So, what're you playing?

[Rasix]

Control was a pretty awesome play through. Never got comfortable with the movement or combat, but the story remained engaging throughout. There are some good moments with the combat, but for whatever reason, I never felt like I got good at it. I don't think I used the crouch button outside of the first few hours. Still, I love this sort of setting and they did an awesome job with the presentation.

Yakuza: Like a Dragon is on gamepass. 

[Trippy]

Yakuza: Like a Dragon is on gamepass. 

There's a stuttering issue on the PC versions of the game when you get to Yokohama.

https://steamcommunity.com/app/1235140/discussions/0/3079880882833330769/

[Rasix]

 

Fired this up last night. This thing sure takes a while to get going (it hasn't yet). Lots of exposition, walking, and chit chat. It's like Kojima made a JRPG. It's still somewhat compelling. If a major portion of the game is a stuttering mess, perhaps I'll just call it a day and move on to something else.

[Sky]

420 lol

[carnifex27]

Yakuza: Like a Dragon is on gamepass. 

There's a stuttering issue on the PC versions of the game when you get to Yokohama.

https://steamcommunity.com/app/1235140/discussions/0/3079880882833330769/

Do you get any of the DLC on gamepass? I've been playing since release on steam with no problems, but just the base game with no DLCs. Maybe if you run into issues try it that way, most of the DLCs are just cosmetic anyway.

[Rasix]

No DLC (I think). Guess I can give it a shot.

[Rasix]

No stuttering issues so far, but I'm just in chapter 4, which is in Yokohama.

[Sky]

Had this weird urge to play State of Decay 2 again, so I fired it up over the weekend and was instantly sucked directly back into it. Luckily I had mown the lawn, because the rest of the weekend disappeared! This marks my 4th playthrough, 2 of which I finished, and thus get NG+ bonuses. I had been pretty well into my 3rd playthrough back in the day, but I wanted to start over fresh.

If you haven't played in a while (I originally played at release), it's worth checking out. They've added a few things, cleaned a lot of things up, and overall it's an even better experience. The cosmetics alone are a great addition to the little Sims part of the game. You can find cosmetics in loot now, some are seasonal, and you can run seasonal bounties (basically achievements, kill zombie type x with weapon z, x amt of times) for seasonal loot (outfits, weapons and vehicles).

At first I was a bit salty that I effed myself over moving to a big base on the other side of the map...because on the day after we moved in, 2 Juggs also moved into the neighborhood, there were bloaters everywhere, and I could hear a feral across the river...ye gods for a new community! But I took my plucky little soldier from the tutorial, loaded her up with ammo, molotovs, mines and bombs, and bid her adieu. To my surprise, 4 simple pipe bombs did the trick. That'll eventually get tough, as resources get tight pretty quick, but at least it bought me a little breathing room (and ended up being 6 Juggs, 2 Ferals, and I lost track of the Bloaters)....so maybe I am still a little apprehensive about the move...

[Rasix]

So, Terraria is dangerously addictive. Yikes. Music is playing in my mind non-stop since I started playing. UI is a bit of a mess, but this is a lot of fun playing mostly blind going in (I've seen PoE streamers play, but didn't know what the hell was actually happening).

[Khaldun]

Continuing with Fallout 76. So far I would say it's a kind of meh Fallout sequel as a solo game--prone to weird server troubles, slow loading, really iffy combat (melee is especially stupid feeling at times)--that's at least stylistically consistent with Fallout and has some reasonably funny/engaging quest lines. You can see the really jagged stitch line between "we launched just with robots" and "oh here's some actual NPCs to talk to", mostly.

Kind of annoyed with having a CAMP that has phantom bullshit spawning near it where even if I go out to grease it because I'm tired of some screaming retard Super Mutant saying he smells me or whatever outside, the actual mob is nowhere to be found because it's spawned inside a foundation or in the ground or some dumb failure thing like that so while I'm crafting I still have to listen to rando unkillable dumb mob saying dumb shit.

[Cyrrex]

Finally finished my second Solasta playthrough, absolutely happy about that one.  The workshop let’s you play a bunch of player created dungeons as well, which is nice for scratching the itch once in a while.

Trying now for a third attempt at Witcher 3 to see if it grabs me.

[Sky]

Trying now for a third attempt at Witcher 3 to see if it grabs me.

That's on my clean-up list for this year. Using the new pc as an excuse to go back and play through the story of a couple games I stalled out in. I've really been enjoying GTA V quite a bit, though my random decision to play State of Decay 2 kinda got in the way of finishing it yet...the little touches they've added support my favorite way of playing openish world games, making up stories as I go, letting the little random events weave a tale.

