Funny how Steam sales have fallen. They used to be a huge deal. I don't know what changed, maybe there's too many sales now or people started to realize they can never actually play their library...
Funny how Steam sales have fallen. They used to be a huge deal. I don't know what changed, maybe there's too many sales now or people started to realize they can never actually play their library of 200 $2.50 games. For me, it's also PC gaming growing less convenient. There's no "Crysis" anymore that does significant things a PS4 couldn't do and there's no PC-exclusive games, currently, that interest me. For anything else, I'd rather play it on console.
Maybe I'll finally pick up Factorio or one of the newer Zachtronics games. But I still have so many on my backlog...
Yeah, now that computers are able to render near life like visuals with relatively inexpensive hardware it seems people except every game to deliver on that, but it's just as hard now as it was 20...
Yeah, now that computers are able to render near life like visuals with relatively inexpensive hardware it seems people except every game to deliver on that, but it's just as hard now as it was 20 years ago to quickly create content that high quality with that much variation.
That's where I think neural networks could really help. Neural networks could be used to automate much of the boring and time sucking aspects of creating life like games. For example, there have been many implementations of neural net generated animations, textures, faces, and even 3d models. Imagine if all these different technologies were integrated into a game engine that let even an amateur developer to quickly and easily put photo realistic elements into their game.
Well, most of what you said i regretfully have to say i agree with - it feels pretty grim... Let's shine a light on a positive aspect that's been coming lately out of the industry: i am really...
Well, most of what you said i regretfully have to say i agree with - it feels pretty grim...
Let's shine a light on a positive aspect that's been coming lately out of the industry: i am really satisfied that cross platform seems to be making its way in many games as of late.
For quite some time 'smaller' games like War Thunder has been pioneering full scale cross play between PC and PS4, having recently added also Xbox to it (although for some pettiness between Microsoft and Sony they are not yet intertwined); now some 'bigger' games like Rocket League and Fortnite seem to be in the process of being to developed with an idea of full cross-play in mind, which is super exciting to me!
Let's hope for as much interchangability between platforms as possible (and even though i realise it's a fat chance even the integration of teamspeak or discord -like services on consoles as well).
It's also just inherently something that has diminishing returns. Your first Steam sale is amazing - almost every game you have any interest in is probably on sale! But then after you go nuts and...
It's also just inherently something that has diminishing returns. Your first Steam sale is amazing - almost every game you have any interest in is probably on sale! But then after you go nuts and buy 50 games, those are 50 games that can't be interesting to you any more in the next sale. After a few years, you've probably bought most of the games that you were truly excited about, and most of what's left over are all the "I dunno, I guess I'm kind of interested in this game" ones. Because of that, even if all of the sales are exactly as good, they just naturally start to feel less exciting.
I remember buying a lot of games I was only kinda interested in during the first Steam sales because "OMG, $5 for a AAA game is amazing!". I guess seeing them sit in my library, unplayed for 5...
I remember buying a lot of games I was only kinda interested in during the first Steam sales because "OMG, $5 for a AAA game is amazing!". I guess seeing them sit in my library, unplayed for 5 years was a bitter lesson. There's plenty 2017 games I'm kinda excited about I guess but I look at them more from the perspective of "will I actually play this in the next month?" and mostly the answer is no. At this point, I rather play something new, pay 60€ and at least be in the loop with what's new and fresh. I kinda rediscovered the launch hype!
Digital game retailers have reached something close to parity when it comes to promotional sales. GOG, for instance, always seems to have a rotating selection of titles with steep discounts. One...
Digital game retailers have reached something close to parity when it comes to promotional sales. GOG, for instance, always seems to have a rotating selection of titles with steep discounts. One of my wishlisted games, Project Highrise, was also available as a bundle on humble bundle for a dollar less than Steam was offering it for. It's somewhat ironic, since it was delivered in the form of a Steam key.
I'll probably mostly resist this sale, but Sonic Mania at 66% off is pretty tempting. It's supposed to be really good and this is by far the lowest price it's had. I think 33% off was the best...
I'll probably mostly resist this sale, but Sonic Mania at 66% off is pretty tempting. It's supposed to be really good and this is by far the lowest price it's had. I think 33% off was the best sale previously.
