What Am I Missing About This Game...?

[🦊 Hermit]

This is not intended as a troll topic, nor am I trying to upset anybody. I genuinely am curious as to the answer, and ask in good faith.

So at the moment of typing this, virtually every single person on my friend list is currently playing MHW. I had never played any of the MH games before, but I picked this one up at the request of my friends, so we could play together. However while it is obvious that the game is a big hit among my friends, I just really can't seem to get into it, and in fact whenever I play I end up really disliking it.

I have tried to get hyped and involved in it - I have done research on various items and game mechanics, watched tutorial videos on Youtube and even a letsplay series from a couple of my favorite Tubers, tried a number of different weapons and even started a second character for playing solo when my friends aren't online. But no matter what I do, this game just doesn't seem to work for me at all, and I can't for the life of me figure out why.

What am I missing here? Why is it so popular, and why can't I seem to find the same entertainment out of it compared to others?

Allow me to outline some of the issues I have with the game. And again, here my intent is not to bash MH or troll, I simply want to explain my feelings so that others can perhaps point out things that I have missed, and possible ways for me to find the game more enjoyable.

First up, there's the gameplay. I find it exceedingly repetitive. Leave town, track monster, fight monster, dodge attacks, chase monster, defeat monster...rinse, repeat. The various weapon types add a little bit of variety to this chain, but I find that most of them aren't sufficiently different from each other to provide a real sense of change, and most of them seem to play out much the same as each other.

Then there's the difficulty. Don't get me wrong, I like a challenge in games. But this game sometimes seems so steeped against the player that it just irritates, and some of it's mechanics seem fundimentally broken. Multiple times I have found myself completely stunlocked with paralysis, unable to move or react, while the monsters pound me mercilessly into the ground. In my opinion, unrecoverable stunlock is a severe mistake in any game. Then there's creatures which move and attack so fast that if they get one hit on you, you're done - they will knock you down then keep hitting you over and over again, preventing you from standing up and healing/dodging. And to top it off, there are a few mobs with unblockable one-hit-KO moves which are almost impossible to dodge, and will instantly flatten you from full health even if you have the absolute maximum armor for your current point in the game.

Between the repetitive nature of the gameplay and the difficulty, I find that my playtime only ever swings between monotonous and infuriating, with no enjoyment in between.

Then there's the overall purpose of the game. I'm really struggling to find one. It just feels like a neverending equipment loop - fight a monster, to upgrade your equips, to fight a tougher monster, to upgrade again, to fight another one. What's the end goal?

One could perhaps argue that the story provides such a narative and progression, but I find that the way the story and gameplay is cut up into short segments between loading screens, with no real flow to it, really prevents me from becoming immersed in the world and involved in the characters. It feels exceedingly stilted and stop-start in nature, which causes me to become detatched and distracted from it. I struggle to find motivation to go out on my next mission, because I really don't care what happens on it. I'm unable to build up a rapport with any of the characters, or immerse myself in the world and become a part of it.

What is it about MHW that I'm not getting? What is it that draws you, as a player, into the game, as it has done the majority of my friend list? And how can I, looking in from the outside, perhaps unlock a little of that so my playsessions with my friends are not as difficult for me, or perhaps even become entertaining and enjoyable in their own right?

I'd be interested to hear people's thoughts on the topic. Thanks for reading the wall of text. Discuss.

[🦊 Hermit]

I guess you all may be right yeah, perhaps it just isn't my kind of thing.

When it comes to gaming, the main things I find entertaining are exploration of a world and it's discoveries, a good story which draws me in and engages me, resource collection and management, and finally building up something I can be pleased with from very small beginnings, like a nice looking base or an efficient and orderly storage system.

This game has an element of the exploration, and I will admit it's extremely pretty and very well designed in terms of it's landscapes. But the zones are perhaps a little small to really satisfy my discovery itch, and the stilted nature of the gameplay I mentioned above also makes exploration somewhat less involving.

There's also an element of resource collection and building weapons/armor, however perhaps it's the percieved lack of an ultimate goal which kind of sours those aspects for me - rather than building the armor to have something you can be proud of, your main purpose for building it is simply to face the next monster...a rung on a seemingly infinite ladder rather than a ledge to reach and then celebrate your acchivements.

A thought about the grinding element which someone mentioned above - I actually don't mind grinding, and can find it quite fun, if the purpose of said grind is for a good reason. For example, I have spent many hours grinding materials in Ark Survival Evolved, with the intent of making a very nice base to live in. And some of the bases I have constructed were very pleasing to me.

