Red Dead Redemption 2 (Equestrian Boogaloo)

[Gambrinus]

I've never really been much of a computer game player, until a bit of a resurrection a couple of years ago. I was quite handy at the Dizzy games on the Speccy, then dabbled with the odd bit of GTA (nothing after Vice City, which was brilliant). Then Oblivion and Skyrim and that was it, apart from the odd dabble in Football Manager.

They've all got awfully complex. Not hard (Spectrum games were hard, if you die you go back to the beginning!). But how the hell are you supposed to do stuff like get all the orchids and rock drawings and dinosaur bones single handedly? It's got to be impossible without a collaborative effort.

[Rizla]

how the hell are you supposed to do stuff like get all the orchids and rock drawings and dinosaur bones single handedly? It's got to be impossible without a collaborative effort.

The controller vibrates when you're near certain collectables, eg windchimes. There's an eagle-eye mode (on PS4 you press the 2 analogue sticks together) where time slows down and plants, animals and things of interest like dino bones and carvings will be highlighted by glowing or letting off skyward streams of yellow spacefunk bubblegas. Or you can go on the internet and look at maps.

[Gambrinus]

Herbalist challenges DONE! I never have to pick another herb. I think the first time I played this I didn't even realize there were orchids in the game, let alone a dozen different kinds.

Gambler 8 now. Win 3 hands of blackjack with 5 cards. That is going to take for ever to do.

Still need a perfect possum carcass as well.

[niat]

Herbalist challenges DONE! I never have to pick another herb. I think the first time I played this I didn't even realize there were orchids in the game, let alone a dozen different kinds.

Gambler 8 now. Win 3 hands of blackjack with 5 cards. That is going to take for ever to do.

Still need a perfect possum carcass as well.

I'm on 90.9% and I've spent hours trying to get Gambler 8. It's a nightmare. I've been on 5 cards several times with 19 or 20 and the dealer has beaten me with 21.

It is annoying that your previously picked herbs don't count towards your totals in the Herbalist challenges. I've only got a couple more to get but it's taken a while to get that far.

[Gambrinus]

Got one hand of Gambler 8 done this morning. Had to split on a pair of twos to get it done. Hopefully can get another one done tonight.

The killing birds of prey with a tomahawk is perplexing me a bit.

I used maps for the herbs, dinosaur bones, rock carvings, and dreamcatchers. Would have had no chance otherwise.

96.3% now, still got a gang hideout which I will save for later to break up the gambling despair.

[frajer]

Never been massively into games (last console before buying a PS4 was a PS2 in my youth) but I picked this up cheap for some rootin' tootin' lockdown fun.

It's fucking great, isn't it? Like life-ruiningly good. I've stayed up til the small hours all this week playing it and feel like hammered shit every morning but don't really mind.

Can fully appreciate all criticisms of it (clunking controls, po-faced plot, insanely big) but the depth and feel of it are incredible. It's an absolute beauty. I've just got onto Chapter 3 and already don't want it to end.

So yeah. I have nothing of value to add to this very good thread, except I love my horse Potatoes and I love this game.

[Marner and Me]

Got one hand of Gambler 8 done this morning. Had to split on a pair of twos to get it done. Hopefully can get another one done tonight.

The killing birds of prey with a tomahawk is perplexing me a bit.

I used maps for the herbs, dinosaur bones, rock carvings, and dreamcatchers. Would have had no chance otherwise.

96.3% now, still got a gang hideout which I will save for later to break up the gambling despair.

I killed a deer, waited for some ravens to have a go at it and got two of them, last one was a hawk taking off, with a tomahawk through it.

[Gambrinus]

I killed a deer, waited for some ravens to have a go at it and got two of them, last one was a hawk taking off, with a tomahawk through it.

I figured this out this arvo and felt quite pleased with myself. Then I went executing with some incendiary buckshot for one of the Bandit challenges.

Need a skunk for the hunting requests, collecting all the tiny birds was worth it.

