The Currently Playing & Random Game Thoughts Thread (2 October to 8 October)

[SWOManX]

Crazy, crazy thing happened to me this morning. As usual, I wasn't getting much sleep and at around 4 this morning I decided to fix a pot of coffee. The pot had leftover coffee from yesterday, and the sink was occupied by potted plants my wife was saturating, so I carried the caraffe to the front door intending to just dump the leftover coffee in the yard. But when I opened the door, there was a man standing in my yard, about 15 or so feet from me. He was standing perfectly still just staring at me. It was still dark, so I could't make much out. He had something hanging from his left hand, but I couldn't tell what it was.

Needless to say, I was a little startled. I didn't even say anything. I just backed up and shut and locked the door. But one thing was for certain, this was unacceptable, whatever it was, so I went downstairs to the gun cabinet, unlocked it and grabbed my 20 guage. I checked to make sure it was loaded and the safety was off and went back upstairs.

When I opened the door, he wasn't more than 5 feet away from me.

I hadn't intended to point the shotgun at him--you never point a gun at anything you don't intend to kill--but fear and my natural instinct took over and I had the barrel pointed straight at his head.

"I don't know what you think you're doing, but I know what's about to happen to you if you don't explain yourself," I said.

I suddenly remembered he was carrying something and tried to look at his hand, but he was holdihg it behind his back now.

"If you pull your hands from behind your back, I'm shooting you and sorting through the mess later," I said.

At this point a stray thought of reason finally entered my head.

"I'm closing the door and calling the police,."

I shut the door and no sooner than I had locked it then the door handle, which was loose, started to rattle. I yelled for my wife, who answered like she was still in a dream, and told her to call the police. I told her someone was trying to get into the house. And that they were. As part of a job I used to have, I owned lockpicking tools, and now I heard the unmistakable sound of a lock being picked.

"Are you calling the police?" I yelled, and that was when the door swung open.

Okay, as you probably guessed early on, none of that happened.

Happy Halloween month!

Like all Hollywood horror movies from the last 20 years, that was based on a true story because...um...I have a coffee maker.

Anyway, I intend to go through my backlog this week and see if there are any horror games I haven't played and get them going, and, of course, this is the month people tend to launch their horror games, so I have to keep an eye on Steam as well.

HA! You had me for a minute there, I was glued to my screen. CHEERS!

 

[Frindis]

For anyone interested: https://steelseries.com/gg/moments/humblebundle. If you do the short task, you'll get a nice deal (a discount code you can redeem) on Humble Choice which contains these games this month: https://www.humblebundle.com/membership/september-2022 for roughly 6.11 USD. It is a time-limited offer, so I reckon the offer last until this upcoming Tuesday at 10 am PT which is when the Humble Bundle launches its next monthly choice bundle.

 

[ZedClampet]

@mainer You were talking about wanting to do some video projects, so you might want to check out this Humble bundle. I know absolutely nothing about these products, but they sound good,

Content Creator's Image & Video Tools Bundle

We’ve teamed up with Movavi for our newest bundle. Get software like Video Editor Plus 2020 and Movavi Photo Editor. Plus, pay what you want & support charity!

www.humblebundle.com

Edit: Oh, hey, the Painter Bundle has the Corel video program. Not sure which one would be better.

 

[Zloth]

I doubt this is the fault of Steam. My best guess is that it was a file written by the game that got screwed up.

I thought games stopped doing that kind of thing in the game directory itself? That kind of stuff goes in in %APPDATA% somewhere, or maybe the Steam Cache, or C:\Program Data. I only cleaned out the game directory, nothing else.

 

[WoodenSaucer]

Playing Fenyx Rising, and taking my time because I'm trying to 100% each section as I go. I got to where I'm ready to continue the main story, and I already had 4 of the quest items because I already did everything in the section. Lol.

 

[ZedClampet]

In the Trial in Forza today, there was nothing between me and the finish line but a short left turn and a bridge, Right as I got on the bridge, a player tried to pass me, our cars came together and he shot through the guardrail and crashed into the river below, finishing in last.

After the race, Guido looked at me, and I still had a look glued to my face like I'd accidentally set off a nuclear device. Guido, who was behind us, said it wasn't my fault, that the guy was going to hit me and over-corrected. I didn't help, though, because I also drifted in his direction just a bit.

