Poll: "Don't think... feel."

[zaiggs]

This is a great topic, though I agree with the many others in this thread that one can like both, especially depending on what game is being played.

I love strategy and RTS games that require prior thinking and planning or the ability to pause in the middle of action and think a plan through.

On the other hand, I really enjoy shooters and action games. A lot of those types of games I play, specifically CoD or Halo, get flak from people who find the games "mindless" or stupid. While as games they may be lacking in more than a couple areas, they require a different mindset and skill set by making the player react to new situations.

Knowing the controls well enough that the character is an extension of myself, and then being able to react and get out of sticky situations in one piece, gives me a sense of accomplishment. This also lets me know when I survived because of dumb luck rather than skill and adds something to a sense of realism.

Pausing the game for situations like that breaks any sort of illusion the game creates for me as well. So unless I'm having to multitask the actions of several characters or armies of people, I really like feeling out situation and reacting to them organically.

If anything, it's that feeling out of situations and problem solving on the fly that keeps me coming back to the multiplayer of FPS games.

 

[mireko]

I won't lie, I very much prefer pause and play in RPGs, especially party-based ones. Whether this is because it's more fun or because nobody has managed to make a fully realtime party control system that actually works is a different matter.

In other genres? Depends entirely on the game. Wouldn't dream of playing Bayonetta with pausing, for instance.

Is it bad that I thought of Chie from Persona 4?

Same here, and that was in spite of knowing where the quote comes from [small](though I only knew about it because I looked it up after playing Persona 4...)[/small].

Now I'm going to have to go reach out to the truth again.

 

[Scipio1770]

Why would you prefer to think less?

in martial arts it works because taking time to think slows you down and gives your opponent an opportunity to attack. but in most games, pausing doesn't hurt you at all, so there's no logical reason why you wouldn't want to give yourself time to plan your moves.

I think you're missing what I'm saying a little here.

Take a game like Ninja Gaiden 2. Now, broken combat system notwithstanding, certain gameplay elements don't allow for one to pause and rotate the camera to get a better view of the area. Instead, you have to think at a moments notice: I need to use this weapon here; I need to use this attack; I need to move over here to avoid taking damage. The thinking is still there, you just have to do it more at a mile-a-minute kind of sense.

Fighting games work the same way. I need to do this attack which leads to this combo; my opponent did an attack with heavy recovery, I can counter-attack with this; my opponent moved this way, I can move that way and either avoid harm, trade hits, or stuff his next move. Pro fighting game players are thinking about this constantly. To say they're "thinking less" comes off as a little insulting (not saying you're being as such, just saying that it could be interpreted as such).

And let's not forget this little tidbit: in a situation where you have limited pausing (say, one per encounter, or during a LAN match of some kind), what do you do if your plan goes to shambles before you can even put it motion?

Alright, but you realize that in the situations you described, the players use that style because the game mechanics force them to, not really because they chose to.

Your original question was addressed to a situation where both styles could be used (and therefore where neither style was mechanically preferred), so I imagined games like the total war series or MMO's, and if you look at those games, the players extensively use pauses to plan.

However, even in fighters and shooters you'll see planning strategies:

People choose their favorite fighting character because they've found that statistically they win the most matches with them. They even choose characters according to weaknesses of their opponent's character.

When in the lobby for shooters, players usually pick a certain loadout according to the map they play on (snipers for landscape style maps, machine guns for tight quarters maps, etc). Once in the games, players always head straight for strategic points to hold (weapon spawns, high ground, etc).

i get that reactionary fighting is necessary when you're on the defensive, but you usually want to keep that as a fall-back tactic.

 

[spartan231490]

Completely depends on the game. I love the pause and play in DA, but i also love the observe and react of oblivion and other games. Depends on what I'm feeling like.

 

[RedEyesBlackGamer]

Is it bad that I thought of Chie from Persona 4?

WATAAAH!!!!
OP: I like both. Though, I usually only place fast paced games when I want to wind down. Heck, I plan to play Soul Nomad then dive into .Hack GU later. So, yeah, both.

EDIT: Why Chie took priority in my mind over Bruce Lee, I'll never know.
EDIT 2: The two poll options sound like the same thing. Don't you observe then react when you pause?

 

[Sinclair Solutions]

Is it bad that I thought of Chie from Persona 4?

TRIAL OF THE DRAGON!

On topic, in my experiences, I think it really depends on the situation I am in. For FPS's, I would say I am an observe and react kind of guy (unless there is a sequence I can't get past unless I make a mental plan (e.g. Killing a Big Daddy).) For other games, from games like Pokemon to Minecraft, I make plans for about 90% of gameplay. Those are the kind of games that require some kind of planning...

 

[V8 Ninja]

Pausing the game is for SISSIES!!! Real men play by turning every situation into a tactical winning streak!

No, really, I was always one to learn from mistakes and base my decisions on those past mistakes. That seems a like a bit of a personality contradiction considering that I constantly worry about my actions in real life no matter how long anyone will really remember them for...

 

[deathninja]

Pause and plan my strategy before going in, but think on my feet once I've committed.

Everything in moderation.

 

[WouldYouKindly]

I play a lot of RTS and I do both. In the Total War series, I form a strategy and I largely stick to it. When playing on higher difficulties you have to react to what they do.

For tactical shooters, I'm better with forming a good strategy when I have time and executing it quickly than just winging it after I make contact. However, sometimes when I try to get everyone into position, I screw up and need to shoot my way out, moving and ordering my guys as needed in real time... I think I wanna play GRAW 2 now.

 

[T-Bone24]

It's very strange, I do tend to get bored of start-and-stop gameplay if I have the option to rush in and think on my feet. Contrast that with myself outwith videogames and I won't do anything without a guaranteed-to-succeed plan of action.

PS: This is the captcha I have to work with? Oy vey.

 

[Biodeamon]

I observe their cheap moves and try and find a weak spot in it. If all fails i use my secret technique "retarded monkey attack" and mash all the buttons randomly and hope for a super combo.

 

[SageRuffin]

Snippage.

Okay, you got me there. But the fact remains that there may be a time where you have to throw caution to the wind. But now we're getting into details that most others could care less about (the infamous "tier list"), so I'm willing to end the discussion here if you are. Though I will say that I respectfully disagree, and say that reactionary style gameplay isn't thinking less, but thinking differently.

PS: This is the captcha I have to work with? Oy vey.

The hell... that's in Greek! o__O

EDIT 2: The two poll options sound like the same thing. Don't you observe then react when you pause?

Huh... never looked at it like that. I'll adjust it.

 

[SageRuffin]

Observation: According to the poll backed by a few posts, the general consensus seems to be that most prefer reflex-dependent gameplay over pause-and-play, but it's really dependent on the game in question.

Hey, I can dig it.

 

[Scipio1770]

Snippage.

Okay, you got me there. But the fact remains that there may be a time where you have to throw caution to the wind. But now we're getting into details that most others could care less about (the infamous "tier list"), so I'm willing to end the discussion here if you are. Though I will say that I respectfully disagree, and say that reactionary style gameplay isn't thinking less, but thinking differently.

Sounds good, and i'll retract the "thinking less" part since i just watched someone win a 1v5 shotgun fight in Gow2.