Video Games Randomness - Prioritize specific game threads!

[hitbyambulance]

I keep putting off figuring out what I want to do with my books. I may have to look to see if anyone would accept a chunk of them as donations.

books you don't want to bother selling can be dropped off at local Little Free Libraries

https://littlefreelibrary.org

[Daehawk]

Steam beta sharing libraries

Steam won’t boot you when your kid loads up a different game than you now.

Today, Steam launched Steam Families, an overhaul of its family sharing system. The new system gets rid of limits on how many people can play games from one library, makes buying games for your kids easier, and adds new parental controls and sharing options.

[jztemple2]

I keep putting off figuring out what I want to do with my books. I may have to look to see if anyone would accept a chunk of them as donations.

books you don't want to bother selling can be dropped off at local Little Free Libraries

https://littlefreelibrary.org

Off topic but I'll post more information.

One idea of what to do with your books is to check your area for places that accept books for prisoners. There are (obvious) limits of what might be acceptable but it's always nice to think they might do some good. Caution however, books they can't use usually end up in a dumpster as usually they aren't staffed to deal with re-donating books.

Another option is your local Goodwill store that accepts donations. Every Goodwill we've visited has a books section. And, if you are lucky, some places have dedicated Goodwill bookstores, there are actually three on the West Coast of Florida. Awesome places to shop for books too.

Finally there are online swapping sites. The best and pretty much the only one I use is https://www.paperbackswap.com (PBS) which in spite of its name also deals in hardcovers and CDs. This site has a good system: you post on their site which books you would be willing to send to others. Other folks can search for or just find the ones you have listed and if they want it they use the PBS site to request it. You send them the book, they acknowledge received it and you get a credit. And you can use that credit to get books you want. There is a lot more to it that what I've said but I've used the site for years and have found that almost everyone is very responsible able sending books and acknowledging receiving them.

And if you don't want the credits there are a number of places that accept PBS credits as donations.

[LordMortis]

I think I'm past getting new books at this point in life. I can't remember the last book I've read. I've been going back and forth about keeping or donating anything that might be worth someone's time to read.

[Daehawk]

Ive recently looked into getting those Hardy Boys hardbacks I used to read as hand me downs as a kid. The blue books with Frank & Joe's faces on the binder, Stuff like The House on the Cliff and The Secret Panel. I loved the tv show and read a lot of those books. But man they are expensive now to collect and theres a LOT of them too.

Back on topic of video games, I tripped over this one while looking for zombie survival games.

Welcome to ParadiZe

And a look at it...

[Jaddison]

On a whim installed Doom 3 BFG edition. I forgot how much fun this was and promptly got lost in playing, and dying, for two hours

[GreenGoo]

I watch a lot of splattercat too, he has made me aware of many good games that I had no idea existed.

I've also bought a few that turned out to be disappointments, but that's life.

Ive recently looked into getting those Hardy Boys hardbacks I used to read as hand me downs as a kid. The blue books with Frank & Joe's faces on the binder, Stuff like The House on the Cliff and The Secret Panel. I loved the tv show and read a lot of those books. But man they are expensive now to collect and theres a LOT of them too.

I have my own anecdotes about these books. Nothing interesting to anyone except me, but they definitely have a place in my heart. I have a box of them (probably 1 through 60ish) 5 feet behind me. Some are in excellent condition, some...are not. They might be my longest owned possessions, even older than my AD&D stuff.

[TheMix]

I think I'm past getting new books at this point in life. I can't remember the last book I've read. I've been going back and forth about keeping or donating anything that might be worth someone's time to read.

Yeah. I've also discovered that I can likely reread any of my current books and have no idea what happened.

Though I do want to pick up a few more. I have a couple of partially complete series that I haven't read because I don't have all the books. But I am unlikely to do any more real "collecting". Rereading will probably hold me over for another decade or two.

[GreenGoo]

Yeah. I've also discovered that I can likely reread any of my current books and have no idea what happened.

I've been doing this my whole life. It only gets easier with age.

[Jaymann]

Yeah. I've also discovered that I can likely reread any of my current books and have no idea what happened.

I've been doing this my whole life. It only gets easier with age.

That works for me but only to a point where I remember the ending.

[Blackhawk]

I reread from time to time. After a while I don't remember all of the details, and can experience it again. Yeah, I may remember some of the major beats, but it's often the minute-to-minute interactions and events that make a book memorable, not just the chapter 35 twist.

Besides, sometimes knowing the twist gives a new perspective on the events leading up to it.

[jztemple2]

Since I read only non-fiction, I already know the endings

[jztemple2]

Oops, back to on-topic

[Carpet_pissr]

Oh hell, a modern version of The Movies?! Prepare to get butthurt (again), OO!!!!

[Daehawk]

Space games

[Anonymous Bosch]

Space games

I understand you're something of a chronological tourist, but this year's Steam Spring Sale ended on March 21 (i.e. the day before you posted this).

[Daehawk]

Oh I didn't post it as a savings thing. Just info on neat and perhaps not known space games.

