(Sore Thumbs) What Non-BT related Video Game you're playing

[elf25s]

i recently moved so they were damaged in the move.
at east some of the stuff i had did not go boom...
original magic the gathering plains walker is still intact...

[Matti]

My car is undergoing repairs so I'm stuck at my brother's place and I'm looking forward to spending another cold night in a poorly heated room. I'll pass this evening by downloading Duke Nukem Forever and giving it a try with this badass VR capable PC (Core i7-7700, GeForce 1080 Ti, 16 GB of RAM). Don't worry, I bought the game for reduced price.

[MoneyLovinOgre4Hire]

You paid real money for it?

[ColBosch]

Oh yeah, those loading screens are going to look fantastic in VR.

[Matti]

Oh yeah, those loading screens are going to look fantastic in VR.

Based on what I have read about playing games without VR support, there's no point to it. And I didn't. But what I played of it, I liked it. And will play more.

[Bedwyr]

Based on what I have read about playing games without VR support, there's no point to it. And I didn't. But what I played of it, I liked it. And will play more.

I had some time with a Vive while traveling over Christmas and concluded a few things:
- People used to FPS games adapt more easily.
- I really don't think FPS games are a good fit for VR unless you allow actual walking (maybe via that slip-step setup I saw a college team promoting and that got pooh-poohed on Shark Tank).
- Teleporting is really frustrating as a solution to movement.
- The best killer app right now is Google Earth because it already works through teleportation and is instantly attractive to gamers and non-gamers alike. I spent nearly a half-hour showing a friend looking at the monitor sights around downtown LA.
- Field of view and peripheral vision will be very important developments going forward. Right now the sensation for me is of looking out at a new world through diving goggles. It's an inherently inhibiting experience.
- Resolution needs to double. The new Vive goes up 75%, so I'd be interested in seeing the result. Right now the experience is still that of a dim world seen through a screen door. About as dim as 3D vs 2D movies. Cutting the VR cable is also a bit deal, but I wonder if the wireless connection can get enough throughput at much higher pixel resolution.
- The best experiences are most likely standing or sitting. That means games with particular quirks like Superhot and Audio Shield or what I'll call "cockpit" games. That means dedicated simulators like Forza, Elite Dangerous, or MS Flight Sim/X-Plane.

Honestly that last part is most attractive to me. Using games to teach particular flight skills saves training time and I'm already mentally making lesson plans (I'm a flight instructor) that relate to VR. Half the confidence in building instrument flying skills involves knowing intuitively where all the controls are for a checklist and keeping the airplane reasonably level while you're pushing knobs and buttons and changing digital flight plans. It's about getting enough of that workload into muscle memory so that you can "think ahead of the airplane".

[Matti]

I had some time with a Vive while traveling over Christmas and concluded a few things:
- People used to FPS games adapt more easily.

...maybe?

- I really don't think FPS games are a good fit for VR unless you allow actual walking

Space Pirate Trainer and Superhot VR work for me. I got nausea from playing Dreadhalls, and good deal of creeps. Men around 50 years of age with military service behind them tell they were scared.

- Teleporting is really frustrating as a solution to movement.

Works just fine for me with New Retro Arcade: Neon. Less nausea compared to seamless FPS style of movement.

- The best killer app right now is Google Earth because it already works through teleportation and is instantly attractive to gamers and non-gamers alike. I spent nearly a half-hour showing a friend looking at the monitor sights around downtown LA.

Sounds cool. I gotta try that when table isn't in the way (camping table which can be disassembled and put inside the closet, but I don't want to do it every day)

- Field of view and peripheral vision will be very important developments going forward. Right now the sensation for me is of looking out at a new world through diving goggles. It's an inherently inhibiting experience.

I have to agree on that one. Picture is sharp at the center, but gets unfocused away from it. It's like my eyes are too far away from the screen. My eyes might be deeper in the head than with most other people, so that's a factor.

- Resolution needs to double. The new Vive goes up 75%, so I'd be interested in seeing the result. Right now the experience is still that of a dim world seen through a screen door. About as dim as 3D vs 2D movies. Cutting the VR cable is also a bit deal, but I wonder if the wireless connection can get enough throughput at much higher pixel resolution.

Look up TPCast for last year's Vive. New Vive Pro (still upcoming?) will have official wireless adapter from HTC.

- The best experiences are most likely standing or sitting. That means games with particular quirks like Superhot and Audio Shield or what I'll call "cockpit" games. That means dedicated simulators like Forza, Elite Dangerous, or MS Flight Sim/X-Plane.

