Blog Your Current Game

[jmotivator]

BLAH! I wish we had proper spoiler tags on this site.

I worked out that every time for him is the first time. You couldn't miss it. "Immortal" goes a bit farther than I figured, unless that's only a loose reference to the advice given by said apparation.... something that must be given up......

Quasi-immortal, perhaps.

At any rate, it is story-heavy and very intriguing. It also happens to follow a theme that for some reason I keep coming back to, in both literature, TV, etc. Around and around a loop, on and on, perhaps self-damnation even in a good cause.

I only hope I manage to pay enough attention to remember it all. Several months ago was a long-hour blur of work, the last few months....what it has been....and I've got other much bigger things on the very near horizon. It's nice to have a game that isn't mostly killing things, though I do like those quite a bit.

I'm glad you are enjoying it. I can't comment any further on your observations without actually getting spoilery.

 

[jmotivator]

I picked up Mechwarrior 5 Mercenaries on 50% sale the other day and I've been playing it on and off for a few days. I have very mixed feelings.

The interface and general between mission NPC stuff is just awful, and some of the in-mission effects are just bad...

But I still kind of like it.

I think for all of the general fit and finish that is missing, the one thing that I find to be rather game breaking is the weird black-box style hit box calculations. There appear to be some under-the-hood hit roles being made that govern where your shots land that supersede the visual recital targeting. If I point my AC/20 at an enemy mech's cockpit and fire, and see the round hit squarely in the windshield, I would expect to see the cockpit portion of the mech in my HUD display damage to the cockpit... but alas. Sometimes yes, sometimes no.

I guess I understand why this is. They carry over all the damage and armor modeling from the table top game, so an AC/20 shot to the cockpit of a small mech would be instant kill since they just don't have the armor or structure to compensate. In the table top game it is all governed by the vagaries of die roles and skill checks... but in a FPS you can get pretty good at nailing head shots pretty quick in the relatively plodding pace of a mech battle, especially when you are used to landing quick twitch FPS head-shots. So to allow hits to be governed entirely by player skill, you can get rather good at Gauss sniping.

I remember way back playing the original Mechwarrior and how easy the game got when I had a dual PPC Battlemaster. That game was strictly point and shoot, no black box, so I would just engage the enemy at range, standing still, and waiting to get the perfect sniper shot on their cockpit. Most mechs would go down from alpha damage to the cockpit. It was way back then that I realized the problematic nature of translating tabletop games to simulator.

But, I'd rather the "unbalanced" but rational Mechwarrior method to the Mechwarrior 5 method where I feel taking careful aim is somewhat pointless.

 

[jmotivator]

Civilization VI is current on sale for free on Epic store.

 

[Redress]

Civilization VI is current on sale for free on Epic store.

You beat me to it.

I am not a fan of Civ6, but a lot of people are, and free is a price you can’t beat.

 

[Deuce]

Epic Games still trying to bribe its way into Steam's marketshare, I see.

 

[Redress]

Epic Games still trying to bribe its way into Steam's marketshare, I see.

Yes they are a business...

 

[Deuce]

Yes they are a business...

Do you think they have considered maybe producing a decent ****ing platform?

 

[Mr Person]

Put the "spiritual successor" to Planescape: Torment on my wishlist, to wait for a sale. It'll be quite some time before I get through all the various RPGs and CRPGs, etc., I've picked up over the last year. To find it, I searched for "Torment" in steam...


...and for some reason, on the list of results, is.... uh... "Fap Queen 2".




I'm not even clicking on that.

 

[Deuce]

I picked up Mechwarrior 5 Mercenaries on 50% sale the other day and I've been playing it on and off for a few days. I have very mixed feelings.

The interface and general between mission NPC stuff is just awful, and some of the in-mission effects are just bad...

But I still kind of like it.

I think for all of the general fit and finish that is missing, the one thing that I find to be rather game breaking is the weird black-box style hit box calculations. There appear to be some under-the-hood hit roles being made that govern where your shots land that supersede the visual recital targeting. If I point my AC/20 at an enemy mech's cockpit and fire, and see the round hit squarely in the windshield, I would expect to see the cockpit portion of the mech in my HUD display damage to the cockpit... but alas. Sometimes yes, sometimes no.

I guess I understand why this is. They carry over all the damage and armor modeling from the table top game, so an AC/20 shot to the cockpit of a small mech would be instant kill since they just don't have the armor or structure to compensate. In the table top game it is all governed by the vagaries of die roles and skill checks... but in a FPS you can get pretty good at nailing head shots pretty quick in the relatively plodding pace of a mech battle, especially when you are used to landing quick twitch FPS head-shots. So to allow hits to be governed entirely by player skill, you can get rather good at Gauss sniping.

