Arcanum and the Fallout titles available here on gog.

I really do love RPGs, but in both games I have no clue what I should to first and where to go. No matter what I do and where I go, almost everything is killing me with a single hit.
I don't need games like Oblivion or Fallout III telling me exactly what to do, when and where but these two games are apparently way too tough for me :(

Haven't tried Arcanum yet, but you should definitely read the manual for Fallout before playing. You don't need to read every perk description or whatever, but at least the game mechanics.

Arcanum needs a manual too. Unfortunately I have to assume the thing I found on the net is what passes for Arcanum's manual. You're almost better off with trial and error if that's the case.

GOG's Arcanum downloads include a 187 page manual (PDF). Is that what you found on the net?

I don't know. If 185 pages are bloody useless and the remaining 2 pages are the covers then that sounds about right.

I confess that I use walkthroughs in most games. I generally only come for the fun, have enough challenge elsewhere in my life, and consider many of the challenges of games actually pretty lame nutbusting. If I get too bogged down or the game gets too fiddly with what I feel are waste of time puzzle elements and obscurities, I read a walk-through pronto before I get so annoyed with the game I simply abandon it.

I'll only read just enough, though, and will always try to first get through a sticking point using my own patience. I do like surprises and do want to see if I can do it by myself (fairly quickly). But I'm not married to the idea of figuring everything out by myself, especially when trying to do so stomps the fun factor for me.

Sorceress, Cleric, Thief and Dwarven Knight

I consider myself quite timid about learning a new RPG game system, but oddly enough, I absolutely love GOG's Fallouts & Arcanum. The love didn't come right away, I'll admit that, but I learned as I went along.

I also wasn't afraid to use walkthroughs. There's a guy somewhere on the web that has the most bomb-diggity Fallout 1 & 2 walkthroughs that I just can't say enough good things about. I know alot of people dislike walkthroughs or consider them "cheating" but a well-written walkthrough puts the game into a better perspective for someone who (like me) feels intimidated by new RPG games, without completely spoiling the game.

Also, Fallout 1 & 2 and Arcanum are built for sandbox gaming, so you do kind of have to learn where to go & where not to go (until you're strong enough).

As far as being too stupid to learn a game, me myself? Fallout 3 pretty much proved to me that I just haven't got the coordination to handle WASD movement with one hand & weapons and such with the other. Doesn't matter what the game is, if its got real-time combat, I've wasted my money. I just haven't got the coordination, which doesn't make me mentally stupid, but I guess physically stupid.

In terms of gameplay I think Fallout 1 was extremely difficult and actually degraded into a grind fest while I traveled back and forth between two towns for random encounters that I could manage on my own. Do that for several hours at the start and you'll be capable of actually continuing the story. Thinking on it now I only ever managed to find The Master on accident and I never got into the Super Mutant complex.

As far as story lines go the original Xenogears for PS1 had me scratching my head back in 97/98 and even when I play it now on my old PS2 there are moments where I'm going "Errr... say what?". You almost need a doctorate in religion or physics to get a grasp of what the eff they're talking about.

It struck me as a rambling mess. I'd have called it the worst manual I've seen but I wasn't convinced it even was one. No wonder they didn't bother including it in DVD boxed copies. If they wanted to include scene-setting ramblings with the game then that's fine. But not in the bloody manual, please. Never mind throughout it.

For me I hate modern manuals that DON'T include the "scene-setting ramblings". But I was brought up on PC game manuals from the late 1999s and early 2000s that were hundreds of pages of both useful information and background lore. It was excellent stuff. But I can see the Arcanum manual not being someone's cup of tea if they just want to figure out how to do stuff.

Though there is a tutorial section in the manual which tells you how to play/holds your hand while you play for the first five minutes or so. And then all the skills and stat bonuses. Excellent stuff.

:D I thought that was the whole point. But okay.

You should be good, then. Just whittle down the monster packs and retreat to heal as necessary. Move cautiously and you should be able to avoid attracting too many at once.

I also suggest equipping everyone with bows as soon as you're able to do so - it really helps out.

Completed the shareware version of Grim Fandango with serious ease so bought the full game. Had to find a walkthrough guide on google...