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What are you playing?

How is it? Depth comparable to Civ V or is it simpler? Or just... different? I read the last era feels a bit rushed, so the late game seems troublesome...
Just different is a good way to describe it.

My biggest issue with the game right now is that there simply aren't enough resources, as you might find two or maybe three of a resource on a very large continent.
Say you managed to find some horses, you domesticated them by building a horse ranch and this allows you to make Scout Riders.
However, once you advance and you can make Horsemen, you need two horse resources, which means two physical territories with horses in them, as you can't produce more horses at a resource for whatever reason and there's nothing like a horse farm you can build, despite having domesticated horses.
The next upgrade is Knights, which still require two horses, but also two iron.
After that, you'll get to Dragoons, which require three horses and one saltpetre, which is just impossible.

But here's the kicker, horses aren't just needed for units, but they're also required for a lot of key infrastructure.
The first one being Animal Barns that increases food production and later on things like Stock Exchanges and Customs Agencies, which all go up one in the count of horses needed.

You also need horses for various special units unique to the nation you're playing, although these have similar costs to the regular units for that era.

The same applies to all strategic resources, but unless you have horses, you're more or less not going to be able to progress and your people are going to starve to death, as that's how important the Animal Barns are early in the game. The other two key resources you need is copper and iron. Salpeter, coal, oil, aluminum and uranium are the other ones, but they're not as important, largely because they arrive much later in the game and at a point where you've hopefully already managed to build a fairly successful and working nation.

I haven't really managed to figure out how trade works, as it's not like Civ where you can send a trader to another city, it's all sort of just automagic in the background.
There's a lot less micro management overall, but it also takes some of the "fun" out of the game.

Another issue is that everything takes so long time to do compared to Civ. Even if you play the research focused nations, after the default 300 turns, you're lucky to reach the industrial era before the game is over. This seems a bit odd and I just finished a 450 turn game and even at, I only got to the early contemporary era.

Things that are very different to Civ is that you have Stability and Influence points. The latter is used for building outposts, cities etc. and you don't gain a lot of them early on in the game and the cost goes up exponentially as you gain more points. However, once you figure out what to build, it shouldn't be an issue to get enough points.
As to Stability, this one is tricky, as I would say close to 90% of what you build, be it a Farmers Quarter or a Makers Quarter, cause minus points towards stability. The only district that improves stability is the Commons Quarter, although several other infrastructures can improve stability, such as (and weirdly enough) a Public Fountain.
Things like food, production, money and science work in similar fashion to the Civ games.

Oh and there's a city cap, if you have too many cities, you get a decrease in Influence points and you get hit hard with Stability loss.
One thing that took me a while to figure out during the beta and which is a feature that I hope the next Civ game implements, is the support for Outposts that can be linked to a City and become part of its territory. This way you can expand a City outside of it's initial borders, which I quite like.

Battle can be more advanced if you like it to, but is overall quite dull, just as in Civ. The AI opponents are quite different and obviously change as they evolve as well, which can be both good and bad.

The graphics are very impressive and detailed though and overall it's a decent game, but it's going to need some more work imho. It also feels faster than Civ, in the sense that it takes less time to create the world map before you can start to play and each AI turn seems to take less time than in Civ, especially after a few hundred turns.

Overall it's an engaging enough game, but it still needs a good bit of tweaking to stop being frustrating.

And that's a lot longer reply than I was going to write :roll:
 
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You do not own the game you own a licence
cracking the game is against tos therefor your lience should be voidied
Nonsense! I have but one response to that...
Most of this kind of language comes from all publishers and is very questionable when it comes to actual law.
...this. What publishers/devs state in EULA's and what is ethically/lawfully/morally valid is vastly different.

However, this thread is not the correct place for this discussion. So let's let this topic go.
 
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Lara's in trouble again...
tomb-raider-2013 (Medium).jpg
 
I tried Elex but the combat man. Pffew. Guess I have to bite through that... what is it that makes Elex nice to play then? Just the whole do your thing open world vibe? Kinda want to see what Ive missed there
Well, the combat can be brutal until A), you get better and B) you get some better stuff. Elex doesn’t level to you. And that can be a problem that causes many to quit. You either learn real quick that hard enemies are present from the beginning and running away is the best option, or you stay and die and get frustrated. Combat becomes all about timing and not finger mashing. Once you get a good feel for it, combat becomes bearable, even with tough opponents. It can’t even really be taught...you just have to get a feel for it.

