Octopus Overlords

I was in the mood to play some Thief 2 tonight. Downloaded the game, along with the t2Fix mod, which seems to be the most recent fix for pretty much everything.

Spent a couple hours trying to get it all to work, with no success. Every time I change the resolution to anything other than 800 x 600, the game shifts to a windowed version in the top left corner and freezes, requiring a reboot (I can still hear the game sound, but my mouse disappears, even when Ctrl-Alt-Del to try and kill the program).

I just don't have either the patience or the tech savvy to attempt to troubleshoot this stuff anymore, no matter how much I'd like to play the game. Oh well.

I play a lot of RPGs, and more and more often, this is how I feel. Somewhere, someone confused depth with convolution and complexity, and it's seriously hampered my enjoyment of multiple games.

Ubisoft, you're a prime offender.

Blackhawk wrote: Wed Apr 06, 2022 11:22 pm I play a lot of RPGs, and more and more often, this is how I feel. Somewhere, someone confused depth with convolution and complexity, and it's seriously hampered my enjoyment of multiple games.

Ubisoft, you're a prime offender.

That was awesome...and completely accurate.

This was actually why I walked away from my one attempt at Ghost Recon: Breakpoint recently. The convoluted mass of leveling and unlocking mechanics there just utterly sucked away any desire I had to actually play the game. RPGs were at their best when they had meaningful choices baked into understandable system. I'm guessing it was the extra complexity involved in MMOs during their big boom that caused the shift. Looking at games before WoW blew the industry out of the water, the systems were fairly straightforward. Afterwards they were anything but.

And for anyone who thinks that the video was too over the top, here's the skill tree from Path of Exile:

Ugh. Path of Exile. Yeah.

And don't forget to mention the sockets/gems that you can swap in and out with 100s of different spells and skills.

I'm not a fan of games that pretty much require you to follow a guide if you want to succeed. Diablo 3 can be "beaten" pretty easily doing whatever you want. I don't break out a guide until well after Torment level 4 and hitting max level. It's only necessary if you want to push higher difficulties, not to beat the game. I ended up stalling on Path of Exile because it felt like you needed to start following a guide pretty early on if you didn't want to struggle.

BH, out of curiosity, did you have gear scores turned on for Breakpoint? I actually have never played that way. With them off, there really isn't that much fiddling. Just the relatively mild skill tree, the classes, and choose some weapons you like. I ignore every weapon that drops and always break down the weapons in the chests. The only effort is when I buy or find a new weapon schematic and take a look to see if it looks better than what I'm rolling with.

World of Tanks dev leaving Russia and Belarus. Thats a huge chunk of money they will lose. Not sure what will happen with their game there.


Belarus’ biggest games company is leaving the country — and Russia

World of Tanks developer Wargaming to close studios and transfer operation of games.

Says 'transfer' of games. Should just close it.

Blackhawk wrote: Thu Apr 07, 2022 12:31 am And for anyone who thinks that the video was too over the top, here's the skill tree from Path of Exile:

Spoiler:

I love ARPG's, but that insanity has kept me away from Path of Exile entirely. Just looking at it makes my brain hurt.

ive played it off and on and tried different character builds. I also am turned off by it and I dont get that far. My online friend loves it though. I MUCh prefer the Diablo series.

Trying Rebel Cops, dang, this thing is hard. Should have given each pair a billy club as arrests never seem to go smoothly. Take 8 turns for the taser to recharge? Sheesh. Apparently pistol-whipping the guy's not an option.

Restart from scratch, then realized I goofed again, so restart a third time. Then goofed up in the mission despite playing on easy and have unlimited saves (normal difficulty gives you only 3 saves per mission)

The tutorial is easy enough, but the real 1st mission, the train station, is already difficult in that you MUST restrict yourself to non-lethal takedowns on the guards, but the guards will shoot you if they spot you. So you must arm your cops with billy clubs, and go as pairs. One checks if "hold suspect at gunpoint" has a good percentage of success or not. If it's lower than 90%, go in with the billy club and knock the guy over. That gives you an extra turn to arrest the guy. Else, just "hold at gunpoint" then, go in for the arrest.

