What are you playing right now

[GhostofAnakin]

I signed up for the gwent beta. Never would have predicted that. I usually hate fancy card games.

 

I'm addicted to that game (the in-game version, not the separate version).  Every single time I come across someone who plays, I have to have a game.

 

"Excuse me, inkeep.  I'm looking for someone.  My daughter Ciri's in danger.  She'll die any moment now if I don't find .... oh, hey, do you play gwent?  Let's play a few rounds!"

[Mamoulian War]

180 Quick Battle Opponents defeated. 60 more to go. I am now fighting against A and B grade opponents. Some of them are pretty easy even for an old fart as me, some of them are ****ing crazy hard. The AI reacts to button presses and most of the time smashes your face as soon as you release block button :-/ I hate that kind of programming...

[Malcador]

Well went back to Civ 5 and I still can't say why it doesn't hold me like 4. Current hypothesis is that I don't get the full depth of the game though.

[Chilloutman]

Well went back to Civ 5 and I still can't say why it doesn't hold me like 4. Current hypothesis is that I don't get the full depth of the game though.

Do you have expansions? Its quite good with them. One thing I really don't like about Civ 5 - nations seems too similliar, there are not enough differences between them

[Mamoulian War]

180 Quick Battle Opponents defeated. 60 more to go. I am now fighting against A and B grade opponents. Some of them are pretty easy even for an old fart as me, some of them are ****ing crazy hard. The AI reacts to button presses and most of the time smashes your face as soon as you release block button :-/ I hate that kind of programming...

 

And 200 out of 240 Quick Battles done. Some AI opponents are really retarded. For some reason, few B ranked bots are much harder than A1 bots... I really do not know, who was the person behind balance of this game O.o

[Deadly_Nightshade]

I picked up a Steam Controller and cannot decide if it's awesome or awful. I still prefer a mouse and keyboard but this seems like a mostly palatable option if a controller is needed.

[melkathi]

So steam says I have 32 hours on Earthlock.

I am nearing the end - read: I am at the point where I am told not to forget to do stuff before going for the final confrontation. Am doing a bit of a completionist run, so I may have to waste some time now to fully level up my herb garden. But the game surprised me. When the devs started on this journey, they said thy had some 3 hours of gameplay planned for episode 1. After the kickstarter went well they expanded on it. Now they say that they think they have reached a gameplay experience that can take palyers up to 20 hours - I am at 32? This is a new experience for me, a game taking longer than promised

[Mamoulian War]

So I have finished all 240 Quick Battles in Soulcalibur 5 and got another trophy. It was really pain in the ass to fight against few broken opponents, but I have to say, I was having a lot of fun! Game is 95% complete, and only last two trophies are missing. To reach level 99 (I am level 58 now) and to make 87,600 meters of movement (currently 17,698 m ).

[Malcador]

 

Well went back to Civ 5 and I still can't say why it doesn't hold me like 4. Current hypothesis is that I don't get the full depth of the game though.

Do you have expansions? Its quite good with them. One thing I really don't like about Civ 5 - nations seems too similliar, there are not enough differences between them

 

Yep, have them all. I think I also handcuff myself by only playing Rome

[Dainalt]

I earned the last two hidden achievements in the Vanishing of Ethan Carter.  It's a sad little game.  I thoroughly enjoyed the experience, but it struck me this evening that it really is this genre I see nowadays called a 'walking sim.'  There are puzzles, some of them clever, but no chance to die and no real monsters.  Only one area that could possible qualify as a 'monster' and a couple areas that were maybe 'monsterish.'

 

I'm trying to figure out the ending and if anyone has insights (assuming anyone else has played) I'm going to throw out my take on the ending for confirmation/refute.

 

 

Apparently, Ethan had written all the weird things about the spaceman and the mine and whatnot.  When his mom accidently starts the fire, Ethan closes the door, but the poisonous smoke is already choking Ethan who lays down on the sleeping bag.  In the last few moments of his life, he imagines stories about his family in which they all die.  He also imagines the story of the protagonist, Paul Prospero, who ends up being the one who gently guides Ethan to shatter the shackles of his mortality and free his spirit to migrate into what lies beyond.  The final scene seems to be the perspective of Ethan's spirit moving up through the abandoned mansion in which Ethan's family is frantically trying to quench the fire and save the child.

 

 

Not much chance of a sequel which I would probably not buy because I need to get more than six hours out of a game.  I'll probably get more because my lady friend says she wants to play, but still won't be long.  A lot of that will be sitting with said lady friend while she plays and giving her hints when she requests them.

 

I'd like a game that has exploration and some fun but not irritating puzzles, but I want it to last longer.  I'm looking at other games to buy, or maybe even playing other games I've played and never finished.

[Fenixp]

I earned the last two hidden achievements in the Vanishing of Ethan Carter.  It's a sad little game.  I thoroughly enjoyed the experience, but it struck me this evening that it really is this genre I see nowadays called a 'walking sim.'  There are puzzles, some of them clever, but no chance to die and no real monsters.  Only one area that could possible qualify as a 'monster' and a couple areas that were maybe 'monsterish.'

