What game are you wasting time on?

[Butter]

I've been playing Rogue every day. It's a waste of my time in the sense that I don't expect to ever beat it, but it's also really fun. I'm enjoying it more than any other roguelike I've played, perhaps not despite but because of its comparative simplicity. Not spending time building my character means I'm less invested so it's not a gut punch when he dies. It's really easy to just start a new run and get going. There's a lot to learn about playing the game, but it's not overwhelming the way some later roguelikes are. It really reminds me of the original Wizardry, in that every time you go into the dungeon you learn something new, even if you don't reach your ultimate goal.

You've played Brogue? Easy start up, not too much investment in character building as it's defined by items and enchantments. Beautiful use of color and fx with the limitations of ascii, very immersive for such games.

I've played Rogue, Zorbus, ToME, and Infra Arcana. I'm pretty sure I could spend the rest of my life just playing roguelikes, with how many versions are there of each one.

 

[Avonaeon]

Currently Im playing Ashes Doom mod and I finished the first chapter. Its great and Im really enjoying it. Im not too far from finishing the second chapter and so far I prefer the more first chapters standard level system over hubs of second one. Still I find both great and I recommend them to all FPS fans

I agree, the first chapter I felt was better because you were constantly moving forward. The second chapter arguably had better looking areas, but there was a lot of revisiting areas and a lot more of searching for the entrance to the next level, which got both a little boring and frustrating, because you just wanted to get to the next place. That being said, both chapters are fantastic!

 

[ferratilis]

Been playing a lot of Assetto Corsa for the last week or so, both with a controller and with a Logitech G29 wheel. All other racing games feel like they're made for kids compared to this, honestly. The physics, the weight of the car, the steering, it's all perfectly done. The amazing modding scene also elevates the game, some of the laser scanned tracks made by modders are done more competently than those in the latest Forza Motorsport, a game that cost more than a hundred mil. Because AC was made on an older engine, before all the modern rendering features became common, it also looks less fuzzy/aliased and with better colors than a lot of more modern titles. For example, I also got Automobilista 2 recently, a game made with a more advanced Madness engine, but it just looks cartoony compared to Assetto Corsa, despite the texture resolution and effects being better. Physics also seem a bit worse, at least that's how it feels through the wheel. Although Automobilista 2 has much better AI, the one in AC is dumb as rocks. AC is truly one of a kind game, I doubt that even a sequel can top it, since afaik the studio was bought by some bigwigs a few years ago. It will probably be relevant even a decade or two from now.

Oh, and don't let people tell you AC can't be played with a controller, just use these settings, turn off stability control, set traction control based on your feeling, and you're golden:
speed sensitivity: 70
steering speed:1
steering gama:130
steering filter:5
steering deadzone:15
Wheel will always be better, of course, but you can get some good lap times even with a controller. It's definitely more playable than Automobilista 2.

As for the modding scene, this is a good example of how amazing it is:

You know a sim racer is good when you forearms are sore after a few laps on Monza.

 

[BruceVC]

I'm busy with NWN2 MoB and Im loving the narrative and the epic level gaming experience, Im about 20 hours in

Obsidian really knows how to create captivating stories and as usual I appreciate the Forgotten Realms integration because its my favorite fantasy world with Elder Scrolls being my second

I am getting a little annoyed with the mechanics of hunger and how you need to feed but thats because I misunderstood how it works and I let my energy drop to 10-15% so just to survive I am literally camping and feeding on animal spirits in the Ashenwood forest but once Im done with these quests I will feed properly on undead which will restore my energy to manageable levels

I got so frustrated I was even considering loading a mod that lets you restore the energy immediately but I wont do that because that will destroy the immersion and point of being a spirit eater....so it would be a real "cheat " that undermines the point of the game. So I decided not to do that

 

[Ezekiel]

I hate my spazzy hands. I play Streets of Rage WORSE with the Mega Drive-style controller because my fingers keep accidentally pressing A and B simultaneously, wasting stars, and I don't jump as much as I used to because there is more of a separation between the attack buttons (A and B) and C (jump) than with the modern YXBA diamond. The ABC controls are objectively superior to YXBA, but I can't WORK them properly.

