Azurephile | Cheerful Ghost

Final Fantasy VIII Steam Review

Azurephile gives this an astounding "Must Play" on the Ghost Scale

This achieves something special, and it would be a shame to miss it.

Azurephile gives this a "Must Play" on the Ghost Scale

This achieves something special, and it would be a shame to miss it.

Review

Recommended

Updated graphics

Achievements, cheat tool, and Chocobo World

*Note this post was written before the Remastered version, so it's about the first Steam game, not the second*

It was about 15-17 years ago that I was introduced to Final Fantasy VIII, which was my introduction to the Final Fantasy series. It's kind of hard to believe it was that long ago, but since then I've come to love Final Fantasy games. FFVIII is definitely my favorite among them, I immediately fell in love with nearly everything about it including the characters, stories, side quests, music, and more.

The Junction system is one of the main things that sets this game apart from the others in the series. The typical FF summons, are called “GFs” short for “Guardian Forces,” like Shiva, Ifrit, Bahamut, and many more. In order to use them and magic, you have to “Junction” them. Doing also allows you to set magic to various character stats like HP, Strength, Vitality, and more. You get magic by using the “Draw” command at a Draw Point or from monsters. Some magic is better for certain stats than others.

My only problem with the game is when it comes to the parts when the story takes you back into the past. Only certain characters time travel at various points in the game. Their Junction configuration gets transferred to characters in the past. Unfortunately, this means that sometimes some members or the past don't get properly Junctioned. This means you have to reconfigure your Junctions before, during, and after these events take place. However, you can get by with not setting up all of the characters in the past with Junctions, but it gets a bit tedious to have to constantly reconfigure your characters.

In the years after my introduction to this game, I've played it numerous times. During a few of my college years, I often played it at least once a year. In more recent years, I haven't played it very often. I gave it a try a few years ago on my PS3 and HDTV, but I didn't finish it. Recently, however, I became interested in playing it once again after seeing that FFIX would be coming to PC via Steam. This rekindled my interest in the series.

So, I decided to jump in and buy FFVIII and VII on Steam. I played VIII first, deciding I would go a bit backwards. Immediately, I was greatly impressed by how this version of the game has updated graphics. Only minor backgrounds and character models reflected how the original game looks. This was really the first HD re-release of a game that I played and I was totally wowed.

The Steam version also includes numerous other additions such as achievements, a tool to “cheat” in magic, and Chocobo World. CW was a mini-game that, until recently, only those with a PocketStation could play, which was only available in Japan. Due to that, I was only able to try it out recently.

Chocobo World is a very small and simple game with simple black and white only graphics. It opens by default in a very small window. You gain access to it once you get a Chocobo in the main game. The very small mini-map contains dots which represent Event encounters. These encounters can be friendly creatures that give you items and weapon bonuses or, more commonly, fights with monsters. Initially, the main objective is to find MiniMog. After that, you can continue to explore CW and eventually you run into a female Chocobo who needs to be saved from CW's final boss.

There is little music in the game and it gets repetitive, but fans of the series will recognize it from FFVII. Controlling your Chocobo is simple using the directional keys on the keyboard and CTRL. When encountering a monster, both it and your Chocobo have to wait for the ATB to count down to 0 before they can attack (and they do so automatically). You can speed this up for your Chocobo by continuously pressing the left and right keys. Your Chocobo is equipped with a “weapon” which can be upgraded by encountering a Moomba. The weapon contains four squares, each contains a single digit. When you attack, the game randomly chooses one of those numbers to determine how much damage you do. So, having a weapon with the digits 9000 means that you have a one in four chance to actually hit your enemy. Once you defeat an enemy, you get a “stone” that randomly goes into a position on a 3X3 square. In order to level up, three stones must match up in a line. If your HP is reduced to zero, the fight is lost and your Chocobo will end up sleeping to regain HP. While exploring, your Chocobo may end up randomly falling asleep, watching TV, or going fishing to replenish it's HP. You can wake it up or get it back to exploring by using the CTRL key.

