Video Games Randomness - Prioritize specific game threads!

[Kasey Chang]

Got completely sidetracked and started playing Rabbids Coding, a free UPlay game that teaches... programming for 7+. It's basically Human Resources Machine, but with a Rabbids theme... Clean up a space station infested by Rabbids and clean up the mess they left behind by either giving commands mind-controlled Rabbids, to the bots that's doing the cleanup, or the bots dropping lures, so the Rabbids can be returned to Earth. Charming, and obviously I can solve them no problem. But there are a few solutions where I'm like... Wait, I went 2 under par. Par is a 3-star solution. So what's under par? Most of the time par is exactly right. But I've found at least two instances where I can go under par... and I'm only like 24 out of like 80+ levels...

[jztemple2]

You know what bugs me? Well, lots of things but tonight it's something in Transport Fever 2 as I've seen in other games. In the loading screen a tip will pop up and I'll think "that sounds useful, let me..." and just like that it's gone. I wish all game which have loading screen tips would provide a text file with all the tips so I can print it out and read them all at leisure.

[Daehawk]

Been kinda missing that silly little BF game from the late 2000s called Battlefield Heroes recently. I had a lot of fun with that one. A non serious little team shooter with some serious mechanics to its shooting. It was like if TF2 had a BF shooter child.

[Blackhawk]

Been kinda missing that silly little BF game from the late 2000s called Battlefield Heroes recently.

Ah, dammit. Every time someone mentions this I get that damned whistling stuck in my head for the rest of the day.

[Anonymous Bosch]

Been kinda missing that silly little BF game from the late 2000s called Battlefield Heroes recently. I had a lot of fun with that one. A non serious little team shooter with some serious mechanics to its shooting. It was like if TF2 had a BF shooter child.

FWIW, I believe you can still play the game via The Rising Hub project:

The Rising Hub project

Listen up soldiers! This is classified information! Rising Hub is dedicated to restoring online gameplay to our favorite Play4Free title - Battlefield Heroes. Upset by the fact the game was shutdown in mid-2015, talents from all corners of the globe teamed up to make a dream come true. With most introductory research and proof of concepts completed, the Rising Hub Team is moving at blazing speeds. Keep coming back for more soldier, because we are going to win the war! Woo-hoo!

[Daehawk]

Hmm interesting. I do miss it. Was a fun game. Not sure why they canned it. Thought it was popular. I no longer enjoy their main games because I just die and never know where it came from.

[jztemple2]

Anyone playing Mr. Prepper? I played the prologue a while ago and thought it was interesting and since Isgrimnur let me know it's on sale I checked out the demo and still found it interesting. Anyone have experience with the full game?

[Isgrimnur]

[Daehawk]

Why are you changing your avatar so much!? Its unsettling.

[Daehawk]

I cant fix the timestamp but enjoy the video of the game.

[Daehawk]

I was looking at mods for old 90s id software games like Doom and Quake. Specifically graphics mods. I came across a mod from 2011 called QuakeHD. Never saw it before. Holy balls man that mod looks amazing.

[Kasey Chang]

Remember that there's Quake RTX if you have an NVIDIA RTX card...

[Kasey Chang]

Play through all of the Rabbid! Coding scenarios. Some of which are pretty clever. Not quite Tis-100 level, but it's really designed for 7-year olds.

Tried Gladiabots. As a coder the limited amount of info available to each bot is pretty maddening, as all the ideas I want to implement turned out to be impossible or impractical. Not sure if I want to spend the time mastering it.

Tried Space Pirate King, it's messy, and not really much of a game.

Tried offroad Mania, it's a cute "offroad" game where the idea is precision, not speed.

Tried Satisfactory, got the mines setup, haven't quite gotten the pipeline up yet.

Tried Builder Simulator Beta, feeling kinda meh on it. Basically build a house from foundation up. And put up walls and such.

Played Mech Mechanic Simulator a bit more, I'm getting close to end-game as through a glitch of the game I got like 2 billion bucks and own multiple mechs. Just need to fix them all up, buy a lot of perks, and equip them for the missions. But it's really a flawed game, as the reward is not in the fixing of the mechs. The makers doesn't seem to understand what makes a mechanic game fun.

And played a lot more Mini Metro... gained quite a few achievements, in fact. But will probably need to take a break soon. I'm not making "breakthrough" in my strategy. I can conceptually see a breakthrough, but I am still struggling to implement such.

[Daehawk]

I play Star Trek Online. Some missions take me to the delta quadrant and they send along someone from Voyager with me a lot...Seven, Doctor, Tuvok, even Neelix. Sometimes these characters meet each other and its always a little shocking or surprising to hear them talk to each other because of how long its been.

To me Voyager doesn't feel long ago. But Neelix just greeted the Doctor and says like "Its been 30 years!" And my mind says 30 years that isn't right....ohhh damn guess it is. Seems so weird it gives me a little jolt. 30 damn years.

I still recall having a pizza for each ep ready for the first season. Wife brought home a DiGiorno once. Looking that brand up it seems they started the same time. So it was new.

