The currently playing and random game thoughts thread (Dec 19 to Dec 25)

[ZedClampet]

I don't want to spoil game for you but I hope you playing online as its more engaging then.

That's a thing? I don't know. I just hit "Play". I haven't seen anyone else yet, if that's a thing that can happen.

I wonder if they got the sand right.

Sand looks very good to me. There was a "sand" graphics option which I put on Ultra.

 

[Colif]

it might be on by default, I seem to recall online is default in options
if you in the first area still you won't meet anyone. its all random. really depends on how many play it. average of 62 players of it on steam this month so maybe - https://steamcharts.com/app/638230

As for sand, my comment was more about how it feels under your feet. I assumed it would look good.

 

[ZedClampet]

it might be on by default, I seem to recall online is default in options

I'll check the options when I go back in here in a minute...

As for sand, my comment was more about how it feels under your feet. I assumed it would look good.

Definitely feels like walking in sand, particularly when struggling up a dune and the feet are sinking in deep.

 

[Colif]

People are what made game for me. Actual game is the same every play through (mostly) but the other players reactions were what made me keep playing over and over for months.

I feel it was a spoiler to tell you may meet other players.

Its a pretty game, they did sand well.

My normal avatar here with the white suit is the final form once you collect 10 of a collectable. It can fly without being charged up.. but anyway.

 

[mainer]

I gave up on Fallout 4. The game is decent, but load times are way too long, even on an SSD. I ain't got no time for all that!

The load times, especially going from an interior cell to an exterior cell, is the biggest negative complaint I have against FO4. I mod FO4 a lot so I expect longer load times, but even in a "vanilla" state the load times can exceed one minute, especially in the downtown Boston area. I love Bethesda, but I think they really should have optimized how the game loads between cells.

 

[ZedClampet]

Congrats to my wife who just got offered a new job with a nice pay raise. My response was, "Yay! More games!" I then took a small pummeling, but I don't think I'm bleeding anywhere, so it was worth it.

 

[Zloth]

I then took a small pummeling, but I don't think I'm bleeding anywhere, so it was worth it.

Oh! Now we see the violence inherit in the system!

 

[WoodenSaucer]

The load times, especially going from an interior cell to an exterior cell, is the biggest negative complaint I have against FO4. I mod FO4 a lot so I expect longer load times, but even in a "vanilla" state the load times can exceed one minute, especially in the downtown Boston area. I love Bethesda, but I think they really should have optimized how the game loads between cells.

The interesting thing is that I'm playing Dishonored 2 right now, which is another Bethesda game that came out one year after FO4. And it doesn't have any load problems at all. It's a really smooth playing game.

Congrats to my wife who just got offered a new job with a nice pay raise. My response was, "Yay! More games!" I then took a small pummeling, but I don't think I'm bleeding anywhere, so it was worth it.

It was only worth it if you snagged a few games before getting pummeled.

 

[Colif]

Oh! Now we see the violence inherit in the system!

i get this feeling somone lobbing a scimitar was part of this scene

 

[Sarafan]

Playing Batman: Arkham Knight for the second time and I'm considering to max it out (at least when it comes to side quests). Also enjoying the Darkness Over Daggerford module for Neverwinter Nights Enhanced Edtion. The game with the new Beamdog's character models looks better than ever!

 

[Withywarlock]

I've hit a fair few milestones this Christmas. Yesterday I finished the Bhaalspawn Saga (if Baldur's Gate III doesn't count), I've done my Battle Pass for Call of Duty: Vanguard which means I can now focus on its campaign and zombies mode, and I've finished Campaign One of Critical Role. The last one's not a game, but c'mon, 114 5-hour episodes is quite the achievement.

I'm currently downloading Narcos: Rise of the Cartels to give me tactical game fix, but I may be going from that to other games as I figure out what I really want to do.

 

[mainer]

Also enjoying the Darkness Over Daggerford module for Neverwinter Nights Enhanced Edtion. The game with the new Beamdog's character models looks better than ever!

Thanks for reminding me, I really need to install and play it. I loved that game, especially the DLCs, back when it first came out. Beamdog seems to be constantly tweaking/bug fixing too, as there's been over 15 updates this year, the most recent on Dec 8th. It's a shame they never got the rights to do an EE version of NWN2 as that was a great D&D game also.

Yesterday I finished the Bhaalspawn Saga (if Baldur's Gate III doesn't count)

I just finished the Bhaalspawn Saga of the BG2 games myself earlier this year; what an incredible journey those games create, something we may never see again. I'm pretty sure that the story ends there, but it will be interesting to see how Larian ties in events with BG3. I own it in it's early access form, but I've yet to take the plunge. I'm kind of holding out hope that the full release with be in the first half of 2022.

