What A Strange Direction
July 7, 2012 3:40 AM Subscribe
My partner is new to gaming that isn't point-and-click adventure style. I am looking for games with a very gentle learning curve that might get her more familiar with WASD movement, particularly in 3d. Portal 1 and Quantum Conundrum have proved to be a little too unforgiving too early on with jumping requirements. Any suggestions?
Response by poster: Thanks Mikey-San. I actualy own that via steam, except it turns out she's already finished Myst so there's no incentive for her to continue.
posted by Sparx at 4:39 AM on July 7, 2012
posted by Sparx at 4:39 AM on July 7, 2012
Best answer: Since it sounds like your partner is female, I assume color-blindness and/or tone-deafness isn't an issue? (If it is, avoid the Myst franchise - they're fun games, but not for certain people.)
It probably depends on what kinds of game she leans towards, and what platforms you have available.
World of Warcraft actually has a surprisingly well done intro. If she's at all susceptible to being in a skinner box, she might like it.
posted by krisak at 4:45 AM on July 7, 2012
It probably depends on what kinds of game she leans towards, and what platforms you have available.
World of Warcraft actually has a surprisingly well done intro. If she's at all susceptible to being in a skinner box, she might like it.
posted by krisak at 4:45 AM on July 7, 2012
Dreamfall (gameplay video) did that for me a couple of years ago. It's the sequel to the awesome point-and-click-adventure The Longest Journey. It's still mostly an adventure game with some very minor (and annoying) combat and stealth parts.
I don't think I was ready for Portal afterwards but I was much more comfortable with WASD.
posted by pishposh at 4:57 AM on July 7, 2012 [1 favorite]
I don't think I was ready for Portal afterwards but I was much more comfortable with WASD.
posted by pishposh at 4:57 AM on July 7, 2012 [1 favorite]
What kind of stories/games excite her? Sometimes the learning curve can be pushed through by sheer awesomeness of the game itself.
Mass Effect has this..erm...effect on me.
posted by Calicatt at 4:57 AM on July 7, 2012 [1 favorite]
Mass Effect has this..erm...effect on me.
posted by Calicatt at 4:57 AM on July 7, 2012 [1 favorite]
One thing worth considering, is whether you're looking for realtime or turn based games. The Eye of the Beholder games were very WASD oriented, but turn based. (Well, maybe WASD is an overstatement - they existed in that plane.)
posted by krisak at 5:12 AM on July 7, 2012
posted by krisak at 5:12 AM on July 7, 2012
Although fairly demanding in the eye/hand coordination run and jump department, Mirrors Edge is a good training ground, good for adrenaline rush, limited optional combat, has a female protaginist and is cheap on Steam.
posted by arzakh at 5:19 AM on July 7, 2012
posted by arzakh at 5:19 AM on July 7, 2012
Lone Survivor uses a simple control scheme. It's really unnerving though, and I don't know if your partner likes that. It's not everyone's cup of tea. There's not a lot of jumping, but there is a lot of hiding.
posted by dortmunder at 5:22 AM on July 7, 2012
posted by dortmunder at 5:22 AM on July 7, 2012
Best answer: DeathSpank is a light, funny rpg with very forgiving gameplay, especially on easy mode. There's also several sequels. Psychonauts is a bit more difficult, but has actual 3d and a full range of motion.
DeathSpank and Psychonauts were created by Ron Gilbert and Tim Schafer, respectively, who worked together on the Monkey Island adventure games. So if your partner enjoyed those, especially the writing/humour, they might appeal.
posted by Georgina at 5:27 AM on July 7, 2012
DeathSpank and Psychonauts were created by Ron Gilbert and Tim Schafer, respectively, who worked together on the Monkey Island adventure games. So if your partner enjoyed those, especially the writing/humour, they might appeal.
