What are you Playing Now? It's not how you play the game, it's how you place the blame

[Hawke64]

Song of Farca. The linearity is becoming slightly uncomfortable - the MC blackmailed a random person in order to get a gift for her girlfriend. I suppose, the game highlights nicely why you don't want anything in your apartment to be connected to the Internet unless absolutely necessary (so the phone and the PC only, with the cameras and microphones unattached or covered while not in active use). The story in general has been interesting enough - some of the cases are related to major city (the titular Farca) events.

[LadyCrimson]

13 hours ago, uuuhhii said:

get a lot of game crash recently

maybe there some software update missing that are causing this

In my case it's always possible a reformat/O/S reinstall might help, or maybe it's even something hardware that more demanding games are triggering. But Hogwart's has many CTD complaints so I'm not alone with that one. That stupid hydro gpu cooler did slightly leak onto the gpu a bit, ages ago. Seemed fine but never know.  >.>  I haven't had any actual spontaneous reboots since doing some cleanup, and only CTD in Hogwart's and one Alpha-state game. I'm not building a new PC yet and I'm too lazy to reinstall O/S any time soon.   I think the only thing I haven't tried yet is replacing the large industrial power strip much of my stuff is plugged into. One never knows.

Edited March 6, 2023 by LadyCrimson

[BruceVC]

On 3/4/2023 at 11:55 PM, Keyrock said:

Arx Fatalis is a game I have very fond memories of. I'm afraid to try to play it again all these years later because I fear it may not hold up. I'd rather leave those rose tinted glasses on.

Edit: I got the last broom upgrade in Hogwarts Legacy, I now have maximum broom. Honestly, it's a bit underwhelming. The first broom upgrade seemed to be the biggest, each one after that made barely any difference in max speed. I'll take it, though.

Same as me, very fond memories of Arx. I bought it a few years back on Steam and I will replay it. I see there is also 1-2 good mod overhauls  that I will use 

https://arx-libertatis.org/

https://www.nexusmods.com/arxfatalis/mods/1

 

Edited March 7, 2023 by BruceVC

[marelooke]

As may have been clear from the screenshot thread. I've been poking at Star Citizen again after my rather, hmm, negative attempt late last year, and have been enjoying it this time around, mostly anyway.

Just to get this out of the way: no the game is not anywhere near stable yet. If losing all your stuff because the server crashed, you fell through the floor, or a gurney murdered you, or...anyway, if any of that is a major problem then don't bother.

Just to recap, a few years ago I bought the cheapest game package available (45EUR before taxes) because I found the game intriguing from a technological perspective as what they're trying to achieve is pretty impressive, scope-wise. Since then I've been checking in every now and again to see where things are at. This has generally been a yearly-ish thing but early this year there was a major FPS event going on so I figured that, despite my very negative experience a few months prior (when literally nothing worked for me), I'd give the gametech demo another go.

It was a cluster****. But it was a very promising one. There actually is a game there now. There's not a whole lot of it, and much of it is broken (figuring out which mission types will actually work most of the time is part of the challenge...) but what is there is looking promising, and despite the issues (broken AI, server crashes, and griefers in what was supposed to be a PvE event) I mostly had a good time with the event.

Additionally the next major patch (3.18, currently on Public Test Universe, supposed to go live "any time now") will finally introduce proper persistence support, meaning that if the game crashes you might not have lost everything as instead of getting dumped back to your respawn point, losing everything you had on you (or in your ship), you should be able to log back in where you left off with everything still there (assuming you are lucky and log back in to the server you just crashed out of, making sure that is the case is the next item on the todo, but hey, that seems pretty trivial compared to the persistence implementation)

To me this is a major leap towards turning this tech demo into an actual game that maybe non-masochists could get some enjoyment out of, and I'm really curious to see whether the content development pace will pick up now that this core tech is implemented.

