The Currently Playing & Random Game Thoughts Thread (April 10 to April 16)

[ZedClampet]

For co-op, we're playing a 4 person Valheim game. We're having fun, but none of us started new characters or dumped our gear before starting this new world, so there isn't that much to do, so we've been in-game procrastinating, thinking of everything we could possibly do other than fight the final bosses. We should have started from scratch, but it's hard to make progress when you have to get 4 people together to play. What I really need to do is run a dedicated server so that any of us can get on at any time.

For my solo adventures, I downloaded some mods for Subnautica Below Zero, and started a new game there, but then I decided what I really wanted to do was to play The Planet Crafter again, this time with mods, so I went and looked at what was available, and there are some seriously helpful mods there, especially the one that replaces the vanilla flashlight, which is literally the worst flashlight I've ever used in any game. You have a two inch diameter circle of visibility in the middle of the screen. It's awful. Also I got a mod to add inventory spaces to everything including your backpack, a mod that allows you to adjust the speed of the jet packs, a mod that lets you transfer more than one item of the same type at a time by using the middle mouse button, and one other one that lets you modify the meteors/asteroids (the game calls them asteroids, but they are meteors). I'm thinking about adding one more mod that gives you basic crafting functions away from your base.

So what are you all playing? Same old or something new?

 

[WoodenSaucer]

Still playing No Man's Sky, but I haven't had much time to play.

 

[Brian Boru]

What I really need to do is run a dedicated server

Do you mean from home? I thought ISPs frowned on that, but I'm probably a long way behind the times.

I'm mostly dipping in and out of Civ4, playing crazy variations for fun. Had my first war in many years last night—wars bore me cos it's the least enjoyable side of Civ. Once you're experienced, you know how it'll turn out before it barely gets started—at which point the micro managing of logistics quickly becomes a real drag.

Probably for the last decade, if someone declared on me I'd just start a new game. But last night my good friend Catherine The Great decided to have a go. Luckily I spotted her invasion force offshore, which gave me a turn to bring reinforcements within reach of her probable landing point.

As they say, don't bring a sword to a gunfight. Well that's what dear ol' Cate did—landed about 20 knights and longbows and macemen beside one of my cities. I already had cannons and muskets plus 4-5 squads of my own knights for rapid reaction, and I was a couple of turns away from infantry—which are ~twice as strong as any of her units.

Long story short, I wiped out her invasion force before she even got a shot off—ie in the turn she landed 'em—and started spamming frigates and infantry. She only had galleons and caravels, so I got water control within ~5 turns. Then it was a case of land a dozen infantry & 3 cannons beside her city and take it down in 1-2 turns. Took her capital a few turns later—it was inland, so my frigates couldn't knock down the defenses, had to leave that to cannons—and 3 more cities within another ~15 turns.

I'd had enough of loading and unloading galleons by then, so I called it a day—20-minute turns get old quickly for me.

Top Civ YouTuber PotatoMcWhiskey has just started a newbie series for Civ6, so I'm tempted to give that another shot—I only have a few hours in it so far, as it's quite different and I didn't have the inclination to learn before the expansions had bedded down and the main mods are finalized for the final official build.

 

[Zloth]

Wait, did old man @ZedClampet just use "literally" as a substitute for "totally"?

I finally got around to Persona 4. It looks quite good for a Playstation 2 game, but it is definitely a PS2 game. Hello save points, my old nemesis.

I'm still trying to figure out what I'm really supposed to be doing. Each day, you get a chance to spend time doing something. You can spend time with a friend, increasing your social link to that friend. Or you can read in the library, making you smarter. Or take a part time job (haven't tried that yet). Or you can go into the procedurally generated dungeon. Night time has a few things, too, but not as many - and you can't do anything at night if you went dungeon crawling, because you're too tired. I've got no idea how much of each I should be doing.

The dungeons have no save points in them at all. I haven't quite died in a battle yet, but I'm pretty sure doing so means starting it all over again.

I'm playing another game, too, but I'll keep it secret in case I need it for the quiz.

 

[ZedClampet]

Wait, did old man @ZedClampet just use "literally" as a substitute for "totally"?

When my daughter was a sensitive teen, I used to use the word 'amazeballs' and follow it up with 'as the kids say', and she would get mad and tell me kids don't say that. But to your point, even though I'm a child of the 80's, the closest I come to saying 'totally' is when I'm talking about Total War.

Hello save points, my old nemesis.

The Japanese can usually be counted on for save points and crappy mouse/keyboard support.

Do you mean from home? I thought ISPs frowned on that, but I'm probably a long way behind the times.

