What game are you wasting time on?

[you know what time it is]

Misery mod for Stalker:Call of Pripyat.

Such a fitting name. You can't see shit, especially at night, you get rekt over and over by all kinds of armed assholes and invisible cunts, and it always finds a way to fuck with you.

Atrocious loading times don't help either. So far its beating me on all fronts, I haven't been so butthurt in my life.

 

[Andyman Messiah]

Costume Quest (backlog)
Crusader Kings 2 (best game of all time that I'm horrible at but too proud to lower the difficulty setting)
Divinity: Dragon Commander (backlog, I AM THE LAW lizard princess is best princess)
Also Bioshock Infinite's last story DLC is due to be released on tuesday so I'll be getting that wrapped up I guess

Who the fuck is R@S?

 

[octavius]

Quake.
Only played the shareware version back in the days. Now I'm playing the DirectQ version.
Somehow the monsters look less distinct than I remember. May be due to higher resolution making them look smaller, or just my faulty memory.
One of the things Doom did incredibly well was the sound. In comparison the dull weapon sounds in Quake are rather underwhelming.
I can't play too long at a time since I get some motion sickness from the game, which is annoying.

 

[sser]

It has more than grey caves, grey temples, grey prisons and generic jungles/grasslands on it? The lack of visual variation made me quickly bored with Path of Exile.

From what I've seen thus far, I think PoE has more visual variation than GD, especially in Act 3. To be fair, though, the guys at Crate can still add more interesting content and the art style of the characters and equipment is rather nice - they've gone for a somewhat steampunkish 19th century aesthetic instead of typical fantasy - but the environments are indeed pretty bland. It's mostly just generic grasslands, grey caves and grey dungeons.

That's a a little disappointing to hear. Titan Quest had a lot of variation and color in its Acts. Even its "dark" areas were pretty vibrant and interesting.

 

[FuelBlooded]

Quake.
Only played the shareware version back in the days. Now I'm playing the DirectQ version.
Somehow the monsters look less distinct than I remember. May be due to higher resolution making them look smaller, or just my faulty memory.
One of the things Doom did incredibly well was the sound. In comparison the dull weapon sounds in Quake are rather underwhelming.
I can't play too long at a time since I get some motion sickness from the game, which is annoying.

What a coincidence! I started playing it last night with darkplaces. I'm really having a blast so far.
The slight lean while strafing is quite annoying at the beginning, but I got used to it seems, since I don't get motion sick.

 

[you know what time it is]

Holy civ 4 engine man, somehow it manages to run even SLOWER than it did on my old pc 6 years ago, what the fuck. You just can't win with civilization games i guess.

 

[garren]

Just finished Dark Messiah of Might and Magic, was the second time I played through that. Started Risen 1 since some people here said its decent enough. Also since I bought The Void for a buck from steam, started that also, very interesting looking game.

 

[J_C]

Played Daedalic's new adventure game 1954 Alcatraz. It has decent puzzles, nice jazz music and good looking enviroments, but I found the characters and the story a bore, so stopped playing after a few hours.

On another note, finally finished South Park. It took me 17 hours. Very fun game, although a shallow RPG.

 

[Broseph]

Beat Thief Gold, 21 hours according to Steam. One of the best games I've ever played, Kodex Kritikal Konsensus didn't lie. The only levels I didn't care for were the Thieves' Guild (horrible) and the Lost City (meh). Everything else was good to stellar in quality. I especially liked Down in the Bonehoard and the Cathedral levels; a game in itself based on levels like that would be nice. While gameplay-wise the missions with a ton of monsters towards the end weren't as fun, I didn't mind so much because the supernatural atmosphere was second to none.

 

[octavius]

Nobody (?) like Thieves' Guild much and I didn't care much for The Lost City first time I played. But second time I played I remember Lost City being one of my favourite levels.

 

[skacky]

Broseph Now you have to play Thief 2 if you haven't (not as good as Thief 1 imho, but still one of the best games ever made) and then Thief 2X: Shadows of the Metal Age, a fan-made 13-mission campaign of stellar quality, and then the hundreds of fan missions around.

