Octopus Overlords

I tried the demo for Hero's Hour. Did not care for it. A little too retro for me.

I'll have to check out the first one.

Ok I finished Desk Job and dont get that ending.

Playing...

Mini-Metro -- Yes, went back to play that. I know they added a bunch of cities and decided to play the fresh cities.

Airport Madness 4 -- ATC game, land those planes without messing up, and get them to take off too. REALLY hate those planes that think they can land without talking to me.

HAWX and HAWX2 -- dug up the old games. HAWX1 doesn't run in WIn10, but HAWX2 works fine. HATED that refueling segment.

Machinika Museum -- cute little puzzle game, sorta like Safecracker, but with stuff that's more... alien in origin. Okay so far, except my brain is a bit fried about one particular puzzle.

Transport Inc -- simpler version of classic Railroad Tycoon, except it's about building between cities, rather than specific track layouts. Start with passenger service via bus, later add luxury bus, cargo, then shipping and air travel as well. Plus labor problems, competition, international expansion... It can get complicated.

War Pips -- modern take on Rescue Raiders, except you don't get the pilot the gunship. It's mostly build and sometimes specific targeting resource management.

Will probably play a bit more all of the above except War Pips (hit dead end, final two battles too tough) then go back to WRC9 for a bit of WRC3 development league, then finish Mainlining, then maybe try a couple more "New to me" games like Enslaved: Journey to the West, Offroad Mania, Cosmic Star Heroine, Cyber Ops, NITE Team, Battle zone 2, Angel Wings, and so on.

Kasey Chang wrote: Thu Mar 03, 2022 8:20 am Mini-Metro -- Yes, went back to play that. I know they added a bunch of cities and decided to play the fresh cities.

don't forget the daily challenge

Daehawk wrote: Wed Mar 02, 2022 10:59 pm Ok I finished Desk Job and dont get that ending.

Spoiler:

I mean no one had seen the boss in years and no one knew we killed him. We could have taken his place and run the entire company. Also I was expecting more with the bugs in the florring evolving in tech. I was kinda expecting a Zardoz moment there at the end with the giant head. Thought they'd take it in as their God or something. And lastly what was with that song they hummed at the end? I didn't recognize it.

Mantis men and a chorus of singing turrets were presumably just callbacks to things referenced in Portal 2, like cake.

Oh ok never played Portal 2. Finished the first one.

Daehawk wrote: Thu Mar 03, 2022 10:26 pm Oh ok never played Portal 2. Finished the first one.

Good grief! You need to change that. One of the greatest games ever and arguably the funniest.

I'm going to burn your house down! With the lemons!

Getting better and better at Halo Infinite mp. Kickin some ass but still sometimes getting my ass kicked too.

Was trying to get back into HAWX2, and all of a sudden it won't load the next level. WTF? Read online, and found that you have to toggle the controller settings. Then found I had somehow lost the "recruit" difficulty level for some reason. I can't select it anymore, even though I was playing on that level before. WTF? And the mission all of a sudden turned impossible. I was barely over the target and fired off 2 missiles when I was told the force I was escorting (who insisted on driving themselves right past some armed oil platforms, and did not give me any time to blow them up) was too damaged to continue. WTF? I say this is enough for me.

This is interesting. Has anyone played Barn Finders?

https://store.steampowered.com/app/991170/Barn_Finders/

Search for valuable items stashed in abandoned barns. Take part in storage auctions, bid high and buy yourself a chance to find exclusive items hidden in the past.

Do you get to choose your class - a short, friendly guy, or a skinny guy who's an enormous asshole?

I was wondering if this was originally going to be a licensed product but they decided to drop it and just make a generic game.

Isn't that just like every RPG, but you have to pay to rifle through people's crap?

Daehawk wrote: Sun Mar 06, 2022 5:08 pm This is interesting. Has anyone played Barn Finders?

https://store.steampowered.com/app/991170/Barn_Finders/

Search for valuable items stashed in abandoned barns. Take part in storage auctions, bid high and buy yourself a chance to find exclusive items hidden in the past.

I played the demo. It's basically a 3D version of "find the hidden object" with a bit of bidding mechanic. There's also something about you need to buy fuel in order to explore further and further out. And you can go back to old locations as you may find stuff you "didn't notice" (randomly added by the game) from before. It's a bit of meh for me, as some of these hide and seek require jumping onto roofs and such.

