Maybe it's just the timing (sometimes I'm really up for diving into a game, sometimes not) but I'm struggling to get into RDR2. I've gotten past the snowy area and was in Valentine but then the game, after delivering me there, just kinda left me alone. I'm struggling to find how to push the campaign forward (which is what I'm most interested in).

I did a legendary bear hunt which felt like a story mission (was it!?) and ended up bringing the skin to some tailor in the wilderness but then that was just kind of it. I feel lost.

And when I arrived in Valentine, we came on a carriage so my horse was left at camp. What does the game want me to do as far as travelling goes? I expected the story to take me back to camp but nothing happened. I ended up stealing a horse and being wanted just to get back to the far-off camp. Does Rockstar/the game want me to steal horses like this?

I feel the game design might've overconfused itself during last stages of development. Rockstar have created so many systems (don't get me started on the whole core system) that it's become confusing and therefore they've had to put a bunch of restrictions around what you can do to try and make some of that stuff make sense.

I'm pretty disappointed so far but can anybody give any advice to help me get into this game please? Maybe a better way to approach it? I paid a lot of money, I don't want to punk out after so short a time...

Thanks!

lol, I was literally in the same boat as you about 24hrs ago. Probably still will be after my current objective. I agree the game dumps multiple systems and objectives and its like wtf do I do?

I basically just went ok, I want "this" out of the game (fast travel between camps) and decided I'm doing that before all else which entails a story line mission and some scrounging to get some cash.

Find something you want to do whether it be progress in the story, upgrade the camp, do specific challenges (some of which don't open up until you've done something like the first horse challenge is to shoot a rabbit from a horse), do a stranger mission to completion (there's a guy in Valentine that needs you to get a story from 4 people for example). There's heaps to do, just find something and don't get distracted.

Also if you research enough about the cores you'll understand how it works. The game doesn't do a great job explaining this. Figuring out how the horse/saddle system works is a must imo.

Some story missions will ask you if you want to return to camp after finishing. If you lose your horse find a stable and your horse will be there to retrieve. If needed, put on your mask and steal a horse.

You're still early in the game and it does take time to open up. It took me a while to realise that this game operates at a slow pace and I had the same feeling of being lost as you. When I realised the game will be slower I started enjoying it more. Just riding through the countryside, studying animals, collecting bounties, and doing missions all blends together instead of feeling like compartmentalized sections. Also at one point my camp just decided to have a party and I couldn't do anything besides drink and sing and dance and share stories by the campfire until Arthur went to bed. This is the vibe Rockstar is going for and it may not be for everyone.

I had the same experience of being abandoned in Valentine without my horse at that point. I ended up stealing a horse too and to this point in my playthrough, that’s the only time something like that has happened to me. It was very strange though and I could see how that would be a turn off pretty much right out of the gate.

I also agree when it comes to there being so many systems in the game and being unable to really grasp some of them. I’ve played probably a little under 20 hours to this point and I still don’t understand the core system. I can tell when my health or stamina is low but I don’t get how that relates to the “core” or what fortifying it does.

Now, all that being said, I’m still loving the game. I haven’t had these kind of marathon all day sessions with a game since The Witcher 3. Despite whatever minor inconveniences I’ve had with the controls or being overwhelmed by some of the systems in place, I’ve found it so easy to just get completely immersed in the world and not want to leave. Rockstar definitely seemed to sacrifice fun in favor of realism at times, which I’ve appreciated so far but if that’s not the experience you’re looking for, I can see how it would be easy to bounce off. I guess my advice for if you’re feeling overwhelmed would be just to stick to the story missions (the yellow markets) for awhile until you get your bearings. They do a pretty good of introducing you to a lot of the different systems and activities you can do.

At the end of the day though, this game seems like the definition of “not for everyone.” So, it might just not be for you. I’d say stick with a little longer though.

@milkman: Think of it like this, your core is you hunger/vice meter. As long as your hunger is full up and your vices satiated, you will regenerate health and stamina which is the outer ring. But if you go hungry then your health and stamina will start to drain cause you’re essentially starving.

@milkman: @asakusa_a18: @rebel_scum: Thanks for the tips guys. Yeah I guess I'm gonna just keep rushing after the nearest yellow marker and see how things go. Hopefully some mechanics simplify themselves or become unimportant as I do so. Appreciate the help :)

I was in the same boat for the first few hours but yeah, sticking to the yellow story missions eventually got me into it and now I love this game.

@davidfox1983: Something else that hasn't been mentioned here. I accidentally activated the first person view during a bar brawl and haven't gone back to third person view in the game since minus some longer horse rides. There are a few tweaks that I recommend if you decide to go this route.

