Why not try out the newer IL-2 Battle of Stalingrad?

Over the past couple of months I have had a very robust rotation, more than I usually do.

Fallout 4
Fallout New Vegas
F1 2021
Borderlands the Presequel
Borderlands 2
Borderlands 3
PGA Tour 2k21
Bioshock Infinite
Disco Elysium

Mixin' it up!

Disco Elysium sounds like the name of some electro-industrial band.

PM, I actually have IL-2 Battle of Stalingrad and 3 more modules and while the ground graphics are great, the rest of it does not appeal.
So, it sits, unused.
It seems to be great for making youtube videos with though.

Star Citizen for me the last week. 3.15 went live and there's a free fly event starting on the 18.
Newest patch added changes to FPS missions and added an iteration of medical gameplay.

Tried using PWCG in the new IL2 for coop campaigns, but couldn't get it to work.

On my current playing rotation:

Rome Total War: Remastered
Total War: Troy
Total War: Three Kingdoms
Fallout 76
Mass Effect: Andromeda
DCS
IL-2 BOS
Far Cry 6
Company of Heroes 2

As far as true single player is concerned I am waiting for Elden Ring.

When I think about reasons why I can never get "into" Witcher 3, the way Geralt and the abominable horse respond to input is at the top of the list. Every time I play the game I find myself wishing it controlled as perfectly as the Dark Souls games do. They are an absolute flawless joy in input and character response execution. They feel so good. With the amount of hours I have in the series, there's no wonder this significantly hampers my enjoyment of the third Witcher entry. Geralt has this weird "bump" when you try and turn him around or alter his direction--there's no instant flip in another direction. He has heft and mass and feels like a bus compared to characters I have controlled in other games.

And the footage I saw of Elden Ring looked very promising this weekend from the playtest...

Hopefully it is not pure Skyrim/Witcher 3 open forest world, but retains the verticality of Dark Souls 1 that make the game so special. Dark Souls 1 was an open world game, by the way, with many different paths to each area to discover. It was the best Zelda and Metroid game produced in almost a decade when it first came out. Maybe I should play through the series again.

The only thing that has kept me from playing this is the "worship communism" aspect I have read about in reviews. How ingrained is this in the ethos and does rise to the level of propaganda and glorification?

Some interesting reading here and I can see the point you are making. Having said that, I don't think this type of RPG would be my cup of tea.


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

Well, it's there, but so is fascism, socialism, capitalism, racism, moralism and lots of stuff. You can completely opt in or opt out. Or simply dabble.

It's probably the most political game I've played. But it doesn't really take sides, doesn't present one ideology as superior. Matter of fact the game sort of portrays Communism as a fading relic of the past.

I wouldn't let this keep you from playing. Even if you go full-on commie, it doesn't mean you are a communist in real life. It's just role playing. There is plenty of propaganda and glorification by characters who ascribe to a particular ideology, as I would expect. Zealots gotta zeal, ya know?

I think it's marvelously presented, more as a case study of various political paths and positions than something you feel joined in. I've played a straight cop, I mostly side-step the politics, even as it swirls around me. Just the facts, ma'am. For me it adds so much to the narrative, that I am surrounded by folks with their own views, motivations and ideologies, while I try to sift through the bullsh!t to solve the case.

For me the political threads are a reason to play it, not to avoid it.

With winter around the corner, I tend to gravitate towards wargames in most shapes and forms.

- Command Ops 2 (yes there still working on it till date, active on the L&L forum).
- Command: Modern Operations (now with Tacview Advanced).
- Combined Arms Operations Series (CAOS) Steam.
- War Room (Steam).
- Point of Attack 2.5 (HPS Simulations).
- Tigers Unleashed (HPS Simulations).

Minis:
Clash of Arms (CoA) Publisher.
- Harpoon V
- Command at Sea 2nd. Edition.
- Convoy: Deadly Waters.
- Wings of the Motherland (4th module of the Fighting Wings Series).

None wargames...
- Thunder Tier One (soonish, to be release next month. Steam
- Insomnia: The Arc Steam.
- This Land Is My Land Steam.

