other-games

[peak marsh]

Yeah, in the US generally you have to file for unemployment, and despite the fact that it's deducted from every paycheck in taxes, they aren't required to pay it to you unless you meet some criteria. Severence is far far less common

[finite saffron]

Yeah I've had more than one instance where I showed up for work in the morning, and they told me to go home cause I was laid off. No pay, no compensation for the wasted time/gas, I no longer have a job/benefits with zero warning. Not even a reason, they just wanted to make budget cuts and I was randomly chosen.

And it's like good god, at least make this an email if you're gonna screw me over that hard, so I don't have to get up early and drive here.

[tepid wadi]

Yeah, probably not best to get into it, tbh.

[vague galleon]

ya. thats all im saying on the matter. 👍

[tepid wadi]

Layoffs in the game industry are horrific, especially right now.

[obtuse scroll]

I've had a busy week or so with layoffs and dealing with all that. I didn't see what happened. DM what I missed -_-

[peak marsh]

That happened at my last job and I had the same thought, like just send me a text so I can at least go back to bed and figure out the next step

[vague galleon]

RANDOMLY CHOSEN

[finite saffron]

Yeah it's really frustrating when you work for other countries and realize that America's like this for no good reason. But the propaganda goes so deep that people here get really defensive if you try to explain that

[finite saffron]

Literally lol, I had a company tell me that. Showed up for work, no warning they just told me to go home, and when I asked why they said that corporate was making cuts and people were randomly chosen at every branch of the company, and I was one of them.

[obtuse scroll]

People get beligerant when you explain that things work well in other countries and that it would actually be cheaper if they did certain things here. Those kind of people are the ones you just avoid.

[vague galleon]

that should be something you can sue over.

[obtuse scroll]

No in 'AT WILL' places

[peak marsh]

In my case they did it on senority at least. I was chosen because of the supervisors, I was there 3 months less time than the next one ahead of me

[finite saffron]

The opposite, they did it like that so they couldn't get sued. They didn't want to risk any potential discrimination lawsuits, so they just picked at random. lol

[vague galleon]

im so angry about that

[peak marsh]

I was 9 years and 4 months, they were 9 years and 7

[finite saffron]

Yeah that's so insane, at least I wasn't very senior at this company. It's so soulless to let someone go who has been with you for almost a decade with no warning and (presumably) no compensation

[obtuse scroll]

I was laid off over the other tech writer....I had 14 years and I made all my goals last year....they were at 9 years and they only got 1 of 3 goals done last year.....yep, makes total sense

[tepid wadi]

I've been at companies where the entire QA department gets canned. Letting people go who have been testing your game for the entire development cycle seems like the worst business decision ever.

[peak marsh]

Nope. The only saving grace was it happened during Covid so I was able to take advantage of all the extra benefits at the time

But from the company all I got was cashed out for my vacation time

[finite saffron]

So common though, whenever there's cuts in this industry QA/publishing are almost always first to go

[tepid wadi]

Unfortunately, yeah

[finite saffron]

It's kinda silly too because QA get paid way less than like, an engineer does. But when you can all your QAs, the engineers are forced to waste time doing their job

So you're basically just paying someone to do QA work for 3x more than you'd pay a QA

[tepid wadi]

Yeah I mean, QA is one of those disciplines that's really hard to point out the "value" they provide, because it's sort of a "boost everyone else's value" discipline. So business people look at it and don't see any direct value and assume there is none.

But teams that have a really good QA <> Design/Programming relationship are waaaaaay more efficient than teams where they're separated.

[finite saffron]

Yeah QAs are heroes, it's wild to me when management at companies doesn't see how much value provide, cause all the QAs I've known accomplish so much at the company they're in

[obtuse scroll]

The worst companies are the ones that create ticket systems and hold ticket numbers over people's head. The absolute worst QA person at my old company had the highest numbers but was literally giving out all the wrong info and then closing their tickets.....

[tepid wadi]

Amusingly a huge chunk of the best designers and programmers I've worked with are also FROM QA. Like not all of them, but a lot.

[tepid wadi]

Numbers-based metrics for a qualitative discipline are the worst.

[finite saffron]

??? It's not even the QAs job to fix the bugs, at least not at most companies. What an insane system.

"You're finding too many bugs and that's... a bad thing, somehow?"

[tepid wadi]

Dude, this is a conversation I've been HAVING recently. Using metrics like "amount of bugs found" is NOT a good way to determine the value of testing time spent on a given task.

What if something just... isn't very buggy? What if something that usually isn't very buggy IS very buggy right now?

How would you know the difference?

[obtuse scroll]

It was a weird thing, companies make the worst decisions ever

[finite saffron]

Yeah the value of QAs is being able to obsessively test edge cases to find really difficult to repro bugs, because that kinda thing wastes an ungodly amount of engineer time. If they're only finding bugs that are easy to find then they're not exactly even providing that much value

[stable laurel]

Sorry to be off topic in other games 😂but what is the best arkham game and are they all good?

[finite saffron]

Honestly we're the ones off topic we're not even talking about games at this point just the games industry lol

[stable laurel]

Lol

[misty arch]

there are 4. the fourth was done by a different company than 3 and its co-op
https://store.steampowered.com/app/710920/Darksiders_Genesis/

Steam

Darksiders Genesis

From the dawn of creation, THE COUNCIL has maintained the Balance across existence. Carrying out their orders are THE HORSEMEN, Nephilim (powerful beings spawned from the unnatural union of angels and demons) who have pledged themselves to the Council and been granted immense power. However, this power came at a tragic cost: the Horsemen were…

Price

$5.99

Recommendations

9384

Metacritic

77

▶ Play video

[tepid wadi]

Wow, I didn't even know it existed

[misty arch]

it was a quiet release and didnt make any headlines but from the sounds of it, its pretty solid

[tepid wadi]

I mean THQ Nordic has a great track record

[tepid wadi]

To answer your question, I understand the first two are the best. Asylum and City.

[obtuse scroll]

Yeah, I'd never heard of it either O.O

[peak marsh]

Looks like for that one THQ Nordic was just the publisher

And same, I'd only really heard about the first 3

[tranquil cove]

i never liked darksiders 2

regret purchase for me

would gladly give it away free

[peak marsh]

I thought 2 was a fun time. Kind of a shut your brain off action game, which are nice sometimes

[tranquil cove]

i think it was too darksouls for me

at the time, i didn't like it

either that or i rarely like the action rpg genre

[stable laurel]

What didnt u like about it

[tranquil cove]

i don't remember, too darksouls like i think or i just didn't like the world building or something, the combat.

[misty arch]

you got sick of seeing this screen the whole time 🙂
https://media.tenor.com/ZpBMkWyufhMAAAAM/dead.gif

[vague galleon]

dark souls just isnt for me. XD

[peak marsh]

It's rewarding once you get a feel for it. There are some eye-rolling moments, like when they throw a trap at you that you couldn't possibly see coming, but for the most part it reminds me of old NES games where dying 1,000 times is how you got better

Well, 8 and 16 bit era games. Genesis had some real corkers too

Can't count how many times I died on Ecco the Dolphin or Lightening Force (intentionally mispelled because that's how they spelled it on the US release xD)

[stable laurel]

I like almost dark souls

Like a god of war

[timber prism]

this was my NES experience and I loved it XD

Ninja Gaiden, Bionic Commando, Battletoads, TMNT

[vague galleon]

bionic commando. i got the remake and i suuuuuuuuuucked

[peak marsh]

Batman, Kabuki Quantum Fighter, Life Force, Contra

[timber prism]

OG Batman holy hell lmaooo

I was actually really good at Contra and Super C

I beat Super C with a friend on our first playthrough of it

[peak marsh]

And I actually played Kabuki Quantum Fighter back in the day xD A neighbor of mine had it and I traded him some game or another for it xD

[timber prism]

granted.. we used the Konami code

[vague galleon]

IDDQD

[timber prism]

i was also good at Life Force

[peak marsh]

I used to be able to get most of the way through Life Force without the code. Now I need it just to get past level 3 xD

[timber prism]

haha

I was a big fan of those games

i remember we talked about Dreamcast games.. but I totally forgot to mention Mars Matrix

was I thought was amazing

which*

[peak marsh]

Same. I mentioned it earlier but my favorite SHMUP was Lightening Force (Thunder Force 4) on the Geneesis

[timber prism]

Mars and Life Force were both the most nostalgic for me

Ikaruga was definitely up there too but i dont think i ever beat it

[peak marsh]

Ikaruga was brutal xD

[vague galleon]

Petri Attack!