The two things combined are where more casual players say “screw it.” Once I reached the comfort in combat I was at least a third of the way through. Lots of running away before that. Ranged weapons, while not overpowered, are definitely worth using and having.

For me the most enjoyable part is the roaming and exploring post-apocalypse worlds. Always has been my favorite genre in books, movies and games. The factions were pretty well done as well, and I enjoyed being able to set up my own neutral faction.
 
All this talk of TR on GOG got me to start Rise and TR 2013 again. Both great games in the series, with Rise probably being the best, imho.
rottr-gun (Medium).jpg
 
What if we have a Wii?
 
What if we have a Wii?
You can do that too! All you need is to hack the Wii (Letterbomb is the easiest way) and install a custom application. You can also burn it onto a DVD and install a modchip to your Wii to run it natively, which I want to do but haven't yet.
 
All this talk of TR on GOG got me to start Rise and TR 2013 again. Both great games in the series, with Rise probably being the best, imho.
View attachment 213833

Kinda agree with that, as someone who never played the original Tomb Raider games only the reboots Rise is my fav, already finished it 2 times and same with the 2013 TR game. 'Shadow is still waiting for its second run'
 
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You can do that too! All you need is to hack the Wii (Letterbomb is the easiest way) and install a custom application. You can also burn it onto a DVD and install a modchip to your Wii to run it natively, which I want to do but haven't yet.
I've already got a softmodded Wii with a HDD. I can just copy files to it with a USB drive.
 
All this talk of Rise and GOG got me thinking of this...

Is GOG in trouble....jpg

As a numbers guy, I'm seeing something beginning to Rise here on Trustpilot.

Continuing to work my way through Chernobylite(and NOLF 2 on my tablet), although this weekend I've pulled a book off my shelf and started to do some light reading. Partially because most of my items are getting packed up...I'm moving back to the country! My old friend Luke reviewed the title on youtube a couple years back.

Everything I Want to Do is Illegal!

The more I look at this S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chernobyl. The more excited I get. I was thinking of loading up the originals and going through all of them again to bide the time until release(April 28, 2022), but this S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Anomaly looks too good to pass up. Think I might just give that a go instead. Afterall, when I saw a video on youtube entitled "The Fallout for REAL men", I had a good laugh. Downloading now.

I've also been looking to add a few simpler titles to my wishlist of "must-have's" at the next Steam sale. Perhaps a few games to break in the Steam Deck when it arrives. Platformers, side scrollers, dungeon crawlers etc...all seem perfect for the task? So far...Assault Android Cactus+, Hollow Knight, Cuphead, Before Your Eyes, Celeste, Orcs Must Die 3...and of course Psychonauts 2 are on the list.

I believe Psychonauts 2 releases this week.

Best Regards,

Liquid Cool

P.S. If there is an obvious simpler title "must-have" missing from my list that you're aware of...please let me know. I'm notorious for discovering titles either real early...or real late. Could be because I'm the absent-minded professor type, or it could be the head injury. Probably a bit of both...:).

I miss Ford...:(
 
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I tried Elex but the combat man. Pffew. Guess I have to bite through that...
in piranha's games you start as 0 (zero) and you have to work your way to the top (this is part of the template i've wrote above).
you have to work quite a lot as service boys till you get your rusty sword and raged pants.
learn your opponents and time your attacks/blocks. if you have found a shield learn how to block with it (blocking only with weapon is normally also an option). dodge roll is usually skill that you have to learn so at the beginning you have to step aside from attacks. pay attention to the behavior of the enemies and learn how to use it. opponents do have weakness/resistance to certain types of dmg so make sure you have diverse arsenal.
also when approaching gate guards make sure you have some coins in the pocket.
 
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as someone who never played the original Tomb Raider games
As much as people rave about them, you're missing nothing. The GFX were janky, sound was equally janky and the controls were clunky, unituitive and cumbersome. I could never understand why people were so impressed.