Would I recommend the game to anyone? Ehhhh, probably not, at least not as a "game" as such. For anyone curious I'd probably recommend seeing how 3.18 shakes out once it goes live before deciding whether it's worth the price of entry. Or to try it at the "free fly event" in May ("Invictus Launch Week"), though my personal experience with events (based on last year...) is that is when the game is at its worst, but maybe this time will be different. Heh.

I would recommend anyone masochistic enough to join to use a referral code though, the extra starting cash is kinda nice.

Edited March 7, 2023 by marelooke

[LadyCrimson]

Hogwart's patch:  https://steamcommunity.com/app/990080/discussions/0/3789254716315683638/

Many crash related notes in there:

 

Performance and Stability

Fixed streaming issues throughout Hogwarts.
Fixed crash when common room is being shown to the player.
Fixed crash with skeletal mesh.
Fixed crash with deflection impacts.
Fixed crash when reading dictionary files.
Fixed performance when using ancient magic squash finisher on elevated Thornback Ambusher in Rune Door arena.
Improve rendering performance of translucent objects.
Fixed crash during a story graph.
Fixed streaming of plants in the Slytherin Common Room.
Fixed several memory leaks.
Fixed crash with map icon state.
Fixed crash with invalid UI.
Fixed streaming out of the Great Hall while navigating Hogwarts. Resolves the following reported issue: HL-71.
Fixed crash during audio occlusion checks around player.
Fixed crash when using explosive barrels.
Fixed crash when using Incendio spell.
Fixed crash when using Accio, Confringo, or Stupefy spells.
Fixed crash when updating gear items.
Fixed crash recursive crash with Solomons shields.
Fixed crash with mount zones.
Fixed crash during combat cursed lifetime.
Fixed crash during and spawning race on broom
Fixed occlusion culling with doors opening and closing.
Fixed occlusion culling issue.
Fixed a crash when travelling to Professor Fig’s classroom.
Fixed crashes related with Niagara and destructible related VFX.
Fixed a crash with damage over time not registering correctly.
Fixed crash spawning actor not being stored correctly.
Fixed crash with spawning actors correctly.
Fixed crash during character creation. Resolves the following reported issue: HL-232.
Fixed optimization animation instancing.
Fixed crash with moving stairs.
Fixed crash with VFX after prolonged play throughs.
Fixed crash related transformations in Overland.
Fixed crash dealing with object state.
Fixed crash with parry in combat.
Fixed crash with VFX AOE.
Fixed crash with hints.
Fixed crash with achievements with an invalid online userid.
Fixed crash while speaking to Rackham.
Fixed crash when using Wingardium.
Fixed performance drops experienced during longevity of the game.
Fixed performance drop in Divination classroom.
Improve VRAM usage specially for video cards with reduced memory.
Fixed raytracing lighting performance in the frontend.
Fixed using Ansel while a spell is being cast.
Fixed using Ansel while the avatar is riding a broom.
Updated shader compilation with latest PSO cache.
Fixed lighting optimization with Nvidia drivers.

...I suppose that's why they feel so random...
...it says it fixed Ansel use while spells are cast and on the broom. Does that mean we can use it at those times now?
...like all patches, some say it broke the game/it's even worse, maybe especially some RT settings (at least I don't use those) etc.. I'm almost afraid to try it, lol. I suppose it can't get much worse than it already has been for me, since it started all the CTD recently.
 

Edited March 8, 2023 by LadyCrimson

[Keyrock]

@LadyCrimsonFor science I'll try running the game with out using the Linux-specific CTD fix

Quote

sudo sh -c "echo 1000000 > /proc/sys/vm/max_map_count"

I'll fast travel a bunch to test it, since I have not been getting any CTDs since I started using the fix and fast travel is what gave me CTDs before.

[LadyCrimson]

Well, that is not a promising start. 

Edit: ok it supposedly installed. Going to verify integrity before starting. I removed the Engine.ini config tweaks temporarily. Let's see if it starts...