 

[ZedClampet]

I'm in computer hell. I figured out what was wrong with my laptop. My power source was messed up somehow. So I ordered a new one. Then I started using my desktop, which my wife usually uses, not me, and there was something horribly wrong with it. I checked for malware, etc. and there was nothing, so I did a Windows refresh, and that didn't solve the problem. So I did a clean install from a boot disk, and now everything is working again, but I've got to move all the years of accumulated garbage back onto it. The Documents folder was over 200 GB. The problem is that since my wife uses it, mostly, I don't feel comfortable deleting things.

Simultaneously, I'm using my backup MSI laptop, which for a minute there was my only lifeline, but the "S" key broke off. I was just typing normally, and it just came loose and can't be put back on because the little doohickey it attaches to is broken, so I'm going to order a new one of those.

AND, getting my son's laptop fixed (the repairs were out of my pay grade), cost me almost $600. I told him "Merry Christmas" and started picking up all his presents from around the tree, mumbling something about finding receipts (even though everything was bought online), but then I told him I was just kidding and put them back.

 

[Zloth]

I told him "Merry Christmas" and started picking up all his presents from around the tree, mumbling something about finding receipts (even though everything was bought online), but then I told him I was just kidding and put them back.

Clearly these pummelings are not having the desired effect. Perhaps if the son and wife were to use the tactic simultaneously, they could overwhelm the defenses?

Also, because I'm as bad as you, I looked up "S key doohickey" and got a result!
DoohicKey - Key-Tool (niteize.com)

 

[Pifanjr]

I've been playing a bunch of Loop Hero instead of in between working. I'm not sure how to describe my feelings towards it. It's enjoyable. It feels simple but there's enough stuff going on that it doesn't feel too shallow. It feels somewhat grindy but every successful run has thus far allowed me to expand my camp.

The basic gameplay loop (pun intended) is not very engaging, but the developers put just enough mechanics around it to keep it interesting without taking away from the basic premise. I'm just curious whether it'll continue to hold my attention.

I've also managed to sneak in an hour of Warhammer 2 today and finished my Dwarf Vortex campaign. Turned out I was closer than I thought after I got a military alliance offer from the dwarves across the sea that held one of the artifacts I needed, which saved me from sailing all the way over there to take it. I also managed to buy a military alliance with Itza, saving me another war. So I could reforge the last 3 artifacts within 5 turns or so and finish the campaign. The last quest battle was fairly underwhelming, as my quarrelers and grudge throwers were so OP none of their strong units even got close.

 

[Sarafan]

Thanks for reminding me, I really need to install and play it. I loved that game, especially the DLCs, back when it first came out. Beamdog seems to be constantly tweaking/bug fixing too, as there's been over 15 updates this year, the most recent on Dec 8th. It's a shame they never got the rights to do an EE version of NWN2 as that was a great D&D game also.

If you're planing to use the new models keep in mind that they come as a separate installer. They're not added as a standard DLC. It's a good idea to use a compiled version of the models that is available on NWN Vault: https://neverwintervault.org/projec...hakpak/beamdogs-hd-models-textures-pack-nwnee. It fixes some minor issues and, what's more important, greatly improves performance.

I'd love to see an EE of NWN2. The game runs mostly fine on new hardware, but at least the UI could use some refreshment. A scalable interface would be great. And of course some graphics improvements as well!

 

[Johnway]

If you're planing to use the new models keep in mind that they come as a separate installer. They're not added as a standard DLC. It's a good idea to use a compiled version of the models that is available on NWN Vault: https://neverwintervault.org/projec...hakpak/beamdogs-hd-models-textures-pack-nwnee. It fixes some minor issues and, what's more important, greatly improves performance.

I'd love to see an EE version of NWN2. The game runs mostly fine on new hardware, but at least the UI could use some refreshment. A scalable interface would be great. And of course some graphics improvements as well!

Ah, NWN2 i only played the base game and i did have fun with it. That said, i did apply a mod that allowed you to have more then the standard party size to save time and see more of the story which i'm glad to see there was plenty of side missions. I did come across one rather annoying bug whereby whenever my mage cast tangle spell over my team, they would automatically classify her as an enemy and run her through with a blade. pissed me off no end as it meant we were one character down if i wasn't paying attention.

The final dungeon was also a nightmare. no opportunity to rest up without being jumped constantly and having characters permanently die and take all your loot was pretty terrible.

 

[ZedClampet]

I've also managed to sneak in an hour of Warhammer 2 today and finished my Dwarf Vortex campaign.

Congrats! That game is so vast, with so many factions and a couple different campaigns, that I never played a Dwarf Vortex campaign, even though I love the dwarves. One thing I never understood about the dwarves was why the Hammerer's take so much damage. I can't remember the actual stats, but their armor and defense are solid, but they end up playing like slayers, both giving and getting great damage.

Anyway, I'm trying not to play TWW2 since TWW3 is coming out soon. I cut myself off a few months ago. I played so much Forza 3 and 4 this year that it kind of ruined 5 for me. I want to be hungry when TWW3 gets to the table.

 

[Sarafan]

Ah, NWN2 i only played the base game and i did have fun with it.

