Gaming

[billw]

The whole situation with CD Projekt holding back console review copies, or issuing embargoes was a warning sign. Even though, they replied pre release on twitter that it ran 'surprisingly well' on last gen consoles. The following 'apologies' (whilst basically blaming the testing team) have really put me off buying CP2077, which is a shame. I hope they can redeem themselves, much like the dev team behind no mans sky managed. That is a good game now.

Bethesda, are almost as bad. I love the Fallout and Elder Scrolls franchises, putting in a stupid amount of hours into Fallout 3 and Skyrim especially but they have really showed themselves in a bad light over the last few years. I recall the Fallout 76 launch if you actually bough the disc version. Upon inserting the disc, you were greeted with a gigantic 50+gb day one patch. Feel like I dodged a bullet with not purchasing that.

I don't play as much now, I still sometimes play WOW (started a bit late in 2007) and a few games on my console like Forza Horizon 4, Minecraft and D2 (which I'm terrible at). I'm currently on another play through of Control in between shifts on Snowrunner.
I'm sure my interest will be rekindled when the next Mass Effect (hopefully) and Elder Scrolls games are released.

Does feel like stuff is being rushed to market these days. Valhalla and Fenyx both crashed a fair bit so nice one Ubisoft.

DId well over 200 hours on Skyrim, what an awesome game. I just spend hours wandering around at random seeing what I find and forgetting I'm meant to be doing a main story arc.

One of my friends has got CP and she said it's crashed "about 300 times"

 

[D_W]

Anyone else like the online world of shooting cartoon people with a cartoon gun ?.

I've been doing this since time began and I still cant hit the broad side of a barn
Currently its Planetside 2, and prior it was Arma3, and the battlefield series.

I spent years on BF2, probably longer than I should and missed a swath of titles, but then changed to Arma3, but couldnt get on with it.
Eventually I found Planetside 2, and while the nuances of the game still elude me, I do enjoy giant battles involving hundreds per team(3 teams) with all the land and air elements I've found make it great to play.
Maps are big, but the non earth surrounding makes it interesting to move around in. Night games I like the most as the laser effect of the weapons show up best and with hundreds of multicoloured streams crossing this way and that it's really visual.

Last week, I managed to stay alive for nearly 3 minutes, a record for me.

When I was younger, I liked games. Job responsibility would allow. Much greater enjoyment later shooting real guns at not people and not even paper silhouettes of people but rather reloading and trying to get the dots super close together.

But, alas, same thing with kids. Need an onsite hobby that can be done a few hors here and there and converted the hardware into woodworking stuff money-wise..

Last I gamed, Diablo and quake were popular, and you bought a game and owned it.

 

[FranWood]

I've been into gaming for a fair few years. We got a Spectrum +3 with a whopping 128k of RAM one Christmas which I'm guessing was approx 1986. That got me hooked and I've always had various consoles and computers since then.

Growing up I always had an interest in arcade machines and I got into MAME some years later which basically allows you to play emulated PCBs on a computer. Some years later I built [this] monstrosity out of MDF for a college project in ~2005. I built it in my parents summer house and I think they're still pulling MDF dust out of the carpet now

MAME was a bit of a gateway drug into arcade machines and I later moved onto buying proper arcade machines and PCBs. I started with a JAMMA 'Woody' (the particle/plywood cabinets found in most UK arcades) before moving onto Japanese 'Candy' cabs that are mainly metal and plastic. [This] was the state of my living room at one point, my Mrs was absolutely thrilled as you can imagine I did have a full size sit down driving cab in there at one point too which was great, in my eyes at least

The Mrs wanted the cabs out of the living room so I downsized the collection a bit and moved them upstairs. [This] was one end of the room and [this] was the other. I 'built' the entertainment unit in the last photo as I couldn't find anything suitable to hold my PC etc. I say 'built' as I just designed it in CAD and got the black laminated and edge banded sheets cut at a supplier and I just dowelled the whole thing together.

I've since had to sell all of my arcade machines a couple of years ago when we moved into temporary rented accommodation whilst we relocated. We should be moving onto our 'forever home' in a few weeks and I would like to pick up a couple of machines again.

I do still have a crap load of console from the 80s/90s+ which I get out from time to time. I do game on the PC a bit but the main thing I've been playing recently is the Nintendo Switch as it's so easy to pick up and put down for a quick game. I do have a six week old daughter now so most of my free time has unsurprisingly vanished. I'm hoping I get to play again sometime in the next 18 or so years!