Oh well, I'll never see that guy again anyway, which was extra good because he was going to pass me. Of course, I was in a Ford Transit van.

 

[Brian Boru]

I like when one on my wishlist is 90% off for a week

Down in Bermuda seems well thought of as a short point n click puzzle adventure game. No way is it worth $20, but $2 seems worth a shot.

 

[ZedClampet]

I like when one on my wishlist is 90% off for a week

Down in Bermuda seems well thought of as a short point n click puzzle adventure game. No way is it worth $20, but $2 seems worth a shot.

The video on Steam makes it look like it's got tons of potentially interesting puzzles.

 

[Pifanjr]

I thought games stopped doing that kind of thing in the game directory itself? That kind of stuff goes in in %APPDATA% somewhere, or maybe the Steam Cache, or C:\Program Data. I only cleaned out the game directory, nothing else.

I Googled around a bit but didn't find anything conclusive. It seems to me that either Steam isn't thorough enough to catch all bad files or it isn't able to because some files are created after installation.

 

[ZedClampet]

@Zloth @Pifanjr

I'm not sure this is 100 percent relevant, but Valve only checks if your game works once, and that's right before you launch it for sale. After that, it's up to the developers to make sure their updates and what-have-you work. Valve scans the files for security issues as you upload them, but that's it.

Valve assumes developers intend for their games to work and wants them to be able to upload bug fixes and other updates as easily as possible without going through additional review processes.

All that said, Valve has removed games from sale at times because they stopped working, but I assume they found out through users reporting the games.

Also, when Valve checks the integrity of your game files, it's just checking to make sure they are all there and in the right spot, not whether they actually function as intended.

The assumption is always that the game works or else the developer/publisher would fix it.

 

[Ryzengang]

Not too much has changed for me in terms of gaming. Still playing The Witcher 1 on PC and started playing Assassin's Creed Syndicate. Honestly surprised by how much I like Syndicate. The world is really nice to just stroll around in and essentially having a grappling hook makes traversal more enjoyable.

On Steam Deck I've mostly just been playing Vampire Survivors, which is very good. Haven't played much else on the Deck for a few days.

Not really game related (although I suppose it sort of is) but I'm reading through the Witcher novels again. The magic of ADHD is being able to re-experience my favorite media and it still be somewhat fresh because I managed to forget a boatload! Jokes aside, I highly recommend the Witcher books for people who are into reading and like fantasy. They are really good.

 

[ZedClampet]

I highly recommend the Witcher books for people who are into reading and like fantasy. They are really good.

Yep, they are great.

 

[Zloth]

Also, when Valve checks the integrity of your game files, it's just checking to make sure they are all there and in the right spot, not whether they actually function as intended.

I thought they did a little CRC check on all the files? But maybe they are only reading some part of the files instead of the whole thing. After all, that functionality was made way before SSDs showed up, so maybe it just checks the last 100K of each file or some such. Or maybe it's like you say and it just checks that the file is there and is the right size. I suppose I could write a little program to change one byte of a file and test it out.

Whatever they are doing, or whatever the developers are writing (shaders maybe?), Google Fiber can pull down games fast enough that I might as well just do the delete every time.

 

[Pifanjr]

@Zloth @Pifanjr

I'm not sure this is 100 percent relevant, but Valve only checks if your game works once, and that's right before you launch it for sale. After that, it's up to the developers to make sure their updates and what-have-you work. Valve scans the files for security issues as you upload them, but that's it.

Valve assumes developers intend for their games to work and wants them to be able to upload bug fixes and other updates as easily as possible without going through additional review processes.

All that said, Valve has removed games from sale at times because they stopped working, but I assume they found out through users reporting the games.

Also, when Valve checks the integrity of your game files, it's just checking to make sure they are all there and in the right spot, not whether they actually function as intended.

The assumption is always that the game works or else the developer/publisher would fix it.

I thought they did a little CRC check on all the files? But maybe they are only reading some part of the files instead of the whole thing. After all, that functionality was made way before SSDs showed up, so maybe it just checks the last 100K of each file or some such. Or maybe it's like you say and it just checks that the file is there and is the right size. I suppose I could write a little program to change one byte of a file and test it out.

