February 2024 General Gaming Discussion Thread

[Brian Boru]

My favorite east coast beach is Cocoa Beach

Oh, I spent some time there, had family in Cocoa / Merritt Island for a decade or so. Only other E Coast beach I spent a bit on was Cape Cod—if you didn't like one, there were a dozen more almost in walking distance.

Shotgun'll do it

So you guys've never used a vacuum on 'em? Then find least-fav neighbor's open window and switch it to blow…

 

[Kaamos_Llama]

So you guys've never used a vacuum on 'em? Then find least-fav neighbor's open window and switch it to blow…

Throw them out the window somewhere, need them to eat the flies and wasps. Never had a vacuum cleaner that also blows, feel like I never lived.

 

[ZedClampet]

Shotgun'll do it. The biggest ones I've seen only get to about 5 cm including the legs, the spiders in Finland are tiny.

Some parts of the US have tarantulas, but I've never lived in one of those places. But tarantulas, from what I understand, have no interest in being in your house, whereas the huntsman spiders LOVE being in your house.

Also, tarantulas weigh too much to walk on your walls or ceiling, so one will never land on your head. There's just something about that Australian spider on the ceiling that I'm not into. So even though tarantulas are bigger, I'll take them over huntsman spiders all day every day. I also read that huntsman spiders latch onto you and are hard to shake off. *shivers*

Of course, we do have extremely poisonous spiders living in my yard (black widow and brown recluse), but they aren't freakishly massive, so I don't care. Makes sense XD

 

[DXCHASE]

Wifes bday was yesterday so she took some time off and we were planning on grinding out a bunch of levels on Diablo 4. My game would not open and when it finally did, we could not play together. We kept having issues with the games server. Its a problem right now for some, so we just gave up.

Decided to get Helldivers 2. Didnt play the og Helldivers, but this looked like games we like playing together: Outriders, Starship Troopers (movie and game) and Warhammer: Darktide.

So glad we did. The game is really fun, have had no issues with connections. Game runs stable and looks good. The bug action is challenging but fun. Im going to do a full member review at some point.

There is one little game on my ship that we sank at least 30-45 minutes in, trying to beat each others score, its what you would type in to call in "stratagems" (things that help you like ammo, lmgs, reinforcements etc.):



Here is what my "special edition" outfit looks like:



wife and i next to a..rather generic lookin NPC:

 

[Colif]

Venomous? No

Huntsman spider - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Just too big for my liking in this room. there is only so much space in here.

 

[Colif]

Thought. We in Gen 9 of consoles. If Microsoft weren't to make a new console next gen, they miss a golden opportunity in naming since they already own X and its the Roman Numeral for Ten.
true, not an amazing reason to make one but its a thought...

 

[ZedClampet]

Thought. We in Gen 9 of consoles. If Microsoft weren't to make a new console next gen, they miss a golden opportunity in naming since they already own X and its the Roman Numeral for Ten.
true, not an amazing reason to make one but its a thought...

I guess we'll find out next week. If they are seriously putting their games on PS, there's no reason to make a console. I recommended, on another site, that someone get the Xbox over the PS because of all the developers Microsoft was buying, but I went back and changed the recommendation now. I guess the whole thing boils down to what do you make off the box versus what do you make off the games, and I'm guessing the games are a lot more profitable but are being held back because the Xbox is a distant second to the Playstation.

******

Don't feel like making a second post in the Palworld thread, so here's my heavily under construction castle.

Anyway, I'm hoping that when I do the tall central area that the castle will no longer look like it just crash landed on the side of a hill. Trying to avoid symmetry, but I do wish the parts all matched. Nothing I can do about that. Still have a long way to go. Is outrageously confusing on the inside I believe if this were PvP that I would have a good place to hide a chest, but if it were PvP, I'd be screwed because half of the castle isn't inside the base boundaries, so I'm not sure the Pals would defend it.


By the way, I've determined that so long as everything is connected to at least one foundation that is mostly within the base boundaries that the stuff outside the boundaries will not deteriorate.

