Octopus Overlords

Posted: **Mon Oct 23, 2017 1:35 am**

I just deleted it and glad I did. I hate and REFUSE to support micro transactions and the games that use them.

Posted: **Mon Oct 23, 2017 1:54 am**

Deleted what?

Posted: **Mon Oct 23, 2017 2:12 am**

Path of Exile. It wasn't because of MTs though I was just burnt out on it. But if it does get them Id be done anyways. I do not in any way support pay to win gaming.

Posted: **Mon Oct 23, 2017 9:39 am**

KDH wrote: Mon Oct 23, 2017 12:07 am ...

.. Activision’s patented method to drive microtransactions with matchmaking

Activision just granted a Patent describing algorithms designed to match a lower ranking player with an elite player for the purpose of driving loot-box purchases (currently unused)

Patent #9789406, for a "System and method for driving microtransactions in multiplayer video games," describes a number of matchmaking algorithms that a game could use to encourage players to purchase additional in-game items. "For instance, the system may match a more expert/marquee player with a junior player to encourage the junior player to make game-related purchases of items possessed/used by the marquee player," the patent reads. "A junior player may wish to emulate the marquee player by obtaining weapons or other items used by the marquee player."
Here's a Rhykker Video discussing the matter
Spoiler:

Sucks to be the "junior" player in that scenario if the "weapons or other items" are more powerful rather than simply cosmetic flair. It would be a literal pay-to-win situation. Spend the money, get the power, and we'll match you up with noobs to slaughter.

Also, marquee is the strangest spelling of whale that I've ever seen.

Posted: **Tue Oct 24, 2017 3:18 am**

Daehawk wrote: Mon Oct 23, 2017 2:12 am Path of Exile. It wasn't because of MTs though I was just burnt out on it. But if it does get them Id be done anyways. I do not in any way support pay to win gaming.

Oops ignore this. I kept re-reading the last page looking for a reference and even Googled it, but never noticed the embedded Youtube video. Haven't watched it yet, but I presume hijinks are afoot. Under the forum update I don't seem to be able to delete my post, so makes more sense to edit myself I suppose than replace all the text with a picture of a cat asleep in a bowl of peas.

Is there a news item I missed? I sunk a good 50 hours into PoE without needing to drop a dime. The only place it seemed semi-required was in terms of the storage space you'd want if you intended to go deep into the endgame and twink alts. But even then, you'd get away paying far less for the overall experience as you would for a similarly vast non-F2P title. The sins of exploitative microtransactions are vast and frequent, but unless something has changed in a big way, PoE's publisher/devs got it right.

Posted: **Tue Oct 24, 2017 6:47 am**

I started PC gaming in 1997. The price of a new game was $60. The price of a loaf of bread was 87 cents.
20 years later, the price of a new game is $60. The price of a loaf of bread is $1.35. Game prices should be about $93.

The market insists on keeping game prices the same, never increasing them. That money has to be made up somewhere. Distribution has become cheaper, and that is part of what allows games to ignore inflation. They still need to make up a lot, though. A lot of that is coming from post-sale transactions (IE - microtransactions.) It's even worse in the free-to-play era when people think that something should actually cost zero. Free-to-play is yesteryear's demo. You still have to pay or developers starve.

That's part of why it is becoming so much harder these days to find pure AAA single-player games. They're harder to monetize after the initial sale.

As long as we insist on not paying more for our hobby, we can expect publishers to use other tactics to stay in business.

Posted: **Tue Oct 24, 2017 6:47 am**

That wasn't meant in support of Activision's bullshit, by the way, just as a counter to the idea that microtransactions = bad.

Posted: **Tue Oct 24, 2017 8:38 am**

I would say that Microtransactions are a decent way to offer whatever level of support someone might be willing or able to spend, and this is a good thing.

The flip side of the coin is that developers tend to get excessive and make things either pay to win or start including paywalls where they don't make sense - like playing through 90% of a game and discovering the last 10% is only accessible with cash monies.

Posted: **Tue Oct 24, 2017 1:23 pm**

Paingod wrote: Tue Oct 24, 2017 8:38 am I would say that Microtransactions are a decent way to offer whatever level of support someone might be willing or able to spend, and this is a good thing.

The flip side of the coin is that developers tend to get excessive and make things either pay to win or start including paywalls where they don't make sense - like playing through 90% of a game and discovering the last 10% is only accessible with cash monies.

I think I'm ok with that in a free to play game. Many F2P games are F2P up to a point.

Posted: **Tue Oct 24, 2017 2:34 pm**

Blackhawk wrote: Tue Oct 24, 2017 6:47 am I started PC gaming in 1997. The price of a new game was $60. The price of a loaf of bread was 87 cents.
20 years later, the price of a new game is $60. The price of a loaf of bread is $1.35. Game prices should be about $93.