[hitbyambulance]

Ive recently looked into getting those Hardy Boys hardbacks I used to read as hand me downs as a kid. The blue books with Frank & Joe's faces on the binder, Stuff like The House on the Cliff and The Secret Panel. I loved the tv show and read a lot of those books. But man they are expensive now to collect and theres a LOT of them too.

you miiiight want to look here....

http://thecreativearchive.weebly.com/my ... ries1.html

[Daehawk]

This week off and on Ive been looking back at MMOs. Free online ones . Played or not. I tossed out grind fests like Black Desert. I threw away dodgy old games that had tried to rise again like City of Heroes. Anything that just didn't gel with me no matter how many times I tried them like Warframe.

I also left out stuff Id have to pay for like New World, FF14, or SWTOR because its not worth bothering if you dont sub.

Finally got it down to 2 to try and go back to again..as Ive done many times before....Path of Exile and a bit of Guild Wars 2.

Both have been a while for me so maybe theres something new there.

[Baroquen]

Guild Wars 2 is one that many times doesn't resonate with me. However, every once in awhile, it intrigues and I play for awhile. But I've never gotten close to maxing out a character, or catching up with the main storyline. Without a sub though, I do wander back to it every once in awhile.

Path of Exile is one I want to like more than I invariably do. I enjoy it while playing, but it never grips me enough to finish it. The season gimmicks sometimes draw me in, but I couldn't tell you much about my playtime with it. But again - with no costs involved with playing, I do sometimes circle back.

Curious to see if either one grabs you Daehawk.

[Unagi]

Ive recently looked into getting those Hardy Boys hardbacks I used to read as hand me downs as a kid. The blue books with Frank & Joe's faces on the binder, Stuff like The House on the Cliff and The Secret Panel. I loved the tv show and read a lot of those books. But man they are expensive now to collect and theres a LOT of them too.

you miiiight want to look here....

http://thecreativearchive.weebly.com/my ... ries1.html

Or, another suggestion for Daehawk:

[Daehawk]

Guild Wars 2 is one that many times doesn't resonate with me. However, every once in awhile, it intrigues and I play for awhile. But I've never gotten close to maxing out a character, or catching up with the main storyline. Without a sub though, I do wander back to it every once in awhile.

Path of Exile is one I want to like more than I invariably do. I enjoy it while playing, but it never grips me enough to finish it. The season gimmicks sometimes draw me in, but I couldn't tell you much about my playtime with it. But again - with no costs involved with playing, I do sometimes circle back.

Curious to see if either one grabs you Daehawk.

oh they have both grabbed me at different times but Im the same as you...I bounce off after a bit. In POE I wanted to try something other than a caster or witch so I created a witch..doh! And in GW2 I wanted a caster and the only one Ive never played is a sorc...but its a human area that Ive played 10,000 times.

[Skinypupy]

Guild Wars 2 is one that many times doesn't resonate with me. However, every once in awhile, it intrigues and I play for awhile. But I've never gotten close to maxing out a character, or catching up with the main storyline. Without a sub though, I do wander back to it every once in awhile.

I’ve spent hundreds of hours max leveling 6 different characters in GW2. I have finished the base campaign three times. However, it never keeps my attention after that point. I have simply never been able to wrap my head around the endgame progression loop.

[Daehawk]

A look at supposedly 2024 first person shooter releases

[hitbyambulance]

"RibShark/SafeDiscShim: SafeDiscShim is a compatibility tool that allows for SafeDisc protected games which utilize the insecure Macrovision Security Driver ("secdrv.sys") to run on modern versions of Windows."

https://github.com/RibShark/SafeDiscShim

[jztemple2]

Game developers to addiction lawsuit: You can't sue us for making our games 'too entertaining'

A string of six videogame addiction lawsuits have recently been filed against Microsoft, Activision Blizzard, Roblox, Epic Games, Rockstar Games, and other major game developers and publishers. The complaints, which were all submitted to courts within the past 12 months, claim that game developers are intentionally making players addicted to their games.

As part of a motion filed this month to dismiss one of the complaints, that of an Arkansas woman and her son, the targeted game developers called the suit "an attack on the First Amendment rights of videogame creators."

The Arkansas lawsuit alleges that Roblox, Fortnite, Call of Duty, Minecraft, and other popular games used "addictive psychological features" to hook the son starting when he was 12 years old. Now 21, he currently spends $350 a month on games, dropped out of school, has been diagnosed with major depressive disorder and "anxiety," and has experienced "withdrawal symptoms such as rage, anger, and physical outbursts," according to the suit. It also alleges that the mother could not regulate her son's gaming because she "feared" him as a result of his outbursts.

The complaint says that the game developers are liable for defective and negligent designs that "take advantage of the chemical reward system of a user's brain (especially a minor) to create addictive engagement, compulsive use, and additional mental and physical harm," as well as failure to warn users of the risk of addiction.

[gilraen]

Wasn't that a plot of a Boston Legal episode?