I think I may be OP in Madden 21 now that I was able to steal Thomas from the Saints as my slot wr with OBJ and Juice splitting the wide duties. Mayfield scored ten goldang tds last night (only 1 was straight up animation glitching, OBJ caught it from the hands of 2 defenders, lol Madden so bad). I play it as more of a Harlem Globetrotters thing than a real simulation, it's a way better game if you don't expect it to be a simulation and understand it's going to randomly fuck (and reward) you based on their weird animations.

[schild]

So, Terraria is dangerously addictive. Yikes. Music is playing in my mind non-stop since I started playing. UI is a bit of a mess, but this is a lot of fun playing mostly blind going in (I've seen PoE streamers play, but didn't know what the hell was actually happening).

how did you not play that back in like 2007 2011

http://forums.f13.net/index.php?topic=20809.msg930519#msg930519

[Mandella]

Had this weird urge to play State of Decay 2 again, so I fired it up over the weekend and was instantly sucked directly back into it. Luckily I had mown the lawn, because the rest of the weekend disappeared! This marks my 4th playthrough, 2 of which I finished, and thus get NG+ bonuses. I had been pretty well into my 3rd playthrough back in the day, but I wanted to start over fresh.

If you haven't played in a while (I originally played at release), it's worth checking out. They've added a few things, cleaned a lot of things up, and overall it's an even better experience. The cosmetics alone are a great addition to the little Sims part of the game. You can find cosmetics in loot now, some are seasonal, and you can run seasonal bounties (basically achievements, kill zombie type x with weapon z, x amt of times) for seasonal loot (outfits, weapons and vehicles).

At first I was a bit salty that I effed myself over moving to a big base on the other side of the map...because on the day after we moved in, 2 Juggs also moved into the neighborhood, there were bloaters everywhere, and I could hear a feral across the river...ye gods for a new community! But I took my plucky little soldier from the tutorial, loaded her up with ammo, molotovs, mines and bombs, and bid her adieu. To my surprise, 4 simple pipe bombs did the trick. That'll eventually get tough, as resources get tight pretty quick, but at least it bought me a little breathing room (and ended up being 6 Juggs, 2 Ferals, and I lost track of the Bloaters)....so maybe I am still a little apprehensive about the move...

So how are the car physics in 2? I played the hell out of SoD 1, but downloaded a mod about halfway through to downgrade automobiles. They were so OP that I felt guilty getting in one.

[Trippy]

Depends on the difficulty and your supply of vehicle repair kits. At the hardest difficulties you want to avoid running into zombies unless you life depends on it as it only takes a few hits to destroy a vehicle and drivable vehicles are much harder to find.

[Sky]

I don't know that I set a difficulty? If I did, it was probably easy mode because I usually just like to chill out more than be challenged in these kind of games. That said, it depends on the vehicle. Basic cars are usually pretty frail, I got a nice sports car reward a couple nights ago that barely survived a single mission, and I avoid running over zeds. But the fully upgraded bangbus is nice for clearing out infestations and way OP, sure. So...I just don't use it (also, infestations are usually good for getting bounty completions and the unlocks are pretty cool and not too OP). As far as driving physics, the usual. There is a decent spectrum of handling, though overall it's pretty loose and game-y. I just upgraded the muscle car last night and it actually handles well on the roads, and there are a couple jeep types that handle nicely offroad. Some drifting can be done, even.

[Mandella]

Yeah it's not like the car physics ruined the first game for me or anything, I just realized I would have more fun with less of a tank -- having to worry about actually wrecking and stuff.

The mod pulled things down probably too far in the other direction honestly. You had to really look out for small bumps in the terrain.

I do remember one of my favorite driving moments in the old game. I was blazing down a dark road that was absolutely clear, and my (real life) phone buzzed with a text. I glanced down at it, and just true to life as soon as I looked up I had about a dozen zombies standing there in the road looking at me deer-eyed in the headlights.

Much carnage ensued.

Edit to add:

Heh. Just went to buy it, got it for cheaper by buying it as a bundle with the first game (which I already have), so cool.

[Rasix]

So, Terraria is dangerously addictive. Yikes. Music is playing in my mind non-stop since I started playing. UI is a bit of a mess, but this is a lot of fun playing mostly blind going in (I've seen PoE streamers play, but didn't know what the hell was actually happening).

how did you not play that back in like 2007 2011

http://forums.f13.net/index.php?topic=20809.msg930519#msg930519

I actually had played a few hours in 2015, but for whatever reason it didn't stick. Hey, at least now all of the patches have been released. One of the main reasons I tried it out again is that it's one of the more common games played by PoE streamers between leagues.

Still having fun with it. Just opened up Hard Mode.

