Gaming with a guide. Options

[Takara]

So, is it just me, or do ther people use a guide when playing through games. Most notably, I do this with PS:T. RPG games arent quite like an adventure game, or a puzzle game. The guides dont really take away the challenge of the game by solving it for you, rather, allow you to avoid missing any details.

In PS:T guide, the Dan Simpson one, he provides details of the alignment effects certain dialogues hve, or what you might need stat wise for certain dialogues. When I first played the game, I built a traditional fighter type. Heavy on strength, con etc. As such, I missed out an awful lot. Other items like the bronze sphere got lost as I thought they werent important.

By gaming with the guide, I can make sure I get most things. Quests, dialogues, upgrading your companions and the like. I feel that now, I get the very most out of this RPG story, for that is what I feel it is.

I also use a guide when playing some others, like BG2. I dont use them for tactics or strategies, for I have since developed my own, and have my own way of playing. To me they are much more of a checklist of things to do. It also allows you to plan your time, like knowing how long the time will be between an NPC joining and them having a quest related to them going on. eg Jan summoned home.

For me, they really help add to the game, rather than remove anything from the game. The strategies you develop yourself, and it is really more of a way of making sure you get the most from your game.

Does anyone else do this? And if you do, what exactly do you use them for? Do you see them as a help, or simply as means of making the game far too easy.