January 2025 General Game Discussion

[Johnway]

So the main news of the day for me was that Path of exile 1 content has been delayed whilst POE2 gets fixed with its next patch. personally, this works for me so i can keep playing the current league and maybe i'll get to 35 challenges.... But again so much grinding and no one is trading any more now so i'm good as screwed for some of the challenges.

 

[BeardyHat]

I downloaded STEINS;GATE on my phone.

Been meaning to give this one a go on my PSP or my Vita. I really like playing visual novels in bed, kind of like reading a book. Though I'm still trying to find something to read again; just finished my last book and the next two I picked up have both been misses.

That's textbook FOMO. I occasionally get wistful thinking of all of the great games I'll probably never get around to playing, but then again life isn't about playing as many games as possible. That's not where lasting happiness or satisfaction comes from. Which holds for buying new gaming hardware too: it only gives a fleeting sense of happiness before it just becomes the new normal and you start wanting something even better.

You have to practice mindfulness and living in the moment and all that crap so you can appreciate what you have instead of what you don't have. It's not always easy, but it works a lot better than trying to buy happiness by endlessly chasing something "better".

Funny, as I tell my kids that all the time.

It's definitely FOMO, as there's lots my laptop + eGPU runs just fine that I'm quite content to play right now (such as Aliens and WoW).

I think what sparked this was feeling a bit discontent with this setup. I tried to play Deus Ex: Human Revolution and it refuses to work with my current switchable graphics setup; I can play on my Deck no issue, but I'd rather play first person games on my computer. Given this, it got me looking at laptops with dedicated graphics, which just spawned this whole conundrum. I should just try and appreciate playing first person games on my Deck, really...

Though this all might have to do with AMD switchable graphics, as I had to use a NVIDIA card to get Dishonored 2 to work. I just haven't been motivated to tear into things and move graphics cards around again...

At any rate, you're exactly right. I think the other thing is, I don't really want to get rid of this laptop, as I've been very happy with it in the year I've owned it and aside from imperfect performance, it hits all the right boxes for me.

 

[BeardyHat]

And actually, one thing I learned in my research is that regular thermal paste has a "pump out" effect, where after a short amount of time, it ends-up migration away from where you originally put it and it becomes less effective. This seems to track, as I repasted my laptop with a high quality paste back in November or December and it made a huge difference in my temps.

That said, only a month or two later and my temps are back where they had been. Apparently, what the cool people are doing is using thermal pads instead. Specifically the Honeywell PTM7950, as I guess it does this phase change stuff and gradually becomes more and more effective; I guess it's kind of a pain to apply and there's some knock-offs out there on Amazon, but I think may order some anyway and see how it works, as my temps are back to ridiculous levels.

Also, actually one thing about that FOMO is that it hasn't completely left me. If I can find a reasonable price for a OnexGPU, I may pick one up later this year; the Razer Core X is very neat and I like that it's upgradable, but I hate the fact that it's 14lbs and isn't easily mobile. I miss my old little 5500XT box, because I could move it around the house easily. Although maybe I should just do as Pifanjr suggests and make the most of what I have... maybe I'll order some additional power cables to strew about the house to make plugging and unplugging to move it easier...

 

[ZedClampet]

@BeardyHat I always think about AAA games when I buy my laptops, and I haven't played a AAA game more than a few minutes in years.

@Pifanjr It surprises me the STEINS;GATE just now hit mobile. I played it in 2017 on Steam. Except for the art not being as impressive on a phone, the phone seems like the perfect place for a visual novel. I really enjoyed it, but unlike most of the visual novels I was playing at the time, there's very little user interaction other than turning the page.

 

[Johnway]

More mechanicus action this time i decided to take on the bosses and so far the first 2 bosses have been a cake walk. But the bigger problem is the death clock. Before you even fight the boss your deathclock count is at +4 and with 6 of them i can expect at least +24. So in my case my death count is actually more like at least 65. So i have 35 spare, so enough time for 11 - 17 missions if the count goes up 2 or 3 at a time.

Next Plan of action: finish off the DLC content (that doesn't increase the deathclock) acquire any additional deployment space and the siege bots.

 

[BeardyHat]

@BeardyHat I always think about AAA games when I buy my laptops, and I haven't played a AAA game more than a few minutes in years.

Yup, I look at notebookcheck for baselines on AAA games I don't play D:

Still wish I had more performance, but I'm going to see if I can figure that out while spending a minimum amount of money.

More mechanicus action this time i decided to take on the bosses and so far the first 2 bosses have been a cake walk. But the bigger problem is the death clock. Before you even fight the boss your deathclock count is at +4 and with 6 of them i can expect at least +24. So in my case my death count is actually more like at least 65. So i have 35 spare, so enough time for 11 - 17 missions if the count goes up 2 or 3 at a time.

Next Plan of action: finish off the DLC content (that doesn't increase the deathclock) acquire any additional deployment space and the siege bots.

I still gotta get back to that one. Started it and maybe played an hour or so, but didn't go much further; honestly, just wish I could play as the Necrons, they're my favorite faction.

 

[January's Ghost]

I always think about AAA games when I buy my laptops, and I haven't played a AAA game more than a few minutes in years.

Better to have it and not need than need it and not have it.

Of course, the same could be said about the extra money you spend for AAA capability.

 

[ZedClampet]

Better to have it and not need than need it and not have it.

Of course, the same could be said about the extra money you spend for AAA capability.

If I'm down to my final pennies and thinking, "Darn, I wish I'd bought the cheaper graphics card," then something terrible has happened, and I shouldn't have retired, much less bought an expensive GPU. Time to get out the hot little dress and hit the streets again.

***

Dang, a AAA developer is making a "jobs" game, and it's about 332.7 percent better looking than any jobs game I've ever seen.

Pre-purchase RoadCraft on Steam

As the leader of a company specialized in restoring sites devastated by natural disasters, use your construction machinery to restart the local industry. Clear debris and faulty equipment, rebuild roads and bridges damaged by weather, and much more!

store.steampowered.com

 

[BeardyHat]

If I'm down to my final pennies and thinking, "Darn, I wish I'd bought the cheaper graphics card," then something terrible has happened, and I shouldn't have retired, much less bought an expensive GPU. Time to get out the hot little dress and hit the streets again.

***

Dang, a AAA developer is making a "jobs" game, and it's about 332.7 percent better looking than any jobs game I've ever seen.

Pre-purchase RoadCraft on Steam

As the leader of a company specialized in restoring sites devastated by natural disasters, use your construction machinery to restart the local industry. Clear debris and faulty equipment, rebuild roads and bridges damaged by weather, and much more!

store.steampowered.com

Is Saber a AAA developer? Honestly I'd say AA at best, but realistically maybe A-Tier.

That said, I'm happy you brought this to my attention. I absolutely adore the entirety of the Spintires/Mudrunner franchise (though I haven't tried the latest game yet), so I'm sure this will also be up my alley.

Still talking myself off the ledge as far as buying an expensive computer goes. I've at least come back to my original plan, which was to spend considerably less for a better laptop with a better processor, so my eGPU works better. That said, realizing that most of the games I'm testing I don't want to play right now anyway, helps. Though I do with Gates of Hell ran better.