I'm not aware of them caring if I run a game server for personal use. There's just going to be 4 of us. I've done it off and on for years and they've never said anything.

my good friend Catherine The Great

In probably my second game of Civ5, I massed my navy and took off to fight another country. I don't remember why. Probably they were winning. It was late game, so there was high tech involved. I was just about finished getting everything in place when the leader of that country (I don't even remember what country) said, "I see what you are doing here. What are your intentions. Is it war?" (paraphrased) The problem was that if I said, "Yep, let's fight" he was going to have a free turn with his fleet of submarines attacking my units. That was going to ruin everything, so I said, "Nope. Just passing through," and then immediately attacked the hell out of him. For the rest of the game, even my allies called me a treacherous liar. They never forgot. In Total War, people get over things and move on with their lives. Not so in Civilization. At least not in Civ 5.

 

[Brian Boru]

did old man @ZedClampet just use "literally" as a substitute for "totally"?

He totally did—good catch!

 

[Zloth]

But to your point, even though I'm a child of the 80's, the closest I come to saying 'totally' is when I'm talking about Total War.

This... this cannot BE!

The Japanese can usually be counted on for save points and crappy mouse/keyboard support.

Nah, not so much now. I think the console specs forced them to make tiny save files on the Playstation 1 and 2 eras, but the practice faded away. If there's save points in a modern game, they're backed up by auto-saving.

 

[ZedClampet]

This... this cannot BE!

Nah, not so much now. I think the console specs forced them to make tiny save files on the Playstation 1 and 2 eras, but the practice faded away. If there's save points in a modern game, they're backed up by auto-saving.

Hardly, every Japanese game I've played the last few year only had save points, and these were recent games. They may be slowly getting away from the practice overall, but they definitely still do it a lot. Or it could just be the JRPG games that I play. I'm not counting Resident Evil because there's good reason for it there, but Yakuza, Persona and others have no excuse.

 

[DXCHASE]

Still playing Destiny 2 and Lost Ark. Throw in the mix Godfall. I was hesitant on buying it, but for 25 bucks its the whole game plus all DLC and it looks great although a bit repetitive.

My current thought is why does PCG write an uncomfortable amount of Elden Ring articles lol.

 

[Brian Boru]

why does PCG write an uncomfortable amount of Elden Ring articles

Probably because they all got so wrapped up in the game, they forgot their assigned projects—but had to submit something, so…

 

[Zloth]

... but Yakuza, Persona and others have no excuse.

All the Yakuza games, even Zero, were made for PS2 or PS3. Zero was getting pretty late for save points, though. Instead of doing a proper save, they scattered a LOT of save points all over town.

Persona 4 has done the same thing, except in the dungeons. Those dungeons are procedurally generated, so maybe they didn't want to have to save the whole dungeon? Everywhere else, though, the nearest save point is always really close by.

I think FF13 had the ability to save anywhere once you (finally) got to the open world part. I'm not sure what 15 did, I never bought the game. (Jeez, FF15 was way back in 2016!?)

Dragon's Dogma's saves are... complex. I try to explain it in this review over on RPG Watch. It ain't save points, though.

Valkyria Chronicles lets you save every turn (I'm reading my review to remember that one, too). Calling that a JRPG is pushing it, though. It's more of a squad-based tactics game with some RPG elements, like XCOM.

 

[ZedClampet]

All the Yakuza games, even Zero, were made for PS2 or PS3. Zero was getting pretty late for save points, though. Instead of doing a proper save, they scattered a LOT of save points all over town.

Persona 4 has done the same thing, except in the dungeons. Those dungeons are procedurally generated, so maybe they didn't want to have to save the whole dungeon? Everywhere else, though, the nearest save point is always really close by.

I think FF13 had the ability to save anywhere once you (finally) got to the open world part. I'm not sure what 15 did, I never bought the game. (Jeez, FF15 was way back in 2016!?)

Dragon's Dogma's saves are... complex. I try to explain it in this review over on RPG Watch. It ain't save points, though.

Valkyria Chronicles lets you save every turn (I'm reading my review to remember that one, too). Calling that a JRPG is pushing it, though. It's more of a squad-based tactics game with some RPG elements, like XCOM.

Sometimes getting to save when you want is not the same as being able to save when you want. There are two other, newer Japanese games from the last two years that I can't immediately remember the names of at the moment that required you to travel to save points and save or you were just out of luck. One was an odd-ball detective game, but I have 1200 games, and I'm not going to skim through them all to find the names this morning.

I don't play many Japanese games because of this and other reasons. I'd rather be dropped from a plane without a parachute than to endure most of these games. Final Fantasy 13 is probably one of the worst 3 games I've ever played, and I don't care that after the 14 hour intro that you got to save any time wanted to.

Japanese game development reflects the insular nature of their culture. I'm glad they are slowly changing. Let me know when they catch up.