[Punisher]

Wow. Tge Onion is getting good at writing serious type articles to fool us I see.

[Daehawk]

I need me a good zombie game I think.

[Blackhawk]

I need me a good zombie game I think.

Easy zombie game? Hard zombie game? Zombie strategy game? Zombie action game? Zombie horror game? Zombie adventure game? Zombie survival game? Zombie mod?

[Daehawk]

I looked through a bunch and tried to go back into State of Decay 2 but just not feeling it.

Im thinking Dying Light 2 if it goes on sale soon. I liked the first one until I got tired of my steel tire irons breaking on rotting zombie heads way too much. I just dont agree with item degradation in any form at all.

[Blackhawk]

I never played with of them.

I think my favorite zombie game has been 7 Days to Die, but it's sometimes tough, often cruel, frequently frustrating, and you will, eventually, die (unless you cheese the AI.)

The first two Dead Island games I found to be a ton of fun, but so badly ported that they were unpleasant to play (forced auto-aim, locked narrow FOV, weird controls, etc.) Left 4 Dead 1 and 2 are great, as is World War Z (a third person game in the same genre), but they're best played with others. The Walking Dead (Telltale) was good.

[Daehawk]

Best zombie game I ever played was Days Gone and it on my mind when Im trying to find a new one. Nothing compared to its open world and camps..

I found this video on Infection free Zone tonight kinda interesting. It lets you pick a real place to start your game..like my home town even or close to it as the map..

[GreenGoo]

As mentioned briefly in the random thread in the everything but gaming forum, I'm trying my hand at the old Xcom: Terror from the Deep game, using all the optimizations and customizations from OpenXCom (this is amazing, btw).

Losing my entire squad and transport in the first mission of my first game resulted in a very quick transition to my second game

[Fardaza]

As mentioned briefly in the random thread in the everything but gaming forum, I'm trying my hand at the old Xcom: Terror from the Deep game, using all the optimizations and customizations from OpenXCom (this is amazing, btw).

Losing my entire squad and transport in the first mission of my first game resulted in a very quick transition to my second game

As you mentioned in the old thread, the dye at the base of the transporter is the only way to go! I only briefly played Terror From the Deep back when it first came out. It was brutal. But when I play the original with the OpenXCom mod, I ALWAYS throw a smoke grenade at the base of the ramp and hit end turn. Otherwise you get nailed by aliens you haven't even seen yet. Several. Times. It at least lets you get out of the bird.

[GreenGoo]

I *used to* play the original xcom refusing to use explosives, because I wanted all that yummy loot. This time around I have multiple heavy weapons armed with HE ammo, everyone has a grenade, and some have two.

So far, so good.

[jztemple2]

[Blackhawk]

Void Bastards Must Die?

[AWS260]

I picked up Yakuza: Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth as birthday present to myself. It's my first Yakuza game, and I wouldn't have been interested were it not for some glowing coverage on Aftermath. I think I love it.

It's so weird and charming. A few things that have happened in the game so far:
- I went on the world's most awkward first date, which peaked with me declaring my commitment to caring for our future children. Again, this was a first date.
- I got run over by a speedboat while diving for trash in the ocean.
- I own a pet shellfish named Nancy.
- I sang karaoke.
- I was walked around naked on a public beach without realizing I was naked.
- A dating app matched me with a dude in a bondage outfit.
- I rode a Segway.

It's just a lot of fun. And the PC port is technically excellent. It looks great while stressing my GPU much less than a lot of older, uglier games.

Infinite Wealth is so good. Based on the date of my previous post, I've apparently been playing for a month already, but it doesn't feel like it.

The length is a bit of an issue, since it is eating into every ounce of free time I have available. But what you get during that playtime is just wonderful. Ultimately, this is a game about friendship, chosen family, and coming to terms with your past. All the underground crime syndicate stuff, while very well done, is secondary to the characters and the relationships between them.

What a game.

[YellowKing]

I can't wait to tackle Infinite Wealth, but I'm currently knee-deep in the Trails of Cold Steel series.

I finished 1 a few weeks ago after numerous false starts (see games playing thread). Started part 2 and I'm actually enjoying it a lot more because it doesn't (yet) have any of the boring school stuff. I really despise JRPGs that make you go to school or do other mundane bonding tasks - it's why I could never get into Persona 5 despite all the accolades. The first game wasn't overly obnoxious in this regard, but it did drag a bit every time there was a "free day" or other "school life"-mandated sequence.

At any rate, I'm having a much better go of it this time around because I finally understand the quartz system. Despite finishing the first game, I realized when starting the second and going through the tutorials that there were a lot of little nuances I completely missed. And since this game is a direct continuation of the first, it's nice being able to jump in already being familiar with the characters and their arts. Has been making it super simple for me to choose my party configuration - I know what worked in the first game will work here.

I haven't decided yet whether I'll move straight to part 3 after this one, or take a little break from the series and hit Infinite Wealth or FF7-Rebirth as a palate cleanser. I guess it depends on how burned out I feel.