posted by Georgina at 5:27 AM on July 7, 2012
Best answer: If you're looking just to learn WASD movement, you might consider a F2P MMORPG like Lord of the Rings Online. WASD to move, click to attack. Plus I can testify that LOTRO is full of really helpful people who type in full sentences.
posted by specialagentwebb at 5:38 AM on July 7, 2012 [1 favorite]
posted by specialagentwebb at 5:38 AM on July 7, 2012 [1 favorite]
Skyrim? Keeps the adventure content, but the movement certainly isn't challenging, at least not early in the game.
posted by supercres at 6:04 AM on July 7, 2012
posted by supercres at 6:04 AM on July 7, 2012
I agree with krisak: World of Warcraft would be an excellent intro for her. The starting areas are easy to navigate. The free demo allows gameplay up until level 20, which would be enough time for her to get comfortable with WASD controls.
posted by semaphore at 7:07 AM on July 7, 2012
posted by semaphore at 7:07 AM on July 7, 2012
(Just a note, apologies on starting the trend. It seems like we're assuming gender, and that's not necessarily a good or correct thing.)
posted by krisak at 8:00 AM on July 7, 2012
posted by krisak at 8:00 AM on July 7, 2012
krisak, the OP refers to their partner as "her", so I think we can roll with the female identifer.
Has she looked at minecraft, especially on creative mode there is little pressure in terms of time or lives and will build her wasd skills. Minecraft has a free version (I can't speak to the quality as I have paid version at $15 or $20).
posted by saucysault at 8:37 AM on July 7, 2012
Has she looked at minecraft, especially on creative mode there is little pressure in terms of time or lives and will build her wasd skills. Minecraft has a free version (I can't speak to the quality as I have paid version at $15 or $20).
posted by saucysault at 8:37 AM on July 7, 2012
At the risk of turning this into a discussion thread....
semaphore is correct. I assumed, then unassumed, then didn't read, then... Meh...
So to steer this back to the original question - one thing to consider might be the use of colors. If the poster is color deficient he might not see how it makes a difference. But a woman who has full range might see different mood changes based on the color of the game world.
I keep harping on the color issue. But next to game play it's what my GF looks for in a game. Does she want to spend time looking at the world in question?
posted by krisak at 8:42 AM on July 7, 2012
semaphore is correct. I assumed, then unassumed, then didn't read, then... Meh...
So to steer this back to the original question - one thing to consider might be the use of colors. If the poster is color deficient he might not see how it makes a difference. But a woman who has full range might see different mood changes based on the color of the game world.
I keep harping on the color issue. But next to game play it's what my GF looks for in a game. Does she want to spend time looking at the world in question?
posted by krisak at 8:42 AM on July 7, 2012
One area we've not touched on is console gaming. Xbox, Wii, PS3? If any of those consoles are available, there are a lot of games that can engage her interest and teach her spatial controls.
posted by krisak at 9:39 AM on July 7, 2012
posted by krisak at 9:39 AM on July 7, 2012
For xBox, the Halo games have a good introduction. You can't exit the first area until you've at least understood the WASD movement paradigm.
posted by krisak at 9:51 AM on July 7, 2012
posted by krisak at 9:51 AM on July 7, 2012
The original Half-Life has basic movement training that's required at least once right after the player is suited up in the HEV, Hazardous Environment Suit, something that happens after an 8-minute tram ride through the facility (where the player can move about a tram, but do nothing else except enjoy the world-building eye-candy outside) and also after a few minutes of walking around level 1, meeting and annoying coworkers, blowing up microwaves, etc. the player gets 15 minutes to learn and use the real basics, followed by a quick (repeatable as necessary) crash course in movement, jumping, long-jumping (for far later in the game), moving through tight spaces, swimming, basic combat.
After that point, the player causes the event which in turn causes every event from there on out to be quite hazardous.
posted by Sunburnt at 10:17 AM on July 7, 2012
After that point, the player causes the event which in turn causes every event from there on out to be quite hazardous.
posted by Sunburnt at 10:17 AM on July 7, 2012
Something like a Fallout 3/New Vegas might work. The games are definitely more action-oriented, but there's a lot of exploration and RPG elements as well, and you can usually pick your battles. If you so desire, you can spend hours in the game without having to worry about combat very often. The actual walking around bits are pretty basic and won't cause any trouble unless you happen to be confronted by an angry mob or some crazy pack of monsters (at which point your partner could get overwhelmed by the added pressure or trying to stay alive). Even when that happens, the VATS system can often help you in getting out of sticky situations without requiring precise timing or movement. There are probably mods and such you can use to drop the difficulty further, if getting interrupted by combat is something you'd rather avoid (you can take a stealthier, long-range approach to combat in many cases to relieve the pressure on moving around quickly and adeptly, but not always). I haven't played as much of Skyrim so I can't comment on its difficulty, but at first glance it seems to me that game would also work if you decide to go down the open-world RPG route.
In an entirely different genre, Orcs Must Die! is a third-person tower defense game where you walk around a castle setting up traps, and then also shooting the stream of orcs that try to invade. With careful trap setup, you can pretty much avoid any strenuous platforming, and the levels are pretty small so navigating them is usually easy. Similarly, Sanctum is a first-person tower defense/shooty game in a similar mold, but with a different aesthetic (it's straightforward sci-fi, as opposed to Orcs Must Die!'s cartoonish medieval fantasy look). During the setup phase in both games, you can walk and jump around all you like without having to worry about getting killed, which can help the acclimation process.
One suggestion posted previously I would actually warn against: Mirror's Edge. Sure, there's not that much combat, but if you're not used to WASD-style controls you will hate your life playing this game; it essentially requires the precision and accuracy of movement that your partner doesn't yet have, and the limited combat is often unavoidable unless you are extremely nimble and fast-thinking. I love that game, but I had to drop it down to easy and play it on PC instead of PS3 to finish it, and I've played shooters for 15 years. I would absolutely not throw a beginner at that game unless they're a very fast learner or a masochist.
posted by chrominance at 10:24 AM on July 7, 2012
In an entirely different genre, Orcs Must Die! is a third-person tower defense game where you walk around a castle setting up traps, and then also shooting the stream of orcs that try to invade. With careful trap setup, you can pretty much avoid any strenuous platforming, and the levels are pretty small so navigating them is usually easy. Similarly, Sanctum is a first-person tower defense/shooty game in a similar mold, but with a different aesthetic (it's straightforward sci-fi, as opposed to Orcs Must Die!'s cartoonish medieval fantasy look). During the setup phase in both games, you can walk and jump around all you like without having to worry about getting killed, which can help the acclimation process.
One suggestion posted previously I would actually warn against: Mirror's Edge. Sure, there's not that much combat, but if you're not used to WASD-style controls you will hate your life playing this game; it essentially requires the precision and accuracy of movement that your partner doesn't yet have, and the limited combat is often unavoidable unless you are extremely nimble and fast-thinking. I love that game, but I had to drop it down to easy and play it on PC instead of PS3 to finish it, and I've played shooters for 15 years. I would absolutely not throw a beginner at that game unless they're a very fast learner or a masochist.
posted by chrominance at 10:24 AM on July 7, 2012
Best answer: As someone who did not really play games (just watched) for a very long time and slowly moved to playing just about anything over many years, I don't think she needs easier games. I also had problems jumping. I tended to get stuck at a point where I tried to do something like jump and would try 3-4 times and fail miserably, then helpful guy/gal gave me tips, I tried a few more times and then he/she did it for me. This actually made me feel dumb and less interested. On my own I would have tried that damn jump 100+ times and then got it and felt good and have learned something, but with him/her watching and thinking I sucked and would not ever get it and needed help after just a few fails I sort of gave up enjoying the whole game on the spot because I felt inadequate and would only play again if he/she bugged me to.
