The Currently Playing & Random Game Thoughts Thread (March 20 to 26)

[ZedClampet]

March Madness edition, although my team is already out. Not playing much at the moment except TWW3 and Dying Light 2.

Edit: I've decided to spend the afternoon making simple mods for Total War Warhammer 3 so they'll be ready to go when mod support starts next month. Then I can work on some more complex ones. The only problem is that testing them right now is complicated. Testing one mod would be fine, but constantly having to over-write data gets confusing for my little brain.

 

[Kaamos_Llama]

Put me down for Elden Ring for the next month probably.

Killed a giant stone Stag Beetle thing this morning and grabbed golden needle for curing scarlet rot, also killed Commander O'Neil without too much fuss. Had a few runs at Radahn yesterday, he was probably doable, but the great thing about Elden Ring vs old souls games is that theres a lot more other places you can go if you're not making progress where you are. I've been using the Ancestral Follower/Wolf summons as well when things get tough and where available. Can always do a solo run through later once I've gitten as gud as I'm going to get.

Also started a new game on Crusader Kings on the 867 start as High Chief of Prussia, seems like a tough one but not fully to into it yet.

 

[Zloth]

Let me know what you think about Greedfall. I played like 10 minutes of it and moved on to something else. I could tell from the beginning practice thing that the combat was going to be very janky. And the controls and animations seemed kind of jerky, too. But sometime I might give it a little more time because it seemed like maybe it could end up being cool if I could get past that.

It's janky all right. (I didn't even know what that word meant until PC Gamer used it a few years ago!)

I think a big part of the problem is that running and dodging are the same key (left shift). If you've got something coming in that you want to run from, you first have to dodge!

The business with everybody but you suddenly healing and running back to their positions once you get a certain distance away is hurting, too. When up against a bunch of enemies, I and my two party members flail away at them until the two party members go down and they all start coming for me. I just step out of the area. Any surviving nasties get healed but the dead ones stay dead. Dead companions jump right up and run to me. We can just keep wading in and, as long as at least one nasty is brought down, we eventually win. Some battles fence you in, making this impossible, but most don't.

However, it is pretty fun over all. The new environment is fun, as are the monsters. The quests have been pretty good, too. There's plenty of exploration to do. The battle system also lets you pause on space, which isn't very common for 3D games like this.

There's also a crazy number of chests/barrels to open. Every 15ft, there's another crate to open with a few gold pieces in it!

 

[WoodenSaucer]

It's janky all right. (I didn't even know what that word meant until PC Gamer used it a few years ago!)

I think a big part of the problem is that running and dodging are the same key (left shift). If you've got something coming in that you want to run from, you first have to dodge!

The business with everybody but you suddenly healing and running back to their positions once you get a certain distance away is hurting, too. When up against a bunch of enemies, I and my two party members flail away at them until the two party members go down and they all start coming for me. I just step out of the area. Any surviving nasties get healed but the dead ones stay dead. Dead companions jump right up and run to me. We can just keep wading in and, as long as at least one nasty is brought down, we eventually win. Some battles fence you in, making this impossible, but most don't.

However, it is pretty fun over all. The new environment is fun, as are the monsters. The quests have been pretty good, too. There's plenty of exploration to do. The battle system also lets you pause on space, which isn't very common for 3D games like this.

There's also a crazy number of chests/barrels to open. Every 15ft, there's another crate to open with a few gold pieces in it!

So you'd say it's still worth playing even with the janky controls?

 

[ZedClampet]

It's janky all right.

So you'd say it's still worth playing even with the janky controls?

I've looked at this game over and over when it was on sale and never pulled the trigger. I just found out it's on Game Pass, so I'm trying to download it now (downloads are always an adventure on game pass)

 

[WoodenSaucer]

I've looked at this game over and over when it was on sale and never pulled the trigger. I just found out it's on Game Pass, so I'm trying to download it now (downloads are always an adventure on game pass)

I'm probably going to try out Tunic next, so it might be a while before I try GreedFall again. Let me know what you think.

 

[Johnway]

Well... thats the chiv2 free weekend over. had a lot of fun with beginner mode as i fought just as skilled players (and the odd lvl 100-250+ one...) . Decided to play on the main 64 player servers to see how i would fare. a bit of a mixed result. Held my own but there were long periods where i was just eating dirt and not putting up much resistance defending capture points etc. To be expected tbh.

So... will be getting the game? hard to say. Like i say, real life commitments and a growing game collection really doesn't mean I'll have time to invest getting good or playing. Especially when there are other games on the horizon i want to play. The other thing is that I'm not that kind of person who just picks up and play. its like walking into a party where no one knows you and that's kind of awkward for me.