Oh its just a hidden hidden object game? Well that puts a damper on the old enthusiasm. I mean I like those games but I was hoping this was 'more'

Tried to play Internet Cafe Simulator. The Interface was horrible. The game was somewhat more adult than expected as there's a "strip club" not far from your place, and apparently you have to deal with random thief and homeless, and you control that with a baseball bat. (Or hire a security guard) The prices are completely whacked, as a monitor costs as much as a computer. And there's no tutorial. I didn't realize the prices are that whacked, so I ordered the wrong things to start. Probably need to start over, if I ever care to. I probably would play PC Build Sim instead.

Played an hour of Space Court, which is exactly how long the game is, even though there are probably multiple endings based on your choices. It's funny as heck.

Played an hour of YORG.io 3, tower defense. A bit of meh. I think I'm kinda burned out on tower defense games.

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EDIT: So no idea why the next game I tried was... Crypto Against all Odds, another tower defense game. Where you play a cybersecurity expert helping various crypto noobs fend off some cyberpirates hacking their wallets and whatnot. You deploy miners to generate hashes (currency) and you use currency to buy units (different cryptocurrencies). It's kinda cute as Bitcoins are like regular lame turrets, Ethereum are slow beams, and looks like Monero will be stealth mortar turrets. But it's 'single lane tower defense'.

Tried Strafe, which, like Crypto Against All Odds, is from Amazon. It's an ol'skool shooter that I'm not too fond of. Deliberate pixel-y graphics with some clunky but sorta cute UI. But don't really feel like playing an FPS.

Tried SteamWorld Dig 2, was reminded why I don't really like platformers.

Daehawk wrote: Mon Mar 07, 2022 1:18 pm Oh its just a hidden hidden object game? Well that puts a damper on the old enthusiasm. I mean I like those games but I was hoping this was 'more'

Try the free demo and see for yourself.

Previously tried Kingsway, didn't really feel like going back.

Already reported on Strafe and Steam World Dig 2. I liked SteamWorld Heist as it's a turn-based physics game where you bounce shots to take out enemies. But I'm not feeling it in this version. I don't like platform games. The intent to force you back to town periodically with "light runs out", IMHO, is pretty dumb, but I guess that's one way to make you go back and save your game.

Will try Steam World Quest, Tacoma, and Paper Beast, and maybe a few other Amazon freebies.

Tried Paper Beast, it's one of those "you're stuck inside a computer simulation of surrealist beasts made of folded paper and you have to both learn the environment and what puzzles they're trying to make you solve.

I can only find one pic of Exanima showing an outside world. Is it just a dungeon crawler rpg? I mean it looks great what I see but without an overworld I get sick of dungeon spaces quick.

EDIT to add a video

Dangest thing. I remember making a choice at the end of Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus. I dont recall who...probably Fergus. But then I remember Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus 2 strangely yet I cant find I own it and I dont remember the ending at all. Not the boss fight or killing the mad General Lady and proposing to Anya. I remember being saved at the start and I remember the sub and the game set in America. I remember the sub fight in the start and such. But the rest is a blank. You'd think Id recall the ending...or own it someplace. Maybe I played a demo or something.

Downloaded a bunch of stuff from the Ukraine Aid bundle, some of which I wanted for a while but can never justify buying, like Sky Rogue and Summer in Mara. I also downloaded a bunch of games I picked up from Amazon giveaway but never tried.

Man, I have been bouncing off of games like crazy lately. I just don't feel like messing with the busy work. I don't want to manage inventory. I don't want to go back to camp/the ship and talk to every companion after every single mission for fear of missing their side content. I don't want to mess with extensive dialogue trees for things that don't really interest me. And even in games without that stuff, I find that I don't want to have to shoot every peon on the way to the interesting encounter, nor do I want to mess with research trees.

This doesn't feel like a gaming slump. When I have a gaming slump, nothing sounds fun. Right now lots of things sound fun.

Honestly, I get the feeling (which I've had before), that this is just the endgame of decades of gaming. Every one of those things I mentioned are things I've done before. Hundreds of times. Shooting the minions in the corridors. Sorting the inventory. Sitting through dialogue. I've done every one of those things in a hundred different games, and I've reached a point where changing the theming doesn't make them seem like new experiences anymore.