 

[Humppaleka]

I must have gotten kicked in the head. I've finally gotten back into gaming properly, as in I'm actually playing more than 30 minutes at a time. And I'm enjoying Neverwinter Nights OC. It will not propably last very long but for now I really like it. Be right back, checking the NWN modules thread...

 

[Broseph]

I started Thief 2 yesterday, playing every mission on Expert this time (I played the entire first game on Normal). The more stringent objectives are pushing me to be a better player, which is nice. Ghosting that third level was a bitch in some parts.

The level design seems improved so far; Shipping and Receiving and Framed are kind of like what I wanted Alpha Protocol's levels to be in terms of design, instead of corridor consolitis.

 

[skacky]

Expert is the way to go. Framed is nothing, you'll understand what I mean when you reach First City Bank & Trust (though ghosting isn't required in that one).

 

[JarlFrank]

Expert is the way to go. Framed is nothing, you'll understand what I mean when you reach First City Bank & Trust (though ghosting isn't required in that one).

The bank is one of T2's finest levels.

Just finished a playthrough of both Thieves, and while I previously preferred T2 over TG, my opinion has changed now. T2 has some excellent missions (Shoalsgate, Bank, Angelwatch), but T1 has the better atmosphere overall and more variety. Also, I've played tons of fan missions since my last playthroughs of the originals (before which I had played none yet), and there are some FMs that make the more "standard" levels of T2 pale in comparison (like Truart's mansion).

Both are some of the best designed games ever made, but the wealth of FMs is what really elevates them to the best ever status. It's the perfect example of why it is good to make your game moddable, and to release a level editor: a game that already is one of the best ever made will, after some years, get missions that are even better than the originals made by a dedicated fanbase.

 

[Carrion]

Both are definitely in the "best game ever" territory. T2 wins for me, but that's just me.

TDP definitely has more variety, and I think it's really one of the few games that manage to make you feel like you're in way over your head. The first five missions are all great and wildly different, probably the greatest first five missions in any game ever, and you kind of expect the game to settle down after that — you've seen the different sides of the game, and for the rest of the game you'll have to make use of what you've just learned, right? Then you get a couple of missions that are again completely different than the ones before then. You reach what you think might be the climax of the game with Return to the Cathedral, and after that it's the endgame where things get even more fucked up. The game pushes you out of your comfort zone over and over again, which is one of the reasons it's so damn good and terrifying.

On the other hand I think that is also a flaw, as I've always felt the second half of the game lacked a mission that emcompassed it all and forced you to use every trick up in your sleeve, perhaps something like First City Bank & Trust or Life of the Party in T2 except of course a bit more weird (The Sword Part 2 would be perfect, and I'm not talking about Escape! here). Return to the Cathedral is probably supposed to be that kind of a mission, but it loses its intensity after ten minutes or so, and the last missions are all pretty brief. The additional missions in Thief Gold improve the second half of the game quite a lot, though, and gameplay-wise it's a bit more consistent than TDP.

Still, for me Thief 2's levels are just more fun to explore, and they're a bit more interesting gameplay-wise compared to some of the missions in TDP. The game does play it a bit safe at times, and it definitely doesn't have the "what the fuck have I got myself into?" factor of TDP and TG, but I think Looking Glass were more confident about what type of game they were making and it shows in the level design. There's a slight drop in quality towards the end of the game, like there was in TDP, but I've never minded that too much. I'm replaying the game right now, just finished Precious Cargo, so I guess I still might change my mind, heh.

 

[octavius]

Quake.
Only played the shareware version back in the days. Now I'm playing the DirectQ version.
Somehow the monsters look less distinct than I remember. May be due to higher resolution making them look smaller, or just my faulty memory.
One of the things Doom did incredibly well was the sound. In comparison the dull weapon sounds in Quake are rather underwhelming.
I can't play too long at a time since I get some motion sickness from the game, which is annoying.

What a coincidence! I started playing it last night with darkplaces. I'm really having a blast so far.
The slight lean while strafing is quite annoying at the beginning, but I got used to it seems, since I don't get motion sick.