Got 2/3 on Gambler 8 now. Whoever decided that the blackjack animations were unskippable deserves a hogtying and dumping on the railway.

[Gambrinus]

Never been massively into games (last console before buying a PS4 was a PS2 in my youth) but I picked this up cheap for some rootin' tootin' lockdown fun.

It's fucking great, isn't it? Like life-ruiningly good. I've stayed up til the small hours all this week playing it and feel like hammered shit every morning but don't really mind.

Can fully appreciate all criticisms of it (clunking controls, po-faced plot, insanely big) but the depth and feel of it are incredible. It's an absolute beauty. I've just got onto Chapter 3 and already don't want it to end.

So yeah. I have nothing of value to add to this very good thread, except I love my horse Potatoes and I love this game.

I think Chapter 2 and 3 are the best for interactions with the gang. Everyone seems happy and it's nice to wander round chatting and going hunting for everyone. Although the diet is a bit venison heavy, surprised they didn't all get gout.

[Marner and Me]

Can't for the life of me get the small birds for the Art Exhibition. I'm to impatient and ride to quickly and scare the blighters off.

[Gambrinus]

Small game arrow for the robin. They're skittish little buggers, don't hang round for long. Got it on the bridge here https://www.reddit.com/r/reddeadredemption2/comments/a402rx/for_those_of_you_looking_for_a_robin_they_like_to/

The oriole I got with the varmint rifle, it took me a few goes though. Maybe quicker with the small game arrows? Get the buck trinket as well, gives you a chance to upgrade a 2 star body to 3 stars.

If you go here https://www.reddit.com/r/reddeadredemption2/comments/9xkuw1/great_spot_along_the_rive_for_small_birds_in_the/ where the two roads are crossing the river and walk up and down the river towards the waterfall there will be heaps of small birds there. I found robins, sparrows, blue jays, woodpeckers, orioles, songbirds, cardinals. Also crows and toads (you need these later).

Robins move quickly. Be alert!

Currently on herbalist 9 (having a break at the moment). Go and collect all 43 herbs. Ok, fair enough. Oh, the 30 odd I've already got don't count?! Get bent, you arseholes.

Self isolating until Sunday so should get it done this week. 95.6%.

There you go. Wander up and down that bit of river slowly (on foot!) and all the birds you need will be there (except the waxwings).

If you can't get the robins then go to the bridge by the trapper.

[Marner and Me]

Brilliant cheers for that! That place will look like corpse world by the time I'm done with it.

[frajer]

I think Chapter 2 and 3 are the best for interactions with the gang. Everyone seems happy and it's nice to wander round chatting and going hunting for everyone. Although the diet is a bit venison heavy, surprised they didn't all get gout.

Yeah I'm absolutely loving Chapter 3. Just set fire to all the tobacco fields last night, good fun.

Not even that focused on missions, I just love bombing around on Potatoes and seeing what occurs. There seem to be more frequent O'Driscoll / Lemoyne Raider encounters in this chapter too, or I might just be heading further afield than normal.

I'm 4 years behind everyone on this so will have sod all to add really, but I cannot get enough of this game.

[Gambrinus]

Brilliant cheers for that! That place will look like corpse world by the time I'm done with it.

I picked up a cedar waxwing on the river just now. Flying though, they don't seem to sit on the rocks like everything else does.

Hunting requests DONE!!! Picking up the small birds all at once meant the last two were done relatively quickly.

Gambler 8 can go and fuck itself. Still on 2/3 after another half hour of pressing X this morning.

Tried the Van Horn to Blackwater horsey challenge and would have got it easily if I hadn't crashed myself into a crevice. Can slow down a bit next time and take a bit more caution.

I quite enjoy fishing now I've changed the controls. Finished Survivalist 10 (catch all fish) off this morning.

It's also quite peaceful looking around bird spotting through binoculars.

I'd like to go and live in Big Valley with the bluebells please.

[Gambrinus]

98.8% now. Found an obelisk and a whale skeleton I'd never seen before.