I have Battlezone. It's cool, but... I'm a wargamer. I want turn-based war games like BattleTech and MegaMek. Some RTS games could work too. If only Peter Molyneux would get his act together and make VR versions of Dungeon Keeper and Black & White. In that case player could use his own hands without a mouse and that'd be great 8)

[Atlas3060]

Played Interstellaria, was a so-so experience.
Now playing Starbound and honestly it's silly fun, just the sort of time waster I need while waiting for the new Civ 6 expansion.

[Reldn]

Now I'm currently playing through Darksiders: Warmastered Edition.

[Bedwyr]

Just got past a tough Boss in I am Setsuna before the sort-of sequel Lost Sphear comes out. I’m being increasingly drawn into the plot.

[iamfanboy]

So I broke the Borderlands Pre-Sequel final quest in the next-to-last portion, and I'm done with it.

Not sure how - maybe it's because I got knocked aside at an odd angle and landed on a platform  on the bottom floor of Tycho's Ribs- but the next portion of the quest isn't popping up (Destroy the shield), even though I CAN destroy the shield and walk through to the final area, the area warp doesn't rigger, the final boss zone doesn't spawn, and none of the dialogue triggers... WHICH IS WHAT I REALLY WANTED.

I'm stumped. I've tried walking back in through the actual entrance (required beating a very annoying boss). I've tried going to lower difficulty modes and then heading back to the expected difficulty. No go. Heck, I can even finish other quests that take place IN the final area, but the trigger doesn't trig.

THIS IS WHY I HATE GAMES THAT DON'T HAVE MULTIPLE SAVE FILES. If something goes wrong, seriously wrong, then you have no recourse but to just kind of shrug and give up. And in a game that took me 40+ HOURS to reach this point?

[ColBosch]

I had something like that happen in Borderlands 2, where the door to Angel's arena wouldn't open. It's rare, but very frustrating.

[elf25s]

guild of dungeeniring fun little game make your own dungeon and monsters along with some treasure tossed in...the soundtrack and narrator are bit on tongue in cheek humor

[Euphonium]

I've been flaying FTL for the first time in a few years, and finally managed to to complete a run

[BrokenMnemonic]

I started playing Civ V for the first time this morning.

I've just won a culture victory, it's 12 hours later, and I'm going to bed now...

[elf25s]

I started playing Civ V for the first time this morning.

I've just won a culture victory, it's 12 hours later, and I'm going to bed now...

6th iterration is more evil...culture victory is the second hardest to religious victory to get.

[pheonixstorm]

Galactic Civilizations 3 is my current annoyance. Thinking of loading up Baldurs Gate II and play it soonish. Want a good RPG to play.

[Triptych]

Deus Ex Mankind Divided. Somewhat annoyed that they switched it to first person- I preferred the third person view in Human Revolution, but I'll stick with if for a week or so.

[IAMCLANWOLF]

Deus Ex Mankind Divided. Somewhat annoyed that they switched it to first person- I preferred the third person view in Human Revolution, but I'll stick with if for a week or so.

Really great little RPG. Starts out a bit rough, but-- I enjoyed it so much that I've played through two times now (which is exceedingly rare for me). I keep meaning to try out the 'A Criminal Past' DLC as it received a lot of praise. However, Titanfall 2 and Witcher III have been taking up all my precious little gaming time recently.

My friends all play Vermintide together, and have been trying to get me into it. I've played all of one session with them, and it was quite fun. Although, I was so low in skill-- I felt like I was holding the group back (which I'm sure was in fact the case). Thinking about ordering Vermintide II so I'm not a boat-anchor. Looks like a nicely polished upgrade to teh original. And, who doesn't love smashing some Chaos face?       

[Matti]

I made a visit to a video game store in the nearest town (over 40 km from here). To my surprise they are stacking 8 bit game console cartridges! They have Game Gear too!! Castlevania is priced 59 €!!? I reeally wanted to buy it, but I'm not sure would I play it...

For now I'll play Sid Meier's Civilization IV: Beyond the Sword with Caveman 2 Cosmos mod. One more turn...

[iamfanboy]

I made a visit to a video game store in the nearest town (over 40 km from here). To my surprise they are stacking 8 bit game console cartridges! They have Game Gear too!! Castlevania is priced 59 €!!? I reeally wanted to buy it, but I'm not sure would I play it...

For now I'll play Sid Meier's Civilization IV: Beyond the Sword with Caveman 2 Cosmos mod. One more turn...

It's because the only people who buy the actual cartridges these days are the collectors, the people trying to recapture some weird sense of nostalgia, and a famously "NES Hard" game like Castlevania 1 has to be a massively popular choice.

