Video Games - Legendary Edition

[Werthead]

One of the voices in MechWarrior 5 was doing my head in as it was familiar before I worked out it was Elias Toufexis, late of Deus Ex ("I didn't ask for this," etc).

It turns out that he did ask for this. I don't even remember him being in BattleTech. It turns out he played one of the main bad guys but since he only says anything right at the very end of the game and he put on quite a different voice to his normal one, that's not surprising.

6 hours ago, Gorn said:

I hope you guys can help me with a hardware dilemma.

I am in the process of moving, and the only PC I currently have available is a laptop that can only run Paradox grand strategies and old 2D games. And while I like those, I also like pizza but couldn't eat it every day. I'd like to buy a gaming PC, but I have no intention of paying current graphics card prices, since I have this strange aversion to being robbed. A console is not an option for various reasons.

So, I've come up with a plan. I'll buy everything needed to assemble a gaming PC, except for a graphics card. The configuration would be built around Intel -K processor that actually has some integrated graphics capabilities. On top of that, I was thinking of getting Nvidia GeForce Now subscription, since I expect I'll have some good broadband speeds at the new location. Then, when the crypto mining madness subsides, I would cancel the Nvidia subscription and get a graphics card.

Does this make sense? I never actually relied on Intel integrated graphics, so I'm not sure what I can expect. Also, how much can I rely on Nvidia servers in the US? Would I face long waiting times with the subscription service?

I would take a good look at prebuilds. Prebuild companies have priority for graphic cards so you can still pick up a prebuild system somewhat reasonably. Obviously you cannot customise spec too much and it varies immensely on location (in the UK and USA with companies like Cyberpower you can customise things quite a lot but with other companies not so much).

I've been looking at second hand prices for graphics cards to see about unloading my old 1060 6GB and JFC. It's going second-hand for the same price it was brand new five years ago.

[Gorn]

5 hours ago, Ran said:

A quick Google shows people getting 20-35 FPS in CKIII with Intel's HD 620, though at laptop resolutions, not full desktop. It'd be slower on a desktop, although it seems FPS can double to 60+ if you turn off advanced shader effects.

I have GeForce Now and am a happy camper with it. Bear in mind that there are a limited number of supported titles; like CKIII is not, though Stellaris and EUIV are. As for GeForce Now servers, shouldn't be a problem. When a hot new release comes up, you may have to wait a couple of days for queues to die down (that's how it was for several days in Scandinavia when CP2077 came out) but otherwise it should be pretty seamless. I can't speak to performance, but I believe GeForce Now has a tester that'll give you a sense of what performance your connection will get you.

The only issue I'd see is that it's likely that the absurd cost of GPUs is going to last into next year. So you're setting up for a wait. Also, I believe I recall reading that the latest Ryzen chips have superior integrated graphics performance to their Intel counterparts, which may be something worth looking into to squeeze out more performance.

Thanks, I appreciate the advice. I was actually thinking of using Geforce Now for some more graphics-intensive games, like the last couple of Assassins Creeds or Horizon Zero Dawn. If I'm happy with it, I might not even buy a card - I can get four years of service subscription for the cost of a mid-range card.

I was originally looking at AMD processors, but the one I had my eye on, 5600X, doesn't seem to have integrated graphics at all, plus it costs $100 more than i5 11600k, the comparable Intel model.

[Corvinus85]

I believe only the newest of the new Ryzen processors have integrated graphics. But otherwise, the 5600X seems to overperform its Intel rival.

I can't speak to how well the Intel integrated graphics works with games, but at work I use a laptop with an i7 10700k CPU. It also has a NVidia Quatro, but for some reason one of the 3D engineering modeling software I have isn't working well with the NVidia drivers, so I use the integrated graphics for it. It's only a bit slow, otherwise it's fine.

[A True Kaniggit]

16 hours ago, Werthead said:

Scythe: The RTS? I played the demo and it was okay. 100% not a full-price purchase but if I see it for around £20, I'll probably take a punt. RTS games with a strong single-player campaign are rarer than diamond dust at the moment. I think the last really good one was Homeworld: Deserts of Kharak.