I've bought Wizard of Legend. It's a magic-based rogue-like, but the best part is that it's got couch co-op! I've played about 10 hours with my brother of the past two days. Heaps of fun!
I've bought Wizard of Legend. It's a magic-based rogue-like, but the best part is that it's got couch co-op! I've played about 10 hours with my brother of the past two days. Heaps of fun!
Has anyone played Assasins Creed Odyssey? Looks good, but I've heard there's tons of in game purchases you need to really be able to play, which is a big turn off.
Has anyone played Assasins Creed Odyssey? Looks good, but I've heard there's tons of in game purchases you need to really be able to play, which is a big turn off.
From what I've heard, it is similar to many of the other assassins creed games, so if you've played any of those, you'll have a pretty good idea of what it's like, except set in a different...
From what I've heard, it is similar to many of the other assassins creed games, so if you've played any of those, you'll have a pretty good idea of what it's like, except set in a different historical period.
I actually haven't played the others...I'm mostly going off videos and reviews I've read. I haven't been able to play games in quite a while, but finally built myself a new computer, and I've been...
I actually haven't played the others...I'm mostly going off videos and reviews I've read. I haven't been able to play games in quite a while, but finally built myself a new computer, and I've been having a blast with Hitman 2, Cities Skylines, and Insurgency is scratching an itch that hasn't been scratched since BF2.
Personally, I wouldn't recommend it, it has a lot of relatively unrewarding copy and paste content, like many open world AAA games these days. I played a bit of the previous assassins creed set in...
Personally, I wouldn't recommend it, it has a lot of relatively unrewarding copy and paste content, like many open world AAA games these days. I played a bit of the previous assassins creed set in Egypt and found the combat boring as well. Sadly there aren't many open world games I've found really that fun recently. The only game that comes to mind in that regard is LOZ: BOTW, however even that suffers from copy paste content.
I haven't played an AC game thoroughly since 2, but I've been enjoying it a lot. I'm only about 20 hours in, but I haven't felt the need to buy any micro-transactions. How much you like it might...
I haven't played an AC game thoroughly since 2, but I've been enjoying it a lot. I'm only about 20 hours in, but I haven't felt the need to buy any micro-transactions. How much you like it might depend on how tired you are of open world games, to be honest.
Anything fun and online that you can play without any required subsequent payments. Some multiplayer games I've been playing and enjoying include Rocket League, BF1, CSGO, and Elite Dangerous,...
Anything fun and online that you can play without any required subsequent payments. Some multiplayer games I've been playing and enjoying include Rocket League, BF1, CSGO, and Elite Dangerous, however I'm open to trying new types of games.
Oh boy, that's quite the variety but it's similar to my tastes. I can give better suggestions if you narrow down what you like about those games but some quick ideas. I'd be happy to expand my...
Exemplary
Oh boy, that's quite the variety but it's similar to my tastes. I can give better suggestions if you narrow down what you like about those games but some quick ideas. I'd be happy to expand my thoughts on any of them, I can talk about video games all day.
Insurgency: Dirt cheap, but an excellent pseudo-sim FPS game. Has co-op and PvP modes, and plays somewhere between CSGO and ARMA. Tons of custom maps and mods online. The sequel releases next month.
Day of Infamy: A WW2 game from the Insurgency folks. Same stuff still apply, just with a WW2 setting. Just as excellent.
Rainbow Six: Siege: DO NOT BUY THE STARTER EDITION. High quality PvP FPS, but also has the fun Terrorist Hunt mode. Lots of good training to learn how the characters work.
Quake Champions: This one is free to play. This one is also classic Quake. I've had good fun with it.
STEEP: A beautiful, relaxing winter sports game. It has a lot of content but it's basically a big sandbox where you can do all kinds of winter sports on multiple mountains. Great licensed music too, which isn't something I usually notice.
Warhammer: Vermintide 2: I responded to Deimos regarding this one but I really do think it's the best game of its type since Left4Dead 2. I liked the first one well enough but this truly the polished version. Just excellent all around and I still can't believe how cheap it is for a game so new. The loot/levelling system is a lot of fun, in the vein of games like Destiny or the Division, but somehow without microtransactions or any other premium currency nonsense at all. If you've got some co-op buddies, I'd put this on the must-play list.
