Complete the Map!
Exploring Manhattan, Brooklyn, and the rest of New York on foot reminds me of playing a one-player, first-person Role-Playing video game, much like Final Fantasy or the Legend of Zelda. It may sound silly, but to a person who has played a lot of these types of video games in his or her youth, as I have, this situation is relatable.
I wander, gently exploring the city with my backpack full of items. I always carry my water bottle, my pocketknife, a pad and pen, and a book. I'm equipped for solitary exploration. Along the way, I might pick up more items. I might replenish ones I have spent, such as gum or MetroCards or arrows. And I might wander into a potion shop to pick up some new potions, or a flavor of Vitamin Water I haven't tried yet.
Sometimes, as in role-playing, the need will come about to have to talk to a stranger. They all have different things to say, some useful, some not so useful. Every once in a while, a person will say something to you that is purely entertaining, and could not possibly get a response to match it.
Often, as in a game of this nature, I am faced with these mini-quests I have to complete before I can move on in the game. It seems as if these mini-quests are only in there to prolong the game and make it more annoying, for instance, in order to get the item you truly desire, you first have to get a different item and travel all across town to trade it with a different item, which you can then trade back for the item you originally wanted across town, or the train you want to ride on to get to your destination is not running its entire route tonight, so you have to detour all the way into Manhattan, and then ride back out again on a different train. That happens all the time, that's when you just take the bus.
There are all kind of pitfalls you have to avoid in this game: traffic, puddles of mysterious liquid, and, of course, enemies. You have to keep yourself from walking into traps, something that is not as easily seen from the first-person point-of-view, but more easily from that familiar third-person overhead-and-slightly-behind point-of-view that we all know and love.
You don't get a sword, so-to-speak, and you don't get a shield, but you do get experience points everywhere you go. You might learn on your way not to get in a black cab, but always a yellow cab, as the black cabs always charge more. You might learn on your way where the cat always runs in front of your path as if you stepped on something that triggered it. You might a great place where you can get great discount cashews, something you never thought to ask about before, but are glad you stumbled upon it.
You also might find people to join in your journey with you. As in the RPG, you always start out by yourself, but eventually, you always develop a company that comes along with you. They stick very close to you when you are walking together, but when you battle, they all spread out and show their unique individual power. Usually, there is always one guy who is bigger than you. He usually represents the brute strength of the outfit, though what he makes up for in attack he lacks in defense. It's important to keep him healthy.
There is always a girl in the group. And girls are always magical. Just like in real life. Girls possess magical powers that no man can contend with. They usually have all those healing or trickery spells up their sleeves. Confusion is a common one that comes to mind. Sometimes it backfires and gets cast on the male members of your own group, instead of the foes. While the girls always possess magic capabilities, they are still prone to material distractions, such as purses, jewelery, or shoes, or worse, enemy guys who flatter them and buy them drinks. Also, poison. So if the girl of the group is taken out one of these ways, no one is left to do the healing of the group, and you're left with no other option but to keep downing Vitamin Water until you have none left.
The last person in the group is undoubtedly the nerd character, who is always ready to make a comic book reference or go into a Kids in the Hall monologue whenever necessary. And he knows how to fix a computer or defuse a bomb. The skill is probably not very useful in everyday life, but should the situation come up, life-saving. That's why it is always worth it to have him around.
What makes me compare exploring New York to living an RPG more than anything else is my relentless desire to touch every last corner of the map and see every area I possibly can. In the RPG, you are given a map of the land or dungeon you are exploring, and when you look at the map screen, the areas in which you have explored may be lit up or a different color than the areas you have not been to yet. When I played Zelda, I made it a point to explore every room in the castle or dungeon so that all the areas on the map would be lit up. I would go into rooms even if there was no significance to the room. I would go in just to go in then come out. In Super Metroid, I explored every possible crevice, every hidden room, so that the entire map would be colored in.
I think that mentality has stayed with me as I explore New York. I want to get off every Subway stop, walk down every street, and go in every building. I want to leave no stone unturned. I want to complete the map, and fill it in, so I can say I've seen everything I can see. As you walk down streets you haven't been down before, you see where there meet up with the streets you have been down before. You see how everything fits together, how one neighborhood leads to the next, and you slowly figure it out.
