Video Games Randomness - Prioritize specific game threads!

[Blackhawk]

Sounds like it might be time to stop trying to recapture a lost past and find a new future. Look into a new hobby! Get a new interest that doesn't have a bunch of baggage attached to it.

[Rumpy]

Jade Empire is one of those early games where I don't think controllers were standardized the way they are now. Likely uses X-Input too.

[Anonymous Bosch]

Sounds like it might be time to stop trying to recapture a lost past and find a new future. Look into a new hobby! Get a new interest that doesn't have a bunch of baggage attached to it.

That's some sage advice. So it'll almost surely be ignored, as I suspect Daehawk generally prefers bellyaching about whatever title he's currently playing vs. earnestly trying to derive much, if any, particular pleasure from the gameplay experience itself.

[Skinypupy]

EA Play had a month for $1 special going on. I wanted to try NHL94 Rewind, so I grabbed it. Man, the nostalgia for that game is very real. Still the best sports title ever, IMO.

I’m amused by their “35 AAA games included with your subscription!” when more than half of those (17) are simply older versions of annual sports titles. NHL, Madden, NBA, and FIFA 20, 19, and 18, plus a few UFC fighting games.

[Kasey Chang]

Playing PC Building Simulator. Feels way too much like work. If it was that easy making money fixing PCs.... Though the game seems to be set in the UK. All the domain names and even the posters refer to UK places. Who knows? Just ended my third week, already fixed the reputation of the entire shop (there was one or two I forgot to check for virus, and/or change the cable colors) back to 4+ stars instead of 1 star uncle left it at. Now he wants a 5000 payment for 10% stake? I'm too busy expanding. Did buy a second bench, and looks like cabinet will cost... thousands?! Right now I try to push for throughput by buying parts even BEFORE the affected PCs arrive (I can tell what's damaged) but I can see that wouldn't work in the future. Do I get more points if I UNDERSPEND the budget?

And no, this doesn't really teach IT or A+ at all. Maybe the really fundamentals, but IMHO, not really.

[Blackhawk]

Sounds like it might be time to stop trying to recapture a lost past and find a new future. Look into a new hobby! Get a new interest that doesn't have a bunch of baggage attached to it.

That's some sage advice. So it'll almost surely be ignored, as I suspect Daehawk generally prefers bellyaching about whatever title he's currently playing vs. earnestly trying to derive much, if any, particular pleasure from the gameplay experience itself.

I know. Daehawk and I actually have a lot in common, and I see a lot of myself in him. What I've learned to fight against, Daehawk soaks in. But I know there's a way out for him, and so I have to try.

[Skinypupy]

I’m getting my once a year RTS itch and am considering Warcraft 3 Reforged. I see all the awful feedback, but am wondering how the game would be for:

A) someone who has no nostalgia for the original (played it for a total of about 90 minutes a decade ago);
B) someone who doesn’t have the original installed (so I’m not worried about it overwriting any files or saves);
C) someone who will never play any sort of multiplayer and is only interested in the single-player campaign

It seems like most the gripes people have with it wouldn’t really apply to me. I just want to experience what I understand to be a fun game with a neat story and do so with updated graphics.

Does it hold up well for that?

[Daehawk]

Cant help as I didn't like WC3. Im a WC2 fan. I did finish it coop with a friend.

[Blackhawk]

I liked it quite a bit (the original - I haven't played the remaster.) It's skirmish scale rather than full sized battles. And like Starcraft, the actual RTS missions are peppered here and there with non-RTS missions (control a single character, make your way around, occasionally encounter an extra unit or two to join you, etc.) But it's got Blizzard fun and polish.

[Skinypupy]

Having playing through a half-dozen missions of both Warcraft 3 and Starcraft 2 over the last few days, I find two things:

1. I enjoy the general theme and aesthetic of Starcraft quite a bit more. Which is odd, as I typically prefer fantasy over sci-fi. SC2 is just so well done in the graphics and sound department.
2. I'm really, really terrible at RTS games. My brain simply can't think on the multiple levels required to play them successfully. I can manage one thing at a time (i.e. building a base, commanding troops, etc.), but mix all of those together with different variables and I'm completely lost

Still, these have been a fun diversion while nothing else is grabbing me.

