Random Game Thoughts Thread—November 20-26

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Played a bunch more Cultist Simulator. Got further again and managed to summon my first otherwordly being, which came just in time to help deal with all of the evidence that had been gathered against me. I did end up dying though, I think two more times. The one after that I actually "won", though only because I stopped being a cultist entirely, which wasn't much of a victory.

I'm still having a lot of fun, but the bad parts have become more apparent. For one, the game is quite grindy. You can upgrade your base resources, but it takes quite a while and is annoying to do every time you die, but not doing it severely limits you and just increases the chance you'll die sooner. I don't mind that much because I'm playing on my phone, so I can do it in little bits at a time, but I don't think I'd have the patience if I was playing it on a PC.
Furthermore, there are quite a few times where I only have a second, or even a fraction of a second, between a slot opening up and needing to put a new resource in before it expires. This means that I've taken to pausing the game pretty much any time a slot is finished, but that just means that I just keep pausing to take care of one thing, then unpausing and waiting for the next one to finish, then pausing again, which isn't great for the flow of the game.
Though I can use the little downtime each time to sort my resources, because look at this insanity (I'd add a spoiler if I thought you could actually make out anything):
Screenshot_20221122-231128_Cultist_Simulator.jpg


There's so many of them and I don't even have that much here yet. Here playing on a phone is a downside because I can't really have all the resources on the screen at once while still being able to accurately press the right ones. I already frequently mispress, which closes the slot I have opened, which is really annoying when I do it on the fourth resource to add and I have to start all over again.

All in all, I'm still having fun and there's still plenty left to discover.

Just stumbled over a Google Earth version of Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego? and thought this might be something for @WoodenSaucer :)

I won! Cool concept, but it's not very smooth.
 
I gotta say, the Steam Autumn Sale is live now and it is exceedingly hard to feel like an autumn sale when there's multiple feet of snow outside... :ROFLMAO:. Regardless, I'm probably not going to buy much of anything and instead just wait for the winter sale. There are a couple of super cheap games on my wishlist, though, so I might pick up a $5 game or something. I haven't really played much recently as there's been a lot going on and I'm trying to be a bit more cautious about adding to my backlog too much. Plus, waiting has the added benefit of getting a lot of the games cheaper when I finally do buy them.
That Western NY snowstorm was brutal, especially when it's not even technically winter yet. How's your roof? I saw several pictures of businesses in Buffalo that had collapsed roofs from the excessive snow weight.

I'm not buying anything on the Steam Autumn Sale either, as I'm focused on a couple of modding projects right now, and when the Witcher 3 Remake releases on 12/14 (which is free), that will be my game focus well into January of 2023, so anything I purchased would just sit in my Steam backlog, and I certainly don't need to add to that. Besides, there are several games that I'm excited for in 2023 (some confirmed, some not), so I find no need to just throw money at games just because there's a sale. There will always be another sale.
 
Just look for jars of tar around the place, lure them toward one, break it with your sling, then hand toss an Ignifer at it.
Wow, man! I've seen those jars all over the place, and I had just forgotten what in the world they were. I knew they were there for some reason because they flash, but I couldn't remember what to do with them. Now that I'm done with that, I wish I would have remembered that. I ended up just sneaking the entire way. I did get one of my skills increased for making it through that section without killing anyone, though.

As for the segment where you first get the crossbow when you're getting off the boat, it took me several tries, but I ended up succeeding pretty much exactly how you're describing that you ended up doing it.

This is a really great game. The only thing is that there are a ton of new game mechanics, and I tend to forget some of them after a while, and then remember after it's too late.
 
Wow, man! I've seen those jars all over the place, and I had just forgotten what in the world they were. I knew they were there for some reason because they flash, but I couldn't remember what to do with them. Now that I'm done with that, I wish I would have remembered that. I ended up just sneaking the entire way. I did get one of my skills increased for making it through that section without killing anyone, though.

As for the segment where you first get the crossbow when you're getting off the boat, it took me several tries, but I ended up succeeding pretty much exactly how you're describing that you ended up doing it.

This is a really great game. The only thing is that there are a ton of new game mechanics, and I tend to forget some of them after a while, and then remember after it's too late.
Well, actually I think sneaking without killing anyone is the ideal way to get through that slaver section, especially if you can manage to loot all the crates, particularly the big one in the center of the area on the 2nd story of the ruined building. I had to reload a checkpoint here and there, and got spotted, but managed to lose them.