If you notice the red alert, I have a Pal who is stress eating

 

[Colif]

They don't make much money on the hardware, so just being software is cheaper.
Making games for Playstation wouldn't be dramatically different to Xbox. Both have similar SOC running them, GPU might be slightly different but both made by AMD. I don't know what OS PS5 run. They learned their lesson after PS3 and it should be way easier to make games on them now.
PC games easy as Xbox OS really close to windows already.

I doubt I notice any difference as I don't have a console so I will just watch from sideline.

 

[ZedClampet]

They don't make much money on the hardware, so just being software is cheaper.
Making games for Playstation wouldn't be dramatically different to Xbox. Both have similar SOC running them, GPU might be slightly different but both made by AMD. I don't know what OS PS5 run. They learned their lesson after PS3 and it should be way easier to make games on them now.
PC games easy as Xbox OS really close to windows already.

I doubt I notice any difference as I don't have a console so I will just watch from sideline.

One thing is for sure, if they go to nothing but streaming, they are going to lose massive amounts of cash.

 

[McStabStab]

I've cast a pretty wide net in the last month in terms of games I'm currently playing:

My comfort food game is currently Slay the Spire. I've beaten Ascension 20 on Ironclad and Silent, currently on 13 with the Defect. Goal is to beat 20 with them all and then achievement hunt for the hell of it.

Baldur's Gate 3 has been a lot of fun but I'm dragging my feet at the end of Act 1 because I don't want to burn myself out on it. It took me years to finish a playthrough of Divinity: Original Sin 2, so I'm going to take it slow and enjoy as I go.

Jumped into Lethal Company with a buddy for the first time. Not gonna lie, I was put off at first at the sheer confusion of what I was trying to do, but after several deaths we figured it out. Ended the night with a daring sprint by an eyeless dog to escape just before midnight on the final quota day. We'll be back playing again soon I'm sure!

Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1&2 was $15.99 on Steam this week. Easy pickup for some nostalgic fun and I'm planning on introducing my son to it as well.

Speaking of games I'm playing with my son, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder's Revenge absolutely SLAPS. The beat-em-up gameplay, the nostalgia, and the soundtrack (Wu-Tang Clan ain't nothin' to f*ck with), all come together for a fantastic couch co-op game. Story mode is easy enough to beat the whole game with my preschooler.

Also on sale this week was Who's Lila. Did a few short playthroughs and unlocked three different endings on this point-and-click psychological horror game, which I'm not gonna lie, is disturbing as hell.

And the other comfort food is Counter-Strike 2. Love playing this with friends, can't wait for them to release some more maps because I'm starting to tire of the limited rotation. Bring back Militia, Agency, and Cache!

I hope I can get back into some of my city builders like Cities: Skylines 2 (if it starts getting some updates that make it more enjoyable), and Tropico 6 (need to finish my Caribbean Skies DLC scenarios!). I also need to finish my Resident Evil 4 Remake play though.

Damn, the backlog. First world problems, am I right?

 

[D10S]

Playing my first Control DLC, was a little sceptical with most opinions saying it's meh, but I beg to differ. The story is great, the boss is finally scary AF, the location is fantastic, the new gun form kicks ass and the new hiss arcade mode is not only fun, but provides plenty of high tier mods and materials.

left pics in the usual place

Page 39 - Beautiful Game Appreciation

Page 39 - Love gaming? Join the PC Gamer community to share that passion with gamers all around the world!

forums.pcgamer.com

 

[Brian Boru]

We in Gen 9 of consoles

You gotta admire Sony marketing. Their PS 5 is 4 gens behind, and yet leading the hardware race—obviously they learned from Betamax, as we saw with Blu-ray.

what do you make off the box versus what do you make off the games

Microsoft figured out a long time ago that software is far more profitable than hardware—while of course also being riskier, given the lower barrier to entry. Maybe Bill had a word in Satya's ear.

MS's recent big purchases have all been software, not hardware, so I expect their focus is back on track.

 

[ZedClampet]

You gotta admire Sony marketing. Their PS 5 is 4 gens behind, and yet leading the hardware race—obviously they learned from Betamax, as we saw with Blu-ray.



Microsoft figured out a long time ago that software is far more profitable than hardware—while of course also being riskier, given the lower barrier to entry. Maybe Bill had a word in Satya's ear.

