Do you play with walkthrough?

[JulioInAction]

Im just curious. Do you all prefer to play with walkthrough since the beginning or not looking anything at all? For me i think that i've become a little lazy, since i don't wanna waste time guessing what option could led me to X route.

Edited November 28, 2019 by JulioInAction

[adamstan]

I'm the same. I use walkthroughs all the time.

[MaggieROBOT]

I absolutely haaaaaaaate using walkthrough. It constantly distracts me as I have to check it every time and it breaks my immersion and it takes away all the feeling of accomplishment of getting the outcomes I want by myself (100% something by my own is something I really enjoy). I very rarely have problem getting into the route I want anyway.

I only use them when I tried and failed multiple times, when the system is too much of an ass for me to try again after failing, when I'm stuck with absolutely no idea what to do (if gameplay is involved), for completionists sake if the task is really boring to do by myself  (like finding random collectibles, although lately I don't even bother anymore).

If the system is very convoluted by default, I rather skip the game.

Edited November 28, 2019 by MaggieROBOT

[Seraphim]

I would really like to not use one, but since I don't want to miss any CGs or risk getting spoiled by accidentally going in a bad route order, I always end up using walkthroughs anyway.

[JulioInAction]

10 minutes ago, MaggieROBOT said:

I absolutely haaaaaaaate using walkthrough. It constantly distracts me as I have to check it every time and it breaks my immersion and it takes away all the feeling of accomplishment of getting the outcomes I want by myself (100% something by my own is something I really enjoy). I very rarely have problem getting into the route I want anyway.

I only use them when I tried and failed multiple times, when the system is too much of an ass for me to try again after failing, when I'm stuck with absolutely no idea what to do (if gameplay is involved), for completionists sake if the task is really boring to do by myself  (like finding random collectibles, although lately I don't even bother anymore).

If the system is very convoluted by default, I rather skip the game.

Well, for me is more of a psychological thing i guess (?) if i don't look a guide is like i could forget something or get a bad ed and idk, that breaks my immersion more than looking a guide, im weird af i suppose xD 

[Yuuko]

I am big brain enough to not use one.

[JulioInAction]

8 minutes ago, Seraphim88 said:

I would really like to not use one, but since I don't want to miss any CGs or risk getting spoiled by accidentally going in a bad route order, I always end up using walkthroughs anyway.

I see myself in this tbh 

[MaggieROBOT]

3 minutes ago, JulioInAction said:

Well, for me is more of a psychological thing i guess (?) if i don't look a guide is like i could forget something or get a bad ed and idk, that breaks my immersion more than looking a guide, im weird af i suppose xD 

Nah, I get that. It's just that my enjoyment comes from the fact that choices makes me think about my actions and give me some agency? Like, if I'm letting someone else's walkthrough guide me all the way through, why even have choices since I'm not choosing anything by myself, you know? Even picking something wrong "teaches" me something anyway (save scumming never bothered me at all xD)

Edited November 28, 2019 by MaggieROBOT

[adamstan]

<confession time>

I usually used walkthroughs even when playing traditional adventure games....

[TheMode]

Guess it depends on the game, when the order seems to be important I check online. Otherwise, I do it without walkthrough once (acting as I would in real life) and then with for the rest of the game

[Dreamysyu]

Well, I can't say I was ever particularly fond of using walkthroughs. I mean, if a VN has a well constructed route system, I always find some joy in actually getting to the ending I desire myself without any external help. And even if I am using a walkthrough, sometimes I try choosing wrong options simply to see if they actually change anything.

That said, quite often I just don't care. Many VNs have very random choices, and sometimes it is possible to skip some important scenes if you aren't following a walkthrough. So, in the end, it kind of just depends on my mood.

2 hours ago, adamstan said:

I usually used walkthroughs even when playing traditional adventure games....

Looks like the Holy Inquisition needs to pay you a visit...

[GXOALMD]

If I'm playing a game I'll avoid walkthroughs, as interaction (and often decision making as well) is a core part of what makes games games.  When I'm reading a vn however, I want to get the story without some unnecessary aspect of the medium (such as decisions) getting in the way.

tl;dr Walkthroughs are a standard part of the vn experience but a last resort part of the gaming experience, for me.

