Video Games Randomness - Prioritize specific game threads!

Blackhawk · Post by **Blackhawk** » Mon Jul 25, 2022 4:48 pm

TheMix wrote: ↑Mon Jul 25, 2022 4:41 pm I just replayed Metro: Exodus. Basically over the weekend. It was very satisfying.

Oh, that game was so good. I've been tempted to return myself.

coopasonic · Post by **coopasonic** » Mon Jul 25, 2022 4:54 pm

Blackhawk wrote: ↑Mon Jul 25, 2022 3:41 pm Some poking around has revealed a term for the newer type that is surprisingly apt: "Ubisoft-likes."

Yeah I have gotten increasingly tired of the Ubi formula, but I haven't abandoned it yet as they still make some of my favorite action games franchises and they release more games and I need more games. I would love more stuff like the Arkham games, Mad Max, Shadow of Mordor, etc that are similar in having an open world but are generally more focused with tighter stories and less fluff.

I really should play less, but then what I would I do with myself? Read? Hahahaha.

hitbyambulance · Post by **hitbyambulance** » Mon Jul 25, 2022 7:44 pm

started actually playing Diablo III multiplayer. the game interface has been so streamlined that on normal difficulty it feels like i'm watching a clicker/idler* instead of playing. it's pretty boring so far.

* or playing Dungeon Siege. ha ha

Daehawk · Post by **Daehawk** » Mon Jul 25, 2022 7:53 pm

Blackhawk wrote: ↑Mon Jul 25, 2022 4:48 pm
TheMix wrote: ↑Mon Jul 25, 2022 4:41 pm I just replayed Metro: Exodus. Basically over the weekend. It was very satisfying.
Oh, that game was so good. I've been tempted to return myself.

Ive played it twice through. Once before losing my wife and once after. Felt different. Hit different.

Blackhawk · Post by **Blackhawk** » Mon Jul 25, 2022 8:35 pm

coopasonic wrote: ↑Mon Jul 25, 2022 4:54 pm
Blackhawk wrote: ↑Mon Jul 25, 2022 3:41 pm Some poking around has revealed a term for the newer type that is surprisingly apt: "Ubisoft-likes."
Yeah I have gotten increasingly tired of the Ubi formula, but I haven't abandoned it yet as they still make some of my favorite action games franchises and they release more games and I need more games. I would love more stuff like the Arkham games, Mad Max, Shadow of Mordor, etc that are similar in having an open world but are generally more focused with tighter stories and less fluff.

I really should play less, but then what I would I do with myself? Read? Hahahaha.

Those are great examples of how not to overdo it (although I haven't played Mad Max, and the later Arkham games were starting to edge that way.)

Zarathud · Post by **Zarathud** » Mon Jul 25, 2022 10:43 pm

TheMix wrote: I've, sadly, been stalled on Days Gone. Which I shouldn't be. I love zombie games. I played Dead Island through at least 5 times. I played Dying Light twice. But I struggle with Days Gone.

The beginning is sad and mopey, but the story in Days Gone gets interesting. Where are you at?

TheMix · Post by **TheMix** » Mon Jul 25, 2022 10:47 pm

Oh, quite a ways in. I hooked back up a while ago. It's not the story that's the issue.

Daehawk · Post by **Daehawk** » Mon Jul 25, 2022 11:06 pm

I started it but walked away for something else after I got the replacement bike and started out there at the beginning. It didn't grab me at the time but I will get back to it.

stessier · Post by **stessier** » Tue Jul 26, 2022 4:28 pm

The last two weekends I've been playing Fortnite with my kids. I tried playing a bit last year in Solo missions and it was ok, but didn't really grab me. Now we play Trios and just have a blast. This weekend my 12 year old accidentally jumped in the driver seat of the car we were all headed for and backed up into a gas station pump and blew the whole place up. Shared mayhem = good times!

coopasonic · Post by **coopasonic** » Tue Jul 26, 2022 4:37 pm

stessier wrote: ↑Tue Jul 26, 2022 4:28 pm The last two weekends I've been playing Fortnite with my kids. I tried playing a bit last year in Solo missions and it was ok, but didn't really grab me. Now we play Trios and just have a blast. This weekend my 12 year old accidentally jumped in the driver seat of the car we were all headed for and backed up into a gas station pump and blew the whole place up. Shared mayhem = good times!