LOL, you're preaching to the choir on memory problems, me being 64. The only reason I remember such things is I obsess over doing several play throughs, then it finally gets engrained in my brain. :ROFLMAO:
 
Well, actually I think sneaking without killing anyone is the ideal way to get through that slaver section, especially if you can manage to loot all the crates, particularly the big one in the center of the area on the 2nd story of the ruined building. I had to reload a checkpoint here and there, and got spotted, but managed to lose them.

LOL, you're preaching to the choir on memory problems, me being 64. The only reason I remember such things is I obsess over doing several play throughs, then it finally gets engrained in my brain. :ROFLMAO:
Killing everyone is a lot more fun, though. I did get that crate in the middle. It wasn't easy.

I was feeling kind of old, since I just turned 50 this year. You're making me feel like a young pup again. Lol
 
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Zloth

Community Contributor
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I do love my 2nd monitor with OneNote open on it, with any idiosyncrasies of my current game displayed in size 20 Arial bold!

Only one monitor? So sad, I'll put out an extra young pup treat 🦴
But notes are only an Alt-Tab away ;)
I do not have a second monitor, but I always use my laptop for what you're talking about.

Not when you're playing on Hard with no HUD, reticle, or upgrades. That will make you fear the wrath of those guards! :eek:
Haha. I don't punish myself with Hard. I only ever play on Normal.
 
Not too much new to report on the gaming front. I've pretty much been defaulting to cruising around in Forza Horizon 5 when I have some time to game. I've had a fair amount going on recently so I'm not really in a rhythm right now.

Totally non-gaming, but I got offered a nice full-time position this past Wednesday and I'm so thrilled to be done with the job search. I finished my Master's degree in the spring and I've had a stop-gap part-time position while looking for full-time work. I'm happy to have finally found a position, and one I'm particularly enthusiastic about at that. That said, the busy times will continue for awhile because I will indeed need to relocate for this job, so now it's on to the search for apartments!
 

Zloth

Community Contributor
Ugh, job seeking is such a pain! You get a lot of free time, but there's NO ability to plan. Anyone could want an interview at any time!

Anyway, I've started on Yakuza 3. Eeeesh. I heard there was a quality drop-off, but this is crazy. The whacky-fun side quests have been replaced by oh-aren't-they-cute-kids quests. The main story is fun when you get to see it, but you're going to have to deal with some puppy love to watch it.
 
Totally non-gaming
Hey congrats, that's great—go you! (To a new apartment)

Still Far Cry 6ing, got shunted off the starting island before I was finished wandering around it—but oh well, got some better gear now, incl a bow!

I might do a sort of first-time playthru thread like the Civ6 one, do you guys think that would be useful? Add in a few screenshots where relevant, plus info re my hardware, game settings, stats etc…
 
Ugh, job seeking is such a pain! You get a lot of free time, but there's NO ability to plan. Anyone could want an interview at any time!

Indeed. Ironically, one of the primary reasons why I decided to not go back to school for a doctoral degree was specifically because I wanted more structure. Unfortunately, job searching doesn't have much of any structure and you don't have a ton of control. I just want to have a better split between when I'm actually at work and when I'm enjoying leisure time.
 

Zloth

Community Contributor
What? Your professors didn't coordinate with each other to make sure you had a smooth work schedule, @Ryzengang? ;)

Yakuza 3 got better, thank goodness. Once it FINALLY gets back to Tokyo, it gets back to the tried & true formula. (Though it's threatening me with a trip back to Okinawa.)

There's an interesting aspect to these games that I've never seen anywhere else: the primary map. It has been almost exactly the same in every game so far! Some stores have changed, but most are the same ones as always. Newer games add additional areas, but they tend to be there for just one game. Obviously, you lose out on exploration, but you gain a history. "Oh yeah, that's the alley where that kid tried to get me to buy him some porno magazines." "Oh yeah, that hallway (which I can't get into now) leads to a passage that pops up over on Pink Street." "Oh, that's the park where that creepy video was taken!"
 
Jan 26, 2022
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Didn't feel like playing much today, just a few Picross Touch quickies.

What are you up to?
I and out of Fallout 4 again. Over 2000 hrs. and have yet to complete it or Far Harbor. I get lost working on the settlements. Looking forward to a sort of do-over for The Witcher 3 on 22 Dec. and the First one, No date for that as yet. They are redoing the graphics in that and making some changes as well and possibly new material.
 
Jan 26, 2022
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Didn't feel like playing much today, just a few Picross Touch quickies.

What are you up to?
I was playing Cyberpunk 2077, but got tired of hoofing it all over the place. I got tired of trying to drive using the WASD keys. In The Witcher 3 you could use the mouse to steer Roach. May try a game pad, that I don't care for on a PC. That is a big world to be hoofing around in, but you do open up fast travel points over time which helps.
 

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