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gikairan · 1 year ago

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I've been playing Starfield properly for a week now, and some thoughts:

I think the most important thing to say is: I am having fun. I am enjoying playing this game.

But i do worry about the games... legs so to speak. I played Fallout 4 for like... a whole year. By the time i felt like i was running out of base game, the first expansions were dropping.

Starfield is... a different beast. It doesnt have one big, large, handcrafted map. Its got a lot of procedurally generated maps, with random bits and pieces. And so there isn't much exploring. And its the exploring i kinda like with Bethesda? The only other games i've played that have made an open world feel so alive are.... BOTW/ TOTK. Like, open world is a dime a dozen these days, but most of them are empty Ubisoft-likes (what i call "checklist open worlds").

But Starfield, by virtue of being a space exploration game, cant quite have that handcrafted touch I know and love from Bethesda. Like, theres only a handful of ways to do a space exploration game and thats: - you limit the exploration to a handful of locations, each with a handcrafted map. But you lose the feeling of the vastness of a galaxy (This is what ME: Andromeda and The Outer Worlds did) - You lose the open world maps, and go with more focused areas. You get a chance to show more planets, but you lose the exploration feeling. (.... This is what the first ME Trilogy did, and theyre not exactly exploration games) - You procedurally generate as much content as possible, and only add handcrafted touches when theres a specific quest. You get the vastness of the galaxy, but it loses many places of actual interest. This is what Starfield has done.

And so... one atmosphere-less planet is kinda the same as another? The colours may change, but largely youre only there because you have a quest there, or you need a specific resource that that planet has in abundance. The places of interest just arent that interesting. And most of them are atmosphere-less planets (Because... thats most planets we've discovered after all)

The game also does take a whiillle to start to open up. I've got over 24 hours of playtime clocked up (though i imagine a good 3-4 hours are just idling on menus as i do things like... cook) and i've largely just travelled between Alpha Centuri and Sol.... I've just made the trip to Akila, i've spent all of 5 minutes in Hope Town, and I have no idea where Neon even is. Theres nothing really between those places, its just fast travelling everywhere. And i'm usually a fast travel abuser, but sometimes the best moments in a Bethesda game are when you slow down and take the scenic route, yaknow? Locations needing fast travelling between them kinda ruins that a bit. And theres generally not 2 settlements on the same planet, despite that probably making a lot of sense (if Jamison is good for human habitation, why is New Atlantis the only settlement we can visit?), so theres not exactly any real random encounters on the ground maps.

My hope that the roleplaying in this game was better than FO4 because they ditched the voice protagonist was in vain. Theres kinda 2 options to continue most conversations, and anything below the first 2 (maybe 3) options are Questions to learn more - but not to move the conversation to the next part of the tree. I havent seen a huge number of skill related dialogue options, except like... medicine? Thats the one ive seen pop up the most.

Performance wise, i've largely not had any issues. Couple of crashes, but thats par for the course with Bethesda. .... But i noticed some obvious frame rate dips in Akila. Like, something in that location the xbox just did not like. But nowhere else. I also paid for a month of game pass ultimate so i could swap between my pc and xbox and see what i liked. ... I havent even tried to play on pc, because i'm happy enough on xbox. That, and the pc keybindings are... uuhh a problem. The game has so many different controls going on that i cant move WASD to any other controls without breaking some other system. Arrow keys are vital somewhere else. IJKL is vital somewhere else.... I'm not playing with WASD, because thats uncomfortable (i'm using the wrong hand for it!). And theres no point in playing on a controller on my pc, lol. I may as well play on the comfy sofa if i want to play with a controller. Will probably mess with my ability to play many mods, but honestly... i'm still uncertain about how much i'll care about the game by the time people start making some real good mods.

IDK man. I'm having fun, i'm enjoying the game. But it probably is a 7/10 game, yaknow? Theres a lot of things holding it back, but those things are also fairly central to the actual vision Bethesda had. Jurys still out on how much blorbo thoughts i can get out of this, mostly because I still dont quite know enough about the world to get a backstory going on. And thats going to be the thing that really makes everything else click. But even then, I could get an okay enough backstory out of The Outer Worlds and that never clicked, because the game just didnt have enough content for me to Really Care.

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felassan · 4 years ago

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Dragon Age development insights and highlights from Bioware: Stories and Secrets from 25 Years of Game Development

Some really tasty factoids here.

Cut for length.

Dragon Age: Origins

The continent of Thedas was at one point going to be named Pelledia, a name initially floated by James Ohlen

“Qunari” was a temporary name that ended up unintentionally sticking, much like “Thedas”

Mary Kirby wrote the Landsmeet. To this day, nobody understands how it works, except possibly her. If she’s “really really drunk” she can explain how it works. There’s as many words in it as Sten’s entire conversations put together

Concept art for Thedosian art - as in in-world art - draws heavily on Renaissance-era portraiture, the Art Nouveau movement, religious styles and media like stained glass, and favorite pieces from the golden age of illustrations in the early 20th century

Andrastianism in-world (art-wise) is depicted in wildly different methods depending on who in-world made the art in question. “One religion, 3 different lenses”. There’s the Chantry take, the Orlesian take and the Fereldan take; each with its own different interpretations, different mediums and different stories

The stained glass images were drawn by Nick Thornborrow for DAI, to decorate religious spaces in that game “and beyond”

irl Viking art influenced Ferelden

Greek and Italian art influenced Orlais

The book also had other insights into and anecdotes from the development of DAO, but I’ve transcribed them recently as they’re essentially the stories DG has recently been relating on the awesome Summerfall Studios DAO playthrough Twitch streams. (On those streams he provides dev commentary while Liam Esler plays through DA. The ones with DG are currently once every two weeks. Check them out! Here’s a calendar where you can check when the next one is) Instead of repeating myself I’ll just provide the link to the first transcript. From there you can navigate to the subsequent parts. Note these streams are ongoing. At this point I will also point you to a related post which is cliff notes of the Dragon Age chapter in Jason Schreier’s book Blood Sweat and Pixels.

Dragon Age II

DAO had the longest development period in BioWare history. In contrast DA2 had the shortest

Initially DA2 was going to be an expansion to DAO. A few months in EA said “Yeah, expansions like these don’t sell very well, so let’s make it a sequel.” So it suddenly became DA2 and they had to make it even bigger, although they still only had 1.5 years of time in which to do this

Production of DA2 officially lasted only 9 months, and at the time the team was still supporting live content for DAO! They finished development that January after the design team crunched all the way through the holiday period that year. Then it went to cert 9 times

The limited time they had is why the story takes place mostly in and around 1 city, and over 7 years (so it was temporal, rather than over physical distance, because a more expansive world would have taken more irl time to make)

They had no time to review even the main plot. Mike Laidlaw pitched the idea of 3 stories taking place at different points in the PC’s life, tied together by Varric’s recollections of events. DG rolled with this and made 1 presentation on the idea. This presentation was then approved and off they went

As they were writing DG realized that there was going to be no oversight and that everything was going to be a ‘first draft’. “Because nobody had time.” He sat down with the writers and said “Look, here’s the conditions we’re working under. A lot of what we’re putting out is gonna be raw. We’re not going to get the editing we need. We’re not going to get the kind of iteration we need. So I’m going to trust you all to do your best work.”

Looking back, DG has mixed feelings on DA2. “A lot of corners were cut. The public perception was that it was smaller than DAO. That’s a sin on its own.”

Despite this he thinks DA2 has some of the best writing in the series, especially character-wise. The DA2 chars are his favorite

The pace with which production progressed may in some ways have helped. “When we do a lot of revision, we often file away [as in buff off] some of the good writing as well. Somehow DA2′s whirlwind process resulted in some really good writing”

The pace meant chars landed on the writers in various stages of completion. For example Isabela was fairly defined due to appearing in DAO. In contrast Varric at the start was just that single piece of widely-shown concept art

Varric was conceived as a storyteller not a fighter. His skills are talking and bullshitting. Hence the question became, so what does this guy do in combat? The direction was to make him as different as possible to Oghren, so not a warrior. He couldn’t be a dual-wielding rogue in order to differentiate him from Bela. But you can’t really picture this guy with a bow. “For a dwarf, it would probably be a crossbow. We didn’t have crossbows, or we only had crossbows for the darkspawn. And they were part of the models. We didn’t have a separate crossbow that was equip-able by the chars. They had to like, crop one off a darkspawn and remodel it. And that became Bianca” (quote: Mary Kirby)

“Dwarven mages are exceedingly rare.” [???]

If DAO was a classic fantasy painting, DA2 was a screenshot from a Kurosawa film or a northern Renaissance painting. (Here Matt Rhodes was commenting on art style)

John Epler: “In any one of our games, there’s a 95% chance that if you turn the camera away from what it’s looking at, you’ll see all kinds of janky stuff. The moment we know the camera is no longer facing someone, we no longer care what happens to them. We will teleport people around. We will jump people around. We will literally have someone walk off screen and then we will shift them 1000 meters down, because we’re fixing some bug.” John also talked about this camera stuff in a recent charity Twitch stream for Gamers For Groceries. There’s a writeup of that stream here

Designing Kirkwall pushed concept artists to the limits of visual storytelling, because it has a long history that they wanted to be present. It was once the hub of Tevinter’s slave empire, so it needed to look brutal and harsh, but it also then needed to feel reclaimed, evolved, and with elements of contemporary Free Marches culture

The initial plan was for DA titles to be distinguished by subtitles not numbers, so that each experience could stand on its own rather than feel like a sequel or continuation. (My note: New PCs in each entry make sense then when you consider this and other factoids we know like how DA is the story of the world not of any one PC). Later, DA2′s name was made DA2 in a bid to more clearly connect the game to its predecessor. For DAI they returned to the original naming convention. (My note: so I’d reckon they’d be continuing the subtitle naming convention for DA4)

DA2 was initially code-named “Nug Storm”, strictly internally

The Cancelled DA2 Expansion - Exalted March

This was a precursor to DAI

It was meant to bridge the gap between DA2 and DAI

It focused on the fallout from Kirkwall’s explosion, with Cory serving as the villain

Meredith’s red lyrium statue was basically going to infest Kirkwall and it would end up [with what would end up] the red templars taking over Kirkwall and essentially being Cory’s army

To stop him Hawke would have recruited various factions, including Bela’s Felicisima Armada and the Qunari at Estwatch, forcing Hawke to split loyalties and risk relationships in the process

It was meant to bring DA2′s story to an end and end in Varric’s death. DG was very happy with this because all of DA2 is Varric’s tale. The expansion was supposed to start at the moment Cassandra’s interrogation of him ended in the present. “And we finished off the story with Varric having this heroic death.” It tied things up and would have broken many fan hearts, something BioWare writers notoriously enjoy. But between a transition to the new Frostbite engine and the scope of DAI, the decision was made to cancel EM, work any hard-to-lose concepts into DAI, and in the process save Varric’s life. DG has talked about the Varric dying thing before

Concept art for EM explored new areas previously not depicted in the DA universe, with costumes that reflected next steps for familiar chars. Varric was going to war, what would he have worn? With Anders, if he survived DA2, the plan was to present a redeemed Warden

A char that vaguely resembled Sera in DAI was first concepted for EM. This fact was mentioned near this concept art (see the female elf) and this concept art of Bethany with the blond bob

The writers sketched out plans to end it with Hawke having the option to marry their LI. This included alternate ceremonies for party members like Bethany and Sebastian if the player opted not to wed. There was even a wedding dress made for Hawke. This asset made it into DAI (Sera and Cullen’s weddings in Trespasser). The dress can also be seen in DAI during an ambient NPC wedding after completing a chain of war table missions

The destruction of a Chantry was explored in concept art as it might have happened in EM. This idea ended up carrying over to the beginning of DAI. (My note: Lol, the idea that DA2 could have had 2 Chantries being destroyed in it 😆)

World of Thedas

Sheryl Chee and Mary Kirby started with “a disgusting little dish called fluffy mackerel pudding”. In the middle of DAO’s busy dev period one of them (they can’t remember who) found a recipe online for this, scanned in from a 70s cookbook. “I don’t understand why it was fluffy. Why would you want fluffy mackerel pudding?” MK says. “We loved it so much we included it in a DAO codex.”