MS's recent big purchases have all been software, not hardware, so I expect their focus is back on track.

But just because you focus on software doesn't mean you have to abandon hardware, if that's what they are doing.

 

[BeardyHat]

But just because you focus on software doesn't meant you have to abandon hardware, if that's what they are doing.

Honestly disappointing, as I've been a fan of Microsoft's hardware ventures. I loved my Windows Phone, my Zune and Zune HD and have had two Surface Gos (still own one). Always appreciated the effort they put in to design and felt like they could rival Apple in that regard, but no one ever gave them the time of day.

 

[ZedClampet]

Honestly disappointing, as I've been a fan of Microsoft's hardware ventures. I loved my Windows Phone, my Zune and Zune HD and have had two Surface Gos (still own one). Always appreciated the effort they put in to design and felt like they could rival Apple in that regard, but no one ever gave them the time of day.

Just a wild guess, but I'm betting Microsoft's reputation with the average person is primarily based on Windows and then Xbox, and both of those have had their ups and downs. Looking specifically at the Surface line, they introduced that with Windows 8, and we all know how that went. But Surface is reasonably popular among businesses, I think, and I know a couple of people who own one for personal use. Too small for me, but my wife loves hers.

 

[Brian Boru]

focus on software doesn't mean you have to abandon hardware

True, but they are hugely different industries—say like bookkeeping is different from plumbing. Very difficult for senior management to have the breadth of often-opposite skills and culture required to manage both well.

But they're probably not abandoning hardware, just the current version. As far as I know, they're full steam ahead on the Azure front, which positions them very well for when gaming and most software goes cloud-only and becomes an utility like electricity & water.

Just a guess that they see the console market reducing in the medium term and figure they'd probably remain as #2 in a declining market, which isn't a great prognosis. Quit while you're not too far behind

 

[ZedClampet]

True, but they are hugely different industries—say like bookkeeping is different from plumbing. Very difficult for senior management to have the breadth of often-opposite skills and culture required to manage both well.

But they're probably not abandoning hardware, just the current version. As far as I know, they're full steam ahead on the Azure front, which positions them very well for when gaming and most software goes cloud-only and becomes an utility like electricity & water.

Just a guess that they see the console market reducing in the medium term and figure they'd probably remain as #2 in a declining market, which isn't a great prognosis. Quit while you're not too far behind

After more thought, I doubt gaming will become cloud only in our lifetimes.

The following are a few random, sleepy thoughts on this. I could make a much better argument, but not right now. My suggestion is not to read it..

I don't feel like researching the numbers again right now, but they are prohibitive, and even if they weren't, the dominant "console" outside of mobile games, which definitely aren't going cloud, is PC, and PC gamers aren't going to give up their PCs to the cloud. Cloud is vastly more expensive, and gamers don't want it. (I do, but I don't count)

What's even more important is that PCs, overall, are about to see a huge resurgence among the general public due to AI. By 2030, AI fueled PCs will be in many homes and doing things like replacing health clinics for minor to moderate health issues, saving the country many billions every year in healthcare costs. They will probably all but replace psychiatric care. You don't want these sorts of essential services in the cloud. Too many people wouldn't have access and outages could be disastrous.

 

[Colif]

Ubisoft jumps a shark.... AAAA Games now?

Ubisoft CEO Comments on Skull and Bones’ $70 Price, Calls It a ‘Quadruple-A Game’

Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot justifies Skull and Bones’ $70 price to investors by pointing to the size of the game and calling it a 'quadruple-A game.'

gamerant.com

its not that impressive. From what I saw of game play you can't get off the ship. Apart from maybe in harbor to buy parts

Spoiler

 

[Brian Boru]

AAAA Games

Been around a few years, coined by MS and Ubi, prob as a marketing buzzword and to 'support' high price.

ETA: Wiki

 

[Colif]

If AAAA games cost $70 & AAA games cost $60... works backwards... think I don't want a rating at all, sticks to indie games as most of those cost less and don't have stores in them or MT or (like Ubi) gate off New Game+ as a bonus available only if you buy the collectors edition of one of their games - this was reported on by PC Gamer. The game they did it to is in a series famous for adding extra things in NG+ but no, you buy basic... you only get one play through per character. I don't have words for this.