All this talk of Rise and GOG got me thinking of this...

Is GOG in trouble....jpg

As a numbers guy, I'm seeing something beginning to Rise here on Trustpilot.
Link please?

I miss Ford..
FordGT? Yeah, I miss that guy too.
 
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LLM...

Your thoughts towards DRM. We're on the same page...

Trustpilot? You can just Google: "Trustpilot GOG.com Reviews" and click on the first link that pops up, or click here.

I will mention...I passed along what I passed along because I'm currently having an issue myself that should have been wrapped up in no time flat...and we're stretching into "not days, but weeks". What is the issue? A simple return from the last sale. I purchased a game, then I noticed they also had the game + dlc on sale for a dollar more. So, I started a return on the original game...waited a while and then purchased the second game w/ DLC. The crux of the matter is this...I've heard nothing back from them - AT ALL. This isn't normal, not by a longshot. Is something afoot? I don't know.

GOG refund goes missing.jpg


This is the headline from the original email I received after I attempted the return, not even a confirmation was sent. The body of the e-mail was empty...the only information given is in the subject line! Again, I've heard nothing. Not to mention, my follow-ups have remained unanswered as well.

My only consolation is this. After having read the reviews in question. Perhaps it's one or two disgruntled users posing as many? I actually hope so, but my own experience is mirroring quite a few of the comments, this has me somewhat troubled!

Not to mention...the new refund policy seems troubling. "up to 30 days for a refund" if you want your money back and only 1 or 2 days if you put it in a GOG wallet?

Yep. FordGT.

Best Regards,

Liquid Cool
 
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As a general rule, yes, I will skip games that do not come to GOG.
As a gamer, that's an insane will power you must have
Yes. I do not and will not tolerate DRM. For my very limited Steam library, I have either purchased games that run without online requirements and the need of the Steam client, or there is a DRM removal patch available for them. For example, FarCry3 Blood Dragon is not on GOG. Will buy it if it ever shows up. In the mean time, I bought the Steam version and have patched out the DRM nonsense.
Pretty much. The reason I generally use the term "patched" as opposed to "cracked" is because I pay for my games and patching them is perfectly legit in that situation, whereas using a cracked version without paying for it is just simple piracy.
So, in light of some games potentially not releasing on GOG possibly ever, you will buy the game, then download a "DRM free, patched copy" for the alternate DMR free GOG experience.
 
Alllright. Another day on the Zimonja settlement in FO4. It's gotten pretty packed in, just building around the existing structures. Hard to describe. Maybe when I get further along I will show some of it. Actually really satisfying.

My one gripe is how many of the sets are missing pieces. For instance, concrete has a type of floor that is a triangle instead of a square, letting you put angled walls. And then you get to the roof and they're all big 4x4 squares that hang off. It's like getting a new lego kit mostly together and then finding out you're missing a special piece you wouldn't have in your stash. I don't understand. Conduit is a great alternative to wire... less messy with interesting junction modules to get more functionality out of your power circuits. But you only get a couple of fixed lengths of pipe for straight sections. This forces things back to simplicity or insane, space-eating convolution. Really the greatest shortcomings of the whole crafting system are the pieces themselves. I just see so many missed opportunities.

I made a concrete bunker with a switch controlled door. The outside switch gets power from the inside one so you can lock yourself inside. When you turn the switch off, it makes the one outside inoperable. It can then only be opened from the inside. You can do all sorts of tricks with power. I'm trying to get my rad-scrubber arch to trigger with pressure plates, so that when you walk through, it scrubs you. I wonder if there's a motion sensor I can use. I think the timing is off because it triggers the spray but doesn't cure radiation.

It's pretty fun to play around with. I've just been building the spaces. I need to fill them out more now.

Okie, couple of images.
The front entrance.
Fallout4 2021-08-22 22-51-29.jpg

The other two choke points will eventually have a bot, too. To each turret fleet a robot overlord. Preferably with a laser gatling on one arm and machine gun on the other. I can expand them out to two later - tough melee bots to hold big tanky enemies. I'm thinking ahead on defenses. Tie up a deathclaw. I'm only level 20 right now lol.