Red

Here's a bit more about Disco Elysium and the approach to politics.

https://www.polygon.com/reviews/22421322/disco-elysium-final-cut-review-ps5-ps4-pc-stadia

To put a finer point on it, in my run at least, the politics are something you see in the inhabitants and history of Revachol, not something that you really find yourself swept up in. It's what I observe and uncover, not what I am, or will be. If I am speaking to man who is a race supremacist, I expect him to talk like one, and that's what the game gives you. It doesn't pull those punches to satisfy an audience of the easily offended. Instead, it tackles these politics head on, with at times shocking candor.

Through the choices I make in conversations the game tracks my political leanings. But this is based on which response I choose, what I think my character would say, do or react. Turns out my Harry is a bit of a traditionalist. Who knew?

For folks that understand the subtlety and nuance of politics it really is a wonderful experience. No game I've played has been so stark in its political themes. Again, I think it is a reason to play, especially for players who have interest in the world of politics. It's as intellectual as any game I've played and is well worth your time. It's on sale often, and is a departure, I guarantee, from the games you've played before.

Okay, this sounds interesting. Thanks for the explanation.

Sounds like the game may be fun to play through multiple times from different angles.

Yes, the character building certainly suggests that playing through multiple times, trying different things, would be worth it.

It's a difficult game to recommend. I mean I can do so on the strength of the writing, the neat way the skills system works in conjunction with the dialog, the phenomenal voice acting, with the sheer novelty of the approach here. But it's the sort of game where I just don't know who else would like it. It's hard to recommend for that reason, that there are sure to be folks who just don't see the same appeal I do.

I mean, would someone take to a game where there's no combat at all? Where you spend most of the game essentially talking to yourself? Some do of course, it's a critical hit. But there must exist a hard cut-off where on the other side the people would wonder what the fuss is about. In a sense it's political theater, in which you have a supporting role. By being a detective you can sort of detach yourself from being converted to any particular ideology, though you don't have to remain that way. It's all about choice, the bare essence of role-playing. This is how I've approached it, not trusting anyone, aside from Kim, and not buying in to what they are selling.

I mean truly not buying in,even if at times I see the benefit of appearing to do so, as of course people are more candid with those they think share their outlook, ya know? But that's just a cop's technique, not a rung in my ideological ascendancy. A tool, like my notebook or crowbar. There's a murder to solve here, and nothing's outside the limits, even fraudulent alliances, if I think it will help me in that task.

Good post DBond. When I started reading the game description and plot on the Wikipage I immediately thought "This is a very niche game almost bordering on the esoteric!".

Haha, that sounds about right Panzer. Esoteric is a fitting description.

If anyone wants to discuss the game more, we have a thread about it here

https://SimHQ.com/forum/ubbthreads.php/topics/4583577/disco-elysium#Post4583577

When it's on sale, I think it's worth a punt at $20. That's what I did, as I was intrigued by it, but wasn't sure how I'd take to it. Turns out I really like it. I only play in small bites, an hour here, two hours there. It's not the sort of game I marathon, like some of the others in my list above lol. It appeals to me on an intellectual level, and I'm just mesmerized by how interwoven the skills system is with how the dialog spills forth. Really cool.

Thanks for that heads up! I'll keep an eye out for this game.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lW1RAYYs8RI
Remembering the Big Man RIP Clearance

Assassin's Creed Valhalla (Ultimate Edition) is downloading as I write this.

I waited for the price to come down enough. Black Friday the $120 version cost me $48 -- close enough for government work.

Assassin's Creed Valhalla: I was not happy when the "game" wanted me to use my forces to attack, kill defenders, and rob a half-dozen Monastery complexes -- just to steal their resources to build my England Settlement.

I wouldn't do it. I've spent most of my game time experimenting.

For example, I tried to sneak into Monasteries and steal resources without killing innocents (I'm willing to be a thief -- not a murderer). When I went to "put them in my back pack", the game would not allow it because I had not used my forces to defeat the Monastery.

So, I cheated and got some Settlement Resources other ways. Now, I'm traveling the map -- seeing if I can play the "Role I want to play" (the good guy/gal) -- without committing murder. As of now, I think I see a possible "path forward".