[JetFred]

Having playing through a half-dozen missions of both Warcraft 3 and Starcraft 2 over the last few days, I find two things:

1. I enjoy the general theme and aesthetic of Starcraft quite a bit more. Which is odd, as I typically prefer fantasy over sci-fi. SC2 is just so well done in the graphics and sound department.
2. I'm really, really terrible at RTS games. My brain simply can't think on the multiple levels required to play them successfully. I can manage one thing at a time (i.e. building a base, commanding troops, etc.), but mix all of those together with different variables and I'm completely lost

Still, these have been a fun diversion while nothing else is grabbing me.

100% with you there

[Kasey Chang]

After almost 100 hours into PC Building Simulator, I felt I'm barely scratching the surface, as there are many nuances I've not really considered.

The regular diagnose and fix missions I have no problem with. And I really should take advantage of that built-in "cloud notes" app to make notes for every job, but there should be an option to write remarks on each job, as there are many jobs with special requirements like brand affinity (I want CORSAIR parts, I want ASUS parts, etc.), colored cables (I want green cables, I want black braided cables, etc.) and sometimes, I miss the cable requirement, and got 4 instead of 5 star.

But it's the ones where I blew past their requirements on 3D Mark, and it was not appreciated. In fact, it never was. They request a system that can beat... I dunno, 7042. You give them a system that can do over 8800 (had to drop 2 mismatched 980ti in there, regular vs LE, but same brand), as I don't want to spend another $100 on instant delivery. I know it's -1 for not being the brand they liked, but I didn't know it's -1 for mismatched cards, and the comment "the cards are a bit rubbish" must have rubbed me the wrong way. :-\

And I haven't even gotten into GPU overclocking, custom watercooling (and custom loops and so on)...

It really does feel too much like work.

[JCC]

Having playing through a half-dozen missions of both Warcraft 3 and Starcraft 2 over the last few days, I find two things:
...

100% with you there

And me. I have read and reread the SC manuals and thoroughly enjoyed them. The unvierse Blizzard made is awesome! But I just can't do RTS games.

[Carpet_pissr]

Having playing through a half-dozen missions of both Warcraft 3 and Starcraft 2 over the last few days, I find two things:

1. I enjoy the general theme and aesthetic of Starcraft quite a bit more. Which is odd, as I typically prefer fantasy over sci-fi. SC2 is just so well done in the graphics and sound department.
2. I'm really, really terrible at RTS games. My brain simply can't think on the multiple levels required to play them successfully. I can manage one thing at a time (i.e. building a base, commanding troops, etc.), but mix all of those together with different variables and I'm completely lost

Still, these have been a fun diversion while nothing else is grabbing me.

Same. Especially 2.

I LOVED the genre when it first came out. Dune II, Warcraft I and II, Command and Conquer, Rise of Nations, Age of Empires etc.

When Age of Mythology came along, everything seemed to switch to a VERY fast-paced “counter” system which pretty much ruined the fun for me.

[raydude]

Progressed in Secret World Legends to where one of the missions involves playing a short text adventure game



The investigative missions in this game really set it apart from other MMORPGs. My younger self, who had more time to play and fewer games, would have spent hours trying to solve them on his own. Unfortunately, my current self, who has more games and less time to play, has to resort to looking up hints on the internet. At least the hints on the internet are structured to go from general hints to more specific hints to finally giving you the solution. I've solved a few of the investigation missions on my own after being given a clue by the general hint. The ones that require deciphering runes or hieroglyphics though, I go all the way to the answer. I have no time to write symbols down and decipher secret messages .

Still, I am enjoying the varied missions in this game and uncovering the different conspiracies that are going on. Very strong X-Files and Cthulu vibes here, which I like.

[Carpet_pissr]

I applaud any game that gives a shout out to the text adventure games that could be argued, are the ancestors of non-arcade modern games.

I spent hours on this bastard (and every other one I could get my hands on):


This one too:

[Daehawk]

Ive been going over the Mass Effect series in my head. Its been at least 4 or 5 years since my last replay. Ive finished all of them about 4 or 5 times. But Ive forgotten so much. So been thinking about my next play of them whenever I can get all DLC. This time I concentrated on niggles I dont like about them and narrowed those down to 1 each.

ME1 - no gripe really. Loved it all AFAIR anyways. Loved the planets and characters and even the MAKO.

