in certain areas of little known difficulty areas and don't bother to go back and verify if it was really that easy

 

[gallaetha_matt]

edit: im going to look like a douche if this is actually a real game

Don't worry, if it is a real game I doubt anyone would care (because I think the target audience of a game called Bible Stories and members of the escapist forum will rarely associate with one another).

Except for God. He'd care.

But no it's not a real game as far as I know. (This is where somebody posts screenshots and a wikipedia page.)

I've seen tons of FAQs for Morrowind telling me how Medium Armor was shit, go Heavy or Light.

They fail to consider the weight of Heavy Armor bogging down your inventory. Fucking 15 for a base level Iron Shield? Merely caring about the protection.

Maybe I'd like to carry more than just my weapon, armor, and a few potions!

Maybe I want to bring back some loot to sell.

Medium Armor is more than adequate. Especially since the expansions added much needed variety to the selection.

Yeah, this is another thing I hate. When the FAQ writer doesn't explore any strategies apart from how they beat the game. I read an Oblivion FAQ once that just basically said "Cast Destruction magic on these monsters, because if you're not using magic you must be pretty stupid."

I paraphrase. But based on our mutual experiences, I think there's an epidemic of some kind. The people who feel compelled to write FAQ's for Elder Scrolls games seem to be at a high risk of knobheaditis.

I hate when they explain the buttons on the controller and the basics controls for the game. These are in the instruction manual and most games have tutorial levels that will tell you what button does what. Failing that pressing buttons will immediately tell you what they do. You would't go on a Faq to fing out that the left analog stick is for character movement /rant

Oh laws yes. This too. Chances are if you've got the talent to look up an FAQ for a game then you probably have a detailed knowledge of how a controller works. Just because I'm dumb enough to be checking for hints doesn't mean I'm too dumb to forget basic motor function.

I forgot where my fingers where once, but I've since stopped drinking engine oil.

Hey, I have some advice for you.

Don't try to be funny - Because you're not. Or rather, we, the weak, huddled masses of game failures thread readers aren't coming to you for jokes.

Aha, you crafty bastard - you uncovered my cunning plan!

I actually wrote an FAQ on how to write an FAQ up there, in which I broke all of my own rules. I tried to be funny, I put that little disclaimer at the beginning and I waffled on too long about extraneous bullshit.

The layers! Reading a gallaetha_matt thread is like peeling an onion, but with more tears.

So many more tears.

But yeah, I'm guilty of the same crimes that I condemn others for. I'm like God in that way, in that I tell people to do as I say, not do as I do. E.G I am a jealous God, so don't covet your neighbours wife and don't be jealous of my power. Also I reserve the right to turn your life into a living hell (see: The Book Of Job.)

I'd like to go one thread without bringing the Book Of Job into it, just one.

Also - I love your avatar. Like all child stars, the drugs and booze got Pikachu eventually. He's like the Pokemon version of McAuly Culkin (that's a hard name to spell) except without the rape...

... well you don't know what Ash got up to when the others weren't looking. I'm sure there's some illuminating fan pics of this on deviantart.

It was either that or "Get off my lawn, you whippersnappers! I busted my ass at the factory for 40 years just so I could get my first cartridge, which I had to play on black and white TV. We had to tell the 4 ninja turtles apart by how dark their gray clothes were! We had 2 buttons, hit and jump and you couldn't do them both at the same time either. The difficulty modes were hard and kick your ass, and if you died you had to start from the begining of the game. You kids nowadays go outside and have games falls in your laps like dead flies. When we got stuck in a game we would go in every corner and press every possible button untill we got unstuck. With 2 joysticks and a family of 5 we had 2 buttons for each. We didn't have no manuals either so we had to find out the secret codes by using brute force for days straight."
You get the idea. But I really honestly try to avoid spoiling the game by reading manuals and FAQs online and sometimes even the official manual that comes with the game.

You had a black and white TV? Why, back in my day we didn't even have a TV. We had to hook our games consoles (the Atari's with the wood panelling) into the wireless and then imagine what Pac Man might be up to while we played it.

We may not 'ave 'ad much but it were an 'ome ta me.

I'm kind of with you on playing things my own way and trying not to consult FAQ's too much. I prefer solving problems on my own. But you do get those times when you're treading glue and you need some guidance.

Which is why it annoys me so much when FAQ writers post spoilers without warnings.

Also - if anybody is interested, the game that inspired this rant was Prototype . I remembered. That last boss is a killer.

 

[tharglet]

Never found myself get that annoyed at an FAQ/walkthrough, but there are some really, really bad "cheat" guides. The "cheat" guides I refer to are the ones that go through obvious tactics in the game, and the game controls, without listing ANYTHING that's a cheat. I don't make a habit of cheating through games, but sometimes I will hunt down cheats after I've completed a game to either spawn stuff, wreak havoc or do the whistle-stop tour through the game.

Some walkthroughs are iffy - I've sometimes looked at one, and it didn't explain what I wanted to know very well, but another one does. Usually happens with those bits in games where you'll either figure it out in 5 seconds or 5 hours.

I don't care if the initial blurb is at the top or not - I don't read it anyway most of the time. If I'm reading an FAQ, it's because I'm after a particular bit and I'm going to skip down it anyway. If you're going to do this, though, please put in an index with identifiers! Makes it easier to search down to the game chapter you want .

Humour is an iffy one - there was one walkthrough I found that I read after completing the game because it was genuinely amusing and well-written. But yeah, if you're going for the humour angle, you might want to road-test it first .

