Video Games Randomness - Prioritize specific game threads!

Blackhawk · Post by **Blackhawk** » Wed Sep 07, 2022 10:25 am

JetFred wrote: ↑Wed Sep 07, 2022 12:00 am I was so clueless about FPS when I bought Half-Life that I finished the whole game with a flight stick.

The first shooter I played (Unreal) was also played with a joystick. The last time I loaded it up and played the first level, it was fascinating to me how simple certain fights were that caused reload after reload that first time (and not just because of the joystick.)

Daehawk · Post by **Daehawk** » Wed Sep 07, 2022 11:24 am

My first shooter was a shareware of DOOM 1 . Came on my store demo first PC. Its why I still use arrow keys and mouse. Why would I think to use WSAD when the arrow keys are right there for movement...arrows

Also started using left mouse button to shoot around that time...maybe that game too. Like a trigger..pop pop click click.

Blackhawk · Post by **Blackhawk** » Wed Sep 07, 2022 2:14 pm

I used the arrow keys when I first switched to the keyboard and mouse, too. Then I switched to the numpad when I realized that it would be easier if I could jump and duck without having to move my hand (it may have been Half-Life that forced this change - I remember the jump-crouch giving me problems until I switched.) It was Rainbow Six that made me realize that there's a good reason that most people use the keyboard proper for shooters - because it gives you instant access to the entire number row without having to stop moving, and that's a pretty big advantage (or essential) in many games.

Of course, I used ESDF as a trained typist. It wasn't until Fallout 76 that I finally switched to WASD, mostly because I got sick and tired of lazy designers hard coding keys around WASD, effectively creating issues for anyone who doesn't use that set of keys. I'd still switch back to ESDF in a heartbeat if developers would stop breaking it. Keyboards were literally (yes, literally) designed around having your fingers on (E)SDF.

Daehawk · Post by **Daehawk** » Wed Sep 07, 2022 2:27 pm

Arrows for move, shift is jump and ctrl is duck..easy pinkie movements. I use the numpad 0 for sprint....got tons of keys around the arrows. Numkey . is scans and such.

TheMix · Post by **TheMix** » Wed Sep 07, 2022 6:09 pm

I haven't used a keyboard for gaming in... sheesh... ages. I don't actually recall the last time. Maybe back with WoW (which required too many keys to easily use any other option).

Jaymann · Post by **Jaymann** » Wed Sep 07, 2022 8:15 pm

I used to love using my force feedback joystick for FPS, because I could squeeze an actual trigger. But getting my ass handed to me in Quake multiplayer finally cured me of that. With keyboard + mouse I prefer WQSE where allowed, as a more comfortable finger position, but will use WASD in a pinch. I only use the arrow keys to navigate maps in some old school RPG's.

Kasey Chang · Post by **Kasey Chang** » Thu Sep 08, 2022 4:31 am

Was surprisingly Successful in Genesis Alpha One (yeah, went back to an old game) and was able to complete Genesis (i.e. find a planet to colonize) in 10 hours. (it's probably closer to 8) but I went through a lot of concepts for people who want to see it from beginning to end. The game was finished so early I didn't get a lot of the advanced tech.

Like extra hyperdrives, medical research, and so on. I was so good at defense the spores never really got into my ship. But then I tend to play a very defensive game and none of the critters ever got anywhere with me. I don't engage rogue captains and barely explore shipwrecks.

Playing quite a bit of Forza Horizon 4. They did include a bit of EVERYTHING, plus "mission creators" for people to craft their own "adventures" or "challengers" and post them online for others to play with, an good way to keep longevity in a game, which is why it's still selling despite Forza Horizon 5 being around for a while.

Kasey Chang · Post by **Kasey Chang** » Thu Sep 08, 2022 4:57 am

Re: High fidelity racing games or MP racing games: I am afraid I'm no good for precision driving games or MP driving games, as I tend to drive like Jason Bourne in all games. I bounce other cars out of the way, dive for the apex using other cars to "catch" me, and so on. In high-fidelity games I'd either destroy my car in the first few laps or be black-flagged for aggressive driving.

