Kean_1

.....just isn't worth it 99% of the time IME. I just leave them alone now as they are usually worn or Ines I already own or could easily buy myself.

Yes, just tap L1. You don't hold it down.

D-pad down should expand the map if it isn't already, show the area, time, temp, amount of funds, etc. Not unlike GTAV if you're familiar with that UI.

Not a stupid question at all. I was also curious and never found out how. Searched all through the R* Social Club as well. Hopefully we're just overlooking something. I've seen a couple people around here state some pretty specific numbers on the time they have spent in-game so unless they keep meticulous records of how long they play, they must be able to tell some other way.

I gotta watch what threads I stumble into these days.

I get what you're suggesting but I think it's safe to say that RDR2 already has mass appeal. I don't see them changing the challenging or immersive components due to those who don't agree with the gameplay. .....I'm not talking about bugs, glitches, UI enhancements, etc. btw. I agree with you though. I've seen a handful of arguments in this forum regarding gameplay "issues" that seem to suggest that they are taking a hamfisted approach to their play. I've said it before and I'll say it again.... This game rewards finesse and penalizes heavy-handedness. ....and it's all the better for it IMO.

Yes. I think I mentioned it in another post but that's what some folks I read have done is try to time their button taps with the red blinks. Either way I can at least dramatically reduce my stamina drain. If the cores begin to reduce over time I'll stop and feed the horse and bring them back up. I never let them drop below half if I can help it and I simply stop sprinting when needed over long distances to avoid over fatiguing my horse. To be honest, I don't usually sustain a full gallop for long periods of a time anyway in case I run into trouble. I also slow down at times to avoid being surprised by ambushes, so I don't miss side events, etc.

I threw a throwing knife at what turned out to be a cat during the evening (oops) .....got an animal cruelty charge for about $5 or so.

I'm more lucky at Blackjack it seems.

To be fair, others were trying to help too but thanks for that. The rhythm isn't easy to get but I use the "clomping" noise as a gauge. If anything, getting it close will at least slow down the rate of stamina drain. Also, there are items like the upgraded stirrups IIRC that will help slow it down further. As someone else pointed out, horses make those types of noises and R* made it a point to let people know RDR2 was going to be all about the little details. ......so of course there are going to be elements like this in the game. This is what many fans had asked for and were anticipating. I'm not going to be one of those that say "go play something else" but you have to realize that these traits are a big part of what this game is about. They went for more complex, "realistic" mechanics. ....more "depth" and immersiveness. Quite frankly, if the game had been made more simplistic and shallow, I wouldn't have been attracted to it. Given some of the feedback I've read from you, I have a feeling RDR2 may simply be something you will never really like or enjoy which is fine. It's just not your type of game is all.

I get it. I played a crap load of RDR too. I guess I just have come to a point where I tend to temper my expectations of a games based on marketing and hype. I expected RDR2 to be a better, more enhanced version of RDR1 which I believe they delivered. Personally, I don't feel let down or lied to like some but to be honest, hype is nothing new in the gaming industry. RDR2 simply delivered more of the kind of experience I expected. .....but I get that some may be disappointed by comparison and that's fine. I'm not looking to convince others that they should be satisfied if they truly are not. To be honest, I'm happy and that's what really matters.

I really enjoy the game and it's set to be one of my all time favorites. Most of my friends agree and all of them have been spending way more hours playing it than most games in recent memory. Having said that, I have nothing against people being critical about aspects of the game they don't like. .....but It's the hyperbole and/or discourtesy some show toward others that tends to get under my skin especially against those that are simply trying to help or provide an alternative viewpoints. This forum is no different to others when it comes to such things. Although I still think this one does a better job at moderating. In the end, I know there are going to be those who don't share the same opinion of the game that I do. Nothing wrong with that IMO and I welcome the discussions. .....provided they stay civil.

Yeah, I think it's apparent now. @juxax Every mission I've been in has given me the opportunity to either "restart" the mission or reload the last "checkpoint". If you were doing the latter then you wouldn't have to wade through the entire mission again. You're making the game way more difficult than it needs to be.