This seems like a lot. I ate a ton of materials building all of this shit. But there isn't *that* much space between where they show up and here. Could always wander here from another cell too. When you have less distance, you need more turrets to get the kill before they reach the door. I tried to get them going in levels and angles to where no matter where you are here, I could give a fuck if you try to take the rocks on EITHER of the flanks... no less than 6 turrets are pounding you. Likely double that.
Fallout4 2021-08-22 22-51-19.jpg

It's quiet, for now.

Fallout4 2021-08-22 22-48-59.jpg

Everyone is looking over there for some reason. Even the spotlight. o_O

To the back.
Fallout4 2021-08-22 21-54-11.jpg

Built this wayy out with scrap fences into the cliff, wrapping around to my 'staff building' nearby (don't judge me, it's what they *really* are when you get down to it.) Every lantern marks 3 turrets. 15 in all. Same strategy here. Stagger and use height to create a very dense field of fire with turrets. It's just something I know to work, and the stilts are quite versatile.

I built out the overhang with the bent metal roof to accommodate stilts for more turrets lower down, while still clearing the wall. It was tough to make this wall not jumpable. Behind those stilts I can place my fusion generator, when I get there. Put another wall up to shield it. From there, I can wire right up to those stilts for rpgs. Feed it over to the far left ones under the tree and do the same there. 6 unobstructed rpgs.

It's sketchy lookin out there.
Fallout4 2021-08-22 21-55-27.jpg

They come from this little valley path. There is nowhere to go that is not bullet rain. You may have spotted the rocks to the bottom left here. They *could* maybe get up on those rocks... and still jam out with 9 turrets. There is simply nothing. Fear of god from on high.

Even the rear-side is enough, though. It's claimed a couple of victims.
Fallout4 2021-08-22 22-34-02.jpg

The game counted damage on one tato plant. It seems to have stopped these two bandits in good time. But if they score damage then I will need more soon. This whole area where I am needs a ton of work. I'm thinking tall staggered fences. Outcroppings, like a pinball machine. To the left of where I'm looking I need another fleet of turrets pointed towards where I'm standing. And barracades joining. I'm taking this to the upper 60s in level. To my back is where they tend to come from, but to the right is a big clearing, which connects right up to where the ass of my base falls out. Just a wide, open area.
 
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LLM...

Your thoughts towards DRM. We're on the same page...

Trustpilot? You can just Google: "Trustpilot GOG.com Reviews" and click on the first link that pops up, or click here.

I will mention...I passed along what I passed along because I'm currently having an issue myself that should have been wrapped up in no time flat...and we're stretching into "not days, but weeks". What is the issue? A simple return from the last sale. I purchased a game, then I noticed they also had the game + dlc on sale for a dollar more. So, I started a return on the original game...waited a while and then purchased the second game w/ DLC. The crux of the matter is this...I've heard nothing back from them - AT ALL. This isn't normal, not by a longshot. Is something afoot? I don't know.

View attachment 213858

This is the headline from the original email I received after I attempted the return, not even a confirmation was sent. The body of the e-mail was empty...the only information given is in the subject line! Again, I've heard nothing. Not to mention, my follow-ups have remained unanswered as well.

My only consolation is this. After having read the reviews in question. Perhaps it's one or two disgruntled users posing as many? I actually hope so, but my own experience is mirroring quite a few of the comments, this has me somewhat troubled!

Not to mention...the new refund policy seems troubling. "up to 30 days for a refund" if you want your money back and only 1 or 2 days if you put it in a GOG wallet?

Yep. FordGT.

Best Regards,

Liquid Cool

Wow, hope you get your refund. My experience with GOG service so far has been perfect, but then I only asked for a Cyberpunk refund after having finished the game (played 20 odd hours or so) and I asked for store credit because I knew I was late. But... there is a fair chance some internal policies were changed after the Cyberpunk refund mess they made. I was far from the only one, obviously, and its not hard to imagine some changes were made for damage control...

A friendly reminder should work though, what I've seen is that stuff gets read and handled carefully. Just get yourself visible.