Anyone who just wants to play the game has emulators or other resources.

Galactic Civilizations 3 is my current annoyance. Thinking of loading up Baldurs Gate II and play it soonish. Want a good RPG to play.

So, I may get lynched for this, but...

Am I the only person that has no fondness for Baldur's Gate?

I didn't like the original and stopped playing within 3ish hours, maybe 4. I tried playing the remake they did recently, and ALSO stopped - it reminded me how much I hate AD&D2e without any of the quirk and charm of Planescape Torment's setting.


So I started the remake of Fire Emblem Gaiden, AKA Shadows of Valencia, on 3DS. It's pretty good, but it does have a beginner's trap of early game, offering an "Equal class change" to four of your starting characters, with the same options (Cavalier/Merc/Mage/Cleric)... but doesn't tell you that two characters get EXCLUSIVE spells as Mage and Cleric, respectively, and the other two suck at those jobs. I guess that is in the tradition of early NES and especially Fire Emblem games, but I am still vexed about it.

One neat feature is that they have a rewind: a timeturner device that lets you flip battles backward. Pretty handy if you've just let one of your most valuable units accidentally stray forward, or a lucky crit just offed your only healer... which happens a fair bit in Fire Emblem, and it means you're not constantly resetting the game. I'm sure next time I play Awakening I'm going to miss this feature a LOT. It has a set number of uses though.

So far the story is pretty generic, but it IS an NES game from the late 1980s. (bringing it back to Matti's post!)

[ColBosch]

On the flip side, if you do manage to collect up some old cartridges, you should go ahead and play them. Unlike most media, their lifespans are not affected by use. Do keep in mind that part of the reason prices are going up on old systems and games is that they are reaching the end of their lifespans, so despite untold millions of (for example) NES consoles and cartridges having been manufactured, chip failure is becoming a concern and limiting their availability.

[MoneyLovinOgre4Hire]

So, I may get lynched for this, but...

Am I the only person that has no fondness for Baldur's Gate?

I didn't like the original and stopped playing within 3ish hours, maybe 4. I tried playing the remake they did recently, and ALSO stopped - it reminded me how much I hate AD&D2e without any of the quirk and charm of Planescape Torment's setting.

I'm actually replaying Baldur's Gate Enhanced Edition right now, and while it's enjoyable in a "there's not much I need to do with my time right now" way, it really is a limited game.  Vancian spellcasting and 2nd Edition D&D rules certainly do show a lot of limits in gameplay.

[elf25s]

ok final fantasy XI on reach server...
after some friends installed it on my laptop while i was sick...

some heads will roll later for touching my laptop....

[Orin J.]

My gaming rig is busted and income is....not incoming, but at least it's given me time to go back to my console games and actually finish more of them than i used to have. bayonetta's proving tricky to get all-gold on, but it's also fun enough i don't want to stop trying.

So, I may get lynched for this, but...

Am I the only person that has no fondness for Baldur's Gate?

I didn't like the original and stopped playing within 3ish hours, maybe 4. I tried playing the remake they did recently, and ALSO stopped - it reminded me how much I hate AD&D2e without any of the quirk and charm of Planescape Torment's setting.

i don't hate it or anything but it sincerely lacks in any real meat for me. no style, not much substance and...eh. not a story i got behind. i played it, and then promptly forgot it.

[Matti]

So, I may get lynched for this, but...

Am I the only person that has no fondness for Baldur's Gate?

No, you're not. I played it for a time and stopped soon after when I encountered bandit archers that one-shot-kill my characters from the edge of LOS. I tried the game again, but just no. It looks like the game requires intimate knowledge of AD&D2 rules. While I had sufficient interest to read through 2 editions of BattleTech rules in order to master MegaMek, I don't feel like it for D&D & derived video games.

[NeonKnight]

No, you're not. I played it for a time and stopped soon after when I encountered bandit archers that one-shot-kill my characters from the edge of LOS. I tried the game again, but just no. It looks like the game requires intimate knowledge of AD&D2 rules. While I had sufficient interest to read through 2 editions of BattleTech rules in order to master MegaMek, I don't feel like it for D&D & derived video games.

And you would not be wrong there at all. While it is (IMHO an AWESOME game), it is definitely geared towards people who are into D&D, as the spells, combat, monsters, etc all require a Tabletop knowledge.

[Bedwyr]

Especially THAC0.

[MoneyLovinOgre4Hire]

And consequently understanding why the better types of armor make your AC lower.

[elf25s]

has any one played railway empire yet?
i still mess around with trainz 2006 and 2012...
is it similar or just another sim city type clone with transport tycoon tossed in?