Red Dead Redemption 2

[Dweller_Benthos]

Well, I almost gave up last night. I was ready to not ever play again, mostly because the game wouldn't load my save file. It would cycle through loading screens and then go black, I'd hear the birds chirping, but nothing but black. Then after a bit, windows would ding at me and pop up an error dialog, which is of course, under the black game screen, so alt-tabbing and ctrl-alt-deleting a bit finally gets me the dialog that says something like "game load error, reboot and try again".

So reboot, retry, same. A couple times. Same. OK, let's try online, see if that works, maybe it's a graphics issue or something. Online works fine, play a bit, then use the menu there to switch to story mode. This time it doesn't crash, it just never loads. Infinite loading screens. Left it run for over half an hour, nothing.

To the internet! Most postings I find are a year old and for the console edition. Of course, none of those solutions apply. Find one post for the PC version that's two months old, and that is to move the save game files, start a new game, immediately fail the mission, then copy over the old save game files and see if that works. I was going to try that but the instructions for what to do didn't match what I had on my system, as the R* game launcher I have didn't have the options they talked about. So I was about to try to figure out how to do it manually and thought I'd try once more and maybe change some graphic settings or something (already tried safe mode from the R* crash dialog) and saw the thing to do a benchmark, and thought, well, if it can run the benchmark then it's probably not graphics settings, so instead of fiddling with all those, I ran the benchmark and it did fine. OK, just for grins, let's try loading the save game.

Save game loads fine. Phew! Honestly, if it didn't I don't think I would have restarted the game. At most I was thinking of looking up one of those 100% complete save games on the web or something and just use that, I wasn't about to re-do all the stuff I've already done.

I also while I had it running, was make a new save file every few minutes, so I have a couple in the list to fall back on in case the most recent one goes fubar again.

[PZ]

I just experienced something similar, but with GTAV. After doing a 88 gb update  I tried to load the game and it failed. I tried again and the R* game loader said that I have strange files in my game folder and that they are going to ban me from online (like I care). It is annoying how difficult they make it to play a PC game these days, and is one of the reasons I play mostly on the console.

I wasted a couple of days trying to get the game to launch on the PC. 

[Art Blade]

I had the problem that caused the cloud save to screw up. I copied all game-related subfolders from the "my documents" folder to a backup, emptied the profile folder which caused a new career, and disagreed with saving on the cloud, then kept that one file with "cloud" in its name and deleted the rest in the profile folder. Then I copied all files from my backup except the cloud file and oh wonder, no complaints any more, and I could just continue where I had left off.

I suspect most "save" errors are related to the cloud so you may want to disable that. Just make backups, especially when you've reached chapter 3 when still "all is good."

[PZ]

Thanks 

I never save anything to the cloud so I should be good on that part of it. I tried verifying the files, and then a repair, but nothing was successful. I then did a new reinstall yesterday which took a good part of the day. Then of course, the game would not start unless it was online, which immediately initiated an update. 33 gb more, started yesterday, and it still has a few hours to go. 

I forgot what a pain in the *bleep* it was for me to play GTAV 

If the game does not start after all this, I'll just throw it into the trash 

[Dweller_Benthos]

RDR2 booted up fine last night so who knows what the deal was? I mean, besides it being R*, right?

[BinnZ]

Today, Arthur Morgan died.

He did not kill Micah.

Laying there, on the rocks, all muddy, he realised he had won. He didn't need revenge.

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[Art Blade]

it was pretty sad.

However, his friend and "brother" John Marston will revenge him.

John
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[fragger]

Go git 'em, pardner!

[Art Blade]

oh I did, I did

This game is very different from ANY game I've played. Flawed as it might be regarding menus and other bugs, you know how much I was ranting, it manages to trigger real emotions. At least if you play hard enough

I was really sad to lose Arthur, I liked him, and I don't think it was necessary at all in the end to let him die just for the drama. But losing a horse that you have grown to really like because Rockstar forces you to engage with your horse in some kind of relation.. that's interesting, how it may affect you. You have to keep taking care of your horse by frequently feeding it to keep its health and stamina up, patting it to calm or reward it and brushing it to prevent it from losing health and stamina. And many other things related to your horse increase your virtual bond to the horse. It also is your walking wardrobe and gun locker and of course, it takes you everywhere and is your means of escape. And you may start to "read" and understand the horse's reactions to what is going on around you. If you pay attention, the horse is as good as a watchdog and can alarm you if something is wrong. If you think about it, the game is quite focussed on horses.