 

[Bm101]

Generation 48K here. Attic Attack! Jet Set Willy!
Always gamed on off since I was kid. Biiiiig break from the Spectrum 'till I was in my mid 20's and several since then but I always end up going back. Culminated really in admining a clan site/community that died when EA killed dedicated servers on battlefield sadly. I was never a diehard gamer by proper standards although BM101 is short for BadMonkey.
I dread to think how many cumulative hours I have sunk into games for no earthly reward. Less than most people have sunk into Sh**e TV programs though I would guess. And at least it's interactive. Not just gaping at the lightbox.
Been interesting watching my young lad (10) discover gaming. I bought him Skyrim for his xbox for Christmas. I still have the disc for the PC but the gaming rig is dead and unlikely to be replaced at any time in the forseeable. I have the odd game of Warthunder and so on on his xbox. I do bemoan the lack of social life the kids seem to have now in terms of 'When I was his age we was out riding our bikes' etc But it's just not that simple anymore. I monitor his playtime and we do lots of physical stuff with the kids but it's such a huge part of kids socialising now that you need to be careful not to distance them from friendships because socially that's what a lot of kids do now. They game online. Nevermind now with the Covid.
Playing with my lad has been an eye opener for both of us. Sometimes he's telling me all about how to play then I just smash his score to keep him in check lol.
Watching him play Skyrim a few weeks ago took me back. One late night when everyone was asleep I checked in the kids before going to bed myself.
Hmmm. I could just do a ultra casual playthrough.... What possible harm could it do?!?

Three weeks later I'm in the bleeding Nightingales (again!) and I caught my self sorting all the loot into seperate chests in the Abandoned House in Markarth like I had OCD because I'm too tight to buy a proper house.
Arggggggggghhhhh!

 

[billw]

I caught my self sorting all the loot into seperate chests in the Abandoned House in Markarth like I had OCD because I'm too tight to buy a proper house.
Arggggggggghhhhh!

Been there done that

 

[Robbo3]

I started gaming when my daughter aged 8 wanted someone to compete against in Lego Races.
Somebody gave me a copy of Doom 3 which I'm just waiting to finish the final battle.

 

[TRITON]

Doom 3 is good. I like the creepiness of it. Ever descending down industrial staircases into the unknown, the tension ramping up, like a good suspense movie.
I take it you play with the lights off...Or are you not that brave

I buy my home computer based around gaming requirements, basically because if it runs modern games on ultra, then it will run anything else.
I've an Alienware desktop. X51, 16gb ram a GTX970 card. i5 quad core.
Too many systems claim to run modern games, but you need to have all the settings on low or medium to get the frame rates, but on ultra, you see the game in how the developers wanted it to be seen.

Its fairly old now, but still will run anything you want to load into it on high to ultra.

 

[threedee]

I just checked my Path of Exile hours on steam... my god......... 2000 hours played. Which means overall i spent at least 3-4k hours on single game since 2013, as i started when it was in alpha/beta at the time... oof.

My brother still plays it, but i'm scared to go back to PoE - its my single worst vice in regards to games, and, evidently, a ginormous time sink.... And they're so good at putting out content that i'd never get bored again... all the way till my wife puts me with a suitcase out...

Second most time-wastey game (i speculate here) would probably be original Elite on speccy. Soooo many hours lugging slaves between systems and fighting "the man"... Played Elite dangerous some, broke my joystick buttons by overusing hat for latteral thrusting too often in "flight assist off" mode. Game is a bit too grindy for my taste... One of my friends still plays it, and StarCitizen too...

To address hacking games to "play faster" - i use cheatengine to cut out on grindy bits of games that are ever present to pad out "playtime". If the game is story driven but has any sort of grindy mechanics in it - comes out the cheatengine... I may enjoy the game immensely, but if i'm forced to grind for grind's sake - nope...

I'm planning to build myself some sort of countertop MAME arcade machine. Been planning for long time, but last several years never time or money... Still in my plans though...

My kids play Among Us too. Made them some loot to brag about at school with my laser cutter. School bag dangly decorations.

 

[rafezetter]

Been there done that

Not been there - not done that yet - Skyrim is one of those games I'm keeping in reserve to play in full 4k gloriousness with tons of mods when I build my next uber rig (in readiness for Star Citizen) as this one is about 6 years old now, in fairness it could probably do it now, but the next rig will have more headroom and won't make my 1070TI scream.

If you've not got a rig by then BM101 this one will be up for grabs for not a lot.

@ Franwood - MAME - my mate and I made a tabletop arcade MAME machine a some 10 years back - he still has it somewhere, he might even be pursuaded to sell it since his new wife banned all that to the garage with the usual "games are for kids" trope.

@ threeDee - Elite Dangerous - I backed that too in KS - and have never started it, the lies FDev have continually told since launch and with delay after delay left a very sour taste in my mouth, and only now 7 years after launch are they introducing content ideas they sold in the kickstarter.

I've got a backer box with badge, Tshirt, art, Lifetime Expansion Pass, all of it. Never opened it as a symbolic refusal to accept thier BS.