ME2 - First play through I loved the mining. Reminded me of Starflight and Star Control 2. But now I really dislike it. Probe away probe away probe away probe away probe away...yyyeeeech. If theres a mod to give me max resources and skip mining next time Ill use it.

ME3 - The reapers in systems. its ok and was fine the first time. But closer to end game I get tired of running from them and theres so many. I like to take my time and explore and they ruin that for me.

Also in all 3 I think I get tired of fuel considerations. I wouldn't mind seeing gas dropped. Maybe theres a mod for that too.

[TheMix]

Progressed in Secret World Legends to where one of the missions involves playing a short text adventure game

<snip>

FYI, not so short. There are four (five?) chapters/parts to that quest. But it was a lot of fun.

[Rumpy]

ME2 - First play through I loved the mining. Reminded me of Starflight and Star Control 2. But now I really dislike it. Probe away probe away probe away probe away probe away...yyyeeeech. If theres a mod to give me max resources and skip mining next time Ill use it.

Oh man, I hated the mining. Such a repetitive task. I get that people complained about the Mako in ME1, but it's like they went too far in the other direction in ME2 by making the mining feel like a chore. Much preferred the Mako gameplay.

[Sudy]

I have such fond memories of StarCraft... it was one of the first "big" games I played on our first family computer that could handle recent software. I don't think I ever beat all three parts of the campaign, but I came close. I played a fair bit of multiplayer, but wasn't great at it. I had a lot more fun playing with real-world friends where you were less likely to get mercilessly rushed. The custom RPG maps loaded with triggers were also interesting. There was something magical about it and the other hit games of the Windows 98 era.

I was excited when SC2 was announced. But then they did the whole multiple releases thing, and it was expensive for the longest time (like all Blizzard titles). Together with the write-ups about how you had to be a kid with the reflexes to perform 900 clicks per minute to be any good at the multiplayer, it just didn't seem appealing. But I really should go back and try it for the single-player. I too either never had the mind for frantic RTS or just wasn't interested in developing that part of my brain. With the exception of the occasional foray into multiplayer FPSs, I play games to unwind.

[Blackhawk]

I've been wanting to play Mass Effect again. It's got the sci-fi feel that I enjoy as someone who grew up a Star Trek nut. Amazon tells me it's been almost eight years since I bought ME3, and I played it right away. But I can't imagine starting a run now with the remaster right around the corner.

[Zarathud]

My bachelor party was a Starcraft LAN Party. We would also bring our computers to a suburban music studio for in-person LAN events through 2000.

[Skinypupy]

But I can't imagine starting a run now with the remaster right around the corner.

I've put off a ME replay for a year now because of the rumors of a remaster. Was very relieved to finally get a release date.

[dbt1949]

Well, somebody got my Steam password. I changed it of course but how do they do that?

[Anonymous Bosch]

Well, somebody got my Steam password. I changed it of course but how do they do that?

If your Steam password was not unique, chances are it was compromised through a data breach elsewhere. Because the worst thing you can do with your passwords -- and something that more than 50 percent of people are doing, according to a recent Virginia Tech study -- is to reuse the same one(s) across multiple sites. If even one of those accounts gets compromised in a data breach, it doesn’t matter how strong your password is -- hackers can easily use it to get into your other accounts. This is why, aside from using two-factor authentication and keeping your operating system and Web browser up to date, using a secure password manager is arguably the most important thing you can do to protect yourself online.

Assuming you have already changed your password (preferably to something unique), you can use Have I Been Pwned? to search real world passwords previously exposed in data breaches to find out if that's how your old Steam password was obtained.

(Also, you need not worry about entering a password into the HIBP site; it searches using an anonymized hash of the password instead of using the actual password itself)

[Kasey Chang]

Decided to switch things up, and letting go of PC Building Sim, and picked up Mindustry, best described as "Pixel Factorio with tower defense". You are dropped into a sector with a factory ship/flyer and a sector hub. Keep the hub safe, or it's game over for you. Your job is the mine the sector to power your turrets, spend extra resources on the tech tree (some may require you to mine different resources), send all not being used for the turrets to the hub, where it's used to build more mining drills, conveyors, and other stuff, as well as expanding the tech tree. Every once in a while you'll be attacked, and your turrets will fire back automatically... If you built the right ones, and in range of the enemies. Build correctly, or they will destroy your existing structures, or at least interrupt your delivery pipelines and whatnot. Can you make it through all the waves, and thus, conquer the sector?