This is funny because I started playing Duos (no build) with my 12yo this past weekend. I think I played it once a couple years back and sucked hard. Coming back to it now I often end up in the top ten with 4-8 kills (still haven't won post-presumed-bot matches) and as a duo we generally are in the top 3 or 4 teams. It feels like it goes a LOT faster than PUBG and the talent level is much lower and I like that. In PUBG I basically hid til the end and then died when I was found often never taking a shot before the last minute.

Baroquen · Post by **Baroquen** » Tue Jul 26, 2022 6:36 pm

When I play Fortnite, I'm often playing with my kids. My son is way better than me and likes building like a crazy person. My daughter is pretty bad, but it's fun to play along with her. There's so much quest-y nonsense to do, and progress to make on the various leveling systems, that I usually enjoy myself. But I still pretty much hate the PvP battle royale genre at it's core.

Daehawk · Post by **Daehawk** » Wed Jul 27, 2022 10:17 am

Max Peck · Post by **Max Peck** » Wed Jul 27, 2022 6:52 pm

This starship sim looks like FTL meets Rimworld, and it's been in the making for over a decade

If you're anything like me, your favourite part of any game is when things are spiralling out of control. The best stories happen when half the world wants you dead and the infidels are at the gates in Crusader Kings, when the lower levels flood with lava in Dwarf Fortress, or when your crew are split evenly between suffocating, possessed, or on fire in FTL.

So naturally my interest is piqued by the scale and variety of catastrophes that seem possible in Cosmoteer (opens in new tab), which releases in early access this autumn. It's been in development for 11 years by indie studio Walternate Realities, and bills itself as a "starship design, simulation, and battle game" that will let you create any size and shape of starship you want before getting everyone aboard it horrifically killed in the game's "physics-driven" combat.

Madmarcus · Post by **Madmarcus** » Thu Jul 28, 2022 9:10 am

I now you guys have moved on but I am catching up with the thread.

I've always thought that mod piracy was a silly idea. Maybe I'm old but it feels like used books; once the object (book or mod) is released it can't be pulled back in.

Blackhawk · Post by **Blackhawk** » Thu Jul 28, 2022 10:07 am

Madmarcus wrote: ↑Thu Jul 28, 2022 9:10 am I now you guys have moved on but I am catching up with the thread.

I've always thought that mod piracy was a silly idea. Maybe I'm old but it feels like used books; once the object (book or mod) is released it can't be pulled back in.

Preventing it is a silly idea. Creators asking that people not distribute their stuff is reasonable.

Blackhawk · Post by **Blackhawk** » Thu Jul 28, 2022 10:34 am

One new 'piracy' that I see a lot of is game guides. There are commercial websites - like Indiefaq, Steams Play, Playgame, Naguide, Steamlists, and more that exist for no other purpose. They consist entirely of game guides copy-pasted from guides people have written for Steam, and are heavily monetized and search engine optimized. Any time you find a guide where the pictures are out of place or missing, the formatting is oddly off, or the writing feels a little casual and unprofessional, you're probably looking at a stolen guide. Just google a sentence or two in quotes and it will likely find you the original Steam guide (which will often have been updated since the sites stole it.) And you do it the other way around - grab almost any popular guide for any popular game and a google a couple of sentences in quotes, and you'll likely find these sites. I just grabbed five games at random from the Steam top sellers list. One was a new release without any guides. On all four of the others the most popular guide had been stolen.

In fact, I've noticed a trend lately for websites (more than just those listed above) that give guides and articles on games that are nothing but a repetition of Steam guides, copy-pasted articles from other sites, and simply repeating the in-game tutorial word-for-word. A few add top-ten lists with the only text being the official description of each game copy-pasted.

Much like most current review sites, these low-effort are obviously mass-produced (and likely automated) to collect ad revenue, likely overseas to be able to ignore copyright issues, and are so 'content' packed, updated, and optimized that there is a good chance that searching for info on any popular game will result in mostly junk results from these people.

Madmarcus · Post by **Madmarcus** » Thu Jul 28, 2022 11:07 am

The game guide sites that you mention are horrible, to me at least, because they monetize the work of someone else. If they didn't monetize it I'm not sure I'd really feel like they were that bad. Still annoying because they might not have the most up to date information but in an age of patches, updates, DLC, and mods I find that there is always a chance that any guide or game info online is outdated.