Five challenges left to go and that's it. I still reckon there's loads of stuff I've missed though, especially in New Austin because I couldn't be arsed with it.

[Gambrinus]

100% DONE!

I don't think I'd have bothered had I not been self-isolating for the last 10 days, the gambling challenges were painful. It's a great game though, loved wandering round looking at the mountains and hanging round all the nice lakes doing fishing and watching the sun rise.

It does feel extraordinarily clunky, clothes seem to fall off your horse more or less at random, the gun selection when getting off your horse is frustrating, rotating yourself to the exact millimeter to get into bed or pick up a can of veggies is a ballache.

Could have done without the epilogue as well to be fair, I thought it wrapped up quite nicely at the end of Chapter 6.

[beanheadmcginty]

Well done. Now you should play through and get gold medals on all the missions.

[Gambrinus]

Ha, no chance of that. I think I got one gold medal, and that was one of those fake epilogue missions where you had to hammer a nail or something.

The snowy bits were criminally underused I thought. No real reason to go back there after the start.

[Ferris]

Ha, no chance of that. I think I got one gold medal, and that was one of those fake epilogue missions where you had to hammer a nail or something.

The snowy bits were criminally underused I thought. No real reason to go back there after the start.

One of the

Spoiler alert

gunslinger/photo challenges

[close]

is up there, and that feels very atmospheric. You're right though, it is largely unused.

[Marner and Me]

Hold on, to get 100% you don't have to gold out all the missions?

[beanheadmcginty]

Nope. There's a checklist in the progress screen that tells you what you need to do to get 100%. All the gold medals aren't required (because I imagine it's nearly impossible)

[Ferris]

Started a new game a few weeks back and being much more of a bastard this time round.

Just tried the gold bar glitch which worked! Except, oh no, it didn't, also all my items are now worth $0.50 without exception. Not sure if that's a funny glitch fix on rockstars behalf or if I've fucked the game somehow. Back to an earlier save for me!

[Gambrinus]

I found it impossible to be a bastard when playing "properly" (at the end when mopping up the challenges I didn't care anymore).

Arthur Morgan is a nice bloke and he never shot anyone who didn't pull a gun on him first.

[Ferris]

Sometimes I will give $1 to a stranger, sometimes I will hunt man for sport.

My Arthur is a multifaceted man, is my point.

[Rizla]

I've also started a new game, must be my 4th, it's such a beautiful environment to sink into. After a few drinks and a massive honk on the ol' corncob pipe, get the big headphones on, wake up in a sunny meadow with the birds all chirping, it's a stoneboost like no other. Nice to take it slow, mosey around town taking it all in. Just a bit of a downer knowing what's to come of course. Can't get used to the early-game dead-eye mechanism either, so nabbing the perfect pelts to get the improved satchel so I'm not constantly running out of space is gonna be a ballache. It's almost like they designed the game to be played once and once only.

[frajer]

Still the first playthrough for me. Just got to the island. Hmmm. They seem to have stripped away most of the things I was enjoying about the game, but I'm intrigued to see where this goes.

[Ferris]

Loving this a second time round. So much stuff to see and do.

[Marner and Me]

Fully agree, I think I enjoyed it alot more second time round. I felt like with the first one I rushed it, then when the obvious happened I sacked it off.

[Gambrinus]

It was great until the epilogue which felt a bit meh, apart from the final mission I suppose.

I would have done a lot more fishing if I'd figured out earlier how to do it without revolving the sticks 240,000,000 times.

Maybe they could have done something with the hunting - not sure 3 grades of pelts were needed - maybe give you the chance to get a perfect pelt on each animal if you get a headshot?

Found a man who lives in a cave and pretends to be the devil. Bit weird. Also found a man up north who lives in a tree. Still haven't found the vampire that's supposed to be hanging round in St Denis.

Whoever was responsible for putting Gambler 8 in the game needs a stick of volatile dynamite up the arse.

The widow mission was lovely. I wish there had been more to it.

[H-O-W-L]

The widow mission was lovely. I wish there had been more to it.

There is. Keep going back.