However as I say, in this game the grind seems to be largely neverending, and with no purpose other than to face the next boss. Another factor too might be gameplay variety - on Ark, if ever I did get bored of grinding, then I could pause that and go do something else for a while, like hunt for creatures to tame or collect supply drops. But on this game, it seems the grind is pretty much the only gameplay option.

Escrito originalmente por Moonmadness:

Why are you playing a game just because people in your friends list are doing it? Are you 12 and unable to make choices based on your own personal preference?

I can assure you that is not the case, no. I'm in my thirties ;) The truth is though, not that I'm simply following after the crowd and playing whatever they are doing, but that I really care about my friends and want to spend time with them, making them happy. And I know they enjoy this game, so if I can play it with them it may make it even more enjoyable for them. They have done the same for me on occasion when I really liked a game that they were perhaps not as interested in.

Escrito originalmente por TVMAN:

Not gonna lie, I actually stopped reading the OP at this line:

The various weapon types add a little bit of variety to this chain, but I find that most of them aren't sufficiently different from each other to provide a real sense of change, and most of them seem to play out much the same as each other.

That's just such utter hogwash that I can't take anything else in the post seriously. Each weapon type has a completely different playstyle from the next. Different mechanics, different combos, different move set, different strengths, different weaknesses, etc. To say that the Insect Glaive plays the same as the Greatsword is nonsense.

To say they 'play out the same as each other' tells me that OP either didn't actually use all of the different weapon types, or they used different variations of the same weapon and confused that with different weapon types. There are no other alternatives.

Maybe I haven't played them all properly because I am struggling to get into the game as a whole then, which is sapping my motivation to learn. Perhaps you could suggest some good weapon setups which I could try, and perhaps find more enjoyable?

[Duxa]

This is a hunting game. A hunt consists of getting a weapon, going to a well known locale and stalking/killing the prey. This is not an exploration game, this is not an adventure game. If you think of it as a hunting game then it becomes very obvious very fast why it seems so repetitive. This repetition is what MH fans love. The thrill of the hunt is where its at. What originally drew me to the series was the idea of doing Raid bosses (from MMOs) without the need to clear all the trash up to them. Those raids are repetitive too, you run the same one every week for months to get the guild geared. Monster Hunter offered those 4+ hour raids in small 15-50 minute chunks.

As far as stunlocking, I know exactly what you mean, but you need to take a few steps back and trace it back to what started the stunlock. 99% of the time it would be a mistake you made, and most of that time that mistake is bad positioning.

You will never succeed if you approach a hunt as "Oh big thing, lets go whack it". The way it should be approached. Oh, big thing, let me sit back and see what it does. Ok I get the pattern, now lets agitate it and stand back and study its body language. Oh, it does a pause and a hump before doing a crazy spin? Ok... when I actually go and fight it I need to make sure to roll away when I notice it pause and a hump. Oh it does a shuffle left/right before lunging forward? Ok when I actually go and fight it I need to keep an eye out for that, and then make sure Im not at the front of it when it does that.

You then do that to learn and mentally note all of the monster's tells/moves. Only then you engage it, combining everything you have learned about the monster and everything you know about your weapon (amount of time a swing takes, or a combo), and anticipating Monster's every move.

You defeat the monster without getting hit even once. You feel amazing and say "LETS DO IT AGAIN"

thats the loop. Your ultimate goal is to get to HR 100 and defeat every single monster in the game.

Dont let the story fool you. Its only there to add unlocking progression. As any Monster Hunter fan will tell you. The game starts only when you finish the story, up until then its a tutorial.

This is one of the most popular franchises in Japan, has been this way for over 10 years. But also its not for everyone. So if you dont like it. Dont feel bad. I personally dont like racing or fighting games... yet people love them.

EDIT: Reading your other reply about weapons. You have to realize there are cutting weapons, there are blunt weapons, there are piercing weapons. each does different things. Cutting can cut off tails for example, blunt cant, but blunt is good for breaking parts like horns or knocking out monsters. Some weapons are extremely slow, others are way fast. This is why something like Dual Swords will have 100 damage, but a Great Sword will have like 10 times that. Because in the amount of time it takes you to do a swing of a Great Sword you can do 10 hits with Dual Swords. combined with the fact that their reach is way different, one you have to be up humping the monster, the other you can be further back. Shields let you block attacks.... These things significantly change your playstyle. I mean the only thing that is the same about the weapons is that they are weapons. Their usage is completely different. Its like saying that in real life a Sword, a dagger, a tomahawk, a katana are all very similar. If you know how to use them then you would know that they are used completely differently.