Blackhawk · Post by **Blackhawk** » Thu Jul 28, 2022 11:25 am

It's also a problem because it buries the legitimate sites that actually write real guides and articles about games, which makes them harder to find when you need good info, and makes them less profitable (and therefore more likely to vanish.)

Seriously, between the 'review' and 'top ten' sites that are all affiliate links and these guys (plus I'm sure that other interests with a strong written online element have similar issues), it's gotten to the point where it's getting hard to find good information without being yanked into one low-effort automated site with bad info after another. We need a new term - information hijackers? Info skimmers? Search bandits? Information Highwaymen? Guidance gangsters? Redirection infection? Link leeches?

Kasey Chang · Post by **Kasey Chang** » Thu Jul 28, 2022 12:30 pm

Repeating game tutorial or manual had been around for over a decade.

When I was writing the XCOM guides, I've made my personal promise to NOT repeat stuff that's in the manual. I've seen plenty of people who copy every word from the manual and call that a "guide". They basically "game" the system that also count number of words or KB size on Gamefaqs.com.

The only one who benefit from a word-for-word copy of the manual are the pirates.

Chraolic · Post by **Chraolic** » Thu Jul 28, 2022 1:12 pm

And people who buy games on Steam, I suppose. I haven't even seen a manual for over a decade, and it's far from ideal. I recently got a Steam key for Eurofighter Typhoon and the most common complaint is that the game doesn't include any instructions on how to play. No manual, no tutorial, not even a list of hotkeys, so good luck with that. But I guess not owning an original boxed copy of every game in the world is "piracy", or something. That word has truly lost all meaning.

Daehawk · Post by **Daehawk** » Thu Jul 28, 2022 1:16 pm

jztemple2 · Post by **jztemple2** » Thu Jul 28, 2022 1:18 pm

Chraolic wrote: ↑Thu Jul 28, 2022 1:12 pm I haven't even seen a manual for over a decade, and it's far from ideal.

Most of my recent games don't have manuals, but happily games like Field of Glory II do come with lovely large PDF manuals.

Blackhawk · Post by **Blackhawk** » Thu Jul 28, 2022 4:11 pm

Thankfully, replacementdocs.com is still around for pdf copies of manuals (and they go out of their way to avoid copyright issues.)

Daehawk · Post by **Daehawk** » Thu Jul 28, 2022 9:30 pm

Anyone know why the Lawnmowing Sim Epic gave away free wont run? When I first clicked it it wanted me to link my Epic account to it so it could share my online status...seemed weird as it was running through Epics launcher. I agreed then nothing. I clicked the shortcut again and get a black screen then back to windows desktop every time.

EDIT: Found this online....

The developers are aware of an issue preventing people from starting the game when they have in-game overlays enabled and are working on a fix to be released tomorrow.

Update: We've identified the root of the problem and a fix will be rolled out tomorrow. Thank you very much for your support and understanding while we address the issue.
Quote Tweet
Lawn Mowing Simulator Skyhook Games
@SkyhookGames
· 8h
We are aware of an issue with launching LMS in Epic Game launcher and are working as quickly as we can to resolve the problem.
In the meantime, thank you for your patience.

Blackhawk · Post by **Blackhawk** » Thu Jul 28, 2022 9:33 pm

It requires that you verify that you have the correct wrench.

jztemple2 · Post by **jztemple2** » Thu Jul 28, 2022 9:58 pm

Blackhawk wrote: ↑Thu Jul 28, 2022 9:33 pm It requires that you verify that you have the correct wrench.

Would this be correct?

Blackhawk · Post by **Blackhawk** » Sat Jul 30, 2022 2:08 pm

Like I [URL=https://www.octopusoverlords.com/forum/ ... 4#p2914464]discussed recently, my gaming needs have changed over time. Basically, I've reached a point in my life where escapism isn't the main driving factor in my life. I'm not miserable, and I don't need to escape the way I used to. Still, me being me, I kept playing (and burning out on) immersive games (game, normally first or third person, where you take on the role of someone in the world) over and over out of routine. They all looked great in previews and reviews, but just couldn't drag me in. The 'hook' was still there - but the socket in my brain was no longer accepting that kind of hook! And as I'm no longer as invested in the immersion, the mechanics of those games tend to stand out more - and many of them are either complex for complexity's sake (modern skill trees), or overly simple and repetitive (modern 'side quests', compensated for with atmosphere.)

