November 2024 General Gaming Discussion Thread

[BeardyHat]

My goal is to get bored with this and start working on something else...

This is exactly how I roll. So many half finished projects...

I did finish this yesterday though

https://imgur.com/a/4MpxH47

I thought about picking up a 1Tb Micro SD from Amazon, as they have one for about $70 right now, but a 3Tb Steam Deck seemed excessive. Plus I could only afford the SSD through selling some old stuff of mine.

At any rate, cloning my old disk and restoring it was completely painless, I did it all on the Deck itself with Clonezilla. I'm excited to be able to have more than one huge game installed now, 256Gb just wasn't cutting it after two and a half years.

 

[ZedClampet]

Ok well, I found some extra money in my account after selling a few things on eBay this week and it was absolutely burning a hole in my pocket so I had to get rid of it as quickly as possible.

Anyway, picked-up the following:

Been on my wishlist for like 6 years now and for $2.99 I figured I might as well give it a try:

Save 80% on Northgard on Steam

Northgard is a critically acclaimed strategy game based on Norse mythology. Lead your clan, uncover the secrets of a mysterious newfound continent and defeat your enemies to conquer the Throne!

store.steampowered.com

Saw my buddy playing this on awhile ago and given my love of WW2 stuff and the vaguely XCOM-like strategic map, I thought it might be fun:

Save 70% on UBOAT on Steam

UBOAT is a simulator of a submarine from WWII era. It is a survival sandbox with crew management mechanics while its primary theme is life of German sailors. The boat is their home, but it can become their grave at any time.

store.steampowered.com

I'm not currently in the mood for a visual novel, but I will be in the future and I recently heard of this and it being one of the best visual novels/games in general on PS4, so it went on my wishlist right away:

Save 80% on 428: Shibuya Scramble on Steam

A kidnapping on the streets of Shibuya brings together a hot-blooded detective, hard-hitting journalist, former gang leader, the head researcher of a big pharma manufacturer and a part-timer stuck in cat costume for a series of events each more unexpected and outrageous than the last.

store.steampowered.com

Another that's been on my wishlist for ages, but I haven't picked up. Every time I was thinking about picking it up I would instead think of The Investigation at Hobbs' Barrow and then be conflicted about which one to pick up. Finally decided to just go ahead and pick this one up, as I've heard it compared favorably with Obra Dinn:

Save 35% on The Case of the Golden Idol on Steam

A new kind of detective game that allows you to think and investigate freely. Discover clues surrounding 12 strange and gruesome deaths and build your own theory. Pick your suspect, deduce the motive, unmask the awful truth.

store.steampowered.com

I never played this when it came out, probably because I was already into being a teenager and playing Quake 2 multiplayer, but I find it to be very charming looking and couldn't help but pick it up. I couldn't give a damn about baseball, but we'll see how it is.

Save 20% on Backyard Baseball '97 on Steam

Rediscover the joy of the original Backyard Baseball 1997, now updated for modern systems! Build your roster from among the iconic Backyard Kids, aim for those home runs, and various game modes. Relive the magic of this classic baseball game!

store.steampowered.com

Also picked up the two supporter packs for Transport Fever 2, since it was like $7 for the two of them and I love that game, so...

I don't care about baseball, either, but Super Mega Baseball 4 is fantastic. It's $4.99 now if anyone wants to try it.

Save 90% on Super Mega Baseball™ 4 on Steam

Super Mega Baseball™ 4 is where the Legends play. The signature combo of arcade-inspired style and immersive gameplay returns with over 200 baseball Legends and a grand slam of presentation upgrades.

store.steampowered.com

No interest in baseball required. It's just a great game.

It only has Mostly Positive user reviews, but that's because multiplayer was broken for the first six months. Plus, a lot of people are mad EA bought them.

 

[Pifanjr]

I played some more Shadow of War. I ran into a problem where I couldn't claim one of the towers and I couldn't find anyone with a similar problem. However, I did see some advice about enabling all of the HUD elements possibly fixing some issues.

After re-enabling all of the HUD elements, I discovered I had been pressing the wrong button...

 

[ZedClampet]

I discovered I had been pressing the wrong button...

Welcome to my world. Help yourself to the Thanksgiving leftovers.

 

[ZedClampet]

There's a rally game where in co-op you take turns being the driver and the navigator. That could be hilarious.

 

[red_5ive]

That could be hilarious.

Just add beer....

 

[Pifanjr]

I died a lot less in Shadow of War yesterday, all through a combination of:

- New gear. I got some epic and legendary equipment with a couple of upgraded runes to give me extra health and damage.
- New skills. More options means more ways to kill and survive.
- More combat experience. I'm getting better at dodging and countering.
- More running away. Hit and run tactics work really well, even on captains that are immune to stealth attacks.
- Getting my ass saved by a random Gondor sergeant. Apparently there's a small chance when an orc is about to kill you that a soldier shows up and kills the orc instead. It's only happened once so far, but that is one fewer death.