As far as combos, there is usually two or three staple ones consisting of B,B,Y or Y,Y,B. even if you didnt try to remember them, simply by using them it should be natural within 3 to 5 hunts.

I think the mistake you may have made is that you didnt play solo? And your friends basically did all the hard work while you took some pot shots. So you didnt really understand what it took to take down a monster?

I highly recommend you watch this video to see difference between weapons - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JycMIKonIZ4&t=1s

[Singrave]

tell your friends that game is suxx and find new friends

[SephVII]

Escrito originalmente por Hermit:

I guess you all may be right yeah, perhaps it just isn't my kind of thing.

When it comes to gaming, the main things I find entertaining are exploration of a world and it's discoveries, a good story which draws me in and engages me, resource collection and management, and finally building up something I can be pleased with from very small beginnings, like a nice looking base or an efficient and orderly storage system.

This game has an element of the exploration, and I will admit it's extremely pretty and very well designed in terms of it's landscapes. But the zones are perhaps a little small to really satisfy my discovery itch, and the stilted nature of the gameplay I mentioned above also makes exploration somewhat less involving.

There's also an element of resource collection and building weapons/armor, however perhaps it's the percieved lack of an ultimate goal which kind of sours those aspects for me - rather than building the armor to have something you can be proud of, your main purpose for building it is simply to face the next monster...a rung on a seemingly infinite ladder rather than a ledge to reach and then celebrate your acchivements.

A thought about the grinding element which someone mentioned above - I actually don't mind grinding, and can find it quite fun, if the purpose of said grind is for a good reason. For example, I have spent many hours grinding materials in Ark Survival Evolved, with the intent of making a very nice base to live in. And some of the bases I have constructed were very pleasing to me.

However as I say, in this game the grind seems to be largely neverending, and with no purpose other than to face the next boss. Another factor too might be gameplay variety - on Ark, if ever I did get bored of grinding, then I could pause that and go do something else for a while, like hunt for creatures to tame or collect supply drops. But on this game, it seems the grind is pretty much the only gameplay option.

Escrito originalmente por Moonmadness:

Why are you playing a game just because people in your friends list are doing it? Are you 12 and unable to make choices based on your own personal preference?

I can assure you that is not the case, no. I'm in my thirties ;) The truth is though, not that I'm simply following after the crowd and playing whatever they are doing, but that I really care about my friends and want to spend time with them, making them happy. And I know they enjoy this game, so if I can play it with them it may make it even more enjoyable for them. They have done the same for me on occasion when I really liked a game that they were perhaps not as interested in.

Escrito originalmente por TVMAN:

Not gonna lie, I actually stopped reading the OP at this line:



That's just such utter hogwash that I can't take anything else in the post seriously. Each weapon type has a completely different playstyle from the next. Different mechanics, different combos, different move set, different strengths, different weaknesses, etc. To say that the Insect Glaive plays the same as the Greatsword is nonsense.

To say they 'play out the same as each other' tells me that OP either didn't actually use all of the different weapon types, or they used different variations of the same weapon and confused that with different weapon types. There are no other alternatives.

Maybe I haven't played them all properly because I am struggling to get into the game as a whole then, which is sapping my motivation to learn. Perhaps you could suggest some good weapon setups which I could try, and perhaps find more enjoyable?

Play Terraria, there isnt a big story but Exploration and building up is there enough.

[Alaeacus]

I'm with you OP. I did put almost 150 hours into this game, but at least 100 of those hours is simply grinding the same monster multiple times for materials. It's an extremely grindy, repetitive game. It's very fun to play for a while, but definitely overrated.

Some people like mindlessly bashing their heads against the same thing every day for months and months, but I'm not that kind of person.

[Singrave]

next time watch some videos before buying the game, even if friends ask you to play together blah blah blah

[awanderingswordsman]

Pretty sure there aren't any one hit kill moves in the base game with appropriate gear. Some like teo supernova and nergigante crash dive do a lot of damage, but not quite 200 damage if you have up to par armor.

A technique that should make your game less frustrating is called delayed wake up. When you talk about fast monsters comboing you, theres actually a mechanic to escape that called delayed wake up. Whenever you are on the ground, you are invincible completely and you aren't forced to get up right away. Just stay down until you find a safe time to get up and you won't be comboed ever again outside of being stunned or paralyzed.