I need new experiences. Everybody does. That's why we play new games, and not just one game over and over for decades. But new experiences no longer seems to mean a new game - it means a new genre, or a different activity altogether.

Ploof.

Try the "walking simulators". Go for some immersive stories.

Ive found sometimes it helps to go back to the beginning. I play games like DOOM II and Duke 3D or Master of Orion and Command & Conquer. Sometimes its hard to go back to those but when I stick with them I find I come to enjoy them all over again. Helps me appreciate what we have now yet still have fun with the old stuff I loved.

Blackhawk wrote: Thu Mar 10, 2022 1:12 pm Man, I have been bouncing off of games like crazy lately. I just don't feel like messing with the busy work. I don't want to manage inventory. I don't want to go back to camp/the ship and talk to every companion after every single mission for fear of missing their side content. I don't want to mess with extensive dialogue trees for things that don't really interest me. And even in games without that stuff, I find that I don't want to have to shoot every peon on the way to the interesting encounter, nor do I want to mess with research trees.

This doesn't feel like a gaming slump. When I have a gaming slump, nothing sounds fun. Right now lots of things sound fun.

Honestly, I get the feeling (which I've had before), that this is just the endgame of decades of gaming. Every one of those things I mentioned are things I've done before. Hundreds of times. Shooting the minions in the corridors. Sorting the inventory. Sitting through dialogue. I've done every one of those things in a hundred different games, and I've reached a point where changing the theming doesn't make them seem like new experiences anymore.

I need new experiences. Everybody does. That's why we play new games, and not just one game over and over for decades. But new experiences no longer seems to mean a new game - it means a new genre, or a different activity altogether.

Ploof.

The Talos Principle may be over five years old now, but it just scratched that itch for me in a way nothing has recently. I never finish games that take more than 15 hours, and I dumped 50 hours into that in the last two months to find every single thing in the base game.

JetFred wrote: Thu Mar 10, 2022 1:25 pm The Talos Principle may be over five years old now, but it just scratched that itch for me in a way nothing has recently. I never finish games that take more than 15 hours, and I dumped 50 hours into that in the last two months to find every single thing in the base game.

I've played that one twice, once flat, once in VR. It's a fantastic game.

Blackhawk wrote: Thu Mar 10, 2022 1:12 pm Man, I have been bouncing off of games like crazy lately. I just don't feel like messing with the busy work. I don't want to manage inventory. I don't want to go back to camp/the ship and talk to every companion after every single mission for fear of missing their side content. I don't want to mess with extensive dialogue trees for things that don't really interest me. And even in games without that stuff, I find that I don't want to have to shoot every peon on the way to the interesting encounter, nor do I want to mess with research trees.

This doesn't feel like a gaming slump. When I have a gaming slump, nothing sounds fun. Right now lots of things sound fun.

Honestly, I get the feeling (which I've had before), that this is just the endgame of decades of gaming. Every one of those things I mentioned are things I've done before. Hundreds of times. Shooting the minions in the corridors. Sorting the inventory. Sitting through dialogue. I've done every one of those things in a hundred different games, and I've reached a point where changing the theming doesn't make them seem like new experiences anymore.

I need new experiences. Everybody does. That's why we play new games, and not just one game over and over for decades. But new experiences no longer seems to mean a new game - it means a new genre, or a different activity altogether.

Ploof.

If/when I find myself in such a slump, I've found playing a title with rock solid retro gameplay like Shatter often provides a pleasant and enjoyable means of 'resetting' and stepping out of the norm:

store.steampowered.com wrote:ABOUT THIS GAME



Shatter is a retro-inspired brick-breaking game that merges familiar action with unique twists and a modern crafted production approach. Explore vibrant worlds and face-off against challenging bosses to a retro-inspired synthwave soundtrack.

Features:

• Innovative controls, physics effects, power-ups, special attacks, and boss battles which combine to provide an experience that is always interactive.
• Multiple modes to play through including Story, Endless, Boss Rush, and Time Attack Mode.
• Challenge friends or foes in Endless Co-op multiplayer and Time Attack Co-op multiplayer modes.
• Rank in leaderboards and gain achievements.
• Explore 10 distinct worlds presented in a vibrant 3D style.
• An award-winning retro-synthwave original soundtrack.