So I've begun to adjust what I'm playing to games that emphasize fun in the mechanics without the assumption of immersion. It helps that the kids are now out of school and I'm able to invest time in games that take more thought. The games I've had the most fun with over the past year have been sim/management games - Tank Mechanic Simulator, Planet Zoo, Medieval Dynasty, even Aven Colony.

It's kind of nice discovering a whole new slew of games in genres and sub-genres that I've played with a little, but largely ignored.

Up high on my list right now (and already owned - a big plus):

~Dungeons III
~Cities: Skylines
~Tropico 4

Any thoughts on that selection?

jztemple2 · Post by **jztemple2** » Sat Jul 30, 2022 6:19 pm

Blackhawk wrote: ↑Sat Jul 30, 2022 2:08 pm Up high on my list right now (and already owned - a big plus):

~Dungeons III
~Cities: Skylines
~Tropico 4

Any thoughts on that selection?

I've always liked the Tropico series for the gameplay and the humor.

Skinypupy · Post by **Skinypupy** » Mon Aug 01, 2022 12:18 am

I finished the MSQ for Final Fantasy XIV Endwalker tonight. It completes the story that started when A Realm Reborn was released in 2013. This is a game I started playing nearly 10 years ago, in the beta for ARR. In a couple thousand hours over a decade, I've traveled across Eorzea saving the world, seeing incredible sights, making some new friends, and defeating foes both the size of entire planets and as small as a Moogle. I've participated in events both incredibly and ridiculous (Hildebrand!) all while remaining thoroughly invested in this world.

I know that the story will continue and there will be more adventures, but I actually found myself a bit emotional as I was logging off tonight. With this 10-year story arc completed, I felt like it was closing an impactful chapter of my gaming life. FF XIV is the most time I've ever spent with a single game, probably by a factor of 5X. It introduced me to how cool MMO's could be, and is still the only game I really enjoy playing with others (mostly because I actually know what I'm doing). I don't know that any other game has brought me as much satisfaction as this one has, nor will anything else I ever play. Weird to have emotions like that hit over a game, but it's a testament to how engaging this particular one has been for me. It's rare that a game can hook you for that long and still be as compelling as FF XIV has been.

I'm sure many of you probably have similar thoughts on other games. Or maybe it's just me.

hitbyambulance · Post by **hitbyambulance** » Mon Aug 01, 2022 1:32 pm

any game i've put several hundred hours into gets shelved when the impact of having invested several hundred hours into it hits me. had to do it most recently with Noita (and i think i only had less than 200 hours in it).

coopasonic · Post by **coopasonic** » Mon Aug 01, 2022 3:20 pm

hitbyambulance wrote: ↑Mon Aug 01, 2022 1:32 pm any game i've put several hundred hours into gets shelved when the impact of having invested several hundred hours into it hits me. had to do it most recently with Noita (and i think i only had less than 200 hours in it).

I'm curious how you would quantify that impact that would drive you to shelve the game. The number of games I would put in the "several hundred hours" bucket past my MMO phase are very few, but I can't say I regret any of that time.

stessier · Post by **stessier** » Mon Aug 01, 2022 4:29 pm

stessier wrote: ↑Tue Jul 26, 2022 4:28 pm The last two weekends I've been playing Fortnite with my kids. I tried playing a bit last year in Solo missions and it was ok, but didn't really grab me. Now we play Trios and just have a blast. This weekend my 12 year old accidentally jumped in the driver seat of the car we were all headed for and backed up into a gas station pump and blew the whole place up. Shared mayhem = good times!

Played for 17 hours this weekend. Ended on a high note with back-to-back Victory Royales in Duo with my daughter. I haven't fallen into a game this hard or hidden from grown-up duties for that long in like 18 months. Really fun!

Daehawk · Post by **Daehawk** » Mon Aug 01, 2022 4:51 pm

I haven't played FortNite since I was in closed beta. Back then it was a build a base before dark game when the zombies came out to get you.

