Video game lessons learned the hard way

Corruption of Champions:

• Urta has really low self-esteem.
• Isabella is really shy, and would prefer you not be pushy about it.
• Kiha is a Creator's Pet, and as such most of the tactics you used against anything else won't work here.
• If you want to explore everything in this game, don't get too attached to the Beautiful Sword.
• Save before you eat anything.
• Much like Dwarf Fortress, there's no good ending (yet), but many bad ones.
• Bigger Is Better in Bed only applies to centaurs and heavily-corrupted partners.

Age Of Wonders: Your units will always be retarded hobos on crack who can't aim and hit for shit. Enemy units will always be inhuman in their accuracy and damage. Yes, even Halfings' Peasant will rip you a new one.

Chrono Trigger: Keep your hit points high when fighting the Dream Devourer. You never know when it'll fire off The End of All and Nothing.

• Crisis Arm + Prism Specs + Master's Crown + Rapid-Fire Fist is Awesome, but Impractical. Yes, you can inflict over 2,000 damage with a punch and over 7,000 damage with a single tech, but you have to give up auto-Haste and deep MP reserves in the process, and Robo's offense plummets if he takes a hit.
• Omega Flare is less damaging than cutting loose with Robo, Lucca, and Magus individually.
• The Valor Crest is only Ayla's ultimate accessory once she upgrades to the Bronze Fist. Until then, she's better off with Prism Specs or a Golden Stud.

Clue (SNES): Don't accidentally tilt the cartridge or you'll get such abominations as "Wrench with the Billiard Room in the Mr. Green" as the solution.

Pikmin 2: When the ship says the Waterwraith is invincible, it means that the Waterwraith is invincible. It doesn't mean stand there and try to fight it.

edited 2nd Sep '12 4:21:09 PM by Anomalocaris20

What you said about Omega Flare applies to most triple tech skills, honestly. The characters individually are far more powerful than that.

Overlord and Overlord 2: Plan ahead. Scouting the enemies and knowing in advance what's comng can save you desperate dashes to the Minion hives in the long run. In 2 it can also tell you which Mistress you're likely to want for your chosen playstyle during the final stage.

edited 2nd Sep '12 5:37:29 PM by Journeyman

Fallout New Vegas: In Linux, checking if the mods work individually is doubly important. NV is finicky in WINE.

" If you want to explore everything in this game, don't get too attached to the Beautiful Sword. "

It's not the toughest weapon anyway. Very good starting one, though.

" Much like Dwarf Fortress, there's no good ending (yet), but many bad ones. "

I kinda count finishing off the factory as the "ending" and then it's just free roam.

edited 3rd Sep '12 3:02:42 AM by Adannor

World of Tanks: Always give the right of way to any passerby tanks at the beginning of a match. You have no way of telling how reasonable or psychotic your fellow tank drivers are, and the last thing you want is to get your tracks messed up by some moron in a heavy tank who's in a rush to be the first killed.

edited 3rd Sep '12 8:03:55 AM by SgtRicko

Technically, at this point, defeating Zetaz is the final boss. But I suspect the real final boss will be the day they finally program Lethice.

Fallout New Vegas: Do not piss off the mailman, let alone shoot him in the head.

Final Fantasy IV DS: Just because you've played the GBA-remake for a moderately long time to a moderately far point at a moderately good pace without too much difficulty doesn't mean you can do the same here. Grind the hell out of the place you're in, especially at the beginning of the game, where you have only Cecil and Rydia, who the enemies love to focus on.

Fallen Earth: Ensure that your not buying as many of whatever-it-is-you're-buying from a vendor, blowing all your chips in one mouseclick. They'll buy it back from you at a significant markdown, you'll have a glut of stuff that you probably don't need, and you'll likely be broke.

Also from Fallen Earth: Before generating a skillbook for your own personal use, ensure that you haven't already learned that skillbook. Pens are kind of expensive.

edited 4th Sep '12 12:27:19 PM by pvtnum11

More from FFIV DS:

• Don't bother using Augments without a guide. You'll just waste them.
• Augments, properly applied, make this game even easier than any previous version. I repeat: use a guide.
• Crank the volume down during cutscenes. The voices aren't pretty.
• If you think you're ready for the Tower of Zot, you're not ready.

Dungeons & Dragons Online

-Though Inflict Damage wreaks havoc on golems, Warforged and other such constructs, it's ineffective against Animated/Inanimate Objects, such as Cannith Power Crystals or Magefire Cannons.

-PVP Builds are, for the most part, useless outside of a Tavern Brawl. Such builds will make you ill-prepared for quests, leading other players to label you as a "gimp".

-Not all Artificer Runearms are alike.

-When choosing Metamagic Feats, bear in mind what sort of caster you are so you know which ones you'll need.

-In the Vale of Twilight quest "Rainbow In The Dark", always have a party so someone can carry the light rod. Also, never stray from the Light-Bearer, or else you will be unable to navigate the dungeon's pitch dark corridors and risk falling into one of the spike pits. However, if you are an Artificer, you can use Runearm Blasts as a light source, but it is no substitute for the rod, so travel in a party anyway.

-If you have gear that boosts base stats (Strength, Dexterity, etc), Stat-Boosting Spells like Bull's Strength or Fox's Cunning will have no effect on you, as such bonuses don't stack.

Do you mean the voice-compression? It's not that bad, at least to me, and I like the voice acting.

Generally with a PS 2:

It will break down, and this will happen sooner than you think. It's also much more fragile than every Nintendo-console ever.

Crusader Kings II: Strong castles slow wars way down.

edited 5th Sep '12 8:08:10 AM by GameChainsaw

Skyrim: Tackling a Falmer dungeon while your level is still in single digits? Bad idea.

Hear, hear. Damn Chaurus farmers.

World of Tanks: If you ever run into a situation where you're driving a German T-15 or Soviet Lend-lease Stuart and run into a KV-1, run away immediately. You've got no chance at all ot penetrate it's armor, and it can kill you in 2-3 hits.

Cannon Fodder: Enemies can have grenades and bazookas too. And they are are kind of really dangerous.

Blood Bowl:

• The Random Number God hates you with burning passion, and will kill your star players as soon as he gets the chance. Do not ever let your guard down.
• "Scoring" implies "give the ball to the opposition on a silver platter". Do not score as soon as you get the chance, try to stall for a few turns while inflicting a few more casualties.
  • Especially against any kind of Elves, who only need two turns to score.
  • Except against a team that has fielded a bunch of secret weapons. In that case, finish the drive as soon as possible while your team still has legs.
• Trying to beat a Treeman in a fight is futile.
• Murder IS the best solution to most problems. Go for it whenever you feel you can get away with it.
• always have a plan B ready in case plan A goes wrong.

Gimbal: Thruster placement really matters. Also, Stabilizers help.

Borderlands: Don't try to fight mothrakkk without suitable cover. He will roast you alive. Also bring lots of ammo.

Pikmin:

• Don't make someone with no fire protection walk into a fire.
  • Do not yourself walk into fire when you have no fire protection.
• Large groups walking across bridges with no guard rail should probably walk single file.
• All employees require micromanagement.