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Video Games: Doing Archaeology With A Shotgun


KiDisaster

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Finished The White March last night at around 3 AM, and it was totally worth it. I'm very curious what my ending slides are going to be - I certainly made a few sub-optimal choices...

I found the storyline to The White March to be a lot better than the main game, probably because it was so much shorter and more focused. There was nothing wrong with the main game's story, but you end up spending so much time on side quests and Cad Nua that it tends to get lost. There's just not much to tie you in emotinally with the past life until near the endgame.

In TWM, however, the cause, effect, and consequences of the main plot points all tie together much more tightly. The 'villains' felt much more human and understandable than the ones in the main game - which is really ironic if you know what I'm referring to.

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Just more of a general question for all you guys playing games.. do you think there will be a point where you'll stop playing them? I still love games, always have, but the last few years I've realised what an absolute time sink they are, and looking back I'm disgusted about the amount of time I've put into some of these pointless exercises.. I mean who cares about my Settlement on Fallout , or what rank I got to on Hearthstone.. 

But I enjoy it, so why should I feel guilty?

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1 minute ago, Channel4s-JonSnow said:

Just more of a general question for all you guys playing games.. do you think there will be a point where you'll stop playing them? I still love games, always have, but the last few years I've realised what an absolute time sink they are, and looking back I'm disgusted about the amount of time I've put into some of these pointless exercises.. I mean who cares about my Settlement on Fallout , or what rank I got to on Hearthstone.. 

But I enjoy it, so why should I feel guilty?

Nope. Gotta have a leisure activity hobby; can't be spending all the time working, seeking self-betterment, or socializing with others. Sometimes its important to just be alone and be. And while there's plenty of bad games out there, intrinsically the medium has just as much value as books, movies, or TV shows.

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2 hours ago, aceluby said:

Just finished my run through of Scholar of the First Sin and beat Aldia for the alternate ending.  Still have most of the optional bosses in the DLC that I can try to tackle and the ancient dragon if I want to, but I probably won't.  I'm also tempted to try to platinum this game while I wait for DS3 and start some of the more tedious parts.

Was there any special conditions to getting the alternate ending?  I halted my playthrough just before the throne room to do the optional stuff and dlc, so there's still time if I need to do something specific.

Playing through the 2nd dlc now.  The Iron keep one.  I haven't even gotten to a boss, but the level design has been really great.  I'll like to finish this off (along with the Bloodborne dlc) once before DS3, but I don't know if I'll manage.  My gaming time has gotten pretty crowded lately.

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1 minute ago, Channel4s-JonSnow said:

Just more of a general question for all you guys playing games.. do you think there will be a point where you'll stop playing them? I still love games, always have, but the last few years I've realised what an absolute time sink they are, and looking back I'm disgusted about the amount of time I've put into some of these pointless exercises.. I mean who cares about my Settlement on Fallout , or what rank I got to on Hearthstone.. 

But I enjoy it, so why should I feel guilty?

I play less and less frequently, certainly, and I play more casually than I used to  But its leisure time.  Who cares what you do with it?  If anything, I spend too much time poking around on the internet that I should be using to play games.  

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1 minute ago, MerenthaClone said:

I play less and less frequently, certainly, and I play more casually than I used to  But its leisure time.  Who cares what you do with it?  If anything, I spend too much time poking around on the internet that I should be using to play games.  

Yeah this is my view as well I think. My mrs doesn't understand me playing games, thinks its pointless, but surely its better than sitting and watching endless Youtube videos of cats.

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23 minutes ago, Channel4s-JonSnow said:

Just more of a general question for all you guys playing games.. do you think there will be a point where you'll stop playing them? I still love games, always have, but the last few years I've realised what an absolute time sink they are, and looking back I'm disgusted about the amount of time I've put into some of these pointless exercises.. I mean who cares about my Settlement on Fallout , or what rank I got to on Hearthstone.. 

But I enjoy it, so why should I feel guilty?

Most hobbies are pointless time sinks.  That's the nature of hobbies.  If you enjoy it and don't feel it's detrimental to your life, who cares?  

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Just more of a general question for all you guys playing games.. do you think there will be a point where you'll stop playing them? I still love games, always have, but the last few years I've realised what an absolute time sink they are, and looking back I'm disgusted about the amount of time I've put into some of these pointless exercises.. I mean who cares about my Settlement on Fallout , or what rank I got to on Hearthstone.. 

It's what you choose to do with your time. A couple of years ago I had almost no time for gaming and now I have a bit more, but not as much as when I was a student. Blogging and, er, coming on here take up time that could be spent gaming or reading (not that would necessarily be "better" time spent of course).

