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What are you currently playing these days?

Posted By: PanzerMeyer

What are you currently playing these days? - 06/19/20 05:10 PM

Just curious to see what games are trending with the SimHQ community right now. These are the games I've been playing regularly over the past couple of weeks:


1. Total War: Three Kingdoms - I think this is the most technically polished and best designed TW title so far but if you have no interest in the history of ancient China then I can't recommend it.

2. Doom Eternal - A really fun but frustrating game. I don't know if it's just a case of my reflexes being slower with age or if the game is indeed difficult but I've died more times than I care to remember. Having said that, this is my favorite game from the Doom series.

3.IL-2 Stalingrad

4. DCS World

5 .ArmA 3 - Still play this weekly for the SimHQ Military Monday events.

6. Elite Dangerous

7. Total War: Rome 2 - An oldie but a goodie. There are still several factions I've never played as in the campaign mode.

8. Rainbow Six Siege
Posted By: Master

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 06/19/20 05:15 PM

Starcitizen

Shipbreakers

IL-2 BoS series

Iracing / Rfactor2

minecraft on switch with my wife.

On fridays I play games with a gaming group, we play Arma3, Post Scriptum, Insurgency 1/2. and some other stuff.
Posted By: Chucky

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 06/19/20 05:31 PM

Total Annihilation (just finished the first campaign).

Supreme Commander Forged Alliance.

Just bought P.A.M.E.L.A. It's giving me a sort of System Shock vibe. Seems bugged,clipping and screen tearing evident,hope it gets sorted.
Posted By: Mr_Blastman

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 06/19/20 05:40 PM

Chucky, come play Supreme Commander Forged Alliance online with us at:

www.faforever.com


Download the client. We have a very active community.
Posted By: Mark Aisthorpe

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 06/19/20 05:40 PM

My main Sims ATM are
Euro Truck Sim 2. I'm addicted to this one, there's nothing more relaxing than pulling a big load while listening to some internet radio, usually Radio Caroline.
P3Dv5. usually something GA like a Carenado Cessna or Piper, exploring somewhere I'm never likely to see IRL.
Both in VR of course.
Posted By: Chucky

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 06/19/20 05:59 PM

Originally Posted by Mr_Blastman
Chucky, come play Supreme Commander Forged Alliance online with us at:

www.faforever.com


Download the client. We have a very active community.


Interesting. I'll have a look but I haven't played MP in any RTS for years.
Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 06/19/20 06:00 PM

Originally Posted by Mark Aisthorpe

Both in VR of course.



I think I will finally be pulling the trigger on a VR set by the end of this year. I already have several games that support VR such as Elite Dangerous, IL-2 Stalingrad and DCS World so I'll be good to go!
Posted By: James McKenzie-Smith

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 06/19/20 06:19 PM

Lots of stuff in VR:

Boneworks
Contractor$
Fast & Low
IL2 Stalingrad & Bodenplatte
Into the Radius
Low-Fi (early access)
Onward
Raceroom Racing Experience
rFactor2
Thrill of the Fight
VTOL VR

Non-VR:

ArmA2
Brass Brigade
Great Naval Battles: North Atlantic 1939-1943 (there is just nothing that replaces it yet!)
Iron Front
Posted By: Alicatt

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 06/19/20 07:00 PM

DCS World Like the new channel map even though it looks a bit too modern, and enjoying flying the P47
The Hunter: Call of the Wild
The Hunter: Primal
Train Simulator 2020

Just waiting on new Hall sensors coming for my TM Cougar, got notification they were shipped yesterday smile
Posted By: F4UDash4

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 06/19/20 07:19 PM

Originally Posted by PanzerMeyer
Originally Posted by Mark Aisthorpe

Both in VR of course.



I think I will finally be pulling the trigger on a VR set by the end of this year. I already have several games that support VR such as Elite Dangerous, IL-2 Stalingrad and DCS World so I'll be good to go!


You won't regret it.
Posted By: WangoTango

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 06/19/20 07:41 PM

IL-2 with BAT mod
Hidden and Dangerous 2
Vietcong.
I'm in a retro state of mind these days.
Posted By: F4UDash4

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 06/19/20 07:51 PM

IL-2 GB

DCS


But neither very much, so busy with other projects.
Posted By: EAF331 MadDog

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 06/19/20 08:41 PM

Finishing up Jedi Fallen Order.

Bought "Last of Us Remastered" I'll be trying out next.
Posted By: Ajay

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 06/19/20 10:04 PM

Il2GB

Syrian Warfare
Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 06/19/20 10:12 PM

Originally Posted by EAF331 MadDog
Finishing up Jedi Fallen Order.

.


Did you have the encounter in the underwater facility with you know who? If not, you are in for a pretty wild ride!
Posted By: Stache

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 06/19/20 10:22 PM


Wings Over Flanders Fields (Oct 1915 in a Pfalz EIII)

IL2-Bodenplatte (Lighting Strikes Campaign)
Posted By: Roudou

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 06/19/20 10:40 PM

Mostly Prepar3D v4.5 with FS Economy in the past few months.

I'll probably buy this one in a couple of months, a high level of nostalgia.



Out August 28th
Posted By: Raw Kryptonite

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 06/19/20 10:46 PM

I forgot about the Mafia games, I still need to get to that.
Lately X4 Foundations has completely taken over.
Posted By: Brit44 'Aldo'

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 06/20/20 03:41 AM

War in the West, just finishing my first grand campaign.

It has taken me 6 months to learn there game engines. I am good at tactical, so/so at strategic and SUCK with admin. I have not had any admin points since early 1944. I was forced to learn how to supply by air. currently, hoping that I can break into a major victory within the last weeks of the war.

BTW, the British 2nd Army is what I used to surround Berlin. The Canadians made the initial crossing into Diep. Patton and Montgomery cleared all but the Italian Alps in 43.

Great fun for a rivet counter.
Posted By: Vaderini

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 06/20/20 09:34 AM

Command & Conquer Remastered Collection and Graviteam Tactics: Mius Front

But my Playstation Now subscription ends in October, and I still have these games to complete/try out:

rain
abzu
bladestorm nightmare
ico (ps2)
Monkey Island 2

hollow knight
kingdom new lands
agatha christie abc murders
dark cloud
beyond 2 souls

shadow of the colossus
mafia 3
the wolf amongst us
lone survivor
the last guy
flow

nobunaga's ambition
until dawn
sherlock holmes devils daughter
deadly premonition
get even

Since i'm running out of time, if anyone has any recommendations from that list, it's greatly appreciated smile
Posted By: archermav

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 06/20/20 10:52 AM

Witcher 3. No idea what's going on, but I keep plugging away. Next month is Ghosts of Tsushima so that's my PS4 being used again.
Posted By: DBond

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 06/20/20 03:22 PM

Europa Universalis IV
GTA V
Prey
Elite Dangerous

That's all I've played in the last three months
Posted By: KRT_Bong

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 06/20/20 03:33 PM

I've got tons but lately in no particular order;
Il-2 BoS
Ghost Recon Breakpoint
World of Warships
PUBG
Wreckfest
and watching DCS load and crash
Posted By: JohnnyChemo

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 06/20/20 09:25 PM

Hearts of Iron IV
Elite Dangerous
DCS (mostly 'Hog and Harrier)
Frostpunk
No Man's Sky
Mechwarrior 5

Those are the ones I've been dabbling in lately.
Posted By: VMIalpha454

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 06/20/20 10:02 PM

DCS, several times per week online with my group or working my way through one of Reflected's campaigns.

Project Hospital

Ultimate Admiral: Age of Sail

Company of Heroes (Europe at War Mod)

Was heavily into Mount & Blade Bannerlord, but performance issues kind of led me to shelve it for a while.
Posted By: Timothy

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 06/21/20 07:16 AM

About to start playing DCS and IL2, since I finally got a VR headset. Wish I could afford a P6, but not on my income.

I just beat Jedi: Fallen Order. That game was absolutely monstrous to beat. the story was great, but man Story Mode was too easy and Jedi Knight just kicked my butt ever where, like an entire evening to just beat Trilla (each time).

Looking forward to Iron Wolf and a few other VR games. I prefer Star Wars, but really excited about Star Trek Bridge Crew.
Posted By: 531 Ghost

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 06/21/20 01:13 PM

As I'm a Mission Observer in the Civil Air Patrol, I'm currently virtually flying a Cessna 172 w/G1000 in XPlane. I typically take off from KECG and practice search patterns using FlyQ on my IPad linked to XPlane.
Posted By: Sluggish Controls

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 06/21/20 02:12 PM

Silent Hunter V with Wolves of Steel mod
Squad
Post Scriptum
Star Citizen

Just realised I have entirely stopped flying DCS / IL 2 BoS Series / CloD for a good 6 months :-/

Cheers,
Slug
Posted By: Chucky

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 06/21/20 02:26 PM

I keep all my flight sims updated,I just can't get into playing them right now. I wish it was not so. I'd even reduced my BoX MP time to mouse/keyboard. I realise my man card is in danger of being revoked.

Oh and Happy Birthday Timothy! happy_bday
Posted By: James McKenzie-Smith

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 06/21/20 04:32 PM

Originally Posted by Timothy
I prefer Star Wars, but really excited about Star Trek Bridge Crew.


You have this to look forward to in October, in VR...





https://www.polygon.com/interviews/...rs-squadrons-everything-you-need-to-know
Posted By: Coot

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 06/22/20 02:40 AM

Quote
Since i'm running out of time, if anyone has any recommendations from that list, it's greatly appreciated smile



@Vaderini, I don't know all of those games but here's a few thoughts:

I've got Abzu on PC and its a beautiful underwater game, kind of fantasy but with real fish types and seems to be a mostly experiential Zen kind of game. I enjoy it for the atmosphere and relaxation.

I only played a little ICO on PS3 and enjoyed what I played of it but I think its a game that takes some time.

Shadow of the Colossus I played some of on PS3 but would like to get the PS4 remaster. Its a cool game though fighting monolithic bosses to save a princess in a stark but atmospheric world.

I played quite a bit of Beyond 2 Souls on PS3 and enjoyed it. Narrative heavy and interesting, spooky adventure.

As a fan of Mafia 1 and to a lesser degree 2, I'd stay away from 3 though I've not played it. To me what they did to Mafia 3 is not in keeping with the spirit of the first two.

Deadly Premonition I have on PC and have played a little. Its a quirky, interesting, Twin Peaks-esk game. Folks seem to view it as a little gem but it has its quirks and the PC version needs some user made fixes so its likely an experience that would take some patience.






I think I'm close to completing my epic five year play through of Mad Max which is a very good, solid game that deserves an even better sequel.

I'm currently playing Jedi Fallen Order and I'm really enjoying it. The game definitely has some significant bugs and glitches at times which can get frustrating but over all I'm enjoying it and its a solid game. Please don't post spoilers. I only recently finished my second encounter with
the Second Sister and finished Miktrull's tomb
.

Still working through my first play through of Prey.

I'm trying to get further along on Horizon Zero Dawn.

I finished God of War and enjoyed the story and combat for the most part very much. I don't think I have it in me however to try and beat these pesky Valkeries. I would like to know what happens when you do though.

I finished a third play through of Uncharted 1-3 earlier this year. I'd like to start a second play through of Uncharted 4.

I'd like to eventually play The Order: 1886 for my third time soon. A very good game that absolutely deserves a sequel. Has one of my favorite video game characters in thirty years of gaming. Outstanding thing they created there.

The thing I'm really looking forward to after years of anticipation is Ghosts of Tsushima. That comes out finally next month and I hope it proves to be a stellar game and story and experience. Though I probably ultimately will not, I may play around with their Japanese only voice overs and black and white mode. I'm really excited to see this game.

Posted By: Timothy

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 06/22/20 07:45 AM

Originally Posted by James McKenzie-Smith
Originally Posted by Timothy
I prefer Star Wars, but really excited about Star Trek Bridge Crew.


You have this to look forward to in October, in VR...





https://www.polygon.com/interviews/...rs-squadrons-everything-you-need-to-know


I just wish they redid the engine and controls for TIE FIghter and that would be amazing. Not sure how EA is going to be. Jedi was good, but Battlefront...I wasted money on. Guess it has improved, but I haven't bothered to try it.
Posted By: Timothy

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 06/22/20 07:48 AM

Originally Posted by Chucky
I keep all my flight sims updated,I just can't get into playing them right now. I wish it was not so. I'd even reduced my BoX MP time to mouse/keyboard. I realise my man card is in danger of being revoked.

Oh and Happy Birthday Timothy! happy_bday


Thank you! Had dinner at a new Pho place, the chief is new from Vietnam and scratch makes it. So much better than the powder stuff other restaurant usually make. He showed me how he does it and it simmers over night.
Posted By: WhoCares

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 06/22/20 08:23 AM

Until like two or three weeks ago I played a lot of World of Tanks.
Since then I played the alpha of Ultimate Admirals: Dreadnoughts. - fairly promising game, though they still have some balance troubles from one patch to the next.

Just yesterday i started playing Elite:Dangerous again, after more than a year of pause. Made some adjustments to the blueprints of the Colonia engineers, which are nowadays ahead in how far you can upgrade certain items. Then I boarded my (t)rusty AspX and set out to a (not exactly straight and fast) trip to SagA*, and then back to the bubble.
Posted By: FourSpeed

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 06/22/20 08:27 AM


Currently: DCS, City of Heroes (MMO), and RoF

Cheers,
4
Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 06/22/20 10:39 AM

Originally Posted by archermav
Witcher 3. No idea what's going on, .



Are you referring to the overall plot of the story? I felt the same way when I first started playing the game but the more I read about the lore of the Witcher universe the more it eventually made sense to me.
Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 06/22/20 10:42 AM

Originally Posted by Timothy
A

I just beat Jedi: Fallen Order. That game was absolutely monstrous to beat. the story was great, but man Story Mode was too easy and Jedi Knight just kicked my butt ever where, like an entire evening to just beat Trilla (each time).




Yup, same here. At first I thought it was just my reflexes perhaps not being up to snuff anymore but then I read stuff online and it seems MANY players found the game difficult. What did you think of that unexpected appearance of you know who at the underwater facility? wink
Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 06/22/20 11:48 AM

Originally Posted by WhoCares


Just yesterday i started playing Elite:Dangerous again, after more than a year of pause. Made some adjustments to the blueprints of the Colonia engineers, which are nowadays ahead in how far you can upgrade certain items. Then I boarded my (t)rusty AspX and set out to a (not exactly straight and fast) trip to SagA*, and then back to the bubble.



Some big changes to ED within the past year. Fleet Carriers is the major one while the sell value of most minerals that you can extract from deep core mining have all been significantly reduced. The happy days of raking up easy money are mostly over.
Posted By: Chucky

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 06/22/20 12:07 PM

Elite Dangerous has been my go-to space sim over the years although recently it's been neglected by myself.

Star Citizen made an interesting side-show for a while and others that I tried have failed to grab me,like the X series and the lesser known stuff like Helium Rain and Rogue System (now abandoned).

I'm interested in the new SW game but I need to see what it's going to be before spending any money.
Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 06/22/20 12:24 PM

Originally Posted by Chucky
Elite Dangerous has been my go-to space sim over the years although recently it's been neglected by myself.




When I first bought Elite Dangerous I was curious to learn about the developer (Frontier) and I found out that they are based in Cambridge Technology Park which is associated with the University of Cambridge.


I just KNEW the game was made by very smart people! biggrin
Posted By: Chucky

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 06/22/20 12:44 PM

Well the founder of Frontier Development,David Braben OBE has a list of awards to his credit.

Copied over from the Wiki...

On 5 September 2005, Braben received the Development Legend Award at the Develop Industry Excellence Awards in Cambridge.

In 2012, Braben was elected as a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering.

In 2013, Braben was co-award winner of Tech Personality of the Year at the UK Tech Awards 2013. In the same year he was awarded an honorary degree by Abertay University.

Braben was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2014 Birthday Honours for services to the UK computer and video games industry.

In January 2015, he received the 2015 Pioneer, Game Developers Choice Award (GDCA), for his work on the Raspberry Pi and for working more than 30 years as a game developer.

On 12 March 2015, Braben was awarded the BAFTA Academy Fellowship Award in video gaming at the 11th British Academy Games Awards.

Braben is the recipient of three honorary doctorates from Abertay University (2013), The Open University (2014) and the University of York (15 July 2015).


So Panzer,your assumption was correct smile
Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 06/22/20 12:50 PM

Originally Posted by Chucky
Well the founder of Frontier Development,David Braben OBE has a list of awards to his credit.

Copied over from the Wiki...

On 5 September 2005, Braben received the Development Legend Award at the Develop Industry Excellence Awards in Cambridge.

In 2012, Braben was elected as a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering.

In 2013, Braben was co-award winner of Tech Personality of the Year at the UK Tech Awards 2013. In the same year he was awarded an honorary degree by Abertay University.

Braben was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2014 Birthday Honours for services to the UK computer and video games industry.

In January 2015, he received the 2015 Pioneer, Game Developers Choice Award (GDCA), for his work on the Raspberry Pi and for working more than 30 years as a game developer.

On 12 March 2015, Braben was awarded the BAFTA Academy Fellowship Award in video gaming at the 11th British Academy Games Awards.

Braben is the recipient of three honorary doctorates from Abertay University (2013), The Open University (2014) and the University of York (15 July 2015).


So Panzer,your assumption was correct smile



Well #%&*$#! This guy is like the Elon Musk of game development.
Posted By: Chucky

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 06/22/20 12:56 PM

Originally Posted by PanzerMeyer



Well #%&*$#! This guy is like the Elon Musk of game development.


hahaha
Posted By: WhoCares

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 06/22/20 01:43 PM

Originally Posted by PanzerMeyer
Originally Posted by Chucky
Well the founder of Frontier Development,David Braben OBE has a list of awards to his credit.

Copied over from the Wiki...

On 5 September 2005, Braben received the Development Legend Award at the Develop Industry Excellence Awards in Cambridge.

In 2012, Braben was elected as a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering.

In 2013, Braben was co-award winner of Tech Personality of the Year at the UK Tech Awards 2013. In the same year he was awarded an honorary degree by Abertay University.

Braben was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2014 Birthday Honours for services to the UK computer and video games industry.

In January 2015, he received the 2015 Pioneer, Game Developers Choice Award (GDCA), for his work on the Raspberry Pi and for working more than 30 years as a game developer.

On 12 March 2015, Braben was awarded the BAFTA Academy Fellowship Award in video gaming at the 11th British Academy Games Awards.

Braben is the recipient of three honorary doctorates from Abertay University (2013), The Open University (2014) and the University of York (15 July 2015).


So Panzer,your assumption was correct smile



Well #%&*$#! This guy is like the Elon Musk of game development.

A lot of these honours come from his work in engineering, especially with his share in the development of the Raspberry Pi:
Quote
In May 2011, Braben announced a new prototype computer intended to stimulate the teaching of basic computer science in schools. Called Raspberry Pi, the computer is mounted in a package the size of a credit card, and has a USB port on one end with a HDMI monitor socket on the other, and provides an ARM processor running Linux for an estimated price of about £15 for a configured system, cheap enough to give to a child to do whatever he or she wants with it.[9] The Raspberry Pi Foundation, a charity whose aim is to "promote the study of computer science and related topics, especially at school level, and to put the fun back into learning computing".


Originally Posted by PanzerMeyer
Some big changes to ED within the past year. Fleet Carriers is the major one while the sell value of most minerals that you can extract from deep core mining have all been significantly reduced. The happy days of raking up easy money are mostly over.

I know, I still kept some loose track of what's going on, because I knew I will come back. I might make some use of other's carriers while out in the dark; I don't think I will get one myself anytime soon.
And checking my stats, I earned ~3.8 billion from exploration, and ~45 million from mining, so the low temp. diamond nerf mostly affecting some specific exploited system(s) (Borann, iirc) does not really bother me wink
Posted By: Mr_Blastman

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 06/22/20 02:48 PM

I'm jaded and can't stay excited or interested in anything, lately--not for a few days or hours.

I want to play an open world RPG or adventure game with a wonderful plot that is not procedurally generated, no minecraft, and not mission based. Missions ruin the fun and make a game feel like work. I also don't want to chase around icons on a map.
Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 06/22/20 02:55 PM

Originally Posted by Mr_Blastman


I want to play an open world RPG or adventure game with a wonderful plot that is not procedurally generated, no minecraft, and not mission based. Missions ruin the fun and make a game feel like work. I also don't want to chase around icons on a map.



Have you ever played Alan Wake? I like to think of it as a mix between Twin Peaks, X-Files and a Stephen King horror movie.
Posted By: DBond

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 06/22/20 02:58 PM

Originally Posted by Mr_Blastman
I'm jaded and can't stay excited or interested in anything, lately--not for a few days or hours.

I want to play an open world RPG or adventure game with a wonderful plot that is not procedurally generated, no minecraft, and not mission based. Missions ruin the fun and make a game feel like work. I also don't want to chase around icons on a map.



How about Prey, RDR 2 or Kingdom Come Deliverance?
Posted By: Mr_Blastman

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 06/22/20 05:45 PM

Originally Posted by DBond
Originally Posted by Mr_Blastman
I'm jaded and can't stay excited or interested in anything, lately--not for a few days or hours.

I want to play an open world RPG or adventure game with a wonderful plot that is not procedurally generated, no minecraft, and not mission based. Missions ruin the fun and make a game feel like work. I also don't want to chase around icons on a map.



How about Prey, RDR 2 or Kingdom Come Deliverance?


Beaten Prey, almost beaten KKD, but not played RDR 2. I fear RDR 2 will suffer from the "mission syndrome," like GTA games do.

I enjoy metroidvania style exploration and discovery. Minimal to no missions, whatsoever. What I consider acceptable is say Dark Souls 1 when they said: Go ring the bell tower above and below. Not because you had to, but because of the lore. I want games to feel immersive and full of wonder, without chores.

Prey fit that bill nicely. KKD's "missions" are the only reason I haven't beaten it yet, but they nailed the rest of the game and world. If only it were so much bigger... I hope they make a sequel.



Oh, and I absolutely dislike inventory management and incremental weapon and item upgrades. I don't need 50,000 swords and armor types with only a .01% increase in strength every three minutes to keep me interested. If I were a rat in a maze, I wouldn't press the button to dispense water, I'd devise a way to smash down the walls, gouge out the eyes of the scientists watching me, and raid their fridge, instead. B.F. Skinner and I wouldn't get along.

Posted By: Timothy

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 06/22/20 05:47 PM

Originally Posted by PanzerMeyer
Originally Posted by Timothy
A

I just beat Jedi: Fallen Order. That game was absolutely monstrous to beat. the story was great, but man Story Mode was too easy and Jedi Knight just kicked my butt ever where, like an entire evening to just beat Trilla (each time).




Yup, same here. At first I thought it was just my reflexes perhaps not being up to snuff anymore but then I read stuff online and it seems MANY players found the game difficult. What did you think of that unexpected appearance of you know who at the underwater facility? wink


It was great, but the "plot twist" at the ending scene, I was like, "No way they would have made it." I made sure not to do spoilers and that made it so much more worth it.

Spoiler Alert, don't ruin it if it's on your to play list, trust me:

I was disappointed that the guy didn't sound like JEJ. His appearance was as as good as the Rogue One ending.


They said it was about 20 hours of game play, but for me it was like more than 60. It was like a movie and by far the best Star Wars game since Outcast.
Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 06/22/20 06:32 PM

Originally Posted by Timothy


They said it was about 20 hours of game play, .



LOL! Yeah sure if you just rush through the game and don't care about finding all of the secret areas and items. It took me close to 60 hours to finish the game.
Posted By: DBond

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 06/22/20 06:35 PM

Originally Posted by Mr_Blastman

I enjoy metroidvania style exploration and discovery.


OK, I am picking up what you are putting down, except for one word, but I won't let that stand in the way.

Subnautica
Posted By: Pooch

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 06/22/20 06:38 PM

"The Soylent Corporation. They loved people too much."

And they made them tasty, so that you'd love them, too!
Posted By: Mr_Blastman

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 06/22/20 07:08 PM

Originally Posted by DBond
Originally Posted by Mr_Blastman

I enjoy metroidvania style exploration and discovery.


OK, I am picking up what you are putting down, except for one word, but I won't let that stand in the way.

Subnautica



Subnautica is pretty cool. I've been playing that off and on with my Daughter, though she started getting pretty scared after we found the alien structure and began diving really deep, so we switched back to Bannerlord for a while.

Metroidvania is...

Well, best described as the games of Metroid combined with Castlevania Symphony of the Night. They are open world games where exploration and conquest is the goal--a finite, end game goal, but you're free to choose how you get there, what paths you take, etc. The adventure is yours. And they often require lots of skill, are full of secrets, and have no set route, with minimal upgrades and inventory. Hollow Knight is a great modern example.

Dark Souls 1 was a true metroidvania. The Legend of Zelda Wind Waker is another great example. As for PC games, maybe Morrowind to a degree, and maybe Fallout 3/4 to a much lesser degree(because missions in Metroidvanias are bad and ruin the spirit of the game), but the original progenitors for this type of game on PC were the Ultima games, particularly Ultima 6 and 7.


I enjoy the journey, and not tasks.
Posted By: DBond

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 06/22/20 07:32 PM

OK, I only have one more suggestion, and it's not a popular one. But of all the games I have played, the one where I have just played it as existing in the game world and not following missions all that much is the STALKER mod called Misery. In that I simply lived the Stalker life and paid little to no attention to the missions. Free-form survival. But it isn't that popular due to how difficult it is I reckon, but I loved it.

I get where you are coming from but at the same time I know little that qualifies.
Posted By: Mr_Blastman

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 06/22/20 07:39 PM

I loooooved Stalker SoC and CoP. Wonderful games. I beat them both.

Maybe that's why I'm so jaded. I've played most of the good, so there's not much left to enjoy. I have the same problem with movies--saw two duds this weekend, and the second--Mission Impossible 4, was supposed to be good, but I feel asleep halfway through when a car crashed into another car, head on, full speed, in a sandstorm, and the driver got out and walked away, unscathed. I feel asleep shortly thereafter.
Posted By: DBond

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 06/22/20 08:09 PM

True, but if you haven't played Misery, then in my humble opinion, you have not really played Stalker smile

It's the closest thing I've found to what I envision Stalker should be.

I had a thread about it a few years ago

https://simhq.com/forum/ubbthreads.php/ubb/showflat/Number/4390102/

It is definitely not everyone's cup of tea. But for anyone who always wanted Stalker to be more desolate, bleak and unforgiving, this is where to find that. There are a number of other good mods as well, but Misery is the one I found I could relate to the most.
Posted By: Coot

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 06/22/20 08:59 PM

Blastman, RDR2 has a solid story and interesting characters. The world environment is second to none in its atmosphere and representation of nature. None of the main missions feel tedious. They just push the story. Plus some of them are the kind that you literally just ride or walk up to and without a cut it starts the story and cinematic. No fade to black and loading type thing. Very cinematic. Most side missions in my opinion served the game and are fun to do like the bounties which have interesting characters with bits of lore and dialogue and going after gunfighters or doing anything with one of the gang members. Really the only thing I couldn't finish was finding the petraglyphs and finishing a side quest. I couldn't find any for the life of me and only found one with the help of a tutorial but I had already played the game thoroughly and did just about everything you could do. Its definitely a game for the story and the escape to enjoy the excellent world.

I'm not sure how Ghosts of Tsushima level design will work, but I discovered the other day that to create a Hudless type experience, they actually have a wind mechanic that leads you in the right direction towards points of interests.
Posted By: Vaderini

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 06/23/20 09:33 AM

Originally Posted by PanzerMeyer
Originally Posted by Mr_Blastman


I want to play an open world RPG or adventure game with a wonderful plot that is not procedurally generated, no minecraft, and not mission based. Missions ruin the fun and make a game feel like work. I also don't want to chase around icons on a map.



Have you ever played Alan Wake? I like to think of it as a mix between Twin Peaks, X-Files and a Stephen King horror movie.

I definitely recommend Alan Wake as well, such a spectacular game
Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 06/23/20 10:37 AM

Originally Posted by Mr_Blastman
I and the second--Mission Impossible 4, was supposed to be good, but I feel asleep halfway through when a car crashed into another car, head on, full speed, in a sandstorm, and the driver got out and walked away, unscathed. I feel asleep shortly thereafter.



Stick to art house, dialogue-heavy independent films and you should be fine. Expecting a big budget Hollywood action movie to not have any unrealistic stunts is like me expecting my Toyota Corrola to go from 0-60 in 4 seconds.


It's all about having the right expectations.
Posted By: F4UDash4

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 07/24/20 02:25 PM

Originally Posted by PanzerMeyer
Originally Posted by Mark Aisthorpe

Both in VR of course.



I think I will finally be pulling the trigger on a VR set by the end of this year. I already have several games that support VR such as Elite Dangerous, IL-2 Stalingrad and DCS World so I'll be good to go!


I'm a bit jealous. The HP Reverb G2 is coming out later this year and it promises to be fabulous. I would definitely give it consideration if I were just getting into VR. My OR is nice and I don't fly any sims that don't support it now, but more resolution is always better.
Posted By: Bill_Grant

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 07/24/20 04:18 PM

Spending all my time playing on the XBOX at the moment.

I am usually playing Forza Horizon 4 every other night. Always on Thursdays when the new Season challenges drop.
Also, playing through the Halo Master Chief collection. Started with Halo:Reach.

I have Alan Wake, I just have not played it yet.

Also, the new MS Flight Sim 2020 comes out in 3 weeks. I know, no guns or bombs, but it looks good. And I want to try it.
Posted By: Rambler

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 07/24/20 04:28 PM

Alan Wake is great. You should get on that one, Bill!

Playing:

Synthetik
Empire: Total War
C&C Remastered
Return of the Obra Dinn
CMBN and CMBS (PBEMs only, one in each)
Posted By: Sokol1

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 07/24/20 04:59 PM

Looks like that S.T.A.L.K.E.R. will be released fo XBox One.

Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 07/24/20 05:00 PM

Originally Posted by Sokol1
Looks like that S.T.A.L.K.E.R. will be released fo XBox One.






No PC version?

edit: I found this info and I'm very happy to see that there WILL be a PC version!

"On 23 July 2020, it was announced that the game will be released in 2021 for Microsoft Windows and Xbox Series X, which will be the first time the series will be on consoles."
Posted By: Mr_Blastman

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 07/24/20 06:26 PM

I hope they manage to keep it scary and fresh. Shadow of Chernobyl is one of the greatest shooter metroidvanias ever made. Good writing is a must.
Posted By: ebud

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 07/24/20 09:24 PM

A little Graviteam Tactics Hooper and Modular, some IL2 Bodenplatte on the Occulus and countless hours in Hunt Showdown on PC. Cowboys vs other players during an zombie outbreak in the 1890s. Most fun in a game I have had in a couple of decades. The gunplay is so much fun.

Posted By: Allen

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 07/24/20 11:53 PM

Role Playing Games in 2020:
Witcher 3 (2/3 done) on hold
Divinity Original Sin II (2/3 done) on hold
Risen series Binge Playing during last month: Risen 1 done, Risen 2 done, actively playing today Risen 3 in final chapter

Flight Simulator in 2020:
X-Plane 11 Public Beta

Looking Forward To:
MS Flight Simulator 2020

UPDATE: Finished Risen 3 today (07/25/20)
Posted By: Coot

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 07/25/20 05:09 AM

I really enjoyed Risen 1. I never finished it but that's the one I played the most. Risen 2 I think I only have an hour in and it just didn't have what the first one did. I played a good chunk of Risen 3 too.

Alan Wake is an awesome, creepy, confusing game with a good narrative flow and great environment. I love the whittling down shadow enemies with flashlights before using weapons. I really hope they make an open world sequel.


I just started Ghost of Tsushima a few days ago. This game is awesome thus far. The thing that impresses and pleases me the most is how well the story telling is done as well as how the story telling is done in multitudes of ways within the game and the quest structure. If this keeps up, this is how open world RPG games should be done. NPCs have genuinely interesting dialogue. One minute an NPC is just an NPC eating then upon the next visit I can talk to him and he mentions something interesting that then opens a side quest but it still pertains to the over all narrative. There's a coherence and fluidity to what's being said in the game world. The other thing that impresses and pleases me is that so far, all the missions and their design are INTERESTING. Even a side quest becomes intriguing and has multiple stages with each stage being unique and interesting. I haven't seen any cookie cutter rehashing missions yet. That's how quests should play out and feel. It has a hand crafted feel throughout with great attention to detail it seems. The combat is fun and challenging and I haven't even started unlocking the different disciplines and maneuvers yet. Even though I just started, the stealth looks like its going to be a lot of fun. Elements of the game remind me of Splinter Cell and Tenchu with its stealth opportunities. I keep forgetting I can do this bu houses have doors and windows that can be entered, you can crawl through crawl spaces under the floors and climb onto houses. The island also feels pretty huge and well crafted. I don't want to spoil it but I got a vicious surprise the other day when engaged by mongol invaders. They had some help join them in their fight against me. It was vicious and unexpected but I was thrilled at the same time with this surprise and extra challenge. It has beautiful music that ebbs and flows organically throughout as well as a really great overall aesthetic including with its menus and cinematic titles on mission starts and so forth as well as great voice acting.
Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 07/27/20 03:12 AM

Just recently finished both Doom: Eternal and Terminator : Resistance. I recommend both games but will say that Doom: Eternal I found to be very difficult so I had to lower it a notch. I guess my reflexes aren't what they used to be. smile
Posted By: Coot

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 07/27/20 04:24 AM

Anymore its pretty hard on my brain and nerves dealing with chaotic and significantly difficult fighting games. I'm really enjoying Ghost of Tsushima but its combat is difficult and layered and hectic. I was wondering Panzer how you got along playing Jedi Fallen Order with a mouse and keyboard? I played the older Jedi games back in the day on mouse and keyboard and that's what they were made for so it worked fine as I recall. I'm also playing and enjoying Jedi Fallen Order on PS4 but play that with a controller. I use a controller on similar games on PC too. Some games a controller just comes in real handy.
Posted By: Sluggish Controls

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 07/27/20 05:13 AM

Death Stranding, pc version.
Only managed to clock a little over 12 hrs so far. Loving every bits of it.
The atmosphere, the slow pace, the music, and the tortured world out there.

Cheers,
Slug
Posted By: Chucky

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 07/27/20 09:35 AM

I would have probably already bought Death Stranding but for the price. £55 is too steep for me,or at least more than I feel comfortable paying for a game like this. The only other game I ever purchased that was more than that was Steel Beasts Pro PE.

I keep seeing comments on the game,usually along the lines of 'delivery simulator','boring' etc etc but it currently commands a 94% positive rating on Steam. I'll wait patiently for a sale.
Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 07/27/20 11:06 AM

Originally Posted by Coot
Any I was wondering Panzer how you got along playing Jedi Fallen Order with a mouse and keyboard?.


It was a pain but I finally managed to get through the game. The game even has a disclaimer in the menus stating that the game is optimized to use a gamepad. I had to bump the difficulty down to "easy" towards the end of the game because some of those boss battles were just ridiculously hard for me.
Posted By: Sluggish Controls

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 07/27/20 11:31 AM

Originally Posted by Chucky
I would have probably already bought Death Stranding but for the price. £55 is too steep for me,or at least more than I feel comfortable paying for a game like this. The only other game I ever purchased that was more than that was Steel Beasts Pro PE.

I keep seeing comments on the game,usually along the lines of 'delivery simulator','boring' etc etc but it currently commands a 94% positive rating on Steam. I'll wait patiently for a sale.


Yep, I did feel guilty hitting that “confirm purchase” button, particularly with MFS 2020 right around the corner... Darn!

Don’t get thrown off by the delivery simulator comments, that’s what it is.
Mind you, it comes with all the bells and whistles you ever wished for :-P

Cheers,
Slug
Posted By: Mr_Blastman

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 07/27/20 04:13 PM

No Man's Sky has been taking up our time the last week.
Posted By: wormfood

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 07/27/20 04:57 PM

I also dusted off my PS4 and have been playing Ghost of Tsushima. I would recommend anyone with a PS4 to give it a try.
Also learning the Viggen in DCS, it's a fun strike aircraft.
Posted By: RedOneAlpha

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 07/27/20 09:51 PM


Just got into Barotrauma, of which I just finished the tutorial now.

Doing a series on Battle Group Commander: Episode One. It´s a four part (mission) mini campaign. I´ll upload the second mission tomorrow, but things start to getting interesting on the third mission were you actualy get a task force to command.

I always play some Insurgency Sandstorm, especially on the weekends, to keep my reflex sharp.

Got back into ArmA 3 and playing the Old Man campaign, I guess it fits me now LOL.

Some Angles Fall First, which I find a fun game.

And some Phantom Doctrine which I bought for the second time and decided to give it a go.
Posted By: KRT_Bong

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 07/27/20 10:05 PM

I have been playing Far Cry 5 and it is oddly parallel to current events
Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 07/27/20 11:57 PM

Far Cry 5 was a lot of fun to play in coop mode.
Posted By: Coot

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 07/28/20 01:30 AM

Can Barotrauma be played single player successfully?

I like slow, atmospheric games with beautiful and bleak worlds but I was uncertain of Kojima's Death Stranding. Plus I heard him make a political statement with regards to the game that I wholly object too. Is the game "preachy" or pushing some sort of one worldism narrative? I'd be interested in it if it has a fun, even kooky scifi story. The combat and stealth elements also looked pretty fun and very similar to MGSV. I also seemed to have read its pretty grindy especially at the beginning. The game play seems to be a larger scale version of some of what we saw in MGSV and the Mother Base mode which seems to be designed specifically to be addictive.
Posted By: RedOneAlpha

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 07/28/20 07:17 AM

Originally Posted by Coot
Can Barotrauma be played single player successfully?


Yes you can Coot, although I can´t say much more because I just played the tutorials. It has a single player mode, and you can edit your crew and build your own sub aswell if you like, there also seems to be alot of user created content in the Workshop.

Have you tried Soma, and Observer? Pretty atmospheric to me with cool storylines.

Red
Posted By: Chucky

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 07/28/20 09:35 AM

I loved Soma until I got stuck at a particular point and quit in frustration.

Observer has to be one of the better games I've played for immersion and story.

Tacoma (mentioned earlier in this thread) wasn't too bad for a short-ish sci-fi story. Now I'm working through 'Deliver Us The Moon' (Sci-Fi thriller) which seems quite promising so far.
Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 07/28/20 10:45 AM

Soma has some interesting creepiness to it but the lack of any combat whatsoever and the non-sensical puzzles made me lose interest after about 5 hours of playing.
Posted By: BlueHeron

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 07/28/20 12:36 PM

Originally Posted by KRT_Bong
I have been playing Far Cry 5 and it is oddly parallel to current events


Yeah, it does feel oddly relevant, and for me it's the best of all Far Cry games. I'm currently playing New Dawn.
Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 07/28/20 12:46 PM

Originally Posted by BlueHeron
Originally Posted by KRT_Bong
I have been playing Far Cry 5 and it is oddly parallel to current events


Yeah, it does feel oddly relevant, and for me it's the best of all Far Cry games. I'm currently playing New Dawn.





Who knew the fishing mechanic in the game could be so relaxing? biggrin
Posted By: RedOneAlpha

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 07/28/20 01:26 PM

Originally Posted by Red2112
Originally Posted by Coot
Can Barotrauma be played single player successfully?


Yes you can Coot, although I can´t say much more because I just played the tutorials. It has a single player mode, and you can edit your crew and build your own sub aswell if you like, there also seems to be alot of user created content in the Workshop.

Red


New update for Barotrauma inbound this week, with a big focus on the single player campaign...
Barotrauma incoming update notes

Red
Posted By: kilosierra

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 07/28/20 01:35 PM

Bought Frostpunk and all DLC in the Summer Sale on Steam and I`m ccurrently hooked.

Looking forward to the new MS Flightsimulator
Posted By: Forward Observer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 07/28/20 07:07 PM

While not as involved or as deep as FC5, FC New Dawn is now sort of my present sandbox game--simply because it doesn't force one to have to follow the story line. You only have to follow it as far as needed to level up and then you can totally ignore it and play the game like many open world games.

FarCry 5 got on my nerves after a while simply because they constantly forced one back into the story line. No matter what you did--at certain points in the game you were going to get captured by one of the cult leaders and either stage an escape or have to submit to some drug induced mission in La La land.

Once leveled up with all the best weapons in New Dawn, I find it a fun challenge to retake each of the outposts by enforcing my own limitations such as only using personal take downs, or only using the compound bow, etc.

Kind of looking forward to FC 6 since the main villain is being played by Giancarlo Esposito (Gus Freng from Breaking Bad)

Cheers
Posted By: F4UDash4

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 07/28/20 07:21 PM

Kinda late to the thread but....

IL2 GB
DCS
LSPDFR (GTA V mod)
Posted By: Master

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 07/28/20 07:55 PM

Originally Posted by Red2112
Originally Posted by Red2112
Originally Posted by Coot
Can Barotrauma be played single player successfully?


Yes you can Coot, although I can´t say much more because I just played the tutorials. It has a single player mode, and you can edit your crew and build your own sub aswell if you like, there also seems to be alot of user created content in the Workshop.

Red


New update for Barotrauma inbound this week, with a big focus on the single player campaign...
Barotrauma incoming update notes

Red


We might be the only two people on this whole forum that have even heard of Barotrauma let alone play it lol.

Great coop game though.
Posted By: Coot

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 07/29/20 09:43 PM

Thanks Red. I've had Barotrauma on my wishlist for awhile but was uncertain how genuine its single player mode was. I do have SOMA and have loved my time with it. I've been stuck at what I think is the end for awhile now with the last entity. Its very dark and I can't find my way around while trying to avoid the entity. SOMA eventually turned out more scary to me than Alien Isolation. AI was very scary for me at first and still maintained its creepiness throughout but I had to come up with defense mechanisms as a player to get accustomed to the scary. SOMA from beginning to end has this unyielding loneliness and terror when things get weird. I love the underwater setting too. I'm just struggling to finish it because of the tricky entity at the end.

Speaking of atmospheric games one of my favorites has been Ethan Carter. I started on the original version then they came out with the free update to the newer engine. Its a gorgeous environment with and intriguing and sometimes creepy story line that has many surprises. That company was last I saw working on another, totally different game that looked quite bizarre but fascinating.

If Observer is the one I'm thinking of, I think I got it for free when GOG was giving it away. I'd like to give it a try. -edit- (I just looked and I was thinking of Obduction which I believe was made by the Myst games)

I still have yet to finished Kholat after many years. It has some nice elements but its always been unoptimized and runs rough for me through out.

I was also surprised to see that some of these Playstation era games have come out on PC like Beyond Two Souls. I played a lot of that on PS3 and enjoyed it and its very creepy with an engaging story line. I imagine it looks and plays all the nicer on PC with 60fps.
Posted By: Vaderini

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 09/08/20 10:53 PM

Just finished playing Abzu, absolutely fantastic experience smile

After a while I noticed that I had zoned out and had played the game without my brain being there. Fantastic sound, and really nice paced scenery. It is nice when a game just lets you relax and take everything in. It reminded me of Rez, but instead of raising your heartrate it decreases it.

Abzu is about as long as a movie though, and there is not too much replayability in it, so keep an eye on that if you decide to purchase it yourself.
Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 09/09/20 11:01 AM

I've been playing quite a bit of the Mad Max game that was released back in 2015 as well as Total War: Troy. I've been enjoying both games quite a lot.
Posted By: Vaderini

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 09/09/20 11:32 AM

How far are you in Total War: Troy, PM?
Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 09/09/20 11:38 AM

Originally Posted by Vaderini
How far are you in Total War: Troy, PM?



I think I'm on turn 60? Overall I think the game is a solid effort but I will also say that players who are huge fans of Greek mythology and have read the Iliad at least once will most likely get much more out of the game. It would no doubt increase the immersion.
Posted By: Paul Morrison

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 09/09/20 02:27 PM

I'm playing:

Invasion Machine (in early access, but is still quite a bit of fun).
America's Army Proving Grounds (its just so much fun playing with a small community of people, most of whom I know).
Groundbranch (needs players, but is fun)
Wargame Red Dragon: Like AAPG this is an oldie but a goodie.
Posted By: kilosierra

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 09/09/20 02:27 PM

Originally Posted by Vaderini
Just finished playing Abzu, absolutely fantastic experience smile

After a while I noticed that I had zoned out and had played the game without my brain being there. Fantastic sound, and really nice paced scenery. It is nice when a game just lets you relax and take everything in. It reminded me of Rez, but instead of raising your heartrate it decreases it.

Abzu is about as long as a movie though, and there is not too much replayability in it, so keep an eye on that if you decide to purchase it yourself.



Yup,

liked ABZU a lot, I can`t remember why I bought it, I`m normally not into this kind of games.

I bought Crying Sun last week, it`s a cool game, a bit like FTL, but with more tactical depth.

Greets

Karsten
Posted By: wormfood

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 09/09/20 02:56 PM

I've been replaying Mafia II, it's a solid mobster game with a decent story and game play.
I do prefer the story and 1930s setting of the original.

And some Fallout 76, picked it up a few weeks back while it was on sale. They've fixed some of the problems and issues it had at launch. While it's fun, I would have much preferred it to be offline.
I'm also not a fan of how the perk cards are handed out. Every few levels you get a pack of several random cards and when you increase a SPECIAL point you get to choose 1 from a small sample of random cards from that stat.
It makes it so you cannot just make the character you want from the get go. I'm running around with melee weapons and shotguns because those are the only perks I have.
Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 09/09/20 04:22 PM

Originally Posted by wormfood


And some Fallout 76, picked it up a few weeks back while it was on sale..



As soon as I read about the changes with Fallout 76 before it was released I immediately lost interest. I'll just wait for Fallout 5 instead thank you very much.
Posted By: wormfood

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 09/09/20 06:31 PM

Originally Posted by PanzerMeyer
Originally Posted by wormfood


And some Fallout 76, picked it up a few weeks back while it was on sale..



As soon as I read about the changes with Fallout 76 before it was released I immediately lost interest. I'll just wait for Fallout 5 instead thank you very much.

That's why I waited as long as I did. For the half price they were offering at the time I bought it, I'd say it's worth it...barely. Some of the story and missions are ok, and it's a fun multiplayer romp. Still has some bugs and I loathe that I cannot just pick the perks I want until hitting level 50.
Posted By: Chucky

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 09/09/20 08:39 PM

Just started to dabble with Sea of Thieves. I know the graphics are done in a cartoon type style but the sea is really well done. Probably the best I've seen. I love just sailing around.

I'm a solo player so I got my work cut out.
Posted By: Nimits

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 09/10/20 04:28 AM

Originally Posted by F4UDash4

LSPDFR (GTA V mod)



That looks quite interesting! How polished is it?
Posted By: JimK

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 09/10/20 04:53 AM

Van Halen, Sammy Hagar made them what they are. Some of the best 80`s tunes ever. 5150 is Awesome.
Posted By: F4UDash4

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 09/10/20 10:04 AM

Originally Posted by Nimits
Originally Posted by F4UDash4

LSPDFR (GTA V mod)



That looks quite interesting! How polished is it?



I like it, there are many mods to "tune it" according to your tastes. I've been way from it for a few weeks now but I've played the mod much more than the base game.
Posted By: Paul Morrison

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 09/10/20 03:43 PM

Quote
That looks quite interesting! How polished is it?


Its fantastic actually. The only problem is that every time they update GTA:V, which is like every other day, it breaks something, which then needs to be addressed, but once you get used to it its easy to do. I actually reskinned my vehicles to look like local police around here. There are a million mods for the mod. It really is great. There's nothing quite like walking up to a car on a traffic stop for running a stop sign which 99% of the time is completely uneventful (run the plate and the driver, no warrants, issue a warning or a ticket), and having the occupant jump out and try to shoot you. Then have all the gang rats from the neighbourhood start shooting at you as well. Hitting the "back up" a bunch of times and trying to hold them off until your backup arrives.

Or... having the random person on a traffic stop, with no wants or warrants suddenly drive off, starting a long pursuit.
Posted By: F4UDash4

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 09/10/20 04:10 PM

I figured out where the Korean Mafi hangs out, I can go provoke a shootout anytime the mood strikes biggrin
Posted By: Crane Hunter

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 09/17/20 08:00 PM

I just finished my 2nd playthrough of the infamous The Last of Us 2, after being pressured to play it or else receive no more free games from my gaming industry relative.

Anyway, it's a decidedly mixed bag, with beautiful and detailed environments and greatly improved combat mechanics on one hand, but it was let down by a stupid story, wonky pacing and an excessive amount of cutscenes and scripted sequences, enough that you hardly felt in control of your character.

There is also the controversial content that I won't get into here.

Overall I don't think it was completely horrible, but its sales are bombing hard enough that it might kill what should have been a successful franchise.
Posted By: Coot

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 09/18/20 04:21 AM

I'm really disappointed about what they did to TLOU2. I'll likely not ever play it unless someday second hand. Naughty Dog needs new owners/creative leads or what have you. I won't mention their names but "they" need to go. Save for about two major objections I had with the first game I loved The Last of Us and played it three times. Wrong people with wrong agendas have hijacked and poisoned ND who then obviously have also had Sony's support to facilitate these agendas.

It a shame. Like you mentioned Crane I love the world and environments from TLOU and the combat which I imagine is even better the second time around but they have abused and misused the most important thing and that is the story telling. Even Uncharted started to take a subtle yet downward turn in my opinion especially Lost Legacy which is my least favorite. TLOU though took a spectacular turn for the worse. Lost Legacy wasn't terrible but you can definitely tell "whose" hands were on the story telling. Uncharted 4 turned out okay but likewise you can see signs of the change when they turned Amy Hennig loose.
Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 09/18/20 12:14 PM

Kind of off topic but not totally, I have found it quite interesting the number of friends I have on Steam who I see playing games all the time ever since the pandemic started but whom I rarely ever saw playing before the pandemic. smile
Posted By: NoFlyBoy

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 09/18/20 03:48 PM

Madden football. Look I beat the Patriots!

[Linked Image]
Posted By: Mr_Blastman

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 09/18/20 03:55 PM

Hmm, I stumbled across this mod today for Battletech:

https://www.nexusmods.com/battletech/mods/452?tab=description

Contemplating giving it a try.
Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 09/18/20 04:02 PM

Just bought Serious Sam 4 from Steam today. If you are a fan of the Serious Sam games I suggest you get it! It's only 40 bucks.
Posted By: DBond

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 09/24/20 03:02 PM

Normally my gaming MO is to latch on to a certain title I like, then play it at high intensity until completion or burnout, whichever comes first. I tend not to shuffle through various titles, and instead focus on my game of the moment, but over the past few months I have kept mixing it up. These are the games I've been playing over that time.

Metro Exodus -- Bought it back in the early days of the Epic release, advancing to the Volga level and then becoming frustrated over the QTE stuff (I've since learned I could change the QTE method), and shelved it for a while. I actually purchased a second copy on Steam (Gold Edition) when it was on sale recently and gave it another go. Very much enjoying the game, as Metro is one of my favorite franchises. It's not without its flaws, but overall it's quite good. I've run in to some hard lock/freeze problems near the lighthouse, but read of some things to try and get past it today which I'll try tonight. Seems a fairly common issue so hopefully I can work it out and continue. Technical troubles aside I'm having a good time with Exodus.

Football Manager -- Bought FM20 and played a Derby County save for eight seasons, winning two league titles (one Championship, one Premiership), four league cups, one FA Cup and one Europa League with the Rams. But I eventually was overcome by frustration with the match engine. It's mostly good, but there are a few things that drive me batty about it. Decided to go retro and am now managing Leeds in FM13.

Divinity Original Sin -- Played through DOS 2 for the third time I think, on Tactician, and then DOS1 for the fourth or fifth time. Great games if you're in to this sort of stuff. Very much looking forward to Larian's take on Baldur's Gate.

Prey -- Played it through a second time. This is a title that seems to divide opinion. Folks either love it or hate it. For me, one of my favorite shooters of the past few years.

Shadow Tactics: Blades of the Shogun -- Strategy and tactical games are my jam, but this one doesn't quite click with me. It's neat, and has tidy mechanics, but it's a bit frustrating and at the same time a little too simple or something. Can't quite put my finger on it. I've tried to get in to it twice now, but didn't get past more than a few levels before shelving it.

Greedfall -- Has failed to grab me, but I'll return to it. Have yet to give it a proper shake.

PGA Tour 2K21 -- I love golf games, and this is a good one, but I am finding it difficult to find the right settings for me. I'm either shooting 60 every round (with swing timing off) or shanking the odd one out of bounds (with swing timing on). I'd really like to find the middle ground because it's a good golf simulation. Putting is either too easy (with put preview on) or too hard without it. The green slope grid is too coarse for me to get a good read without the preview.

Europa Universalis IV -- What can I say? This is my most-played Steam game ever (3,400 hours over six years). It's fantastic, and during a recent sale I grabbed the expansions I had railed against. I'm no fan of Paradox's DLC policy, but I like their strategy games. Always on ironman mode hunting the achievements.
Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 09/24/20 03:11 PM

Originally Posted by DBond


Metro Exodus -- Bought it back in the early days of the Epic release, advancing to the Volga level and then becoming frustrated over the QTE stuff (I've since learned I could change the QTE method), and shelved it for a while. I actually purchased a second copy on Steam (Gold Edition) when it was on sale recently and gave it another go. Very much enjoying the game, as Metro is one of my favorite franchises. It's not without its flaws, but overall it's quite good. I've run in to some hard lock/freeze problems near the lighthouse, but read of some things to try and get past it today which I'll try tonight. Seems a fairly common issue so hopefully I can work it out and continue. Technical troubles aside I'm having a good time with Exodus.


Prey -- Played it through a second time. This is a title that seems to divide opinion. Folks either love it or hate it. For me, one of my favorite shooters of the past few years.




I absolutely loved Metro Exodus and played it through twice. I highly recommend you get the two DLC's "The Two Colonels" and "Sam's Story" if you don't have them already. I never had the issue with the hard locks near the lighthouse.

As for Prey, my personal opinion is that it's like a David Lynch film. You either "get it" or you don't. Prey is most certainly not for everyone and I can perfectly understand why it only had a niche appeal.
Posted By: DBond

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 09/24/20 03:12 PM

Yep PM, those Exodus DLCs are what makes it the Gold Edition. Got 'em and will play them after the main campaign.
Posted By: Blade_RJ

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 09/24/20 04:46 PM

im taking care of my mom after surgery so i dont have much time for games, so im only doing quick sessions of r6 siege and cod, when i go at little more time in the weekend im trying out horizon zero dawn....im enjoying so far, while as pc gamer i dont find the game aaaaall that, i have to apreciate all the details they managed to include into base ps4 early on gen, they really extracted milk out of rocks
Posted By: wormfood

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 09/25/20 12:58 PM

Lately, I've been playing Total War: Warhammer. It's fun and I like the difference between the factions, but that end game chaos and beastmen spamming is absurd.
Mafia the definitive edition released yesterday, I'll give that a go over the weekend. The original was one of my favorite PC games.
Posted By: F4UDash4

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 09/25/20 01:07 PM

DCS / IL2

Occasional KSP

And a sprinkling of GTAV LSPDFR
Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 09/25/20 01:11 PM

Originally Posted by F4UDash4
DCS / IL2



Same here. I’ve come to the conclusion that the vast majority of people who play IL-2 play it in single player mode only. Even at peak times such as a Saturday afternoon I will see at most 3-4 Cooperative servers and about 10 dogfight servers. Several of these servers will also be empty or nearly empty.
Posted By: DBond

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 09/25/20 01:12 PM

Originally Posted by wormfood
Lately, I've been playing Total War: Warhammer.


Mortal Empires? Yeah the Chaos waves are not fun. Depends on where you are whether you get repeated invasions or hardly ever see them. In Vortex I find it manageable as it ramps up along with your faction. Otherwise a great game. We have a Warhammer thread in the RTS/Historical Strategy subforum if you ever care to share which factions you are playing or any other thoughts you have. One of my favorite games, Warhammer 2.

For what it's worth I was able to get past the Metro Exodus hard locks by disabling "Full Screen Optimization". All's good and progressing once again.
Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 09/25/20 01:55 PM

Originally Posted by DBond

For what it's worth I was able to get past the Metro Exodus hard locks by disabling "Full Screen Optimization". All's good and progressing once again.



It's good to hear you resolved that issue. Do you use an Nvidia or AMD card? I can't recall if I used the full screen optimization option when I played the game.
Posted By: DBond

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 09/25/20 02:13 PM

It's on by default, and has to be disabled by right-clicking the exe. I'm using a GTX 1660Ti (AMD CPU though). This was one of the fixes I read about after searching out the issue. Was the first thing I tried and it worked. Still in the Caspian level but just a few things to mop up before moving on.This was a good gear level and now rolling with the Bulldog (like a TAR-21, bullpup rifle), the Shambler (Saiga) and the Tikhar which cannot be swapped out it seems. The gunplay is good as it's always been in this series. Complete darkness, but a blinding light from a headlamp and gunsmoke obscuring the sight picture with shouts from the enemy reverberating through the corridors as I squeeze off short controlled bursts at fleeting glimpses of an enemy behind cover. It just drips with atmosphere. Nothing new but I really enjoy it.
Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 09/25/20 02:33 PM

Originally Posted by DBond
Nothing new but I really enjoy it.



Same feeling here. I also think that the series is done because I just simply don't see where the developers can take the Metro series now. Story-wise I think everything has been pretty much explored and resolved.
Posted By: DBond

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 09/25/20 02:40 PM

There is a game in the works, whether it sees the light of day (clever, yes?) or not remains to be seen.

https://www.gamesradar.com/metro-exodus-sequel-confirmed/

I think it will be back in the Metro and while I like the open atmosphere of Exodus I would welcome a return to the underground.
Posted By: F4UDash4

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 09/25/20 03:09 PM

Originally Posted by PanzerMeyer
Originally Posted by F4UDash4
DCS / IL2



Same here. I’ve come to the conclusion that the vast majority of people who play IL-2 play it in single player mode only. Even at peak times such as a Saturday afternoon I will see at most 3-4 Cooperative servers and about 10 dogfight servers. Several of these servers will also be empty or nearly empty.



Most of my time is actually MP with a friend, however I have started the "Lightning Strikes" campaign.
Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 09/25/20 04:14 PM

Originally Posted by DBond
There is a game in the works, whether it sees the light of day (clever eh?) or not remains to be seen.

https://www.gamesradar.com/metro-exodus-sequel-confirmed/

I think it will be back in the Metro and while I like the open atmosphere of Exodus I would welcome a return to the underground.


Well, this is a pleasant surprise! Thanks for the link. If Glukhovsy himself mentions that the story isn't quite over yet then I'm confident he has some good ideas up his sleeve.
Posted By: rwatson

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 09/25/20 05:59 PM

I like being able to read posts by real gamers not some paid reviewer,,So on the posts of Panzer and DM decided to bite the bullet and grabbed Metro gold Edition..I need something to take a break from flying
Posted By: DBond

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 09/25/20 06:07 PM

It's excellent and I hope you enjoy it but I am not from Prague smile

Did you play either 2033 or Last Light?
Posted By: rwatson

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 09/25/20 06:21 PM

Sorry Dbond :):) Got a bit mixed up there..Never tried those two but will check them out
Posted By: DBond

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 09/25/20 07:18 PM

Exodus would make more sense from a narrative point of view having played the first two, but of course not necessary. If you like Exodus you could always play the other two afterwards. If you do, look for the 'redux' versions.
Posted By: rwatson

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 09/25/20 07:54 PM

Thanks DBond doing some reading and think I'll do one of the first two first The hardware requirements are a bit lighter but reading reviews and such seems like a good break from my flight sims
Posted By: DBond

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 09/25/20 08:37 PM

I played Last Light first, but 2033 is the first game in the series. I think Last Light is a better game, but I liked them both. I'd start with that one if not going straight for Exodus. Purely subjective however. I liked everything about Last Light aside from the few boss battles which I hated. Great atmosphere, good story, cool gunplay with some neat weaponry. A little scary at times and a nice pace overall.Lots of little side stories, take your time and listen in on the NPC conversations as you move through the Metro. Some folks skip right past all of that, but for me it's one of the series' charms. I'd like to be able to play it again for the first time quite honestly. Didn't expect much going in but by the end it was one of my favorite shooters. Quite unique and atmospheric in my view. My view however is not universally held by all smile
Posted By: rwatson

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 09/25/20 08:54 PM

Thanks DBond..Think I'll play them in the proper order..Winters coming and I like long plays and need to give things like Total war Shogun/Empire a rest and get some fresh play..And I figure the Metro series will fill the time..My shooter games have been Ghost Recon..COD,,ARMA Gold..Just decided it was time for some new games..Not getting around a lot lately and the pup doesn't talk much so need something different to get solidly into and naturally fly some
Posted By: Chucky

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 09/25/20 09:56 PM

No Man's Sky. I've dabbled with it before, but this time legally on the M$ store with Game Pass wink

It's a lot different from what I remember. First thing was to turn off 3rd person. I HATE that and will dictate whether or not I will play a game.
Posted By: Trooper117

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 09/26/20 11:53 AM

Yep, bought it recently and I'm enjoying it a lot... I like most games when you have to explore and find stuff!
Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 09/28/20 11:34 AM

I'm playing Half Life 2: Update which has some pretty well done graphical improvements. I last played Half Life 2 about 14 years ago so I had forgotten just how much the game is inspired by George Orwell's "1984".
Posted By: F4UDash4

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 11/07/20 12:59 PM

I was searching for something else that lead me to this thread and as I scanned through it I noticed that I posted in it THREE times, each time as if I had not posted in it before. This old age memory loss crap is a pain! LOL

At least each time I was consistent and remembered what I was actually playing biggrin



06-19-20
Originally Posted by F4UDash4
IL-2 GB

DCS


But neither very much, so busy with other projects.



07-28-20
Originally Posted by F4UDash4
Kinda late to the thread but....

IL2 GB
DCS
LSPDFR (GTA V mod)



09-25-20
Originally Posted by F4UDash4
DCS / IL2

Occasional KSP

And a sprinkling of GTAV LSPDFR
Posted By: DM

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 11/07/20 01:01 PM

Originally Posted by F4UDash4
I was searching for something else that lead me to this thread and as I scanned through it I noticed that I posted in it THREE times, each time as if I had not posted in it before. This old age memory loss crap is a pain! LOL

At least each time I was consistent and remembered what I was actually playing biggrin


I think I know the feeling biggrin

Edit:
As I haven't actually achieved it in this thread yet, I'll kick it off;
Divinity Original Sin 2 (play with friends)
DCS (TrackIR, I like the resolution & keyboard access)
MSFS 2020 (TrackIR, I like the resolution & keyboard access)
Automobilista 2 (For the great VR experience, I'm no racing driver smile works great right in the headset, no need to fumble with the keyboard)
Richard Burns Rally (VR again. Best rally game out there & can be got for free)
Posted By: NimRud

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 11/08/20 10:33 AM

Just got me a new PC after nearly 10 years and wanted to `stress test` it with the new MS Flightsimulator which then quickly led to boredom and playing around with the IL-2 Great Battle series and buying some more of the modules/planes for it.
Only to end up getting the PE edition of Wings over Flanders Fields and enjoying the brilliant WW1 atmosphere and trying to survive as long as possible with my virtual pilot of FFA 19 flying in the Verdun area of late 1915.

Also started playing the new Blitzkrieg DLC for Unity of Command 2 and the PC demo for the upcoming new Dragon Quest XI game. The later being a JRPG I played on the Switch for awhile but never finished it although I really enjoyed it but got distracted with other things.
Posted By: Mr_Blastman

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 11/08/20 05:18 PM

I have been playing Star Control Origins lately and kinda wish I had played it on release. Really charming game!

The reason I waited so long was because there was a big fuss about Stardock producing the game without the original Star Control 1 & 2 creators' blessings. Sometime in the last year, though, they worked out their issues and the creators were released from legal injunction on making their own sequel, so now everyone is happy. Stardock has done a great job so far capturing the essence of awesome in Star Control 2.
Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 11/08/20 11:50 PM

Currently playing Fallout 76, Star Wars Squadrons, Elite Dangerous, IL-2, DCS, Total War Three Kingdoms, Rome 2, Troy as well as ArmA 3, F1 2019, Project Cars 2 and Division 2.
Posted By: Chucky

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 11/09/20 11:37 AM

Trying out Grey Skies (War of the Worlds story). It's ok but 3rd person isn't my favourite. Probably never finish it. For some reason I'm fighting humans in the early game.

Also Generation Zero but only SP. I like this but #%&*$# those robots are quick. I like my robots like I like my zombies, Dawn of the Dead speed.
Posted By: DM

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 11/09/20 11:44 AM

Originally Posted by Chucky
I like my robots like I like my zombies, Dawn of the Dead speed.


Eh, you'll have to be more specific smile
Romero speed or Snyder speed?
Posted By: Chucky

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 11/09/20 11:48 AM

Originally Posted by DM

Romero speed or Snyder speed?


Definitely Romero speed yep

*edit* I forgot about that second one.
Posted By: wormfood

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 11/09/20 02:00 PM

Lately, War Thunder (the ground battles) and Fallout 76.
Posted By: Johan217

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 11/09/20 02:24 PM

MSFS and Battlestar Galactica Deadlock.
Keeping an eye out on Empire of Sin when it is released.
Posted By: F4UDash4

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 11/09/20 07:58 PM

IL2 / DCS

Still smile
Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 11/09/20 10:46 PM

Originally Posted by F4UDash4
IL2 / DCS

Still smile



Both of these will be on my hard drive for many more years. Why? Both of them are great sims and both of them are the only game in town if you want current day (ie actively developed) combat flight sims.
Posted By: Mark Aisthorpe

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 11/10/20 12:39 AM

Mostly been playing FS2020/MSFS/FS11 or whatever name you want to give it. It still has a way to go before it's perfect but its so damned pretty.

I foresee some American Truck Sim coming up though seeing as the Colorado DLC is due to be released on Thursday.
Posted By: Allen

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 11/10/20 01:17 AM

Recently spent 6hrs with Baldur's Gate 3 Early Access version -- did not grab me because it uses D&D tabletop rules in a way which break my immersion (others like that it uses D&D rules).

The last 2 weeks spent replaying Witcher 3 and MSFS2020 -- no negatives on those two (except I need a better system to play MSFS2020 at 4K ultra settings).

Was going to buy/try Assassin's Creed Valhalla tomorrow. But, initial reviews (generally positive) described aspects that turned me off.
Posted By: JohnnyChemo

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 11/10/20 01:21 AM

Got caught up in Rimworld lately. I'm nearing the endgame, and I'm thinking I might post something more in depth on the RTS board soon.
It's really a fun title, very engrossing. I'm surprised at times how much I'm enjoying it.
Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 11/10/20 04:04 AM

Originally Posted by Allen


The last 2 weeks spent replaying Witcher 3 and MSFS2020 -- .



I've been thinking about replaying Witcher 3. It's a fantastic RPG and it's already been about 3 years since I finished it.
Posted By: Allen

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 11/10/20 11:17 AM

Originally Posted by PanzerMeyer
I've been thinking about replaying Witcher 3. It's a fantastic RPG and it's already been about 3 years since I finished it.


I recently read that an official Witcher 3 graphical overhaul is in process -- bring it to 2021 standards. Presumably to be released fairly soon. I wanted to wait for it, but, as I noted, the other options "fell through" for me.
Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 11/10/20 11:45 AM

Originally Posted by Allen
Originally Posted by PanzerMeyer
I've been thinking about replaying Witcher 3. It's a fantastic RPG and it's already been about 3 years since I finished it.


I recently read that an official Witcher 3 graphical overhaul is in process -- bring it to 2021 standards. Presumably to be released fairly soon. I wanted to wait for it, but, as I noted, the other options "fell through" for me.



I would most definitely buy it again just for the graphics overhaul alone.
Posted By: Allen

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 11/10/20 02:08 PM

Originally Posted by PanzerMeyer
Originally Posted by Allen
Originally Posted by PanzerMeyer
I've been thinking about replaying Witcher 3. It's a fantastic RPG and it's already been about 3 years since I finished it.


I recently read that an official Witcher 3 graphical overhaul is in process -- bring it to 2021 standards. Presumably to be released fairly soon. I wanted to wait for it, but, as I noted, the other options "fell through" for me.



I would most definitely buy it again just for the graphics overhaul alone.


Okay. This little exchange was worth while. Put things in focus for me.

I've decided to wait for Witcher 3 overhauled. Meantime, I'll play (from the beginning) and self-mod Witcher 2 while I wait -- never finished it or self-modded it. BTW, not finishing is not unusual for me (if I'm not modding). On the other hand, playing multiple times and putting in hundreds of hours on a game that I can mod is not unusual -- record is over 1000 hrs -- where feasible invent items (inc. 3-d models), etc from scratch, etc (e.g. Fallout series, XPlane).

Thanks smile
Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 11/10/20 02:12 PM

Originally Posted by Allen


not finishing is not unusual for me (if I'm not modding).



This actually seems to be quite common on SimHQ based on past posts that I've read from other members. Maybe it is indeed true that our attention span takes a hit as we get older? biggrin
Posted By: Mr_Blastman

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 11/10/20 03:58 PM

If you're going to play any of the older Witcher games, you should play the first one, which in my opinion is the best of the series. I haven't beaten the third one yet, though.
Posted By: Allen

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 11/10/20 05:29 PM

Originally Posted by Mr_Blastman
If you're going to play any of the older Witcher games, you should play the first one, which in my opinion is the best of the series. I haven't beaten the third one yet, though.


I considered Witcher 1 first. It was the last version I played in the pre-COVID late Winter. I never finished. Then, I played 5 other games (IIRC, 4 all the way -- without modding smile ).

I intended to pick up Witcher 1 where I left off a few months back. However, at first blush, this morning, I could not see a way to mod it. So, I jumped to Witcher 2 and am investigating modding which seems feasible. Witcher 3 is easy to mod (and I've modded it). I may look at Witcher 1 modding once again -- since you suggested it smile

And, yes, I'm a geeky-geezer biggrin
Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 11/10/20 05:32 PM

Originally Posted by Allen
Originally Posted by Mr_Blastman
If you're going to play any of the older Witcher games, you should play the first one, which in my opinion is the best of the series. I haven't beaten the third one yet, though.


I considered Witcher 1 first. It was the last version I played in the pre-COVID late Winter. I never finished. Then, I played 5 other games (IIRC, 4 all the way -- without modding smile ).

I intended to pick up Witcher 1 where I left off a few months back. However, at first blush, this morning, I could not see a way to mod it. So, I jumped to Witcher 2 and am investigating modding which seems feasible. Witcher 3 is easy to mod (and I've modded it). I may look at Witcher 1 modding once again -- since you suggested it smile

And, yes, I'm a geeky-geezer biggrin



Sounds to me like if you can't mod a game you get pretty bored with it before too long?
Posted By: Allen

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 11/10/20 06:00 PM

I can last 40 or 50 hours -- unmodded. But, since I grind a game, I don't get as far as someone else might in that same game.

Often, I read an RPG has a 20 or 40 hour plot and I play less than half way in that time. Then, because I grind (figuratively looking under every rock), it gets to be "same old same old". If I mod, it changes things -- not "same old" anymore. In those cases, half my hours (sometimes much more) are spent figuring out how to mod and then modding.

Having said all that, I've made a very small number of very good mods -- and many that please me but would bring a "yawn" to others. Among the good: Long ago a realistic WW1 fighter. More recently a fair version of my wife in the pilot's seat -- also very realistic copies of real weapons and armor and some I invented. But, mostly, "yawn" to others. A fun way to pass more time with a nominally good game (we retired folk have time to spare smile ).
Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 11/10/20 06:42 PM

Originally Posted by Allen
I can last 40 or 50 hours -- unmodded. But, since I grind a game, I don't get as far as someone else might in that same game.