 

[Colif]

I died a lot less in Shadow of War yesterday, all through a combination of:

You forgot one:

After re-enabling all of the HUD elements, I discovered I had been pressing the wrong buttons...

 

[Zloth]

I planned to get Elden Ring, then see if I liked it enough to get the DLC on sale come winter. As it happens, I'm not even through the first act of BG3 yet.

I died a lot less in Shadow of War yesterday, all through a combination of:

And don't forget all that excellent assistance that Bruz gave you!

 

[Pifanjr]

Hearthstone's Tombs of Terror has a treasure that seems like it could be amazing, but I don't think I've ever been able to make it work until now. It's called Stolen Titan Secrets and lets you copy the hero power of an enemy boss for the rest of the run. There are quite a few enemy bosses with great hero powers, so it has a lot of potential, but there are some problems.

The earliest you can get it is after defeating the third boss, out of eight, so there are only 5 bosses left to use it on. The majority of those will have hero powers that are only useful if you've built your deck around them or they're at most a minor upgrade from the hero power you already have.

When you do get a boss with a hero power you want, you need to be lucky enough to draw the Stolen Titan Secrets and survive the encounter. Considering the bosses with the strongest hero powers are typically the hardest to beat, just stalling until you draw the card is often not trivial.

However, in my most recent run, the fourth boss I encountered had the hero power "Belch", which costs 1 mana and summons a random minion that has died that game. Which means the longer a fight lasts, the better it gets. On top of that, my very first passive treasure was the Darklight Torch, which refreshes my hero power whenever I play an even cost card and makes it cost 0 that turn, meaning that most of the battle I can use it three times per turn.

Even better, this run had the anomaly No-Face, which means heroes are immune while they have a minion on the board. With this hero power I can almost guarantee that my side of the board is constantly filled with minions.

I only have the last boss to go. The biggest danger now is that I run out of cards before I manage to kill him.

Welcome to my world. Help yourself to the Thanksgiving leftovers.

Don't mind if I do.

You forgot one:

After re-enabling all of the HUD elements, I discovered I had been pressing the wrong buttons...

I disabled most of the HUD elements again. I did decide to leave the mini-map on instead of the map markers. This means I can't see the health of orc captains, but I can see where all the orcs around me are. Which also makes the game easier and less immersive, but also speeds it up since I don't have to go into wraith mode to look around as often and keeps the rest of the screen clear. Also, I can now actually see how many arrows I have left, which is nice.

I planned to get Elden Ring, then see if I liked it enough to get the DLC on sale come winter. As it happens, I'm not even through the first act of BG3 yet.

Same. I should really get back to it after Shadow of War, before I forget what I was doing.

And don't forget all that excellent assistance that Bruz gave you!

I haven't even met Bruz yet. I spent entirely too much time just hunting random captains instead of doing story missions, but at least I now have a decent grasp on the combat.

 

[ZedClampet]

Question: Why is it so difficult to find a racing game where you can create your own championship series? And make them co-op?

 

[ZedClampet]

@Pifanjr You are making want to play the Shadow of... games.

I tried to play the first one, but ran into what I assumed was a bug that I couldn't get past. I can't remember what they are called, but a commander, or whatever they are, would attack me, and as soon as I would defeat him, another one or two or even three would show up. At the time, I was pretty good at this type of combat, and this kept going for a full 45 minutes until I finally died. I restarted twice, and the same thing kept happening, the mini-bosses just kept coming without end. I just gave up playing it.

Of course, if that was a bug, it was 3 or 4 computers ago, so it's unlikely to follow me. Or maybe I was just doing something wrong. Not sure.

 

[red_5ive]

@Pifanjr You are making want to play the Shadow of... games.

Same. I've had SoW and SoM in my Steam Library untouched for how many years now? Every time I think of playing them, I find something else to jump into.

 

[January's Ghost]

I love the "Shadow of" games purely for your ability to create utter chaos. The higher your level, the more chaos you can create. Nothing to me is more fun than assaulting some orc outpost or camp and using the available traps and letting loose my powers.

Poison grog with frenzy, break a couple of caragor cages, free an olog or two, loose some meat to drag in a couple of graugs, disturb a couple of bees nests and spider nests. If you command a bunch or orcs before hand then you can let them attack as well. And DRAKES! Don't forget about the drakes.

Pure, unadulterated, chaotic bliss.

 

[ZedClampet]

I love the "Shadow of" games purely for your ability to create utter chaos. The higher your level, the more chaos you can create. Nothing to me is more fun than assaulting some orc outpost or camp and using the available traps and letting loose my powers.

Poison grog with frenzy, break a couple of caragor cages, free an olog or two, loose some meat to drag in a couple of graugs, disturb a couple of bees nests and spider nests. If you command a bunch or orcs before hand then you can let them attack as well. And DRAKES! Don't forget about the drakes.

Pure, unadulterated, chaotic bliss.

Your description reminds me of playing Watch Dogs 2. Show up at a facility, call in a drug hit and call in the police and just sit back and watch. Usually no one was left alive at the end, and you could just walk up to the objective haha

 

[January's Ghost]

Your description reminds me of playing Watch Dogs 2. Show up at a facility, call in a drug hit and call in the police and just sit back and watch. Usually no one was left alive at the end, and you could just walk up to the objective haha

Yeah man, that's it. Oh I have done that so many times.