Got the crime boss / primary objective... by shooting him in the arm. He'll bleed out in 6 turns, but I end the mission on the next turn with his arrest.

I think I'm starting to get the hang of it,

Whoa, Remedy is remaking Max Payne 1 and 2

Here's some news that genuinely caught us off guard today: Remedy is remaking third-person shooter masterpieces Max Payne and Max Payne 2: The Fall of Max Payne.

The remade Paynes will be distributed as one package, and aren't likely to be released anytime soon. Remedy says that the project is in "the concept development stage."

For now, the news is just that Remedy was able to get the go-ahead on the project, which wasn't a given. Remedy created both of the original Max Payne games, but Rockstar published them, and still controls the Max Payne copyright. (Rockstar developed Max Payne 3 itself.)

According to Remedy's announcement, it approached Rockstar with the idea of remaking the games, and Rockstar co-founder Sam Houser was "thrilled" by the idea. Rockstar is funding development of the remakes, whose budget will be "in line with a typical Remedy AAA-game production," says Remedy. No surprise: Remedy plans to use its Northlight game engine, which was most recently seen in Control.

Hmmm...

I much prefer the first two to the last one. I would definitely be in.

They seem to be on quite a roll right now. Not only are they remaking the first two Max Payne games, but they're also going ahead with an Alan Wake sequel, a Control sequel and a multiplayer spinoff. That's quite a lot of activity for a relatively small developer. Also, usually when old games get remastered, it's to re-align them with their more modern counterparts and make them accessible on newer hardware, so that makes me wonder if they eventually plan on a Max Payne 4.

Daehawk wrote: Fri Apr 08, 2022 12:15 pm

misleading headline... all of the games on here are micro-ized remakes of the arcade versions (except for Pac-Man, which is a remake of the Atari 2600 version)

also pointed out in the youtube comments:

Combat with AI because no 2 player
Missile Command Arcade, but the one button controls all 3 bases so it shoots whichever you're nearest to
Tempest Arcade because the 2600 prototype was never completed and is wonky
Centipede AND Millipede decently replicated
Single player Warlords

Missile Command Arcade, but the one button controls all 3 bases so it shoots whichever you're nearest to

Thats the way it always worked on 2600.

Combat with AI because no 2 player

ummm duh?

Man people are strange. I liked the asteroids one. Same as my old arcade.

Blackhawk wrote: Thu Apr 07, 2022 12:31 am This was actually why I walked away from my one attempt at Ghost Recon: Breakpoint recently. The convoluted mass of leveling and unlocking mechanics there just utterly sucked away any desire I had to actually play the game. RPGs were at their best when they had meaningful choices baked into understandable system. I'm guessing it was the extra complexity involved in MMOs during their big boom that caused the shift. Looking at games before WoW blew the industry out of the water, the systems were fairly straightforward. Afterwards they were anything but.

And for anyone who thinks that the video was too over the top, here's the skill tree from Path of Exile:

Spoiler:

Path of Exiles was what I thought of when I watched that video.

Playing Accident, a game where you do a VR recreation of the accident as the good samaritan who just came upon the scene. It's up to you to secure the scene (put out flares and/or triangles), call emergency services, and perform CPR if applicable. Then once help arrived, you are to investigate the scene, grab the clues available, and determine the cause of the accident by rearranging the clues in the proper order.

You can probably solve all the scenarios in a couple hours, so it's not a long game. There are like a dozen scenarios to play through, mostly in Europe, but a few in the US. And the way they did the CPR in the game is pretty cute, and there are occasional wrinkles in the game that I won't spoil. Got it in the Industrious Sims bundle so didn't pay full price, but it may almost be worth the full price as it's a pretty fresh subject.