Turn off aim assist on foot: I haven't had gun fights like these since the original Ghost Recon. Shooting feels much more impactful and immersive.

Turn controls to Standard Shooter: This moves crouch to X and run to L3 - speaking of run...

Change the controls to toggle your run. No more mashing the button. Not sure if you need to do this after switching to Standard Shooter. It just feels better regardless.

Hold down on your D-pad and select the compass over the minimap. It will get you in the right direction, but you still need to scan your terrain and pick the best route.

You might want to lower your aim assist on the horse to 50% as well.

These tweaks completely changed the game for me. The cover system and everything still works. Hopefully it helps! You should try at least one gunfight like this!

@oracle: Thanks man! I'll try this. And thank you to everyone else too. This kinda support and friendliness if why I ask for help of the GB community rather than anybody else ❤️?

@davidfox1983: I'm sorry if this was already said but a lot of these posts are long and i just woke up. But per your confusion about riding to Valentine and not having a horse to get back: anytime you're in a situation where you have to leave your horse behind, just tap up as you're leaving and your horse will follow you the whole way.

I feel very much the same way. The biggest issue for me is the inventory system. It took me to long to understand the difference between the L1 quick select menu and the satchel by holding right on the d-pad. Then there's also the horse inventory that kind of relates to both of them somehow.

The real world simulation approach creates an uncanny valley situation because it's a mixture of real life and video game logic, and it's hard to figure out what it expects you to do.

As for the core system, the way I interpret is that the outer ring is your immediate capability, for example, how long you can sprint for. The core is a measure of how much energy you can use for the day. If you've been sprinting a lot that day, you're going to be able to expend less energy during each sprint, until you rest. Your outer ring seems to regenerate by just taking a breather, but it will only be able to regenerate up to what the core allows. It does seem to reflect real life, but it's not explained at all.

Hmm. I haven't really felt this. For the lack of a better word, the way you naturally go through the world has become 'obvious'. I haven't really been confused as to how to play it. It's of course still a learning experience as you uncover more and more, but I haven't been confused when it comes to the required stuff or often used stuff. The only thing that confuses me, and it's because I purposefully chose to ignore it was how to play some of the games, like poker and what have you. The rules read like 'do this and that and that and this' and I'm just thinking 'ugh, no. Skip.' Also, I've said it a bunch (probably on every post of RDR2 so far), but I play in first-person. I love it that way. I don't have an issue with the third-person in it, but I'm surprised to find that I am not as conflicted about choosing one or the other as I thought I would be.

I wish more people gave it a chance, but you know, opinions vary. Oh, one thing I don't quite get yet is how exactly you upgrade your dead eye. Perhaps it's just because I need to keep going with it, but it sure takes a long time to get to a point where I can manually set markers on dudes instead of it being automatic. I don't use it a lot, but I believe you still get it upgraded by just shooting dudes? That said, throughout a lot of the experience, there hasn't been a whole lot of shooting compared to just simply wandering the environments. Lastly, I recommend turning the auto-aim off. I don't really see how auto-aim is satisfying. The 'you feel like a skilled cowboy' or whatever the argument is doesn't really seem like a pro that outweighs the satisfaction of having it off. I just like being able to manually aim and hit specific targets on the body without the auto-aim automatically targetting, say, the stomach.

My whole post didn't really help you. What I'd say is, whenever something specific comes up that you're confused about, you should come back and ask what it's all about. When it comes to horses, the horse is never far away from me so there was never a time aside from once where I had to run a certain distance back on foot to whistle to it. I also don't fast travel because the world is something that's begging to be explored. It's beautiful and there are a bunch of things happening in it that you can run into, as well as the fact that fast travel just doesn't seem to be that viable an option as you have to run into town or what have you to do it. I also recommend figuring out when and when not to get off your horse and telling it to stay or flee.

I'm surprised to find that I'm trying to take care of my horse a lot more than I would in any other game that features a horse, but that's due to the fact that I don't want to have to start all over with one (and also, because it would just suck to see my horse die now). When you think you're about to walk into a place that could potentially get out of hand, get off your horse from a distance, or tell it to flee before going. You could always whistle it back if it was nothing. While the meters matter, understanding them isn't that big a deal. Just know that you should calm it, pat it, feed it, brush it as well as hitch it when you reach your destinations. And you should from time to time do that for yourself, like take baths, shave, eat as well as sleep. You probably don't have to, but I like to every once in a while. I've only taken two baths mind you. The second time was because Dutch told me to clean my hand after I stabbed it from five finger fillet.

