March 2025 General Game Discussion Thread

[JCgames]

As Mark Twain said, a lie can travel half-way around the world while the truth is still tying its shoes. This is one of those times. Sites cannot move up Google's algorithms via payment. This is a fact. There are zero artificially raised results. That's a conspiracy theory that's been

First off you pay to be on search engines. (Or the place you are posting is paying) if i make a site and dont sign up to register and pay the fee my site isnt listed.

Amazon will show up as the first thing nearly everytime is you want to buy something. I can type in buy item from specific store, the item part number and town/location and even then Amazon is first on the list.

He'll amazon even shows up first when they don't even have what I'm looking for and the local market that does have the item is 25 posts down the search.

These are not adds, they are search results I have to comb through to actually get what I want.

 

[DXCHASE]

I'm just getting so sick of seeing the same BS every time any game comes out. I'm not even talking about the specific things they are mad about, it's more about the constant wave of hatred and controversy surrounding just about every new high-profile game release. There is always something they can nitpick on and tear apart, and my main thought is always, "don't you guys know there are quite literally millions of other games you could be playing?". Just because a new game that comes out is not up to your personal preferences doesn't mean you can just spew your unwarranted opinions everywhere, but then again this is the internet, and that's pretty much what it was made for. It's just so tiring lol.

Im interested in playing Split-Fiction solely because i want to see the coop experience but i absolutely saw what you were saying, having checked steam forums myself while researching the game.

The company already made a game with 2 males, so now they are doing one with 2 females, i dont see how its out of the ordinary for this particular company to make that choice.

As for all the constant false BS narratives around new, high-profile games? Im sick of it too, my case in point is what my rotation of games is.

Im currently playing Avowed and the game Immortals of Aveum. Two games that were marred with criticism up to and around release, but met kinda-favorably when it was actually out. Im actually playing both of these games all the way through, they, firstly, look gorgeous, the both of them...in their own way, second, the stories are not that bad i mean not as bad as what you would see a general steam hate comment say and lastly, but not least the gameplay loop is pretty good.

Now lets see Killing Floor 3 go through this, because their beta was rough.

 

[ZedClampet]

First off you pay to be on search engines. (Or the place you are posting is paying) if i make a site and dont sign up to register and pay the fee my site isnt listed.

Amazon will show up as the first thing nearly everytime is you want to buy something. I can type in buy item from specific store, the item part number and town/location and even then Amazon is first on the list.

He'll amazon even shows up first when they don't even have what I'm looking for and the local market that does have the item is 25 posts down the search.

These are not adds, they are search results I have to comb through to actually get what I want.

If you can't bother to read my entire post, then don't respond to it. This post is fully documented with links to respected sites that refute every conspiracy you've listed.
If you respond to me again and don't have your own documentation for your argument, then I'm blocking you.

1) The web used to mostly have directories like Yahoo. They acted like search engines, but they weren't really, and you had to pay Yahoo to be listed in their directory. Eventually Yahoo gave that up and became a regular search engine.

2) Google puts paid ads at the top of their page when you do a search. Most people know to just scroll past them. These are ads, not search results, and they clearly say "Sponsored" above them. These ads are paid for. This is what Google says about it: “(Search results) are unbiased and objective, and we do not accept payment for them. We also display advertising, which we work hard to make relevant, and we label it clearly.”

Google has never been a directory, and I can assure you 100 percent that you do not have to pay Google to show up in their engine or to be on the first page or for anything other than running Google Adsense. I had websites, I showed up on the first page of Google. I never paid them anything. I'm flat out telling you this. Do not call me a liar.

If you can find a site that says you have to pay Google or you don't show up in their search engine, then that site is a scam. All you actually have to do is submit your site address to them, no money required. You don't really even have to do that. Their bots will find you soon enough.

Here is a guide from Conductor on how to submit your site to Google It has plenty of information you need to read. This is from an independent company not associated with Google.

Here are a few more things you can look at:

BlissDrive is a search engine optimization company

LinkWhisper is another respected player in SEO

And here are Google's explanations: How search works

If you can't take the time to look through these, then also don't take the time to respond.

edit: I have a sinking feeling that against all reason and evidence that you are just going to show up and repeat your incorrect beliefs because I've run into many like you, so I'm going to go ahead an put you on ignore.