Overcooked 2: Okay, you'll definitely need to co-op this one with people you know, with voice chat. If that's your bag, this is a great time. I feel like this is a far more polished version of the first, I find I can't go back to the original after playing this one.
Dead by Daylight: A 5v1 multiplayer game where one person plays as the Slasher, and the others play as the Victims. The game now has DLC that is themed like famous slasher flicks too.
Neverwinter Nights: Enhanced Edition: Pretty much the D&D 3e game. The main campaign is, quit frankly, hot dogshit. The expansions are very good, you can skip right to them. But the real pull of this game is the years and years worth of custom content. You and others can team up and play out adventures of all kinds. This is the newly released remastered version and the multiplayer is in a time of resurgence. Still the best and most true translation of D&D into video games, for my money.
ARMA 3: The military sim. I've always enjoyed these games for their brutal realism, and the wild custom campaigns that people create for the multiplayer. The multiplayer is always niche but very dedicated. I'd recommend a fairly beefy PC for this.
The Crew 2: Like STEEP, this is something of a sandbox racer. Huge world, lots of cars, and a surprisingly flexible driving system that allows you to customize it to be as arcadey or simulated as you like.
Golf with Friends: As it says on the tin. It's a bit rough around the edges but updates and new courses come out frequently, and they're due to release a custom map maker soon. Expect a ton of levels when that happens. A very satisfying minigolf game otherwise, and a lot of fun with friends.
Hmm, it probably depends how much you want to spend and how you feel about different types of games then, but a few quick ideas that might be worth taking a look at: Warframe - free-to-play, but...
Hmm, it probably depends how much you want to spend and how you feel about different types of games then, but a few quick ideas that might be worth taking a look at:
Warframe - free-to-play, but really good quality and quite reasonable to play without spending much or any money. A big update/expansion for it just came out recently.
Monster Hunter: World - still quite new and expensive, but people that like this type of game seem to be pretty happy with it. A few of my friends play this all the time and have hundreds of hours into it.
Deep Rock Galactic - in Early Access, but it seems to be in pretty good shape and enjoyable to play already, with lots of updates still happening
At the moment, I'd recommend Warhammer: Vemintide 2 over Deep Rock Galactic. It's a similar game, but it's an AA game that's cheaper than DRG, an Early Access game. I have both but I've retired...
At the moment, I'd recommend Warhammer: Vemintide 2 over Deep Rock Galactic. It's a similar game, but it's an AA game that's cheaper than DRG, an Early Access game. I have both but I've retired DRG until its released because it still feels too light on content, and it requires a lot of grinding to get to the second or third tier of upgrades for equipment right now.
I'm honestly a little surprised Vermintide 2 is so cheap—it was released not too long ago, it's highly polished, and it doesn't have any microtransactions. Excellent co-op multiplayer game with great graphics, atmosphere, and gameplay. Bonus: the DLC levels are actually playable via the Quick Play mode, so you don't even have to buy the expansion to play the expansion.
Rust is half-off and I've fallen deep right into that one. A survival game done very well IMO, and is still getting major updates from Facepunch. (Most) Servers wipe the first thursday of every...
Rust is half-off and I've fallen deep right into that one. A survival game done very well IMO, and is still getting major updates from Facepunch. (Most) Servers wipe the first thursday of every month to clear the map, and occasionally put everyone on the same level crafting-wise. It's a Sisyphean game, but I keep getting back up every-time I get knocked down.
Side note: solo-play is doable and challenging, but playing with a second or a small group is a whole other level to the game. If anyone has it/is considering it, feel free to send me a PM for my Steam account.
And just after Steam added/forced AUD as a currency option, so even with the sales most games are more expensive or simply not available for purchase for me because the publisher hasn't set a...
And just after Steam added/forced AUD as a currency option, so even with the sales most games are more expensive or simply not available for purchase for me because the publisher hasn't set a price. Yay.
I've played it a decent amount (probably about 15 hours). It's very polished and I think the Early Access state is more about the fact that they're still actively changing and rebalancing the...
