@Pangaea I do get how you are feeling.
I think that what you say echo something that @shakabrade wrote in that "Prepare to die!!!" Wang game.
"I know exacly why the AI does what he does, I feel like I'm just lensing ants, and it's not fun anymore".
I deliberately avoid memorizing every single mechanic, and don't consult charts and tables at every turn in the game. I do this because it keeps the AIs more human-like and give me the most satisfaction.
I'm playing abit of "make believe" and try to see Zara as a zealous bully who will bend his knee if I hit him with enough force, rather than 4/10 caputilation resist and 70 war succes.
I do see the allure and the enjoyment that could be had by just going full bananaz in this regard too! (Look at Kaitzillas take on the WvO in the jungle game from Lains thread).
It's sort of treating the game as an incredibly complex puzzle and to the best of effort try to lay out the pieces perfecly.
So I understand both approaches it's when they are to "compete" problems arise.
And these sorts of problems always arise in competitive gaming.
Speedrunning golden eye on nintendo64 was beloved by many, but then someone figured out that you could shave seconds of by constantly looking down at the ground. This made many toss in the towel there as well, because it felt deragatory and took what enjoyment they had of the game away.
For me I have a distinct advantage of not caring the least about the medals. So there is no problem for me to continue to partake.
But if you do crave that gold medal, and you want to play "natural" and compete with game mechanics utilization (I dislike the term 'abuse') you will likely have problems.
I think that what you say echo something that @shakabrade wrote in that "Prepare to die!!!" Wang game.
"I know exacly why the AI does what he does, I feel like I'm just lensing ants, and it's not fun anymore".
I deliberately avoid memorizing every single mechanic, and don't consult charts and tables at every turn in the game. I do this because it keeps the AIs more human-like and give me the most satisfaction.
I'm playing abit of "make believe" and try to see Zara as a zealous bully who will bend his knee if I hit him with enough force, rather than 4/10 caputilation resist and 70 war succes.
I do see the allure and the enjoyment that could be had by just going full bananaz in this regard too! (Look at Kaitzillas take on the WvO in the jungle game from Lains thread).
It's sort of treating the game as an incredibly complex puzzle and to the best of effort try to lay out the pieces perfecly.
So I understand both approaches it's when they are to "compete" problems arise.
And these sorts of problems always arise in competitive gaming.
Speedrunning golden eye on nintendo64 was beloved by many, but then someone figured out that you could shave seconds of by constantly looking down at the ground. This made many toss in the towel there as well, because it felt deragatory and took what enjoyment they had of the game away.
For me I have a distinct advantage of not caring the least about the medals. So there is no problem for me to continue to partake.
But if you do crave that gold medal, and you want to play "natural" and compete with game mechanics utilization (I dislike the term 'abuse') you will likely have problems.