 

[Colif]

Immense architecture... walking simulator but also a maze game/exploration
I got a journey vibe but only from environments.

 

[neogunhero]

The company already made a game with 2 males, so now they are doing one with 2 females, i dont see how its out of the ordinary for this particular company to make that choice.

It's also worth pointing out that their second game was with a man and woman who were a married couple, so they've done every configuration of man and woman protagonists across all their games. I said in that Steam forum, if that is what they are mad about, Hazelight has games that features protagonists of different genders lol.

Also, this has always been true, but you always need to make your own opinion and not derive it from what others are saying. I remember seeing all the hate around Immortals also but turned out to be a good game. I didn't finish it, but enjoyed the few hours I played of it.

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Didn't start Split Fiction yet, will have more time to play tonight and this weekend. I finished up fixing my PC, and so far in Yakuza, the temps seem to have dropped significantly. Will have to do more testing.

I rearranged my setup last night and I'm very happy with how it looks now. Just moved my desk a little, cleaned everything up very nicely, moved my elephant ear plant closer to the window and bought a nice little floor lamp to go beside it. This small little change has made my setup feel a bit cozier which is very nice.

 

[neogunhero]

Xbox Support is advising players to revert last month’s controller update.

An Xbox Support page describes “Bluetooth connectivity and performance with some older non-Xbox devices,” that might result as a part of the 5.23.5.0 firmware, and sas owners can now revert the update, but that’s about it. However, some gamers have been complaining for weeks of thumbstick...

www.theverge.com

Well, dammit haha. I just explained yesterday how I suggest everyone update their Xbox controller firmware. Looks like it is causing issues for a lot of users. I wonder if this has something to do with the connectivity issues I was having, but then again it happened before I updated the firmware and Bluetooth drivers. I went ahead and ordered a Bluetooth 5.4 adapter yesterday though. Not sure if my controllers even support 5.4, but I'd rather go overkill than not. Perhaps something I own in the future will work with 5.4.

 

[BeardyHat]

I fired up Pacific Drive again last night on my Deck and damn does the performance of the game just make me irrationally angry. It doesn't even look good enough to justify its crap performance.

I'd be more inclined to forgive the terrible performance if it just had a save and quit option. I can't play it on any of my PCs because if I need to take a break, I lose all my progress. Really annoying.

 

[Johnway]

Doing my typical window shopping for PC parts for my hypothetical pc and it looks like unless i can snag a 4070 super somehow, i would be going team Red or AMD for parts. The problem of course is that getting any graphics card at the proposed cost is a pipe dream as they make and sell so few. It sucks. I would like to buy some parts, but for the cost i need to do it right. All the stock seems to be going to prebuilt machines which is annoying.

hell even the Radeon stock is all but disappeared at this point

 

[neogunhero]

Doing my typical window shopping for PC parts for my hypothetical pc and it looks like unless i can snag a 4070 super somehow, i would be going team Red or AMD for parts. The problem of course is that getting any graphics card at the proposed cost is a pipe dream as they make and sell so few. It sucks. I would like to buy some parts, but for the cost i need to do it right. All the stock seems to be going to prebuilt machines which is annoying.

hell even the Radeon stock is all but disappeared at this point

At least AMD is doing a better job at trying to reassure people's disappointment in the above-MSRP pricing we've been seeing. Not that they really have much control over whether their board partners sell the cards at MSRP or not.

'Don't despair' says AMD to PC gamers as it continues to 'encourage' AIBs to supply MSRP-priced 9070 and 9070 XT GPUs

That sounds 'encouraging', but will it be enough?

www.pcgamer.com

I agree about needing to do it right. With how expensive everything is these days, you gotta make sure you get a good value out of the money you spend.

 

[Johnway]

I agree about needing to do it right. With how expensive everything is these days, you gotta make sure you get a good value out of the money you spend.

i just find it disappointing that Nvidia won't make more 4070s. We know the reasons (its to get everyone to get the new series of cards) but when the new product is so inferior and lack of stock to artificially inflate demand and cost its horrible. With the cost of living, I might as well buy a steam deck or a console or going back to emulation or replaying my large gaming collection.

 

[Zloth]

With the cost of living, I might as well buy a steam deck or a console or going back to emulation or replaying my large gaming collection.

Or a used 4070?

