An "ethical" question for console RPG'ers...

[Leaper]

Here is my dilemma:

I am a completist. I love getting all the major things you can get out of a console RPG, such as hidden areas, hidden characters, and neat extras. I love that sense of accomplishment.

I am also independent. I prefer to use hint books and FAQs as little as possible, so I can discover as much of this stuff as I can on my own.

My solution so far has been to play through with as little outside help as possible, finish the game that way, then read up on all the stuff I missed. I would use my last save file (or rarely, restart the game) to at least see all that I missed.

That has worked fine. Until .hack.

This game is in four parts, sold separately and released one after the other; the final chapter isn't even available in Japan yet (whatever you think of this marketing scheme, BTW, is another thread, please). Everything you have in one carries over to the next through any savegame file that is from after the end boss of that particular part.

My dilemma: given my two preferences above, what should be the contents of the save file I import to part two of .hack? Should I just have the stuff I got on my own, knowing that I would have to play FOUR games to end up with all the extras in part 4? Or should I have all the stuff I can get out of each part (having first gotten to the end on my own), knowing that I used FAQs and such to get them?

Thanks for your thoughts!

[Fern Forest]

I'm planning on only taking what I win with my own effort. Then 2 or 3 years from now when I pick it up again I'll fire up gamefaqs and make some effort to get everything.

So that's my advice, unless you'll only be playing it once. Delay the gratification you may get, but you'll getit eventually.



I thought this was going to be about the ehtics of being immoral within the game. FF Tactics keeps trying to make me feel guilty when I cut people from my party. I hate that.

[ProjectOmega]

Go ahead and use the FAQ version. That's what I would do. If all the items are there for the taking (ie, no cheating/exploiting/save game hacking), then it's not going to upset the game balance tremendously and ruin the other parts.

[Geshtal]

I thought this was going to be about the ehtics of being immoral within the game. FF Tactics keeps trying to make me feel guilty when I cut people from my party. I hate that.

I hated that too. So, just to show the game who's boss, I'd never cut someone from the party. Ever. Just strip them of equipment, send them into battle, and beat them to death with my own troops for the experience points. Then, just to add insult to injury, I'd go out of my way to invite enemy soldiers and then pull the same stunt on them.

...I think I've played too much FFT. :D

[New & Improved Scott]

Osiris, FF Tactics is funny that way, because even the animals try to guilt you. I usually react like "I have just slaughtered the entire pack of chocobos you attacked me with! Be happy I'm even letting you live, Chocobo!"

But by damn is that not a great game.

[Leaper]

Heh, it is, it is! Man, it's been years since I've played it...

BTW, one of the "tricky" things about .hack is this: you can warp to various "worlds" by combining three lists of ten to fifteen keywords in various ways. In one subquest, you are supposed to find the best world to complete a dungeon in a certain amount of time, given the first keyword. Now, I could go through every single combination of the other two keywords, trying each one 'til I found an ideal. OR I could just look at a damn FAQ and find out what other folks thought was an ideal. Given that the existence of this subquest is given to the player flat out, this falls on the borderline of my "ethical" policies on RPGs...

[greatZebu]

You might want to stay away from starting later installments with saves in you have all the items, skills or whatever, not so much for ethics or fairness reasons as because the later parts will probably be way too easy with all the overpowered hidden stuff from the first part. The later parts might not be very challenging or fun if you already have a ton of great items. Of course, I've never played this particular game, so I'm not sure this would be an issue.