I remember way back playing the original Mechwarrior and how easy the game got when I had a dual PPC Battlemaster. That game was strictly point and shoot, no black box, so I would just engage the enemy at range, standing still, and waiting to get the perfect sniper shot on their cockpit. Most mechs would go down from alpha damage to the cockpit. It was way back then that I realized the problematic nature of translating tabletop games to simulator.

But, I'd rather the "unbalanced" but rational Mechwarrior method to the Mechwarrior 5 method where I feel taking careful aim is somewhat pointless.

I was pretty disappointed in MW5. I really wanted it to be good, but I think they ****ed up a core mechanic of any Battletech series: mech customization. I like to be able to customize a mech to a significant degree. I don't need full customization of everything on an Inner Sphere mech, as they are explicitly not Omnimechs, but they went overboard with the hardpoint limitations. Some limitations can be good. Early games in the series let you change out everything, even the engine, and there were no location limits. This meant there's absolutely no distinction between mechs beyond tonnage and appearance. Hardpoint limitations of ballistic/missile/energy in specific locations like MW4 or Battletech make different chassis distinguishable... but MW5 added the small/medium/large requirement on top of ballistic/missile/energy. It seems like I can barely change anything.

They also seem to have overly relied on infinitely-spawning enemies, and this just isn't a fun mechanic for me. It's especially obnoxious because they just seem to spawn wherever they feel like. Like it's a random location relative to the player and doesn't bother taking into account any aspect of the battlefield.

 

[jmotivator]

I was pretty disappointed in MW5. I really wanted it to be good, but I think they ****ed up a core mechanic of any Battletech series: mech customization. I like to be able to customize a mech to a significant degree. I don't need full customization of everything on an Inner Sphere mech, as they are explicitly not Omnimechs, but they went overboard with the hardpoint limitations. Some limitations can be good. Early games in the series let you change out everything, even the engine, and there were no location limits. This meant there's absolutely no distinction between mechs beyond tonnage and appearance. Hardpoint limitations of ballistic/missile/energy in specific locations like MW4 or Battletech make different chassis distinguishable... but MW5 added the small/medium/large requirement on top of ballistic/missile/energy. It seems like I can barely change anything.

They also seem to have overly relied on infinitely-spawning enemies, and this just isn't a fun mechanic for me. It's especially obnoxious because they just seem to spawn wherever they feel like. Like it's a random location relative to the player and doesn't bother taking into account any aspect of the battlefield.

Oh yeah, the absurd number of spawned enemies also annoyed the hell out of me. I buy a Mechwarrior game to fight mechs, not waves of Apache helicopters.

Also, totally agree that the hardpoint size limits made no sense. I always liked the classic system of slot and weight considerations, and it would have probably been just as easy to use that system as shoehorn in there own.

I added a mod that takes away the hardpoint sizes, but the isseu then becomes the lack of slotting mechanic, so I could pull a machinegun and replace it with an LBX/10 so long a weight limits were met.

I built my squad up to all 85 ton+ mechs and tried some late game missions and just gave up. It's broken. The way big missions have always been doable in FPS MW games is the ability to use real life skill to take out weak points... but since you can't do that there is now way I have found to minimize incoming damage enough that you can survive even two waves of mechs while the tanks and helicopters whittle you down.

 

[Jetboogieman]

Doom Eternal.

There are some things I’m not wild about, but overall, bloody solid game and one of the best FPS I’ve played in some time, incredible title, I’m on my 3rd playthrough already trying to get all the achievements and stuff.

Glorious, glorious game.

 

[jmotivator]

I've been playing a lot of Monster Train the last few days.

It is definitely a different game than I usually play, and I have skipped games like Slay the Spire because they didn't interest me. Something about this one had me try it out, and it's pretty good.

I don't think I am necessarily sold on the format to run to other games in the same genre, but I'm getting a lot of game play out of it. You definitely have to get used to losing, though. This game is a real jerk. :lol:

 

[PoS]

Being bored, I went back to the games I never got to finish the first time. So I put on my fedora, strapped on the Colt 1911, dusted off the Packard, and became a cop once again. Welcome back to LA Noire.

