Trying to reduce ROTMG playing during motmg

#1

Rotmg has really been a time drainer for me to the point where it has begun to somewhat affect my grades at school. I genuinely want to reduce/limit the amount of time I play rotmg but given the upcoming motmg event which would boost the drop rates of end game dungeons, I’m really conflicted on what to do. I know rationally, focusing on my grades is the right choice, but I also don’t want to wait another year for a motmg drop rate oppurtunity. What do you guys reccomend? Thanks.

#2

Try to set a limit for yourself for how long you’re going to play per day.
Also, don’t try any system where you “save” hours not spent playing, because I can already telll that’s likely going to result in less schoolwork being done overall.

Additionally, you could try to make a rough calendar list for yourself: when are there going to be events in the dungeons I want to farm, and what / how much work would I have to do in those days?
Obviously it varies from person to person in how much detail you want to go - maybe you want to just write down that you’ll likely have this and this subject somewhere in the week, maybe you want to order it on an hourly basis.

#3

I agree with Seelpit. It’s what I had to do in school myself! It could be tempting to participate in all kinds of game events, not just Rotmg (I do play other games when able :upside_down_face:), but for the most part, I remember that most these games have very little true effect on my life. School does (even if many school systems are flawed, but that’s a different can of worms).

Get all of your important schooling done, then play the game as you’re able, keeping your sleep schedule in mind. If, in the end, you miss some of the rewards, many of them will continue to be dropped in their respective areas.

Here’s probably my largest piece of personal advice for general playing of the game. There was a period of time I had to stop playing altogether for 6 months for a particularly brutal school year. Yes, there were some exciting things I missed out on, but reading through the updates of that period of time especially showed all that was permanently added, and problems fixed. It can be quite fun to come back to the game and see what’s new after all the school grinding! :smile:

As a minor side note, if you’re really hoping to get some helpful gear from the event, I feel you. If it’s vanity items you’re after, I wouldn’t stress too hard for the grinding. Keep in mind how quickly others lose interest in such things when the shiny new items replace them.

#4

Seriously I would not play the game until your grades are stable.

Like I was saying before, there is no half-assing rotmg.

Either you grind it out or you don’t.

Playing sporadically for 1 hour a week won’t benefit you at all during motmg.

You can expect all of the rewards to take a significant amount of time to grind out.

And you’ll find yourself getting upset when you can’t get stuff.

You need a lot of discipline to do that.

One death and you’re set back at several hours.

A big reason why I’m against the combat system because it pushes away players like the OP.

And don’t say that bogus 10% loot increase exaltation will help lol.

#5

@Backpedal
Ultimately ROTMG is a game: If you aren’t having fun then don’t bother. You definitely can half-ass ROTMG. You can ass it however you want. Just because you view the game in one way does not mean there is some universal truth in how the game works for everyone. If the poster want to set a limit then they can do so. Dying in the game shouldn’t have any effect on your daily limit - if it does, there are other problems at hand.

@Lbstotle
Discipline is something to be worked towards. Lbstotle, I recommend that you do as Seelpit says and plan ahead with your school schedule alongside the in game schedule. Then set aside time that you can play with one stipulation: The time you set aside is only available to yourself if you are on track with your schoolwork. Prioritize your schoolwork, as the rewards there aren’t fleeting like those that are in-game. You already know what you need to do, you say so in your post.

The only secret to success is hard work. You can do it! Feel free to make another post if you need help or encouragement.

#6

Just think… Whites or u r bread

Whites, whites and oranges every time

#7

One thing to remember is that with the constant event spam that we’ve had for the last couple of years, the dungeons with events for MotMG are bound to have events again in a couple months or so. You don’t have to do, for instance, this particular upcoming LH event, because it’s only a matter of time before the next one, which will hopefully happen when school gives you more of a break. Focus on what’s imminently important (school), and don’t worry about the items you will have another shot at soon.

Side note to prevent this from going off-topic (Lbstotle, I'm sorry this had to come to your thread)

This is not a thread regarding upcoming overhauls to the game. If you wish to continue this discussion about said overhauls, you may have it in one of the several PT or Developer’s Corner threads on the topic, so that we can contain those discussions to the appropriate threads. You have been warned repeatedly about dragging threads off topic with these posts. Please stop.

#8

Yes I understand. But I am simply stating that the time commitment needed for ROTMG can vary.

Basically, only geared up characters can participate in the motmg events.

If they are playing the game specifically for the event, they will feel compelled to rebuild in the event that they die.

So overall it’s best not to bother especially given what is coming.

And a number of events are centered around O3 which is also a supreme death machine.

I agree that they should focus on school and come back to the game later.

#9

My approach was to suicide all my chars last week after chugging all the vault pots.

You need a reasonable character to do anything on MotMG and I certainly can’t be arsed levelling up a char and grinding pots on a fresh 20 so I’ll just skip the whole month.