[Sky]

Did a (relatively) quick wrap-up of my SoD2 Trader leader run-through. Didn't realize the leader bonuses are capped at 2 for new playthroughs (you choose from up to 4), so my idea of having 3 unlocks before trying Warlord didn't work out. Glad I did, because I had been more or less ignoring radio calls (you have to, to some extent, the game always tries to give you a couple radio missions so you have content, so you need to pick and choose), turns out some of the bonuses from allied settlements are pretty nifty. Almost too OP, given that some of the communities basically never asked for help again, just fed me those bonuses.

Anyway, I started my Warlord playthrough and sure enough, there has not been a single Warlord recruit on the map. I'm now in full recruit mode because I wanted to start off the bat with the warlord but at this point the rng is getting silly. On the upside, I've found a couple nifty rare traits and built up my base to the point that when I finally find a warlord it's going to be steamrolling the map.

[Khaldun]

You know, reading about autos in State of Decay, I was kind of struck by something: why hasn't someone made a really great car-combat game for so long? I guess the Road Warrior game that came out a while back qualified, but I didn't care for it that much. Has there been anything like Twisted Metal in the last decade? I didn't try Wreckfest, maybe that was sort of like that?

[Rendakor]

Me, an old man with a poor memory: Didn't they come out with a Twisted Metal game somewhat recently?
Wikipedia, Eternal Bearer of Bad News: Yes they did, on Playstation 3, in 2012.

[Rasix]

Any QOL mods that someone would recommend for Terraria? The inventory/crafting are a tad cumbersome.

[Sky]

Found a crusty old gal who turned out to be a Warlord with the driving trait (less fuel usage, less noise from vehicles, less degradation). Immediately got a warlord mission and put her foot on some necks. She gon kill em all. Just installed her and got access to the military-grade fun stuff. Good times.

The 'just one more thing' with this damn game though. It's been hard getting to bed on time since I started playing it...

[carnifex27]

You know, reading about autos in State of Decay, I was kind of struck by something: why hasn't someone made a really great car-combat game for so long? I guess the Road Warrior game that came out a while back qualified, but I didn't care for it that much. Has there been anything like Twisted Metal in the last decade? I didn't try Wreckfest, maybe that was sort of like that?

Crossout is F2P on the PS4 and I believe it's on steam also. I had a lot of fun with it for a few months, but the grind got pretty bad if you're not willing to pay. Probably the closest I've played to twisted metal, with the caveat that you have to build your vehicle and unlock and buy new pieces to add to it. Designing the vehicle and then finding out if/how well it worked was a lot of the fun for me, so YMMV.

[Sky]

Cool little quest chain I unlocked this time in SoD2. One of my survivors decided to look for a song she wrote. In this quest, you can recruit her drummer to the community. The drummer at some point hears about a good singer, which can then be recruited after the drummer's quest. If you recruit both (it's the first time I've done it, because Music skill is not much of a morale bonus), they all decide they need to form a band and you go on a quest to find a rehearsal space. Not sure if it goes any further than that, but I was surprised they layered one in like that. Definitely enhances the way I play, if we get another member I'd probably exile a useful survivor to keep the band going!

[Sky]

So, Marvel's Avengers. I think there's a good game in there, but it should maybe not have been this game. For starters, the chaos of trying to just play a single player game. Now that I've booted it a few times, I'm used to it, but the presentation of information is a mess, and it still takes a few clicks to just continue the damned campaign. Clearly this one is all about the microtrans and online multipayer.

Which is a shame, because I actually like what they seem to be trying to do with the story. I thought I'd like it far less with weird stretchy girl, but it works well enough. Unfortunately, it's the most generic versions of the Avengers possible. I'm actually impressed at how little personality they managed to infuse into them. And it seems pretty short, I'm already almost halfway through in 3 or 4 sessions. I'm not a 'finish a game in a weekend', my minimum is usually closer to a month for a on-rails theme park like this (the generic also covers the levels, though the models and textures are competent enough). I'm not touching the online stuff with a 16' pole (adjusted for pandemics), so it seems like a lot of the cool stuff will remain locked as there's no way in fucking hell I'll be hitting level 130 or wherever the gear cap is.

The combat is a decent system implemented poorly. For instance, the game is basically about dodging and parrying, block sucks because there are so many unblockables coming at you...and one character is basically built around blocking (Cap). I was having fun mashing through as early Hulk, and then unlocked Iron Man...which is a significant jump in difficulty. So I had to actually research how to play him, and there are some interesting and fun things happening that don't seem to work well with the actual combat (combos that take too long to string, focus on saving specials just for their immunity frames, etc). It feels like a half-assed implementation of a fighting game, with less complexity and nuance but all the hassles and learning curve. And I play on easy.

So I started to get good with Iron Man, just messing around in the Not Danger Room. I can see how getting used to the combat system could be fun, learning the quirks of each character and setting up their skills to complement your style. But so much of that is level-gated, and I'm maybe level 12 or so with 3 characters...and 40% of the way into the game. So my current feeling is to just push through the single player and move on, despite getting a bit of a taste for the combat once I figured out the basics. I don't think it's good enough to support an ongoing online thing, it seems like a lot of investment of time and getting good for a short single player experience.

