The boardgames are stupid

[Raineh Daze]

Literally only one of them (well, maybe two, Tablut's weird) is complicated enough there's a strategy beyond "play absolutely perfectly until the AI makes a mistake". And Konone isn't even all that fun anyway.

The prize for "whoever included it has no business being involved in games in any capacity" goes to Vlandia, just because the basic rule is so simple and obvious, but it's not like the others are any better.

"Oh, you want to do this random peasant quest? Either pay to complete it or play a terrible boardgame." Let alone the stupidity that is playing it with lords and the dev obsession with making you play the worse side.

[boiling pie]

You poor sweet little thing. How you must have suffered.

[lar unuruur]

would be good to have a least checkers.

[Raineh Daze]

Originally posted by lar unuruur:

would be good to have a least checkers.

I'd just appreciate it if the hard difficulty did not amount to "wait for the AI to make a mistake" for so many games. There's too many games implemented with no strategy beyond perfect play and wait for RNG failure.

Like, konone IS the obvious exception, simply because you need actual search techniques to find the ideal move. Fairly sure every other game (except the Khuzait one with its dice rolling) is largely just following a few simple rules with a chance of random failure tossed in.

[redhongkong]

empire one are easiest ,they start making mistake so early.
other one need some runs to understand how it works.

[Rhapsody]

It's not great, but I don't see much reason in investing development resources on something that occupies maybe 0.01% of total game time.

[The Big Brzezinski]

Don't they give you tactics skill or something? Maybe I'm misremembering.

[Duuvian]

They give relations with your opponent if you win I think.

I like the Khuzait game with the dice.

The AI isn't very good at the one that has the king in the center with captures made by flanking with two pieces on opposite sides. It's generally really bad at making captures even when the player makes a mistake and has a vulnerable piece that can be taken safely by the AI.

The Sturgia game I'm really bad at, or the AI is good at. I lost several in a row against a game master and went off to do other stuff without winning.

I haven't played the others since earlier in the beta so I can't remember how those stack up.

[Silhouette]

They do get redundant when used as an obstacle for relations gain or for the village quest. But though they might not be gwent they are minigames for immersion is all, overall flavor for the game world that lacks enough of that already. The first few dozen times I played them ever I thought it was pretty cool, now I usually just pay the dude off rather then worry my time away.
Unless its sheeps and wolves. Then I play even if I get impatient, just for the fun of it.

[LockeCasual]

Well in early game it's worth suffering to play, to save money. I've only ever did it that way once though, since I don't play this game to play bar games.

I love when mini games are in my games tho, I especially loved FF8's card game for some reason, and even tho I dunno how to play poker I still like to pretend I do in RdR2.

Yeah they shoulda just made one of the games checkers

I think if you actually do play with an NPC a few times it should boost their relationship with you, more substantially, since it's the only thing you can really do to spend "quality time" with them outside of being in your party.

[V Hubris LOL]

Originally posted by LockeCasual:

Well in early game it's worth suffering to play, to save money. I've only ever did it that way once though, since I don't play this game to play bar games.

I love when mini games are in my games tho, I especially loved FF8's card game for some reason, and even tho I dunno how to play poker I still like to pretend I do in RdR2.

Yeah they shoulda just made one of the games checkers

I think if you actually do play with an NPC a few times it should boost their relationship with you, more substantially, since it's the only thing you can really do to spend "quality time" with them outside of being in your party.

Fable 2 fortunes tower

[Raineh Daze]

Originally posted by Duuvian:

They give relations with your opponent if you win I think.

I like the Khuzait game with the dice.

The AI isn't very good at the one that has the king in the center with captures made by flanking with two pieces on opposite sides. It's generally really bad at making captures even when the player makes a mistake and has a vulnerable piece that can be taken safely by the AI.

The Sturgia game I'm really bad at, or the AI is good at. I lost several in a row against a game master and went off to do other stuff without winning.