I gotta admit I didnt like it when I first started playing it a few years ago, because it felt too linear. Being a Rockstar game I thought it was like a sandbox, just like their GTA games but I was wrong. Now that Im approaching it from a different perspective, I am liking it-very much. Good research material too, since I was planning to write a hard boiled crime novel in the future. :mrgreen:

 

[jmotivator]

Another day of Monster Train. It's a rather addictive game, and I find that as I learn a given clan pairing it is becoming clear the strategies that govern success are less chance, and that is a good feeling.

Monster Train is really a combination of Slay the Spire and Tower defense. Part of each session is building your deck on the fly and knowing how different kinds of cards synergise. Monster cards are usually single use, while magic cards recycle... so a magic based deck gets more powerful as the game progress since eventually all you are drawing is spells, while monster based decks need to establish a beachhead and hold on. Enemies that reach the train power source chip away at it.. let enough through and you lose.

The game has a lot of depth and, while subject to RNG, it's not governed by it completely. If you know what you are doing you can usually build an effective deck before the final boss... but sometimes the game will just screw you over, kick sand in your face and walk off with your best girl.

 

[Redress]

Another day of Monster Train. It's a rather addictive game, and I find that as I learn a given clan pairing it is becoming clear the strategies that govern success are less chance, and that is a good feeling.

Monster Train is really a combination of Slay the Spire and Tower defense. Part of each session is building your deck on the fly and knowing how different kinds of cards synergise. Monster cards are usually single use, while magic cards recycle... so a magic based deck gets more powerful as the game progress since eventually all you are drawing is spells, while monster based decks need to establish a beachhead and hold on. Enemies that reach the train power source chip away at it.. let enough through and you lose.

The game has a lot of depth and, while subject to RNG, it's not governed by it completely. If you know what you are doing you can usually build an effective deck before the final boss... but sometimes the game will just screw you over, kick sand in your face and walk off with your best girl.

If you like Monster Train, I cannot recommend Slay The Spire enough.

 

[jmotivator]

If you like Monster Train, I cannot recommend Slay The Spire enough.

Yeah, I have watched hours of people streaming Slay the Spire and was never inspired to play it. I get that there is a lot similar in play style, but all the added dimensions of Monster Train convinced me to try it when many of the folks I used to watch play Slay the Spire switched over.

I have always been kind of interested in Slay the Spire, and kind of interested in Hearthstone, and kind of interested in tower defense games... Monster Train is essentially all three in one game.

 

[PoS]

Batman Telltale- not bad, though I wish the cutscenes were a little shorter. All in all it does maintain a good quality which is one par with the Arkham Asylum series games. Pity Telltale games went out of business.

 

[jmotivator]

I'm currently re-re-re-reintsalling Planetside 2 to try out the new carrier mechanic.

15 minutes and 53 deaths later I will likely uninstall it. :lol:

Also, I played the alpha of Torchlight 3 and it's... Torchlight 1&2.

Well, not entirely.. there are better defined and repeatable boss fights which is better, but the engine is pretty dated these days.

There is also a mechanic in the game that I fear will be abused. There is an item affix called "Lifebound" that makes it more powerful than other items of the same level and rarity. The caveat being that if you die while equipping or carrying these items the items vanish. You can remove the affix with a special scroll that drops rather infrequently meaning that in most cases you will have outgrown a "lifebound" item before you can carry it safely.

Based on production plans, I have a growing fear that these scrolls will be going on sale in the full game...

 

[PoS]

I'm currently re-re-re-reintsalling Planetside 2 to try out the new carrier mechanic.

15 minutes and 53 deaths later I will likely uninstall it. :lol:

LOL Were you in an outfit, or were you lone wolfing it?

 

[jmotivator]

LOL Were you in an outfit, or were you lone wolfing it?

Lone wolf. I just fire it up every few months to remind myself that I suck at it.

 

[PoS]

Lone wolf. I just fire it up every few months to remind myself that I suck at it.

LOL its a type of game you dont want to lone wolf. If you join up with a squad and stick with them you got a better chance of survival. If you just go alone, then pick your battles: go to the part of the map where your faction has got lots of numbers and hang out with them-even though youre not in any squad, they'll still support you by reviving if you die beside them.

 

[Jetboogieman]

LOL its a type of game you dont want to lone wolf. If you join up with a squad and stick with them you got a better chance of survival. If you just go alone, then pick your battles: go to the part of the map where your faction has got lots of numbers and hang out with them-even though youre not in any squad, they'll still support you by reviving if you die beside them.

I usually just go into clusters in fights and support pushes.

Sometimes I’ll stay slightly behind the lines and snipe.