I think you might need to change your behavior and not react or step in when she fails and stop micromanaging her games. She might even have fallen into a pattern where she has stopped really trying anything when it gets hard, maybe because she doesn't like failing at all and/or your reaction to it. It could help to watch you play something really hard and see you fail a ton (that Dark something game is supposed to be brutally hard). Also avoid excessive praise at small milestones, its insulting. I would emphasize practice as that is what most women lack (and gamers have been practicing all their lives so find it all so much easier), and if you are not 100% confident that she can be every bit as good a gamer as you if she tried then you are doing it wrong and will fail. With confidence and practice even the worst female gamer can go from being barely able to play wow to leading a competitive raiding guild.
posted by meepmeow at 11:09 AM on July 7, 2012 [3 favorites]
I think you might need to change your behavior and not react or step in when she fails and stop micromanaging her games. She might even have fallen into a pattern where she has stopped really trying anything when it gets hard, maybe because she doesn't like failing at all and/or your reaction to it. It could help to watch you play something really hard and see you fail a ton (that Dark something game is supposed to be brutally hard). Also avoid excessive praise at small milestones, its insulting. I would emphasize practice as that is what most women lack (and gamers have been practicing all their lives so find it all so much easier), and if you are not 100% confident that she can be every bit as good a gamer as you if she tried then you are doing it wrong and will fail. With confidence and practice even the worst female gamer can go from being barely able to play wow to leading a competitive raiding guild.
posted by meepmeow at 11:09 AM on July 7, 2012 [3 favorites]
I remember very distinctly learning to use WASD-with-mouse controls for the first time. It was a horrible experience, and I think most people don't really understand how difficult it can be all because all those reflexes are completely absent. It's like if you gave a person a keyboard for the first time and told them to type as you dictate - it takes times to find the right keys until you're familiar with the layout.
I recommend focusing on games that are: slow paced with few precision-related actions, but still full of stuff to do and interact with. World of Warcraft is a really good suggestion because there's different ways to move your character - not just WASD - and the tutorial system is incredibly detailed.
Alternatively... have you looked at getting a gamepad for the computer? Analog sticks are a million times more friendly to users than WASD keys on a keyboard, especially with modern games almost universally made for console controls first and PC controls a distant second.
(The game I learned on was Deus Ex, and it took a few hours for me to get through the first mission. However, if someone had been watching me try to learn, I would have given up in the first 10 minutes, so I think meepmeow may have a point about making sure you aren't affecting the outcome.)
posted by subject_verb_remainder at 2:42 PM on July 7, 2012
I recommend focusing on games that are: slow paced with few precision-related actions, but still full of stuff to do and interact with. World of Warcraft is a really good suggestion because there's different ways to move your character - not just WASD - and the tutorial system is incredibly detailed.
Alternatively... have you looked at getting a gamepad for the computer? Analog sticks are a million times more friendly to users than WASD keys on a keyboard, especially with modern games almost universally made for console controls first and PC controls a distant second.
(The game I learned on was Deus Ex, and it took a few hours for me to get through the first mission. However, if someone had been watching me try to learn, I would have given up in the first 10 minutes, so I think meepmeow may have a point about making sure you aren't affecting the outcome.)
posted by subject_verb_remainder at 2:42 PM on July 7, 2012
Response by poster: Good points on the 'not bring over helpful' front. I have been trying using puzzle heavy games and i am pretty good about not providing hints until she the frustration levels get too high (we play a lot of room escape games in competition, so this is standard for us) but I'll definately watch for that with new game types.
posted by Sparx at 2:58 PM on July 7, 2012
posted by Sparx at 2:58 PM on July 7, 2012
Were you "helping" her with Portal? My first experience with Portal involved a friend over my shoulder going "do this! now do that!" and it was AWFUL. A few years later I decided to try it again - along - and loved it.
posted by Lt. Bunny Wigglesworth at 3:12 PM on July 7, 2012
posted by Lt. Bunny Wigglesworth at 3:12 PM on July 7, 2012
*alone!
posted by Lt. Bunny Wigglesworth at 3:13 PM on July 7, 2012
posted by Lt. Bunny Wigglesworth at 3:13 PM on July 7, 2012
Response by poster: Lt Bunny Wigglesworth - nope, not in that way. We have a pretty good scheme for determining if the person really needs help solving a puzzle which involves gradual hints until the person puts two and two together themselves. We race each other to escape in room escape games (tesshi-e and robamimi styles) and asking for a hint is admission of defeat so it's not given lightly.