Often, I read an RPG has a 20 or 40 hour plot and I play less than half way in that time. Then, because I grind (figuratively looking under every rock), it gets to be "same old same old". If I mod, it changes things -- not "same old" anymore. In those cases, half my hours (sometimes much more) are spent figuring out how to mod and then modding.

Having said all that, I've made a very small number of very good mods -- and many that please me but would bring a "yawn" to others. Among the good: Long ago a realistic WW1 fighter. More recently a fair version of my wife in the pilot's seat -- also very realistic copies of real weapons and armor and some I invented. But, mostly, "yawn" to others. A fun way to pass more time with a nominally good game (we retired folk have time to spare smile ).



Good post Allen and I can definitely understand where you're coming from. There are certain games that would have died out a long time ago if they were not moddable. The first example that comes to my mind is Armed Assault 3.
Posted By: Allen

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 11/10/20 08:29 PM

I tried modding Witcher 1 again. But couldn't figure where to start modding. FWIW, I have 77hrs of Witcher 1 playtime total according to Steam.

So, I jumped back to Witcher 2 and the internet told me how to "uncook" the files and also "repack as cooked". Uncooked, modded a file (that I could figure out for myself -- similar to W3), packed, tried in game -- it worked (literally much to my amazement on the first try).

So, now I'll restart Witcher 2. Since this is not the Witcher 2 thread, I'll not be saying much more. But, thanks for the conversations. They "got my head straightened out" regarding what to play next thumbsup
Posted By: That_1_Trains_Girl

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 11/12/20 11:24 PM

I've mostly been neck-deep into Assetto Corsa Competitzione. Looking to get my pace up to race levels so I can run some endurance stuff with my mates.

When it comes to less sim-y games, I have been having a really good time with a point-and-click called FoxTail. It's this tiny indie production made by one guy, and the puzzles are very classic Sierra/LucasArts, very good stuff.
Posted By: Allen

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 12/01/20 09:08 PM

Witcher 2 done. Just a bit over 30 hours from very beginning to the long ending credits followed by the invasion scene (according to Steam hours shown). Never completed an RPG game that quickly.

FWIW: Played most (not all) the quests/side-quests. Only about 23% of players finish (according to Steam). Killed Letho -- about 10% kill Letho at the end game. Killed the Dragon -- about 10% do that. Nothing special, my mods make it easier.

Many interesting in-game referrals to Witcher 1. I only got part way through that one. I may try to finish it before finishing Witcher 3. Witcher 3 is supposed to get updated graphics soon.

Cyberpunk 2077, Assassin's Creed Valhalla, to be updated Witcher 3, to be updated Mass Effect series, etc await a new generation AMD GPU -- probably a couple months. I could also use the new GPU to get the most out of MSFS2020.
Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 12/02/20 12:07 PM

Currently playing a lot of Fallout 76. This game has been VASTLY improved from what it was on release day and for the most part it plays just as well as Fallout 4 did.
Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 12/02/20 12:08 PM

Originally Posted by That_1_Trains_Girl
I've mostly been neck-deep into Assetto Corsa Competitzione.



Does this have AI cars for multiplayer or does it only support human controlled cars?
Posted By: DBond

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 12/02/20 02:01 PM

These games have been in my rotation over the past month or so

F1 2020 -- I've gotten a lot of mileage out of this one. Several hundred hours. Multiple career modes, seasons, teams. Currently resurrecting fallen giant Ferrari in 2023.

Outer Worlds -- From Obsidian, I bought it based on reviews and the company's track record. Horrible combat made me shelve it for now after just a few hours. Might be a good game here, but man the combat sucks. AI consists of rushing the player as immediately and quickly as possible. Yawn

Borderlands 3 -- Just bought it in the Steam sale. I bought in as an Epic exclusive a year ago, and played through a couple times (TVHM). Awesome game, one of my favorite franchises. Few games have taken me so completely by surprise as Borderlands did (Borderlands 2). Bought it on a whim and it became one of my all-time favorite shooters. I like the art style, humor, characters, music and gameplay in general. The gunplay is fantastic and the weapons are too. As popular as it is, I reckon it's still underrated. I used Epic to buy three exclusive games in the last year or two -- RDR 2, Exodus and Borderlands 3. I've now bought the last two on Steam as well, and nearly bought RDR2 the other day in the Steam sale. Different versions, GoY, Season Pass sort of stuff with all the DLC. I don't hate Epic, but I love Steam. But it's more down to how rarely I use Epic, and when I do fancy a bit of RDR 2 or whatever, everything needs to update and it just kills the mood. Epic updates, the launcher updates, the game updates, the updates update. Bah, just get it on Steam and be done with it. Waiting for sales means it doesn't hurt too bad to buy a second copy (and I get all the new content too). I can console myself because it supports developers of my favorite games and puts a little more cash in their pockets.

Sniper Ghost Warrior Contracts -- A good sniper-shooter. Looks good (Cry Engine game), plays well. Has good shooting mechanics, challenging AI and varied objectives. A bit of a departure from Sniper Ghost Warrior 3, losing the open world and replacing it with five large maps. Some cool kit and toys to play with. Nothing particularly remarkable about it, or innovative. But what it does it does well enough that the end result is a good shooter. It's a bit of a hybrid, mixing a lot of spec ops sort of work in, less focus on pure sniping, and more on completing objectives and getting in close with the enemy.



Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 12/02/20 02:12 PM

Originally Posted by DBond
I don't hate Epic, but I love Steam. But it's more down to how rarely I use Epic,



The only reason I got EPIC is because my friend jumped the gun and bought BL 3 on release so I was kind of compelled to get it since he really wanted to play it in COOP mode. I would have been just fine with waiting a year until it came out on Steam.

I have recently come to the realization that I currently have enough games installed right now that I am in no hurry to get a new game on release day. I'm perfectly fine waiting until it goes on sale or it gets the inevitable slew of patches. "Cyberpunk 2077" is an extremely rare exception since I was blown away by what the developer did with Witcher 3.
Posted By: Chucky

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 12/02/20 02:58 PM

I'm playing Terminator:Resistance and it surprised me to be honest. It's really good. Just the right amount (so far) of combat,stealth,story and crafting.

I keep blundering into patrols which I find annoying but that's partly my fault for not using the special vision mode and generally being heavy-handed.
Posted By: DBond

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 12/02/20 02:59 PM

Originally Posted by PanzerMeyer


The only reason I got EPIC is because my friend jumped the gun and bought BL 3 on release so I was kind of compelled to get it since he really wanted to play it in COOP mode. I would have been just fine with waiting a year until it came out on Steam.


I now have it on both platforms, so if we ever get around to playing I can go with the flow. Do we need to be on same platform? Maybe not.

Quote
I have recently come to the realization that I currently have enough games installed right now that I am in no hurry to get a new game on release day. I'm perfectly fine waiting until it goes on sale or it gets the inevitable slew of patches. "Cyberpunk 2077" is an extremely rare exception since I was blown away by what the developer did with Witcher 3.


Same here. I became a dad in 2010, got married, moved to a different state, new job, new family. My life got flipped so much that PC gaming was a casualty. From 2010 to 2013 I played nothing. So that when I got divorced and got my life back, there was this huge backlog of games to play. It's great, because so much that was old was new to me, and I could just buy games that had been out a while, at lower prices and in better states with additional content. It's worked out great, and is still going. But as you mention, there are some transcendent titles that deserve purchase from the off. RDR 2 was one of these games, Witcher 3 as you mentioned. And as we are discussing in the Cyberpunk thread, Cyberpunk too. I hope it is so great that my next entry in this thread just says

Cyberpunk

biggrin
Posted By: Allen

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 12/02/20 03:01 PM

I pre-ordered Cyberpunk 2077 on Steam based on rave reviews of its RPG content -- and Witcher 3 ties. In reading, I never noticed it was 1st person -- I play W3 in 3d person.

1st person kills immersion for me (as we know, others prefer 1st person for maximum immersion). So, I got a refund from Steam. I assume that when I get my new GPU I'll "suck it up", re-buy it, and try to enjoy 1st person. First person could also be a problem with Far Cry 6 (free with my R7 5800X purchase).

Regarding above comments: I got Outer Worlds and Borderlands 3 free with a couple AMD purchases.

Played a lot of Outer Worlds -- but lost interest -- may restart someday. I watched a full length video of a "speed play" that literally only took about 15 minutes (no cheating that I could see).

Only played an hour or so of Borderlands 3 -- a quick check (was playing something else).
Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 12/02/20 03:03 PM

Originally Posted by Chucky
I'm playing Terminator:Resistance and it surprised me to be honest. It's really good. Just the right amount (so far) of combat,stealth,story and crafting.





I was really impressed as well especially considering that this was a low budget title. The story was good enough to have been made into a film in my opinion.
Posted By: DBond

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 12/02/20 03:13 PM

Originally Posted by Allen

1st person kills immersion for me



There's no accounting for taste is there? I'm exactly the opposite, needing first person to really get in to it and become my character. Third person games are not off limits if they're good enough, and my opinion of Witcher 3 backs that up.

For me though there is this distinction between becoming my character (first person) and controlling my character (third person).

GTA, and RDR 2 for that matter are games that allow either mode. I played through both in first person. Matter of fact I ignored GTA until first person was added, and it became one of my favorite games as a result.

Borderlands is great, but first person of course, and some just do not take a shine to its quirks I suppose. For me it's a classic series that is a cut above. I've now played every game in the series,even Tales From the Borderlands (an interactive story game, but very well done)

Posted By: Allen

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 12/02/20 03:44 PM

Originally Posted by DBond
Borderlands is great, but first person of course, and some just do not take a shine to its quirks I suppose. For me it's a classic series that is a cut above. I've now played every game in the series,even Tales From the Borderlands (an interactive story game, but very well done)


I bought Borderlands 1 and played most of it and thought it was good -- 1st person evidently was not a stand out issue for me then (2014) in that game. The other two Borderlands, I got free with purchases.

1st person seems natural for a flight simulator -- as a pilot, all I can do is look forward, left, and right and manipulate controls.

FWIW: Just a few words regarding how my psyche interacts with what I see on the screen. In an RPG with manual combat (e.g. swords), when surrounded by enemies and tumbling too and fro and so-forth, 3d person gives me more information regarding my surroundings -- much as I would have in real life with 5 senses and 170 peripheral vision and a "feeling" of where I am in the moment. I use that information to decide what to do in the next instant. If I'm shooting at a person in the distance (pistol, rifle or bow), 1st person could work for me. I'm not debating -- just explaining "me". There is no wrong way to enjoy a game.
Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 12/02/20 04:33 PM

Originally Posted by Allen

There is no wrong way to enjoy a game.


+1

For me, 1st person or 3rd person being more preferable depends entirely on the specific game I'm playing. For example, I find the 1st person view in ArmA 3 to be extremely limiting to my situational awareness and it almost feels like being a race horse with blinders on. 1st person view in the Fallout games though I find to be a much more natural "feel" than using 3rd person which I find to be awkward especially if engaged in combat.

It's just simply the case that certain game engines are better suited to 1st person and others are better suited to 3rd person.
Posted By: Mr_Blastman

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 12/02/20 05:04 PM

Originally Posted by Allen

FWIW: Just a few words regarding how my psyche interacts with what I see on the screen. In an RPG with manual combat (e.g. swords), when surrounded by enemies and tumbling too and fro and so-forth, 3d person gives me more information regarding my surroundings -- much as I would have in real life with 5 senses and 170 peripheral vision and a "feeling" of where I am in the moment. I use that information to decide what to do in the next instant. If I'm shooting at a person in the distance (pistol, rifle or bow), 1st person could work for me. I'm not debating -- just explaining "me". There is no wrong way to enjoy a game.



That makes sense. I'd never play Dark Souls in first person, but I adore the games in third.

Shooters, on the other hand, I prefer in first person.
Posted By: Chucky

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 12/02/20 06:49 PM

Originally Posted by PanzerMeyer
Originally Posted by Chucky
I'm playing Terminator:Resistance and it surprised me to be honest. It's really good. Just the right amount (so far) of combat,stealth,story and crafting.





I was really impressed as well especially considering that this was a low budget title. The story was good enough to have been made into a film in my opinion.


The only downside is that you are not allowed to go anywhere you like. Climbing rocks etc isn't possible and I feel that you are 'herded' along in certain places. No deviating from the path. I just started hacking on the easiest level. I don't like this. What are the hard levels like?
Posted By: Mr_Blastman

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 12/18/20 04:19 PM

I beat Star Control Origins last night. Great game! Very quirky and cute, and meeting aliens was lots of fun.
Posted By: Allen

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 12/18/20 07:17 PM

I started Mass Effect Andromeda yesterday.

I bought it when it came out -- it had a bad set of reviews. Played a bit and lost interest. Meantime, they fixed it up. So, a restart.

There is a good modding tool available. Made my first test mod an hour ago -- shockingly, it worked the first time (give all the credit to the mod-tool designer). Nonetheless, modding is not entirely straightforward.

The heroine is a likeness of my wife (when younger) -- with my wife's first name smile
Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 12/18/20 07:20 PM

I played through Andromeda twice and I really enjoyed it. I bought it several months after it was released so it was already patched extensively. I never ran into any bugs or technical issues during my two play-throughs.

Having said that, I didn't find the main story arc or the main characters to be as interesting when compared to the previous three games.
Posted By: WangoTango

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 12/19/20 12:33 AM

Playing through the original Max Payne. The evil political woman character looks familiar. No ?
[Linked Image]
Posted By: Chucky

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 12/21/20 07:25 PM

I just purchased Death Stranding on Epic. 50% off plus a £10 voucher = £ 17.49.

I had been playing a ahoy version to 'test' it and decided it was a worthy purchase at that price.

Pity there are so few games that offer a demo nowadays.
Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 12/21/20 07:26 PM

What is the premise of Death Stranding? Is it an RPG?
Posted By: Chucky

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 12/21/20 07:33 PM

It's a delivery simulator biggrin (apparently). You play a courier.

I'm only at a very early stage but it's got excellent graphics/sound/music and so far an interesting story with excellent cut-scenes.

As to the question is it an RPG - It's touted as a 'genre-defying experience' so make of that what you will.

You play in 3rd person (although you can enter a 1st person mode).You need to rebuild the United States following a cataclysmic event which caused destructive creatures to begin roaming the Earth.

Starring Norman Reedus,Mads Mikkelsen,Lindsay Wagner and Lea Seydoux to name a few. Oh,yeah and Guillermo del Toro.

The first reviews put me off hence the reluctance to initially purchase it but I think it'll be a good time-sink over xmas.


Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 12/21/20 07:49 PM

Originally Posted by Chucky
It's a delivery simulator biggrin (apparently). You play a courier.

I'm only at a very early stage but it's got excellent graphics/sound/music and so far an interesting story with excellent cut-scenes.

As to the question is it an RPG - It's touted as a 'genre-defying experience' so make of that what you will.

You play in 3rd person (although you can enter a 1st person mode).You need to rebuild the United States following a cataclysmic event which caused destructive creatures to begin roaming the Earth.

Starring Norman Reedus,Mads Mikkelsen,Lindsay Wagner and Lea Seydoux to name a few. Oh,yeah and Guillermo del Toro.

The first reviews put me off hence the reluctance to initially purchase it but I think it'll be a good time-sink over xmas.




Thanks for that info! Ok so it sounds like a post-apocalyptic survival story-driven game.
Posted By: Chucky

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 12/21/20 07:55 PM

Yeah I think that probably sums it up.

Also,it's not weird in any way...

Posted By: WangoTango

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 12/21/20 07:59 PM

Hideo Kojima's games are always a bit strange.
Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 12/21/20 08:07 PM

Originally Posted by Chucky


Also,it's not weird in any way...



Yeah that's some seriously weird David Lynch stuff!!!
Posted By: Wizard43

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 12/22/20 04:49 PM

I'll chime in with my current game but my ulterior motive is to find out if anyone else still plays Jane's F/A-18. Am I the last person on earth playing this sim?

Wizard
Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 12/22/20 05:19 PM

Originally Posted by Wizard43
if anyone else still plays Jane's F/A-18. Am I the last person on earth playing this sim?

Wizard



Holy cow! Do you play it heavily modded in any way or does the stock game still run on modern PC's? I bought it back when it was initially released in 2000 but I'm pretty sure I stopped playing it by 2002 or 2003.
Posted By: Blade_RJ

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 12/22/20 07:18 PM

Originally Posted by Wizard43
I'll chime in with my current game but my ulterior motive is to find out if anyone else still plays Jane's F/A-18. Am I the last person on earth playing this sim?

Wizard

i never got into this sim, at 13 i learned all the systems from janes f-15 but the f-18 i just couldnt get around th mfds modes to launch a simple walleye......
Posted By: carrick58

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 12/22/20 08:06 PM

WOFF and Naval Action. However, I am thinking of picking up Red Dead Redemption or two 25 yr old females and go dancing.
Posted By: Wizard43

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 12/24/20 08:21 PM

Re: Jane's F/A-18, not really modded. Just TSH 3.0something. Can't remember the exact version but whatever is in the 1click Updater. For the longest time I ran TSH 4.02 on an old WinXP box that I saved just for this game. Now I'm running it on a retired Win7 box. I switched to Win7 so I could also have Strike Fighters 2 installed and be able to use my Hotas, Butt Kicker, Track IRs and Thrustmaster MFD's. At some point I'll put IL-2 on it as well. But I really haven't gotten into SF2 yet. I just really like the carrier ops in JF18 and carriers don't seem to be implemented as well in SF2. And I have to admit that I like all the high tech gadgets in the Super Hornet like smart bombs, GPS and lasers. It will be hard to go back to CCIP and dumb bombs.

Wizard
Posted By: DBond

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 01/18/21 01:53 PM

Oh man, had the past month off from work and the list of games played over the past month or two is a bit longer than usual.

Borderlands 3 -- A few hundred hours overall in to this one now. Played a new main and the first three DLC. Fun game, and better in most ways than BL2, which is saying something.

Super Mega Baseball 3 -- Bought it on the strength of user reviews. It has a cartoon element to it, especially art style, but the underlying baseball sim is pretty darn good. With The Show still console-only, SMB3 might be the best baseball game on PC at the mo.

Outer Worlds -- Good reviews and user comments, but it hasn't clicked for me and I've only sunk six hours or so in to it. Having trouble getting started with this one, which is not to be confused with...

Outer Wilds -- A neat concept and hook, bought it based on glowing reviews. Played a few hours, not quite what I was expecting I think, but has potential. Gotta give it more time. Finally got off the planet and promptly got eaten by a space creature that loomed out of the space fog. Not sure what that thing was?

Cyberpunk -- Finished the game. Good game, but my socks are still on, ya know? Worth my time, but in the end I have to say it wasn't the seminal game I hoped it would be.

Ori and the Blind Forest -- I know right? Not my usual fare. After completing Cyberpunk I was on the hunt for a new game. This may sound strange, but I love luminescence. I love art styles that have neon purples, greens, pinks, blues, yellows, with a bit of a glow about it all. Hard to explain. But I started searching for a game that looked like this. The one I homed in on was the new Ori game, called Will of the Wisp. Great reviews and I almost bought it. But not knowing if I'd actually like it, I pulled the trigger on it's predecessor, Blind Forest. If I don't like it, I saved ten bucks. If I do, then I've played the earlier game and have WotW to look forward to. Jury's still out after a few hours. Kinda cool, but yet to see the amazing story elements it's renowned for. Still early. But it does scratch that art style itch and the platforming and puzzles are fun.

F1 2020 -- Not driving my career much, but my ten-year old son and I have been having some good battles with the split screen mode.

Assetto Corsa -- Reinstalled this one after a few years. I saw there are 700 achievements now, and having zero of them is bringing down my average lol. So I installed it and turned some laps, but it's hard with a controller, or I have yet to work out good settings. Might have to bust out the wheel once again. Maybe showing it's age a bit, but I was having fun with it.

I have a goal to reach 2000 Steam achievements. I am around 1850 now. Just a little something to keep me motivated smile
Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 01/18/21 03:01 PM

Originally Posted by DBond


I have a goal to reach 2000 Steam achievements. I am around 1850 now.







That's it? I'm currently at 4,276. I should hit 5k sometime this year.
Posted By: DBond

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 01/18/21 03:05 PM

I know, I saw your profile last year.

But that's like an outlier you know. biggrin
Posted By: Mr_Blastman

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 01/18/21 03:17 PM

How do you see your total number of achievements?
Posted By: DBond

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 01/18/21 03:22 PM

I have the achievements showcase on my profile which shows total achievements, achievement percentage and displays my five or six most rare ones (all EU IV of course)

I think this requires Steam level 10?

Edit: Yes, you get a showcase every 10 levels. You can do various things like complete badges to raise this, but I've never done a single thing like that in Steam.
Posted By: Lieste

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 01/18/21 03:25 PM

Outer Wilds is great.
Posted By: DBond

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 01/18/21 03:30 PM

Originally Posted by Lieste
Outer Wilds is great.



You've played it? Did you finish it? It is a neat game, but I could use some guidance. I've launched successfully, but not really sure where I should go first? I guess I want to hunt down the people you can hear on the scope? The flying is tricky. Any tips?
Posted By: Mr_Blastman

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 01/18/21 03:35 PM

Somehow I have 1602 achievements. Weird.
Posted By: DBond

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 01/18/21 03:36 PM

That's a lot!
Posted By: Lieste

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 01/18/21 04:02 PM

I'd start by following the signals you can find, talk to those you meet, explore & read/interact with artefacts you find, try to follow what is going on. It slowly unfolds and makes more sense as you get more of the pieces of the puzzle, until you finally can solve the final journey in the ~20 minutes you have available.

Some places are only accessible 'early' in each cycle, others only 'late', and others can be accessed at any time, but might need other information to 'find' them.

Don't want to add too much more, it is fun trying to figure out how things work in this strange solar system and finding the problems you can solve as you gather information and new routes.
Posted By: archermav

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 01/18/21 04:12 PM

Originally Posted by Chucky
I'm playing Terminator:Resistance and it surprised me to be honest. It's really good. Just the right amount (so far) of combat,stealth,story and crafting.

I keep blundering into patrols which I find annoying but that's partly my fault for not using the special vision mode and generally being heavy-handed.


I've been playing this recently, not a bad little game. I do like the plasma sniper rifle.
Posted By: Allen

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 01/18/21 04:24 PM

Originally Posted by PanzerMeyer
Originally Posted by DBond

I have a goal to reach 2000 Steam achievements. I am around 1850 now.

That's it? I'm currently at 4,276. I should hit 5k sometime this year.


Very interesting. I only have a piddling 619 achievements. But, I get few per hour I guess (e.g. Fallout NV 289hrs on record, 20 of 75 achievements). A lot of my in-game hours are spent modding and testing mods (particularity in Fallout and Skyrim series -- ).

Just checked: Fallout 4 has 1120hrs on record and Skyrim 920hrs -- plus hundreds of out of game mod development hours, I assume. I also assume some folks have more time per game just because they play it more often.
Posted By: DBond

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 01/18/21 04:32 PM

Well many don't care about achievements all that much, but I enjoy hunting them down, in some games anyway. EU IV especially. I find analyzing the completion percentages interesting. Like you play a fantastic game and yet see that only 25% of players have done some of the most basic things and you wonder how this can be?


Originally Posted by Lieste
I'd start by following the signals you can find, talk to those you meet, explore & read/interact with artefacts you find, try to follow what is going on. It slowly unfolds and makes more sense as you get more of the pieces of the puzzle, until you finally can solve the final journey in the ~20 minutes you have available.

Some places are only accessible 'early' in each cycle, others only 'late', and others can be accessed at any time, but might need other information to 'find' them.

Don't want to add too much more, it is fun trying to figure out how things work in this strange solar system and finding the problems you can solve as you gather information and new routes.


Thanks mate, and that's what I figured. Which planet did you visit first? I'm so new I can't even really tell if I am flying forwards or backwards lol.
Posted By: RedOneAlpha

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 01/18/21 04:55 PM

Playing Death Stranding (on and off), Necromunda Underhive Wars, Space Hulk Tactics, Ghost Recon Breakingpoint, Shadow of the Tomb Raider, and alot of MSFS 2020 lately.
Posted By: Lieste

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 01/18/21 04:56 PM

I think it was the nearby ice planet, followed by the twins (donor), after that it was following the leads around the others and back through these and the home planet and beyond again. It isn't a very long game, maybe 10-12 hours depending on how quickly you work through the more tricky passages, but it packs a bunch of neat stuff into that play time.
Posted By: DBond

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 01/18/21 05:02 PM

Thanks Lieste, you're always very helpful. We have a similar taste in games I think, and your grasp of the underlying mechanics is always helpful. I guess I'll play this one in short bursts and maybe at some point I'll have a breakthrough smile
Posted By: Mr_Blastman

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 01/18/21 06:05 PM

Originally Posted by DBond
Well many don't care about achievements all that much, but I enjoy hunting them down, in some games anyway. EU IV especially. I find analyzing the completion percentages interesting. Like you play a fantastic game and yet see that only 25% of players have done some of the most basic things and you wonder how this can be?


Out of all my achievements, I haven't bothered to hunt a single one. They happen. Probably because I play most games on harder to hardest difficulty.
Posted By: kilosierra

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 01/18/21 09:32 PM

Trying to learn Stellaris, got it in the Winter sale. Quite complex... eek
Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 01/18/21 11:52 PM

Originally Posted by kilosierra
Trying to learn Stellaris, got it in the Winter sale. Quite complex... eek


Paradox is very well known for making extremely complex strategy games. I’m a huge Roman history fan and it took me a while to get into “Imperator Rome” where I felt like I knew what I was doing.
Posted By: Patrocles

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 01/18/21 11:58 PM

Still turning laps in iRacing, ACC, rFactor2, and RRRE. winner

On the table I have also had time to solo game Advanced Squad Leader and Night Fighter Ace (designed for solitaire play).
Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 01/19/21 01:00 AM

Originally Posted by Patrocles
Still turning laps in iRacing, ACC, rFactor2, and RRRE. winner


Project Cars 2 and F1 2020 is my poison of choice for racing!
Posted By: Patrocles

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 01/19/21 01:26 AM

Originally Posted by PanzerMeyer
Originally Posted by Patrocles
Still turning laps in iRacing, ACC, rFactor2, and RRRE. winner


Project Cars 2 and F1 2020 is my poison of choice for racing!


I liked PC2 for the car and track variety, but I could never get the FFB feeling right on my Fanatec wheel so I do not run it as often as I would like to. I still enjoy running California Highway and Lyden Hill course from time to time.
Posted By: DBond

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 01/19/21 11:51 AM

Originally Posted by PanzerMeyer
Originally Posted by kilosierra
Trying to learn Stellaris, got it in the Winter sale. Quite complex... eek


Paradox is very well known for making extremely complex strategy games.


True that. EU IV is far and away my favorite Paradox game, but they also make Imperator as PM said (haven't played it myself), Hearts of Iron, Crusader Kings, Stellaris, Victoria and more. A good studio if you don't end up objecting to their DLC policy.


In my list yesterday I forgot to add one game I've also played recently, Frost punk. But I only played 30 minutes before I said I had better RTFM smile
Posted By: BlueHeron

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 01/19/21 02:51 PM

Haven't played PC2 in a while but it's by far my favorite for racing.

Currently playing Phasmophobia. Simple and great fun, I'm surprised how well it gets under my skin..
Posted By: KRT_Bong

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 01/19/21 03:00 PM

Star Wars Battlefront II currently free on Epic, looks nice has loads of scenarios and maps.
Posted By: Mark Aisthorpe

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 01/19/21 03:15 PM

As well as flying MSFS I'm playing My Time at Portia, a cutsie RPG light/crafting game that was free on Epic over Xmas.
It's probably more of a kids game but I just cant stop playing it, I may need an intervention smile
Posted By: F4UDash4

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 01/19/21 06:04 PM

Il2 / DCS.


Still.

biggrin
Posted By: Azshal

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 01/19/21 06:28 PM

I paid for another month of World of Warcraft. Last I played it was in 2016. A lot has changed.
Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 01/20/21 02:07 AM

Currently alternating between Fallout 76 and Cyberpunk 2077. I’m definitely in an RPG groove right now.
Posted By: mbeaver

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 01/20/21 03:21 AM


Most of my gaming time lately is on Dark Souls 3.
Posted By: Mr_Blastman

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 01/20/21 05:33 AM

Dark Souls games are sooooooooooooooooooooo good.
Posted By: Sluggish Controls

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 01/21/21 04:55 PM

Playing a lot of Squad recently.
Surprised so few of you ever mentioned this game.

Cheers,
Slug
Posted By: DBond

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 01/22/21 02:03 PM

Originally Posted by Sluggish Controls
Playing a lot of Squad recently.
Surprised so few of you ever mentioned this game.


I never played it, but I recall watching an extended video someone posted here a few years ago and he was a RPG gunner. Was it GunDoc? Whoever it was he played well and it was interesting. Looks like a good game. I've gotten away from online shooters, but I must admit my head's been turned by Hell Let Loose. Added to my wishlist and might just do.
Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 01/22/21 02:07 PM

Originally Posted by DBond
I've gotten away from online shooters,


I used to play them all the time until my mid 30's and then I got tired of all of the obvious cheating/hacking that was going on and so I dropped PvP entirely and have done only cooperative modes ever since. It would be dumb for me to return to PvP anyway since there's no way that my 48 year old reflexes could compete with the mostly teenage players who play online shooters now.
Posted By: Mr_Blastman

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 01/22/21 08:17 PM

Originally Posted by Sluggish Controls
Playing a lot of Squad recently.
Surprised so few of you ever mentioned this game.

Cheers,
Slug



Squad is good?

I think I have that game but never tried. Are the servers active?
Posted By: Sluggish Controls

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 01/25/21 03:50 AM

Affirmative :-P
On a server populated with players playing the objectives, and progressing across the maps tactically, it is excellent. On a monkey server, you just run a lot, and die a lot for nothing.
Avoid monkey servers and you may very well get hooked.

Two 50-player teams divided into squads with usually up to 9 players per squad. Depending on the maps, you also get armour to support boots on the ground, and helis for fast transport & supplying the FOBs. Each Team has a commander, selected by vote, who will direct the team. In many ways it reminds me of Red Orchestra, with contemporary equipment and Afghanistan, Iraq and bits of Eastern Europe settings.
Taking an objective or scoring a kill is satisfying - that's generally a good sign for me.

Graphics are good, if not the sexiest around. No idea if you care about that, I don't.

Give it a go, and pick your server wisely. It should not be a problem, tons and tons of them in the US. Don't worry, I play on Aussie / Filipinos / Singapore servers, you'll never end up down my sight, ha!

Cheers,
Slug
Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 01/25/21 12:00 PM

Is anyone here currently playing any Total War titles (not counting Warhammer) besides me?
Posted By: DBond

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 01/25/21 01:16 PM

I've played Warhammer 2 recently, does that count?

just joking

I nearly bought Three Kingdoms last week before not buying it. I considered reinstalling Attila. Didn't end up doing either, but at least it's on my mind smile

Looking forward to Warhammer 3, which will allow us to stitch together the maps and all factions from all three games in to one super-mega-fantastic campaign.
Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 01/25/21 01:19 PM

Originally Posted by DBond
I've played Warhammer 2 recently, does that count?

just joking

I nearly bought Three Kingdoms last week before not buying it. I considered reinstalling Attila. Didn't end up doing either, but at least it's on my mind smile

Looking forward to Warhammer 3, which will allow us to stitch together the maps and all factions from all three games in to one super-mega-fantastic campaign.



I've been busy with other games but I do plan on finally installing and playing the free copy of WH that you graciously gave me. Who knows? Maybe the fantasy setting will draw me in after all.


As for Three Kingdoms, I only recommend it if you have an interest in the history of ancient China.
Posted By: DBond

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 01/25/21 01:23 PM

Dude, yes. Please do. I really want to know what you think about it.
Posted By: SippyCup

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 01/25/21 01:30 PM

Apart from the usual combat sims, I started a new game in Dark Souls III after beating the game a couple of years ago. Also re-playing Ghost Recon (with Island Thunder and Desert Siege) as it's been over a decade since I finished them all. I can't remember much of anything so it's fun. The AI in GR is obviously very simple but ruthless. I love it and am having more fun than with any modern tactical shooter... proof that graphics only go so far toward the experience!
Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 01/25/21 01:32 PM

Originally Posted by SippyCup
. Also re-playing Ghost Recon (with Island Thunder and Desert Siege) as it's been over a decade since I finished them all. I can't remember much of anything so it's fun. The AI in GR is obviously very simple but ruthless. I love it and am having more fun than with any modern tactical shooter... proof that graphics only go so far toward the experience!




I have lots of fond memories of playing the original GR in cooperative mode with friends. I especially enjoyed the "Island Thunder" add-on since I could understand what the enemy soldiers were saying to each other. smile
Posted By: Mr_Blastman

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 01/25/21 04:40 PM

Originally Posted by SippyCup
Apart from the usual combat sims, I started a new game in Dark Souls III after beating the game a couple of years ago.


You can never go wrong with Dark Souls.
Posted By: Forward Observer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 01/25/21 10:00 PM

Originally Posted by PanzerMeyer
Is anyone here currently playing any Total War titles (not counting Warhammer) besides me?


I'm just finishing up a Welsh (Strat Clut) campaign in Thrones and have just started an ERE campaign in Attila. I have a Roman campaign going in Rome II but haven't touched it for several weeks. I keep looking for other games to get into but find myself going back to those I'm already familiar with. Besides, due to their very nature, the TW games are almost infinitely replayable.

However, I'm also replaying the campaign in Rebel Galaxy Outlaw. Actually, I have two different playthroughs going on different difficulty levels just to compare. It's a fun little space RPG/arcade game that reminds me very much of the old Microsoft space game called Freelancer. I bought it early last year when it was still an Epic exclusive. The Freelancer comparison was easy since I had just replayed the older game after discovering how to get to work on Windows. Microsoft had finally released a free exe. file to get around the obsolete Securom DRM that was used 17 years ago when the game was first released. Maybe it might be more correct to say that it's like Freelancer if that game had been set in an imaginary space outlaw redneck trucker universe.

I see that Rebel Galaxy is now available on Steam. However, it's still selling at its original issue price of $30. I've gotten more than my money's worth out of it since I've probably played through the game 3 or 4 times now. It's presently one of my sandbox games. It can be played with a gamepad, a HOTAS, or a mouse and keyboard. I chose the latter so that's another reason it reminds me of Freelancer. It's getting mixed reviews on Steam (67% positive--33% negative) Count me in the positive--I'd definitely give it a 7 and maybe even an 8 for what it is. I may do a mini-review in the space game forum when I can make the time.

Cheers
Posted By: Force10

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 01/25/21 10:20 PM

I've been playing The Saboteur again on my PC...I've never finished it...this time for sure!

I have a long HDMI cord and long controller cord and play it on my TV from the couch. It looks pretty good for a 2009 game. I dig the atmosphere in this title.

Here's some pics from when I was playing in 2011:

https://simhq.com/forum/ubbthreads.php/topics/3484762/Re_Lets_talk_sabotage.html
Posted By: Mark Aisthorpe

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 01/25/21 11:15 PM

Originally Posted by Force10
I've been playing The Saboteur again on my PC...I've never finished it...this time for sure!

I have a long HDMI cord and long controller cord and play it on my TV from the couch. It looks pretty good for a 2009 game. I dig the atmosphere in this title.

Here's some pics from when I was playing in 2011:

https://simhq.com/forum/ubbthreads.php/topics/3484762/Re_Lets_talk_sabotage.html


That was a pretty cool game.
Unfortunately its impossible to 100% it as it was released unfinished when they shut the developers down frown
If I remember correctly there's a castle near the middle of the map that you can get a peak that there's stuff inside but you cant get in, I tried everything but never could find a way in.
Posted By: Force10

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 01/26/21 12:36 AM

Originally Posted by Mark Aisthorpe

That was a pretty cool game.
Unfortunately its impossible to 100% it as it was released unfinished when they shut the developers down frown
If I remember correctly there's a castle near the middle of the map that you can get a peak that there's stuff inside but you cant get in, I tried everything but never could find a way in.


Maybe somebody has figured it out by now...I'll have to check that out!
Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 01/26/21 11:49 AM

Originally Posted by Forward Observer


I'm just finishing up a Welsh (Strat Clut) campaign in Thrones and have just started an ERE campaign in Attila.




I put in about 900 hours into Thrones of Britannia. I never understood all of the hate from so much of the fanbase against it. I played the campaign for all of the factions but my favorites were definitely Mide and West Seaxe (Alfred).
Posted By: SippyCup

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 01/26/21 05:55 PM

Originally Posted by Mr_Blastman
You can never go wrong with Dark Souls.


Yeah, it's amazing. This is only my second playthrough and I'm much more proficient this time around. It finally "clicked". Before I was heavily armored and slow, now I'm naked and fast, less panicky, and more reserved and patient. I just didn't understand the game mechanics the first time and didn't grasp how to fight. It isn't about ending fights as quickly as possible, it's using everything to your advantage and timing your enemy's moves. I also forced myself to stop locking onto enemies and have so much more freedom to move around. I'm breezing through parts I used to struggle with, but only through using skill I didn't have before. Get lazy and it's back to getting punished. I now completely understand what people have been saying about the game... when you get it, you get it. It's a whole other experience being decent at it. I may use estus only once or twice per level now, where before I was running out.

Love it. duel

Screen
Posted By: Coot

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 01/27/21 10:15 AM

I've returned to Batman Arkham Knight on PS4 and have finally gotten farther along. This third entry more than the others(never finished Origins, only Asylum and City)seems to have made the combat even faster. That and the enormous unlockable move set makes it overwhelming to me. I just can't remember all these maneuvers while in chaotic combat. Its a cool game though and I'm like the story and what they are doing with the Joker.

I finished The Last Guardian finally and it overall was a great game. It runs terribly to almost unplayable at times but its one of the few games that's worth the trouble. Its got an amazing companion character that is very life-like and a minimal storytelling style and world and physics engine that's great. This game however probably has the absolute worst camera system that I've ever seen. It literally fights you 99% of the time and that combined with the bad frame rates makes for some very frustrating situations.

I'm also still playing Ghost of Tsushima and its an excellent game. Very good. I completed the first act just today and now the other half of the island has opened up. It has excellent combat that is just diverse and challenging enough for my liking with lots of fighting options and stances. This is also one of the few open world rpg-like games that thus far, has consistently well written, hand crafted missions, specifically side quests. Every single side quest I have played has its own uniqueness about it and narrative. Its unique story or character and location either help build the world and lore or serves the main story in some way. It doesn't feel like some waste of time filler that doesn't reward you in any way like some many other open world games. I can't express enough how well these folks did with the writing and design in this game. It still has some things that could be better but overall its very well done.

I hope to start A Plague Tale: Innocence soon which looks very good.
Posted By: Allen

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 01/27/21 04:21 PM

For a few months I've bounced around starting and stopping games without finishing. Now waiting for the new Fallout NV DLC -- Fallout The Frontier -- to release on Steam.

While waiting, put 40+ additional hours into Fallout NV (already had over 300hrs on Steam and probably twice that in total). Most of that 40hrs has been revising, adding to, and testing my homemade mods in anticipation of FOTF.
Posted By: Allen

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 02/01/21 10:58 AM

Quote
Enormous Fallout: New Vegas mod The Frontier removed by its developers


Well I waited. Now its been removed from Steam even before it became live on Steam.

In the meantime, I spent over 75hrs in Fallout NV while waiting -- half the hours were related to homemade modding (as noted above).

Attached picture SteamActivityFeb1.jpg
Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 02/01/21 11:30 AM

Originally Posted by Allen
Quote
Enormous Fallout: New Vegas mod The Frontier removed by its developers


.



Was there any reason mentioned for this?
Posted By: Allen

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 02/01/21 01:05 PM

Quote
[FONV The Frontier removal] Due to one dev allegedly posting "animated pedophillic content"

"We will be making changes to the Frontier going forward to remove inappropriate lines and content. This will be our final build." It's not yet known exactly what content will be removed - nor is it clear that ZuTheSkunk had anything to do with the creation of said content. Ugh.


Removal of FONV The Frontier seems to have a couple reasons including misbehavior by one of the many volunteer developers and some bad reviews. They are apparently modding their mod to remove some of the criticized content.
Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 02/01/21 01:25 PM

Originally Posted by Allen
Quote
[FONV The Frontier removal] Due to one dev allegedly posting "animated pedophillic content"

"We will be making changes to the Frontier going forward to remove inappropriate lines and content. This will be our final build." It's not yet known exactly what content will be removed - nor is it clear that ZuTheSkunk had anything to do with the creation of said content. Ugh.


Removal of FONV The Frontier seems to have a couple reasons including misbehavior by one of the many volunteer developers and some bad reviews. They are apparently modding their mod to remove some of the criticized content.


YIKES. Just one of the many pitfalls that can occur from volunteer and unsupervised mods.
Posted By: Allen

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 02/01/21 04:49 PM

FWIW: Fallout NV The Frontier mod situation -- as of an hour ago. Returned to the FONV Nexus, not yet on Steam.
Quote
Fallout mod The Frontier returns after stripping out content from disgraced artist

Several other contributors also requested their work be removed.

The Frontier's public Steam release has been pushed back (it has a page on there, but is currently de-listed), and the removed icons currently have placeholder 'vanilla' art while the team looks for a proper replacement.

It's hard not to feel for Tgspy and the rest of the Frontier modding team: this is an extremely ambitious collaborative mod that represents years of work, and has now been tainted by the dreadful productions of one contributor.
Posted By: WangoTango

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 07/11/21 01:46 AM

Just finished Mafia The Definitive Edition. I really enjoyed it. I tried the original back in the day, but the driving mechanics were just awful. My son bought me the trilogy. I have played the 3rd on PS4, it was alright, I liked the 60's setting.
Posted By: James McKenzie-Smith

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 07/11/21 02:59 AM

I am 90% a VR gamer now. Raceroom, Dirt, VTOL, Thrill of the Fight, Onward, Into the Radius, early builds of Low-Fi, IL-2 Stalingrad/Bodenplatte, Boneworks, lots of other stuff. Non-VR games...mostly retro DOS stuff like SEAL Team - still sublime for what it attempts and when it attempted it - GNBNA, Sword of the Samurai, and a few others. I also occasionally fire up certain non-VR Windows games that either have no VR equivalent, or work well enough on flat screen. No driving sims or flight sims, and very few FPS games make the cut, though. ArmA2 or Iron Front on occasion with my own company/battalion level command scenarios, maybe Elite Warriors: Vietnam with my own mods and tweaks.
Posted By: Allen

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 07/11/21 11:21 AM

Played "Grim Dawn" end-to-end yet again -- over a period of weeks. I started fresh and couldn't stop. It grabs my attention.

During the weeks I mixed in some MSFS2020 -- a different thing entirely.

Tried "Baldur's Gate 3" Early Access a few hours yesterday. First time since last November. Game has an immersion breaking (for me) key flaw -- at key moments it rolls dice (or equal) in the middle of the screen. Baldur's Gate 1 & 2 used D&D rules but did not put "Dice literally in Your Face" -- calculations were all off screen like most RPG. I don't like it. They are emphasizing that part of the gameplay. I may not play this one when it releases in 2022. See attachment.

"Mass Effect™ Legendary Edition" (contains ME1, ME2, ME3) may be next. But, maybe not -- less gaming in Summer -- outdoor activities, etc take up time.

Attached picture Screenshot 2021-07-11 070611.jpg
Posted By: DM

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 07/11/21 11:33 AM

Originally Posted by Allen
Game has an immersion breaking (for me) key flaw -- at key moments it rolls dice (or equal) in the middle of the screen. Baldur's Gate 1 & 2 used D&D rules but did not put "Dice literally in Your Face" -- calculations were all off screen like most RPG. I don't like it. They are emphasizing that part of the gameplay.


Is there no option to disable that?
Posted By: Chucky

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 07/11/21 12:29 PM


PowerWash Simulator. What the hell? I'm addicted to this. Clearly I need help.

Posted By: Allen

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 07/11/21 01:02 PM

Originally Posted by DM
Originally Posted by Allen
Game has an immersion breaking (for me) key flaw -- at key moments it rolls dice (or equal) in the middle of the screen. Baldur's Gate 1 & 2 used D&D rules but did not put "Dice literally in Your Face" -- calculations were all off screen like most RPG. I don't like it. They are emphasizing that part of the gameplay.


Is there no option to disable that?


No! In fact, they emphasize that aspect of the game as being a good thing. Not all agree -- but, many do.

The stated purpose of the BG3 "Early Access" release is to get "player feedback". Today, I submitted an "official suggestion" via their "Suggestions" page. I submitted a verbose list of reasons to "let the player decide" via a "Visible D&D Dice Roll" On/Off Switch.
Posted By: Mr_Blastman

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 07/11/21 01:51 PM

If I wanted to play tabletop, I would. I play CRPGs, though, because I want a story and immersion, not that dice rolling feeling.
Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 07/11/21 03:42 PM

I don’t have the patience to play a tabletop RPG and besides, that requires the physical presence of other players.
Posted By: RedOneAlpha

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 07/11/21 05:36 PM

Just started Solasta: Crown of the Magister today, and shuffle between Conan Exiles, Songs of Syx and Wizards and Warlords.
Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 07/12/21 03:01 AM

As far as current games, I've really been enjoying the new and improved Total War: Rome Remastered. I highly recommend it to anyone who played the original version.
Posted By: DM

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 07/12/21 08:17 AM

So I was eagerly waiting on the release of the Mi-24p Hind in DCS so I could sink some time into a new aircraft, but then PMDG unexpectedly went & released their excellent DC-6 aircraft for MSFS. Big old 4-engine prop aircraft are just my thing, so I'm spending lots of time in that.

Really really great flight sim experiences with this, I recently made a new PC so performance is pretty good. Yesterday I flew a 2hr flight from Prague to Sion in Switzerland, weather was cloudy on takeoff, I flew through a very entertaining storm bank across Germany then into better but still cloudy weather into Switzerland. The airfield at Sion is nuts, quite difficult to get to in a DC-6 and the runway orientation is rather odd, pointing at the side of a mountain.

I enjoyed the feeling of bursting out of a cloudbank and realising I'm in a mountain range with peaks all around higher then me biggrin I was trying to be as low as possible for the descent into Sion (DC-6 doesn't like to do anything at any fast pace).

Hugely enjoyable, and exactly the kind of experience I was hoping for with recent purchases. Poor old Hind got shelved for now though.
Posted By: Johan217

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 07/12/21 11:30 AM

War on the Sea: surface battles are fun, the campaign needs a few tweeks to become truly good, but overall a very enjoyable game
Steel Division 2: need to use a mod that slows things down, then it becomes fun

To be played soon:
Destroyer - The U-Boat Hunter (demo) - only looked at the tutorials so far, looks VERY promising
Aircraft Carrier - Survival (demo) - had a brief look, could be a nice timewaster or a complete waste of time LOL
Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 07/12/21 11:31 AM

I really need to get back into naval sims. I haven't played one since Silent Hunter 4!
Posted By: wormfood

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 07/12/21 04:14 PM

I've been playing Red Dead 2. Well, not the story or multiplayer, just hunting and fishing. The game's like a quick little vacation.

Crashing F18's into carrier decks in DCS. There's good reasons I'm not a pilot in real life.

Also Firefighting Simulator: The Squad. Fun in multiplayer, but some of the missions are just a waste of time.
Posted By: Allen

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 07/12/21 04:31 PM

Originally Posted by Allen
Originally Posted by DM
Originally Posted by Allen
Game has an immersion breaking (for me) key flaw -- at key moments it rolls dice (or equal) in the middle of the screen. Baldur's Gate 1 & 2 used D&D rules but did not put "Dice literally in Your Face" -- calculations were all off screen like most RPG. I don't like it. They are emphasizing that part of the gameplay.


Is there no option to disable that?


No! In fact, they emphasize that aspect of the game as being a good thing. Not all agree -- but, many do.

The stated purpose of the BG3 "Early Access" release is to get "player feedback". Today, I submitted an "official suggestion" via their "Suggestions" page. I submitted a verbose list of reasons to "let the player decide" via a "Visible D&D Dice Roll" On/Off Switch.


FWIW: Some players agreed with the "On/Off" Switch "Suggestion". None were strongly against it, so far.

One person awarded me 100 Steam points for the "Suggestion". I did not even know that was possible. I had never seen it before. He/she put his/her money "where my mouth is". smile
Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 07/12/21 04:31 PM

Originally Posted by wormfood
but some of the missions are just a waste of time.


Any missions where you have to rescue cats stuck on tall trees?
Posted By: wormfood

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 07/12/21 04:33 PM

Originally Posted by PanzerMeyer
Originally Posted by wormfood
but some of the missions are just a waste of time.


Any missions where you have to rescue cats stuck on tall trees?

No, but there's a few where you drive for 10-15 minutes to put out a trashcan on fire.
Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 07/12/21 04:40 PM

Originally Posted by wormfood


No, but there's a few where you drive for 10-15 minutes to put out a trashcan on fire.



Ah I see. That's the equivalent to the "ferry this unarmed plane from this airfield to this airfield" mission in flight sims. biggrin
Posted By: carrick58

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 07/13/21 04:07 PM

Silent hHunter III, naval action, WOFF.
Posted By: Mr_Blastman

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 07/13/21 04:13 PM

Originally Posted by wormfood

Crashing F18's into carrier decks in DCS.].


This sounds like my first three attempts to vertically land the Harrier in DCS.

Hey, last night, on my third attempt half my landing gear broke and the airframe cracked open and caught on fire, but I lived! That counts as success, right? I popped the canopy, climbed out, and huddled next to the toasty flames where I warmed my wet hands beneath the stormy skies as I waited for the runway minions to arrive.
Posted By: wormfood

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 07/13/21 05:23 PM

Originally Posted by Mr_Blastman
Originally Posted by wormfood

Crashing F18's into carrier decks in DCS.].


This sounds like my first three attempts to vertically land the Harrier in DCS.

Hey, last night, on my third attempt half my landing gear broke and the airframe cracked open and caught on fire, but I lived! That counts as success, right? I popped the canopy, climbed out, and huddled next to the toasty flames where I warmed my wet hands beneath the stormy skies as I waited for the runway minions to arrive.

Any landing you can walk away from is a good landing.
Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 07/13/21 05:27 PM

I have not landed on an aircraft carrier in any flight sim since IL-2 Pacific Fighters. Concerning DCS though I'm quite proud of myself for the few night time/bad weather missions I successfully flew in the KA-50.
Posted By: Allen

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 07/14/21 11:02 AM

I'm playing "Mass Effect Legendary Edition". And, I'll continue putting a few hours into new Baldur's Gate 3 major updates as they are occasionally released.

FWIW: "Mass Effect Legendary Edition". Its the recently released version containing all three games ME1, ME2, ME3. Priced as a single game.

It all launches from one screen. Its designed to optionally/easily carry the Hero/Heroine and story line through all 3 games -- if you want to do that.

Besides much improved graphics and cut scenes, the games are 98 percent as the originals -- with some gameplay improvements. Example: The previously awkward ground combat vehicle drives better and plays better.

So far, I've got 14hrs on the clock -- but, I restarted once -- and took my time re-learning combat techniques. I really like the improvements. So far, so good.
Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 07/14/21 11:08 AM

Originally Posted by Allen
I'm playing "Mass Effect Legendary Edition". .



I'm playing it as well. I already finished ME 1 and I'm deep in the middle of ME 2 right now. This has been a very nice "blast from the past" experience for me and it reminded me of the extremely talented voice cast which has MANY well known names in it.

Keith David
Tricia Helfer
Seth Green
Michael Hogan
Marina Sirtis
Martin Sheen
Lance Henriksen
Claudia Black
Yvonne Strahovski
Posted By: Allen

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 07/14/21 11:45 AM

Originally Posted by PanzerMeyer
it reminded me of the extremely talented voice cast which has MANY well known names in it.

Since you mention it, I realize I too like the voice acting -- its notable.

My hearing has always been "2d rate" (as some jokingly say "deaf in one ear and can't hear out of the other"). In game conversations are hard for me -- so I use the text. Yet, for ME LE, I'm actually listening to the words and understanding. That indicates very clear enunciation. smile
Posted By: Allen

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 07/25/21 12:13 PM

Mass Effect LE ME1 is finished. It was WAY too SHORT. I foolishly followed the main plot line thinking it would eventually take me to all the star systems in the Galaxy. It did not, it bypassed most of them.

I modify games I play. I like to do-it-myself and not use downloadable mods that change gameplay. But, I may also use available mods that change appearances and Cheat Engine for some straightforward things. I finally got ME1 where I wanted it, and a few hours of play later it was over. Possibly less than 20 hours of actual game play (based on my Steam hours estimate).

Now playing Mass Effect LE ME2. I'll try to hit everything in the game. And, I'll try to finalize my home-made-mods very early in the game. So far, just experimenting to find out what I can do mod wise.
Posted By: Mr_Blastman

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 07/25/21 03:08 PM

Doing everything possible in ME 2 is the worst way to play that game, given how anticlimactic the ending is. You're best doing a few brief things before you move the plot along to the final battle. Don't recruit everyone, just a small handful.
Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 07/26/21 03:06 AM

I wonder how many people on SimHQ actually still play flight sims? I put in a few hours into DCS and IL-2 each week but it's a small percentage compared to the time I put into other game genres.
Posted By: Sluggish Controls

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 07/26/21 03:27 AM

Couple of hrs in DCS each week, primarily WWII birds, and was a Microsoft 2020 Flight Simulator heavy-user until very recently. The sim has crashed on me, impossible to launch beyond the copyrights splash screen, since mid May...
Irritating, and I have basically given up on it :-/

Cheers,
Slug
Posted By: DM

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 07/26/21 08:13 AM

I was a huge flight sim player in the past, and only took it up again last year really. DCS and MFS 2020. I was really looking forward to putting some hours into the new MI24-P Hind in DCS but it released at the same time as PMDG released a full-on study level DC-6 for MSFS. Decisions decisions, I chose the DC-6 because I had also recently bought a Honeycomb Bravo throttle quadrant and I've never had a quadrant capable of 4-engine management before.
Posted By: Allen

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 07/26/21 11:43 AM

Flight simulations are what got me started in the early 1990s -- I got one for free with some business software I ordered. Still played flight sims almost exclusively around 2000. I was on SimHQs predecessor prior to joining SimHQ in 1999. And, I kept playing flight sims -- and modding them by occasionally making my own aircraft from scratch. Most recent Aircraft mod was for X-Plane maybe 4+ years ago. Thing is, the "as supplied" aircraft in flight simulations are very good now. I really don't need to mod them.

Around 2000 I also got interested in Role Playing Games with story lines (vs shooters that just shoot). I liked to mod them -- I used a hex editor to mod Baldur's Gate when it first released. I used the mod tools that came with Skyrim and Fallout (for examples).

Over the years I've drifted to mostly RPG and MSFS 2020. So far, with Mass Effect Legendary Edition, I've used the hex editor as my main mod tool -- just a few tweaks -- made the pistol and sniper rifle I use accurate (like real pistols and sniper rifles). I've been trying to get ME3Tweak to work -- but, it has a problem designed into it -- and I'm not the only one noticing it. So, I'm currently sticking to "Hex Editor Neo" for ME LE.

I do keep my flight sim library up to date via Steam. And, I have good equipment -- not described below. So, I'm not done flying smile
Posted By: RedOneAlpha

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 07/26/21 02:53 PM

@Allen...

Have you tried Solasta? It comes with a dungeon editor (in Beta). Not saying you can´t mod it but at least you already get tools for it from the getgo.
Posted By: kilosierra

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 07/26/21 03:16 PM

I have MSFS2020 installed but only put a few hours into it so far. Still have Il-2 CloD Blitz installed, but haven`t touched it in the last 2 years I think.


Currently I`m playing Stellaris.

Greets

Karsten
Posted By: Mr_Blastman

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 07/26/21 03:28 PM

Originally Posted by PanzerMeyer
I wonder how many people on SimHQ actually still play flight sims? I put in a few hours into DCS and IL-2 each week but it's a small percentage compared to the time I put into other game genres.


Now that there's a dynamic campaign of sorts for DCS(Liberation), I'm a harrier pilot. smile

I consider Elite Dangerous and Star Citizen sims, too, despite being sci-fi, so despite not flying jets much of last year, I was still simming.
Posted By: Nixer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 07/26/21 10:39 PM

No flight sims in a couple of years. frown

On my second full play thru of my free COH2, well I paid a few dollars for the Rangers, great investment.
Posted By: WangoTango

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 07/27/21 12:01 AM

Dirt Rally 2.0 mostly these days.
Posted By: WhoCares

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 07/27/21 06:31 AM

Earlier I played a lot of MSFS2020, then some Elite Odyssey, and finally some Steel Division 2.
Right now, after a ~30 years break, I started playing the mother of all strategy games again, chess.

I guess I will come back to MSFS2020 when the Germany/Austria/Switzerland update comes out, planned for late August.
Posted By: rollnloop.

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 07/27/21 09:41 AM

World of Warships 70-80%

Arma 3 (mostly vietnam with the great SOG DLC)

DCS with dynamic campaign engine, flying F-14 mostly.

Occasionnally Cliffs of Dover (the Oden dynamic mission)

No great battles lately, it's more enjoyable ith VR and it's too hot here for VR, will enjoy it next autumn/inter.
Posted By: Allen

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 07/27/21 10:22 AM

Originally Posted by Red2112
@Allen...

Have you tried Solasta? It comes with a dungeon editor (in Beta). Not saying you can´t mod it but at least you already get tools for it from the getgo.


Thanks for the "head's up". No. I'll look into it. I do hope ME LE (ME2, ME3) will keep me busy RPG gaming for at least 100 hours of play over a few weeks or more (Summer and no COVID restrictions, so not gaming full time).
Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 07/27/21 10:31 AM

Originally Posted by rollnloop.


No great battles lately, it's more enjoyable ith VR and it's too hot here for VR, will enjoy it next autumn/inter.



Ah, so I see the perception by Americans that many Europeans don't have AC might be true after all. biggrin
Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 07/27/21 10:34 AM

Originally Posted by Allen
I do hope ME LE (ME2, ME3) will keep me busy RPG gaming for at least 100 hours of play over a few weeks or more (Summer and no COVID restrictions, so not gaming full time).



These are rough estimates but if you do every side mission available then it should take you about 45 hours to finish ME 1. ME 2 is considerably longer due to the many DLC's that were released for it. I believe it took me about 65 hours to finish ME 2 the last time I played through it.
Posted By: rollnloop.

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 07/27/21 12:39 PM

Originally Posted by PanzerMeyer
Originally Posted by rollnloop.


No great battles lately, it's more enjoyable ith VR and it's too hot here for VR, will enjoy it next autumn/inter.



Ah, so I see the perception by Americans that many Europeans don't have AC might be true after all. biggrin



It is true that many don't. Summer in Paris and anything northern can be hot during 15 days maximum, so most people won't have it in these areas.

Living in french riviera, I have it, but outside temps being in the 90\100 range, having AC delivering inside temp at 70 (maximum temp to appreciate VR for my taste) would give me a cold every few days going in and out , so I keep inside temp at 77/79, too hot for VR. When travelling to the US, even with temps above 100 I keep a sweater in a bag, to put it on when dining in restaurants. AC in the US is freezing.
Posted By: Mr_Blastman

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 07/27/21 03:49 PM

Originally Posted by PanzerMeyer
I wonder how many people on SimHQ actually still play flight sims? I put in a few hours into DCS and IL-2 each week but it's a small percentage compared to the time I put into other game genres.



Another thought:

Once one has played Elite Dangerous and particularly Star Citizen, the terrain in modern flight sims, DCS and the new Flight Sim included, looks really poor. Star Citizen's terrain when skimming the surface at 450 meters per second is unequalled in detail. And then you can land on it... and it is jaw dropping. So for those of us who like to do canyon runs, there's nowhere better to scratch that itch, unless accurate flight models are how we choose.
Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 07/27/21 04:35 PM

Yes, I would consider space flying sims to qualify as "sims" but since SimHQ is a website that was originally and predominantly built on discussing historical combat flight sims then I was curious to see how many members actually still played that genre.
Posted By: RedOneAlpha

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 07/27/21 06:09 PM

I personally think that once you played Star Citizen, the rest of games look/feel poor no matter what smile2

Another matter is if you like it or not, but the quality that SC offers sets the bar very high to be honest.

Mr. Blastman means something like this biggrin



Red
Posted By: Andy T

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 07/29/21 04:05 AM

Originally Posted by PanzerMeyer
Yes, I would consider space flying sims to qualify as "sims" but since SimHQ is a website that was originally and predominantly built on discussing historical combat flight sims then I was curious to see how many members actually still played that genre.


I became a "born-again" flight simmer in November 2019. My initial burst of enthusiasm resulted in all sorts of new HOTAS and DCS modules. Honestly, I go back and forth between DCS and other games. Right now I am in the DCS upswing. The only issue with it - some people call it "button/cockpit simulator" and there is some truth to that. That once you learn a module getting fun things to do becomes challenging. I also have IL-2 that I need to spend some time with.
Posted By: Mr_Blastman

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 07/29/21 04:14 AM

Originally Posted by Red2112
I personally think that once you played Star Citizen, the rest of games look/feel poor no matter what smile2

Another matter is if you like it or not, but the quality that SC offers sets the bar very high to be honest.

Mr. Blastman means something like this biggrin



Red


Yes, precisely this. smile

If I could only get that framerate...
Posted By: RedOneAlpha

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 07/29/21 05:50 AM

^ I think that´s with the new flight model, they use to be more rad with the older flight model!
Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 07/29/21 12:14 PM

Originally Posted by Andy T

I became a "born-again" flight simmer in November 2019. My initial burst of enthusiasm resulted in all sorts of new HOTAS and DCS modules. Honestly, I go back and forth between DCS and other games. Right now I am in the DCS upswing. The only issue with it - some people call it "button/cockpit simulator" and there is some truth to that. That once you learn a module getting fun things to do becomes challenging. I also have IL-2 that I need to spend some time with.



DCS and IL-2 is where I have spent 100% of my flight simming time for the last couple of years. IL-2 just keeps getting better and better with all of the content updates and patches.
Posted By: Allen

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 07/29/21 12:50 PM

FWIW Mass Effect Limited Edition update:

ME2 storyline is good so far.

Figured out modding on ME LE well enough to make the couple gameplay changes I need (mainly, my pistol and sniper-rifle behave like real-life high-end firearms). Modding is slightly different for each of LE ME1, LE ME2, LE ME3.

Downside is the "busywork" (e.g. never ending Planet Mining) needed to upgrade equipment in-game. Planet mining, etc. I fixed by cheating (e.g. I just give myself the missing raw materials). However, I do visit and do a cursory check of every planet (and mine the ones with "high" raw materials). That pays off when a Planet unexpectedly (to me) has a Plot or Assignment item (I want to do all Plot and Assignment tasks in the game).
Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 07/29/21 12:52 PM

Originally Posted by Allen
FWIW Mass Effect Limited Edition update:

ME2 storyline is good so far.

Figured out modding on ME LE well enough to make the couple gameplay changes I need (mainly, my pistol and sniper-rifle behave like real-life high-end firearms). Modding is slightly different for each of LE ME1, LE ME2, LE ME3.

Downside is the "busywork" (e.g. never ending Planet Mining) needed to upgrade equipment in-game. Planet mining, etc. I fixed by cheating (e.g. I just give myself the missing raw materials). However, I do visit and do a cursory check of every planet (and mine the ones with "high" raw materials). That pays off when a Planet unexpectedly (to me) has a Plot or Assignment item (I want to do all Plot and Assignment tasks in the game).



Have you recruited Sinead O'Connor yet? Oops, I meant Jack.
Posted By: Allen

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 07/29/21 01:52 PM

Originally Posted by PanzerMeyer
Originally Posted by Allen
FWIW Mass Effect Limited Edition update:

Have you recruited Sinead O'Connor yet? Oops, I meant Jack.

No. He's the next "recruit" on the list (if I continue to follow my current path through the game). Before him, I'll clean up some Assignments.

I did play ME2 long, long ago. Honestly, I remember little -- that's why its fun to play again. As I re-play, and things actually happen before my eyes, I do recall seeing/playing those parts long, long ago.

Even before re-playing the "Jack Mission", I do remember/picture "recruiting" Jack as a mission that "stood out".
Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 07/29/21 01:56 PM

Originally Posted by Allen

No. He's the next "recruit" on the list (if I continue to follow my current path through the game)..



I think you meant "She's". wink
Posted By: Allen

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 07/29/21 02:12 PM

If Jack's a She (of one sort or another), that's a fact I don't remember. Just remembered recruiting Jack was relatively memorable. smile
Posted By: Allen

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 07/31/21 11:21 AM

FWIW: Mass Effect Legendary Edition is on sale at Steam -- 25% off.

The Mass Effect LE mod manager, ME3Tweaks, is literally a work in day-to-day progress to use on the LE. It has been slightly updated this week -- works better with Mass Effect 1, for example (too late for me). My personal ME2 DLC mod only mods 3 items -- but, I don't need to use the hex editor anymore. ME3Tweaks seems virtually fully optimized for ME3 (original and new LE versions).

In 15 hrs with ME2 (versus ~20hrs to play all of ME LE 1), I haven't even got a full basic team yet. Jack (discussed above) may be next.

So far, enjoying the ME2 story line -- some significant gameplay improvements over ME1. Lots of twitch in some do-or-die sidequests (no saves possible during those sidequests) -- I've died a few times learning how to twitch, but I'm twitching better.
Posted By: Allen

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 08/01/21 11:14 AM

Originally Posted by PanzerMeyer
I think you meant "She's". wink

To answer the observation: Got Ms. Jack. Remembered "her" when I saw her. At 22hrs gameplay now. Plenty left to do.

I plan to "spare" you who are reading -- that is to say, I won't continue this "play by play". smile
Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 08/02/21 11:54 AM

I noticed that Total War: Troy will finally be coming to Steam very soon. I'll be getting it even though I got it for free on EPIC and played it quite a bit already.
Posted By: rwatson

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 08/05/21 11:56 AM

Just an old jam I particularly like https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BfWJqKIxyGc
Posted By: wormfood

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 08/09/21 12:43 PM

Case I carrier landings with an F18 in DCS, finally got good at that. I can't even find t he carrier well enough to attempt to land in Case II or III, so I still have a lot of work to do.
Hell Let Loose, I think the recent patch that added in the Russians messed up some stuff on the back end as it now sometimes runs like crap and servers crash much more often.
Star Citizen. 3.14 patch is out which added in Orison, a cloud city like location on Crusader. They also added in some large PVE and PVP events. Did one where a pirate fleet was blockading a port at CRU L1. People joining Crusader security had to run the blockade to deliver supplies to the station as well as break the blockade by fighting the pirates and escorting scanning ships to locate the bulk of it.
Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 08/09/21 01:01 PM

I just bought "Steel Division II" on Saturday and finished the tutorials. I can tell I'll be pouring a couple hundred hours into this title.
Posted By: DBond

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 08/09/21 01:03 PM

I've had that one on the wishlist for ages Panzer, but never pulled the trigger, despite thinking I would like it. It's the reports of an omniscient AI that puts me off, like they magically know right where your hidden units are and prove it with an artillery stonk right on target. Would be interested in your take after sinking more time in to it.
Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 08/09/21 01:10 PM

Originally Posted by DBond
Would be interested in your take after sinking more time in to it.



Will do! I'll be starting one of the campaigns sometime this week. As for cheating omniscient AI, I already got used to that playing the Total War games. biggrin
Posted By: Mr_Blastman

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 08/09/21 03:59 PM

Halo Master Chief Collection is pretty badass. I never played Halo, other than a small portion of the first game, so I had no idea what all the praise was about. Playing on PC using a mouse is a bonus.

Ninja Gaiden E on Switch. This game is pure sword slashing awesome.

DCS World keeps crashing mid flight for me. Not a clue as to why. Reminds me of OpenFalcon days.
Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 08/09/21 04:19 PM

Originally Posted by Mr_Blastman


DCS World keeps crashing mid flight for me. Not a clue as to why. Reminds me of OpenFalcon days.



Did you reinstall DCS? I remember you said you only have 16 GB of RAM but the sim shouldn't be crashing on you if you are playing small to medium sized missions.
Posted By: Mr_Blastman

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 08/09/21 04:33 PM

Yeah I ran the error checker too, last night.

I think Liberation might have injected too much crap into a mission, because I'm 12 turns into the 1995 Caucuses phase 1 campaign, and I'm crashing mid-flight every time I try and fly the mission. Oddly the dedicated server I set to run in the background never crashes.
Posted By: WangoTango

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 08/10/21 04:42 PM

Gaming is on hold. I had to send my EVGA RTX 2080 Ti in for replacement. To make it #%&*$#, it cost me 107$ to ship with loss insurance.
Posted By: Trooper117

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 08/10/21 06:52 PM

Escape From Tarkov is my game of the moment!
Posted By: Mark Aisthorpe

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 08/15/21 02:18 PM

I'm currently playing Landlord's Super
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1127840/Landlords_Super/
Its early access built on the Unity engine so plenty of dodgy physics made by the same dev as Jalopy
Gameplay wise think of My Summer Car but instead of rebuilding a car you have to renovate an old house.

One tip if it sounds like you cup of tea. To manage your energy better don't run everywhere.
Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 08/16/21 10:39 AM

I admit that I get a chuckle whenever I've seen a couple of my Steam friends playing a game called "Job Simulator". I guess they hate their real life job so much that they have to play an imaginary one in a video game?
Posted By: Spidey

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 08/16/21 02:18 PM

I am back on the RPG kick again. Playing Divinity Original Sin 1 --> 2, Baldurs Gate 1/2/3 early access
Posted By: DBond

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 08/16/21 02:40 PM

Great game Spidey, DOS. Give DOS 2 a go if you haven't, aside from combat perhaps it's a better game in my view, and I loved DOS 1.

I'm going to wait until Baldur's Gate is out of EA, just my standard MO. I trust Larian to make a great game, and while I think highly of BG2 I'm not concerned if they stray from canon and forge a new path.
Posted By: Allen

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 08/16/21 04:33 PM

Continuing with Mass Effect: Legendary Edition ME2.

Still grinding every Assignment and Plot quest. Attempting to check every planet in the Galaxy, every room in every building, etc. I have 40+ hours game time -- plus added modding time.

I need to conscript one more Party Member. So far, so good smile
Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 08/16/21 04:37 PM

Originally Posted by Allen
Continuing with Mass Effect: Legendary Edition ME2.

Still grinding every Assignment and Plot quest. Attempting to check every planet in the Galaxy, every room in every building, etc. I have 40+ hours game time -- plus added modding time.

I need to conscript one more Party Member. So far, so good smile



Glad to hear you have been enjoying it. I just started ME 3 on Saturday and I've slowly been remembering characters and plot points that I had forgotten about.
Posted By: KRT_Bong

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 08/20/21 12:27 PM

I just acquired a little gem from Epic Games for free this week called "Void Ba$tards". Part Comic Book, part Video game it's worth checking out. I played it for a couple hours and it was fun and engaging.
Posted By: DBond

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 08/20/21 12:33 PM

Over the past month my rotation has been F1 2021, Red Dead Redemption 2 and I just bought Fallout 4, which is on sale on Steam at the mo.
Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 08/20/21 12:46 PM

My current rotation:

DCS
IL-2
Mass Effect 3
Fallout 76
Borderlands 3
Arma 3
TW: Rome 2
Posted By: ebud

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 08/21/21 12:25 AM

Still playing Hunt Showdown. I'm a sucker for horror games, zombie shooters, MP FPS and Weird West genre. It's amazing... if you like those things combined. There is a new event coming up that adds Native American characters and weapons.




Posted By: Wilko

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 08/23/21 10:28 AM

IL-2 Tank Crew
IL-2 Great Battles
IL-2 Flying Circus
Rise Of Flight
tried to get into WOFF BH&H II twice so far but keep having a hard time getting used to the FM, want to like it as I realy want a good SP Career experience.