Some folks are simply completionists and they are driven to collect every trophy, award, special weapon, etc. Although I like to gather such things to an extent, I wouldn't consider myself one. ......but I get why some would want to. It can be more a sense of accomplishment than anything.

Yep..... Varmint rifle or (remember) the bow. I have a friend who actually prefers the bow and is getting pretty good at it. .....I still suck at it but then again, I haven't much time trying to get to know it. At this point in the game, I only go for pelts as targets of opportunity or (like yourself) for specific purposes. They simply don't fetch enough in trade to be worth my time IMO / IME. I've actually found human attackers (ambushes, etc.) to be a lot more lucrative as they usually have jewelry, tonics and other more valuable items on them when looting. ....then I go to the local fence, doc, etc. to unload it all.

Personally, I would play RDR1 first simply because of the advancements they made in RDR2. If R* had made a remastered version of RDR before RDR2 as release, I would have been all over it. I played it on PS3 and really liked it. However, after playing RDR2, I simply couldn't bring myself to replay RDR1. I played a but of it on PS Now a couple weeks before RDR2 released since they had a 15 day free trial. It certainly felt dated and even more so now. ......YMMV.

Side missions yes (because I screwed up, etc.) but not story missions as far as I've noticed.

I'd love the co-op idea more than split screen but I get the desire for a couch co-op option. The only problem isn't that devs simply don't want to explore "old school" idea s like this but as @BropolloCreed79alluded to, it would be heavily taxing on your system especially with a game like this. The 2-4 player co-op in campaign would have been awesome though. I still hope RDO has more of a focus on co-op gameplay than their previous titles. I prefer co-op PvE over adversarial PvP.

That hasn't been my experience at all. I actually enjoy the missions when I eventually come back to them after my open world excursions in between. In fact, it's the open world that I am spending many hours in and very few hours actually with the main story.

@Lucixir Just to clarify, you press forward on the left stick (not d pad) to make the horse begin to walk. Tap the X/A button to begin to speed up. There are actually more speeds than just the 4 mentioned here. Tapping the R1 trigger (on PS4) will help slow down the horse. Simply tap each button until you get the desired effect. ....it's not that difficult and if you play with the controls it become more apparent how it works. Honestly, spend some time in an open field as JD mentioned and play with these buttons yourself. It doesn't take long to understand and that's exactly how I figured out many of the game's mechanics myself. To perform a full gallop, you need to keep tapping the run button as you probably already know. .....and yes, at some point there is a pop-up tip window with a message that tell you that if you tap in time with the horse's gallop, it will not lose stamina. I tend to use the sound of the hooves to get the timing right while others I've heard keep in time with the red flashes of the stamina icon. I have heard sources like Gamespot say that doing this will "conserve" stamina. All I can say is that I have seen the message in-game as have others in Reddit, etc. I also have been able to stop stamina drain by doing it although it's not easy to maintain. Keep in mind that keeping the horse clean and well fed (but not overfed) will all affect its speed and state. Calling your horse still brings it near you. It's not as if you have to walk that far. I usually move or run toward it. If you want it always close by, whistle for it just as you dismount. It will follow you around like a lost puppy right on your heels. This is what I do when I might need it for a quick getaway or while picking up carcasses, traveling a distance on foot, etc. As for wandering off the trail when talking to others, I've said it before but simply slow down if you're going to talk to someone passing by you. It only took me a few times in the beginning to wander off the trail trying to carry on a dialogue (and a couple trees) to make me adapt. I rarely have any issue with it now. Don't hold the dialogue button down longer than you need to to respond. If you wish to respond again, re engage and select your response again. When riding alongside, try trailing them and carrying on a dialogue. It's much easier to maintain control. These are all things I figured out on my own by simply working with the controls / mechanics vs. trying to force them to conform to the way I think they should work. Gunfights on horseback...... I rarely use the Dead Eye mechanic and to be quite honest, I've really become used to engagements while on the run. Personally, I find it takes some skill but I'm pretty good at it now. It also helps slow down posses/pursuers that are on your tail. Use the terrain, obstacles and other things in the game world to your advantage. This will also help slow them down and give you time to escape. I can't say this enough but spend some time in the settings. Try adjusting the sliders to change the sensitivity, acceleration, dead zone and auto aim. Play with the auto aim "narrow, wide, normal and off" positions. IIRC, I think I'm currently using auto aim at normal and with sensitivity set at the lowest level (not off). Dead zone I believe is all the way down as is the acceleration. Camera sensitivity I think is all the way up. If you're interested, I can check and report back what I have everything set at to give you an idea. Other than that, I don't know what to say to be honest. You say it makes you laugh when folks like me say how we enjoy some of these mechanics and are able to perform these tasks with a level of success. I get that you're struggling with the mechanics in this game and that's fine. .....there are plenty of us that are willing to try and help you have a more enjoyable experience if that's truly what you want but I hope it doesn't get to a point of people using the "git gud" argument or implying others are full of "BS" simply because they are unable to replicate their results. If I had the incentive or desire to create a video of some of these things, I would. .....maybe at some point I will or better yet, perhaps others will as time moves on.