[JCC]

Voyager is 27 years old, but close enough. DS9 will hit 30 next year.

[TheMix]

Was there a discussion about Weird West that I missed? Seems like it's right up my alley.

[Daehawk]

How Black Isle became a legend

CRPGs wouldn't be the same without its trips into post-apocalyptic California and the Forgotten Realms.

Yet that's the spirit with which Black Isle Studios was founded—an enthusiasm for extrapolating mystery and adventure from a mundane world. It first did so with Fallout in 1997. Developed by '80s kids who had grown up under the perpetual threat of nuclear holocaust, it organically became a Californian vision of the postapocalypse—not so much The Golden State as a land baked until it cracked and bubbled. The stroke of genius, though, was to juxtapose that wasteland with imagery ripped straight from utopia—the perfect, picket-fence existence portrayed by '50s American advertising. The finished game dripped with irony right from character creation, where a Monopoly Man-esque mascot grinned winningly as he blew enemies into chunks.

It's easy to look back on mid-'90s Interplay as a haven for RPG development, but that's far from the truth. RPGs were out of fashion, and like almost any major publisher you could name today, Interplay was preoccupied by sports. But that worked out in Black Isle's favour: the executives were too distracted to question the designers of the low-budget RPG in the corner. By the time they paid close attention to Fallout, it was a surprise critical hit.

[Skinypupy]

In most MMOs, I'm typically eager to get to max level so I can finally get started on all the cool new endgame systems and mechanics.

In Guild Wars 2, the instant I hit 80, my interest absolutely plummets...and I can't really explain why. There's a bunch of new stuff that opens up, but the progression system at end game is completely baffling to me. Twice now, I've ended up hitting a difficulty wall not far into the first xpac, and I honestly have no idea what I should be doing to advance past it. Am I supposed to do fractals? Dungeons? Map exploration? Something else? While there's lots of freedom, the game does an incredibly poor job of explaining what you can do/need to do to get better.

Every time, I end up losing interest almost immediately once I hit max level, which is odd as I honestly truly enjoy the 50'ish hour journey in getting there.

[Kasey Chang]

Something similar happened to me, as soon as I "figured out" the game.

In Mech Mechanic Simulator, once I got into the "endgame", where I can own mechs and lease them out to missions, the game ceased being fun. Sending the mechs out on missions is something you'd find in mobile games that you go offline to "not play". It really has no place in a PC game. The reward for the namesake: repair mechs is not proportionate to the effort. The game's just lousy, and I don't really want to play it anymore.

Same thing happened with Transport Inc. I'm in mission 8 of 10 in the campaign, and by this time, the game is starting to feel repetitive. It's supposed to be connected mission, but nothing carries over from mission to mission. You always start from a clean-slate, with no budget, and the continent void of any routes and such.

[Daehawk]

Was organizing an area of my room and found my PSP. The battery had swelled up and popped the cover off. Lol. Sigh. Now I dont have a battery or a charger. Will need both if I ever hope to play it again...until then it finds a drawer to sleep in.

[Baroquen]

Was organizing an area of my room and found my PSP. The battery had swelled up and popped the cover off. Lol. Sigh. Now I dont have a battery or a charger. Will need both if I ever hope to play it again...until then it finds a drawer to sleep in.

Same thing happened to my PSP awhile back. Never had a battery pack "go bad" like that before. Now it sits lonely and empty on a shelf. Will probably never get back to it the way my gaming is going these days.

[Daehawk]

Was organizing an area of my room and found my PSP. The battery had swelled up and popped the cover off. Lol. Sigh. Now I dont have a battery or a charger. Will need both if I ever hope to play it again...until then it finds a drawer to sleep in.

Same thing happened to my PSP awhile back. Never had a battery pack "go bad" like that before. Now it sits lonely and empty on a shelf. Will probably never get back to it the way my gaming is going these days.

My first battery to do that as well. I found the battery first and wondered what the hell it went to. On the plus side I did find my charger. It was pligged in behind the bed. Had no idea. Still dont know why it was there. Oh well.

I may never get back to my PSP either. But Im going to see what batteries cost online for the heck of it.

EDIT: Eh they're pretty cheap online...$10.

[Daehawk]

Can I install Steam on a laptop even though I have it on my PC as well? Its one account..mine. Im not seeing a problem but thought Id ask first to be sure. Im guessing being logged in on both is really like just one since its the same account right?

[Max Peck]

I just checked and my barely used PSP appears to be intact. I only ever had 2 games for it, the Star Wars game that came with it and a D&D Tactics game. I had even fewer games for my PS3 (just Dark Souls), but I did get a lot of use from that to stream video to my TV, so it was less of a waste of money than the PSP.

I also have a Nintendo DS Lite that I bought at about the same time and which I still use on a daily basis.

[Hrothgar]

Can I install Steam on a laptop even though I have it on my PC as well? Its one account..mine. Im not seeing a problem but thought Id ask first to be sure. Im guessing being logged in on both is really like just one since its the same account right?