Got American Truck Sim and ETS2 for when I need a break
Posted By: Trooper117

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 08/23/21 12:55 PM

WoFF BH&H II
DCS
Escape From Tarkov
Posted By: Allen

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 08/24/21 02:20 PM

Stopped playing Mass Effect: LE ME2 a week ago -- for now.

Ordered a "sale priced" AORUS FV43U 43" 144Hz 2160p HBR3 gaming monitor (replaces the $280 TCL 43" 4K TV I've been using the last couple years). I'd like to finish ME2 on the new gaming monitor.

They've got my money. Hope I can actually "see" (not just "measure") a positive difference smile

First, I hope to get it. A week ago, Amazon promised mine in three weeks. But, Amazon is now showing "Currently unavailable". Amazon usually comes through. We'll see.
Posted By: Mr_Blastman

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 08/24/21 03:54 PM

I had fun in a DCS Liberation flight yesterday... Successfully completed a SEAD mission against all odds in the AV-8b, even downed a SU-34 with guns after exhausting heaters with numerous Mig-29s in pursuit and practically zero friendly BARCAP assistance, only to make it back to my carrier and accidentally press the throttle idle function... shutting down my engine.

At 800 feet altitude...

With only 300 knots airspeed...

When doing a ramp start, the time the engine takes to spool from zero to twenty seven percent never dawns on one as a lengthy period of time. The long drawl from the spool up to actual operating parameters of seventy plus percent while braking before takeoff is routine. But when floundering for altitude with airspeed approaching stall speed and a carrier deck beyond arm's reach...

Well... that can turn into hell, real fast.

Long story short, I managed to do an air start with 100 knots IAS and 200 ft altitude to spare, nozzle down, regain control of the airframe and somehow still managed to plant the bird on the deck with only maybe thirty to seventy feet of roll.
Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 08/24/21 04:47 PM

Wow, nice job Blastman. I don't have the Harrier module yet but maybe one day I'll get it.
Posted By: Mr_Blastman

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 08/24/21 05:01 PM

The AV-8b is basically an A-10 with half the ordinance, can land on a dime, evade missiles, shoot down planes, has a fancy RWR on the HUD and hauls ass. For me this is the perfect combination. I'm a viper pilot through and through, but I never was that good with the A-10. The AV-8b fixes this.
Posted By: Allen

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 08/29/21 09:56 AM

Lots of Grim Dawn the last few days -- restarted ~6 times -- played to second riftgate 4 times covering all the territory in between.

Used Grim Dawn to test two HTPCs I built (one new, one old). And my new Gaming Monitor noted above.

With all settings on Ultra, the AMD R5 5600G APU (built in GPU) played Grim Dawn at 2K resolution with a smooth 30 FPS. Not bad for a $260 APU (CPU+GPU). Entry level gaming. With a few minor settings turned down (but much still on ultra), it was 50 to 60fps at 2K (1440p).

The new 43" AORUS Gaming Monitor was visibly better than the inexpensive 43" 4K TV I've been using. It gave me 80+ fps in Grim Dawn at 4K all Ultra settings (and was 144fps momentarily). It was not WAY better than the TV -- just noticeably better. Heck, the TV did 90%+ of the job. Now, I'm in the 98%+ range.

All that Grim Dawn was fun. I'll be getting back to Mass Effect soon -- I stopped to wait for the new Gaming Monitor.
Posted By: Ajay

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 08/29/21 12:07 PM

Icarus beta, Dean of Dayz new project out of Rocketwerkz. Minecraft in space with survival, permadeath and session based time limited drops. Up to 8 peeps coop gameplay but limited to 4 until after beta. 2 months of beta weekends with different biomes, events, challenges etc to decide if it is worthy or get a refund. No brainer for me.

A mate and i did about 15 hours this weekend, some hilarious moments. Built a structure, had storage, oxygen generator and some other stuff after 7 hours work across two sessions.

Cooking meat outside and stepped in the fire, panicked, ran inside, set the structure on fire, a massive deer ran in and caught on fire, the forest caught on fire...absolute chaos.

Decent gameplay, graphics are nice, has its moments where it really shines, some other stuff is a bit average, easy building, snap, rotate, angle, choose window/door/wall etc. Tech tree, talent tree, nice ui. Hoping for a good beta ride.
Posted By: letterboy1

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 08/31/21 12:57 PM

Angry Birds 2 on my iPhone. Dang it, I have an X-Box One X with several new-ish games that are just sitting there unplayed but I keep getting busy with looking at YouTube and other streaming services. I've got to find that special game that will pull me in.
Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 08/31/21 12:59 PM

Originally Posted by letterboy1
Angry Birds 2 on my iPhone. Dang it, I have an X-Box One X with several new-ish games that are just sitting there unplayed but I keep getting busy with looking at YouTube and other streaming services. I've got to find that special game that will pull me in.



Whoa. Long time no see LB! smile
Posted By: Allen

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 09/03/21 09:43 AM

Jumped to replay of "Assassin's Creed Odyssey" from "Mass Effect Legendary Edition" trilogy play-through (played most of ME2 so far and enjoying it).

Currently have 328 hrs in Odyssey play-throughs and 92 hrs in MELE (plus hundreds in the older individual versions).

I made the switch because I have a new gaming monitor (my first true gaming monitor) and Odyssey has more varied and realistic graphics to see. It helps that Odyssey is an outstanding RPG (to me) as I play every side quest and turn over every stone (figuratively speaking regarding stones). But, it plays differently each time because I "take a different path".

I have all the Assassin's Creed games except one (most bought on Steam super-sales). Paid full price for Odyssey and upgrades and don't regret it. I'm holding off on "Assassin's Creed Valhalla" based on reading a lot about the story-line. I'll wait for a dramatically marked down super-sale price.
Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 09/03/21 11:09 AM

I have not played any of the Assassin Creed games but I am curious about them. I may pick one up during the next Steam sale.
Posted By: DBond

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 09/03/21 12:16 PM

I've tried a few of the AC games and the only one I put any real time in to was Black Flag. I had fun with the naval side, sailing the seas, engaging in combat and singing sea shanties. They're good games but not really my cuppa.
Posted By: Allen

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 09/03/21 03:13 PM

Originally Posted by PanzerMeyer
I have not played any of the Assassin Creed games but I am curious about them. I may pick one up during the next Steam sale.


They morphed over time. They were not RPGs. They had a story. But, one was not "playing a role". I did not much care for them -- never finished more than 20 hours or so of any -- until "Assassin's Creed Origins".

"Assassin's Creed Origins" was almost a classic RPG -- and very good (not great). I put in nearly 100 hours.

"Assassin's Creed Odyssey" is a true RPG -- they "nailed it". A classic RPG for the ages. I put in 329 hours so far. THE one to buy in my opinion -- and in some reviewer's opinions. Normally, the Standard Edition is $59.95 its $15.00 today at the Ubisoft Store -- see attachment (I am playing/reviewing the Ultimate Edition and so some extras will be missing in Standard).

Huge realistic "go anywhere", "do anything" world -- the entire Greek World (not literally every city -- just the basic geography and major cities -- and some fake ones). The story has lots and lots of historical reference -- you will meet and work with many "historical" Greek persons (not all of them were alive at the same time in real life -- but are in the game). You are a Spartan; but, you have free choice as an independent individual Assassin. You decide who to help, who to hinder, who to kill, who to save, how to do it, etc. etc. -- true individualized Role Playing.

You travel on foot, by horseback, by boat, by warship (that you own -- with some hand picked crew members), swimming, diving deep, etc. The fighting is very interesting if one gets into how to use the Assassin's skills.

That's enough biggrin

Edit: And, eventually, you will find the true "Greek Gods" and what they "were then and still are today" (the Assassin's Creed stories are a trip through time -- starting in the present day).

Attached picture Screenshot 2021-09-03 110251.jpg
Posted By: Mr_Blastman

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 09/03/21 04:34 PM

Originally Posted by Allen
Lots of Grim Dawn the last few days -- restarted ~6 times -- played to second riftgate 4 times covering all the territory in between.

Used Grim Dawn to test two HTPCs I built (one new, one old). And my new Gaming Monitor noted above.

With all settings on Ultra, the AMD R5 5600G APU (built in GPU) played Grim Dawn at 2K resolution with a smooth 30 FPS. Not bad for a $260 APU (CPU+GPU). Entry level gaming. With a few minor settings turned down (but much still on ultra), it was 50 to 60fps at 2K (1440p).

The new 43" AORUS Gaming Monitor was visibly better than the inexpensive 43" 4K TV I've been using. It gave me 80+ fps in Grim Dawn at 4K all Ultra settings (and was 144fps momentarily). It was not WAY better than the TV -- just noticeably better. Heck, the TV did 90%+ of the job. Now, I'm in the 98%+ range.

All that Grim Dawn was fun. I'll be getting back to Mass Effect soon -- I stopped to wait for the new Gaming Monitor.



Grim Dawn starts off really easy but once you start moving a bit left on the map the difficulty ramps up quickly. My dual class Warlock used to destroy things but now he can get mauled in a second flat if I'm not paying attention. Fun game.
Posted By: Mr_Blastman

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 09/07/21 02:42 AM

I been playing DCS World online and today some monster in a Viper shot four slammers at my poor, defenseless, ground pounding AV-8b in Syria. frown

I managed to dodge all of them and RTB.

What a punk.
Posted By: Nixer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 09/07/21 03:28 AM

Because...Syria.

Sounds like fun...
Posted By: Mr_Blastman

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 09/07/21 04:27 AM

It is. smile I loaded up four JDAMs and returned to target while maintaining 60 ft AGL at 400+ knots until I popped up and wiped in one pass after that.

Come and get me human scum.

Posted By: DM

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 09/07/21 08:20 AM

Just finished playing Myst in VR, was quite enjoyable.

Well, I assume I just finished it, the game hasn't explicitly told me I've done everything but there's nothing more to do and I met the end exposition guy who mentioned there may be more to do in the future. At this stage I assume he talks of game sequels, there seems to be nothing more I can find to do.

I've never played it before despite it being a really old gaming stalwart, and I found the puzzles entertaining, and satisfying once I slowly came to realisation biggrin

Only once did I really have to look online for a clue - turned out it was just a silly UI expectation thing. There is a difference between pulling a lever do perform some action, and pulling and holding a lever to do a slightly different action biggrin
apart from that it was just a matter of thinkythinkthink.
Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 09/07/21 10:32 AM

I'm still not quite sold on the VR thing yet. The cost is part of the reasoning of course but the larger aspect is dealing with some of the limitations while using a VR headset.
Posted By: archermav

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 09/07/21 10:45 AM

Originally Posted by PanzerMeyer
I'm still not quite sold on the VR thing yet. The cost is part of the reasoning of course but the larger aspect is dealing with some of the limitations while using a VR headset.


It's the feeling sick for me. I understand you can "train" yourself, but I just can't get to that point.
Posted By: Allen

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 09/07/21 11:04 AM

I bought what I thought was the highest rated/best set of VR over a year ago (very expensive). The view was "wide angle". The resolution was very high -- but not high enough for my eyes. And, they had mild "screen door" effect,

I think my eyes need wide view 8K VR glasses (these were only wide view 4K) -- with "screen door" designed out. So, I sent them back and got a refund.

Someday, someone will make a set I'll keep. But, I'm not anxious to get them soon.
Posted By: DM

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 09/07/21 11:39 AM

Yeah I realise VR isn't for everybody, luckily I don't suffer from any kind of motion sickness, and my headset is a HP Reverb G2 and it has no noticable screendoor (for me, but my eyes are not what they used to be). Also, it's not every game that benefits from it. I should say that the game/genre that benefits the most from it (so far) is the driving/racing genre. If you have wheel & pedals then the sense of immersion is maximised and the nature of the scale of the game means it's just a perfect fit.

By that I mean that most piloting/cockpit based games suffer from all the outside scenery being always too far away to be really seen in 3D, essentially becoming a 3D cockpit simulator. When you have other cars, the track, and trackside objects within human-scale 3D though that's the best of it.

Of course Half-Life Alyx is the best VR experience period, but as a genre it's not really guaranteed to be a good experience. They just nailed it for that game.
Posted By: KRT_Bong

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 09/07/21 11:45 AM

Balsa Flight Simulator - If you hurry and apply you can get an early build for free on steam - A fun little game from the same people who make KSP
Posted By: wormfood

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 09/07/21 02:36 PM

Ran a custom night time DCS mission a friend made.Take off from a carrier and fly to Syrian airfield to; knock out some SAMs, a captured predator drone, a HQ buildings and tangle with some scrambled MIG25s.
We used LGB and Mavericks with the litening pod to knock out the targets. Had to use the jammer on the F18 to buy some time to get the ordinance on the SAMs before they could fire.
Learning curve can be steep, but once you start getting the module down and can run missions it gets a whole lot more fun.
Posted By: Allen

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 09/09/21 06:33 PM

FWIW A Stupid Me: Got "Assassin's Creed Odyssey" up to 45hrs. Got to Level 20+ -- but, a tiny amount of Greece covered because I spent time experimenting. Battles were harder than I remembered. I could not seriously injure or kill strong foes in "face to face" fights -- unless I cheated. That did not happen on my first 300+ hours of play time.

Okay, restarted at level 4 using an old save -- prior to meeting the first strong foe face to face. Found the solution.

As usual: Stupid me screwy . I had forgotten a keypress (Who reads instructions? smile ). Without that keypress, my blows were quick but weak. With the press, they're strong enough to beat a strong opponent. I'll stay with the restart rather than go back to a playthrough based on mega-cheating.

On the AORUS gaming monitor, graphics are the best of any game I own (4K virtually all settings Ultra) -- to my eyes, other eyes may vary. In particular, the human faces are realistically detailed and use excellent animation in conversations.
Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 09/09/21 06:38 PM

I've been playing Total War: Troy as one of the Trojan factions. If you have any interest in Greek mythology (especially the Iliad) and/or warfare during the Late Bronze Age I highly recommend the game.
Posted By: Mr_Blastman

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 09/09/21 06:43 PM

Originally Posted by Allen
FWIW A Stupid Me: Got "Assassin's Creed Odyssey" up to 45hrs. Got to Level 20+ -- but, a tiny amount of Greece covered because I spent time experimenting. Battles were harder than I remembered. I could not seriously injure or kill strong foes in "face to face" fights -- unless I cheated. That did not happen on my first 300+ hours of play time.



Is there much social justice of political correctness commentary in Odyssey?

Ubi's other game "Immortals Fenyx Rising" which is also based on Greek mythology starts off really cute but later the commentary grows to be full of positive talk towards adultery and various social justice issues which became annoying and quickly a no play game for my daughter.
Posted By: Allen

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 09/09/21 07:44 PM

Originally Posted by Mr_Blastman
Is there much social justice of political correctness commentary in Odyssey?


If its there, I don't notice it. The game stresses the entire ancient Greek world. The considerable politics revolve around the war between Sparta and Athens and the personalities of the times. The hero/heroine can develop romances with some other men or women -- or, no romances at all -- player's choice.

The politicians, people, animals look and act believably for that wartime period (remembering its fiction not a fully factual presentation). The vast majority of people look like Greeks. You come across a small number of individuals who are from other lands (as would be in real life). You cannot change the look or the name of the hero/heroine -- and there is a clever twist to that.

In addition, you are a Spartan Assassin acting independently; but, you can support anyone you choose in the war. You can try to "change history" -- its a factor in the plot.

There is a huge "behind the scenes" Greek faction which is the main enemy of everyone -- Spartan and Athenian (according to ancient historians, the "behind the scenes politics" has always been with us for at least 3500 years). The behind the scenes faction "underwrites" the killing, the crime, etc (all for the money, power, and personal-gratification it provides them).

And, you are introduced to the real Greek "gods" -- who control much of all human history -- including 2021. A type of "time travel" is central to the Assassin's Creed series. Fictional of course smile

Covers everything without pushing any 2021 sensibilities (at least, to my why of thinking).

Like you, I think games set in the distant past should mimic the distant past and not incorporate modern (2021) biases.

As I may have implied above, Odyssey is the best overall RPG I've ever played (to my sensibilities -- not everyone's).
Posted By: Johan217

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 09/10/21 10:12 AM

I have started on Grand Tactician: The Civil War (1861-1865). Still early-access, release is scheduled for the end of this month, I believe.

I was apprehensive of the sheer scale of this game, fearing it would become a micromanagement nightmare. This does not appear to be the case: the economic/financial/political aspects can be automanaged for the most part. In fact after playing for a couple of days, I am suspecting that a lot of the economic detail is really just window dressing without much impact on the strategic campaign. But perhaps I am wrong about this...
That still leaves a lot of detail in the military operations. Supply lines and communications are essential. Expiration of volunteer contracts is a factor. Plenty of opportunities to build your armies according to historical OOBs. Or, if you want to save time, you can just auto-assign commanders (not sure if this takes into account seniority etc). I like it.

The UI has a beautiful period-feel to it, with authentic looking maps, newspaper headlines and even hand written (and unreadable) reports. Unfortunately it is also fidgety and things like positioning the map how you want it or drag-and-drop can become a frustrating exercise.

I haven't done many tactical battles (player can choose to autoresolve them). I would say that they are somewhere in between the very early Total War games (before it went 3D) and the Take Command series. Realistic-feeling movement speeds. Orders can be given at Divisional/Corps level so micromanagement is possible, but not necessary.

Several critics of this game are pointing to a brain-dead AI. I haven't spent enough time with the game yet to form an opinion on this. On paper this game has the right ingredients to make an excellent Civil War strategy game, so it would be a shame if it fell flat on the AI.
Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 09/10/21 10:38 AM

Originally Posted by Johan217
so it would be a shame if it fell flat on the AI.



Based on my own gaming experience, it seems to be an incredibly difficult thing to make intelligent AI for either turn-based or real time strategy games. Even the highly praised Total War series has some considerable issues with the AI; primarily the fact that the AI gets obvious buffs/cheats that the human player doesn't get.
Posted By: Johan217

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 09/10/21 12:37 PM

I'm not expecting the impossible, after all the AI is just a bunch of scripts put together by a programmer wink I don't mind the AI getting extra resources and such. All I am asking for is that it has some sense of self-preservation and that "difficulty level" does not mean endless waves of enemies.
Posted By: DBond

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 09/10/21 01:23 PM

I've had my eye on this game for close to three years now. The dev is the same one who made Seven Years War. There are many things about this that appeal to me, in particular the supply lines and logistics. Operational moves to cut and protect these lines is something I want in every game of the type, but hard to find.

I check in regularly to see how it is coming along. Comments are mixed of course, but it looks to have great promise. Whether he can get it there remains to be seen. I was equally interested in Seven Years War but I was never fully convinced so passed in the end.

Johan, we've had a couple threads about this game (Historical Strategy subforum), and if you are ever in the mood it would be great if you could post your thoughts and experience to give those of us interested a look in to it. No obligation of course, but I'd like to hear your thoughts.

As for me, I've played nothing but Fallout 4 in the two or three weeks since I picked it up. Having a great time with it.
Posted By: Johan217

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 09/10/21 01:44 PM

@DBond, sure, will check it out!
Posted By: DBond

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 09/10/21 01:49 PM

Great thanks. And I went and looked at one of those threads and I've only had my eye on it since February 2020, which is not three years smile
Posted By: DM

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 09/10/21 02:16 PM

Originally Posted by DBond
Great thanks. And I went and looked at one of those threads and I've only had my eye on it since February 2020, which is not three years smile


I think last year counts as two years while also seeming that it didn't actually happen at all.
Posted By: DBond

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 09/10/21 02:22 PM

So my math was correct!
Posted By: Mr_Blastman

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 09/10/21 03:33 PM

Originally Posted by PanzerMeyer
Originally Posted by Johan217
so it would be a shame if it fell flat on the AI.



Based on my own gaming experience, it seems to be an incredibly difficult thing to make intelligent AI for either turn-based or real time strategy games. Even the highly praised Total War series has some considerable issues with the AI; primarily the fact that the AI gets obvious buffs/cheats that the human player doesn't get.


There's a reason I ignore the single player aspect of RTS games and go straight to online play. I have yet to find a RTS with competent AI that I could not figure out how to abuse quickly.

It's kinda funny--I might have countless hours in pvp online and still have no clue what the lore behind these games is.
Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 09/13/21 11:07 AM

I finally finished all of the tutorials for Steel Division 2. The best way I can describe this game is that it's a hardcore version of Company of Heroes. To look at it another way, Company of Heroes is like Strike Fighters and Steel Divsion 2 is like Falcon 4.0.
Posted By: Allen

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 09/15/21 11:14 AM

A FWIW for folks interested in Assassin's Creed Odyssey.

Still on Assassin's Creed Odyssey. Pushing 30 hours since my 2'd restart (mentioned above). Now I'm level 16. I'm writing because I recommended the game and I want to be accurate.

I originally had over 300hrs into the original game that I bought immediately when it was released. I played to the end of the base game story. Never thought it was "unbalanced".

I originally bought the high-price version that included all "future" updates. So, the game I'm playing now is not the base game I played when it came out. It has differences.

I play on "Normal" difficulty. One thing seems "overdone" and will ruin the game for some folks. The enemies level when the Hero/Heroine levels -- you can't get ahead of them. It makes leveling irrelevant. Some battles are very hard to impossible for normal folks -- and they stay that way even after Hero/Heroine leveling because the Enemy levels with you. Many have complained about that. Some "super twitch gamers" like it that way. RPGs should not depend so strongly on "twitch skills" in my and many other opinions.

To be clear, at the start of the game most of the enemies on the huge map are far more powerful than the Hero/Heroine. You have to "level up" over time to match them. Problem is, if you get ahead of them, they level up to your level -- huh?

FWIW: There is a "cheat" on "Assassin's Creed Odyssey Nexus". It is used with "Cheat Engine". Among other things, you can adjust how quickly enemies level (or, optionally, completely turn off enemy leveling). You use it to eliminate enemies literally leveling with you, makes Hero/Heroine leveling mean something, and makes it a better game.

Posted By: wormfood

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 10/05/21 02:20 PM

Titan Quest, been ages since I last played it and since then they added two more DLCs.
Started a new character and regretted it when I got to Typhon, they made that fight way harder than either it was, or how I remembered it.
Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 10/05/21 02:23 PM

I've been rotating between Fallout 76, Total War: Troy, Elite Dangerous, DCS, IL-2 and Total War: Rome 2.
Posted By: Blade_RJ

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 10/05/21 04:33 PM

Originally Posted by Allen
A FWIW for folks interested in Assassin's Creed Odyssey.

Still on Assassin's Creed Odyssey. Pushing 30 hours since my 2'd restart (mentioned above). Now I'm level 16. I'm writing because I recommended the game and I want to be accurate.

I originally had over 300hrs into the original game that I bought immediately when it was released. I played to the end of the base game story. Never thought it was "unbalanced".

I originally bought the high-price version that included all "future" updates. So, the game I'm playing now is not the base game I played when it came out. It has differences.

I play on "Normal" difficulty. One thing seems "overdone" and will ruin the game for some folks. The enemies level when the Hero/Heroine levels -- you can't get ahead of them. It makes leveling irrelevant. Some battles are very hard to impossible for normal folks -- and they stay that way even after Hero/Heroine leveling because the Enemy levels with you. Many have complained about that. Some "super twitch gamers" like it that way. RPGs should not depend so strongly on "twitch skills" in my and many other opinions.

To be clear, at the start of the game most of the enemies on the huge map are far more powerful than the Hero/Heroine. You have to "level up" over time to match them. Problem is, if you get ahead of them, they level up to your level -- huh?

FWIW: There is a "cheat" on "Assassin's Creed Odyssey Nexus". It is used with "Cheat Engine". Among other things, you can adjust how quickly enemies level (or, optionally, completely turn off enemy leveling). You use it to eliminate enemies literally leveling with you, makes Hero/Heroine leveling mean something, and makes it a better game.




what ? i disagree, if you played from release like me you would know they changed the level scaling, i honestly never had issues with being locked out, because i leveled too much early on having fun with naval battles, also i took on EVERY single hitman up to 5 levels ahead of me with EASY (mostly) for the challenge alone,im a pc gamer, the only ones hard were the level 3 because they spam grenade, ninjustu and stuff


they never scaled the htiman enemies, so its very doable , hell i even took on 4 of them 3 levels ahead of me at the same time. its not about twich skills, its about minding your surrounding like using one enemy who spam grenades to hit another to chip them more than your attacks could,persistance and also knowing when to disingage to better position yourself.
also i never cheesed out on the spartan kick, during the 3 weeks of release you could just lure them to a rooftop and fling them to their death before they gave them resistence to it. i also never upgrade to fantastic habilities so this was pure spartan warrior playthrough and with no health bar on the hud (try that, its HARD but very fun...also frustrating a lot, so maybe not lol)

why would i do this ? llike i said for the challenge....

oirins is way harder then odissey in the regard.......there there is no way you can even try to beat the hitman if they are above your level......also those enemies had homing arrows, so they would always hit you, and that is one and one. i almost managed to beat one, but.....damned arrows.....
Posted By: Allen

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 10/05/21 08:30 PM

Originally Posted by Blade_RJ
why would i do this ? like i said for the challenge....


A better man than I smile Seriously thumbsup

But that's me. I play RPGs for the Story line, environment -- to play a role. As a "Normal" player, I expect that if I play on "Normal" difficulty in my role as Assassin, my increasing skills will make all the battles they throw at me manageable (without ever dying).

To repeat my only justifiable complaint: Enemies who do nothing to get better should not level with me. As you note, the "hitmen/hitwomen" do NOT level -- good. Its the normal soldiers (of which there are legion) who level with me. Some of them are very powerful when forced into a Face to Face encounter -- in other RPG I depend on leveling/skill-building past those characters (rather than out fighting them like you do using your own brain and twitch skills clapping ) .

I can and do take the largest Fortresses of equal level soldiers (or two or three levels above me) by carefully using Assassin skills to sneak, trap, and kill one at a time over a long period of "real in-game time". That's okay and very satisfying -- She's an Assassin (I always play my real life wife -- that way she's with me even when I play).

But, I still like to "feel the accomplishment" of grinding the map, doing everything, and thereby leveling above existing characters -- then, mercilessly/easily killing them. Can't feel that accomplishment if they level with me smile

I still think Assassin's Creed Odyssey is one of the very best RPGs I've ever played. Currently have 471 total in-game hours on all plays, 64 hours game time on the current play, Level 32 on the current play through. I'm not near halfway through the Areas in the base game.


Posted By: wormfood

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 10/05/21 10:26 PM

I'm with Allen on this. Hate level scaling. Normal goons shouldn't just magically have more hitpoints just because I've played for awhile or got some new sword or something.
Impossible enemies in the beginning should become, maybe not easy, but more manageable by end game. And the Oblivion (and parts of Fallout 3) scaling is the worst where every little enemy mob turns into a ogre or daedra lord.
Posted By: Blade_RJ

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 10/05/21 10:57 PM

Originally Posted by wormfood
I'm with Allen on this. Hate level scaling. Normal goons shouldn't just magically have more hitpoints just because I've played for awhile or got some new sword or something.
Impossible enemies in the beginning should become, maybe not easy, but more manageable by end game. And the Oblivion (and parts of Fallout 3) scaling is the worst where every little enemy mob turns into a ogre or daedra lord.


yeah but odissey you have ridiculous fantastic skills to deal with them, you can cheap out by dealing damage around without explosing yourself, blind them, and even endure death while i think its rage last.....activating rage before a death blow is the easist way to deal with unfair enemies.
i may be mistaken but i think allen crossed the wires.....on anything but heroic the normal goons dont scale, heroic was done on request from comunity because later on everyone was brittle to you. the complaint most people had that i remember was lleveled zones blocking exploration......i never had issue even under leveled......but stay the EFFE away from that battlecat island.....you will not survive....you will easily be mobbed by 12 lynx at the same time. even the lion island with the albino pride was easier.


okay allen maybe i am a little twitcher guy but take a look here







btw, do you also move the camera around for best cinematic angle com special combo ?
Posted By: Allen

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 10/06/21 09:37 AM

Originally Posted by Blade_RJ
i may be mistaken but i think allen crossed the wires.....on anything but heroic the normal goons dont scale,


I always "listen" and "think about" other folks points of view. I read this sentence -- and it got me thinking about what could have gone wrong -- if I literally "crossed the wires" in some sense.

The wires were crossed! Short Explanation follows (short for me -- at work I was known for "verbosity" in written explanations smile ):

There are a few levels of difficulty Easy, Normal ... Nightmare. Easy is too Easy. Nightmare is considered virtually impossible for most players. I always play RPGs on Normal (or slightly higher).

The first attached image shows what the "Gameplay" screen should look like in game (got it online). There are sliders to change the difficulty settings while "in game" -- if its turning out to be too difficult. Note its set to "Normal" in the online picture.

The next image shows the same "Gameplay" screen with gameplay level settings (got it online).

The third image is my actual " Gameplay" screen. Notice there are no difficulty or leveling settings on my actual in-game Gameplay screen.

As it says at the bottom of the second image:

Please note that Level Scaling is not available on Nightmare difficulty to preserve the intended player experience.

Thus, I've been playing on Nightmare difficulty -- and didn't realize it. Don't know how it got set that way (must have crossed some wires). But, the Enemies do behave like online says they do in "Nightmare". And, the levels scaled with my level -- as online says. And, my "Gameplay" Scaling settings are properly blank.

I tried restarting the game (from the Beginning) on "Normal" difficulty. Got the correct "Gameplay" screen with the "setting sliders".

So, maybe I'm not such a bad twitch player. Maybe, I've been playing at the virtually impossible "Nightmare" level on this play through biggrin

Edit: A realistic possibility: I may NOT have been playing on Nightmare -- it may have only "seemed that way".

Thanks for the help! I learned something. thumbsup

Attached picture NormalDifficultyScreenAtSetup.jpg
Attached picture NormalLevelScreen.jpg
Attached picture MyGamePlayScreen.jpg
Posted By: Allen

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 10/06/21 04:30 PM

I tried starting a new game on Normal. Saving it. Logging off. Taking saved games from my current play through and putting them in the folder. Now, my Gameplay screen has the settings showing. They show Normal and the other expected settings.

Don't know if I really did anything. Not everything I'm seeing makes sense. I'm leaving it on Normal.

Edit: A realistic possibility: I may NOT have been playing on Nightmare -- it may have only "seemed that way".

Ideally, I'd start over from the beginning. But, I don't want to throw away the time I've put in.

We'll see if it plays differently.
Posted By: DBond

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 10/06/21 04:34 PM

Over the past month or so my rotation has been Fallout 4 (Survival run), F1 2021 and Fallout New Vegas (Hardcore run).

I'm returning to New Vegas after not playing for eight years! The cloud had my old save and I just picked up from there, nearly a decade later. Cool.
Posted By: Mr_Blastman

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 10/06/21 04:35 PM

I am going to play Odyssey soon--without reading through mountains of information, which difficulty setting should I pick to prevent level scaling?

I want to power trip after I level up.
Posted By: Allen

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 10/06/21 05:44 PM

Originally Posted by Mr_Blastman
I am going to play Odyssey soon--without reading through mountains of information, which difficulty setting should I pick to prevent level scaling?

I want to power trip after I level up.


If you start on Normal difficulty, you will have constant access to the Gameplay screen (during the game) with Difficulty and Level scaling options (something odd happened in my adventure above and I did NOT have this).

While you are playing, you can move the Difficulty from Easy all the way up to Nightmare. You can move the level scaling from "the enemy matches your scale" down to "you may rise 4 levels above the enemy before the enemy starts to rise". All of that is part of the "legitimate" Assassin's Creed Odyssey game. Of course, as the Game progresses, many Enemies will be MUCH stronger than you are -- you must level to reach them. A normal RPG. In the game, it all makes sense.

If you want to inhibit Enemy level scaling to any number that makes sense to you, you can use "Cheat Engine" with a modification from "Assassin's Creed Odyssey Nexus" called "Assassin’s Creed® Odyssey - InventoryEditor v1.5.4.1". This easily drag and drops into Cheat Engine and allows you to change Enemy level scaling and other values as well.
Posted By: Blade_RJ

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 10/06/21 06:57 PM

Originally Posted by Allen
I tried starting a new game on Normal. Saving it. Logging off. Taking saved games from my current play through and putting them in the folder. Now, my Gameplay screen has the settings showing. They show Normal and the other expected settings.

Don't know if I really did anything. Not everything I'm seeing makes sense. I'm leaving it on Normal.

Edit: A realistic possibility: I may NOT have been playing on Nightmare -- it may have only "seemed that way".

Ideally, I'd start over from the beginning. But, I don't want to throw away the time I've put in.

We'll see if it plays differently.


allen, i think a later patch when they released the assassin expansion gave a separate level scale for enemies. i wish they had brough back the animus hack from origins, that was so much fun to mess around.
Posted By: Allen

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 10/06/21 09:49 PM

To hopefully conclude my current ongoing Assasin's Creed Odyssey fiasco, I HAVE CLEAN RESTARTED a new game at the VERY BEGINNING. I totally cleared the savegame folder. So, I lose the 60hrs plus already spent on this playthrough.

That's "normal gaming procedure" for me. If I screw up too badly or die too often (another form of screwing up), I normally start over.

I still like the game. Hopefully, I won't need yet another restart smile
Posted By: Blade_RJ

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 10/06/21 10:28 PM

Originally Posted by Allen
To hopefully conclude my current ongoing Assasin's Creed Odyssey fiasco, I HAVE CLEAN RESTARTED a new game at the VERY BEGINNING. I totally cleared the savegame folder. So, I lose the 60hrs plus already spent on this playthrough.

That's "normal gaming procedure" for me. If I screw up too badly or die too often (another form of screwing up), I normally start over.

I still like the game. Hopefully, I won't need yet another restart smile


i hope you still have your save at hand, because the loot in odissey is randomic....i found a merc gear with high stat very early on, in the first island, but i remember people complaining a lot about gear on the first week.
Posted By: Allen

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 10/07/21 01:00 AM

Originally Posted by Blade_RJ
i hope you still have your save at hand, because the loot in odissey is randomic....i found a merc gear with high stat very early on, in the first island, but i remember people complaining a lot about gear on the first week.


Interestingly, at the game start today, the game/Ubisoft downloaded some great equipment into my inventory (without any input from me whatsoever) -- even prior to the very first fight with two of the Cyclops-gang thugs as the gameplay started.

The outfit included a complete Level 1 Legendary (gold) Assassins outfit (Ezio's Roman 5pc Set), a complete Level 1 Legendary (gold) Warrior outfit (Northern Traveler 5pc Set), and some Level 5 Rare/Epic items. A note said it was due to all I had achieved during other playthroughs. They gave me credit for well over 300 hours -- Steam shows over 400 hours. But, they were not clear about exactly what I had done to deserve it. I don't remember ever getting that sort of stuff at the beginning in past playthroughs.
Posted By: Blade_RJ

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 10/07/21 02:07 AM

Originally Posted by Allen
Originally Posted by Blade_RJ
i hope you still have your save at hand, because the loot in odissey is randomic....i found a merc gear with high stat very early on, in the first island, but i remember people complaining a lot about gear on the first week.


Interestingly, at the game start today, the game/Ubisoft downloaded some great equipment into my inventory (without any input from me whatsoever) -- even prior to the very first fight with two of the Cyclops-gang thugs as the gameplay started.

The outfit included a complete Level 1 Legendary (gold) Assassins outfit (Ezio's Roman 5pc Set), a complete Level 1 Legendary (gold) Warrior outfit (Northern Traveler 5pc Set), and some Level 5 Rare/Epic items. A note said it was due to all I had achieved during other playthroughs. They gave me credit for well over 300 hours -- Steam shows over 400 hours. But, they were not clear about exactly what I had done to deserve it. I don't remember ever getting that sort of stuff at the beginning in past playthroughs.



they gave it for everyone lol,because the reward page bugged.
Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 10/07/21 12:44 PM

And today I will check out Far Cry 6. Can't wait to see Moff Gideon Anton Castillo in action.
Posted By: Zero Niner

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 10/07/21 02:50 PM

I'm currently playing the single player campaigns of Halo The Master Chief Collection. I'm also thinking of starting a new SH4 campaign.
Posted By: Mr_Blastman

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 10/07/21 02:58 PM

Originally Posted by Zero Niner
I'm currently playing the single player campaigns of Halo The Master Chief Collection. I'm also thinking of starting a new SH4 campaign.


This is a well done enhanced edition. I never played Halo back in the day save for some multiplayer sessions in Church, but always wanted to give it a try on PC. I've been playing through the first game in the collection lately and it can get pretty hairy at times.
Posted By: Forward Observer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 10/07/21 05:12 PM

I just started Far Cry 6 and have played through the first mission and stopped since I had some other real-life stuff to take care of. I like it so far but it's way too early to really form an opinion.

Cheers
Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 10/07/21 05:16 PM

Originally Posted by Forward Observer
I just started Far Cry 6 and have played through the first mission and stopped since I had some other real-life stuff to take care of. I like it so far but it's way too early to really form an opinion.

Cheers



I just loaded it today and will play the prelude mission tonight. You have to finish that prelude mission anyway in order to unlock the COOP mode.
Posted By: Lucky_1

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 10/07/21 05:28 PM

Hidden and Dangerous 1 with the Devils Bridge Expansion
Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 10/07/21 05:34 PM

Originally Posted by Lucky_1
Hidden and Dangerous 1 with the Devils Bridge Expansion



Whoa! Now that's what I call retro gaming. smile I can still remember that day in 1999 when I bought and played H&D for the first time and was blown away by the immersion of that first rainy mission where you have to cross the river and infiltrate the German camp.
Posted By: Allen

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 10/09/21 12:28 PM

FWIW: Almost 20hrs in Assassin's Creed Odyssey replay. Level 14. Using only in-game settings.

Story well under way. Very good story line and setting. Why I keep playing.

Have experienced all the major battle types at Normal difficulty. No more "unbeatable enemies" (noted in previous posts). But, one has to think about one's "hero/heroine build" and fighting style.

The human faces, facial animations, and subtle facial expressions remain "special" -- as are human body animations. Best of any game I've personally played in that regard.

The foregoing is just to clarify where the game stands in my mind -- now that the difficulty setting is what it should have been (for this player).
Posted By: Blade_RJ

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 10/09/21 04:31 PM

Originally Posted by Allen
FWIW: Almost 20hrs in Assassin's Creed Odyssey replay. Level 14. Using only in-game settings.

Story well under way. Very good story line and setting. Why I keep playing.

Have experienced all the major battle types at Normal difficulty. No more "unbeatable enemies" (noted in previous posts). But, one has to think about one's "hero/heroine build" and fighting style.

The human faces, facial animations, and subtle facial expressions remain "special" -- as are human body animations. Best of any game I've personally played in that regard.

The foregoing is just to clarify where the game stands in my mind -- now that the difficulty setting is what it should have been (for this player).


kassandra and aspasia have the best face modeling in any game. even the teeth.
this game was my screen shot galore before breaking point

allow me to indulge a little (or a lot)
album 1 https://imgur.com/a/HDopDgx
album 2 https://imgur.com/a/VXIc7lg
Posted By: Lucky_1

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 10/09/21 05:06 PM

Originally Posted by PanzerMeyer
Originally Posted by Lucky_1
Hidden and Dangerous 1 with the Devils Bridge Expansion



Whoa! Now that's what I call retro gaming. smile I can still remember that day in 1999 when I bought and played H&D for the first time and was blown away by the immersion of that first rainy mission where you have to cross the river and infiltrate the German camp.


I'm on a retro run lately. Just finished a couple campaigns of Deus Ex (original game) as well too!
Posted By: Allen

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 10/14/21 09:17 AM

Originally Posted by Mr_Blastman
I am going to play Odyssey soon--without reading through mountains of information, which difficulty setting should I pick to prevent level scaling?

I want to power trip after I level up.


I've answered this once. But, now I've got over 50hrs and am at Level 28 on this play (550hrs total in game over the years according to Steam).

Playing using in-game settings. "Normal" difficulty and with the setting allowing me to advance 4 levels beyond the Enemy (i.e. no enemies below 24 now that I'm at 28). The hero/heroine starts "weak" with no special powers. But, he/she gains special powers with each Level-up (you choose which powers).

Because I'm progressing, most Enemies I face are my level. No problem. at this point, I can take on an entire Fort at night with Assassin skills. If jumped by 4 or 6 enemies, I can win if I play to win -- i.e. be a bit clever about how I handle that. On occasion that means running away and circling back. On occasion, I just have at them while dodging and weaving using power attacks (you use a power attack and you must wait many seconds for it to replenish and use it again). Some Enemies are a "load"; but beatable without dying -- using your "game plan" for such enemies.

All that to say, the game is fair and gives combat satisfaction. Just build the character's "special skills" with a plan that fits your style. If you make a build mistake, the game allows you to "rebuild" at any time without losing anything.

You may want to play on "Hard" after a while smile
Posted By: 531 Ghost

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 10/16/21 09:49 AM

Because I'm a Mission Observer in the Civil Air Patrol I find myself virtually flying throughout the state of North Carolina in...

MSFS: C182T w/ G1000
X-Plane 11: C182T w/G1000

Practicing SAR Missions and proficiency flying.

And, for some mindless entertainment: Angry Birds Friends
Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 10/18/21 11:25 AM

i just finished the entire Mass Effect Shepard saga last night. I had forgotten just how poignant the ending is even if you manage to get the "good ending". A couple of cut scenes definitely tugged at the heart strings!
Posted By: Allen

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 11/14/21 03:37 PM

I've been heavy into Assassin's Creed Odyssey replay (~100hrs current and ~600hrs total).

However, I bought the latest Anniversary Edition update ($20) to TES Skyrim Special Edition. Have multiple play throughs of Skyrim over the years. I've restarted from the beginning to give the new content a try.

Loads of updates, mods, new content were automatically added. There seem to have been many visual improvements. Many more trees and plants in some areas -- nice. Updating (with even more free mods to choose from) is built into the base game now -- don't know when they added that.

Its a game I had heavily modded with my own "home made" armor, weapons, etc (mostly Textures, a few 3D models). I had also beautified the interior of a large classic venue. I had forgotten how much I had added. But, very early in the game, I unexpectedly found a chest full of my armor/weapons creations that I had left behind should I ever restart the game -- finding that actually made the game much more interesting to me.

So, I'll play this one for a while.
Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 11/15/21 04:25 AM

I've played through Skyrim at least 3 times so I'm waiting for the next Elder Scrolls installment which will be out any decade now. Skyrim came out in 2011!
Posted By: Mr_Blastman

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 11/15/21 07:00 AM

I'm flying way too much DCS online. There, I have found a fairly reliable way to have an ever changing environment of hostiles.

I can't kill anything with the MI-24. frown Even a lone AAA can waste me. Petrovich can't hit jack with Shturm missiles.

I hop in the KA-50, however, and I turn into Airwolf. Muhahahahaha.




Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 11/15/21 11:39 AM

Originally Posted by Mr_Blastman
I'm flying way too much DCS online. There, I have found a fairly reliable way to have an ever changing environment of hostiles.

I can't kill anything with the MI-24. frown Even a lone AAA can waste me. Petrovich can't hit jack with Shturm missiles.

I hop in the KA-50, however, and I turn into Airwolf. Muhahahahaha.






I have over 350 flight hours in the KA-50 so I can say that it rocks! smile
Posted By: Sunchaser

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 11/15/21 01:21 PM


Elder Scrolls V Skyrim forever, which word (forever) may also apply to how long before Elder Scrolls VI is released.

I have been playing it for only about 3 years but there is so much excellent user made content available that I still have many places I
have not gone to.

BTW, for anyone interested, Todd Howard stated in a 10th anniversary launch interview that it is possible Skyrim will be 15
before Elder Scrolls VI is released. So, 5 more years?

He also said flat out that Starfield will release 11/11/22. So, 5 more years??

I keep 20 year old IL2 up to date, amazing longevity on that one, but seldom play it anymore, only about 765 dynamic campaigns to go.


Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 11/15/21 01:27 PM

Originally Posted by Sunchaser


I keep 20 year old IL2 up to date, amazing longevity on that one, but seldom play it anymore, only about 765 dynamic campaigns to go.





Why not try out the newer IL-2 Battle of Stalingrad?
Posted By: DBond

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 11/15/21 01:36 PM

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!
Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 11/15/21 01:38 PM

Disco Elysium sounds like the name of some electro-industrial band. biggrin
Posted By: Sunchaser

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 11/15/21 01:57 PM


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.
Posted By: wormfood

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 11/15/21 02:58 PM

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.
Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 11/15/21 03:07 PM

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
Posted By: Mr_Blastman

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 11/15/21 03:25 PM

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.
Posted By: Mr_Blastman

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 11/15/21 03:26 PM

Originally Posted by DBond

Disco Elysium



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?
Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 11/15/21 03:35 PM

Originally Posted by Mr_Blastman
Originally Posted by DBond

Disco Elysium



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
Posted By: DBond

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 11/15/21 03:44 PM

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.
Posted By: RedOneAlpha

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 11/15/21 03:58 PM

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
Posted By: DBond

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 11/15/21 04:07 PM

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.
Posted By: Mr_Blastman

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 11/15/21 04:22 PM

Originally Posted by DBond
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.


Okay, this sounds interesting. Thanks for the explanation.

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

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 11/15/21 04:47 PM

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.
Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 11/15/21 05:23 PM

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!".
Posted By: DBond

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 11/15/21 07:20 PM

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.
Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 11/17/21 11:34 AM

Originally Posted by Coot
PanzerMeyer you may be interested in that their new forth coming title is Expeditions: Rome. So great story telling, party assembling an eventual leveling up, some management and turn-based combat.

:



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

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 11/18/21 02:12 PM

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

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 11/27/21 10:45 AM

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.
Posted By: Allen

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 12/04/21 04:54 PM

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".
Posted By: Allen

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 12/05/21 12:51 PM

Reading several Viking Warrior history articles today. For a game, AC Valhalla seems to follow the narrative well -- the player is immersed in Viking Warrior culture.

Viking Warriors were bloodthirsty fighters who loved to attack, fight, kill, and eventually die in battle -- for personal social power, glory, and a place in Valhalla (i.e. not good guys). One hero (very possibly a myth) may have attacked England with a very small force of two small ships (similar to the start of AC Valhalla).

But, were they truly brave? They believed that fearlessly fighting in battle -- to the death -- guaranteed them access to "Valhalla" (i.e. Heaven to them). That is, they believed "battle death" was "not death" -- rather, it was a step along the path to a better place of extreme happiness and virtually "eternal life".

Genetic evidence indicates some Viking Warriors were female -- based on her grave-site, at least one female warrior seemed to have high standing. Good, my heroine is a female (my wife).

https://www.history.com/news/viking-valhalla-valkyrie-afterlife

Quote
Valhalla: How Viking Belief in a Glorious Afterlife Empowered Warriors

Mythology describes how female valkyrie would greet fallen Viking warriors and lead the boldest to a glorious afterlife.
Posted By: Mr_Blastman

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 12/05/21 05:00 PM

Trying to get into Odyssey but having a very hard time having it "stick."

I fight a boar, boar takes 100000000000 hits to kill. I take two.

This breaks immersion immensely for me. I believe that in game design if an enemy(other than a major boss) can kill you in one or two hits, then I must be able to do the same. If I cannot, then the game design is flawed. Enemies should not exist on regular basis that can take dozens or more hits to kill while I only take one or two.


I thought about this more and the only games that have "grabbed" me over the last few years are ones that require constant thinking and problem solving. This is likely why Witcher 3 cannot grab me for long. Games like Witcher 3 are Point A to Point B, do something simple and you win objective -> repeat for next objective. This requires little thought or planning. In fact, Geralt requires little to no attention outside of Point A -> Point B. There's nothing to do in the towns that can influence how the towns operate--there's no manipulation of the flow, nor is there any need to constantly tend to Geralt's state in the world to imrove himself(beyond a weapon or armor which there are limitless variations of--another huge mark against). You simply follow waypoints like Pac Man and collect the pellets on the board.

Contrast this with the "immersive simulation" genre. Games such as Ultimai 6/7, Ultima Underworld, System Shock, Bioshock, Prey(the new one) and to a lesser degree games such as Fallout 3/4, Elder Scrolls, etc. require constant problem solving even to maintain equilibrium in the world. There's no point A to point B structure, as these points are not clearly defined. You can skip points, and go from point A -> point Z -> point G -> point C and the order in which you approach these points directly changes the entire context of your adventure or what you are trying to accomplish. In Odyssey, it doesn't matter if I change, as the context remains the same--so far. Same with Witcher 3. I can make choices in an occasional dialogue that might influence notoriety/fame, but that's about it. In immersive simulation games, I am "IN" the world, and the world reacts constantly to my presence as I must take advantage of the world at all times to survive and ultimately thrive while I try and solve out exactly what I'm supposed to do.

I'm not sure I'm finding this yet in Odyssey--the depth and complexity that I seek. Witcher 3 lacked this, too, and that is why I can't stay immersed in the game for long. No Man's Sky, on the other hand, requires constant problem solving to keep moving along, often allowing you to discover new ways to solve the same problems in entirely different fashions--and rewards you with elegant solutions to once complex problems as you travel much further in the experience. So Far Odyssey feels like Far Cry 3 in ancient times third person form, repeating the point A -> B -> C process with every time. Repetition is absolutely bad in immersive sims. Every single area must be unique and often differ vastly in what is accomplished or done.


I suppose this is what I'm looking for and can't find lately. I would also enjoy parity with my enemy combat experience. I take two hits, then they should, too.

Posted By: Allen

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 12/05/21 11:28 PM

Originally Posted by Mr_Blastman
Trying to get into Odyssey but having a very hard time having it "stick."

I fight a boar, boar takes 100000000000 hits to kill. I take two.


Short version: As the game begins, one must make sure they are at the appropriate level to take on the enemy in front of them -- and, for special enemies, use very special preparations for the fight.

The first time I played it (when ACO was first released), I did not have the Boar problem. The most recent time I played, the Boar and the small boars were more than I could handle after a few tries (at my then current level). I was mystified. What had changed -- it may have been a game setting I made??

After trying to solve the problem a long time, I downloaded a cheat used with Cheat Engine (below). It allows one to set one's power to an arbitrarily high number. It easily got me past that fight. The followup creature battles were more doable without mega-cheats.

After over 30 hours of play, I decided I cheated enough and started over from the very beginning -- to play with much less cheating. I was tired of grinding over the same path. So, I cheated on the Boar again -- but much less. Also, I remembered to use the Boar Cave to give me an advantage.

In AC Odyssey, the game tries to keep the player and enemies matched -- or the player overpowered by the enemies (not vice-versa). the enemies leveled with me. I did not like that. A game setting was supposed to allow leveling a couple levels past enemies, but it did not seem to work. I used the same Cheat Engine leveling cheat to allow myself to get a couple levels above some enemies (I had to do the leveling work legitimately -- the enemies just did not immediately follow me up the ladder -- usually -- some did). As the game proceeds, the hero/heroine gets stronger relative to enemies at the same level because of the special powers the hero/heroine picks up.

Overall, Odyssey is one of my favorite RPG -- for the way I play. On the other hand, Valhalla is marginal so far.

https://www.nexusmods.com/assassinscreedodyssey/mods/35

By the way, the Boar is a Major Boss of the animal kingdom.
Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 12/06/21 12:20 PM

I'm still playing through Mass Effect: Andromeda but on Steam this time instead of exclusively on Origin.

I highly recommend this to anyone who liked the previous Mass Effect titles.
Posted By: Allen

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 12/09/21 10:58 AM

FWIW: Apparently, AC Valhalla is not done with major updates/releases.

Quote
Assassin’s Creed Valhalla update 1.4.1 is scheduled for next week, Ubisoft has announced. This new title update will require players to re-download the entire game


Quote
Today, reliable leaker Tom Henderson revealed that the next big expansion for the latest entry in the Ubisoft series is releasing in March 2022, and it will add 40 hours of gameplay.

Meantime, I'm still adjusting my ACValhalla play-style to the game's reliance on attacking peaceful Monasteries. I did a semi-restart yesterday. I do not attack them with my troops (as the game intends). I walk in alone dressed in the "non threatening cape" (a game mechanic to avoid fights). I kill in self defense those guards who try to kill me first. Then, as the game requires, I bring in my troops to carry out the loot -- which is necessary to the progress of the game. Monks do not attack me and are not killed. I've read the game doesn't allow killing Monks (oddly out of character with the game). Yup, I'm odd too smile
Posted By: Mr_Blastman

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 12/10/21 04:42 AM

I keep trying to find the will to try Odyssey again.

To give a better idea, I consider Kingdom Come Deliverance one of the greatest modern RPGs made, and Bard's Tale IV is pretty darned good, too.

Both games have no repetition, with rich worlds that, while smaller, are densely packed with quality, interaction, and meaning.

What is there to play that meets these requirements?

Honestly I would prefer an RPG where every single NPC in the game has their own personality, dialogue, etc., including day/night routines, job, home, unique place in the world.
Posted By: DM

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 12/10/21 09:02 AM

Originally Posted by Mr_Blastman
Honestly I would prefer an RPG where every single NPC in the game has their own personality, dialogue, etc., including day/night routines, job, home, unique place in the world.


Depending on how much you are willing to internalise gameplay, I can recommend Crusader Kings (2 or 3), it can be expensive with all the DLCs but you can get a good deal on sale as a bundle.

The game, for anyone not familiar, you play not as a country or a side or a faction, but as a character, with traits, abilities and even a genetic component. When you die in this game, you play as your heir, so this can be important, especially for choosing a wife.

You have yourself, your wife (who you gain 50% of her stats from, so it's good to marry well wink ) and your council, all of which gives you your ruling power. There are thousands of other characters in the game, all of whom have an opinion of you dependent on a complex solution.

But the gameplay is mostly internal, in your head. I played as a character who became the first king of Bohemia, to do this I had to wrangle and wheedle my way there, dealing with a schizophrenic brother who would cause havoc anytime I was away from the country (taking lands, imprisoning important people etc) and I had to keep sorting it all out smile

Also, my firstborn son was a bit of a moron, but my second born son inherited the genius trait from my wife. I did not want to be playing "against" that genius guy as a moron after I died so I had to think of.... solutions...

Can be a weird game.
Posted By: Mr_Blastman

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 12/10/21 04:43 PM

I should try Crusader Kings 2 again. The interface seemed opaque the last time I gave it a go when Steam gave it away for free but the depth seemed almost limitless and matched your description.

Odyssey uninstalled.

Horizon Zero Dawn installing in the meantime.

I have an enormous reserve of games.
Posted By: wormfood

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 12/10/21 04:57 PM

And in Crusader Kings when you get a bad trait, you can try to min/max the hell out of it to mitigate it, or just go full RP, lean into it and make stories.
Posted By: RossUK

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 12/10/21 05:02 PM

Currently trying out the newly released Thunder Tier One, early days but it has promise. Has that just one more try appeal.

Controls are fiddly though.

Posted By: DBond

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 12/10/21 05:13 PM

I played CK2 for a few hundred hours and liked it well enough, but not really my thing. You control a dynasty, not a nation, as DM mentions. It's a bit too, I don't know, capricious?, for me. It has plenty of the good Paradox systems intricacy, as is their jam. But I didn't care, in the end, for how far off the rails events could throw the careful path you charted.

In a sense it's like riding the rapids. You can sort of guide yourself through, but really you're just at the mercy of the turbulent waters. Not in control, completely. Like keeping your balance on a bucking bronco. But it did lead to EU IV for me. Now that's a game straight up my alley and I dropped 3500 hours on it since 2014.
Posted By: Mr_Blastman

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 12/10/21 05:13 PM

Is that a twin stick shooter, RossUK?
Posted By: RossUK

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 12/10/21 07:19 PM

Originally Posted by Mr_Blastman
Is that a twin stick shooter, RossUK?


Well I have it on PC Blastman, and doing the old WASD controls for movement and mouse for aiming/looking direction. It probably can be used for that with Xbox controller just haven't looked. It is coming out on consoles apparently.

I will look at control options and post again.

EDIT : It appears no controller support so far. It is an early release though and I have read they have big plans so it would be silly for them not to implement this.

I'm looking forward to the MOD support they have planned.
Posted By: Mr_Blastman

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 12/10/21 08:24 PM

mouse aim + keyboard is same as twin stick, so that works. I was trying to figure out if it was point and click or you actually had tactile control of things and it sounds like you do.


Game looks interesting to say the least.
Posted By: RedOneAlpha

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 12/10/21 11:25 PM

I am playing Thunder Tier One too, and I agree that the controls are a bit clunky, or It´s just a matter of getting use to it I guess. But what I do like is the tactical side of it, and how you can customize your teams load out. I need yo put more time into it,

I kind of jumped ship and lately I have been really hooked to Condor 2 (soaring sim). Never though I would enjoy that, It´s actually a lot of fun and quite hard to do, at least for starters (even if your a avid flight simmer). Chasing thermal gives you a reason to fly, and that´s quite neat IMO because your not just flying from A to B and done. Here your pretty focused on what your doing, otherwise your not gonna get to far!
Posted By: DM

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 12/10/21 11:47 PM

Originally Posted by DBond
IIn a sense it's like riding the rapids. You can sort of guide yourself through, but really you're just at the mercy of the turbulent waters. Not in control, completely. Like keeping your balance on a bucking bronco.



That:s actually what I like about it, you can sort of follow a plan but you're subject to the whims of others, and the vagaries of random events, exactly like real history smile if you ever read history from all around that era, then play the game you can see the very strong story generation that comes about is just as nuts as real life.
Posted By: Coot

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 12/11/21 09:42 AM

I didn't know they made a second Condor sim. I never played the original but I thought it looked great and like something I would enjoy. I seem to remember BeachAV8TR doing reviews or something for that one. I may be wrong though. I do remember having an article on it in a PC Flight magazine.

I've also been interested in Tier One. It sure would be nice to have a Rainbow Six spiritual successor with even the same aesthetic but with updated elements.
Posted By: RedOneAlpha

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 12/11/21 11:30 AM

Originally Posted by Coot
I didn't know they made a second Condor sim. I never played the original but I thought it looked great and like something I would enjoy. I seem to remember BeachAV8TR doing reviews or something for that one. I may be wrong though. I do remember having an article on it in a PC Flight magazine.

I've also been interested in Tier One. It sure would be nice to have a Rainbow Six spiritual successor with even the same aesthetic but with updated elements.


Yes, and Condor 2 runs very good on my old i5. It´s quite difficult to maintain the glider steady, and keep a good angle on turns. Your basically climbing in circles once you hit a thermal, ridge riding etc. and that´s the challenge, the plane doesn't fly on it´s own like other sims. Your a constantly being asked for your Input by the plane handling, weather, thermals and so on. If you hit the "H" key, you get visuals of the thermals as a help cue if needed. There is a technique to everything you do, so you do need to learn the ropes In order to be efficient in your flight, which for me is part of the fun too.

It´s a bit like acro formation flying were you have to be focused on each movement you do. I guess that´s why I like it, and because it´s one of the most purist ways of flight along with paragliding. In Condor 2 your flying, in other civil flight sims your going from A to B, and simulating procedures. I am still in the learning proceses, I have to learn how to set-up the water tanks, CG´s and MC´s of the plane I am flying but It´s all good fun.

There is a school section, and a manual but not everything is in depth. The standard version (prices are without tax) which is the one I have is good enough, you only get more planes in the Pro version, you can still buy them separately which is nice too. I didn´t like the planes Included (trainers) in the school class, so I bought the ASK21, and the ASW19b for the Club class, the rest of the classes are all pretty good, and It´s all a matter of taste too, at least at first.

With regards to TTOne, as I stated before, I have to get used to the controls because your mouse points to were you will look/shoot, but not were your going. In other words, If your pointing your mouse to the right of your screen, and your avatar Is looking north (top screen), you wont walk to the right If you hit your "W" key, you will need to hit the "D" key. It´s not like other top-down shooters were you move with W and turn/look/point with your mouse. I hope I made sense. biggrin

Posted By: RedOneAlpha

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 12/11/21 12:27 PM

There´s more Info on a dedicated post I made for Condor 2 in the Civil Aviation section here on SimHQ...

Condor 2 SimHQ thread

Cheers
Posted By: DBond

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 12/11/21 01:11 PM

Originally Posted by DM

That:s actually what I like about it, you can sort of follow a plan but you're subject to the whims of others, and the vagaries of random events, exactly like real history smile if you ever read history from all around that era, then play the game you can see the very strong story generation that comes about is just as nuts as real life.


Horses for courses eh? I'm not saying it isn't justified or realistic or any of that. Just that it isn't what I want out of a strategy game. EU IV is wildly variable too, but in a different way. Paradox is really good at this, and I found having played both of these games, CK and EU, that I much preferred how EU IV handles things.
Posted By: DM

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 12/11/21 04:11 PM

I've always been kind of intrigued that you can import your endgame of Crusader Kings into Europa Universalis, play through that then import the endgame of that into Victoria, and supposedly the endgame of that into Hearts Of Iron, for a marathon of complex strategy. I never heard of anyone doing it though.
Posted By: DBond

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 12/11/21 04:19 PM

I did one, I think I was Aragon in CK2, and imported it to EU IV. Crazy run, with a wild map. As soon as I got a handle on EU IV I started doing nothing but ironman runs, so the save converter was out. But yeah, it's a pretty neat trick for those of us that own a number of Paradox games.
Posted By: wormfood

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 12/11/21 05:16 PM

I don't know of anyone linking all four games that way, but I know plenty of people that have linked their CK2 to EUIV. and a handful that have gone on to link that to Victoria.
I think a lot of that has to do with how much smaller the player base for Victoria is though. I know I bounced off it and couldn't get the hang of how much different the economy and infrastructure seemed to work in that one.
Posted By: Allen

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 12/13/21 09:50 PM

Rather than start a new thread for two older games some of you have already played -- just some news relative to the two games I'm currently involved with:

Quote
Assassin’s Creed Valhalla/ Crossover Drops Tomorrow, Dawn of Ragnarok Confirmed

First up, we have the first Assassin’s Creed Crossover Story, which will see AC Valhalla’s Eivor meeting up with Kassandra/Alexios. The free DLC will actually span both Assasin's Creed Odyssey and Valhalla, with a new story for each Canadian-developed game.

Unlike the Assassin’s Creed Crossover Stories, Dawn of Ragnarok will be paid DLC (a price has yet to be revealed), but that’s justified considering it’s going to be the size of a full standalone game.


https://wccftech.com/assassins-cree...dawn-of-ragnarok-trailers-release-dates/

Interesting to see if my "all in" $120 version (Retail price -- I paid under $50 Black Friday) of Valhalla contains the new pay-for DLC. The coming big add-ons/DLC were said to be included in the $120 version I have.

Edit: Downloading -- 5GB download for ACOdyssey and 78GB for ACValhalla -- does not include major DLC planned for March 2022.
Posted By: Allen

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 12/17/21 11:03 PM

Quote
[From an article] Last week I asked Ubisoft about Kassandra's future, and whether she could serve as a figurehead for the franchise going forward. "Spoilers! That's all I'll say," producer José Araiza told me. "You really have to play the crossover story to figure out why she's there, where she could go next. So yeah, once you play it, I think you'll have the answer to your question for sure."


FWIW AC Odyssey: From more reading. AC Odyssey is well thought of -- and Kassandra in particular is considered special (note, its not her brother who is special -- its her -- so, one should play as her to get the most out of it, they say).

Being virtually an immortal at the end of Odyssey (and well liked by players), she may cross over hundreds of years into other Assassin's Creed stories besides AC Valhalla. Thus, I'm dropping back to continue my current Odyssey play-through with the intention of grinding through all of the content and add-ons -- including this latest one tying it to Valhalla. We'll see if I can hang in there. ~90hrs in and level 45 so far on this play through (600hrs total in-game over the years) -- I imagine I'm not half done.

Attached picture ACOKassandra.jpg
Posted By: Mr_Blastman

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 12/22/21 04:42 PM

Shot down my first Huey player in a Hind yesterday in DCS. Feels good. Punk came up behind me and opened fire with miniguns while I was hunting tanks. A little while later I was hunting tanks again and saw another punk shooting rockets at a buddy and blew him off his arse with my cannon. I never figured my first "official" air to air kill online pvp in DCS would be in a chopper. I had an unofficial one a few weeks ago when I was in Syria floating in tiny nooks and crevices and a Gazelle happened past me and I wasted him with guns but he pulled the plug so the kill didn't count.
Posted By: NoFlyBoy

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 12/23/21 10:38 PM

This. It's #%&*$# good!

https://abandonwaregames.net/game/star-trek-bridge-commander
Posted By: Mr_Blastman

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 12/23/21 10:47 PM

Originally Posted by NoFlyBoy


If you like that, Klingon Academy is better.
Posted By: Allen

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 12/30/21 02:32 PM

I'm flip-flopping. Was playing AC Odyssey, then AC Valhalla, and recently back to AC Odyssey -- as noted above.

Titan Quest Anniversary Edition just had an update that caught my eye. So, set ACO and ACV aside for now and started TQ AE.

At level 17. Just entering Athens Catacombs (for you TQ aficionados). Normal Difficulty. I play just to stay occupied and watch the story unfold -- fighting is not key to me.

Not modding/cheating, yet -- but, "unbeatable" due to a lucky weapon drop (better than average throwing dart) that got my build started on the right path. TQ has never been this easy (that would turn-off some folks).

Heck, (without cheating) 660000 unused gold on hand, 9 unused attribute points, 6 unused skill points. The Heroine can clear a small mob in roughly 5 seconds plus a Boss in just a few more seconds.

That's the way I like it -- quick kill and move on in the story line -- the Heroine is a Goddess. Nothing special though -- no doubt many aficionados have done better at higher difficulty.
Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 12/30/21 02:35 PM

Originally Posted by Mr_Blastman

If you like that, Klingon Academy is better.



I would GLADLY pay $60 for a remastered Klingon Academy with current day graphics. KA is one of the absolute best tactical space combat games I've ever played and the story cut-scenes were very well done.
Posted By: wormfood

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 12/31/21 04:05 AM

That's how Titan Quest seems for most builds, until you get to Typhon at the end of the original game. If your gear or specs aren't up to snuff he will humiliate you badly.
Posted By: Mr_Blastman

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 12/31/21 04:57 AM

Originally Posted by PanzerMeyer
Originally Posted by Mr_Blastman

If you like that, Klingon Academy is better.



I would GLADLY pay $60 for a remastered Klingon Academy with current day graphics. KA is one of the absolute best tactical space combat games I've ever played and the story cut-scenes were very well done.


I would too. I loved KA. Played the crap outta it with my Voodoo 2.
Posted By: Allen

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 01/05/22 10:50 PM

Originally Posted by wormfood
That's how Titan Quest seems for most builds, until you get to Typhon at the end of the original game. If your gear or specs aren't up to snuff he will humiliate you badly.


Finished "Original Game" section of the TQ series. Normal difficulty. Had 26 Attribute Points left unspent at the conclusion. One specialty -- no specialty points left.

Having played before, I remembered Typhon as being one who killed me a couple times. I went into the fight literally scared -- I did not want to die (I had died once in the first "chapter", by accident -- two deaths and I lose interest in the playthrough and start over).

He was easy. Just ran in circles around him and occasionally hit him with a strong spell (as they regenerated).

This was the most powerful Heroine ever for me in several TQ playthroughs -- many ended relatively early from lack of interest or premature deaths. In this build, for nearly every enemy, I only have to run around them (or a crowd of them) and the "always on" spell that radiates death and my "pet" would kill them.

Just lucky this time. I actually figured out a good build. I assume 10s of 1000s of TQ players have already done better. But, it was fun to do it smile

Attached picture AlmightySusanEndOriginalGame.jpg
Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 01/06/22 01:04 PM

Just finished my final campaign in TW: Three Kingdoms last night (cooperative campaign) and then uninstalled it after a great 2.5 year run. I put close to 1,200 hours into the game so needless to say I think I got plenty out of it. smile
Posted By: Allen

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 01/06/22 01:11 PM

Originally Posted by PanzerMeyer
...a great 2.5 year run. I put close to 1,200 hours into the game so needless to say I think I got plenty out of it. smile


Sounds special to me. Your "money's worth" for sure.
Posted By: DBond

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 01/06/22 08:23 PM

Over the past month or so I've been playing....

F1 2021 (excellent)
Forza Horizon 5 (good fun)
Grand Theft Auto Online (I still have fun with it, but ready for the next one)
Sniper Ghost Warrior Contracts 2 (good game but so far I prefer Contracts 1)
Football Manager 2018 (before the UI went purple)
Posted By: RedOneAlpha

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 01/07/22 10:15 AM

Started this year playing...

Shuffle:

- Titan Outpost
- Ragnorium
- G String
- Wayward Terran Frontier: Zero Falls
- X4-Foundations (both DLC´s)

and assorted board game wargames.

Red
Posted By: JohnnyChemo

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 01/08/22 01:13 AM

Lately I've been scratching my flight sim itch with DCS F/A-18. Carrier ops, AA, AG, it's got a lot to offer, and in VR it's pretty amazing. I've got it running pretty well now, I wound up reinstalling windows and it made a huge difference in performance.

Another game that has my attention right now is Factorio. It's got that "one more turn" kinda feel (well, it's not turn based, but you know what I mean.) If you haven't played it, it's a lot of fun - it's an RTS, no wait...it's 4X, no wait...it's a puzzle game....
Posted By: Zero Niner

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 01/08/22 03:28 AM

Been sailing the waters of the Pacific - Silent Hunter 4, Fall of the Rising Sun Ultimate mod v1.7
Posted By: wormfood

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 01/08/22 02:49 PM

Tip with VR in DCS, turn off civilian traffic. Makes a big difference in performance.
Posted By: JohnnyChemo

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 01/08/22 10:27 PM

Originally Posted by wormfood
Tip with VR in DCS, turn off civilian traffic. Makes a big difference in performance.

thumbsup
Already on it, but thanks!
Posted By: Mr_Blastman

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 01/09/22 08:10 AM

And hop on Enigma's Cold War server. Great fun to be had there, even without the shiny new technology.
Posted By: Allen

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 01/22/22 05:11 PM

Just finished Titan Quest Immortal Throne through "Hades" section (killed the Devil himself). Now its on to more of the "added content".

Modded/cheated in one respect. Used Hex Editor to modify most of my apparel (obtained legally). Gave each piece a special capability that could be found on some "legal" apparel but I wanted it for everything the Heroine wore. Made things go quicker because I could kill easy enemies very rapidly (long twitch combat with easy foes is boring, to me). Made things slightly less easy because I cheated in such a way that I locked out normal "legal in game" modification buffs to equipment. And, importantly, she "looked good" in her equipment.

Died once 30 min from the "end of the Hades section". Another "accidental death" (I was not paying attention). Killing the worst monsters including the Devil himself was not hard -- on normal difficulty. Cheating is not necessary (even though I did, for fun) -- all that's needed is a good build.

A very good game to my tastes (not the "best ever" -- but one of the best in my library).
Posted By: DBond

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 01/22/22 05:35 PM

I can't read one of Allen's posts without picturing Matt Foley biggrin

My recent games have been

F1 2021
Forza Horizon 5
Sniper Ghost Warrior Contracts 2

Not much change from my last report. But I'll be adding Hitman 3 in the very near future I think.