Suffice to say, Shatter is worth playing for the outstanding music alone. Though it's arguably also the supreme Arkanoid/Breakout game, with outstanding graphics, along with a wide variety of innovative gameplay improvements that help mix things up. Also, you can often grab it crazy cheaply during Steam sales and such (if memory serves, I got it a few years back for a measly 50 cents), so it's a real hidden gem IMHO. Though if you ever enjoyed playing Arkanoid or the like back in the day, I'd say it's a decent bargain even at full price.

Blackhawk wrote: Thu Mar 10, 2022 1:12 pm.

Honestly, I get the feeling (which I've had before), that this is just the endgame of decades of gaming. Every one of those things I mentioned are things I've done before. Hundreds of times. Shooting the minions in the corridors. Sorting the inventory. Sitting through dialogue. I've done every one of those things in a hundred different games, and I've reached a point where changing the theming doesn't make them seem like new experiences anymore.

I’ve had this feeling a lot lately. Even games that I generally like, I struggle to get enthused to play because I’ve been there, done that a hundred times before.

The digital pinball cabinet we got for Christmas has been a lifesaver for me. It’s something that I can always go back to and enjoy, no matter what. I’m finding myself spending more time with that than with the story-rich video games that I typically enjoy. I’ve even been shopping for a new gaming PC (which is insane, give the current prices) just so I can use my current PC as a Pinball FX3 emulator for it.

i just now made the connection that about the time i went on the SSRI and ADD medications, i stopped gaming completely and haven't played anything since.

Skinypupy wrote: Thu Mar 10, 2022 5:20 pm The digital pinball cabinet we got for Christmas has been a lifesaver for me. It’s something that I can always go back to and enjoy, no matter what. I’m finding myself spending more time with that than with the story-rich video games that I typically enjoy. I’ve even been shopping for a new gaming PC (which is insane, give the current prices) just so I can use my current PC as a Pinball FX3 emulator for it.

So, I found out today that you can connect a Switch to the pinball cabinet, download Pinball FX3, then turn the display 90 degrees and it plays perfectly. You have to use the Joycon controllers instead of the actual cabinet buttons, but that's certainly a better alternative than spending $700 to get a whole new gaming PC to hook up.

Playing Attack From Mars and Medieval Madness on an actual cabinet is fun.

Anonymous Bosch wrote: Thu Mar 10, 2022 3:03 pm

Blackhawk wrote: Thu Mar 10, 2022 1:12 pm Man, I have been bouncing off of games like crazy lately. I just don't feel like messing with the busy work. I don't want to manage inventory. I don't want to go back to camp/the ship and talk to every companion after every single mission for fear of missing their side content. I don't want to mess with extensive dialogue trees for things that don't really interest me. And even in games without that stuff, I find that I don't want to have to shoot every peon on the way to the interesting encounter, nor do I want to mess with research trees.

This doesn't feel like a gaming slump. When I have a gaming slump, nothing sounds fun. Right now lots of things sound fun.

Honestly, I get the feeling (which I've had before), that this is just the endgame of decades of gaming. Every one of those things I mentioned are things I've done before. Hundreds of times. Shooting the minions in the corridors. Sorting the inventory. Sitting through dialogue. I've done every one of those things in a hundred different games, and I've reached a point where changing the theming doesn't make them seem like new experiences anymore.

I need new experiences. Everybody does. That's why we play new games, and not just one game over and over for decades. But new experiences no longer seems to mean a new game - it means a new genre, or a different activity altogether.

Ploof.

If/when I find myself in such a slump, I've found playing a title with rock solid retro gameplay like Shatter often provides a pleasant and enjoyable means of 'resetting' and stepping out of the norm:

store.steampowered.com wrote:ABOUT THIS GAME



Shatter is a retro-inspired brick-breaking game that merges familiar action with unique twists and a modern crafted production approach. Explore vibrant worlds and face-off against challenging bosses to a retro-inspired synthwave soundtrack.

Features:

• Innovative controls, physics effects, power-ups, special attacks, and boss battles which combine to provide an experience that is always interactive.
• Multiple modes to play through including Story, Endless, Boss Rush, and Time Attack Mode.
• Challenge friends or foes in Endless Co-op multiplayer and Time Attack Co-op multiplayer modes.
• Rank in leaderboards and gain achievements.
• Explore 10 distinct worlds presented in a vibrant 3D style.
• An award-winning retro-synthwave original soundtrack.