I haven't played the others since earlier in the beta so I can't remember how those stack up.

Vlandia has one that literally goes on forever until one of you make a mistake, and the thing you need to avoid is the really simple 'line up three in a row'.

Battania, when you're forced to play wolves, is just really annoying. "Oh, AI hasn't made a mistake yet, can't do anything. AI hasn't made a mistake yet, can't do anything. AI hasn't made a mistake yet, can't do anything." You're forced to do perfect play until it does slip up, in a game that if played perfectly should be a draw (And weirdly enough, nobody seems to have worked out what perfect play is for wolves beyond some vagueness about what to avoid, which is really odd for something where that's proved and you can only move four pieces).

Sturgia's is the most complicated in the game, so it's simultaneously the hardest to learn, but also one the AI doesn't even need to make a mistake, you just need to play the right moves. But they're non-intuitive--funnily enough, someone DID make a simulator for this; if it calculates seven moves ahead you always win.

Don't know enough about Tablut, it's the only one I find actually enjoyable, and I never spend time with the Aserai if I can help it.

They do get redundant when used as an obstacle for relations gain or for the village quest. But though they might not be gwent they are minigames for immersion is all, overall flavor for the game world that lacks enough of that already. The first few dozen times I played them ever I thought it was pretty cool, now I usually just pay the dude off rather then worry my time away.
Unless its sheeps and wolves. Then I play even if I get impatient, just for the fun of it.

I don't mind minigames, I mind minigames where the selection is over half games that can be played perfectly, and where you get forced to play one side when you HAVE to do it, and winning is the only thing that matters to the rest of the game.

[Silhouette]

I've found its easier to play the wolves as opposed to the sheep, the trick seems to be to take out the sheep before they get enough, and keep your pieces closer together covering the same couple of squares rather then spread out.
I'm terrible at checkers style games as opposed to chess, so do understand the frustration with these style games that have a very limited move pool that turns into just repetitive.
As far as losing, I get impatient or bored and lose, its not like my real life mother died of cancer. Some random Ai blob dislikes me or takes away my virtual and meaningless money.

[Raineh Daze]

Originally posted by Silhouette:

I've found its easier to play the wolves as opposed to the sheep, the trick seems to be to take out the sheep before they get enough, and keep your pieces closer together covering the same couple of squares rather then spread out.
I'm terrible at checkers style games as opposed to chess, so do understand the frustration with these style games that have a very limited move pool that turns into just repetitive.
As far as losing, I get impatient or bored and lose, its not like my real life mother died of cancer. Some random Ai blob dislikes me or takes away my virtual and meaningless money.

sheep are way easier because you actually have agency to do something. Against the hard AI, wolves are basically a cycle of 'don't let yourself be trapped off the tiles with diagonal movement and hope the AI makes an opportunity to start capturing pieces', which is way more annoying than the sheep having to make the minor note of 'try to leave at least two holes in a safe corner so you CAN trap the enemy'.

Doesn't help that if you make a mistake as the sheep, it MIGHT be recoverable--there's actually some room to sacrifice a piece or two to get a better overall position. If a wolf is completely trapped on the other hand, you're pretty much screwed as it's impossible to get out.

[Silhouette]

Ah, but as I don't dedicate my time and patience to the board games, the wolves are high risk high reward, I'll either win early or not be bogged down in frustration. I actually like keeping a wolf in a corner slow and playing defensively around his surrounding squares.
The game I absolutely cannot stand is the circle board. Can't remember what culture thats in though.

[Raineh Daze]

Originally posted by Silhouette:

Ah, but as I don't dedicate my time and patience to the board games, the wolves are high risk high reward, I'll either win early or not be bogged down in frustration. I actually like keeping a wolf in a corner slow and playing defensively around his surrounding squares.
The game I absolutely cannot stand is the circle board. Can't remember what culture thats in though.

That's Vlandia. "Don't line up three"