Octopus Overlords

Blackhawk wrote:

Kraken wrote:

Blackhawk wrote:Lords of the Realm II

Let's get digging!

My Lord? Yes?

Kraken wrote: Did you know that I wrote the dialog lines for a couple of characters and made a few of the maps? Ah, glory days.

I did not! Now I do. I've brushed elbows with celebrity!

It was the first game I ever worked on. I was listed as a tester, but back then QA made a lot of the content.

How hard is too hard to get a game running before you say F**k it and throw in the towel?

I've got my new rig running nicely, I'm testing out games and having a good time, I run into Shogun 2. I've owned the game for almost a year. On my last computer this game bombed and I assumed I was under-specc'd for it and just set it aside to patiently wait for my next computer. The time is now, right? Not so.

I've spent the better part of 12 hours attempting to fix this and get it running. I've posted to their support forums to look for any extra help. The laundry list of things I've tried impresses even me in terms of effort to make a game run. Steam says I've got 4 hours of play time in the game now, but I've never even seen the splash screen once. That's 4 hours of the game executable running without actually launching the game.

So when do you throw in the towel? I've loved other Total War games, and I'm completely baffled as to why this won't run. I feel like there's a button somewhere I need to push and it'll magically fire up - but I just don't know where it is.

Depends on my level of desire to play the game. I might keep at it for 3 days if I really want to play and I have reason to hope I can still get it to work.

These days, 99% of any problems I encounter have already been encountered by someone else, so google (via search results showing other people with the problem) will tell me whether it's time to give up or not. Mostly not.

I really haven't had an unsurmountable problem in a long time, that I can remember at least. I've been pretty lucky.

So I got a promo from my GTX 980 that arrived in my inbox. I followed the steps and everything went according to plan. The "you're finished" text said the game should show up in my Uplay (shudder) account within 5 minutes. Now I know how these things work so I'm not holding anyone to the 5 minute timeframe, but it's going on 40 minutes now and it still hasn't shown up, which is annoying.

For anyone who has redeemed a 3rd party promo on Uplay (rather than just activating a game with a code), what was your experience? Fast? Slow? A week?

I could have just waited a day or so to see if things were just moving stupidly slow, but Nvidia expects me to have the game inside of 5 minutes and I've got time on my hands while I wait so I wrote this post for the hell of it.

For the record I'm checking my account through Ubisoft's website (logged in as my account) rather than through the Uplay client. This shouldn't matter, but maybe it does somehow?

edit: Turns out it DID matter. Despite the website showing my account information, I had to install the Uplay client and log into that to see the new game. Interestingly, the changes I made through the website (picked a badge, assigned an Avatar) translated directly to the Uplay client. i.e. the recent changes to the website were reflected in the Uplay client.

Weird. I guess I don't really care one way or the other, but consistent data is something I used to do as part of my living, so...annoying, but since I can only play the game through the Uplay client anyway, it doesn't really matter that it only appears right away in the client. For the record the game is still not being shown through the website, so the Uplay client didn't "kickstart" the data to the website. Shrug.

As I recall I got Black Flag free on Uplay with my card and it took a day and then it messed up and did some such thing where it was a totally different account...was mine but I already had one and it made another and I had to write them and get them to move all games to the same account.

I got Black Flag free with my card as well. I already had a Uplay account so I just went in through there and activated and downloaded the game, just as if I had bought it. It's weird, I've never had an issue with Uplay except that sometimes it was a bit slow, but usually it downloads and updates as fast as my ISP will provide.

Last Friday night I was feeling a bit sick to my stomach and made the mistake of playing Ziggurat, which is extremely fast moving. I then played some Dying Light and by the time I was done, I was feeling seriously under the weather.

The next day I still felt sick and avoided any 3D games.

So now I have an aversion for playing ANY game that involves a 3D environment, which has resulted in me avoiding my top 5-8 games I was planning on playing. So my gaming has practically ground to a halt as I try to figure out what I want to play next.

