Video Games Randomness - Prioritize specific game threads!

[Max Peck]

Word on the street is that there will be some sort of event related to the game happening on 13 April at Star Wars Celebration Chicago.

[coopasonic]

Sweet, a new Battle Royale coming!

[Isgrimnur]

I look forward to hot-dropping and getting one-shotted by an Ewok with a rock to my head.

[Max Peck]

Sweet, a new Battle Royale coming!

You'd think so, but last year we learned...

Star Wars gamers, mark your calendars for holiday 2019.

Today at EA Play, Electronic Arts and developer Respawn Entertainment revealed some major new details about their previously announced Star Wars game, including its name and release date: Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, set to arrive during the 2019 holiday season. Respawn’s Vince Zampella disclosed the new information during an audience interview at today’s press conference, and also relayed that the game will be a single-player, action-adventure title that tells a new story set shortly after the events of Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith. Zampella confirmed that Respawn is collaborating very closely with Lucasfilm on the project. You can find out more at the Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order official site.

[GreenGoo]

Sweet, a new Battle Royale coming!

I'd probably play it.

[coopasonic]

I still expect a BR mode.

[Rumpy]

I'll believe the single-player when I see it. They've already cancelled two single-player SW games that were really promising and I don't really have high hopes for this one.

[Blackhawk]

I'll believe the single-player when I see it. They've already cancelled two single-player SW games that were really promising and I don't really have high hopes for this one.

If it is single player, I fully expect it to be tied to some sort of online progression. EA isn't happy unless they can add microtransactions.

[Max Peck]

Apparently Chris Avellone had a hand in Fallen Order. Noice!



I guess the "big bomb dropping in a month" refers to Bloodlines 2. I don't recall if I saw anything attaching him to that project, but it is listed in his Wikipedia article, and the timing for the announcement is about right.

[Daehawk]

There was a leak on Amazon of the t-shirt image for the game.

[Daehawk]

Weed is worse than murder, if you're selling a video game

Weedcraft Inc. came out on Tuesday, and by Wednesday a handful of prominent and small-time YouTubers had been hit with ad-review requests, age-gate requirements and outright demonetization on their videos of the game. On Facebook, Devolver couldn't get a single ad for the game approved and, on launch day, its page was restricted.

Wilson has a long history in the games industry, starting in 1996 at id Software, where he oversaw marketing efforts for Doom and Quake, all the way through founding Devolver in 2008 and seeing success with titles like Hotline Miami and Serious Sam HD. Throughout his career, Wilson has been able to sell ultra-violent and sexualized games, but apparently, marijuana is a different beast.

"This is a game where you don't actually consume any drugs in the game," Wilson said. "There's no -- it's a fucking tycoon game about an actual industry that exists. We really went out of our way to avoid all the stupid stereotypes and make a really thoughtful game on this."

[Daehawk]

https://phil-sa.itch.io/input-lag-simulator

Imput lag simulator. Put in different values and see how bad it lags. I cant believe I used to come in first in CS betas with a 250 ping. Those really were the old days. I remember most would have pings of 180 - 500 and there would be a couple with a 35 or 68 or so.

[Blackhawk]

I used to set game browsers to filter out any matches above 300, and would take the fastest of those left. I occasionally had to adjust that filter if nothing was available.

I remember most would have pings of 180 - 500 and there would be a couple with a 35 or 68 or so.

#(&$! LPBs!

[Daehawk]

Ha LPB. I had forgot about that slang.

[GreenGoo]

Let me guess: Low ping bastards?

[Daehawk]

Let me guess: Low ping bastards?

Yep.

[Z-Corn]

Let me guess: Low ping bastards?

Right, like you weren't one!

[GreenGoo]

Canada was (is?) like a 3rd world country back then. And even if it weren't, most of the servers were geographically remote.

Plus, I never played CS. I honestly can't remember playing any first person shooter after Unreal Tournament.

The "b" part fits though.

[Kasey Chang]

Dumb question... I was looking at the Beamdog bundle on Fanatical. Back then, I wasn't interested in D&D stuff, so I know Icewind Dale, Planescape Torment, and Bauldur's Gate are classics, but are they worth playing even now?

[Blackhawk]

In my opinion, yes. Absolutely. I've replayed both IWD and Baldur's Gate (enhanced editions in both cases) in the last few years, and I thought they held up well. They have great mechanics and great story.

That doesn't mean they don't show their age, though. They still have the fiddly inventory of a bygone age, for instance.