I find it interesting how personal experience changes things. I started gaming around 1988. Actually I started earlier but we were unrepentant game thieves in college (not strictly pirating as we just passed the disks around after we were done). By 1988 I had a computer and started to buy games. Except I didn't buy very many. I was big into Angband, Nethack, and ADOM - all free. I sent away for King of Dragon Pass, Tac Ops, Playmaker Football, and one or two more at roughly $20 each. In the early 2000's I got into discount bins in stores and abandonware and again paid nearly nothing for games.

To me computer games have never cost more than $25. It's only been in the past 7 years or so that I've been creeping up to playing newish games Steam sales, bundles, and F2P/B2P MMOs have kept things cheap enough that $60 still sounds really high.

Posted: **Tue Oct 24, 2017 4:09 pm**

I only buy maybe one game a year at full retail, and unless there is a new Bethesda RPG, it is usually going to be a multiplayer game where you don't want to come in too late. Even that is usually used as a Christmas/Father's Day gift.

I was just using the shelf price of new retail games.

Posted: **Tue Oct 24, 2017 4:33 pm**

Sorry if I sounded like I was jumping on you over costs. I think your point about inflation is spot on but the perception of $25 or $60 still makes a psychological difference. If I'm used to paying roughly $20 for most games a $5 mount / storage / QOL improvement feels like a big deal.

Microtransactions work best when they feel micro. Or perhaps I'm just too cheap to ever feel really comfortable with them.

Posted: **Wed Oct 25, 2017 2:28 am**

...

... Steel Rats The Dark Seedy World of Motorcycles .. Did I mention it was Dark?

due: 2018

Spoiler:

Posted: **Thu Oct 26, 2017 5:26 pm**

I need to start a Steam Anonymous Club. HELP ME FROM BUYING AGAIN! ESPECIALLY THE ONES ON SALE!

Posted: **Fri Oct 27, 2017 9:14 am**

...

... The Amazing Eternals Halting Development

a deck-building game that had already reached the closed beta phase

Spoiler:

Hello Fellow Eternals,

After many discussions internally on the state of The Amazing Eternals, we have decided to hit the pause button on development at this time. This decision didn’t come lightly. We worked hard to make a game that we are proud to say was shaping up to have great potential. However, we took an honest look at the current gaming landscape and how the game was performing in Closed Beta. Unfortunately, the game wasn’t attracting players fast enough to support a viable matchmaking player base with the current game design direction, which is the lifeblood of this type of game. So, with heavy hearts, we’re taking a step back to reevaluate the design and may revisit our intrepid heroes in the future.

For those players who believed in what we were making and invested their hard-earned cash into the Founders Program, we are humbled by and grateful for your dedication and support. Refunds will be issued over a 72-hour period beginning today, October 26, 2017 and may take up to 3 to 5 business days to process. During this period, the game servers will remain live until 11:59pm ET, November 2, 2017.

The official forums and Discord will remain live indefinitely for players who want to stay in contact with each other, and the entire development team will remain with Digital Extremes and transition to Warframe development, so if you’re a Warframe player, you may still see us around.

This was a hard decision to make, and we can’t thank you enough for your incredible support throughout development. The Amazing Eternals will live on through all of you who were there to make it happen.

We do not have any additional plans to discuss at this time, but feel free to post any questions or concerns here, and we’ll try to answer them.

vg247.com

The Amazing Eternals was a hybrid shooter that was part Overwatch and part Hearthstone, blending cards for strategy with hero-based first-person shooting.

Unfortunately, there weren’t enough players to support the game.

Posted: **Tue Oct 31, 2017 11:44 pm**

For years I had TF2 installed on my system and played all the time. But I got bored and deleted it. But every year for the last ....gosh Im not sure..since it started......Ive reinstalled every Halloween and played the Halloween Headless Horseman stuff. This year is no different and here I am again playing it. Its a annual thing for me. For this one week in October I have a blast playing TF2 again. Then I uninstall until next year.

Posted: **Fri Nov 03, 2017 2:29 pm**

Just announced at Blizzcon: SC2 going free-to-play (sounds like you might not be getting the latest expact with the free version though).

Posted: **Sat Nov 04, 2017 4:16 pm**

Aargh. Just cleared two games off of my list, and I'm having that gaming indecisiveness that eats up free time. I want something laid back and fun. I was going to start Planet Coaster, but there is supposed to be a huge update in just a couple of weeks. I could play the first Starcraft expansion, which I never got around to.

Or maybe something turn based? A 4x sounds fun, but I've been bitten by too many of them that are either brutally difficult, or assume that you're going to play a certain way (I'm not really an aggressive player, and when enemies show up with unbeatable 'death stacks' on turn ten, I get wiped out - I'm looking at you, AoW3.) Fallen Enchantress: Legendary Heroes?