Attached picture matt.jpg
Posted By: Allen

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 01/22/22 06:51 PM

Originally Posted by DBond
I can't read one of Allen's posts without picturing Matt Foley biggrin


Where did you get that picture of me!? Oh, that's Matt -- sorry smile

Actually, it does somewhat resemble me when I weighed 220lbs biggrin

My first wife divorced me -- I lost the weight. I've been around 140 for the last 40 years. thumbsup

Per Wikipedia: "Foley is disheveled, sweaty, obese, clumsy and unstylish. He exhibits poor social skills, frequently loses his temper, often disparages and insults his audience, and wallows in cynicism and self-pity about his own poor life choices"

I'll try to do better -- I'm not sweaty enough and I haven't lost my temper in.. in the last 5 minutes biggrin
Posted By: DBond

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 01/22/22 06:54 PM

Haha, now I feel bad. It's the quotes thing I'm riffing on, not the appearance. I'm sure you're a fine looking man smile
Posted By: Allen

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 01/22/22 07:00 PM

Interestingly, the face in the picture does slightly resemble a "very fat me" smile

I was hoping I used enough smiley faces so you wouldn't feel bad smile

Meantime, I do use "quotation marks" a lot. Its just to call attention to key words/phrases and make reading my verbosities quicker -- for those who try to navigate my customary verbosity smile
Posted By: DBond

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 01/22/22 07:14 PM

No worries, I was just trying to be funny using a popular reference. Carry on

And anyway I'm sure you no longer live in a van. Down by the river. smile
Posted By: Allen

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 01/22/22 07:20 PM

To finish off -- so, people don't get the above picture too embedded -- here's my wife and I 30 years ago and almost 10 years ago -- on the dance floor (we competed Nationally -- haven't since COVID).

Competitions are Age Adjusted.

Attached picture EdSueBallroom.jpg
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Attached picture USADance_Sr4_National_Championships_Ed&Sue_2dPlace_2.jpg
Posted By: Chucky

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 01/22/22 07:21 PM

Since disposing of my gaming rig I'm playing mostly World of Warships on my trusty old lappy. I've just started carriers after 7 years of playing in WoW. I've had to resist the temptation to put my fist through the screen a number of times so far. Who decided playing CV's was fun? At least subs are removed (temporarily).

Also just dusted off Silent Hunter 4 but hopefully when I get my new laptop I'll start playing more modern titles.
Posted By: DBond

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 02/04/22 05:43 PM

Last month playlist

-- Hitman (all three World of Assassination trilogy titles)

Fantastic series for fans of the stealth genre. I think anyone who likes games like Deus Ex, Thief, Dishonored and Splinter Cell would dig the vibe in this one

-- Forza Horizon 5

Burned out on this a bit, but I was on high-burn for 300 hours. Good fun, cool cars.

-- GTA Online

Just in drips. There's not so much left to do that I haven't already. Anything I've ignored will stay that way. But still, each week is a new event, and I monitor it to see if it dovetails with my mojo. I had been waiting for a sale on the auto shop business, those went on sale yesterday, so I hopped back in and started splashing that Cayo heist cash. Bought Burton auto shop and another supercar while I was at it, the Vagner, which is like an Aston Martin Valkyrie or maybe Valhalla. I'll wait for a very long time just to buy what I want on sale.
Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 02/04/22 05:47 PM

Currently playing on a daily or weekly basis:

Fallout 76
Total War: Attila
Total War: Rome II
IL-2 BOS
DCS
F1 2021
ArmA 3
Far Cry 6
Elite Dangerous
Company of Heroes 2
Posted By: NoFlyBoy

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 02/05/22 11:44 PM

Star Trek: Bridge Commander.

This version https://abandonwaregames.net/game/star-trek-bridge-commander You can fly a Dauntless and a Sovereign

Then found this and add to it

https://www.moddb.com/games/star-trek-bridge-commander/downloads/bridge-commander-remastered

I can control dozen of ships: Klingon (including the one in Undiscovered Country), Romulan (including Scimitar and Devore), Federation (Defiant, original Kirk Enterprise and the movies Kirk Enterprise, Khan's Reliant, Excelsior, TNG Enterprise and TNG movies Enterprise, Voyager, Enterprise from Enterprise), Dominion, Borg (3 different Cubes and Sphere and Diamond), Kessok, Cardashians, Ferengi.

I can also control Federation starbases, Deepspace 9, Cardashians bases, the weapon platforms from DS9, those alien ships that kicked Borg's butt in Voyager, shuttles.

The original Enterprise, Constitution class, the phaser and torpedo are blue. It's only in the new Enterprise from 1979 did the phaser and torpedo turn orange.

That Reliant (Miranda class) is tough. As the refit Enterprise I had to replay it over a dozen times before I beat the Reliant. Also the Enterprise phasers are not one long beam, it's like a double beam that bursts.

I am playing as Khan fighting Kirk

[Linked Image] [Linked Image]

Why is Kirk chasing me with the Enterprise upside down?

[Linked Image]

Original Enterprise, phasers and torpedo are blue

[Linked Image] [Linked Image]

Original Enterprise refit, phasers fire in broken beams

[Linked Image] [Linked Image]

Picard Enterprise from TV against basic Borg cube (there are 2 higher Cube, a tactical and an assimilator). I just started 2 minutes and Borg already damaged the Enterprise.

[Linked Image]

Picard Enterprise from 1st Contact firing phasers and Quantum torpedoes at Borg Assimilation cube .

[Linked Image]

Posted By: KRT_Bong

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 02/06/22 01:58 PM

I've been playing Relicta a first person physics puzzler
a bit of EVE
Il-2 BOS playing with the Hurricane in the QMB
World of Warships and Wreckfest
and I like to build Putt Putt courses in Golf Around

I am going to check out that Bridge Commander NFB
Posted By: Allen

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 02/06/22 03:04 PM

Originally Posted by KRT_Bong
I've been playing Relicta a first person physics puzzler


Thanks for turning me on to this one -- its downloading as I write.

Playing it will be "scary" -- it probably will show me how dumb I am. We'll see. smile
Posted By: KRT_Bong

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 02/06/22 03:28 PM

I got it for free on Epic last Week I think (Ive gotten several cool games this way) I did have to watch a walkthrough video at the beginning couple of levels because I didn't see the clues at first but now I can use what I learned to figure them out on my own. It has a story and some exploring. Cool game.
Posted By: RedOneAlpha

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 02/06/22 09:56 PM

Originally Posted by NoFlyBoy
Star Trek: Bridge Commander.

This version https://abandonwaregames.net/game/star-trek-bridge-commander You can fly a Dauntless and a Sovereign

Then found this and add to it

https://www.moddb.com/games/star-trek-bridge-commander/downloads/bridge-commander-remastered



Nice find, thanks! Had my eye for awhile on the GOG version.

On the same site I found "The Sum of all Fears" (Red Storm Entertainment) based on the original Ghost Recon game engine of which I have been wanting for a long time now. There´s also a movie by the same title.
Posted By: MarkG

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 02/07/22 10:30 PM

Finally completed the 688-half of the missions in "688 Attack Sub" but having trouble captaining the Alfa. Can't get past an early mission of tracking a 688 for the required time.

Losing the Alfa in the 688 is easy (same mission, you play either hunted or hunter):

- set a WP for deep water, making noise as the Alfa stalks you.
- cut power to 1/3 (optionally firing off noise-maker) then dive right below layer.
- make 90d turn while staying just under layer (the shadows), likely losing him in the next few minutes.
- if not, dive deep (below 1000') then turn again just under the lowest layer.
- use contour sonar to mosey along in a trench (the Alfa doesn't have contour sonar in map MFD).

You get 20 minutes to lose him. I usually do it in 5.

Love this game! It's like playing a session of DOOM shareware, just some quick easy fun!

++++++++++

GS2000...eventually going to figure out how to get my throttle (collective) and rudder (tail rotor) working at the same time with my Logitech Wingman. At least the Easy FM is really easy to fly (holds altitude and forward motion).

Also no throttle in Tornado, have to use keyboard. Also some JS tweaking to do on 1942 PAW (forget the problem). Fleet Defender is a rare case of everything working perfectly (with proper DOSBox configuration).

And my very rare (years of waiting) SubWar 2050 Strategy Guide recently arrived... whoohoo

++++++++++

My list of games to complete this year (the strike-throughs just didn't do it for me, might try again later):

[ ] 688 Attack Sub (1989)
[ ] Red Storm Rising (1989)
[ ] Wing Commander (1990)
[ ] Crisis In The Kremlin (1991)
[ ] Gunship 2000 (1991)
[ ] Star Trek: 25th Anniversary (1992)
[ ] Tornado (1993)
[ ] Star Wars: X-Wing (1993)
[ ] Subwar 2050 (1993)
[ ] SSN-21 Seawolf (1994)
[ ] 1942 The Pacific Air War (1994)
[ ] Fleet Defender (1994)
[ ] Star Wars: TIE Fighter (1994)
[ ] Descent (1995)
[ ] Apache Longbow (1995)
[ ] Hind (1996)
Posted By: Mr_Blastman

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 02/07/22 11:35 PM

Some of that old late 80s early 90s stuff works well with multiple input devices. Chuck Yeager's Advanced Flight Trainer 2.0 was pretty neat with my full modern HOTAS setup.


Wing Commander 1 is timeless and has almost unlimited replayability due to the branching dynamic structure of the campaign. Amazing game.
Posted By: MarkG

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 02/08/22 01:50 AM

I'm sure I'll eventually get the JS configurations straightened out.

Which reminds me...a shout out to Damsonn for this bit of GS2000 DOSBox tweaking...

cycles=30000

Mission briefing pages now work perfectly. smile

++++++++++

IMO, the ultimate game combo...



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Posted By: Mr_Blastman

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 02/08/22 02:11 AM

If you want the ultimate experience you can get your DOSBox to look like this...

Posted By: MarkG

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 02/08/22 03:36 AM

Nice, Mr_Blastman.

One thing that bothers me about some of these old titles is how much better the Amiga version looked vs. DOS, especially in-game cut-screens...

[Linked Image]

[Linked Image]

[Linked Image]

[Linked Image]

++++++++++

My own vaporware is being developed in an alternate universe where the Amiga 3000+ prototype went into production (the cancelled high-end Unix graphics workstation based on the A3000UX), Commodore partnering with Sun Microsystems (I dreamed of owning a SPARCstation for CAD), with graphics on par with the original 3dfx Voodoo.

IMO, even 320x200 can look really nice as long as the artwork/texturing is stylish pixel art vs. attempting to look photo-realistic. One day I'm going to get an Amiga 500 or Atari ST just to play around with it (already had fun with the C64).

Attached picture RSR02.png
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Posted By: Mr_Blastman

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 02/08/22 04:00 AM

Amiga looked better until about 1990 when VGA started to be come standard. If you'll notice comparisons of games such as Wing Commander you'll see what I'm talking about. Most Amiga games were limited to 32 onscreen colors from a vast palette whereas VGA PC games often had 64 - 256 colors. There were some Amiga titles that I think went up to 64, but by and large they were 32 or so. In the 80s the vast palette is what made the difference--especially in Cinemaware titles such as one of my favorites of all time, Defender of the Crown. For that game, though, I enjoy the Atari ST version the most as the Amiga version had broken gameplay. On PC DoTC had 16 colors. Microprose titles were okay on the Amiga in the early 90s, but soon the PC started to surpass the platform.


I've played a number of fun games on the Amiga, though. They're pretty neat to play around with if you have a real one or can simulate one using WinUAE to the degree of an entire desktop and hard drive system with full GUI.
Posted By: MarkG

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 02/08/22 04:38 AM

Very interesting, Blastman.

It looks like the Amiga did receive a nice gfx upgrade with the 3000 in 1990...
http://oldcomputers.net/amiga3000.html

Display: 16 colors at 960 x 512
4096 colors at 320 X 200.

Amiga wasn't on my radar at all when I purchased my 486DX2/66 in the early 90's as I needed a PC for running AutoCAD R12 and Lotus 1-2-3. Even my Matrox Millennium (replacing Genoa 8500) video card was specifically for CAD, although it was cool that I could also play then-current games on it, especially after adding a Sound Blaster Multimedia CD/sound card kit.
Posted By: MarkG

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 02/08/22 06:46 AM

Wanted to mention one last thing (after coming back to correct "Alpha"...oops).

Some here wish for a modern update to Dangerous Waters. What I'd like to see a merger of 688 Attack Sub and Red Storm Rising, with a bump up in resolution to 640x480 and greater color depth. That's all I would need (while keeping the hilarious 688 Attack Sub debriefings, at least on single non-campaign missions).
Posted By: Mr_Blastman

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 02/08/22 07:30 AM

Ah I remember drooling at the screenshots on the back of game boxes in the mid 80s in Egghead software dreaming of Amiga graphics. Most Amiga games--90% or more are made to work with the 500 series. I'm not sure there were many that were made for the 3000, although the 1200+ systems were used for television editing and production.

Posted By: DM

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 02/08/22 10:04 AM

IMO the Amiga failed for a few diverse reason - enormous mismanagement in the end days being primary.

But also, around that time 3D was emerging as something ramping up in ability hugely, and for which the Amiga was architecturally disadvantaged. It could do 2D sprite-based applications excellently due to its "blitter" chipset, and it's sound/music ability was always streets ahead, but the emerging interest in 3D is its secondary cause of disenfranchisement IMO. Primary being mismanagement.

The PC emerged as the new 3D kid on the block due not to any particular architectural advantage, except for its ability to throw basic raw processing power at any problem.
Posted By: RedOneAlpha

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 02/08/22 10:11 AM

The Atari (ST) was also used for music production...

Posted By: DM

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 02/08/22 10:31 AM

I arbitrarily caught a lets-play video of Project Zomboid, and decided to give it a go. 2 weeks of ownership or 2 hours of gameplay before I fully commit to "owning" it on Steam right? smile

First off, I will say I do NOT like survival type games or games that have shoveled in the whole "crafting" idea that has blossomed in the last few years, so first surprise was my interest being tickled in the first place.

Second, zombie games are not my thing. I used to like Romero zombie flicks, and the occasional well-done zombie production, but it's definitely been (and continues to be) overdone by now.

Third, not really into the 3rd person isometric view for playing as a character.

So it seems I already don't like it, but the funny thing is: I REALLY like it.
Posted By: RedOneAlpha

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 02/08/22 10:59 AM

Originally Posted by DM
I arbitrarily caught a lets-play video of Project Zomboid, and decided to give it a go. 2 weeks of ownership or 2 hours of gameplay before I fully commit to "owning" it on Steam right? smile

First off, I will say I do NOT like survival type games or games that have shoveled in the whole "crafting" idea that has blossomed in the last few years, so first surprise was my interest being tickled in the first place.

Second, zombie games are not my thing. I used to like Romero zombie flicks, and the occasional well-done zombie production, but it's definitely been (and continues to be) overdone by now.

Third, not really into the 3rd person orthographic view for playing as a character.

So it seems I already don't like it, but the funny thing is: I REALLY like it.


Ahh, that´s because PZ Is special smile

It´s a great game and only getting better as time goes by. There are more videos In the Rouge Like thread...
SimHQ Rouge Like thread
Cataclysm: Dark Days Ahead Is a similar game and free.
Red
Posted By: DM

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 02/09/22 10:38 AM

Originally Posted by Red2112
Ahh, that´s because PZ Is special smile

It´s a great game and only getting better as time goes by.


Indeed, I understand it's almost a decade old now but is pretty different from its origins as far as depth goes.

I had something of a minor epiphany last night - I realised that there are not 4 maps, only one enormous map with 4 default spawn towns. Mind = blown. Especially when I discovered that there is a huge city to the north, with malls, neighbourhoods, factories, gated communities, parks, gun shops, pawn shops, train station.... blew my mind. The game doesn't tell you, the biggest & most interesting place is an accidental find biggrin

The sandbox mode is how I discovered this. The sandbox mode can make an entirely different experience.
Posted By: KRT_Bong

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 02/09/22 07:11 PM

Originally Posted by Red2112
Originally Posted by NoFlyBoy
Star Trek: Bridge Commander.

This version https://abandonwaregames.net/game/star-trek-bridge-commander You can fly a Dauntless and a Sovereign

Then found this and add to it

https://www.moddb.com/games/star-trek-bridge-commander/downloads/bridge-commander-remastered



Nice find, thanks! Had my eye for awhile on the GOG version.

On the same site I found "The Sum of all Fears" (Red Storm Entertainment) based on the original Ghost Recon game engine of which I have been wanting for a long time now. There´s also a movie by the same title.

I gave STBC a shot and although it worked after adding the mod it would crash often and finally wouldn't even start up at all, shame really cos I thought it might be a bit of nostalgic fun. I've tried everything I know and looked up some forum threads on it with most people saying they gave up trying.
Posted By: Allen

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 02/10/22 05:40 PM

I'm reading that "Assassin's Creed Valhalla" may be the last Assassin's Creed of its type -- open world, role playing, somewhat historical setting/story.

There may be Assassin's Creed games, but they will be enough different to "turn off" some AC fans. Of course, the developer hopes they will "turn on" more "buyers".

This has happened before with AC games -- only the last 3 have been nominally RPGs. So far, many think AC Odyssey was the best of the three.

Though I'm not playing it this week, I'm replaying Odyssey to the end of all the added content. Then, getting back into Valhalla. I'm doing it because ACO and ACV are now tied together by the most recent added content.

But these may be my last AC games -- if they lose the open world, historical Earth, RPG feel.
Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 02/10/22 05:42 PM

Originally Posted by Allen
I'm reading that "Assassin's Creed Valhalla" may be the last Assassin's Creed of its type -- open world, role playing, somewhat historical setting/story.

.



I'm guessing this was a creative decision because it's my understanding that Valhalla sold very well.
Posted By: Mr_Blastman

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 02/10/22 05:49 PM

If you want that open world experience with depth and truly feel like you have an impact in the world then check out Kingdom Come: Deliverance, Allen. One of my all-time favorite RPGs. It does so many things better than the rest of them can even hope to. The biggest perk: near complete freedom to do as you wish without mostly telling you what to do. This is a turnoff to many folks who don't enjoy figuring things out on their own, but for me this is a big plus, as I do not like quest markers or task lists. I prefer to make my own journey in a game world and do things my way.
Posted By: DBond

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 02/10/22 05:55 PM

Seconded. KCD is a fantastic game. I like that one a lot, but couldn't get in to Assassin's Creed. Black Flag was fun for a while, the naval side anyway. Singing sea shanties with me son, yarr. I have three of the AC games, but none with even 50 hours. Just not my cuppa, I guess. Very few third person games get past my biases.

I bought a new game to add to my rotation, FIFA 22. It's 60% off on Steam, or it was a few days ago anyway. I don't do any of the Ultimate team stuff, ignore all of that and what's probably toxic about the franchise. I stick to career mode and having fun with it.

I made the switch from FIFA to PES a number of years ago, but the last PES I bought was a bit of a letdown, or eFootball as I think it's called now. Launching the game bombards you with all sorts of community stuff, events, updates, offers, and nonsense I care nothing about, so decided to give FIFA another go
Posted By: RedOneAlpha

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 02/10/22 07:17 PM

I just wish they ported the latest NHL to PC! I have tried to get many of the old NHL´s to work again on PC because I still have two originals somewhere, and I did get one of them to work with a lot of sweat but It just didn´t feel right. Don´t know If It was due to It´s age, or the use of the newer Xbox gampad but It just didn´t feel right.

Still, there´s no proper NHL for PC anymore! I was about to buy Canvas Hockey some days ago, but that Is only 2vs2 (I think) and wasn't sure If I would like how It feels, as I did buy some years ago Old Time Hockey and It felt horrible. Any way´s please bring back NHL to PC!!!

It might be me but sports games don´t feel like the old titles as with NHL99 or some of the Megadrive titles. As DBond says, they try to cramp so much Into to It that basically turns some of us off!

I just want to play NHL again! frown
Posted By: RedOneAlpha

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 02/10/22 07:25 PM

BTW @Allen KCD Is on sale (70% off) on Steam. Offer ends 14th.
Posted By: DBond

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 02/10/22 08:00 PM

Originally Posted by Red2112


I just want to play NHL again! frown



In my opinion there have been two great ice hockey games in history. NHL '94 and NHL2k5. Everything before or since is some degree worse.

NHL '94 was an epic game, with the only goalie control I've ever switched to during play. NHL2K5 was the most realistic attempt, with actual stuff like scrums along the boards and loose pucks! I know right?

EA's NHL games became like rod hockey, just racing up and down the ice. Good gawd I hated it. Haven't played in years as a matter of fact. They ruined it. The polluting of EA's once-proud NHL franchise is actually what pushed me off in to football games like Football Manager, FIFA and PES. I have not looked back and now I'm a bigger fan of football than hockey. Twenty years ago I would have laughed myself silly over such a thought.
Posted By: NoFlyBoy

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 02/10/22 08:00 PM

Originally Posted by KRT_Bong


I gave STBC a shot and although it worked after adding the mod it would crash often and finally wouldn't even start up at all, shame really cos I thought it might be a bit of nostalgic fun. I've tried everything I know and looked up some forum threads on it with most people saying they gave up trying.


Go into the desktop icon

change Star Trek Bridge Commander\stbc.exe to Star Trek Bridge Commander\stbc.exe" -TestMode

start it and you can see all the chapter of the campaign in the mission select and all the different ships added (Configure section, mutator enabled, everything dotted under mutator)

I have 2 version. The original and made a copy of the original to add the mod to it.

The original is for the campaign and the mod is for quick battle to use the added ships. I do get the crash in the mod version playing the campaign but not in the original, don't know why it does that.
Posted By: Allen

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 02/10/22 08:44 PM

Mr_Blastman, DBond, Red2112 thank you for recommending KCD -- and pointing out the sale. I pay attention and get ideas from the posts here. smile

In this case, I had already purchased it on-sale. But, with all the games I have, I had not gotten to it, yet -- other than a quick check of 19 minutes.

Since you recommend it, I'll move it up on the to-play list. smile

Attached picture Screenshot 2022-02-10 153517.jpg
Posted By: RedOneAlpha

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 02/10/22 09:19 PM

Originally Posted by DBond
Originally Posted by Red2112


I just want to play NHL again! frown



In my opinion there have been two great ice hockey games in history. NHL '94 and NHL2k5. Everything before or since is some degree worse.

NHL '94 was an epic game, with the only goalie control I've ever switched to during play. NHL2K5 was the most realistic attempt, with actual stuff like scrums along the boards and loose pucks! I know right?

EA's NHL games became like rod hockey, just racing up and down the ice. Good gawd I hated it. Haven't played in years as a matter of fact. They ruined it. The polluting of EA's once-proud NHL franchise is actually what pushed me off in to football games like Football Manager, FIFA and PES. I have not looked back and now I'm a bigger fan of football than hockey. Twenty years ago I would have laughed myself silly over such a thought.


I can´t remember which CD´s I have and since we moved house there somewhere In a box! Could be 94 but not sure.

Reason why I like NHL Is because It´s about the only sport I played as a teen when I lived In Montreal. Reason why I am not to Into Football Is because now I live In the north of Spain and this Is the main sport here! It´s a bit disgusting TBO that´s all they talk about, I would rather watch snooker for that matter! biggrin

I admit I am not to mainstream with things.
Posted By: RedOneAlpha

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 02/10/22 10:41 PM

Originally Posted by KRT_Bong
Originally Posted by Red2112
Originally Posted by NoFlyBoy
Star Trek: Bridge Commander.

This version https://abandonwaregames.net/game/star-trek-bridge-commander You can fly a Dauntless and a Sovereign

Then found this and add to it

https://www.moddb.com/games/star-trek-bridge-commander/downloads/bridge-commander-remastered



Nice find, thanks! Had my eye for awhile on the GOG version.

On the same site I found "The Sum of all Fears" (Red Storm Entertainment) based on the original Ghost Recon game engine of which I have been wanting for a long time now. There´s also a movie by the same title.

I gave STBC a shot and although it worked after adding the mod it would crash often and finally wouldn't even start up at all, shame really cos I thought it might be a bit of nostalgic fun. I've tried everything I know and looked up some forum threads on it with most people saying they gave up trying.



I think we missed this part that refers to the 4GB mod which basically allows the game to use 4GB of RAM...

First read the Remaster mod Installation notes which states to Install the 4GB patch...
Nexusmods STWC Remaster mod

NTCore 4GB patch:
NTCore 4GB patch download site

Red
Posted By: NoFlyBoy

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 02/14/22 05:07 AM

Playing the Angry German Kid game

Read this https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/17499...man-kid-smashed-computer-unrecognisable/

which made me remember the video,



I remember someone sent us the website with the video and we never could see the entire thing because our telephone internet was very slow, it stops and then Dad's computer will freeze

After reading that Sun page, Google search result: https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/WebVideo/AngryGermanKid

Which included link to Angry German Kid game https://steamcommunity.com/app/434420/discussions/1/412446292753637015/

this is required to make it run https://www.rpgmakerweb.com/run-time-package#w-tabs-0-data-w-pane-0

Now that I read TV Tropes page, it said it's staged. We thought it was real. That a kid could be so angry because he couldn't play a game. Never did play Unreal Tournament. Was it popular in 2004?

Posted By: Mr_Blastman

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 02/21/22 07:08 PM

Playing Outer Wilds right now. Oh boy, this might be game of the year material.

No missions

No quests

No sequential goals


Figure everything out on your own, play your own way, do things in your own order. The story is yours to discover and explore.
Posted By: DBond

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 02/21/22 07:37 PM

I couldn't get in to it, tried a few times. Neat concept, good reviews and comments. Didn't quite click for me. Still installed in case I decide to return to it. I hope you find it more suitable.

Last couple of weeks for me....

FIFA 22
Forza Horizon 5
Hitman trilogy
RDR 2, but I quickly put it back down, not sure why. Not quite ready to get back in to it I guess
GTAO, just to buy stuff on sale and spin the wheel. Minimal hours lately

Warhammer 3 should be in this list but I m waiting while they work out some release issues.
Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 02/22/22 03:51 AM

I'm currently in my second playthrough of Cyberpunk 2077. The graphics on ultra settings with ray tracing are simply stunning.
Posted By: NimRud

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 02/22/22 03:30 PM

Got an e-mail from the Sony online store shortly before last christmas with an offer to order a PS5 at a regular price. With a new Gran Tourismo game around the corner I thought why not...
Tried the Demon´s Souls remaster to check out the next gen graphics and was hooked instantly to the Soulsborne genre since. Finished a few playthroughs of Demon´ s Souls already with Dark Souls immediately afterwards.
Now in the process switching between Dark Souls 2 and Cyberpunk 2077 but only till the upcoming release of Elden Ring. ;-)
Posted By: wormfood

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 02/22/22 04:02 PM

Total Warhammer 3
Rocket League
Posted By: Mr_Blastman

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 02/27/22 08:20 PM

Elden Ring is good.

Play game. Enjoy. No annoying nagging missions, tasks, markers, etc. Explore world. Conquer evil. Obtain the Elden Ring, or die over and over trying.
Posted By: Dantes

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 02/28/22 01:51 AM

Elden Ring does indeed look good. My Steam collection looks so pathetic it needs something to boost it.
Last purchase was Cthulhu: Dark Corners of the Earth so it's been a while.

Been out of the loop on sims but hope to get my young son acquainted with them so he can fall down the sim rabbit hole like his deluded Dad. smile
Been playing a lot more Tabletop RPG and war gaming than computer gaming.
A little Battletech, and some D&D groups going online and that's my time used up.

Gotta get the stick and pedals back in action at some point, get shot down a few times, so I can rage at my monitor, while yelling about lag for old times sake. heh
Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 02/28/22 11:29 AM

Is Elden Ring at all similar to how the Elder Scrolls RPG's play?
Posted By: wormfood

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 02/28/22 03:13 PM

Originally Posted by PanzerMeyer
Is Elden Ring at all similar to how the Elder Scrolls RPG's play?

It should play more like Dark Souls than an Elder Scrolls game.
Posted By: Mr_Blastman

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 02/28/22 03:15 PM

Originally Posted by PanzerMeyer
Is Elden Ring at all similar to how the Elder Scrolls RPG's play?


No, not at all. The Dark Souls games, including Elden Ring, are closer to how a Zelda or Metroid game plays. They have expansive, open worlds with huge areas to explore that are connected to one another, but they relish in obscurity of dialogue, adding to the mystery of how things fit together. You are often faced with choices to make over the course of the games that cannot be undone. Once you choose, the boons or consequences become apparent either immediately or over time. You are forced to deal with every decision you make. They are great games, but there's no way to "game" them by save reloading. The combat is considered very difficult by many, but I find these games very relaxing, calming, and among the best ever made.

The bosses can be really hard, though.

I suppose Elden Ring so far may be quite a bit more open than its ancestors, plus there's a horse you can ride and, well, so far my game of the year surpassing Outer Wilds even. I love all the 'Souls games, though.
Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 02/28/22 03:23 PM

Thanks for that info Blastman. I'll check out more info on Steam.
Posted By: Vertigo1

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 02/28/22 09:57 PM

Watching all this Ukraine war coverage makes me want to play Operation Flashpoint or Arma 2 again. smile
Posted By: ArgonV

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 02/28/22 11:08 PM

Spending most of my time with Tiny Combat Arena, MSFS 2020, IL-2 BoS, GTFO, Sea of Thieves, World of Warships, and Player Unknown: Battlegrounds.
Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 03/01/22 11:32 AM

Originally Posted by Vertigo1
Watching all this Ukraine war coverage makes me want to play Operation Flashpoint or Arma 2 again. smile



Hard to believe that OFP came out 21 years ago.
Posted By: Allen

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 03/01/22 12:33 PM

None for the last three weeks. I determined my eyesight and body health were negatively affected by all the time I've spent in front of a computer screen (fun though it may be).

So, for now, I try to spend well under an hour a day in front of the PC.

Meantime, I'm doing eye, body, and mind exercises with all that spare time to fix things.

So far, it seems to be working. My vision in particular has dramatically improved -- still work to do.
Posted By: DBond

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 03/02/22 02:17 PM

Originally Posted by NimRud
I thought why not...


When asked, friends and family recalled seeing the signs, which were dismissed then as coincidence or inconsequential. But looking back, they say the signs were obvious, and to a man, they wonder what if they had acted? Could Frank have been saved? Could he have been guided away from his path to console acquiescence?

And if thou gaze long into an abyss, the abyss gazes back into thee.

Haha j/k, good to see you Frank old chum.

My past couple of weeks of gaming

Forza Horizon 5
FIFA 22
Elite Dangerous

(all console games on PC, for what it is worth!)
Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 03/02/22 02:24 PM

Originally Posted by DBond

Forza Horizon 5
FIFA 22
Elite Dangerous

(all console games on PC, for what it is worth!)





I don't see Elite Dangerous as a console game that was ported to the PC but the other way around.
Posted By: DBond

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 03/02/22 02:26 PM

Yes, maybe I could have worded it differently. Let's try

(all games that are on console and PC!)

I was highlighting the fact I was bagging on Frank while playing 'console' games myself smile
Posted By: flightsimer90s

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 03/02/22 04:49 PM

Jane's attack squadron. trying to get down firing the bombers 50cals
Posted By: NimRud

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 03/02/22 05:15 PM

Originally Posted by DBond
...

I was highlighting the fact I was bagging on Frank while playing 'console' games myself smile



Derek, if only playing on console wasn´t as comfortable and easy to setup...;-)

Just kidding, PC gaming isn´ t much more complicated nowadays. It just depends on the game I like to play and if it is exclusive on that platform.
Native controller support is always a plus though. biggrin
Posted By: DBond

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 03/02/22 06:07 PM

Hey Frank old man, yeah I was just having a bit of fun, and I more or less agree. I don't play on console, although the mini-me has X Box and Playstation. But I do indeed see the advantages, and to prove that I am playing F1 2022 with a controller. smile

Hope all is well with you and yours.
Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 03/02/22 06:11 PM

**Shudder** Playing a racing sim with anything besides a wheel/shifter and brake/gas pedal set up is like drinking decaf coffee! Why bother???
Posted By: wormfood

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 03/02/22 06:48 PM

Originally Posted by PanzerMeyer
**Shudder** Playing a racing sim with anything besides a wheel/shifter and brake/gas pedal set up is like drinking decaf coffee! Why bother???

If you don't have the space or money a controller at least has a number of analog axes that works well enough.
Posted By: DBond

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 03/02/22 06:52 PM

Point awarded for not using shutter PM. The internet, eh?

I will stand up for the public stoning, and say I really like it! The controller that is, not the stones.

I have three freakin' Momo wheels, long time sim racer as I'm sure you know. But they are bulky, and in the way when not being used, gotta clamp it and re-clamp it to the desk, and bah. Controller's so simples. Works great in this sim, and I can recline in my seat just so.

It's liberating, not limiting. Works for me!
Posted By: WangoTango

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 03/02/22 11:03 PM

Pretty casual these days. Wings Over The Reich and Dirt Rally 2.0.
Posted By: rollnloop.

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 03/03/22 05:18 AM

Originally Posted by DBond
Point awarded for not using shutter PM. The internet, eh?

I will stand up for the public stoning, and say I really like it! The controller that is, not the stones.

I have three freakin' Momo wheels, long time sim racer as I'm sure you know. But they are bulky, and in the way when not being used, gotta clamp it and re-clamp it to the desk, and bah. Controller's so simples. Works great in this sim, and I can recline in my seat just so.

It's liberating, not limiting. Works for me!


Bravo for being consistent with a controller. That's my main problem with racing titles. I always accelerate too much or brake too hard at some point, and catching a drift or easing a too tight turn is much harder for me. This said, some titles are easier than others with a controller, F1 series being one of them.

On the topic, right now world of warship is my main, with a bit of arma editing (still a noob after 20 years playing, what a shame) and RD2 once in a while, plus weekly online flight on Great Battles (they porked the pilot survivability to hard landings so I limit my playing time, not wanting to lose my careers stupidly). I was playing much DCS previous month, but current war somehow make me reject it, I loved shooting virtual russians in the 80s when I thought it was a relic of the past, now not so much.

And finally some Project Cars 2 once in a while, with a controller mainly, so I set visual damage only, and lower AI to account for my lack of consistency.
Posted By: DBond

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 03/03/22 02:05 PM

Originally Posted by rollnloop.

Bravo for being consistent with a controller. That's my main problem with racing titles. I always accelerate too much or brake too hard at some point, and catching a drift or easing a too tight turn is much harder for me. This said, some titles are easier than others with a controller, F1 series being one of them.



I think it's partly something to do with this particular sim, yes, because I've tried other racing games with a controller and had difficulties, like AC. I also use low TC to overcome the lack of fine pedal control. But that's the only aid I allow, aside from auto transmission. It works really well. I'm fast and consistent in the sim, even using a controller.

Partly it may be the actual controller. A quick anecdote.... recently I noticed my USB X Box controller was having issues, the X button was a little sticky and the right trigger gave false commands, as though it were being quickly pressed and released. It only shows in FIFA, where every time I have a set piece the game constantly goes in to 'pick your taker mode', which is right trigger. So I ordered a new controller from Amazon last week. But this controller has some sort of dead zone around the stick centers, making fine driving corrections nearly impossible. So I had to go back to the old one which drives far better. Didn't expect them to feel so different.
Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 03/03/22 02:21 PM

I remember playing "World Circuit" by Microprose with a keyboard and mouse because I didn't have a wheel at the time. I remedied that as soon as possible by saving every precious penny during my starving college student years and I bought my first MOMO wheel a few months later.
Posted By: Allen

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 04/18/22 03:22 PM

Originally Posted by Allen
[originally posted in early March] No games for 3 weeks now. I determined my eyesight and body health were negatively affected by all the time I've spent in front of a computer screen (fun though it may be).

So, for now, I try to spend well under an hour a day in front of the PC.

Meantime, I'm doing eye, body, and mind exercises with all that spare time to fix things.

So far, it seems to be working. My vision in particular has dramatically improved -- still work to do.


First real playing in a couple months. A Witcher 2 replay starting at the beginning. 6 hours plus yesterday an an hour today without my vision "going double".

I'll continue playing Witcher 2 using certain vision fixes, as it is part of my plan to solidly re-establish my eyesight.
Posted By: Mr_Blastman

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 04/18/22 03:40 PM

Odd that your eyesight is so negatively affected. Do you play in a dark or bright room? Does your monitor have an ambient light sensor to limit brightness? If you wear glasses, is the prescription up to date? Do you look away every hour or so, or less, to refocus eyes?
Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 04/18/22 04:09 PM

Originally Posted by Allen


without my vision "going double".

.



I start getting that double vision if I try to game much past Midnight. Long gone are the days when I could game until like 3 AM with no problem. smile
Posted By: Mr_Blastman

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 04/18/22 05:53 PM

Odd. I get tired/bored much quicker than I used to.
Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 04/18/22 05:57 PM

Originally Posted by Mr_Blastman
Odd. I get tired/bored much quicker than I used to.



It's not odd, it's called aging!
Posted By: Allen

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 04/18/22 06:26 PM

Originally Posted by Mr_Blastman
Odd that your eyesight is so negatively affected. Do you play in a dark or bright room? Does your monitor have an ambient light sensor to limit brightness? If you wear glasses, is the prescription up to date? Do you look away every hour or so, or less, to refocus eyes?


A big part of it, I believe, had to do with staring at the screen a few hours at a time. Now, I have an eye chart (20 ft away) that I spin around (in the swivel chair) and look at every so often.

I also use eyeglasses while playing -- set for close vision -- even though my "bare eyes" focus quite well at arms length (20/15 when not doubled). Thus, due to the glasses, my eyes are actually focused for distance when looking at the PC screen.

I use glasses with small circular lenses that fit close to the eyes. I found modern looking larger rectangular lenses hasten the "double vision".

Screen brightness is normally set down; and, I use "Night light on" 24 hours a day except when gaming.

I also do special eye exercises -- that some bright eye doctor figured out in the 1800s. He felt poor eyesight was due to civilized folks not using the eyes as they were designed to be used. In my case, his findings seem to have merit.

Bottom line, some days I now see well all day doing normal things without glasses (20/30 to 20/25 at distance, 20/15 to 20/12 up close in perfect lighting).

All FWIW, if someone has a similar issue. Nothing is proven. Just seems to be what works for me, so far.
Posted By: 33lima

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 04/18/22 09:19 PM

In answer to the question posed, this...

[Linked Image]

...and this...

[Linked Image]

...and now also, this...

[Linked Image]


...and when I fancy something more laid back, a spot of this...

[Linked Image]


Attached picture Shot10-25-18-22-06-36.jpg
Attached picture shot_2022_04_12_19_49_26_0011.jpg
Attached picture SS_21_59_54.jpg
Attached picture ik33lima_20200410_0001.jpg
Posted By: oldgrognard

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 04/18/22 10:22 PM

33lima has been doing some good AARs. Check them out in the sub-forum.
Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 04/19/22 10:29 AM

I'm currently playing Elden Ring. I'm level 45 now and I just recently found out that the level cap is 713!
Posted By: DBond

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 04/29/22 03:08 PM

Over the past month I've played

Assetto Corsa Competizione
Assetto Corsa
F1 2021
PGA Tour 2K21
Rome 2
Forza Horizon 5
Elite Dangerous
Posted By: Chucky

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 04/29/22 03:20 PM

Time for an update since getting my new laptop.

Martha Is Dead

Deliver Us the Moon

S.O.M.A

World Of Warships (although the addition of subs is ruining the game IMO)

Star Citizen
Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 04/29/22 04:12 PM

Originally Posted by Chucky


S.O.M.A



I tried to play this but I just found it too weird and quite frankly I got bored after about 3-4 hours.
Posted By: Chucky

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 04/29/22 05:25 PM

This is my second attempt at it (after getting stuck and frustrated the first time I played it). It may well be that I come to the same conclusion further on.
Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 05/02/22 10:39 AM

The thing with SOMA for me is the TOTAL lack of combat. I mean, I am perfectly fine with puzzle solving and exploring but not when that's all there is to a game.
Posted By: rwatson

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 05/03/22 01:48 PM

Found this old gem yesterday played the original a lot .Hope they redo the Pacific one
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1297430/Deadly_Dozen_Reloaded/
Posted By: RedOneAlpha

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 05/03/22 04:00 PM

That looks cool rwaston, don´t agree with the price but still looks fun. I never played the original BTW.

Currently playing...

- rFactor 2
- Assetto Corsa Competizione
- Automobilista 2
- RiMS Racing
- MotoGP 21
- GP Bikes
These games are driving me crazy! biggrin

When not driving...
- Lost Scavanger
- Solargene
- Distan Worlds 2 (just started).
- Polygon (FPS).
Posted By: Mr_Blastman

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 05/03/22 04:12 PM

I am level 90 now in Elden ring and gallivanting across the countryside one-shotting almost every creature that falls beneath my +17 zweihander or +6 golden halberd. I have four or five shotted a few minor bosses and I even managed to waste one with only two swings! The holy buff I apply to my zweihander helped this immensely, as that boss was of the undead sort.

Fantastic game. A slight bit easier than previous souls games, however...

I think Elden is intended for multiple playthroughs, but not necessarily the new game+ sort, but new save slots instead. There's a clear logic in how the game world was constructed that guides players to easier zones in one of the most natural, unobtrusive ways I have experienced in an open world.

Being a sucker for challenge, I skipped at lot of the easier areas and went head first into the nasties.
Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 05/03/22 04:26 PM

Originally Posted by Mr_Blastman
I am level 90 now in Elden ring and gallivanting across the countryside one-shotting almost every creature that falls beneath my +17 zweihander or +6 golden halberd. I have four or five shotted a few minor bosses and I even managed to waste one with only two swings! The holy buff I apply to my zweihander helped this immensely, as that boss was of the undead sort.

Fantastic game. A slight bit easier than previous souls games, however...

I think Elden is intended for multiple playthroughs, but not necessarily the new game+ sort, but new save slots instead. There's a clear logic in how the game world was constructed that guides players to easier zones in one of the most natural, unobtrusive ways I have experienced in an open world.

Being a sucker for challenge, I skipped at lot of the easier areas and went head first into the nasties.



I'm only level 62 but I already can defeat most of the "standard" creatures pretty easily. I'm a Samurai stuck in fantasy land so I'm using the Nagakiba which I currently have upgraded to +4.

I've defeated several of the minor bosses but there are a couple which have proven to be a bit tougher to crack.
Posted By: Zero Niner

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 05/06/22 02:20 AM

Two games at the moment:
Cold Waters
Battletech
Posted By: DBond

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 05/25/22 04:44 PM

My monthly update of what I am currently playing, these days

Assetto Corsa Competizione
Assetto Corsa
F1 2021
RaceRoom
rFactor2
Automobilista Motorsport Simulator 2


And Rome 2 (can't be all racing you know)
Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 05/25/22 05:10 PM

Most of my gaming time over the past month:

Elden Ring

Fallout 76

Total War: Rome Remastered

F1 2021

DCS

ArmA 3


And very soon I will start playing AC Competizione. smile
Posted By: DBond

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 05/25/22 05:19 PM

Originally Posted by PanzerMeyer



And very soon I will start playing AC Competizione. smile



Get out of here stalker. biggrin

(this is in no way a reference to your posting habits, but to the classic shooter game of the same name and the guard in Rostock)
Posted By: Clydewinder

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 05/25/22 08:52 PM

Originally Posted by Zero Niner
Two games at the moment:
Cold Waters
Battletech


Had not heard of cold waters before but it looks interesting


Yeah Battletech is great
Posted By: Adger

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 05/26/22 09:49 AM

Bit of Cyberpunk 2077.

WOFF BHAH II

ATS and ETS with Promods

IL1946 with B.A.T

Recently got into Falcon BMS 4.36..man there’s a lot to learn but what a fantastic sim, flew the original Falcon 4 many years ago I’ve still got the original documentation but BMS is outstanding.
Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 05/26/22 10:41 AM

Originally Posted by Adger
Bit of Cyberpunk 2077.

.


I replayed it for a second time after the recent big update was released a few weeks ago. The game has been significantly improved since the original release.
Posted By: Adger

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 05/26/22 01:19 PM

Originally Posted by PanzerMeyer
Originally Posted by Adger
Bit of Cyberpunk 2077.

.


I replayed it for a second time after the recent big update was released a few weeks ago. The game has been significantly improved since the original release.


Definitely mate, 1st time play thru for me, I’m pleasantly enjoying it.
Posted By: WangoTango

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 05/27/22 02:08 AM

Sniper Elite 5, released yesterday. Thank you Xbox Game Pass.
Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 05/27/22 10:38 AM

Originally Posted by WangoTango
Sniper Elite 5, released yesterday. Thank you Xbox Game Pass.



I played that as well last night. I played the first campaign mission in coop mode. The graphics are greatly improved and I like the new body movements and animations. I was surprised by just how huge the map was for the first mission.
Posted By: Allen

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 05/27/22 02:24 PM

I gave Fallout and Fallout 2 shots yesterday. Got turned off fairly quickly by the ancient graphics. While I didn't try them, I know I would like Fallout 3, Fallout 4, and Fallout NV. Thing is, I've already put 1000s of hours into playing/modding those smile

Also tried Elder Scrolls Morrowind. Graphics better than the early Fallouts. But, I was not "grabbed" by it.

I liked all those games when they were first released smile

FWIW: All that was while I worked on an "all new" W11 gaming PC. Taking advantage of sales and having fun making this new generation PC & OS "different" from others I've built. Mostly done but won't be totally finished until whenever AMD releases the new CPUs/Motherboards/GPUs. Right now I'm using an R5 5600G and my "old" RX5700XT as placeholders.
Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 05/27/22 02:39 PM

Originally Posted by Allen
I gave Fallout and Fallout 2 shots yesterday. Got turned off fairly quickly by the ancient graphics. While I didn't try them, I know I would like Fallout 3, Fallout 4, and Fallout NV. Thing is, I've already put 1000s of hours into playing/modding those smile

.



Yes and even Fallout New Vegas looks ancient now by today's standards. Fallout 76 though looks great and I recommend you give it a try.
Posted By: Allen

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 06/27/22 09:16 AM

FWIW: Slightly interesting game I just purchased on sale = "No Man's Sky". Its been available for several years. Its a fanciful recreation of the Universe to explore at your leisure. You fly an interstellar space ship, etc. Can land on all worlds, explore on foot, etc. What's interesting is how large the imaginary universe is.

Quote
"There are over 18 quintillion planets in the No Man's Sky universe -- to be precise, there are 18,446,744,073,709,551,616 fully fleshed-out worlds that anyone in the game can find and explore, and they're all very reasonably to scale with real planets."


Enough unique Planets to keep a gamer occupied for Billions of actual/real years of game play.

I may give it only a few hours -- or less -- didn't "grab me" on game first time "start up".

Moreover, I'm still dealing with eye problems from looking at PC screens too much -- so Billions of actual years of gameplay is out of the question for me. wink
Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 06/27/22 10:45 AM

Elden Ring, Fallout 76, Dying Light 2 and Sniper Elite 5 are taking up most of my gaming time these days.
Posted By: DBond

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 06/27/22 12:18 PM

My rotation over the past month

Assetto Corsa
Assetto Corsa Competizione
Automobilista Motorsport Simulator 2
RaceRoom Racing Experience
Rome 2
Hearts of Iron 4
Posted By: Coot

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 06/27/22 12:47 PM

-After 19 years I finally truly finished the Hidden and Dangerous 2 main campaign. I've been playing it since 2003 but never got passed the Czech mission where you have to destroy the tank column. That one had me stuck years ago but I would continue replaying the game over the years. I didn't realize I was that close to finishing it either. Literally the very next mission after that is the last one. It was cool to bring the main campaign full circle though and I loved the ending. Very poignant. I look forward to playing the expansion Sabre Squadron. I have dabbled with the first Sabre Squadron mission in the past but never got far. Now I've got the whole expansion to play really for the first time and its all new for me. I've got boat loads of pictures and videos too so I hope to do another after action report at some point.

Unfortunately though I could not finish the game with my original copy which would have been even cooler to finish it that way. I was playing the game with my original copy up until the end of last year but earlier this year I had to upgrade my PC including moving to Windows 10 after having Windows 7 for ten years. My old games played great on W7 but unfortunately W10 has some security features that are not allowing me to install and play my older games which really stinks. I'm not looking forward to seeing what else in my PC game library no longer works. I think there ought to be a way to have a work around because its ridiculous to have hardware that has no problem playing older games and yet be stuck with a new OS and features that specifically prohibit many of them from working. So I bought a copy from GOG and thankfully it just so happened they were having their sale. I was able to take my save game profile and load it into the GOG version and continue where I left off. What's also weird and I don't ever remember having this issue while I had Windows 7 but the game performed poorly for some reason. I couldn't figure out what the deal was and its very frustrating how things ran so well under W7 and then it seems something in the newer OS is causing all sorts of issues. Thankfully I figured out that using and updated .dll that someone made which upgrades the game's DX8 to DX9 seemed to fix the performance issue. Anyhow, a pain in the butt having to get something that worked perfectly fine before to behave with a new OS. I suppose its good thought to have a GOG version of the game as a playable solution and back up of the game.

-I'm still dabbling with a second playthrough of Alien Isolation but I'm not sure if I will continue yet.

-Still working through the campaign for Ghost of Tsushima.

-Playing a second playthrough of "Inside" which is an excellent little game. Made by the folks who did Limbo. A rare game in its ability to create sublime, dream-like visuals as well as outstanding animations and physics.

-Plugging away at Ori and the Blind Forrest which is another beautiful platformer.

-Hope to start a third playthrough of The Order: 1886 soon. Another gem and a small masterpiece in my opinion.

Posted By: WangoTango

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 06/27/22 02:51 PM

Yeah, I hear you Coot. It is very frustrating when your operating system will not let you play older games. I bought an external DVD drive for this purpose, but some games can't even install. Operation Flashpoint CWC is one. I know I can play ARMA CWC, but I want to play the original sometimes. BOB WOV II is another game that is impossible to play past Windows 8.

Currently playing Wolfenstein The New Order on PC...quite fun.
Also playing NHL 22 on Xbox Series X.....the Be A Player mode is like a hockey RPG, I'm really liking it.

Both games courtesy of Xbox Game Pass.
Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 07/12/22 04:43 PM

Defeated two more bosses in Elden Ring but I'm still not done with the main story. I'm now approaching about 270 hours in the game according to Steam.

I'm also still playing Sniper Elite 5 and Fallout 76. About once per week I play DCS, ArmA 3 and Ready or Not.
Posted By: Mr_Blastman

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 07/12/22 07:03 PM

Originally Posted by Allen
FWIW: Slightly interesting game I just purchased on sale = "No Man's Sky". Its been available for several years. Its a fanciful recreation of the Universe to explore at your leisure. You fly an interstellar space ship, etc. Can land on all worlds, explore on foot, etc. What's interesting is how large the imaginary universe is.

Quote
"There are over 18 quintillion planets in the No Man's Sky universe -- to be precise, there are 18,446,744,073,709,551,616 fully fleshed-out worlds that anyone in the game can find and explore, and they're all very reasonably to scale with real planets."


Enough unique Planets to keep a gamer occupied for Billions of actual/real years of game play.

I may give it only a few hours -- or less -- didn't "grab me" on game first time "start up".

Moreover, I'm still dealing with eye problems from looking at PC screens too much -- so Billions of actual years of gameplay is out of the question for me. wink


No Man's Sky is my second most played game on Steam, but to be fair after you've been to 40 or so starsystems you've seen most everything out there, due to how the procedural generation of planets is done. The biggest downfall to the game is the worlds do not have multiple biomes. Each planet is one single biome, so no traveling north or south and seen drastic changes beyond terrain formations/shore/coast/trees etc. If there was one content addition I could request it would be multiple biomes per world. In Star Citizen they have already modeled eight distinct biomes on one planet, so I'd start there as a minimum. Even Starlink, a Starfox/No Man's Sky weird hybrid has multiple biomes per planet--I have counted three or four, so that this came out after NMS and they have yet to address this issue is a bit saddening.

Regardless, there's so much to do in the game as is and remains one of my favorites.
Posted By: F4UDash4

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 07/12/22 07:44 PM

DCS

IL2

X-Plane 11

KSP

(pretty much same as last time, except for X-Plane)
Posted By: wormfood

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 07/12/22 10:32 PM

DCS -currently mostly the F18 and P51
Hell Let Loose
Ready or Not - this one only once every week or two since there's not much to it yet.
Throw in a dash of Star Citizen
Posted By: Patrocles

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 07/26/22 11:38 PM

Working 50h - 60h sucks!

iRacing and Assetto Corsa on the PC

Going mostly to boardgames these days...On the gaming table, when I have time, I am playing:
RAF: The Battle of Britain 1940
Advanced Squad Leader
Combat Commander
Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 07/27/22 10:26 AM

Originally Posted by Patrocles


Going mostly to boardgames these days...On the gaming table, when I have time, I am playing:
RAF: The Battle of Britain 1940
Advanced Squad Leader
Combat Commander


Now THAT is definitely a highly niche hobby!
Posted By: mbeaver

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 08/01/22 12:35 AM


I just finished The Evil Within 2 and now I'm a few hours into Prey. Both are rather underrated games.
Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 08/01/22 03:00 AM

Originally Posted by mbeaver

I'm a few hours into Prey. Both are rather underrated games.





Prey was indeed highly underrated and unfortunately a commercial failure. I guess the pimpled faced 14 year old demographic wasn't interested in it.
Posted By: Allen

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 08/05/22 11:47 AM

My eyes are better now (quit gaming for weeks to get eyes straight). Restarted Assassin's Creed Origins from the beginning. I've started more than once -- played a lot of hours total -- but never finished (see the attached screen shot).

I'm grinding all the locations for loot, picking up all the virtually worthless coins, doing all the quests, etc. As usual, I've modded the game.

Attached picture ACO.jpg
Posted By: Sluggish Controls

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 08/05/22 12:15 PM

60% of my pc-only gaming is on MSFS 2020, and the rest a mix between Wolfpack, DCS WWII, Squad, with a bit of Post Scriptum when and if I can find a darn populated server in Asia.

Cheers,
Slug
Posted By: Mr_Blastman

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 08/05/22 03:16 PM

I'm quite impressed with MSFS 2020. I expected more average fare but the sim really has come a long way. It doesn't have DCS level flight modeling or cockpit control, but having a full 3D cockpit in every plane with clickable switches is a very big improvement, not even considering the eye popping scenery.
Posted By: DBond

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 08/05/22 03:30 PM

My posts in this thread occur about once every 30 days, give or take. Over the past year they've increasingly listed more and more games, as I expand my rotation to mix it up more. I have a sordid history of finding a game I dig and then playing the fook out of it until I inevitably burn out on it. Zero to 100 then full stop.

But over the past month I'm back to just two.

F1 22
Tiny Tina's Wonderlands

I'll echo Panzer and say that Prey is a great game, underrated in my opinion. One of my favorite games of the past five years or so. I think it's just outside that window now. Time flies!
Posted By: JohnnyChemo

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 08/05/22 09:27 PM

I've actually jumped back into Elite. I've been core mining, very relaxing to fly through an asteroid belt (in VR) and blow up the occaisional roid, collect the juicy bits and move on.
I've finally gotten a couple of goals - get back over 1B in the wallet and finish off Exploration Elite. I'm gonna do the last by heading to Colonia and unlocking the engineers there.
I also plan on buying a new ship for the trip. My usual explo vessel is an AspX, I'm going to try rocking a DBX.

DB, what happened with HOI4? I take it that it didn't work for you?
Posted By: Chucky

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 08/05/22 11:38 PM

I might revisit Elite. I understand there is an update (13) coming on August 9th although I'm unclear what that may mean for Horizon users like me.

Meanwhile, I'm still banging away at World of Warships although the game really does wind me up frequently. Today it cost me the foot on my £90 keyboard when I banged it in frustration.

I'm not sure why I keep playing it sometimes but I have a significant investment in it since it was in closed beta way back in 2015 and I do like completing the various missions/campaigns/etc.
Posted By: WangoTango

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 08/06/22 12:00 AM

I'm enjoying Forza Horizon 5, now that I figured out how to play my own tunes. The in game radio stations stink.
Posted By: Coot

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 08/06/22 03:07 AM

After 12 years I finally completed L.A. Noire. Such a great game. I started it on the Xbox 360 back when it came out in 2010 I think. I never finished it before getting the PC version and starting over. Played it off an on and finally finished it. I really enjoy games that let you do detective work. I have to say though I still don't quite fully understand the game's Truth/Doubt/Lie mechanic. Sometimes it does not make the sense you think it should but its really a matter of figuring out how the developers designed it. Plus I love the time period and setting and I still think their face motion capture technology looks cool. I know they have better things now to do that but I wish more games used whatever they used in L.A. Noir. It looks great and works well for the setting and I suppose era of graphics that the game came out with. That being said I still really like the engine they used for this game and Red Dead Redemption. I sure wish we had more games like this game. I've long wanted to see a sequel or another developer do a similar game but have it focus on the Gmen of the post-war 40s-60s. I'd like to play as a character who's war vet turned policeman who discovers he has a talent for detective work. Then before long the FBI comes knocking to recruit you. I'd like them to continue the investigative/interrogation case making gameplay all the while improving on combat and perhaps even more intrigue set in an open world with much more freedom.

Anyhow, its a great game. Its one that's well suited for evening play and something to relax to. I'd hate to put spoilers here in case others haven't played but I was surprised by a unique location and "character" that shows up late in the game. I never knew it was in the game but its aviation related.

Speaking of Red Dead Redemption I really wish they would port the original to PC. It would look and play so great on PC with higher resolutions and uncapped 60fps.
Posted By: JohnnyChemo

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 08/06/22 11:30 AM

Originally Posted by Chucky
I might revisit Elite. I understand there is an update (13) coming on August 9th although I'm unclear what that may mean for Horizon users like me. .


I don’t think it will have much for Horizons. I Have Odyssey, but I never bother with it. I stick to horizons. The only thing odyssey offers is the on foot aspect, which I have no interest in, and the frame rates in VR aren’t as good. Pretty sure I read Horizons won’t get any more updates, at least not content updates.
Posted By: Chucky

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 08/06/22 12:59 PM

Originally Posted by JohnnyChemo
Originally Posted by Chucky
I might revisit Elite. I understand there is an update (13) coming on August 9th although I'm unclear what that may mean for Horizon users like me. .


I don’t think it will have much for Horizons. I Have Odyssey, but I never bother with it. I stick to horizons. The only thing odyssey offers is the on foot aspect, which I have no interest in, and the frame rates in VR aren’t as good. Pretty sure I read Horizons won’t get any more updates, at least not content updates.


Yes, as I understand it, no new content but maybe access to some Odyssey features such as the new planets? Although reading through the Steam comments not everyone is happy with those, although I think we can choose which version to launch. We will see in a few days.
Posted By: DBond

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 08/06/22 01:38 PM

Originally Posted by JohnnyChemo


DB, what happened with HOI4? I take it that it didn't work for you?


Yeah, that's an odd one. Just wasn't feeling it, yet. I think I'll save that one for this winter. I'm sure I'd like it with my history with Paradox games, but my first attempt failed to gain traction and I set it aside for now.
Posted By: JohnnyChemo

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 08/06/22 11:35 PM

Originally Posted by Chucky
I think we can choose which version to launch. We will see in a few days.


I can confirm you can choose to launch Odyssey or Horizons in the launcher.
Posted By: JohnnyChemo

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 08/06/22 11:37 PM

Originally Posted by DBond
Originally Posted by JohnnyChemo


DB, what happened with HOI4? I take it that it didn't work for you?


Yeah, that's an odd one. Just wasn't feeling it, yet. I think I'll save that one for this winter. I'm sure I'd like it with my history with Paradox games, but my first attempt failed to gain traction and I set it aside for now.



It took me a couple of tries to finally get into it. It's on my list of games I should revisit at some time!
Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 08/08/22 02:46 AM

I've had 3 failed starts with HOI 4. Maybe one day I'll try a fourth attempt and see if my perception changes.
Posted By: DBond

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 08/08/22 04:42 PM

When I bought Crusader Kings, and later EU IV I dove in, found traction straight away and didn't look back.

But when I did the same in Hearts of Iron I didn't find the same level of compelling propelling that took me through the initial stages. No sense of 'more of this please', which, to be fair, is down to me, and not the game I reckon. It's just on the back burner and I'll revisit it later.
Posted By: WangoTango

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 08/08/22 04:42 PM

Originally Posted by Coot
After 12 years I finally completed L.A. Noire. Such a great game. I started it on the Xbox 360 back when it came out in 2010 I think. I never finished it before getting the PC version and starting over. Played it off an on and finally finished it. I really enjoy games that let you do detective work. I have to say though I still don't quite fully understand the game's Truth/Doubt/Lie mechanic. Sometimes it does not make the sense you think it should but its really a matter of figuring out how the developers designed it. Plus I love the time period and setting and I still think their face motion capture technology looks cool. I know they have better things now to do that but I wish more games used whatever they used in L.A. Noir. It looks great and works well for the setting and I suppose era of graphics that the game came out with. That being said I still really like the engine they used for this game and Red Dead Redemption. I sure wish we had more games like this game. I've long wanted to see a sequel or another developer do a similar game but have it focus on the Gmen of the post-war 40s-60s. I'd like to play as a character who's war vet turned policeman who discovers he has a talent for detective work. Then before long the FBI comes knocking to recruit you. I'd like them to continue the investigative/interrogation case making gameplay all the while improving on combat and perhaps even more intrigue set in an open world with much more freedom.

Anyhow, its a great game. Its one that's well suited for evening play and something to relax to. I'd hate to put spoilers here in case others haven't played but I was surprised by a unique location and "character" that shows up late in the game. I never knew it was in the game but its aviation related.

Speaking of Red Dead Redemption I really wish they would port the original to PC. It would look and play so great on PC with higher resolutions and uncapped 60fps.

Unfortunately it sounds like the planned remake Of Red Dead Redemption has been cancelled. I was looking forward to it. I played some on PS3. but I could not get past 720p and a 30 FPS cap.
Posted By: Allen

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 08/08/22 05:50 PM

FWIW:

Playing Assassin's Creed Origins (noted a couple pages back).

I've modded it -- I had to use tools developed by others. That's cheating -- one feels like a cheat. Doing it all by yourself is true modding -- and gives satisfaction.

So, related to "What are you currently playing these days", I've begun advancing my mediocre modding ability. There are courses on-line.

Like some games, its a multi-month project. Most quit along the way.

We'll see if I finish this "modding game" -- or quit. smile
Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 08/08/22 05:53 PM

I really admire those who make mods for games and in the vast majority of cases don't get paid for any of it.
Posted By: Allen

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 08/08/22 06:03 PM

Originally Posted by PanzerMeyer
I really admire those who make mods for games and in the vast majority of cases don't get paid for any of it.


Because I respect your opinions, your comment helps. Increases my incentive. Thanks. smile
Posted By: JohnnyChemo

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 08/09/22 11:07 AM

Originally Posted by Chucky
I might revisit Elite. I understand there is an update (13) coming on August 9th although I'm unclear what that may mean for Horizon users like me.



I ran across some info on this update - it looks like Horizons is being updated to have most of the tech changes in Odyssey but not the content. So things like updated graphics, planet rendering, etc. Everything but the on-foot content and ability to land on planets with tenuous atmospheres.
It hits today btw.

https://www.elitedangerous.com/news/update-13-narrative-and-access-40
Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 08/09/22 11:09 AM

if Frontier adds new ships to the game as well as adding the ability to walk around your own ship to explore it then I might consider reinstalling.
Posted By: Chucky

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 08/09/22 12:34 PM

Thanks JohnnyC, that's about what I thought it was. I didn't buy Odyssey because I never wanted an 'on foot' experience from E:D.

Downloading update as we speak (or type).
Posted By: NimRud

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 08/09/22 11:20 PM

Currently playing Uncharted 2: Among Thieves on the PS5 for the first time. The game was initially released in 2009 on PS3 and later remastered for the PS4.

It´s an 3rd-person action adventure game. Wonderful experience, good characters and nice sceneries. Gameplay is very similar to the later Tomb Raider games. I like the story of the maincharacter, Nathan Drake more though.
Posted By: WangoTango

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 08/10/22 01:27 AM

Originally Posted by NimRud
Currently playing Uncharted 2: Among Thieves on the PS5 for the first time. The game was initially released in 2009 on PS3 and later remastered for the PS4.

It´s an 3rd-person action adventure game. Wonderful experience, good characters and nice sceneries. Gameplay is very similar to the later Tomb Raider games. I like the story of the maincharacter, Nathan Drake more though.

All the Uncharted games are excellent.
Posted By: Allen

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 08/10/22 10:44 AM

I won't bore with regular updates on my modding (game hacking) excursion (that may fail). However, I'm under way. smile

Learning a version of C language is necessary (yuk). I've always avoided C due to the primitive syntax (I like Pascal -- its like writing in Plain English). I've ordered the up-to-date C and Assembly Language text books for beginners.

I'm also building a game modding/hacking computer -- mostly from left over parts I have. Because, I've found W11 and anti-virus software on my main machine interferes with some aspects of modding/hacking.
Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 08/10/22 11:53 AM

I never played any of the Uncharted games but I have heard that Jedi: Fallen Order's gameplay was structured in very much the same way as the Uncharted games.
Posted By: RossUK

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 08/10/22 12:06 PM

Originally Posted by PanzerMeyer
I really admire those who make mods for games and in the vast majority of cases don't get paid for any of it.


The Epic mod for Cold Waters really makes the game much better.
Posted By: wheelsup_cavu

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 08/12/22 04:11 AM

Still playing IL-2 1946 occasionally but the IL-2 Sturmovik Great Battles series has taken up most of my gaming time these days.


Wheels
Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 08/12/22 10:51 AM

Originally Posted by wheelsup_cavu
IL-2 Sturmovik Great Battles series has taken up most of my gaming time these days.


Wheels



This sim is almost unrecognizable from its initial release. It just keeps improving more and more with time. I'm grateful for 1C Company because no one else is making new WWII flight sims. I don't count the WWII stuff from DCS since it's all just amalgamated into the DCS World modern sim.
Posted By: WangoTango

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 08/13/22 06:02 PM

Having some fun playing GRID (2019) on PC. I picked up the Ultimate Edition for 11$ USD
I was playing Forza Horizon 5, but the force feedback bug was a turn off.
Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 08/14/22 02:45 AM

Elden Ring, Sniper Elite 5, Fallout 76 and IL-2 BOS were my games today. smile
Posted By: RossUK

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 08/18/22 12:21 PM

Just bought Microprose's new game Regiments. I'm not the best at these type of games but it has promise. I like the Cold War setting.
Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 08/18/22 12:24 PM

Originally Posted by RossUK
Just bought Microprose's new game Regiments. I'm not the best at these type of games but it has promise. I like the Cold War setting.



I'll be curious to read what you think. Quite a few of my Steam friends have bought it.
Posted By: RossUK

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 08/18/22 01:49 PM

Originally Posted by PanzerMeyer
Originally Posted by RossUK
Just bought Microprose's new game Regiments. I'm not the best at these type of games but it has promise. I like the Cold War setting.



I'll be curious to read what you think. Quite a few of my Steam friends have bought it.


It's good. As usual I started a game without trying the tutorials etc (I never learn) but it was intuitive enough and got the hang of things quite quickly, though I am sure there some intricacies I have missed. No multiplayer, not sure if that on the way. You can do skirmishes of various lengths and looks like a scripted campaign.

Graphics are very good given only a 4gb game. It initially reminds me of a Wargame/WARNO lite. I tend to get overwhelmed in these games but this one feels less massive, and like the others you can slow the time down if you get too snowed under.

Just mastered the artillery which is excellent for softening up targets. I was born in the mid-70's so the units and equipment are all familiar. You can choose specific brigades which I assume have some historical accuracy like the 82nd Airborne or 11th Armored Cavalry.

I would say for the price it's worth it. In the refund window on Steam you would have plenty of time to decide yes or no - you get a feel for the game quickly.
Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 08/18/22 01:55 PM

Thanks for that info RossUK!
Posted By: Chucky

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 08/18/22 04:15 PM

Hi Ross. I understand there are some timed missions in there (not my favourite thing) so when you come across them can you let me know your thoughts please smile
Posted By: RossUK

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 08/19/22 08:11 AM

Originally Posted by Chucky
Hi Ross. I understand there are some timed missions in there (not my favourite thing) so when you come across them can you let me know your thoughts please smile


Sort of. You sometimes have to hold an area for what is called a phase which could be 10 minutes. Another one I've seen is you have to get to the other end of a map by a time limit.

I must say I'm like you and hate being pressured to to things but as yet it's not bothered me. That may be as I'm playing on easy at the moment to get the hang of things.

It's one of those games I've found myself looking forward to firing up again, much like Cold Waters on release.
Posted By: Chucky

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 08/19/22 08:53 AM

Thanks for the reply. That doesn't sound too bad.
Posted By: NimRud

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 08/22/22 06:49 AM

After finishing Uncharted 2 and Shadow of the Tomb Raider and enjoying them tremendously I wanted to have another look at RDR 2. Never got beyond chapter 2 in my previous attempts.

Don´ t know why exactly but I ended up playing the original RDR again instead. biggrin

RDR was the reason I bought an xBox 360 in 2010 when the game got released originally. Microsoft added backwards compatibility for many of the older games so you can play them on the later xBox console generations. Often with some graphical enhancements.

For RDR that means native 4k and much better Ani-Aliasing on my old xBox One X. Which makes it an even better experience than I remember. Only downside is the 30 fps limit but that is still valid for RDR 2 on last gen consoles. Personally I don´ t mind the low frames that much with the slower gameplay of these kind of games and totally forget about it after awhile.

The game is still brilliant and immersive as heck. What a pity Rockstar never released it for PC. It is such a good continuation of the world and the story of some of the characters you know from RDR 2!
Posted By: DBond

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 08/22/22 12:19 PM

Originally Posted by NimRud
I wanted to have another look at RDR 2


That's a fine idea, pardner.

I'm back in to it, and we have a thread on it here as I'm sure you've seen. I think it's the best PC game I've played, and it's well worth another look if you think you might want to. All of the technical issues that were present around the launch are gone. Superb game.

The past month I've only played two PC games, Red Dead Redemption 2 and F1 22.
Posted By: Allen

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 08/27/22 06:05 PM

Finished main story arc of Assassin's Creed Origins. Took about 95 hours. Gives me over 190 hours total in the game.

I had started but not finished AC Origins a couple times (at least). This time I liked it enough to finish it. A good RPG. smile

One downside: They have "disconnected" the "guaranteed assassination" mode. If one tries to assassinate a strong opponent, one just "makes a dent" and is now facing an angry, superior opponent. duh

Attached picture Screenshot 2022-08-27 135357.jpg
Posted By: archermav

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 08/27/22 06:47 PM

I've restarted RDR2 on PS 5. Magnificent game, absolutely magnificent.
Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 08/27/22 09:57 PM

I'm level 187 now in Elden Ring and I'm almost done with Crumbling Farum Azula. I'm nearing the end of the main storyline.

This has been an epic gaming experience.
Posted By: mbeaver

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 08/28/22 12:20 AM

Originally Posted by Allen
Finished main story arc of Assassin's Creed Origins. Took about 95 hours. Gives me over 190 hours total in the game.

I had started but not finished AC Origins a couple times (at least). This time I liked it enough to finish it. A good RPG. smile



I should get back to Origins myself, and try to finish it. Currently at 44 hours playtime and 43% story progression.
Posted By: Allen

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 08/28/22 09:52 AM

Originally Posted by mbeaver
Originally Posted by Allen
Finished main story arc of Assassin's Creed Origins. Took about 95 hours. Gives me over 190 hours total in the game.

I had started but not finished AC Origins a couple times (at least). This time I liked it enough to finish it. A good RPG. smile


I should get back to Origins myself, and try to finish it. Currently at 44 hours playtime and 43% story progression.


It got better deeper into the story. The ending had a "twist" and was "fundamental" to the long-term story of the "series" of AC games.

I've started the "added" material ("The Curse of the Pharaohs"). Too early to be sure, but it seems to emphasize the "new" long-term state of the Assassin's "brotherhood/sisterhood" and their "new direction".
Posted By: wormfood

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 08/31/22 07:59 PM

Thanks to rereading Red Storm Rising, I've dusted off Cold Waters and found it's a good thing I'm not the skipper of a sub.
In the thick of things I don't know how many times the last few days I didn't realize what interface is up and accidentally blew the emergency tanks instead of hitting the plot course button. Either the UI is terrible or my eyes....probably a combination of both. After a couple days of one disaster or another I finally completed a week long patrol with 2.6 missions completed and made it back to base.