 

[DXCHASE]

Tripwire delayed Killing Floor 3 until an unknown date. I gotta say im glad because im all about normalizing delays over meeting dates with glitchy, unoptimized junk. I personally had fun with the beta but it did look like it needed more work. Its good to see they are at least listening somewhat.

I finished up Diablo 4's goblin event, they absolutely buffed goblin rates because i was able to finish up where i was within an hour from leaving off somewhere at the beginning of the events reward tier list. So i wasnt the only one complaining about it haha.

Aside from Diablo, Avowed and Immortals of Aveum have my attention. Avowed has sucked me in pretty good, and im playing Immortals really to support the dev because i realized that game is that developers first game.

I also liked what i saw from the leaked Battlefield Labs/6? footage. Its pretty early to tell, but im excited to get my turn to try it out.

 

[Johnway]

Or a used 4070?

ideally a 4070 super for more bang for your buck and good balance between power and performance. I'm not against buying preowned, but i can't guarantee quality and the hopes it would be cheaper etc isn't always the case. if i go on ebay most of the winning bids fall into £550-£650, i might as well buy a new one for that money. for the stock 4070 its just shy of 500 in completed listings. since my entire pc needs replacing, i might as well spend a bit more to make it last longer.

Its deeply annoying, has it always been like this? its been a few years since i built my last pc but it feels like the issue has gotten much worse down the years. The same with CPUs, it seems like companies are more interested in the initial first wave and that's it.

 

[Colif]

This reminds me of Blast Corps... Are there many games that let you destroy everything in your way and swap vehicles? Apart from Blast Corps

Save 10% on Deliver At All Costs on Steam

Deliver At All Costs is a thrilling action game where destruction, absurdity and intrigue collide! Step into the shoes of Winston Green — a down-on-his-luck courier with a fiery temper and a mysterious past — as he delivers highly unconventional cargo, leaving a trail of havoc and chaos behind him.

store.steampowered.com

made by Konami - adds to wishlist

Okay, probably less robots in this one... and nukes

Blast Corps - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

It was a fun game... 28 years ago. Feels old again.

 

[BeardyHat]

ideally a 4070 super for more bang for your buck and good balance between power and performance. I'm not against buying preowned, but i can't guarantee quality and the hopes it would be cheaper etc isn't always the case. if i go on ebay most of the winning bids fall into £550-£650, i might as well buy a new one for that money. for the stock 4070 its just shy of 500 in completed listings. since my entire pc needs replacing, i might as well spend a bit more to make it last longer.

Its deeply annoying, has it always been like this? its been a few years since i built my last pc but it feels like the issue has gotten much worse down the years. The same with CPUs, it seems like companies are more interested in the initial first wave and that's it.

I picked up a new processor and 6700XT back in mid-2023 and it was no issue. Kind of seems to be going in fits and spurts, but I haven't really kept an eye on things since then, so I don't know if it got any worse after that.

Might just be different for me though. I have a Microcenter 10 minutes from me and I see they have actually a decent amount of 9070s in stock, at least one 5070 of one brand and tens of another and an absolute boatload of last Gen AMD in stock, as well as a lot of 4060s.

 

[Colif]

Xbox Support is advising players to revert last month’s controller update.

An Xbox Support page describes “Bluetooth connectivity and performance with some older non-Xbox devices,” that might result as a part of the 5.23.5.0 firmware, and sas owners can now revert the update, but that’s about it. However, some gamers have been complaining for weeks of thumbstick...

www.theverge.com

Well, dammit haha. I just explained yesterday how I suggest everyone update their Xbox controller firmware. Looks like it is causing issues for a lot of users. I wonder if this has something to do with the connectivity issues I was having, but then again it happened before I updated the firmware and Bluetooth drivers. I went ahead and ordered a Bluetooth 5.4 adapter yesterday though. Not sure if my controllers even support 5.4, but I'd rather go overkill than not. Perhaps something I own in the future will work with 5.4.

i never ever thought to update firmware on mine... perhaps you can tell me when problem is fixed so I can see if there is anything new for my Elite.

 

[BeardyHat]

Well, that must be a record for me. In the last two weeks, I finished Half-Life, Black Mesa and now Advance Wars: Dual Strike.

No idea what I'll play next, I usually like to have one PC game I'm playing and one handheld game. I was thinking Pacific Drive on PC, but aside from firing it up on Deck and being immediately frustrated, I haven't tried.

I did just buy Blood West though, I'm thinking about Selaco and I could go back and see if I can finish Aliens: Dark Descent, as I am at the end of the game and I do like it. As for my handhelds? I might start the next Advance Wars game, maybe Carmageddon on my Vita or... I'm not sure.

 

[Johnway]

I picked up a new processor and 6700XT back in mid-2023 and it was no issue. Kind of seems to be going in fits and spurts, but I haven't really kept an eye on things since then, so I don't know if it got any worse after that.

Might just be different for me though. I have a Microcenter 10 minutes from me and I see they have actually a decent amount of 9070s in stock, at least one 5070 of one brand and tens of another and an absolute boatload of last Gen AMD in stock, as well as a lot of 4060s.

i live in the UK and we have no specialist pc part sellers nearby, so my only realistic option is to buy online so scan, ebuyer, overclockers etc are my only real options. Scan is my preferred choice (prices and their customer service is pretty excellent). Amazon from what i've seen and heard is a bit more dicey.

But again, it looks like all the pc parts are being kept for full tower builds but i rather build it myself as we know its cheaper and can guarantee every part is what i want. But on the flip side if i need to replace the entire pc so it might be worth going down that route or perhaps buy it in a bundle or something.

 

[Pifanjr]

I'm almost at the Elite Four in my Ironmon playthrough. I really hope I win, because I'm not doing another run. Once you get past the second gym you're typically so overleveled that it's almost impossible to lose except by really bad luck and this only gets worse until you beat the final gym. Only now on my approach to the Elite Four do I actually encounter trainers with Pokémon that don't die in one hit.

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I played a bit more of Blightfall this morning as well, but progress has been slow. There's a whole bunch of stuff I need to set up that just takes a lot of time, but once it's set up I should be able to make some pretty big leaps of progress.

 

[Johnway]

Still playing Asscreed Valhalla and despite the humdrum activity of collecting everything and doing small side stuff, its somehow kept me engaged. The good news is that there aren't as many like in odyssey and the good news i don't have to collect absolutely every chest to 100%.

The loot/gear system wise i think is mercifully simple as i don't have to constantly switch out gear. I can keep with the same set and upgrade it to keep it fresh. The good news is that the devs have been able to concentrate in making it look nice, as you gear it up, the more nice it looks.


The one side where i think is a real disappointment is the online store. I'm not talking about the levelling up, thats not a problem as i explore and complete stuff. its the MTX stuff. I'm not going to buy it with cold hard cash, but mercifully there is a free way to get the stuff. So in theory you can get everything for free, in practice its a horrific. The problem is the price and t he lack of of opportunities for opal:

Gear/weapons cost 100-120 opals
other stuff around 35

Each day you can earn TEN opal with opportunity for 35 a week. i guess if you play it every day, you can make 300-310

To get the full set (helmet, chest, cape, gloves, legs) requires 600 opals (+ 360 if you want the weapons or any other themed stuff). and to top it off, the items are circulated so you have to wait + pray it turns up during rotation.

So yeah, forget about getting sweet sweet gear. You're not going to unlock everything quickly without thousands of hours of play. No thanks. I'll buy some stuff at the end or if there is something that tickles my fancy, but since i'm not going to reap the benefits these suits supply, i'm going to keep with the ingame ones.

 

[Pifanjr]

I beat the Pokémon FireRed Ironmon challenge. In the end I only needed two Pokémon, with my starter dying to an unfortunately timed self-destruct. My backup Pokémon, a Fearow with an insane attack stat but low defenses, got to level 100 just before the Elite Four.

I actually prepared 5 backup Pokémon for if something were to happen to my Fearow, but he ended up one-shotting most opponents. The only slight struggle was with a Banette, as only two of my four moves could even hit a Ghost type and it had very high defense and a pretty decent attack. If I hadn't been a dozen levels higher it might have actually been a problem.

I might try an Ironmon challenge of Pokémon Emerald, but I should continue with STEINS;GATE first. I was really enjoying it, but I haven't played it in a while.

 

[Johnway]

there was some more Doom 2 Ramp 2024 updates from mylself, having finished my next set of maps in the warehouse sector, we now move onto the next station Asteroid SG3 (a riff on Stargate SG1).