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38 minutes ago, Channel4s-JonSnow said:

Just more of a general question for all you guys playing games.. do you think there will be a point where you'll stop playing them? I still love games, always have, but the last few years I've realised what an absolute time sink they are, and looking back I'm disgusted about the amount of time I've put into some of these pointless exercises.. I mean who cares about my Settlement on Fallout , or what rank I got to on Hearthstone.. 

But I enjoy it, so why should I feel guilty?

I've considered that. Now that I have entered in my 30s, these kind of life questions have cropped up in my head often. There are times when I enjoy it, and will be playing a game on a daily basis for about a week, and other times when I completely bored and mildly disgusted with games and won't play for a month. I usually go through periods of time when other hobbies like reading and watching TV shows take over.

I am a casual, and really picky gamer. I probably play the same games over and over, with only the occasional new game added to my list.

It's very possible that if I start a family eventually, gaming time will approach 0.

 

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I definitely don't play video games as much as I used to, but considering I used to play WoW for 14+ hours at a time I'd say that's a very, very good thing. 

I don't play as many games as I used to either. I used to buy and play like every major game on release (when money allowed) and now I find myself skipping a lot of them. I think that's probably more to do with the sameyness of a lot of the AAA titles though. Also, I generally prefer board games these days anyway. 

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2 hours ago, Muttering Bill said:

Was there any special conditions to getting the alternate ending?  I halted my playthrough just before the throne room to do the optional stuff and dlc, so there's still time if I need to do something specific.

Playing through the 2nd dlc now.  The Iron keep one.  I haven't even gotten to a boss, but the level design has been really great.  I'll like to finish this off (along with the Bloodborne dlc) once before DS3, but I don't know if I'll manage.  My gaming time has gotten pretty crowded lately.

You need to defeat Vendrick and have been visited by Aldia during your quest line.  Then you'll get the opportunity to fight him for the alternate ending, but you have to walk away from the throne.

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6 hours ago, Werthead said:

Hmm. I'm at a bit of a loose end for gaming. No money for anything new (annoying, with Warhammer Total War on the horizon), finished XCOM 2 but not really in the mood to go back into Pillars of Eternity or Divinity: Original Sin. I got caught by a horrible bug on The Witcher 2 which requires me to go back 2 hours and I just can't face it (the game is way too mediocre to justify that amount of replaying).

I've been messing around with a few indie games I had on my list for ages like Door Kickers, which was amusing, but not a long-term solution. I'm thinking of starting Dragon Age: Inquistion but not sure I want to start another massive mega-RPG, plus there seems to be a consensus that it's middling at best (I kind of enjoyed DA:O and DA2, but didn't find either to be outstanding).

I might replay The Banner Saga ahead of the sequel coming out (not that I can afford it, but hopefully by then I might) or try the latest build of Third Age: Total War.

Dragon Age: Inquisition is a very good game, so long as you don't torture yourself by doing every quest that comes your way. Do what you want to do in that game and you'll enjoy it (and buy the Tresspasser DLC); it's my favourite of the three Dragon Ages. But if you don't want another mega RPG, then yes, this won't be the game for you.

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So the new alternate paladin hero for Hearthstone (Lady Liadrin) is out and instead of paying $10 like you had to for Alleria, Medivh and Magni you unlock her by leveling a character to 20 in WoW. It's not retroactive so even if you have a bunch of high level toons as I do you've gotta level a new one as it's a new achievement triggered by going from 19 to 20. 

Luckily I had a level 19 Belf paladin who I have not logged onto since BC when I made her so it only took me a few minutes. This new hero is snazzy.

Magni is still the best though, and the only one I spent money on, because dwarves. 

Also I learned heirloom items are cross-character like mounts now so you don't even have to mail them back and forth and can have them on more than one character at once. Pretty damn nice IMO. 

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Paradox announced the release dates for Stellaris(May 9th), Hearts of Iron IV(June 6th) and announced a new RPG in partnership with Obsidian - Tyranny - during GDC.

Holy hell am I excited for those games, especially for Stellaris. From everything I've seen so far, it looks amazing!

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In Tyranny, the grand war between good and evil is over – and the forces of evil, led by Kyros the Overlord, have won. The Overlord’s merciless armies dominate the face of the world, and its denizens must find their new roles within the war-torn realm. Players interact with the population of the populace to inspire loyalty, disgust, or fear as they roam the world as an officer in Kyros’ forces, empowered to act as both judge and executioner.

