Taking it slow

[ShayD]

I started a new playthrough last week and this time I'm doing everything at a much slower pace than my first playthrough (which I also took my time with). Stuff like leading the horse on foot back to camp after a hunt in the heartlands, sometimes not doing missions for days instead just heading into town for a drink, some food and some poker, walking around instead of sprinting everywhere. So far I'm really enjoying it, the world feels more immersive when you're not rushing through it and you notice alot more like the scenery and NPC interactions.

 

After about 20+ hours I've still only got up to the hunting mission with Hosea, and it feels like this is how the game was meant to be played. Does anyone else play like this? Any advice for someone on a slow playthrough?

[~INDIO~]

I've noticed the shootouts are a lot more fun when you play at a more relaxed pace and just be smart, rather than running about everywhere carelessly

[Karlitoz-E]

I used to do all Stranger missions before going forward in the story, I enjoyed that more than just rushing through the story and then do all the stranger missions afterwards.

[ShayD]

10 minutes ago, ~INDIO~ said:

I've noticed the shootouts are a lot more fun when you play at a more relaxed pace and just be smart, rather than running about everywhere carelessly

Absolutely, I'm starting to really enjoy the shooting mechanics more and more while taking my time and it gives you a better feel for the weapons.

11 minutes ago, Karlitoz-E said:

I used to do all Stranger missions before going forward in the story, I enjoyed that more than just rushing through the story and then do all the stranger missions afterwards.

Thats what I'm working on atm. I missed finishing a few as Arthur so my plan is do as many as I can. Just finished hunting down the gunslingers so far for the rare weapons.

[Sonny_Black]

Turn off the HUD completely for maximum immersion.

And yes that's how I played too, like if I was in the game myself

Edited February 18, 2019 by 0223998743

[Jutland]

6 hours ago, 0223998743 said:

Turn off the HUD completely for maximum immersion.

I turned the HUD off within the first half hour of installing the game, I hated it. I only turn it back on for shoot-outs as it’s useful for showing where enemies are.

 

Subtitles can be turned off too.

 

Back to the slow pace thing: yes the slower you play, the more immersive it is. I’ve stopped running or galloping anywhere. If it takes me a few days to get somewhere, then it’ll take me a few days, what’s the rush, you know? If you go slow you see more. 

[Cutter De Blanc]

One of these days I should walk from Valentine to Rhodes

 

I bet my ADD would kick in before I even made it past twin stacks

[UncleTacitus]

11 hours ago, ShayD said:

I started a new playthrough last week and this time I'm doing everything at a much slower pace than my first playthrough (which I also took my time with). Stuff like leading the horse on foot back to camp after a hunt in the heartlands, sometimes not doing missions for days instead just heading into town for a drink, some food and some poker, walking around instead of sprinting everywhere. So far I'm really enjoying it, the world feels more immersive when you're not rushing through it and you notice alot more like the scenery and NPC interactions.

 

After about 20+ hours I've still only got up to the hunting mission with Hosea, and it feels like this is how the game was meant to be played. Does anyone else play like this? Any advice for someone on a slow playthrough?

Sounds pretty much the approach I tried to take with my initial playthrough. This is definitely one of those games where the slow approach, while not necessary, is immensely rewarding. Often I take that approach with a sandbox game, but then end up abandoning it somewhere down the line, but here it didn't happen. Even when the end was approaching I wanted to savor every step of the way, often literally.

Edited February 18, 2019 by UncleTacitus

[wangsparkinglot]

I am on my 3rd play through

 

1/ Storyline play through with stranger missions and high honour played fast

2/ 100% completion low honour

3/ This time I am taking my time same as op not out of horseshoe overlook yet and been playing for many hours. Picking up stuff I missed what a masterpiece

[ShayD]

14 hours ago, Jutland said:

Back to the slow pace thing: yes the slower you play, the more immersive it is. I’ve stopped running or galloping anywhere. If it takes me a few days to get somewhere, then it’ll take me a few days, what’s the rush, you know? If you go slow you see more. 

 

11 hours ago, UncleTacitus said:

This is definitely one of those games where the slow approach, while not necessary, is immensely rewarding.

Im not rushing anything so far, played a bit last night and went hunting on foot in the heartlands with my horse hitched at my inventory camp. The ambient sound you hear when you're not on a galloping horse is amazing, especially at night. I've also made it a point to try and sleep a few hours every night, if im in camp or out in the wilds. 

I've also started to craft items like poison arrows, new tonics and other items that I didn't really use on my first playthrough and working more on my challenges early on.

[Sonny_Black]

I turned off the music too, much better to hear every sounds.

[ShayD]

1 hour ago, 0223998743 said:

I turned off the music too, much better to hear every sounds.

never thought of doing this but its a great idea, thanks !

