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

[SageRuffin]

Anyone who's versed well-enough in martial arts and the movies that feature them knows where that phrase came from, who said it, and what it means.[footnote]And for those of you who either don't know those details or don't follow martial arts that much, it's one of the more memorable lines from the movie "Enter the Dragon", said by Bruce Lee himself.[/footnote]

But some (some, not all) gamers of the current generation seem to think otherwise. To these select few, they believe that the only way to go about a situation is through a premeditated strategies, advanced planning, and the sort. There's absolutely nothing wrong with that, of course, but seldom does a plan actually play out according to, uh... plan. To them, the only way to play a game is to pause the action on screen to get a better layout of the battlefield and thus, formulate a strategy accordingly. To them, to observe, to "feel" the combat and react accordingly with no breaks seems "unfocused", "twitchy", and nigh devoid in intelligence, which I disagree with.

I made a topic a few months ago that briefly touched on this (that you can read here [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/9.274582-The-Last-Action-Gamer-Dragon-Age-2-related-first-post-edited], if any of you feel so inclined), but in between some poor wording and bad timing the message was lost. So here's my question to you all: what are your own thoughts on pause-and-play gameplay versus reflex-heavy gameplay? Give your own experiences and situations, if you can.

And no, this has nothing to do with DA2. ¬__¬

 

[Jedoro]

Both have their place. I'll pause the shit out of the game if I'm controlling more than one character, because I can't think and plan for multiple people. But if it's just my character that I control, I keep things moving.

 

[Mr. Google]

I usually only play games that are observe and react. If you try and plan in a shooter game at all youre screwed. In Halo Wars (Yeah i still play it dont judge me) I still sort of have my plan but i make it so im easily adaptive at all times. Just so i dont get screwed over.

 

[Woodsey]

... I could have sworn Yoda or Obi-Wan said that.

 

[DEAD34345]

I chose Pause-And-Play because my favourite games tend to be this style, but I don't think there's anything wrong with either. If every game was Pause-And-Play I'd be sick of it, just like if every game was an FPS, or a hack&slash RPG, or pretty much anything. Variety is great, and I don't think it's possible to say one style is inherently superior.

 

[SageRuffin]

... I could have sworn Yoda or Obi-Wan said that.

Well, I recognize it from the movie Enter the Dragon (which I believe is around the same age), but it still applies so it's all good.

 

[varulfic]

What, you mean in like action games? No, I don't pause in those... would feel kinda pointless unless you could look around while paused like in Mass Effect for example. Though I do like games that implent pausing and strategizing like Dragon Age.

 

[Nerdstar]

what i do is start of with at least a basic strategy/plan, with a few (granted not a hundred maybe 2 or 3 at most) derivatives in case of a problem, but i also have enough common sense to observe my surroundings and know when to alter my plans on the fly, when they don't fit in.

basically i start of with a vague plan and then go from there adapting as the situation calls for it a combination of the two so to speak.

one example(i may have misunderstood what OP wants so bear with me if I'm not doing it right) is TF2, i love tf2 and one of my fav classes to play is the spy, now when the round begins i generally have a plan to get into the base, and once that's taken care of i mostly follow the plan until every thing goes tits up (such as when I'm discovered) and then make it up as i go, do i continue killing them until they kill me, do i focus on wrecking there engis shit, do i go after specific targets such as a pretty decent sniper or a particularly bothersome heavy? basically one plan A is taken care of i "Don't think... i feel."

 

[hazabaza1]

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

 

[MasterOfWorlds]

I do both. I go in with a plan, a backup plan, and a plan in case the backup doesn't work, and adapt each plan according to how the game goes. It's not even really that you need to "feel" the action, it's all about adaptability. If you rely exclusively on one or the other, you might do well for a while, but you'll start falling into the same routine, and if you play against the same people, they'll figure you out.

My friend for example. He's a better FPS shooter than me when it comes to putting down other players. I'm better at strategic thinking and whatnot. We played together, 1v1, and I whipped his ass in all three and a half matches we played (he ragequit the fourth) this was because 1) We've been friends for a while, and I know his style and 2) I'm just more adaptable than him.

He never changes his strategy. He thought that just because I prefer to snipe people, that I'm incapable of doing much else. He was wrong. I'm almost as good as close to medium range combat as I am at sniping. He is really a better player than me, but he's going to lose against me every time because he just doesn't change things up.

 

[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.

 

[GrimHeaper]

"Enjoy the moment"-TWEWY is another saying that conveys the same thing.

 

[Summerstorm]

Like most people here:

I tend to go into the game and do my thing. I am playing very seldom to "maximum efficiency", and much more intuitive.

That said: i do my calculations andprojections too, though. But my gaming experience is GREATLY enhanced if i don't stop and think too much but if i go in and let my emotions flow *g*.

 

[standokan]

I plan w/out pausing, because pausing would be cheating which would imply that I can´t handle the game, I won´t let the game think that it´s better then me, I´m superior.

 

[eggmiester]

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

'sobs' not at all my friend... 'pulls into hug' ...not at all...

 

[Valiance]

I like them both. Generally speaking, I find that the higher skill-cap games do not allow you to pause and play, but are real time with split-second decision-making that can make or break your success or failure. I find them to give me more of a rush, excitement, enjoyment, I get a visceral sense of satisfaction when I land a difficult, quick shot in a Quake duel or fool my opponent with a bait-and-switch and then end up destroying his miners while his main force is out of position in a Starcraft 1v1 than I get in a week-long campaign in Civ 4 or MoO 2. I love those games as well, and having the overarching strategy that you can think and focus on is nice, but when it comes down to practicality, I think I prefer quick reaction games that aren't necessarily twitch-based, but skill/talent/practice-based.

Most games have room for both, though. Like perhaps I can pause and think and plan about an optimal route I'm going to take in a SSX Tricky showoff mode level, but to actually execute my plan might take precise timing and things might not go perfectly or as I expected and I might still need to adapt on the fly. I find those enjoyable.

 

[F'Angus]

I tend to do both.

 

[SageRuffin]

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?