Maybe Civilization 5. I never gave it as much attention as it deserved.

Posted: **Sat Nov 04, 2017 4:31 pm**

I'm trying to get into Cities Skyline.

Posted: **Sat Nov 04, 2017 7:48 pm**

I need to do that too.

Posted: **Sat Nov 04, 2017 8:37 pm**

Blackhawk wrote: Sat Nov 04, 2017 4:16 pm Aargh. Just cleared two games off of my list, and I'm having that gaming indecisiveness that eats up free time. I want something laid back and fun. I was going to start Planet Coaster, but there is supposed to be a huge update in just a couple of weeks. I could play the first Starcraft expansion, which I never got around to.

Or maybe something turn based? A 4x sounds fun, but I've been bitten by too many of them that are either brutally difficult, or assume that you're going to play a certain way (I'm not really an aggressive player, and when enemies show up with unbeatable 'death stacks' on turn ten, I get wiped out - I'm looking at you, AoW3.) Fallen Enchantress: Legendary Heroes?

Maybe Civilization 5. I never gave it as much attention as it deserved.

I'm just having a lot of fun with Warhammer Quest (enough fun that after getting it free from JetFred, bought the DLC while it was on sale this week).

For 4x - Endless Legends, Gal Civ 3, new MOO - there's some depth and options if you really want to get into it. But you can play any and enjoy w/o a steep learning curve, and don't recall ever getting death stacks on turn 10 or anything supernasty like that (though I usually only play at normal level - not overly interested in playing against AI's that have cheat bonuses in most games, just want to play where the AI is maxed in it's ability (not dumbed down at all).

Posted: **Wed Nov 08, 2017 6:01 am**

Blackhawk wrote: Wed Sep 06, 2017 5:26 pm Then again, I've had the urge to replay Deus Ex and/or System Shock 2 again.
Having fun is a pain in the ass.

Did you get back into this or pass it up? Im in a huge rut and considering reinstalling this. Looks like a patch just came out in Sept this year and I hear theres a graphics package for it somewhere. I will look for that thread here too.

Posted: **Wed Nov 08, 2017 7:45 am**

Nope, not yet, although I did make a run at System Shock 1. The funny thing is, back when they were new I'd go to great lengths to bump up the graphics, but these days I don't really care. I'm just as happy (or happier) with the out-of-the-box look.

Posted: **Thu Nov 09, 2017 12:57 am**

Stupid damn Amazon. I want Call of Duty Infinite Warfare and its on Amazon. But get this...its only $17.50 to buy new...but the download version is $60.00. Damnit.

After bills I could probably afford the cheap option but not the download. It should be cheaper to download..no box no dvd no manual..argh.

Posted: **Thu Nov 09, 2017 8:51 am**

Hint: it’s not Amazon setting those prices.

Posted: **Thu Nov 09, 2017 9:11 am**

I picked up Shadow Warrior 2 at a great price on the GOG Halloween sale and have been playing it a lot. It's fun. It's really a FPS RPG. Kind of like Borderlands but without the random weapons and with a pretty detailed skills system. I'm working on building a melee fighter and looking for good weapon upgrade drops. Recommended.

Posted: **Thu Nov 09, 2017 12:37 pm**

Think I finished the new SW1...not seen the SW2.

Posted: **Mon Nov 13, 2017 10:35 am**

MonkeyFinger wrote: Thu Nov 24, 2016 10:36 am
Hipolito wrote:Rather than create a whole embarrassing thread for the annual Interactive Fiction Competition (IFComp) like I usually do, I'll just make an embarrassing little post here.
Ah... was wondering when you would make your annual appearance. Still appreciated, even if little and embarrassing.

This year's competition has a 36% spike in entries!

Posted: **Tue Nov 14, 2017 6:32 am**

...

The Roddenberry Shop is selling keycaps to TREK' ify your keyboard .. the kickstarter'esque method is fully funded

Price varies depending on package .. the "artisan" ESC key is $49.00 alone

Spoiler:

Make it so

Daehawk in .. 3, 2, 1

Posted: **Tue Nov 14, 2017 7:23 am**

Heh..LCARs eh?....ouch $50 for the Enterprise D.

EDIT: Thats better and more entertaining.

Posted: **Tue Nov 14, 2017 9:58 am**

For as awesome as Homeworld 2 was, I still think Cataclysm was my favorite. I love the multi-functional units like workers (gather, repair, and capture), fighters that combine into corvettes, hive ships that spawn swarms of drones, shield drones, etc. More than that, I love the big enemy - The Beast. I get chills every time I play through the first mission you encounter it and hear the screams of your crew on comms as they get consumed.