Getting your Chocobo leveled up helps you in the main game by increasing the damage that the summon can do. Cactuars in CW also give you items, which transfer over to the main game. So, this mini-game has a few ways to help you out in the main game. There's even a Steam achievement for getting the Chocobo to level 100. I accomplished that and beat the final boss, but I spent a few hours playing it, at least 4 or 5.

One of the things I didn't have to try to do in the main game was grind to get to level 100. My characters actually reached that level while I was grinding for rare items for weapon upgrades. Still, I finished the game and explored almost all of the side quests in just 64 hours. In some previous playthroughs, I did work on the card mini-game, but decided to ignore it this time around.

So, if you like Final Fantasy games, especially this one, I strongly recommend jumping back in and getting this Steam version. I've noticed that other games in the series are also available on Steam and I've decided to jump back in.

Chocobo World: http://finalfantasy.wikia.com/wiki/Chocobo_World
FFVIII on Steam: http://store.steampowered.com/app/39150/

jdodson Admin wrote on 02/02/2016 at 03:27am

One day a couple weeks ago I saw Greg playing this on Steam and one of the selections for your Steam friends is to watch them play the game. It basically kicks the game into streaming mode and I watched him play for a bit. This is a cool feature and the game looked like fun.

That said, the section of the game seemed to have a grey and brown ascetic something I haven't before seen in a Final Fantasy game.

Azurephile Super Member Post Author wrote on 02/02/2016 at 05:16am

I was surprised that you began to watch me play. I didn't know that was possible. I had just finished one of the discs and was controlling characters from the past while you watched me play. It was a rather calm part of the game. I didn't really want to give too many spoilers. I also didn't want to bore you by constantly drawing spells I needed. I did try to summon a couple of GFs to show you what they are like. Thanks for joining me!

jdodson Admin wrote on 02/03/2016 at 04:46pm

No problem, it was awesome Steam lets you share your gameplay with friends. It's nice because you don't have to a full blown twitch stream but your friends can watch if they want.

If you want to join this conversation you need to sign in.

What Do You Think About Final Fantasy VII Remake?

I just read a preview about Final Fantasy VII Remake and watched a couple of videos for it. It definitely looks different in many aspects, not just visually upgraded. It looks like it won't have the classic turn-based combat style.

What do you think about this? Is this the reason to get a PS4 if you don't already own one? I'll wait and see. We don't have a release date as of yet, but this does seem like something that could get me to buy a PS4. Although, what I read seems to hint that it may be coming to PC and possibly even the XBox.

jdodson Admin wrote on 01/14/2016 at 12:19am

This is something i've thought since I saw the first announcement of this. "Oh finally fans are getting what they want and I bet they will hate it."

My thought is that this remake might not live up to the memories and feelings people had about the original game. The last game was cutting edge for the time yet a bit graphically goofy. It sort of required your brain to piece together what they game couldn't, like voices for the characters and how characters would emote. Much of the characters personally was your brain filling in the blanks between the text on screen and wooden 3D acting(mostly stick figures doing things). I am not knocking the game, it's legendary status is secured, but with this game the developers are making choices about the characters that fans made in their minds that might not line up.

For instance, i've played enough of FFVII to know the start of the game and a couple characters there didn't seem right to me. Again, didn't play much of the game, maybe everyone that loved the game doesn't agree with me.

The game also has to do two things(which most games don't), which is be as epic as FFVII was to people and be great for a new audience. This will mean they make choices like you say above with the battle system. Old players might hate it but new ones may love it. It's like the whole little kids love JarJar but adults don't. It's not a great comparison but it's good enough I hope.

Anyways, like any reboot or remake it will be held up to the original and my thought is it can't. I feel bad for Square too because gamers are really harsh about this sort of thing and the potential backlash could be unfortunate.