Whatever they are doing, or whatever the developers are writing (shaders maybe?), Google Fiber can pull down games fast enough that I might as well just do the delete every time.

Steam does say they check if files were corrupted too, so I don't think it's just checking whether the file exists and is the right size. But I'm not sure if they go through each file entirely or just do some spot checks.

 

[Johnway]

Like a junkie jonesing bad, i've reinstalled Chivalry 2 again. With the game now on XGP its flooded with lvl1 players. you'd think that its freshmeat season, but alas i wasn't that good to begin with and they were quick learners. At first i was doing pretty well racking up a reasonable kill count but not even close to 2 k/d. But there were points i felt like a manga hero as i cleaved 2/3 people at a time at one point. Might play more this week and see how i fare. Hopefully with fresh blood i might stand a better chance and get some wins in. So far out of the 3 or 4 games i played i won 1.... Not good.

 

[Zloth]

P:WotR once again crashed and once again mangled itself. I had to remove the last two quicksaves this time and delete all files then verify this time. I didn't see any other complaints in the Steam forums, but I'm starting to think I may need to play something else for a while and hope a patch fixes whatever-it-is.

 

[Brian Boru]

crashed and once again mangled

Did you try complete uninstall, registry clean, and fresh start? With no other complaints, strong pointer to something's not right with your install.

I don't usually recommend registry cleaning—unnecessary these days, and can cause problems—but if you make an OS disk image beforehand, you'll be fine.

 

[ZedClampet]

Steam does say they check if files were corrupted too, so I don't think it's just checking whether the file exists and is the right size. But I'm not sure if they go through each file entirely or just do some spot checks.

I don't know. That's not what it says about it in Steam support. But it makes sense because the process takes too long just to be comparing a list.

 

[mainer]

@mainer You were talking about wanting to do some video projects, so you might want to check out this Humble bundle. I know absolutely nothing about these products, but they sound good,

Thanks, I will check that out! I'm still taking a few crude videos from time to time of certain gameplay moments, but I'm looking to do a bit more with them.

I'm currently finishing up with ME1 in ME Legendary, and hope to move on to ME2 today or tomorrow. The 3 games have such a great story arc that they feel more like 3 progressing episodes of a single game. I couldn't imagine playing any of the games individually and they are all a part of one story. I may do a post in the RPG Section about ME Legendary and my experience of going through all 3 games.

I can understand how some players might be put off by the mechanics of ME1 when compared to newer games, especially the combat controls and the Mako maneuvering. The Mako driving can be an experience, but I'm used to it as I've probably played ME1 at least 8-10 times since it originally released. But there is one part that has always been a pain since the first time I played the game.

This particular sequence is on the planet Therum, where you have to rescue Liara and is part of the main quest, so it's not optional (most planets contain optional side quests). There is a narrow gap in the terrain that you have to maneuver the Mako through by getting it to flip a bit sideways. It's always been frustrating to me. The screenshot is after making it through, and the narrow gap is visible near the center.

There are environmental hazards, like the lava river, that while not "insta-death", can destroy you quickly, but the design choice to put this obstacle on a "seam" between maps, so you constantly get this brief "data loading" popup as you try to get through the gap adds to the pain.

Below is a roughly 6 minute unedited video of that experience, if you have the patience to watch it. There is no commentary, as I turned the mic off because I am constantly cursing during this sequence, and while most of you wouldn't care, I felt it might stretch the TOS of the forum.

View: https://youtu.be/4NZ1keN7Hrw

 

[WoodenSaucer]

I can understand how some players might be put off by the mechanics of ME1 when compared to newer games, especially the combat controls and the Mako maneuvering. The Mako driving can be an experience, but I'm used to it as I've probably played ME1 at least 8-10 times since it originally released. But there is one part that has always been a pain since the first time I played the game.

That's exactly what put me off. I finally tried it out a few months ago, and I was having a lot of fun with ME1, right up until they put you in the Mako for the first time. After that, I just quit. There were other games I was wanting to play more.

 

[Johnway]

More chivalry 2 gaming. So... After leaving it for a day the competition appears to gotten significantly better. i had hoped for more balanced games but so far out of 6 games, i only been on the winning team twice. That said, i've come near the top of my team most of the time and i think the problem is that most of the beginners just aren't PTFO like collecting the loot, setting fire to tents etc. So it s left to me to do it.