This led them to create more food for Thedas, full recipes included, like a Fereldan turnip and barley stew from MK and SC’s Starkhaven fish and egg pie. The fish pie became Sebastian’s favorite. “To me it made sense for it to be fish pie because a lot of the Free Marches are on the coast”, SC says, “It was something that was popular in medieval times, so I thought, let’s make a fish pie! I looked at medieval recipes and I concocted a fish pie which I fed to my partner, and he was like ‘This is not terrible’”

For WoT the whole studio was asked to contribute family recipes which might have a place in Thedas. SC adapted these to fit in one Thedosian culture or another, including a beloved banana bread that localization producer Melanie Fleming would regularly bake to keep the DA team motivated. “Melanie’s banana bread got us through Inquisition”

DAI

It says part of DAI takes place in or near the border with Nevarra [???]

This game was aimed to be bigger than DA2 and even DAO in every conceivable way

The first hour had to do a lot of heavy lifting, tying together the events of DAO and DA2 while introducing a new PC, new followers etc in the aftermath of the big attack. DG rewrote it 7 times then Lukas Kristjanson did 2 more passes

DG: “Our problem is always that our endings are so important, but we leave them to last, when we have no time. I kept pushing on DAI: ‘Can we work on the ending now? Can we work on the ending now? Can we do it early on?’ Because I knew exactly what it was going to be. But despite the fact that it kept getting scheduled, whenever the schedule started falling behind, it kept getting pushed back... so, of course, it got left til last again.”

“The reveal of the story’s real antagonist, Solas, a follower until the end, when he betrayed the player”. “Solas’ story remains a main thread in Inquisition’s long-awaited follow-up” [these aren’t DG quotes, just bits of general text]

Over the course of development they had 8 full-time writers and 4 editors working on it. Other writers joined later to help wrangle what ended up being close to 1 million words of dialogue and unspoken text. While many teams moved to a more open concept style of work for DAI, the writers remained tucked away in their own room, a choice DG says was necessary, given how much they talked. All the talking had a purpose ofc as if someone hit a bump or wall in their writing they would open the problem up to the room

As writing on a project like DAI progresses, the writers grow punchier and weirder things make it into the game. This is especially the case towards the end of a project (they get tired, burned out)

Banter and codexes require less ‘buy-in’ (DG has talked about this concept a few times on the Twitch streams) from other designers. DG liked to leave banter for last as a reward because it was fun. Banter begins as lists of topics for 2 followers to discuss. These may progress over time or be one off exchanges. One banter script can balloon to well over 10k words. “The banter was always huge because we were always like, laughing, and really at that point, our fields of fucks were rather barren, so we would just do whatever”

The bog unicorn happened pretty much by accident. It was designed by Matt Rhodes and was one of his fav things to design. They needed horse variations and he had already designed an undead variant which was a bog mummy [bog body]. irl these are preserved in a much different way to traditional mummies. When someone dies in a bog their skin turns black and raisin-like. The examples we know of tend to have bright red hair for whatever reason. It’s a very striking look and MR wanted to do a horse version of this as he thought it’d be neat. 5 mins before the review meeting for it he had a big ‘Aha!’ moment, quickly looked up a rusty old Viking sword, and photoshopped it through its skull like that was how it died. “And I was like, ‘I just made a unicorn. Alright, in it goes!’” It got approved. “So we built the thing. It fit. It told a little story”

With the irl Inquisition longsword, one of the objects they tested its cleaving ability on was a plush version of Leliana’s nug Schmooples

The concept art team explored a wide variety of visuals for the Inquisitor’s signature mark. It needed to look powerful and raw but couldn’t look like a horrific wound. In some cases, as cool as the idea looked on paper, they just weren’t technically feasible, especially as they had to be able to fit on any number of different bodies

Bug report: “Endlessly spawning mounts! At one point during development, Inquisitors could summon a new horse every time they whistled, allowing them to amass a near infinite number of eager steeds that faithfully followed them across Thedas. “You could go charging across levels and they’d all gallop behind you,” Jen Cheverie says, “It was beautiful.” Trotting into town became an epic horse siege as a tidal wave of mounts enveloped the streets. Jen called it her Army of Ponies”

The giants came from DA Week, an internal period when devs can pursue different individual creative projects that in some way benefit DA. They also had a board game from one of these that they were going to put in but they didn’t have time. It’s referenced though. It was dwarven chess

Josie’s outfit is made of gold silk and patterned velvet, with leather at her waist. She carries “an ornate ledger” and she has “an ornamented collar sitting around her neck, finished by a brilliant red ruby, like a drop of Antivan wine in a sunbeam”

Iron Bull’s armor is leather. His loose pantaloons and leather boots give him agility to charge

On DAI in particular, concept artists took special care to make sure costumes would be realistic, at least in a practical ‘this obeys the laws of physics and textiles’ sense. “While on Inquisition, we thought about cosplay from a concept art perspective. Given how incredible a lot of [cosplays] are, I now am not worried about them. In fact in some cases in the future I want to throw them curveballs like, ‘All right, you clever bastards. Let’s see if you can do this!’”

2 geese that nested on the office building and had chicks were named Ganders and Arishonk (it wasn’t known who was the mom or the dad). Other possible names were Carver Honke, Bethany Honke, Urdnot Pecks, Quackwall, Cassandra Pentagoose, the Iron Bill, Shepbird, Garroose, Admiral Quackett, Scout Honking, HChick-47 and Darth Malgoose

Bug report: “The surprising adventures of Ser Noodles!” DAI was the first time the series had a mount feature, meaning this had a lot of bugs. A lot of the teams’ favorite bugs were to do with the mounts. There was a period of time where the Inquisitor’s horse seemed to lose all bone and muscle in its legs. They had a week or so where all quadruped legs were broken. It was a bit noticeable in things like nugs and other small beasties but the horse was insanely obvious. “The first time we summoned the horse [for this] and started running around, the entire QA exploration room just exploded with laughter.” Its legs flapped around like cooked fettucine, leading testers to lovingly nickname it Ser Noodles. At galloping speeds the legs almost looked like helicopter blades, especially when footage was set to classic pieces such as Wagner’s Flight of the Valkyries

For DAI the artists were asked questions like “What would Morrigan wear to a formal ball? Can Cassandra pull off a jaunty hat?”

On DAI storyboarding became the norm. John Epler: “Cinematic design for the longest time was the Wild West. It was ‘here’s a bunch of content, now do it however you want’, which resulted in some successes and some failures.” Storyboarding gave designers a consistent visual blueprint based on ideas from designers, writers and concept artists

Quote from a storyboard by Nick Thornborrow (the Inquisitor going into the party at the end of basegame sequence): “Until Corypheus revealed himself they could not see the single hand behind the chaos. A magister and a darkspawn combined. The ultimate evil. So evil. Eviler than puppy-killers and egg farts combined.”

A general note on concept art:

In the early stages of any project, before the concept artists are aware of any writing, they like to just draw what they think cool story moments could be. It’s not unusual for the team to then be inspired by these and fold them into the game as the project progresses

– From Bioware: Stories and Secrets from 25 Years of Game Development

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katiethezombie · 2 years ago

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Over 10 years of being subscribed to AH/LP/RT and a few of their other youtube channels, today I unfollowed them all after all the shit thats been going on.

So I'm gonna do a post on a lot of other YouTube channels that I follow and watch more frequently. I can't and won't say that these are all good people with spotless records, but the content they put out right now is great and I enjoy it (something that I haven't felt toward RT content in the last few years). Some of these channels ahve not updated in some time but I feel that the content they have is still worth a look.

Info under the cut:

Primarily gaming channels:

AlzaboHD and The SocialStreamers mostly CK3 and EU4 content.

AnarchyHD , DayZ server mod who posts content of gameplay and banning cheaters. TheRunningManZ also palys DayZ.

CandyEvie, FlygonHG, Mah-Dry-Bread, Moxie2D , SmallAnt all post pokemon content (usually nuzlockes and other pokemon challenges), along with some other game content (especially MDB and SmallAnt).

Dagnel, Etce, Rinqueen, Therm , Traves post Animal Crossing and Stardew Valley videos along with other games. Etce also plays Splatoon frequently.

ItsJabo, Nerbit, NGPlus, Mitten Squad do many video game challenges (old games from NGPlus and a lot of Fallout and Elder Scrolls from Jabo, MS, and Nerbit)

BedBananas, Criken2, Charborg/CHRBRG, Tomato Gaming/Tomato's Trash I call them the RP gang. Usually they all stream and do RP together in game with a lot of recurring streamers (BrettUltimus, Joefudge, Kiwo, Strippin, Gmart, Lwalman and others).

I recommend the Sub Rosa/SCP/Edwad Emberpants/ videos on Criken's channel, the Hitman videos from Bed, Barotrauma/SCP/ The Long Drive videos from Charborg, and the Dread Hunger streams from Tomato's Trash. They also post solo game content and past streams.

iSyzen and Syntac for ARK Survival gameplay.

tomatoanus covers speedruns and the mechanics behind them.

Skoldire, started following them for their modded Fallout 4 videos. They have a lot of other content as well.

Let's Game It Out, DougDoug, RTGame, CallMeKevin, The Spiffing Brit kind of just sum their gaming style up as chaos.

Nuzzgard , Phasmophobia and other spooky games.

UpIsNotJump , game reviews and some other funny content, and his second channel has old livestreams.

The Horizon, posts videos on minecraft builds meant to crash p2w servers.

Welyn and Willjum, Rust gameplay. Welyn also plays Tarkov and Sea of Theives.

I also follow Dooley Noted and Bruce Green on YT because I follow them on twitch and catch their VODS on these channels, although I haven't watched them in several months. They're some of the few former or current RT employees that I watch along with Matt Bragg and like... Criken/Bed/Tomato.

Primarily Movie, TV/ Pop Culture, or Internet stuff:

Amanda the Jedi (movie reviews)

BREADSWORD (cathartic film critique and analysis)

Bright Sun Films (explores abandoned places and the history behind it)

brutualmoose (Food review, film review, plays old PC games, a good variety channel)

Danny Gonzalez and Drew Gooden (film reviews, general Internet commentary, both former Viners, not the same person)

Dominic Noble (compares book to tv/film adaptations)

Izzzyzzz (Internet Lore videos)

Nick DiRamio (film and tv commentary)

PushingUpRoses (old tv shows summaries and reviews especially for Goosebumps and Murder She Wrote, and talks about old video games)

Sarah Z (breaks down a lot of info on Tumblr topics of old)

Schaffrillas Productions (film commentary especially with animated movies)

Seamus Gorman (Disney film commentary and other animated films as well)

Sideways (Critique on film and film score, very interesting info on how music makes a movie),

Yhara zayd (Film analysis especially around race and gender)

Red Bard (anime and such commentary)

Let's Make Stuff and Learn Stuff! (Travel, Food and Crafting, History and Science Channels)

Dollightful (OOAK Doll maker)

Hanabira工房 (miniatures)

How to Cook That (Ann Reardon debunks dangerous youtube videos and also shows you how to bake)

How To Drink (History of alcoholic drinks along with recipes, quite a few are pop culture based.)