Oh and for the original Elite - I'm a badge holder, one of only a few, whom entered the competition back then to prove Elite status by submitting a cassette with a save on it. On the Elite Dangerous forum in the first years, badgeholders were asked to make themselves known - at the last count less than 20 turned up with proof of badges.

here's mine It's cast in Bronze with enamel lettering. (and far nicer than the ones given to ED backers).

(did you know PoE has released another chapter recently? LOL send me a PM I'll meet you in there )

 

[Garno]

I loved the concept of the original Elite game.
One major downfall for me was docking, I would always crash.
One of my mates ended up giving me a saved cassette where he had the automatic docker onboard.
I have never bothered to even buy the Elite Dangerous thinking it would take away so many memories of playing the original.

 

[FranWood]

Made them some loot to brag about at school with my laser cutter. School bag dangly decorations.

Slightly OT here but great stuff, I love the bottom lit acrylic. A laser is definitely on my list of things to get. Ideally I would like something fairly large format like a 1080 with a 80-100w laser. May I ask what laser you have?

 

[threedee]

Oh and for the original Elite - I'm a badge holder, one of only a few, whom entered the competition back then to prove Elite status by submitting a cassette with a save on it. On the Elite Dangerous forum in the first years, badgeholders were asked to make themselves known - at the last count less than 20 turned up with proof of badges. here's mine It's cast in Bronze with enamel lettering. (and far nicer than the ones given to ED backers).

(did you know PoE has released another chapter recently? LOL send me a PM I'll meet you in there )

If i lived in UK at the time i'd have hacked saves in no time. We were a DIY enthusiast group, making our own clone speccy's (as in buy pcb+components and build it ourselves), so debugging, poking in code, savestating, etc was all in days work for us ...

I bought elite as a backer, paid something like 70-80 quid for it, bought a joystick specifically for that, first in YEARS and got absolutely nothing as a backer... meh... i have machinery that can make t-shirts at home, will make one myself...

As for PoE, tempting but NOPE Plus, while i enjoy the game, following builds etc, i'm absolutely terrible at endgame/trading/crafting. At one point i spent ~3000 fuses trying to get 6L bow out of one of the best bows ever dropped. Guild chipped in until all were cursing me (still got the bow btw). Also, i usually play glass cannon types, i hit like a train but look at me funny and i die

I loved the concept of the original Elite game.
One major downfall for me was docking, I would always crash.
One of my mates ended up giving me a saved cassette where he had the automatic docker onboard.
I have never bothered to even buy the Elite Dangerous thinking it would take away so many memories of playing the original.

Never had any trouble docking, i even figured out the rotation trick on how to approach the station so i get right to the mail slot instead of flying around to find it, as many did back then...

Slightly OT here but great stuff, I love the bottom lit acrylic. A laser is definitely on my list of things to get. Ideally I would like something fairly large format like a 1080 with a 80-100w laser. May I ask what laser you have?

I have 900x600 80W, with 100W tube taking a nap in a corner until this 80W kicks the bucket. If you need more info on lasering PM me, glad to discuss.

 

[rafezetter]

I loved the concept of the original Elite game.
One major downfall for me was docking, I would always crash.
One of my mates ended up giving me a saved cassette where he had the automatic docker onboard.
I have never bothered to even buy the Elite Dangerous thinking it would take away so many memories of playing the original.

Docking was fairly simple once you learned a simple tricks - because there was no "strafe" up or down I found it was easier if you used the left or right side view to line up the station, so the entrance face was "flat" (if you were not parallel there was always a hint of one of the sides) - they simply rotate the ship 90 deg onto it's back then pull "up".

Tap the roll button - voila - 2001 style docking

For those people why want an "original" Elite style experience but with some extra bells and whistles - try Oolite - it's a fan made version based on the original, is STILL being updated even though it was started circa 2003 and has a HUGE library of extra fan made packs and content.

Edit - yeah the mail slot was ALWAYS facing the planet for a start.

 

[Billy_wizz]

When I was younger, I liked games. Job responsibility would allow. Much greater enjoyment later shooting real guns at not people and not even paper silhouettes of people but rather reloading and trying to get the dots super close together.

But, alas, same thing with kids. Need an onsite hobby that can be done a few hors here and there and converted the hardware into woodworking stuff money-wise..

Last I gamed, Diablo and quake were popular, and you bought a game and owned it.

Diablo 1,2 or3 lol

 

[threedee]

Funny story, Diablo3 was the one and only game i was in the queue for, ever. So much anticipation i had to go to 24h tesco 30mi away to get it after midnight embargo lifted. There were all of 5 people waiting for the game ... And what a let down it was - disappointment of the year, and still is. After D2 it was like nicely painted wheelchair of a game - absolutely crippled... What was nice and deep game (D2) was now an arcade offering, plus the auction house debacle...
Since the diablo3 fiasco i would never buy a game when its just out. Not even talking pre-orders here. I'd wait half a year now before deciding.