Edited March 8, 2023 by LadyCrimson

[LadyCrimson]

6 minutes ago, Keyrock said:

@LadyCrimsonFor science I'll try running the game with out using the Linux-specific CTD fix

I'll fast travel a bunch to test it, since I have not been getting any CTDs since I started using the fix and fast travel is what gave me CTDs before.

I saw some others on LInux posting about some crash fix, maybe it's the same one you're using. I guess it's all an argument to get rid of Winblows. I'm certainly not eager to go to Win11, but then I wasn't eager to move to any new version of Windows.

[Keyrock]

15 minutes ago, LadyCrimson said:

I saw some others on LInux posting about some crash fix, maybe it's the same one you're using. I guess it's all an argument to get rid of Winblows. I'm certainly not eager to go to Win11, but then I wasn't eager to move to any new version of Windows.

I had it CTD on the 3rd time I fast traveled, given that I didn't have that happen a single time in probably 40 hours of playing while using 

Quote

sudo sh -c "echo 1000000 > /proc/sys/vm/max_map_count"

I'd say that they didn't fix the fast travel CTD issue. Not a big deal for me, since I can just use that command. I imagine there has to be a Windows version of that max map count CTD fix, I just haven't looked into it since I have no reason to.

As an aside, I wish I could play dress up with my companion. I feel weird running around with my super fashionable threads while my girl Imelda is wearing a plain robe.

Edited March 8, 2023 by Keyrock

[LadyCrimson]

...nope, CTD'd after 10-12 minutes of randomly flying around on the broom.
...last night I turned DLSS back on and managed about 30 minutes. I had it off again after patch.
...you can use Ansel while sitting on the broom now.
...I'll restart and see if that Biscuit lock bug is fixed.

 

Edit: oops now it won't even start. Hit Play button and the button turns blue for about 3 seconds then goes back to green/Play state again.

Edited March 8, 2023 by LadyCrimson

[LadyCrimson]

--got it to start again
--I'd say overall fps/general performance is about the same for me, at my settings etc.
--Ansel does work during combat actions now
--Biscuit quest indeed fixed, the lock appeared, could rescue.
--but CTD'd in about 20 minutes after casting a spell at an enemy.  It's just totally random for me in the sense there is no predicting/avoiding a cause/moment. I do not CTD while fast traveling. When the CTD happens the GPU usage in task manager seems to do a sudden moderate drop then a spike to 100/max a micro-second before the crash, vs. the more typical steady-line 85-90%.

Edited March 8, 2023 by LadyCrimson

[Keyrock]

Having played with the companions mod a bit, I have some thoughts:

Pros

* No instability issues or weird graphical glitches introduced so far.

* The companions actually comment on things going on around them, which was unexpected, but welcome. I'm assuming the way this was achieved was by having them speak lines that my character would have said otherwise.

Cons

* You can't dress them up. I think the easiest way to implement this would be to have a button in the same menu that you use to summon/banish them labeled "Copy Appearance" or whatever and it copies your character's current appearance to the companion. This way you dress yourself up how you want them to look, press the button, then you could change yourself to whatever you want.

* Companions don't ride brooms. This is especially disappointing since I roll with Imelda who's the best broom rider besides me. I'm not sure how difficult that would be to program into the mod. 

Edited March 8, 2023 by Keyrock

[LadyCrimson]

--Had terrible texture issues.
--DDU'd and reinstalled nvidia drivers, again. Deleted shader caches, again.
--was able to restart and not crash in the first 10-20 minutes a couple times, giving me hope. Maybe I can at least play 2-3 hour sessions again. We'll see.
--I no longer seem to need the Engine.ini gpu/performance tweak. It runs fine without it/gpu utilization remains high, vram use seems a bit lower, have most settings back to native High/Ultra, mostly 50-70fps, no severe frame pacing stutter even during brief dips into low 40's, etc.

...cautiously optimistic.