 

[Pifanjr]

I haven't gotten around to setting up my desktop, but I have been playing a bit of Angband here and there between working. I have a level 30 Dunadan ranger on dungeon level 33 now, but my equipment is still a bit lacking. I'm missing confusion resistance (or blind resistance, I have a helmet for either) and I would really like to find the Phial of Galadriel for some extra light, as I can't shoot stuff if I can't see it. But most importantly, I really need a good bow. I get extra shots with bows, but have been using a crossbow as it does twice the damage.

 

[WoodenSaucer]

Dragon's Dogma's saves are... complex. I try to explain it in this review over on RPG Watch. It ain't save points, though.

I'm trying to remember what game I played where you had to buy or earn the ability to save your game. Is Dragon's Dogma like that? I played it very briefly.

 

[Johnway]

Wait, did old man @ZedClampet just use "literally" as a substitute for "totally"?

I finally got around to Persona 4. It looks quite good for a Playstation 2 game, but it is definitely a PS2 game. Hello save points, my old nemesis.

I'm still trying to figure out what I'm really supposed to be doing. Each day, you get a chance to spend time doing something. You can spend time with a friend, increasing your social link to that friend. Or you can read in the library, making you smarter. Or take a part time job (haven't tried that yet). Or you can go into the procedurally generated dungeon. Night time has a few things, too, but not as many - and you can't do anything at night if you went dungeon crawling, because you're too tired. I've got no idea how much of each I should be doing.

The dungeons have no save points in them at all. I haven't quite died in a battle yet, but I'm pretty sure doing so means starting it all over again.

I'm playing another game, too, but I'll keep it secret in case I need it for the quiz.

Ok if i recall from my memory playing on the vita heres how it works SPOILERS!:

Each day you have a choice to:

1. Develop your character stats - this is to pass tests, pass requirements for social upgrades, passing exams (which means you won't waste time and if you top top of the class you gain social points with 99% of the slinks) , unlocking extra conversations and tasks. For example the latter, you can't visit the temple at night until your bravery is at a top level.

2. Earn money - self explanatory - make money on the side, but also unlock possible social links as well. Try doing hospital work for a while or be a teacher and you might find something...

3. Develop social links - this is your bread and butter of the game. The main benefits of developing social links with people are:

3.1. Unlocking the highest tier persona's in the various arcanas for you to summon.
3.2. Develop/evolve companion persona's into super versions. you can do this twice i believe. Once you get rank 10 and again in the new year.
3.3 Story requirement. if you want the option to get the second bad ending or the side mission with marie, you need to max out their respective social link.


During the night, you can of course study, make the next day's lunch (invite a friend for lunch to boost social points without sacrificing time after school to do it), go fishing, visit the temple ghost etc etc.

i believe later on you can save whilst outside the dungeon (in the waiting area). I believe there will be a clock or some object there. I think the Fox also joins you to save/heal characters. Later on you can stay practically indefinitely as you can save, spend cash recovering everyone and just doing it again. time sort of stops in the tv world...


So what are the main things to do?

your number on priority is rescue. You have a deadline and you must work towards this goal. Fail and its game over. Honestly by mid game you could practically solve the issue within a week and have the rest socializing and grinding for loot/exp/cash. Word of warning though, the last mission for some reason if you defeat the boss, time just jumps forward to christmas/winter so you lose precious time doing stuff.

In between rescues, maintain your social life and school life. Build up the skills you need to gain an advantage and unlock areas. Don't bother trying to max out the social links early, its practically end game stuff although try and have a balanced social life to ensure most slinks are progressing evenly. at least max out marie's social link before the main story arc is sorted. truth be told i couldn't max out all the slinks its practically impossible. but its possible for all your companions, marie and a couple of others. (once you max out one it just gets easier from there).

early on, work towards unlocking the various areas if possible. When you get the bike, drive around explore and eventually you unlock the city and more social stuff (namely the cinema), shops etc.

Some tasks are a waste of time or better use of your time. i've never been a big fan of fishing. Once i caught the legendary fish i didn't see the need to do it anymore. Don't bother building models or just going immediately to sleep. do something constructive. And in the game.

hopefully this helps...

 

[WoodenSaucer]

Got a little more time in on No Man's Sky. I'm really liking the game, but the way they did 3rd person sucks. I hate it that your character is on the left side of the screen. So I tried it in first person, and that was worse. So I just switched back, and I'm dealing with it.

It's an addictive game, though.

 

[Brian Boru]

I notice Steam has a curator called Games at risk of removal.
I just scanned quickly, so can't comment credibly on the quality, but looks like a good effort.

Many of the reasons given are licensing related, eg 'expired' or simply that 'Licensing agreements usually only last for a limited period of time'.

Another frequent reason is for an original game when a remaster is in the works. My favorite of the ones I saw:
“Yet another game being used for money laundering.”

 

[Zloth]

So much to comment on!!