I did a thing (Australian lad making questionably safe gadgets)

MariaLazar (OOAL Doll maker)

Micarah Tewers (sews really cool stuff usually out of curtains)

Ordinary Sausage (Makes sausages with weird ingredients)

Pecos Hank (Professional storm chaser, teaches you about meteorology and also plays some good music)

Peter Brown (lots of cool resin projects and experiments, makes me feel like I'm watching an old PBS show)

Solo Travel Japan (Travels on various Japanese transport, I find it relaxing)

Sugar Bean 슈가빈 (really cute macaron baker)

Survivorman - Les Stroud (Old episodes of Survivorman along with commentary by Les. Gives good tips and practical tips about survival)

You Suck At Cooking (easy recipes to make)

NendoZaiker-SNAIL (cool polymer clay sculpter)

#idk what else to tag this as #youtube recommendations

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nikomedes · 3 years ago

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saw this in a tag and decided to give it a whirl. consider urself tagged for it if u want to make a version. i don't think i have any hot takes here, but details below the cut:

fav game of all time: basic bitch hours, it's new vegas. this shit is bugged to hell, crash constantly, and every year gets less accessible to play on pc. and yet. and yet...

favorite series: i love stealth action and immersive sims so much, and the world of dishonored just whips. don't think i rly need to justify lol

best soundtrack: ive been addicted to the soundtrack for paradise killer since i played it. it's got range but also, vaporwave music beats ass? if thats the right genre? love it

favorite protagonist: okay so mass effect is kind of a cop-out bc you can customize the protag visually and through moral choices, BUT. the voice work on femshep is iconic and i loved the story i told with her. its a lifelong treasured memory

favorite "villain": im not rly a villain fucker so this was a tough one. glados would be a gimme, but thinking about it, i really enjoyed fighting the darkness in alan wake a lot. the way it possesses people, animals, and objects is still very cool. also, i wanted to get alan wake on the board. cool dude stephen king sim my beloved

best story: if you've played outer wilds you know, if you haven't go play it. if you can't (it rly fucks with the motion sick), im so sorry. it was so cool unraveling the mystery of this game and the ending rly got me

have not played but want to: don't drag me please. i want disco elysium very badly but i have a lot going on rn and can't give it any time sdlkfjdljf

you love but everyone hates: i can't speak to vocal hatred, but ive found over the years people don't care for bioshock 2 as much as others in the series. i love it. i love the endings, even the bad ones. big sisters are for lesbians, etc

you hate but everyone loves: again, "everyone loves" is a wild exaggeration given the drama around c/yberpunk, but i think it does have its devotees and people who stuck with it after the patches. i couldve put d/etroit become racist here too, but i wanted to stick to games i actually played. i put 15 hours into this game and loved parts of it, but ultimately had to stop playing bc the extreme fixation on sex and trivializing exploitation started to... actually trigger me! oops! my bff made me uninstall my pirated copy lmfao

best art style: sable is so simple yet so beautifully rendered. i played it to 100% completion and loved every minute. i had this game in several categories as i made this, including relaxing game, but it's maybe my favorite example of "less is more" in game art.

favorite ending: now i wasnt on the 10 year long ride for kentucky route zero some people were, which i can't blame anyone for affecting their opinion of the ending. i played this game over three days once it was finished and open-mouth sobbed my way through the ending, though. so. you should get hurt too!

favorite boss fight: can we talk about the esseJ fight in control. please god im dying to talk about the esseJ fight in control. accessing the optional boss, her outfit, and the fight itself are all just... so choice

childhood game: my first video game ever was armored core for the ps1! could this be why im obsessed with robots? who could say! my mom played it with me, too, which makes it very special for me

relaxing game: listen, the actual story of eliza isn't especially relaxing, given it grapples with mental illness, therapy, and implementation of machine-learning ai. but kabufuda solitaire. catch me on my virtual phone inside this video game playing hours of kabufuda solitaire.

stressful game: i love prey conceptually so much! so much! and at every turn i am terrorized by mimics

game you always come back to: fallout 4 couldve fit here too, because for me they occupy the same space of "ive put too many hours of my life into this long video game, i have GOT to stop starting new saves," but i think the story of dragon age: inquisition is fundamentally better, so. every few years im back to get a weird green hand vagina again

guilty pleasure: i hate the story of fallout 4. i just do. i also dont like other choices they made with the world and lore for it, and nick valentine isn't even romanceable. cringe. but also im addicted to the base building mechanics and i have probably 500+ hours in it between xbox and steam

tons of hours played: just edging out fallout 4 for hours of my life spent making virtual buildings nicer, its stardew valley! top tier depression gaming. maru is the best wife

i will put an honorable mention for pokemon sword, which i dont think fits any of these categories for me particularly well, but which has been keeping me alive the last two months lmfao

#hello fellow gamers #who else will join me in mlg kabufuda solitaire play #long post #< just in case the read more doesnt work on mobile or smth #picspam #dot txt

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major-fukkup · 4 years ago

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Fandoms I'm In!

Hello! Today I'm going to be sharing a list of fandoms I'm in!

Before we get started, I feel like I should mention that I am not actually in the mainstream part of any of these, though for some I would like to be - I just don't really know where to start or how to get involved, especially since I work two jobs and don't have a lot of time for art or fic-writing, or anything else either for that matter.

Nevertheless, time to get on with the list!

These will be listed in no particular order, though my current obsessions will be in their own category at the top.

The last thing I will say before putting the list is, this is subject to updates at any time, so if you're curious to know what I'm into at any given time, check back frequently!

Current Obsessions!

(I'm leaving these on the next list because I don't feel like removing them fight me)

ATLA (Zukka lmao)

Other Fandoms and Media I Enjoy

MacGyver - Seriously, this has been my favorite show since I was a kid. My mom bought the box set and I could quote the whole episode guide and didn't have to consult it to know which disc to put in the DVD player when someone wanted to watch a specific episode.

Supernatural

The Witcher

Skyrim (inspired my main DnD PC, Ezian)

Destiny 2

Metal Gear Solid

The Loud House

The Land Before Time (THIS IS MY COMFORT SERIES)

Jurassic Park

Pirates of the Caribbean

Indiana Jones (guess I'll put it here since I do enjoy the movies even though I've surprisingly never done anything remotely fandom-related concerning it) (aside from making LEGO stop-motion videos with the sets I had)

Marvel (Avengers specifically) (Thor FTW even tho I haven't actually seen any of the Thor movies YET - I HAVE watched many clips from them)

Gargoyles (Disney show)

Mega Man (my very second fandom, chronologically! The first being Mario of course)

Sonic the Hedgehog

Detroit Become Human (the reason I first started wanting a PS4 back in 2018)

Horizon Zero Dawn (don't play it often enough to remember what's going on but Aloy is really cute and also very pretty)

Splatoon

Animal Crossing

Legend of Zelda (the fandom that spawned my biggest, most developed work that is now original and contains no copyrighted content)

Ghostbusters (the fandom that spawned my second-biggest, second-most-developed work that is now original and contains no copyrighted content)

The Last Of Us

Cyberpunk 2077 (looked forward to it ever since it was first announced, preordered it and picked it up as soon as GameStop called me to let me know they had my copy, and then played it all of one time for about 9 hours straight and apparently my roomies were trying to talk to me??) (Pretty sure I played it more than once TBH) (Spoiler alert, Jackie shouldn't have fucking died)

Fortnite (my brother got me back into it but I got him into it first) (yes this is why I put those passive-aggressive notes) (no I'm not one of those toxic players)

Uncharted (finished 1, started 2, and own 3 and 4 but haven't played them)

Just Cause 4 (haven't played the others)

Fallout 4 (and Shelter haha)

DOOM

Borderlands

Burnout Paradise (I just got it because DJ Atomika, but it turned out to be fun! I'm spoiled when it comes to street-racing games because Need For Speed World was my favorite and the servers shut down)

The Crew 2

4x4 Evolution 2 (funny how it's often the second game in a series that ends up being my favorite) (I have many, many happy memories associated with this game)

SSX (specifically 3) (more happy memories)

Naruto

Death Note

Demon Slayer

The Fairly OddParents

The Owl House

The Band Ghost

ATLA

#about me #feel free to ask me anything #pin #stuff I like

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skumpitt · 4 years ago

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So is Fallout 76 actually fun?

To clarify, I can't maintain a schedule for MMORPGs. So if I were to occasionally pop on as this person wandering the wastelands, could I get anything from it or should I just load up new vegas and call it an evening?

I find it really fun, I was playing it this evening in fact and I'm probably gonna play it again tonight. It definitely deserved the hate it got at launch but it's come a long way since then! If you like the core gameplay loop and the base building in Fallout 4, you'll enjoy it here. The world's really fun to enjoy, there's so much to see and find and the world is constantly changing. I'll spend hours checking out everyone's creative Camp builds, decorating my own, and just vibing in the wasteland.

It still has a lot of the usual Bethesda problems and the monetization is kinda gross but I've enjoyed it in spite of it's flaws and spent about 500 hours on it. I definitely reccomend it for PC if possible, there are several mods that really enhance the experience. But ultimately it's an online Fallout game and that's something I've wanted for a long time.

If you like the shooting and looting from Fallout 4 and spent hours building up Sanctuary like me you'll enjoy the moment to moment gameplay. You can take your time doing a little at a time each day, knocking out daily challenges, farming and exploring etc. Playing it sort of casually is great because there'll always be more to do when you log in and there's not a lot of difficult endgame content in the way of raids or world bosses currently.

Some days I'll just play a couple hours, check out Camps close to me on my server and run an event or daily op with some other people. It helps that the community is really cool, I've had nothing but good experiences with people in this game.

I can't recommend it over New Vegas, that's really the best game in the series for me and my personal favorite game ever. It's a really deep story-based game and if you want to be immersed and listen to dialogue for hours on end then FNV is better for that.

But if you're looking for a more action-driven experience, give F76 a try. There's a lot of content, a lot to see and do, and I still haven't seen most of the game after so many hours playing it over the course of several months. It has some more "classic" elements compared to F4, your character build matters more, they've added Special checks and branching story paths, and the writing in Wastelanders and Steel Dawn have been pretty good from what I've played of it.

Some days I play more casually, it's fun to see what other people have come up with and just listen to the radio while I team up to kill monsters and stuff. It still plays like F4 so it depends on how much you like that game's feel and how much tolerance you have for the looter shooter genre in general. If that kind of game sounds fun to you and you have the patience for some of it's bugs and rough edges, you'll find a lot to enjoy especially if you're a fan of other Fallout games.

#Fallout 76 #asks #text

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loadet851 · 4 years ago

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Pc Games With Character Creation Offline

Games With Character Customization Pc

Steam Games With Character Creation

One of the things I love most in a RPG (Role-Playing Game) is the possibility of creating my own character with tons of different options and add-ons. I made a research yesterday and found some interesting PC Games I already knew about, adding them to the titles I have or plan to get with the best Character Customization. I’m going to list them here for you guys also attaching a few videos so that you can see directly how they work and what kind of possibilities they offer.