I'm currently playing Factory Town (Steam link) which I got in the Sim Games sale which ends Monday on Steam. This is a factory builder game, in some ways like Factorio or Dyson Sphere Program or Satisfactory, but it is also a city or colony builder like a simple Banished or maybe Timberborn. Basically you harvest resources, put them through production and use them to upgrade your houses and other buildings so you can produce more. Since there is no starvation or combat there is no death spiral situations.

The twist is that instead of just having your cute little people hand-carry resources and products, you can also build conveyors and chutes, carts and trains, pipes and more. There are tons of different products to make and distribute. Check out the trailer for the game:



It was in Early Access in Steam for who knows how long and was at the 1.0 release last November. There haven't been any updates for almost three months which I think is more indicative of the maturity of the game rather than any abandonment by the devs.

There are eight Campaign missions which helps to get your feet wet in the game. There are also custom games which like Tropico is where you select the parameters and the map is auto generated. There is also a sandbox mode where you start off with an empty map.

I'm pass the Steam return playtime limit and I'm somewhat engaged by the game. I'll keep playing for awhile and see if I still like it after a few hours. If some other folks post an interest in the game I'll start a dedicated thread.

jztemple2 wrote: Sat Apr 09, 2022 10:58 pm I'm currently playing Factory Town (Steam link) which I got in the Sim Games sale which ends Monday on Steam.

So I'm continuing on this game. At a basic level it's like Banished or that ilk, you collect resources and either give them directly to house or go through production. You need peeps to collect the resources and operate the factories and move stuff from one place to another. The only except are places like the market and the general store which distribute their wares automatically to houses in their range.

The difference here is that at each tech level there are only a certain number of houses that each hold a certain number of workers, so you need to use labor saving devices to improve efficiency of those carrying tasks. The easier one is a wood conveyor belt which moves stuff from one building to another. Then there is the chute, which moves stuff quicker but can only handle certain items. Beyond that are cloth conveyor belts which move faster. And I'm sure their are others I haven't seen yet

Alternatively there are other methods of moving. There are carts, which still use up one person (who I guess is assumed to be operating the cart). Carts can go anywhere a person can. They can carry up to four items instead of the just one a person carries. There are also mine carts that run on tracks but are more efficient. And then finally there are trains which carry even more. Another method is using pipes, either above or underground. Early on only water can be sent in pipes, but that changes later on.

This is a look at my village at the end of campaign mission two. I don't have much in the way of conveyor belts, but I'm running a number of carts around.


There are oodles of goods, well beyond simple things like food and timber and bricks. There are there no doubt so you can have all sorts of complicated production chains and transports. And that's when this game start being more like Satisfactory or Dyson Sphere Program, it becomes as much about production chains and processing and transport. It's a nice idea that works well as a more relaxing kind of game. As I've mentioned, there are no death spirals of overspending or not enough food or bad aliens attacking your village. It's all rather zen.

Questions?

There was a thread:
https://octopusoverlords.com/forum/view ... ?p=2762863

I don't think I ever posted in it, but I played the game at some point and it was alright. I'd rather be playing Factorio.

coopasonic wrote: Sun Apr 10, 2022 7:47 pm There was a thread:
https://octopusoverlords.com/forum/view ... ?p=2762863

I don't think I ever posted in it, but I played the game at some point and it was alright. I'd rather be playing Factorio.

Thanks, I'll copy my posts over there. I figured this was such an obscure game there wasn't going to be a thread for it

Finished Doctor Who The Lonely Assassins... only took 2.5 hours. Missed 2 achievements (not in Steam), but don't feel like redoing the game just for that.

Nex twill probably be Doctor Who Infinity, then maybe Motorcycle Mechanic

If you ever liked Sierra and their games this video is for you.

Blizzard has apparently swallowed Vicarious Visions whole.

Tony Hawk, Crash, Spyro, etc. are likely no more.

Skinypupy wrote: Tue Apr 12, 2022 10:32 am Blizzard has apparently swallowed Vicarious Visions whole.

Tony Hawk, Crash, Spyro, etc. are likely no more.