 

[Hosker]

I have found some faq writers to be pointlessly aggressive and swear a lot for no reason. However, most are okay and very helpful. Don't use them too often anyway.

 

[oplinger]

I hate when they explain the buttons on the controller and the basics controls for the game. These are in the instruction manual and most games have tutorial levels that will tell you what button does what. Failing that pressing buttons will immediately tell you what they do. You would't go on a Faq to fing out that the left analog stick is for character movement /rant

I actually like it when they tell me what the buttons do, if I have the PC version of a game I liked more when I had it on a console, or a bad port with all the console buttons still attached to it. I like to know the console buttons so I can map them like the console to my controller :x

OT: I've only ever had one frustration with FAQs, because I skip over most of the FAQ in general. And that problem is usually, ...being vague. "AND THEN YOU DO STUFF IN THIS LEVEL AND...YEAH...OH AND THERE'S THIS ONE ENEMY THAT'S HARD AND STUFF." And the level is like the Labyrinth of Crete, only it's on fire and covered in spikes. Then the enemy is also immune to the best attacks in the game that his own FAQ told you to use. But he never warned you.

 

[putowtin]

but can i just say i really want to play bible stories 2, it sounds like a great game.

agreed!

FAQ, on the whole are good, most people aren't there for the whole FAQ, normally just a quick "Where's the last three super secret items" search. But there are a few where the author does write in a style that says "Your so thick having to look at my FAQ that I shall belittle you as much as possible!"

 

[Robyrt]

I have a bunch of old FAQs up on Gamestop. I have had people ask me the most basic stuff - things you could find in the manual, or within 20 minutes of booting up the game - and that's why it's in there. I guarantee you that someone on the Internet is very happy someone else transcribed the opening cutscene for them.

I put a thank you section, a legal boilerplate, and an introduction in there because I didn't dash my FAQ off in a lazy Sunday afternoon. It took me 50 hours to research and write this monstrosity and the dude who wrote the previous FAQ deserves thanks for getting me started.

I do, however, appreciate a lack of spoilers. Not that anyone has ever emailed me in anger to say "How dare you reveal that Kratos can upgrade the Blade of Olympus in New Game+! WHYYYYYYYY!!!!"

 

[robotam]

[

You had a black and white TV? Why, back in my day we didn't even have a TV. We had to hook our games consoles (the Atari's with the wood panelling) into the wireless and then imagine what Pac Man might be up to while we played it.

We may not 'ave 'ad much but it were an 'ome ta me.

You had games consoles? Why, back in my day we didn't even have games consoles. We had to hook up our logs into other logs with a stick and then imagine what a log would look like while looking at our log.

Attached to our log we had nothing. We had to beat it with our fists or faces until we saw the log on our log connected to a log.

You had Logs? Back in my day we had to use a -
Ah forget it this could go on for ever.

OT:I use them from time to time, when I'm really stuck but I am genrally not to fond of them.

 

[Gyrefalcon]

Amen. I went looking for advice on a horror game and caught a You Tube review of the section that was killing me. Sure enough, "If you die here I can't imagine how it's SO easy" was spoken. Gee maybe I was using the wrong weapon, was at the wrong angle, was low on health when I stumbled into it, idk. But I guarantee that if you mock me for having trouble with a section you happened to breeze through, I won't be following your reviews or FAQ's which kind of defeats the purpose of them.

Hey gallaetha_matt: Try writing game instructions! That's even harder!

 

[Drumboardist]

As a former guide-writer, I can sympathize. Many a FAQ I wrote, for guides that already had a glut of "helpful" documentation, simply because the authors took their intelligence for granted and assumed you would *obviously* be as smart (see: lucky) as they were to get through a particular section. Frustrating, to be sure. I felt I was filling a need, and tried to be as in-depth as possible; yes, this meant menial tasks such as including documentation of what the controls do, or overviews detailing character classes or weaponry, or whatever. For some people, I know this was exactly what they were looking for, so I have no qualms with including it. In terms of "filler", I generally didn't discount anything that actually pertained to the game. (Now, one guy that included a cookie recipe because the game reminded him of it...that's just silly.)

Unfortunately for myself, I still have scores of FAQs I never finished, yet left online in their incomplete state. I overburdened myself with the task of being thorough, and it crippled me mentally to the point where leaving the writing entirely was my only method of regaining my sanity. So 'dems 'da breaks, I guess....really should finish some of those guides.

Ah well. Cheers, mate.

 

[gmaverick019_v1legacy]

i understand there are some less than average ones out there..but JEESH

picky op is picky.

chill out. most of those people probably aren't the most "professional" of people so if they can help at all then im fine with the guide. if not then i have like 3-4 more of them opened with ctrl+f ready to go.

 

[teisjm]

It's no wonder really, this is the internet after all, and just like tons of people will put the most retarded, and i mean retarded in a completely unfunny, uninterresting, and in no possible way entertaining or usefull way, on youtube just cause they can "see i made a video, i'm a star " and how people will update their facebook with the most retardedly mundane things "PERSON is now eating" "person is on his/her way to the toilet" etc.

The internet has given peopel a way to make otehr people take notice of them, and sadly, the attention-whores who honestly belive in equal rights for attention (good attention and bad attention are equally awesome) will gladly sit through beeing flamed by tons of people for beeing dumb as shit, just to get some random people of teh internet to notice them.

Point is, always remember, that the internet is a place where people with no sense of self critique at all, will vent their sad need for attention, and this reflects in the content you'll find online.