Just maybe I’ll get out of the habit and skip the whole forever.

#10

no one asked, especially not Lbstotle.

There’s nothing wrong with only playing for short amounts of time, one doesn’t need to obtain every single reward that MotMG has to offer. Besides, OP has specifically stated they are interested in the increased endgame dungeon drop rates, which they can absolutely spend some time making use of after completing school work if they want to.

Though like @Seelpit said, school first, rotmg second. @Lbstotle it should be obvious, but do school work first before playing and try to get yourself to complete a certain amount of work before considering playing, if it’s something that can’t be completed in one sitting.

Another thing: assuming that you’ll actually do the work, of course, keep in mind that between “now” and the work deadline you’re gonna complete it anyway, so you might as well get it done earlier rather than later to avoid stressing yourself out about it once the deadline draws nearer. :upside_down_face:

#11

Others have mostly responded with advice regarding discipline and evaluating what is valuable; I’ll just leave a few auxiliary ideas:

  • You want to schedule playing for after productive hours, exclusively. Build a habit of ‘treating’ yourself with the game during MotMG having done your work. Forcing incentive systems for enjoying life can be unhealthy if overdone, but it can be useful in moderation in the current context.

  • This one is very difficult, and I am aware you want more technical advice - but evaluate what the value of game items vs. academic achievement will be in exactly (e.g.) 5 years in terms of entertainment value. That’s right - entertainment value - not overall value (where studies would be a patronizingly clear winner). The utility you gain from consumption of RotMG can come at an incredible opportunity cost of less leeway for future entertainment: you could have a better job that lets you spend more on games, or perhaps have the option to do a job that allows you spare time to play vs. fewer options without a good application.

  • Recovering from an account wipe can be easier than the anxiety and turmoil of trying to redeem particularly poor performance academically.

#12

Download cold turkey, it means you can block certain applications on your computer for a set amount of time, it also allows you to create a calendar, where you can have certain parts of the day blocked, eg 1-4pm on Monday. it literally forces you to do the work you need to do seeing as you wont be able to do anything else on your pc. I use it a lot and its really helpful. here’s the link to the downloader if it interests you: https://getcoldturkey.com/

#13

You can of course half-ass rotmg. The white/yellow stars are the ones who grind out super super hard. I’m red star and I still have good items. I’ve been playing for 8 years, only red star, and I have good characters. You will get more loot if you have no life and just grind for like 1000 hours on a char. I like to incorporate rotmg into my schedule healthily. It’s a fun game, I don’t see it as something I HAVE to grind hard on to get the best items.

#14

Staaaare :eyes:

*cough Well, that statement is probably mostly true. But some of us have just been doing this on and off for a while now.

#15

This 100%. I used to have a problem of getting off-topic and/or playing video games instead of doing homework. I found that conditioning myself to have video games as a reward for my work has greatly improved my productivity along with my grades. I’m now at the point where I do not really need to force myself anymore and am able to sit down and finishing assignments with out much distraction.

#16

I’ll say something that I think a lot of people here are missing. Grades don’t matter… at least not now during motmg. You have the rest of the semester (and final exams) to bring your grade back up if you tank a test or homework assignment here or there right now. Motmg on the other hand is going to be gone after this month until this time next year. I urge you to focus on the issues currently at hand. Those void whites definitely won’t be dropping by themselves.

If you’re still not convinced, I’ll offer something more substantial. You are either:

Not a high school student
Self explanatory: Grades in elementary or middle school or college quite literally do not matter. Perhaps the case of college is not quite so one-sided, but in general, if you fall in this category, I think you have the green light to play all the rotmg your heart desires.

A high school student
I’ll have to break this one down again into subcategories.

If you are an average high school student who gets average grades and hasn’t accomplished anything abundantly impressive already, then like the case above, what is the point in worrying about grades? You will follow a predictable path. You will graduate from high school, as much as your grades in these few classes right now may worry you, and if you plan to continue on to college, you will attend your state university or another average university out of state, graduate there 4 years later, and land a job that will at least put food on the table (given you weren’t a dumbass when choosing your major). If you don’t plan on going through some form of higher education, good luck… my time writing this answer was a waste.

Whatever the case, getting a C versus a B or A in honors chemistry will not affect this path at all. I hate to break it to you, but it will not suddenly make you a star student, valedictorian, USAMO or TOC qualifier or whatever kids do nowadays. Nor will it suddenly make you drop out of high school and live homeless for the rest of your life. Whatever your grade ends up being in honors chemistry, I can say with 99% certainty, you are destined to the path I laid out above.

The second subcategory is if you are already a talented, high-achieving high school student who may be a competitive applicant to selective universities. All I have to say for this is, if you think you fall into this subcategory, why are struggling with school…? If you are in this subcategory, you, literally by definition, cannot be struggling to maintain your grades. By nature of asking this question, I can say with 99% certainty that you do not fall into this category, at least not to the degree that you may think of yourself.