And going back to presentation, the various amount of difference kinds of 'currency' and daily missions and stuff seem like an mmo to me, and not in a good way (if such a thing is possible). And a pet peeve arises in the inconsistent use of L/R 1/2 (sometimes use LT/RT, sometimes use LB/RB).

Overall a bland mess that still manages to be just interesting enough in story and combat mechanics to be worth a deep sale discount to run through the single player. Maybe a bit more if you're into online co-op, I probably would've enjoyed that 20 years ago.

[Rasix]

Playing some RimWorld and PoE.

PoE's new league is a bit rough. I've had a worse than normal start, and combined with all of the nerfs, I am definitely not blasting through this content. The new league mechanic is somewhat underwhelming and kind of stingy, so I'm not exactly swimming in reroll currency. Despite that, I've switch from Ice Trap to Blade Trap with a different setup and it feels better. I'm going to stick with this for a bit more Atlas progression, and then likely commit to an alt or just drop the league altogether.

RimWorld is fun and fairly interesting. I do find myself missing the z-axis and some of the complexity of Dwarf Fortress. I do like not having to craft ammo, own seeds, or worry about hydrating. I learned a valuable lesson last night: do not put your batteries right next to your freezer. Also, do not attempt to fight a raging fire in an closed in room with all of you colonists. That run has come to an end with one surviving colonist, everyone else dead, dying or extremely crispy, and my entire food storage gone.

Additionally, I've not seen a game eat up so many hours effortlessly as RimWorld. You could seriously kill a day with this game without trying.

[Khaldun]

Yeah. My standard thing now is to build a separate battery room that's completely disconnected from the main building.

Foam poppers once you get them ease the oh-fuck-we're-gonna-die feeling with fires.

Though that's one of the few things I just will not take in my initial three colonists: a pyromaniac. If we rescue somebody and I see the rescued person is a pyromaniac, I go dump them outside. It's way way too much of a hassle having one around, whatever their other skills.

[Sky]

State of Decay can be like that, too. I recruited a survivor who had the Loud trait and also Wastes Ammo. Yeah, no thanks, and good luck with that.

[Rasix]

Slowly leveling a Hierophant in PoE. Forbidden Rites totems are slightly overpowered. It feels like you're leveling using a "delete mob" button and does tons of damage with no damage gear. Getting a small case of action-rpg-tendonitis, so I'm not playing particularly long sessions. League mechanic isn't my favorite and the overall power reduction just means that everything takes longer.

RimWorld colony is having its ups and downs. We rescued someone that would have been a great addition to the colony then for some reason forgot to feed them, while at the same time rehabilitating a drug crazed prisoner into a new colony member. No one's any good at fighting, so there have been a lot of medical emergencies that have resulted into multiple mental collapses. A few people are missing toes.

[Cyrrex]

Possibly the most "duh" thing in this thread in a long while, but Witcher 3 is great.  Finally stuck on my on my third go.  Currently level 16 or something, and there is just a lot of shit to do.  The depth to the story is crazy good, I actually give a shit.  The combat is actually pretty blah, and I could give a shit about the crafting.  Everything else makes up for it.  Duh.

[01101010]

GTA online just released yet another DLC - and finally put the auto back in grand theft auto. Why it took them this long, I can only guess that when they saw the numbers dwindling they decided to release this. I'm still astounded by how this game can pull me back and now that cars are the focus I might stay longer. I don't give a shit about the other DLCs that have come out, I mainly played to drive around for an hour or two and try out different cars. Might not hold me for very long, but this one will stick more than the past ones like the Casino and the Businesses one.

That said, the game still kicks you in the balls especially with the pricing, but I expected as much from an old game. Fired it up when I heard about this release and was striking how dated this game is getting, but how salient it still is. Character modeling is looking really tired, but the world and vehicles are and have been my main focus... and that is still pretty damn well done.

[Velorath]

Played through the "Pixel Remasters" of the first 3 Final Fantasy games and now waiting for 4-6 to release at some point. Had a pretty good time with all of them and I think Square did a good job of walking the line between staying true to the original versions while offering some fixes and improvements (some QOL stuff and some "this was actually broken in the original" stuff).

[Rasix]

Played through the "Pixel Remasters" of the first 3 Final Fantasy games and now waiting for 4-6 to release at some point. Had a pretty good time with all of them and I think Square did a good job of walking the line between staying true to the original versions while offering some fixes and improvements (some QOL stuff and some "this was actually broken in the original" stuff).

What platform did you play them on?

[Velorath]

PC, since I'm generally not much of a phone gamer. Also Square has generally had problems in the past keeping their games functional on cell phones as operating systems update and such.