It’s the main reason I enjoy games like Skyrim and Fallout. But there seem to be so few good (single player) games with decent character creation - and not just picking from a few presets. The character creation in Dragon Age: inquisition was amazing (although I struggled to enjoy the game) as well as Saints Row (which I really enjoyed). Addicting Offline Co-op Games For PC You’ll Want To Play. Dennis Patrick / Features / Best Co-op PC Games, Co-op, Cooperative. Sonic the Hedgehog is a staple video game character. Best MMORPG with Character Creation. Final Fantasy 14 has one of the most complex and sophisticated character editors. In this game, you can change the smallest details using different sliders, pick a unique voice, or add unique tattoos, accessories and facial paint. What Are Best RPGs With Character Creation? Role-playing games let us live out some of our greatest fantasies like slaying dragons, saving the world and owning a house. Whether your main character is dead, alive, or somewhere in between, these games will let you adjust your appearance and abilities to however you see fit. I've always loved games that give you the option to create your character before you start in the world. I enjoy the game even more when it has role playing or social aspects added to it, allowing you interact with NPCs, or other players if the game has a multiplayer feature. Just character creation would interest me enough to check any game out.

Follow me under the cut if you’re curious!

I’ve been introduced to this type of creation with a game I still keep in my heart and consider one of the best of all times; The Sims 2. Seriously, I’ve created so many 3D characters that if I could win an award I’d have 200 on my shelf by now.

With that said, here you are my personal list of PC games with their awesome customization in no particular order:

I tried this game myself (the free beta that is) a few times in the past and I swear the CC included in it is currently one of my favorite. Without the complete pack I probably didn’t have a lot of additional options available in terms of clothes, makeup and hair, but what truly mesmerized me at the time was the shaping tool, not yet common in games when they released EVE. You can grab and drag different parts of the head and body, modeling unique characters every time.

2. Black Desert Online

This game has been released recently with two different packages and it seems to be quite a popular MMORPG (Massive(ly) Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game) in Russia and Korea. I’m not surprised considering the quality this game seems to have and its customization is clearly no less. Just like EVE Online, Black Desert offers a good sculpt instrument to shape faces and bodies as much as you like, plus a beautiful variety of colors and combinations.

UPDATE: The game is also available on Steam!

This patch lets you play Legend of Zelda Spirit Tracks with mostly non-touch based controls. The new control bindings are Control Bindings: D-Pad=Run Y+Dpad=Walk B=Wide slash B+Dpad=Long slash Y+B=Spin Attack A=Interact A+Dpad=Roll. Legend of Zelda Spirit Tracks D-Pad Patch This patch implements non-touchscreen controls for essential actions in Legend of Zelda Spirit Tracks. Legend of zelda spirit tracks xenophobia patched rom.

3. Blade&Soul

This is another Asian MMORPG with the classical ‘Anime’ style, you cannot freely reshape the character’s structure, only pick one of the available presets and play around with the sliders to modify the whole body. Andy mckinney molly hatchet. Still, I honestly like the bright colors, the races/classes and the fact that you can actually recreate other existing characters using additional content (just like this guy did with Cloud from Final Fantasy VII).

4. BLESS Online

Yes, another Asian online title. Hey, it’s not my fault if they look so pretty! Bless is quite recent and not yet released in its final stage, but judging by how the CC works you have as much freedom as in EVE or Black Desert and the same unmistakable Fantasy touch.

5. The Sims 4

Didn’t I mention The Sims 2? Well, looks like the latest title in the series has improved quite a lot in this area. The shaping/sculpting method is here as well, considering that we finally have more possibilities I certainly won’t complain!

Note: In this video I can see the woman has a few mods installed. If you decide to get this game (or even the previous chapters) I definitely suggest you to do the same if you don’t like the default character design.

6. Fallout 4

Another recent (and quite famous) game. Apparently you can only work on the face here, but once again we see the sculpt tool in action. Even if the hair options are a bit limited you can still customize your character and create unique features playing around with your cursor.

7. Dragon Age: Inquisition

Who knows me is well aware of the fact that I am completely OBSESSED with this game, thus I couldn’t really leave it out. The hair options are definitely questionable and just like in Fallout 4 you do not have any body morph nor slider to alter, but as you can see from this video example you are still able to personalize your Inquisitor in a good way, also using real people or other characters as reference. To be honest I like some of the default presets too, if you don’t like spending two hours working on a face (I do that all the time, but I am a basket case so please ignore my madness :P), you can pick those and get a good result nonetheless.

And don’t forget about mods! 😉

8. Skyrim (The Elder Scrolls V)

This one has been around for a very long time and it remains probably the top 1 Fantasy game out there. If you’re not into mods at all and want to keep your game vanilla be sure that the overall quality is not as improved as the current generation, you can see that from the low-res hair and general textures. The reason why I’m including this CC in the list anyway is because even if old, Skyrim looks quite good compared to other games where you only get 3/4 slider options.

9. APB Reloaded

The last game I’d like to mention (and I literally just discovered it) is this not so new title which has a kick-ass Character Creator. Not only it shows some quality graphics there, but the level of customization is unbelievable! You can make hair shorter, beards longer, create beautiful tattoos (and place or rotate them wherever you want!), add patterns to clothes and even get your personal car! 😀

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There are of course many other games with a Character Creator, but they all seem pretty similar or not good enough to be mentioned in my list.

What do you think about these? Let me know with a comment if you like!

Those late-night multiplayer sessions can be really fun sometimes. Surely, everything is better with friends, they say and you’ll agree with that at some point. However, after a long day of work and studying, I like to relax with offline games. Sometimes, it’s satisfying to let yourself indulge in a great single-player story and forget about any problems bothering you. So, if you are like me, then welcome to the club! Below is my list of 20 best offline games for PC and I hope you’ll enjoy them.

1. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt

W2k16 pc download. Well, you’ve guessed it! The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt takes first place on the list with its epic setting, characters, gameplay, and those breathtaking visuals! It’s a compelling game that will offer you more than a hundred hours of non-filler gameplay, and there’s always something to explore. The game looks amazing, and the combat system is great. This open-world title is everything you need on your free days! Combine that with the great RPG elements and fun dialogues with NPCs, and you got yourself a pretty good offline game! Go and play it now, it’s a must-play.

2. Wolfenstein 2: The New Colossus

Wolfenstein series has been once again revived with Wolfenstein 2: The New Colossus. The positive reviews flashed all around the globe, and this game quickly became one of the best shooting games of 2017. B.J Blazkowicz is such a badass protagonist and the characters surrounding the game are interesting. You’ll quickly start to care about each and every one of them, making this game a worthy offline title. Bethesda said that they won’t be focusing on multiplayer, so they can bring an immersive single-player experience. Well, you nailed it, Bethesda; great job!

3. The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

Bethesda is one of my favorite companies when it comes to gaming, at least they were a few years back. A few years back, this masterpiece called The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim was released and it took the Earth by storm! This offline open-world title offers hundreds of hours of exploration and you’ll probably never get bored of it! The combat system might be dated, but it’s damn fun to play and explore every corner of the game. After six years since its release, I’m still eager to give Skyrim another go. It’s that great!

4. Fallout 4

Games With Character Customization Pc

Fallout 4 is one of those top offline games that you either like or dislike. It’s a great single-player experience, as you explore a huge world of fictional city Commonwealth. I mean, the story here is scattered here and there, and our protagonist is in search of his abducted son. However, the game often steers away from that and let you have some freedom and exploration. It’s a fantastic reboot of the series, and it’s surely the best game in the franchise. If you are up for that Stalker-ish feeling, then give this a try!

5. Hitman (2016)

Hitman isn’t a strictly offline game, but I included it because it has a great single-player campaign. While the previous entry in the series Hitman: Absolution relied more on linear, claustrophobic, and confined experience, Hitman (2016) went in a different direction. Here, you’ll experience a vast, open-world with lots of stuff to do. The levels are not that numerous, but they are as big as hell! You can complete your missions in various ways and earn certain rewards and points for doing so. Hitman is a challenging stealth experience, but once Agent 47crawls under your skin, there’s no going back!

Steam Games With Character Creation

6. Nioh

Nioh is a less-known offline game released this year, and I feel like this game is very underrated. It’s a child of Dark Souls and Bloodborne series, which can tell you much about this game. It has a single, crushing, and unforgiving difficulty that will leave you begging for mercy. It’s hard, and you’ll need some blazing fast reflexes and huge gaming skills to finish it. There are more than twenty bosses in the game, and every single boss will kick your ass! Don’t expect to finish this game in a few days; you’ll need weeks to finish it and it will be painfully slow as the bosses shame you every little time… you helpless gamer!

7. Nier: Automata

Another underrated game – Nier: Automata. How could the gaming community overlook this game? Are you blind, or what? This game offers thirty hours of a pure, refined, and amazing experience! It’s a hack-and-slash title that mergers several genres with it. The open world in this game is huge, and the post-apocalyptic environment looks depressing and feels like a void. Nier also introduces RPG elements so you can now level yourself up, upgrade weapons, buy stuff, etc. On top of that, there are some 2D sections that feel like a great platformer, and that’ very unique! Nier: Automata is better than most AAA titles and costs double the less of that price, which is one more reason to get it.

8. Dark Souls 3

Dark Souls series got a fantastic reboot with Dark Souls 3. Just if it wasn’t enough for the previous games in the series, and now we got this punishing game. What can I say? Prepare to die a LOT in this game, as it’s created to kill you. I’m not joking, the whole game is against you, and you can’t do anything about that except fight like a lunatic. Even when you die, the enemies around you respawn and you must fight again and again, which is really frustrating. However, if you have the balls to play it, and manage to finish it, then you deserve a medal, Sir!

9. Bioshock Infinite

Bioshock Infinite is the newest installment in the Bioshock series. This cheap game can give you a huge value for your buck, especially when the Holidays come. I mean, for just a couple of bucks, you can get a fantastic FPS game, which campaign isn’t short and definitely isn’t boring! Bioshock Infinite continues its tradition with great shooting mechanics, various powerups, and that fast-paced shooting in a beautiful environment of the game. Get ready to cause mayhem!

10. Alien: Isolation

Alien: Isolation is that PC offline game that will haunt your dreams every time you try to sleep. It’s a horror game in which you try to stay in one piece and escape that damn space station called Sevastopol. Sounds similar? Well, that’s because the game is based on Alien (1979) movie, which was a very disturbing experience at the time. It’s an intense game that makes your palms sweat and your heart beating so fast that you’ll think it’s gonna come out of your chest! Try this horror if you dare, and watch yourself getting swallowed by the Alien, in a single bite!

11. Far Cry Primal

Elephants are cool, but mammoths are so badass! In Far Cry Primal, you can hunt mammoths and even ride them when you get to higher levels! How cool are you from zero to riding a mammoth? This beautiful-looking game is set 10,000 years BC and no, you aren’t going to shoot guns, but bash the hell out of your enemies. The arsenal of weapons might not be that huge, but the combat is great and requires more thinking, as the enemies are sometimes overwhelming and can easily kill you. If you have the luck to tame a sabertooth tiger, you may survive in this harsh world!