[misty arch]

Do not forget. Fromsoftware did create Kings Field

[vague galleon]

this is for other games. you could post these in #screenshots-and-art or maybe #enshrouded-chat

[peak marsh]

https://www.pcgamer.com/games/mmo/todays-dune-awakening-patch-takes-another-sidestep-away-from-the-pvp-heavy-endgame/ @sonic pumice

[sonic pumice]

i have seen that

[peak marsh]

https://massivelyop.com/2025/07/07/chrono-odyssey-addresses-combat-and-performance-says-cbt2-may-not-happen-this-year/ -Meanwhile, in an announcement that will surprise no one who was paying attention, Chrono Odyssey might not be ready this year after all

[stable laurel]

No surprise

[peak marsh]

https://www.dualshockers.com/nintendo-switch-2-scalpers-are-now-losing-money/

[stable laurel]

What do u all think of

Aion 2

[tepid wadi]

Cautious optimism

Basically how I approach any new MMO project

[stable laurel]

Yea

There is not a single good one rn

[tepid wadi]

Yeah, I've discussed at length why we don't have any good ones right now, heh

[stable laurel]

My second favorite genre😭

[tepid wadi]

It's my favorite by a wide margin, but I think the main reason we keep seeing new ones fall apart is that they're approaching it based on the historical approaches for what makes a "good" MMO, while missing some key aspects that actually make the genre function as a MMO

[peak marsh]

Yeah. A majority of new MMO releases are more like collective single player games. Play by yourself and occasionally stop by a player hub to compare fashion

[stable laurel]

I like if its more do dungeons with other players explore the world with ur friends

[tepid wadi]

There's definitely something to be said about large dungeon complexes that are open-world, like the days of old. Like Everquest or the new Pantheon are doing

Being able to dynamically encounter other parties as you work your way through the dungeons is super interesting

Of course, if would be MORE interesting if there was any way/reason to interact with them in any way other than kill stealing

[stable laurel]

I like if its more adventure rpg with good action based combat mmo

[peak marsh]

Personally I'd love to see a system where when two players attack the same mob, the game automatically puts them into a temporary party with shared exp. From there each player has like, 3 minutes to confirm if they want to stay or leave, or will automatically leave if they're outside of a certain proximity of the other player (ie; they just wander off to keep doing their own thing)

[stable laurel]

I personaly am not a fan of runescape

Or those type of mmo

[peak marsh]

Maybe the two players get more exp by being partied than they would have both attacking solo so it's a boon rather than a detriment

[stable laurel]

If a good mmo comes out my style wich maybe aion 2 or archage cronichles can be

[peak marsh]

Though frankly I think you could do far better to throw out traditional exp and have a "use thing more, get better at using thing" system and focus on drops

[stable laurel]

I will no life it

[stable laurel]

Agree

[tepid wadi]

That's how most MMO players feel, heh

[peak marsh]

Exp has always seemed a little arbitrary to me

[stable laurel]

With loot and armor crafting or buying can be cool

Instead of always exp

[peak marsh]

Maybe in that hypothetical party situation, both players get the drops so now instead of splitting exp you're incentivised because you can hunt faster and get the same rewards

[stable laurel]

What do u all have most hope in to be a good mmo

[peak marsh]

At the moment not a lot honestly, at least in the near future

Amazons LotR MMO might be interesting but they don't have a great track record. Maybe Ashes of Creation but no telling how many more years on that one

Blue Protocol looked somewhat interesting as an action MMO but now that it's been dropped by Bamco (Bandai Namco) and picked up by a Chinese developer who made it cross platform with mobile... Ehhhhh...

[stable laurel]

Lotr will probaly be a lot like the elder scrolls?

[tepid wadi]

More likely it'll be New World with a LOTR skin on it

[stable laurel]

Thats interesting

Theyre gonna charge 70?

[peak marsh]

Not real big on candy colored anime games but the combat looked good

[tepid wadi]

I don't think they've announced it

[stable laurel]

Whats it called

I gotta wl it

[peak marsh]

Yeah that's my guess. The LotR MMO will effectively just be a hard relaunch for New World without all the issues and baggage

[stable laurel]

Pretty funny

[peak marsh]

And I'm betting within 1-2 years of the LotR MMO launching, depending on how it does, they'll announce end of life for New World

That Tolkein license is too expensive to split your player base between two competing MMOs

[stable laurel]

Im interetsed

We have to wait

[peak marsh]

I mean, that's being an MMO fan in a nutshell: mostly waiting and disappointment xD

[stable laurel]

Throne and liberty was boring

[peak marsh]

Yeah, it has some interesting ideas but none of them are "there", like nothing is fleshed out or refined enough to feel engaging

[stable laurel]

They had a cool idea

Underpreformed

[peak marsh]

I mean especially with the sieges with the massive golems etc, its just the combat, world, crafting, and overall experience felt flat

[stable laurel]

Yea

I hope a good version comes out

[peak marsh]

Like they had one idea and put a bunch of set dressing around it to get it to market (which probably isn't inaccurate)

[stable laurel]

A lot of nothing

Haha

I didnt really like the u could turn into a wolve

[peak marsh]

Like you know in Hollywood movies, when they show a town and it looks real until they walk around and you see all the buildings are painted on to a flat board? That's Throne and Liberty xD

[stable laurel]

Hahaha

1000%

Lost ark is also not for ke

Me

I tried it

Nor is guild wars 2

[peak marsh]

I'd definitely recommend giving ESO a try while it's cheap

[stable laurel]

I like if its action dungeon with a lot of cool bosses with accesories and mounts (optional) is it that

[timber prism]

Big fan of the guardian fights and raids

[peak marsh]

ESO is kind of hybrid action/tab target. It's not fully either which is divisive, but the dungeons are a lot of fun

They have a lot of interesting and varied boss mechanics

But if you want action combat, BDO is still the MMO leader (-sigh- 11 years later)

[stable laurel]

Is it good?

[peak marsh]

For a long while yes. Late in the game you run into some P2W mechanics but you can easily get 40 - 60 hours in before you see that, and the graphics and combat are some of the best in MMOs

https://store.steampowered.com/app/582660/Black_Desert/

Steam

Black Desert

Go Beyond Limits : WORLD CLASS MMORPG

Black Desert is a game that tests the limitations of MMORPG

by implementing remastered graphics and audio. Enjoy exciting combat and siege,…

Price

$9.99

Recommendations

59226

Metacritic

80

▶ Play video

Plus they made it free

(it says $9.99 there but it's "100% off")

[vague galleon]

i will say i recall not hating black desert combst

i will also say the world was confusing and i had no idea what npcs to talk to for story and quest

[peak marsh]

To date it's still got the best combat of the active MMOs, it almost feels like a fighting game at times. Like, Aion and Blade & Soul arguably had better combat in their respective heyday, but of the options today BDO is the peak

Yeah, the thing is the hud and world design definitely show their age. A big part of why BDO didn't grab me is I hate the hud and user interface

[vague galleon]

SWTOR i didnt mind soldier combat but jedi combat sucked.

i think if i ever had to play wow again id play a hunter.

although i did love my boi Bluthor.

[tepid wadi]

I think the thing I hated about BDO was the gear "progression" and the passive gameplay stuff

Any game that is designed around not playing it but being logged in is going to dive me nuts.

[peak marsh]

Yeah, for whatever reason korean/chinese MMOs have a big thing about passive progression, where you're logged on but you aren't actually doing anything

I'll grant that in a respect it works for certain mobile games, like those "hero collector" games where you build a team and run something 7,000 times to get upgrade materials, but in an MMO? Do not want

Honestly with certain well thought out exceptions, like maybe some kind of passive wealth/resource building system I don't want any automation in my MMO

By that I mean I could see an end game system where you buy yourself an estate, and maybe you have the option to start a trading company or a farm, and you can recruit increasingly better levels of NPC or upgrade your facilities to improve yield or resource type, like almost an RTS/city builder minigame

That's the only kind of automation I'd be okay with and frankly it'd have to be late in the game as a side activity to have more things to do

[tepid wadi]

Maybe a hot take: When I'm playing a game, I want to play the game. And the best games are the games that, when I'm not playing, I'm thinking about going to play them

Like, MMOs should be those games where you spend you work day thinking about how much you want to go do stuff in the game, then you get home and you're like "hell yeah now I get to go do those things" and you do maybe 1/3 of them because once you're in game you get distracted by other things in the moment that you want to do.

[peak marsh]

Yeah. ESO did that for me. I'd be constantly thinking about how to build my character and how I could do better on the next dungeon, then spend an entire session hitting delves and public dungeons instead xD

(pub dungeons are different from instanced, "proper" dungeons in ESO)

[stable laurel]

Agree

[peak marsh]

Honestly ESO, POE, and Enshrouded are the only games I can think of where I've wanted to play around on my phone with a build planner

I would have on D2 but we didn't have fancy build planners back in the prehistoric days of 2002 xD

[tepid wadi]

For all it's faults, Rift also had a really cool character building system

As did Archeage

[peak marsh]

The more I learn about Rift the more I wish I had played it in the time. It's a bit dated now (it still has player run servers) but the systems and voice acting were ahead of their time

[tepid wadi]

Yeah, I loved some of the concepts in it

[stable laurel]

There is coming a new one?

[tepid wadi]

I'm skeptical of the new one. It's by the same people who ruined the old one, and it seems to be leaning away from the stuff that made the old one special. No real-space housing, no open world PvP, just a totally different game.

[timber prism]

That's the thing... its not designed to not play it. It was just a mechanic that allowed you to not fall super behind if you didn't log in a ridiculous amount of time like no lifers

Doing anything active in that game yielded way better results for time spent

[tepid wadi]

Yeah, but the game is designed around the idea that you HAVE to be logged in all the time, which is super toxic design.

[timber prism]

You didn't have to tho haha

Like you could still be highly competitive if you didn't afk fish for example

[tepid wadi]

Yeah, just the concept of the design is super toxic. Just eliminate it and make the game more reasonable 🤷‍♀️

[timber prism]

I think its generally a mmo design for good or bad that being logged in = better progression

Which is why no lifers do it

[tepid wadi]

Sure, but having entire systems around being afk logged in is just not great, that's all

It's like botting, but for everyone? Nah

[timber prism]

Hrmmmm

Im not sure what I would prefer

Afk systems or creating huge gaps between players who play all day vs those who dont

Im also in the camp of not caring about p2w mechanics for people if its reasonable

[tepid wadi]

I mean, the other alternative is that progression isn't completely vertical, so more time invested doesn't necessarily mean you're outpacing other people, it just means you're doing more varied stuff.

[timber prism]

As someone who doesnt have 8+ hours to grind in a mmo as an adult XD

[tepid wadi]

This is kinda what I mean. "Fun" shouldn't be locked behind a huge grind, and you should be able to enjoy yourself even if you only log in for a few hours a week

[timber prism]

Yah. I think having good horizontal progression is good when it doesn't feel like homework aka Lost Ark

Yeah. Its just the problem of catering to those where power progression = fun

[tepid wadi]

Yeah, there are lots of classic design elements that are kind of toxic when you think about them holistically

I think you can set things up so the power progression people are kind of playing a different "level" of game than other players, but both are still fun.

To use a good Archeage example:
A dad gamer with a few hours to play a week might focus on doing farming and selling goods, maybe running a couple trade packs a week for some gold or a couple gilda stars, and still have good fun doing it all.

Whereas:
A nolife gamer will be part of a guild that builds hundreds of tradepacks and takes them to the pirate island in a massive PvP event to get hundreds of gilds stars to be able to build the largest mansion in the game.

[vague galleon]

I love JRPGs for their characters and story and well mostly nostalgia but between boring turn based combat and GRINDING I just dont think I can get into them.
just ignore my hours in enshrouded

[tranquil cove]

A nolife gamer will be part of a guild that builds hundreds of tradepacks and takes them to the pirate island in a massive PvP event to get hundreds of gilds stars to be able to build the largest mansion in the game.
try hard compensating for lack of mansion irl

[tepid wadi]

🤷‍♀️ I built a completely worthless trade plaza in Archeage because I wanted to. I decorated it and covered it in chairs, then spent dozens of hours training my music skill to a point where I held concerts for people on the island in the middle of the ocean. It'll always be a core gaming memory.

That's the sort of "secondary engagement" that almost all modern MMOs lack

[tranquil cove]

i dont even build big stuff in survival building games like valheim, or enshrouded, and i'm good at building. arguably top 50 builder in the game, could win competitions and have accolades.. too much time investment. i just need a small space that fits a few stacks of things i want to hoard, but not 100 stacks, because why would i need that many stacks as an individual. even my big house project in valheim, was a pretty small house, and i never finished it due to not caring.

[tepid wadi]

That's always my problem with Minecraft builds. There's no reason to make a massive build, so I end up scrapping them half way though.

[tranquil cove]

its the same with space engineers, i spent 12 years making 1 ship.

and it was a small ship

lol

[peak marsh]

"Top 50 builder in the game". How do you quantify that statement? What is the point of making it? Just say that you're pretty good at building xD

[tranquil cove]

aside from like a few people who make square ships in space engineers, or square houses. i don't really see building as a skill. i pretty much view it as if you build you are probably good at building, in a way that is equivalent to most people who build. again unless you are doing squares or something, you are probably good.

if i was running a competition i'd probably award 1000 top 50 builder in the game. the problem is competitions dont work that way and you need to decide 50 based on silly stuff that really doesn't differentiate 1000 peoples builds from the other, in terms of one person actually being better than another.

[tepid wadi]

IDK if you watch the #creative-corner and #screenshots-and-art channels, there's some pretty incredible building going on

[peak marsh]

https://discord.com/channels/1046840540550942720/1329242274621685811

[tranquil cove]

yeah but incredible could just mean scale half the time, whereas someone could make a small hovel and display all the skill necessary to do that giant castle. they just never did the castle.

[peak marsh]

Yeah man, no skill at all

Can't see any skill here

🙄

[tranquil cove]

some people develop tools to put those things in the game for them too. but if that wasn't done with a tool and done by eye, i can do that too.

[peak marsh]

Do it

[tranquil cove]

like i said, do i want to spend 72 hours doing that though? no.

[peak marsh]

Put up or stop talking about it xD

Pics or it didn't happen

[tranquil cove]

do you think it's impossible for me to do that or that i'm just a liar? lol

clearly you think its possible someone can do it

so must be about me in particular

[peak marsh]

Stop diminishing other people's effort, skill and work just to make a silly point. Mr "top 50 builder". Either post a pic of a build you personally did in Enshrouded on that level or stop inflating your own ego

[tranquil cove]

there is no level thats my point

you're making it all about skill, not me

therefore you're diminishing other people, in order to elevate specific people

so the ego is really from you

[peak marsh]

There is, is my point. And you're verbally taking away from the amount of effort it takes to do something like that to aggrandize yourself. Put up or shut up. Either you have a pic of something you did that rivals that, or you have no room to talk about it xD

[tranquil cove]

i never took away the effort, i said it takes tons of hours

and i don't have the time or motivation for that investment

[peak marsh]

"Oh I can do that" - Well, can you?

[tranquil cove]

i've done a lot of similar things over the course of 25 years, i just dont have pictures

[peak marsh]

Then shut up about it xD

Pics or it didn't happen

[tranquil cove]

i've been in building games/art games for 25 years

i mean i can claim anything i want, you can block me

if you think i am a liar 😛

[peak marsh]

Yeah you can, and you do, that's my point xD

[tranquil cove]

you totally missed my point and made it some wierd competition with this whale artist

[peak marsh]

It's not a competition with that specific artist. If you're that capible, let's see something before you talk so knowledgably on the subject

[tepid wadi]

Anyway

[peak marsh]

Before you say it isn't a skill

[tepid wadi]

We were having a lively conversation about MMOs

[tranquil cove]

first off duplicating things in a building game has no practical use and doesn't interest me

but it's one of the easier things to do imo

most people who play a lot of building games have the skill to look at picture and build what they see from the picture in 3d pixel form. especially if the game comes with mirroring tools.

without mirror tool it just takes 2x longer

it's more interesting to make things from scratch, in space engineers, instead of building a star destroyer, which i could do, it's more interesting to make a totally unique ship.

[vague galleon]

holy shitballs

[peak marsh]

Yeah, I thought that one was pretty wild. Toast liked it too

[vague galleon]

this was made in enshrouded?!

[peak marsh]

Yep

[vague galleon]

wow

not the fanciest thing ive seen but hecking impressive either way

[peak marsh]

I mean, if you click the link there's an entire base inside of it. He even built the internals. in the main room you can see the whale's rib cage xD

[vague galleon]

imagine how many times they fell to their death building that because Keen wont give us a flying cam!

[vague galleon]

oh man is it downloadable? I need to check this out.

[peak marsh]

Unfortunately it looks like they never posted a world file

[vague galleon]

nooooooooooooooooooooo

[tepid wadi]

I think my favorite thing I've seen is the water wheel

That was before free rotation was actually supported

[vague galleon]

amazing.

i need to get one of these people to visit my world and inspire me.

i have a cool island over an island but im not sure what to do with it.

each world I make i try to do something a little different.

[tranquil cove]

yeah like i see these things and i'm not impressed because i can do them, i think they are really nice, but that's different from the feeling of impressed. plus i already explained i don't really look up to human beings, i've never been a fan of anyone etc.

[vague galleon]

Good for you. 👍

[tepid wadi]

I have a problem with progression-focused survival games. I always want to unlock the next resource before starting a build, but then I've completed the game and have no desire to actually build anything.

[vague galleon]

enshrouded feels a little like that.

[tepid wadi]

Enshrouded and Valheim are the worst for it

[peak marsh]

Yeah, it's kind of a glaring issue in the genre right now

[vague galleon]

😦

[peak marsh]

Don't want to build until endgame, endgame comes and nothing to build for

[tepid wadi]

I love both games but never end up building anything particularly cool for them because of it

Maybe the "raid islands" on the roadmap will provide something like that

[vague galleon]

I havent had that problem as much, but i absolutely see what you mean

my problem is I can sink hours into setting up the base for a build and then have no idea what to actually do.

[peak marsh]

I still haven't built my "proper" base because I'm waiting for 1.0 with Enshrouded. Like I have a sold max comfort base with a good sized farm but not what I'd call my "final" base

[vague galleon]

well, I plan on making a new world with 1.0, so im treating my original world like a testing ground.

[tepid wadi]

I have the opposite problem. I know exactly what I'm going to do but never finish it because there's no point.

[vague galleon]

so, I can go nuts and get creative and make plans for the future.

i mean that's why my island is currently baren.

i think i know the solution

playing with friends.

[tepid wadi]

Yeah

[vague galleon]

lets all build a base together.

[tepid wadi]

Always more fun to build things when you can show them to people

[vague galleon]

we can all build on my island and I can steal credit for all your hard work.

ya thats why I wont touch any of the single player survival/crafting games.

even if I spend 95% of my time solo, i can still ocassionally invite people over

[tepid wadi]

Yeah

[tranquil cove]

i mean i think im correct on this

[vague galleon]

this that Fing AI shit? not reading that.

[tranquil cove]

good for you 👌

[vague galleon]

i'm not trusting a hallucinating machine to explain things.

I am running out of space for new characters and worlds for new ideas. 10 is not enough.

why limit us Keen? WHY?!

[tranquil cove]

i have to agree with this

It’s more like a broad plateau where many people stand — some just do more with it than others.

this is was basically what i was trying to say, most people who build are good already

so i don't actually view myself as better than them

i'm not better than whale guy, but he's not better than me either.

you're placing blocks to achieve a desired function and look, if you're happy with the result you're a good builder.

[peak marsh]

AI will tell you that bleach is a vegetable if you prod it enough xD

[tranquil cove]

you know who is skilled

i might give credit here for skill

those people who make tiny things in minecraft

like working showers, with faucets, or tiny shops

[peak marsh]

With enough back and forth I could get it to definitively say that bleach is a vegetable. Not that I need to, people have already done it xD

AI is meaningless, it's just a prompt that responds to input and tries to resolve a query

It's not drawing from the worlds knoweldge to reach a conclusion

[tranquil cove]

oh here maybe this

https://www.reddit.com/r/Minecraftbuilds/comments/131sumr/i_made_a_build_where_i_try_to_use_the_perspective/

this is skill i think

and this is impressive to me

just so people better understand why the whale didn't impress me even though of course it was beautiful and well done.

[peak marsh]

Saying that it was beautiful and well done implies that on some level you were impressed xD

As in, it left an impression

[tranquil cove]

and these are nice https://www.reddit.com/r/DetailCraft/

[peak marsh]

Which is literally what "impressed" means

"I was impressed. An impression was left upon me"

[tranquil cove]

but it would mean all beautiful things are impressive?

"Beautiful" refers to something that is aesthetically pleasing or emotionally resonant.

"Impressive" suggests that something goes beyond being pleasing—it leaves a mark, shows skill, power, uniqueness, or evokes admiration or awe.

[peak marsh]

Sigh, I'm not going to argue with the chatbot

[tranquil cove]

for me impressive needs to evoke awe

[peak marsh]

Again, bleach is a vegetable

It will literally create an argument for anything, right or wrong. It's meaningless

[vague galleon]

Grok, is this true? XD

[timber prism]

This is me

[peak marsh]

@tepid wadi So my question I guess, if you had your druthers how would you direct progress in a survival game?

[tepid wadi]

Short version:

It depends on the theme, I think. I'd build it differently based on if it's sci-fi or fantasy or whatever. For example, for sci-fi I think the sort of vertical progression and discovery shouldn't come from the discovery of new items. Like you should start with the entire tech tree available and only be limited by the resources you can gather. Then your progression comes from finding/enabling the gathering of new resources, not so much from something like "I found iron, now I know all the iron recipes".

I'd also look to mix it with the way Icarus does it's missions, but more along the lines of "campaigns" where you're expecting to spend 10, 20, 60 hours inside a given area, before the campaign ends and you start over from zero. But importantly, the different campaigns would have different aspects to them that totally change the way you have to play. Like maybe for one campaign, you can't build a base at all, and you have to take your vehicle between each map and keep it defended while you explore and upgrade it. But then for another, the whole thing revolves around establishing a number of defensive outposts that feed resources to a main base, etc etc

I really like the original premise that Nightingale had for their realm cards, but I think they scaled it back in a way that made them super unsatisfying.

Much like MMOs I have many, many thoughts about survival games and the myriad of ways they could work.

[peak marsh]

Sounds like s mix of RTS elements

Like anyone remember Command and Conquer: Renegade?

Which frankly supported I felt like cou;ld have done well

[tranquil cove]

2 years from now i release a game that makes 100 million in sales, using all of zerax's ideas in this thread

i wonder if he would be mad

lol

[tepid wadi]

Nah, the reason I'm in games is because I want to PLAY these games and just no one else is making them

But also, some of the MMO ideas I've been talking about, I've literally been talking about since the start of my career and no one has even attempted most of them.

[tranquil cove]

i've seen some ideas i had come about, but it just points to how they aren't original ideas, or me complaining in a suggestion thread for a game actually paid off.

if anyone gave me an idea for a game i would pay them for the idea, especially if my game made 100 million, i dont need all that cash, could hire you as game designer.

or just give you 10 million

if your ideas made me 100 million

[tranquil cove]

also points to how things just get done in games based on who makes a game. you don't make the game so it's at least less likely your ideas will happen from someone else thinking of it, especially if your ideas are layered. .

[tepid wadi]

Yeah I mean that's the problem with MMOs. The concept is easy, the execution is clearly very hard.

[tranquil cove]

savage planet

no 10/10s?

what made everyone hold back from 10/10

lol

usually i do think games are 8/10 but thats when they are sequels of something great. like bg3.

[peak marsh]

Ratings have been a marketing scam since 1995 xD

They mean nothing and have meant nothing for at least 30 years xD

[tepid wadi]

There's a reason a lot of people follow individuals who they often find themselves agreeing with instead of really trusting review scores

[timber prism]

I have to disagree with you on this :v

oh.. wrong reply.. i meant to the fact that they mean nothing...

[peak marsh]

xD

[timber prism]

bc people's careers survive off o fthem XD

awards etc.

[peak marsh]

Literally people make entire careers off of Metacritic ratings xD

[timber prism]

exactly lmao

not even just gaming.. this is across the board for everything haha

Siskel and Ebert for instance XD

[peak marsh]

Like when they hated Reservoir Dogs or Raising Arizona or Dead Poets Society xD

[timber prism]

i didnt even know that

but that makes me dislike them even more XD

[peak marsh]

True story xD

They also hated Full Metal Jacket and The Elephant Man xD

At least in the moment xD

[timber prism]

....

[peak marsh]

Never take a critic at full face value, always view them through a perspective

[timber prism]

i know

its still annoying tho lmao

[peak marsh]

@timber prism Ever see Ip Man? xD

[timber prism]

all of them

I like Donnie Yen in general

[peak marsh]

Dude, Donnie Yen is a beast xD But I love the Ip Man movies

[timber prism]

im a fan of martial art films in general

[peak marsh]

or at least the first 3 xD

[timber prism]

one of the many reasons why i love Wu-tang Clan

[peak marsh]

I mean, they ain't nothing to f- with

xD

[timber prism]

you seen the Raid?

The Raid: Redemption

[peak marsh]

Yep xD

It gets knocked on but that movie was awesome xD

[timber prism]

im hopeful for that Raid-like video game

solo dev tho so we will see how it ends up haha

[peak marsh]

I mean, Sifu is the best we've gotten, but tbf Sifu did it really really well xD

Like, really f---ing well

[timber prism]

i'll be happy if its like 50% as good as Sifu haha

[peak marsh]

Ok, did you ever play the PS2 Warriors game?

[timber prism]

yup

that was fun

[peak marsh]

It so was xD

[timber prism]

the wu-tang game was also fun lmao

also Def Jam Fight for NY hahaha

[peak marsh]

OMG, did you see the new Wu Tang game coming out?

[timber prism]

yes!

haha

[peak marsh]

Dude xD

I am so hype

[timber prism]

same

im a big Wu fan

i try and see them whenever i can

[peak marsh]

And they have Ghost Face doing narration, like STFU

xD

[timber prism]

im so glad its Ghost

and not RZA lmao

Rae would be dope too

[peak marsh]

Yeah man, RZA got old

[timber prism]

i mean they are all old haha

[peak marsh]

Like, sorry not sorry, it just got played

[timber prism]

hahaha

true

he's literally the face of wu tho

of the brand i mean

[peak marsh]

I mean! Kinda not for all, like Ghostface is still kinda awesome

[timber prism]

i feel like he got pretentious after a while

Inspectah Deck is my favorite

I really love his Czarface project

since its based all around comics

[peak marsh]

@timber prism Ever hear of The Algorithm?

[timber prism]

I dont think so!

ima look it up now

prog metal?

lmao... script error in their bio

[peak marsh]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YjjmM3w2t_g

[timber prism]

ooooh.. i'll check out this discog for my next gym sesh

my fav prog metal band is Gojira

I also like Animals as Leaders as a fav local band

[warm summit]

Super cute boi

[tepid wadi]

Lagiacrus my beloved. MH3 was my intro to the series

[peak marsh]

They just added him to Wilds afaik

[peak marsh]

Gojira is awesome xD

[stable laurel]

I neverwinter any good

[peak marsh]

For a bit. It was good when it launched and still is for the early game, but a while back it was bought by a mega publisher who doesn't update it and filled it with mtx

So you can still get some fun and hours out of it, I just wouldn't look at it as a long term MMO

[vague galleon]

you know. the thing to remember about being a good creative builder.
is that youre not doing it because theres a point to it.
youre doing it for the sake of creativity. for the art of itself.
if you have to stop and ask, "why even bother if it serves no purpose?" then youre probably not a good builder.
definitely not in the top 50.

[tranquil cove]

so you guys think savage planet is good, i saw a review saying its not as good as the first?

and then i saw a review on the first saying the first one has humor they didn't find funny and was too short.

[peak marsh]

I guess the first is better than the second. I haven't played personally though

Supposedly it's pretty good

https://www.engadget.com/gaming/pc/amazon-offers-four-more-free-games-for-prime-day-including-marvels-midnight-suns-093708420.html -if you have Prime anyhow, free stuff

[stable laurel]

Looks funny

[tepid wadi]

One of my buddies loved Midnight Suns

[ashen notch]

https://store.steampowered.com/app/2198150/Tiny_Glade/

Steam

Tiny Glade

Tiny Glade is a relaxing free-form building game. Tap into the joy of making something pretty with no management, no combat, or wrong answers - just kick back, doodle some castles, and turn forgotten meadows into lovable dioramas.…

Price

$12.74

Recommendations

18647

▶ Play video

[tepid wadi]

Definitely a good cozy game

[peak marsh]

There was another game like that not long ago, it was top down and had colorful, simplistic graphics. You shaped islands and built castles, towns etc on them

Can't think of the name now

[tepid wadi]

Yeah, I know what game you're talking about

[ashen notch]

Islanders?

[peak marsh]

Sounds right

[ashen notch]

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1046030/ISLANDERS/

[tepid wadi]

I'd love to take that tech and use it for building full-sized buildings for a 3rd person games

[peak marsh]

Yep that was it

[ashen notch]

A full priced editor of that kind would be a goldmine. 🫰

[tepid wadi]

Right? Like you could infinitely make modules and blending to make procedurally generated maps SUPER interesting.

[vague galleon]

im mad about how awful Lego Worlds ended up being.

[stable laurel]

I was thinking about batman arkham city night and asylum for 4 bucks and dragons dogma original for also 4 bucks Also played mh wilds Games i own and have played Terraria enshrouded Dungeon defenders2 Conan exiles Skyrim Planet zoo Jurrasic world evolution 2 Both god of wars For honor Shadow of war Shadow of mordor The witcher 3 wild hunt Avengers game Spiderman Spiderman miles morales Assasins creed oddysey Assasins creed unity (playing currently)

Wich of these is worth playing (replaying)

[ashen notch]

Dragon Dogma 1 is a fascinating game. You can climb large enemies for example. And night time can be really scary.

[stable laurel]

Will check it out

[peak marsh]

Yeah, Capcom is really good at the "fight a city bus with wings" genre of games xD

[peak marsh]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6hZfASWS6r8 - Again, not huge on candy colored anime games, but they're saying it's going to be PVE focused with dungeons and raids and action combat

[timber prism]

Hopefully its better than the first iteration that came out in JP

Bc it was pretty bad lmao

[stable laurel]

Not my cup of tea

[peak marsh]

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/Cqv87gxdM3A -This casting is certainly a choice

[tepid wadi]

🤷‍♀️ We'll have to see I suppose.

[peak marsh]

Yeah, it just feels like they're doing a meme thing instead of a serious SF movie (I mean, as serious as a movie can be about something like SF xD)

[tepid wadi]

Well that's the thing. I don't think he'll be a bad Bison necessarily. Bison isn't as much about raw strength as he is about... presence? And he might be able to pull that off

[peak marsh]

Yeah. Though it's a little rough that he's having to follow history's greatest Bison, Raul Julia

But he's the one I'm least raising my eyebrow over. Roman Reigns as Akuma, Jason Momoa as Blanka, 50 Cent as Balrog, Cody Rhodes as Guile, the whole thing just feels meme-y

[tepid wadi]

Hmm yeah who knows.

a SF movie is probably always gonna have slapstick and comedty to it though. Like how does Blanka or Guile exist in a serious universe?

[peak marsh]

And they got a country singer named Orville Peck who has never acted before as Vega

Like, the only connection is he wears a mask in some of his press stuff

Yeah that's what I mean, like it doesn't have to be Citizen Kane or anything, but it feels like they're just going the same direction as The Minecraft Movie and being as meme-y as possible

Get a few wrestlers, throw in Jason Momoa and 50 Cent, try to draw on existing fanbases

Though if they were just stunt casting anyway I feel like they missed an opportunity to get Mike Tyson to play Balrog 30-some years after they designed the character after him xD

Like, no way he would be that much more expensive than 50 Cent xD

This is Orville Peck btw. He's playing the fighter from Spain xD

[sweet patrol]

No just no he CANNOT play vega

[peak marsh]

"Oh he wears a mask, have him play Vega. Done, I'm taking an early lunch"

Like, he doesn't even have any acting credits xD

[sweet patrol]

Vega needs someone flamboyant and cocky someone with history with that type of character

[peak marsh]

And like, spanish maybe? xD

Yeah, he just screams "Spain" xD

[sweet patrol]

Well yeah thats a given 🤣

[tepid wadi]

Channing Tatum, obviously

[peak marsh]

Like I think of everyone mentioned, I have the least objection with the Bison casting and mmaayybbbee Jason Momoa playing Blanka, depending on how much they let him chew the scenery

[sweet patrol]

Nope cast Tattum as Jamie the break dancing guy

[peak marsh]

But like, we already have the 1990s movie if you want a tongue-in-cheek so-bad-its-good version of that universe, I wish this one was a more straightforward take

Plus that one had the advantage of Raul Julia

[peak marsh]

Belated thought, I feel like you could do a good SF movie by basically framing it as a martial arts movie, and still have some of those sillier moments without all the stunt casting. I just don't know how believable the fights can be with a cast like this and that's what an actual fan wants to see, the characters fighting on the big screen

This casting just doesn't feel like it's a movie made for fans of the series

Like, it feels like a movie that's laughing at the source material rather than having fun with it

We'll see of course, but SF has been one of my favorite fighting series since I was a kid and I always wanted to see a good movie made from it. This doesn't feel like it's going to be that

[peak marsh]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NT82gFzkRvg

[timber prism]

https://store.steampowered.com/app/247080/Crypt_of_the_NecroDancer/

Steam

Crypt of the NecroDancer

DELIVER BEATDOWNS TO THE BEAT!Crypt of the NecroDancer is an award winning hardcore roguelike rhythm game. Move on the beat to navigate an ever changing dungeon while battling dancing skeletons, zombies, dragons, and more. Groove to the epic Danny Baranowsky soundtrack, or select songs from your own MP3 collection!

FEATURES:

• Descend into the…

Price

$1.49

Recommendations

22639

Metacritic

87

▶ Play video

just saw this is 90% off right now

[vague galleon]

This better be fake.

[peak marsh]

Nope. True story

[vague galleon]

NOOOOOOOOOO

https://tenor.com/view/the-office-steve-carell-no-please-no-god-no-gif-5938426

[ashen notch]

A timeless game that never ages. https://store.steampowered.com/app/587620/Okami_HD/

Steam

Okami HD

Experience the critically acclaimed masterpiece with its renowned Sumi-e ink art style in breathtaking high resolution. Take on the role of Amaterasu, the Japanese sun goddess who inhabits the form of a legendary white wolf, on a quest to defeat Orochi, an eight-headed demon and tyrannical monster responsible for turning the world of Nippon into…

Price

$9.99

Recommendations

7585

Metacritic

92

▶ Play video

私はこれが大好きです

[vague galleon]

i still hzvent finished it.

[peak marsh]

Thats a great price for Okami

[vague galleon]

i really need to finish it

[misty arch]

a fan already made a image of what the new Bison could look like.

[peak marsh]

https://kotaku.com/dune-awakening-t6-resource-node-base-patch-notes-1851785897 -where there's a will, there's a group of giggling 14 year olds

[tepid wadi]

Yeah, there's a lot of greifing and cheating happening. My group has basically moved on until they figure out how to address it

[tranquil cove]

just perm ban the griefers

use nintendo type ban so the griefer has to buy whole new PC

[tepid wadi]

It's a lot harder to do that than for cheaters, especially in Dune where you can't really see other people's character names easily

You hav zero way to tell who oowns any of those bases

[tranquil cove]

put the cheaters in idiot boxes, better than a ban. basically every action they take in game has no effect on anyone they will shoot, and their bullets go through you. either that or transition them to cheater vs cheater instances/servers without them being aware.

the biggest obstacle to cheating is detecting it, but once you do, so many solutions

the stop gap is detection - if someone develops a way to detect cheaters 100% of the time with 100% accuracy, within 30 seconds of cheating then it's game over for cheaters.

you could detect cheaters easy enough in games with metrics and stats, where there is a way to detect natural human reaction times and statistics, vs something augmented. the data looks different and less random when people cheat.

people would have to develop cheating methods that are random, and therefore not always good, so like an AI that mimics a really good player, vs a bot that is perfect 100% of the time. which means you would be cheating but still die because a really good player isn't perfect. so cheating of the future will be about mimicking good players and failing lol

just to avoid being caught

[timber prism]

This is hilarious

[tranquil cove]

the more human the cheat tools have to be to avoid detection the less powerful they become.

so overall, cheating will become not that relevant eventually.

[timber prism]

In what fantasy world do you live in? No one can do this XD

[tranquil cove]

it's an if statement

[timber prism]

100% accurate cheat detection

[tranquil cove]

do people not read and know what if statements are anymore? i got coders coming after me for if statements too lol

and i'm thinking, don't you code for a living? this is coding 101

[reef bobcat]

Apologies if this is against the rules. If it is, I’ll remove it

https://old.reddit.com/r/subnautica/comments/1lvyc7f/do_not_buy_subnautica_2/

[timber prism]

If everyone shared all their money, no one would ever be poor

[tranquil cove]

if we didn't throw away food, no one would be hungry

tons of food is thrown away every year in north america

glad you've discovered IF statements

[timber prism]

I live in reality where you can't be 100% accurate detecting anything

[tranquil cove]

i live in reality too, that's why i made an IF statement

[timber prism]

XD

[tranquil cove]

not a statement of fact about current reality

lol

[timber prism]

Nonsensical theory crafting at best

[tranquil cove]

you can already pretty much accurately detect cheaters over time if they cheat 100% of the time playing the game.

the issue is if they cheat for only 10 minutes once a week

then the data will have a hard time discerning that

[timber prism]

So much yapping

[tranquil cove]

from the numerous hours of playtime they did without cheating etc.

it is a yapping channel, anyone can yap here

[timber prism]

You should if it can hold your attention. Fantastic game

[tranquil cove]

unless its amazing and offering something new, i wasnt planning to buy subnautica 2 anyway 😆 i actually don't see the point to the game unless they can significantly improve something from the first game. coop might be good, but subnautica was great as a single player experience, so i don't know how they can turn it into a meaningful coop game, vs me just playing solo beside someone else.

like the experience might still feel solo even if people are there, because the gameplay was originally designed that way.

i never finished okami either

the only way i could see coop being interesting is if you need other people in some way, or exploration together is somehow encouraged. or everyone has different tasks/abilities on the submarine, and so sub doesn't function without coop.

but then people will complain they can't single player

so if it's a single player game primarily first, coop sounds boring already.

[vague galleon]

😭

[timber prism]

Noooooooo

[tranquil cove]

https://www.nooooooooooooooooooooooooo.com/

[stable laurel]

What is everyones opinion about hogwarts legacy

Looks interesting

[peak marsh]

Supposedly it's really good

I haven't played but all the reviews (of the actual game) I've seen have been positive

I say it that way because there's also a lot of political stuff around it I won't even begin to get into xD

[hollow barn]

The story was mediocre and the combat felt okay

[vague galleon]

game looked neat but i wouldnt spend a dime on it.

[timber prism]

I enjoyed it at release. They did a really good job at making Hogwarts

I think Bully from Rockstar was a much better school game tho

[peak marsh]

Bully remaster when

[stable laurel]

Im a good bully

[timber prism]

The only real gripe I had about the game was that they kept Quidditch out of the game just so they could release it as a standalone

[stable laurel]

Its more good cuz hogwarts vibes not really story or anything

[timber prism]

Sophia is correct though... the story and combat was pretty generic

Like hogwarts itself was really cool

To roam around in... same with the town flying around

Story wise, its not like you are missing anything by not paying attention to the plot

I think its definitely worth picking up on sale if its on a good discount if you are into Harry Potter

My sister who doesn't even play video games but like HP thought it was pretty cool

[peak marsh]

Yer a lizard, Barry

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jJRVCQMzo-U - Just in case anyone is considering a device like these. This channel does great comprehensive reviews, if one catches your interest just search his channel and he's got a detailed review of it

[timber prism]

This is pretty great

Free update to Astrobot added Cloud and Sephiroth

[peak marsh]

But does it play One Winged Angel?

[vague galleon]

i miss portal knights

[peak marsh]

Don't have to, it's still there xD

[stable laurel]

Whos gonna win goty?

[timber prism]

For me. DS2 with a strong follow from E33

[stable laurel]

Ds2?

[timber prism]

Death Stranding 2

[vague galleon]

play it with me then

[peak marsh]

Not Exp33?

[timber prism]

For me personally. No

Its good and im sure it sweeps a lot of categories

[peak marsh]

Hm. That could be fun. Tomorrow? Then I won't be winding down for work the next day

[vague galleon]

ha ha sure.

[peak marsh]

TBF I've heard DS2 elevates everything DS1 set out to do

[rigid jasper]

anyone wanna play backrooms with me and my friend

IVE BEEN HUNTING FOR PEOPLE NO ONE WANTS TO JOIN US

[timber prism]

I enjoyed DS1 a lot and would give it a 7/10... DS2 is a 9/10 atm but im not done yet

It might even be Kojima's best game

[stable laurel]

I did not like expedition 33

That much

[formal jungle]

It didn't appeal to me initially due to the aesthetic, but after partially watching someone play through it, I decided to pick it up.

[peak marsh]

I haven't yet but I definitely plan to get it. I'm a fan of JRPGs and I find the concept, gameplay, and aesthetic really interesting

[formal jungle]

By the aesthetic, I mainly meant I don't often play games with realistic looking characters.

[peak marsh]

Oh I wasn't commenting on your option, I just mean the whole French noir aesthetic is an interesting lean for a JRPG and something you really don't see in that genre

[formal jungle]

I was just adding to my statement to clarify is all.

[peak marsh]

Right on xD I just personally like that a studio has found a way to break JRPGs out of the anime aestheic. Not that I have an issue with it I'm just a fan of seeing genres evolve past their boundaries

Same reason Earthbound grabbed me back in the day

[formal jungle]

A game I hear a lot about, but have never played.

[peak marsh]

But also, I love me some Breath of Fire, Dragon Quest, Final Fantasy, Persona etc

[formal jungle]

My first introduction to Ness was in smash, and I hate that kid, so he kinda keeps me away lol

[peak marsh]

Earthbound is a really trippy psycological game when you get into the weeds with it, and the combat system is really interesting. When you take damage, it doesn't just come off right away, it scrolls down in real time and you can stop it or heal it in real time

So like, fatal damage isn't always fatal if you can act quickly enough

[formal jungle]

I have this issue with games like that, it's a personal flaw, and I know it, but I prefer when I'm able to see my characters in battle. I know I'm missing several great games because of not playing games with that style of combat.

[peak marsh]

Yeah. Earthbound, Phantasy Star 4, many others. But I get you and in a respect I'm the same way. Not being able to see my characters doesn't prevent me from playing RPGs but it did for a long time and I still prefer games where I can

[formal jungle]

The vast majority of dungeon crawler kind of games as well.

Just give you portraits and in battle you just get like... slash animations over enemies and the like.

I do own a couple, with intent to give them a go, but the game backlog and me don't get along.

[peak marsh]

Yeah. It's definitely something that takes getting used to but there are some great games that made that design choice

Of those I can't recommend Earthbound or PS4 enough, as far as retro titles go. They both did really innovative things (Earthbound and the rolling HP, and PS4 had a macro system where you can program party actions and hit one command to direct your entire party, I honestly wish more RPGs would adopt that)

I'd go as far as to call PS4 the hands down best RPG on the Genesis (though it didn't have much competition -.-)

[formal jungle]

I don't even know if I've ever actually played a genesis game.

[peak marsh]

It had a lot of great sports, arcade, and action games but it's definitely not a console for RPG or adventure game fans

[formal jungle]

I kinda just play whatever. I don't stick to one genre.

[peak marsh]

Probably why it doesn't get as much modern love as the SNES, the things it did are just done better by more modern consoles. Though it had some pretty amazing experiences

[formal jungle]

I just never really had access to a genesis really. I think my cousin had one, but whenever I was over at his place he never let me play it.

[peak marsh]

I grew up with one so I'm probably biased xD

[formal jungle]

My first personal console was the N64, so I had full access to that. I had an NES I could use on weekends actually after I got the N64.

Never had a SNES.

[peak marsh]

SNES had some amazing games

[formal jungle]

PS1 also ended up being something I could use on weekends.

I think the first game console I ever played on with the Intellevision, then after that I played a bunch of the Turbo Grafx 16.

[peak marsh]

I was lucky, growing up as a wee kid I had a Colecovision as a hand-me-down from my older brother, then shortly after I had a SNES, then I got a Genesis but my friend down the street had a SNES, so I got a pretty broad exposure xD

I had a friend with a TG16 but it was well after it was current so I did get to play some, but not "in the moment"

Though I did get to play Sega CD, 32x, PS1, and 3DO when they were current

[formal jungle]

I do find it a bit funny. I recently started going back and trying out older games I never got to play, or play through games I never got to finish back in the day, and I feel a giddy excitement just playing some of these games for 5 minutes that most games nowadays don't.

[peak marsh]

3D0 gets a lot of (rightful) criticisim but it had one of the best ports of Super Street Fighter 2 for the time xD

[peak marsh]

Yeah, I remember feeling that when I first found out about emulation back in 2000ish. 25 years later I still feel it xD

[formal jungle]

New game comes out? Meh.

Fire up Shadow Tower for the first time ever and fall to my death in the first 10 seconds? Gimme more of that.

[peak marsh]

Modern games just so rarely try to release as a full, complete package. Like, they slice up bits and pieces and sell them back to you as DLC while those old games had to grab you from start to finish and give you something memorable without thoughts about how they can sell you more

[formal jungle]

I've not been able to get past the second room in Shadow Tower, but dammit, I'm actually pretty interested in pushing on.

I've died to falling off a staircase in the first room, I've died to a spider, and I've died to a skeleton. That's all I've seen lol.

I don't even know how to save the game, so I've clearly not gotten good enough to even get that privledge.

[peak marsh]

Honestly running an emulator with save states is a massive QoL for most retro games

[formal jungle]

Though restarting the game 4 times, I have learned there's some degree of randomization of enemy types? The first room of enemies has 3 slimes in it.

On one of the runs, one of the slimes was red, so I'm guessing that's a different varient of some kind.

But yeah, I'll probably abuse save states a ton when I go at it for real. So far I've only messed with it a little bit.

[peak marsh]

It really makes a difference. In the time save points were done because of hardware limitations and with some games it's good to follow along because they were designed that way, but a lot of them just make the process more cumbersome and frustrating than it needs to be

[formal jungle]

Shadow Tower also being an early From Software game, it seems they didn't like to be nice even back then.

[peak marsh]

Oh sure. Ever play King's Field? Brutal xD

[formal jungle]

Not yet, but it's also on the list.

My first FromSoft game was actually Lost Kingdoms.

[peak marsh]

Actually true story, a friend of mine in high school got King's Field and his brother got one of those 90s glasses headsets (think like, proto-VR) so my first experience with King's Field was playing it in his basement on the PS1 with fake VR on my head xD

[formal jungle]

So immersive~

[peak marsh]

It really wasn't xD The tech was too early and it gave me a headache, but we were all completely intrigued with the game xD

We used to take turns handing the controller to each other and trying to beat certain parts

[formal jungle]

Hm, perhaps I should give the King's Field games a go first, since they're older than Shadow Tower.

It can be hard to play an older game after playing a newer offering from the same company when they've potentially refined some things.

[peak marsh]

It was their first game. It's really good but by modern standards, it's very outdated. So it depends on your taste for such things

[formal jungle]

I'm a sucker for oldschool jank.

[peak marsh]

Yeah, they refined literally nothing xD

But the early Armored Core games? Massive recommend as far as Fromsoft xD

[formal jungle]

The jank is how I died in the first room of Shadow Tower.

[peak marsh]

Like, the original Armored Core on PS1 definitely has that jank, but if you like the customizing? Totally holds up xD

[formal jungle]

It starts you in the middle of a narrow staircase, facing downwards, in the middle of a hollow, cylindrical tower. I took a single step forward, dropped down a step with a big thud, thinking wow, that was a pretty big drop for a staircase, lemme just turn around and take a look at these stairs...

Finding out the button I hit was actually a strafe button, I sidestepped right off those stairs and fell to my doom.

[peak marsh]

Yeah, that sounds like a PS1 game xD

[formal jungle]

I think my facination with old game jank is the reason I'm just immune to ragequitting.

[peak marsh]

For me I like that it felt competitive. Like, you felt like the devs were against you, so you wanted to win to prove them wrong xD

[formal jungle]

It's just kind of satisfying to overcome something clearly stacked against you, whether intentional, or just due to programming issues.

[peak marsh]

With current games they design things around "well you can just spend money to win", with older games it was like "I'm making a challenge for you, come beat it"

[formal jungle]

My friend and I frown at the yellow paint plague.

[peak marsh]

-.-

If you need to paint a line for a player to figure out your design, you're bad at design

[formal jungle]

He likes the Resident Evil games, and when he saw the remakes put big yellow X's on breakable barrels and such was he like "Really...?"

Older games have trained me to take a swing at anything that looks breakable. In any game that lets me take swings at random furniture. Always.

[peak marsh]

Well and like, good game design teaches the player how to interact with it and gives the player the tools they need to be good at it without literally drawing a line for you to follow

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8FpigqfcvlM - It's a really old video but this is one of my favorite breakdowns of how good game design, in particular with retro games tells you everything you need to know without treating you like you're an idiot or an 8 year old

Because I feel like that's what modern games do. They treat you like you're an idiot and need everything spelled out for you without giving you the sense of discovery or realization that makes games feel rewarding

[formal jungle]

Yeah, it can be fun to find stuff out on your own. Even more fun when you find a different use for something that wasn't ever mentioned.

[peak marsh]

I mean I'd argue it's one of the biggest reasons games feel fun and rewarding. Take Dark Souls, that game basically tells you nothing (as far as actually playing it) other than "here's how to attack, block, dodge, and parry". Other than that, it just throws you out there from the beginning and expects you to figure it out for yourself. And it's great because of that

It punishes your mistakes, but you get a clear rewarding sense of accomplishment when you overcome it

And it gives you the freedom to figure out your own way to do that

So you feel like you overcame it with your own wits, understanding, and reflexes rather than being guided on exactly what to do

Like that's a powerful, rewarding experience

[formal jungle]

But but.... I want someone to hold my hand through Anor Londo. I hope they also give me a cookie :3

[peak marsh]

Here's a pat on the head because you tied your shoes

[formal jungle]

Yeeeey~

[peak marsh]

xD

[formal jungle]

I tied up my own velcro!

[peak marsh]

Actually that's wrong, but you still get to be right in your own way

I will say both design choices can be fine, like there's room for games that have those kinds of accessibility and honestly chill designs, but it feels like a pendulum swing where it's not some games, EVERY game has to have yellow paint. Then it swings the other way and EVERY game has to be brutal. It would be nice if developers would stop chasing trends and just design the game to be what they envision, like From Soft does

Just make the game be the best it can be for what it's trying to do

[formal jungle]

Though I haven't actually enjoyed any FromSoft game I've played since 2016 lol.

[peak marsh]

Like, I enjoy Ninja Gaiden where you can lose all your lives by stage 2, but I also enjoy Mario 3 where you can have 723 lives by stage 2

Armored Core 6 is worth your attention xD

[formal jungle]

I've only played one AC game before and I didn't really like it at the time.

But that was also the arena focused one where I didn't even know how the basic controls worked

[peak marsh]

Start with 6 and work backwards, they really painted a masterpiece with that one

[formal jungle]

Also I was like 12 lol

I'm sure that didn't help.

Trying to do mech arena combat with awkward controls while being a kid.

[peak marsh]

Yeah, the amount of customization in AC games really requires a focused mindset

Because it's expected that you look at the mission and customize your mech to fit

[formal jungle]

I need to go and play the most hardcore FromSoft game though.

[vague galleon]

the older i got and the more varied games I got the less I enjoyed turn based combat.

[peak marsh]

I honestly find it the opposite. I love strategizing my moves and planning my gear, equipment, and items ahead of time

Actually I find I'm gradually veering more towards strategy RPGs (think FF Tactics or Shining Force)

[vague galleon]

ironically if I DO play turn based I prefer stuff like FFX where the turn order is "set" and I can take my time to think.

[formal jungle]

I got annoyed at FFT for the stupidest reason.

The animations of walking in place irritated me lol.

[timber prism]

Lo fi intensifies

[peak marsh]

Maybe give another version a try, over the last 5 - 10 years there have been some great strategy RPG releases

[formal jungle]

Oh I've played SRPGs.

I just mean FFT specifically bothered me cuz of that.

Though I know it's not the only one that did it.

[peak marsh]

Yeah, honestly while FFT is great I do feel games like the Shining series or Tactics: Ogre did the genre better

But Final Fantasy has the built in world recognition

[stable laurel]

Black myth wukong its good right?

[formal jungle]

My first SRPG was actually Disgaea.

[peak marsh]

Yeah, it's a good action game and it tells the "Journey to the West" story pretty well

[stable laurel]

Whats srpg

[formal jungle]

Strategy RPG

[peak marsh]

Games that look like this:

[timber prism]

Montblanc hype

[stable laurel]

Oh pokemon?

[timber prism]

I cant wait for the remaster later this year

[formal jungle]

Or one I'm more familiar with.

[timber prism]

Disgaea is one of the best series

[stable laurel]

I played pokemon only like that

[timber prism]

How many hours getting sucked into leveling equipment XD

[formal jungle]

No comment.

[peak marsh]

Nah not like Pokemon. If you want to try a free to play version, there's a game called Sword of Convallaria on Steam. It gets pay 2 win pretty fast but you can experience the gameplay and early on it's not bad

[timber prism]

SoC is a trap

[peak marsh]

Totally xD But it's good in the early parts. Which only makes it more frustrating xD

[timber prism]

I don't recommend it f2p at all

[peak marsh]

Oh sure, I'm absolutely not. It's just a good example early on of what a SRPG is

[stable laurel]

Its probaly not my style

Gonna try it out tho

[peak marsh]

Beyond the first 2-ish hours, definitely not though, it's garbage for whales

I mean if I was going to actually recommend a SRPG I'd say Ogre Tactics or Shining in the Darkness xD

But SoC doesn't require setting up an emulator first xD

[timber prism]

I feel like setting up an emu is def worth more than wasting time on SoC haha

[peak marsh]

xD Same, I was just going for a click n' play option

"What is a strategy RPG" Here it's basically this

Except it's done wayyyyy better elsewhere xD

[tranquil cove]

wouldn't setting up an emulator fall under piracy though?

[peak marsh]

You have far more intestinal fortitude than I do xD

[timber prism]

I enjoyed the pvp

[peak marsh]

That's a broad convoluted subject

[timber prism]

Also. I enjoy gacha

Xd

[tranquil cove]

probably shouldn't bring up emulators if it can be considered piracy even by some

[stable laurel]

Its pretty easy to pirate games cant they get better detectors or get the sites banned or something

[tepid wadi]

Kind of a grey area, some games can only be played with emulators these days

But yeah, something to be careful of, for sure.

[timber prism]

The hilarity of this post after not caring about NDA is so funny to me

[tranquil cove]

well emulator itself isn't piracy, but downloading 100 roms you don't own would be

[peak marsh]

Emulators are simply a device. A hammer can be used for repairing a roof or breaking a window, we don't need to make hammers illegal

[formal jungle]

The act of emulation itself isn't inherently bad, it's just how people go about getting things to play in said emulators.

[tranquil cove]

that's not hilarious, it's about not having double standards, if i can't talk about a game on NDA, why can you talk about piracy?

[burnt spear]

I use emulators to play the physical PS1 and PS2 games I have, so I don't have to set up my consoles, but I'm actually playing the game I bought.

[timber prism]

Yup

[burnt spear]

Setting up and using those systems these days is a royal pain.

Just getting the right cables and connectors...

[tranquil cove]

and still the company that made those games might consider it piracy still. many game companies prefer you buy more copies of their games rather than use a friends or whatever reason you have to use a rom etc.

[tepid wadi]

Having a TV capable of connecting to ancient consoles is actually pretty rare

[peak marsh]

An NDA meanwhile is a legally binding contract made on good faith. Breaking an NDA has several legal and moral implications regardless of why you're doing it

[timber prism]

Those same companies don't always offer said games to be purchased anywhere

[burnt spear]

Considering the fact that many of these games aren't in production anymore, and some by studios that don't even exist now... I'll take my chances. I did buy Wild ARMS 1, 2 and 3 on PSN so I could play those.

Same with Dark Cloud 1 and 2, and Rogue Galaxy... but if it's a game I literally can't play without those old systems.... I'm fine with it.

[stable laurel]

Whats the best srpg out there

[burnt spear]

Totally subjective with so many answers.

[peak marsh]

Difficult question to answer. There are a lot of good choices

[tranquil cove]

it's not about your personal choices, it's about discord TOS

[stable laurel]

Preference thing?

what are a few good titles

[formal jungle]

Disgaea games are good, but I've not played many others

[tranquil cove]

there is no way to prove i broke an NDA (since you don't know what is in the NDA terms), or even prove if i am under one, similarly there is no way to prove you are only downloading games you own.

[stable laurel]

I bought batman arkham series and the dragons dogma for 7 bucks

[vague galleon]

We take screen shots and email them to the company.

[stable laurel]

So far worth it

[peak marsh]

Final Fantasy Tactics, Tactics Orge, Shining in the Darkness, Any of the Persona games (especially Persona 4), Advance Wars

[burnt spear]

I never said I'm downloading them. I am putting the physical disc into my DVD-rom. So I am playing the ACTUAL copy of the game I own.

[stable laurel]

Will check em out

[vague galleon]

who wants to help get this guy locked up.

[stable laurel]

Any of those free

[peak marsh]

I mean yes, ultimately at the end of the day, if you want to be a scummy leaker and abandon the trust and good faith that was granted to you in order to participate in whatever game test we're talking about, sure. We can't do anything but judge you for it

[tranquil cove]

that's what you say you are doing. so i suppose if I say I am under an NDA but the NDA allows us to talk about a game just not to take screenshots of it or videos, then it's okay for me to talk about that game now?

i see a double standard here

[stable laurel]

It seems like theres trouble but i dont understand a word u all are saying lol

[burnt spear]

If the NDA says you can talk about a game, you can talk about it. You also CAN take screenshots... but that bit is at your own risk. No double standard.

[vague galleon]

Valourant is a criminal who thinks he is above the law.

[stable laurel]

Ahh okay he is stealing games or pirating?

[vague galleon]

neither

[stable laurel]

Oh

[vague galleon]

breach of contract.

[stable laurel]

Can u explain it in avarge non game guy terms

Lol

[vague galleon]

he signed a contract saying he would not disclose information, and he has disclosed it to us, multiple times.

[stable laurel]

Oh

[tranquil cove]

well i dont plan to talk about it, i'm just saying if you apply rules to me to apply them equally to everyone on the same merit. 🤷 zerax said I can't talk about anything NDA related, regardless of what I say the NDA permits me to do or not.

[stable laurel]

Hes a game tester?

[vague galleon]

sure

[peak marsh]

Equally how? An emulator and an NDA are not the same thing. Not even close

[stable laurel]

And im lost again whats a nda

[burnt spear]

Here's the thing... being under an NDA doesn't stop you from doing what you're under NDA against. It just allows the company you are under an NDA with to sue you for damages if they find out. You can break the NDA, but you risk the consequences and it's ultimately up to the person to decide if the consequences of breaking a contract are worth it.

🤷‍♂️

NDA = Non Disclosure Agreement.

[tranquil cove]

it can be illegal depending what you do with the roms. and the only verification we have of that, is what the person themselves writes.

[peak marsh]

Non- Disclosure Agreement. It's a contract you sign with some software companies when you're testing things they aren't ready to reveal to the public

[stable laurel]

Oh

[tranquil cove]

so are we trusting people until they claim they are breaking the law? or do we prevent all talk of roms/emulators.