I'm glad they re-released it as "Emergence" for GoG. I was worried that it was lost to the sands of time. I'm enjoying this run through. I just finished capturing the first Taiidan Cruiser you encounter after learning how to salvage and get Leeches to break it down easier, and need to turn around and use it to rip apart the base fleet and help capture a couple Destroyers.

Posted: **Tue Nov 14, 2017 4:59 pm**

I tried Homeworld twice. Just did not like it. Didn't grab me and its tough to control for me in the up down space. I love space games and other than that Id love it. I really want the Kharak rts game thats out.

Posted: **Wed Nov 15, 2017 8:35 am**

Daehawk wrote: Tue Nov 14, 2017 4:59 pm I tried Homeworld twice. Just did not like it. Didn't grab me and its tough to control for me in the up down space. I love space games and other than that Id love it.

By and large, the game plays out on a flat plane and your ships will fly to targets well enough on their own. The 3rd axis can be a little wonky, but as long as you've got the camera pointed at roughly a 90º angle to your flight path, holding Shift and moving the mouse up or down to take advantage of it is a very nice tactical addition. I've done it often enough now that it's a pretty natural thing for me, and when I play a space RTS without the 3rd axis, I feel like I'm bolted to the floor.

I think Homeworld 2 played some tricks with it more than Homeworld 1 or Cataclysm (Emergence) does. I think in Homeworld 2, I recall at least one mission where it was imperative that you fly down a somewhat narrow nebula corridor that moved up and down.

I'd say it's overall worth it to learn to adjust to the wonkiness, but that's me. I know it's not for everyone.

Posted: **Fri Nov 17, 2017 10:20 pm**

MonkeyFinger wrote: Mon Nov 13, 2017 10:35 am
MonkeyFinger wrote: Thu Nov 24, 2016 10:36 am
Hipolito wrote:Rather than create a whole embarrassing thread for the annual Interactive Fiction Competition (IFComp) like I usually do, I'll just make an embarrassing little post here.
Ah... was wondering when you would make your annual appearance. Still appreciated, even if little and embarrassing. :wink:
This year's competition has a 36% spike in entries! :D

Hey MonkeyFinger! I totally missed this year's IFComp. I guess I should try the winning games.

The 1st place winner is titled "The Wizard Sniffer" and the 2nd place is "Eat Me."

I ...

Posted: **Sat Nov 18, 2017 12:43 am**

dbt1949 wrote:I need to start a Steam Anonymous Club. HELP ME FROM BUYING AGAIN! ESPECIALLY THE ONES ON SALE!

JetFred can help you feel better about that

Posted: **Sat Nov 18, 2017 6:11 am**

Id like to say my wallet keeps me from buying Steam games but Ive had $20 in there many months now..maybe over a year.....and I never buy anything. I think owning most of their good stuff is the main reason

Posted: **Sat Nov 18, 2017 8:27 am**

Pyperkub wrote: Sat Nov 18, 2017 12:43 am
dbt1949 wrote:I need to start a Steam Anonymous Club. HELP ME FROM BUYING AGAIN! ESPECIALLY THE ONES ON SALE!
JetFred can help you feel better about that

Yep, my goal is to lead by bad example.

Posted: **Wed Nov 22, 2017 4:29 pm**

Anyone playing Idle Heroes on Android? I'm asking here because I'm toying with playing it semi-seriously and I'm hoping there are a few people already into it and maybe they have a guild I could join?

Anyone?

Posted: **Wed Nov 22, 2017 5:53 pm**

I think this is a good thread for this video.

https://youtu.be/NJQwini7eHQ

Posted: **Wed Nov 22, 2017 6:07 pm**

KDH wrote: Fri Oct 20, 2017 4:55 am ...

... The Original _ _ is available now .. Only on GOG

$14.99

Welcome back to the family.

Mafia is now available DRM-free and only on GOG.com.

The action/adventure classic that you really shouldn't refuse, finally returns. Embark on a celebrated open-world thriller and follow Tommy Angelo's rise (or fall, depending on your perspective) to a perilous life of high-stakes crime in 1930s America. The city of Lost Heaven is your playground, as long as you don't let the police catch you in the act, wise guy.

NOTE: This rerelease of Mafia has an edited soundtrack and does not include any licensed music.

I finished that game, but every time I return to it I get my ass handed to me walking the girlfriend home .. and then she won't return my calls

Direct Link

Spoiler:

There was a good deal of demand for this, as over 10,000 now-happy users included it on the GOG community wishlist. Word is: "Originally released in 2002, Mafia is a love letter to an era of big band and zoot suits. Its attention to minute detail brings a world to life in ways all but unmatched since, and that's enough of a reason to revisit this absolute classic – now fully compatible with modern computers, only on GOG.com."

Just wanted to mention that Mafia is also now available on Steam.

Octopus Overlords

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