 

[Puukko]

Watching a friend play it (and curse the difficulty) got me interested in some F-Zero GX. It's been a small eternity since I last did arcade racing and yeah, this works. Sometimes you just need a high octane palette cleanser. I cleared the second grand prix on standard difficulty after several attempts. Not because I couldn't score high enough to win, but because the fifth and last course ate all of my five retries like four times due to all the ways you can fly off the track. No mercy at all.

The challenge comes from finding a good racer that can handle the different courses well since you need to clear all five of them without being able to change. There are four to choose from to start (naturally including Captain Falcon) with another 20 or so to unlock. You can tweak the acceleration/max speed balance after each race which you want to do to accommodate each track.

Maximizing efficient use of the booster is vital. It also acts as your health bar, depleting when hitting the sides or other racers. At the end of each lap there's an opportunity to charge it via a special lane though making the most of that is tricky since there may also be speed boosts next to them... or your vehicle may be so finicky that getting it lined up is easier said than done.

The story mode is actually something you have to buy with credits from the grand prix, usually one-on-one races with stage hazards or extra conditions. The cutscenes are great, they really put in the effort. Well, except when it comes to the voice acting.

 

[e-mailio estevez]

F-Zero is a really a good palette cleanser, I agree. And graphically it holds up and emulates super well- the casino stages still look beautiful. In GX I always liked Octoman, but goddamn I tried to make it work with James McCloud in GX and F-Zero X and usually failed in the process since his arwing has tin foil for armor plating. I played through X last year and actually had some good results playing Jodi Summer / White Cat and managed to finish the Master Cup on all of the circuits with her.

Do not feel obligated to torture yourself by trying to complete the story mode, though. I was able to do it when I was a teenager, but it was one of the hardest challenges I ever completed it my gaming 'career' and it's probably not worth the pain and suffering. The mission where you have to collect all the capsules and escape the exploding tunnel had me resorting to rebinding the analog stick

---

After several weeks of being sick to the point that gaming wasn't even a consideration, I've been enjoying some different retroarch games. Was pleased to finish a run of Outrun, which felt impossible after attempting it in the Yakuza 0 arcade years ago.

Played some Granblue Fantasy with a buddy of mine and some of his friends. I love fighting games but it's honestly been a long time since I've played one online that isn't Smash Bros (which calling a 'fighting game' is dubious, at best. but i still enjoy it, and several characters in Smash Bros have movesets I just find really fun to pilot). In Granblue I'm still in the "I've owned this fighting game for less than 24 hours and am mostly doing retarded mashing and getting punished for things that work in other games' phase. But I managed to score a few wins and make a good showing, and leveled up a little bit by playing these guys who are much better than me.

Also been playing some Dragon Warrior 3 on the NES. First RPG I ever played as a youngin. We never actually owned it, just rented it repeatedly from our local brick and mortar store. I have no idea how I managed to endure playing it without the fast-forward you get from emulation. Even the movement speed is super slow by default. The encounter rate is frankly ridiculous but most dungeons don't have bosses and completing them is a matter of surviving the battle of attrition. I'm using a Fighter/Cleric/Cleric party this time around and it's going pretty good. Never used fighters as a kid- and now I can appreciate that they have ridiculous agility and the ability to attack first in a turn makes up for the fact they can't equip armor.

I'd like to try the DS port of Dragon Quest 4 but I can't get DS games to look right in my retroarch install. The aspect ratio always looks messed up and the usual shaders I use completly break using the DS cores. I'll just need to mess with it more- there's a few other DS games I'd really like to play like Infinite Space.

 

[Great Deceiver]

I'd like to try the DS port of Dragon Quest 4 but I can't get DS games to look right in my retroarch install. The aspect ratio always looks messed up and the usual shaders I use completly break using the DS cores.

Try this:

https://mega.nz/file/8p0w0SpJ#out6Y5QBhet3zJsRB2EWyEXpv_bBia08u54V4oB3QfY

I personally like the DS-no-border shader, but there are border versions available if you'd prefer that.