I've played it a decent amount (probably about 15 hours). It's very polished and I think the Early Access state is more about the fact that they're still actively changing and rebalancing the cards and other mechanics fairly often than anything about the gameplay. I didn't run into any issues at all that I can remember, and I enjoyed what I've played.
I don't think Magic or Hearthstone would be a great comparison though, it's a roguelike-style deckbuilding game where you start out with a very basic deck at the beginning of each run and add new cards to it (and remove some) as you progress, along with picking up items that make you stronger or modify how things play. The enemies aren't playing the card game, they just do attack/defend/buff kind of actions and you're trying to defeat them using the cards in your deck. It feels a lot more similar to playing Dominion, if you've ever played that.
Yeah, I think you'd probably like it then. It feels a lot like a combat-oriented version of Dominion where the deckbuilding is separated more from the gameplay. Your turns mostly involve...
Yeah, I think you'd probably like it then. It feels a lot like a combat-oriented version of Dominion where the deckbuilding is separated more from the gameplay. Your turns mostly involve attacking/defending actions, and then you acquire/buy cards as rewards from the encounters, from occasional shops, and so on.
I've watched quite a bit of it. Super, super fun! I might pick it up this sale. If you're into "let's play" style videos, you can check out Day9's series on STS. He picked it up and instantly...
I've watched quite a bit of it. Super, super fun! I might pick it up this sale.
If you're into "let's play" style videos, you can check out Day9's series on STS. He picked it up and instantly became addicted. You'll know within ~20-30 mins of gameplay whether you like the game.
Funny how Steam sales have fallen. They used to be a huge deal. I don't know what changed, maybe there's too many sales now or people started to realize they can never actually play their library of 200 $2.50 games. For me, it's also PC gaming growing less convenient. There's no "Crysis" anymore that does significant things a PS4 couldn't do and there's no PC-exclusive games, currently, that interest me. For anything else, I'd rather play it on console.
Maybe I'll finally pick up Factorio or one of the newer Zachtronics games. But I still have so many on my backlog...
Yeah, now that computers are able to render near life like visuals with relatively inexpensive hardware it seems people except every game to deliver on that, but it's just as hard now as it was 20 years ago to quickly create content that high quality with that much variation.
That's where I think neural networks could really help. Neural networks could be used to automate much of the boring and time sucking aspects of creating life like games. For example, there have been many implementations of neural net generated animations, textures, faces, and even 3d models. Imagine if all these different technologies were integrated into a game engine that let even an amateur developer to quickly and easily put photo realistic elements into their game.
Well, most of what you said i regretfully have to say i agree with - it feels pretty grim...
Let's shine a light on a positive aspect that's been coming lately out of the industry: i am really satisfied that cross platform seems to be making its way in many games as of late.
For quite some time 'smaller' games like War Thunder has been pioneering full scale cross play between PC and PS4, having recently added also Xbox to it (although for some pettiness between Microsoft and Sony they are not yet intertwined); now some 'bigger' games like Rocket League and Fortnite seem to be in the process of being to developed with an idea of full cross-play in mind, which is super exciting to me!
Let's hope for as much interchangability between platforms as possible (and even though i realise it's a fat chance even the integration of teamspeak or discord -like services on consoles as well).
It's also just inherently something that has diminishing returns. Your first Steam sale is amazing - almost every game you have any interest in is probably on sale! But then after you go nuts and buy 50 games, those are 50 games that can't be interesting to you any more in the next sale. After a few years, you've probably bought most of the games that you were truly excited about, and most of what's left over are all the "I dunno, I guess I'm kind of interested in this game" ones. Because of that, even if all of the sales are exactly as good, they just naturally start to feel less exciting.
I remember buying a lot of games I was only kinda interested in during the first Steam sales because "OMG, $5 for a AAA game is amazing!". I guess seeing them sit in my library, unplayed for 5 years was a bitter lesson. There's plenty 2017 games I'm kinda excited about I guess but I look at them more from the perspective of "will I actually play this in the next month?" and mostly the answer is no. At this point, I rather play something new, pay 60€ and at least be in the loop with what's new and fresh. I kinda rediscovered the launch hype!