So… live free! Embrace your youth. Do what you want now because you’ll probably actually have to be working from 9-5 when you grow up. Carpe Diem!

#17

Grades dont matter. All that matters are that you see those sweet 16x16 pixels

#18

I don’t agree with your analysis, to be honest. Not only does it not take into factor that the academic experience varies greatly geographically (and hence does not allow simplifications like the ones you offered), the impact of results also make a bigger or smaller difference than you describe depending on an individual’s personal context. Depending on your field of study, grades can matter a lot.

Your assumption about those who get into a competitive school is also flawed. That is just not how that works in my experience. Focus matters, and there are fewer ‘shoo-ins’ in the world of competitive admissions than people think. For context, the school I go to in my country has a very competitive acceptance rate. Besides that, I took the SATs to keep the door open for US admissions and was able to do well. And guess what? I was a mediocre student in school most of my life. I struggled to keep grades up and make my parents happy. Many teachers saw me as a failure growing up. More importantly, I saw brilliant people I grew up with resign themselves to ‘safety’ schools despite excelling throughout their life. The people who I am around are very smart, but they are also very driven and have an incredible work ethic. That work ethic comes through a lot of conscious choices about how to carry oneself through an already testing period (ie. being a teenager in general/YA in the current economic conditions) of one’s life. There are sacrifices, and I will leave you with two quotes:

  1. ‘You’re looking forward to your A Levels because you see those same kids having fun every time you come to the computer lab. They are the only ones you see because the ones who will pass are at home studying’ - One of the better teachers I had growing up
  2. ‘The number of geniuses in this world is limited. Compared to that, the number of successful economists is large. The difference is made up of pure hard work. If you put in the time and take the risks, you will get some reward whether you like it or not.’ - A decorated teacher from my university who has since passed

None of this is to say studying is the most important thing. I just wanted to provide a counter opinion to what feels like somewhat misleading information. Studying is an optimization variable - you want to minimize how much of it you need to do while being able to enjoy life (depending on how much your goals require studying, of course). Depending on how good schools are in your country, studying might even result in learning. Essentially, while it is important to enjoy your youth to the fullest - it’s also a bad idea to underestimate the need to develop a good work ethic during this time (and one of the ways to do that can be to optimize your academic efforts to align with your goals).

Edited to remove any specifics about my context.

#19

Oh my let’s please not turn this into a college confidential thread.

To be honest, I can’t really tell what the main point of your post was… something about being a mediocre student your entire life then suddenly scoring in the 99th percentile on the SAT and getting into a university with 1% acceptance rate where you met two professors that left you with some quotes about hard work?

If that’s the case, then your experience perfectly agrees with what I’ve been saying. If you’re able to be a mediocre student and struggle with your grades for most of your life, and still end up in a great place, then that perfectly supports my argument that grades really don’t matter. I previously thought that grades mattered for selective college admissions, but now, from your anecdote, I guess they don’t even matter for that either now! How things have changed!

#20

Wrong, I had to work for those. People for whom school is a breeze and who don’t struggle with grades often fail to succeed later in life. I was a mediocre student for most of my school life but worked hard to get my grades up eventually to overcome that. The point of that post was to explain why I think the narrative you have presented is very skewed and defeatist to a person who is in a position to make a difference in their future with hard work (academics is just a stand in - this can come in the form of skills, too). Since you seem to think my post is somehow self-serving I’ll remove mention of my particular achievements lest it distract too much from my point. If someone is trying to make a conscious choice to work harder in school, they may very well have good reasons for it. To reiterate:

  • People who have to put in relatively more effort than their peers, or struggle, are not black sheep in competitive college admissions. Conversely, the ones who get in are not all scholastic ubermensch.
  • University grades can matter a great deal depending on the field. They also matter a lot for higher studies and often, research positions. Are you really in a position to be saying these things don’t matter at all?
  • Building a good work ethic is by far one of the most important skills you can build as a teenager and young adult, and you should not ditch it in favour of a ‘none of this matters’ philosophy because someone on the internet feels that way.
  • You have a choice in your 9-5 work. 9-5 work in and of itself is not a death sentence. Depending on what a person finds meaning in, working towards that ‘9-5’ can require quite of a bit of effort.
  • If you are thinking I disagree with you about the nice things in life, like whitebags carrying meaning, you’re wrong. Those things being important and enjoying your life are not options that are obviated by putting effort in your professional or academic life, but can supplement them.
  • The value of a degree depends greatly on a person’s family income, country and opportunities available. Your evaluation grossly distills complex differences into a poor lesson.

This is not a defense of academics, nor one of the way society translates achievement parameters to fiscal reward. It’s specifically a rundown of the reasons I think simply calling it a day on effort in school is bad. Also, we probably agree that people should have more outlets to expend their efforts in than schoolwork (I have written in context of school since that is what OP mentions).