Well, the combat can be brutal until A), you get better and B) you get some better stuff. Elex doesn’t level to you. And that can be a problem that causes many to quit. You either learn real quick that hard enemies are present from the beginning and running away is the best option, or you stay and die and get frustrated. Combat becomes all about timing and not finger mashing. Once you get a good feel for it, combat becomes bearable, even with tough opponents. It can’t even really be taught...you just have to get a feel for it.

The two things combined are where more casual players say “screw it.” Once I reached the comfort in combat I was at least a third of the way through. Lots of running away before that. Ranged weapons, while not overpowered, are definitely worth using and having.

For me the most enjoyable part is the roaming and exploring post-apocalypse worlds. Always has been my favorite genre in books, movies and games. The factions were pretty well done as well, and I enjoyed being able to set up my own neutral faction.
in piranha's games you start as 0 (zero) and you have to work your way to the top (this is part of the template i've wrote above).
you have to work quite a lot as service boys till you get your rusty sword and raged pants.
learn your opponents and time your attacks/blocks. if you have found a shield learn how to block with it (blocking only with weapon is normally also an option). dodge roll is usually skill that you have to learn so at the beginning you have to step aside from attacks. pay attention to the behavior of the enemies and learn how to use it. opponents do have weakness/resistance to certain types of dmg so make sure you have diverse arsenal.
also when approaching gate guards make sure you have some coins in the pocket.

Thanks for this. Now I can waste time in it.. This sounds fantastic and I need more patience.
 
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Was playing Portal. And then the game suddenly ended. No screenshots. Love the ending song though:
 
All this talk of Rise and GOG got me thinking of this...

View attachment 213836

As a numbers guy, I'm seeing something beginning to Rise here on Trustpilot.

Continuing to work my way through Chernobylite(and NOLF 2 on my tablet), although this weekend I've pulled a book off my shelf and started to do some light reading. Partially because most of my items are getting packed up...I'm moving back to the country! My old friend Luke reviewed the title on youtube a couple years back.

Everything I Want to Do is Illegal!

The more I look at this S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chernobyl. The more excited I get. I was thinking of loading up the originals and going through all of them again to bide the time until release(April 28, 2022), but this S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Anomaly looks too good to pass up. Think I might just give that a go instead. Afterall, when I saw a video on youtube entitled "The Fallout for REAL men", I had a good laugh. Downloading now.

I've also been looking to add a few simpler titles to my wishlist of "must-have's" at the next Steam sale. Perhaps a few games to break in the Steam Deck when it arrives. Platformers, side scrollers, dungeon crawlers etc...all seem perfect for the task? So far...Assault Android Cactus+, Hollow Knight, Cuphead, Before Your Eyes, Celeste, Orcs Must Die 3...and of course Psychonauts 2 are on the list.

I believe Psychonauts 2 releases this week.

Best Regards,

Liquid Cool

P.S. If there is an obvious simpler title "must-have" missing from my list that you're aware of...please let me know. I'm notorious for discovering titles either real early...or real late. Could be because I'm the absent-minded professor type, or it could be the head injury. Probably a bit of both...:).

I miss Ford...:(

Love Stalker, grabbing that anomaly now, thx.

Edit got it, looks nice, runs smooth too.
ss_tigge_08-23-21_10-48-57_(l01_escape).jpg
 
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Who reads all these books in a shooter game?

books12.jpg
 
No, it has polygons, pointy ones. Those had as much sex-appeal as plastic triangles.
true that
but thirsty teens didnt cared much.
at that time i preferred to play good pseudo 3d games like baldur's gate, homm 3, quake or starcraft than to train my counting skill with polygons
 
Super Timmy Wii, v0.96! Anyone can play it now, if you'd like, as long as you have Dolphin.

It's not quite done yet, but I'm not keeping it in closed beta anymore. All that's left is some playtesting and minor fixes (and I might fix a bug if it breaks the game too much).
https://new-super-mario-bros-wii-modding.fandom.com/wiki/Super_Timmy_Wii
Just a quick question, what is the fastest way to see if I am actually playing Super Timmy Wii? I installed it on my Wii, but I already have NSMBW installed, and your mod has the same title, artwork and game ID. I played through W1 to the first castle on both versions and couldn't tell the difference between the two.
 
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