Digital game retailers have reached something close to parity when it comes to promotional sales. GOG, for instance, always seems to have a rotating selection of titles with steep discounts. One of my wishlisted games, Project Highrise, was also available as a bundle on humble bundle for a dollar less than Steam was offering it for. It's somewhat ironic, since it was delivered in the form of a Steam key.
I'll probably mostly resist this sale, but Sonic Mania at 66% off is pretty tempting. It's supposed to be really good and this is by far the lowest price it's had. I think 33% off was the best sale previously.
While a bit more expensive, it's currently on sale for $14.99 on switch if you have one and want it mobile.
I see it still has Denuvo. I'm still not buying.
I've bought Wizard of Legend. It's a magic-based rogue-like, but the best part is that it's got couch co-op! I've played about 10 hours with my brother of the past two days. Heaps of fun!
Age of Empires II HD for $4, that's awesome. If anyone picks this up, let me know and we can play.
Has anyone played Assasins Creed Odyssey? Looks good, but I've heard there's tons of in game purchases you need to really be able to play, which is a big turn off.
From what I've heard, it is similar to many of the other assassins creed games, so if you've played any of those, you'll have a pretty good idea of what it's like, except set in a different historical period.
I actually haven't played the others...I'm mostly going off videos and reviews I've read. I haven't been able to play games in quite a while, but finally built myself a new computer, and I've been having a blast with Hitman 2, Cities Skylines, and Insurgency is scratching an itch that hasn't been scratched since BF2.
Personally, I wouldn't recommend it, it has a lot of relatively unrewarding copy and paste content, like many open world AAA games these days. I played a bit of the previous assassins creed set in Egypt and found the combat boring as well. Sadly there aren't many open world games I've found really that fun recently. The only game that comes to mind in that regard is LOZ: BOTW, however even that suffers from copy paste content.
I haven't played an AC game thoroughly since 2, but I've been enjoying it a lot. I'm only about 20 hours in, but I haven't felt the need to buy any micro-transactions. How much you like it might depend on how tired you are of open world games, to be honest.
What multiplayer enabled games would people here recommend?
What kind of multiplayer? Local? Online? Competitive? Co-op?
Any games that you've enjoyed that you're looking for something kind of similar to?
Anything fun and online that you can play without any required subsequent payments. Some multiplayer games I've been playing and enjoying include Rocket League, BF1, CSGO, and Elite Dangerous, however I'm open to trying new types of games.
Oh boy, that's quite the variety but it's similar to my tastes. I can give better suggestions if you narrow down what you like about those games but some quick ideas. I'd be happy to expand my thoughts on any of them, I can talk about video games all day.
Insurgency: Dirt cheap, but an excellent pseudo-sim FPS game. Has co-op and PvP modes, and plays somewhere between CSGO and ARMA. Tons of custom maps and mods online. The sequel releases next month.
Day of Infamy: A WW2 game from the Insurgency folks. Same stuff still apply, just with a WW2 setting. Just as excellent.
Rainbow Six: Siege: DO NOT BUY THE STARTER EDITION. High quality PvP FPS, but also has the fun Terrorist Hunt mode. Lots of good training to learn how the characters work.
Quake Champions: This one is free to play. This one is also classic Quake. I've had good fun with it.
STEEP: A beautiful, relaxing winter sports game. It has a lot of content but it's basically a big sandbox where you can do all kinds of winter sports on multiple mountains. Great licensed music too, which isn't something I usually notice.
Warhammer: Vermintide 2: I responded to Deimos regarding this one but I really do think it's the best game of its type since Left4Dead 2. I liked the first one well enough but this truly the polished version. Just excellent all around and I still can't believe how cheap it is for a game so new. The loot/levelling system is a lot of fun, in the vein of games like Destiny or the Division, but somehow without microtransactions or any other premium currency nonsense at all. If you've got some co-op buddies, I'd put this on the must-play list.
Overcooked 2: Okay, you'll definitely need to co-op this one with people you know, with voice chat. If that's your bag, this is a great time. I feel like this is a far more polished version of the first, I find I can't go back to the original after playing this one.
Dead by Daylight: A 5v1 multiplayer game where one person plays as the Slasher, and the others play as the Victims. The game now has DLC that is themed like famous slasher flicks too.