But back to pillars of eternity. Decided to have a bit of a detour to do some of the white march content. The game warned me that i was apparently too op for the content do i want to scale it?. I'm playing the game on normal and frankly i don't want another obstacle to me beating this game. i've got other games to play damn it. So no game, i will not want it to scale. I'm the hero with a door for a shield damn it.

 

[Zloth]

So you'd say it's still worth playing even with the janky controls?

Certainly. This isn't an action RPG, you know. There's plenty of combat, but it isn't what you're doing most of the time. Plus, you get used to the somewhat funky controls after a while.

The game is certainly on a lower level than the top tier RPGs. It's more like a game from Piranha Bytes, Owlcat, or Larian-before-Original-Sin. It has plenty to offer, but the rough edges will probably draw some blood along the way.

 

[Colif]

random thought: Good thing GT7 isn't out on PC until next year as they might not be able to do same trick again. What they did was patch all the microtransactions into game after reviewers had scored game and the prices are just stupid for cars. Also made it more grinding to get cars just by playing game.

players are not amused.

so at least by time PC game is released, they might not try same trick again. Especially if they want people to buy it.

Shame as Gran Tourismo probably has good driving model in it, they just want more money for you to have any fun. $200USD for a virtual car? Lol pass.

 

[ZedClampet]

Not making much progress in my co-op TWW3 campaign where I'm playing Tzeentch. The problem is that I spent the first 140 turns concentrating on the rifts and preparing for the final battle. Meanwhile, the two primary Cathay factions, who are my main enemies, got fat and happy up in their little protected corner of the world. They (and they work together) have 11 armies to my two. Scratch that, I forgot the last thing that happened last night was that one of my armies got attacked by four of their armies. I didn't fight the battle yet, but I think it's safe to say that I will soon have one army.

 

[Brian Boru]

patch all the microtransactions into game after reviewers had scored game

As an online biz person for a couple of decades, it's always amazed me how few others realize that your #1 currency operating online is your reputation. Unless these guys were making a one-time money grab and then going to run off, they're toast for years.

$200USD for a virtual car

You can't be serious! Missing a decimal point there? Even then, I wouldn't pay $2.00 on principle.

What's the most suitable anagram of Gran Turismo?
Souring Mart
Muting Roars
Mourns At Rig / Mourn At Rigs
Strum a Groin
Suing RAM Rot
Ruing a Storm

Who else has too much time on their hands today?

 

[Zloth]

Not enough time left to play anything before bed time. GOG's got a spring sale going on, so I think I'll blah blah blah about some of the games for anyone looking for some cheap stuff to play. All prices are US Dollars.

• Deus Ex (Game of the Year): this was a very good game for its time. The gameplay still holds up today, but the graphics are pretty horrific by today's standards. Some mods can help a little, but only a little. If you can keep your eyes from bleeding, you'll be rewarded with an excellent game and a fun story. Cost is under a dollar. (Also, if I remember right, this game was the #1 game in PC Gamer's first Top 100 list. You could find it somewhere on the following lists until either last year or the year before.)
• Baldur's Gate 1: starts out ssslllooow but this is the first part of a truly epic (and huge) pair of games. The characters are great and, thanks to the enhanced edition, the graphics aren't too horrible. $6
• Baldur's Gate 2: this is even better than the first game and, for some reason, cheaper as well at just $4. You don't need to have played game 1 to play game 2, but it does drop you right into a character that has already levelled up some and has a past with a few of the companions. If you're familiar with RPGs, I think you'll be fine with a quick synopsis.
• Dragon Age: Origins. The characters aren't quite as interesting as Baldur's Gate, but the graphics are far better. I think the world building is better, too. $5.
• Homeworld Enhanced Collection: a unique RTS that's played fully in 3D! If you like these sorts of games, it's worth the $3.50 just to see how you can direct ships to move around in 3D space using your very-much-2D mouse. (I guess you could also do that by buying just Homeworld: Emergence, which isn't enhanced but only costs $1.)
• Mad Max: not a very old game at all. Great graphics, fun car combat. I wouldn't call the game outstanding, but at $5, you'll easily get your money's worth.
• Saints Row: The Third. This is what the phrase "over the top" was made for. Rude, crude, funny and great fun. They've got the original version for $3.75. There's an enhanced version with improved graphics, but that will cost you $20.
• Tomb Raider Anniversary: Essentially, Tomb Raider 1 Enhanced, but it was enhanced 15 years ago. The graphics are far, far better than the original game, but still kinda blocky. The game itself is old school jumping/climbing puzzles with a little shooting here and there. If you played the rebooted series, be aware that the original game has far less action and story and far more "how do I get up there." Only $1.