I guess there are maybe 20 different horse voice recordings, just to give you a random number greater than one or five. You can hear your horse's joy, fear, dismay, panic, idle sounds and other stuff, as well as the horse's different types of breathing. It also "physically" reacts in countless ways, the motion capture data base must be enormous. In other words, the illusion of a living horse is absolutely convincing. Different breeds react differently, too. Some are more lethargic while others are more fiery and everything in between and around. I never counted but I think there are 20 breeds available in the game, with more or less distinct "characters" but no individual character per single horse. Like, get one Arabian and you've seen them all. But 20 types.. you only get to know the differences if you spend a lot of time with them and actually pay attention to those details.

friends: Sweet Poor Thing, Arthur, Paint Job
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To me it was hard to give up Paint Job but it was particularly devastating to lose Sweet Poor Thing after over 700 hours real time because it was a unique horse that you can't buy and it doesn't spawn in the same area like for instance those Arabians. I've never seen any horse that looked like her during the entire game. It had different looks and stats compared to a horse of its breed. For instance, it was a "w0#k" horse while all the other horses of that breed are "riding" horses and it had exceptionally good stamina and health stats for a "random" horse. It was ugly as hell if you didn't care to look beyond. The horse belonged to two Murfree Breed guys who decided to threaten me when I woke up in my makeshift camp. I killed those guys and noticed that strange horse. I took pity, made it my temp horse, and that background caused me to start to love that animal because I had saved it from those cruel owners and prevented it from enduring any more mistreatment and torture. I had given it a new home and "tender loving care." Looking at it is painful, how can someone do that to an animal?! So, I kept it, and took GOOD care of it. Despite its pitiful appearance it had "a heart of gold" and never let me down. I really enjoyed playing the game with Arthur and that particular horse. Even if it wasn't always my main horse, it was typically and most of the time with me as my temp horse. So I really grew used to it. I also learned to keep my horses "fit" and not thin or even malnourished. Keeping a main horse AND a temp horse almost always with me required a lot of time dedicated to taking care of them by frequently feeding, patting and brushing them. You do get used to a horse that way if it's almost always with you.

When I proceeded with the story it became more and more clear that I was getting closer to losing Arthur and with him, the horses. I made a decision. I sold all horses so Milk and Paint Job and Black Beauty would respawn but Sweet Poor Thing simply couldn't respawn. I think the encounter with those Murfree Breed guys (and their horse) was a one-timer to introduce the player to the presence of that bandit gang. And I really did not want to sell the poor creature for $1, and being special and meaningful to Arthur, I decided that it would be with him to the very end. It would die with him. That was a painful decision but there was no other way. Leaving it in a stable would simply have deleted it. Selling it would have felt like betrayal. So it had to stay with Arthur. They belonged to each other. They shared everything. Even death.

It was so fucking sad.

you can virtually feel the trust and love between them
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It really triggered true emotions when it died, especially when Arthur knelt beside the dying horse, holding its head, and said,

"thank you."
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So, to continue the game as John Marston is just not the same as what the game was before. Even revenging Arthur wasn't satisfying. And the memory of the horse.. the game just isn't the same any more.

It was dramatic alright, but for the sake of the game.. not necessary. It would have worked without Arthur and the horse dying. Think of anything that could have happened instead. Watching Arthur and his health deteriorating didn't really help the story, it ONLY served as a reason for an unnecessary sad and tragic ending to cover up a poor story. Arthur might instead have been badly injured and some natives might have taken care of him (and his horse) so you could have done the rest with a recovered Arthur (and horse) and kept all his items and the fun and joy of the game would have stayed intact.

That is why I said, even before I bought the game, that I didn't like the "story." At all. Hasn't changed. Having watched a playthrough of the main story before I bought the game had convinced me NOT to buy the game. Watching one of my favourite YouTubers, White Locks, play extensively in free roam was what opened my eyes to the beauty of the game and what in the end convinced me to get it. So I might just go back to chapter 3 and play freely, ignoring the story. The stuff that remains inaccessible to Arthur like the "red zone" (New Austin) and the animals in it are not important. It means that a few items can't be crafted with Arthur but they're not really necessary. I know because I crafted all the stuff there is. I got ALL items from Mr Pearson, the trapper AND the fence. Again, it made me sad to think that Arthur, who nearly finished that job, never got to see the end of it because.. the last animals to craft the last items are only available to John who, other than Arthur, is allowed to walk freely in New Austin.

So in the end, I think PZ, Dweller and I all agree: we want to play as Arthur.

The best starting point for that is chapter 3 after you went fishing with Jack so that fishing is unlocked, too. That is essentially the best status you can get, and you'll have a long-scoped sniper rifle at that point, too. From here on, the game is, in my opinion, best played as free roam open world game. Sod the stupid scripted story.

Actually I am writing this because today, after finishing the so-called epilogue of the game story, it's really over now, I DID reload a save from exactly that position in the story development and I had already done the treasure hunting challenge so "my" Arthur sits on over $12,000. That should be enough to buy everything you need without ever needing to play a mission for money. I've got even more treasure maps, still, that will provide me with even more loot and money With that amount of cash, I can stop robbing and looting people and their homes. I can just enjoy exploring and hunting. And the occasional bandit fights

You guys don't have to die. You will LIVE!
WE'RE BACK!
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[Dweller_Benthos]

The only other option I thought of while reading that was to rush the story to the end so you don't get attached to Arthur or his horses, and then play as John. I don't know how much of that is possible, or how long the story is if you rush it. But most likely I will do what Art did, keep a save game from just before the point of no return and go back to that after finishing the story. If I ever finish it, I might not. I don't play it much because a lot of the time I just don't feel like doing all the stuff you have to do (camp chores, horse maintenance) in order to play the game. I should really like the game more than I do, it has a bunch of stuff I like, large open world to explore, loot to find, small side missions to do, all that, but for some reason it just doesn't excite me to play. It may take me a long time to finish the story.