[Hurlshort]

I'm pretty excited to play Hogwarts Legacy, as a person who owns a wand purchased at Ollivanders, and visits the Universal Studios park regularly, and rewatches the movies. But I decided to wait to buy it because I'm busy right now, and after hearing about the bugs, I'm pretty happy about that. I look forward to playing it in a couple months when you two have worked out all of the bugs in the game.  

[Keyrock]

10 minutes ago, Hurlshort said:

I'm pretty excited to play Hogwarts Legacy, as a person who owns a wand purchased at Ollivanders, and visits the Universal Studios park regularly, and rewatches the movies. But I decided to wait to buy it because I'm busy right now, and after hearing about the bugs, I'm pretty happy about that. I look forward to playing it in a couple months when you two have worked out all of the bugs in the game.  

For my part, once I started using the Linux specific CTD fix it's been smooth sailing. In the 40+ hours since I started using that fix I've had exactly 2 crashes (not counting the CTD I just recently had where I purposely DIDN'T use the fix, for science) and they were freezes where I had to Alt+Tab out and manually force a shutdown of the game, which is unlike the CTDs I had when fast traveling before I started using the fix. 2 crashes in 40+ hours is acceptable in my book.

That said, waiting is a good idea if you have the patience. You get a more stable product and you may get it at a discount to boot.

[LadyCrimson]

Eh, all games have a small portion of people with big issues ... maybe Hogwart's is 7% instead of 3% (the usual figures pulled from my arse) so you see more 'net complaints. Don't think it's all that bad overall vs. how many bought the game. Most of the time I get lucky and am on the doesn't-have-issues side of games - this time I wasn't. I remember initial release of FO:NV was really bad for me w/crashes too, lol.

But I played for a couple hours, no CTD, felt smooth, no .ini tweaks etc. so maybe this time  w/patch+the last driver reinstall etc it's finally good? Got a couple more Steam Achievements and have only 1 more side quest to get 100% in the 4 challenge categories and I assume hit max level. Of course, it's the only side-quest left and it's the final broom upgrade one. Failed it three times. Bah.

I wish they had left a little more leeway re: max level/challenge completion, so there could be a few quests you could skip if you didn't like them, and still reach it. Forcing a player to do every single itty bitty thing isn't my fave method. Although ofc one doesn't have to do all that just to complete the main story. There *is* however a chr. lvl requirement to see the final short cutscene before credit rolling, which some could reach without being that level.

[Tale]

Destiny 2 released an expansion. Am I our Destiny guy? I'm probably our Destiny guy.

You may have heard people were disappointed. It's actually really good, but with a very notable problem. Like if you take the first half of the opening cutscene and the ending cutscene, you would not feel you missed anything between them. A window literally closes in the opening, then opens up in the ending. And everyone is standing in the same places.

When (almost*) everything else is good, the story coming across like absolutely-nothing is a sticking point in a time period when the story is supposed to be ramping up to the end. Originally this was planned to be the final expansion of the current storyline until over a year ago they decided to add one more. It's as if they had the intro cinematic for that finale and cut it in half, then put the entire expansion in the middle of the cutscene.

I'm kind of glad the game has the year, I just think they needed to redo the cutscene. They'll hopefully tie up some more loose ends they wouldn't have had the chance to otherwise.

Almost*: Why are all the legendary weapons this season reskin? Something is going on with the art department. The last dungeon only had half a new weapon set. And now most of the new weapons are old weapons with new (utterly fantastic) textures.

[Bartimaeus]

Hogwarts Legacy, I got as far as the character creator and the very first cutscene. What the heck is wrong with all the hair options, and why do the faces all look so glossy and gross? I just can't ever seem to into 3D graphics these days. I ended up settling on a black lady because she had the least lizard-like skin out of anything I could come up with, and then the first cutscene had her open her mouth and immediately look like a complete doofus with cartoonishly bad face expressions. Ah, I miss ye olde days of the silent protagonist. Well, I suppose I didn't really want to spend a hundred-plus hours on an endless collectathon anyways...