It's a bit deeper than I first suspected, as I didn't quite get it at the beginning and had to watch a video (of an OLD version) to figure out what I am doing. The initial map started with me mining copper, then I realized copper is also used for all the construction, until I found lead. But there are also mentions of sand and water as mining resource... but I didn't need them yet.

I've also picked up Battlevoid Harbinger and Battlevoid Sector Siege, both of which are a little bit like tower defense.

[Daehawk]

The next Dragon Age game is having all the multiplayer ripped out of it now.

https://www.bluesnews.com/s/219584/next ... yer-report

A story on Bloomberg states that Electronic Arts is changing course on BioWare's upcoming Dragon Age game. It says "people familiar with the matter" reveal all multiplayer content is being removed from the next game in the series, which was previously planning on having a significant multiplayer component. The unconfirmed report says this decision was influenced by the success of Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order and the failure of the Anthem:

[JCC]

Good. (DA4)

[Max Peck]

Removing the multiplayer is probably a good thing. From what I read earlier today, it sounds like the multiplayer component was mandated by EA suits while Bioware had been pushing to drop it.

[Kasey Chang]

Still on Mindustry, and managed to conquer second sector by building way too many defenses and basically funnel enemy into my valley of death, where the walls are lined with arc-thrower turrets and block off everything else. It was a bit of a PITA to setup. And that's relatively easy (it's only the 2nd map).

[Carpet_pissr]

Totes ok with ripping MP out of DA4.

[Skinypupy]

Totes ok with ripping MP out of DA4.

Same. Not something I ever would have been interested in to begin with.

[Blackhawk]

Totes ok with ripping MP out of DA4.

OMG QFT LOL!

[Kasey Chang]

Still on Mindustry, and part of the problem, IMHO, is the way it mixes tech tree AND mining AND attacks all at the same time. You need to accumulate a LOT of resources to power your research (tens of thousands of units) which requires you to setup huge runs, but you don't really do this while the sector's still contested. Instead, you somehow kill the enemies, claim the sector, THEN build additional assembly lines so you can reveal all the tech tree available to you. This makes the level twice or three times as long.

When the manufacturing started to require 3 or even 4 resources (3 minerals, plus power) the layout gets REALLY complex, and optimizing the throughput gets tricky, and the connections are ALL OVER the place, much like the sprawling web of connections a la Shapez.io. The game does allow you to save "schematics", i.e. preset pieces that you can then load and reuse for this or later levels, but it's hard ot judge if what you created is worthy of making it a schematic.

A lot of the maps are also VERY NARROW, so getting resources back to your hub is problematic. Your starting hub doesn't allow that many incoming connections, and on some maps, you will max out the connections VERY quickly. Though this is manageable if you start to disconnect or at least, limit certain types of resources to a single line, with the option of separating them onto parallel lines later.

Just finished sector 3, and let's just say, it's not the way I'd like to win, but a win's a win. Basically, this level has a "guardian, and with 20 waves, the final waves can destroy my walls easily, but I have enough layers to stop them even if they break through. But this level has an end boss called a "guardian" and it's smarter. I think I lost my ship like 3 times, and I resorted to shooting the guardian at max range while it takes apart my edge defenses.

While interesting, I am not sure I have the patience to "finish" this game.

[Sudy]

I wish there were a game with the addictiveness of Diablo, the excitement of early WoW, and the community aspect of Animal Crossing (but a broader, remote experience). You can substitute multiple different games/franchises into these different blanks, but I always thought someone would have nailed engaging, ongoing RPG gameplay + community hangout by now. I realize the problem is the broader you go, the more star systems slip through your fingers (or something) and the greater the cost/development time, but there's very little that's delivered on the implied promises of 15, even 25 years ago. You have games that focus on one end of the spectrum, but any dip into the opposite end is often only cursory.

[Daehawk]

M.U.L.E has been released on GOG.

https://www.gog.com/game/mule

[Isgrimnur]

There's one I'm content to leave in the memory banks.

[JetFred]

Play Offworld Trading Company if you have to have M.U.L.E.

M.U.L.E. used to piss me off so bad because I barely understood anything I was doing. Of course being 12 didn't help.

[Daehawk]

I always rented it on the NES.

[Baroquen]

Loved M.U.L.E. Theme song was awesome too.