WH3 Immortal Empires. Not much yet. I feel like I should fire up WH2 and fight a few battles there for a better comparison. I don't seem to like the battles nearly as much and just auto resolve 99% of them in WH3.

I'm in a Cold War mood, I might give Regiments a try.
Posted By: Major Dragon

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 09/01/22 12:28 AM

In an effort to keep up with events in the real world, I am flying janes F15 over Ukraine from nato bases in Poland and Romania, and against PLAAF air bases and naval facilities at Qingdao and Dalian on mainland China from Kushan AB in South Korea.

I am also flying janes F18 against China in defense of Taiwan from carriers in the East China Sea and the Yellow Sea, and against Russian forces in Ukraine from a carrier in the Black Sea.

Good thing I retired early because all that keeps me pretty busy!
Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 09/06/22 12:14 PM

Originally Posted by Major Dragon


I am also flying janes F18 !


You playing this on a legacy PC?
Posted By: Allen

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 09/06/22 03:09 PM

Finished AC Origins: Just finished the Main Line and a bit more in AC Origins -- for the first time (had multiple starts but no finishes). I liked it a lot. Previously, I had simply not played far enough into the story to enjoy it.

Playing AC Odyssey: Now I'm replaying AC Odyssey. I had already finished the main story in AC Odyssey before this restart. AC Odyssey is one of my all time favorite RPG.

Target AC Valhalla: The plan is to finish AC Odyssey to the point where it melds with AC Valhalla -- then continue with AC Valhalla (started but never finished). The ACV story has defects for my tastes -- we'll see if that changes with more play time.
Posted By: WangoTango

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 09/10/22 05:37 PM

Having quite a bit of fun with Grid Legends. I've put in 9 hours this week, which is way above my average gaming time. Arcade racing, but not as bad as Forza Horizon 5. The AI is quite good. I like the nemesis system, drivers will stay angry with you for multiple races, and try and spin you out. I also like the random crashes and spinouts that occur with the AI.
Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 09/10/22 10:13 PM

Just got to character level 200 in Elden Ring but have yet to defeat Maliketh the Black Blade so I can advance to the final stage of the game.
Posted By: NimRud

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 09/12/22 12:16 AM

Originally Posted by PanzerMeyer
Just got to character level 200 in Elden Ring but have yet to defeat Maliketh the Black Blade so I can advance to the final stage of the game.


Do you go for a 100% run with your first character?

Started playing again trying to finish the game finally and just arrived in the Consecrated Snowfield area after killing the Fire Giant. Those snowstorms are a pain... wink
Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 09/12/22 01:00 AM

Heh, I thought the Fire Giant was a super tough boss until I encountered Maliketh. Ugh.

Oh and yes, I’m going for a 100% run. I’m a completionist to the extreme.
Posted By: WangoTango

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 09/20/22 06:45 PM

I'm giving DEATHLOOP a go.

Posted By: Mr_Blastman

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 09/20/22 07:27 PM

How is it? Anything like Prey? Immersive sim? Or just a roguelike?


I started playing Outer Worlds a week ago and it is fairly interesting. Already I have made some world altering decisions which have been amusing, such as giving Spacer's Choice the shaft.
Posted By: DBond

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 09/21/22 03:47 PM

Another month gone by, and no change to my status. Just two games played over that span, Red Dead Redemption 2 and F1 22. Not a bad bunch really smile
Posted By: Allen

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 09/21/22 04:38 PM

Temporary detour: Sudoku.

Never played it. Every adult in the family does play it -- regularly. So, I'm giving it a shot.

I am NOT looking up "approaches and solutions". The idea is to "solve it myself using my method". My method is "under development". We'll see.
Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 09/22/22 03:03 AM

Still playing Elden Ring but I finally made it to Lyendell Ashen Capital so I'm in the final phase of this brilliant game.
Posted By: Coot

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 09/22/22 08:23 AM

I think its pretty cool you've near beaten the game Panzer with a mouse and keyboard. I still use m&k for a lot of games but I think those souls games are designed around a controller. I can't handle games like those but do you find it troublesome for timing and its high difficulty using the mouse and keyboard for that game?

I recently started Shadow of the Colossus remake on the PS4. They did a great job with the texture work on that. The camera system, though not as bad as the originals if memory serves, still likes to fight you a bit which I find unnecessarily stress or tension inducing. I only ever played part of the PS3 remake and never got past four or so colossi so I'll see how it goes.

I'm also still easing my way through my second play through of Alien Isolation. I played it back on release starting on PS4 then going over to the PC version. Its a great game and its fun to be playing it again. I'm using the Alias Isolation mod which nearly eliminates the game's bad jaggies and it has no discernable performance cost which is cool. After all these years I'm being reminded of some of the bugs the game has such as sound glitches and NPCs that can become broken in certain areas. That being said its still a great game though I am finding myself having a hard time playing it again. I think the older I get the less I'm able to tolerate games or anything for that matter that are too scary or too violent.

I'm also still plugging away at Hidden and Dangerous 2 Sabre Squadron having gotten into the missions after the first one that I've never seen before. One of my favorite game series without question.
Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 09/22/22 10:35 AM

Originally Posted by Coot
I think its pretty cool you've near beaten the game Panzer with a mouse and keyboard. I still use m&k for a lot of games but I think those souls games are designed around a controller. I can't handle games like those but do you find it troublesome for timing and its high difficulty using the mouse and keyboard for that game?

.



You are absolutely right that Elden Ring is really geared towards using a controller. I also ran into the same situation when i played Jedi: Fallen Order. In both games I died more than I should have since I was using a mouse and keyboard but I prefer that over having to get used to using a controller. It's just not comfortable for me.
Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 09/22/22 10:36 AM

Originally Posted by Coot


I'm also still easing my way through my second play through of Alien Isolation. .



I will be replaying this as well within the next month or so. Sure, the tension and dread won't be as severe since I now know what to expect but the game is still worthy of a replay due to its brilliant design and story.
Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 09/22/22 06:03 PM

Originally Posted by Coot
However, once I came up with my own coping mechanism as well as learning the tip that you can basically walk around without the Alien hearing you(I was crouching most of the time which makes things tedious in getting around from point A to point B) it helped me a lot.



Just to be on the safe side, as soon as I got on the Sebastopol station I entered the crouch position and never left it until several hours later when I found out that there is a specific point in the game when the xenomorph first shows up. Yeah, I felt kinda dumb afterwards. biggrin
Posted By: WangoTango

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 09/22/22 06:08 PM

Originally Posted by Allen
Temporary detour: Sudoku.

Never played it. Every adult in the family does play it -- regularly. So, I'm giving it a shot.

I am NOT looking up "approaches and solutions". The idea is to "solve it myself using my method". My method is "under development". We'll see.

Good to exercise your mind ..... or so I am told.
Posted By: oldgrognard

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 09/22/22 06:12 PM

Be wary of that ! Every time I depend on my brain it lets me down.
Posted By: Mr_Blastman

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 09/22/22 06:44 PM

Originally Posted by WangoTango
Originally Posted by Allen
Temporary detour: Sudoku.

Never played it. Every adult in the family does play it -- regularly. So, I'm giving it a shot.

I am NOT looking up "approaches and solutions". The idea is to "solve it myself using my method". My method is "under development". We'll see.

Good to exercise your mind ..... or so I am told.


Playing Supreme Commander online versus other humans is a great mental workout.
Posted By: WangoTango

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 09/22/22 09:46 PM

Originally Posted by oldgrognard
Be wary of that ! Every time I depend on my brain it lets me down.

biggrin
Wordle is enough of a daily puzzle for me.
Posted By: WangoTango

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 09/22/22 09:57 PM

Originally Posted by Mr_Blastman
How is it? Anything like Prey? Immersive sim? Or just a roguelike?


I started playing Outer Worlds a week ago and it is fairly interesting. Already I have made some world altering decisions which have been amusing, such as giving Spacer's Choice the shaft.

It's not my cup of tea. The games you mentioned, I have never played.
Gonna stick with Grid Legends and WOTR for the time being.
Posted By: NimRud

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 10/06/22 11:58 PM

Playing Bloodborne right now and enjoying it tremendously.

Tried it years ago but coudn´ t get into it. Having never played a Souls game before back then I simply didn´ t understand the game system. The extreme difficulty (for me) didn´t help either. biggrin

But with a bit more experience with these kind of games nowadays I can really appreciate the wonderful level and art design. The combat is just brilliant. It really rewards a more agressive play style compared to the other Souls games.
Posted By: Blade_RJ

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 10/07/22 01:07 AM

over GFN not bad....but with my country being limited to 1080p subs, really suck to pay FHD on a 4k tv. im actually enjoying it, very responsive, can even play competitive games if there is no download on the house.
while the video is a bit janky, gameplay is actually smooth....i just lrearned the hard way i cant play stream and stream over youtube,lol.




i twisted my nose on release, but i actually enjoyed a bit what im playing over free ubi+. the gun play is actually nice and i would like they bring that to rainbow six or a first person ghost recon, really love the detail in guns animations, like mg ejecting not only the casing but the links, and the scope marks being side the scope moving with the gun, gun recoil is also very nice animated, not that fake, up and down, or forward and back, you can feel the kick of the gun.
Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 10/07/22 03:13 AM

I played through Far Cry 6 cooperatively with a friend and it was quite a lot of fun. The Far Cry games though bore me in single player.
Posted By: Mr_Blastman

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 10/15/22 01:45 AM

Beat Outer Worlds tonight. Fun but short. Not really an "immersive sim," solutions to problems always devolved to find a terminal and click a magic "solve the problem button." The shooting bits were fun. So was the worldbuilding.

Time to pick what I play next.


Maybe I give RDR 2 a try. Maybe I beat something in my long catalog. Maybe I go back to Elden or give Odyssey another shot. I dunno. Or perhaps I give the 100 gig Fallout 4 enhanced edition mod compilation a shot. Over 200 mods. Then there's the absolutely free Stalker Anomaly mod compilation, unifying all three games into one giant world...

Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 10/15/22 01:54 PM

Originally Posted by Mr_Blastman
Maybe I go back to Elden




Did you defeat all of the bosses or only the required ones to advance the story?
Posted By: Mr_Blastman

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 10/15/22 02:17 PM

I defeated two or three of the elden lords and made it to the capital before I went out to Arizona for the summer, which is when I took a break from the game. I complete any mini dungeon I find as I come across them.
Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 10/15/22 02:36 PM

Originally Posted by Mr_Blastman
I defeated two or three of the elden lords and made it to the capital before I went out to Arizona for the summer, which is when I took a break from the game. I complete any mini dungeon I find as I come across them.



Ah ok so you still have a lot more of the game to play. I’m level 219 now.
Posted By: DBond

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 10/15/22 02:45 PM

Originally Posted by NimRud
Playing Bloodborne right now and enjoying it tremendously.


I bought that for my son but he never played it. Some think it's the best Souls game of all.

Originally Posted by Mr_Blastman
Beat Outer Worlds tonight.


That's cool. I bought it and played a few hours but it just didn't click. I keep thinking of giving it another go. I like Obsidian's games usually. I wish there were more threads around here with long game play posts so I could get a feel for why I might like this one or that one. It's interesting to read about those experiences and the thinking behind decisions and paths taken. And helps me to form a proper impression. Videos posted have replaced these sorts of things, and I haven't moved with the times.

Originally Posted by Mr_Blastman
Maybe I give RDR 2 a try.

Absolutely.



Another (nearly) month has passed and this is what I've been playing. For the two months before it was RDR and F1 22 exclusively, but October has spread out a bit

F1 22 -- Great racing sim, especially for Formula 1 nuts like me. Some say it's simcade as far as physics go and I won't argue. But it has the best career modes in racing sims and that's more than good enough for me.

RDR 2 -- Best game eva. I'm still in a single run that has gone for 360 hours and counting. No game has ever given me so much of a good time after it's already over I don't think. But I cannot find a panther.

FIFA 22 -- My son and I have been battling for bragging rights, but he says his shoot button doesn't work right. That must be it haha.

GTA 5 -- Spent a few hours in Online with last week's events appealing. I play this one less and less. Need GTA 6.

Assassin's Creed Odyssey -- I've put some serious time in to this one over the past few weeks. Surprisingly good. So much so I bought Origins before the sale ended.

Total War Three Kingdoms -- Also on sale, bought the Emperor edition. Initial impression was not great, but it's growing on me as I learn it. Read more in the Strategy subforum.

That's a good rotation smile
Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 10/21/22 10:46 AM

I'm currently playing Tiny Tina's Wonderlands with a friend in cooperative mode which is tons of fun. This is almost like a parody version of Elden Ring. biggrin
Posted By: DBond

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 10/21/22 04:13 PM

I had a lot of fun with that one, but I'm a sucker for Borderlands.
Posted By: Mr_Blastman

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 10/21/22 04:15 PM

Doom Eternal finally started clicking for me on Ultra Violence. My FPS skills were sadly neglected but now they're back, baby. I think a month of Outer Worlds helped revive them.

Prodeus is another shooter friends recommended and I can say after three levels on hard difficulty the game rocks. Fantastic, gory fun. They nail the movement and you can dance around enemies wielding your boomstick of fire, showing them who is boss. There's also online pvp and co-op play which I can't wait to give a shot...

I started messing around with Vampyr, a game I got through Humble Monthly a year or two ago, and so far seems to be an intriguing horror mystery game.
Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 10/21/22 04:29 PM

Originally Posted by Mr_Blastman
Doom Eternal finally started clicking for me on Ultra Violence. My FPS skills were sadly neglected but now they're back, baby. I think a month of Outer Worlds helped revive them.





It must be my advanced age or my patience wearing thin but I struggled to get through Doom Eternal on normal difficulty once I got to the later levels. I did at least finish the game but I really have no interest in replaying it.
Posted By: Azshal

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 10/21/22 04:36 PM

I am currently playing through The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild.

I beat it a year or two ago, but now I am playing it on Master Mode. Very difficult. About 40 hours into it and have barely progressed the main story. Just doing side quests and shrines.
Posted By: Azshal

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 10/21/22 04:40 PM

Originally Posted by PanzerMeyer
I never played any of the Uncharted games but I have heard that Jedi: Fallen Order's gameplay was structured in very much the same way as the Uncharted games.


I don't know where you heard that. Fallen Order is more like Dark Souls with deliberate combat. It is a good game, got the platinum trophy for PS4. Will probably replay it on PS5 to get the platinum there too when I get a PS5.
Posted By: saghen

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 10/21/22 05:12 PM

I played the Call of Duty MW2 (2022) campaign yesterday. Took the day off work and finished it. It was a great single player campaign. There were a few tedious moments, but overall it was great. Can't wait until multiplayer goes live next Friday.
Posted By: Mr_Blastman

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 10/21/22 05:15 PM

Originally Posted by PanzerMeyer
Originally Posted by Mr_Blastman
Doom Eternal finally started clicking for me on Ultra Violence. My FPS skills were sadly neglected but now they're back, baby. I think a month of Outer Worlds helped revive them.





It must be my advanced age or my patience wearing thin but I struggled to get through Doom Eternal on normal difficulty once I got to the later levels. I did at least finish the game but I really have no interest in replaying it.


I have more time in Doom and Doom equivalents over the decades than I can count. Always Ultraviolence, too. It's the gold standard.

I'm finding the opposite that you have in Eternal--it was the first third of the game that was annoying because the Doomslayer had insufficient weapons and armor cap. Once I snatched the super shotty from the clutches of the demon hordes the tides began to change. All hail the twin torched boomstick!
Posted By: Azshal

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 10/21/22 05:51 PM

Originally Posted by PanzerMeyer
I never played any of the Uncharted games but I have heard that Jedi: Fallen Order's gameplay was structured in very much the same way as the Uncharted games.


Having thought about it, I guess you could consider Fallen Order's environment traversal similar to Uncharted, but because Uncharted's is very similar to Tomb Raider, I would just go back to that TR for the comparison.

Whereas Uncharted was a linear experience, FO gives a choice of planets to go to, so you can go in any order you want although certain places are blocked by powerups.

Granted that is only the first Uncharted. I haven't played 2-4 yet, although they are sitting on my shelf of shame.
Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 10/21/22 05:53 PM

Thanks for that info Azshal. Fallen Order is indeed a great game and I can't wait for the sequel to come out. I believe it will be out next year.
Posted By: Patrocles

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 10/23/22 10:06 PM

Currently playing iRacing on the PC. I used up a few years of good luck when I managed to secure a Ferrari Challenge WIN at Le Mans Circuit de la Sarthe. I was running in 3rd position about 8 seconds behind 1st and 2nd. Those two went at it at the Porsche Curve and took each other out! So I managed to be so fortunate to cruise to the win.

On the boardgame front I have been solo playing RAF - The Battle of Britain 1940 and Nightfighter Ace when time allows.

So many good games, so little time! yep
Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 10/24/22 03:20 AM

Has anyone here played Deathloop? I just bought it today since it was on sale.

The best way I can describe it is a cross between No One Lives Forever and Inception.
Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 10/29/22 07:07 PM

So at level 225 and over 500 hours into the game I finally beat Radagon/Elden Beast to finish the main storyline. This gaming journey with Elden Ring was epic.

Attached picture 20221029142647_1.jpg
Posted By: Mr_Blastman

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 11/07/22 08:22 PM

Alas, X4 went on sale on Steam a couple of weeks ago and it has... consumed me.

The game came out in 2018 and at the time I only had 16 gigs of RAM which wasn't enough--they were saying 32 was needed. I also figured I would wait until expansions came out and they improved the game, as Egosoft always does. I must say... wow. This is truly an improvement over X3 in many ways.

Ever want to experience one of those combat scenes from the Expanse, where ships are flying super fast and bullets and railguns and havoc is flying in all directions? Well, you can do that here. Some of my combats literally look like the TV show, which is wild.

X4 is complicated and deep. There is a full economic simulation running, where every ship/station/pilot/trader/faction matters. Everything you see has a purpose. There aren't cardboard cutouts. Every NPC trade ship is making a real run to fulfill a station or order request. Every patrol sent out is on their own mission to fix a problem or enhance a faction's goals. You can play this game literally however you want--empire builder, pirate, gun for hire, solution provider, terrorist, meddler in faction control--whatever you want.

Or you can follow the story and plot, which so far has been interesting and evolving.

This game is deep like Crusader Kings or Civilization, and not something learned overnight, and best played without reloading saves if you don't get an outcome you want. You are rewarded by pouring deep thought into problems and creatively coming up with solutions. I suppose this is what a true sandbox should be, minus every NPC having their own story--which would be impossible given the scope of this universe. That is, until someone creates an adaptive AI that can fill the role of every single NPC and imbue them their own personalities, identities, voices, faces, tendencies and goals. I'm sure that will happen, someday. It is far more economical in the long run to do so than to hire writers and actors to fill these worlds with limited, focused side quests. Not to mention more immersive.

I'm enjoying this far more than I thought I would, and I haven't even installed the Star Wars Interworlds total conversion yet. I have almost 300 employees, a diversified business model in ore and gas mining, a small trade fleet and I have begun to corner the energy cell station market by designing and building out my own space stations. I even have a capital ship now. Lots of fun.
Posted By: Allen

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 11/08/22 06:12 PM

Playing more than one -- off and on. But, today I got started with "Pathfinder - Kingmaker".

Whenever possible in games, my Wife is the Heroine and I am the "god" watching over her. So, "step one" is to Modify the Heroine images (as used in-game) and her statistics (cheat). I'm on "step one" as shown in the attached images. I used a picture of her and other art.

Attached picture Fulllength.png
Attached picture Medium.png
Attached picture Small.png
Attached picture SueVinca_Fullsize.jpg
Attached picture SueVinca.jpg
Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 11/10/22 12:11 PM

Currently playing:


Elden Ring - Finished the main storyline but I still have some optional bosses to kill and a couple of catacombs to clear out.

Dying Light 2 - Fantastically fun Coop game.

Tiny Tina's Wonderlands - Same as Dying Light 2

Fallout 76 - The game that keeps on giving. I bought this on sale for 17 bucks and I've put in over 2,000 hours into it. Now THAT is value!

IL-2 BOS - Currently have 3 pilot careers going. 2 German and one Soviet.

Deathloop - A VERY unique single player experience for sure.
Posted By: NoFlyBoy

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 11/10/22 08:35 PM

This https://www.moddb.com/mods/janes-ww...ir-combat/images/europe-spring2#imagebox

Not easy. Just learning to fly it's hard. My first mission was dropping bombs on ground target and I was getting the sight line up that I didn't see two Spitfires behind me.
Posted By: Adger

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 11/10/22 08:38 PM

Originally Posted by PanzerMeyer
Currently playing:

Fallout 76 - The game that keeps on giving. I bought this on sale for 17 bucks and I've put in over 2,000 hours into it. Now THAT is value!
.


What’s it like for SP that’s what I usually play mate? Or is it mostly MP, or CO-OP thanks.
Posted By: Phoenix54C

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 11/10/22 11:03 PM

X4 is brill.

1500 hours in on steam and thats just with vanilla,

With mods the game will give any1 a good run for their money.

I love the way it has an amazing dynamic engine like bms and every entity counts,

Great value and very captivating,

I chose the terran start and the destroyers are awesome when you manage to build up a fleet,

Posted By: DBond

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 11/11/22 06:26 PM

Originally Posted by Mr_Blastman
Alas, X4 went on sale on Steam a couple of weeks ago and it has... consumed me.


Good post Blastman, I wish we had a lot more of this around here.

Another month has passed and here's what has been on rotation for me

Rome 2 -- Finished up a campaign I started months ago

Three Kingdoms - completed three different campaigns. In the case of both this and Rome 2 I waited years after release to purchase, and glad I did. Both are fine additions to the franchise and I was especially impressed by Three Kingdoms.

Fallout 4 -- After a year away I gave it another go to check out the Nuka World DLC which I had mostly ignored before. Fallout 4 is one of my top gaming experiences in the past few years. Survival mode makes it for me, and elevates it to one of my all time favorites.
Posted By: F4UDash4

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 11/11/22 06:41 PM

I'm boring

DCS / IL2

Still
Posted By: Mr_Blastman

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 11/11/22 06:51 PM

DBond if you want to upgrade your Fallout 4 experience might I suggest Fallout 4 Enhanced Edition mod compilation:

https://www.wabbajack.org/modlist/wj-featured/fallout_4_enhanced_edition


Over 200 mods that will be auto installed.
Posted By: Mr_Blastman

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 11/11/22 06:56 PM

Originally Posted by Phoenix54C
X4 is brill.

1500 hours in on steam and thats just with vanilla,

With mods the game will give any1 a good run for their money.

I love the way it has an amazing dynamic engine like bms and every entity counts,

Great value and very captivating,

I chose the terran start and the destroyers are awesome when you manage to build up a fleet,



Yep. Star Wars Interworlds is an amazing total conversion, too. I've been playing the Argon start in the regular game + expansions(and a half dozen mods including the ship variation expansion which I highly recommend.

View from the bridge of my first destroyer:

[Linked Image]

Folks might think the ships can't be big in X4, but... they are HUGE. Looking down from the bridge onto that same destroyer reveals how massive it is:

[Linked Image]

And here's the bridge aboard one of my frigates:

[Linked Image]
Posted By: Phoenix54C

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 11/11/22 11:44 PM

Nice,

looks like a split raptor if im not mistaken?

A Beast of a ship.

I use split Rattlesnakes for boarding ops.

Highly effective...
Posted By: Mr_Blastman

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 11/12/22 02:19 AM

First two are a Rattlesnake and the second is a Caiman, which I use for fleet defense.
Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 11/12/22 03:09 PM

Originally Posted by Adger


What’s it like for SP that’s what I usually play mate? Or is it mostly MP, or CO-OP thanks.


It's all of those things! There is a full story-driven single player game that you can play but at the same time there are these Cooperative "Events" that spring up across the map periodically. You can choose to either participate in them or not. There is also an adversarial mode but that only works if both players involved have that option enabled in their settings. For the most part, the MP in Fallout 76 is cooperative.
Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 11/12/22 03:10 PM

Originally Posted by F4UDash4
I'm boring

DCS / IL2

Still



I play those as well and what's great about flight sims is that you never really "finish" them. You just play them until you get bored and move on.
Posted By: Adger

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 11/12/22 03:47 PM

Originally Posted by PanzerMeyer
Originally Posted by Adger


What’s it like for SP that’s what I usually play mate? Or is it mostly MP, or CO-OP thanks.


It's all of those things! There is a full story-driven single player game that you can play but at the same time there are these Cooperative "Events" that spring up across the map periodically. You can choose to either participate in them or not. There is also an adversarial mode but that only works if both players involved have that option enabled in their settings. For the most part, the MP in Fallout 76 is cooperative.


Thanks for the Heads-up PM .much appreciated
Posted By: WangoTango

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 11/12/22 05:09 PM

Time for second run through RDR2.
Also playing IL2 BAT and WOTR.
Posted By: Adger

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 11/12/22 06:58 PM

Originally Posted by WangoTango
Time for second run through RDR2.
Also playing IL2 BAT and WOTR.


Great choices mate.
Posted By: WangoTango

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 11/12/22 07:21 PM

Originally Posted by Adger
Originally Posted by WangoTango
Time for second run through RDR2.
Also playing IL2 BAT and WOTR.


Great choices mate.

thumbsup
Posted By: WangoTango

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 11/13/22 01:28 AM

Scratch RDR2, I get get the d@mn game to launch.
Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 11/13/22 04:21 AM

Originally Posted by Adger

Thanks for the Heads-up PM .much appreciated



No problem! If you ever do try it out I would be curious to read your thoughts on the game.
Posted By: Allen

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 11/13/22 11:21 AM

Originally Posted by Allen
today I got started with "Pathfinder - Kingmaker".

Whenever possible in games, my Wife is the Heroine and I am the "god" watching over her. So, "step one" is to Modify the Heroine images (as used in-game) and her statistics (cheat). I'm on "step one" as shown in the attached images. I used a picture of her and other art.


I'm being turned off by the in-game depiction of the "Pathfinder - Kingmaker" game world. Its many unexpectedly-tiny areas connected by what is effectively "teleportation". I prefer "open world" -- or, at least substantial areas to explore.

I may give it a bit more time to see if the story works for me.
Posted By: NoFlyBoy

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 11/14/22 07:51 PM

I wanna do this Canada invention. I don't live near any of their locations.

https://activate.games/





Anyone done Escape rooms?
Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 11/15/22 11:34 AM

Looks like John Travolta's dance floor from Saturday Night Fever.
Posted By: WangoTango

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 11/15/22 04:24 PM

I got RDR2 running.
Posted By: Phoenix54C

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 11/16/22 02:12 AM

7D2D

Game just rocks.

About 2000 hours with this ...

A place called Navegzane after an apocylips.

Zombies will come after your butt from everywhere.

I like it and when you get strong enuff you can hold your ground.

It starts with the player in his boxer shorts and dam all else.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2qDdigMj8Xc
Posted By: Mr_Blastman

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 11/16/22 05:55 PM

X4 continues to amaze me. Imagine standing on the bridge of those ships while issuing orders to the crew:

[Linked Image]

Guess what? You can. If this were in VR, I cannot imagine how intense the experience would be. Every ship costs hard earned money from a corporation I had to create, water, seed and grow from scratch. Losses are meaningful and painful.
Posted By: DBond

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 11/21/22 02:17 PM

Another month has sailed past, where does it go?

In that time I've been playing

Fallout 4 -- Picked up my save having already completed the main campaign, and now I'm dabbling in the DLC and just patrolling, stirring it up. Playing on Survival mode which transformed my experience. One neat thing is there's no level cap for the first time in the series and so I just keep on going.

Rome 2 -- Finished off an Iceni run in the Imperator Augustus companion campaign.

Three Kingdoms -- Finished several campaigns. Waiting for the Thanksgiving sale in case Warhammer 3 might be in it.
Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 11/21/22 02:44 PM

I just recently ended my epic run through with Elden Ring. I played it regularly from April until I finally uninstalled it this past Saturday. I managed to get up to level 238.


I'm now fully immersed into "Deathloop". I won't give any spoilers but if you are a fan of the films "Inception" and "Tenet" and you are a fan of the Dishonored games then I highly recommend this.
Posted By: wormfood

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 11/21/22 02:57 PM

Warhammer Darktide, it's the 40K version of Vermintide. More of the same, but in a different setting with many more guns. Enemies are a bit different as there's no ratmen or beastmen but, there's still chaos cultists and warp abominations aplenty.

Hell Let Loose, solid WW2 shooter provided you have at least a couple people to form a squad with.

The Ascent - Third person, well more of a top down shooter in a future dystopian world. So far it seems fun, not quite sure about the plot yet, and it looks fantastic.
Posted By: WangoTango

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 11/21/22 03:41 PM

Ghost Recon Wildlands.
I've put flight sims on the back burner until my VKV throttle and pedals arrive.
Posted By: F4UDash4

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 11/21/22 05:44 PM

I don't even know what the majority of the things listed are.
Posted By: Mr_Blastman

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 11/21/22 05:58 PM

I continue to play X4. This has got to be the closest one can get to being in "Space Battleship Yamato/Star Blazers" in any game, ever. Capital ships, fighters, space stations, full economy, business empires, giant battles, and you can participate in first person or command from the bridge or even be across the galaxy issuing orders through the strategic map.

Interesting thought: "Space Battleship Yamato" predated "Star Wars" by nearly three years. Huge space battles before they became a household experience courtesy of Lucas.
Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 11/21/22 06:05 PM

Originally Posted by F4UDash4
I don't even know what the majority of the things listed are.



I'm not surprised. I believe you are exclusively a flight simmer?
Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 11/21/22 06:07 PM

Originally Posted by Mr_Blastman


Interesting thought: "Space Battleship Yamato" predated "Star Wars" by nearly three years. Huge space battles before they became a household experience courtesy of Lucas.



It wouldn't surprise me if Lucas took some inspiration from that anime series.
Posted By: F4UDash4

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 11/21/22 06:30 PM

Originally Posted by PanzerMeyer
Originally Posted by F4UDash4
I don't even know what the majority of the things listed are.



I'm not surprised. I believe you are exclusively a flight simmer?



Mostly. Some KSP occasionally, I like a good Naval sim. Used to play a good bit of ArmA, but not recently.
Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 11/21/22 06:34 PM

Originally Posted by F4UDash4



I like a good Naval sim.



Last one I played a lot was Silent Hunter 4 (Pacific). I skipped on 5 because of all the technical problems and poor reviews it had on release.
Posted By: RossUK

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 11/21/22 06:59 PM

Originally Posted by PanzerMeyer
Originally Posted by F4UDash4



I like a good Naval sim.



Last one I played a lot was Silent Hunter 3 (Pacific). I skipped on 4 because of all the technical problems and poor reviews it had on release.


Depending on your historical interests Cold Waters may be worth a look. And a game called War On The seas looks like it may be good.
Posted By: Mr_Blastman

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 11/21/22 07:03 PM

Silent Hunter 4 was good, I felt, but the Pacific was far slower than the action packed North Atlantic.
Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 11/21/22 07:05 PM

Originally Posted by Mr_Blastman
Silent Hunter 4 was good, I felt, but the Pacific was far slower than the action packed North Atlantic.



That makes sense considering how massive the Pacific Ocean is compared to the Atlantic! I totally get what you mean though. I used a LOT of time compression when I played my campaign in SH 4.
Posted By: F4UDash4

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 11/21/22 08:55 PM

Originally Posted by PanzerMeyer
Originally Posted by F4UDash4



I like a good Naval sim.



Last one I played a lot was Silent Hunter 4 (Pacific). I skipped on 5 because of all the technical problems and poor reviews it had on release.



Yep, played many hours of SH4 with one of the most popular mods of the time, I remember at some point my career stopped advancing and I kept being assigned the same cruise over and over.
Posted By: wormfood

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 11/21/22 09:42 PM

Ultimate Admiral Dreadnoughts gives you a period not usually seen in Naval Sims. IIRC earliest campaign starts in 1899 and the latest the stat of WW2.
I'm not really a fan of how research is done, but I guess it does add randomness.
Posted By: Patrocles

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 11/24/22 04:13 AM

I am also playing Advanced Squad Leader Starter Kit 3 and Airborne Over Europe for my tactical combat fix.

Friends are here in mere hours so we will be playing Wits and Wager alongside Castle Panic. No one in these groups cares to play any ASL, AOE or Red Storm Aerial Combat Over Europe 1987! Maybe I can get 7 of them to join in for the excellent DIPLOMACY game (I found an old copy by Games Research circa 1964 at Goodwill - same game with better map and wood pieces instead of cheap s**t plastic navies and armies! smile )
Posted By: Allen

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 11/26/22 10:08 AM

Paused playing "Pathfinder - Kingmaker". The direction of the "Kingmaker" story was not "grabbing" me -- I don't want to "run a kingdom" -- I want to "save the world". They do have a means of "turning off" the daily grind of "running the kingdom"; so, I may get back to it.

I moved to "Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous - Enhanced Edition". Very similar game mechanics (so far) but the story seems more in the "save the world" style.

So far, the underlying "Wrath" game engine and codes are nearly identical to "Kingmaker". Thus, modding has been easy, so far.

Attached picture Screenshot 2022-11-26 050616.jpg
Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 11/27/22 03:36 AM

I'm really enjoying "Deathloop". If you guys liked the Dishonored games and you are craving a really great sci-fi first person shooter this game is perfect for you.
Posted By: JohnnyChemo

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 11/27/22 04:19 PM

I've got a Factorio game going, and am dabbling in Total War Warhammer 3 at the moment. And I'm finding a few spare moments to brush up on my F-18 skills in DCS. They just released a new version of the 3rd party dynamic campaign program, Liberation, and I'd like to give it a proper go.
Posted By: Moses

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 11/27/22 04:24 PM

Im flopping between Elite Dangerous and DCS and Falcon 4 BMS
Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 11/27/22 04:35 PM

Originally Posted by Moses
Im flopping between Elite Dangerous and DCS and Falcon 4 BMS



Have there been any recent updates to Elite Dangerous? I stopped playing it a few months ago after putting in about 1,800 hours into it according to Steam. I just simply got my fill of the game and moved on.
Posted By: Moses

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 11/27/22 04:57 PM

Yeah update 14 should be out soon, the Thargoid war is coming, then update 15 and 16 will be out in 2023.
Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 11/27/22 10:42 PM

Originally Posted by Moses
Yeah update 14 should be out soon, the Thargoid war is coming, then update 15 and 16 will be out in 2023.



Once Frontier adds new ships and the ability to explore and walk around inside your own ship then I'll reinstall.
Posted By: NoFlyBoy

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 11/29/22 03:56 AM

I search for game coming soon thread. I want to play this.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1268750/Starship_Troopers_Extermination/

Posted By: Mr_Blastman

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 11/29/22 07:02 AM

The gun noises are very weak and not meaty enough.
Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 11/29/22 11:31 AM

The Starship Troopers IP needs to be fully retired and put out to pasture.
Posted By: WhoCares

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 11/29/22 01:17 PM

Originally Posted by PanzerMeyer
Originally Posted by Moses
Yeah update 14 should be out soon, the Thargoid war is coming, then update 15 and 16 will be out in 2023.

Once Frontier adds new ships and the ability to explore and walk around inside your own ship then I'll reinstall.

Update 14 drops today. I lately started playing a bit E:D again, out in the black, exploring around my carrier, somewhere east of SagA*, far enough to not be concerned of whatever might hit the bubble with this update
Just ordered me a new 2TB SSD, as E:D and MSFS2020 currently eat about 70+% of my main M.2 500GB drive. I had to stop the latest MSFS2020 40years update, as it would have left me with ~20GB free space (or likely less once also updating stuff from marketplace)
I don't feel like moving them to my HDD due to performance concerns, and the other smaller and older SSDs are already holding my steam library and other games...

Otherwise, I am slowly but surely approaching my 1 year "anniversary" in Genshin Impact, playing almost daily, at least for ~30mins to take care of some dailies and stuff...
Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 11/29/22 01:25 PM

Originally Posted by WhoCares


Just ordered me a new 2TB SSD, as E:D and MSFS2020 currently eat about 70+% of my main M.2 500GB drive...



I just ordered a new 1TB SSD a couple days ago. It became apparent to me rather quickly that my current SSD was not sufficient for all of my games. DCS alone takes about 250 GB!
Posted By: Allen

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 11/29/22 03:37 PM

Originally Posted by PanzerMeyer
Originally Posted by WhoCares


Just ordered me a new 2TB SSD, as E:D and MSFS2020 currently eat about 70+% of my main M.2 500GB drive...



I just ordered a new 1TB SSD a couple days ago. It became apparent to me rather quickly that my current SSD was not sufficient for all of my games. DCS alone takes about 250 GB!


And then, there are nut cases like me. No way to rationalize all my storage smile

But, I do use a lot of it in ways meaningful to me (e.g. virtually everything is backed up once or twice) that others might find wasteful. smile
Posted By: F4UDash4

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 11/29/22 05:10 PM

I have on order an M.2 1tb SSD to be used exclusively for IL2 / DCS
Posted By: NoFlyBoy

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 12/09/22 05:18 PM

Someone gave me a PC copy of Call of Duty, the first one from 2003.

I have never play any Call of Duty games.

I remember Best Buy near our apartment had the demo on a computer and we walk there to play that demo over and over and marvel at how fancy the computer the demo was on, was.
Posted By: DBond

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 12/09/22 05:30 PM

Yet another month has gone. Where does it go?

My rotation

-- Fallout 4 -- Working through the DLC, Nuka World and Far Harbor. I've hit level 94 which is nuts. Great game, right up my alley, especially in survival mode.

-- Total War : Warhammer 3 -- Finally picked this up after the initial release was dragged for a campaign that was not well-received. When they finished adding in the epic Immortal Empires campaign I bought it in the fall Steam sale. I really like it, it improves on so many of the things that made Warhammer 2 so good. But the load times are long on my box, which tempers my enthusiasm a bit.

-- Total War : Warhammer 2 -- WH3 got me back in to Warhammer, and I've picked up a couple unfinished campaigns from the past few years. It's far more seasoned due to how much DLC was released, and load times are faster haha. But give WH3 the same treatment over time and I'm sure it will surpass WH2 because there are so many QoL, UI and mechanics improvements. That original release campaign in WH3 that most people didn't like is actually good. But happy I waited.

-- RaceRoom -- A free to play racing sim, although most content is pay. Good physics, feel of the tarmac and soundscape combine to make this a top sim. Mostly I just do hotlaps around the Nurburgring smile



Posted By: Mr_Blastman

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 12/09/22 05:32 PM

X4. I am a space billionaire now with a fine(with modeled interior) space yacht to go with, but a week has gone by and my first wharf is still not finished being built.

I want to play something else a bit, but cannot make up my mind as to what.

I tried some Fallout 4 a couple of months ago, DBond, still has a strong opening. I did not realize you could hit level 94? I thought 20 was tops...
Posted By: DBond

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 12/09/22 05:46 PM

Yeah, that's one of the best things about FO4. No level cap. It's really the thing that has propelled me this far. There have been a few RPGs I've shelved before the end because I had hit the cap (Pillars of Eternity was one). But in FO4 you can just keep right on going. Pretty cool.
Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 12/09/22 05:55 PM

Elden Ring has a level cap but to reach it you have to be a super hardcore player.
Posted By: Mr_Blastman

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 12/09/22 06:10 PM

Originally Posted by PanzerMeyer
Elden Ring has a level cap but to reach it you have to be a super hardcore player.


I never have in any of the 'Souls games. One can actually over level. If anything I am often under leveled.
Posted By: wormfood

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 12/09/22 07:43 PM

DCS F18 on the Foothold Caucasus map. This is great for making a dynamic campaign for coop. Technically you could play singleplayer but the RedFor starts out with such an advantage I'm not sure you'd accomplish much. There's also a Syria version.
Darktide, it's Vermintide 2 in the 40k universe. I think it's better. More guns and a slightly better variety of weapons. Down side is you gotta push past those first 10 levels or so to unlock most of those weapons. I don't know what they did to the graphics but Vermintide would give me a headache after around a half hour or so of playing. Not so in Darktide.
Hell Let Loose
Posted By: Phoenix54C

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 12/09/22 10:23 PM

DCS F16 and AH64D on the Foothold Caucasus map, BMS, Fallout:Las Vagus,

And loving every second of it all...
Posted By: Mr_Blastman

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 12/09/22 10:26 PM

Has the AH64 flight model been fixed yet? The last few times I flew I would randomly do a barrel roll and crash into the ground. The airframe would simply flip over.
Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 12/09/22 10:31 PM

Fallout New Vegas has a really good story and the voice cast is first rate. You may recognize some of these names:

Michael Hogan
Rene Aberjounois
Matthew Perry
Wayne Newton
Michael Dorn
Danny Trejo
Posted By: Phoenix54C

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 12/09/22 11:43 PM

Originally Posted by Mr_Blastman
Has the AH64 flight model been fixed yet? The last few times I flew I would randomly do a barrel roll and crash into the ground. The airframe would simply flip over.


Sadly not yet...

Im flying CPG so im using george AI as pilot.

It has gotten better since release but "randomly do a barrel roll and crash into the ground. The airframe would simply flip over." still exists...
Posted By: Phoenix54C

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 12/09/22 11:46 PM

Originally Posted by PanzerMeyer
Fallout New Vegas has a really good story and the voice cast is first rate. You may recognize some of these names:

Michael Hogan
Rene Aberjounois
Matthew Perry
Wayne Newton
Michael Dorn
Danny Trejo


Yeh

Its my first time to play it and im really enjoying it...

10 bucks on steam right now,

A fella couldnt go wrong,
Posted By: semmern

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 12/10/22 08:51 AM

On a nostalgia-fest these days. Playing through the campaign of ArmA: Cold War Assault, aka Operation Flashpoint. Good fun, and some really difficult missions, especially those where you play as the spec ops operative.

Just restarted the GTA V single player story again. Such a well-made story. The wife and I play it after the kids have gone to bed.
Posted By: WangoTango

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 12/10/22 09:31 PM

Originally Posted by semmern
On a nostalgia-fest these days. Playing through the campaign of ArmA: Cold War Assault, aka Operation Flashpoint. Good fun, and some really difficult missions, especially those where you play as the spec ops operative.

Just restarted the GTA V single player story again. Such a well-made story. The wife and I play it after the kids have gone to bed.

Operation Flashpoint CWC is always a fun nostalgic ride. I wish I could install my original discs, but I am not able to using an external DVD drive. So ARMA CWC is close enough.
Currently on a nostalgic run through Hidden & Dangerous 2.
I can see me going to the old school, nostalgic run for quite a while. Very few future games interest me.
Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 12/10/22 09:36 PM

Originally Posted by semmern


Just restarted the GTA V single player story again. Such a well-made story. The wife and I play it after the kids have gone to bed.


I didn’t know that GTA 5 has a cooperative mode. That’s awesome that your wife is a gamer.
Posted By: RossUK

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 12/10/22 09:39 PM

Originally Posted by WangoTango
Originally Posted by semmern
On a nostalgia-fest these days. Playing through the campaign of ArmA: Cold War Assault, aka Operation Flashpoint. Good fun, and some really difficult missions, especially those where you play as the spec ops operative.

Just restarted the GTA V single player story again. Such a well-made story. The wife and I play it after the kids have gone to bed.

Operation Flashpoint CWC is always a fun nostalgic ride. I wish I could install my original discs, but I am not able to using an external DVD drive. So ARMA CWC is close enough.
Currently on a nostalgic run through Hidden & Dangerous 2.
I can see me going to the old school, nostalgic run for quite a while. Very few future games interest me.


H&D 2 is the best game I've ever played alongside Flashpoint.
Posted By: WangoTango

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 12/10/22 09:41 PM

Originally Posted by RossUK
Originally Posted by WangoTango
Originally Posted by semmern
On a nostalgia-fest these days. Playing through the campaign of ArmA: Cold War Assault, aka Operation Flashpoint. Good fun, and some really difficult missions, especially those where you play as the spec ops operative.

Just restarted the GTA V single player story again. Such a well-made story. The wife and I play it after the kids have gone to bed.

Operation Flashpoint CWC is always a fun nostalgic ride. I wish I could install my original discs, but I am not able to using an external DVD drive. So ARMA CWC is close enough.
Currently on a nostalgic run through Hidden & Dangerous 2.
I can see me going to the old school, nostalgic run for quite a while. Very few future games interest me.


H&D 2 is the best game I've ever played alongside Flashpoint.

Agreed. If I was only allowed 2 games the rest of my life, it would be those 2.
Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 12/10/22 10:46 PM

Originally Posted by RossUK
Originally Posted by WangoTango
Originally Posted by semmern
On a nostalgia-fest these days. Playing through the campaign of ArmA: Cold War Assault, aka Operation Flashpoint. Good fun, and some really difficult missions, especially those where you play as the spec ops operative.

Just restarted the GTA V single player story again. Such a well-made story. The wife and I play it after the kids have gone to bed.

Operation Flashpoint CWC is always a fun nostalgic ride. I wish I could install my original discs, but I am not able to using an external DVD drive. So ARMA CWC is close enough.
Currently on a nostalgic run through Hidden & Dangerous 2.
I can see me going to the old school, nostalgic run for quite a while. Very few future games interest me.


H&D 2 is the best game I've ever played alongside Flashpoint.


The most memorable mission for me from H&D 2 is the one where you make a SCUBA infiltration onto a German heavy cruiser and your mission is to sabotage it via demo charges placed in strategic points.
Posted By: Patrocles

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 12/10/22 11:01 PM

I setup a small game for solo play called Counter-Attack: The Battle of Arras, 1940 that I will run through on Sunday.

CA:TBOA is an low-density counter area control game from Revolution Games. The rulebook is an 'easy to learn' 15 or so pages (two or three of the pages are background, suggested readings, gameplay options, etc)
https://www.revolutiongames.us/

COUNTER-ATTACK: THE BATTLE OF ARRAS, 1940 is a two-player game simulating the British and French attack on mobile German elements near Arras, France, on May 21, 1940


[Linked Image]

Posted By: semmern

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 12/10/22 11:58 PM

Originally Posted by PanzerMeyer
[quote=semmern]

I didn’t know that GTA 5 has a cooperative mode. That’s awesome that your wife is a gamer.


It doesn’t, we just take turns playing smile

Originally Posted by WangoTango

Operation Flashpoint CWC is always a fun nostalgic ride. I wish I could install my original discs, but I am not able to using an external DVD drive. So ARMA CWC is close enough.
Currently on a nostalgic run through Hidden & Dangerous 2.
I can see me going to the old school, nostalgic run for quite a while. Very few future games interest me.


I recently finished the H&D2 campaign myself, and the addon. Such a great game, packed full of atmosphere. Extremely well made. It will forever be one of my favourite first-person shooters.
Posted By: WangoTango

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 12/11/22 02:00 AM

Originally Posted by semmern
Originally Posted by PanzerMeyer
[quote=semmern]

I didn’t know that GTA 5 has a cooperative mode. That’s awesome that your wife is a gamer.


It doesn’t, we just take turns playing smile

Originally Posted by WangoTango

Operation Flashpoint CWC is always a fun nostalgic ride. I wish I could install my original discs, but I am not able to using an external DVD drive. So ARMA CWC is close enough.
Currently on a nostalgic run through Hidden & Dangerous 2.
I can see me going to the old school, nostalgic run for quite a while. Very few future games interest me.


I recently finished the H&D2 campaign myself, and the addon. Such a great game, packed full of atmosphere. Extremely well made. It will forever be one of my favourite first-person shooters.

Yes the atmosphere is amazing. Also nice too play as British soldiers.
Posted By: Mr_Blastman

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 12/12/22 07:44 AM

Played some Assasin Creed Odyssey today. Doesn't satisfy like Elden Ring does, but not much does...

My daughter enjoyed watching me smash bosses in Elden Ring this weekend. smile
Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 12/12/22 11:28 AM

Originally Posted by Mr_Blastman

My daughter enjoyed watching me smash bosses in Elden Ring this weekend. smile



Which ones did you defeat? I've fought them all except for Malenia and Mohg.
Posted By: Mr_Blastman

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 12/12/22 05:01 PM

She watched me annihilate Mohg in his basement a weekend or two ago. He was quite nasty and took a few tries. This weekend we defeated a few beyond Leyndell on our way up the mountains. I forget their names as I am bad with those, but one was the lord of the first castle we came upon on the other side of a great, narrow land bridge, along with another tree guardian, this time whom duplicated themselves.

I do not believe I have faced any boss in Elden as hard as Artorias of the Abyss from Dark Souls 1's expansion, or the black dragon Kalameet.


Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 12/12/22 11:27 PM

Originally Posted by Mr_Blastman
but one was the lord of the first castle we came upon on the other side of a great, narrow land bridge, .







I believe you are talking about Shardbearer Rykard? I was over-levelled when I fought him so I beat him on my first attempt.


Maliketh the Black Blade though was a different story. That guy took me like 12 attempts. Ugh.
Posted By: Mr_Blastman

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 12/13/22 04:35 AM

Neither, was someone else, I forget who. He had a lightning leg.


He was fun. smile
Posted By: Allen

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 12/22/22 03:53 PM

I've been bouncing around games lately. This week its "The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt".

I've got the latest edition. A re-make in many ways. Advanced graphics (ray tracing, etc.). I had put 225 hours into the original game (never finished) -- I was waiting over a year for this remake. This was a "clean install" and "clean restart".

Thing is, its not ready for people, yet. The Ray Traced graphics movements "jitter", for example -- and give 45fps at 4K and low graphics settings. Interestingly, the non-ray-traced graphics at 4K ultra settings look great and almost identical in features, colors, shadows, light shafts, etc (except for reflections on water) -- and are over 100fps (on my machine). So far, Witcher ray tracing does not impress -- I prefer the standard, high-end graphics for appearance, FPS, and movement quality.

I may pause while they fix things.
Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 12/22/22 03:59 PM

Originally Posted by Allen
I've been bouncing around games lately. This week its "The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt".

I've got the latest edition. A re-make in many ways. Advanced graphics (ray tracing, etc.). I had put 225 hours into the original game (never finished) -- I was waiting over a year for this remake. This was a "clean install" and "clean restart".

Thing is, its not ready for people, yet. The Ray Traced graphics movements "jitter", for example -- and give 45fps at 4K and low graphics settings. Interestingly, the non-ray-traced graphics at 4K ultra settings look great and almost identical in features, colors, shadows, light shafts, etc (except for reflections on water) -- and are over 100fps (on my machine). So far, Witcher ray tracing does not impress -- I prefer the standard, high-end graphics for appearance, FPS, and movement quality.

I may pause while they fix things.



I'm replaying this as well and absolutely loving the ray tracing effects. What video card are you using? I have the 3090 with the latest drivers and I have not had any jitter.
Posted By: Allen

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 12/22/22 04:48 PM

Originally Posted by PanzerMeyer
I'm replaying this as well and absolutely loving the ray tracing effects. What video card are you using? I have the 3090 with the latest drivers and I have not had any jitter.


I'm using the card in the signature -- definitely not up to 3090 ray-tracing standards.

Thing is, I expected less ray-traced FPS -- and the jitter may just mean the implementation is optimized for Nvidia from the beginning.

The issue is that when I turn off ray tracing, the images on the screen (when in action) seem almost identical (less some reflections). I expected to "see" a "substantial" difference -- since Witcher was advertised to take special advantage of ray-tracing effects.

Are you using DLSS to create additional high-quality frames (FPS) -- or going with ray-tracing only (what I have to do).
Posted By: Mr_Blastman

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 12/22/22 05:15 PM

The only game I was impressed by with ray tracing when I messed around with the feature over the summer was Minecraft.
Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 12/22/22 05:27 PM

Originally Posted by Allen
[quote=PanzerMeyer]

Are you using DLSS to create additional high-quality frames (FPS) -- or going with ray-tracing only (what I have to do).



Yes. I have everything set to "ultra" under the RT section and I have DLSS enabled.
Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 12/22/22 05:29 PM

Originally Posted by Mr_Blastman
The only game I was impressed by with ray tracing when I messed around with the feature over the summer was Minecraft.



Check out Metro Exodus. The ray tracing in that is very well implemented.


However, the recent Portal RTX release has some issues.The frame rate is terrible if you try to max everything out so there is some tweaking you have to do.
Posted By: wormfood

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 12/22/22 06:49 PM

Ray tracing in Minecraft and Quake II are the only ones that really seem to make a huge difference having it on vs off.
Posted By: NoFlyBoy

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 12/22/22 08:08 PM

Originally Posted by NoFlyBoy 12/09/22 05:18 PM Re: What are you currently playing these days? [Re: PanzerMeyer
]Someone gave me a PC copy of Call of Duty, the first one from 2003..


This game is difficult and I have it on Greenhorn level as US paratrooper on 6/5/1944. There is not enough ammunition for my rifle. The Nazis have MG34 machine guns everywhere. I hit them from a distance with my rifle, they can hit me. Can't aim to fire when machine gun bullets from 3-4 MG34 are hitting me and the screen is shaking and turning red.
Posted By: Mr_Blastman

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 12/25/22 03:20 AM

First person mod for RDR2 ain't so bad.
Posted By: wormfood

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 12/25/22 03:34 PM

Witcher 3, I forgot how well done even random side quests are in this game. And how jankey the controls are...at least compared to more modern games that came out since then. That RTX on on everything sure does cause some stuttering. I mostly turned if off and switched the resolution to 1400p and it seems to run great for me now.

DCS, mostly AH-64 and KA50 III. The KA50 is fun and fairly easy to fly for a chopper, but that Apache's hellfires are much better than vikhrs. Also, Apache's sights and targeting are better. In low light I really wish that KA50 had thermal sights.
Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 12/25/22 10:16 PM

I’m playing Witcher 3 on 1920x1080 so that may be why I’m not getting any stuttering or any slow frame rates with the ray tracing maxed out.
Posted By: Allen

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 12/26/22 11:30 PM

Originally Posted by PanzerMeyer
I’m playing Witcher 3 on 1920x1080 so that may be why I’m not getting any stuttering or any slow frame rates with the ray tracing maxed out.


Thanks for the info. I might give the low resolution mode a try -- just to see the effect.

The next couple days, I'm sidetracked. I'm moving my Sister's old PC software to a new PC with W11. W11 makes it hard to do the way I want to do it. Oh well.
Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 12/27/22 11:35 AM

Originally Posted by Allen


Thanks for the info. I might give the low resolution mode a try -- just to see the effect.



LOL! I guess 1920x1080 is now considered to be "low resolution"?
Posted By: DBond

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 12/27/22 04:05 PM

Another month gone by? Good grief.

I've filled it with this stuff

Warhammer 2 -- Filling in achievements, playing various factions on the highest difficulties to give a new challenge to this great game. WH2 recently took over fourth spot in my all time most played Steam games. High praise indeed. It's slotted in between Elite Dangerous and Football Manager 13 haha.

Warhammer 3 -- Will probably top WH2 before it's all said and done. But it lacks 2's robustness through playable factions. All in due time.

Fallout 4 -- Still dabbling in drips and drabs. Doing Far Harbor DLC at the mo.

Wasteland 3 -- My newest game, a Christmas present to myself. For a long time I've waffled over several similar style games. Desperados, Partisans, Wasteland and a few others. Desperados 3 is Overwhelmingly Positive on Steam, and that is hard to ignore. But Wasteland 3 won out simply because it is turn-based combat. I'm still in the early game, but if you're a fan of the X Com reboot titles like I am then you should give this one a look. A game sort of like if X Com EU and Fallout 2 got together with Disco Elysium crashing the party too.
Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 12/27/22 05:09 PM

Originally Posted by DBond


Fallout 4 -- Still dabbling in drips and drabs. Doing Far Harbor DLC at the mo.

.



I really liked the Far Harbor main storyline. It had some elements of Westworld, the reimaged BSG and I Robot in it.
Posted By: Mr_Blastman

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 12/27/22 05:17 PM

I got a bounty on my head in RDR2, and they show no mercy. Was ridin' down the trail yesterday and a rag tag of lead slingers rode up on me and started shootin' at me fer no reason. I tried to git away but they kept comin' so I loaded them up with repeater rounds. As the last one of 'em was slumpin' off their horse some wanderer happened over a rise in the road and saw the blood 'n guts and accused /me/ of bein' a murderer...

I was defending myself!

He ran off and told the sheriff. Now I'm an outlaw. Fer doin' what any man would do to save their skin.

Went into town and a deputy shot at me, so I shot him in the face. Now I'm wanted even more.

Just keeps gittin' worse.


Hardest part of the game in first person only view is no auto aim. The enemies lock on and shoot me far faster than I can mouse over them and shoot back. That is if I can find them through the shrubs and grass... At least the game is purdy.
Posted By: WangoTango

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 12/27/22 06:53 PM

Originally Posted by Mr_Blastman
I got a bounty on my head in RDR2, and they show no mercy. Was ridin' down the trail yesterday and a rag tag of lead slingers rode up on me and started shootin' at me fer no reason. I tried to git away but they kept comin' so I loaded them up with repeater rounds. As the last one of 'em was slumpin' off their horse some wanderer happened over a rise in the road and saw the blood 'n guts and accused /me/ of bein' a murderer...

I was defending myself!

He ran off and told the sheriff. Now I'm an outlaw. Fer doin' what any man would do to save their skin.

Went into town and a deputy shot at me, so I shot him in the face. Now I'm wanted even more.

Just keeps gittin' worse.


Hardest part of the game in first person only view is no auto aim. The enemies lock on and shoot me far faster than I can mouse over them and shoot back. That is if I can find them through the shrubs and grass... At least the game is purdy.


haha. That game. Hard not to become an outlaw. How do you find the first person view when riding a horse ?
Posted By: Mr_Blastman

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 12/27/22 07:00 PM

The view is great while riding a horse, very similar to Kingdom Come Deliverance. I am using a first person mod that fixes the problems associated with the default view.
Posted By: WangoTango

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 12/27/22 07:03 PM

Originally Posted by Mr_Blastman
The view is great while riding a horse, very similar to Kingdom Come Deliverance. I am using a first person mod that fixes the problems associated with the default view.

Yeah the default first person view made me dizzy.
Posted By: Mr_Blastman

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 12/27/22 07:11 PM

[Linked Image]

View from horseback. The mod lets you adjust your FOV to something reasonable.

[Linked Image]
Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 12/27/22 07:16 PM

When it comes to horseback riding and animations I think both Elden Ring and Witcher 3 get it right.
Posted By: Coot

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 12/28/22 08:48 AM

In my opinion no one has ever come close to the quality of animation for horses than both Red Dead Redemption games. They must have motion captured real horses and riders but beyond that, they actually model multiple gates and beautifully handle their transitions. Witcher 3 isn't bad but when you've seen and felt the horse animations of the RDR series it pales in comparison. I've not played Elden Ring so I don't know how they handled it. Skyrim horses had some nice peppy trotting animations but I don't know of any game that achieves what the RDR games have with horses. They are second to none from everything I've played over the years that have horse riding.

I hope to start a second play through of the game soon. I'd also like to replay for my third time The Order: 1886, an exceptional game that is one deserving of a sequel. I'm also still plugging away at my second play through of Alien Isolation and Hidden and Dangerous 2 Sabre Squadron when I get a chance to return to it. I'd also like to play Uncharted Lost Legacy again. That was my least favorite Uncharted game but its still the fun Uncharted formula. I only played it once. Earlier I finished my second play through of Uncharted 4 and the first three I've played three times already so Lost Legacy is the last one to play that has had only one play through.

I'd love to play the god of war sequel but for some reason PS4 copies seem nearly non-existent for some reason. I also don't know if my brain can handle its fast pace anymore. I'm really starting to become intolerant of chaotic gameplay. I don't think its very healthy is least for my particular brain. It really creates awful strain on me anymore.
Posted By: WangoTango

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 12/29/22 04:55 PM

I'm with you Coot. I don't mind intervals of chaos, but constant ? no thanks. I prefer my gaming to be relaxing. Many games, the occasional "boss fight" is unavoidable. Games like Uncharted series, found a good balance.
Posted By: Allen

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 12/29/22 09:34 PM

Originally Posted by PanzerMeyer
When it comes to horseback riding and animations I think both Elden Ring and Witcher 3 get it right.


Elden Ring is on sale (only 30% off). So, I bought it.

I paid more than usual to reward them for their "Game of Year" title.

We'll see when I have time to play it smile
Posted By: Ajay

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 12/30/22 12:45 AM

Originally Posted by PanzerMeyer
Originally Posted by Allen


Thanks for the info. I might give the low resolution mode a try -- just to see the effect.



LOL! I guess 1920x1080 is now considered to be "low resolution"?


I did not expect you to be gaming at such a low res tbh Panzer biggrin Lowest we had in the house was a 1440p 32" curved before my daughters boyfriend moved in with a baby 24" 1080 screen. My lad plays on a 4k 2.1 32" with his ps5.

Death Stranding soaked up the last 20 odd hours of my gaming time. Neat game, looks nice maxed but i had to force myself past the 7 hour mark..not really into the massive amount of cut scenes. The constant mail, tips, and side jobs make it seem a bit of a chore so i bailed on side stuff and am just doing the main story.
Posted By: Mr_Blastman

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 12/30/22 02:28 AM

Originally Posted by Allen
Originally Posted by PanzerMeyer
When it comes to horseback riding and animations I think both Elden Ring and Witcher 3 get it right.


Elden Ring is on sale (only 30% off). So, I bought it.

I paid more than usual to reward them for their "Game of Year" title.

We'll see when I have time to play it smile


Yes, let us know. Vastly superior to every other modern open world RPG title save for maybe "Zelda: Breath of the Wild." Elden combat is methodical and thoughtful, not spam the buttons.
Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 12/30/22 11:42 AM

Originally Posted by Allen


Elden Ring is on sale (only 30% off). So, I bought it.

I paid more than usual to reward them for their "Game of Year" title.

We'll see when I have time to play it smile



It's truly a fantastic game oozing in atmosphere and lore. Just be prepared to die a lot.
Posted By: Coot

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 12/30/22 02:12 PM

I'm there with Panzer on the resolution front. I still play at 1920X1080 myself. I had to get a new monitor recently as my 27" Sceptre finally gave up on me after over ten years of service. Got another 27" Sceptre with 1920X1080. This times its LED which is quite a change which I'm still not used to yet. Its very bright and I'm not quite sure its setup out of the box as best as it can be but truth be told I'm boggled as to all these variables and methods for trying to achieve the right image. 1080p is all I've ever known for years. I suppose its similar to my run with 1024X1280. I think I had that monitor resolution for many years. I still don't think I've personally had anything produce a better image quality than my Sony Trinitron CRT with glass screen. Those ran hot as I recall but I don't think I've ever had a monitor since that could match that. Maybe one day I'll see what 4K looks like for gaming but that day may never come for me. Nor do I have an understanding of what over 60fps gaming looks like. I've always equated capped 60fps and vertical sync with smooth gameplay as long as the game is made well and your hardware supports it well. I've read where people who game over 60fps say its terrible going back to 60fps as apparently it would almost be akin to go from 60 down to 30 fps. I just like a stable 60fps if possible and 1080p has always looked good to me.
Posted By: Allen

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 12/30/22 02:12 PM

Originally Posted by PanzerMeyer
Originally Posted by Allen
We'll see when I have time to play it smile



It's truly a fantastic game oozing in atmosphere and lore. Just be prepared to die a lot.


I started to create my character for a quick look -- my Wife. As often mentioned, I play the "god" watching over my wife -- which rationalizes some modding (cheating).

You and the reviews got me thinking.

I read Elden Ring is very hard in some respects. I'm toying with the idea of "playing as myself" -- and following the rules. I'd "see what I'm made of. eek2
Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 12/30/22 02:18 PM

Originally Posted by Allen


I read Elden Ring is very hard in some respects. I'm toying with the idea of "playing as myself" -- and following the rules. I'd "see what I'm made of. eek2



The combat is very challenging compared to most other games and you need to be careful as you explore the open world of "The Lands in Between". Once you've levelled up to about level 50 and you've become more adept with the combat mechanics though your number of deaths should go down. I was about level 240 or so when I finally uninstalled the game and there were still some instances where I would get killed if I got careless.
Posted By: Allen

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 12/30/22 02:23 PM

Regarding resolution, monitors, FPS:

I'm actually happy with 2K (1440p) on a 27" or 32" monitor (with very good contrast) and a smooth, jerk free 30FPS at ultra settings. A modest gaming PC setup can do that with just about any game. That's what I'd recommend if someone asked me.

However, because I like to "push things", I use a 43" 4K monitor on a moderately high end PC. At times, I find the 43" is just too large that close to my eyes. So, I make a smaller window in the middle of it.
Posted By: Allen

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 12/30/22 02:29 PM

Originally Posted by PanzerMeyer
The combat is very challenging .. I was about level 240 or so when I finally uninstalled the game and there were still some instances where I would get killed if I got careless.


Thanks for this info. The knowledge of what a good player goes through will help me keep a grip on things as things go bad. thumbsup
Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 12/30/22 02:32 PM

Originally Posted by Allen
.

Thanks for this info. The knowledge of what a good player goes through will help me keep a grip on things as things go bad. thumbsup



Sounds good! Do you know yet what kind of character build you are going to do? Are you going with a "tank" build (ie melee combat specialist) or are you going for a mage/magic build emphasizing ranged attacks?
Posted By: Allen

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 12/30/22 03:49 PM

Originally Posted by PanzerMeyer
Do you know yet what kind of character build you are going to do?


I usually (not always) play a "mage type", archer, or other primarily-ranged attacker (as my Wife). My first choice is the same for playing myself. That way, I don't have to figure out the hand-to-hand timing that varies among games; and, it fits my personality -- I'm farther away if I decide to "run for it". It's the direction I'd "investigate" as I do my character build (I hope I find time for that later today).
Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 12/30/22 05:21 PM

Originally Posted by Allen
[quote=PanzerMeyer]

I usually (not always) play a "mage type", archer, or other primarily-ranged attacker (as my Wife).



Elden Ring has many different types of bows to choose from so I'm sure you will find one that you will love to use. There are also quite a few different arrow types that you can find and craft.
Posted By: Allen

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 12/30/22 07:38 PM

I picked "Astrologer" as the Basis. I've made the starting character. I plan to go the full "Intelligence" in the long term (great magic, very weak, very fragile).

I spent time on the face and figure to make a "me" in my "twenties". Smirking/confident face attached.

We'll see if my "confidence" is justified biggrin

Attached picture Screenshot 2022-12-30 142811.jpg
Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 12/30/22 08:04 PM

Looking good Allen! I wish you the best of luck and success in becoming the Elden Lord!

Here is a pic I have of what I looked like in Elden Ring:

Attached picture AC.jpg
Posted By: Mr_Blastman

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 12/30/22 08:31 PM

Ehhhh, I dunno about the magic route for a beginner...

Most new players use a sword and shield or something similar.
Posted By: Allen

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 12/30/22 09:50 PM

Originally Posted by Mr_Blastman
Ehhhh, I dunno about the magic route for a beginner.


The articles I read agree with you. thumbsup

I'm living dangerously. I assume dying will be frequent. But, since I usually modify/cheat, this is literally a test and punishment for me. biggrin
Posted By: KRT_Bong

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 12/31/22 12:45 AM

Are you all watching the Epic Games Launcher for all the free games, a lot have been kinda low end but there have been a bunch of gems.
I got Sable and have been enjoying that. This week there are 2 games and next Kerbal space program.. watch the skies
Posted By: Chucky

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 12/31/22 08:45 AM

Yeah, I set a reminder in my phone to check everyday. I've only grabbed a few though.
Posted By: KRT_Bong

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 12/31/22 01:41 PM

I grab every one that looks interesting, even some that my system wont handle on the off chance I might install them at a later time when I've upgraded.
Posted By: Allen

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 01/01/23 11:56 AM

Originally Posted by PanzerMeyer
I wish you the best of luck and success in becoming the Elden Lord!


I'm taking this game very seriously, so far. A gaming "rebirth" of sorts because I'm pretending I'm really there with my life on the line -- and no cheating allowed.

So, I'm putting in way more time at the very beginning -- before starting out on the life-threatening path. That's what I would do in "real life".

I've gone over my character build again to make it look more like me (not perfect) -- back then (late teens, early 20s) -- attached.

And, in honesty, I also am considering one minor cheat to make the starting "in-game me". Simply change one of the "starting" Astrologer secondary-specs to make the beginning overall "specs ratio balance" more like the "real me" back in my late teens/early twenties.

Asking for info that may help my planning: You reached a high level it seems. Approximately how many hours of game play did you put in to get there? Thanks for the encouragement! thumbsup

Edit: Looks like my minor cheat is difficult -- given all the anti-cheat built into Elden Lord. So, not doing it at this point.


Attached picture Screenshot 2023-01-01 053142.jpg
Posted By: Mr_Blastman

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 01/01/23 03:42 PM

Every player is different. I am maybe level 107 and in the last areas of the game, Allen. I also beat the first major boss at level 17 - 22, and the first elden lord around level 35. How you approach Elden Ring depends on your experience with the Dark Souls/Bloodborne series of games. I have played through all of them except Bloodborne, whereas PanzerMeyer has not. I believe your cautious approach is warranted and wise, Allen.

However, perseverance will be rewarded, a lot. smile These games are the best of the best.
Posted By: Allen

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 01/01/23 04:26 PM

Originally Posted by Mr_Blastman
I am maybe level 107 and in the last areas of the game,.. I also beat the first major boss at level 17 - 22, and the first elden lord around level 35.


Thanks for the input. Its helpful to me. thumbsup
Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 01/01/23 10:51 PM

Originally Posted by Allen

Approximately how many hours of game play did you put in to get there? Thanks for the encouragement! thumbsup





According to Steam I have 557 hours in Elden Ring. The highest possible level you can get in the game is 713 by the way!
Posted By: Allen

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 01/02/23 12:15 AM

Originally Posted by PanzerMeyer
According to Steam I have 557 hours in Elden Ring. The highest possible level you can get in the game is 713 by the way!


Great information for my purposes of "game planning". So, spending a few or a couple dozen hours early to "catch on" to how to play it could be just fine -- if I last that long biggrin

I do have over 1000 hours in more than one game -- so, its not out of the question -- if Elden Ring grabs me major-bigtime. smile
Posted By: Mr_Blastman

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 01/02/23 12:23 AM

The only games I have more than 1k hours in are PvP multiplayer games such as Team Fortress 2, Supreme Commander, StarCraft, Flight Simulators, etc.
Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 01/02/23 04:04 AM

Originally Posted by Mr_Blastman
The only games I have more than 1k hours in are PvP multiplayer games such as Team Fortress 2, Supreme Commander, StarCraft, Flight Simulators, etc.



You made me very curious so I looked it up. These are the games where I have over 1k hours in Steam:

Total War Attila: 4,162
Total War Rome 2: 3,550
Fallout 76: 2,385
Elite Dangerous: 1,759
Total War: Shogun 2: 1,514
Total War Three Kingdoms: 1,171
Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 01/02/23 04:06 AM

Originally Posted by Allen


Great information for my purposes of "game planning". So, spending a few or a couple dozen hours early to "catch on" to how to play it could be just fine -- if I last that long biggrin





By the way, Elden Ring does have a coop feature but it's not that straight forward to use it. You'll need to learn about creating "furled fingers" so you can deploy a golden summoning sign for other players to see. There is a tutorial in the game about how to do that.
Posted By: F4UDash4

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 01/02/23 03:00 PM

I got an email from Steam, a "report" on my 2022 Steam play time. Kerbal Space Program was number one and IL2 number two. I couldn't figure that out until I realized at at times I left KSP running for hours while I was away wink
Posted By: Chucky

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 01/03/23 08:15 PM

Although I've had the game for some while (I recently picked up the Director's Cut on Epic) I'm starting again with Kojima's Death Stranding.

I remember seeing an early preview video that featured BB (the baby kept in a container full of fluid) and thought 'what the F is this'? I had never played a Kojima game before.


It's quite wonderful to be honest. The music is superb, the visuals are beautiful, the acting and voice work are the best I've witnessed in a game. It's like an interactive experience, it draws you in.

