how do you get past analysis paralysis?

[cylordcenturion]

i consistently find that i just cant enjoy games like this, i just get stuck trying to figure it out and it becomes just stressful.
ive tried doing things like saying "ok THIS time im going to just go with my gut" or specifically doing a roleplay and try to pick options my "character" would.
but that inevitably fails. the moment find myself unsure of what to do or the best thing to do i get tense and even if i push through it there is no enjoyment of the game anymore.
there are so many acclaimed games like this one that i want to enjoy but just cant. no matter what "tricks" i try to stay engaged i just seize up once in unfamiliar territory.

[Lee]

Ah I got a similar problem, I just can't stop myself analyzing the mechanics and then it destroys the whole illusion of things happening organically. I always try to not get unsure and in my head in the first place. I just fight perfectionism with perfectionism and map out beforehand what goals I actually wanna focus on.

Since I'm one for the roleplay thing, that means I come up with an elaborate/natural enough character to pick things intuitively. Like I get "into character" for the game and then my stupid perfectionist brain wants the story that ends up happening to be all nice and round instead, including the twists that happen when I ♥♥♥♥ things up.

[kyotod]

I actualy think, this is one of the strongest points of this game. You cant realy "fail". If you arrive at some of the few dead ends, you sooner or later will find out how to prevend it and after the first prevention it will become easier because your character "remembers" what happend. Most playthroughs will lead to an ending, that is fitting to mcs actions (or non actions) and every ending comes with other philosophical questions included. Maybe you should try not to see the mc of every individual playthrough as a completly different person. Hes always the same, just another side of himself. This game isnt about the perfect ending or doing things "right". You have plenty of time to prepare mc for the important parts in every way you see fit. Most of the early "small" events inside the wall, have little impact and are mainly for trivia. You want to kill xenos? Study them and get stronger. You want to solve the planets riddles? go out there and learn to see and survive. You want to mingle with the other teens? Stay inside and have fun. Just remember, that everything that isnt done or influenced by you, gets done by someone else in his own way.

[cylordcenturion]

i am aware of that, the problem is that it dosent really help. i still feel anxious about the decisions, even if im not trying to "minmax" or get a "perfect" ending, just being unsure how my decisions affect things is stressful. and if i lower my investment in it enough that i can just "pick whatever" then it means i have pretty much entirely disengaged from the game, and i might as well play cookie clicker. i do get that this is a ME problem not the games problem. im just hoping that someone in a similar situation might have advice.

[kyotod]

Well, from what i understand, you practically want to minmax the game (meaning, making the "best" decisions" most of the time), but not by walkthrough or actually doing the math and the mechanics, but by feeling and logic. Its not that you strive for total perfection, but your afraid to "miss" something important by making wrong decisions. That doesnt work for most games of this kind, because your feeling or your logic will always be a bit different from the game designers. I know that problem. Its a mindset thing, and as i see it, some kinds of compromises must be made, to enjoy such games. I give you 3 examples. 1st one would be you try to look at the game like you look at a book. Dont try to make the best choices, just follow the things that feel right and watch the action unfolding as if you have no influence over it. 2nd would be to train your pacience by trying things out, until you get a feeling for how the designers intend the game to work. Will probably take you like 5-10 new starts until you make it to a complete playthrough, but you will arrive there eventually Finaly the 3nd is to ask some experimented players for some basic tipps for a smooth run or read up the solutions for keypoints that are especially important for you. Nothing to spoilish, just some basic tools, to prevent the most frustrating moments.

[Your Doctor]

I've this exact issue with farming games like Stardew or Rune Factory. I end up breaking down and maximizing the fun out of casual farming. However, when it comes to stat building games be them visual novels with stat raising or games like Princess Maker, I find the stat building at it's most fun. On my first run I'll usually just pick whatever stat I find interesting the most, or whatever stat matches my romance interest the best and focus only on that. Then, after knowing what checks I need to pass I'll start planning around them like a puzzle. How many exact weeks do I need to do gardening to pass a certain check. Or how can I get Dys to like me within the first few weeks without being his bestie.

My best suggestion is to stop looking at the game as an RPG based on your choices, and as others have suggested, see it more like a story you're reading. If you can't get immersed, ask if the gameplay is something you enjoy? For example, there are several endings in the game. If you want a certain ending, say becoming Governor, aim for that and follow the story of Sol for this game run. Pick actions you'd think someone who was ambitious to become a leader would pick. Then treat the gameplay as a puzzle to get the most of what you enjoy. Is it higher numbers, or card matching.

[/dev/null]

Given how remarkably bad the writing in the game is, i would not worry too much. I approach it this way: Pick a goal or set of goals for your run, and try to guess how the developers wanted you to play to achieve that outcome. Yes, this disassociates you from the game, you're not experiencing it immersively, but the writing is such that you're not really losing anything.

Once you understand the two-dimensionality of all the characters and the fact that none of them are truly reactive to you as well written characters would be, the transhumanist and ideological dressing disappears and you can focus on the game's mechanics and event graphs.

Understand that YOU the player are the only thinking, feeling, rational and emotional agent. Your presence as the decision maker is the thing which animates the game. This is your playground, where you are free to flip switches and pull levers with 0 consequences. There are no good or bad outcomes, only different routes and endings.

This is, after all, a dressed up slice-of-life dating sim.

In that context, yes, you may find yourself disinterested in the game. But that's okay. It's not a great game. You're not losing anything if you choose not to play it. The characters are two dimensional caricatures (even Nomi-Nomi's name means "token"). There is no depth, nothing to fret over.

And no-one but you has any value invested in how you play the game and what outcomes you unlock. You're basically exploring a graph of events and mapping it out, in that there are no right or wrong answers, there are only discoveries and repetitions.