So the maps we played in the previous station, thoughts? There were 3 maps that stood out:

Reaping Implement was probably the best designed of the maps and had some pretty clever, well made and challenging encounters. The last bit is a slaughterfest section and without the secret megasphere its a pretty tough fight even with all the soul spheres, mega armor and armor galore. By the end point there was no BFG which made it doubly more challenging. it was probably a secret, but i certainly didn't find one on my travels.

Colours of doom 2024 - supposedly a sequel to the 2023 map. I found this one was a well made map utilizing plenty of GZdoom elements to make it pretty. There are a few irksome encounters like at the start where unless you find the secret chaingun, you're going to face off the first few rooms with nothing but your pistol. The shotgun and chaingun maybe in the next room, but trying to weave and dodge the enemies (most notably the 2 cacodemons) might be tricky. it does have a pretty funny ending that got me smiling and missing the exit switch by accident.

Finally Ramperk. Now this is an interesting one, i saved this one to last (even though it one of the first maps out of the station) and gets an honorable mention. its just one big meme verging on Terry's map annoying. Story goes that Doomguy has been tasked to stop the map author who is trying to derail the RAMP project. The furry illuminati have uncovered information that at the bottom of the 9th circles of hell is a 10th circle - Australia. Doom guy must travel to australia to kill said author. It starts off fantastic as you start guns blazing after coming from a well rendered areas. Things suddenly go south from there with various cute cats and among us characters replacing the doom monsters and they are deeply annoying. To cut a long story short whilst its well made, the second half of the map is someone less entertaining and at times annoying, even with all the GZdoom stuff. I get its intentional, but it doesn't stick the landing for me, but the first half is a gem.

 

[Colif]

horror or reality?

 

[DXCHASE]

Ok, i know there are some people in here that play/have played Diablo 4. Even though its my daily-grind game atm, ive been complaining about the drop rates, not just of whatever their special events drop, but also for certain items in the game, ie Mythics and Rare Runestones (in particular, one runestone called BAC). People that play this game know what im talking about. These items rarely drop, even with big amounts of grinding.

Well, i guess yesterday was my pay-off day because, and this wasnt even at the highest tier-level the game has, i was able to get 3 mythics to drop from about 20 minutes of killing the same boss!!! Not only that, but the 1 mythic that dropped, was the exact Mythic that i would need to use with my build (it doesn't require it, but it helps it tremendously).

Now, these mythics didnt roll with the super-ultra-rare 4 GA (greater affix, meaning higher point values on the items abilities, 4 being the max). But 2 of them had 1 and the one i used has 2, so its still a good start and still really helpful.

To explain, the piece, Shroud of False Death, is already a rare mythic to have drop out of all the mythics and anyone who plays diablo 4 knows 20 minutes of killing the same boss mostly nets you nothing, zero, zilch, nada. Only useless gear that you sell, and some materials. So getting 3 mythics, 1 of which is super rare with 2 GAs, was already a crazy pay-off day.

I was also able to replace 2 other pieces of gear with much better-rolled stats AND, got 2 BAC runes to fall as well. Which doesn't matter now because they were going to be used to make the Mythic i want, but now i dont need to do that.

I was elated to say the least. Its never happened to me and now i wont find a mythic until 2028.

 

[neogunhero]

Bluetooth problems (mostly) fixed. Bought a cheap, no name brand Bluetooth 5.4 adapter and it arrived on Saturday. Good news is that the controllers connect near instantly and have a very long connection range. Bad news, they are still highly sensitive to physical interference but better than the built-in Bluetooth I was having issues with.

I moved my PC to our bedroom so we can hook it up to the TV and play Split Fiction, and there were moments where if my leg was up in a certain way, it would start blocking the connection. It's a lot better than before though, where I was losing connection even though my PC and controller were only about 2-3 feet away from each other. Now in the bedroom, my controller sits approx 15 feet from the PC, with only minor issues.

I can't believe that the Bluetooth just crapped out of my mobo. I tried everything I could to try to fix it, and the only solution was to just get a new adapter. At least while sitting at my desk it works like a charm, only in the bedroom where there is more interference as well as two controller connected at once, does it start to have some minor issues. If I just readjust my sitting position it works better, but at times I just wanna lay all the way down and play.