Single player gaming challenges

[marlinman]

Hi gamers - this is my first post to the PCG forum so please be gentle =) . Just wondering where (if anywhere) I can go to compare my single player gaming achievements to those of other gamers. I'm talking about stuff like 'complete "KotOR2" without dying on max diff', or 'complete each Act of "The Witcher" without dying on max diff' etc.

 

[KaOTiK]

If the game has achievements the best places I'd guess there would be to compare would be Steam or Games For Windows Live, if they bought the game (or it is required) on either service.

 

[marlinman]

TBH I've never been a fan of pre-defined achievements and prefer to roll my own. Anywhere else? (Plus, [thankfully] neither game I mention employs them).

 

[gorcorps]

So you want a place to compare "achievements" that you just made up on your own? Other than speed runs of games I don't think you'll find such a thing. The chances of you and somebody else both playing the same game with the same random made up goal AND desire to share said random goal over the internet is slim to none.

And why hate on pre-defined achievements? It sounds to me like by adding achievements to games the developers found a way to track and compare your single player accolades that you can't compare on old games. Why hate on the very thing you're looking for just because it's set by somebody else?

 

[DaveSimmons]

Playing a game over and over to "do X on hardcore without dying once" doesn't sound like fun to me, but to each their own.

Perhaps you should just start a second thread where people can brag about their most difficult single-player achievements?

Something like this?
Brag thread - list most difficult single-player gaming accomplishments

If people respond, you might find like-minded people to talk with.

 

[marlinman]

@gorcorps:

I don't consider the example challenges I mentioned particularly random, but you possibly have a point nonetheless.

I guess I'm really into 'survivability'-type stuff like that mentioned above... Carmack's to blame: I remember him saying every single DooM level was completable on ultra-violence starting only with a pistol. Before netQuake arrived I spent my gaming time trying to do just that (and failing, for the most part!).

First game I met achievements in was ME1 I think. They just struck me as sad - a fair fraction of them seemed to be automatically earned just by playing through the game!

 

[DaveSimmons]

First game I met achievements in was ME1 I think. They just struck me as sad - a fair fraction of them seemed to be automatically earned just by playing through the game!

That's "by design" -- many players start games but never finish them, and those achievements are a carrot to keep going.

 

[zinfamous]

I would say go to forums specific for each game or developer and create yoiur own achievement thread if such doesn't exist.

I, too, would like my Super Metroid 2 hour completion achievement recognized for its badassery!

 

[zinfamous]

Playing a game over and over to "do X on hardcore without dying once" doesn't sound like fun to me, but to each their own.

Perhaps you should just start a second thread where people can brag about their most difficult single-player achievements?

Something like this?
Brag thread - list most difficult single-player gaming accomplishments

If people respond, you might find like-minded people to talk with.

i think that was more in the earlier days when games were much harder by virtue of being incredibly short (NES), and with the lack of steam and industry saturation, much more costly, so you would only play one game a time.

the last time I worked at something like that was with God of War, simply because that game is god damn epic and I just wanted to keep playing over and over. I managed to complete all of the challenges God mode and got all the way to the 3rd and final stage of Ares on GM until I just gave up. that guy cheats like a bastard!

with PC games and all of those ridiculous "achievements," well, I never pay attention to any of that. It does nothing, and I don't understand the point.

 

[marlinman]

I wish I could appreciate your legendarity zinfamous but I know nothing about the games of which you speak 😛

Let's hear some more bragging then people! I'm about 150 hours into a 100% diff Oblivion game having died once (thanks to a frost spell cast by a Lich I summoned. D'oh!). The two rats at the start of the game are the biggest challenge ;-)

 

[WhipperSnapper]

The real challenge with any game is online multiplayer against human opponents.

 

[Sulaco]

The real challenge with any game is online multiplayer against human opponents.

Yes, for all those awesome multiplayer adversarial KotOR and Mass Effect matches...

-.-

 

[marlinman]

I dunno WhipperSnapper... I found the Sins AI on one particular small map to be almost utterly unbeatable...

 

[shortylickens]

I know what the OP is talking about and they dont exist anymore. Since most modern games have assloads of built in Achievements people have stopped keeping track of their own.

Also, I can beat KOTOR 2 on Difficult without dying. Key is good use of stims and shields. Mandalorian Power shields in particular can save you a lot of headaches. Also, make all your human allies into Jedi ASAP, and give them buffing powers. Pick feats that keep them alive longer so they can help you longer, also Empathy cuz in KOTOR 2 people can heal each other. Always put max skill points into Treat Injury because its rare you have allies use their skills anyway, except T3.