Edited February 19, 2019 by ShayD
typo

[jbtco]

Are you guys who are doing multiple play throughs spending any time in the post credits open world.  I am really enjoying that, trying to wipe out the gangs completely ( ie showing them all as 100% discovered though they will continue to respawn in camps and hideouts), seeking items I have missed, exploring every corner of the map.  Not a fan of hunting or fishing so far though many unintended encounters with the less friendly creatures.

 

I haven’t used deadeye much except occasionally for tracking.  I have tried pretty much all the weapons and find that a fully modified Springfield (being able to click scope on and off very helpful) and a pump action shotgun (one shot will stop pretty much anything) are mostly all that I use, though the hand sawn off shotgun can be best when a pack of wolves get you chucked off a horse and a big knife when a grizzly catches you unawares.

[Ziggy_Ivanhoe]

I'm just finishing a super slow second playthrough. Just finishing the epilogue and then went back to get Micah's gun. Now I'm heading around to visit all the graves and former gang members. I noticed a lot that I had missesd the first time around because I didn't really bother exploring or hunting all that much. I actually nabbed quite a few of the elusive animals like the badger and moose when paying attention to my surroundings. I've seen a ton of cougars too. Had most outfits unlocked by chapter 3 and had all the satchels unlocked.

 

As some people mentioned, turn off the HUD. You can always press down on the d -pad to get your bearings but you'll also just get used to the landmarks all around to figure out where to go and there are actually road signs everywhere. I also like to camp when it gets late at night when I'm on a long trip. Keeps your cores topped up and just makes the game a little more immersive. 

 

It's crazy how much I missed on the first playthrough though. Didn't even do the Lenny stagecoach robbery or Pearsons fishing trip.  I probably had at least 15 or so random encounters I never saw before and noticed a lot more just small random things. I left my horse in the street in St. Denis without hitching it up and I swear when I came out I saw a cop standing next to it with his notepad open, as if he was about to give me a ticket or something. I jumped up on it and the cop looked up and then put the notebook away and walked off. 

[SM00V 0PERAT0R]

I did the same, but I think the leading the horse and walking instead of running stuff is a bit extreme. Instead, focus on completing as much as possible as Arthur, as early as possible, then hit the story throughout to progress. My goal is to make LOTE easily achievable for John, and to keep his stranger/side quests to a minimum. This is definitely how the game is meant to be played and is much more immersive when done so. Plus, Arthur is a better (much better) sketch artist than John, so there is that...

[Guest Guest176525326]

18 minutes ago, 3Prcntr said:

Plus, Arthur is a better (much better) sketch artist than John, so there is that...

Definitely, but I prefer John’s as they make me laugh

[ShayD]

18 hours ago, Marcinguy said:

As some people mentioned, turn off the HUD. You can always press down on the d -pad to get your bearings but you'll also just get used to the landmarks all around to figure out where to go and there are actually road signs everywhere. I also like to camp when it gets late at night when I'm on a long trip. Keeps your cores topped up and just makes the game a little more immersive. 

I played with no hud yesterday and loved it, I did leave the compass mini map on though while doing a mission. No HUD makes gunfights a bit more dangerous since you dont know exactly where everyone is all the time, so you tend to be a bit more cautious. I usually know where I am without the map too, the only exception is Roanoake since I never spent alot of time in that area. 

 

 

[Ziggy_Ivanhoe]

7 hours ago, ShayD said:

I played with no hud yesterday and loved it, I did leave the compass mini map on though while doing a mission. No HUD makes gunfights a bit more dangerous since you dont know exactly where everyone is all the time, so you tend to be a bit more cautious. I usually know where I am without the map too, the only exception is Roanoake since I never spent alot of time in that area. 

 

 

Nice thing is, they actually make switching through the HUDs really easy so you can throw up the main one when in a fight. One QOL thing they got right

Edited February 20, 2019 by Marcinguy

[Smokewood]

On 2/18/2019 at 4:33 AM, ShayD said:

I started a new playthrough last week and this time I'm doing everything at a much slower pace than my first playthrough (which I also took my time with). Stuff like leading the horse on foot back to camp after a hunt in the heartlands, sometimes not doing missions for days instead just heading into town for a drink, some food and some poker, walking around instead of sprinting everywhere. So far I'm really enjoying it, the world feels more immersive when you're not rushing through it and you notice alot more like the scenery and NPC interactions.

 

After about 20+ hours I've still only got up to the hunting mission with Hosea, and it feels like this is how the game was meant to be played. Does anyone else play like this? Any advice for someone on a slow playthrough?

Yes, I'm on my 3rd playthrough and I am trying to take it very slow...

