Guides and how they affect you

[Sobend]

When we all first joined we went into Runescape with a clear head. We didn't have very many preconceived notions on what the game was going to be like. When we went into a new town, we had no idea what was ahead. And often when we attacked a monster we had no idea what was going to go down. There was a great sense of adventure. Now of course this is different. We use guides for everything, and while this helps us be successful players, it loses our sense of independence and freedom. We have preconceived notions of pretty much every town we go into or every boss we fight. We know exactly what to expect.

 

First off, does this irk you a little? Are you upset that you cannot experience the game it may have meant to be? Second, if you are somewhat upset, what do you do to try to bring back adventure into a game largely built around adventure?

 

Edit; Changed the title to make it seem less dramatic and misleading.

Edited January 14, 2014 by Sobend

[Mohorak]

I usually at least read the item requirements for a quest before starting it, because I hate running back and forth to the bank and G.E. for random items. Other than that, I don't really read the guides. For divination, I just dove into it without researching, so I still have moments of personal discovery. Likewise, I didn't wait for a guide for Bird vs. Beast or even Dungeoneering when they came out. The most I'll do is look up items or areas on the unofficial wiki.

[Shooter585]

You're probably over-dramatizing it. A lot of people like to see it as an achievements based game, ie 99 in a certain skill. I think if you have this mentality you're more likely to use guides. I try to view it as an adventure-based game, so I avoid using guides unless I'm stuck (or I am updating them). I think Runescape is meant to be an adventure game, which is why your character is frequently referred to as an adventurer in the early quests (this seems to be less common in new quests). Problem with this mindset is that you quickly run out of adventure unless you play in short intervals like I do.

 

Even if you are using a guide you still get some sense of adventure. I did some difficult quests as a lower leveled player on 07 this past Summer and even though I had already done them and had a general gist of what was going to happen it was still entertaining.

[Sobend]

The title is an over dramatization but the topic is not.

 

There are more ways to get adventure other than doing quests too. Bosses and minigames for example. I don't think that running out of adventure is super easy to do.

Edited January 13, 2014 by Sobend

[Army of One]

Nowadays, I try new quests without the guides. I only used one for the World Wakes sliding puzzle thingy and the Birthright of the Dwarves boss fight I believe in the entire of 2013. I also did A Clockwork Syringe without a guide, and that was perhaps the most hilarious experience I've ever had. Fear the Baron Von Hattenkrapper!

Edited January 14, 2014 by Army of One

[Amber Pyre]

I try to do quests without guides if I can figure it out, but normally I'm definitely going to look at something to at least see what I need.

And then if you get that one really confusing part (dang Ernest the Chicken), then I'll definitely go and consult a guide. Otherwise, I'll do that stuff on my own.