The Currently Playing & Random Game Thoughts Thread (May 8 to May 14)

[ZedClampet]

Happy Mother's Day for those who live wherever that is celebrated today, possibly just in America, dunno.

I haven't had time to play much this week, although I've left Farming Simulator 22 on most of the week. I just start people working fields and come back to it hours later and they are usually either finished or got stuck somewhere. I've spent more time looking for mods than actually playing. Had a couple that were broken and had to figure out how to fix them. Most of my mods are not coming from the official site right now because Giants Software is so far behind in approving mods. Mods that are approved earn the modders money if you download them from the official site, so I try to get them from there whenever possible, but there are a whole lot of mods backed up in their system ready to be tested and approved. They said they had 200 player-made maps alone that they were working through.

Did get to play some last night, and I've gotten a little better at stacking pallets:

There are actually autoload trailer mods you can get, which I use for some things, but stacking them myself is actually kind of fun, so I do a little of both.

Found a 16x map that I'm looking forward to playing as soon as I get to my goals in my current map. Actually, I've found several good user-made maps while looking around. Would like to try my hand at map making one day.

 

[Zloth]

Paid mods?? And I guess the devs are paying for the mods, not the people downloading them? That will certainly bring in a large modding community, though I sure don't begrudge them all the "so & so copied my idea" drama.

Phoenix Point is getting rough again. Not difficulty wise, just mentally, because it's hard to get much sense of advancement. The technology advancements don't add much - they are more about variety than really making solid advancements. Soldiers definitely advance as they get more skills but, when you've got 20+ of them, it's more like gaining little bits here and there. I'm definitely advancing, it's just so gradual that it's hard to get excited about it.

Soon, I'll have a containment structure to store captured Pandorans. That will let me do research on captured species that lets me do a whole 10% more damage. Whooop dee doo.

 

[ZedClampet]

Paid mods?? And I guess the devs are paying for the mods, not the people downloading them? That will certainly bring in a large modding community.

Yeah, mods are free to users, but I'm not sure how much the payment part has to do with the modding scene. It's apparently very small payments for very large numbers of downloads. And there really isn't much ownership of mods from one game to the next. If you downloaded the Giants Editor, you could go grab a mod/map from FS19 made by someone else, open it in the editor and hit the "Convert to FS22" button, and submit that mod to them (you really only do that when it becomes clear the original modder has moved on). Heck, you can even take things made by GIants Software themselves and run them through the converter and send it in. All the maps and equipment that wasn't carried over from the old games always show up as mods for the new game, although GIants usually does most of that themselves. The general rule of thumb there for anything you want to do is to give credit to the originator and you are fine. There's even a large category of mods that is nothing but stuff for other people to use for their own mods. Right now there's only about 70 things in there, but I suspect it's because the game is relatively new and Giants has fallen behind in the approval process.

 

[Pifanjr]

I played a bunch of Fling to the Finish with my daughter (thanks @DXCHASE !). She has a lot of fun just looking around, messing about and intentionally falling off platforms and getting through the levels works surprisingly well as long as we don't have to coordinate too much. We might fall down or get stuck for a bit, but we can get past most obstacles after a few tries. The only ones that are still a real problem are the ones where you have to alternate between sticking to a wall/obstacle and flinging the other player.

We also played some Stardew Valley together, but I think she's getting a bit done with that. We got some chickens and cows, but she doesn't like taking care of them every day and she doesn't like when I do it by myself either. And I've been trying to get the chicken coop upgraded so we can hatch the dinosaur egg I found, but that's taking longer than I hoped and she prefers just playing pretend in the game instead of actually playing the game most of the time.

 

[Zloth]

And I've been trying to get the chicken coop upgraded so we can hatch the dinosaur egg I found...

I believe the chickens' housing authority is trying to get your attention on this matter. I've been instructed to inform you that, if you do not listen to their demands and take them seriously, there will be a lawsuit. Possibly worse.

 

[Pifanjr]

I believe the chickens' housing authority is trying to get your attention on this matter. I've been instructed to inform you that, if you do not listen to their demands and take them seriously, there will be a lawsuit. Possibly worse.

Stardew Valley does have some dark moments, but it would be quite something if you would get threatening letters and then wake up with a horse head in your bed one day.

 

[ZedClampet]

I downloaded a fertilizer spreader mod for a machine that was "bigger on the inside" hoping that my little tractor could pull it and not have to stop half-way through to buy more fertilizer. Sadly, when completely filled, the fertilizer weighed a tad too much for my little tractor.

It's rear-wheel drive, so I just decided to use it this way rather than empty it, but the spread wasn't as wide because it was aiming downward.