[Blackhawk]

Oh, and to help you understand the Infinity Engine games:

Baldur's Gate 1&2 are a single, long story. Siege of Dragonspear is a modern expansion bridging the gap between them. It's a wonderfully told story, and the game that resulted in the rebirth of RPGs in its era. It is the origin of the Bioware RPG, with detailed NPCs with backstories, conflicts with other NPCs, romances, personal quests for each of them, moral choices that change the story, and so on. Some of them have remained popular to this day, such as Minsc and Boo ("Go for the eyes!"), who have received both their own comic series and two miniatures within the past few years.

Icewind Dale 1 & 2 are each unconnected to each other. They're like Baldur's Gate, but with a much greater emphasis on the action and combat.

Planescape: Torment is also like Baldur's Gate, but with a much greater emphasis on the story, to the point that combat is almost optional. I've heard it referred to as, "The best game I've ever read." It's also the game for which the recent Torment: Tides of Numenera was a spiritual sequel.

[GreenGoo]

In my opinion, yes. Absolutely. I've replayed both IWD and Baldur's Gate (enhanced editions in both cases) in the last few years, and I thought they held up well. They have great mechanics and great story.

That doesn't mean they don't show their age, though. They still have the fiddly inventory of a bygone age, for instance.

I played both in 2018 and thought they were great. It helps if you have some affinity for D&D (and 2nd edition doesn't hurt).

[jztemple2]

Just an FYI, the Green Man Gaming Spring Sale starts tomorrow. Are we expecting a Steam Sale this week too?

[Max Peck]

Last year, the Steam Spring Sale was in late May, so I expect it will be a few weeks out still. Generally, I expect the big Steam sales to start just after the corresponding GOG sales end.

[Pyperkub]

Ok, Console Gaming randomness, but this photo of Maud Adams and Grace Jones playing Nintendo 64 is great:

[Isgrimnur]

[Smoove_B]

I was cleaning out my desk and found this:



Ask your parents.

[Blackhawk]

Memmmmmories!

[Anonymous Bosch]

I was cleaning out my desk and found this:



Ask your parents.

I find the rather baroque label amusing. Personally, I never had much patience for DVD/CD label printing back in the day.

[Z-Corn]

Geez, I think I had to BitTorrent it. Smoove ranks!

[RunningMn9]

I don’t even remember the Morrowind version of that. I still have POOP, and the version I made for the Steam version of Oblivion, Steaming POOP.

[Smoove_B]

I'm 90% sure you made that Mororwind OO CD for me as I've never had a fancy-lad label printer.

[Kasey Chang]

Playing Assasin's Creed Chronicles: China. I've gotten pretty far in the game, but it's gotten to a point of WTF do I do now? I like the way they introduce harder and harder enemies, as well as additional mechanics like overhead hang, claw raise, etc. I know I played this before, but this is way further than I've ever gotten.

Right now I'm stuck in the forbidden city, where I got to a place with a guard on top, scans below, three platforms, but no obvious exit.

[RunningMn9]

I'm 90% sure you made that Mororwind OO CD for me as I've never had a fancy-lad label printer.

That’s entirely possible.

[Kasey Chang]

Decided to start on Borderlands GOTY/Enhanced and imported my old L55 character. On Playthrough 2, I died like 5 times in 10 minutes. Apparently I had completely forgotten about how to play BL. Hahaha. Enemies have gajillion hitpoints. Even rocket hits doesn't really soften them up much.

[jztemple2]

Decided to start on Borderlands GOTY/Enhanced and imported my old L55 character. On Playthrough 2, I died like 5 times in 10 minutes. Apparently I had completely forgotten about how to play BL. Hahaha. Enemies have gajillion hitpoints. Even rocket hits doesn't really soften them up much.

I never did the stepped up Playthrough. Now I'm pretty sure I'm not going to

[Kasey Chang]

Yeah, the raiders in the starting area have somewhere in the neighborhood of 20000+ hp. I wasn't kidding. My sniper rifle was doing 2000 damage with a critical hit, 480 with a regular hit, and it took like 10-20 hits to kill one raider.

At least I got a couple purple weapons now (used a golden key, got 2 purple SMGs)

[Blackhawk]

Second playthrough isn't that bad, but there really is a degree of skill involved that you lose if it's been a while. Which weapons to use, when to use specials, how to leverage your build, that sort of thing.

[GreenGoo]

They have more hp and hit harder, that's it. Well, elemental resists too. It's no different than the standard set by Diablo.

The problem, if you could call it one, is that the first playthrough is pretty easy, so expectations are low and then bam, they actually fight back a bit.

[Max Peck]

I fired up Borderlands 2 for the first time in ages, and was initially confused as to why I had "Reload" mapped to "=" instead of "R". Then I remembered that Gaige is my favorite character, and how sad I feel when I accidentally hit reload and wipe a full stack of anarchy.