[majestic]

8 minutes ago, Bartimaeus said:

black lady

 

[Bartimaeus]

7 minutes ago, majestic said:

 

You know, I'm not a thousand percent sure what the accepted verbiage is around the world. In the U.S., it might be "African-American lady", but this takes place in Britain, and some in the U.S. don't prefer that term anyways...just like how some prefer the term "Native Americans", some prefer "Indians", and some prefer "American Indians".

Edited March 9, 2023 by Bartimaeus

[LadyCrimson]

I think my main thing re: faces in Hogwart's was that during dialogues, so often they seemed at least somewhat animated (even if mouth movement was iffy at times), eg, it was all right, but then they'd finish speaking and their face would often fall into this neutral, robotic expression.

 

[LadyCrimson]

Postscript: The thing about modern 3D games recently that I've disliked is all the massive directional lighting/shadow tricks. Environmentally it can look great, don't get me wrong, but on characters...where even when it's night-time (vs. bright sunlight say), from one angle, your chr's is lit up nicely/naturally, but then you turn them 70 degrees and their face becomes this murky hole of terrible shadowing, or their dark hair turns white/red/green/purple, stuff like that.

Anyway, maybe I can continue trying the early game with other Houses now that the game doesn't crash every 15 minutes.

[Bartimaeus]

2 hours ago, LadyCrimson said:

I think my main thing re: faces in Hogwart's was that during dialogues, so often they seemed at least somewhat animated (even if mouth movement was iffy at times), eg, it was all right, but then they'd finish speaking and their face would often fall into this neutral, robotic expression.

I miss the days when things were all just ugly polygons. At least that didn't constantly fall into the uncanny valley. There will hopefully come a day when modern 3D graphics aren't constantly doing that to me. Also, yeah, the directional lighting issue is usually pretty noticeable if you're moving the camera around to a lot of different angles to either look at something close to you or your own character.

Edited March 9, 2023 by Bartimaeus

[Keyrock]

I now know every spell in Hogwarts Legacy, including Adava Kedavra. Don't worry, I won't let the power go to my head.

Edited March 11, 2023 by Keyrock

[Hawke64]

On 3/9/2023 at 9:21 PM, LadyCrimson said:

Postscript: The thing about modern 3D games recently that I've disliked is all the massive directional lighting/shadow tricks. Environmentally it can look great, don't get me wrong, but on characters...where even when it's night-time (vs. bright sunlight say), from one angle, your chr's is lit up nicely/naturally, but then you turn them 70 degrees and their face becomes this murky hole of terrible shadowing, or their dark hair turns white/red/green/purple, stuff like that.

Anyway, maybe I can continue trying the early game with other Houses now that the game doesn't crash every 15 minutes.

If I'm not mistaken, the lighting/light sources in cut-scenes are different from the ones during gameplay, which allows to improve performance (players see mostly their characters' backs), while keeping the perceived visual quality high. Not sure how it interacts with photo modes, though.

Completed The Feast. It is a point-and-click adventure/visual novel, and is focused on the Russian society after the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The story follows a young person during a family dinner where a dead man is hanging from the chandelier. There are 3 meters (Approval, Ruining the Party, and Suspicion) and numerous actions determining the outcome.
The visual and audio design are minimalistic, expressive, and fitting. The controls are not rebindable but comfortable enough - WASD movement and mouse for choosing interaction or dialogue options. While it is not possible to save the progress, the length of one playthrough is around 20 minutes. The settings are limited only to the graphics presets, and it is not possible to adjust the sound volume in-game.

Song of Farca. The mid-game cases have (not clearly explained) choices, it seems. Or at least I cannot connect the MC's replies with the outcomes. Also, the late-game cases introduce a limit on the persuasion attempts, which would be great if it were consistent throughout the game and clearly indicated.

Edited March 11, 2023 by Hawke64