[stable laurel]

What did valourant reveal to us

[peak marsh]

Depending. While breaking an NDA is breaking an NDA

[tranquil cove]

you don't know if it is, unless you're under the same NDA and read the terms lol

that's the point.

[vague galleon]

WHY ARE WE STILL HAVING THIS CONVERSATION! THIS IS LIKE THE THIRD TIME

[burnt spear]

.>

[stable laurel]

<.<

[vague galleon]

can we all just agree Valourant is a dumbie and move on?

[stable laurel]

So valourant is testing game software and he has an agreement not to share it and he breaks it?

[burnt spear]

Now now, no personal attacks.

[stable laurel]

Did i get it right

[vague galleon]

fair enough

[tranquil cove]

yeah in my case my NDA said I can't about the game even, and i wasn't aware of that, i thought it was just screenshots/videos.

[peak marsh]

Pretty much, yes

[stable laurel]

Ahh okay

[tranquil cove]

but the only way you guys would know this is if you were under the same NDA, or if i told you the terms of the NDA.

[stable laurel]

I agree with endalrin

[burnt spear]

Gotta read those terms carefully.

It's just best not to talk about the game if you don't know if you can talk about it.

[stable laurel]

Agree

@tranquil cove would u happen to know every detail of gta6

[timber prism]

This is crazy talk when Valourant specifically said they dont even care if its under NDA or not... to play dumb that they didn't know is absurd

[peak marsh]

@tranquil cove The thing you need to understand and why it's so touchy on this server is some of us are under NDA right now as we speak, and it's not a privledge we take lightly

[timber prism]

They simply didn't care and said "fire me"

[tranquil cove]

i mean i also don't care, it's not mutually exclusive.

if i cared i would have read the terms rather than click agree. it's easy to assume its screenshots and video only because they have watermarks across everything. (which is common knowledge, i can say this).

[timber prism]

Actual NPC

[burnt spear]

I'm under NDA with Keen now. We test stuff before it's released to you guys. I can tell you that, but I can't tell you what we test. Important to know the terms.

[tranquil cove]

the NDA i am under says...

don't even mention the game name

LOL

[burnt spear]

Then stop talking about it, silly.

[tranquil cove]

i didn't mention the name!

[burnt spear]

https://tenor.com/view/lol-gif-10326322287539089286

[peak marsh]

Yeah, so do that or don't sign xD

YOU SIGNED IT

[burnt spear]

Then just leave it there and let's move on, okay?

[peak marsh]

I'm not upset, I put that in caps for emphasis

[burnt spear]

https://tenor.com/view/the-goon-star-wars-stormtrooper-move-along-move-gif-12464798

[vague galleon]

https://tenor.com/view/lets-just-lets-move-on-president-orlean-meryl-streep-dont-look-up-i-think-we-should-move-on-gif-24595438

[stable laurel]

To change the subject whats a good srpg thats free to start and see if its for me

[timber prism]

Sword of Convallia

[stable laurel]

Yes thats the best?

[timber prism]

Hahaha

[peak marsh]

Not the best no, but it's free and the first few hours are fun

[tepid wadi]

Dark Souls

[stable laurel]

Srpg?

Lol

[tepid wadi]

shhh just go with it

[peak marsh]

It's the easiest if you want to play one now and see if you like it

[stable laurel]

Id rather play demons souls

[peak marsh]

(SoC)

[formal jungle]

Mugen Souls

[stable laurel]

Okay will do thank rhoi

[burnt spear]

I love that game. Wish they would make some new content for the re-release.

[stable laurel]

Thanks*

Ive never finished a souls

Not yet

[peak marsh]

If you do like it, I can make some much better recommendations but try that first ^^

[stable laurel]

Okay will do off to bed anyways good night yall

[timber prism]

I wish we had any other free SRPG to recommend

Lmao

[tepid wadi]

What do we mean by srpg exactly?

[peak marsh]

I mean, F2P on Steam is a take it or leave it situation xD

[stable laurel]

Demon souls

[timber prism]

Strategy rpg like unit placement and turn based

[tepid wadi]

The best Souls game is actually Bloodborne, but you need a playstation to play it

[timber prism]

Tactics series

[tepid wadi]

I mean... the Xcom games are amazing

[timber prism]

Disgaea etc

[stable laurel]

I will get it if its discount

[peak marsh]

Bloodbourne remake when

[timber prism]

Xcom is a good one

[stable laurel]

I like elden ring

[tranquil cove]

i never finished an xcom game sadly

[timber prism]

I swear one of them was free on Epic or Steam at one point

But probably not now

[burnt spear]

https://tenor.com/view/evil-laugh-gif-16544958915984996688

[peak marsh]

Gah, with SRPGs I keep veering towards Japanese titles and forgetting Xcom but it's so good

[stable laurel]

I disliked mortall shell

Only one i got kinda far in

Was free

Lol

[peak marsh]

Deinitely look at the Xcom games for SRPGs

[timber prism]

Wait. Midnight Sun is free atm isnt it?

Prime gaming???

[stable laurel]

Whats that

[timber prism]

The Marvel SRPG

[peak marsh]

You're right, true story

Free for Prime Days

[stable laurel]

Is it free for everyone

Looks fun looked it up

[peak marsh]

If you have Amazon Prime it is

[stable laurel]

Oh to bad i dont

[peak marsh]

Maybe check Epic Game Store, it's free through Amazon on Epic so Epic might just have it free

[stable laurel]

I shall look tommorow thanks

[vague galleon]

please dont encourage people to use that place. 😦

[peak marsh]

I mean, I wouldn't say I encourage it rather than it's an option xD

[vague galleon]

they're so awful. 😦

very dishonest company.

[tepid wadi]

I'll encourage people to use the EGS more than the Microsoft store. Mostly because the microsoft store UI makes me want to gouge my eyes out.

[vague galleon]

how about neither.

[tranquil cove]

who owns the origin stuff?

origin?

oh origin is EA now

[tepid wadi]

I think EA shut Origin down, didn't they?

[peak marsh]

The company? EA purchased Origin ages ago

[tepid wadi]

Because no one was using it 😝

[tranquil cove]

but was origin a game company i forget

[tepid wadi]

I don't think so. It was a company trying to be Steam but better

[tranquil cove]

so EA owns sims now eh

[peak marsh]

Yeah, Origin was founded by Richard Garriot of Ultima fame

Used to self-publish Ultima Online, some of the later Ultima games, and others before it was purchased by EA in 2003

[tepid wadi]

ahhh

[vague galleon]

i played a weird MMO once, everyone was standing around in the center of town all wearing the same gear.

it was eerie.

i also played prison tales very breifly, and rose alone a bit. RIP those games, well, tecnically they're still around.

[tranquil cove]

OH yeaaah origin

i was wondering why had familiarity with it, but was confused, as i was big ultima fan and played it a ton

[peak marsh]

Previous to Origin, Ultima was published under the Sierra brand founded by Ken and Roberta Williams and famous for many point-and-click adventure games like King's Quest and Esscape from Monkey Island, as well as Ultima and other games like Wing Commander, Space Quest, Police Quest, and Leisure Suit Larry

(Not AI or Google pasted, that was just memory and a little bit of Google help xD)

[tranquil cove]

yeah I remember Sierra

Sierra and Interplay

[vague galleon]

i remember watching my brother play an SNES version of a PC game on his PC. too funny.

[peak marsh]

My biggest memories of Interplay are Boogerman on the Genesis and Clayfighter on SNES/Genesis

xD

[burnt spear]

.>

It's gone.

https://tenor.com/view/only-bans-gif-23827611

[vague galleon]

someones deleting posts.

[burnt spear]

Cleaning up the mess.

[vague galleon]

sure. 😉

[burnt spear]

https://tenor.com/view/sweeping-samus-paulicelli-66samus-cleaning-up-brushing-away-the-dirt-gif-26702408

[peak marsh]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DXViuK-_uSQ

[peak marsh]

https://www.pushsquare.com/news/2025/07/its-not-about-checking-off-a-map-its-about-engaging-with-what-excites-you-ghost-of-yotei-ps5-gameplay-stuns -quite possibly the only reason I want a PS5

[honest valley]

inb4 pc steam release and ps5 once again has zero games

[peak marsh]

https://www.nintendolife.com/news/2025/07/ifixit-performs-a-full-teardown-of-nintendos-ps-poor-pro-controller -tl;dr: just get a cheaper, better option from 8bitdo or Guilikit

[peak marsh]

https://www.gamingbible.com/news/platform/steam/steam-free-rpg-download-1-week-632162-20250711 free stuff

[honest valley]

https://store.steampowered.com/app/544610/Battlestar_Galactica_Deadlock/ the game in question

Steam

Battlestar Galactica Deadlock

The Cylons have rebelled!
Four years of war and a steep price in human lives have not been enough to unlock a deadly stalemate. The Colonials have countered all of the Cylon’s offensives so far, but no decisive victory was achieved.

The deadlock is suddenly broken by a surprise attack from the Cylons and the brutal annihilation of the Coloni…

Price

$39.99

Recommendations

2464

Metacritic

77

▶ Play video

[stable laurel]

Is there any game that metacritic acctualy rates bad

[formal jungle]

While the PS5 doesn't have much in the way of exclusive games, I still enjoy it, even if it is the only console I've ever had that I've gotten stick drift on. That's why I just play everything on it with a PS4 controller these days.

[tepid wadi]

I don't have a PS5 but have a PS5 controller because I wanted to play Returnal using the remote play function that you can do with the PS5

If you like roguelikes, I highly recommend the game.

[formal jungle]

I've got it, but not played it yet, which applies to far too many games on my shelf.

[timber prism]

Timed exclusive as usual

Which will also be the case for GTA6

[timber prism]

I never got the console hate and PC elitism... like who cares that your 3k PC plays a game better than console. It should.. it cost you 3k. Some people just want plug and play easy access with standard optimization

[formal jungle]

In my case, my PS5 runs things better than my PC since my PC isn't that great.