And the thing is, I don't play 3rd person games as a rule as I feel it detracts from the immersion. There is an amount of walking/delivering which some may find tedious but I'm in the early game and assume there is various transport later. Besides, exploring the world is interesting in itself.

Now I've just found out there is a 2nd game coming. Best get the first one finished.

Posted By: DBond

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 01/03/23 08:57 PM

Originally Posted by F4UDash4
I got an email from Steam, a "report" on my 2022 Steam play time. Kerbal Space Program was number one and IL2 number two. I couldn't figure that out until I realized at at times I left KSP running for hours while I was away


Mine said top was Forza Horizon 5, RDR 2 and F1 22.

About the idle hours.... same here. I have several I call launcher games, like Elite, where you close the game but the launcher remains open in the task bar and you can rack up some hours this way haha. Steam sees the game still open as long as the launcher is.

One more game to add to my recent post is Warhammer 40,000 Chaos Gate Daemonhunters. Quite a title. I bought Wasteland 3 a few weeks ago and liked the X-com style combat. The rest of it is a typical iso RPG which is fine, I've liked plenty of these. But I was in the mood for a game that was more like X-Com. Lots of combat and maybe a base building/research layer rather than wandering around town talking to random NPCs. So I picked this game up as it sounded like just that sort of thing and it is. Similar to Enemy Unknown in a lot ways, with challenging combat and a pretty cool vibe.
Posted By: F4UDash4

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 01/03/23 09:36 PM

Originally Posted by DBond
Originally Posted by F4UDash4
I got an email from Steam, a "report" on my 2022 Steam play time. Kerbal Space Program was number one and IL2 number two. I couldn't figure that out until I realized at at times I left KSP running for hours while I was away


Mine said top was Forza Horizon 5, RDR 2 and F1 22.

About the idle hours.... same here. I have several I call launcher games, like Elite, where you close the game but the launcher remains open in the task bar and you can rack up some hours this way haha. Steam sees the game still open as long as the launcher is.



I would leave the game running sometimes if my spacecraft was headed from (for example) Kerbin to the Mun. Rather than use time advance if I had other things to do I would walk away for a couple of hours and let the game run in real-time. I never thought about Steam tracking my in game time. In fact I used to copy my Steam install of KSP to a separate folder and run in directly, Steam not even launched.
Posted By: RSColonel_131st

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 01/04/23 01:05 AM

Been a while since I wrote about gaming here biggrin

I'm currently going trough my backlog, which includes GR Wildlands. And I find it outstanding. Yes, it's not a super serious tactical shooter, yes, it has some AI issues and idiosyncrasies. But the feeling of this game is like a really good military action move (obviously, but not just, like "Clear and Present Danger"). The backstory of the drug cartel guys you are taking out is well made, it deserves the Tom Clancy tag in my opinion. And that map/landscape/lighting is amazing, as well as GFX that will hold up very well.

So, if you never tried it... it's really recommended.
Posted By: Coot

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 01/04/23 07:36 AM

I'm still playing my second playthrough of Alien Isolation. Still a great game. I'm also using the anit-aliasing mod for the game which works wonderfully with no perceivable performance impact.

I went ahead and finally bought Shadow of the Tomb Raider. I've played the first one almost three times and Rise of the Tomb Raider twice. I think the first game in the rebooted series will prove to be my favorite. It still looks great and plays well. I was however reminded of the horrific camera sway in that game. I forgot all about it and its a shame they never patched that out as its truly nauseating and most people hate it. The second game patched that out after release. But I love the setting of the first and the supernatural elements and WW2 lore and bunkers strewn about. Back when the third game came out I remember trying the demo but it ran terribly and crashed. Since then I've gotten a few upgraded components to my PC but I suspect I will have to struggle a bit with the settings to find something that produces the best performance as possible. Its on sale so I figure its worth a try now at this point. I love explorer games like these and Uncharted so being the third game in the trilogy I'll give it a shot.

If able I also want to play The Order: 1886 a third time, Red Dead Redemption 2 for a second play through as well as Uncharted Lost Legacy for as second run. I'd also like to continue Hidden and Dangerous 2 Sabre Squadron.
Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 01/04/23 11:28 AM

Originally Posted by RSColonel_131st
Been a while since I wrote about gaming here biggrin

I'm currently going trough my backlog, which includes GR Wildlands. And I find it outstanding. Yes, it's not a super serious tactical shooter, yes, it has some AI issues and idiosyncrasies. But the feeling of this game is like a really good military action move (obviously, but not just, like "Clear and Present Danger"). The backstory of the drug cartel guys you are taking out is well made, it deserves the Tom Clancy tag in my opinion. And that map/landscape/lighting is amazing, as well as GFX that will hold up very well.

So, if you never tried it... it's really recommended.



You should check this out. This is essentially the film adaptation of GR Wildlands:

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1488606/?ref_=nm_flmg_t_9_act
Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 01/04/23 11:29 AM

Originally Posted by Coot
I'm still playing my second playthrough of Alien Isolation. Still a great game. I'm also using the anit-aliasing mod for the game which works wonderfully with no perceivable performance impact.

.



I plan on eventually replaying this. Which part of the game are you at right now?
Posted By: wormfood

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 01/04/23 02:05 PM

Originally Posted by RSColonel_131st
Been a while since I wrote about gaming here biggrin

I'm currently going trough my backlog, which includes GR Wildlands. And I find it outstanding. Yes, it's not a super serious tactical shooter, yes, it has some AI issues and idiosyncrasies. But the feeling of this game is like a really good military action move (obviously, but not just, like "Clear and Present Danger"). The backstory of the drug cartel guys you are taking out is well made, it deserves the Tom Clancy tag in my opinion. And that map/landscape/lighting is amazing, as well as GFX that will hold up very well.

So, if you never tried it... it's really recommended.


Wildlands was probably the best thing carrying the Clancy name since Rainbow Six 3.
Posted By: Coot

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 01/05/23 11:54 AM

I'm at the level right after the Anesidora flashback mission where you get the flamethrower for the first time and you're off to try to lock down the escape routes leading to the server area of Sevastopol to try isolating and trapping the xeno. I can't remember if I ever knew about backtracking to listen to all the audio logs of the Nostromo but I'd like to attempt that. Its been years but earlier in the game you hit a room that's filled with gas that you can't enter. For some reason I don't remember anything about a gas mask so perhaps I did not know it was more than a mission specific piece of gear that you could use again to backtrack and get to areas you could not before. I don't know why but I really don't remember having a gas mask in the game. I'm not there yet but I'll keep an eye out for it and may backtrack to listen to those logs. I'm playing the game on hard which is what I did the first time if I recall correctly and that's good enough for me. I think there's a super hard mode and even a mod out there that makes the game even harder by tweaking the alien A.I. behaviors.
Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 01/05/23 11:56 AM

Originally Posted by Coot
I'm playing the game on hard which is what I did the first time if I recall correctly and that's good enough for me. I think there's a super hard mode and even a mod out there that makes the game even harder by tweaking the alien A.I. behaviors.


Heh, I played on "normal" for my playthrough and that was enough of a challenge for me. I still ended up dying several times.
Posted By: DBond

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 01/16/23 03:49 PM

I usually wait a month between posts in this thread, but I've had the past month off from work so got in plenty of gaming. Here's what I've been playing....

-- Way of the Hunter. I've dropped 90+ hours in to this so far and I like it a lot. I used to hunt when I was younger, and for some personal reasons I stopped. This game in many ways helps to fill a void. It's a good hunting sim, with some corny, eye-rolling narrative and story elements, at least for me. But in the field it's really good. Check out Ajay's excellent review thread for more info on this title.

-- Automobilista Motorsport Simulator 2. A really good racing sim. There's quite a bit of competition between the various titles, but AMS2 is the one that pulls me back most often. Great visceral feel to this one. Good feel of the tarmac, soundscape and racing. One of the few titles which allows AI in multiplayer giving it a nice edge.

-- Warhammer 3. More Total War goodness

-- Three Kingdoms. Same.

-- Forza Horizon 5. Hopped back in after a long time away to check the state of the game. About the same, plus Hotwheels now which I don't care about. Fun in doses.

-- Warhammer 40,000 Chaos Gate. An X-Com like game. Good, challenging combat, nice graphics, good gameplay. One of the few games I've ever dialed down to easy smile
Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 01/16/23 04:19 PM

I finally finished Dying Light 2 in coop mode. It's a very well made zombie survival game IMHO.

I'm also still playing Elden Ring. I have close to 600 hours in the game but just now I feel like I've levelled up enough to go to the Haligtree area of the map to face Malenia.
Posted By: Allen

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 01/22/23 12:32 PM

For a guy who was playing/modding games over 1000hrs a year, I've fallen off the map. "Life has interfered". Still would like to get back to almost daily regular play. So, I keep buying up-to-date hardware and nominally good sale priced games.

Along those lines, I bought/installed sale priced "Red Dead Redemption 2" Special Edition/Ultimate Edition today.

Whenever I get to playing it, I'll be playing as a single player.

A quick question for those who have played it:

Does my "Hero" have to an "unlawful bad guy" to make the game work as intended? Or, can I (eventually at some point in the game) grow my character to play "the anti-crime good guy"?
Posted By: HeinKill

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 01/22/23 02:09 PM

Originally Posted by Allen
Does my "Hero" have to an "unlawful bad guy" to make the game work as intended? Or, can I (eventually at some point in the game) grow my character to play "the anti-crime good guy"?


Well the main story line has you playing as a member of an outlaw gang and a lot of main story quests involve robbery with a couple of missions where you can't avoid getting into shootouts, mostly with the law. I did one playthrough where I decided to take a non lethal decision at every opportunity (sneak, or punch/rope adversaries instead of shoot them). I died a lot more but became quite good at melee. It was frustrating when up against big gangs of either bandits or police because knocking out and tying up a gang of 12 guys with rifles looking to shoot you involved a lot of running away and doubling back when they had lost interest in searching. Not very realistic and not my favorite playthrough.
Posted By: Allen

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 01/22/23 03:43 PM

Originally Posted by HeinKill
Originally Posted by Allen
Does my "Hero" have to an "unlawful bad guy" to make the game work as intended? Or, can I (eventually at some point in the game) grow my character to play "the anti-crime good guy"?


Well the main story line has you playing as a member of an outlaw gang and a lot of main story quests involve robbery with a couple of missions where you can't avoid getting into shootouts, mostly with the law. I did one playthrough where I decided to take a non lethal decision at every opportunity (sneak, or punch/rope adversaries instead of shoot them). I died a lot more but became quite good at melee. It was frustrating when up against big gangs of either bandits or police because knocking out and tying up a gang of 12 guys with rifles looking to shoot you involved a lot of running away and doubling back when they had lost interest in searching. Not very realistic and not my favorite playthrough.


Thanks for the insight. I thought it might be that way. Its why i waited for a good sale. I have a very hard time killing honest people on the side of the law -- I always want to protect people like that.
Posted By: Mr_Blastman

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 01/22/23 04:50 PM

Originally Posted by Allen

Does my "Hero" have to an "unlawful bad guy" to make the game work as intended? Or, can I (eventually at some point in the game) grow my character to play "the anti-crime good guy"?


I have played a bit recently and you can be the good guy so far, for the most part, yet the game actively tries to make you an outlaw and wanted. I honestly don't enjoy being the bad guy in a game for long, especially in Rockstar games where they make the violence too real and too human. A person getting shot truly looks just like that, and not like a video game would.
Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 01/23/23 11:30 AM

Almost finished with "DEATHLOOP". Great game with a very unique premise for a first person shooter.
Posted By: Dart

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 01/23/23 07:34 PM

Still banging around the Commonwealth in Fallout 4 for the most part.

This stupid neck brace is keeping me from using the TrackIR, so no flight sims....
Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 01/30/23 01:21 PM

Anyone here playing the remastered "Dead Space" besides me? It's utterly fantastic. If you like sci-fi horror this game is a MUST buy. The new DX 12 graphics with ray tracing look absolutely stunning.
Posted By: Mr_Blastman

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 01/30/23 05:11 PM

How rigid is the combat? I recall in the first game you couldn't alter the FOV(without mods), nor could you aim creatively at enemies. There were rigid points that must be shot and if not then you completely missed or were ineffective. Also, I was almost always out of ammo, which was frustrating.
Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 01/30/23 05:33 PM

Originally Posted by Mr_Blastman
How rigid is the combat? I recall in the first game you couldn't alter the FOV(without mods), nor could you aim creatively at enemies. There were rigid points that must be shot and if not then you completely missed or were ineffective. Also, I was almost always out of ammo, which was frustrating.



I don't know about modifying the FOV. I would have to check that next time I play.


Some but not all of the enemies require that you shoot them in the limbs to kill them.


Concerning running out of ammo, just make sure to pick up credits whenever you see them and you can use those credits to buy ammo at the "stores" located throughout the ship. You may also want to play on "normal" difficulty so you don't have to use as much ammo to kill enemies.
Posted By: RossUK

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 01/30/23 06:28 PM

I recently bought the early access Gunner, Heat, PC. Quite cheap but already has promise. Not a tank study sim but definitely not an arcade game. Needs a more powerful PC than the specs suggest but that could be in such early access.

Worth a look for anyone who is into this story of game. Plenty of YouTube videos of gameplay available.

Still need to get Steel Beasts but just read they won't ship the USB stick to UK anymore. Brexit I guess 🤷🏼
Posted By: Snow46

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 02/04/23 08:51 PM

An old friend got me hooked on X4 Foundations. A steep learning curve but at last a decent Space RPG that can be single player or Multiplayer.
Posted By: MarkG

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 02/04/23 10:40 PM

Not yet finished (i.e. missing key-ins added on last version), but currently working on a definitive single-page Key Reference, plus a second page of information and procedures...

[Linked Image]

[Linked Image]

Just love this game.

Attached picture FD_0.jpg
Attached picture FD_1.jpg
Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 02/06/23 11:31 AM

Still playing through Dead Space. This is a MUST buy if you like sci-fi horror such as Prey and Alien Isolation.
Posted By: Ajay

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 02/06/23 12:37 PM

Just shelved everything to give DCS it's 3rd or 4th attempt. Been a fair few years since i jumped in, got Lomac and some other disc hanging around somewhere, Black Shark maybe ? Doing the two week trial on Normandy, FW190A8 and the WWII assets. Runs like a dream in singleplayer on my 34" ultrawide with everything cranked so that's neat. Two weeks before i decide if i start dropping money.

Il2 just seemed to be sitting on my pc nothing for months on end, i really don't like the editor at all and the ai is just so meh it hurts. Set up a 40 plus B17G + 10 P51 escort + 12 190s in twenty minutes in the DCS editor and flew the mission, no tutorials, all very intuitive. Game looks fantastic and very easy to set up the 190 with your hotas unllike the il2 mucking around. Rather surprised actually.
Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 02/06/23 12:41 PM

Originally Posted by Ajay
Just shelved everything to give DCS it's 3rd or 4th attempt. Been a fair few years since i jumped in, got Lomac and some other disc hanging around somewhere, Black Shark maybe ? Doing the two week trial on Normandy, FW190A8 and the WWII assets. Runs like a dream in singleplayer on my 34" ultrawide with everything cranked so that's neat. Two weeks before i decide if i start dropping money.

Il2 just seemed to be sitting on my pc nothing for months on end, i really don't like the editor at all and the ai is just so meh it hurts. Set up a 40 plus B17G + 10 P51 escort + 12 190s in twenty minutes in the DCS editor and flew the mission, no tutorials, all very intuitive. Game looks fantastic and very easy to set up the 190 with your hotas unllike the il2 mucking around. Rather surprised actually.




If you haven't played DCS for a few years be ready for some big changes and great improvements. However, the WWII stuff I find lacking in DCS. While the flight models are nice there are no campaigns, no pilot career mode, etc. In other words the immersion outside of the cockpit is nil.
Posted By: F4UDash4

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 02/06/23 12:44 PM

Originally Posted by PanzerMeyer
Originally Posted by Ajay
Just shelved everything to give DCS it's 3rd or 4th attempt. Been a fair few years since i jumped in, got Lomac and some other disc hanging around somewhere, Black Shark maybe ? Doing the two week trial on Normandy, FW190A8 and the WWII assets. Runs like a dream in singleplayer on my 34" ultrawide with everything cranked so that's neat. Two weeks before i decide if i start dropping money.

Il2 just seemed to be sitting on my pc nothing for months on end, i really don't like the editor at all and the ai is just so meh it hurts. Set up a 40 plus B17G + 10 P51 escort + 12 190s in twenty minutes in the DCS editor and flew the mission, no tutorials, all very intuitive. Game looks fantastic and very easy to set up the 190 with your hotas unllike the il2 mucking around. Rather surprised actually.




If you haven't played DCS for a few years be ready for some big changes and great improvements. However, the WWII stuff I find lacking in DCS. While the flight models are nice there are no campaigns, no pilot career mode, etc. In other words the immersion outside of the cockpit is nil.

+1

DCS WWII is fun for a short time but I quickly ran out of things to do.

But the Spitfire is great just to fly around in.
Posted By: DBond

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 02/06/23 01:18 PM

For about the past month I dropped everything I usually play, and went hunting

Bought two hunting games (and much of the DLC)

-- Way of the Hunter. A relatively new release (out in August). Has very good hunting mechanics, feels really good out in the field. Shooting, tracking, sign. Looks great, nice animal behavior and animations. A really nice core, now needs content to expand it out, which is happening.

Check out Ajay's review here

Ajay's Way of the Hunter Review

-- The Hunter : Call of the Wild. Out since 2017, and has a lot more content (weapons, animals, reserves, gear and kit). Not quite the simulation that Way of the Hunter is, but I find I'm playing this one more due to how broad it is.

Check out this thread for more detail about how the two games compare

Way of the Wild

[Linked Image]



Posted By: Allen

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 02/09/23 10:13 AM

My life is complicated recently. It has reduced my gaming a lot -- I just don't have the time most days -- e.g. I can't learn a new game.

I've justified gaming the last couple weeks by using it to fix my vision. I play Grim Dawn, yet again. Its a game I can just start and stop and there's nothing to learn.

I play on a 2K 32 inch gaming monitor (curved). I set Grim Dawn to maximize pixelation. And, I try to concentrate and see the individual pixels when the heroine is standing still. Combined with other eye exercises, it seems to be helping.

Just me being "weird". smile

Attached picture Screenshot 2023-02-09 044523.jpg
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Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 02/09/23 11:20 AM

I reinstalled Cyberpunk 2077 again due to the multiple major updates that have been released recently and to also play as a "Nomad" character. My first two playthroughs were as a Corpo and then a Street Kid.
Posted By: Boilerplate*

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 02/12/23 02:20 AM

Just reloaded IL-1946 from GoG. Had to retrain myself but it's still a fun game. Love it.
Posted By: Mr_Blastman

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 02/12/23 04:18 PM

If you enjoyed Dead Space Coot you should check out the System Shock remake coming out next month. The System Shock games are quite a bit better than Dead Space, and what the game was based on. Prey from 2017 is another you would probably like. What makes them better is their non-linear progression, where you are free to explore the world and tackle challenges in many different ways, plus they don't tell you where to go--you must figure this out to solve the overarching scenario you are faced with.
Posted By: Snow46

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 02/12/23 05:26 PM

Headed back to Idaho this week and horrible internet access. Have IL-46 and WOTR loaded from last year. Will try elder Scrolls On-Line but don’t have a lot of hope. Am bringing BAT on a thumb drive. While I enjoy X4 Foundations as a single player game, it is just too big to load on such a slow internet. I will download the new addition to WOTR though.
Posted By: Mr_Blastman

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 02/13/23 03:44 AM

Originally Posted by Snow46
Headed back to Idaho this week and horrible internet access. Have IL-46 and WOTR loaded from last year. Will try elder Scrolls On-Line but don’t have a lot of hope. Am bringing BAT on a thumb drive. While I enjoy X4 Foundations as a single player game, it is just too big to load on such a slow internet. I will download the new addition to WOTR though.



You really can't go wrong with X4. The game constantly evolves the longer you play and progress, from a small one man against the world to a giant megacorporation with battleship fleets conquering the galaxy. Or you can be a salty pirate if you wish. Or a trader... Or whatever. A backstabber, too. Standing on the bridge of giant warships as your fleets lay waste is lots of fun.
Posted By: Coot

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 02/13/23 10:01 AM

Originally Posted by Mr_Blastman
If you enjoyed Dead Space Coot you should check out the System Shock remake coming out next month. The System Shock games are quite a bit better than Dead Space, and what the game was based on. Prey from 2017 is another you would probably like. What makes them better is their non-linear progression, where you are free to explore the world and tackle challenges in many different ways, plus they don't tell you where to go--you must figure this out to solve the overarching scenario you are faced with.



I do have Prey Blastman and really enjoy it. I have not finished it yet but its been very enjoyable. I played the demo of the System Shock remake and it looks pretty good though I don't know much about the series as I never played them. I did play a little of the System Shock 2 modded from GOG a few years ago and had some fun with it but I got lost and wasn't quite sure how to proceed.
Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 02/13/23 11:19 AM

Originally Posted by Boilerplate*
Just reloaded IL-1946 from GoG. Had to retrain myself but it's still a fun game. Love it.



Oh wow. Welcome back boilerplate! I haven't seen a post from you in a very long time.
Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 02/13/23 11:20 AM

I'm alternating now between Cyberpunk (third playthrough), Elden Ring, Dead Space and Witcher 3 (looks so great with ray tracing!).
Posted By: Boilerplate*

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 02/15/23 12:26 AM

Originally Posted by PanzerMeyer
Originally Posted by Boilerplate*
Just reloaded IL-1946 from GoG. Had to retrain myself but it's still a fun game. Love it.



Oh wow. Welcome back boilerplate! I haven't seen a post from you in a very long time.


Thanks PanzerMeyer. It's great to see quite a few of the old personalities hanging out here yet. thumbsup
Posted By: K6_Scorpion

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 02/17/23 12:53 PM

Back to testing Star Citizen a little bit.

Was feeling nostalgic about Elite Dangerous and was kicking around jumping back in that for some VR and relaxation... haven't been in there since before the release of 'Odyssey', so almost three years.
Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 02/17/23 12:57 PM

Originally Posted by K6_Scorpion
Back to testing Star Citizen a little bit.

Was feeling nostalgic about Elite Dangerous and was kicking around jumping back in that for some VR and relaxation... haven't been in there since before the release of 'Odyssey', so almost three years.



Any idea when will the full release version of Star Citizen will be ready? duck


As for Elite Dangerous, I reinstalled it recently and played it for a few sessions but then uninstalled. It's a very good game but at around 1,800 hours of game time according to Steam I think it's simply the case that I've done everything with the game that I am interested in doing.
Posted By: Chucky

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 02/17/23 01:38 PM

Originally Posted by PanzerMeyer

Any idea when will the full release version of Star Citizen will be ready? duck


I took out a pledge in Sept 2016 for $72 for the Aurora MR + Squadron 42 Combo and then in 2019 spent another $30 to upgrade from my starter ship to the Avenger Titan.

I check it out after every patch but I hardly touch it much nowadays. I can't even remember how to play it if I'm honest.

In answer to your question, I have no idea. When's the 10 year anniversary, can't be far off.
Posted By: DBond

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 02/17/23 05:39 PM

I plan to sign up for the Squadron 42 beta, quarter 1, 2017. Not long now! biggrin
Posted By: Snow46

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 02/17/23 05:58 PM

Still waiting for a release date on Starfield.
Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 02/17/23 06:00 PM

Originally Posted by Snow46
Still waiting for a release date on Starfield.



I'll be buying this as well on release. It's a very highly anticipated space-based RPG. I hope it lives up to the same standards as Bethesda's other franchises like Fallout and Elder Scrolls.
Posted By: wormfood

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 02/17/23 06:44 PM

I'll pass on Starfield at least until I can get it on sale at a later date on GOG. Best part of Bethesda's games of the last ~20 years has been playing around with mods, but they've been making it more and more difficult the last few games. I'll wait until I can play a version that's complete and that I can run without their constant updates that do nothing but break any mods I've installed.

I've just been chipping away at Elden Ring and playing probably too much Bannerlord.
Posted By: Mr_Blastman

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 02/17/23 06:50 PM

Bannerlord is awesome.
Posted By: Mr_Blastman

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 02/17/23 09:52 PM

Testing out the new face tracking in Star Citizen today...

[Linked Image]
Posted By: F4UDash4

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 02/17/23 10:07 PM

Awaiting the release of KSP2 and the Heatblur F-4E for DCS
Posted By: Snow46

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 02/18/23 04:21 PM

Oh I downloaded Morrowind off GOG as it was free through Amazon.
Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 02/18/23 11:30 PM

Just finished the Dead Space remake today. This is a must have for any fan of sci-fi horror.
Posted By: K6_Scorpion

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 02/19/23 02:00 AM

Originally Posted by PanzerMeyer



Any idea when will the full release version of Star Citizen will be ready? duck


As for Elite Dangerous, I reinstalled it recently and played it for a few sessions but then uninstalled. It's a very good game but at around 1,800 hours of game time according to Steam I think it's simply the case that I've done everything with the game that I am interested in doing.


Uhhhh.... "Soon"
Posted By: Mr_Blastman

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 02/19/23 04:45 AM

I have every helo module in DCS, and yet despite this and the juicy, high tech apache, I find myself spending by and far most of my time flying the Hind when I fly them online. She's fast, hard to tame, simple in function and deadly in capabilities.
Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 02/19/23 03:11 PM

I’m just now on the process of learning the new features with the KA-50 III. It’s sure is nice being able to carry 4 Igla’s for protection against other helos and aircraft.
Posted By: wormfood

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 02/19/23 03:35 PM

In multiplayer those iglas are nice. Against the AI helos they just seem to bounce off, it's obnoxious. I've been flying the F5 on the Enigma Cold War server. Kinda fun, but without all your fancy radars and such it's a real pain to find anything.
Posted By: Mr_Blastman

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 02/19/23 03:47 PM

Try the '21 on the red team, wormfood. smile She has a great radar.
Posted By: wormfood

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 02/19/23 04:30 PM

The F5 radar is so bad, I don't even use it. It just makes me show up on everyone else's RWR. I just try to depend SRS comms.
I don't have the 21, waiting on the next sale to pick it up. I guess I could mess around with the two week trial, for me though, that's maybe just enough time to get my controls setup and get a handle on things.
Posted By: Mr_Blastman

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 02/19/23 07:32 PM

The best part about the 21 is the IFF. Game changer for blind folks like myself who have a hard time picking out dots.
Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 02/19/23 11:21 PM

I have the MiG-21 but I’ve only put about 5 hours into it. One of these days I’ll delve into it…..
Posted By: wormfood

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 02/20/23 06:12 PM

Originally Posted by PanzerMeyer
I have the MiG-21 but I’ve only put about 5 hours into it. One of these days I’ll delve into it…..


That's the problem* with DCS. It takes a while to learn a module and if you don't fly it for awhile it takes some remediation. Maybe that's just me though.
*maybe it's more of a double edged sword with DCS. The complicated modules are also kind of the draw.
Posted By: JohnnyChemo

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 02/20/23 06:57 PM

Originally Posted by wormfood
Originally Posted by PanzerMeyer
I have the MiG-21 but I’ve only put about 5 hours into it. One of these days I’ll delve into it…..


That's the problem* with DCS. It takes a while to learn a module and if you don't fly it for awhile it takes some remediation. Maybe that's just me though.
*maybe it's more of a double edged sword with DCS. The complicated modules are also kind of the draw.


I'd agree with that. At one time, I had the Ka-50 down pretty well. Now, I'd pretty much have to start all over again. I was flying the F-18 quite frequently and then stepped away from DCS for a number of months. It took a while to get back in the groove. I find I'll have to pick just one module and live with it, there really isn't time to get more than that down well enough to enjoy a good campaign or complex mission.
Posted By: Mr_Blastman

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 02/20/23 07:42 PM

At least we get a "free" module in DCS--the F-16, which requires zero time to learn, no matter how rarely one flies the plane. That is, if you put in the time over the last couple of decades in BMS/Falcon 4.0...
Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 02/21/23 12:53 PM

Originally Posted by JohnnyChemo


I'd agree with that. At one time, I had the Ka-50 down pretty well. Now, I'd pretty much have to start all over again.



Yup, I went through this very same process a couple months ago and right now I'm learning the KA 50 III.
Posted By: wormfood

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 02/25/23 04:08 AM

More F5 on the Enigma Cold War server. I don't think I belong there with my eyesight. Should change my callsign to MrMagoo.
Posted By: JohnnyChemo

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 02/26/23 01:57 AM

Originally Posted by PanzerMeyer
Originally Posted by JohnnyChemo


I'd agree with that. At one time, I had the Ka-50 down pretty well. Now, I'd pretty much have to start all over again.



Yup, I went through this very same process a couple months ago and right now I'm learning the KA 50 III.


How similar is it to the previous version? I always liked that one, just haven't really gotten back into it.
Posted By: wormfood

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 02/26/23 05:30 AM

Originally Posted by JohnnyChemo
Originally Posted by PanzerMeyer
Originally Posted by JohnnyChemo


I'd agree with that. At one time, I had the Ka-50 down pretty well. Now, I'd pretty much have to start all over again.



Yup, I went through this very same process a couple months ago and right now I'm learning the KA 50 III.


How similar is it to the previous version? I always liked that one, just haven't really gotten back into it.


Mostly the same, but with a newer navigation system and missile warning system. Then there's the data link between blacksharks, but I don't remember if that was there before.
EDIT: Also air to air missiles and the module itself is much more highly detailed than before.
Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 02/26/23 03:50 PM

The Ka-50 III can hold 4 Iglas which is quite nice for those close encounters with enemy helos.
Posted By: Mr_Blastman

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 02/26/23 04:11 PM

The only downside to the new 'shark is you still have to do all the target spotting yourself, which can mean disaster if you have poor eyesight. At least in the hind and apache we have a co-pilot who helps, immensely.
Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 03/06/23 02:16 PM

I'm still replaying Cyberpunk 2077 (for the third time) and Witcher 3 (for the second time).


For those of you on the fence about getting a new video card because you have doubts about Ray Tracing, I can strongly recommend that you do that upgrade because the ray tracing in both Cyberpunk and Witcher 3 is stunning. I really feel like I'm playing a different game with my second playthrough of Witcher 3.
Posted By: Allen

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 03/06/23 03:46 PM

Finished Grim Dawn 3/4 playthrough again (have 570 hours total in it). I'm keeping to games I know for now.

Restarted Fallout 4 -- first time in almost 4 years (I have over 1000 hours in it).
Posted By: wormfood

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 03/06/23 03:57 PM

I was playing a bunch of Cyberpunk 2077 over the weekend as well. Technically I beat it 3 times, but two of those were characters that skipped most of the gigs, NCPD jobs, and side missions. They were just to see different endings and try different builds. After you beat it, they put a save right before you meet with Hanako so you can try different endings, or finish other content. I fired up one of the more fun ones to play and jus cruised around the city doing various jobs and gigs.
Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 03/06/23 04:04 PM

Originally Posted by wormfood
I fired up one of the more fun ones to play and jus cruised around the city doing various jobs and gigs.



It would have been nice if the prequel stories for Corpo, Street Kid and Nomad would have been more substantial because once you start the main story with Jackie it really doesn't matter which track you picked.
Posted By: wormfood

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 03/06/23 04:28 PM

Yeah, that's a let down. Street kid is from the same neighborhood, but they don't know each other. Nomad makes sense because he's not from NC. The corpo somehow has some history with him in that prologue section. Either way you only just meet Jackie, get a long cutscene about various adventures and what not and they skip 6 months to a year or something before you're handed control again.

You learn more about Jackie from going to his ofrenda and talkin to Misty than interacting with him.
Posted By: Mr_Blastman

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 03/06/23 04:40 PM

Started playing RDR 2 again yesterday, such a pretty game, and late game Bard's Tale IV. Also, began playing Wing Commander again, which never gets old.
Posted By: DBond

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 03/06/23 05:08 PM

Another month gone. In that time, just three games on the rotation.

-- Way of the Hunter. Really good hunting game. Out since August. new reserve just released (Alaska). Good shooting, ballistics, animal behavior and animations. I prefer it over Call of the Wild in many ways, but not all.

-- Call of the Wild. Another hunting game and I've been splitting my time between this ad the one above. I don't find the hunting as authentic as Way of the Hunter, but the game is much more robust. More reserves, weapons and types, animals species and gear. It's far more diverse at this stage and that has appeal to me.

-- Automobilista Motorsport Simulator 2. This one is emerging as probably my favorite of the recent crop of racing sims over the past three or four years. I've been spending all my time hotlapping for leaderboards in classic McLaren F1 cars like Senna's MP4/6, a beast of a 12 banger and it is glorious! smile
Posted By: NimRud

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 03/06/23 09:24 PM

Got back into playing some games on my Nintendo Switch.

Tried the first title of the Xenoblade Chronicles series and ended up very much liking it to my surprise.
Which put a temporary hold to my playthrough of the latest Fire Emblem game. A fantasy tactical RPG series which I really enjoy.

Dabbled a bit with an emulator (Cemu) on my PC and was impressed about the results possible after some minor tweaks.
Compared to the original Switch version of the Legend of Zelda - Breath of the Wilde I own and played years ago, the difference on PC is night and day! smile
Posted By: mbeaver

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 03/09/23 11:31 PM

Originally Posted by NimRud


Tried the first title of the Xenoblade Chronicles series and ended up very much liking it to my surprise.


I played through the first two in the series, second one twice, and currently playing the third.
Posted By: NimRud

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 03/10/23 03:20 PM

Originally Posted by mbeaver


I played through the first two in the series, second one twice, and currently playing the third.




I´ m really impressed by the scale of the world of the Xenoblade games. It´s massive!

Installed Xenoblade X to get an impression and I´m in awe about the world of that game. Wonderful different areas and the fact you can pilot a skell (mech) later on in the campairgn to explore areas you couldn´t reach on foot before is really the icing on the cake for me. yep
Posted By: DBond

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 03/11/23 06:55 PM

I must add an addendum to my earlier post claiming to have only played three games over the past month. Not true!

-- Sniper Ghost Warrior Contracts 2. I really like sniper games. Actually, I tend to like many games with solo stealth play. Black ops, sub sims, helo sims, hunting games, Thief, Splinter Cell, Dishonored and on and on. But I don't care for Sniper Elite all that much. Instead, I found the Ghost Warrior series and it's good. And it's first person, so scores major points for that. The Contracts spin off does combine pure sniping with some black ops type stuff like disabling computers, downloading viruses and that sort of thing. So there is some CQC mixed in which I don't care for all that much. But if you turn off the HUD elements it's a fine tactical sniping game. Good series.

-- Civ 6. I played quite a bit last year. A few weeks ago out of curiosity I checked in to it to see if anything is new. And to my surprise Firaxis had added a bunch of new leaders with the Leader Pass. All these came free for me (depends on which DLC you have already). Civ 7 has been announced, but in the mean time having all these new leaders to try will keep me busy.
Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 03/13/23 02:24 PM

Originally Posted by DBond
But I don't care for Sniper Elite all that much. .



Which one did you try and what about it did you not care for?
Posted By: DBond

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 03/15/23 02:12 PM

I played 2 and 4, but neither for long. Not sure what it is, but probably grounded in third person. Not bad games, but don't hit the right notes for me.

I've added yet another game to the month's rotation, F1 22. Good racing sim with the best career modes in the genre.
Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 03/15/23 02:15 PM

Originally Posted by DBond
I played 2 and 4, but neither for long. Not sure what it is, but probably grounded in third person. Not bad games, but don't hit the right notes for me.





Thanks for the reply. I recall you mentioning before that you don't like third person so yeah, that was probably the major factor.
Posted By: Allen

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 03/24/23 03:54 PM

Originally Posted by Allen
Finished Grim Dawn 3/4 playthrough again (have 570 hours total in it). I'm keeping to games I know for now.

Restarted Fallout 4 -- first time in almost 4 years (I have over 1000 hours in it).


I've stayed with Fallout 4 -- pushing 75 hours in-game since starting (~25 hours a week).

There were quite a few hours spent modding -- a "significant item" texture, some item specifications, some "Creation Kit mods" to Minuteman camps.

Attached picture Screenshot 2023-03-24 114737.jpg
Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 03/24/23 11:18 PM

Just finished my third playthrough of Cyberpunk today and I’m still in progress with my second playthrough of Witcher 3. I’m also playing Elden Ring again since raytracing was just added yesterday.
Posted By: rollnloop.

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 03/25/23 11:58 AM

Thanks to this thread, I revisited RDR2 again and progressed on the main story. This game is really a masterpiece to me. I tend to find these long games tedious and uninspired after a while, usually. It was the same initially with this one, until I moved to the second camp. I got a bit lost on the secondary quests, thought the game would last forever. I sticked to main story for a while, then things moved on for the better , and I enjoyed secondary quests again, some are really well written. Playing in first person after reading this thread also helped immersion a lot. There's a lot of riding, but man is it in a nice decor !
Posted By: wormfood

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 04/07/23 12:19 AM

Terra Invicta - This might be one of the more unique 4x games out there. It takes some getting used to since it's not just a attack everyone and paint the map kind of deal. It's a long, slow slog with many setbacks. In fact, some of the factions have achievements to win after another faction has claimed victory. I'd mentioned some terrible balancing and bugs a couple times before. Now they're either fixed, or I know what I'm doing now.

Elden Ring - Fought the Night Cavalry and almost beat him a few times. Figured I should just explore a bit more and get a couple more levels before I try again. Didn't find much new, except the teleport trap. That might've been cool, but it cost me almost a full levels worth of whatever they call xp in that game. Very frustrating.
Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 04/07/23 10:31 AM

Originally Posted by wormfood


That might've been cool, but it cost me almost a full levels worth of whatever they call xp in that game. Very frustrating.


When you die you drop whatever runes you are carrying BUT if you can make it back to where you died you can pick up those dropped runes as long as you don't die a second time before you pick them up. You weren't able to get back to that teleport location?
Posted By: wormfood

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 04/07/23 12:21 PM

Originally Posted by PanzerMeyer
Originally Posted by wormfood


That might've been cool, but it cost me almost a full levels worth of whatever they call xp in that game. Very frustrating.


When you die you drop whatever runes you are carrying BUT if you can make it back to where you died you can pick up those dropped runes as long as you don't die a second time before you pick them up. You weren't able to get back to that teleport location?


You teleport back to the trap in a cave in Caelid when you die. No teleporting out until you run out and find a site of grace. I couldn't make it back to my dropped runes before I died a second time, hence losing everything I had.
Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 04/07/23 12:35 PM

Originally Posted by wormfood

You teleport back to the trap in a cave in Caelid when you die. No teleporting out until you run out and find a site of grace. I couldn't make it back to my dropped runes before I died a second time, hence losing everything I had.



Ah ok, I remember now that darn trap that sends you to the crystal cave in Caelid. The same thing happened to me but in my case i was able to rush out of there before I got overwhelmed by the enemies.
Posted By: DBond

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 04/07/23 01:06 PM

Originally Posted by rollnloop
Playing in first person after reading this thread also helped immersion a lot.!


Same here, and you might be the first I've known to play this way too. It can be a little clunky, especially when interacting with things in the game world, but I love this game and first person is a big contributing factor. I still would have liked it in third person. but it was better this way. Rockstar introduced first person post-release to GTA 5 and that made the game for me.

Another month has passed and this is what has been in my rotation

-- Hitman 3. I've been playing some of the main campaigns to hit challenges and achievements, but the main draw is the new Freelancer mode. Having a good time with that

-- Hitman 2. Filling out challenges and achievements, and if I find a cool plan or solution in 3, I'll fire up 2 and do it again.

-- F1 22. Midway through the fifth season in my current career.

-- PGA Tour 2K23. Good golf game, and probably the best one out there, although EA's new game is releasing now, so maybe a short reign
Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 04/07/23 01:20 PM

Originally Posted by wormfood



You teleport back to the trap in a cave in Caelid when you die. No teleporting out until you run out and find a site of grace. I couldn't make it back to my dropped runes before I died a second time, hence losing everything I had.


By the way, what level is your character now?
Posted By: Mr_Blastman

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 04/07/23 05:00 PM

Everspace 2 finally released after years in early access yesterday and it is good.

Brutal Doom is still awesome, as well as Brutal Wolfenstein, and I just discovered Bloom which is a Doom/Blood hybrid merger of a game(they melded both games and their levels together into one) and is pretty rad. Oh, and I just found Wolfenstein X which is some sort of total conversion into the Doom engine...

Doom is good. I highly advise dooming if you seek stress relief.


DCS World on Enigma's Cold War server entertains as well. Think of flying around like you're playing Thief: The Dark Project, a stealth, ninja assassin in a Mig 21, hunting slimy F-5s, Viggens and Hueys. They must be stopped! Or vice versa. Fun. smile
Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 04/07/23 05:28 PM

Originally Posted by Mr_Blastman


Doom is good. I highly advise dooming if you seek stress relief.




I enjoyed the last title "Doom Eternal" for the most part but it had way too many jumping puzzles for my tastes. Then again I am definitely much older than the target audience for these Doom games now.
Posted By: Coot

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 04/08/23 07:58 AM

Alien Isolation - Plugging away at my second play through. The game always ran at a smooth 60fps but after having to get a new monitor which happens to support 75Hz I find that this is one of the few games that I have that I find actually feels even smoother somehow. Most of my gaming experience is with 30fps or less or 60fps. Running my monitor at the 75Hz in this game gives it an extra smoothness. I'm not sure how to explain it.

Hidden and Dangerous 2: Sabre Squadron

Ori 2: I played the first game which was pretty great and this one is as well. They are both very good platformers and have exceptionally beautiful graphics.


I have a question for The Witcher 3 fans and players. I'm thinking of playing the game a second time. When I played it previously I used mods. One in particular that was important to me was a mod that increased the difficulty of combat but specifically with humans, not creatures. That is what I was looking for. I really did not like that in the vanilla game humans were woefully underpowered and far too easy to fight. They really provide no challenge later on in the game to the point of being immersion breaking. I was always of the opinion that in that world there would be other characters who likewise could skillfully wield a sword like Geralt such as seasoned bandits, mercenaries, trained soldiers and so on. I eventually found a mod that allowed me to increase human combat difficulty. I really don't want to get caught up into a modding grind again if I don't have to so my question is, if I were to simply play the game on an extreme difficulty setting, maybe even a game plus mode if I still have my old save file, did the developers level up the difficulty of human characters? I'd prefer not to mod in some sort of combat mod if I don't have to. So does the game specifically increase the human combat challenge if I were to play it on a higher difficulty setting within the game's standard game options or do they still provide no challenge, especially once you level up later on?
Posted By: DBond

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 04/08/23 11:26 AM

Originally Posted by Coot
if I were to play it on a higher difficulty setting within the game's standard game options or do they still provide no challenge, especially once you level up later on?


I played through a couple times, once on Blood and Broken Bones and once on Death March.

Blood and Broken Bones: Enemies have 20% more health, deal 130% more damage.

Death March: Enemies have 80% more health, deal 230% more damage.

This applies to humans and creatures. I found Death March suitably challenging in combat and Blood and Broken Bones too easy. I still managed to finish it. Not too difficult, although there were one or two bosses that took a number of attempts to defeat. At least 20 tries against Imlerith on Death March before I worked out the right approach.
Posted By: DBond

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 04/08/23 12:07 PM

Originally Posted by Mr_Blastman
Everspace 2 finally released after years in early access yesterday and it is good.



I've had this on the wishlist since it went to EA. Noticed it was full release and checked it out. Diablo in space? Might be worth a go, especially on sale. Is it fun? Worth full price?
Posted By: wormfood

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 04/08/23 01:41 PM

Originally Posted by PanzerMeyer
Originally Posted by wormfood


That might've been cool, but it cost me almost a full levels worth of whatever they call xp in that game. Very frustrating.


When you die you drop whatever runes you are carrying BUT if you can make it back to where you died you can pick up those dropped runes as long as you don't die a second time before you pick them up. You weren't able to get back to that teleport location?


65, though I didn't allocate the points in the best way, or best order anyway.

It's not a bad area, problem is I thought, "hey, I'm deep in a cave, better go up." So my body was the opposite way of the exit. Also, the first mob I fought at that level wasn't too tough and it gave me a false sense of security. But that cave is loaded with them and you usually aggro 3 or more at a time. Once I found where the exit was, I just crouched walked outta there like a ghost.
Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 04/08/23 08:36 PM

The attribute allocation will naturally need to go along with the kind of build you are going for. If you are the paladin/tank type then absolutely you want to allocate most of your points to strength, vigor and dexterity. The heavy large weapons scale greatly as you increase your strength and dexterity attributes. If you’re going for a mage build then intelligence, arcane and faith are of paramount importance. I’m currently at level 255.
Posted By: Coot

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 04/08/23 09:10 PM

Thanks Dbond for that information. I can't remember what setting I first played on but I think it was a higher difficulty setting though not the toughest setting. Maybe I'll try the hardest setting and see how that goes especially if it does effect human enemy combat.
Posted By: Mr_Blastman

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 04/09/23 03:41 AM

Originally Posted by DBond
Originally Posted by Mr_Blastman
Everspace 2 finally released after years in early access yesterday and it is good.



I've had this on the wishlist since it went to EA. Noticed it was full release and checked it out. Diablo in space? Might be worth a go, especially on sale. Is it fun? Worth full price?



Really fun. I bought in early access for 25 bucks back around Christmas, but waited for full release after learning there was going to be a wipe(which there wasn't after all).

There's lots of hidden stuff and puzzles here and there to solve, so not quite diablo, plus I use my HOTAS and Track IR to play in cockpit view.
Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 04/09/23 02:36 PM

How's that Star Citizen going? **snicker**
Posted By: Eugene

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 04/09/23 08:10 PM

Combat Mission series. Falcon BMS ARMA3
Posted By: DBond

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 04/10/23 01:43 PM

Originally Posted by Coot
Thanks Dbond for that information. I can't remember what setting I first played on but I think it was a higher difficulty setting though not the toughest setting. Maybe I'll try the hardest setting and see how that goes especially if it does effect human enemy combat.



Yeah, DM is the right spot for it if you want the best challenge. It's not too tough, but you want to be sure to use all the tricks, including oils and stuff like that. I could ignore it on B&BB, but found I needed that edge at times, like the Imlerith fight and some of the creatures too like that big bird. Haha it's been too long. Griffin, that's it. Swords, signs, oils, matched sets and all the stuff that gives you an edge is helpful in Death March.

Originally Posted by Mr_Blastman

Really fun


You can swap between first and third person for the flying stuff right? I seem to recall seeing this, although all the vids they have up seem to be third.
Posted By: Mr_Blastman

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 04/14/23 06:43 AM

Originally Posted by DBond

You can swap between first and third person for the flying stuff right? I seem to recall seeing this, although all the vids they have up seem to be third.


Yes you can. I have a button bound on my hotas to do this. I always stay in cockpit view, though. Very immersive. The game is fantastic, they really put some love into this.
Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 04/14/23 11:03 AM

Almost done with my second playthrough of Witcher 3. I will repeat and say that this is one of the 3 best RPG's I've ever played.
Posted By: DBond

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 04/14/23 11:57 AM

Originally Posted by Mr_Blastman

Yes you can. I have a button bound on my hotas to do this. I always stay in cockpit view, though. Very immersive. The game is fantastic, they really put some love into this.


Cool, thanks. I think I'll give it a go at some point, but maybe once it's on sale. Thanks for the info Blastman.
Posted By: Mr_Blastman

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 04/14/23 03:53 PM

Originally Posted by PanzerMeyer
Almost done with my second playthrough of Witcher 3. I will repeat and say that this is one of the 3 best RPG's I've ever played.


Depends I guess on what you're looking for in a RPG. I have never been drawn into Witcher with that urge to keep back and come play, day after day. There simply is not enough interactivity and room for creative thought and play in the game world for me at least, nor flexibility and variation on how you approach things.

However, Bard's Tale IV I would consider way up near the top of RPGs, alongside the Ultima games(including Underworlds), The Dark Heart of Uukrul, Hero's Quest I & II, Wizardry 8, Baldur's Gate II, and perhaps a Might and Magic game at the bottom. Of those the Ultima Underworlds are the only single character(no party) RPGs, and they are action at that.

I wish Witcher 3 was less "follow the markers on the map" and instead "enter an immersive world and watch your adventure unfold as you make choices and create experiences." I can't consider Kingdom Come Deliverance a pure RPG, more of an ARPG, but that might be a modern example of what I am talking about--and one of the finest at that.
Posted By: RossUK

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 04/14/23 04:03 PM

Originally Posted by Mr_Blastman
Originally Posted by PanzerMeyer
Almost done with my second playthrough of Witcher 3. I will repeat and say that this is one of the 3 best RPG's I've ever played.


Depends I guess on what you're looking for in a RPG. I have never been drawn into Witcher with that urge to keep back and come play, day after day. There simply is not enough interactivity and room for creative thought and play in the game world for me at least, nor flexibility and variation on how you approach things.

However, Bard's Tale IV I would consider way up near the top of RPGs, alongside the Ultima games(including Underworlds), The Dark Heart of Uukrul, Hero's Quest I & II, Wizardry 8, Baldur's Gate II, and perhaps a Might and Magic game at the bottom. Of those the Ultima Underworlds are the only single character(no party) RPGs, and they are action at that.

I wish Witcher 3 was less "follow the markers on the map" and instead "enter an immersive world and watch your adventure unfold as you make choices and create experiences." I can't consider Kingdom Come Deliverance a pure RPG, more of an ARPG, but that might be a modern example of what I am talking about--and one of the finest at that.[/quo
Originally Posted by Mr_Blastman
[quote=PanzerMeyer]Almost done with my second playthrough of Witcher 3. I will repeat and say that this is one of the 3 best RPG's I've ever played.


Depends I guess on what you're looking for in a RPG. I have never been drawn into Witcher with that urge to keep back and come play, day after day. There simply is not enough interactivity and room for creative thought and play in the game world for me at least, nor flexibility and variation on how you approach things.

However, Bard's Tale IV I would consider way up near the top of RPGs, alongside the Ultima games(including Underworlds), The Dark Heart of Uukrul, Hero's Quest I & II, Wizardry 8, Baldur's Gate II, and perhaps a Might and Magic game at the bottom. Of those the Ultima Underworlds are the only single character(no party) RPGs, and they are action at that.

I wish Witcher 3 was less "follow the markers on the map" and instead "enter an immersive world and watch your adventure unfold as you make choices and create experiences." I can't consider Kingdom Come Deliverance a pure RPG, more of an ARPG, but that might be a modern example of what I am talking about--and one of the finest at that.


Totally agree with you, KCD is amazing and one of the most atmospheric games I've played in last 5 years. Just wish I could master the combat. Need to reinstall this weekend and try again I think.
Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 04/14/23 04:16 PM

Originally Posted by Mr_Blastman


Depends I guess on what you're looking for in a RPG.



I'm not a hardcore "old school" RPG player. The very first RPG that I played was Knights of the Old Republic back in 2003 which was well after the glory days of the top down isometric RPG genre.
Posted By: DBond

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 04/14/23 04:23 PM

It's been a long time since I played KCD, but I really liked it. I join you guys in recommending it.

As to combat, I thought it was the best melee system I've used. It's a little foggy at this distance, but I recall that one of the best approaches for me is to always let the enemy strike first. That opens him up to counter and riposte. I felt like I got good at it over time and this was probably the main reason why. Always counter, never lead.
Posted By: Mr_Blastman

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 04/14/23 05:17 PM

Originally Posted by PanzerMeyer
Originally Posted by Mr_Blastman


Depends I guess on what you're looking for in a RPG.



I'm not a hardcore "old school" RPG player. The very first RPG that I played was Knights of the Old Republic back in 2003 which was well after the glory days of the top down isometric RPG genre.


Yeah, oddly KOTOR is another that I can't get drawn into. Very weird. I've tried to start playing a few times now and never carries steam, when it should. I think with Star Wars I expect more action along the lines of Fallen Order, and is so strange ordering someone to shoot with a blaster. I know this should not be an issue, either.
Posted By: Allen

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 04/15/23 09:41 AM

Still messing with Fallout 4 in spare time. I started with 1100hrs already in, per Steam.

140hrs current in-game on "Hard" (per Steam), 68hr in-game on this play (I restarted), 31hrs in Creation Kit. Many more hours in graphics software, etc.

By the way, some of my modifications conspire to make "Hard" combat into "Easy". So, never give me credit for combat set to "Hard". I'm in it for Story and Modding. smile
Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 04/17/23 02:41 PM

Has anyone here tried the Dead Space remake besides me? It's really a must-buy for any fan of sci-fi horror.
Posted By: DBond

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 05/08/23 05:25 PM

Another month has gone and this is what has been in my rotation

-- Dying Light (2015). Yes Dying Light 2 is out, but having never played any of these zombie games I decided to take a punt on DL1 when it went on sale last month. Ten bucks for the works seemed a good deal and if I didn't like it, not much regret. But it turns out I do like it. Satisfying melee combat, the parkour is easy and fun and the grappling hook makes me feel like Spiderman. Well worth the money I dropped on it.

-- Hitman 3. Freelancer mode is right up my alley. Really enjoy this. I've acquired every weapon and tool now.

-- PGA Tour 2K23. Good golf game, and we have a society/league going at SimHQ which is open to everyone here, so join us. Nice swing mechanics, with choice of methods and very customizable difficulty, so everyone can find their comfort level. The online modes are a bit spotty, but I have fun with it and am involved with a number of different leagues. Single player is pretty strong, with a good tour mode. Add a touch of RPG mechanics with club fittings and player skills and I reckon it's the best golf game I've played, and that goes back to Links 386! I turn off commentary, music and that sort of stuff, but others might like it. If you like golf or just sports games in general it is worth a look. Come smack the ball around with us.

The society (called Duck Hook Divot Diggers Club) allows us to compete with each other, and can be done completely solo, add the others as ghosts, or we can meet up for some head to head matches. We have difficulty settings mostly open to cater to everyone. Hope to see you out on the links! There is a new event every couple of days.
Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 05/08/23 05:36 PM

Elden Ring - Yup. 620 hours put in and I'm still discovering new things to do! Needless to say, this and Witcher 3 are my top 2 fantasy RPG's of all time.


Fallout 76 - Still giving me lots of joy and new experiences even after 2,500+ hours put into it.


DCS/IL-2/ArmA 3/COH 3 - I play these frequently but only in MP.

Witcher 3 and Dead Space - Nearly done with my second playthrough of these great games.
Posted By: Allen

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 05/14/23 10:26 AM

Still playing Fallout 4 over 250hrs on this play (2 major restarts). Also 50hrs in Creation Kit. Plus many hours in graphics programs, etc.

I used a 4 year old reload to start -- which included my modifications and downloaded modifications from 4 years ago. That was a BIG ERROR. Yesterday the game just "locked" in such a way I cannot play further. Seems that some of the mods conflict in an insurmountable way (for me, at least). Removing them had no effect on the problem.

Thus, I started over yesterday with a "bare clean install" from Steam -- no third party material (mine or theirs). Then, upon loading one mod file, some of my modest mods are not showing up in-game.

Well, I like to solve problems. So, I'll keep "plugging away". smile

Attached picture Screenshot 2023-05-14 061330.jpg
Attached picture Screenshot 2023-05-14 060818.jpg
Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 05/15/23 02:44 AM

Never bothered with mods in any of the Fallout games but I use a ton of mods for ArmA 3. I guess it all depends on the game for me.
Posted By: Phoenix54C

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 05/17/23 08:50 PM

Halflife 2 at the moment.

About every 3 months i put this game on and play it right to the end,

The immersion of the game and the way they did it was top notch.

Also love city 17 and the way the cops look lol

Even the graphics sill look great for its age.. wave
Posted By: Allen

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 05/18/23 08:27 AM

Originally Posted by PanzerMeyer
Never bothered with mods in any of the Fallout games but I use a ton of mods for ArmA 3. I guess it all depends on the game for me.


None of the following detail will mean anything to someone who is not making their own Fallout 4 mods. It has to do with graphics mods -- that involve Materials, Meshes, and Textures.

One very significant issue turned out to be a single line in the "Fallout4.ini" file.

It read: "sResourceDataDirsFinal=STRINGS\"

It should have read "sResourceDataDirsFinal=STRINGS, TEXTURES, MUSIC, SOUND, INTERFACE, MESHES, PROGRAMS, MATERIALS, LODSETTINGS, VIS, MISC, SCRIPTS, SHADERSFX\".

Now, my older graphical mods work as initially intended. And they work better than when I recently used the more "elegant" method of making the " .ba2 files". For example: "zzGodWorkBench - Main.ba2" and "zzGodWorkBench - Textures.ba2" to go with my homemade "zzGodWorkBench.esp" visual/graphics modification.
Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 05/18/23 10:28 AM

Originally Posted by Phoenix54C
Halflife 2 at the moment.

About every 3 months i put this game on and play it right to the end,

The immersion of the game and the way they did it was top notch.

Also love city 17 and the way the cops look lol

Even the graphics sill look great for its age.. wave



I really enjoyed HL 2 when I first played it even though I had no clue what was going on with the story since i had not played the original HL at that time. After I played the original HL then things made more sense.
Posted By: NoFlyBoy

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 05/23/23 06:32 AM

I want to play this!

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1268750/Starship_Troopers_Extermination/

I want to give my life to serve in the Federal Service to gain my Citizenship so I will earn my right to Vote and Breed.

Would You Like To Know More?

Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 05/23/23 10:29 AM

If the game has a good Cooperative MP mode I may try it out.
Posted By: NoFlyBoy

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 05/23/23 12:27 PM

Starship Troopers: Extermination is a 16 player co-op FPS .
Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 05/23/23 12:29 PM

Originally Posted by NoFlyBoy
Starship Troopers: Extermination is a 16 player co-op FPS .



Excellent. I'll add it to my wish list in Steam.
Posted By: wormfood

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 05/23/23 01:23 PM

Originally Posted by PanzerMeyer
Originally Posted by NoFlyBoy
Starship Troopers: Extermination is a 16 player co-op FPS .



Excellent. I'll add it to my wish list in Steam.


It follows the movie, not the book.

It's early access. I think there's only one map that's huge and has you spawn and fight objectives in different spots. That or the couple maps all look very similar.
There also seems to be only 1 game mode at the moment. 16 players drop on a planet, clear out some zones of bugs, then go and fortify a location and hold out until a drop ship shows up. That drop ship always lands a couple hundred meters from the defend location, so it's a mad scramble to the evac.
Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 05/23/23 01:30 PM

Originally Posted by wormfood


It follows the movie, not the book.






No big deal for me since I've not read the book and I've only seen the movie once. This game looks like it will essentially play very much the same as Aliens: Fireteam Elite.
Posted By: archermav

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 05/23/23 03:24 PM

Operation Harsh Doorstop has a starship troopers mod.
Posted By: DM

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 05/24/23 08:43 AM

Vertigo 2. VR game, Half-life Alyx mixed with Rick & Morty. Fun.
Posted By: Mr_Blastman

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 05/31/23 04:54 PM

System Shock remake is out and so far... really, really good.

Quite faithful to the original in many ways.
Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 05/31/23 04:56 PM

Originally Posted by Mr_Blastman
System Shock remake is out and so far... really, really good.

Quite faithful to the original in many ways.


Thanks for the heads up on this since I was not aware this finally came out. I'll be buying it tonight.
Posted By: Coot

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 05/31/23 07:14 PM

I tried "Control" by Remedy....I could not deal with it. I enjoyed the Max Payne series as well as Alan Wake but "Control" goes places that is just too much. I loved the idea of a super secret agency that investigates supernatural things and reading top secret documents alongside an eerie building to explore and good gun fighting and physics and reality bending sci-fi themes but right out of the gate this game is just straight up satanic. Inverted black pyramids, a board or "council" of apparent unknown entities operating in the astral realm controlling events and people within the agency, a main character who appears to have a familiar spirit or some sort of entity manipulating her, possessed NPCs incessantly chattering things not understandable in a drone-like way that is intolerable to the ear and mind as they hang suspended and the obvious and ever increasing playing around with grossly dark and esoteric subjects matters. Its demonic in nature. The game almost made me sick in my attempt to play it. I was interested in the game and the Alan Wake related DLC it came with but Remedy went way too far with this one in my view. There was also some not so subtle predictive programming which I've increasingly spotted in games lately that is not coincidental in my opinion. The gaming side of the entertainment industry is likewise under the influence and sway of the very evil powers they invoke for our supposed "entertainment". I've thrown the game out. I don't do that often. I can't say for certain what exactly inspires these writers but I do know who and what it is that does inspire them ultimately. I wouldn't be surprised if some of these developers actually dabble in the occult and consume mind/mood altering drugs. Alan Wake is just spooky enough and ambiguous enough that I enjoyed it. Even after two play throughs I still don't really understand the story and more or less it just feels like a fun, kooky twilight zone story to me. "Control" is seriously off-putting and excessively dark. I really believe you can open yourself up to mental torment and worse if you play this game and others that take things too far. That goes for shows and movies too.

I was looking forward to an Alan Wake sequel but if Remedy goes to this kind of extreme with the game it will ruin it for me. I also read that apparently they are connecting all of their universes somehow. Because I did not end up playing "Control" or its DLC I don't know what they did with Alan Wake with regards to how the two stories interact. I wish they would keep Alan Wake separate and continue building on the original game but in the same Twilight-Zone/Twin Peaks style that is just slightly spooky alongside colorful and often kooky characters.
Posted By: Mr_Blastman

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 05/31/23 09:00 PM

Originally Posted by PanzerMeyer
Originally Posted by Mr_Blastman
System Shock remake is out and so far... really, really good.

Quite faithful to the original in many ways.


Thanks for the heads up on this since I was not aware this finally came out. I'll be buying it tonight.


I recorded this today using real period Roland MIDI hardware, should whet your appetite. smile

Posted By: wormfood

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 06/02/23 01:04 PM

Star Wars Jedi Fallen Order. Compared to Elden Ring or most Souls games, this was very short and easy. It was fun and it did look pretty though.

Warhammer Boltgun. Old fashioned shooter. More like the old Doom set in the WH40k universe.
Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 06/02/23 01:12 PM

Originally Posted by wormfood
Star Wars Jedi Fallen Order. Compared to Elden Ring or most Souls games, this was very short and easy. It was fun and it did look pretty though.

.



I died more from falls than I did from combat in that game. Overall I think it's an excellent SW game and I loved the "big reveal" at the end.
Posted By: wormfood

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 06/02/23 01:23 PM

Originally Posted by PanzerMeyer
Originally Posted by wormfood
Star Wars Jedi Fallen Order. Compared to Elden Ring or most Souls games, this was very short and easy. It was fun and it did look pretty though.

.



I died more from falls than I did from combat in that game. Overall I think it's an excellent SW game and I loved the "big reveal" at the end.



Oh yeah, I know all about that. Particularly the wall running to a vine or something before you get force pull. I swear one out of ten times I would flat out miss. eight out of ten times I would clip through the dang thing, and the rest of the time I'd actually grab it.
Posted By: DBond

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 06/02/23 02:21 PM

Another month has gone (nearly) and this is what has been in my rotation

-- Dying Light. I've dropped 60 hours in to it so far. Overall I like it. The parkour is seamless and the melee combat visceral. One of the enemy types spawns continually and annoys me to no end which takes some of the shine off the game. I mean, zombies gotta shamble, right? These things are as fast and agile as the player. And after a certain point in the game they are endless. I'd like the game a lot more if they were not a thing. Or if they were rare. Or if they just stayed the way they were in the early stages, where they didn't appear unless the player made a loud noise.

-- PGA Tour 2K23. Good golf game. Dropped nearly 140 hours so far. I play in multiple online 'societies' which are tournament seasons where players compete on a ranked leaderboard style setup. We have one here at SimHQ too. I've got like six of them going at the mo.

-- Age of Wonders 4. Never played a previous entry in the series, but picked this up on a whim a few weeks ago. Sort of plays like a cross between Civ 6 and TW Warhammer. A good 4X game with tactical, turn-based combat. Dropped about 55 hours so far. In that time I've been able to complete six campaigns. The pace is faster than Civ, although game speed can be altered if you want to slow it down.

-- Automobilista Motorsport Simulator 2. About 130 hours. In the past three years or so I've snapped up virtually every good racing sim. Bought a nice racing seat, a new wheel and pedals. It's a cool rig. And honestly I like every one of these sims. But AMS2 is the one I drive most often these days. The feel of the tarmac, the physics, the soundscape and everything combine to make it one hell of a good racing sim. Most of my time these days is spent running vintage sleds around old-time tracks in the time trial leaderboards. Cars like the 1969 F1 cars, Brabham BT26 and Lotus 49C. GPL with wings basically. Or Senna's title-winning McLaren MP4/6 with a big nasty V12. Tracks like Spa 1970. Monza '71. Brands' Hatch. Kyalami '76. Nordschliefe 1971 with the north and south loops like we ran in Grand Prix Legends. My goal is to stick it in the top ten at all these tracks, and I've had some luck doing so. Great racing sim, this.

Posted By: F4UDash4

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 06/02/23 02:48 PM

DCS

IL2


As usual......
Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 06/02/23 02:52 PM

Originally Posted by DBond

-Dropped about 55 hours so far. In that time I've been able to complete six campaigns.





Wow. The campaigns in that game are really short compared to the Total War games!
Posted By: DBond

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 06/02/23 05:10 PM

Yeah no doubt. But these campaigns have like four factions and much smaller maps than Total War. I could add factions but that's about what I've been going with. It's all very customizable anyway. For players that dig Civ and would want better combat it's a good choice.
Posted By: MaceUK71

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 06/04/23 11:54 AM

Amidst the massive backlog of games I have on Steam and PS5 (and I'm still buying more *rolls eyes* ) I'm playing Destiny 2 regularly for the first time since it came out. Also, Diablo IV this weekend but the rubberbanding is putting me off but a very good game and definitely better than 3. And then going between System Shock, Boltgun, Cyberpunk 2077 and DCS when I get the time lol
Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 06/05/23 02:43 AM

Whoa. Welcome back Mace!
Posted By: DBond

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 06/05/23 01:15 PM

He must have forgotten his long in credentials eh? Yeah, welcome back mate.
Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 06/05/23 01:18 PM

Speaking of Cyberpunk 2077, it's one of my favorite RPG's of all time. I played through the entire game three times.
Posted By: wormfood

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 06/05/23 03:17 PM

Originally Posted by PanzerMeyer
Speaking of Cyberpunk 2077, it's one of my favorite RPG's of all time. I played through the entire game three times.

I've played through it three times as well, different starts and totally different character builds as well.

Speaking of playing the same RPG again, I fell into Kingdom Come Deliverance again. This will be number 3, but this time all the DLC will be included. I never played any of them yet. I first played it on launch, then again about a year after. It occurred to me that was already 4 years ago now. It's just a great little game. Graphics still hold up and I think it's still got some of the best looking, or at least most realistic looking, woods in any video game. Some of the coolest and most realistic villages in an RPG as well. I just get a kick out of exploring that little corner of 1403 Czech countryside. Even the night sky is correct for the region and time period. You can even use it to help navigate.
Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 06/05/23 03:24 PM

Originally Posted by wormfood
Even the night sky is correct for the region and time period. You can even use it to help navigate.



Wow. Now there is some OCD Stanley Kubrick-level of attention to detail right there!
Posted By: Mr_Blastman

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 06/05/23 05:17 PM

I have been playing a lot more of this... Finally, I have built her!

(explicit warning screenshot nostalgia spam)

[Linked Image]


[Linked Image]


[Linked Image]
Posted By: James McKenzie-Smith

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 06/06/23 09:07 PM

I'm playing my own prototypes made in Blender and Unity. The one I am showing here is basically a little VR walking simulator in an unselfconsciously retro 8-bit style world. I love this, it's like a train set; fun for me and me alone, and none of the pressure to actually complete like a published game.



Attached picture 8Bit Noire.jpg
Attached picture 8Bit Noire B.jpg
Posted By: Allen

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 06/07/23 08:22 AM

Originally Posted by James McKenzie-Smith
I'm playing my own prototypes made in Blender and Unity. The one I am showing here is basically a little VR walking simulator in an unselfconsciously retro 8-bit style world. I love this, it's like a train set; fun for me and me alone, and none of the pressure to actually complete like a published game.


I'm impressed. thumbsup
Posted By: Coot

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 06/08/23 04:00 AM

I think I could get hooked on something like that too James McKenzie-Smith. The train set analogy is a good one. I used to have a train set and whole Western town and figures that I used to love playing with. If a developer somehow made a easy to use game engine that allowed people to design their own little Western sets, wilderness/towns in any configuration using easy tools with endless possibilities and then populate it with enemies randomly and with activities where you could explore, ride on horseback, fight or what have you I'd find that enjoyable.

Is any SimHQ member here going to try the new Amnesia: The Bunker? I love the historical setting but man this one looks scary. I'm playing my second play through of Alien Isolation which is great but it took me along time years ago to get used to it because of the stress factor. The Bunker folks made SOMA which I nearly beat and enjoyed and it was quite creepy. I almost found it creepier in the long run than Alien Isolation. The Bunker though......apparently the enemy AI is very clever and you have the ability to defend yourself but reviews make it sound like its relentless. At least in Alien Isolation you had various times throughout the game where they gave you a respite from the alien. I wonder if this is true or if indeed The Bunker does have some sort of "safe" zones to catch your breath.
Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 06/09/23 12:03 PM

Incredible as it may seem I'm still playing Elden Ring. I am now in the final secret area called "Miquella's Haligtree". I've defeated the first boss and I'm still making my way down the tree to fight the second and final boss Malenia.
Posted By: NimRud

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 06/09/23 06:15 PM

Originally Posted by PanzerMeyer
Incredible as it may seem I'm still playing Elden Ring. I am now in the final secret area called "Miquella's Haligtree". I've defeated the first boss and I'm still making my way down the tree to fight the second and final boss Malenia.


...Heed my words. I am Malenia. Blade of Miquella. And I have never known defeat.

That line from her when the fight starts is so iconic.
Best boss fight in all the Souls game for me. She is so agressive and her attacks really hurt. There is hardly any moment to take a breath during that fight.
For this fight I ditched my shield, switched to double greatswords and went all in with the occasional dodge to avoid the worst.
Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 06/09/23 06:20 PM

Originally Posted by NimRud

For this fight I ditched my shield, switched to double greatswords and went all in with the occasional dodge to avoid the worst.

Thanks for the tip! I assume you never called in an Ash Spirit?

My character is quite a "tanky" build so going all in with double great swords may be the best option for me anyway.
Posted By: NimRud

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 06/09/23 06:28 PM

Panzermeyer, for this and the other fights I always called in my Ash Spirit or any other NPC the game allowed me to muster.
Never needed to call another real player to help me out so far in all the Souls games but otherwise I use all the tools the game allows. Play smart not hard.... biggrin
Posted By: Mr_Blastman

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 06/09/23 06:30 PM

Hmm. Shields.

Those mystical palisades my daughter and I oft see, bourne by apparitions appearing from crimson stains, gasping for their last breaths.

I used a shield in Dark Souls 1, when I was new to the series. I haven't used one since.

The stamina penalty is simply too great.

All hail the mighty roll.


[Linked Image]
Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 06/09/23 06:33 PM

Originally Posted by NimRud
Panzermeyer, for this and the other fights I always called in my Ash Spirit or any other NPC the game allowed me to muster.
Never needed to call another real player to help me out so far in all the Souls games but otherwise I use all the tools the game allows. Play smarter not harder.... biggrin



I experimented with different Ash Spirits for a while but eventually found out that the Mimic Tear Spirit works the best for me by far. I have it maxed out to level 10 too. Now I need to decide which great sword I want to use to accompany my +10 Golden Halberd.
Posted By: NimRud

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 06/09/23 06:40 PM

Originally Posted by Mr_Blastman
Hmm. Shields.

Those mystical palisades my daughter and I oft see, bourne by apparitions appearing from crimson stains, gasping for their last breaths.