I'm going to continue to keep a record of my wins and losses and see how far i get. I suspect the golden honey moon period is going to swiftly end and then i'll be back to playing my collection. Note to self: need to complete shovel knight i have one more level to finish...

 

[Zloth]

This particular sequence is on the planet Therum, where you have to rescue Liara and is part of the main quest, so it's not optional (most planets contain optional side quests). There is a narrow gap in the terrain that you have to maneuver the Mako through by getting it to flip a bit sideways. It's always been frustrating to me. The screenshot is after making it through, and the narrow gap is visible near the center.

Ummm, Mainer? Get OUT of the Mako and walk through the gap!

 

[ZedClampet]

Thanks, I will check that out! I'm still taking a few crude videos from time to time of certain gameplay moments, but I'm looking to do a bit more with them.

I'm currently finishing up with ME1 in ME Legendary, and hope to move on to ME2 today or tomorrow. The 3 games have such a great story arc that they feel more like 3 progressing episodes of a single game. I couldn't imagine playing any of the games individually and they are all a part of one story. I may do a post in the RPG Section about ME Legendary and my experience of going through all 3 games.

I can understand how some players might be put off by the mechanics of ME1 when compared to newer games, especially the combat controls and the Mako maneuvering. The Mako driving can be an experience, but I'm used to it as I've probably played ME1 at least 8-10 times since it originally released. But there is one part that has always been a pain since the first time I played the game.

This particular sequence is on the planet Therum, where you have to rescue Liara and is part of the main quest, so it's not optional (most planets contain optional side quests). There is a narrow gap in the terrain that you have to maneuver the Mako through by getting it to flip a bit sideways. It's always been frustrating to me. The screenshot is after making it through, and the narrow gap is visible near the center.

There are environmental hazards, like the lava river, that while not "insta-death", can destroy you quickly, but the design choice to put this obstacle on a "seam" between maps, so you constantly get this brief "data loading" popup as you try to get through the gap adds to the pain.

Below is a roughly 6 minute unedited video of that experience, if you have the patience to watch it. There is no commentary, as I turned the mic off because I am constantly cursing during this sequence, and while most of you wouldn't care, I felt it might stretch the TOS of the forum.

View: https://youtu.be/4NZ1keN7Hrw

I don't remember ME1 very well, but I would have remembered that if I had done it Pretty sure I must have left the Mako behind at that point, especially since the next area has cover. But this reminds me of Half Life 2 when I refused to get out of the boat and spent 20 minutes, finally launching myself over obstacles to get to the next patch of water.

 

[Pifanjr]

I've been feeling under the weather for over a week now. I called in sick last week's Thursday and haven't gone back to work since. Been playing little bits of Rimworld here and there, still on the same colony. It was going pretty well, but I had some setbacks while trying to move my base over to a different part of the map. Last time I just created a new base on a new map tile, which was a bother, so this time I just created a new base on the same map tile so my colonists could keep sleeping in their old bedrooms until everything was done.

The problem is that building another base quickly increases your total wealth, which increases the difficulty of the events that spawn and it's a lot harder to deal with them properly if your colonists are spread out over the map. I finally got everyone moved to the new base, but a mechanoid ship crashed near my base and is making all of my colonists upset, but I don't have the manpower left to get rid of them.

So today I decided to start a Guildmaster Gloomhaven campaign and got completely sucked in. I entirely lost track of time until my alarm went off reminding me I had to pick up my daughter from school.

So far it's been easier than the board game, but I'm not sure it is because the game starts easy or I'm just good at the game. I'm already playing on hard, but I think I'll try increasing the difficulty one more step next time.

 

[mainer]

Ummm, Mainer? Get OUT of the Mako and walk through the gap!

Pretty sure I must have left the Mako behind at that point, especially since the next area has cover.

I never actually thought about getting out of the Mako and walking, but it would definitely be an alternative way to do that part (and probably less frustrating). The only drawback to that is that it would be a long walk through the next map to get to the Prothean Ruins to find Liara. And while there's plenty of cover, the entire way has multiple Geth troops as well as Geth Armatures to battle.