Nah, Vanishing of Ethan Carter is more of a proper adventure game I think. There are no ways to die, this is true, challenge lies in finding and solving the puzzles it presents you with (which, true, weren't all that difficult.) Most games marked as "Walking sims" don't even have that, or contain puzzles which are completely trivial with no real thought required to complete them. Play Dear Esther, you'll see what I'm talking about and then weep.

 

Length of Vanishing seemed perfect for me - given the story it tried to tell and given the amount of detail they put into each individual scene, longer playtime would mean decline in quality, one way or the other.

 

I felt like the game has taken a ton of inspiration from Myst (remake from 2000 with fully 3D movement is here). While longer, Myst is also a lot more cryptic and much more challenging (in other words, filled with irritating puzzles) - but other than Myst I can't think of many games quite like Ethan Carter.

 

Anyway, the ending...

 

I never thought of it as more than oxygen-deprivation delirium, mingling Ethan's memories and fantasies together. I'm not a particularly spiritualistic person, which made the ending kinda mundane and disappointing to me. I suppose it would have felt that way anyhow - I don't like "It all happened in his head" endings in general, altho I don't think there was any other way for this game to remain coherent without doing that, considering all that has happened.

 

[Dainalt]

Yeah, don't agree with the ending, which I thought was quite good, but I can sympathize with the perspective.

 

Myst was just brilliant and I wish I hadn't played it so I could discover it on steam and play it for the first time again, frustrating puzzles and all.

Edited October 7, 2016 by Dainalt

[GhostofAnakin]

Well, I just snubbed Yennefer.  Triss, here I come!

[the_dog_days]

Well, I just snubbed Yennefer.  Triss, here I come!

 

 

You monster. :'(

[WDeranged]

Tried GTA Online for the first time with a few friends, five hours of irredeemable atrocity, loved it 

[Dainalt]

Until my lady friend and I can carve out time for her to play the Vanishing of Ethan Carter, I've been playing this free steam game called Disturbed.  Crude and simple and random things kill you a lot early but i've gotten to a courtyard with a couple angel statues and it's actually playable.  Not going to win awards, but the guy who put it together deserves some credit for his efforts.  I wouldn't spend money on it yet, but if I put in at least a few hours I'll figure out if there's some way to throw some cash his way.  Guess I'll have to look at the store page again.  Anyhow, free to play at the moment if anyone wants to try it.  Be warned, it's about 25 years behind its time.  Zork Nemesis was worlds, nay galaxies ahead of this game.

[Drowsy Emperor]

I thought I'd write up my experiences with the Nintendo 2DS.

 

For those who don't know, the 2DS is an entry level 3DS intended for younger children and cheapskates like me. It ditches the 3D effect, stereo spearkers (in favor of a single one) and tactility of the keys (mushy all the way down) for a lower price and a slab like design. The physical shape is not portable in the least but its very comfortable to use for extended periods of time.

In all other respects its just like the standard 3DS (albeit with a smaller screen and less horsepower than the new3DS).

 

In Europe it costs 100 euros with a pack in game like New Super Mario Bros 2 or Mario Kart 7 that individually retail for around 40 euro. Unlike the new3DS it comes with a charger but it does include the hidden cost of an obligatory 9 euro carrying case - its exposed screens are just begging to get scratched.

 

As for my experiences:

 

1. The 3D or lack thereof. The 3D effect (tested on new3DS) is really nice when it works as intended. However even a slight misalignment of your eyes from its hypothetical ideal position causes a fair amount of physical discomfort. At its worst it can be painful to look at and headache inducing. This is especially prominent at its maximum setting when the effect is arguably at its best. Furthermore, the 3D causes the game to render 2 video streams at the same time to produce the effect and that tanks the frame rate in some games tremendously.

Overall, its an interesting but dysfunctional gimmick. The 2DS doesn't loose much from it.

 

2. The hardware. The hardware was outdated even at the time of release. The games are jagged from a lack of antialiasing, the screen has poor contrast and is hard to use in the daylight. The new 3DS and its XL variant benefit from a better screen that is also larger (which is pretty good) but the resolution is still the same to all the graphical faults just become even more prominent. The systems include a 3D camera which has terrible resolution and only works in the best lighting conditions.

Internally it features a gyroscope that is utilized well in some games. 

The sound reproduction on the 2DS is passable. The lower screen (touchscreen) is responsive and precise but also a fingerprint magnet. 

The face buttons and the Dpad are mushy and barely acceptable. They're responsive but not as pleasing to use as the tactile ones on the regular 3DS.

The device is difficult to open for repairs due to junky screws that are easy to strip. I've learnt that its a feature of the black models because the white ones use silver screws with no coating that are substantially more resistant to wear.

 

Overall the hardware is unimpressive, its principal saving grace being that it plays Nintendo software.

 

3. The software. The operating system is reasonably fast albeit unable to compete even with lower quality smartphones. The internet is the weakest feature of the device. Its very picky about the wifi it uses, will frequently lose connection with error codes popping up left and right. This is in a top speed student wifi environment where every other device is blisteringly fast.