FWIW, Activision (and therefore Blizzard, and therefore Microsoft) already owned all three IPs, and has for ages. Other than a couple of remasters, Vicarious Visions hasn't worked on any of them in 15 years. Other than remasters and ports of other peoples' games (mostly to Android/iOS), the only thing they've worked on in the last decade has been Skylanders Swap Force.

It seems like the chances of them making a game for those IPs may have just gone up.

Good article, Taking a vacation in Far Cry 2 is easier said than done

I've had a hankering to return to the UAC, and it's the hiking, the sunsets, and the zebras that I'm after. A holiday. I'm not interested in the journey to the heart of darkness or the nihilism, I'm not even after the Jackal as such. He's just on an optional day excursion.

So, no unnecessary deaths. No guns. No moral relativism. Just a good time.

Fallout 4 has re entered my noggin yelling PLAY ME! Why FO4 why....I have like 12 games Im playing lol. Two of those are MMOs. I dont have room or time for FO4. I finished it in 2014 with just a handful of mods I could count on on one hand. Off and on it wants me to play it again. I did try a year or so ago I think it was. Trying to mod it drove me crazy and I gave up and tried to play it vanilla. I didn't get past my own home before deleting.

I do now own the GotY edition so I have all the DLC I never played and that some nice mods required. So if I finish some stuff up in a month or so I may toss it back in and go again. But I remember the game so well its silly. And I know how Preston is a damn nag. Im just not sure.

I cannot recommend enough that you just go with a Wabbajack build.

For the VR version I was sadly limited to only one option. And there are a couple things about it that I'm not thrilled about. But it was soooooooo much easier than trying to figure out mods on my own.

Ill look into the Wabbajack build. Never heard of it. looks detailed.

Also considering a Quake run through after seeing the Quake HD mod. Wow. But Im not sure there either as Quake and ALL those 1990s shooters I played with friends online in co-op mode. Ya I used to have living friends. So playing them solo Im just not sure on.

The Wabbajack stuff is actually remarkably simple. Though it definitely helps if you can sign up for a month of paid Nexus. Then you just, basically, click a button and wait for it to finish. There might be some tweaks. I think without the paid subscription to Nexus, that you'll have to click a button for each mod, but otherwise it's still pretty automated.

With FO4VR I did have to do some tweaking after the fact, but I didn't have to do anything when I set up Skyrim VR.

Ohhh that right Nexus went fucktard. Forgot about that. May never bother with games and mods again then.

Absolutely. For any of the Bethesda games from Morrowind through their VR titles, unless you really have something specific in mind and want to spend the endless hours dealing with it, studying every single mod, making notes, and then troubleshooting them for hours more, use Wabbajack. You install one thing, tweak a few settings, and then you play. It's like having a master modder come and set up your game for you.

Heed one warning, though: the instructions are short and simple, but take the time to read them and follow them step-by-step. Every. Step. If you do not, if you skip sections, or if you do things it says not to, it will not work right. It's roughly the equivalent of figuring out the installation of a single large mod, but don't skip it. For instance, for Fallout 4, pay close attention to what it says about the Triangle of Death, as well as what it says about current Nvidia drivers.

Some of those 90's shooters really haven't age well. I've tried playing the origin Sin Gold and it's janky as hell. Though apparently it's getting a remake by Nightdive.

A box of fun, unearthed from my attic.



I really need to throw these out. I have about 6-8 boxes like this.

You're waiting for someone to scream NOOooooo! right?

hentzau wrote: Tue Apr 12, 2022 10:23 pm A box of fun, unearthed from my attic.



I really need to throw these out. I have about 6-8 boxes like this.

That's some legit old school gaming goodness. I'm pretty sure I played that Lucasfilm Night Shift game way back when I had a Commodore Amiga, and owned the other titles on one of my earliest gaming PCs.

Daehawk wrote:You're waiting for someone to scream NOOooooo! right?

Tip of the iceberg…

What is that Star Trek game? It looks a bite like Judgement Rites but seems different.