I hate how they trying to get people to accept less for more. Pay $70 upfront and then probably a battle pass & a shop. Get out of my wallet... I don't work all day just to pay subscription fees to games companies.

The guy at Ubisoft that said this is same one who tried to sell us NFT last year... you would think AAA companies are poor or need money... feel like they too big? Or games take so long to make now that you can't push them out every year and have the same success?
The supply train is moving out of sync with what management want... instead they release uninspiring games. Graphics and gameplay take time, if you only have so much, one will suffer... easier to sell people a pretty game than a complete one that looks bad...

 

[Johnway]

yeah $70 for a game whilst throwing in DLC, season passes, MTXs, boosters etc is a serious piss take. Saying that its AAAA standard is just insulting. The AAA industry hasn't really shaken off its greedy monetization reputation and the comment just highlights it. i bet that other companies are watching and licking their lips to decide whether to do the same thing. I doubt skull and bones is the game that will convince me that some games deserver to charge extra.

Honestly I have no stake in this, as I simply wait for games to go cheaper; I have a backlog of games to finish. Alternatively i'll buy indie games where i can get unique/fun experiences that doesn't have a AAAA price tag. I would love to see ubisoft humbled and humiliated when the launch the game and its a flop. Same to the other companies like Square Enix, Sega, konami, activision, blizzard et al. you can sense their desperation trying to find that next revenue stream.

 

[Colif]

The quality of the game needs to go up before they get to call anything AAAA. A price increase alone while pushing out the same games, isn't a valid reason... Should be laughed out of the room.

Next we have the First ever 10 A game... cheap, only $120? What do you mean it looks the same as our 7A games? you get 3 more character slots... pay up.

 

[Zloth]

Production costs determine that rating (and possibly the "vibe"). If Ubisoft has had enough cost overruns, maybe they hit AAAA. And maybe Star Citizen is at AAAAAA. And then there's this game:

AaaaaAAaaaAAAaaAAAAaAAAAA!!! for the Awesome on Steam

82 remastered levels from the original and 43 brand new ones that are twice as fast!

store.steampowered.com

Speaking of games I'm playing with my son, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder's Revenge absolutely SLAPS...

Had to read until the end of the next sentence to find out if that was a good thing or a bad thing.

 

[ZedClampet]

Ubisoft jumps a shark.... AAAA Games now?

Ubisoft CEO Comments on Skull and Bones’ $70 Price, Calls It a ‘Quadruple-A Game’

Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot justifies Skull and Bones’ $70 price to investors by pointing to the size of the game and calling it a 'quadruple-A game.'

gamerant.com

its not that impressive. From what I saw of game play you can't get off the ship. Apart from maybe in harbor to buy parts

Spoiler

I enjoyed it. You can get off your ship at ports. Where else would you want to get off your ship? You want to jump into the ocean? I explored an island or two in my short time with the beta.

I wouldn't call it AAAA though. As usual, Ubisoft is full of crap. If any of their games deserve that imaginary title it would be the Avatar game. Skull and Bones only took so long to develop because it was a new studio that had no idea what it was doing. You don't get a prize for that.

******

Finished Slay the Princess and thought it was very good. I made the correct decisions on the first playthrough to get the best ending, so I'm probably done with it. Don't want to replay a game to try to do worse just for the 70 achievements I didn't get.

 

[ZedClampet]

FUN FACTS​

Of the top 50 user rated items on Steam, 18 of them have the word "cat", or in one case "kat", somewhere in the title. There is also one game with the word "purrfect" in the title, and one game, "Super Lesbian Animal RPG", that seems to have a cat in its logo. (all of the top 50 are 99 percent positive and all have a decent number of reviews)

Many people have probably never heard of anything in the top 50, but just outside it, at 98 percent positive, are the following: Wallpaper Engine, Stardew Valley, Portal Bundle, Portal 2, and Hades. There are actually a good number of games sitting at 98%.

There are quite a few games in that next 50 you may have heard of, but none of the items from 51 to 100 have the word "cat" in them.