I used a shield in Dark Souls 1, when I was new to the series. I haven't used one since.

The stamina penalty is simply too great.

All hail the mighty roll.


[Linked Image]


Well, in Dark Souls 1 after getting Havel´ s armor set and the Black Knight Greataxe, thinking about stamina was never a real concern to be honest. It was all about handing out insane amounts of damage while tanking. wink
Posted By: Mr_Blastman

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 06/09/23 06:40 PM

@Panzer:

If you have a high faith build then I highly recommend the Godslayer's greatsword.

The Halberd has great piercing characteristics for highly armored opponents, whereas the Godslayer's sword is good for pretty much everything else, and has a different slashing pattern.
Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 06/09/23 06:45 PM

Originally Posted by Mr_Blastman
@Panzer:

If you have a high faith build then I highly recommend the Godslayer's greatsword.

The Halberd has great piercing characteristics for highly armored opponents, whereas the Godslayer's sword is good for pretty much everything else, and has a different slashing pattern.


Yup, I have the Godslayer's greatsword. I love using that "wave of gold" ability!
Posted By: NimRud

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 06/09/23 06:57 PM

Originally Posted by PanzerMeyer
..
I experimented with different Ash Spirits for a while but eventually found out that the Mimic Tear Spirit works the best for me by far. I have it maxed out to level 10 too. Now I need to decide which great sword I want to use to accompany my +10 Golden Halberd.


PM, a tanky mimic is probably the best to use here because it will probably stay alive longer and keeps Malenia distracted for some time. Black Knife Tyche would be another good option I think?!

Bloodhound Fang was my curved greatsword of choice for the whole game. The unique skill of it (Bloodhound Finesse) is incredibly useful because it gives some quick separation after the first use, but the immediate follow up dash triggered by a heavy attack gives you immunity through that dash.

Posted By: Coot

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 06/10/23 03:17 AM

I tried out the Lies of P demo today. I'm not a "souls" kind of gamer though in general. I can't handle the challenge and chaotic nature of these kinds of games. I tried Nioh for awhile but it was just too much for me to tackle the split second timing and various skill management stuff needed while playing in real-time, fast-paced combat. Something like the God of War reboot or Dragon's Dogma is about the max I can tolerate. Even then I could not deal with the Valkyries in that game. I'm more comfortable with something like the Witcher series or even Ghost of Tsushima which can be fast but its much more doable for me. I'm even more at home with a good stealth game.

Anyhow I gave it a try. My first impression was how well optimized it is and its overall aesthetic. I don't know what the story ultimately is about but it appears to be a grim, dark reimagining of the Pinocchio story in a steampunk, Victorian era alternate history or something. That being said I couldn't even get past the first boss at the very start. Its weird to me how they made the young man Pinocchio robot character or whatever you are very girlish looking. The environment and atmosphere look very good and the animations also look good. My brain just can't handle these super fast, high challenge nuanced action fighting games. The folks here who like the "souls" genre would probably like this though.
Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 06/11/23 01:19 PM

Originally Posted by NimRud

Black Knife Tyche would be another good option I think?!






I've read some great things about this spirit ash but unfortunately my FP level isn't high enough to use him. I need to level up my intelligence a couple of times first. biggrin
Posted By: Mr_Blastman

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 06/11/23 05:19 PM

Originally Posted by Coot

Anyhow I gave it a try. My first impression was how well optimized it is and its overall aesthetic. I don't know what the story ultimately is about but it appears to be a grim, dark reimagining of the Pinocchio story in a steampunk, Victorian era alternate history or something. That being said I couldn't even get past the first boss at the very start. Its weird to me how they made the young man Pinocchio robot character or whatever you are very girlish looking. The environment and atmosphere look very good and the animations also look good. My brain just can't handle these super fast, high challenge nuanced action fighting games. The folks here who like the "souls" genre would probably like this though.



I love Dragon's Dogma, btw. Souls games, however, aren't super fast. The best I can describe them is once you are adept at them, they are relaxing, slower paced affairs, compared with contemporary action games console gamers are used to. Souls games are quite methodical in execution. I suppose this is the big reason I can't get far in Sekiro, despite playing through every 'Souls save for Demon Souls(no ps3 at the time, and no PS5). Sekiro is some nasty button mashing action. If you mash buttons in 'Souls, however, you fail.
Posted By: MaceUK71

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 06/11/23 09:27 PM

Thanks smile lol yeah long time no see here! Sorry just saw your reply, and DBond smile
Posted By: Mr_Blastman

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 06/12/23 12:32 AM

Latest DCS Apache flight model is much improved. Very pleasant to fly now.
Posted By: MaceUK71

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 06/12/23 05:22 AM

I need to try it again. I was just getting the hang of taking off and holding steady in a hover. Such a complex aircraft, I was kind of overwhelmed but still live the beast.
Posted By: DM

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 06/12/23 08:57 AM

So this last weekend I had all to myself, and I played an entire VR game from beginning to end, and discovered another by chance that I hope will continue to get better & be great.

The game I played entirely is Another Fisherman's Tale, the sequel to the also-great A Fisherman's Tale. IMO these are great examples of what VR gaming should be, imaginative, fun, amazing, heartwarming. They play around with scale and locality, by way of example imagine taking off the roof of a model of the building you are in, and reaching in to grab an anchor because you suspect that it can be used as a key, and seeing your enormous hand reaching in to the actual building to grab the full-scale anchor in the room you're in. Amazing experience smile

And it's also a great storyline. The sequel in particular was very touching, a father using tall tales of maritime adventure to describe a crisis of conscience he was having IRL The allegories and metaphors perfectly aligning as you move through the game. Highly recommended both of them.

Aside from that, as I was randomly browsing VR games in search of hidden gems (and most VR is unfortunately either complete dross or just the same games over & over....) I randomly came across I Fetch Rocks.

A dumb name that is hiding a very interesting game. Basically you're an asteroid miner, but the hook is that you're making the systems that control your ship, using 1st line modules to create logic systems for pretty much any idea you think could help you. Sort of a space-engineers-type game but you're dealing just with ship systems instead of everything.

I like the game mechanic where, when you walk to the door to the next ship module, it turns you around so that the effect is you're walking back & forth in your room space to traverse the entire ship.

Graphics are a little basic, but solid, and it's early access, so things will change over time. But so far I'm really liking it.


Links:
A Fisherman's Tale
https://store.steampowered.com/app/559330/A_Fishermans_Tale/

Another Fisherman's Tale
https://store.steampowered.com/app/2096570/Another_Fishermans_Tale/

I Fetch Rocks
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1543380/I_Fetch_Rocks/
Posted By: Wigean

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 06/12/23 10:25 AM

Interesting.

Which VR set are you using DM?

I ordered a HP Reverb G2 a while back, but it didn`t work. Probably an early cable issue.
I haven`t bothered to buy a new one.
Posted By: DM

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 06/12/23 11:40 AM

HP Reverb G2 biggrin

I did have a few issues with it, and I believe the new stocks now contain a better cable, but I sorted my problem out somehow. G2 IMO is a great headset, possible still currently the best. The controllers are average I would say. Nothing good, nothing bad. Very happy with it.
Posted By: Mr_Blastman

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 06/12/23 04:46 PM

Originally Posted by MaceUK71
I need to try it again. I was just getting the hang of taking off and holding steady in a hover. Such a complex aircraft, I was kind of overwhelmed but still live the beast.


She's a fair bit easier to hold steady in a hover, but the biggest improvements are where they fixed her excited tendency to roll upside down when she gets going faster. Nice improvements overall, throughout every vector of flight.
Posted By: KRT_Bong

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 06/15/23 12:49 PM

I got Death Stranding on Epic for free, played for almost 3 hrs, beautifully rendered, well known cast, hyper-realistic and very very weird
Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 06/15/23 01:09 PM

For my single player gaming I'm currently alternating between Fallout 76, Elden Ring and Mass Effect Legendary Edition.

I started System Shock but I'm going to wait for it to be patched a couple more times before I go back to it. According to the forums there are a lot of bugs in the game.
Posted By: Allen

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 06/22/23 10:50 AM

The original Baldur's Gate got me hooked on RPGs in 1998.

I bought Baldur's Gate 3 "Early Access" when it first came out Oct 6, 2020. But, I played only a few hours.

Full release is nominally August 31, 2023. The latest descriptions have me looking forward to it. They seem to have taken aspects " building their game world" to a new level (not player modding). We'll see.

Meantime, I still play/mod "Fallout 4" and play "Sudoku Universe" -- when I have time.
Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 06/26/23 10:40 AM

Ugh. Even with 2 human cooperators I still can't beat Malenia in Elden Ring. It's time to check out those "how to cheese" videos on Youtube.
Posted By: Allen

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 06/26/23 11:23 AM

Originally Posted by PanzerMeyer
Ugh. Even with 2 human cooperators I still can't beat Malenia in Elden Ring. It's time to check out those "how to cheese" videos on Youtube.


Why I mod my games. Its just another path to "winning and enjoying". But, its only meaningful if I personally make the mod (not download a mod - that's cheating - which I've been known to do).

I respect you guys who possess the skills to play the games "as intended". thumbsup
Posted By: Mr_Blastman

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 06/26/23 03:57 PM

I personally modded the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles PC port back in the 80s because for whatever reason the developer messed up and there was a spot where a jump was physically impossible due to the ceiling being too low. Their port was wrong. So I fixed it using teenage h4x0r skillz.

Modding Wolfenstein was also pretty fun using the wad unpackers and making new textures, objects or even running existing assets through dos photo editors.


But there's no way I have the time to do that nowadays. I play X4 with dozens of mods, and am grateful to all the kind souls who have the coding prowess and patience to recode stuff such as AI for the rest of us.
Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 06/27/23 10:50 AM

I finally beat Malenia and thus finished Elden Ring last night. The two human coop players that I recruited were very good so that made all the difference.
Posted By: wormfood

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 06/27/23 01:43 PM

There's a player named Let Me Solo Her who would fight Malenia with nothing but a helmet and dual katanas. Got a bit internet famous for just helping, or soloing, that boss for people.
Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 06/27/23 01:55 PM

Originally Posted by wormfood
There's a player named Let Me Solo Her who would fight Malenia with nothing but a helmet and dual katanas. Got a bit internet famous for just helping, or soloing, that boss for people.



Oh yeah, I've seen some videos from those uber-Elden Ring players and I would just sit there in total amazement at how they move and fight the different bosses. I'll never be that talented and I've been PC gaming since the late 80's!
Posted By: NimRud

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 06/27/23 06:14 PM

Originally Posted by PanzerMeyer
I finally beat Malenia and thus finished Elden Ring last night. The two human coop players that I recruited were very good so that made all the difference.


Congrats Panzermeyer, well done! thumbsup

She was a special kind of boss, right? biggrin
Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 06/27/23 06:18 PM

Originally Posted by NimRud


She was a special kind of boss, right? biggrin



Definitely. I found out after several deaths that it was a better option for me to just move and evade her katana flurries than to try and block it with my shield.
Posted By: BlueGold

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 06/30/23 04:44 PM

I play Lost Ark, an online RPG with action and adventure elements. The main goal in Lost Ark is to develop my character by leveling up and gaining new skills. I complete quests, explore dungeons and engage in battles with powerful bosses to gain valuable rewards. The game offers a variety of game modes, including single-player and cooperative quests, PvP battles, and special events. I enjoy the variety of game content and strive to become a stronger and more skilled player. chill guys, u can take help here.
Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 06/30/23 04:47 PM

reading
Posted By: DBond

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 06/30/23 04:51 PM

Michigan fan? Welcome to the boards mate.

Another month has gone and I've been a busy boy

Fallout 4 -- Main quest has long been over, so I'm doing some Far Harbor, some Commonwealth. Chasing achievements and seeing how high a level I can reach. Level 95 now which is so cool. No level cap has propelled me through a hundred hours easy since the story finished. Great game.

PGA Tour 2K23 -- Playing society with my man Wigean. Everyone else found something better to do.

Automobilsta Motorsport Simulator 2 -- Mostly vintage sleds at vintage tracks, which is me jam.

Civ 6 -- Played two or three complete runs, with the recent leader pass expanding the choices.

Super Mega Baseball 3 -- I saw 4 was out, which made me fire up 3 again. Probably the best baseball game on PC (since The Show is console only)

System Shock -- Haven't touched in two weeks though.

I think that's it, but I'll addendum it if needed.
Posted By: DBond

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 06/30/23 04:52 PM

Is BlueGold a shill? Coffee emoticon suggest that is suspected smile
Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 06/30/23 04:54 PM

Originally Posted by DBond
Is BlueGold a shill? Coffee emoticon suggest that is suspected smile



Read his post again. I'm 99% sure it was bot generated.
Posted By: BlueGold

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 06/30/23 04:54 PM

oh, no. coffe secure smash
Posted By: BlueGold

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 06/30/23 04:56 PM

thanks for not 100% duck
Posted By: DBond

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 06/30/23 05:03 PM

Looks like 1% chance won out. Welcome to the boards mate, but understand we've seen plenty of new members trying to sell stuff.
Posted By: BlueGold

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 06/30/23 05:19 PM

Thanks cheers . no, I won't sell anything, don't worry salute
Posted By: DM

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 07/03/23 08:04 AM

Journey. A very chill experience, very good so far. One of those games that you learn to play it by the design of the gameplay itself, no words, no voice, just by playing itself. I saw a similar level of competence in this regard with The Witness, also a very good game.

Both are not for everyone, but their design is impeccable IMO.
Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 07/03/23 10:54 AM

Anyone here playing Aliens Dark Descent besides me? I'm really liking it so far. If you ever wanted to play a tactical squad-based game set in the Aliens universe this is the perfect game for you.
Posted By: wormfood

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 07/03/23 12:09 PM

Originally Posted by PanzerMeyer
Anyone here playing Aliens Dark Descent besides me? I'm really liking it so far. If you ever wanted to play a tactical squad-based game set in the Aliens universe this is the perfect game for you.


No, but it looks great. I hope to pick it up in a year or so on sale.

I've been playing too much Kenshi. Got it on early access ages ago, but it was way too early. It's tough, but you're supposed to fail repeatedly in the beginning until you finally toughen up your character and start adding to your squad. I don't know that I've played anything quite like it.
Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 07/03/23 12:20 PM

Originally Posted by wormfood
It's tough, but you're supposed to fail repeatedly in the beginning until you finally toughen up your character.


Sounds just like the Dark Souls games.
Posted By: wormfood

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 07/03/23 02:04 PM

Originally Posted by PanzerMeyer
Originally Posted by wormfood
It's tough, but you're supposed to fail repeatedly in the beginning until you finally toughen up your character.


Sounds just like the Dark Souls games.


Maybe, except there's perma death, limbs can be lost, it's an isometric view, multiple factions, and you can control multiple characters.
Posted By: Allen

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 07/03/23 02:33 PM

Originally Posted by BlueGold
Thanks cheers . no, I won't sell anything, don't worry salute


Welcome aboard smile
Posted By: NimRud

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 07/03/23 07:54 PM

Finished God of War - Ragnarök. Got the game game on release last year but the gameplay didn´t grab me at that time so I stopped playing after just a few hours.
Now with a fresh restart I was hooked and even put in the hours to get all the achievements. Some of the non story boss fights were surprisingly hard on normal difficulty settings though.

I like the fact that I was able to complete 100% of the game and even overcome all of the optional bosses within 65 hours.
That´s a nice change of pace compared to other open world monster games where I often get lost in side quests and loose interest to finish the main quest.
Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 07/05/23 11:50 AM

Anyone playing Star Citizen yet? That came out of Alpha already right? wink
Posted By: Chucky

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 07/05/23 12:15 PM

Originally Posted by PanzerMeyer
Anyone playing Star Citizen yet? That came out of Alpha already right? wink


I recently deleted it, might be for the last time. I got fed up of launcher issues and the slow state of development.

Might re-visit it in a few years.
Posted By: Mr_Blastman

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 07/05/23 04:00 PM

My favorite activity in Star Citizen is to play "get temp banned from their forums." They don't like when folks suggest they fire ineffective managers, remove latte machines and foosball tables and force them to work overtime and crunch to actually release something they have been working on for eleven years.
Posted By: wormfood

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 07/05/23 04:04 PM

Originally Posted by PanzerMeyer
Anyone playing Star Citizen yet? That came out of Alpha already right? wink


Off and on. It always looks pretty and makes for a good, if expensive wallpaper generator. Sometimes is fun, but some patches just break things and make it unplayable.
Same with the events, sometimes they work great and allow some great fun and big battles. Other times it just messed the servers up and you can barely do anything or it crashes constantly.

One day it might be great.
Posted By: DBond

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 07/05/23 04:16 PM

They have a roadmap which says SC will reach great in 2029. Which has been delayed to 2033 due to moving goalposts from crowd funding success.

In 2033, it will be nearly great. By 2037 the targets will be hit. Maybe. And then they'll start with Squadron 42 and the 2042 Beta because 42.

I'll probably fly a real spaceship before I fly one in SC.
Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 07/05/23 04:23 PM

LOL Great post DBond. I got a good laugh.
Posted By: DBond

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 07/05/23 04:35 PM

Thanks, I'm here all week.

I bash Star Citizen and, well I think it is deserved.

The path they took was the wrong one as far as I am concerned. The initial promises were not kept, as the targets kept changing as the money rolled in. Instead of delivering that early game as outlined, the increasing funds resulted in more and more features and additions. But rather than deliver the game and then add on to that -- the way Elite did it -- CIG just kept expanding the scope and failed to deliver on the early promises.

I've never crowd funded, and only pre-ordered one game that I can recall, and that was the day before release! (RDR 2). So I've got no skin in the game other than an affinity for this sort of game, and I want it to succeed. But I am very glad I never gave them any money. I'd be right put out over the way things have gone.
Posted By: Mr_Blastman

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 07/05/23 04:48 PM

Some of us are definitely a bit pissed off, DBond. Thankfully I only gave them the price of a typical game on day one. Many of us were pretty desperate in 2012 for something new in the space genre similar to Wing Commander, as all we had at the time were Freespace 2 mods from Hard-Light.net.
Posted By: DBond

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 07/05/23 05:07 PM

How could you not be? I see lots of people defending their choices, and I get it. At one point I threw around words like scam, but that isn't accurate. They may even mean well, and aim to deliver. But we're going on ten years now? Like I said, they should have delivered the game that was originally outlined in their original pitch to investors. That the money coming in resulted in more expansion makes sense. But to just keep delaying that original framework to keep adding to it is what led us to this point, no?

Squadron 42 should have been out years ago, according to the promises made.
Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 07/05/23 05:10 PM

Yeah I know game publishers have done a lot of BS with their business practices BUT there's a very strong argument to why hard deadlines for game releases are necessary.
Posted By: BlueGold

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 07/05/23 06:53 PM

curently i play WoW and PoE1
Posted By: wormfood

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 07/05/23 09:44 PM

Originally Posted by DBond
They have a roadmap which says SC will reach great in 2029. Which has been delayed to 2033 due to moving goalposts from crowd funding success.

In 2033, it will be nearly great. By 2037 the targets will be hit. Maybe. And then they'll start with Squadron 42 and the 2042 Beta because 42.

I'll probably fly a real spaceship before I fly one in SC.


That's just completely false. We all know that when they hit $750 million they'll stop making a game and start producing real spaceships....due in 2070 of course.
Posted By: CyBerkut

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 07/06/23 10:04 AM

I'm glad I bailed out of it and got the refund when I did.

It's a shame they didn't get their act together since then.
Posted By: DM

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 07/06/23 03:28 PM

SC is kind of weird when you think that it was announced among 3 or 4 similar titles at around the same time. Elite Dangerous released to generally positive receptions, had a good run, and is now in a slow decline. No Man's Sky released to terrible receptions, has spent the intervening time improving and is now regarded as one of the better space games. Meanwhile SC still in alpha.
Posted By: Mr_Blastman

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 07/06/23 05:00 PM

Scam Citizen. Hurts to say this, too, considering Chris Roberts made some of my favorite childhood games.
Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 07/06/23 05:03 PM

Originally Posted by DM
Elite Dangerous released to generally positive receptions, had a good run, and is now in a slow decline. No Man's Sky released to terrible receptions, has spent the intervening time improving and is now regarded as one of the better space games. Meanwhile SC still in alpha.



I'm sure both Elite Dangerous and No Man's Sky had fairly well structured development times with defined release dates and progress goal posts established.
Posted By: CyBerkut

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 07/06/23 05:47 PM

Originally Posted by Mr_Blastman
Scam Citizen. Hurts to say this, too, considering Chris Roberts made some of my favorite childhood games.


Yeah, I remember the Dread Pirate Roberts memes, and Chris embracing that. Kind of takes on a different meaning now, eh?
Posted By: KRT_Bong

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 07/08/23 10:29 PM

I found this little gem hiding on Steam
https://store.steampowered.com/app/2168680/Nuclear_Option/
If you hurry you might get to join a free playtest. I just did and I'm already seeing potential
It's very cool.
Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 07/09/23 02:57 AM

I've been enjoying Kingdom Come Deliverance even though I feel like I've been watching more cut scenes than I've been in actual combat so far. LOL
Posted By: Allen

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 07/29/23 10:35 AM

Witcher 3 -- just a little bit. Things currently going on in my life interfere with gaming. I had started Witcher 3 and stopped months ago because Raytracing wasn't working yet on my GPU.

Raytraced effects are set to maximum and look good now. FPS is around 45 at 4K resolution -- smooth to my eyes. Very high image detail. Very satisfactory.

FWIW: All settings Ultra+ except "blur" effects and related effects that can interfere with maximum image details. No RSR or other "tricks" to increase frame rate.



Attached picture Screenshot 2023-07-29 061326.jpg
Posted By: DBond

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 07/29/23 01:57 PM

Another month has passed and here's what I've been playing

PGA Tour 2K23 -- Wigean and I have a league going, playing new events every week. Good golf game. Always looking for more players, so join us.

Fallout 76 -- In the 2021 Steam Summer Sale I saw Fallout 4 for ten bucks. Took a punt, and it went on to be one of my favorite games. Dropped over 500 hours in to it since then. When this summer sale rolled around I had reached the point where I was starting to feel like I had done it all in FO4, which isn't literally true, but close enough. Not done with it yet, I don't think. It's a fantastic game, very well-suited to me, and I 'finished' it long ago. All my play now is in the post-main quest world I've set up. I have to say Fallout 4 is one of my biggest successes, going from 'ah what the hell, it's only ten bucks', to an all-timer.

So browsing the 2023 summer sale I saw Fallout 76 on sale for the same ten bucks. This game was a release disaster, and I'm sure that has colored my views on it. But Panzer Meyer has been recommending it to me, and again I thought 'ah what the hell, it's only ten bucks' Gave it a go and it hooked me straight away. So much so that I turned around and bought the only DLC, called the Pitt. I wasn't sure I needed it, but decided I'd rather not need it at half-price than to want it at full price haha. Then I turned around and bought a one-year subscription, called 1st, which is totally optional but gives 1st player more rewards and some nifty quality of life enhancements. That was another hundred. So my ten bucks quickly became one hundred and twenty lol.

I wasn't sure what sort of game experience to expect. I guessed it was mostly public events and PvP, with some starter fluff to hook you in. But it is not that at all. It's a full-blown single player game set in a multiplayer world. I can do my own thing, and then join others in events as the mood strikes. A sort of emergent co-op where I can be moving through the map, encounter other players, join them for a bit as we clear a town or facility, and then saunter off my own way. Fallout 76 has come a very long way from what it was at the start. Took a punt, and once again it paid off with a game very well suited to me. Fallout, yeah.
Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 07/31/23 02:44 AM

Originally Posted by Allen
Witcher 3 -- just a little bit. Things currently going on in my life interfere with gaming. I had started Witcher 3 and stopped months ago because Raytracing wasn't working yet on my GPU.

Raytraced effects are set to maximum and look good now. FPS is around 45 at 4K resolution -- smooth to my eyes. Very high image detail. Very satisfactory.

FWIW: All settings Ultra+ except "blur" effects and related effects that can interfere with maximum image details. No RSR or other "tricks" to increase frame rate.




You'll have to let me know which ending you get in the game. There are over 10 different endings you can get depending on your choices with several key moments during the main storyline.
Posted By: DM

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 07/31/23 08:18 AM

I wish I could play The Witcher 3, I have it, it looks great etc, but I don't get any sound. I get the odd single bit of vegetation rustling now & then & other random incidental sounds, but apart from that silence. It's the only game I have that has any such problem, and Googling the problem reveals that it's not a problem for almost everyone. Shame because I've long had a hankering for a decent open world game that has a lot for the player to see & do.
Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 07/31/23 10:18 AM

Originally Posted by DM
I wish I could play The Witcher 3, I have it, it looks great etc, but I don't get any sound. I get the odd single bit of vegetation rustling now & then & other random incidental sounds, but apart from that silence. It's the only game I have that has any such problem, and Googling the problem reveals that it's not a problem for almost everyone. Shame because I've long had a hankering for a decent open world game that has a lot for the player to see & do.


Do you use on-board sound or do you have a dedicated sound card?
Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 07/31/23 10:27 AM

I actually reinstalled Steel Division 2 and I'm giving it another shot. I put a few hours into it this weekend and I think I'm starting to warm up to it.
Posted By: DM

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 07/31/23 11:20 AM

Originally Posted by PanzerMeyer
Do you use on-board sound or do you have a dedicated sound card?


On-board. I used to always use a dedicated sound card but since my last one stopped working and I went to the on-board, I found that I really didn't see any significant benefit to the dedicated. I'm not a sound engineer and not much of an audiophile and on-board sound solutions seems to me to be very competent nowadays.

As far as I can tell all my drivers seem to be up-to-date (my system is fairly new, less than 18 months old) and no other problems are apparent, only that one game. And, as I said, I do get SOME random sounds from the game.
Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 07/31/23 11:47 AM

Originally Posted by DM


On-board. I used to always use a dedicated sound card but since my last one stopped working and I went to the on-board, I found that I really didn't see any significant benefit to the dedicated. I'm not a sound engineer and not much of an audiophile and on-board sound solutions seems to me to be very competent nowadays.

As far as I can tell all my drivers seem to be up-to-date (my system is fairly new, less than 18 months old) and no other problems are apparent, only that one game. And, as I said, I do get SOME random sounds from the game.



The only thing I can think of is that maybe some system files in the game installation are corrupted. Have you tried running the file verification tool for the game in Steam?
Posted By: DM

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 07/31/23 12:12 PM

Yeah done all that smile I keep hoping that the next patch will do *something* so I keep it installed, but no luck yet. I even uninstalled it & reinstalled it to a different place.
Posted By: F4UDash4

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 07/31/23 12:37 PM

Originally Posted by DM
Yeah done all that smile I keep hoping that the next patch will do *something* so I keep it installed, but no luck yet. I even uninstalled it & reinstalled it to a different place.


That's a weird dilemma!
Posted By: DM

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 07/31/23 02:11 PM

Yeah it's a little annoying, luckily I have about 2000 other games all wanting my eventual attention biggrin

(It's my fantasy that when I eventually retire I'll have all the time to play these games. I'm an optimist at heart.)

(2000 is a bit of an exaggeration. But it's like 200 I reckon.)
Posted By: Mr_Blastman

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 07/31/23 05:24 PM

I'm playing Skyrim again, after all these years.

Surprising? Yes. The same game? Hell no. The fantastical world of modding splendor has allowed infinite possibilities of wonderous adventures. I am playing my own version of...

SoulsRim

SoulsRim promises to turn Skyrim into a Dark Souls/Elden Ring style experience. Gone are the save scumming load/reload until you beat something. Gone are the fixed paths. Gone are the leveled enemies and minimal risk. Gone are the clunky combat systems. Gone are the simple use fast travel, go where you please, do what you want, whenever you want la la gameplay. Now you must struggle to survive. You will face monsters that are 50x your power in some areas, and in others, you may find yourself clubbing seals. The weather will try and kill you. The environment will try and devour you. Your own body may try and destroy you from lack of food. But you will have new moves, new combat options(including roll), new attacks, new animations, new spells, and most importantly, when you die, you will respawn, somewhere, and you will have to hunt down your killer, claim your lost gold, and kill them to receive a perk while dealing with the buffs they receive from your own death, and should you choose, deal with your own negative flaws given to yourself on death until they are slain.

Minus all the graphics mods, etc. (I have probably 110 - 120+ mods at the moment and climbing), the basic ingredients for SoulsRim are as follows:

Live Another Life (alternative start to avoid the same old same old, think Morrowind style)

Skyrim Unleveled: Kicking the Player off the Center Stage (also changes the armor/weapon system where certain weapons are better vs. certain armors i.e. crossbows > platemail, warhammer > plate, and spells level in potency, heavier armor gives huge penalties to magic casting)

Shadow of Skyrim: Nemesis and Alternative Death System

MorrowLoot Ultimate (No more leveled loot. Real rewards in areas of real challenge, and likewise, easy areas give little of value)

Combat Gameplay Overhaul (allows free movement on attack, striking multiple foes, rolling, spellcasting in the air and shooting bows/crossbows in the air, and adds two stances for your weapon: 1 hand/2 hand with separate types of attacks)

Ultimate Combat

Maximum Carnage

First Person Combat Animations Overhaul

Apocalypse (for magic)

CBBE + Sexy Move (yes Nemesis can take over for FNIS once you build the file the first time)

Survival Mode

Frostfall

Campfire

Immersive Armors

Immersive Weapons

Enhanced Blood Textures

SMIM

Immersive Citizens

Add in companion mods + Amazing Follower Tweaks

There's also a Souls and Elden Ring armor pack out there... My combat mods are centered around first person gameplay, but they work fine in third as well. There are some third person gameplay mods which could enrich things even further, but...TES has always been about first person.


Maybe I'll make a Wabbajack of this when I have things perfected. I have a ton of graphics mods installed, too, but they are not essential for the core SoulsRim experience. At the root, the gameplay is the most important part of any game, and the above mods transform Skyrim into my vision of the perfect game. I will probably add in some form of immersive hud/marker removal--however figuring out where your body was dragged to can be a challenge at times--and exciting, as you may be surrounded by bad things.

Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 08/01/23 10:29 AM

Originally Posted by Mr_Blastman
I'm playing Skyrim again, after all these years.

Surprising? Yes. The same game? Hell no. The fantastical world of modding splendor has allowed infinite possibilities of wonderous adventures. I am playing my own version of...

SoulsRim

SoulsRim promises to turn Skyrim into a Dark Souls/Elden Ring style experience. Gone are the save scumming load/reload until you beat something. Gone are the fixed paths. Gone are the leveled enemies and minimal risk. Gone are the clunky combat systems. Gone are the simple use fast travel, go where you please, do what you want, whenever you want la la gameplay. Now you must struggle to survive. You will face monsters that are 50x your power in some areas, and in others, you may find yourself clubbing seals. The weather will try and kill you. The environment will try and devour you. Your own body may try and destroy you from lack of food. But you will have new moves, new combat options(including roll), new attacks, new animations, new spells, and most importantly, when you die, you will respawn, somewhere, and you will have to hunt down your killer, claim your lost gold, and kill them to receive a perk while dealing with the buffs they receive from your own death, and should you choose, deal with your own negative flaws given to yourself on death until they are slain.

Minus all the graphics mods, etc. (I have probably 110 - 120+ mods at the moment and climbing), the basic ingredients for SoulsRim are as follows:

Live Another Life (alternative start to avoid the same old same old, think Morrowind style)

Skyrim Unleveled: Kicking the Player off the Center Stage (also changes the armor/weapon system where certain weapons are better vs. certain armors i.e. crossbows > platemail, warhammer > plate, and spells level in potency, heavier armor gives huge penalties to magic casting)

Shadow of Skyrim: Nemesis and Alternative Death System

MorrowLoot Ultimate (No more leveled loot. Real rewards in areas of real challenge, and likewise, easy areas give little of value)

Combat Gameplay Overhaul (allows free movement on attack, striking multiple foes, rolling, spellcasting in the air and shooting bows/crossbows in the air, and adds two stances for your weapon: 1 hand/2 hand with separate types of attacks)

Ultimate Combat

Maximum Carnage

First Person Combat Animations Overhaul

Apocalypse (for magic)

CBBE + Sexy Move (yes Nemesis can take over for FNIS once you build the file the first time)

Survival Mode

Frostfall

Campfire

Immersive Armors

Immersive Weapons

Enhanced Blood Textures

SMIM

Immersive Citizens

Add in companion mods + Amazing Follower Tweaks

There's also a Souls and Elden Ring armor pack out there... My combat mods are centered around first person gameplay, but they work fine in third as well. There are some third person gameplay mods which could enrich things even further, but...TES has always been about first person.


Maybe I'll make a Wabbajack of this when I have things perfected. I have a ton of graphics mods installed, too, but they are not essential for the core SoulsRim experience. At the root, the gameplay is the most important part of any game, and the above mods transform Skyrim into my vision of the perfect game. I will probably add in some form of immersive hud/marker removal--however figuring out where your body was dragged to can be a challenge at times--and exciting, as you may be surrounded by bad things.



Nice. The next Elder Scrolls game should be out in time for my retirement. smile
Posted By: Mr_Blastman

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 08/01/23 04:56 PM

For sure, given their current rate of development. Starfield might not even be worth playing for a few years on release, as all Bethesda games benefit immensely from mods.
Posted By: Blade_RJ

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 08/02/23 03:43 AM

Originally Posted by PanzerMeyer


Nice. The next Elder Scrolls game should be out in time for my retirement. smile


you wont be playing starfield untill then?
Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 08/02/23 10:27 AM

Originally Posted by Blade_RJ
Originally Posted by PanzerMeyer


Nice. The next Elder Scrolls game should be out in time for my retirement. smile


you wont be playing starfield untill then?



Yes I will be playing it but it's a totally different genre. That's ok, the DLC for Elden Ring should be out relatively soon.
Posted By: WangoTango

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 08/03/23 05:04 PM

Playing online Euchre and Mahjong. I am officially old man yelling at cloud.
Posted By: Mr_Blastman

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 08/04/23 04:47 AM

Totally unscripted moment from this evening, unedited and raw footage. I am the Skyrim Nut Krusher.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-uJN8kJuIsE
Posted By: Allen

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 08/04/23 11:43 AM

It was Baldur's Gate that got me started in RPGs.

Downloaded the "release version" of Baldur's Gate 3 yesterday. I originally bought the pre-release version the day it came out -- to financially support development.

However, I'll stick with playing Witcher 3 for now. Given my current lack of "free time", I assume that could take many weeks or a few months to complete (assuming I don't lose interest).
Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 08/04/23 11:56 AM

Originally Posted by Allen
I assume that could take many weeks or a few months to complete (assuming I don't lose interest).


The first time I played Witcher 3 and the two DLC's it took me about 230 hours to finish it all. I'm a completionist though so I did every single side quest and I explored the entire game world.
Posted By: DM

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 08/04/23 12:22 PM

I have some interest in Baldur's Gate 3, I played Divinity 2 online with some (rl) friends, we've clocked up about 220-ish hours each in it and we still haven't got to the end of it. I also had previously put some SP time into that game and I have to say I wouldn't have got as far playing SP as I did MP. Just something better when you're playing with people in that game, I might expect the same experience for BG3.
Posted By: Allen

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 08/04/23 03:28 PM

Originally Posted by PanzerMeyer
I'm a completionist though so I did every single side quest and I explored the entire game world.


Me too. I can't pass up a "problem". Thing is, as you note, that can take hundreds of hours. Sometimes I lose interest and quit. Then, I have to restart the game a year or two later biggrin

This Witcher 3 play-through is such a "restart" for me (as seen in the attachment).

Attached picture Screenshot 2023-08-04 112654.jpg
Posted By: Mr_Blastman

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 08/04/23 07:06 PM

I never could stay immersed in Witcher 3.

Witcher 1 is the best of the series, by far.
Posted By: Mr_Blastman

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 08/21/23 04:59 PM

More of that 12 year old, dried up, previous generation, long in the tooth game Skyrim...


[Linked Image]


250 mods and climbing...

(the mud is not a flat texture, but instead 3D parallax mud, with depth in the crevices and little rocks, that move and change shape as you walk... As are most surfaces in the game now. The grass also bends as you walk through, and so much more... 4 party members atm., but I can have more of those, too.)
Posted By: DBond

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 08/21/23 05:19 PM

Originally Posted by Mr_Blastman

Witcher 1 is the best of the series, by far.


That statement went in my processing unit and came out as 'wut?'. No accounting for taste I reckon. It's all good, but yeah, no, cannot agree with that.

Another month has passed and in that month I've played just two games.

Fallout 76 -- I've had a great time with this game, but sad to say I've already blown through nearly all the content. Not sure what's left will hold me for long, but it's been a good run. I'll see if I can find my groove in the post-quest game world.

PGA Tour 2K23 -- Wigean and I continue to battle on the links. No one else is permitted to join so don't even ask! smile

Just bought BG3, so that's the next three months.
Posted By: Mr_Blastman

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 08/21/23 05:26 PM

Originally Posted by DBond

That statement went in my processing unit and came out as 'wut?'. No accounting for taste I reckon. It's all good, but yeah, no, cannot agree with that.


I value games that let you mold and shape the game world. Ones that evolve around you I prefer, the most.

Witcher 1 can evolve, tremendously, based on choices and actions you make. Witcher 3? Not so much. Most of Witcher 3 is cardboard cutouts--everything is pretty and for show, but very little you do has tangible, far reaching effect.

And even as far as living the world is concerned, Witcher 3 does a very poor job, compared with modded Skyrim. Modded Skyrim is approaching Ultima levels of interactivity and immersion. Witcher 3 never immersed me, fully, which is sad.

Witcher 1 I felt like I had purpose, and the people and plot evoked feeling and emotion. The game was evocative.

Witcher 2 changed this and went the opposite direction--a more theatrical, guided approach. Witcher 3 took this even further in ways.


So in a nutshell, the more interactive, and deep the systems, either through crafting/building/exploring or dialogue/plot interaction, the better. But the dialogue/plot interaction must have dramatic consequences that do not vanish the moment you leave the scene or area, if we're relying on those instead of the former immersive systems. I want to play a game, not have the game play me.
Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 08/21/23 05:27 PM

Currently playing:




Baldur's Gate 3 - Fantastic game but big learning curve for me.
Steel Division II - Decided to give this another shot. Some parts of the game I find a bit "dry" but so far it is keeping my attention most of the time.
Mass Effect Legendary Edition- Almost done with my third playthrough of this classic sci-fi trilogy.
IL-2 and DCS - I play each one about once per week and almost always multiplayer. The solo side leaves me flat.
Fallout 76 - play it religiously every day
Company of Heroes 3 - Multiplayer only
Dying Light 2 - Multiplayer only
ArmA 3 - Multiplayer only.



Posted By: DBond

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 08/22/23 09:10 PM

Skyrim's looking good Blastman.

About Witcher... yeah, I didn't like the first game. The concepts were good, and the factors like narrative, and art direction and RPG mechanics were good. But I just didn't find it all that fun to play. Witcher 3 was leaps and bounds better, for me. Until RDR 2 came along I think it's the best of the sort. It's all down to taste anyway.
Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 08/23/23 10:31 AM

Witcher 3 is pretty much universally considered to be the best game from the Witcher trilogy.
Posted By: DBond

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 08/23/23 12:17 PM

Yep, it is, and rightfully so in my estimation. But Blastman, and others I am sure, see it differently, which is totally cool. Witcher 3 blew me away, one of the most expertly designed games we've ever seen in my view. Witcher 1 just didn't grab me in the same way. Not a bad game, but like I said I didn't find it fun to play. CDPR was still honing their mojo. Witcher 2 was significantly better for me, but they still had the fookin' Kayran. Man, that sucked.

I have added BG3 to my rotation and so it begins.
Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 08/23/23 12:22 PM

Originally Posted by DBond
Yep, it is, and rightfully so in my estimation. But Blastman, and others I am sure, see it differently, which is totally cool. Witcher 3 blew me away, one of the most expertly designed games we've ever seen in my view. Witcher 1 just didn't grab me in the same way. Not a bad game, but like I said I didn't find it fun to play. CDPR was still honing their mojo. Witcher 2 was significantly better for me, but they still had the fookin' Kayran. Man, that sucked.

I have added BG3 to my rotation and so it begins.



I enjoyed Witcher 1 but by the time I got around to playing it, it was pretty outdated graphically. I also didn't find the main story to be as interesting as the main story in Witcher 3.
Posted By: wormfood

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 08/23/23 12:55 PM

You should also take into account that as good as Witcher 3 is now, originally on release, it had several bugs and the controls were really clunky. The fixed most of it quickly, but if you only played it around release it wasn't great.
I never played it on release, but I remember a ton of reviews complaining about it. I only picked up the GOTY edition a few years later and it was pretty great at that time.

I did appreciate the branching stories and choices in 1 and 2 over the more linear story of 3.
Posted By: Mr_Blastman

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 08/23/23 04:09 PM

Yeah the branching and impact of decisions the player could make in Witcher 1 is what I liked most. As far as the gameplay went, combat in particular was a frustrating click at the right time affair, which Witcher 3 is easily better at. However, the Dark Souls/Elden Ring series trounces that combat without breaking a sweat, as Geralt moves and reacts like a ten thousand ton bus. At least in Witcher 1 you aren't forced to examine a million different swords and armors with fractional percentage differences in strength. In Witcher 3 I found this very, very tedious. In 'Souls, armor and sword is just as they are, and if you like how they swing and react, you upgrade them to whatever you'd like to make them into.

When we're played as many RPGs as many of us likely have, we each have come to appreciate certain nuances that make this game or that game favored over others. There's no right answer here, other than be glad we have so many choices to choose from. smile

Tomorrow Armored Core 6 comes out. For the first time ever an Armored Core game will have mouse and keyboard support...

As a big mecha fan, I'm a bit excited. smile
Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 08/23/23 04:14 PM

Yes, there's no doubt in my mind that the combat mechanics in Elden Ring are far superior to those in Witcher 3. That's just one of the many reasons why I put in over 700 hours into Elden Ring.
Posted By: Allen

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 08/24/23 03:59 PM

Originally Posted by Mr_Blastman
At least in Witcher 1 you aren't forced to examine a million different swords and armors with fractional percentage differences in strength. In Witcher 3 I found this very, very tedious.


I agree about the many swords and armors with small improvements. Its for such reasons, I mod/cheat games. I make them "fit me".

Built into Witcher 3 is the control system used by the game's programmers/testers (its not a mod -- just part of the game). I switched it on and caused it to give me one of EVERY item in the game (hundreds -- over 3500 total weight units). I perused them. Long story short, I only loaded and kept the few Swords and few Armors, etc that made sense to me. Some only unlock as Geralt's level rises.

I still do the "searches" for equipment, components, blueprints, etc -- yes I'm odd smile
Posted By: Allen

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 08/30/23 09:15 AM

Downloading "Starfield" "Preload Edition".

They say it tries to be an Interplanetary Elder Scrolls game (e.g. Skyrim). If so, its perfect for me. We'll see.

But, I don't plan to play it until I'm done with (or worn out by) Witcher 3. Still a long way off.
Posted By: Wigean

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 08/30/23 09:51 AM

Downloading/Preloading "Starfield" as well. 86.45GB.

Then I have started to play Fallout 76.
Just scratched the surface so far. I get help from DBond andPanzerMeyer with this as I haven`t played the previous games and to be honest I am totally blank with this type of game.
For me a steep learning curve, but really fun and rewarding when managing to finish a quest.

Then I play PGA 2K23 . Yes Golf.
We have a tournament running every week. 4 rounds in 7 days.
DBond is a master at this , and I am slowly learning/getting experience to give him a fun challenge in some of the tournaments.
The game is open for all, and new players are very welcome.
Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 08/30/23 11:07 AM

I'll buy Starfield soon after release but right now I'm very busy with Baldur's Gate 3 and some other games.
Posted By: Wigean

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 08/30/23 01:54 PM

Originally Posted by PanzerMeyer
I'll buy Starfield soon after release but right now I'm very busy with Baldur's Gate 3 and some other games.


I had a finger on the button with regards to BG3, but with 2K23 Golf, Fallout 76 and Starfield there would be an overload.
If I pull the trigger on it , it had to be when they have a sale and that will not happen in the near future.
Posted By: wormfood

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 08/30/23 01:59 PM

Battlebit - a fun mixup of Squad and the old Battlefield games
Remnant 2 - soulslike with guns, probably the best way to describe it.
Hitman - I don't know why I put this off so long. So many ways to complete these missions. It's great so far.
Posted By: DBond

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 08/30/23 02:17 PM

Originally Posted by wormfood

Hitman - I don't know why I put this off so long. So many ways to complete these missions. It's great so far.


Yes, indeed. Fantastic game, or trilogy I should say. I had a thread about it but little interest. Here it is if you want to read it.

Hitman : World of Assassination

Freelancer's worth a look too, but it is not for everyone.
Posted By: Blade_RJ

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 08/31/23 05:38 PM

just as i predicted.....loadingfield https://twitter.com/TWTHEREDDRAGON/status/1697299278799032788?s=20
and dont give me the scope #%&*$# excuse.
Posted By: Mr_Blastman

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 08/31/23 05:46 PM

Elite Dangerous had cleverly disguised loading screens... as warps, dockings, etc. They remained immersive. Black loading screens is simply head scratching.
Posted By: Blade_RJ

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 08/31/23 08:04 PM

seems it just a bunch of mini areas like it was with fallout and skyrim lol even space is not space https://twitter.com/TWTHEREDDRAGON/status/1697305727998513551?s=20
the youtube video is now private, so i guess they are doing damage control.
Posted By: Mr_Blastman

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 09/05/23 04:50 PM

Anyone try Armored Core 6 yet? Really darned good action game, and best part? For the first time ever in the series, mouse and keyboard support! Which turns out, is also the best way to play. I've beaten a few of the big bosses, so I'm a bit into the game now, and having a lot of fun.
Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 09/05/23 04:56 PM

Most of my solo gaming time right now is taken up by Baldur's Gate 3 and Fallout 76.

My Cooperative MP time is mostly with ArmA 3, DCS, Dying Light 2, Company of Heroes 3 and IL-2.
Posted By: DBond

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 09/18/23 01:26 PM

Another month has gone and this is what has been in my rotation

Baldur's Gate 3 -- I've made it to Act 3, over 100 hours dropped so far and plenty left to go. This is a fantastic RPG that moves the needle in a number of ways. No game of this type has been a better production. It's isometric yeah, but all conversations are voiced and switch to a AAA-style cutscene. Voice acting is maybe the best I've ever experienced in any game. Gameplay is also top-notch, even if I'm not a massive fan of D&D 5th edition. It works well though. Taken as a whole, this could be the best cRPG ever made, but that's a matter of opinion and perspective. I'll wait until I am done to pass final judgement. But I'm not sure it will dethrone DOS 2 for me.

PGA Tour 2K23 -- This one gets an entry every month in my list. Wigean is fine competition. New tournament every week! Come knock the ball around with us.

FO76 -- Still playing, but in much smaller doses. Completing the content has left a void, but as I've said before, there's a hook in there and I have fun with it.

Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous -- Picked this up a few days ago since I was having such a good time with BG3 and Pathfinder was marked down 70%. I played Kingmaker and liked it, so pulled the trigger on this one. Not nearly the spectacle that BG3 is, but has it's charms. Pathfinder rule set is closer to D&D 3.5 which suits me better. Exceptionally detailed and intricate build system. Can be played real time with pause or turn based. An experience much closer to table top.
Posted By: wormfood

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 09/18/23 02:27 PM

War Thunder - It's like crack, kills time, my wallet and is bad for me, but I can't stop.

Planet Crafter - not a big fan of survival games, but this is alright. You're on a crashed ship and your goal is to terraform a planet.

Warhammer Darktide - Solid coop shooter, bit repetitive and not too many missions though.

Went back to Total War Warhammer 2, it's great. Tried 3 again as well, it's got some cool factions and mechanics. On the other hand, I hate the siege changes with the fire of a thousand burning suns.
Posted By: DBond

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 09/18/23 03:00 PM

Originally Posted by wormfood

Went back to Total War Warhammer 2, it's great.


Indeed it is. I just uninstalled WH3 to free up space for my new games. I like it well enough, but hadn't played in a few months. The kicker is that every time there's an update it's like 90 gigs and I got tired of that. I'll revisit it down the line. But as good as I think WH3 is, I still prefer WH2 if I'm honest.
Posted By: Allen

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 09/21/23 09:46 PM

Basically, I play one game at a time. And, I normally wait until major updates are installed before starting a new game.

I'm almost finished with Witcher 3 version 4.04.

The Cyberpunk 2077 2.0 update downloaded minutes ago. That may finally be the "inducement" to try Cyberpunk 2077 after finishing Witcher 3.

As previously noted, I'll wait for Baldur's Gate 3 and Starfield (both already installed) to be truly finished -- next year, I presume.
Posted By: NimRud

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 09/23/23 08:45 AM

Originally Posted by Mr_Blastman
Anyone try Armored Core 6 yet? Really darned good action game, and best part? For the first time ever in the series, mouse and keyboard support! Which turns out, is also the best way to play. I've beaten a few of the big bosses, so I'm a bit into the game now, and having a lot of fun.


It´s really an excellent fast paced " mecha" action game. Great atmosphere, very good controls. Tons of customization to the AC´ s to suit your playstyle.

The bosses are challenging and require a different build/approach sometimes. When you´ re stuck on a boss and nothing works simply use brute force. Tank builds with dual Gatlings + any other high damage dealing weapons solve that problem everytime! wink
Posted By: KRT_Bong

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 09/24/23 05:04 PM

https://store.steampowered.com/app/2168680/Nuclear_Option/
If you haven't checked this out yet you should try it out, it's free. Only one guy apparently working on it but he just added a Commanche style Helo and a lot of things have been tweaked. It seems to work just fine with an Xbox or logitech flight stick and with a small effort of installing freepie and a mouse-look script you can use TrackIr though that is planned to be added in later
Posted By: Chucky

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 09/24/23 06:13 PM

Looks interesting, thx for the heads-up!

*edit* I'm really liking the look of this. I just need to re-map the keys to make it easier (mouse/keyboard).
Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 09/25/23 02:31 AM

Tomorow I'll be playing the new DLC for Cyberpunk 2077. The path tracing that was added to the game looks really fantastic too! I spent a good amount of time this weekend getting back into the groove of how Cyberpunk plays.
Posted By: Mr_Blastman

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 09/25/23 06:44 PM

I replayed some Dark Souls 2 over the weekend...

Elden Ring is cake compared with this. EZ. So comfy and non-threatening.

Dark Souls 2 was designed to break your will to exist. Pure oppression, the designers of the Scholar of the First Sin edition were sadists that wanted to ruin everyone attempting to give the game a try.


We take so many things for granted in Elden Ring. I cannot imagine being a player who feels Elden is hard. They do not know what true pain is. Not even a faint hint.

I have played through Dark Souls 2 twice before, however it has been many years since my last playthrough.

Souls 2 is easily the hardest game of the franchise. Nothing else comes close.
Posted By: DBond

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 09/25/23 06:48 PM

I've skipped the Souls games, although I tried 3 but didn't play for long. I've also avoided Elden Ring so far despite the praise it gets. Never played Bloodbourne.

But I've put Lies of P on my wishlist to follow it. Not sure what it is about this one that makes me think I might want to try it. Has anyone played it? It's a souls-like sort of game, no?

Lies of P on Steam
Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 09/25/23 06:49 PM

Thanks for that post Blastman because now I know that I will definitely never bother with playing DS 2. What about DS 3? Is it not as hard?
Posted By: Mr_Blastman

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 09/25/23 07:28 PM

Originally Posted by DBond
I've skipped the Souls games, although I tried 3 but didn't play for long. I've also avoided Elden Ring so far despite the praise it gets. Never played Bloodbourne.

But I've put Lies of P on my wishlist to follow it. Not sure what it is about this one that makes me think I might want to try it. Has anyone played it? It's a souls-like sort of game, no?

Lies of P on Steam


Lies of P seems too linear for my tastes.

Part of the 'Souls experience is exploration and discovery. That's what helps make them great.
Posted By: Mr_Blastman

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 09/25/23 07:30 PM

Originally Posted by PanzerMeyer
Thanks for that post Blastman because now I know that I will definitely never bother with playing DS 2. What about DS 3? Is it not as hard?


DS3 is lots of fun.

The bosses are challenging, but quite interesting.

And the levels are far easier than DS 2.


There's just a lot we take for granted after playing Elden Ring. That would not stop me playing the others, but DS 2 has a massive difficulty spike on the level part. The bosses in DS 2 are really easy, though(except for the Seeker, who is a monster in the early game).

I love and have played all of them. However, the real fun always begins when I get my first greatsword, as that's the style I prefer to play, in really any medieval game. I prefer to keep enemies at bay.
Posted By: NimRud

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 09/26/23 07:45 AM

Sekiro for me was by far the most difficult game I´ ve ever tried in the "Souls" genre. No other game I played (Nioh, Demon Souls, DS1/2, Elden Ring, Bloodbourne) came close.

Loved every second playing it but I simply wasn´ t good enough to overcome the challenge to finish it back then.
Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 09/26/23 10:26 AM

I have to say that Elden Ring is the upper limit of difficulty that I'm willing to do. Let's face it, I'm 50 years old so my reaction time is simply NOT what it was when I was playing Unreal Tournament and Quake when I was in my early 20's.
Posted By: DM

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 09/26/23 10:59 AM

Originally Posted by PanzerMeyer
I have to say that Elden Ring is the upper limit of difficulty that I'm willing to do. Let's face it, I'm 50 years old so my reaction time is simply NOT what it was when I was playing Unreal Tournament and Quake when I was in my early 20's.


I sort of have half an eye on Elden Ring for the future, not because I like that Souls-esque gameplay (I don't) but because the game world just looks amazing, with amazing things happening in it. If there's an easy mode suitable for us 50+ geezers I'll be playing that with zero guilt. I just want to see all the stuff smile
Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 09/26/23 11:12 AM

Originally Posted by DM
Originally Posted by PanzerMeyer
I have to say that Elden Ring is the upper limit of difficulty that I'm willing to do. Let's face it, I'm 50 years old so my reaction time is simply NOT what it was when I was playing Unreal Tournament and Quake when I was in my early 20's.


I sort of have half an eye on Elden Ring for the future, not because I like that Souls-esque gameplay (I don't) but because the game world just looks amazing, with amazing things happening in it. If there's an easy mode suitable for us 50+ geezers I'll be playing that with zero guilt. I just want to see all the stuff smile


Elden Ring has an amazing level of world-building and immersion. The main story is a bit enigmatic at times but I think that's part of its charm.
Posted By: Mr_Blastman

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 09/26/23 06:45 PM

500 mods now in Skyrim. Running around with a party of 5 companions is quite amusing. Lots of monster/bandit/dragon/encounter/etc. mods, pumped up difficulty. Battles. Transforms the game. I feel like I am playing an unofficial sequel to Dragon's Dogma, almost, without the climbing on monsters. Yet. There's mods that let you climb anywhere, now, on structures and terrain...

I am not sure how anyone tolerated this game without mods. I am pushing 150 gigs installed, now.
Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 09/26/23 06:56 PM

Originally Posted by Mr_Blastman


I am not sure how anyone tolerated this game without mods.



Not everyone has the same expectations and tastes when it comes to PC games?
Posted By: wormfood

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 09/26/23 07:12 PM

Not a bad game for when it came out (checks notes) 12 years ago?! Looked good, but there were a bunch of weird issues and I think by the first two weeks I had at least six mods addressing some of the bugs I had going on. Mostly unofficial bug fixes and graphics enhancements/fixes.
One I absolutely hated was the rain would fall through roofs, found a mod for that pretty quickly though. So small, but so immersive breaking. Also, some of the original fire, smoke and water effects weren't very good. So I tweaked those too. Made nights darker. Things like that.
Bethesda games are by far my most modded. After the first playthrough I'll go ham on the gameplay, weapons and armor add ons.
Posted By: Coot

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 09/27/23 02:03 AM

I had over 300 hours in Skyrim and got burned out on it. I was in the final realm and towards the end of the story I think and did not finish it. I did finished Oblivion though when it came out. I closed shut the jaws of Oblivion as a lowly wood elf with a mastery in archery and stealth. I could not melee to save my life so it was mostly stealthing and ranged work. I would like to get through the whole story of Skyrim but I inevitably get caught up in the modding cycle because there as so many of them and there are so many things that make the game much better. My usual must have mods were things like better physics, faster arrows, new bows and environmental mods and perhaps mods that alter the in-game colors and contrasts. I don't think I would really enjoy playing the stock version again without modding it first but it just takes too much time to learn, re-learn how to mod, downloading and then trying to get all the mods working.

I'm tempted to start Witcher 3 again for a second playthrough but there are some mods I used before that I know I would want to use again however if memory serves Witcher 3 in the beginning was fairly complex to mod. Maybe its gotten better but you had to use a script merger utility and understand a little bit of coding to get mods working. I more or less fumbled through it and attempted to by trial and error to mod it. I mostly still don't understand what I was doing. When the game first came out Geralt would auto unsheathe his sword for combat which I HATED. What a terrible design choice that is so simply fixed yet immediately ruins world immersion and control to the player. I think they patched that in but I remember using a mod to fix that. I also liked using camera mods and immersive meditation as well as a mod that made the horse controls work in a similar fashion to Red Dead Redemption if you were using a game controller.

Shadow of the Tomb Raider is another game that does this with regards to controlling a player's weapons for them but that was only one of a enormous list of problems that game has. Overall its a terrible game and I found it unbelievable how bad it was across the board in its lack of polish, bugs and terrible game and gameplay design choices that ruined any enjoyment for the game. It was awful in my opinion. The first Tomb Raider reboot from 2013 is still my favorite.


I'm still working on my second playthrough of Alien Isolation which is still as good today as it was on release.

I still have yet to finish Hidden and Dangerous 2 Sabre Squadron.

Recently I've begun attempting to use the game emulation software xenia canary. My primary reason for this is because I've always wanted Red Dead Redemtion to come to PC and I'm talking of a quality, optimized port of the original game. I love that original game engine and always knew that at a higher resolution and unlocked 60fps it would be excellent and how the game should be played. I played it twice on the original Xbox 360 hardware back when but the game usually played at sub 30fps. Unfortunately it turns out that the game engine is so unoptimized in its CPU usage among other things it still runs rough on PC with xenia HOWEVER, there are areas away from towns or structures in open wilderness areas that do run at 60fps and as I though, it looks and feels awesome when running at 60fps. Everything looks even better in terms of environment, horses, the physics and euphoria engine. However it mostly
runs like it did on the Xbox with the added unnerving stress that it induces on my PC. It REALLY bogs it down and almost maxes out the GPU AND CPU. Its terrible. I don't know if they will ever be able to fix it. The xenia folks do come out with patches and things but this game needs a serious, under the hood rework. There's no reason for a 2010 Xbox 360 game to be this hard a PC that came out five years after it did. Apparently the folks with the best, safe and stable 60 or more fps are those with a current high-end gaming PC specifically with a top tier CPU. I try to play it in small sessions because it is that hard on the PC.

On the other hand I have now played on two other of my Xbox 360 games copied over to xenia canary and they run safely, cleanly and at a butter smooth 60fps and those are The Bourne Conspiracy and Captain America: Super Soldier.
Posted By: F4UDash4

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 09/27/23 02:09 AM

I just bought on Steam a classic that I loved back in the day, "Task Force 1942"

Whipped the Japanese pretty good at a rematch of the Battle of Tassafaronga biggrin
Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 09/27/23 10:56 AM

Originally Posted by Coot


I still have yet to finish Hidden and Dangerous 2 Sabre Squadron.






The game is only about 20 years old so I guess you're enjoying it like a fine wine? wink
Posted By: Coot

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 09/28/23 12:31 AM

I would say so with this game Panzer. Its one of my favorite WW2 games and games in general of all time. I was still using my original copy by 2021 or so but was forced to upgrade to Windows 10 which ruined older PC game compatibility for no good reason so I had to get a GOG copy to continue. Hidden and Dangerous 2 will indeed be 20 years old in October. I was going to make a thread regarding longest gameplays of a game people have taken to finish them but I'm not sure if anyone would enjoy that. Hidden and Dangerous 2 would definitely be the game that I've taken the longest to complete at about 20 years. Another one for me would be L.A. Noir. I started it on the Xbox 360 in 2011, stopped and then picked up the PC version in 2015 and restarted. I finally finished it last year so that one took me 11 years to complete.
Posted By: Mr_Blastman

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 10/05/23 06:55 AM

Crushing bosses, pwning bads, in Dark Souls 2,



The initial hump was a grand, mountainous cliff, but then the game gits gud after that. wink Lowly times, they were, but lots of fun to be had with the ultra greatsword now.
Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 10/05/23 11:43 AM

Baldur's Gate 3
Fallout 76
Mass Effect Legendary Edition
CyberPunk Phantom Liberty DLC

These four are taking the majority of my single-player gaming time right now.
Posted By: DBond

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 10/05/23 12:33 PM

Another month has gone and this is what has been in my rotation

Fallout 76 -- A few of us at SimHQ are playing, including Panzer as he just noted. I haven't been playing much, but logged on last night.

Baldur's Gate 3 -- Have two runs going, one near the end at level 12 and one near the beginning at level 4 in Tactician mode. Great game

Pathfinder Wrath of the Righteous -- Another iso RPG. This one is much more old school than BG3, and quite a bit more dense and difficult. I would recommend BG3 to anyone, but I'd only recommend this game to RPG grogs.

PGA Tour 2K23 -- Just like always
Posted By: rollnloop.

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 10/05/23 03:43 PM

Did crysis 3 for a few days, still looks great in 2023.

For some reason I can't escape playing Arma 3 (currently trying hard CWR 3 remastered OFP missions) , and still trying to get out of my World of Warships addiction.
Posted By: Chucky

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 10/05/23 03:56 PM

Originally Posted by rollnloop.


... and still trying to get out of my World of Warships addiction.


You as well? I keep saying I'll quit it once my premium time runs out but like you, it's become a bit of an addiction, even though it infuriates me at times.
Posted By: Mr_Blastman

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 10/05/23 04:32 PM

Originally Posted by PanzerMeyer

Mass Effect Legendary Edition


I have been meaning to give that a go, and as jerk instead of the usual nice guy. Didn't they change a bunch of cutscenes or something?
Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 10/05/23 04:34 PM

Originally Posted by Mr_Blastman
Didn't they change a bunch of cutscenes or something?


If they did I didn't notice them and I've played through the entire Mass Effect saga several times.
Posted By: rollnloop.

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 10/05/23 04:42 PM

Originally Posted by Chucky
Originally Posted by rollnloop.


... and still trying to get out of my World of Warships addiction.


You as well? I keep saying I'll quit it once my premium time runs out but like you, it's become a bit of an addiction, even though it infuriates me at times.


Ah well 450 ships, didn't even played them all seriously yet after all these years.
Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 10/05/23 05:08 PM

So does the success of World of Warships prove that most gamers prefer to play a casual naval sim over a hardcore naval sim?
Posted By: DM

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 10/06/23 09:17 AM

Originally Posted by PanzerMeyer
So does the success of World of Warships prove that most gamers prefer to play a casual naval sim over a hardcore naval sim?

I think there will be a couple of reasons for this: first, that it would be an expectation that a casual game is more popular than a hardcore game for any genre, nuts & bolts simulation is rather niche and my experience of it is that I sometimes move from casual to hardcore, but then as I get older move back to a more casual experience. (Flight sims excepted.)
Second, it's a free game and a very competent one at that, so it naturally will attract people who possibly wouldn't have ever thought to play a naval game in the first place and found that it was good and also has a lot of online presence where other naval games have less online presence.
Posted By: rollnloop.

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 10/06/23 05:04 PM

Originally Posted by PanzerMeyer
So does the success of World of Warships prove that most gamers prefer to play a casual naval sim over a hardcore naval sim?



Do you have any hardcore naval sim featuring sailable Iowa or Yamato to recommend ?
Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 10/06/23 06:03 PM

Originally Posted by rollnloop.



Do you have any hardcore naval sim featuring sailable Iowa or Yamato to recommend ?


They exist but they are 20+ years old so I get your point. smile
Posted By: wormfood

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 10/06/23 07:27 PM

Originally Posted by rollnloop.
Originally Posted by PanzerMeyer
So does the success of World of Warships prove that most gamers prefer to play a casual naval sim over a hardcore naval sim?



Do you have any hardcore naval sim featuring sailable Iowa or Yamato to recommend ?


Wouldn't you need a couple thousand players per ship for that?


Edit, that's probably why there's more sub games like that. Much smaller and you only need a few people. Now they just need a PT109 type game like some of those sub games.
Posted By: F4UDash4

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 10/06/23 07:34 PM

Originally Posted by wormfood
Originally Posted by rollnloop.
Originally Posted by PanzerMeyer
So does the success of World of Warships prove that most gamers prefer to play a casual naval sim over a hardcore naval sim?



Do you have any hardcore naval sim featuring sailable Iowa or Yamato to recommend ?


Wouldn't you need a couple thousand players per ship for that?


Hardcore / multiplayer aren't synonymous.
Posted By: rollnloop.

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 10/06/23 08:13 PM

I'd love to have an Iowa simulation comparable to the great Uboat sims we had in the last decades.

However surface fleet engagements were scarce in WW2, so I'd be happy with playing the west virginia at surigao strait.

I wish Atlantic fleet was a sim instead of a turn based tactical game.
Posted By: F4UDash4

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 10/06/23 08:49 PM

Originally Posted by rollnloop.

However surface fleet engagements were scarce in WW2....


Overall yes, but there were numerous surface engagements in the vicinity of Guadalcanal August-November 1942, and several more in the wider Solomons later in 1943. I believe these alone warrant a surface engagement sim. An update of Task Force 1942 in essence.
Posted By: rollnloop.

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 10/06/23 09:07 PM

Indeed, would be great.

Just add in a fictional Iowa vs Tirpitz for me please biggrin
Posted By: F4UDash4

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 10/06/23 09:29 PM

Originally Posted by rollnloop.

Just add in a fictional Iowa vs Tirpitz for me please biggrin


That wouldn't last long....
Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 10/07/23 03:01 AM

Originally Posted by F4UDash4
Originally Posted by rollnloop.

Just add in a fictional Iowa vs Tirpitz for me please biggrin


That wouldn't last long....



Nope. Any Iowa class BB would have torn the Tirpitz to shreds very quickly.
Posted By: FlyingToaster

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 10/07/23 07:13 AM

Originally Posted by wormfood
Originally Posted by rollnloop.
Originally Posted by PanzerMeyer
So does the success of World of Warships prove that most gamers prefer to play a casual naval sim over a hardcore naval sim?



Do you have any hardcore naval sim featuring sailable Iowa or Yamato to recommend ?


Wouldn't you need a couple thousand players per ship for that?


Edit, that's probably why there's more sub games like that. Much smaller and you only need a few people. Now they just need a PT109 type game like some of those sub games.


https://store.steampowered.com/app/10250/PT_Boats_Knights_of_the_Sea/

There you go smile
I played it, and found it not very good though.

The thing with casual vs realistic is that, as DM says, casual will always be more popular. Lower barrier to entry (easier to play and understand) means more appeal for most people. Quicker games mean more appeal for most people.
If you have a realistic Naval game (be it sailing ships, pre-dreds, WW1, or WW2) a single engagement takes hours - most people don't have that much time. Rule the Waves does a good job at speeding things up by making it turn based, so a turn of a few seconds is a minute, but a big engagement can still take quite some time.
It's the same with DCS vs IL-2 vs War Thunder. DCS is simply harder to get into and learn, and generally takes more time (DCS WW2 also has ridiculous barriers to entry in that you need to buy at least 3 different things - a plane, a map, and the asset pack). War Thunder is the easiest, especially arcade mode, which is the most popular.
Posted By: rollnloop.

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 10/07/23 07:34 AM

Originally Posted by PanzerMeyer
Originally Posted by F4UDash4
Originally Posted by rollnloop.

Just add in a fictional Iowa vs Tirpitz for me please biggrin


That wouldn't last long....



Nope. Any Iowa class BB would have torn the Tirpitz to shreds very quickly.


That's the point biggrin
Posted By: Johan217

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 10/07/23 09:24 AM

For naval games you might want to look at War on the Sea by Killerfish (makers of Cold Waters and Atlantic Fleet).
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1280780/War_on_the_Sea/

Set during the Guadalcanal Campaign and I found the surface battles quite good. Not as in-depth as TF1942 but until Task Force Admiral comes out this could be your best pick.
Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 10/07/23 10:04 AM

Anyone remember "Dangerous Waters"? I've been waiting for another modern naval sim like that but no luck so far. I still have the outstanding printed manual for the game too!
Posted By: Coot

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 10/08/23 02:06 AM

I played Dangerous Waters and Sonalyst's other games like Jane's 688i and Sub Command. I was never very good at them but I had fun with them. Speaking of Jane's 688i Hunter Killer just released on GOG. Maybe we'll see more Jane's titles come to GOG. Jane's manuals were great too and I still have most of mine I believe.
Posted By: Mr_Blastman

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 10/09/23 06:35 PM

One game I keep coming back to, which truly is a guilty pleasure, is Huntdown, where you are a bounty hunter tasked with cleaning up scum on dirty city streets:




If you loved 80s arcade games, and the movies "Escape from New York" and "The Warriors," and "Blade Runner," you'll love this.

So fun. So much atmosphere. Some of the best music ever in a game. This was one of the best of 2021, and can be played for minutes at a time, but has plenty of levels and action.
Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 10/10/23 10:28 AM

Still haven't finished Baldur's Gate 3 and I now have about 158 hours put into this masterful game.
Posted By: semmern

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 10/11/23 08:41 PM

Originally Posted by PanzerMeyer
Anyone remember "Dangerous Waters"? I've been waiting for another modern naval sim like that but no luck so far. I still have the outstanding printed manual for the game too!


Yes! I loved Sub Command and Dangerous Waters. Perhaps the most rewarding sims I’ve ever invested time in, together with Grand Prix Legends. The ring-bound manual was outstanding, and the satisfaction of nailing an enemy ship or Sub after trailing for several hours, working on a solution and hitting it with a torpedo was immense!
Posted By: Allen

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 10/12/23 09:07 AM

I'm well into the closing part of Witcher 3 -- probably only a few hours left, if that.

I completed a very minor quest (find an object and use it to open a door -- I found object and opened door -- and progressed).

The game assumes I've NOT found the object -- now, at a key point well beyond the door, it hangs up (black screen) giving me no control over the hang up or hint of its cause. I've spent a couple hours replaying and looked on-line. So far, no luck.
Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 10/12/23 10:26 AM

Originally Posted by Allen
I'm well into the closing part of Witcher 3 -- probably only a few hours left, if that.

.


Are you playing as nice Geralt or are you playing as blood thirsty Geralt? By that I mean the decisions you make concerning the NPC's and who you decide to kill or not kill.
Posted By: Allen

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 10/12/23 10:48 AM

I always "must" be the "good guy/gal". I try to limit "kills" only to those I'm forced to make -- lots of those in Witcher 3. smile

Meantime, by admitting (just above) I was "stuck", the gods smiled -- they let me find an "in-game" (no cheating) way "around" the problem. I'm continuing on. smile
Posted By: Coot

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 10/12/23 11:48 PM

I'd like to play Witcher 3 again. I forget now how many story arc opportunities that exist in the third game. I do remember being amazed at just how many choices are in Witcher 2. I've played that nearly three times over the years and every single play through I kept finding new branching stories that I had never seen during the previous play throughs.