Forza Horizon's world have "soft" barriers around roads where you can plow through them and they pretty much just slow you down, except for the sections of HARD barriers like walls around houses, grandstands, freeways, and so on. Stone walls and wood fences are completely crashable. This makes for different experience against hard-edges courses like GRID, and not all viewpoints are good for watching the driving line with the changing elevation of most roads. Many races require checkpoints (gates) you must drive through to make sure you don't cheat, but getting TO the race, well, feel free to go offroad, even in cars not meant for offroading.

FH's amount of cars is pretty insane (well over 100), and its "auction houses" are still running with people adding paint jobs, selling cars, and so on. I did buy the platinum edition which should include all the cars, but that just makes them available in game... I still have to make enough in-game currency to BUY them. And some of those are going for pretty insane amounts. Typical race winning is a few thousand, at least when your driver less is less than 10. But some of the cars in auction are going for as high as 20 million (some of those hypercars) Fortunately, my taste is more on the low-scale, and I was looking for classics and unique vehicles.

Daehawk · Post by **Daehawk** » Fri Sep 09, 2022 8:48 pm

PC Gamer mag

The return of the '90s: That game you love is coming back

Gamescom made it clear: the future of PC gaming will revisit its past.

Max Peck · Post by **Max Peck** » Fri Sep 09, 2022 10:58 pm

Daehawk · Post by **Daehawk** » Sat Sep 10, 2022 7:39 pm

2 new Assassins Creed games coming....one in feudal Japan.

https://www.ign.com/articles/assassins- ... -new-games

Ubisoft has officially revealed Assassin’s Creed Infinity, a new platform and hub for Assassin’s Creed games. It has also revealed the first two games that will be part of Infinity: one that will follow the life of a Shinobi in feudal Japan, and another helmed by Watch Dogs: Legion director Clint Hocking. Codename Red is set in feudal Japan, a historical period frequently requested by fans. A very brief trailer showed off a Shinobi jumping onto a pitched roof and then unsheathing their hidden blade, but that’s all that has been shown so far.

The trailer really reveals nothing...other than the wristblade is back.

Daehawk · Post by **Daehawk** » Sun Sep 11, 2022 6:27 pm

So Ive played the very beginnings...tutorial mission on both Wild Lands and Breakpoint. Im not near the end of one of the two games I have installed and began the hunt for a replacement. But if I pick one of these Im not sure I should play the first one then the sequel or go straight to the 2nd game.

TheMix · Post by **TheMix** » Sun Sep 11, 2022 6:32 pm

You don't need to play the first game to enjoy the second. There are occasional references, but you won't miss out on anything.

Personally, I enjoyed the first game more.

Chraolic · Post by **Chraolic** » Mon Sep 12, 2022 7:33 am

Does anyone have any good gaming podcasts to recommend? I used to follow Co-Optional and Roundtable, but they both went extinct at about the same time. I watch Dropped Frames sometimes, but it's extremely Twitch-focused and very irregularly scheduled nowadays. Does anybody just talk about games any more?

Pyperkub · Post by **Pyperkub** » Mon Sep 12, 2022 7:55 pm

Pretty cool story on the early days of Evercrack!

He liked to have fun with the spells, too. A popular early website with information about EQ was Caster's Realm (opens in new tab), run by an Australian named Greg Short. One of the site's biggest draws was a detailed list of the game's spells. They got a lot of this information by scraping beta server patch notes, which was not without some risk. "One year, right around April 1, I put up a patch to beta where I nerfed the most popular spell of every class except one, whose signature spell I buffed," GZ says. "I just put it up with no notes as a friendly reminder that what went to beta was for testing. It's the only time I've ever been called at 1am by my boss. Brad called me up and went 'the forums are on fire, what did you DO?'"

With EverQuest blowing expectations out of the water and becoming a worldwide phenomenon (so much so that they overloaded the service provider and crashed the internet for large swathes of San Diego (opens in new tab) for a week),

Daehawk · Post by **Daehawk** » Tue Sep 13, 2022 9:32 pm

Thanks to Blues News

EA Launching Kernel-Level Anti-Cheat

Daehawk · Post by **Daehawk** » Tue Sep 13, 2022 9:36 pm

You can now play Lunar Lander in the Windows copy dialog box -- here's how

Kasey Chang · Post by **Kasey Chang** » Wed Sep 14, 2022 5:21 am

Forza Horizon 4 so far is interesting in that it manages to both feel a LOT like GRID (2019) yet very different. The main difference is there are a TON of user created content, and the game has a tab called "creative hub" where you get achievements for contributing, from designing a race, to creating a new wrap / livery for a specific car, even a particular tuning setup, creating an adventure, or even just a challenge "can you do this?!"