Suffice to say, Shatter is worth playing for the outstanding music alone. Though it's arguably also the supreme Arkanoid/Breakout game, with outstanding graphics, along with a wide variety of innovative gameplay improvements that help mix things up. Also, you can often grab it crazy cheaply during Steam sales and such (if memory serves, I got it a few years back for a measly 50 cents), so it's a real hidden gem IMHO. Though if you ever enjoyed playing Arkanoid or the like back in the day, I'd say it's a decent bargain even at full price.

This game looks like a manifestation of me taking it to my aural migraines.

Usually an time I start an new X-COM Enemy Unknown game it's been a few months. And everytime I have to check file integration and download bad files.<sigh>

dbt1949 wrote: Sun Mar 13, 2022 9:33 pm Usually an time I start an new X-COM Enemy Unknown game it's been a few months. And everytime I have to check file integration and download bad files.<sigh>

One of my favorite games of all time!
I think my last playthrough was about 6 months ago. I don't remember having to mess with the files, but my rememberer doesn't work so well anymore.

dbt1949 wrote: Sun Mar 13, 2022 9:33 pm Usually an time I start an new X-COM Enemy Unknown game it's been a few months. And everytime I have to check file integration and download bad files.<sigh>

Try fully exiting Steam and restarting it, and see if that helps.

No, checking the file integration is the only way I've found so far.

dbt1949 wrote: Mon Mar 14, 2022 5:11 am No, checking the file integration is the only way I've found so far.

I understand. I was suggesting that after you verify file integrity, try fully exiting Steam and restarting it prior to launching XCOM:EU. With any luck, fully exiting Steam and restarting may help prevent the issue from recurring.

Just as video card prices were possibly starting to get reasonable again... Major chipmakers could weather neon shortages as result of war in Ukraine for 'two months or more'

Neon isn't just the gas that makes pretty signs, it's actually rather integral to the manufacturing of those little bits of processed silicon that make our PCs function. And two of the key producers of neon are based in Ukraine, which means that around half of the world's supply has vanished almost overnight because of the Russian invasion.

Neon is used in the lithography step where lasers are used to etch into otherwise pristine wafers of silicon, and Ingas and Cryoin, located in Mariupol and Odessa respectively, together accounted for between 45 and 54% of the supply for the semiconductor industry, according to an exclusive report by Reuters.

With these two firms closing down their operations that leaves a big hole in the supply chain, which could lead to further chip shortages if reserves run dry and alternative supplies can't be located. Taiwanese firms, such as TSMC, already have "safety stocks" of neon standing by, according to the Economy Ministry of Taiwan speaking to Reuters, and so do not anticipate any real impact on the global supply chain. But that's likely only in the short term.

Here's the fun part. Neon is extracted from the air. There is legitimately no reason why production is geographically limited.

Trying the Amazon Prime free games.

Crypto Against All Odds -- "fixed lanes" tower defense game where different cryptocurrencies act as turrets against evil hackers trying to steal your eWallet. Kinda cute, kinda meh.

Double-kick Heroes -- music rhythm game where you're an indie band in the apocalypse where your Cadillac turned into the Gundillac and your firepower is enhanced by the timing of your music! Upgrade from pistols shots all the way to grenade throwers by making perfect shots based on the various indie tracks. Funny, and if left on easy, and with all the game aid turned on, playable with just two fingers.

Paper Beast -- one of those "you end up in a strange world (in 3D) and you have to figure out how this world works by advancing through one puzzle after another" game. A but too weird for me.

Strafe -- really old school FPS, a bit too old for me.

Kingsway -- RPG but in the form of a desktop OS... sorta. Kinda funny.

Steam World Dig 2 -- Steamworld's platformer sequel... Find your friend who disappeared in one of the mines... If you can figure out each of the puzzles subject to the various annoying things, like limited amount of fuel in your lantern (forcing you to return to the surface) and all those typical platform annoyances like collapsing floors, jumps barely enough to make, and so on.


-----

Was trying Mech Mechanic Simulator as it's on sale, and it's not too bad so far. Got two videos up.

Was also trying Sky Rogue, Safecracking Sim (from the bundles).

Oil Rush, which was made free by its devs a couple months back, as it's 10 years old by this point. And it actually is still a pretty decent game. It's a simplified RTS like Z centered around conquering platforms that will automatically build units for you, but beware of enemies. infiltrating your lines with flying or submarine units.