Unless they changed the rules, you can install on multiple devices, but you can only have one online and active at a time.

[Blackhawk]

Can I install Steam on a laptop even though I have it on my PC as well? Its one account..mine. Im not seeing a problem but thought Id ask first to be sure. Im guessing being logged in on both is really like just one since its the same account right?

You can have it multiple devices, and you can have it online on all of them, but you can only launch products on one of them at a time (I have it on my desktop, my laptop, and on my junker (for access to a couple of utilities.) I frequently have all three running at the same time, with all three Steam installations online.

And yeah, one account.

[Kasey Chang]

You could hypothetically go offline on one PC, so you *can* play one game at two places, but it'll screw up your cloud save among other things.

[Kasey Chang]

Posted video review of Mech Mechanic Simulator as I play through repair a couple mechs and sending them on missions. It's boring at this point. This game was never challenging in the first place.

[Blackhawk]

I watched parts of them. I enjoy that sort of game, which I never expected to. I find them relaxing, almost meditative. A little like building a puzzle, or painting miniatures. But yeah, that one just didn't look like a lot of fun. It's a shame, as I do like a good mech.

[Daehawk]

May need to find me a cheap headset with mic for gaming again. In the 90s and 2000s I had a little clip on mic that the clip broke on. In the 2010s we get a expensive..for us...$250 Sennheiser G4me Zero set. But they are broke now in so many ways. Never again. But my longtime gaming buddy who I gamed with from 94 - 12 is semi returning to gaming and I chave no way of talking if we join up.

EDIT: And no more closed ones for me. Open all the way. No outside noise to worry about

[Anonymous Bosch]

May need to find me a cheap headset with mic for gaming again. In the 90s and 2000s I had a little clip on mic that the clip broke on. In the 2010s we get a expensive..for us...$250 Sennheiser G4me Zero set. But they are broke now in so many ways. Never again. But my longtime gaming buddy who I gamed with from 94 - 12 is semi returning to gaming and I chave no way of talking if we join up.

EDIT: And no more closed ones for me. Open all the way. No outside noise to worry about

Your funds would go a whole lot further if you combine a budget-priced set of decent-quality open headphones that use a detachable/replaceable cord (e.g. Audio-Technica ATH-AD500X or AKG Pro Audio K240) with something like the V-Moda Boom Mic:





For a more extreme budget option, you won't find a much better bargain than modifying the $35.99 Superlux HD668B Dynamic Semi-Open Headphones with suitable aftermarket ear pads, as explained below:



Keep in mind however, you'll need to use a suitable 3.5mm (female) to 3.5mm (female) adapter -- like this Monoprice adapter available for $4.87 -- to connect the V-Moda Boom Mic with the Superlux HD668B headphones.

[Kasey Chang]

Or pay for a "Modmic" set that attaches via hook-n-loop or glue to almost any existing set of headphones.

[Anonymous Bosch]

Or pay for a "Modmic" set that attaches via hook-n-loop or glue to almost any existing set of headphones.

That's certainly another option, which was why I suggested "something like" the V-Moda Boom Mic. But Antlion Modmics tend to be more costly.

[Daehawk]

So the V-MODA BoomPro Microphone requires the headset not be hard wired. It worked like a passthrough? Or it requires rechargeable wireless headphones or something I guess.

[Anonymous Bosch]

So the V-MODA BoomPro Microphone requires the headset not be hard wired. It worked like a passthrough? Or it requires rechargeable wireless headphones or something I guess.

Yes, the V-Moda boom microphone works with pretty much any and all wired headphone brands that specifically use a detachable 3.5mm cable with a female 3.5mm jack on the ear cup. The Superlux HD668B headphones do use a detachable 3.5mm cable but with a male 3.5mm jack on the ear cup, hence the need for something like the Monoprice adapter I suggested. The V-Moda boom mic allows you to adjust the volume and mute the mic from the button on the cord, and includes a Y-adapter for systems with separate headphone (audio-out) and microphone (mic-in) jacks, as shown here:

[Daehawk]

Heads up for PS users. You know how Sony has limited PS+ purchase to 1 month because they are going to convert all your time to their new format thing? theres a way to get 12 months at half off right now.

Its in this article.
https://www.ign.com/articles/save-hundr ... ium-ps-now

I checked the link and it seems it still works. Its Sony's own site not some shady place. 12 months for $60 is sweet. If I had it Id do it.

[Blackhawk]

Not trying my account and all of my past purchases to something described as an exploit.

[Rumpy]

The distinction should be that PS Now, rather than PS+, is what has the limit. The newly combined version presumably won't have that limit.

[Daehawk]

If Steam and another site are both having a sale on a game and Steam is a few bucks more will they price match the other site?

[Kasey Chang]

Unlikely. Fanatical often have coupons and such that'll beat such prices.

For example, Helldivers is now also on sale on Fanatical, and it seems there's a coupon that'll knock off another 20%.