Azurephile Super Member Post Author wrote on 01/14/2016 at 12:32am

Yeah, I'm not sure how other FFVII fans will react, I imagine their reaction will be mixed. I'm not yet sure how I feel about it and I think the loss of the turned-based battle system has to do with that. It does seem as though they're giving us much more than a simple remake or visual upgrade, which is probably much more than the fans have wanted or expected. I would have liked to see other characters like Tifa, Aerith, and Sephiroth in the trailers I saw. I don't recall seeing them or many summons like Bahamut. I also wonder how the Weapons (the colored monsters) will (or won't) be incorporated. In the review I read today via my Game Informer digital subscription, it said that game will probably come in installments. I guess only time will tell and we'll see what happens.

Azurephile Super Member Post Author wrote on 01/14/2016 at 01:59am

Scrypt, I think you meant for this comment to go under Jon's new post. =)

scrypt Supporter wrote on 01/14/2016 at 02:42am

whooops!!

Travis Admin wrote on 01/14/2016 at 04:25am

I'm looking forward to it in part *because* it changes the battle system. It looks like in 13, where it was still an ATB system but faster. Many people hated that change, but I found the games more compelling when it didn't take 45 seconds to kill a weak enemy. It combined the skill of knowing what to do and when to do it, with some reflex training. It *added* a level of immersion, rather than dumbing it down like a lot of people said.

Honestly if they had a game with shiny new graphics but with the same old ATB, it would feel way wrong. I can still happily play old games with slow turn-based battles, but for some reason shiny graphics = faster, in my mind.

Azurephile Super Member Post Author wrote on 01/14/2016 at 07:42am

Well, I did get used to the ATB, so I should be good with it. You do have a good point, about it taking so long to kill something weak. It also seems as though this may remove the element of random encounters. So, you'll be able to avoid a tough battle, if you want. I think FFXV's battle system is supposed to be similar.

If you want to join this conversation you need to sign in.

Final Fantasy IX Coming to PC

http://media.ignimgs.com/media/ign/imgs/minisites/topN/rpgs/top-100-rpgs_final-fantasy-ix.jpg

Final Fantasy IX is coming to PC via Steam!! I would like to know if you have any of the PC versions of Final Fantasy. I'd also like to know what you think of them and if they have "special features." While I have at least one version of almost every Final Fantasy game, I'm thinking I should get them through Steam.

"The PC version of Final Fantasy IX looks like it will let players turn off random encounters with enemies. According to the Steam page, it features seven game boosters including high speed and no encounter modes.

Additional features include achievements, autosave, and high-definition movies and character models."

Minimum PC System Requirements:

OS: Windows Vista/7/8/8.1/10
Processor: Intel Core 2 Duo 2GHz or higher
Memory: 2 GB RAM
Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce 8600GTS or ATI Radeon HD4650 or higher
DirectX: Version 11
Storage: 20 GB available space
Recommended PC System Requirements:

OS: Windows 7/8/8.1/10 (32 or 64 bit)
Processor: Intel Core i5 2520 2.5 GHz or better
Memory: 4 GB RAM
Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce 8600GTS or ATI Radeon HD4650 or higher
DirectX: Version 11
Storage: 20 GB available space

http://www.gamespot.com/articles/final-fantasy-ix-pc-system-requirements-and-detail/1100-6433577/

Travis Admin wrote on 01/11/2016 at 03:49am

" I'd also like to know what you think of them and if they have "special features"

Yes they do, some of them. The Steam store page will tell you. Like magic boosters, etc. in Final Fantasy VII and VIII.

Travis Admin wrote on 01/11/2016 at 03:54am

Also that processor for "recommended" is insane for this. There's a world of difference between the minimum and recommended CPU. If you need an i5 to max out a port of a game that came out that long ago, there are some issues in the porting process. I imagine it's not accurate and is the CYA stuff that everyone seems to put into system recommendations.

Azurephile Super Member Post Author wrote on 01/11/2016 at 05:02am

Yeah, I noticed some special features when I looked at the games on the Steam store. That was after I wrote this post, though. One thing I noticed was that "Chocobo World" is included in the FFVIII Steam version. I'll probably get it soon. Watching the video on that Steam page made me shed some tears. I really love that game. "Melodies of Life" is stuck in my head now, too, from watching the FFIX video.

