Forum Overview :: Gamerasutra :: I need to l2p Magicka and Minecraft.

[quote name="Last"]I got both of these for my birfday because the nerdogamoblogosphere can't shut up about how good they are but I think I'm playing them wrong. Magicka: What I was expecting: Alchemy but for combat. You can punch in fire water electricity fire fire and it produces one thing, or arcane healing ice rock and it makes something radically different, and all options are unlocked from the start and if you get four players your attacks can interact in interesting ways. Use your imagination to create giant poison oxen or volcanoes or acid rain or nuclear healing explosions. All right! What I've got: For one thing, I keep fucking up the keys. That's my fault, admittedly. But the bigger problem is that I don't understand how shields work (sometimes I'm making like a health shield, does that defend me from health? Does an ice shield only block ice attacks?) or landmines (usually it's exploding mine unless there's rock in the recipe in which case it's a rock wall penning me in) or how to dump a queue if I accidentally queue up some garbage or what spells interact with each other and how exactly or how to know if I'm making a fucking virgin puff of steam that does 10 dmg or whether I'm making the anti-life equation which wipes my whole party. I fall back on the same three standbys a.) a beam of fire with electricity or something mixed in or b.) heal+heal+heal+heal+heal on self or c.) some shit I didn't intend and have no way of predicting the effect of. I guess this stuff is learned through play? If anyone wants to discuss then I'd appreciate it. Minecraft: What I was expecting: Legos with some combat AI mixed in. I see things online where people make functioning climate models or PS3 emulators or statues of Bender that reach into outerspace shouting 'REMEMBER ME' like in that episode of Futurama. Then, I see people talking about how you also have to make defenses and lava traps and pitfalls to defend against invaders like in Dwarf Fortress. All right! What I've got: I punched cacti and flowers and leaves and a pig. The pig produced meat. At night, a billion monsters murdered me. I read up on how to make a stick and a crafting table, so I did those. Now what the fuck? How do I use the crafting table? It seems like all I can do is swing whatever is in my hand at the time. Do I need to have gamefaqs open so I can follow the rote recipes every time I want to make a new thing? How do I know what's possible to make otherwise? Even if I dig a hole to hide in with my stick, what stops a monster from walking in at night and killing me? Can I speed the clock along or do I have to keep respawning all fucking night until daybreak? In both cases I can see how I could be learning this shit from word-of-mouth if I was still in a dorm, or if I'd bothered to do a modicum of research online. Oh well. I believe there are fun games buried in these two if anyone wants to discuss. [/quote]