As for mission structure, I am doing all the white colored icons first, then the yellow ones. When I'm on the trail to the missions, if a question mark or a grey colored dot pops up on the screen indicating something is happening, I'll get off the beaten path and explore it. Or if a little shack or house is off the beaten path, I'll take a look. Also, I'm prone to not do it, but due to the carcasses or skins that decay after a certain amount of time, it's best to make sure you know you're going to sell it or give it to the camp before doing much else. Make sure to save as well because if you die, the things you hunted and put on your horse will be gone. I personally don't like going to locations that aren't featured in the missions you do, before I do those missions because I feel like I'll get the location spoiled. I want to walk into a new area alongside the story. Oh, and I haven't swum as Arthur yet since I'm on my horse a lot, but hey, horse swimming! Is this the first game that has horse swimming?

Okay, so yeah. I'm editing a lot here to add more. Perhaps lastly now, I'll add that when it comes to coming or staying if someone asks whether to go back to camp, just stay there unless you've already collected everything. It's probably ideal (though not necessary) to stay and loot everything. Just make sure you do it before any passerby's or law comes to investigate, otherwise, you'll be hunted and then eventually have to pay off your bounty.

I'm at 30 hours already .....wish I had your problem. I haven't done anything else.... New number one game of a time

@ntm: The manual dead eye is unlocked via the story. You upgrade the meter just by killing people in dead eye.

A lot of issues I had early on were made easier by unlocking things in the story/camp but those things arent that great and it takes too long to get them.

So far thats my biggest problem, I dont really have any real sense of progression, i've almost fully upgraded the camp just because there doesnt seem to be much point in buying anything else. (the guns all seem like different increments of bad which all get the job done well enough)

The characters are fun to interact with and be around. Thats what's keeping me going personally. I understand if that isnt enough, i'm generally a gameplay first kind of person too. But I feel compelled to play this for some reason, I remember going through the same thing with the first game.

@boozak: Yeah, I kind of figured that. That's like the last game.

For me I s a little weird. Like when I started playing the game I wasn't liking it. I didn't like the pace and how clunky it felt. That feeling continued until I stopped playing my first sitting ten hours later and that's when I realized that I actually really liked it.

I would compare it to my workouts. When I'm about to start the workout I'm not looking forward to it. During the workout I feel like it's just a strain and not enjoyable. And then after the session I feel amazing and rewarded and looking forward to the next session.

You're obviously not alone in this. Search any game forum on the internet, and you'll get plenty of people who are overwhelmed by just how many systems there are in this game, as well as with how complex each individual system can be. Taken all together, it's no wonder that some people aren't able to get into it. Jeff, not surprisingly, has been the biggest detractor of the game I have seen yet, but I honestly don't think Rockstar could have made a game less suited to Jeff's tastes and preferences. I very much believe that this game is meant for a certain type of person, a person who has the time to dedicate to immersing themselves in the game, an inclination to want to immerse themselves in the game, and an incredible amount of patience for languid animations.

I consider myself lucky, because that's exactly the position I am in. Furthermore, I adore the Western genre, so this will likely be one of my favorite games ever, right along with the first Red Dead Redemption. With that said, I completely understand how someone could be frustrated by this game. Even people who want to like it are struggling with just how glacial the pacing is.

As others have said, focus on the yellow missions, as those will advance the story, as well as open up many conveniences that may help with the things that are frustrating you or putting you off the game. Also, I highly recommend taking some time to fiddle with the controls until they are more at your liking. For me personally, that involved changing to tap to run, dropping the deadzone down to zero, bumping the aim acceleration up a bit, and taking the sensitivity up. That helped immensely with my enjoyment of the shootouts.

Also, you may just want to come back to it at a different time. Maybe when you have some more spare time or are in the mood for something with a slower pace. Just don't bang your head against the game for too long! I really consider this to be a game that demands patience and a desire for its kind of presentation, and if you don't have those, I imagine the game will be an incredibly frustrating experience.

I hope it comes around for you, and that you end up getting as much enjoyment out of it as I am!

@jacksmedulla: Agreed, it's a game that you'll want to focus solely on. If there are other games on the mind that you want to play, RDR2 won't be the game to play at that time. It's one that you really do more or less slowly go through; watching animations play out and soaking in all the atmosphere and side activities that pop up. If you play it impatiently trying to do things fast like checking things off a list just to see what's next in the mainline quest, I can imagine getting pretty annoyed by it. For me, it's a game I think about even when I'm not playing it and hope to play whenever I get the chance. I really don't mind that I have to do all these little things that add up to what is a rather slow experience compared to most open world games, sinking hours into it. It's a good thing nothing else is out that I want to play too.

Had the same problem with just being dumped in valentine after a ridiculous street brawl with no idea what I was supposed to do (or why).