On the plus side, I played some old and some new games that have been on the second tier priority list. On the negative side, nothing has reached out and grabbed me so I've played less this week than usual.

That said, I played Craft the World last night and I was up past my bed time as I kept trying to finish "one more task".

GreenGoo wrote:So now I have an aversion for playing ANY game that involves a 3D environment, which has resulted in me avoiding my top 5-8 games I was planning on playing. So my gaming has practically ground to a halt as I try to figure out what I want to play next.

I suffer from motion sickness in First Person games if the field of view (FOV) isn't set correctly. I can feel nausea coming on within a minute or two of a default Fallout 4 install. Fixing the FOV is essential to headache/stomach churing-free gaming.

The only other title that ever made me motion sick without being first person was Zombie Driver. It was apparently a common problem and due largely to the way the camera swung around and zoomed in and out constantly. The developer released a patch to calm that down and it became more playable.

GreenGoo wrote:That said, I played Craft the World last night and I was up past my bed time as I kept trying to finish "one more task".

Yeah - it can be addictive. I think I made it to the third world before I wandered off.

I don't usually experience motion sickness from games unless I've been away from FPS for a long time, say 6 months or so. Then I can get some mild nausea at first but usually within a day or two I've adjusted and don't have any more problems. I'm pretty lucky as far as motion sickness goes.

My wife can't even watch the kids play minecraft on the TV without getting sick.

I'm sticking this in here as it is still just a rumor, but word has it that Battlefield 5 may be set in WWI.

That actually intrigues me much more than another modern military shooter.

Now that I would like. I have fun with Verdun .

I wish game trailers would show more in game play rather than the damn cut scenes.

dbt1949 wrote:I wish game trailers would show more in game play rather than the damn cut scenes.

If you truly want to see what a game is like, you should search for Let's Play videos on YouTube. Be ready to mute whatever annoying player commentating you can't stand.

Trailers is for finding out what the game is about.

Video reviews are for getting a rough what the gameplay is like.

Let's Play is for deciding whether the game is worth getting. I'm actually partial to TotalBiscuit and Angry Joe.

dbt1949 wrote:I wish game trailers would show more in game play rather than the damn cut scenes.

God, yes! Yesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyes!

Blackhawk wrote:Trailers is for finding out what the game is about.

Video reviews are for getting a rough what the gameplay is like.

Let's Play is for deciding whether the game is worth getting. I'm actually partial to TotalBiscuit and Angry Joe.

I've started doing this more. But not enough. Mostly I end up watching the videos that people link to in the game threads for games that sound interesting. I've yet to go search on my own.

TotalBiscuit is closer to what I want, but I do watch Angry Joe too. Joe is putting on a show (not what I want) most of the time, and TotalBiscuit just doesn't go into enough detail for me (I think this is the price you pay for doing SO MANY let's plays).

I definitely look for gameplay video with an intelligent and hopefully well spoken player who narrates what he's doing and why. If he's a veteran player of the game, so much the better.

GreenGoo wrote:TotalBiscuit is closer to what I want, but I do watch Angry Joe too. Joe is putting on a show (not what I want) most of the time, and TotalBiscuit just doesn't go into enough detail for me (I think this is the price you pay for doing SO MANY let's plays).

That is exactly why I prefer TotalBiscuit. Part of the reason he doesn't go into much detail is because he goes out of his way to ensure that he isn't spoiling anything of significance. Most Let's Plays make you feel like you've already played the game. His don't.

Blackhawk wrote:I'm sticking this in here as it is still just a rumor, but word has it that Battlefield 5 may be set in WWI.

That actually intrigues me much more than another modern military shooter.

I love that idea and have often wondered why FPS's haven't tried using that era for games.

GreenGoo wrote:TotalBiscuit is closer to what I want, but I do watch Angry Joe too. Joe is putting on a show (not what I want) most of the time, and TotalBiscuit just doesn't go into enough detail for me (I think this is the price you pay for doing SO MANY let's plays).

I definitely look for gameplay video with an intelligent and hopefully well spoken player who narrates what he's doing and why. If he's a veteran player of the game, so much the better.