Thank you.  I’ll show some restraint for once then and wait for a sale. 

[Mexal]

15 hours ago, Heartofice said:

You guys were right Disco Elysium is so much better now it’s fully voiced. It makes a huge difference, plus the narration and voices are awesome.

Is this a good game? I was reading some reviews of the Final Cut and it sounds intriguing. 

[Ran]

4 minutes ago, Mexal said:

Is this a good game? I was reading some reviews of the Final Cut and it sounds intriguing. 

One of the most highly praised games in the last year.

[Heartofice]

17 minutes ago, Mexal said:

Is this a good game? I was reading some reviews of the Final Cut and it sounds intriguing. 

It depends on whether its the sort of game you'd enjoy playing really. Its an old school point and click adventure, but I think what makes it stand out from the rest is the quality of it's writing. I could tell it was good before but having to read everything was a pain, but with voice acting it really elevates it. If you like the genre I'd recommend it.

[Fez]

52 minutes ago, Mexal said:

Is this a good game? I was reading some reviews of the Final Cut and it sounds intriguing. 

It's a great game, if you know what you're getting into. At it's core, it's an isometric murder-mystery with a heavy political focus and an awful lot of side stories. The entire game takes place over a space of about 2 city blocks and a bit of coastline and there's maybe 40 or 50 total other characters in the game. But you'll talk to those characters a lot; almost the entire game is the conversations.

The main draw of the game is the writing (and now the voice acting), and the gameplay is mostly about following the writing where it goes. But the thing is, there is an extraordinary amount of writing. There are a couple "gates" in the game, but for the most part you can do things in almost any order, and pretty much everything will react and adjust accordingly depending on what you've done. And it will further change depending on what kind of detective you are and what kind of political beliefs you espouse. So the game has a huge amount of replayability (though I doubt anything will be as magical as that first playthrough where, just like the detective, you also know nothing about the world and slowly learn all about it); for instance there's a Steam achievement for solving the case without ever examining the victim's body, and I can't even imagine what the chain of events is for doing that.

The flow-chart design docs for this game most be overwhelming to see.

I'm about 15 hours into The Final Cut and been having a great time seeing this world again.

[Ser Rodrigo Belmonte II]

Guys, when is this fucking global GPU shortage ending? I’ve literally had my new build ready for more than 6 months now but can’t play anything without a new GPU (old 970 is busted) should I just give up and try to repair the 970?

[Fez]

8 minutes ago, Ser Rodrigo Belmonte II said:

Guys, when is this fucking global GPU shortage ending? I’ve literally had my new build ready for more than 6 months now but can’t play anything without a new GPU (old 970 is busted) should I just give up and try to repair the 970?

Maybe sometime next year? The latest news I saw is that even car manufacturers are having trouble getting the chips they need. The problem is that demand for semiconductors vastly outstrips supply right now, and it takes years for supply capacity too build up. Intel is spending $20 billion to build two new semiconductor foundries in Arizona, but they won't be ready until around 2025.

In the mean time, all we can really do is wait and hope for demand to drop. It probably will to some extent once the pandemic is over, since that'll mean less people buying telework electronics. But I doubt that alone will solve the issue. Restrictions on bitcoin mining would also help, but I doubt we'll see much on that front.

I'm just hoping my 1070 can outlast the shortage.

[Ran]

40 minutes ago, Fez said:

Maybe sometime next year?

That's what I heard. Supply should begin increasing Q3, per a recent report from Gamer's Nexus, but it seems to me that the insane prices right now suggest enough pent-up demand that it'll be into next year before consumers really see prices returning to something like normal.

[Ser Rodrigo Belmonte II]

The irony is I had originally bought a RTX 2070 super with my build 6 months ago...then they announced the new 3000 series lineup with a vastly better price-to-performance ratio and I got the bright idea of refunding the 2070 and waiting for the 3080 launch to get a better deal......and now even the 2000 series are all scalped  

[Corvinus85]

I used to be a sole NVidia user, but shortages and ridiculous prices made a whatever works user. Which is why earlier this year I jumped on a Radeon RX6800 that I found for $800, and since I already had an AMD processor I wasn't worried about issues, and really have no regrets.