I can only play about one level a day, and so far I've reached map 3 in episode 2.
I wish I knew why some games give me more trouble with motion sickness than others.
I had no problems with Heretic and Hexen (Doomsday version), Duke Nukem 3D (eDuke32 version) and Unreal Tournament, little problems with Doom(sday), but great problems with Marathon (Aleph version) and Quake (DirectQ).

So I find myself alternating between Quake and HoMM 2 at the moment.

 

[Darth Roxor]

it definitely doesn't have the "what the fuck have I got myself into?" factor of TDP and TG

I dunno, mang, I remember I kinda shat myself upon finding the final gramophone in Karras's office in Angelwatch for the first time

Also, the servant-workshop in Eavesdropping. Or the trail of blood. TMA still has plenty of moments like this.

 

[Carrion]

I dunno, mang, I remember I kinda shat myself upon finding the final gramophone in Karras's office in Angelwatch for the first time

Also, the servant-workshop in Eavesdropping. Or the trail of blood. TMA still has plenty of moments like this.

True, it does have its moments. Still, you never feel as vulnerable as in Escape! or as lost as in Down in the Bonehoard. TDP is just full of levels that try to get you disoriented or fuck with your senses in some other way, in T2 you almost always have a very clear idea of where you are and what you're doing, at least.

 

[Unkillable Cat]

I can only play about one level a day, and so far I've reached map 3 in episode 2.
I wish I knew why some games give me more trouble with motion sickness than others.
I had no problems with Heretic and Hexen (Doomsday version), Duke Nukem 3D (eDuke32 version) and Unreal Tournament, little problems with Doom(sday), but great problems with Marathon (Aleph version) and Quake (DirectQ).

So I find myself alternating between Quake and HoMM 2 at the moment.

If you have the same problem as me, try playing Heretic II. That one gave me motion sickness in just 20 minutes of playing and it's based on the Quake engine, so the chances of the same symptons occurring are high.
The only other game to give me motion sickness on that scale was Dark Corners of the Earth. So those two are off my playlist for all eternity.

 

[No Great Name]

Both are some of the best designed games ever made, but the wealth of FMs is what really elevates them to the best ever status. It's the perfect example of why it is good to make your game moddable, and to release a level editor: a game that already is one of the best ever made will, after some years, get missions that are even better than the originals made by a dedicated fanbase.

I've never played any of the Thief FMs. What would you recommend be a great one to start with? I'd look through the sticky thread but I'd rather get a direct response.

 

[JarlFrank]

Both are some of the best designed games ever made, but the wealth of FMs is what really elevates them to the best ever status. It's the perfect example of why it is good to make your game moddable, and to release a level editor: a game that already is one of the best ever made will, after some years, get missions that are even better than the originals made by a dedicated fanbase.

I've never played any of the Thief FMs. What would you recommend be a great one to start with? I'd look through the sticky thread but I'd rather get a direct response.

Some recommendations:
Ominous Bequest and its 2 mission sequel Broken Triad. They are all very varied and interesting, and keep giving you new mission goals as you play. Ominous Bequest starts as a pretty normal mansion mission, then you uncover some secrets in the catacombs in the basement... very varied mission, judged by some people to be the best Thief FM ever made. The sequel was equally well recieved, with its first mission being a relatively large city mission with a museum to rob and mysterious things happening in the city. Streets to explore, multiple buildings to break in, and an eerie atmosphere at some places (and it has a really awesome optional area with a cool reward at the end). Second mission has you visit a place similar to the lost city, it's a bit heavy on puzzles but it's pretty fun and has a great visual style and some unique enemies.

The Bathory Campaign. This is one of my favourites. It's a campaign with several missions in a historical setting that just oozes with atmosphere. I really liked the design of the castles you visit in this one, and the story is pretty interesting too.

Tales from the Cleft: Vandal and Tales from the Cleft: Ladytaker. First one is a very solid mansion mission, second is a very solid city mission with some cool secrets to discover.