However, I can see the wisdom in not even being present, at least for stretches, as it's additional pressure if the control scheme is part of the difficulty- which is one reason why I'm looking for suggestions to find a game that might click so she wants to play by herself. If that works, revisiting Portal becomes an option and I'll definitely be as hands off as possible that way.
Also, I don't step in to just 'do this bit'. That would defeat the point (plus I see her kids do that, the girls passing on the harder bits and it annoys me no end. I've passed on some easier games for the youngest girl to build her confidence up, but she's more comfortable with the controls than her mum).
posted by Sparx at 3:48 PM on July 7, 2012
However, I can see the wisdom in not even being present, at least for stretches, as it's additional pressure if the control scheme is part of the difficulty- which is one reason why I'm looking for suggestions to find a game that might click so she wants to play by herself. If that works, revisiting Portal becomes an option and I'll definitely be as hands off as possible that way.
Also, I don't step in to just 'do this bit'. That would defeat the point (plus I see her kids do that, the girls passing on the harder bits and it annoys me no end. I've passed on some easier games for the youngest girl to build her confidence up, but she's more comfortable with the controls than her mum).
posted by Sparx at 3:48 PM on July 7, 2012
I haven't finished it yet but it seems that Portal 2 has less jumping if you play it in newb mode (or whatever Valve calls it). Or at least it auto aims for you so you really have to flail around to miss. The various Mass Effects don't even have a jump mechanic until ME3, so that's an idea. The Adventures of Shuggy would be a good way to get better at jumping because its part of the mechanics of the game (not in a SuperMario way either). Each level is a mini puzzle and if you miss your jump somehow, you just start the level over. Really, the levels are very short, maybe 5 min if you do badly.
posted by fiercekitten at 3:52 PM on July 7, 2012
posted by fiercekitten at 3:52 PM on July 7, 2012
Dungeon Defenders is a fairly casual tower defense game combined with RPG elements and fun graphics that is cheap and fun for a month or two. It's on Steam. IIRC it uses mouselook, but it's still good for learning this type of movement in 3D space. There's lots of jumping that isn't required but makes it way more fun to play. (Learning you can leap over the side of this bridge to hit the crystal you're defending, that kind of thing.) Falling and "dying" is very forgiving but not without penalty. It's single or multiplayer and has multiple modes and challenges--assault, FPS style, dungeon defense, and a few challenges aimed at dealing with specific situations. You can win costumes for your characters, and you can play LAN or ladder. It's got a puzzle aspect that's fun to work out--you can win with many combinations of defenses, characters, and you can play more than one character per defense round.
(I'm a female, and I enjoyed this game, but that doesn't really mean anything because I've been playing video games since way before Half-Life clans were a thing.)
I'm not sure I'd recommend Minecraft. I enjoy it but it has a weirdish aesthetic and adventure mode isn't really guided in any kind of traditional sense.
posted by xyzzy at 4:09 AM on July 8, 2012
(I'm a female, and I enjoyed this game, but that doesn't really mean anything because I've been playing video games since way before Half-Life clans were a thing.)
I'm not sure I'd recommend Minecraft. I enjoy it but it has a weirdish aesthetic and adventure mode isn't really guided in any kind of traditional sense.
posted by xyzzy at 4:09 AM on July 8, 2012
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by secret about box at 3:52 AM on July 7, 2012