If stun upsets you, you can actually build your set to remove it from the game entirely by getting stun resist level 3. If you also get health boost level 3, you should solve most of the difficulty issues you have with the game.

Despite the way it seems, stun isn't random either. It's a status that builds up when you get hit and goes down slowly over time. If you get hit 2 or 3 times in a short time period, you will get stunned. If you get hit once and then play safe for 30 seconds or so making sure you don't get hit again, you won't be stunned outside of one move black diablos has and maybe teo supernova which actually stun you in one hit but are fairly easy to avoid.

The draw of the game is personal improvement, whether that be through getting better gear or becoming more skilled as a player. For this, the difficulty is crucial, as it lets enemies serve as a measuring stick for your own personal growth. The feeling of getting your ass kicked by what feels impossible, getting better, trying again, and then eventually truimphing is the main attractor for the series.

Thing is, theres only a few reasons people play video games at their core and not all people play them to experience a sense of improvement or accomplishment. If thats not the type of gamer you are, it's unlikely you will enjoy monster hunter very much. This game does not offer a strong narritive experience or a relaxing break from your troubles (which are what I'd say are the other 2 main reasons people play games).

If you really hope to enjoy the game, try and set some personal goals and focus on your personal growth. Brainstorm a set of gear you would like and work towards it, find an enemy thats tough for you and try to focus on getting hits in without getting hit in return, even if you can afford to get hit, just challenge yourself to do it perfectly and keep yourself thinking about how to do that instead of reverting to autopilot. If you do get hit, question what you did that caused that to happen and how you could have avoided it. If that doesn't allow you to enjoy the game then I don't think it's for you.

[Codester]

Escrito originalmente por Hermit:

This is not intended as a troll topic, nor am I trying to upset anybody. I genuinely am curious as to the answer, and ask in good faith.

So at the moment of typing this, virtually every single person on my friend list is currently playing MHW. I had never played any of the MH games before, but I picked this one up at the request of my friends, so we could play together. However while it is obvious that the game is a big hit among my friends, I just really can't seem to get into it, and in fact whenever I play I end up really disliking it.

I have tried to get hyped and involved in it - I have done research on various items and game mechanics, watched tutorial videos on Youtube and even a letsplay series from a couple of my favorite Tubers, tried a number of different weapons and even started a second character for playing solo when my friends aren't online. But no matter what I do, this game just doesn't seem to work for me at all, and I can't for the life of me figure out why.

What am I missing here? Why is it so popular, and why can't I seem to find the same entertainment out of it compared to others?

Allow me to outline some of the issues I have with the game. And again, here my intent is not to bash MH or troll, I simply want to explain my feelings so that others can perhaps point out things that I have missed, and possible ways for me to find the game more enjoyable.

First up, there's the gameplay. I find it exceedingly repetitive. Leave town, track monster, fight monster, dodge attacks, chase monster, defeat monster...rinse, repeat. The various weapon types add a little bit of variety to this chain, but I find that most of them aren't sufficiently different from each other to provide a real sense of change, and most of them seem to play out much the same as each other.

Then there's the difficulty. Don't get me wrong, I like a challenge in games. But this game sometimes seems so steeped against the player that it just irritates, and some of it's mechanics seem fundimentally broken. Multiple times I have found myself completely stunlocked with paralysis, unable to move or react, while the monsters pound me mercilessly into the ground. In my opinion, unrecoverable stunlock is a severe mistake in any game. Then there's creatures which move and attack so fast that if they get one hit on you, you're done - they will knock you down then keep hitting you over and over again, preventing you from standing up and healing/dodging. And to top it off, there are a few mobs with unblockable one-hit-KO moves which are almost impossible to dodge, and will instantly flatten you from full health even if you have the absolute maximum armor for your current point in the game.

Between the repetitive nature of the gameplay and the difficulty, I find that my playtime only ever swings between monotonous and infuriating, with no enjoyment in between.

Then there's the overall purpose of the game. I'm really struggling to find one. It just feels like a neverending equipment loop - fight a monster, to upgrade your equips, to fight a tougher monster, to upgrade again, to fight another one. What's the end goal?