You are a fatebinder
You are the judge and executioner of Kyros’ law, acting under the watchful eye of the Overlords Archon of Justice, Tunon the Adjudicator (pictured right) Your words shape the lives of thousands. Will you use that power to bring justice and inspire loyalty? Or will you bring fear and cruelty to the beaten people of the Tiers?

The choice is yours
A Fatebinder’s word is law, and you decide the fate of the Tiers. Even the smallest of choices shape the land and its people. Tasked with making decisions that truly matter to the Tiers and to the factions of Kyros’ army, you will develop a reputation based upon your deeds -- and you will find the world a drastically changed place each time you play Tyranny.

The world of the tiers
The armies of Kyros the Overlord subjugated the Tiers. Now, the survivors of the war must adapt to a new rule, and keep the land productive for Kyros’ empire. Freely explore and experience a world where the war between good and evil has forever changed society. How will you shape it further?

Cool premise. Judge, jury and executioner working for an evil empire. Hope it brings the sort of morbid humour found in Fallout 1/2/NV.

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11 hours ago, KiDisaster said:

So the new alternate paladin hero for Hearthstone (Lady Liadrin) is out and instead of paying $10 like you had to for Alleria, Medivh and Magni you unlock her by leveling a character to 20 in WoW. It's not retroactive so even if you have a bunch of high level toons as I do you've gotta level a new one as it's a new achievement triggered by going from 19 to 20. 

Luckily I had a level 19 Belf paladin who I have not logged onto since BC when I made her so it only took me a few minutes. This new hero is snazzy.

Magni is still the best though, and the only one I spent money on, because dwarves. 

Also I learned heirloom items are cross-character like mounts now so you don't even have to mail them back and forth and can have them on more than one character at once. Pretty damn nice IMO. 

Seems like a desperate attempt to get people back to WoW. I used to love that game.

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7 minutes ago, Channel4s-JonSnow said:

Seems like a desperate attempt to get people back to WoW. I used to love that game.

It's nothing new for Blizzard, they crosspromote their games like crazy. I like it personally since I enjoy all of their games to a greater or lesser extent, and anytime you can get something free instead of paying $10 for a picture and some new emotes I'm all for it. 

People will whine about anything though. The Hearthstone subreddit has been whining for ages that the alternate hero portraits (despite having no impact on the actual game whatsoever) are too expensive and that there should be an alternate way to unlock them. Now Blizzard gives them what they've been asking for and they whine because they don't want to play WoW for the hour or two it takes to level to 20 and would rather just be able to pay money. It's pretty funny. 

11 hours ago, CorwinusJ said:

Paradox announced the release dates for Stellaris(May 9th), Hearts of Iron IV(June 6th) and announced a new RPG in partnership with Obsidian - Tyranny - during GDC.

Holy hell am I excited for those games, especially for Stellaris. From everything I've seen so far, it looks amazing!

Tyranny sounds awesome. I look forward to attempting to play these new Paradox strategy games for a brief period of time before deciding I'm still not smart enough for them and giving up. 

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1 minute ago, KiDisaster said:

It's nothing new for Blizzard, they crosspromote their games like crazy. I like it personally since I enjoy all of their games to a greater or lesser extent, and anytime you can get something free instead of paying $10 for a picture and some new emotes I'm all for it. 

People will whine about anything though. The Hearthstone subreddit has been whining for ages that the alternate hero portraits (despite having no impact on the actual game whatsoever) are too expensive and that there should be an alternate way to unlock them. Now Blizzard gives them what they've been asking for and they whine because they don't want to play WoW for the hour or two it takes to level to 20 and would rather just be able to pay money. It's pretty funny. 

Tyranny sounds awesome. I look forward to attempting to play these new Paradox strategy games for a brief period of time before deciding I'm still not smart enough for them and giving up. 

Well to be fair, its only free if you are paying the subscription fee for WoW already. Really I think Hearthstone works really well as a free to play game, its not really necessary to make any of the big purchases in game to do well, although there are certainly a lot of cards in the extensions that have become important to a lot of playing styles. But mostly you can do just fine without spending anything. 

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10 minutes ago, Channel4s-JonSnow said:

Well to be fair, its only free if you are paying the subscription fee for WoW already. Really I think Hearthstone works really well as a free to play game, its not really necessary to make any of the big purchases in game to do well, although there are certainly a lot of cards in the extensions that have become important to a lot of playing styles. But mostly you can do just fine without spending anything. 

WoW is completely free to play up to level 20 now (has been for a few years actually) so it's free for anyone who's willing to play it for a bit. 

I agree with you about Hearthstone's business model. It's about as fair as a CCG can ever really be. I do think reducing the crafting cost of legendary cards a bit (or just increasing the dust you get from disenchanting) would be a good idea though.

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