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JPRGs fans with full time jobs, what are your time management secrets?

T

Tom_Cody

Member
EmptySpace said:
nothing. i play a jrpg for months.
Click to expand...
This increasingly describes my gaming habits. I just focus one one game at a time and chip away at it over time. One hour here, one hour there, and maybe a few hours at once if I have a free weekend day.

The added versatility of portables helps this tremendously.
 
C

Corgi

Banned
took me 2-3 months to beat xenogears this year. just an hr or 2 a day.


its not just jrpgs, all games take a while. Give me more 1-2 hour games. PLEASE.
 
K

KlytusImBored

Member
Tom_Cody said:
This increasingly describes my gaming habits. I just focus one one game at a time and chip away at it over time. One hour here, one hour there, and maybe a few hours at once if I have a free weekend day.
Click to expand...

I find myself not moving on to the next game until I complete the current one. It sucks for variety, but it's been a crucial motivator.
 
Z

Zippedpinhead

Member
Handheld titles... especially now since we can put the system to sleep and immediately pick up and play. Those five minutes booting console, loading the game, loading the save and getting from the save point to where you were really adds up.

I have also booted a lot more titles, If the game is a "slow burn" I am more likely to dump it, especially if it is on a console.

I usually can get 20-30 minutes in at night, after the kid is asleep. The Mrs. and I watch TV and I usually play games while we watch. I am hoping that remote play helps with PS4 RPGs in general.

Tips:

1: Keep up with Persona 4: Golden.
2: Don't be afraid to "quit" games once you have reached the credits, even if there is post game material. Every hour grinding for a super ultimate optional massive crazy end-game boss that only 1% of people beat is an hour you could be getting knee deep with a new title. Now there are games were that pays off (Bravely Defaults better ending for example).

3: Don't waste money on games that you don't know you will enjoy, and if you do get a game that you don't enjoy and are going to shelve it, I say sell the game. If it is not in your backlog you will not feel guilty when you pass over it for a newer, better, and probably more engaging title.
 
I

Iva Demilcol

Member
Play whatever you want when you want. It's not like you win something every time you finish a game, take your time to enjoy your games, if you are not having fun, then stop and play another thing. I've played some titles for an entire year and don't feel any pressures of some sort.
 
T

TheExodu5

Banned
Job wasn't an issue for me. I could still make time to game 20+ hours a week no problem. Relationship, on the other hand, is another issue. With a job and a relationship, I find myself having as much as 5 hours a week, on a good week, and that makes it tough to finish much anything.

I've given up most JRPGs as a result, or end up playing more on handhelds, where it's easier to get a bit of time in here and there.

While not a JRPG, I'm playing Dragon Age Inquisition at the moment, and I expect it will take me a few more months to finish.

I've simply resorted to buying less games and being more selective about the ones I buy. In the end, I end up appreciating the ones I play moreso than in the past.
 
G

GravityMan

Member
Over the past 5+ years, I've had to become much more picky about the games I buy and play. I've accepted that any game more than 20 hours long is probably going to take me at least a few weeks (unless is one of those few games that draws me in so much that I lose track of time), and that really long games are going to take many months. That goes for JRPG/WRPGs, open-world games like GTA and Assassin's Creed and so on.

I'm also quicker to call it quits on a game that I'm not enjoying. That goes for TV shows, books, etc also.

It's not just the FT job; it's also important to me to set aside time for a social life outside of gaming.

I think devs of long games should take into better consideration people who take long hiatuses between gaming sessions. Better story recaps/synopsis, always-accessible gameplay tutorials (and make them interactive, not just reading/videos) and so on. Make it easier for those people to jump back in and get up to speed. A growing # of people who play games are grown adults with full-time jobs and other adult responsibilities.
 
A

Anondreas

Member
It can be hard. Especially with family and a career. I just set time aside for it like I do for working out, etc. My days of marathon sessions like I had when I was in High School and College are over for sure. But, I find I can get through one every month or two and I have learned to savor them more. I look forward to retirement though, I am going to be one jrpg playing old coot.
 
M

Mupod

Member
StriKeVillain said:
I don't ever finish them.

Not kidding
Click to expand...

I genuinely can't remember the last one I finished. Maybe Infinite Space, and I played that when it was new. Obviously not counting Souls games and such.

When I started Xenoblade a few months back I specifically was trying my best not to put the game on hold. Since I knew I'd never go back to it if I did. But then my friends dragged me into marvel heroes and I haven't touched it since. Don't remember what I was doing in it or how to play it. I really do plan to finish it before the Wii U game though.

It's just too easy to get sidetracked from a long game with complex gameplay elements. The longer you wait the harder it is to go back.
 