12. Resident Evil 7: Biohazard

There is something special about that claustrophobic feeling, especially when it comes to horror games that you can play without internet. That sense of dread and despair when you don’t have much space to move is priceless. Don’t think of me as a psycho, but I LOVE the horror genre! RE7: Biohazard is a game that caught my attention as soon as it was released. This bad boy will provide you with a horrific experience that will leave you scared to death! As the game plays from the first-person perspective, it’s much easier to get yourself immersed, but also scared.

13. Outlast 2

Outlast 2 is yet another offline horror experience, where the developers decided to leave your powerless. There aren’t weapons for you to use, and surely no means to defend yourself. So, what are you left with? Well, a camera and a journal should do the trick! The game does a damn fine job of melding the horror and the dread with stealth and great storytelling. In the end, you may feel a little let down by the ending, but I know you’ll enjoy it until the very end.

14. Dead Space 3

Cat et 2015a factory password generator. While the past games in the series focused more on that horror experience, Dead Space 3 is more of an action-horror game. Sure, there are Necromorphs and they are vicious and all, but the action part is more prominent. Needless to say that Dead Space 3 is an amazing game and I’m very sad that Visceral Games is closed by EA in October. This survival horror game is hugely underrated, but it’s awesome and I recommend you to play it. It’s just a couple of bucks for this experience, don’t be a niggard!

15. Portal 2

There’s something awesome when it comes to Source Engine. The games made with this engine looks amazing, yet they run smoothly. How did Valve manage to do that? Well, as I am not a game developer, don’t ask me! But ask me about Portal 2, which is Valve’s magnum opus, and a compelling puzzle game. The whole point of the game is to use a Portal gun in order to create portals and pass through them. However, the game isn’t that simple and requires some brain skill to finish it. Grab your Portal Gun, and let’s go on a venture!

16. Limbo

This 2D game is straight-up terrifying, dark, and misanthropic from the start to finish! In Limbo, you are a little boy that needs to survive this colorless world of the game as he overcomes various obstacles and escape scary monsters. I like the game’s artwork and the atmosphere is simply top-notch here if you like the dark ambient in the games. It’s a must-play for every offline Indie games lover!

17. S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Call of Pripyat

Speaking of the atmosphere, very few great offline games can replicate the atmosphere as it is in S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Call of Pripyat. That post-apocalyptic atmosphere of Pripyat looks great, and the game isn’t colorful, which is the whole point. Everything has that grey-ish tint, as this town suffered greatly when the Nuclear Powerplant in that area exploded. It’s based on a real-life event that occurred around 1989, which gives the game a certain weight and meaning.

18. Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain

With MGSV: The Phantom Pain, Hideo Kojima proved that he still has what it takes to create such immersive PC games without internet. This stealth game is challenging and full of stuff to do, due to its open-world nature. The characters are badass and the game feels somewhat dark, with a very serious tone. Oh, and not to forget that plot twist at the end that’s worth those thirty hours I’ve spent on this game!

19. SOMA

Horror fans will be pleased that I mentioned another horror title here. SOMA is an absolutely spooky and nerve-wracking experience! It creates that atmosphere that’s very unique, and with the story being told in the shape of various documents scattered through the game, it’s even more badass! You are all alone here and you’ll fight for your life, only to find out that you aren’t actually alive! A truly wonderful offline game for Windows.

20. Superhot

Superhot is a cartoonish-looking offline game that revolves around time. To make it simple, the time in the game moves when you move, so if you are standing still, nothing will happen. Vice Versa, if you are moving and shooting, then the enemies will do the same. It’s a lot of fun, but a lot of challenges too. I played it with some of my favorite death metal albums, just to ensure that I’m hardcore enough to beat it!

As we are approaching near the end of our journey through the offline PC games, I’m here to ask you a question. What is your favorite offline game for PC? I tried my best to count some of my favorite offline games, and although I’m maybe going to start a war for not including some of the games, I stand behind my words. Oh, and why don’t you tell me what game did I miss? Do you have any favorites besides these 20 games? Please, let me know, and don’t forget to do some gaming today!

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writingonjorvik · 5 years ago

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Can We Discuss Media-Contained Character Arcs?

I’ve been listening to a couple different comments about the relationship with the Soul Riders not feeling as relatable as others for some folks. I know I’ve talked a lot about my own opinions on this topic, but I wanted to get to the root of this issue as I see it.

To put this simply, the Soul Riders’ story is always going to be disconnected from the player because their story relies on prologue material. And with the SSL games being retconned and the new books only being available in a few languages, the group of people who even have access to that material is such a small group. Before SSO had the benefit of old time SSL players being nostalgic and being engaged in continuing the Soul Riders’ story, but now even that’s not a guaranteed player base because of canon changes. Which isn’t to say I think the books shouldn’t have been written, but it’s not a solution to the disconnect with the Soul Riders.

Picture it this way: You’re reading a book series about a chosen one, when all of a sudden a group of characters who are already friends show up and offer to help. They all have preexisting relationships with each other and way more abilities than the chosen one’s understanding of their powers, but we’re supposed to believe that they’re friends. But it doesn’t work. That MC is still a third wheel, or a fifth wheel in SSO’s case, with friends for the plot’s sake. That doesn’t mean that those characters are bad, but continuations that require experiencing the previous material will always disconnect the reader/player because it’s forcing them to engage with more material than just the one they’re reading now. And that just uncovered the strings of the story being a franchise and not a contained piece of media.

And this gets even more confirmed because this is an existing MMO trope, and it never works. One of the top examples I can think of is my other MMO favorite, GW2. To bridge the gap between GW1 and GW2, Arenanet released a series of novels about this group called Destiny’s Edge, who, in GW2 become the mentors of all the options for player races. But one of the biggest critiques of that part of the story is that the PC feels out of place around all these experienced characters and is forced in the narrative to be the glue that brings them back as a group. And it just didn’t work. The characters were not disliked, but they certainly weren’t fan favorites. Until those relationships were recontextualized around what the PC did, not what Destiny’s Edge did.

Let’s look at a different example. The Dragon’s Age franchise is an ongoing story with several ongoing characters. However, the focal point of the story is put on the PC and the relationships they build, not on relationships the characters already have from previous games. Those characters will still make comments to past games off hand, but they’re never required to inform the current plot, just to enhance it. Which is usually why, no matter where you jump into the story, you can experience the whole world without having to experience all of the previous games. This is what SSO should do with the Soul Riders, or should have done. They should have been the last group of Soul Riders passing it on to the PC and their new friends. But, let’s play with what we got.

The biggest fix for the “existing friend group” is recontextualizing the relationships. Ok, first step to that is moving the focus point off of the Soul Riders then as the main story companions and putting it on characters we’ve met in SSO exclusively like Rania, the CHILL members, or the Flying Foxes. This is why when I’ve argued a chapter two I’ve made an entirely new group of companions. Not to replace the Soul Riders or remove them from the story, but so the story can recenter on the relationships we’ve built just in SSO and making the player want to build those relationships.

This is also why I think Justin should be a Soul Rider and was my first pick for that suggestion, beyond some very good narrative opportunities about him and his mom being a Soul Rider. This is not to say I think Justin should be a major focal point to replace the Soul Riders, but Justin is a character who we have only met in SSO. There’s a reason why a lot of players like him. I like him, even if he’s gotten way too many hero moments compared to the PC. And I’ve always enjoyed his character more than the Soul Riders has someone who picked up the SSL games after I started SSO. He should have some narrative importance, like being the first indication that the Soul Riders aren’t exclusive to just four cis-female riders.

The last point I’ll end on is that SSO’s source material is kinda shooting them in the foot. The Soul Riders aren’t exactly presented as being particularly social. In both versions of the SSL storyline, the Soul Riders all become friends because of circumstance. None of them really seek each other out, or other friends. In fact, Alex is the only Soul Rider until this year who had a friend we knew about outside of the Soul Riders and family (which is also why Alex seems to avoid most criticism, her relationship with the PC is the most believable). The friendship by circumstance doesn’t exactly support the idea that they would go out of their way to make friends with the PC if it weren’t for, and I’ve said this before, the circumstances that brought us together (the PC rescues 3 of the 4 Soul Riders, dragging them into the main plot). Of course those relationships wouldn’t feel real.

I think such a big part of fixing this is making a new Soul Rider group and then returning to the current Soul Riders after Garnok and how they each respectively handly the fallout of that fight. I think Alex and Anne continuing to be part of the druids keeps them in the magical half of the story, Alex taking over as leader, Anne using it to cope with her time in Pandoria, but Lisa voiced in the Midsummer’s comic that she didn’t want Soul Riding to be her whole life, and her being our connection to the “mundane” world while she focused on her music helps a lot with changing how we view her. And Linda will always be a nerd, so I’m sure she’ll have a toe in both or some other option. But they need that binding force to be broken to actually prove in story that these relationships are real and not railroaded for the sake of plot. Removing the threat of Garnok would finally let them prove that they’re friends, with or without needing to save the world to keep them together.

#sso #star stable #starstable #star stable online #starstableonline #woj analysis

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entering--hyperspace · 4 years ago

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Game questions or smthn

Tagged by @mimabeann

Rules: Fill in your answers below and tag some buddies!

Games

First game you ever played: Okay not counting my educational games on the V-Smile.. Pokemon red! the original!

Favorite game:hhhhhhhh Fallout New Vegas really solidified my dream of becoming a game dev. God I love that game SO MUCH. Also Journey...and Destiny. but FNV is the #1

Game you’ve played through multiple times: I replay a lot of games (mostly my favorites) multiple times so there's too many to list. However, I do play Fallout: New Vegas every year because its my favorite video game of all time and I CANNOT shut up abt it. I also really enjoy playing Pokémon soul silver. I’m currently in the process of replaying the entire DA trilogy, and Pokémon white.

Game you hated at first but now love: Apex! God I did not enjoy apex when I first started playing it bc yknow battle royals were new and do have a bit of a learning curve to ‘em. I fucking love Apex now though

Game you used to love but now hate: I may joke abt hating games but I rlly don't have any I used to love but hate now. wait I lied. I remember really liking DA2 but now I'm dragging my feet along replaying it. I don't HATE it, but its certainly not one of my favorites.

Your favorite game atmosphere/setting(s): Journey. hands down. That game captures it’s atmosphere absolutely perfectly. I do want to give special shoutout to these games for this question ;Never Alone, Abzu, what remains of edith finch, Oxenfree

Game with the best group/companion(s): Dragon age: Origins had the best cast of companions hands down. They all had incredibly interesting motives and created such interesting group dynamics. DAO remaster when

A game with your favorite ending: Subnautica. GOD. SUBNAUTICA. CHEFS FUCKING KISS. I haven’t gotten emotional over a new game in a fucking WHILE.

A game with the WORST ending: HMMMM. Hm. hmmm. Fallout 4 hands down lmao. I won’t get INTO it but man I did not like that game’s story.

Best character customization?: The newest monster hunter game. I dont even own it but I’ve watched its cc. puts my hand against the glass wall.