One time on Indra I **** Brix man, I was kind of off to the side of a push in a tower that was for someone reason left alone and it was unreal, I got a 50 kill streak just standing there taking pot shots for a good 45 minutes before the fighting moved on but oh man...

I’ve never done that well in any game since in terms of being that in the zone.

Planetside 2 is a heck of a game... I remember the first time playing it and being so overwhelmed by the sheer scale and chaos of some of the battles that I had dreams about it and I’ve always found games that create special moments are the ones that stick with you and I think I may have told this story before but, one time again in Indar (my favourite map) we were out in a small desert outpost and we were trying to hold it, but the guys were jetpacking over the walls and we were being killed straight out of spawn, we were sure we were gonna lose it.

Then someone came over the coms “Hey guys, look up you’re gonna like what you see” and like 40 fighters and other aircraft roared overhead and pushed back the enemy and destroyed their Sundys and we pushed forward and captured the next base along, it was... I mean, that’s the stuff movies are made of.

Also was part of a 100 aircraft push on a base, flying with that many people and firing off all at once I mean... It’s everything we were promised gaming could be at it’s full potential and I have no idea why it wasn’t more popular because when it’s good, it is... Just... ****ing epic as hell.

But I know for new players it can be very overwhelming, like if you just jump in and don’t know what you’re doing you’re gonna get just F’d up something fierce.

God I gotta get a new computer and get back into this lol.

 

[PoS]

I usually just go into clusters in fights and support pushes.

Sometimes I’ll stay slightly behind the lines and snipe.

One time on Indra I **** Brix man, I was kind of off to the side of a push in a tower that was for someone reason left alone and it was unreal, I got a 50 kill streak just standing there taking pot shots for a good 45 minutes before the fighting moved on but oh man...

I’ve never done that well in any game since in terms of being that in the zone.

Planetside 2 is a heck of a game... I remember the first time playing it and being so overwhelmed by the sheer scale and chaos of some of the battles that I had dreams about it and I’ve always found games that create special moments are the ones that stick with you and I think I may have told this story before but, one time again in Indar (my favourite map) we were out in a small desert outpost and we were trying to hold it, but the guys were jetpacking over the walls and we were being killed straight out of spawn, we were sure we were gonna lose it.

Then someone came over the coms “Hey guys, look up you’re gonna like what you see” and like 40 fighters and other aircraft roared overhead and pushed back the enemy and destroyed their Sundys and we pushed forward and captured the next base along, it was... I mean, that’s the stuff movies are made of.

Also was part of a 100 aircraft push on a base, flying with that many people and firing off all at once I mean... It’s everything we were promised gaming could be at it’s full potential and I have no idea why it wasn’t more popular because when it’s good, it is... Just... ****ing epic as hell.

But I know for new players it can be very overwhelming, like if you just jump in and don’t know what you’re doing you’re gonna get just F’d up something fierce.

God I gotta get a new computer and get back into this lol.

Ive done 100+ kills just farming bases a number of times. Me and another player would man a tank and just sit outside of the boys and just take potshots at the infantry heading out from the spawn rooms. Wow, insta-farm for like an hour lol.

You should get back into it. They have continent lock alerts now, as well as a new faction- bots. They recently introduced massive 5 crew super tanks and carriers too.

 

[Jetboogieman]

Ive done 100+ kills just farming bases a number of times. Me and another player would man a tank and just sit outside of the boys and just take potshots at the infantry heading out from the spawn rooms. Wow, insta-farm for like an hour lol.

You should get back into it. They have continent lock alerts now, as well as a new faction- bots. They recently introduced massive 5 crew super tanks and carriers too.

Yeah, I’m out a computer right now but once I get a new one, that’ll be the first stop.

But I’ve recently replaced my TV and waiting to be able to Pre-order Series X so that’s where the budgets going right now

I don’t know why Planetside was PlayStation exclusive, didn’t see any reason for it to be in the console space

What’s your favourite faction?



Funny video on that.

But I’m NC all the way.

 

[PoS]

Yeah, I’m out a computer right now but once I get a new one, that’ll be the first stop.

But I’ve recently replaced my TV and waiting to be able to Pre-order Series X so that’s where the budgets going right now

I don’t know why Planetside was PlayStation exclusive, didn’t see any reason for it to be in the console space

What’s your favourite faction?



Funny video on that.

But I’m NC all the way.

LOL NC? I hate them the most.

I usually roll with Vanu, or sometimes TR.

I dont think the hardware requirements for this game are that much since its been around for awhile. You ought to just install it and test. :mrgreen: