I created these spreadsheets to help myself play video games

Hades II introduces a new mechanic called-me-not, with which the players can determine recipes for which they do not have enough reagent. While you are traveling in the world, the way to these resources is highlighted, so it is easier to keep an overview of what you need. I love this function, not least because I have created my own version of it for other games for years. It is only one of the many ways to use spreadsheets to improve my game.

To be clear, it's me not Recommend that you will step in my footsteps and create a table for every game you play. I am deeply uncomfortable, the world is on fire, and it is the way I create small diagrams and tables how I have a certain appearance of control over a chaotic world. In addition, not every game needs a table.

For some games, however, it is simply more helpful to have your own goal tracker. Especially in sandbox games, in which the quest markings are only the beginning of what you can do. For my purposes, I either use a typical Google leaf or if I feel really sharp, I will branch for some more flexible tools in something like a performance. Here are just a few examples of what I do.

Tracking Tears of the kingdom Armor upgrades

There are so many armor sets in Tears of the kingdomAnd it is super rewarding to track down each piece with regard to the exploration and the forces they receive from different sentences. what is fewer Reward is the update of those you already have. You have to visit great fairies with the right amount of ingredients, some of which are super rare or only fall from certain enemies. Some of whom you may otherwise be over if you didn't know that you needed them. (Look at them, Lizalfos cocks.)

That's why I did This armor -upgrade -tracker. I gave myself sections to hand over which sets I am most interested in collecting how many parts I have left to say you on which upgrade level each of you is currently and whether there is a specified bonus that I have not yet unlocked. Most of this information are technically visible in the user interface, but in this way I don't have to dig through the menus to see if I have completed upgrades on the Froggy armor before I collect a number of sticky lizards.

I also have space to write down which ingredients I need to upgrade. This is the most helpful for me. Almost everything In Tears of the kingdom Is used to improve one or another armor, but I don't always remember which are important to me. And the only way in the game to see which ingredients are needed for an upgrade is to visit the large fairy directly.

That saved me a lot of wasted efforts because, when I adventure, I can quickly watch my notes to see if I need a certain article when I come across it. This is not only practical as a reference, but it also saves me to do an agricultural run for the five Thunderwing butterflies that I went for hours.

A outpost empire in Starfield

I have my complaints about it StarfieldBut that did not prevent me from spending dozens of hours with building outposts in order to manage as many resources as possible. Is there a point on it? Not really. Most of the resources you need StarfieldYou can either buy or benefit easily. But I like building my own mini economy. The only problem is that the game is not set up as a supervisor of dozens of outposts.

Enter my term table. In this case, I gave myself a glossy reference point for the resources that every planet has that of these resources are available to my outpost and which of those I am currently receiving. Since you receive a bonus if you have completely asked a planet, I also identified whether I have completed the survey of this planet. (Note: I couldn't just make this a template so that you have to create your own version from scratch.)

Admittedly, this is my personal Sisyphean Boulder, because the only reason to organize so much effort Starfield The outpost is for joy (?) Outpost organizing. However, I did things similar to games like Valleythat are somewhat more objective.

I used an idea for this because I liked the approach for databases a little better than Google Sheets. You can create a complete database with entries for all the required data, but then create alternative views that only focus on some of the data you have created. For example, I also followed what flora and fauna have grown on every planet, but since I didn't need to manage my outposts, I decided to create a view that did not include.

Quantification of my time wasted in Overwatch 2

Of all the tables I made for the games I play, only a few brought me as much pain as this. Overwatch 2 Switched to a Battle Pass system with rewards that disappear if you do not claim it by the end of the season. I've played a lot of this game, but I wanted to know how much It takes time to complete certain rewards.

So I made myself A small calculator. I started watching the average time it took to complete a game and how much XP I got for every game. Then I gave myself a few boxes that calculate how much time it would take to achieve a reward level based on how much XP I have earned so far. I brought it to a point where I only had to fill out three blocks (highlighted in the blue) to see how much time I was planning to waste in a game for a cosmetic reward that I would not even use.

Now I don't have to be said that I should play Overwatch 2. I love playing it with my friends and I will be interested in it, regardless of how much it is abusing me. The real value here is that sometimes this table discouraged Me from playing. When the game says: “You are only 50,000 XP from a reward!” A good idea may appear. The game wants you to continue playing. Instead, my table says: “You have to play 41 hours of this game to reach this level. So I sigh the game.

This actually helped me to step into some of the “only another game habit” in which it is so easy to deal. Every online game has a litany of rewards and points and blips and bloops that should only give them one few Dopamine every time you decide to continue playing. My calculator tool was not designed so that I could save myself time, but it was more honest than Blizzard was ever.

Other spreadsheet ideas

These are just a few of the many examples that I have done over the years. I made leaves that calculate how much mine Valley The plants will give in over time and remove the assumption from the purchase from the shop of Pierre. (I am also far from the first with this idea.) I also made leaves like mine Tears of the kingdom Tracker for upgrades in games of Skyrim To Horizon banned the West.

Even if you do not want to make your own, there is the possibility that an enterprise player there will affect Arcania tables for things like an armor fan on your favorite heroes. Every time there is a math, I want the game not to do the game for me, or to google resource requirements that I have full. I will contact my trustworthy spreadsheets – and now you can (should you?) Now.