A

Asharakk

Member
I usually set my mind to finishing one JRPG before moving on to another. I also reduce grinding to a minimum by going with easier difficulty settings.
 
AmuroChan

AmuroChan

Member
It's all about multi-tasking and chipping at the game even in small chunks. Because I have a long commute, I play a lot of JRPGs on my Vita. So that's at least 1-1.5 hrs a day of game time that I do while commuting to and from work. I'll also play some during my lunch break. Then at home when it's my turn to watch the baby, I'll ergo him so that allows me to both watch him and game. There's all there is to it. You just gotta find ways to accomplish multiple things in the same time frame.
 
R

Reveirg

Member
KlytusImBored said:
I find myself not moving on to the next game until I complete the current one. It sucks for variety, but it's been a crucial motivator.
Click to expand...

This.
I usually have one handheld game and one console game I play concurrently.

I'm honestly not sure how I do it but I complete many JRPGs per month. I'll play handhelds while watching hockey or spending some time with my wife. Console games late at night for a few hours before going to bed.
I only do sidequests if I REALLY like the game, and will lower the difficulty if possible if the game requires a lot of grinding and/or repetition (I'm looking at you Persona Q).

It works, but as opposed to some of you, I don't have many responsibilities outside of work (no children, etc.).
 
N

n00bsauce87

Member
I can only speak for the 3ds rpgs. I just play them on my travels to and from work. That's how I get most of my pokemon omega ruby playing time in. And Bravely Default back earlier this year. For console gaming, it's worst because not only do I have a 9-5, I have a significant other. So playing time comes in a premium. So I just realize that I play mostly during the weekend
 
I

itzknickknac

Member
entrement said:
This is my current JRPG backlog:

  1. Valkyrie Profile Silmeria
  2. FFXII
  3. Persona 3 FES--Dropped
  4. Nocturne
  5. Digital Devil Summoner 1 (DDS)
  6. DDS2
  7. Dragon's Dogma and expansion
  8. Dark Souls--In the middle of this one.
  9. Valkyria Chronicles--lost save, but it was early.
  10. Ni No Kuni
  11. DQVI
  12. DQIX
  13. ORAS--Currently playing.
  14. P4 Golden--Currently playing.
  15. FFX-2
  16. Etrian 3DS
I do better with handhelds since I can play on commutes. The problem is after work, I'm tired so I wait for weekends, but finding chunks of time on the weekend is hard, since you want to maximize it, right? Going out, running errands, gym, chilling with friends, etc, Eats up my weekend.
Click to expand...
I turned your lists into one big one to compare w mine (and in no order):

  1. HyperDimensionNeptunia mk2 (HDNep) - started but on hold
  2. NDNep V
  3. Time and Eternity - started but on hold
  4. P4:G
  5. P3P
  6. Odin Sphere
  7. Vagrant Story
  8. Mugen Souls
  9. Mugen Souls Z
  10. Star Ocean: The Last Hope
  11. Ni No Kuni
  12. FFX HD - started but on hold
  13. FFX-2 HD
  14. KH: CoM HD - currently playing with others
  15. KH 2.5 HD
  16. LR: FFXIII - started but on hold
  17. Bravely Default: Flying Fairies - started but on hold
  18. Totori+ - currently playing with others
  19. Meruru+
  20. FF8 + other PS1 RPGs

I'm doing a mix between playing these, and other backlogs (non RPGs) so my progress in playing through JRPG's is slow.

After work I gym, make dinner, meal prep for next day's breakfast/lunch, so by the time I'm in bed, I have no more than an hour to play. Progress is very slow.
 
O

otakukidd

Member
I have a 2nd TV hooked up next to my gaming PC. So I marathon TV shows and play at the se time. So this extends my attention greatly. Try breaking up your gaming, play a over 40 hour rpg, then a short 12 hour game as a palette cleanser. I work 8 to 5 every weekday with a 30 minute commute. I try to juggle gaming with anime and comics. Also hanging out with friend. Fall kinda sucks also cause of football season so Saturdays are kinda shot. I pretty much am under the impression that I won't beat my back log which according to how long to beat is over 1200 hours. If a game is 80 hours long it doesn't bother me. I know I'll get to other games eventually. And with long games taking a break is fine. My limit is if i don't start a game again in 3 months I will restart it completely when I do.
 
S

silenttwn

Member
KlytusImBored said:
I find myself not moving on to the next game until I complete the current one. It sucks for variety, but it's been a crucial motivator.
Click to expand...

Yep. Patience and focus. Maybe play something that's easy to pick up and play for a half hour if you need variety. You chip away at it and it's not really a problem. For me if the game has depth in lore and world building (like, for instance Xenogears which I'm replaying right now) it actually helps to soak it all in if you play it in bits over long stretches of time.