Hero and Companions

Your favorite playable character: HMMM protagonists. oh protagonists. I’m gonna go with Arthur Morgan from RDR2 on this one. ALSO. Clem (TWD2/4) Javier (TWD3) Lee (TWD) The Inquisitor (DAI) Delsin (Infamous: SS) Shepard (ME tril) The Commander (GW2) The courier (FNV)

Your favorite companion(s): CRACKS KNUCKLES. Dorian Pavus, love of my life, (DAI) Theron Shan, Lana beniko, Tau Idair, Blizz, Mako (SWTOR), Alistair, Wynne, Zevran, Leliana, Shale, Sten (DAO) Anders, Sigrun (DA:A) Cole, Varric (DAI) Varric (DA2) Wrex, Liara, Tali, Grunt, Garrus, (ME tril) Vetra, Jaal, Liam, Drak (ME:A) Veronica, Arcade, Rex, Lily, (F:NV) Mccready, Preston, Cait, Piper(F:4)

Relationships

Favorite game friendship(s) (im excluding pc/char just to make it shorter): Alistair/Wynne. yknow what? Wynne and anyone, she adopted the whole group. Charles/Arthur (RDR2) Freya and Kratos (rip) (GOW) Mirage/wraith(Apex) Theron/lana, Tau/Braga, (SWTOR) Varric/Merril, Isabela/Merril (DA2) Varric/Cassandra, Cole/Varric, Leliana/Josie, Bull/krem (DAI)

Favorite game relationship(s): The inquisitor/Dorian bc im very very gay. anyway.... Achilles/Patroclus, Zagreus/Thanatos, Orpheus/Eurydice (Hades) Theron Shan/pc Lana beniko/pc, UHHH I cant think of more rn

Favorite companion banter: Wynne/Alistair, Sten/Shale, Leliana/Wynne, Alistair/Zevran (DA:O) Varric and anyone (DA2) Cassandra/Varric, Varric/Cole, Dorian/Sera, Bull/Solas, Dorian/Varric (DAI) When I think abt companion banter I think out in the world walking/talking so not a lot comes to mind.

A relationship you weren’t sure of but loved:

A character you wish you COULD romance: RATTLES MY HANDS AGAINST THE BARS. Varric. Do you think a Straight Man would walk around with his tiddes out in the open like that? NO. if he was romanceble in da2 it would’ve made the game significantly better. ALSO GARRUS FOR M!SHEP??? HELLO???? ALISTAIR FOR M!WARDEN...ALSO HELLO? I’ll stop now but a lot of these is just God I Wish MLM Got More Options In Video Games

Fun

Shoutout to a random NPC: BLIZZ I FUCKING LOVE U.

A game you love watching playthroughs for and want to play: I dont like watching playthroughs unless (next question)

Love watching playthroughs but won’t ever play: I legit only watch a Single lets players and he does horror vr. its increadibly funny and the only way I can play/watch any type of horror shit

Why do you play video games?: For a lot of reasons! I play them to have fun, I play them to be competitive, I play them to relax, I play them to challenge myself. I play them to learn a story. As someone who is majoring in game design and has made games before, Video games are like a stained glass window. They provide unique glimpses into various worlds, they allow us to live our wildest dreams, and give us the platform to spread awareness of social issues to the masses. They Allow us to have fun and connect with other people. I play video games because I love them.

Tagging: @sentinelapologist @kornyo @remnantofahero @axperjan

#remember its optional so dont sweat it friends!

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killscreencinema · 4 years ago

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The Outer Worlds (PS4)

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Even in space you can’t escape the claws of corporate greed and rampant capitalism gone amuck!

Such is the case in The Outer Worlds, developed by Obsidian Entertainment and published by Take-Two Interactive in 2019, where you play as a mysterious “stranger”, thawed out of cryogenic stasis on a lost colony ship by a mad scientist named Phineas Wells, who barely introduces himself before dispatching you to an exotic world named Terra 2. Here you begin your quest either to help Dr. Welles shake off the chains of corporate tyranny that has run down the colony of the Halcyon star system or you can choose to assist “The Board” in catching the fugitive scientist and reestablishing its authority.

The Outer Worlds is kind of a mash-up of several sci-fi fantasy properties, most notably Joss Whedon’s Firefly, with a cup of Star Wars, a tablespoon of Mass Effect, with a big ol’ heaping of BioShock folded in for good measure. That’s not to say it’s a ripoff of those things so much as a loving homage that manages to use those influences to create its own universe.

Okay, well, your socially awkward engineer, Parvarti, who speaks in politely educated, old west vernacular is straight up Kaylee from Firefly but still not a ripoff!

Okay, well, there’s the preacher on your ship, Vicar Max, who may or may not have been an expertly trained assassin and secret agent in a former life, just like Shepard Book in Firefly, but still not a ripoff!

Anyway, I do enjoy the art direction and aesthetics of The Outer Worlds, which has the “steam punky” yet futuristic vibe of BioShock, mixed with the obnoxious inundation of advertising by all the corporate factions vying for your attention and you hard earned “bits”. Say what you will about advertising, but that’s when you know humanity has reached the final frontier - when the well-lit billboards and signs start going up all over space. That kind of stuff does make these sci-fi universes feel “lived in”. It’s one of many reasons I love the show Cowboy Bebop - the future it depicts seems realistic and believable because it’s not really that far removed from our present, to point of including commercials, tacky eye sore ads everywhere, etc.

I digress - The Outer Worlds is a first-person shooter, with RPG elements similar to the Fallout games. The game also has that really annoying RPG element of having to constantly clean out your inventory from the constant crap that you loot from vanquished foes, shipping containers, and random safes that you can crack if your lockpicking skills are high enough. This shit in particular really reminds me of the first Mass Effect, which often felt like I spent more time in the menu equipping new weapons and armor than actually playing the game. Thankfully, becoming over-encumbered is rarely an issue as the game gives you a pretty generous weight threshold, but you will still have to eventually halt everything to offload all the useless crap that has accumulated in your inventory.

The combat is twitchy, FPS style fighting but your character has the ability to slow down time in order to fire precise shots at vulnerable enemy spots. I found this “Tactical Time Dilation”, or TTD, to be a useless waste of a mechanic as your character slows down along with the enemy, making it rather pointless and annoying. There are “perks” your character can earn to make you slightly move faster while using TTD, but not enough to make it worth using a lot in my opinion.

The majority of the story plays out via dialogue trees, and this is where I derived a lot of fun from The Outer Worlds, as you can opt to give your character low intelligence, which opens up “Dumb” dialogue options. I can’t recommend this option enough, as the way characters react to your dumb responses is hilarious, and ultimately leads to an optional secret ending for the game. Using the dumb dialogue options made me feel like I was playing the game as an “Ash Williams” type hero - tough, effective, and cunning in his own way, but ultimately kind of an idiot who bumbles into victory. It really made the game all the more compelling for me, because I happen to love characters like that.

While overall I enjoyed The Outer Worlds, I was also disappointed by how the universe of the game didn’t feel very expansive. You only travel to a handful of worlds, and even then, you’re relegated to a small patch of the planet. A game like this should feel more epic, kind of like No Man’s Sky, but still a functional game (yeah, I know, the update makes it supposedly better but you get my point). There are worlds on your map you NEVER get to visit, except via DLC, but even then you travel to a space station in orbit above that world that looks like every OTHER space station. So in summary, for a game called The Outer Worlds, I found the lack of variety in said worlds to be deflating. This isn’t helped by how often the same character models, with the same exact haircuts, and odd smirks, is recycled throughout the game. Do all of these characters go to the same barber or what?

Ultimately, these are all minor gripes compared to my biggest complaint of all - the loading times. Jesus and Mary, the loading times are the worst. When I signed up to be a console gamer in the great “Console vs PC Wars”, I knew I was going to have to deal with loading screens, but The Outer Worlds is ridiculous. I actually dreaded going into my ship, or transitioning to another map, because I knew I’d have to sit through a nearly 1-minute long loading screen every goddamn time. It’s unacceptable even by console standards and I understand it’s not much better on PC.

If you can get over obnoxious loading times, though, The Outer Worlds is worth a playthrough, especially if you’re a fan of the sci-fi genre.

#the outer worlds #obsidian entertainment #ps4 #playtation 4 #sony #take two interactive #scifi #firefly #star wars #bioshock #mass effect

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slade-neko · 5 years ago

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My History with The Sims

I don’t typically like to talk about personal things here, but I felt the need to write this up for myself to remember my journey through the Sims games. I thought I’d go ahead and post it publicly if anyone was curious or wanted to read it. This might get a bit lengthy, so I’ll keep it all under a “keep reading” note.

First off, I just wanted to say, I personally never saw myself as a “simblr.” I created a tumblr a long time ago to post about things I like; video games, anime, and music. The Sims games just happen to be a series of video games that I like to play a lot, so I post about it. I’m not really into the whole Sims community thing. I’m honestly prefer to keep to myself and do my own thing.

I never played a Sims game as a kid. I don’t even know if I knew what they were until one weekend while my best friend from school (still best friend today) was staying over and had brought his laptop with The Sims 3 on it and was wanting to show me the game. This was sometime after The Sims 3 launched in 2009, I was in 8th grade (maybe?) Anyways, point is we made ourselves as sims and played around in the game. My brother and I are huge fans of games where you can create characters in and I thought it was so funny seeing all the wacky stuff you could do in it and control these little characters’ lives in this game. At the time I didn’t have a PC remotely good enough to play modern PC games, so getting the game was out of the question for me. Eventually I got it on its console release in 2010. Oh the console Sims 3... it was different. My brother and I adored it for what it was, but we weren’t idiots. We could tell how different the game was on its limited console counterpart. It was not the same game as the PC version. The PC version of Sims 3 was always something I wanted, but never knew when I’d get it.

Towards the end of 2010 I got my first “gaming PC.” Predominately to play games like Half-Life 2, Garry’s Mod, and Fallout: New Vegas (with mods.)

It wasn’t until December of 2012 when I got Sims 3 with its Supernatural Expansion after watching Anthony and Ian from Smosh play it during one of their Lunchtime with Smosh videos. I was like, “Oh! Sims 3, I remember that game. I should get it and play it now that I have a PC!”

This was it! I finally had Sims 3 on PC and it finally set in. My brother and I went crazy over this game it was so much fun! We started by making ourselves and closest friends as sims and eventually began making sims of our favorite characters. This was huge for us. With all the control Sims 3 had to offer it was like making the perfect world filled with all our favorite people and characters. We created video game characters like Mario, Luigi, the Left 4 Dead survivors, and then anime and cartoon characters, and then even real life people like funny Youtubers like Smosh. Some of them were pretty bad looking... but my brother and I didn’t care. To us, they were the characters living out their crazy lives in this virtual world surrounded by all these other characters. I always made the comparison that it was like some big ultimate fan fiction, but actually being able to live it out.

As time went on, we continued playing and nurturing our Sims 3 game. I began downloading CC for our sims game. I’d browse CC and find something that looked closer to a character’s design and think “Ooo, this would be perfect for so-and-so!” We also got better and better at making sims’ faces and improving upon their designs. Our sims were constantly metamorphosing into newer and better versions of themselves. My brother and I had put so much time and work into them it became our hobby and it was very rewarding to see them improve with all the time and effort we would put into them. I was so proud of our sims I made a DeviantART profile, so I could post and share pictures of the characters my brother and I had created in Sims. Originally I was nervous posting pictures of our sims online, but I was filled with joy when I began getting nice comments from people complimenting them and such positive feedback from others. I was so happy with my sims and having other people tell me they were good too just felt very rewarding to me. I had begun to make it a habit to upload pictures of the sims I had made and it was a fun thing for me to do. My sims and pictures were honestly pretty bad looking back, but at the time I really enjoyed them.