You should definitely play Mask of the Betrayer as it's one of the best RPGs in history. The story has some serious Planescape Torment vibes and it includes a fully developed evil path (that's really rare in RPGs). The whole game is worth playing even only for this campaign. It's also a strong Obsidian's comment on religion. It really makes people do some serious thinking about the topic.

 

[Pifanjr]

Congrats! That game is so vast, with so many factions and a couple different campaigns, that I never played a Dwarf Vortex campaign, even though I love the dwarves.

It was quite fun. It was pretty difficult with a war on three fronts until the Lizardmen suddenly destroyed the Skaven, which allowed me to push on and finish one war and then run back and take back the cities I lost on the other front. Once I only bordered on Lizardmen it was smooth sailing, as I managed to keep them friendly to me throughout the game.

I also embraced Thorek's traditionalism and recruited almost no gunpowder units, except some cannons to help with sieging and two irondrakes because they're awesome.

One thing I never understood about the dwarves was why the Hammerer's take so much damage. I can't remember the actual stats, but their armor and defense are solid, but they end up playing like slayers, both giving and getting great damage.

Hammerers have relatively low melee defence, meaning that while they're decently armoured, they also get hit fairly often. They also don't have a shield, so they take a lot of damage from ranged attacks as well and are very susceptible to anything with armour piercing damage.

So they do play fairly similar to Slayers, but where Slayers are anti-large Hammerers are armour-piercing, plus they survive a lot better against enemies without armour piercing damage. They also only cost half of what Slayers cost. But you're right that they should not be used as a front line infantry.

Anyway, I'm trying not to play TWW2 since TWW3 is coming out soon. I cut myself off a few months ago. I played so much Forza 3 and 4 this year that it kind of ruined 5 for me. I want to be hungry when TWW3 gets to the table.

I don't expect to get TWW3 for at least a few months after release. The earliest I can see myself getting it is my birthday in May if my hype is still strong, but there's still plenty of content in TWW2 for me to play through. And plenty of other games on the backlog if I do get bored of it.

 

[ZedClampet]

It's early Christmas morning. The three people I love so much more than myself are all in my home sleeping nearby. All is good.

 

[mainer]

If you're planing to use the new models keep in mind that they come as a separate installer. They're not added as a standard DLC. It's a good idea to use a compiled version of the models that is available on NWN Vault: https://neverwintervault.org/projec...hakpak/beamdogs-hd-models-textures-pack-nwnee. It fixes some minor issues and, what's more important, greatly improves performance.

Thanks so much for posting that, I just downloaded it. I just finished Solasta Crown of the Magister late last night and was wondering what to play next. Just so happens that I installed Neverwinter Nights EE this morning while it was fresh in my mind, so your texture pack link was perfect timing (I would never have known otherwise). I've really been on a D&D kick this year.

Ah, NWN2 i only played the base game and i did have fun with it.

You should definitely play Mask of the Betrayer as it's one of the best RPGs in history. The story has some serious Planescape Torment vibes and it includes a fully developed evil path (that's really rare in RPGs). The whole game is worth playing even only for this campaign. It's also a strong Obsidian's comment on religion. It really makes people do some serious thinking about the topic.

I can't remember many of the details from Mask of the Betrayer as it's been so long, but I do remember it being as good as, or better than the base game. One of the best RPG DLCs that Obsidian ever made (along with a couple of DLCs from Fallout New Vegas).

While we're talking about NWN2, does anyone know the reason, or story, behind why this game was never made into an EE version, when so many of the old D&D games were?

 

[ZedClampet]

My wife got me a new lap desk for Christmas! The leg was broken on my old one. I just finished getting it set up. You should see my living room laptop setup. It's not a laptop you can just pick up and move to a different room (the old MSI I talked about is for that). I've got two USB hubs attached to the lap desk with velcro and have two external SSD's, a gamepad controller, a DAC/amp for my Linsoul earbuds, a gaming half keyboard which sits on my armrest, and, of course, my mouse on the other armrest (that actually kind of sucks, but, hey, I'm PC gaming on my recliner!).

The only difficult part is placement because the laptop vents just about everywhere, but this lap desk is big enough that I was able to put the USB ports up and away from the laptop's back corners. I may need to dig around and find a longer cable for one of my external drives, though. I'm not sure if it's going to get heat where it's sitting right now or not

I dug through my stuff and found the old Alienware laptop power source, which works for this laptop, so I ordered one for nothing. It will just be an extra to go back into the box, I guess. Or maybe not. I'm not sure this puts out enough juice. About to find out, though...

 

[Zloth]

Think we need a topic about our back room boxes, @ZedClampet? I wonder if I still have that old null modem cable in there....

 

[Sarafan]

While we're talking about NWN2, does anyone know the reason, or story, behind why this game was never made into an EE version, when so many of the old D&D games were?

Probably property rights issue and/or lost source code. NWN2 is currently available only on GOG, so there might be some serious issues regarding the rights to the game. I remember that in the past you could buy it on Steam as well, but it was removed for some reasons.