Neverwinter Nights: Enhanced Edition: Pretty much the D&D 3e game. The main campaign is, quit frankly, hot dogshit. The expansions are very good, you can skip right to them. But the real pull of this game is the years and years worth of custom content. You and others can team up and play out adventures of all kinds. This is the newly released remastered version and the multiplayer is in a time of resurgence. Still the best and most true translation of D&D into video games, for my money.
ARMA 3: The military sim. I've always enjoyed these games for their brutal realism, and the wild custom campaigns that people create for the multiplayer. The multiplayer is always niche but very dedicated. I'd recommend a fairly beefy PC for this.
The Crew 2: Like STEEP, this is something of a sandbox racer. Huge world, lots of cars, and a surprisingly flexible driving system that allows you to customize it to be as arcadey or simulated as you like.
Golf with Friends: As it says on the tin. It's a bit rough around the edges but updates and new courses come out frequently, and they're due to release a custom map maker soon. Expect a ton of levels when that happens. A very satisfying minigolf game otherwise, and a lot of fun with friends.
Hmm, it probably depends how much you want to spend and how you feel about different types of games then, but a few quick ideas that might be worth taking a look at:
At the moment, I'd recommend Warhammer: Vemintide 2 over Deep Rock Galactic. It's a similar game, but it's an AA game that's cheaper than DRG, an Early Access game. I have both but I've retired DRG until its released because it still feels too light on content, and it requires a lot of grinding to get to the second or third tier of upgrades for equipment right now.
I'm honestly a little surprised Vermintide 2 is so cheap—it was released not too long ago, it's highly polished, and it doesn't have any microtransactions. Excellent co-op multiplayer game with great graphics, atmosphere, and gameplay. Bonus: the DLC levels are actually playable via the Quick Play mode, so you don't even have to buy the expansion to play the expansion.
Rust is half-off and I've fallen deep right into that one. A survival game done very well IMO, and is still getting major updates from Facepunch. (Most) Servers wipe the first thursday of every month to clear the map, and occasionally put everyone on the same level crafting-wise. It's a Sisyphean game, but I keep getting back up every-time I get knocked down.
Side note: solo-play is doable and challenging, but playing with a second or a small group is a whole other level to the game. If anyone has it/is considering it, feel free to send me a PM for my Steam account.
I bought rust but refunded it as my first experience was waiting like 10 minutes for it to load the game, and then being killed immediately.
The beach can be a rough time, especially just starting out. Wipe-day in particular is quite the bloodbath.
And just after Steam added/forced AUD as a currency option, so even with the sales most games are more expensive or simply not available for purchase for me because the publisher hasn't set a price. Yay.
Played about 100 hours. It feels very finished at this time and I have not encountered any bugs so far.
It's a very well polished game. I really enjoy playing it. Check out northernlions let's plays about it.
I've played it a decent amount (probably about 15 hours). It's very polished and I think the Early Access state is more about the fact that they're still actively changing and rebalancing the cards and other mechanics fairly often than anything about the gameplay. I didn't run into any issues at all that I can remember, and I enjoyed what I've played.
I don't think Magic or Hearthstone would be a great comparison though, it's a roguelike-style deckbuilding game where you start out with a very basic deck at the beginning of each run and add new cards to it (and remove some) as you progress, along with picking up items that make you stronger or modify how things play. The enemies aren't playing the card game, they just do attack/defend/buff kind of actions and you're trying to defeat them using the cards in your deck. It feels a lot more similar to playing Dominion, if you've ever played that.
Yeah, I think you'd probably like it then. It feels a lot like a combat-oriented version of Dominion where the deckbuilding is separated more from the gameplay. Your turns mostly involve attacking/defending actions, and then you acquire/buy cards as rewards from the encounters, from occasional shops, and so on.
I've watched quite a bit of it. Super, super fun! I might pick it up this sale.
If you're into "let's play" style videos, you can check out Day9's series on STS. He picked it up and instantly became addicted. You'll know within ~20-30 mins of gameplay whether you like the game.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ed6kd7lSF5Q&list=PLgmCLtUkEutI67SUiC3frfdmG2dur2fif