 

[revealer]

Mount and Blade: Napoleonic Wars
Multiplayer mod: Commander Battle
Its a type of game where each players leads its unit of 10-30 bots into battle.
You can choose between regular infantry, heavy infantry, sniper rifles, various cavalry units or artillery.
There is EU_commander server, that's regularly full, where most battles are with 400 to up to 600 bots (50players).

Been playing for years, fun shit.

 

[Puukko]

Do not feel obligated to torture yourself by trying to complete the story mode, though. I was able to do it when I was a teenager, but it was one of the hardest challenges I ever completed it my gaming 'career' and it's probably not worth the pain and suffering. The mission where you have to collect all the capsules and escape the exploding tunnel had me resorting to rebinding the analog stick

The tunnel was pretty easy. Ass ramming the gang leader was way more difficult and the bomb mission was absolute hell. I spent a solid 30 minutes on it before switching to max acceleration (which is basically mandatory) and then another half an hour since the corner that stumped me before the switch wasn't even halfway through the course. I actually got it on VOD:

Spoiler

 

[Fink]

Completed Shadowrun Returns, a solid but unambitious tactical RPG. Story was kinda retarded but had some moments of decent writing. Exploration nonexistent. Character building and combat were pretty fun. Great visuals.

I think I'll burn out if I try to play Dragonfall straight away, so I'm tossing up between Deus Ex: HR and Expeditions: Conquistador.

 

[Late Bloomer]

I think I deleted my previous post. Anyhow, I finished Champions of Norrath 1&2 and Baldur's Gate Dark Alliance 1&2. I play them as a group of games every 1 1/2 years or so. I start with Champions of Norrath 1 and finish up with Baldur's Gate Dark Alliance 2.

Playing some ESO, Sims 4 & Exiled Kingdoms currently.

 

[Ezekiel]

Spent seven hours rearranging my room, found things I have to throw out. Would be surprised if this Xbox Live code still worked. Got it from a customer service job about eight years ago.

MWP49-KV4RK-F867J-QTRDC-PPYVR

 

[BruceVC]

I'm close to finishing NWN2 MoB, I'm at the part where I have met The Founder and now the full narrative is revealed and I have received the Silver Sword and Im heading for the Wall of the Faithless

I mentioned this before but this game is an example of one of the best narratives I have ever experienced, its brilliant and I love how it ties into general Forgotten Realms lore on an epic level. You get to meet Myrkul !!!

Games like this remind me of how significant the narrative can be for the overall enjoyment of the game

 

[Zlaja]

Playing some ESO, Sims 4

 

[Grampy_Bone]

Remnant 2. Co op third person shooter balls hard "Dark Souls with guns." I enjoyed the first one so I knew what I was getting into. The game builds a random set of levels from pre fab locations and dungeons for each run. It has the souls weapons system; items are fixed and upgradable, no random loot. The main issue is getting new weapons later in the game and needing to spend much resources upgrading them just to see if they're worthwhile or not.

it strikes me as an 'Over balanced' game, where you fight to eek out a 1-2% damage bonus and call that a build. Half the classes are unlocked in the post game which is usually where I lose all interest in playing anyway.

 

[Kabas]

Feeling burn out lately so not many games i am wasting my time on.
Still enjoying the Monster train, a very solid deckbuilding roguelike. I like how distinct each of the clans feels and what kind of combos you can pull with them, i also like how snappy the combat feels and the overall run length.
Currently on the rank 8 covenant.

 

[Machocruz]

Monster Hunter World and Underrail. This is heaven of time consuming games, the latter makes me understand why women keep going back to men that beat them.

 

[Raghar]

Hand weapons
a - a +4,+5 war axe of chopping (weapon)
c - an uncursed dwarven war axe of electrocution
f - an uncursed runed long sword of electrocution
h - an uncursed glowing battleaxe of chopping
r - a +5,+3 dwarven battleaxe of pain
L - a +2,+3 war axe of flaming
Q - a +4,+3 vampiric war axe


I have some axes.

 

[deuxhero]

Heavily modded Fallout 4 as shooter with sexy chicks.