And this is in additional to the procedurally generated stuff like Forzathon Live.

On the other hand, they really can learn a bit from each other. The AI on FH4 is very... unforgiving. If you make ANY mistake, the front-runners will pull away from you, and in a short race like 3 lap race, you'll never catch up in time. In GRID Legends, you're given a bit of plot armor, in that bad things often happen to leading cars if you can keep them in sight at least on medium difficulty.

Basically, FH4's AI and the collision model work against you if you are stuck in traffic, since any sort of collision will slow you down. So if you have another car that's roughly the same speed as you, and it keeps trading paint, you and it will be slowed, while other cars will likely pass you on either side.

And somehow FH4's handling doesn't feel as good as GRID Legend's. Maybe it's the response curve, maybe my gamepad is getting old (it's a couple years old) but somehow in FH4 it's on/off, don't really feel any analog movement except steering, and throttle feels like it's an on/off (but it's really analog).

FH4 has "assisted throttle" and "assisted steering", which basically is "auto". You still have to steer and brake, but the game basically treats the "driving line" (the virtual line you can turn on to guide your driving and throttle / brake) as a guide. If you are far from the ideal line, your throttle available is limited, to prevent you from doing really stupid things, and same with steering. This will not make races easier by much, as the "front pack" of AI can and will pull away from you, but with "assisted" turned on, you may be able to keep up.

Some races however, remain difficult.

The vehicles are usually sorted by a class / rating system. On top is class X, vehicles that can go over 200 mph, hypercars and experimental stuff. Slightly slower are the S2s and S1s. Then you get to A, B, C, and D. Each vehicle is also giving a numerical rating, with X-cars getting max possible of 999. You can choose to install various upgrade parts to each vehicle, which can then improve or "deprove" performance in certain areas.

For example, default vehicle's aero package is not adjustable. If you spend some money you can upgrade the aero package to adjustable (basically, the nose gets the side vortex generators, and the rear gets a separate wing that's adjustable), but this also added a little bit of weight. You can upgrade the engine by replacing small bits (better cam, bore out the cylinder heads, use a carbon shaft, etc. Or you can replace the engine altogether (like replace with V8) or even convert RWD to AWD (or vice versa) depending on the vehicle. This can definitely change the car's class. For example, Pagani Zonda Evolucion is an S2 hypercar, but if you add an engine upgrade to push it to 1000+ HP, and do a little bit of lightening, you can push it to X999. And it can top 235 mph.

To keep things fair, a lot of races have class restrictions. Like "Ford and S1 900 only" or "Offroad S1 - 800 only" and there are bajillion combinations as there are plenty of ground to race on, plenty of terrain, weather, vehicle types, different paths, and more.

THEN we can talk about "multiplayer".

FH4 has a TON of MP content, and some of which are user generated as "team adventures".

You can play MP games like "tag" (called King in this game), and there's even multiplayer team where each team has one king and enemy team has to steal the king. King carrier will be slowed after X seconds, so they can't get away. So friendlies are encouraged to play defense if possible. But you need a lot of players, 4+ would be best. There's also capture the flag team, where you need to block enemies from dropping their flag into your goal while moving your flag into their goal. And finaly, there's a Zombie, which basically is "avoid getting hit by infected" / "hit uninfected vehicles. Best combined time for their own side wins. And there multiple of these "arenas" around the map.

To keep things interesting, you are also dribble fed 10 different "special content" where you're given up to 10 missions (in each group) where there's some special briefing to hoon some vehicles. Top Gear content needs no explanation, but this is the Chris Harris era of Top Gear. There's Isha's Taxi where you get to hoot a London Taxi, but upgraded with an American V8. There's World's Fastest Rental where you get to hoon some hypercars before you rent them to very important people.

And there are two DLCs I haven't touched yet.

And this is in addition to the drifting, speed cam, speed zone, circuit races, road races, cross-country races, offroad races, jumps, signs to crash, views to see...