Got challenged to a duel, was given very minimal instructions on how to duel, died, and eventually stole a horse and rode back to camp.

The first yellow dot there was Hosea, whose prompt was just "go hunting". I turned the game off. I don't understand what this game even is.

I guess you're not a real geek after all. Hand in your gun and badge.

This game has frustrating controls and the game mechanics are overly complex. It looks like a 3rd person action/adventure game (ala Uncharted/Tomb Raider) but is actually a wild west outlaw simulator. It is a very slow burn. The game is still teaching you about mechanics 5 hours in. That said, the story and setting are very compelling, and it has hooked me. It asks a lot from the player, unlike most games. I recommend people try it out for 5 hours (a commitment I know) and if it doesn't hook them after that it probably won't.

@pappafost: The game is still teaching you about mechanics 20 hours in :P Seriously, you think you're done with the tutorials, but even deep into the story it's still presenting story missions that's basically tutorials for new mechanics.

I think it's really telling that most of the stories about crazy hi-jinks in this game start with, "I was fumbling with the controls and accidentally shot someone."

People thinking this game is too complex is baffling, you can just B line through ignoring most of it if you don't want to bother

Maybe it's just because I've played other Rockstar games, but I never got confused where to go for the story. They've always made the story missions the quest givers' initials on the map. I do admit that getting dropped in Valentine with no ride was pretty jarring, but it only took me a few minutes to realize I could focus on someone riding a horse or wagon to ask for a ride. It's very much reminding me of an Elder Scrolls game, where the player is expected to poke around themselves in order to figure things out; and that's half the fun.

I have struggled to enjoy Red Dead 2 but just can’t. I think some of the contextual items are fantastic. The apparent knowledge that is shared between NPC’s is pretty amazing. However, I dislike the autosave and death system. It is not clear to me if all my materials gathered while hunting are forever lost or located where I died. If I fail some random encounter, I can’t reload to where I save at the start of the encounter. I dislike the long travel times between areas. The movement speed is awful, I feel like I’m Geralt but in molasses. Why does it take so long to loot shelves and bodies? The characters are not that interesting to me or that likable. Their motivations and passions don’t motivate me at all to move the story forward. The open world is pretty unless the normal PS4 starts to chug and show a slow frame rate. The shooting is not ideal, I never feel like I have great control of where I am aiming or exactly what I am hitting. I’m tired of getting poor pelts when I take a large game animal down with a single headshot. I’m also tired of having to put down animals that are moaning and writhing in pain. I’m not interested in seeing the skinning animation that many times. My horse was shot and I had to run back to town to get horse reviver. What part of running my ass back to town is fun? I feel like Rock Star is just layering systems on top of systems (and damn the consequences) in hopes of making a more real open world.

If you don't end up liking that game that's fine. I have no personal investment in the game. But that being said, here are some of my experiences and perspective on the same or similar situations.

Anything gained before being killed seems to carry over, the only loss is a small amount of money. Random encounters are there to throw you a curveball. Sometimes you'll die. I was ambushed at one point by a group of Lemoyne Raiders who had an explosive wagon set up to surprise me. I ended up dying. Cool event, that feels realistic since I have been giving them hell every chance I get.

The long travel times can be mitigated in a few ways, but have never been a huge problem to me. A bit of personal preference for immersion that I enjoy.

The shooting is admittedly bad, which is why I use the default semi-lock setting. It locks on to center mass, but you can aim from there. And it will keep up with the momentum your target has while allowing you to be more precise with your shots.

Pelt quality begins with the quality of the animal you kill. This is seen when scoping the animal with you binoculars. If you study that animal it will give insight into which weapon is most effective in providing a high quality pelt. I struggled for a very long time to get 3 perfect rabbit pelts for the first hunter challenge. But, after I realized that the varmint rifle is the intended weapon for rabbits and similar sized animals, I got 3 perfect pelts in about 15 minutes. The game rewards paying attention and patience.

The skinning animation also feels like it plays to rockstar's intention to have the game play as an experience, and not always enjoyable. But we watch movies and tv shows that are highly lauded, but not always fun. It will be divisive, and clearly is, but I think that's by design. They want this to be a world you can live in. A world that doesn't necessarily respect your time, in a very realistic way. I personally love this, but it's obviously not for everyone. I think the idea from today's(or last week's?) Bombcast is really appropriate that it acts like Far Cry 2 was the pinnacle of open world. And Far Cry 2 was a brutal, harsh game in many ways that turned some off, and gave some what they always wanted from games.

It feels like a very confident game that trusts the players to be smart and pay attention. And those are my favorite games. And it's definitely not for everyone.