I got the point where I needed more for my sims, so I learned how to do some modding. This was probably around mid 2013 when I began learning little things at first like texture edits on clothing. Some time into 2014 I started making bigger things like meshes. They weren’t really good, but they were something. This was a big step in the direction I was wanting for myself and my creations. It really opened my eyes to the endless possibilities and offered me so much freedom. No longer was I bound to the laws of “I’ll have to use whatever I can find.” I was able to improve so many of my sims with mods I could create myself.

We spent about 2 and half years playing Sims 3 then in 2014 Sims 4 launched. I was ecstatic to have a new Sims game! I had loved TS3 so much and was looking forward to everything Sims 4 had to offer. The game came out, we played it, we made ourselves and immediate best friends as a household, and it was FUN. We really did enjoy it, but we came to the conclusion it was lacking so much compared to TS3. We knew we were comparing a basegame Sims 4 to a fully fleshed out all DLC Sims 3. I remember trying to recreate characters in Sims 4, but not being completely happy with them. Sims 4 was a new game and I had no clue how to mod it like I did Sims 3. We actually ended up going back to Sims 3 for some time. It was at a point where we would ping-pong between the games. I remember Sims 4 being new and interesting, but I think I fell back to Sims 3 because it just had so much. All of my sims and their content were there still while Sims 4 was all new.

Going back to Sims 3 was like a return to form. It felt good to see all my sims I worked so hard on and I continued to work on them even though Sims 4 was a thing. I would still play Sims 4 some when new DLC came out and play around in the game a bit, but all my serious sim making and pictures came from Sims 3. Playing both games I learned a lot about sim making, modeling, and just the games in general. It wasn’t until early 2016 I finally felt like I had hit my apex in Sims 3. I could create sims to the best of my ability at the time and was satisfied with my work. It was around this time I decided to make a tumblr and I began posting some of my last Sims 3 pictures I ever took.

Then in 2017 I learned how to mod Sims 4. This was a BIG game changer for me. I could finally start making all my sims over again and they wouldn’t be out shined by their Sims 3 counterparts. I would complete a sim and be so happy with the result. My Sims 4 game was finally on par if not better than my Sims 3 sims. I wanted my sims to use more content I created and not have to rely on others. My brother and I played and made so many characters in Sims 4 since then. We really focused on honing our craft. Our sims went through rigorous polishing over the next years. We’d be happy with our sims, leave the game for a few weeks, come back think our sims look bad, edit them up and make them better, and repeat. It was a never ending cycle really. We had this big strive for our sims characters to be perfect. Our goal was for a character to look like they came straight out of their own universe into The Sims. To this day, my brother and I have amassed more than 600 sims in our game total. A feat we are both very proud of.

#personal #The Sims

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curiosusdea · 5 years ago

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Video Game Questionnaire

Tagged by @magicalcrusaderfruit

Rules: Fill in your answers and tag some friends!

<<GAMES>>

First game you ever played: Like first first would probably Super Mario World on the SNES. Being the youngest of 3 I only really got to play when one of my other sister would get tired of it since they’d tag team it as Mario and Luigi without me.

Favorite game: Vampire the Masquerade: Bloodlines my dude. It’s the game that actually fully got me into gaming. Especially PC gaming. As a kid I for some reason thought PC gaming was a whole new horrible world since I grew up with consoles mostly. Bloodlines helped me realize I honestly prefer PC and that there’s a whole world out there of not co-op or multiplayer games (which I was restricted to growing up due to having siblings. We weren’t really allowed many non multiplayer or co-op games since that would leave people out and such).

Game you hated at first but now love: Arkham Knight. I was part of the group that went for the PC release and decided to power through the lag and terrible frames and just overall broken hell to finish it. It was a terrible experience but I needed it. After it got all fixed way later I actually came to really enjoy it.

Game you used to love but now hate: Knights of the Old Republic. Now, hear me out it’s a good game and all but I’ve just gotten kinda bored with it. Played it too many times I guess. Plus I’m actually not that huge of a Star Wars fan so there’s not a giant draw from a fandom level for me.

Game with the best group / companion(s): Dragon Age: Origins

A game with your favorite ending: Portal 2.

A game with the worst ending: Imma agree with Magical here and say Fallout 4. Just, why?

Best character customization: That’s not a hentai game? Skyrim. Unmodded it’s already pretty good when it comes to variety but mod that shit and it’s beauty.

<< HEROES AND COMPANIONS >>

Your favorite playable character: Zero from Borderlands. He’s a babe and I honestly just love Borderlands. Plus his skills are basically when I tend to go for in games so it makes for the perfect set up for me.

The funniest playable character: My boy Timothy the Jack Doppleganger. Helps that one of his possible skills is Jack coming on to spew “inspiring” thoughts.

Your favorite companion(s):

Dragon Age - FUCKING CULLEN (he’s top tier husband material and I fucking waited patiently for Inquisition just to finally husband this bastard), Alistair

Skyrim- Cicero, Serana, Marcurio

Fallout - NICK!, MacCready, Curie (I may be biased due to name but you know she’s wife material), Dogmeat, Lily

Mass Effect - Liara, Tali

Star Wars - Carth, Atton

Companions you could live without:

Fallout - Cait, Piper, Preston, X6-88, Clover, anyone in New Vegas minus Lily (seriously maybe part of my lack of fondness from the game stems from the fact I can’t stand any of the companions)

Mass Effect - Ashley, Jack, Kaidan

Dragon Age - Fucking Solas (I hate this bastard with a fucking passion like ugh I just I cant), Shale, Oghren, Vivienne

<<RELATIONSHIPS>>

Favorite game relationship(s): Inquisitor/Cullen, Geralt/Yen, Darien Gautier/FemVestige. Yeah I know it’s not like a full on relationship but but he’s beautiful and I love him. And I mean if you count Smolder Scrolls as being cannon it works.

Favorite companion banter: Dragon Age: Origins. Just but Alistair in with Morrigan and it’s a good time. Or Alistair with literally anyone.

A relationship you loved but went bad: AGAIN DARIEN. My love. Why must we be separated. Also need I say Yuri from Doki Doki?

A relationship you weren’t sure of but loved: Honestly, when I started Mass Effect I wasn’t sure about Liara. Like I started with a thing with Kaidan but grew to dislike him and when I tried a second save I thought ok I’ll try Liara. Never looked back.

A character you wish you COULD romance: OK I’m not a furry buuuut Razum-dar. Let me romance that cat. Smolder Scrolls just made me want to romance him even more. Why do you tease me ESO.

A minor character you wish could be a companion: Ser Gilmore. He deserved better

<<FUN>>

Shoutout to a random NPC: To that random merchant just happening to walk by a dungeon in Skyrim as I finished looting it and decided to carry fucking everything out- I love you. You know how long it woulda taken me to get back to a city to fucking sell that shit? You saved my life sir.

A game you love watching playthroughs for and want to play: Right now it’s Predator Hunting Grounds

Love watching playthroughs but won’t ever play: Dead by Daylight. I used to love the game but after some toxic hell I don’t play anymore. Still fun to watch though.

Online gaming or solo?: Solo unless it’s specifically with friends. I’m not fond of MMOs or playing with strangers.

Why do you play video games?: Because it’s fun. I get to be whoever and get to explore without consequence.

Uh I don’t really know who to tag so if you wanna try it go ahead.

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actualsunflower · 6 years ago

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Hey so I’m curious, fallout 76 is the only fallout game I haven’t played yet (because I’ve heard bad things about it) and I’m wondering if all the problems have been fixed now and if it’s worth playing? I would love to play another fallout game if 76 is good

well, short answer, i wouldnt let what other people think determine what you play. people are constantly putting down fo76 and refuse to even give it a chance, and in my opinion, if they havent played it, what say do they really have as to whether it’s good or not?

But my opinion on the game, yes I think it’s worth playing. Even when I started playing, I played alone because my bf and I shared a console at the time, and none of my friends wanted to give it a shot because of what other people said about it, I had a lot of fun. The map is really big and though most of the towns are small, they’re still fun to explore. Personally, I absolutely love taking pictures both with photomode and the camera. The events are fun and there’s almost always one or more happening all across the map, and the seasonal events are very fun too.The quests were fun too, and engaging if you read the terminals and listen to the holotapes. Which isn’t as big of a deal as everyone tries to make it out to be. Meat Week has been very entertaining, and I LOVED the Fasnacht event, I met three great new friends at that event ♥

As for bugs, there’s all of Bethesda’s typical bugs. Weird T posing enemies, other players looking like weird cryptids because their power armor didn’t load for some reason, but all in all over the past few patches, most stuff has been fixed. There’s still some major bugs and issues, I won’t lie to you about that, but overall they haven’t really affected my playtime. And I play, literally, every day.

Your biggest issue will probably be the other players. I meet a lot of friendly people, but soooo many assholes too. Fortunately, they cannot kill you if you’re in pacifist anymore, so it’s pretty unlikely they’ll kill you unless you have a workshop. Also, if you’re on ps4, I will be your bodyguard and also humble pharmacist. Meeting other people out of Flatwoods, Whitespring, Morgantown, and Watoga (The major towns and starting locations) is actually really rare, so for the most part you won’t even know they’re there, if you’re worried about playing with others.

This is a really small thing, but I absolutely love the huge increase in resippies, both for chems, healing items, and food/drink. One of my favorite things in games is cooking and foraging, and Fallout 76 lets me do this to my heart’s content, while also creating helpful healing items and yummy snacks like pumpkin pie, taffy, fasnacht donuts and sweet tea for my friends. Also the junk scrapping mechanism is great, and I love being able to harvest wood from logs.

I also really love all the new building materials, pieces, and furniture. I reall enjoy building, and I love going to other players camps and building for them and seeing other people’s builds. I’ve seen some amazing things, like a whole airship made from the metal building set, complete with artillery pieces and floating off the edge of a cliff way above the Whitespring.

There’s also cosplayers!!! Most are on PC it seems, but I play every single day with @thearthurmaxsonexperience, a Maxson role player. and if you’re on PC, @muskelipylly is the most amazing Danse ever

Okay I’ve gone on long enough, but all in all, YES, Fallout 76 is definitely worth playing. Especially if you have friends to play with. It’s fun alone and, in my experience, pure wonderful shenanigans with friends (that’s mainly my fault though lmao)

#answered ask #hope that helps?#i love fo76 and ill say that without shame #anon ask #fallout 76

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zechleton · 5 years ago

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The Outer Worlds: Fascinating but Flawed

I don’t play a ton of games. I spend a lot of time playing games, and probably even more time watching professionals play them, but I play a lot of different games. That also means I’ve never really written a ton about single player gaming, least of all reviews.

But when I saw The Outer Worlds on Jim Sterling’s Youtube channel, and then found out it was included in Microsofts’ PC Game Pass… and then found out that that was having a £1 for the first month trial, I had to give it a go.

And then, when I completed it (even rarer still), I had to write about it.

Here, it seemed was a smart, spiritual successor to the (in my eyes overrated, but I get why) legendary Fallout: New Vegas. I loved Fallout 4, but could never really get into the less action-packed, hideously ugly older games, but I digress.

Better yet, TOW looked like a satirical takedown of late capitalism, which is even more up my alley. TOW delivered on this front, to an extent. The critique is very frontloaded into the now infamous early quest, and it is a little on-the-nose, but this kind of political discussion is something I’d love to see more of in games. Sadly, this aspect of the game somehow manages to be both heavy-handed and easily-ignored after that. It’s there, pretty much constantly, reminding you how shitty capitalism is, but it never really adds much to the game after the first hour or so. Apart from a few notable moments, such as a town being billed for damage to company property in the wake of a worker’s suicide, the social commentary is mostly set dressing.