I really wanted to play Alan Wake 2 because I enjoyed the first game very much but judging by the previews that I have seen, Remedy has gotten exponentially darker with their games. I love mysteries, secret government agencies, supernatural events and so on but I had to put "Control" down as it was too dark. It looks like Alane Wake 2 is also following that same formula unfortunately. I believe there is a way to approach some of these subjects for the sake of interesting entertainment without diving headlong into the occult and not only potentially but very certainly opening yourself up to some serious danger. I love the Pacific Northwest setting and the storytelling and mystery of it all but I think they have long since started to cross a line in my opinion. That one bums me out a bit as that was a sequel that I had long wanted to see. The first game was just spooky and ambiguous enough, though sometimes pushing the envelope for me but by and large it maintained a mildness to it with how far they went. This next one looks like they really go all out with little to no discretion.
Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 10/13/23 10:24 AM

I never finished the first Alan Wake game because of the high difficulty. I was constantly running out of batteries and ammo.
Posted By: Coot

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 10/13/23 10:06 PM

Yes it does have a bit of strategy with regards to your resources. It helps to not "zoom" the flashlight too much as that goes through batteries and just allow the normal light setting eat away at the "taken's" darkness shield while you keep moving, then give a burst of hard light to zap the rest of their shield and then plow in with the firearms. Also making sure you had many enemies around you before using up precious flares.
Posted By: The Nephilim

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 10/14/23 12:32 AM

I just started playing MechWarrior 5:Mercenaries.. It had a VR mod so it is really cool even tho I am a noob in the Mech Universe..
Posted By: mbeaver

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 10/14/23 01:35 AM

Originally Posted by PanzerMeyer
I never finished the first Alan Wake game because of the high difficulty. I was constantly running out of batteries and ammo.



I remember using a cheat for unlimited batteries. Even with that it was still plenty difficult for me.
Posted By: MarkG

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 10/14/23 05:08 AM

Originally Posted by Coot
Speaking of Jane's 688i Hunter Killer just released on GOG.


Oh man, thanks! cheers
Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 10/14/23 10:41 AM

NIce to see you back Mark!
Posted By: MarkG

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 10/14/23 04:45 PM

Originally Posted by PanzerMeyer
NIce to see you back Mark!


Just keeping my membership active (although I don't think this site has an inactivity timer).
Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 10/14/23 05:05 PM

Originally Posted by MarkG
Originally Posted by PanzerMeyer
NIce to see you back Mark!


Just keeping my membership active (although I don't think this site has an inactivity timer).



No it doesn’t have one. Just don’t forget your password!
Posted By: Mr_Blastman

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 10/16/23 05:10 PM

Played some Star Citizen over the weekend, after a long while away. When the game works, the experience is vastly more immersive than Starfield could ever hope to be. Graphically, the game is still tops, as well.


I refused to spend any more money, however, until Squadron 42 is released.
Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 10/16/23 05:12 PM

Originally Posted by Mr_Blastman
Played some Star Citizen over the weekend, after a long while away. When the game works, the experience is vastly more immersive than Starfield could ever hope to be. Graphically, the game is still tops, as well.
.



Starfield is not a space sim like Star Citizen. You really just need to think of it as a Fallout game set in space and on different planets. You are comparing apples to oranges.
Posted By: Mr_Blastman

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 10/16/23 05:23 PM

I cannot accept that analogy.

They both have:

a) space ships
b) interplanetary travel
c) planetary exploration
d) interactions and adventures throughout the 'verse


Starfield is simply a failed attempt at the genre, designed by someone who is patently unfit to deliver on this scale. Todd Howard is great at medieval, but Starfield is incompetent when it comes to space. Mass Effect 1 is way better than Starfield, and that also has travel/loading screens. But we have moved far past that, since then.

If Star Citizen were to ever "release" (I have exceptionally strong doubts), I believe many will be stunned as to what is possible. Most "Bethesda" gamers are simply unaware of the possibilities out there, that exist now.


The journey is important when space is involved. That whole process between worlds--that defines the science part of the fiction. Starfield conveniently skips most of that part with loading screens, and instead slathers on gunplay and wokeness in place--and that's just not good enough.


I'm looking forward to the next Elder Scrolls game, however. Bethesda style works quite well for that.
Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 10/16/23 06:19 PM

Originally Posted by Mr_Blastman


I'm looking forward to the next Elder Scrolls game, however. Bethesda style works quite well for that.



That one should be out in about 5 years. wink
Posted By: NimRud

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 10/16/23 07:36 PM

Enjoying the new Forza Motorsport title at the moment. Much to my surprise to be honest. wink

Tried it on my xBox first but had to give up because my wheel setup didn´t work anymore with it. So I switched to the PC version and after some tweaks it is running well (~80 fps) on my older system (i10700k/RTX2070s) with most settings on high.
Driving feels excellent with a wheel so far. Sure, the ingame settings needed some time to setup correctly for my old Logitech G29 but the result was well worth the effort.

The new ranked multiplay system is a very nice addition. The base is already excellent and I´m sure it will only get better with time.
Posted By: Allen

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 10/19/23 10:40 AM

Finished Witcher 3 version 4.04.

PanzerMeyer asked me to mention which ending I got. I don't know what endings were possible. I tried to play the "good guy".

A short description of how things ended up:

At the end, virtually all the truly bad guys and gals had died. The Wild Hunt was exterminated. Geralt allowed some folks with good/bad aspects to live.

Yennefer and Geralt professed their love and went away together -- to enjoy life.

Cirilla saved the Worlds from freezing and became a Witcher. She did not go back to her Father -- she played dead for him.

In the end scenes, Avallac'h lived -- a deliberate choice.

Skellige lived in peace, ruled by Queen Cerys.

Emhyr var Emreis seemed to die in a "wrapup scene" (not by Geralt's hand).
Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 10/19/23 11:28 AM

Originally Posted by Allen
Finished Witcher 3 version 4.04.

PanzerMeyer asked me to mention which ending I got. I don't know what endings were possible. I tried to play the "good guy".

A short description of how things ended up:

At the end, virtually all the truly bad guys and gals had died. The Wild Hunt was exterminated. Geralt allowed some folks with good/bad aspects to live.

Yennefer and Geralt professed their love and went away together -- to enjoy life.

Cirilla saved the Worlds from freezing and became a Witcher. She did not go back to her Father -- she played dead for him.

In the end scenes, Avallac'h lived -- a deliberate choice.

Skellige lived in peace, ruled by Queen Cerys.

Emhyr var Emreis seemed to die in a "wrapup scene" (not by Geralt's hand).


Congrats on finishing Witcher 3. Now you have the two DLC's to do!
Posted By: Allen

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 10/19/23 12:56 PM

Originally Posted by PanzerMeyer
Congrats on finishing Witcher 3. Now you have the two DLC's to do!


Thanks!

I'm all "Witchered out" -- 376 total Witcher 3 hours indicated (includes restarts).

I'm deciding on what's next. I'll start some things and eventually settle on one.

I await Starfield and Baldur's Gate 3 developers to finish the games. I assume next year.

Cyberpunk 2077 is now quite possible.

First try is to finish "Assasin's Creed Valhalla". I have 35 hours in it as of 2022. I may restart.

I was not excited about it when I played. My Female Character (a good gal) is not "totally independent". The game forces some "questionable" (to me) behavior.
Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 10/19/23 01:13 PM

Originally Posted by Allen

I await Starfield and Baldur's Gate 3 developers to finish the games. I assume next year.





Baldur's Gate 3 is very much a polished game now. I have about 180 hours in the game and I can tell you that it's in a very stable and polished state.
Posted By: Allen

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 10/19/23 05:09 PM

Almost 2 years since last play-save. Going with a Clean Start on Valhalla. Outcome TBD.
Posted By: Allen

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 10/21/23 09:15 PM

Originally Posted by Allen
Almost 2 years since last play-save. Going with a Clean Start on Valhalla. Outcome TBD.


I died about 12 times in the first couple hours of the game (my rule is to restart a game after 2 total deaths -- in most cases).

I felt the game "cheated" (really). So, I decided to ignore the fact I died more than twice and played on to 6 hours.

But, I couldn't live with that decision. So, I did a clean restart. Since I knew how the game was going to "game me", I was prepared to "game the game".

Got through the tough part. No deaths yet. On I go. I won't be updating regularly biggrin
Posted By: Blade_RJ

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 10/21/23 09:55 PM

Originally Posted by Allen
Originally Posted by Allen
Almost 2 years since last play-save. Going with a Clean Start on Valhalla. Outcome TBD.


I died about 12 times in the first couple hours of the game (my rule is to restart a game after 2 total deaths -- in most cases).

I felt the game "cheated" (really). So, I decided to ignore the fact I died more than twice and played on to 6 hours.

But, I couldn't live with that decision. So, I did a clean restart. Since I knew how the game was going to "game me", I was prepared to "game the game".

Got through the tough part. No deaths yet. On I go. I won't be updating regularly biggrin


here is a tip.....you cant game the game, im an avid game the game gamer myself, and the game cheats you A LOT, in insta death and conecting blows even when the enemy is far away. this happened in odissey sometimes but here the AI is not even pretending to hide it. it happens always. you are slashing a guy and sudenly he gives you a kill animation, or guy with habard is swinging not close enough to connect but you get magnitized to it. so just cheap shot them or find a spear early on. they cant hit you if you poke them first.
Posted By: Allen

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 10/21/23 10:29 PM

Thanks for the corroboration and the tip smile
Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 10/23/23 03:18 AM

Just finished the Phantom Liberty DLC for Cyberpunk. No spoilers of course but that ending was quite poignant to say the least.
Posted By: WhoCares

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 10/23/23 08:52 AM

Since ~18 months I play some daily Genshin Impact, usually some 15mins daily chores, peaking usually with bi-weekly content updates and some major updates and events every six or seven weeks.

Apart from that it's some World of Tanks now and then, and usually a flight or two in MSFS2020.

And as Skyrim is still strong in this thread,

Fus Ro Dah!
Posted By: DBond

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 10/23/23 12:16 PM

Originally Posted by PanzerMeyer
Just finished the Phantom Liberty DLC for Cyberpunk. No spoilers of course but that ending was quite poignant to say the least.


Steam comments on this one are really good. I'll have to give it a go.
Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 10/23/23 12:18 PM

Originally Posted by DBond
Originally Posted by PanzerMeyer
Just finished the Phantom Liberty DLC for Cyberpunk. No spoilers of course but that ending was quite poignant to say the least.


Steam comments on this one are really good. I'll have to give it a go.



Yeah, the main story line and just overall writing behind the DLC is first rate. The character voiced by Idris Elba is really interesting IMHO.
Posted By: The Nephilim

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 10/25/23 01:36 AM

I have been playing and having a blast in Mechwarrior 5:Mercenaries.. I was playing No Mans sky but the guy I was playing with discovered Starfield and he is hooked on that one currently having all forgot about NMS LOL!!
Posted By: Allen

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 10/26/23 01:17 AM

After less than 30 hours, I quit Assassin's Creed Valhalla. Bad game for my preferences. Other folks may love it -- to each his/her own.

I really liked Origins and Odyssey -- a couple of the best ever for me. But, Valhalla was decidedly different (as some on-line articles noted).


Edit: I also hate to quit. So, I've gotten up in the middle of the night, erased most of the original message, and cancelled my "quit" -- at least, for now. smile
Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 10/26/23 10:27 AM

Originally Posted by Allen
After less than 30 hours, I quit Assassin's Creed Valhalla. Bad game for my preferences. Other folks may love it -- to each his/her own.

I really liked Origins and Odyssey -- a couple of the best ever for me. But, Valhalla was decidedly different (as some on-line articles noted).


Edit: I also hate to quit. So, I've gotten up in the middle of the night, erased most of the original message, and cancelled my "quit" -- at least, for now. smile


Nothing at all to feel bad about! I've bought a couple of games in the past that I thought would be right up my alley but I just couldn't get into them. They just didn't "do it" for me so I quit after putting a few hours into each. The two most recent examples are Steel Division II and Kingdom Come Deliverance.
Posted By: Mr_Blastman

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 10/26/23 04:37 PM

Assassin's Creed Odyssey is that way for me. I simply cannot stay "into" the game. To much spammy button mashing, quest and map maker hand holding for me. The gameplay is very rigid.

Which makes me sad, because Odyssey is extremely beautiful.
Posted By: Blade_RJ

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 10/26/23 08:33 PM

Originally Posted by Allen
After less than 30 hours, I quit Assassin's Creed Valhalla. Bad game for my preferences. Other folks may love it -- to each his/her own.

I really liked Origins and Odyssey -- a couple of the best ever for me. But, Valhalla was decidedly different (as some on-line articles noted).


Edit: I also hate to quit. So, I've gotten up in the middle of the night, erased most of the original message, and cancelled my "quit" -- at least, for now. smile



i also dredge valhalla, and i loved origins and odissey.......just wait till you get to valhalla, people say its the best part, to me it was the worst....the gameplay was too gimmick mechanic, and it was such a looooooong part of the story......i want to vikinger ! another game i still havent beat is shadow of tomb raider....every time i pick i play 1h or 2h hours and forget about for 2 3 months. so boring, even though the puzzles are better the story and linear gameplay, just meh,also the whole city hub was such a stupid adition and worthless, also who creative director decided that we cant use the alternative suits in the third and biggest section of the game ? how stupid are you ? they hate tomb raider so much, they patched the secret ending where she FINALLY becomes tomb raider with the dual pistol.......duck them im glad they were fired after enix got sold.
Posted By: Allen

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 10/26/23 10:05 PM

Thanks for the feedback. Interesting to read your comments. thumbsup

Continuing with Valhalla. I'm starting to "get into it" in a positive way.

About 36 hours during the last week -- including a restart. On the current play 29 hours. No deaths yet (but, I cheat to assure I'm not an easy victim to the occasional overpowered Boss).

On line, I read the history of the British Isles during the era of Valhalla. It helped me accept the situation as presented.

After Rome pulled out, many continental European factions invaded -- for their own benefit. Political violence/war was common for a few hundred years -- no group was blameless.

Still, I try to minimize deaths of normal enemy Soldiers who are just doing their job. Killing civilians is off limits (even the game engine says that). Criminals and Evil Factions are to be exterminated on sight. smile
Posted By: Coot

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 10/26/23 10:21 PM

I don't know if anyone else here has tried it but I've had a game for quite a few years from Steam early access called "Examina". For those who like challenging combat you may like this. Truth be told I've been terrible at it but I gave it another whirl recently and have gotten a little farther. What makes it unique is its use of physics. Many absolutely love it when it supposedly "clicks" as it takes a lot of practice and patience and many hate it. You actually use simulated physics to use weight and inertia and so forth among other variables to make your strikes. There are lots of nuanced moves that are challenging to get your head around but lately I have finally had some success with left to right or right to left swings while stepping into the swing. Its tough. There is an arena to practice as well. Saves are limited which many complain about but there is a round about way to manually do it. They introduced some sort of magic recently and there's some sort of dark story going on. You folks who like the Souls games may like this for its challenge though its nothing like those games other than its challenging in its own unique way. It can be very difficult managing a fight while always correcting your camera or at least remembering which directing is which if the fight moves around on you. There's also NPCs that won't engage you if you don't appear to be a threat or hostile which apparently can even have to do with whether or not you are looking directly at them or accidentally bumping into them. I've had NPCs attack that I never saw coming from another room so I'm not sure what is happening there. Perhaps its explained in the story if I can ever get very far. Also apparently later on you can also stack objects to span drop offs to navigate to other areas. There's physics at play so if you're quick or good enough you could technically drag and drop a bucket or chair over an enemy. There's lots of videos showing the game if anyone's interested.
Posted By: Blade_RJ

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 10/26/23 11:34 PM

Originally Posted by Allen


Still, I try to minimize deaths of normal enemy Soldiers who are just doing their job. Killing civilians is off limits (even the game engine says that). Criminals and Evil Factions are to be exterminated on sight. smile




it is not.....it really isnt, i killed a whole town that made the game regen them. you arent allowed to kill 3 in sucession, but if you time it, you can kill whoever. its not like odissey or origins that snap you out.
Posted By: Allen

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 10/26/23 11:44 PM

Originally Posted by Blade_RJ
Originally Posted by Allen


Still, I try to minimize deaths of normal enemy Soldiers who are just doing their job. Killing civilians is off limits (even the game engine says that). Criminals and Evil Factions are to be exterminated on sight. smile


it is not.....it really isnt, i killed a whole town that made the game regen them. you arent allowed to kill 3 in sucession, but if you time it, you can kill whoever. its not like odissey or origins that snap you out.


That may be correct. When civilians are in the room, the screen announces killing them will result in my "death" -- i.e. the signal will be lost. In one attack, after the warning, a couple civilians surrounded by Enemy Soldiers were accidentally killed (maybe not by me -- by Soldiers fighting at my side). Nothing happened.

Also, I note that if I do kill Soldiers in a town, they regenerate by the next time I come there.
Posted By: Mr_Blastman

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 11/02/23 07:51 PM

The new Robocop scored a 8.5 out of 10...


Anyone play this yet?
Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 11/03/23 10:38 AM

Originally Posted by Mr_Blastman
The new Robocop scored a 8.5 out of 10...


Anyone play this yet?



I haven't. Too busy playing other games right now but I might get it later on. Do you know if it has Coop or is it just single player?
Posted By: wormfood

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 11/03/23 06:53 PM

Originally Posted by PanzerMeyer
Originally Posted by Mr_Blastman
The new Robocop scored a 8.5 out of 10...


Anyone play this yet?



I haven't. Too busy playing other games right now but I might get it later on. Do you know if it has Coop or is it just single player?

Single player only.

I've been too busy to play anything lately, but one of these days I'll have to check this one out. It looked good on some of the early footage and the current reviews seem favorable.
Posted By: Mr_Blastman

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 11/05/23 05:18 AM

Robocop is fun so far, and not nonstop killing. There's some actual police and crime investigation, like lite Police Quest stuff.
Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 11/06/23 03:57 AM

I recently started playing "Jedi Survivor". If you are a Star Wars fan I highly recommend it.
Posted By: Coot

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 11/06/23 11:32 PM

I was disappointed Jedi Survivor did not come to PS4. I don't think my PC can run it well and I detest Origin. Fallen Order was really fun. Star Wars + Uncharted formula makes for a good game.
Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 11/07/23 11:33 AM

Originally Posted by Coot
I was disappointed Jedi Survivor did not come to PS4. I don't think my PC can run it well and I detest Origin. Fallen Order was really fun. Star Wars + Uncharted formula makes for a good game.


Everything about Jedi Survivor is just as good as Fallen Order except for the frame rate performance. Even with an RTX 3090 I sometimes get a noticeable drop in frame rate. Of course the previous game didn't have ray tracing so that is the huge difference.
Posted By: Coot

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 11/07/23 07:55 PM

I think one of my favorite enemies to fight in Fallen Order were those black steel looking robots. I thought they were pretty cool looking.
Posted By: DBond

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 11/08/23 04:01 PM

Another month has gone and this is what has been in my rotation

-- PGA Tour 2K21/23 makes an appearance here for it's 25th straight month (or something).

-- Fallout 76. Just keeps calling me back in. No level cap and I go great together.

-- Fallout 4. Just dabbling in it again. Struggling to conjure objectives. 500+ hours and I've nearly done it all. But FO4 Survival mode is so well suited to me that I keep returning.

-- F1 22/23. Been hotlapping and career mode a bit, and then saw F1 23 had gone on sale so I've swapped over to the new title, uninstalling 22 to make room. Just as good as 22, but not all that different either.

-- Forza Horizon 5 -- Recently snapped up most of the DLC and I have a ton of fun with this game. This one is closing in on 500 hours. In sixteen years on Steam I have maybe ten games to hit that number. Only my very favorites will come close. Says a lot about the hooks in FH5 that it keeps me engaged for so long. It would be great if there were more here who played so I could add you as time trial ghosts.
Posted By: F4UDash4

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 11/08/23 05:11 PM

Does no one else do combat sims anymore?

I'm one to talk though... haven't fired up IL2 in 2+ months.

Fired up DCS this past Saturday for the first time in a month+, launched off Harry S Truman in F-18, tanked off an S-3 (very rusty, many disconnects) and trapped back aboard. Once.

I have just reinstalled Silent Hunter 4, modding with Fall of the Rising Sun when I have a chance. Then I can start patrolling!
Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 11/08/23 05:18 PM

Originally Posted by F4UDash4
Does no one else do combat sims anymore?



I fly IL-2 about twice a week and DCS once a week with my online squadron from another website.
Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 11/08/23 06:00 PM

Originally Posted by DBond


-- F1 22/23. Been hotlapping and career mode a bit, and then saw F1 23 had gone on sale so I've swapped over to the new title, uninstalling 22 to make room. Just as good as 22, but not all that different either.

.



I've been racing F1 2023 with a couple of friends on Sunday afternoons. Let me know if you are interested in joining us sometime! Unfortunately the League Racing mode doesn't support AI cars so we've just been doing individual grand prix races.
Posted By: Chucky

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 11/08/23 06:50 PM

I've started playing a game I initially added to my Steam wish list on 19/07/2021. It's called 'The Invincible' which I believe is based on a Polish Sci-fi novel by Stanisław Lem.

I've never read the book so I can't compare that to the game but it is apparently a different story set in that universe. It's a story-driven adventure (with no FPS action) similar to Firewatch.

I started it last night at 10.00 pm and had to force myself to bed at 2.00 am. I can't remember the last game that had that effect on me (probably E:D).

I think it has replay value because you have to make some major decisions along the way that I believe has a bearing on the end story. I think I may well try that out as it's not a long game, some are saying 9 hours but I guess it depends on how much you do in the game. I no longer enjoy (or play) first person shooters so this is right up my alley.

Posted By: RossUK

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 11/08/23 07:46 PM

I've said it before but Gunner Heat PC! is amazing if you are a tankie fan. The team are always putting out updates.
Posted By: Chucky

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 11/08/23 09:14 PM

Originally Posted by RossUK
I've said it before but Gunner Heat PC! is amazing if you are a tankie fan. The team are always putting out updates.


I have it but I've not been keeping up with development for a while. Sometimes real life really gets in your way.
Posted By: Allen

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 11/08/23 09:40 PM

Originally Posted by Chucky
I have it but I've not been keeping up with development for a while. Sometimes real life really gets in your way.


I just noticed that today November 8. Still playing AC Valhalla. It indicated my last play was October 29 -- 10 days ago.

The delay was definitely due to "real life".
Posted By: archermav

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 11/09/23 11:20 AM

Originally Posted by RossUK
I've said it before but Gunner Heat PC! is amazing if you are a tankie fan. The team are always putting out updates.


I tried the demo, not bad. But for me Tank Squad scratches that itch.
Posted By: DBond

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 11/09/23 01:16 PM

Originally Posted by PanzerMeyer
Originally Posted by DBond


-- F1 22/23. Been hotlapping and career mode a bit, and then saw F1 23 had gone on sale so I've swapped over to the new title, uninstalling 22 to make room. Just as good as 22, but not all that different either.

.



I've been racing F1 2023 with a couple of friends on Sunday afternoons. Let me know if you are interested in joining us sometime! Unfortunately the League Racing mode doesn't support AI cars so we've just been doing individual grand prix races.



Thanks for the invite! Yeah, that sounds great.
Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 11/09/23 01:19 PM

Originally Posted by DBond


Thanks for the invite! Yeah, that sounds great.


Ok, cool! I'll send you a PM later today and happy birthday!
Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 11/24/23 02:23 PM

My current single player games:


1. Jedi Survivor (successor to Jedi Fallen Order) - Is anyone here playing this besides me? If you are a fan of the Star Wars universe and you like lightsaber combat, this game is a MUST buy. My only caveat is that you need a very high end gaming rig if you want to play this with the full blown Ray Tracing features. The game looks absolutely gorgeous.


2. Starfield: Just bought this a few days ago and I finished the prologue part of the game. I know I'll be sinking 200+ hours into this.


3. Baldur's Gate 3: Currently doing a second playthrough of this fantastic game and I've already discovered a few new things that I missed during my first playthrough.
Posted By: DBond

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 11/24/23 07:10 PM

Another month three weeks has gone and this is what has been in my rotation.

-- PGA Tour 2K23. Two years straight since it has NOT been in the rotation

-- Fallout 76. Coming up on 400 hours in this one. It... just works

-- Automobilista Motorsport Simulator 2. Big update coming and the leaderboards have been wiped which curtails my play. But I still need to run the Ring on a regular basis you know.

-- Forza Horizon 5. Just a fun racer. Always stuff to do, great cars to drive. The ideal game when I just want to have fun for 45 minutes

-- Way of the Hunter. Picked up the new Africa reserve (Tikamoon Plains) and weapons pack. Top hunting sim. New reserve is fantastic, and now I have a bolt-action .270. Nice.

-- F1 23. The best edition in the series. The racing is as good as ever, but this year's title brings more chaos and I'm here for it. More AI driver mistakes, yellow flags, safety cars and red flags! The best and most convincing action out on the track in the series. I had dismissed the revamped F1 World content, but gave it a go anyway and it turns out to be fun and engaging.

-- Call of the Wild. Having got back in to WOTH, I had to get back in to this one too. There's a new Aussie reserve (Emerald Coast) which I picked up in the current sale. This game has a trophy tier system, Great Ones being best, followed by Diamonds, Golds and down the line. In about 270 hours I had gotten no GO's, and just one diamond. Now I have two! This is such a hook for me.

-- Hitman 3. The Freelancer mode is straight up my alley and has extended the play time for me exponentially. Fantastic, underrated game, this.

Every one of these games is currently on sale on Steam.
Posted By: Allen

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 11/25/23 12:51 PM

I mentioned above, no significant AC Valhalla recently -- maybe an hour in the last week. That "real life" problem I mentioned interfered.

Yesterday and today, I got in a few hours on Fallout 4. I continued with a playthrough that already had 36 hours -- a full play is probably in the 200 hour range for me.

Reason, AC Valhalla is still a work in progress -- I need time per daily play. But, Fallout 4 (1424 total hours) is an "old friend" that I could play in spurts.
Posted By: DaveP63

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 11/26/23 11:49 AM

AMS2, Mount and Blade Bannerlord and Dirt Rally 2 seem to be taking up most of my time.
Posted By: Blade_RJ

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 12/02/23 04:26 PM

cyberpunk will finally get a working metro in the next update. guess i will finally open the game now. glad i didnt bother with the incomplete release all these years.
Posted By: Mr_Blastman

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 12/02/23 05:22 PM

I started playing Cyberpunk last night, finally. Here's the first screenshot I took from my game:

[Linked Image]


(photo has not been edited or cropped, I play in 32:9)
Posted By: Blade_RJ

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 12/02/23 08:55 PM

mega ultra wide ? what resolution are you playing to pull this ? 240x960 ?
Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 12/03/23 03:34 AM

I've played through Cyberpunk 3 times.

If you are a fan of Deus Ex, Blade Runner and Altered Carbon, this game is a must-buy.
Posted By: Mr_Blastman

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 12/03/23 05:41 AM

Originally Posted by Blade_RJ
mega ultra wide ? what resolution are you playing to pull this ? 240x960 ?


5120x1440
Posted By: DBond

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 12/06/23 04:04 PM

I usually run an entry here on a one-month interval. But lately I've been mixing it up in a big way, so I'll do a mid-term post. Here are all the games I've played in the past couple of weeks.

PGA Tour 2K23. You've seen it here before. Nothing new.

Way of the Hunter. New Africa reserve, new scopes, new weapons. Good stuff.

Call of the Wild. One new reserve, Australia

GTA 5. Playing GTA Online. Lots of new stuff here. This game doesn't stand still for long

Fallout 76. New Expedition just released, Atlantic City. Like my back yard.

Asseto Corsa Competizione. New tracks, new cars.

Automobilista Motorsport Simulator 2. More new stuff. New physics, cars, tracks. Time trial boards work again.

Hitman 2. Nothing new. But I like to chase the achievements so keep this installed alongside World of Assassination

Hitman 3 World of Assassination. Nothing new, but I'm attempting to max mastery on more maps. About halfway done

F1 23. Love this game, but am having some wheel issues that has curtailed my play. Not like I don't have other games to play. See above.

Whew! All that in the past two or three weeks. Good stuff.
Posted By: wormfood

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 12/06/23 04:20 PM

Cyberpunk 2077, they changed up the perks and levels so much instead of jumping into Phantom Liberty I just started a new game.
Posted By: Allen

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 12/06/23 04:42 PM

Originally Posted by DBond
I usually run an entry here on a one-month interval. But lately I've been mixing it up in a big way, so I'll do a mid-term post. Here are all the games I've played in the past couple of weeks.

Whew! All that in the past two or three weeks. Good stuff.


Beyond my limited comprehension! burnout

Still replaying "only" Fallout 4 due to my currently limited time. frown
Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 12/06/23 05:20 PM

Originally Posted by wormfood
Cyberpunk 2077, they changed up the perks and levels so much instead of jumping into Phantom Liberty I just started a new game.


I've played Cyberpunk three times through but I've only played through Phantom Liberty once so I'm sure I'll eventually reinstall the game before too long and do one more playthrough. smile
Posted By: Blade_RJ

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 12/06/23 06:19 PM

did you test the new metro ? very underwelming and half assed. its just a live cutscene with prompt, and you transition to a new area like starfield instead of actually entering the train, also the train is slow as hell looks more like a tram. not like it does when you see it on the tracks, you problably can outpace it on foot. i was expecting a full train cart you could move about, be shacked by gangs, or hack the doors and jump whenever. i havent tried to get on the trails again yet. aparently they changed them higher up, so you dont try. but its been so long i dont remember remember where is the bridge and the building i used to scale to jump on over. i want to see if the invisible wall are still on every 100m of the tracks. there were stations all over the game not used, i wonder if they are still there, i could get into some on release, including one very big near the dock, problably was meant to be the big train hub.
Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 12/06/23 06:26 PM

Originally Posted by Blade_RJ
did you test the new metro ? .



No. That recent update came out after I had uninstalled the game. I'll try it out when I inevitably reinstall in a few months.
Posted By: Mr_Blastman

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 12/06/23 06:39 PM

Star Citizen continues to entertain on the 32:9 super ultrawide:

[Linked Image]

[Linked Image]

I always play space games in the fall.
Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 12/07/23 12:47 PM

Originally Posted by Mr_Blastman


I always play space games in the fall.


Why is that?
Posted By: Mr_Blastman

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 12/07/23 03:34 PM

Originally Posted by PanzerMeyer
Originally Posted by Mr_Blastman


I always play space games in the fall.


Why is that?


Probably because Wing Commander 1 was released in the fall. That changed... everything.

So now when October rolls around, if it has not already, the itch must be scratched!
Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 12/07/23 03:59 PM

Originally Posted by Mr_Blastman


Probably because Wing Commander 1 was released in the fall. That changed... everything.

So now when October rolls around, if it has not already, the itch must be scratched!



Ah ok. Thanks for the explanation. The only WC game I played was the third one which I thought was very well done. It was nice seeing Mark Hamill again. smile
Posted By: Mr_Blastman

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 12/07/23 04:21 PM

Originally Posted by PanzerMeyer
Originally Posted by Mr_Blastman


Probably because Wing Commander 1 was released in the fall. That changed... everything.

So now when October rolls around, if it has not already, the itch must be scratched!



Ah ok. Thanks for the explanation. The only WC game I played was the third one which I thought was very well done. It was nice seeing Mark Hamill again. smile


The first Wing Commander is the best one, as far as replayability goes.

Unlike X-Wing, you are allowed to fail in Wing Commander 1, which leads you to a failure branch of separate missions, giving you a second chance to win and go back to the main path. This, in my opinion, was superior game design. Forced repetition and perfection of a mission is so... bad.

Not even Atari classics forced success or retry. Games on the 2600 such as Starmaster, Star Raiders and Solaris embraced failure and success, equally, calling on you to recover from your failures and exploit your successes, in one, continuous, multi-starsystem, sandbox experience.

I felt as a child that X-Wing went backwards with their game design, to that of the time of board games, and was a tragic decision they could have done better on.

I believe Wing Commander 3 also has a branching campaign system, but is a far, far longer playthrough. Wing Commander 1 is about 18 - 23 missions, whereas Wing Commander is is 50 or so.


I am a space junkie.
Posted By: wormfood

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 12/07/23 09:49 PM

Originally Posted by Mr_Blastman
Originally Posted by PanzerMeyer
Originally Posted by Mr_Blastman


Probably because Wing Commander 1 was released in the fall. That changed... everything.

So now when October rolls around, if it has not already, the itch must be scratched!



Ah ok. Thanks for the explanation. The only WC game I played was the third one which I thought was very well done. It was nice seeing Mark Hamill again. smile


The first Wing Commander is the best one, as far as replayability goes.

Unlike X-Wing, you are allowed to fail in Wing Commander 1, which leads you to a failure branch of separate missions, giving you a second chance to win and go back to the main path. This, in my opinion, was superior game design. Forced repetition and perfection of a mission is so... bad.

Not even Atari classics forced success or retry. Games on the 2600 such as Starmaster, Star Raiders and Solaris embraced failure and success, equally, calling on you to recover from your failures and exploit your successes, in one, continuous, multi-starsystem, sandbox experience.

I felt as a child that X-Wing went backwards with their game design, to that of the time of board games, and was a tragic decision they could have done better on.

I believe Wing Commander 3 also has a branching campaign system, but is a far, far longer playthrough. Wing Commander 1 is about 18 - 23 missions, whereas Wing Commander is is 50 or so.


I am a space junkie.


Lots of games had branching or more dynamic stories. I remember Renegade Battle for Jacob's Star you could flat out fail, fairly handily win, or lose for awhile and come back and win at the end. As much as I loved Xwing and Tie Fighter that was the a real weak point in those two games compared to some of their contemporaries.
Posted By: NoFlyBoy

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 12/08/23 04:16 AM

I don't see a game coming soon thread

Posted By: Blade_RJ

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 12/08/23 05:02 AM

kojima and jordan peel just anounced a new horror game in colab !
also the jurassic park game is what i have been asking since i played trespasser........why they waited so long ?
Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 12/08/23 11:35 AM

Originally Posted by Blade_RJ}
since i played trespasser........why they waited so long ?


HA! That infamous game was hilarious. Everyone seemed to both love and hate playing as the girl because you could look down with the mouse and see your huge rack while you tried to pick up things with your 10 foot long arms.
Posted By: Blade_RJ

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 12/08/23 12:10 PM

considering your life meter was your heart tatoo, that was a VERY conscious decision.
Posted By: 3instein

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 12/12/23 08:03 PM

Having been playing a lot of Dirt Rally the last few weeks so i bought the new WRC game from Codemasters (the makers of the dirt rally series) but even though they have been bought out by EA I must say it stays to it's roots, it's a thoroughly good sim, you can set your presets to your hearts content, there is so much in this game it will definitely keep you busy for a while. there is an added bonus that if you buy it on Steam its £5 cheaper than on the XBox store and in includes Dirt Rally 3 for free.

MICK.
Posted By: NimRud

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 12/17/23 04:22 AM

Also enjoying the new WRC game since release. Apart from some occasional microstutters the game worked right out of the box for me on PS5 and with the latest patches most of the bugs seem to be fixed.
The game offers a lot of content for single- and multiplay activities. The stages are wonderful and the longer ones (>30 km) require some serious concentration for quite awhile to finish well. Think of doing a 3-4 hotlaps on the Nordschleife without the breathing time on the straights. wink
The asynchronous multiplay via the ingame club system is the best part to compete with other players and offers nearly endless replayability in my opinion. And with crossplay enabled all platforms can play together.
Posted By: Tarnsman

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 12/17/23 04:46 AM

DCS Spitfire and P-51.

Focusing more on better flight skills so moving more to X-plane as well to master skills.
Basically, years of IL2 1946 made me think I was better than I was. DCS warbirds changes that notion pretty quickly.
I upgraded from my trusty X45 Hotas to a X-56 and pedals.
So now I feel like a newb again!
Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 12/17/23 01:21 PM

Once DCS actually introduces a pilot career/campaign system I may then be interested in trying out their WWII stuff.
Posted By: Johan217

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 12/18/23 02:06 PM

I was planning to spend my gaming time in the holidays with Starfield, but it's already off my hard drive frown Spent hours trying to get to grips with the controls and menus. Once I finally got that working, I discovered that I had already seen to all the good things in the game and the rest is just a repetitive, generic waste of time. Oh well, back to MSFS then.
Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 12/18/23 02:15 PM

Originally Posted by Johan217
I was planning to spend my gaming time in the holidays with Starfield, but it's already off my hard drive frown Spent hours trying to get to grips with the controls and menus. Once I finally got that working, I discovered that I had already seen to all the good things in the game and the rest is just a repetitive, generic waste of time. Oh well, back to MSFS then.



How many hours did you put into Starfield?

For me the game did indeed take a bit to “get going” but I am thoroughly enjoying it so far. I have about 20 hours in the game.
Posted By: Johan217

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 12/18/23 02:56 PM

Originally Posted by PanzerMeyer
Originally Posted by Johan217
I was planning to spend my gaming time in the holidays with Starfield, but it's already off my hard drive frown Spent hours trying to get to grips with the controls and menus. Once I finally got that working, I discovered that I had already seen to all the good things in the game and the rest is just a repetitive, generic waste of time. Oh well, back to MSFS then.



How many hours did you put into Starfield?

For me the game did indeed take a bit to “get going” but I am thoroughly enjoying it so far. I have about 20 hours in the game.

I don't know the number but it's more than 20 for sure. I did the Vanguard quest and the Main quest first, then the Freestar quest in NG+ mode. Made it to Level 60. I did some of the Ryujin quest but that is where I gave up. It seems that I had found the interesting stuff (like the Groundpunding mission or the zero-G casino) early on. I wish there were more activities in the game such as these, but it seems that there are not. The latter half of my playtime consisted almost exclusively of building ships, going to random planets and shoot some pirates. I would actually be OK with this if the shooting actually felt good and the locations weren't simply cut-and-paste.
Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 12/18/23 03:01 PM

Originally Posted by Johan217

I don't know the number but it's more than 20 for sure. I did the Vanguard quest and the Main quest first, then the Freestar quest in NG+ mode. Made it to Level 60. I did some of the Ryujin quest but that is where I gave up. It seems that I had found the interesting stuff (like the Groundpunding mission or the zero-G casino) early on. I wish there were more activities in the game such as these, but it seems that there are not. The latter half of my playtime consisted almost exclusively of building ships, going to random planets and shoot some pirates. I would actually be OK with this if the shooting actually felt good and the locations weren't simply cut-and-paste.


Thanks for your reply. It seems from your post that the story-driven missions were good and interesting to do but once that was completed, the remaining "sand box" missions were less than compelling and got dull after a while. I'm only level 12 so I have clearly not put as much time into the game as you have.
Posted By: RossUK

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 12/18/23 04:55 PM

Currently enjoying Flight Simulator on Xbox Series X. Can't really afford to upgrade my rig to run it smoothly and I'm content with how it runs on the console. Just doing the activities to pass an hour or so. Also still loving Arma 3 and Jedi Survivor.

Anyone tried Arma Reforger?
Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 12/18/23 05:09 PM

Originally Posted by RossUK
and Jedi Survivor.



Speaking of Jedi Survivor, I played this last night and I THOUGHT I was near the end of the game but I admit I was totally caught by surprise by not just one but two big reveals that shocked me. This is a very well written story.
Posted By: Mr_Blastman

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 12/18/23 05:51 PM

Originally Posted by RossUK
Currently enjoying Flight Simulator on Xbox Series X. Can't really afford to upgrade my rig to run it smoothly and I'm content with how it runs on the console. Just doing the activities to pass an hour or so. Also still loving Arma 3 and Jedi Survivor.

Anyone tried Arma Reforger?


I have always wondered how Flight Simulator plays on the Xbox versus the PC. Can you use Track IR with the console?
Posted By: RossUK

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 12/18/23 06:42 PM

Originally Posted by Mr_Blastman
Originally Posted by RossUK
Currently enjoying Flight Simulator on Xbox Series X. Can't really afford to upgrade my rig to run it smoothly and I'm content with how it runs on the console. Just doing the activities to pass an hour or so. Also still loving Arma 3 and Jedi Survivor.

Anyone tried Arma Reforger?


I have always wondered how Flight Simulator plays on the Xbox versus the PC. Can you use Track IR with the console?


That's a good question but I highly doubt it as I don't think you can install the software for it on Xbox. Happy to be corrected though.

On the Xbox it is 4K and HDR10. Loading times are good. I've bought a half decent joystick and you can have the mouse and keyboard plugged in too as 3 USB ports.

I would recommend if you can't afford the latest graphics card etc. It's just not as moddable but I've not really scratched the surface with it. Certainly good enough for me, a friend couldn't notice the difference between the Xbox version and a mid to high end rig.
Posted By: Mr_Blastman

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 12/18/23 07:01 PM

You might be surprised if you tried MS Flight Sim on your PC. Runs great on my 1080 GTX 16:9 1080p PC, although not quite as well as my 3080 Ti FTW 3 machine--even with 5120x1440 32:9 ultrawide. Definitely playable and smooth on the 1080 with a couple graphical tweaks on tree density.
Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 12/26/23 11:57 AM

I now have about 31 hours in Starfield and the game has definitely grown on me. The game took a while to get going for me both story-wise and gameplay-wise but now I'm definitely immersed.
Posted By: wheelsup_cavu

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 12/27/23 02:07 AM

The IL-2 Sturmovik Great Battles series is my main series at this time with some IL-2 1946 sprinkled in to keep me familiar with it.


Wheels
Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 12/27/23 11:31 AM

Originally Posted by wheelsup_cavu
The IL-2 Sturmovik Great Battles series is my main series at this time with some IL-2 1946 sprinkled in to keep me familiar with it.


Wheels



I still fly this once or twice per week; usually multiplayer.
Posted By: Blade_RJ

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 12/27/23 04:10 PM

Originally Posted by PanzerMeyer
I now have about 31 hours in Starfield and the game has definitely grown on me. The game took a while to get going for me both story-wise and gameplay-wise but now I'm definitely immersed.

i will only get starfarce once its free on epic store. the only thing i was interested was making modules for the aircraft to simulate my favorite show, but after seeing we dont really travel in space that makes no difference, also the gameplay looked boring from their presentation and to me, it was confirmed after releae from gameplay

i dont even care about graphics, just give me a good space "sim" game that is arcade fun.
Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 12/27/23 05:16 PM

Originally Posted by Blade_RJ

i dont even care about graphics, just give me a good space "sim" game that is arcade fun.



I recommend you get "Star Wars: Squadrons" then which came out about 2 years ago.
Posted By: Mr_Blastman

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 12/27/23 06:52 PM

Originally Posted by Blade_RJ
Originally Posted by PanzerMeyer
I now have about 31 hours in Starfield and the game has definitely grown on me. The game took a while to get going for me both story-wise and gameplay-wise but now I'm definitely immersed.

i will only get starfarce once its free on epic store. the only thing i was interested was making modules for the aircraft to simulate my favorite show, but after seeing we dont really travel in space that makes no difference, also the gameplay looked boring from their presentation and to me, it was confirmed after releae from gameplay

i dont even care about graphics, just give me a good space "sim" game that is arcade fun.


Everspace 2 is criminally ignored and underplayed.

Rebel Galaxy Outlaw is also pretty good, although I like Everspace 2 more.



Also, neither of these are roguelikes. They have fleshed out universes that were hand crafted. You do not need to play Everspace 1 to enjoy the sequel at all. If you like roguelikes, then maybe start with Everspace 1, but I don't really see the point. The second game is just soooooo much better, and the handcrafted design enhances things immensely.
Posted By: RedOneAlpha

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 12/27/23 10:17 PM

Originally Posted by Mr_Blastman
Originally Posted by Blade_RJ
Originally Posted by PanzerMeyer
I now have about 31 hours in Starfield and the game has definitely grown on me. The game took a while to get going for me both story-wise and gameplay-wise but now I'm definitely immersed.

i will only get starfarce once its free on epic store. the only thing i was interested was making modules for the aircraft to simulate my favorite show, but after seeing we dont really travel in space that makes no difference, also the gameplay looked boring from their presentation and to me, it was confirmed after releae from gameplay

i dont even care about graphics, just give me a good space "sim" game that is arcade fun.


Everspace 2 is criminally ignored and underplayed.

Rebel Galaxy Outlaw is also pretty good, although I like Everspace 2 more.



Also, neither of these are roguelikes. They have fleshed out universes that were hand crafted. You do not need to play Everspace 1 to enjoy the sequel at all. If you like roguelikes, then maybe start with Everspace 1, but I don't really see the point. The second game is just soooooo much better, and the handcrafted design enhances things immensely.


You forgot Chorus and Space Borne 2.
Posted By: Mr_Blastman

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 12/28/23 05:04 AM

Originally Posted by Red2112
Originally Posted by Mr_Blastman
Originally Posted by Blade_RJ
Originally Posted by PanzerMeyer
I now have about 31 hours in Starfield and the game has definitely grown on me. The game took a while to get going for me both story-wise and gameplay-wise but now I'm definitely immersed.

i will only get starfarce once its free on epic store. the only thing i was interested was making modules for the aircraft to simulate my favorite show, but after seeing we dont really travel in space that makes no difference, also the gameplay looked boring from their presentation and to me, it was confirmed after releae from gameplay

i dont even care about graphics, just give me a good space "sim" game that is arcade fun.


Everspace 2 is criminally ignored and underplayed.

Rebel Galaxy Outlaw is also pretty good, although I like Everspace 2 more.



Also, neither of these are roguelikes. They have fleshed out universes that were hand crafted. You do not need to play Everspace 1 to enjoy the sequel at all. If you like roguelikes, then maybe start with Everspace 1, but I don't really see the point. The second game is just soooooo much better, and the handcrafted design enhances things immensely.


You forgot Chorus and Space Borne 2.


I have Space Borne 2, but have been waiting for the game to bake longer. How is it coming along?
Posted By: RedOneAlpha

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 12/28/23 07:14 AM

Originally Posted by Mr_Blastman
Originally Posted by Red2112
Originally Posted by Mr_Blastman
Originally Posted by Blade_RJ
Originally Posted by PanzerMeyer
I now have about 31 hours in Starfield and the game has definitely grown on me. The game took a while to get going for me both story-wise and gameplay-wise but now I'm definitely immersed.

i will only get starfarce once its free on epic store. the only thing i was interested was making modules for the aircraft to simulate my favorite show, but after seeing we dont really travel in space that makes no difference, also the gameplay looked boring from their presentation and to me, it was confirmed after releae from gameplay

i dont even care about graphics, just give me a good space "sim" game that is arcade fun.


Everspace 2 is criminally ignored and underplayed.

Rebel Galaxy Outlaw is also pretty good, although I like Everspace 2 more.



Also, neither of these are roguelikes. They have fleshed out universes that were hand crafted. You do not need to play Everspace 1 to enjoy the sequel at all. If you like roguelikes, then maybe start with Everspace 1, but I don't really see the point. The second game is just soooooo much better, and the handcrafted design enhances things immensely.


You forgot Chorus and Space Borne 2.


I have Space Borne 2, but have been waiting for the game to bake longer. How is it coming along?


I am about In the same position as you, like most of my EA games. But, from what I have seen and followed, their Is a lot more to do now and he has fixed a lot of Issue that were present on Initial release. On release, the controller support was very buggy, specially while flying. I think he has fixed that, and theirs a whole lot more to the economy, trading and building aspect of the game now. Now that we are talking about It, I think I am gonna give It a spin today and give myself a break from my strategy games.

Chorus Is a bit like Everspace 2. It still holds It´s own candle though. The flight mechanics do needs some getting use to but once you get the hang of It It´s like anything else. The game It´s self Is quite challenging (once you get you´re main ship of which you´re synced with), you have to master flight and weapons, and there are some puzzles to get over which will make you restart you´re mission more then once. The story mode Is not bad, I have seen worst, but some people were annoyed by the voice In her head. Anyway, It´s on sale for cheap and theirs a demo too...

Steam:
Chorus Steam store

Their Is also Space Regin which Is In EA too. I don´t have It and really don´t know how much It has evolved since release. On release It was quite bare bones. IIRC we did talk about this game here some time ago.

Steam:
Space Regin Steam store

Lastly theirs Executive Assault 2 which Is totally fleshed out now (full release). EA2 Is a hybrid, like Natural Selection 2, or Nuclear Dawn so theirs a lot you can do their besides flight. Also on sale.

Steam:
EA 2 Steam store

As a honorable mention, let´s not forget the Evochron Mercenary series also on sale.

Steam:
Evochron Mercenary Steam store

Red

Posted By: Otto Harkaman

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 01/01/24 03:29 PM

I too went with the purchase of a xbox x series console with the big discount they had ($150off) to play MSFS. I am trying to just stick with that at the moment although its very tempting with all the discounts during the holidays.
Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 01/02/24 12:09 PM

I'm getting near the end of my second playthrough of Baldur's Gate 3 and I'm still chugging along in Starfield. I'm enjoying Starfield quite a bit but I can certainly see why it's not the hit that many people were expecting.
Posted By: Johan217

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 01/03/24 08:09 AM

I bought Kerbal Space Program as a Christmas present for my son and we both love it. Can't believe I let that game slip under my radar for so long!
I also got KSP2 for myself but as it is EA it is still missing too many features for me to enjoy it.
Posted By: wormfood

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 01/06/24 09:03 PM

Call of Duty Modern Warfare 3. Mostly just to play once and a while on the weekends with some old friends. I'm not a big fan of the gameplay and I hate the perks, killstreaks and the way weapons get unlocked.
WH40k Inquisitor: Martyr, a Diablo like game. Not a bad story if you're into the grim world of 40k. Some of the classes are fun and its a bit easy to respec and try something totally different with it.
Hunter Call of the Wild, tried to move up from deer to the moose and elk in the Layton Lakes district, but they just shrug off my 30-06 rounds I tried hunting them with. So, in order to unlock more stuff I just started blasting deer to get some more levels and gear. Got up to 15 now.
Posted By: F4UDash4

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 01/06/24 10:57 PM

I can tell you what I'm NOT playing: Star Citizen bundle costs $48,000 / only avail if you've spent more than $10,000 on the game

jawdrop
Posted By: wormfood

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 01/06/24 11:08 PM

Originally Posted by F4UDash4


Maybe if I won the lottery, a huge lottery...maybe.

What's weird is the players that have a gazillion ships asked for that package to just have one thing in their hangar that covers everything. Then everyone bashes CIG for it. It's kinda the fault of crazy people, or rich people, or some mixture CIG, crazy people and rich people.
Posted By: Blade_RJ

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 01/07/24 01:12 AM

yeah, that game is definitely money laundry, by the time it comes out directx wont even be a plugin anymore and they will have to kickstart to redo from scratch
Posted By: Mr_Blastman

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 01/07/24 04:56 AM

Nobody is forcing anyone to buy this. One can comfortably play the alpha now with an original 55.00 starter package.

Big dollar "donations" such as these are for those with ridiculous disposable income to burn.

I want the project to succeed. There's far too many other garbage games out there.
Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 01/07/24 03:19 PM

If anything, there entire Star Citizen saga proves that you need to have a publisher with a strict development schedule overseeing things.
Posted By: Allen

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 01/07/24 04:28 PM

I continue to wait for the Starfield Development (Modding) Software to be released this year.

Two reasons: I like to mod games I play. By then, many of the in-game "bugs" should be fixed.

Meantime, no time for gaming the last couple weeks -- not good sigh
Posted By: RedOneAlpha

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 01/07/24 05:37 PM

- Ultimate Admiral. Age of Sail naval skirmishes only.
- Lock n Load Tactical.
- The Troop.
Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 01/07/24 10:57 PM

Originally Posted by Red2112
- Ultimate Admiral. Age of Sail naval skirmishes only.
.



I want an Age of Sail simulator that has an in-depth "career mode" where you assume the role of a frigate skipper and then work you way up the ranks to commanding a 1st rate ship of the line. All of the Age of Sail ships I've seen recently are multiplayer focused.
Posted By: Blade_RJ

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 01/08/24 12:09 AM

Originally Posted by Allen
I continue to wait for the Starfield Development (Modding) Software to be released this year.

Two reasons: I like to mod games I play. By then, many of the in-game "bugs" should be fixed.

Meantime, no time for gaming the last couple weeks -- not good sigh

dont count on it, the people that fixed fallout and skyrim said they wont touch starfield. someone else might he left the code up, but.......ehhhhhhh.
Posted By: RedOneAlpha

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 01/08/24 01:54 AM

Originally Posted by PanzerMeyer
Originally Posted by Red2112
- Ultimate Admiral. Age of Sail naval skirmishes only.
.



I want an Age of Sail simulator that has an in-depth "career mode" where you assume the role of a frigate skipper and then work you way up the ranks to commanding a 1st rate ship of the line. All of the Age of Sail ships I've seen recently are multiplayer focused.


You´re not the only one. Theirs a lot of people wanting a proper Pirate game, or at least a proper Age of Sail game. More so that It has a career mode, which Is even more difficult to see a good career mode being made unless you´re a triple A studio. Which Isn´t a guarantee either I am afraid.

I have this on my wishlist, and so far yeah I wish!
Sailor Simulator Steam Store

and here´s a couple more...
Sea of Fortune Steam
Corsair Legacy Steam

But you do have a career mode "sort of" In Naval Action. You now have three servers, one called Peace were you don´t fight anyone unless you want to. You basically start with a small ship and work you´re way up by doing transport trips etc. It´s more like PVE.

Will just have to wait and see what shows up for now.
Posted By: wormfood

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 01/08/24 01:32 PM

Originally Posted by Red2112
Originally Posted by PanzerMeyer
Originally Posted by Red2112
- Ultimate Admiral. Age of Sail naval skirmishes only.
.



I want an Age of Sail simulator that has an in-depth "career mode" where you assume the role of a frigate skipper and then work you way up the ranks to commanding a 1st rate ship of the line. All of the Age of Sail ships I've seen recently are multiplayer focused.


You´re not the only one. Theirs a lot of people wanting a proper Pirate game, or at least a proper Age of Sail game. More so that It has a career mode, which Is even more difficult to see a good career mode being made unless you´re a triple A studio. Which Isn´t a guarantee either I am afraid.

I have this on my wishlist, and so far yeah I wish!
Sailor Simulator Steam Store

and here´s a couple more...
Sea of Fortune Steam
Corsair Legacy Steam

But you do have a career mode "sort of" In Naval Action. You now have three servers, one called Peace were you don´t fight anyone unless you want to. You basically start with a small ship and work you´re way up by doing transport trips etc. It´s more like PVE.

Will just have to wait and see what shows up for now.


I'll have to keep an eye on those.


In the mean time there's the old classics Age of Sail and Age of Sail 2. I don't think Steam or GOG sell them though. You can pick them up on abandonware sites or Amazon has them once and a while.
Posted By: RedOneAlpha

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 01/08/24 04:36 PM


No worries SimHQ has you covered biggrin

You mean this:
JTS Battleground Napoleonic Wars Matrix Games
Includes Age of Sail and It works just fine on W10.

Also, here´s another one to follow...
Steam:
Ahoy Steam store



Cheers,

Red
But not as "Red" flag, maybe just Black flag this time haha.
Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 01/08/24 05:11 PM

Thanks Red. I'll look into those.
Posted By: F4UDash4

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 01/08/24 05:33 PM

"Sea Dogs" was a lot of fun back in the day.
Posted By: RedOneAlpha

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 01/08/24 06:06 PM

@F4UDash4 Thanks, yep was aware of Sea Dogs. Seems a lot of folks liked It.

@PanzerMeyer You´re welcome!

I also have Commander: Conquest of the Americas Gold, and East India Company Gold Installed. You can find keys for these cheap and activate them on Steam, but you wont see a Steam store for them. These are more RTS but do have ship battles too.

I just got Age of Sail II working on W10 from abandonware. Man why don´t they make games like this anymore? Talonsoft made some cool games back then, I miss these guys! Oh and I really don´t mind the graphics as long as the AI Is good, then I am good.

Red
Posted By: wormfood

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 01/08/24 06:39 PM

Sea Dogs was great, but it was more open world where you bough or captured your own ships, not really where you were given command of one and worked your way up.

The different versions of Sea Dogs are still on GOG https://www.gog.com/en/game/sea_dogs_city_of_abandoned_ships
I messed around with it a bit a month ago or so to get in that old age of sail combat fix.
Posted By: RedOneAlpha

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 01/08/24 07:12 PM

Originally Posted by wormfood
Sea Dogs was great, but it was more open world where you bough or captured your own ships, not really where you were given command of one and worked your way up.

The different versions of Sea Dogs are still on GOG https://www.gog.com/en/game/sea_dogs_city_of_abandoned_ships
I messed around with it a bit a month ago or so to get in that old age of sail combat fix.


The whole saga Is on sale on Steam (cheaper then GOG), AND theirs a newer version In the works called Sea Dogs Legendary Edition, Also due the 15th of next month we have Caribbean Legend Pirate Open World RPG...

Steam:
Sea Dogs Legendary Edition Steam

Steam:
Caribbean Legend Pirate Open World Steam store

I picked up Sea Dogs: To Each His Own along with all the expansions for a tener. I am gonna get my bottle of Capitan Morgan rum out and start getting my lips wet biggrin

[Linked Image]

Ahoy!

Posted By: F4UDash4

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 01/08/24 07:30 PM

Wishlist updated wink
Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 01/08/24 07:45 PM

Truth be told, some of the very best and immersing Age of Sail combat I've ever done was in Total War: Napoleon. IMHO, that Total War title had the best naval combat aspect among all TW titles.
Posted By: RedOneAlpha

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 01/09/24 01:22 PM


Out of the two Age of Sails (1, and 2), I find that Age of Sails II Privateer Bounty works the best on W10 out of the box with no weird, and sometimes sneaky NOCD stuff. Still, IMO UA: Age of Sails beats all of these when It comes to naval combat. What It lacks from Age of Sail II Is the crew management, and formation options.



Ahoy!
Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 01/09/24 01:53 PM

Santisima Trinidad was the largest ship at Trafalgar being equipped with about 130 guns. It just goes to show that the crew training and morale makes all the difference in the world.
Posted By: RedOneAlpha

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 01/09/24 02:11 PM

Lastly, or at least I think so till I find somethin else, we have Pirates of the Burning Sea which Is another free MMORPG.

PotbS Home site:
BOTBS Home



Never knew this existed LOL.

Red
Posted By: DBond

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 01/17/24 02:25 PM

Another five weeks have gone, and this is what has been in my rotation

-- PGA Tour 2K23. Everpresent.

-- Europa Universalis IV. My most-played Steam game of all time. It just hit the right notes for me. Of all my games, this is the one that requires the most thinking. EU IV is amazingly variable, challenging and fun. I had a few weeks off over the holidays, and with the bad weather I mainlined this game, crossing over 3,700 hours played since release. Madness.

-- Cyberpunk. Picked up the Phantom Liberty expansion and gave this game another go, having last played in January of 2021. I liked it then, and I like it even more now that it has been expanded, fixed and improved.

-- F1 23. Best career modes in sim racing.
Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 01/17/24 02:45 PM

Currently in my rotation:


Fallout 76: Play this daily and will most likely continue to do so until it gets replaced by another Fallout game.

Starfield: A slow burn of a game but also very good if you have the patience to stick with it.

Jedi Survivor: Almost done with this one. I just want to get a few more of the achievements.

Ready or Not: Much improved since the original Alpha release but one critical element still needs lots of work: the enemy/perp AI behavior

F1 2023: Enjoying this a lot in both SP and MP.

DCS, IL-2 and Arma 3 I play at least one a week and almost always in MP.
Posted By: Allen

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 02/18/24 03:06 PM

Replaying Fallout 4 -- as previously noted, its because it takes less thought after 1500hrs. I need to save time at this point in my life.

Today, I read an article that described the 4 main factions -- and "opined" on which was the "villain". They "villainized" The Institute.

I strongly disagree -- under my direction, the Institute is Humanity's best hope.

In any case, I'm going back in the game 8 hours of "play time" -- just to take a different path and validate (or invalidate smile ) my beliefs.

By the way, the full team is The Institute and The Minutemen.
Posted By: RedOneAlpha

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 02/18/24 06:26 PM

My new addiction!

I have NHL 2004, and NHL 99 from the old day´s, and since there Is nothing for now for PC I had to look back to see how I could get either of them running. Long and behold I found the NHL 04 Rebuilt and WOW does It look and play great! It also has some awesome new additions. They have really done a great job! You will need a copy of NHL 2004, from ebay or other second hand markets.

If you´re Interested:
NHL04 Rebuilt Home site - Downloads





Red






Posted By: RossUK

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 02/18/24 08:18 PM

I'm really enjoying the new Robocop game on Series X. Dumb but not dumb at same time. Loving the cut scenes.
Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 02/18/24 10:53 PM

I finished my first playthrough of Starfield and I thoroughly enjoyed it. The ending to the main storyline was very well done.

Now I'm playing and still trying to get into Steel Division 2. I SHOULD be loving this game since I'm an avid history fan of the Eastern Front during WWII but the game mechanics leave me feeling a bit flat.
Posted By: letterboy1

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 02/20/24 04:35 PM

FIFA 22. I've been playing FIFA since the mid-90s on various consoles and PCs. Now I have it on my Xbox X and it's as fun and immersive as it ever was. I play it on Semi-Pro difficulty and it is just difficult enough to challenge me while still enjoying the fun of scoring goals.
Posted By: wormfood

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 02/26/24 03:32 PM

Helldivers 2, it's quite the experience. Depending on the mission it can go from a fun time stomping on some enemies and clearing objectives to outright terror and frenzy on the harder ones. You will die frequently, but that's OK. You're expendable and as long as some objectives are complete you'll still get credit. You just get a bonus for getting players out alive. There's also research samples that are collected and will be dropped on death, so you lose those if you don't exfil with them. Those are required for certain upgrades.
Plays in 3rd person, but has a first person aim down sights similar to how that worked in Wildlands. Can be played solo, but is best with a team. Anytime you are playing solo other people can jump in on your mission and I don't know if there's a way to block that, a bit annoying if you just want to test some weapons or stratagems.
Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 02/26/24 03:34 PM

Helldivers 2 is a very hot game on Steam right now based on the player numbers I've seen on Steam Charts. As for me, it's not my cup of tea.
Posted By: Mr_Blastman

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 02/27/24 06:25 PM

Originally Posted by RossUK
I'm really enjoying the new Robocop game on Series X. Dumb but not dumb at same time. Loving the cut scenes.


The new Robocop is great. smile
Posted By: DBond

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 02/29/24 03:12 PM

Another two or three months have gone and this is what has been in my spartan rotation

PGA Tour 2K23 -- Everpresent. We play a tournament every week. Takes about two hours.

Europa Universalis IV -- Holy smokes. I first played this game in December of 2013. Over the years I have been in, and out, taking long breaks of three years or so. But then the circle completes and I'm back at it for a while. In December I fired it up and have been mainlining it ever since. I play for the achievements, or rather I use achievements to guide which nation I play, and the course I chart during the run. In most games I do not care about this, but EU IV is different. To grab achievements the game must be played in ironman mode, no reloads and take it all as it comes, including every bad event. So to succeed it means you were able to overcome all the pitfalls along the way, you can't just reload because your amazing heir died in a hunting accident or you realize you really should not have started this war. This restriction in turn makes it all far more compelling for me. Every decision and course of action is final, and that has great appeal.

A few days ago I passed 4,000 hours in EU IV. Insanity smile
Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 02/29/24 03:16 PM

Originally Posted by DBond


A few days ago I passed 4,000 hours in EU IV. Insanity smile



You're close to my number of hours in Total War: Attila now!
Posted By: DBond

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 02/29/24 03:20 PM

Yeah, I'm a bit of a lightweight I reckon. But still, that's a lot of hours. Not to you, but you are an outlier. I bet that's not even your most played game.
Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 02/29/24 03:25 PM

Originally Posted by DBond
Yeah, I'm a bit of a lightweight I reckon. But still, that's a lot of hours. Not to you, but you are an outlier. I bet that's not even your most played game.


Attila is indeed my most played game on Steam but Fallout 76 will pass it eventually.
Posted By: DBond

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 02/29/24 03:29 PM

I'm on 4,056 at the mo. And I am still playing so this will surpass 4,100 shortly. I just started a new run as Kazan, a steppe horde. My cavalry will rule the world!
Posted By: Bill_Grant

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 02/29/24 04:11 PM

Snowrunner! I have no idea why driving a truck with a load through mud and making the delivery is so darn satisfying! Ha! Nothing better than fighting an overloaded truck up a mountain, and then having the load tip and everything roll down the other side.
Its like having a bad girlfriend that really doesn't even like you... yet you keep giving her your love and wanting to be with her. 😄
Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 02/29/24 04:51 PM

Whoa! Long time no see Bill.
Posted By: wormfood

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 02/29/24 07:26 PM

Originally Posted by Bill_Grant
Snowrunner! I have no idea why driving a truck with a load through mud and making the delivery is so darn satisfying! Ha! Nothing better than fighting an overloaded truck up a mountain, and then having the load tip and everything roll down the other side.
Its like having a bad girlfriend that really doesn't even like you... yet you keep giving her your love and wanting to be with her. 😄


I never played that one, but did play Mudrunner several years ago. It had a neat premise and the gameplay was a weird mix of relaxing, tedious, and downright frustrating.
Posted By: RossUK

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 02/29/24 08:24 PM

Both Snowrunner and Mudrunner are excellent. I like the American Wilds expansion. So relaxing and very testing in parts.
Posted By: wormfood

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 02/29/24 11:33 PM

I take that back, it was Spintires I played about a decade ago. Where'd the years go? I think I lost a few there somewhere. If anyone finds them, can you let me know?
Posted By: RedOneAlpha

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 03/01/24 07:11 AM

Originally Posted by wormfood
I take that back, it was Spintires I played about a decade ago. Where'd the years go? I think I lost a few there somewhere. If anyone finds them, can you let me know?


It´s basically the same thing (Mudrunner/Spintires), well you know that.

Modded Mudrunner...



I also enjoy Pure Rock Crawling. It´s more relaxing In the sense that you don´t transport anything...



ET2 (Euro Truck Simulator 2) Is another relaxing sim, except when you miss an exit on you´re GPS biggrin
Posted By: RedOneAlpha

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 03/01/24 07:28 AM

And then you can always go chew some dirt with some friends with BeamNG...



BeamNG Is like the GTA of driving sims, awesome fun!

Red
Posted By: Allen

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 03/01/24 10:08 AM

4000+ hours playtime in one game -- WOW! biggrin

I'm a "baby" by comparison. smile

Today, I learned something. thumbsup
Posted By: Chucky

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 03/01/24 10:35 AM

Originally Posted by DBond
I'm on 4,056 at the mo. And I am still playing so this will surpass 4,100 shortly. I just started a new run as Kazan, a steppe horde. My cavalry will rule the world!


I wish I still had that dedication (and interest) to play games. I've been playing World of Warships for 9 years and I've noticed my hours getting less and less.

Now I'm addicted to a crossword game on my tablet. I'll hand in my man card soon... sigh
Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 03/01/24 12:25 PM

Originally Posted by Chucky


I wish I still had that dedication (and interest) to play games. I've been playing World of Warships for 9 years and I've noticed my hours getting less and less.

Now I'm addicted to a crossword game on my tablet. I'll hand in my man card soon... sigh



I see no issue here. PC gaming is just a hobby like anything else. People lose interest in their hobby and move on to something else all the time.
Posted By: DBond

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 03/01/24 01:13 PM

My 4,000 hours in EU IV is over ten years. Not many games have that sort of longevity. As a strategy game it doesn't ever feel old. A shooter from 2013 will show it's age, but a grand strategy game like EU IV has some immunity to this. And on top of that, it's made by Paradox, who expand their games like crazy with expansions and DLC. So even if you reach the point where you feel it has grown stale, an update comes along to draw you back in. And it's just an amazingly good game.

My top ten all time most played Steam games to show how that 4,000 hours stack up

1. Europa Universalis IV (4,061)
2. Football Manager 2009 (1,609)
3. Elite Dangerous (1,600)
4. Warhammer 2 (1,209)
5. Football Manager 2013 (1,247)
6. GTA 5 (790)
7. Civ 5 (627)
8. Borderlands 2 (601)
9. Fallout 4 (505)
10. Civ 6 (464)

So yeah, EU IV is far and away the leader, but I've sunk some serious time in to a lot of games. And this is just Steam. Falcon 4, for example, would wedge its way in to this top ten if I had tracked the time and maybe even be top. I played a lot of Falcon.
Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 03/01/24 01:31 PM

Interesting Steam top 10 list DBond. Here is mine:

1. Total War: Attila 4,230
2. Fallout 76 3,727
3. Total War Rome 2: 3,620
4. Elite Dangerous 1,782
5. Total War Shogun 2: 1,600
6. Total War Three Kingdoms: 1,170
7. ArmA 3: 1,034
8. Thrones of Britannia 891
9. Company of Heroes 2 731
10. Elden Ring 671
Posted By: DBond

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 03/01/24 01:39 PM

Cool, thanks for posting that. I would have expected to see one of the Borderlands games in there for you too, but I bet they sit just outside your top ten.
Posted By: Mr_Blastman

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 03/01/24 04:03 PM

My #1 Steam hours played is Team Fortress 2 @ 1609.8 hours.

My #2 is X4: Foundations @ 650.9 hours.

My #3 is No Man's Sky @ 484.9 hours.

My #4 is Bannerlord @ 419.60 hours.

I suppose I am a lightweight. smile

I know for a fact I have 500+ hours in Elite Dangerous(standalone client), who knows how many in DCS, thousands in Falcon 4.0/BMS and likewise a significant amount in Star Citizen.

A pattern emerges on Steam, however. My most played games are either competitive PvP environments with high skill curve, deep gameplay, or open world maximum creativity and choice simulations.



Team Fortress/Quakeworld(who knows how many thousand hours)/StarCraft/Supreme Commander(thousands of hours between Supcom and SC)/Tribes/Mechwarrior/DCS/Elite/Star Citizen make up the bulk of my PvP time. I enjoy the smell of fear from my opponents as I stalk them. smile When I am not on the hunt, I like to fiddle with things in the other games.


Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 03/01/24 05:05 PM

I currently only have two games installed that are not on Steam so Steam definitely accounts for the great majority of my gaming time.
Posted By: Moses

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 03/01/24 09:46 PM

Ark is my most played game

Attached picture Screenshot 2024-03-01 154428.png
Posted By: RedOneAlpha

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 03/02/24 08:00 AM

Originally Posted by Chucky
Originally Posted by DBond
I'm on 4,056 at the mo. And I am still playing so this will surpass 4,100 shortly. I just started a new run as Kazan, a steppe horde. My cavalry will rule the world!


I wish I still had that dedication (and interest) to play games. I've been playing World of Warships for 9 years and I've noticed my hours getting less and less.

Now I'm addicted to a crossword game on my tablet. I'll hand in my man card soon... sigh


No worries, me and my girlfriend have countless of hours on Elder Sign: Omens. It´s basically Eldritch Horror but the dev changed the name for whatever reason. We also have the board game version. Pretty much fans of H.P. Lovecraft, books tabletop games ect.

Google Play:
Elder Sign: Omens Android

Red
Posted By: Allen

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 03/18/24 10:19 AM

Still playing and restarting Fallout 4 without finishing it. I'm still looking for the Perfect Play through "for my sensibilities".

I feel like I actually "live in the Fallout world". And, I'm trying to make it a "perfect world" (to my tastes and to some extent).

According to Steam during the last two weeks I have 32.7 hours in-game and 25 hours in the Creation Kit. I only use Mods I've made (dozens at this point).

I'm actually preparing for another restart from the beginning (1620 hours in-game over the years so far -- only a couple of "finishes").
Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 03/18/24 10:27 AM

Actively playing at least a couple times per week:

Robocop: Rogue City
Fallout 76
Starfield
Company of Heroes 3
Avatar
Dune: Spice Wars
Posted By: Mr_Blastman

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 03/20/24 05:19 AM

This one is coming soon... a new lower fidelity helicopter combat sim!

Posted By: RossUK

Re: What are you currently playing these days? - 03/20/24 07:17 AM

Originally Posted by Mr_Blastman
This one is coming soon... a new lower fidelity helicopter combat sim!



Having played the hell out of Gunship 2000 back in the day, this excites me greatly!
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