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Rahz said: I take calculated risks. I think it would be difficult to not take risks and "win". Perhaps the wise person would want little and need no risk, but maybe that's just an archetype.
Too much luck in a strategy game can be frustrating. There are a few games that are heavy on RNG that I've enjoyed but I prefer games that reward solid strategy. Do you recommend that game?
It's not a strategy game, it's more of a historical story-driven text based roguelike. I refer to it as hard RNG because there isn't any of that XCOM-style massaging of the numbers that the game gives. A 50% chance is a 50% chance. Most games don't give you accurate numbers, because the human brain sucks at probability. XCOM is just one of the more blatant examples because, for example, it will never tell you that you have a higher than 95% chance to succeed, even if the true chance is 99%. Most people assume that 99% is the same as 100%.
It does have a point system in which depending on how your previous runs go, you get points to improve your next character, making the game easier.
For me, I've always thought that life was 99% chance and 1% choice. That 1% choice is incredibly important, but it's still 99% chance. Part of the reason I like this game so much is because it drives the point home very well. I remember I had this one character that I had built very carefully, until this dude was basically a god among men. I mean, the game doesn't really describe your character, but one of the optional duels is a guy called The Bulwark, with maxed strength and constitution stats who is described as standing a full head and a half taller than the soldiers around him and crushing skulls with his bare hands. I had maxed out my strength and constitution, I had nearly maxed out my sword skills, I had some of the best armor and weapons available in the game, I was a centurion with more than 100 personal kills in battle, and had no trouble with some of the optional events that require you to fight 5 dudes at the same time. Heck, I'd gotten several civic crowns for singlehandedly winning several timed fights in which you have to kill multiple enemies before they manage to kill a wounded fellow legionary. I'd gotten multiple mural crowns for being the first man to take the walls of a defending city and planting the Roman standard.
And then, during a battle in which you're fighting barely trained light infantry, the kind of dudes I could cut down by the dozen without breaking a sweat, during the opening charge when both sides throw their pila/javelins, I caught a javelin in the throat. Instant death.
You can't get complete armor coverage of your throat, I think it caps out at around 75% depending on which chainmail/helmet combo you wear. On top of that, the chances of getting hit by a javelin are already low, even lower with my stats. That was like a million to one shot. And it landed.
In general, it's a pretty well made game. Some of the minor things are pretty great, too. It's a small touch, but one thing that always gets me is how when you die, the music instantly cuts off, so you just hear the last slash and the screen fades out.
I guess it really crystallized my thoughts on how much random chance affects your life. From who you're born to, the mental/physical traits you're born with, personally, I believe that the outcome of your life is largely decided before you're even born. I recognize that I'm luckier than most by being born healthy, white, male, to some very smart people, and being on the right side of the bell curve myself. Unfortunately, I wasn't born into the kind of wealth that would have allowed me to go full Bezos/Musk/Gates, but the fact that I have to dig back five generations of my family tree before I get to an ancestor without a PhD means that my life was going to be better than most before I was even conceived.
I mean, choices definitely play a part, but even then, the outcomes of bad decisions on my part are largely dictated by the circumstances of my birth as well. For example, I never did homework, as a result of which I was nearly failing out of high school. I still got into a decent college based on my SAT scores alone. I spent a good portion of college on academic probation, but still went to a decent enough grad school based on GRE scores alone. Being white was extremely helpful towards the outcome of drug-related legal troubles I had at one point. Being male and tall kept me safe during some extremely stupid situations that my choices put me in. Speaking multiple languages has given me some benefits that are almost like secret levels. None of those characteristics were due to decisions on my part, even learning multiple languages was a result of my parent's decision to immigrate with a young me.
If I had made better choices, I could be living a better life. The circumstances of my birth, however, almost put in an artificial floor below which my quality of life won't sink unless I do something really dumb. I've worked some shitty jobs, but I've never had to work for minimum wage, even when I was a high schooler. Unless something really stupid happens, it's pretty safe to assume that I will never work a minimum wage job. Of course, I also could catch the metaphorical javelin to the throat. If I'm really unlucky, it might not be metaphorical.
Of course, there are also negatives about the circumstances of my birth. I wasn't born into wealth, which means I will never be a billionaire. My family history of lung cancer makes my decision to start smoking at age 16 really fucking stupid, and it's a habit I'm still trying to kick. Being an immigrant and frequently changing schools as a kid definitely stunted my social skills. I've got mental health issues that I'll live with for my entire life, which I can't be completely honest about with anyone outside of a few close friends because they would literally end my career overnight. Hell, some of them I can't even get treatment for because that shit can't show up on my (work-based) insurance.
Success takes talent, time, and luck. Your choices are important, but I believe that it's primarily a factor of luck. Unfortunately, most outwardly/publicly successful people always try to downplay the role of luck in their success. The reasons are somewhat obvious: recognizing that luck is the most important factor in their success makes it seem like your choices don't matter. I don't think that's true, of course, since talent and time is still a factor, but even recognizing your own talents early enough that you have time to take advantage of them is a factor of luck.
I'm getting a little rambly. I guess that's why I put this in this forum. I guess, recognize that RNG is the most important driving factor in your life, but also recognize that doesn't mean your life is predetermined. Hell, by virtue of having access to this forum, and therefore internet, a computer, and a place to keep said computer, you're probably luckier than many people. You could be a child slave growing cocoa beans 16 hours a day for Nestle to sell to the rest of the world. Most of all, try to identify your talents before you run out of time.
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