Videogames 2023 pt. II: Can We patreon This Man an Alienware Already?

[RumHam]

1 minute ago, Tywin et al. said:

I'm in too. Now just how to find pub games.

I went with a barby. Usually the best way to start.

I've only played 3 and the remake of 2, but I chose necromancer cause I remembered liking that in 2. 

[Mr. Chatywin et al.]

22 minutes ago, RumHam said:

I've only played 3 and the remake of 2, but I chose necromancer cause I remembered liking that in 2. 

It's fun, but item dependent. The barb doesn't need much to get you started.

Killed the first boss, the game looks great. 

[RumHam]

It does look great, for some reason it doesn't seem to recognize the steam decks controls in windows, so I've mostly been trying to figure that out. 

Edit: Alright now I beat the first boss! I thought for sure he was gonna crush me but this second world teir doesn't seem too hard so far. I didn't realize I could summon more than one skeleton at a time until that fight.

Edited June 2, 2023 by RumHam

[Mr. Chatywin et al.]

Picking skills is kind of tricky. Another reason I went with a barb. And yeah, the harder version is that difficult so far.

[RumHam]

13 minutes ago, Tywin et al. said:

Picking skills is kind of tricky. Another reason I went with a barb. And yeah, the harder version is that difficult so far.

Yeah, I have no idea what to pick, and it doesn't seem like a straightforward skill tree? 

I haven't encountered any other players yet. Maybe I haven't gotten far enough.

I wonder if this game warrants it's own thread? 

[Mr. Chatywin et al.]

24 minutes ago, RumHam said:

Yeah, I have no idea what to pick, and it doesn't seem like a straightforward skill tree? 

I haven't encountered any other players yet. Maybe I haven't gotten far enough.

I wonder if this game warrants it's own thread? 

Idk, I haven't even tried to do a public game. When D3 first came out it was hard to do anything besides the solo story. Which is fine. 

As for a separate thread, if others want it we can. 

The number of cut scenes so far is insane though compared to the previous games. 

[IlyaP]

54 minutes ago, Tywin et al. said:

The number of cut scenes so far is insane though compared to the previous games. 

Are they hand-drawn ones, as in Diablo: Immortal? 

[Mr. Chatywin et al.]

42 minutes ago, IlyaP said:

Are they hand-drawn ones, as in Diablo: Immortal? 

Never played that version, but the look like the stuff from other versions of the game, just cleaner. 

The game is starting to get hard. Maybe you're suppose to farm more because everything is stronger than me. 1v5 is fine, but when you get mobbed, fuck me. 

[RumHam]

I haven't found it that hard, I think I got pretty lucky with my skill picks. I've got 10 minions and mostly rely on an ability that leaves a damaging pool on the floor that slows enemies and increases the damage they take. 

I also feel like I've been lucky with drops! or the algorithm is a lot more rewarding than the last one of these I played. I like how you can use those aspects to upgrade a yellow into a legendary. I've already got two. 

As for getting mobbed, I put some points into this blood mist ability that makes me invincible and slowly heals for a bit. There must be something kinda similar for the barbarian to get you out of tough jams. 

Edited June 2, 2023 by RumHam

[Rhom]

Diablo IV running beautifully on my Steam Deck.  I'm genuinely surprised.  And by not installing the HD pack, the install size is only 40ish GB instead of 80.

[RumHam]

Just now, Rhom said:

Diablo IV running beautifully on my Steam Deck.  I'm genuinely surprised.  And by not installing the HD pack, the install size is only 40ish GB instead of 80.

on SteamOS? I just put it on my windows one cause I figured it would be easier. But I can't get it to recognize the built in controller. Halo does but this won't. So I broke out an Xbox controller and am using that.

Apparently it works on linux so I may have to switch over at some point. 

[Rhom]

1 hour ago, RumHam said:

on SteamOS? I just put it on my windows one cause I figured it would be easier. But I can't get it to recognize the built in controller. Halo does but this won't. So I broke out an Xbox controller and am using that.