 Downloads from Nintendo shop take forever even though they should take minutes or seconds.

The device comes loaded with experimental shovelware. The only useful software is the one that tracks the time spent in games so you can see how much you're playing and how long a game took you to complete.

Other than that the system is stable - the games never crash and the actual gaming experience is uninterrupted.

 

3. The games. Nominally, like most platforms, the 3DS has a ton of software (well, except the WiiU). But like with everything, the overwhelming majority is trash. This is a selection I made which represents almost everything that's in the green (75+) in Metacritic and then sorted according to approximate genres.

 

 

As you can see, the device has a ton of JRPG's. All of them are "old school" which means a grindathon that finishes with teenagers killing god (if it bothers with a story at all). Unfair generalization aside, these games are basically on the level of average PSX JRPG's both in terms of graphics and gameplay. For some that's not a problem, I personally don't care at all for them.

There are also a ton of remakes and ports mostly of old Nintendo IP. The Zelda's are the best of the bunch IMO. 

The platformers are decent although many of them are multiplat games best played on the PC.

The adventure games are basically the Professor Layton and Phoneix Wright series. Both are decent but IMO neither hold a candle to old games like Monkey Island, Day of the Tentacle etc. 

 

The rest is as you see it, mostly familiar.

 

The system is fully backwards compatible with the original DS which has significantly more good games so that's a bonus. However, DS emulation on the PC is excellent so the motivation to bother with the genuine thing is minimal.

Overall the selection of games depends most of all on how much you're into JRPG's as they dominate the upper quality bracket of the device. If you're not into them then you're going to run out of good games to play relatively fast - if you are, all you're likely to do is play them because most take so long to complete.

 

4. Final words. The 2DS is a good device, neither great, nor junk. I do not have enough disposable income to consider the 3DS worth investing on the whole - the experience isn't substantially better due to hardware limitations and its few advantages are sort of limited by its price (170 euro, no game in the box). At this price, combined with Nintedo's propensity to never drop game prices - it becomes a fairly expensive endeavor (new3DS + 3 games = PS4 with 1 pack in game, give or take 30 euro!!!)

For most of its games its a pity that they're confined to the worst hardware of their generation and would look leagues better on everything from smartphones to the walking dead that is the Vita.

 

I will most likely purchase less than 10 games that I really want to play on it and call it a day. For that, I can say that it was mostly worth it.

Edited October 8, 2016 by Drowsy Emperor

[Labadal]

Finished Actual Sunlight, lasted for about an hour. Don't know what to think.

 

More Ni No Kuni. Have more than 60% of familiars recruited and now working towards the alchemy trophy. At this rate, I will probably go for the platinum.

[GhostofAnakin]

I'm approaching the part where Geralt heads off to find Ciri after the Kaer Morhen quest.  But I'm just polishing off the various contracts and side missions on Skellige before I go.

 

It's a good thing there's no time limit to complete the main quest.  If there was, Geralt haggling for extra coin to kill some drowners or playing every person a game of gwent that he meets is probably not a good idea.

[Nonek]

The new Witcher 3: Wild Hunt dlc, Intervention.

[Orogun01]

The new Witcher 3: Wild Hunt dlc, Intervention.

I feel that this is a joke that went over my head.

[Nonek]

Just a jape referencing GhostofAnakin's Geralt being addicted to gambling via Gwent.

[Orogun01]

Just a jape referencing GhostofAnakin's Geralt being addicted to gambling via Gwent.

Does he know about that mod that replaces every battle with a game of Gwent?

[sorophx]

tried Underrail, and so far it's been a miserable experience. I just can't get into it. for a game that emulates Fallout as much as possible it sure's doing a poor job. 

 

I don't mean to say that this game is terrible, but I can't say it's good either. so far it plays like a bad mod for Fallout: one where the first cave with rats is made 100 times bigger and more difficult to navigate. 

 

maybe it's the build I've chosen, but even the rathounds (or w/e they're called) give me a hard time. I can't evade their attacks, I can barely run away from them and I can't kill them with my pistol. obviusly I don't have the money to buy better gear (one piece of equipment runs in the thousands, while I have 200 credits to my name). am I supposed to rely on melee combat until a certain point in the game? if so, why didn't one of the NPCs say so in the beginning? if not, what am I supposed to do?

 

I have capped stealth, evasion, guns, melee etc. and I still can't survive most of the fights the game throws at me. I am forced to cheese my way around most battles (like locking myself behind a fence before the hounds can get to me and shoot them all for 20 combat rounds). did I go in the wrong direction? my first quest says I should go to these caves, why are they so f'king hard? why is there a boss fight in the starting location already? what is a player supposed to do if he's not like me and didn't loot everything in the 10 km radius (read: doesn't have molotov ****tails, grenades and all that stuff).

 

or is using psy skills obligatory? the game seems to imply as much, but it's too late for me now, I have to either restart the game or keep going, trying to level up my char and catch up.

 

and this game could surely use a map screen.

[Malcador]

Civ 4. Map of Europe is too damn small for 5 Civs.