Plus those Forzathon Live stuff.

There's so much content, you'll either get completely overwhelmed by the plethora of choices, or be happy as a clam. There's always something to do, and you can probably go back to improve your score if you didn't get the maximum 3 star performance.

It is a LOT of game for $35 (and that's the EVERYTHING package, though somehow it didn't have one of the car packs?)

Daehawk · Post by **Daehawk** » Thu Sep 15, 2022 1:12 pm

While cleaning up my storage area I found my box of 5 1/4" floppy games. I think someone here on OO gave them to me. Remind me to show you them sometimes. Stuff like D&D, SSI, the Gold Box games, LOTS of great old stuff. Make me think I need to get a 5 1/4" drive next build

. Could probably buy them cheap online like GOG and such and have them work. But having the floppies in sleeves is nice.

Jaymann · Post by **Jaymann** » Thu Sep 15, 2022 1:41 pm

Daehawk wrote: ↑Thu Sep 15, 2022 1:12 pm While cleaning up my storage area I found my box of 5 1/4" floppy games. I think someone here on OO gave them to me. Remind me to show you them sometimes. Stuff like D&D, SSI, the Gold Box games, LOTS of great old stuff. Make me think I need to get a 5 1/4" drive next build . Could probably buy them cheap online like GOG and such and have them work. But having the floppies in sleeves is nice.

I looked to see if there were any USB 5 1/4 drives out there. Looks like you will be disappointed unless you can get one of your vintage doorstops to fire up.

Daehawk · Post by **Daehawk** » Thu Sep 15, 2022 2:07 pm

FFR - When you Google up five and quarter inch disk drive make sure you typed disk and not dick....otherwise you get some weird returns.

Blackhawk · Post by **Blackhawk** » Thu Sep 15, 2022 3:26 pm

So... not floppies?

Skinypupy · Post by **Skinypupy** » Thu Sep 15, 2022 8:56 pm

If you’re ever in Vegas, the Pinball Hall of Fame is a must-see. It’s a giant warehouse filled with hundreds and hundreds of tables. We spent about three hours there today, and I was absolutely in awe of the massive number of new and old pinball games. It was really amazing to play old solid state games, then immediately jump over to something brand new (the Rush table was pretty awesome).

The only downside was lots of non-functioning tables. I’d say around 1/3 of the tables were out of order, including some of the ones I really wanted to play (The Getaway, Attack From Mars, Cirqus Voltaire, White Water, and a bunch more). It’s a non-profit labor of love for the owners and volunteers, they go do all the repairs and maintenance themselves,

Zenn7 · Post by **Zenn7** » Fri Sep 16, 2022 8:24 pm

For Daehawk and his floppy disks...

The last man standing in the Floppy disk work -
https://eyeondesign.aiga.org/we-spoke-w ... ket-newtab

Daehawk · Post by **Daehawk** » Fri Sep 16, 2022 8:37 pm

Skinypupy wrote: ↑Thu Sep 15, 2022 8:56 pm If you’re ever in Vegas, the Pinball Hall of Fame is a must-see. It’s a giant warehouse filled with hundreds and hundreds of tables. We spent about three hours there today, and I was absolutely in awe of the massive number of new and old pinball games. It was really amazing to play old solid state games, then immediately jump over to something brand new (the Rush table was pretty awesome).

The only downside was lots of non-functioning tables. I’d say around 1/3 of the tables were out of order, including some of the ones I really wanted to play (The Getaway, Attack From Mars, Cirqus Voltaire, White Water, and a bunch more). It’s a non-profit labor of love for the owners and volunteers, they go do all the repairs and maintenance themselves,

Ours is not so big but looks fun. Hope to go one day.

classic chattanooga pinball museum

LordMortis · Post by **LordMortis** » Sat Sep 17, 2022 7:32 am

Jaymann wrote: ↑Thu Sep 15, 2022 1:41 pm
Daehawk wrote: ↑Thu Sep 15, 2022 1:12 pm While cleaning up my storage area I found my box of 5 1/4" floppy games. I think someone here on OO gave them to me. Remind me to show you them sometimes. Stuff like D&D, SSI, the Gold Box games, LOTS of great old stuff. Make me think I need to get a 5 1/4" drive next build . Could probably buy them cheap online like GOG and such and have them work. But having the floppies in sleeves is nice.
I looked to see if there were any USB 5 1/4 drives out there. Looks like you will be disappointed unless you can get one of your vintage doorstops to fire up.