Fallout 4 is indeed a trashfire in a lot of areas, but I will acknowledge that the dungeons are quite good at variety in themes and tactical approach while still feeling like real locations and using a limited number of assets. You've got your typical abandoned buildings and a few caves as animal lairs but it's nice to see logistics center, supermarket, car plant, crashed plane, quarry*, brewery, hardware store, comic shop, national guard base, fight club, federal emergency food storage etc. Too bad indoor dungeons are almost all overly linear and suffering from only a handful of enemy types (most are just populated by raiders, gunners who are just raiders with slightly different gear and dialog, super mutants or feral ghouls, with some dogs and/or turrets mixed in for variety. Mutant animals and robots rarely get dungeons dedicated to them unfortunately.).

*This one has a weird plot about digging too deep for some artifact pre-war guys are willing to kill employees for. I think the psychic visions were a step too far, though I do like that it never actually explains just what the fuck they were and leaves it at that. Far better than scripted meeting with a random psychic that could literally be excised from the plot entirely with only a minor change of dialog (one of the civilians mentions hearing about a detective in Diamond City)

 

[ERYFKRAD]

Hand weapons
a - a +4,+5 war axe of chopping (weapon)
c - an uncursed dwarven war axe of electrocution
f - an uncursed runed long sword of electrocution
h - an uncursed glowing battleaxe of chopping
r - a +5,+3 dwarven battleaxe of pain
L - a +2,+3 war axe of flaming
Q - a +4,+3 vampiric war axe


I have some axes.

More like you have some hands goddamn

 

[BruceVC]

I have finished NWN2 MoB and I have already summarized what I loved about this game so all that's outstanding is the anticipated and highly influential score on the " BruceVC game rating system "...it gets a sold 78/100

Now Im playing Storm of Zehir, I appreciate the new mechanics like the map and how that works and I know its going to be another rewarding Forgotten Realms D&D experience

 

[NecroLord]

Finished Bloodmoon Main Quest.
Werewolves. Werewolves everywhere.
However, I performed splendidly, already being very high level and fully decked out in armor and with custom weapons (such as my favorite Daedric Battleaxe with Fortify Strength 100 pts for 3 sec on STRIKE), yeah...
Trick is to not let the werewolves surround you. Try and take them one by one. Also bring Hammers to repair your gear. You are gonna need them.
An interesting boss fight awaits you.
Actually two if you count Karstaag.

 

[Avonaeon]

Finished Delta Force: Task Force Dagger, the 4th entry in the series. They had a lot more artists this time, so there's more buildings and interiors, etc. but they really skimped out on everything else. It feels really lazy. Compared to Land Warrior, there's no real step up in graphics, missions often repeat locations (several times twice in a row). Mission design is also quite bad with several huge underground tunnel complexes that are complete mazes, escort missions and they tend to last a lot longer than the missions in the first game (and not in a good way). No voice acted mission briefings, no overarching context of the missions, which Land Warrior at least attempted to do even if it was quite all over the place. Similar to Land Warrior it also just ends, there's no build up, or wrapping up which the first 2 games did. Core gameplay is exactly the same as Land Warrior, so it's still somewhat enjoyable.

Overall, so far it goes Delta Force > Delta Force 2 >> Land Warrior > Task Force Dagger.

 

[El Presidente]

Finally started playing Hollow Knight and yeah, it's as good as everyone claims it is. It feels so great to know you're playing a true modern classic for a change, and not yet another forgettable slop. Fills you with hope ya know. Someone out there still got it and still makes soulful things.

I think I deleted my previous post. Anyhow, I finished Champions of Norrath 1&2 and Baldur's Gate Dark Alliance 1&2. I play them as a group of games every 1 1/2 years or so. I start with Champions of Norrath 1 and finish up with Baldur's Gate Dark Alliance 2.

Playing some ESO, Sims 4 & Exiled Kingdoms currently.

How's ESO as a single player game? I keep hearing it's very worth it for the great and non-fetch quests, a friend even used to say it's the best Elder Scrolls game when it comes to quests. I don't wanna add yet another MMO to my library tho (theoretically I "still play" FFXIV and GW2, though I haven't log in them for a few months now) so essentially I'd like to treat it as a single player TES if possible.