Is it just one big open map battle royal now? Can you solo play or do you have to be teamed up? Cause I got no one. But later if I did it might be better.

coopasonic · Post by **coopasonic** » Mon Aug 01, 2022 5:07 pm

Daehawk wrote: ↑Mon Aug 01, 2022 4:51 pm I haven't played FortNite since I was in closed beta. Back then it was a build a base before dark game when the zombies came out to get you.

Is it just one big open map battle royal now? Can you solo play or do you have to be teamed up? Cause I got no one. But later if I did it might be better.

The old PvE game was "Save the World" and that is pretty close to dead now.

Battle Royale is pretty much what anyone who just says "Fortnite" is talking about now. You can play solo, or in 2s, 3s or 4s with matchmaking available. I really enjoy the solo game and there are lots of quests to give you something to do on top of just playing to win.

Daehawk · Post by **Daehawk** » Mon Aug 01, 2022 6:59 pm

Hmmm may try it solo then.. Im not a battle royal fan where the map shrinks you into confrontation. But I did like Apex for a while anyways and some of that Cuisine Royale when it was new. It looks like it has morphed into something different now called CRSED: F.O.A.D.

Maybe Fortnite will be my 3rd game. They always come in three. Im playing TF2 and Mass Effect 2 right now. So a 3rd alt would be good.

Although some of this ME2 stuff feels new to me totally. Like Ive never played it before. Probably just forgot. But I have finished this series at least 4 or 5 times. Then again this is the Legendary and has ALL the DLC in it .

Daehawk · Post by **Daehawk** » Mon Aug 01, 2022 8:54 pm

Another game I keep getting drawn back to is LA Noire. Ive given it two good stabs hehe but I always end up losing my moxy and wandering away after about 5 calls.

Daehawk · Post by **Daehawk** » Tue Aug 02, 2022 12:39 am

Oh! I also have The Outer Worlds in my backlog. I got on a super cheap sale months and months ago. It reminded me of a Fallout in space or a Buck Rogers fantasy world of sci-fi rpg.

So is this a good rpg shooter with a story or a bad Borderlands ripoff? I see its by Obsidian.

Blackhawk · Post by **Blackhawk** » Tue Aug 02, 2022 12:46 am

I found it to be ore in line with the modern Fallouts than anything.

stessier · Post by **stessier** » Tue Aug 02, 2022 4:19 am

coopasonic wrote: ↑Mon Aug 01, 2022 5:07 pm
Daehawk wrote: ↑Mon Aug 01, 2022 4:51 pm I haven't played FortNite since I was in closed beta. Back then it was a build a base before dark game when the zombies came out to get you.

Is it just one big open map battle royal now? Can you solo play or do you have to be teamed up? Cause I got no one. But later if I did it might be better.
The old PvE game was "Save the World" and that is pretty close to dead now.

Battle Royale is pretty much what anyone who just says "Fortnite" is talking about now. You can play solo, or in 2s, 3s or 4s with matchmaking available. I really enjoy the solo game and there are lots of quests to give you something to do on top of just playing to win.

Yeah, sorry, this is what I was talking about.

I was surprised I liked the quests. The sense of danger while trying to do stupid things like plant signs or kick a volleyball while also trying not to get shot was oddly stimulating.

My biggest complaint now is the lobby. In the beginning I really like being able to practice with the different weapons or learning the area. Now I wish there was something else to do - like a way to quick replay the last match. Fortunately it's usually less than a minute, so not the end of the world.

Kasey Chang · Post by **Kasey Chang** » Tue Aug 02, 2022 5:09 am

Daehawk wrote: ↑Tue Aug 02, 2022 12:39 am So is this (The Outer Worlds) good rpg shooter with a story or a bad Borderlands ripoff? I see its by Obsidian.

It's basically Fallout without Fallout. You got factions, lots of locations, enemies to shoot, GAJILLION items of inventory, plenty of weapons (and multiple grades) specializations (but not quite fallout like, where if you want to take skills a bit higher you have to specialize on one ITEM rather than category of items). They also have flaws (in addition to perks), but flaws are optional (if you accept them, you can pick additional perks). There are quite a few companions, and their own loyalty quests. You can align with any of the big factions.