There are 34 pin to USB adapters. It looks like Amazon has them beginning at around $19. So if you have a 5 1/4 you can get the right pin out, but the drivers? Are they built in to modern rigs HCLs?

Daehawk · Post by **Daehawk** » Sat Sep 17, 2022 4:38 pm

I was able to use some Clorox spray cleaner with bleach to clean my old MS Sidewinder Precision 2 joystick back to almost new status.

Now to figure out what space game would be good wit hit.....the newer Mech games and newer space games tend to use mouse and kb to better effect than a joystick. But SURELY I own some game that a joystick is still great for.

Jaymann · Post by **Jaymann** » Sat Sep 17, 2022 7:52 pm

Daehawk wrote: ↑Sat Sep 17, 2022 4:38 pm I was able to use some Clorox spray cleaner with bleach to clean my old MS Sidewinder Precision 2 joystick back to almost new status.

Now to figure out what space game would be good wit hit.....the newer Mech games and newer space games tend to use mouse and kb to better effect than a joystick. But SURELY I own some game that a joystick is still great for.

Yep, those are sweet. Maybe a flight simulator?

hitbyambulance · Post by **hitbyambulance** » Sat Sep 17, 2022 8:14 pm

LordMortis wrote: ↑Sat Sep 17, 2022 7:32 am
Jaymann wrote: ↑Thu Sep 15, 2022 1:41 pm
Daehawk wrote: ↑Thu Sep 15, 2022 1:12 pm While cleaning up my storage area I found my box of 5 1/4" floppy games. I think someone here on OO gave them to me. Remind me to show you them sometimes. Stuff like D&D, SSI, the Gold Box games, LOTS of great old stuff. Make me think I need to get a 5 1/4" drive next build . Could probably buy them cheap online like GOG and such and have them work. But having the floppies in sleeves is nice.
I looked to see if there were any USB 5 1/4 drives out there. Looks like you will be disappointed unless you can get one of your vintage doorstops to fire up.
There are 34 pin to USB adapters. It looks like Amazon has them beginning at around $19. So if you have a 5 1/4 you can get the right pin out, but the drivers? Are they built in to modern rigs HCLs?

i know for sure that Linux still has the 5 1/4" drive drivers included in the kernel - but i would be surprised if WindowsOS removed them entirely.

Anonymous Bosch · Post by **Anonymous Bosch** » Sat Sep 17, 2022 9:59 pm

Daehawk wrote: ↑Sat Sep 17, 2022 4:38 pm I was able to use some Clorox spray cleaner with bleach to clean my old MS Sidewinder Precision 2 joystick back to almost new status.

Now to figure out what space game would be good wit hit.....the newer Mech games and newer space games tend to use mouse and kb to better effect than a joystick. But SURELY I own some game that a joystick is still great for.

The original Everspace, AKA Everspace Classic, is easy to get into, and still looks and plays great. Just be sure to disable the input smoothing option when playing with a joystick, and tweak the axis sensitivity for best results.

Daehawk · Post by **Daehawk** » Sun Sep 18, 2022 12:23 am

I own it...never could get into it as its a rogue lite game...dont like being pushed for time. Been wanting the sequel though forever as its not like the first one.

Blackhawk · Post by **Blackhawk** » Sun Sep 18, 2022 1:08 am

I don't recall it really pushing you for time.

Anonymous Bosch · Post by **Anonymous Bosch** » Sun Sep 18, 2022 10:26 am

Blackhawk wrote: ↑Sun Sep 18, 2022 1:08 am I don't recall it really pushing you for time.

I suspect Daehawk is referring to the arrival of the Okkar Fleet, which was structured somewhat akin to the enemy fleet from FTL or the ghost from Spelunky, encouraging you to snag whatever convenient items you can and jump out (at least while first starting out, prior to upgrading your capabilities and starting gear). However, with time, you learn to adapt and figure out how to better navigate the sectors, and typically find that you have all the time you need to get things done without ever feeling too stressed or rushed. Or at least you do if you're not quite as thin-skinned and fragile as Daehawk.