One could perhaps argue that the story provides such a narative and progression, but I find that the way the story and gameplay is cut up into short segments between loading screens, with no real flow to it, really prevents me from becoming immersed in the world and involved in the characters. It feels exceedingly stilted and stop-start in nature, which causes me to become detatched and distracted from it. I struggle to find motivation to go out on my next mission, because I really don't care what happens on it. I'm unable to build up a rapport with any of the characters, or immerse myself in the world and become a part of it.

What is it about MHW that I'm not getting? What is it that draws you, as a player, into the game, as it has done the majority of my friend list? And how can I, looking in from the outside, perhaps unlock a little of that so my playsessions with my friends are not as difficult for me, or perhaps even become entertaining and enjoyable in their own right?

I'd be interested to hear people's thoughts on the topic. Thanks for reading the wall of text. Discuss.

The only thing I want to reply with is... there is no such thing as an un dodgable attack in this game with the exception of MegaFlare from Bahamut. Everything is easily dodged or avoided but that comes with experience. And if you are getting hit with one hit kill moves your gear isn't good enough.

[agent]

git gud

[gachi is manly]

Not everyone is going to love every game, my man.

Lots of my friends play Rust. Personally I can't really stand it.

Some of those same friends are playing MonHun World with me; some of them say they don't like MonHun games.

Different folks for different strokes n all that.

[Singrave]

I had never played any of the MH games before, but I picked this one up at the request of my friends, so we could play together. However while it is obvious that the game is a big hit among my friends, I just really can't seem to get into it, and in fact whenever I play I end up really disliking it.

why don't you ask your "friends" to help you love this game?
Really, why you ask here? Trying to vent?

[verarticus]

Escrito originalmente por Hermit:

Maybe I haven't played them all properly because I am struggling to get into the game as a whole then, which is sapping my motivation to learn. Perhaps you could suggest some good weapon setups which I could try, and perhaps find more enjoyable?

I've give you a breakdown since you didnt' really say what you like combat-wise.

Sword and Shield - Fast versitile weapon can do basically anything you'd want but lower reach and single hit damage, best used with elements and status so having a collection of them is nice. Also the only weapon that can use items while it's out.

Duel Swords - Fast rappid hitting high moblity weapons. Also good with element and status, largely plays around with keep your stamina in check as you will be draining it alot with deamon mode.

Greatsword - Thicc Boi sword. Huge heavy hits, but slow. Had a lot more nuanced elements to it with the shoulder bash and finding your timings to get teh big hits out.

Longsword - Thin Boi sword. Large and fast, has good damage output and reach. Revolves around building up your meter with long combos to do more damage.

Hammer - Time. Your sole mission in life is to smash heads. Has charging mechanics similar to greatsword, but much more mobile.

Hunting horn - Doot intensifies. Similar to hammer, but also you're playing "notes" with attacks to make songs that can then buff you and allies. One of the more difficult weapons to really master as different ones have different songs, and thus need to attack in different orders.

Lance - Pokey boi. Good reach on attacks, has one of the best guards in the game. Largely about sidestepping to avoid attacks and keep attacking back, and plays around with a charging move to rappid hit and position.

Gunlance - Litterally boomstick. Similar to the lange, but has a build in cannon for adding explosions to your attacks. Less mobile, but bigger damage output.

Switch axe - Two in one. I'd say this is similar to having a greatsword and a longsword that you can switch between to get benefits of both. There's more to it than that though.

Charge blade - Complexity. The most complex weapon the game has to offer, simply though it boils down to playing as a sword and shield building up change to then switch into an axe mode to do large hits and some explosive attacks.

Bow - Pew. The simplest ranged weapon, no ammo worries just extra coatings you can add to your arrows. Plays kinda like a melee weapon as it does have comboing shots.

Light bowgun - Pew Pew Pew. Fast moving ranged weapon. Gets complex with choosing the one that uses the ammo you want. Has some rappid firing ammo mechanics, and can lay down miness.

Heavy bowgun - Boom. Slow and heavy hitting ranged weapon. Similar to the light bowgun, but slows you down gives you more damage and ammo and a choice between being the heavy from team fortress two or a long range piercing exploding sniper shot.

[Singrave]

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1477331498

[Vanessa]

Simple answer:

It's not for everybody.

[FEd]

Escrito originalmente por Hermit:

However as I say, in this game the grind seems to be largely neverending, and with no purpose other than to face the next boss.

The purpose of the grind is making your build stronger, upgrade your character. Have you ever played PoE, Diablo or any other arpg? Well, it's pretty similar. Like i said it's definitely not your type of game.