Also, depending on how much time you have to play games maybe you should focus on just completing the main campaign versus trying to complete all the sidequests. Sometimes that means not having the best gear, but think of it as playing the game on a more challenging setting.
 
entremet

entremet

Member
I really hope Xenoblade 3DS gets localized.

I hear the original is one of the best, but also an 80 hour main quest. I could never do that on console.
 
K

KePoW

Banned
If you're not married and don't have kids, I don't see what the big issue is

I work a full-time corporate job from 10:00am to 6:00pm. That means I'm free at home from about 6:30pm to 2:00am. That's still a good amount of time for even RPGs

(I live 5 minutes drive away from work, so I don't have much commute time)
 
T

TheChaos0

Member
Well, I play during the commute back. I try not to own too many games that I want to play. This last three months were pretty brutal with a number of games I've preordered last year! came out. I never play more than 1 core game, otherwise I lose focus in both of them. Even with relatively enough time, I only finish a game every 2-3 months.
 
gioGAF

gioGAF

Member
I basically don't watch any TV. Gaming has completely replaced watching TV for me. I only watch the occasional movie/show (recorded/on disc/streaming only) on weekends.
 
D

Dunbar

Member
I play a game until I get bored or frustrated with it and move on. It sucks leaving so many games unfinished when I used to play everything to completion, but if I tried to force myself to beat every game I started, I'd end up burned out and playing many fewer games. At this point in my life, I'd rather play 10 games for 20-30 hours than 2 for 150 hours each.
 
P

PsionBolt

Member
I just don't buy very many. Simple as that. Those I do buy are digital (when possible) and on handhelds for maximum convenience.
 
A

Anth0ny

Member
skip cutscenes unless the story really interests you. if the game is good enough, play it again someday and watch all the cutscenes. if it's just okay, fuck it.

try to chip away at the game day by day. I try to play at least an hour a day, and more on the weekends.

this is pretty much how I got through Xenoblade, the longest single player game I've ever played. it took forever.

I also don't buy many JRPGs. right now my JRPG backlog is, like, 5 games.
 
Y

ys45

Member
Don't try to play all of them like I do :p

My current backog :

1. Atelier Escha & Logy
2. Fairy Fencer F (playing this on Christmas vacation)
3. The guided Fate : paradox
4. Akiba's Trip 2 (also going to play this during my vacation)
5. Tales of Heart R
6.Demon Gaze
7. Ar No Surge (need to finish the damn summary I'm at chapter 6)

And I'm not even counting the one on older console like PS2 other wise il get discouraged .
 
A

Azuran

Banned
I don't even bother to play them anymore unless they're on a handheld, and even then, it takes a long time for me to get through them. Playing one game at a time help too. People trying to play 3 games along with one JRPG at the same time are just asking for trouble and wasting time.

Last one I played was Xenoblade and even thought I love the hell out of the game, I basically had to force myself to finish it because I knew I could easily put it down and forget about it due to limited time.
 
F

Flarin

Member
Handhelds.

I take the train to work (about an hour each way) which allots me tons of time to game. I also play during lunch breaks. So we're talking at least 2 hours a day.

Otherwise, don't have a social life?
 
K

KlytusImBored

Member
BumRush said:
Noooooooooooooo...start over. It's an absolutely amazing game with one of the best stories in the history of JRPGs
Click to expand...

I know I'm a terrible person. But I tried the game back when it came out, and then again for the Vita. I don't think I have the patience to get 45 mins into a battle, lose, then do it all over again. Maybe there's something I'm missing. Perhaps one day I'll try again.
 
S

SlasherJPC

Banned
Working full time and havin a wife and kid really eats up a lot of my extra time (which is great, I love it) but my passion for gaming is still there and so I have to just pile in what I can when I can. I will say the handhelf thing is great for when going to bed. I have been juggling so many rpgs as of right now, but it just is what it is. I might never finish some of these games but I do enjoy the time I can spend with them.
 
F

flatearthpandas

Member
Well, I have a humongous backlog. So that's secret number one.

I manage to finish RPGs pretty regularly all the same. It helps that I lead a pretty boring life too. We are not bursting with activities so I generally bust out a handheld and work on whatever game I'm playing when we're just watching TV, which gives me a potential hour or two a day and much more on weekends.
 
S

Scrawnton

Member
Even though this doesn't completely apply to me because I'm a teacher and I get summers off in which I play RPGs then, but I tend to playing JRPGs at night as I go to bed during the school year. Right now I'm playing Persona 3 FES an hour every night as I go to bed and it has been working out well for me. I do not need to binge play that game. It's structure, especially with the status condition and not being able to grind endlessly, lends itself well for playing for an hour, accomplishing something, and turning it off.
 
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