[Ser Rodrigo Belmonte II]

1 hour ago, Corvinus85 said:

I used to be a sole NVidia user, but shortages and ridiculous prices made a whatever works user. Which is why earlier this year I jumped on a Radeon RX6800 that I found for $800, and since I already had an AMD processor I wasn't worried about issues, and really have no regrets.

Yeah I even have a Ryzen 7 3700x, I think I’ll switch to team red for the GPU as well...nvidea also has one of the worst software apps ever for in game functions, causing never ending crashes...

[RumHam]

There's an alpha for Diablo II coming up. Personally I've only played III so I'm looking forward to seeing why everyone thought II was so much better. 

Quote

 

Q: How do I take part in the Technical Alpha?

A: Starting this Friday, a limited amount of PC players who have pre-registered on the Diablo II: Resurrected website will be able to download the Technical Alpha. Invitations to the Technical Alpha will be distributed throughout the day in waves starting at 7:00 AM (PT).

 

https://news.blizzard.com/en-us/diablo2/23658118/diablo-ii-resurrected-technical-alpha-experience-the-legend

[Argonath Diver]

I think a lot of modern ARPG gamers will be disappointed at the "endgame" of repetitive Baal runs and weak crafting system compared to Lash Epoch,  Path of Exile and even the super popular D2 mod I'm still playing on now and freakin' loving (PD2). 

I'll buy it, of course,  and the graphics upgrade will be a treat. I hope they tweak some balance stuff and dear God somehow combat botting. 

I'd signed up for said Alpha awhile ago, though I don't expect to win the lottery. 

[briantw]

8 hours ago, Mexal said:

Is this a good game? I was reading some reviews of the Final Cut and it sounds intriguing. 

It's more an interactive novel than a game, but it's got a really interesting story and setting and the writing is solid from what I've played.  Looking forward to digging back into it now that the whole thing is voice acted.  

[Mexal]

1 hour ago, Argonath Diver said:

I think a lot of modern ARPG gamers will be disappointed at the "endgame" of repetitive Baal runs and weak crafting system compared to Lash Epoch,  Path of Exile and even the super popular D2 mod I'm still playing on now and freakin' loving (PD2). 

I'll buy it, of course,  and the graphics upgrade will be a treat. I hope they tweak some balance stuff and dear God somehow combat botting. 

I'd signed up for said Alpha awhile ago, though I don't expect to win the lottery. 

I'm really enjoying Last Epoch so far but it's pretty easy. Not sure if that's the balance or there is something I'm missing but early game is pretty easy.

[Argonath Diver]

I haven't actually tried Last Epoch, though I idle often on various ARPGTwitch streams, and I can see its potential. I really like the semi-deterministic crafting, something Path Of Exile has struggled with for years (currently one crafting system is so obscenely overpowered with guaranteed outcomes that its upcoming nerf has split the fan base majorly).

I think Last Epoch needs some major content additions, but you just never know these days with this Early Release nonsense. I love a good beta, but releasing incomplete games for money with a vague promise that "Its not really out yet" to wave away serious issues is a broken bone in my craw. 

[Mr. Chatywin et al.]

2 hours ago, RumHam said:

There's an alpha for Diablo II coming up. Personally I've only played III so I'm looking forward to seeing why everyone thought II was so much better. 

https://news.blizzard.com/en-us/diablo2/23658118/diablo-ii-resurrected-technical-alpha-experience-the-legend

A couple things. The initial reaction to D3 was terrible. It was such shit. I play it on and off still and it's a lot better, but the games still have noticeable differences. Getting items in D2 is way harder, for starters. The ways your stats and skills are allocated are also way different, and for a long time you couldn't reset your shit, so when you made a toon, you had to pick a path right away and follow it through. D3 is easy mode on those fronts by comparisons. 

D2's real power though is how it sucks you in to just repeat the same things over and over again. D3 gives you a lot more variety and there's all kinds of different things you can do. It's a far cry from doing the exact same Meph and Baal runs over, and over, and over, and over again.