 

[Kaamos_Llama]

Needs a man hanging on the front and she'll be right.

 

[Frindis]

Been playing a lot of 7 days to die. It's a survival zombie game, pretty cool. Other than that RDR2, some Fortnite no-build, and Trek To Yomi. The last one is a samurai story game with ok fighting and excellent sceneries.

 

[ZedClampet]

Oh, and I've noticed that some modders are a bit too conservative. I downloaded a winery mod. In the

Been playing a lot of 7 days to die. It's a survival zombie game, pretty cool. Other than that RDR2, some Fortnite no-build, and Trek To Yomi. The last one is a samurai story game with ok fighting and excellent sceneries.

I enjoy 7 Days to Die, but the Fun Pimps need to be smacked for keeping this in early access for 8 1/2 years. And there's been about a year worth of progress made during that time (If you haven't played the game, it's basically content/feature complete and has been for years). They keep changing things that make no difference and making minor updates that probably represent a couple days of work. Maybe they have some bigger picture that I'm not aware of and all of this makes sense.

 

[Frindis]

@ZedClampet I have about 20 hours in it so can't really (pr)review the game, but it seems to be pretty finished. Can't say I have seen many bugs, the building seems a bit janky, but then again I'm not particularly good at it. Combat is ok, definitely better than a lot of other indie games out there with the same survival theme. It also looks pretty good, even if there is some lag. I mean, if Cyberpunk 2077 could release (for consols particularly) in that state it was in, then I don't see the problem really. Maybe they just want it to be perfect and don't really care how long it takes.

At least it works and is not something like the disaster Wolley made with CubeWorld which also was in early access for a long time, but with almost NO updates and then a sudden release on Steam with content 1000 times worse than Alpha. Some just do it to squeeze money out of people also, so there is that.

 

[ZedClampet]

@ZedClampet I have about 20 hours in it so can't really (pr)review the game, but it seems to be pretty finished. Can't say I have seen many bugs, the building seems a bit janky, but then again I'm not particularly good at it. Combat is ok, definitely better than a lot of other indie games out there with the same survival theme. It also looks pretty good, even if there is some lag. I mean, if Cyberpunk 2077 could release (for consols particularly) in that state it was in, then I don't see the problem really. Maybe they just want it to be perfect and don't really care how long it takes.

At least it works and is not something like the disaster Wolley made with CubeWorld which also was in early access for a long time, but with almost NO updates and then a sudden release on Steam with content 1000 times worse than Alpha. Some just do it to squeeze money out of people also, so there is that.

It's solid. Building is exactly the same as it's always been. Honestly, the game launched into early access is a very good state. The biggest changes they've made were to add the option to use a procedurally generated world and the bases that have vendors/quests. The graphics actually got significantly worse for awhile after they released the procedural generation, but they are back to how they were at launch now. Not sure what they were doing there.

When the game first launched, guns could be found all over the place, then they took away all the guns and you only found gun parts. Now it's kind of a mix of those two extremes. Combat was much easier in the beginning. It's not hard now, but it's harder than it was. It takes more hits/bullets to bring them down. Personally, I don't like how almost every kill now involves the zombie going down and then getting back up again to take another shot or two before dying. It's just annoying not to know whether they are really dead or not when they fall to the ground,

Anyway, it's a good game. Probably the best zombie survival game out there.

 

[Ryzengang]

So this isn't related to any particular game, more some game-related thoughts. With summer approaching, I've been taking the time to sort some games into a Steam collection called "Light" (in the sense that they are easy to run). You see, I have no air conditioning, and playing anything even mildly demanding in my room is essentially impossible. Thus, I've been creating a selection of games that will be ideal for the coming hot weather.

The positive side is that I have a pretty strong selection at the moment. I've mentioned in some previous posts that I've been playing the Final Fantasy series from the first game. Well, I stopped after finishing FFV so FFIV and FFVII are great candidates that can run on a toaster. Monster Hunter Rise is also a good option. With it being a Switch port, I should be able to get it to run at pretty low temps. I still have Trails in the Sky 2 and 3 to finish. and various indies like Vampire Survivors (great cheap game, btw, if you haven't heard of it). Also, I really enjoy Warhammer 40k Dawn of War: Dark Crusade; I've gone back to it now and again for a long time and it can run on a calculator, so it is definitely a strong option.

 

[Frindis]

@Ryzengang What about games with a cold theme? Might not help your computer, but perhaps it could cool you off playing in cold?🤔Or who knows, maybe if you cool your own body temperature, your PC will also cool a little? Yeah, you see, this is one of the reasons I should work at I.T:

"Mam, just hear me out. I'm telling you, just play a game that has cold themes and you will feel colder. Then your PC will lower its temperature drastically!"