The game itself is fine. The story was good, the setting is interesting and relatively well fleshed-out, and I enjoyed most of what the main quest had to offer. There are issues, though. The combat, while relatively smooth and satisfying in terms of gunplay, is ruined by the game’s insistence on forcing you into playing as if it’s a sort of single player squad based shooter. So much of the actual game play is designed around having companions fight with you, but doing so felt very unsatisfying and un-interactive. You can use their special abilities once or twice a fight, but that’s it. I found that mine usually “fainted” very quickly, leaving me to clean up a bunch of lightly damaged enemies by myself.

Maybe I was supposed to invest more in upgrading my buddies, but that’s not how I want to play game like this, and I felt punished for it. Worse, so many of the perk points push you in this direction, despite the fact that companions already have their own perk trees. Worse still, almost all of the perks, both yours and your companions’ are extremely uninteresting, and many of them are just straight up bad. I’m a fan of perks and talents in games when done right. They make each level-up feel important and exciting, much more than simply adding another point in stealth or ranged weapons does. But when they’re as dull as the ones in TOW, it makes the whole system feel like it was just put there because games like this always have them. The fact that this is all happening in a game with such a great history of delivering on this front makes it all the more disappointing.

Speaking of Obsidian’s lineage, the lack of weapon diversity was a huge problem for me. I liked the tinkering system, but it meant I basically stuck with the same four guns for most of the game’s relatively short duration. The fact that none of the science weapons (TOW’s version of legendary weapons) fit the way I wanted to play was particularly frustrating, given how Bethesda did this with Fallout 4. I ended up not using a single one of the science weapons in my first playthrough, and I have no urge to play again.

That last point is perhaps the most damning thing I can say about TOW. With Fallout and Elder Scrolls games, I’m always excited to try out new play styles, even if they don’t end up finishing the story with them. With TOW, all the decisions that make repeated play interesting in other games are stripped away. The perks are so generic, and you are pushed so hard into playing with companions, that I have zero interest in replaying the game, except maybe to try out a melee build.

One thing I haven’t even mentioned yet is the fact that the companions you are essentially forced to play with are not particularly interesting. Parvati, the first one you come across, is probably the strongest of the bunch, as she plays a big part in your first and biggest moral decision. The rest of them are pretty forgettable: there’s the drunk one, the angry one and the amoral mercenary one. I never unlocked the religious one, so hopefully he has a little more going on, but I doubt it.

In the end, I’m left with the feeling that The Outer Worlds is really more like a TellTale game with minimal shooter elements attached than it is a Fallout clone. There is an interesting, fun story here, but the actual game play is functional at best and tedious at worst. It’s a shame, because I love losing myself in this kind of game, and the Space Capitalism is Bad aspects of the game were promising, but they weren’t enough to outshine the mediocre gameplay.

I still enjoyed the game overall, despite how this might seem, but it peaked early. Really early.

#games #gaming #the outer worlds #review #fallout #elder scrolls #roleplaying #roleplay #scifi

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fyrapartnersearch · 5 years ago

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eye-catching title ;

Once again, I’m AJ! Lookin’ for a couple of different things, mostly similar to my last ad. We love a (mostly) one trick pony!

For original settings: apocalyptic (zombie, disease, extinction event, whatever), sci-fi (futuristic, space-faring, space opera), fantasy (high, low, medieval, urban), supernatural (fantasy, urban, sci-fi, literally anything). For fandom universes: Percy Jackson, Pokemon, and Fallout.

Gonna run through my basic info and then onto the particulars. 💕

⥽ About Me ; ⥼

• Name/Age ; AJ! So close to 22 I can taste it. One more month…

• Timezone ; CST! I don’t mind time differences, this is just so you know my general schedule.

• Length ; Truly varies to the point where sticking an average on it is difficult to do. 3-5 minimum I guess? I can go with that as an average if you prefer multi-paragraph style or write novella.

• Reply rate ; Varies depending on whether we’re doing multi-paragraph or novella. I can respond anywhere from every day to every other day or a few times a week to weekly depending on the writing style of the RP and my schedule.

• OOC ; I like getting to know my partners and sharing enthusiasm over our ideas and characters. Nothing hits quite like mutual investment! I’m ditch-friendly but don’t ditch myself, so you can expect communication. I’m not picky if I don’t get the same from you, though. I’ve been around the block enough to know it happens.

• Contact ; Strictly email for OOC and roleplay unless we’re using GDocs for the RP itself, no messengers even for OOC. You can find me at [email protected].

⥽ On the lookout for ; ⥼

• Doubling ; Unlike my last post, this isn’t a deal-breaker! I just prefer writing a cast of characters, so this is something that’s more of a bonus. Ideally we’ll double, but I’m down for writing just one character each.

• Will only write MxM or FxF ; MxF’s not my cup of tea (I’m extremely picky with it, fellow gays u know how it is). If we’re writing a cast of characters then I’m fine with having an MxF side couple.

• 18 + ; I’m pretty much 22! Partner’s gotta be 18 +. 20 + ideally. Same with characters, extra bonus points for characters who are 30+. Romance doesn’t die once you hit middle age!

⥽ Yes! ; ⥼

• Smut ; I enjoy writing it, but it’s not a deal-breaker if you’d rather fade to black. All characters will obviously be adults. I expect versatile characters in bed by default, that way we’ve got an even route for playing roles in bed. Admittedly this shifts a bit depending on the character I write, but a HUGE no on anyone who comes in guns blazing off the bat with how they only write bottoms.

• Face claims ; Spent a huge chunk of my roleplaying years on tumblr (it was very over-the-top and flowery and weirdly formatted and grossly difficult to read, I know I know), so having a face for characters stuck with me. If you don’t have any of your own and want good resources to find a face, I’ve got some recommended sites I can throw at ya! Had a previous partner who had a character sheet format that I use now that’s simple but looks nice! Nyx if you’re out there don’t come for me for copping your format.

• Depth & growth ; Not a fan of one-dimensional characters or characters who act the same from beginning to end! People change with experiences and the people around them, so this is to be expected. ESPECIALLY when doubling with a cast. I loooove complicated characters growing together.

• Plotting & Worldbuilding ; *For original settings/worlds! I’m not picky with this if we’re working with a canon setting, so if that’s what you’re looking for, we can skip this section. I run into loooads of folks who say they do this when they really don’t. We’re writing an entire world together, so there’s some degree of effort involved! I need specifics to use as a start-off point for the roleplay and a general outline for where the story’s going. RPs that are just random, spur of the moment with writing as we go on tend to burn out REALLY quickly for me. I know not a lot of people are into this, so I’m sorry about that.

⥽ No! ; ⥼

• Underage characters ; Total given that there will be NO sexual themes with underage characters, but in general as well! I only write adults. 20 +.

• Single paragraphs ; I’m not too picky with a lot of length a lot of the time, I just don’t mesh well with people who don’t write more than that. Go ham. I like my responses meaty!

• Limits ; Abuse, nonconsensual/sexual assault, pedophilia, incest (includes step-relations, adopted relations, and that figurative like if one character essentially raised another or they were raised as family), weird age gaps, BDSM, any kind of master/slave or dom/sub dynamics.

As for the goods, I’ve laid ‘em all out for you here! Keep in mind that while all of these are fun on their own, I’m definitely the type of writer who’s into mixing and matching. Sci-fi apocalypse? Fantasy apocalypse? Fantasy supernatural stuff? Sci-fi fantasy? Sci-fi supernatural stuff? Supernatural apocalypse? Period settings? Literally whatever you could think of, I’ll give it a whirl. The particulars down below are just to get the ball rolling and catch some interest. Hit me up with whatever you’d like!

APOCALYPSE: My bread and butter! Tense, harrowing, and especially gut-punching when it comes to how close people become to survive together in quiet moments of a world they used to know. I’m a big fan of zombies, so that’s my loose preference. I loved Black Summer on Netflix – the earlier episodes, at least, as well as The Last of Us. That’s the kind of vibe I favor with zombies/zombie-like creatures. But, ofc, an apocalypse can be anything! I love writing different takes on the genre since there’s so much to cover. Extinction event, pandemic, impact event, monsters/beasts, man-made, whatever. The more creative the apocalyptic setting, the better, so I’d love to bounce some ideas back and forth. Not too into a nuclear apocalypse setting, since that overlaps a lot with Fallout down below.

SCI-FI: Sci-fi’s a bit tricky since it encompasses so many different takes, so I’m clearing the air to say anything’s good. Futuristic, space travel, time travel, space opera, AI, apocalyptic, cyberpunk – if it works in sci-fi, it works for me.

FANTASY: High fantasy, low fantasy, medieval fantasy, urban fantasy, whatever. Love dragons, love magic, love weird fantasy flora, definitely love the classic prince/princess x knight or commoner schtick. You want prophecies? I’m game. You want elves? I’m game. You want steampunk? I’m game. You want none of that and wanna do something else? I’m game, baby. The possibilities are endless.

SUPERNATURAL/PARANORMAL: Vampires and werewolves and demons, oh my! Can’t go wrong with horror, especially can’t go wrong with comedy-horror. I’m more of the type to prefer humans and supernatural beings together in a ragtag duo type of way as opposed to two supernatural beings, but anything’s cool in my book. Medieval/fantasy setting for a dark fairytale vibe, urban/modern supernatural beings slinking in the shadows outside of the human eye, supernatural sci-fi stuff, mysteries and danger lurking around every corner? Seriously, it’s a great genre! Any and everything is fantastic. I’ve got a loose concept of demons/the Underworld I’d like to get into since I’m struggling with the worldbuilding of it, so applying all that to a roleplay to give it a whirl sounds like a great way to work out the kinks. Plus, c’mon. Paranormal romance. What’s not to love there?

PERCY JACKSON: I haven’t ever roleplaying this verse before, so this is completely new grounds for me. I’ve seen some fun takes on it, though! Scoured older ads but haven’t reached out to anyone because the posting time’s pretty old, but a couple ideas I’ve skimmed through sound fun. HP got a period take on it, so why not put that spin on PJ with a period setting rather than in modern times? Or just a regular modern setting. Y’know, keep it classy, keep it sexy, keep it fun! I’m definitely focused on life outside of camp, since all the characters will be adults. Life’s supposed to suck for demigods, so let’s get into that.

POKEMON: Leaning a little more on the Detective Pikachu take, since it was fun to see a less anime/game-esque take on the pokemon world. The almost neo-noir style was sooooo cool, so I’ve got my sights set on leaning maybe a little more into the noir sensibilities and themes as an homage to the blending of genres between Pokemon and noir. So a lot of themes of alienation, mystery, ambiguity, things along those lines. Definitely a weird mix with Pokemon but I think it can be fun.

FALLOUT: Gonna be real with you guys, I’m a total newbie to Fallout and have only played F3 because it was the only game I found in my family storage for Xbox 360 and I don’t have enough money to get a gaming PC/Laptop to play the other games. I’m watching playthroughs, though! Dipping my toes in the water, so to speak. I’m into it! It’s a fun franchise from what I’ve played and seen so far, so I’d love to write OCs in this verse.

#oc rp #multiple paragraph #long term #email #pokemon rp #smut rp #submission

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