[JJ!]

I never use one for my first playthrough.  If I think I can get the other routes or endings I want based on that playthrough, I don't use one for future playthroughs.  If I ended up surprised at my route or ending on that first playthrough, I'll at least skim a walkthrough to see if I can see something important I hadn't thought about.  I will use them if I get stuck and can't get certain routes or endings.  Usually it is because the game is blocking something - have to see the bad endings before seeing the true ending, have to do one particular minor route last, etc.

Edited November 29, 2019 by JJ!

[ittaku]

Only when the choices are convoluted and make no sense as the way to lead to a heroine's route... which is unfortunately far too often in my experience.

[Clephas]

Most VN choices don't make a lick of sense, so I gave up on doing without a walkthrough long ago... it is too annoying to figure it out on my own.

[Prideful]

always, dont have time to pick choices one by one and see what i get. i play vn for the story however i did play charage/moege from time to time so the decisions part is unnecessary

[ChaosRaven]

I usually try to avoid using a walkthrough as long as possible. In typical moeges, finding the right heroine route is usually not all too difficult and in more plot focused games it's fun to make all the choices yourself and see where you're ending up. I only use a walkthrough if I get stuck or to complete all or certain paths of a VN. Making my own choices also increases the immersion for me since I feel in control and not just following a path someone else decided.

I'm also not sure if people are aware that many walkthroughs follow a middleground path to delay the splitting into the various routes as long as possible to make efficient use of save points. And that also includes neglecting certain heroine choices to stay 'neutral' as long as possible. That means you might miss out text sections for certain heroines in favour of not committing to their route too early. Most walkthroughs only care about CG completion, but not about scene or text completion. But if I go for a heroine, it means I'll pick every choice in the game in favor of her, so I get all her scenes.

Edited November 29, 2019 by ChaosRaven

[wyldstrykr]

i play blind for the first time then look for a walkthrough regardless of what ending i get (usually no girl ending)

i usually use tatsumaki bot for the route im going for if i cant find suggested route order.

[JulioInAction]

22 hours ago, MaggieROBOT said:

Nah, I get that. It's just that my enjoyment comes from the fact that choices makes me think about my actions and give me some agency? Like, if I'm letting someone else's walkthrough guide me all the way through, why even have choices since I'm not choosing anything by myself, you know? Even picking something wrong "teaches" me something anyway (save scumming never bothered me at all xD)

I need to try and play without walktrough more often, and while i agree with one user that said that the walkthrough are a standard part of the vn experience, it's good to play without one too.

Edited November 29, 2019 by JulioInAction

[Dankstat]

Depends on the game. I usually opt for no walkthrough since most games are straight forward enough. Some games like Angel beats and school days however are completely impossible without a walkthrough.

Also, had I used a walkthrough with a certain VN, I wouldn't have inadvertently brought myself into a 6 hour long bad end route expecting a happy end, which intensified the emotions many times over.

[Ruberick]

I usually don't use one for the first playthrough and just see where I happen to end up, if I liked the choice process of the game I may even go for a few more times while savescumming, in predictable moeges I try getting the (expected) worst girl first, then my completionist OCD kicks in, I look up a walkthrough and play all good/neutral/bad endings, get every CG and often I even read the sequels/extras/spin-offs to the VNs I didn't even particularly like, repeating the process... Don't be me.

[GXOALMD]

1 hour ago, Dankstat said:

a 6 hour long bad end route

This sounds like something I need.

[Plk_Lesiak]

I like having a walkthrough at least to learn the structure of the game/know what kind of conclusions I can aim for. I usually don't follow it early on, only using it after I've done one or a few "blind" runs and want to quickly check out alternative routes/endings, but I also like the feeling of having it on hand whenever I need it. Also because I review VNs and want to 100% most of them to get the full picture – trying to do that on my own is just a massive waste of time. 

[littleshogun]

Unless it's kinetic or have a very easy choice, I'll use it. And yeah it's my habit that I always search the walkthrough when I'm about play a VN, and save it in the VN folders.

[yelsha57]

I always use a walkthrough, because I'm a completionist and I am never good at doing blindplays.