I don't play many Japanese games because of this and other reasons. I'd rather be dropped from a plane without a parachute than to endure most of these games. Final Fantasy 13 is probably one of the worst 3 games I've ever played, and I don't care that after the 14 hour intro that you got to save any time wanted to.

Final Fantasy 13 is widely regarded as the worst FF. (I would disagree and say 8 is the worst, but I'm pretty sure FF13 is at the bottom, with the DLC considered somewhat better.) I stuck it out to the point of the world opening up, still didn't like it, and quit.

I'm trying to remember what game I played where you had to buy or earn the ability to save your game. Is Dragon's Dogma like that? I played it very briefly.

Well, Horizon: Zero Dawn had saves for sale, but you could craft them, too. I can't remember if Dragon's Dogma had something like that.

hopefully this helps...

A lot, yes! I've got all these different ways to improve, but no clue on what kind of improvements will help the most.

I hate it that your character is on the left side of the screen.

?? It matters? Do we need to set up a mirror by your PC monitor?

The game was originally all 1st person. The developers seemed to actively hide what you looked like, providing no shadow or reflections anywhere. Even when I came back to it, I avoided third person. It felt like spoilers to see what I looked like!

 

[Pifanjr]

I'm trying to remember what game I played where you had to buy or earn the ability to save your game. Is Dragon's Dogma like that? I played it very briefly.

Kingdom Come: Deliverance has a consumable that lets you save without having to quit the game, which you can buy or craft.

 

[WoodenSaucer]

Kingdom Come: Deliverance has a consumable that lets you save without having to quit the game, which you can buy or craft.

Yeah, that was it! Thank you. I played it briefly, but then got kind of bored with it.

 

[ZedClampet]

Well, I've "finished" The Planet Crafter twice. Guess I'm done until more content comes out. Only took 10 hours to finish the second time through as I knew better what strategies to use.

Considered playing Subnautica Below Zero, but I made a mod for it that doesn't work, and I refuse to play without my damn mod working. Can't figure out what I did incorrectly. May look at it more during lunch. Might just stick to Valheim, but there's not much there left to do. I need a new survival game.

 

[WoodenSaucer]

Well, I've "finished" The Planet Crafter twice. Guess I'm done until more content comes out. Only took 10 hours to finish the second time through as I knew better what strategies to use.

Considered playing Subnautica Below Zero, but I made a mod for it that doesn't work, and I refuse to play without my damn mod working. Can't figure out what I did incorrectly. May look at it more during lunch. Might just stick to Valheim, but there's not much there left to do. I need a new survival game.

For survival games, have you ever played The Long Dark? It's a decent game. I think it's still on Game Pass, but it seems like I heard they're taking it off sometime.

Edit: I was thinking I was on an Xbox forum. Haha. I got the game free on Epic a while back, though. It's a decent survival game.

 

[ZedClampet]

For survival games, have you ever played The Long Dark? It's a decent game. I think it's still on Game Pass, but it seems like I heard they're taking it off sometime.

Edit: I was thinking I was on an Xbox forum. Haha. I got the game free on Epic a while back, though. It's a decent survival game.

I've heard it's very good. The thing about me and survival games is that, funny enough, I don't like the surviving part. I play them for the building, crafting, cooking, etc. and only manage the survival part as a necessary evil. My impression of The Long Dark is that it is almost entirely just about survival. Somehow I own the game, though, so I might as well try it out. Thanks for the suggestion. I'd forgotten about that game.

 

[Johnway]

A lot, yes! I've got all these different ways to improve, but no clue on what kind of improvements will help the most.

There isn't a clear stat number as such so you never exactly know which activities will net you bonus or large gains . but i think dialogue during slink events pushes it further by a step if you say the right thing but again no info on numbers. The various activities you unlock just add flexibility to engage in social events and building up the events needed to move the slink further.

For the most part your companions are frequently around and up for events and you'll see them all over town. The other school mates and people are a different story...

There might be specific events like if a character wants to see a particular movie and if you indulge their whims they'll have bonus respect etc.

Personally the job slinks are probably the hardest to achieve as you can only do those in the evening and they lack the flexibility to do them.


Concerning the beef bowl, don't bother with the challenge until your personal stats are at max as you won't succeed without max stats. When it rains its generally when the rarer stuff happens if i recall. Also once you max out your stats like in knowledge/education i think you can sod needing to study.

 

[Zloth]

One thing I had to get over was reality. For instance, if you join the soccer team, it practices three days a week (unless it's raining). So, of course, you need to burn the afternoon on those three days. And joining the drama or music club takes up more days. And getting a job! Obviously, that's going to take a lot of afternoons! Except it isn't. Joining clubs seems to just mean that you can show up if you feel like it and the jobs are strictly day laborer stuff, as near as I can tell.

I knocked the difficulty down from Hard to Medium, which helped a lot. Too much, I think. Good thing the game has detailed difficulty settings! Not nearly enough games do that.