 

[Colif]

You can't be serious! Missing a decimal point there? Even then, I wouldn't pay $2.00 on principle.

In GT7, the Mercedes S Barker Tourer will cost an eye-watering 20,000,000 credits. We expect this will be the most expensive car in GT7 by a significant margin.

Gran Turismo 7 Legend Cars: These are the most expensive cars in GT7

The Gran Turismo 7 Legend Cars Dealership is where you'll find the rarest and most expensive cars in GT7.

racinggames.gg

AS per video, 1 million credits is $10. You work it out

at this point, I hope there is a glitch that gives people them free to mess with values. This is dumb.

Its getting bad, the game is there to attract players to the shop, that is wrong think. Shop should just exist to buy extra things, not essential things.

I am waiting for Sims 6 which will just be a launcher that takes you to the shop. You don't get anything for free anymore. Makes sense in a series where every release they remove more of game just so they can sell it to you again.

DLC Quest was meant to be a joke, guys.

 

[Brian Boru]

$10. You work it out

Oh hey, I can do that—by a serendipitous coincidence, I have 10 fingers!

Ok, so $1 for each finger—easy.
Which gives me that 1m credits x 10, which is …just a sec, finger tipping… yep, works out to 10m credits—peasy.
Fancy Merc is 20m credits, which is 2 x the 10m credits, so …erm, let's see… aha, that's 2 fingers worth—lemon squeezy.

So I was right, $2 for it. I agree, exorbitant. I think I'll use one of my spare fingers for the devs/pubs.
—Bashful, Sleepy, Happy, Grumpy, Doc, Dopey, Sneezy!

 

[Colif]

My brain hurts just trying to follow your post. Is glad he isn't your bank manager.

congrats on crown trophy, you got there hard way. hate to imagine my like count now had we not stopped it, 30k?

 

[Brian Boru]

Game Developers Choice Awards 2022


Best Debut
Iron Gate Studio for Valheim

Best Visual Art
Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart (Insomniac Games / Sony Interactive Entertainment)

Best Audio
Unpacking (Witch Beam / Humble Games)

Best Narrative
Psychonauts 2 (Double Fine Productions / Xbox Game Studios)

Social Impact Award
Boyfriend Dungeon (Kitfox Games)

Innovation Award
Unpacking (Witch Beam / Humble Games)

Best Technology
Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart (Insomniac Games / Sony Interactive Entertainment)

Best Design
It Takes Two (Hazelight Studios / Electronic Arts)

Audience Award
Valheim (Iron Gate Studio / Coffee Stain Publishing)

Game of the Year
Inscryption (Daniel Mullins Games / Devolver Digital)

Ambassador Award
Steven Spohn

Lifetime Achievement Award
Yuji Horii

 

[WoodenSaucer]

Tomb Raider Anniversary: Essentially, Tomb Raider 1 Enhanced, but it was enhanced 15 years ago. The graphics are far, far better than the original game, but still kinda blocky. The game itself is old school jumping/climbing puzzles with a little shooting here and there. If you played the rebooted series, be aware that the original game has far less action and story and far more "how do I get up there." Only $1.

I played TR Anniversary on the Wii, and in my opinion, that's the only way to play that game. The Wii version made good use of motion controls, and if I remember correctly, it was the only one that included the mansion training level, or at least big parts of it. And the mansion training level was the best part of the whole game, in my opinion.

 

[ZedClampet]

Game Developers Choice Awards 2022


Best Debut
Iron Gate Studio for Valheim

Best Visual Art
Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart (Insomniac Games / Sony Interactive Entertainment)

Best Audio
Unpacking (Witch Beam / Humble Games)

Best Narrative
Psychonauts 2 (Double Fine Productions / Xbox Game Studios)

Social Impact Award
Boyfriend Dungeon (Kitfox Games)

Innovation Award
Unpacking (Witch Beam / Humble Games)

Best Technology
Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart (Insomniac Games / Sony Interactive Entertainment)

Best Design
It Takes Two (Hazelight Studios / Electronic Arts)

Audience Award
Valheim (Iron Gate Studio / Coffee Stain Publishing)

Game of the Year
Inscryption (Daniel Mullins Games / Devolver Digital)

Ambassador Award
Steven Spohn

Lifetime Achievement Award
Yuji Horii

Game Developers Choice Awards 2022

Game of the Year
Inscryption (Daniel Mullins Games / Devolver Digital)

Played the demo for this during lunch, and it was quite fun. It reminds me a lot, in style, of Hand of Fate. You have a dealer, you have a map, which I assume is randomly generated, with branching paths and you decide where to go. Instead of brief melee encounters, you have the card game, which is your basic auto-battler type game with a bit of a dark twist.

