Video game lessons learned the hard way

Crusader Kings: Excommunication can take the most loyal family and make them say, "Forget you, I'm out!" Even if they're the ones you were trying to save when you made the decision that got you excommed to begin with.

League Of Legends:

Turrets hate you and wish for your death. Make sure you have minions to be your meat-shields and don't get too far ahead.
See three champs at once and you're alone? Run. Run like your life depends on it. You will not win.
Always be wary, even when your enemies are at low health. Even bots are crafty enough to lure you into turret fire when they feel so inclined.

edited 17th Jul '12 4:18:14 PM by Phoenixor

Medieval Total War 2:

The French are bastards. Focus all your efforts into exterminating the French, even if it is to the detriment of anything else. Even if the Pope personally asks you to stop. Do not listen to a word they say, exterminate all their prisoners, and give them no quarter.*

edited 17th Jul '12 8:16:19 PM by CPFMfan

An addendum to the above: Play AS the French, and you won't have those problems. Instead, you'll be the CAUSE of said problems. Especially if you get your butt in gear and absorb all the rebel territories in your starting ground that you can. ESPECIALLY the ones next to Iberia. Two castles next to each other with a third right to the north, a perfect staging ground for smashing into other countries, don't you think?

edited 18th Jul '12 7:50:37 AM by Journeyman

Red Dead Redemption:

• You won't find much cover during most bounty hunts. Accept this and go in with Dead Eye filled, so you can kill everyone as fast as possible.
• When stopping a domestic abuser, punch him to get his attention. Shooting him while he's still attacking his victim will kill them both.
• Aim for their knees before you take out the lasso. Bullets add up fast.
• Horses can make decent cover, but if you plan on going bounty hunting and bringing your prey in alive, it's best to find something more solid. Horses are more fragile than they look, and it's a long walk back to Armadillo.
• You can survive longer falls on foot than you can on horseback.
• No matter how good you are at poker in real life, you're going to suck at it here. Get used to Save Scumming.

Mass Effect 3 Multiplayer: The N7 Destroyer is tougher than average, but he isn't a krogan.

Deus Ex Human Revolution does not care how many mercenaries and gang bangers you kill; the Detroit Police Department will still wreck your shit.

Live A Live:

• O-Robo is lost for good if you fall down a pit. This is why there are pits everywhere near where he is recruited. Watch your step.
• If you're just going to spam Abisegeri and Tsuda anyway, there's no point in getting yourself killed trying to learn Great Asia's moves.
• Don't close in on Max Morgan.
• You don't get a chance to equip Bel before the boss fight in Pogo's chapter. Don't waste time trying to make a Wild Bag if you didn't have one on her before the firepit.
• Moving someone diagonal of any Odio incarnation = Press X to Die.

Prototype 2: You can't keep your health up just by killing enemies anymore; consuming mid-battle is important.

edited 25th Jul '12 1:00:59 PM by ABNDT

Blood and Steel: After you take a territory, keep on the move and let the enemies retake it a few times. Unless you want to destabilize the region, you won't get anywhere defending your land while there's still strong enemies around.

Super Street Fighter 4 Arcade Edition: Never underestimate an opponents desire to use light normal moves as pokes. Or to remove you from a lobby.

edited 25th Jul '12 3:18:44 PM by HellmanSabian

From the Halo series, I learned that your favourite weapon combination is not always the most effective one.

Fallout New Vegas: When the NP Cs tell you to stay on the road, you stay on the road. Diverting from the road will result in you running into Deathclaws long before you are ready.

Fossil Fighters: Expect to become addicted to fossil cleaning,

Funny; back in Oblivion, the advice was to stay off the roads, for similar reasons.

edited 25th Jul '12 8:49:36 PM by Artemis92

Demon's Souls: Do NOT knock black phantom Ostrava off the ledge with your Dragon Bone Crusher or miss out on a sweet Rune sword and shield.

And do not play online if your focused on world tendencies.

Hills that you had no problem in the original Mount and Blade will give you Hell in Warband. You could be chargin up one in M&B and still do couched lance damage to enemies, but once you hit Warband, you'll be reduced to a steady walking pace as soon as you begin going up that slope. They DID expand the realism of the game to some degree here.

On the other hand, the economy's so much nicer to you in Warband, since you no longer have to travel to your fiefs to collect taxes, and you can build businesses in towns for extra income. A lot of extra income.

Mass Effect 3 Multiplayer: Atlas mechs are tall enough to shoot over adjacent cover.

World Of Warcraft: Resto Shammy healing: This lesson was beat into my skull in many, many early Cata heroics. Trying to heal stupid people is stupid healing. No matter how badly you want to make those green bars go up, sometimes, it's a costly mistake.

Rohan Online: If you are not a Dekan or a Dhan, stay the hell out of Rev'Deca and Par'Talucca (the Dekan and Dhan areas, respectively) unless you want to get murdered by the guards. I don't care what quests the other side has. Likewise, if you are a Dekan or Dhan, make sure you are in Peace mode before visiting any other race's area.

^^Scratch that "resto sham" part, it's for ALL healing

In Civ 5: Just because you own land doesn't mean you will reap the rewards. A city will only have so much influence.

Theatrhythm Final Fantasy:

• If you see a Hold [green] note that ends with a Slide [arrow] note, don't move your stylus until the arrow passes your cursor (unless you're playing a Field Music song). Moving around to get your stylus in a good position to complete the slide will be interpreted by the game as a "move", and will count as a "Bad" note on your record.
• For most Slide notes, it's best to start with your stylus in the center, and then moving it in the indicated direction.

Iji: Avoid getting into the habit of jumping around like a loon. Unless you like appalling damage.

But jumping around like a loon is the best way to get glass stuck in your hair!