I love watching blind play throughs. Kay Plays are great examples of what I like.

Scuzz wrote:

Blackhawk wrote:I'm sticking this in here as it is still just a rumor, but word has it that Battlefield 5 may be set in WWI.

That actually intrigues me much more than another modern military shooter.

I love that idea and have often wondered why FPS's haven't tried using that era for games.

Maybe because trench warfare was really horrifying and not very gamy, except on a grand strategic level (or air war).

Kraken wrote:

Scuzz wrote:

Blackhawk wrote:I'm sticking this in here as it is still just a rumor, but word has it that Battlefield 5 may be set in WWI.

That actually intrigues me much more than another modern military shooter.

I love that idea and have often wondered why FPS's haven't tried using that era for games.

Maybe because trench warfare was really horrifying and not very gamy, except on a grand strategic level (or air war).

Yea, but as a FPS trying to lead your platoon thru gunfire, gas and artillery while having to find your way thru a trench puzzle sounds fun.

They don't need to set up every map as a trench battle, either. WW1 was mostly trench warfare, but not exclusively.

Scuzz wrote:Yea, but as a FPS trying to lead your platoon thru gunfire, gas and artillery while having to find your way thru a trench puzzle sounds fun.

Until you realize that the leader into the breach always ends up dead.

Zarathud wrote:

Scuzz wrote:Yea, but as a FPS trying to lead your platoon thru gunfire, gas and artillery while having to find your way thru a trench puzzle sounds fun.

Until you realize that the leader into the breach always ends up dead.

I think you confuse real life with a video game.

Scuzz wrote:

Zarathud wrote:

Scuzz wrote:Yea, but as a FPS trying to lead your platoon thru gunfire, gas and artillery while having to find your way thru a trench puzzle sounds fun.

Until you realize that the leader into the breach always ends up dead.

I think you confuse real life with a video game.

Until you realize that the leader into the breach always ends up dying multiple times.

In real life the leader jumps up and says follow me!
And everybody on their foxholes says "Fuck you!"
And Leader rises up and is shot dead all by himself.
Who knows where the bullets came from.

Tonight is my third night in a row with no gaming. I tore a cornea over the weekend and it got infected. I'm drowning the eye in antibiotic drops, but I can't focus on the screen long enough or well enough to play a game. Stupid broken eye!

Kraken wrote:Tonight is my third night in a row with no gaming.

You're making that sound like a long time

I go hot and cold on gaming. I tend to relate to games like I do to books; I never re-read a book because it isn't interesting to me to be over the same ground I've already covered. I'm the same way with games, even games with a decent amount of replayability. Once I've explored the campaign, learned the way to play, tried out the side quests, different play styles and the like, I just have a hard time continuing with a game. And I tend to have a harder time getting interested in picking up a random game than I used to as well.

All this results in going days and days with no gaming; this is kind of depressing, since now that I'm finally retired I can spend a lot more time gaming. Not that I don't spend a lot of time when I do finally get excited over a game; I have over 150 hours on Fallout 4, 60 on XCOM 2. I just don't tend to go back to a game and replay it anymore.

How about other folks? Anybody on their second or third playthrough of a Far Cry game, or maybe an Assassin's Creed?

There aren't a lot of games I'll replay that aren't designed with variations of gameplay in mind (Elder Scrolls and Fallout, for example, can be played so many ways that they can be multiple games each.) Diablo-ish games (Diablo, Borderlands, etc) where subsequent playthroughs with the same character are different experiences by design.

There are a couple of exceptions. System Shock 2 and Deus Ex each get a run every few years.

I used to replay games a lot more, usually because I didn't have anything new to move on to. Now thanks to Steam sales and bundles, I don't really need to do that.

jztemple2 wrote:

Kraken wrote:Tonight is my third night in a row with no gaming.