Perhaps Daehawk neglected to try lowering the game difficulty, but the time until the arrival of the Okkar Fleet is so generous in easy mode that you almost never have to flee from a sector before having collected and done everything -- even if taking your time. Also, if memory serves, the game includes an ancient glyph that specifically prevents Okkar forces from jumping in at all for those who prefer to dawdle and play cautiously. With sufficient experience later in the game along with upgraded gear and capabilities, it becomes immensely satisfying and rewarding to effectively take on and combat the Okkar Fleet that initially forced you to scarper during your earliest experiences, making it a worthy goal to aspire and work towards.

Rumpy · Post by **Rumpy** » Sun Sep 18, 2022 6:27 pm

I really hated that game. Hated the structure of the game and everything about it. Felt like one of the more gamey games to come out in a while. Then again, I really don't like roguelikes as they tend to wear their gaming mechanics on their sleeves more than most. They end up feeling like I'm playing more with statistics.

Isgrimnur · Post by **Isgrimnur** » Sun Sep 18, 2022 6:39 pm

You really shouldn't ever play EVE Online, then.

Daehawk · Post by **Daehawk** » Sun Sep 18, 2022 6:51 pm

I dont like roguelikes either at all. Myself, Ive avoided EVE since its beginnings. I still remember the devs cheating and giving themselves billions and such in game. its not a company Id have anything to do with.

jztemple2 · Post by **jztemple2** » Mon Sep 19, 2022 11:25 am

GTA 6 leak is a loss for Rockstar, leaker, and Grand Theft Auto fans

The GTA 6 leak is among the biggest in industry history. It’s difficult to remember a larger release of gameplay footage or documentation for any game, let alone one as anticipated as Grand Theft Auto 6. But without meaning to lecture or condescend, it’s difficult to see who wins here. Rockstar Games has had its most significant launch in history essentially ruined, the leaker themselves is likely to become a target for very punitive legal action from Take-Two, and as for GTA fans themselves, well, so far as I can tell, we haven’t really learned anything new. Even if we have, we’ve learned it in a way that looks kind of lousy and feels morally dubious

Blackhawk · Post by **Blackhawk** » Mon Sep 19, 2022 11:54 am

Daehawk wrote: ↑Sun Sep 18, 2022 6:51 pm I dont like roguelikes either at all. Myself, Ive avoided EVE since its beginnings. I still remember the devs cheating and giving themselves billions and such in game. its not a company Id have anything to do with.

I really dislike roguelikes.

Roguelites, on the other hand, I've had a ton of fun with. Everspace was fun. Void Bastards was one of the highights of the last couple of years for me. I've got Gunfire Reborn installed and waiting for a playthrough.

Daehawk · Post by **Daehawk** » Mon Sep 19, 2022 12:26 pm

jztemple2 wrote: ↑Mon Sep 19, 2022 11:25 am GTA 6 leak is a loss for Rockstar, leaker, and Grand Theft Auto fans

The GTA 6 leak is among the biggest in industry history. It’s difficult to remember a larger release of gameplay footage or documentation for any game, let alone one as anticipated as Grand Theft Auto 6. But without meaning to lecture or condescend, it’s difficult to see who wins here. Rockstar Games has had its most significant launch in history essentially ruined, the leaker themselves is likely to become a target for very punitive legal action from Take-Two, and as for GTA fans themselves, well, so far as I can tell, we haven’t really learned anything new. Even if we have, we’ve learned it in a way that looks kind of lousy and feels morally dubious

Ive seen this story over the last few days.....even links to the leak and videos. But I refuse to participate in any of it. I dont want to know. I can wait for the game. Stuff like this is NOT the way to behave and I wont support these acts by clicking. I hope they bring the hammer down hard on all involved in the leak.

Rumpy · Post by **Rumpy** » Mon Sep 19, 2022 1:51 pm

Yeah, I agree with you. I'll see it when it comes out, not before. Seeing leaks like this, it makes me feel that gamers are immature, impatient and self-entitled. And doing this ends up doing nobody any favours, as this likely set the game back for another 6 months to a year behind schedule. So yeah, thanks leakers.

I've seen references to people seeing the leaks and then complaining it's not a finished game, that Rockstar are a joke. Like WTF did you expect, it's still in development!