Even the simplicity of calling the cops on some normal person in the area and then messing with the cop's car. Cops freak out, the person they're arresting runs off while handcuffed. Throw in shocking unconscious another by stander or two and drop a power outage and it's a real party.

I honestly was so disappointed a lot of the abilities didn't exist in Watch Dogs Legion.

 

[ZedClampet]

I honestly was so disappointed a lot of the abilities didn't exist in Watch Dogs Legion.

Yep. Same here. London was awesome, as was riding on the drones, but the rest of it was meh.

 

[Pifanjr]

@Pifanjr You are making want to play the Shadow of... games.

I tried to play the first one, but ran into what I assumed was a bug that I couldn't get past. I can't remember what they are called, but a commander, or whatever they are, would attack me, and as soon as I would defeat him, another one or two or even three would show up. At the time, I was pretty good at this type of combat, and this kept going for a full 45 minutes until I finally died. I restarted twice, and the same thing kept happening, the mini-bosses just kept coming without end. I just gave up playing it.

Of course, if that was a bug, it was 3 or 4 computers ago, so it's unlikely to follow me. Or maybe I was just doing something wrong. Not sure.

That does sound like a bug, because the number of captains is supposed to be limited and they take a bit to replenish.

Same. I've had SoW and SoM in my Steam Library untouched for how many years now? Every time I think of playing them, I find something else to jump into.

If you like the Batman: Arkham style combat and/or Assassin's Creed style stealth you'll probably like the Shadow of... games as well. I even think it does both of them better.

I love the "Shadow of" games purely for your ability to create utter chaos. The higher your level, the more chaos you can create. Nothing to me is more fun than assaulting some orc outpost or camp and using the available traps and letting loose my powers.

Poison grog with frenzy, break a couple of caragor cages, free an olog or two, loose some meat to drag in a couple of graugs, disturb a couple of bees nests and spider nests. If you command a bunch or orcs before hand then you can let them attack as well. And DRAKES! Don't forget about the drakes.

Pure, unadulterated, chaotic bliss.

I also love that you basically turn into a superpowered killing machine at high levels. It almost reminds me of Prototype.

Your description reminds me of playing Watch Dogs 2. Show up at a facility, call in a drug hit and call in the police and just sit back and watch. Usually no one was left alive at the end, and you could just walk up to the objective haha

Just like Watch Dogs and GTA, I find just roaming the world the best part of the Shadow of.. games. The story missions are just there to provide a change in pace every so often.

 

[ZedClampet]

Apparently I'm better at colony sims now than I was when I first played Timberborn, which was my first colony sim. Because I set the game up just as I did back then, and it was way, way too easy. I may try to create a very cramped map with all the disasters and try again, as well as crank up the food and water consumption to the highest.

 

[Colif]

Always a sign of confidence in your game...
The makers of the new Indiana Jones game are blocking all reviews of the game until the same day as early access starts... coincidence I am sure.

Sure, optimistically they could be trying to avoid spoilers and hide how amazing it looks...

But I have my doubts. Sounds like a trap to me... I hope for Indies sake it doesn't involve snakes.

 

[Kaamos_Llama]

Always a sign of confidence in your game...
The makers of the new Indiana Jones game are blocking all reviews of the game until the same day as early access starts... coincidence I am sure.

Sure, optimistically they could be trying to avoid spoilers and hide how amazing it looks...

But I have my doubts. Sounds like a trap to me... I hope for Indies sake it doesn't involve snakes.

To be fair its a Bethesda game and thats pretty normal for them afaik. IIRC the first time they did it it was 2016 Doom and everyone was really suspicious, that turned out pretty well. So not necessarily an indicator of anything. Its been previewed by some places, people got hands on for a few hours so its not a complete blackout.

Theyre under MS now, but maybe theyre carrying on as they were.

 

[Colif]

Its still not a practice I would trust. Its blocked until the same day people can start playing it

I thought Steam was going to cut down on AAA companies calling 3 days "Early access" as really its not... not in comparison to Last Epoch, for example, that gave people access one year before game came out. AAA don't do that... no, they release games broken and let players beta test them.

Paying to play a game 3 days early is a trap that is alas working. Must be first to see the bugs.

 

[Zloth]

Well, @Pifanjr, Bruz will give you a nice tutorial now that you already know what you're doing. Get to the story already!

I honestly was so disappointed a lot of the abilities didn't exist in Watch Dogs Legion.

In Legion, it's taking over drones with a hacker or using a hypnotist to switch people to your side. You can get some good chaos going, but not as much as in 2 (or in Saints Row 3).

Paying to play a game 3 days early is a trap that is alas working. Must be first to see the bugs.

It's been working a long time, too. It's just like the pre-order bonuses from back in the day.

Is it suspicious? Maybe. Doesn't really matter unless you're crazy enough to buy the game before reviews have come out, though.