So, the "red zone" to the south is never accessible unless you progress the story far enough to where you're past the point of no return?

[Art Blade]

yes.

Their cheap narrative trick is to tell you that years have passed since Arthur died when you take over John so the bounty (red zone) is no longer in place. Yet John mentions that he's a "wanted man" and assumes a fake identity. He goes by the name of  "Jim Milton" and settles down between Strawberry and Blackwater, in the "red zone."

The red area is New Austin and part of the map of RDR1. You see Mexico across the river, which apparently was also an RDR1 area and it's only a stone's throw away, but you die if you get too close.. so that's that. The new area is mostly desert and dry canyons. Also, there are three towns: Blackwater, Armadillo and Tumbleweed. That's more or less it.

I too had thought of rushing the story but decided against it so I could play all the side missions, too. What I did in the end was: play extensively and slowly as Arthur with over 700 hours before finishing chapter 2.. hahaha I kept doing that until I couldn't progress the crafting stuff any more because the remaining stuff was in New Austin. So I got almost everything there was from Mr Pearson, the trapper and the fence. Then I proceeded with the story. And that was when I started to feel more and more uncomfortable and in the end even omitted a few side missions related to Arthur because I didn't see any reason and meaning in it any more. Once in Blackwater, I finished the crafting job and then the rest of the story.

All in all.. I think it is indeed better to just make a bolt for the end game and then taking it easy.

One thing that might help ease your mind: Once you are in new Austin, the fence sells all the satchels you had to grind for while being Arthur and get them from Mr Pearson in the camp. Mine were all ticked off because I actually crafted them but it appears that you can just buy them as John. That would save you an enormous amount of time and grinding. Since you lose all your food items (cooked Thyme Big Game meats... I lost over 80 of that alone) when taking over John, it is perhaps indeed better to simply buy the satchels.

Most parts of the missions are scripted anyway so you can't be clever about them. Like, I had a massive shotgun with explosive ammo but was unable to kill a grizzly or an alligator with it because the story.. was scripted. So you don't even have to get the best guns. You'll be given guns throughout the missions. Oh, speaking of that, sometimes the mission took away my good guns and "gave" me *bleep* guns by comparison so I was forced to use those instead of my good gear.

The only thing that remains to worry about is: can you kill all the enemies during main missions without upgrades? Yes. Just LOAD yourself up with all versions of the "snake oil" that gives you dead-eye time. You may be limited without upgraded satchels but it should be doable if you got like 5 of each snake oils when going on main missions. Perhaps get health cures and stuff, too.

And don't bother looting or exploring during main missions, you will either fail the mission or after it, if you loiter in an area with lots of bodies, you'll get a bounty on your head because of.. reasons. So.. As Binn told me once, accept them as they are and "go with the flow." Don't try to outsmart missions, it won't w0#k.

One more thought (I am actually considering trying to do that myself, rush through) regarding fishing, if you just follow the main missions, it will lead to a fishing trip so you get the ability to fish, anyway.

And don't bother with camp upgrades.. in he end, literally, it will all be lost and gone, anyway.

[BinnZ]

Great description of your experiences and opinion Art!

Some things ran through my mind... first thing was your signature, lol
You are actually now in the eternal hunting grounds, as the Indians say

Then there's this; you may want to... 'cheat'... a little to get those last pelts and stuff for your eternal Arthur?

Well, and to all, I mentioned this to you already Art, the sad development of the story is what makes it so touching. I like that about the game. I also miss Arthur, but I found back Icy and I like John. And when I'm done with him and all single player achievements, I will whistle some life into my online character

[Art Blade]

thank you

Yes, I thought of my signature, too

And yes, for Arthur's sake, I'd like to know how to cheat those animals I haven't cheated so far but this might be worth a shot.

[BinnZ]

I'd go for a God mode so you can enter the area, and get them yourself 😉

[Art Blade]

Oh, I thought you knew some kind of trick. Well.. Imagine god mode and head hunters and law circling around you shooting all the time. While you can't die, every animal for miles around will have fled the area in panic. So.. god mode alone wouldn't help.

As far as I know, you can't really cheat in this game. You need to unlock cheats, then use the menu to activate them, and if you do, you cannot save the game. That's what I heard/read. So that doesn't really help. I thought perhaps a mod could solve that kind of "issue," if there are any mods of that sort.

But then again, I think I can just live without that stuff. I'm OK without those inaccessible items for Arthur.

I've still got John. It's not that I'd completely abandon that part of the game There's still a lot to explore in New Austin and John is as good a Horse Master as Arthur

twin temp horses
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