[BenMitchell90]

I'm on my second playthrough, and am pretty early-ish in chapter 3, but have been playing for hours. My first playthrough I kinda rushed through, largely I guess because I was impatient to experience the story, but I'm taking it real slow this second playthrough and am loving the game even more. I'm not going slow as in walking my horse everywhere, per se, but instead I'm focusing almost completely on side content.

 

I've hunted down all the dino bones, rock carvings and legendary animals and fish available, and hit Master Hunter rank 10. Been doing a ton of hunting and crafting sweet new gear and upgrades, and I've gotta admit, I'm loving hunting in this game way more than in the original. Don't get me wrong, it was fun there, but it's just so much deeper here, with way more reward than just selling your wares. You can craft cool clothes, make trinkets that give you very helpful perks... ugh it's so good. Hunting down animals with perfect 3 star pelts and taking them down without damaging them can be annoying, but it just makes it all the more rewarding when you pull it off.

 

As for the HUD, early on I tried to go without, but kept missing turns and constantly tapping down to get my bearings got a little annoying, so instead I opted for the little compass and have been loving it. It only gives you enough information to get where you want to go, and leaves the rest up to you - enemies aren't magically marked for you, so you really need to pay attention and keep your head on a swivel to make sure no one's sneaking up on you. This makes gunfights so, so much more fun! It's also way less distracting than the minimap, which makes it easier to immerse yourself.

 

I've been doing the story missions at a more leisurely pace, and have also been just hanging around camp and taking in the gang. Eavesdropping on (and joining) conversations, observing funny interactions, etc. I had one hilarious moment where Micah made a big deal about donating to the collection box, and after he left, I looked in the ledger and found that he donated 25 dollars... so I donated 50 dollars. Not so high and mighty now, are ya?

 

Long story short, this really is a game that benefits most from taking it real slow. Rockstar have crafted such an incredible and detailed experience, and it feels like doing it a big disservice to not stop and smell the roses.

[BoulderFaceplant]

Taking it slow... on my second playthrough, this is exactly what I wanted to do. And to some extent, I did. But it quickly became clearer than ever how much this game incentivizes the player to rush through the story and explore things after the epilogue. SPOILERS from here. 

 

Off the top of my head, here are some examples:

- All of New Austin - with its exclusive species, clothing, items, and Legendary animals - is blocked off. 

 

- The game dumps 20,000 dollars on you after completing the Epilogue, far more than enough for every variant of every clothing item. I know this because I’ve done it. There goes your incentive to work hard for something pricey at any point before then. 

 

- Arthur’s satchel fills up way too quickly, and crafting better ones doesn’t do much to help. Except for the Legend of the East satchel, but please don’t waste your time crafting this when you can just BUY it- but only when you’ve completed the story! My heart goes out to everyone who spent 8+ hours grinding pelts just for that satchel. I mean what a cruel joke... 

 

- All of Arthur’s needed euipment and money is just handed to him during the story. Don’t go working for money, just plow through the missions and you’ll have enough to buy every available gun before the halfway point.

 

- Your cores are all capped until late in the game, at which point Arthur gets sick and all of them deteriorate faster and can’t be reliably refilled with consumables. If there is any point when Arthur can have max level cores AND isn’t sick, it must be tiny.

 

I love Arthur, I love the camp dynamic, I love the idea of using this living open world to build yourself up. But the whole time, the economy and progression parameters not only allow you to skip all of it, but ENCOURAGE and REWARD you for doing so. 

[LeftTurnus]

I am on my second playthrough.

My first go around, I thought I was taking it slow.

This go around, not being afraid to look things up, I have experienced alot more stuff I missed my first go around.

After finishing the Exotics quest, I have finally run through Chapter 5 (no need to go slow there)

I am doing as much as Arthur as possible. I am not a big fan of John.

I fancied being an evil Arthur this go around but just find it difficult to be evil LoL

After I get 100% completion not sure what I will do with this game.

[Sonny_Black]

It really but really feel like this game was made to be played in a certain way, like taking it very slow and playing like the NPC's or like if you were in the game. Really cool.

Edited February 25, 2019 by 0223998743

[Ziggy_Ivanhoe]

23 hours ago, LeftTurnus said:

I

I fancied being an evil Arthur this go around but just find it difficult to be evil LoL

After I get 100% completion not sure what I will do with this game.

I share the exact same sentiment. I tried being bad as Arthur and just couldn't do it consistently. Just felt wrong somehow. Still ended up with pretty high honor at the end of the second playthrough. I'm more of a jerk with John now after the epilogue since I'm usually just screwing around with the NPCs and robbing multiple places at ones and then riding out of town shooting bullets into the air. Trying to get enough bounties to whittle down that 20 grand.