You can never get enough experience points. There are always new levels to achieve, new skills to learn, new people to meet. You want to keep your posse close by your side. Keep them healthy, interested, and equipped. They will help you out. You're going to need all the help you can get, because sooner or later, you're going to have to beat the boss.
I wander, gently exploring the city with my backpack full of items. I always carry my water bottle, my pocketknife, a pad and pen, and a book. I'm equipped for solitary exploration. Along the way, I might pick up more items. I might replenish ones I have spent, such as gum or MetroCards or arrows. And I might wander into a potion shop to pick up some new potions, or a flavor of Vitamin Water I haven't tried yet.
Sometimes, as in role-playing, the need will come about to have to talk to a stranger. They all have different things to say, some useful, some not so useful. Every once in a while, a person will say something to you that is purely entertaining, and could not possibly get a response to match it.
Often, as in a game of this nature, I am faced with these mini-quests I have to complete before I can move on in the game. It seems as if these mini-quests are only in there to prolong the game and make it more annoying, for instance, in order to get the item you truly desire, you first have to get a different item and travel all across town to trade it with a different item, which you can then trade back for the item you originally wanted across town, or the train you want to ride on to get to your destination is not running its entire route tonight, so you have to detour all the way into Manhattan, and then ride back out again on a different train. That happens all the time, that's when you just take the bus.
There are all kind of pitfalls you have to avoid in this game: traffic, puddles of mysterious liquid, and, of course, enemies. You have to keep yourself from walking into traps, something that is not as easily seen from the first-person point-of-view, but more easily from that familiar third-person overhead-and-slightly-behind point-of-view that we all know and love.
You don't get a sword, so-to-speak, and you don't get a shield, but you do get experience points everywhere you go. You might learn on your way not to get in a black cab, but always a yellow cab, as the black cabs always charge more. You might learn on your way where the cat always runs in front of your path as if you stepped on something that triggered it. You might a great place where you can get great discount cashews, something you never thought to ask about before, but are glad you stumbled upon it.
You also might find people to join in your journey with you. As in the RPG, you always start out by yourself, but eventually, you always develop a company that comes along with you. They stick very close to you when you are walking together, but when you battle, they all spread out and show their unique individual power. Usually, there is always one guy who is bigger than you. He usually represents the brute strength of the outfit, though what he makes up for in attack he lacks in defense. It's important to keep him healthy.
There is always a girl in the group. And girls are always magical. Just like in real life. Girls possess magical powers that no man can contend with. They usually have all those healing or trickery spells up their sleeves. Confusion is a common one that comes to mind. Sometimes it backfires and gets cast on the male members of your own group, instead of the foes. While the girls always possess magic capabilities, they are still prone to material distractions, such as purses, jewelery, or shoes, or worse, enemy guys who flatter them and buy them drinks. Also, poison. So if the girl of the group is taken out one of these ways, no one is left to do the healing of the group, and you're left with no other option but to keep downing Vitamin Water until you have none left.
The last person in the group is undoubtedly the nerd character, who is always ready to make a comic book reference or go into a Kids in the Hall monologue whenever necessary. And he knows how to fix a computer or defuse a bomb. The skill is probably not very useful in everyday life, but should the situation come up, life-saving. That's why it is always worth it to have him around.
What makes me compare exploring New York to living an RPG more than anything else is my relentless desire to touch every last corner of the map and see every area I possibly can. In the RPG, you are given a map of the land or dungeon you are exploring, and when you look at the map screen, the areas in which you have explored may be lit up or a different color than the areas you have not been to yet. When I played Zelda, I made it a point to explore every room in the castle or dungeon so that all the areas on the map would be lit up. I would go into rooms even if there was no significance to the room. I would go in just to go in then come out. In Super Metroid, I explored every possible crevice, every hidden room, so that the entire map would be colored in.
I think that mentality has stayed with me as I explore New York. I want to get off every Subway stop, walk down every street, and go in every building. I want to leave no stone unturned. I want to complete the map, and fill it in, so I can say I've seen everything I can see. As you walk down streets you haven't been down before, you see where there meet up with the streets you have been down before. You see how everything fits together, how one neighborhood leads to the next, and you slowly figure it out.
You can never get enough experience points. There are always new levels to achieve, new skills to learn, new people to meet. You want to keep your posse close by your side. Keep them healthy, interested, and equipped. They will help you out. You're going to need all the help you can get, because sooner or later, you're going to have to beat the boss.
posted by Leland J. Fischer at 11:24 PM
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