Smart saying - "have no expectations - suffer no disappointment"... works so far...

 

[Jelly]

I gave up online playing years ago.
People who cheat online or get aggressive when you kill them ruins the game.
Rather play against the computer so that’s my I play on a PS2 or Nintendo NES.

I'm with you on that.

I more or less gave up gaming entirely in my mid teens when Counterstrike was still a mod of HL, and the PS2 was still the hottest thing around, then came back in my late 20's to discover that it had changed beyond all recognition, and not in a way which made it feel more fun to me.

I still bring the PS2 out for a hit of nostalgic fun from time to time, and have an old PC with original versions of Half-Life, Operation Flashpoint, Deus Ex, and most of the classic C&C titles which I hang onto for much the same reason; but I'm not likely to ever return to gaming in a serious way now the industry and scene has changed so much...

The drive towards a constant drip-drip of (costly) single-player content and making online multiplayer the real core of the game is the opposite of what I'm looking for; I spend all day dealing with people, so when I want to just switch off I'd rather not interact with more of them; I can always go to the pub (ok, maybe not right now) or ring a mate for a chat if I want to socialise, and feel like it's more on my own terms.



All that said, whilst it's not for me anymore, I can see what attracts people, and totally get why it becomes a serious hobby for lots of people... Some of the excellent reasons for which @rafezetter sums up pretty comprehensively:

Gaming excercises the mind in ways that watching TV or even playing many sports, just cannot.

Just to counter those with negative viewpoints of gaming like Septic, sorry Spectric and Bourbon, for me the online community is a way to connect with people in a way I find difficult offline...

Snip

I'm a VERY different person online, confident and a leader of men and women - yes really - I say that without boast, it's just a fact**, and has been for many years and I think is also true of a great many other "gamers"; people whom the real world dismiss, but whose virtual presence commands thousands of real life people as happens often in games like Eve Online.

That second bit I find really interesting, because it really speaks to the positive things gaming can bring to people's lives, in terms of both self-esteem and personal growth!

So as much as gaming gets a bad rap from some quarters (and there can be a subcultures within some games of quite toxic individuals who really don't help the image of gaming), it's definitely earned its place as a genuine cultural activity which is not to be dismissed out of hand.

 

[Billy_wizz]

Funny story, Diablo3 was the one and only game i was in the queue for, ever. So much anticipation i had to go to 24h tesco 30mi away to get it after midnight embargo lifted. There were all of 5 people waiting for the game ... And what a let down it was - disappointment of the year, and still is. After D2 it was like nicely painted wheelchair of a game - absolutely crippled... What was nice and deep game (D2) was now an arcade offering, plus the auction house debacle...
Since the diablo3 fiasco i would never buy a game when its just out. Not even talking pre-orders here. I'd wait half a year now before deciding.

Smart saying - "have no expectations - suffer no disappointment"... works so far...

Hopefully 4 will go back to its roots!
To be fair I liked the auction house in principle as it allowed me try other classes without having to spend loads of time finding ok kit or being carried till I got kit but it's application wasn't great! Best part of the game tome runs if we didn't crash the game we considered it not prepped right lol

 

[Bodone]

As others, started Atari, colecovsion, intellivion, etc etc. Went down PC route, found not comparable with family life. So been console user since forever. Xbox fan but always bought comparable sony console for a few exclusives.

Have Xbox series X in projector room, nothing much to play on it, but am enjoying it being “instant” gaming. Fits those, I’ve got 40 mins free, sessions.

Massive Div2 fan, currently on sabbatical with Destiny and I’ll probably go with Valhalla next, I’m a big fan of open worlds/colours.

As for Elite, docking music is ingrained in my mind, think I played it most on an Atari ST or could have been the MSX I had, not sure.

 

[Jelly]

Doom 3 is good. I like the creepiness of it. Ever descending down industrial staircases into the unknown, the tension ramping up, like a good suspense movie.
I take it you play with the lights off...Or are you not that brave

Doom 3 played in a darkened room is far and away scarier than any horror movie I've ever watched...

The developers did an excellent job of building a highly immersive world full of tension, which totally sucks you in.

 

[D_W]

Diablo 1,2 or3 lol

1. hah! I'm not sure that I've ever known of 2 or 3.

Diablo and Ascendancy were two of my favorites (kind of got bored with the dooms and quakes, though I recall quake was probably same time or after diablo 1. went to college right around when doom was introduced and we had in room ethernet while most people on those games in multi were using modems. It was like being a boxer with reflexes 10x as fast as anyone else).