You have two lives. After the first death (you've used both of your lives), you get to create a unique card to carry with you through your next game. Not sure what happens after subsequent deaths because I just died that once. Maybe you get a chance to improve your card or make another unique card.

Because it's a roguelike, I probably wouldn't stick with it, as that's not my thing, but it's worth downloading the demo.

Oh, and I'm not sure exactly what the point of the game is. The area with the dealer is sort of like an escape room with puzzles. Not sure how that plays into the whole thing, as I'm sure your main objective is to get to the end of the map.

 

[ZedClampet]

Getting a little irritated with my Total War Warhammer 3 co-op game. I'm having lots of weird things happen. For instance, my armies won't replenish casualties unless they are garrisoned in a settlement that is in a province entirely owned by me, and even then they just barely replenish. A notification I had on one unit said that it would be 98 turns before it was back to full strength, so I'm constantly having to recruit.

During one trip with brand new armies, when I arrived at my destination, both armies were at half health. We were traveling through my own territory with no foreign corruption and a perfect (green) environment. There was never a sign for attrition. This is especially irritating because of the first thing I mentioned.

Enemy armies are ignoring the red, "protected" circles around armies and settlements. They just walk right through them.

I don't get reinforcements in manually fought battles, only in auto-resolved battles that I initiate. If the battle is initiated by the enemy, I don't get them at all. These are NOT lightning strikes, either.

I'm about over it.

 

[Brian Boru]

what the point of the game is

The Wiki is worth a read:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inscryption

 

[Zloth]

And the mansion training level was the best part of the whole game, in my opinion.

I checked and it's in there. I remember thinking it was a tutorial, trying it out, and finding a pretty difficult puzzle set to solve! I wouldn't call it the best part of the game, but it was certainly a very good one.

 

[WoodenSaucer]

I checked and it's in there. I remember thinking it was a tutorial, trying it out, and finding a pretty difficult puzzle set to solve! I wouldn't call it the best part of the game, but it was certainly a very good one.

I just looked it up. I guess the thing in the mansion I was thinking about is that the Wii version was the only version that had a room to store trophies and stuff you find during the game. Also they added a bunch of stuff to make good use of motion controls, like charcoal rubbings, and turning simple switches into mini motion control puzzles.

 

[ZedClampet]

The Wiki is worth a read:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inscryption

I don't really want to find out that way because I may end up buying it.

Meanwhile, in my TWW3 co-op game, this logjam of at least 10 heroes is causing the game to pause between 10 and 20 seconds after every turn. They've been there running into each other for at least 10 turns right now. I have a hero with high assassination rating headed that way to hopefully thin the herd.

 

[DXCHASE]

Lost Arks grind is ridiculous. So basically you raise gear score by "honing" your gear and it costs this near-immeasurable amount of resources to go from say 302 (which you wont even hit until youre level 50 and beat the first part of the game which can easily take 30-50 hours.) to 1400. It doesn't seem like that big of a climb, but what this "honing" system has is a success/fail rate that decreases every single time you go up a couple of levels. So if you are at say 1100 or something, your chances are like 15% or less, so you fail a lot and you lose all the resources, you dont get them back. Its great for MMO heads that love this type of grind and a lot of people do, but i aint got the time nor the money to spend lol. Idk if anyone here can relate to it.

 

[Zloth]

<shrug> You know "free to play" games are going to start charging you at some point. The free demo is ending, you've got to make the "is the price worth the fun to me" decision. Sounds like it isn't going to make the cut.

I'm continually surprised by GreedFall. It's doing SO much stuff wrong, but I'm having quite a bit of fun!

For instance, the game has three palaces, one for each of the major powers. All three palaces look very different outside, but inside they are the same palace! Some doors don't open in the foreign palaces and the textures are different, but the floor plan is copy/pasted. Even your advisor's office, with all its skeletons and curiosities, is repeated in each palace - the other two just don't have anybody in the room. The interior of every house is the same, too.

Yet this doesn't seem to be happening in the outside world. I'm not seeing any repetition in the landscape, the cities look quite different, and even the outsides of these palaces look completely different. I don't know what happened in development that gave them time to craft a huge world but left them forced to cut & paste any time a roof was involved.

The fun is coming from the quests. Again, the quests aren't some masterful works of branching and interconnectedness - most seem to be pretty linear, really. They tell interesting stories, though, via good voice acting (for the main characters, anyway) - so I want to know how these stories end.