Mystic Gems I and II (Unlucky Soul and Heart of Bohn): first one is a smallish mansion mission, second has you rob a large museum. I enjoyed them both greatly.

Heist Society. A very good mansion mission, it's quite an immense mansion you're breaking into there (been a long time since I played it, but I'd say it's comparable in size to First City Bank and Trust).

Wicked Relics. Probably my favourite FM. It has some interesting hidden secrets, a humorous story, and a really really big mansion with a lot of loot to steal and a lot to discover, including a moment of shit hitting the fan and strong undead being spawned when you complete a certain objective.

The Widow's Ire. A mission that appeared in 2013 by a new author and surprised everyone in how fucking awesome and weird it was. It's a two mission pack, with the first being like a mix of The Sword's garden area and the Bonehoard, and the second being very much like The Sword, only different - it has a big mansion with an even bigger WTF-area coming after it. If there's any FM that manages to capture the weirdness of Thief 1's more supernatural missions, it's this.

Play these, they're some of the best in my opinion, and after that you should try some of Christine's missions (especially her later ones, Coterie of Smokers is one of her best), skacky's missions and Melan's missions (they both love doing city missions with lots of verticality).

Have fun taffing!

 

[kazgar]

Playing King's Bounty the Legend, played the shit out of the original 1990's one and had this one sitting around for ages. Staying up later then I should which means its still got some of the charm of the original, but the focus on story/missions instead of strategy is annoying me a bit (a lot of running back and forth) as is the loading screens for battles/out of battles.

Looks pretty nice though, and runs well on my hardware.

 

[No Great Name]

Some recommendations:
Ominous Bequest and its 2 mission sequel Broken Triad. They are all very varied and interesting, and keep giving you new mission goals as you play. Ominous Bequest starts as a pretty normal mansion mission, then you uncover some secrets in the catacombs in the basement... very varied mission, judged by some people to be the best Thief FM ever made. The sequel was equally well recieved, with its first mission being a relatively large city mission with a museum to rob and mysterious things happening in the city. Streets to explore, multiple buildings to break in, and an eerie atmosphere at some places (and it has a really awesome optional area with a cool reward at the end). Second mission has you visit a place similar to the lost city, it's a bit heavy on puzzles but it's pretty fun and has a great visual style and some unique enemies.

The Bathory Campaign. This is one of my favourites. It's a campaign with several missions in a historical setting that just oozes with atmosphere. I really liked the design of the castles you visit in this one, and the story is pretty interesting too.

Tales from the Cleft: Vandal and Tales from the Cleft: Ladytaker. First one is a very solid mansion mission, second is a very solid city mission with some cool secrets to discover.

Mystic Gems I and II (Unlucky Soul and Heart of Bohn): first one is a smallish mansion mission, second has you rob a large museum. I enjoyed them both greatly.

Heist Society. A very good mansion mission, it's quite an immense mansion you're breaking into there (been a long time since I played it, but I'd say it's comparable in size to First City Bank and Trust).

Wicked Relics. Probably my favourite FM. It has some interesting hidden secrets, a humorous story, and a really really big mansion with a lot of loot to steal and a lot to discover, including a moment of shit hitting the fan and strong undead being spawned when you complete a certain objective.

The Widow's Ire. A mission that appeared in 2013 by a new author and surprised everyone in how fucking awesome and weird it was. It's a two mission pack, with the first being like a mix of The Sword's garden area and the Bonehoard, and the second being very much like The Sword, only different - it has a big mansion with an even bigger WTF-area coming after it. If there's any FM that manages to capture the weirdness of Thief 1's more supernatural missions, it's this.

Play these, they're some of the best in my opinion, and after that you should try some of Christine's missions (especially her later ones, Coterie of Smokers is one of her best), skacky's missions and Melan's missions (they both love doing city missions with lots of verticality).

Have fun taffing!

Thanks a lot. I guess you guys now know what game I'll be wasting my time on for a while.

 

[Markman]

Played and finished Tomb Raider. Took me 13 hours with 81% completion.
Dunno what to think about it, its a good popamole game, was really suprised that the game didnt suck. I guess it helps when you come in with low expectations.