Great post. Just a correction...... If you time the button taps right, your horse will not lose any stamina while in a full gallop. It won't gain any but it won't lose any either. Not an easy thing to do to get it perfect (I tend to skip a beat here and there myself) but it does work as the tip in the game mentions. As for ambushes, learn to slow down when you're on the road approaching a line of trees, large boulders, a covered bridge, etc. Particularly any place that appears to be a chokepoint or, well, a place you might abush someone yourself. I always get my weapons ready and listen. If you trot toward and ambush you can usually hear the attackers say something before they pop out into the open. ....something like "here he comes", etc. Dialogue you would otherwise miss if you're galloping through. When confronted, I will usually just plow through as JD mentioned or even take a few shots before I do to thin their numbers. I will sometimes even turn around and retreat once I hear them talking before they can get the jump on me. If it's a region with good cover and depending if they are on foot or horseback, I might ride ahead and find a boulder, large tree, etc. where I can dismount and take cover (giving me the edge on the advancing enemy). When they are on horseback, I dodge them through trees and obstacles that will make it difficult for them to negotiate through or around. Sometimes they will spread out enough where I can turn around and take them on more easily. I adapt to what is available to me at the time. Without giving away any spoilers, I almost lost my horse and my life in a particular region of "hillbillies" where I was ambushed repeatedly in the backwoods. I had to stop and fight a number of times, seeking high ground where possible to give myself an advantage. Luckily I made it through but I had doubts I would get out of the region without at least me dying once. I nearly lost my horse again last night after pissing off local law enforcement in a large, busy town. I escaped the "red circle" but my horse had taken damage and had nothing left so I parked him and ran into a train yard hiding from cover to cover until the police stopped searching. I was literally surrounded but luckily the search timer ran out as I hid behind some crates. I guess the point is that these things are survivable if you simply use some finesse and strategy rather than try to hamfist your way through the game. This game rewards the former and punishes the latter. ......and for Pete's sake, use the manual save option. Accidents and unexpected events happen. Some folks are treating the autosave like a death sentence. Perform a manual save periodically and at certain significant milestones (after difficult missions, encounters, after obtaining a large amount of cash, goods, etc.). It only takes a moment and even if it sets you back a bit, it's better than permanently losing a really good horse, your funds, etc.. You also have the option to either use the save or not (if you prefer to allow events unfold as they may). Anyhow, great thread and sorry for the rant.

I can get away with a sprint through a few trees but if it's a forest, I slow down. Even fully bonded horses in the game will still act like, well, horses. They still get startled when predators are nearby, they will still show signs of fatigue and restlessness when they are not comfortable, winded, etc. and they will sometimes resist a bit your input, get skittish, etc. especially when faced with certain obstacles. IMO, it's these things that add depth to RDR2.

"If you can't treat people with respect, what's the point I say?" - Arthur Morgan

Gotcha and yeah, that sight picture would bug me too.