 

[ZedClampet]

You see, I have no air conditioning,

I don't know where you live or what the summer temps are, but I can get a window AC unit for $150 here, and I'd have to do that. I'd never be able to sleep with my bedroom around 100 degrees every night. Either that, or I'd buy 20 Styrofoam coolers and pack my room full of ice, but that would be more expensive, buying all that ice, than just buying an air conditioner.

 

[Johnway]

new path of exile league and this time there is an opportunity to bag some tasty rewards. namely an entire outfit set by completing just half of the challenges. The problem? the challenges are much harder and more involved so no more easy hand me downs that just require a month of grinding. its about being able to complete the highest level end tier content and thats something i rarely ever achieved.

The one advantage is that there has been no change in the meta. So what worked in the last league will work fine in the new one. The only problem is just getting the high currency i need to get the gear. i'll also have to be careful and plan what build to make. preferably an easy/broken one.

Or alternatively screw path of exile and just play a whole load of other games.

 

[Ryzengang]

I don't know where you live or what the summer temps are, but I can get a window AC unit for $150 here, and I'd have to do that. I'd never be able to sleep with my bedroom around 100 degrees every night. Either that, or I'd buy 20 Styrofoam coolers and pack my room full of ice, but that would be more expensive, buying all that ice, than just buying an air conditioner.

I live in the NE United States so it doesn't get insanely hot, but it's definitely not ideal. I may have to bite the bullet and get a basic window unit or something. Even putting gaming aside, sleeping is terrible in the summer so it is probably worth it just for sleep alone.

 

[Zloth]

Even with an A/C, it can get too hot to play games. The A/C can only take temps down about 20-25F. If it's over 102F/39C, the house will still be 80F/27C. That's not too bad by itself but cranking up a video card and/or CPU in that heat makes the room too hot within an hour. Best to chat about games on forums and read books when it gets like that.

Or try and move my whole setup into the basement.

 

[Brian Boru]

I downloaded a winery mod. In the

Something missing there?

 

[Brian Boru]

I've been creating a selection of games that will be ideal for the coming hot weather

Great idea! That would make a very useful thread for some people I'm sure, so give it a shot if you like

I may have to bite the bullet and get a basic window unit

When I lived inland, I found a basic window unit did the job of keeping temps bearable during summer, so give it a shot. Of course make sure it blocks the full window width!

Another option is blackout curtains, which we use now in NW USA for the short heatwaves—we don't have or need AC. They're pretty good, but of course your view is shot

 

[ZedClampet]

Something missing there?

I was going to write something, changed my mind and hit reply. Didn't realize it carried over.

But I downloaded a winery mod, and you made significantly less than if you made grape juice, which is a product in the base game. Overall, modders seem to be failing a bit dealing with a more complex production chain and economy. I have a slaughterhouse mod, and you have to spend over $200,000.00 in resources to earn $12,000.00. The modder thinks because you can make those resources for nothing but hard work that it's a good deal, but how about I sell those resources instead of trading them for the $12,000.00 worth of meat? I've probably reworked a dozen mods already.

 

[ZedClampet]

I'm going to hate myself in the morning, but I've stayed up half the night making my son a 312 mph tractor. It's amazing, though. I ran off the road, hit a small hill and flew for half a mile.

 

[Brian Boru]

flew for half a mile

That's happened me too quite a lot when I have to drive a vehicle. All it needs is the road to be high up, ideally along a cliff. The flight is then half a mile straight down.

Q: Did I mention I don't like vehicles?
A: Yes, many times

 

[Frindis]

@ZedClampet My brain was not working perfectly when I read your message, so for a split second I thought that you meant in real life.

 

[WoodenSaucer]

I was on a personal quest in No Man's Sky to find a star system that had the perfect planet for a base. I was having a really rough time with that, going from system to system. Then the thought came to me that I never explored the first system I built a base in at all. So I teleported back to that first base, which I did a horrible job on. I traveled around and found another planet that I liked, and found a pretty good spot for a base. So cool! I just had to go back to that first system.

I had already started the "Expand your base" quest on another base in another system that I didn't like. I had already built a construction terminal and science terminal, and I had already hired an overseer and scientist. So I was wondering what would happen if I redid that on my new, more permanent base. Would I have to rehire people? Would it screw up my progress in the quest? So what ended up happening is when I built the new terminals, I could just click on them to use them, and my guys just appeared and moved there from the other base. So I'm exactly where I was before. But this time, I put their terminals in a building, instead of making them stand outside all the time.

You know what else is crazy, I installed a storage bin in my new base, and I had only done that once before. All of my stuff was in the new storage bin. So I guess it kind of works like cloud storage. Haha.