Groo Tries To Grow As A Gamer

[Groo The Wanderer]

As for difficulty and iron man.... I usually start any game on the hardest setting and only fall back if it seems "impossible." Ironman in the old games, sure, sometimes. In the modern ones? I find the quirkiness (read: my lack of knowledge) of the mechanics make it harder than it should be. I'm happy to die in game because of a mistake or even bad luck, but when it's just a lack of utilizing game mechanics to their strongest, I sometimes get irritable and that's when I'll reload to an earlier point.

We could not be more polar opposite in our approaches, old friend. Usually because of financial issues, when I get a new game there's an understanding that this will be played again, and again, and (wait for it) again; I just don't have the funds to treat these increasingly costly entertainment items as disposable.  Those first easy settings and frequently reloaded run-throughs are where I *LEARN* the mechanics of the platform - to game the system, if you will. Could you imagine learning how to play chess, but not bothering to figure out that Queens can move diagonally as well as straight across? How much would that hobble your ability to enjoy the dance? But even that backfired in Operation Fuster-Cluck; due to my lazy playing style, I rarely encountered an opportunity to carry a wounded troop off the battlefield, and my ignorance of that mechanic may have resulted in poor execution regarding where I chose my evac point. Coulda/shoulda/woulda, right? And the other downside to my style is the inertia... I mentioned my "echo chamber" thought to Oedipussy Rex above, and how those satisfying dopamine hits of constant success have left me deficient (in my opinion) of rising to an actual challenge. I've forgotten how to "lose with grace" in these Ironman trials, and up until now never saw the point of the aggravation.

Time will tell on that last point, I guess.

Also, just so we're clear, if you haven't taken a stab at XCOM2 yet and have the means, I would highly recommend it. Very much a sequel to the XCOM reboot, not just a repackaged expansion pack designed to make money.

One last thing before I write my in-game analysis for the evening... as a point of order, what's the forum etiquette on posting screenshots or in-game photos? I am operating this through Steam, and sometimes a picture is worth 1000 words, or 950 words after fees, tax, and inflation. I just don't want to start killing your available space and everyone else's bandwidth... or even, if you all would suggest, losing some of the written drama by taking the easy-peasy "smile for the camera" approach... let me know either way.