You're making that sound like a long time

I go hot and cold on gaming. I tend to relate to games like I do to books; I never re-read a book because it isn't interesting to me to be over the same ground I've already covered. I'm the same way with games, even games with a decent amount of replayability. Once I've explored the campaign, learned the way to play, tried out the side quests, different play styles and the like, I just have a hard time continuing with a game. And I tend to have a harder time getting interested in picking up a random game than I used to as well.

All this results in going days and days with no gaming; this is kind of depressing, since now that I'm finally retired I can spend a lot more time gaming. Not that I don't spend a lot of time when I do finally get excited over a game; I have over 150 hours on Fallout 4, 60 on XCOM 2. I just don't tend to go back to a game and replay it anymore.

How about other folks? Anybody on their second or third playthrough of a Far Cry game, or maybe an Assassin's Creed?

I rarely re-read a book, I will occasionally but not often. As for gaming, I have recently been re-playing games. I have re-played the Mass Effect series, the Baldurs Gate and Icewind Dale games, Fallout 3 and New Vegas, and finally I am working on re-playing the Dark Souls games.

jztemple2 wrote:

Kraken wrote:Tonight is my third night in a row with no gaming.

You're making that sound like a long time

3 days without gaming is a pretty long time for me. I certainly go that long at times, and sometimes I want to game but there's nothing I want to play, which results in me loading and closing half a dozen games and then just getting up and doing something else (often going to bed early).

Functional addict, I believe is the term.

I do replay games, but only games that offer a different way to play/win. A ranged build versus melee build for example. Mostly I return to games that I like, that I started playing before, and that I intend to finish "some day".

So yes, I do play some games more than once. I played Shadows of Mordor twice (and I'm thinking about a 3rd time), which is pretty close to your assassin's creed example.

During non-gaming season, I'll only play a game if the weather is bad AND I don't have any other chores I've been putting off. Or if I'm sick. I can't stand being inside when it's nice out.

GreenGoo wrote:

jztemple2 wrote:

Kraken wrote:Tonight is my third night in a row with no gaming.

You're making that sound like a long time

3 days without gaming is a pretty long time for me. I certainly go that long at times, and sometimes I want to game but there's nothing I want to play, which results in me loading and closing half a dozen games and then just getting up and doing something else (often going to bed early).

Ordinarily I play for 2-4 hours every night. I'll go a week or 10 days without gaming if I'm away on vacation or traveling for any reason. Going three nights without gaming when I'm at home is very rare.

I like big epic 4x strategy games, so 2-4 hours is just long enough to advance significantly. Lately I've been bouncing between SOTS, GalCiv2, and Civ5. Might get x-com 2 for my birthday next month, although not if this vision crisis forces me to buy new glasses after my eye heals up.

How did you break your eye?

Some kid was on his lawn, and he over-glared at him.

Z-Corn wrote:How did you break your eye?

Red Ryder.

I just went back to Battlefront for the first time in years.
They have the same crappy DRM.
Maybe I'll go back there again in 2020 and if they still have it.

The awesomeness ...

You sit down and play Sims 3. You spend the better part of a day farting around, growing crops, fishing, cooking, and generally planning to make your character live forever with Life Fruit and Ambrosia. Your garden is as good as it can get before travelling. You've spruced up your trailer home about as much as you can and have $130,000 sitting in the bank from selling crops. You decide to round off your recipe list and head down to the bookstore. You buy every recipe - and heck, why not - a copy of every other book. You start stuffing them into a bookshelf and about 1/3 of the way in, every book in your inventory vanishes. The ones in your bookcase are still there. Easy fix. Reload to a time just before you bought the books, and try again.

You quit without saving ... and ... uhhh ... huh. I don't have a save. In fact, I never saved ... and the game doesn't seem to include an autosave.

It's a good thing I play this game just to relax and it doesn't bother me to just do it all again.

Sitting down and trying to finally finish Icewind Dale. I've had a game I've been playing off and on for probably five years now.

I'm remembering what I love about the Infinity Engine games, and what I hate. Specifically the way you don't just fight your way through - every fight requires going in, dying twice, burning all of your spells to buff your party, then burning every other ability, then resting, then repeating the process for the next room.