Apparently it works on linux so I may have to switch over at some point. 

Yeah, I followed a guide to add the BattleNet launcher as a non steam game (using Proton Experimental) and then from there downloaded D4 and it works natively with the controller.  Doesn't seem to recognize the Steam button, which is odd, but otherwise everything works for gameplay.

[Werthead]

RPS has its "Best Space Games" list, which I got a few comments in on.

They define "Space Game" as "any game vaguely involving space," which is a bit of a broad brush (hence TIE Fighter and Mass Effect and Stellaris and The Outer Wilds all appearing together), but it has some nice inclusions.

[Durckad]

56 minutes ago, Werthead said:

RPS has its "Best Space Games" list, which I got a few comments in on.

They define "Space Game" as "any game vaguely involving space," which is a bit of a broad brush (hence TIE Fighter and Mass Effect and Stellaris and The Outer Wilds all appearing together), but it has some nice inclusions.

Be honest, you're just linking that to show off how a couple of your comments were featured in the article.

[Mr. Chatywin et al.]

2 hours ago, RumHam said:

I also feel like I've been lucky with drops! or the algorithm is a lot more rewarding than the last one of these I played. I like how you can use those aspects to upgrade a yellow into a legendary. I've already got two. 

How do you do this?

I can clear hard dungeons with ease, but one on one boss fights are rough. I'm up to level 22 and can't kill this nasty 19 level super boss. 

[RumHam]

There's a guy in the main town, like bottom left corner of the map. The occultist I think? He can draw powers from legendaries and apply those and the "aspects" you get for beating dungeons to rare weapons to make them legendary. 

Edit: Another tip, if you hit Y/Triangle/W on the map screen you'll see the region rewards. I just got two skill points and the ability to hold another healing potion by claiming mine. 

Edited June 2, 2023 by RumHam

[Relic]

23 hours ago, Tywin et al. said:

I decided to pay. Shocker, it's not working, lol. D3 launch was a disaster too. 

works totally fine for me. 

[Werthead]

1 hour ago, Durckad said:

Be honest, you're just linking that to show off how a couple of your comments were featured in the article.

...not necessarily.

[IlyaP]

45 minutes ago, Werthead said:

...not necessarily.

"Porque no los dos?" 

 

[Caligula_K3]

These past few weeks it's been Zelda, Zelda, Zelda.

 

In absolutely shocking news, it's an incredible game. Exploring the sky and depths is so fun, especially once you get into the swing of creating Zonai devices for transportation. The abilities in this game are ridiculous in the best ways possible: they have such versatility and allow for so much creativity. I also think that the "re-use" of the overworld has been very clever. Aside from the many changes they've made, the great freedom you have in traversal makes exploring it feel different from BOTW and adds a lot of freshness. And I think that if it were a completely new map I would feel too overwhelmed.

But anyway, BOTW is my favourite game, so it's not a surprise I love this. I'm happy to spend my days in Hyrule solving shrines, finding armour, enjoying the game's many charming side quests, and getting chased by

Spoiler

those fucking terrifying hands that give me a heart attack every time I run into them

I do have a couple of minor quibbles. One is the music: the minimalist soundtrack worked very well for Breath of the Wild's focus on isolation and exploration. In this game, which is much more jam packed, a more overt OST would have suited things better, especially in the sky and depths.

And while I'm fine with the world being reused from BOTW, I'm less enthused about the plot structure.

Spoiler

The fact that it's once again "go to the Rito, Zora, Goron, Gerudo areas" feels pretty uncreative. And then there are the Tears. The Memory structure worked well in BOTW, since Link was amnesiac. I appreciate that the Tears are much easier to find in TOTK, but it makes absolutely no sense to me that they're presented out of order. I've seen more of the ending of the story than I have of the beginning at this point, and it undercuts any emotional impact. As does the pretty terrible voice acting...

But seriously, what a hell of a game. I'm in awe of what they've been able to accomplish with the physics and crafting systems - all on the Switch!