 

[AstroManLuca]

I think the best idea to do what you're looking for is to find a message board as tightly focused on a particular game as possible, and it has to have an active community.

Some years ago I got really into Diablo 2, but instead of online I was doing it single player. I had my usual characters but I also had a few that had to find all their own gear. Now that's a challenge - try beating hell mode solo the whole way without taking ANY gear found by other characters. Or playing an unconventional build.

I once took on a community challenge to do a melee Sorceress. Someone donated an endgame weapon and I used other gear I had found to make it almost all the way through the game.

Basically, an active community of enthusiasts for a particular game can give you some great ideas for how to play the game in new and interesting (and challenging) ways. The problem is it's not so easy to find. I'm not sure of a KOTOR-focused board even exists, or even if it did, if it's still active after all this time. I mean, there are only so many ways you can play KOTOR. You'd have better luck with games that are pretty new, like the Mass Effect or newer Fallout games, or with ones that have stood the test of time, like Diablo.

Thing is, older games were actually really short, but newer games will take about the same amount of time no matter who's playing. You can complete a Mario game in well under an hour if you know exactly what to do, but it's impossible to complete games like Call of Duty or Mass Effect in less than several hours. There are cutscenes, scripted sequences, and no real shortcuts. So the speedrun community probably won't be interested in newer games.

 

[marlinman]

Also, I can beat KOTOR 2 on Difficult without dying. Key is good use of stims and shields. Mandalorian Power shields in particular can save you a lot of headaches. Also, make all your human allies into Jedi ASAP, and give them buffing powers. Pick feats that keep them alive longer so they can help you longer, also Empathy cuz in KOTOR 2 people can heal each other. Always put max skill points into Treat Injury because its rare you have allies use their skills anyway, except T3.

I took a different route, building a buffing/healing consular: maxed WIS and CHA, minimed INT and CON(!), only skill point I got each lev went to persuade(!), maxed out toughness, maxed out lightside points, scored all the lightside defensive powers and used lightning extensively. Assumed hardest fights would see me going it alone, and built accordingly (this strategy fell apart a wee bit on Nar Shaddaa when you must go it alone with a party member, not the Exile).

Agreed - stims and shields essential. So (for me) was controlling all party members directly.

Am "currently" replaying with TSLRCM (restored content mod) and am at Telos' pole. No changes I've noticed yet =( . Did die tho' in the Quarren's lair on Citadel hmph...

 

[CPA]

I know CivFanatics has many threads in their forums about winning on certain maps/levels like Fractal Map/Diety, etc.

 

[shortylickens]

I took a different route, building a buffing/healing consular: maxed WIS and CHA, minimed INT and CON(!), only skill point I got each lev went to persuade(!), maxed out toughness, maxed out lightside points, scored all the lightside defensive powers and used lightning extensively. Assumed hardest fights would see me going it alone, and built accordingly (this strategy fell apart a wee bit on Nar Shaddaa when you must go it alone with a party member, not the Exile).

Agreed - stims and shields essential. So (for me) was controlling all party members directly.

Am "currently" replaying with TSLRCM (restored content mod) and am at Telos' pole. No changes I've noticed yet =( . Did die tho' in the Quarren's lair on Citadel hmph...

For me the toughest part of the game is when you first get control of Mira and she's gotta go to head to head with Hanharr. I usually try to have some good armor with the best mods ready for her. If she can gain enough levels you can give her Heavy Armor and equip something powerful with high levels of slashing/blunt/pierce resistance and Hanharr isnt so tough any more.
BUT, you dont wanna give her excessive levels right off the bat either. You can make her a Jedi as soon as she's in your party and those extra levels can get her a buttload of Force powers. Also you can save the levels and use them as a quick way to heal instead of stims. But at base level she risks getting killed in one hit. Oh, and have some upgraded melee weapons ready for her too. And save those immunity and immortality belts for her if you have them already. If you have a thermal shield belt try using buttloads of Plasma grenades or rockets.

The spots at Malachor end-game when you have to run around solo arent so bad cuz your people are tougher and most have become Jedi.

 

[mirandu04]

for me single player games don't present any challenge. i mean after you figure out the AI all becomes very easy

 

[Via]

I think the best idea to do what you're looking for is to find a message board as tightly focused on a particular game as possible, and it has to have an active community.

I agree. For ex. - World of Gothic has a hardcore thread on their forums.