Good point about the system requirements.

Are you going to get it?

What do you think about the Final Fantasy PC versions?

Travis Admin wrote on 01/11/2016 at 02:51pm

I won't get IX for a while. I'll wait for a sale.

I have VII and VIII on Steam but never played them. Though I did dust off my original Final Fantasy VII PC release and install it last year with a graphics mod, just to check it out. Didn't play much.

AdamPFarnsworth wrote on 01/11/2016 at 04:37pm

I bought VII on Steam a year or two ago and played it once. Unfortunately, the groundbreaking awesomeness that VII was really should have been left in the past. It just didn't translate well into a modern gaming environment. I still remember the game fondly, but did not enjoy picking it back up.

jdodson Admin wrote on 01/11/2016 at 05:18pm

People consider VII to be one of the best games of all time. It might be but I've never played it. Like Adam said the graphics in my eye don't translate as well as 2D pixels do now. It's in that original PlayStation graphics zone where early 3D was great for the time but not as timeless for me.

That said I want to play VII at some point just to see what it's all about.

jdodson Admin wrote on 01/11/2016 at 05:19pm

People harshed on the 64 at the time compare to this PlayStation but I think the graphics of that system due to its space limitations means the games hold up far better.

Travis Admin wrote on 01/11/2016 at 05:35pm

Yeah, VIII works much better these days on my eyes. IX would probably be even better.

But we have a VII remake to look forward to!

jdodson Admin wrote on 01/11/2016 at 05:52pm

Wow my second comment there is horribly written. Don't comment and phone kids!

AdamPFarnsworth wrote on 01/11/2016 at 06:28pm

I will definitely take a look at a VII remake.

And Jon, I didn't think it was possible to have a lower view of you, but you just successfully lowered yourself with that horribly written comment. I judge you. :feelsgood:

Azurephile Super Member Post Author wrote on 01/11/2016 at 08:22pm

I am guilty of being (or at least having been) a Final Fantasy fan boy. While the rest of FF fandom raves over FFVII, I am more into FFVIII. Travis was the one who introduced me to FF when we were college roommates and it was with FFVIII. I fell madly in love with that game. Don't get me wrong, FFVII is fantastic, great, and I love it, too, but it captures my heart slightly less than FFVIII. I love Rinoa mostly, but I also love other characters. I've felt that I've identified with Squall, even though I've never been an orphan. People have also said I kind of look like him. I also have various "action figures" from the game and I have a life-size replica of his Gunblade, along with some cos-play (low quality) jewelry such as the rings he and Rinoa share along with his necklace.

As for FFIX, I loved it, too, and I played it also while Travis and I were roommates. It does touch my heart as well. "Melodies of Life" is a touching song. Although I love the game, I still remember a few things that were tedious, like in the beginning doing the jump rope with Vivi, trying to earn something special.

It's been a while since I've played any Final Fantasy game, especially the classics I-IX. I did try it out maybe in the last 2 or 3 years on my PS3 and 50" Plasma TV. I think I made it quite far and was grinding on the Island Closest to Heaven and the Island Closest to Hell, but I didn't finish it.

I agree that it's difficult to go back to some of these games with archaic graphics, especially after becoming used to modern graphics, which are much more appealing. However, I'm still thinking about it. Visiting "Chocobo World" in FFVIII is something I've never been able to do, which I can apparently do with the PC version.

I am looking forward to the FFVII remake. I think that game could get me to buy a PS4. FFXIV, I believe is supposed to be coming out this year, which is tempting. FF Type-0 is on Steam, but I've read at least one review saying that it's a bad port from the Vita.

jdodson Admin wrote on 01/11/2016 at 10:19pm

> And Jon, I didn't think it was possible to have a lower view of you, but you just successfully lowered yourself with that horribly written comment. I judge you.

Azurephile Super Member Post Author wrote on 01/13/2016 at 01:13am

@Travis it looks like you own almost every Final Fantasy game on Steam. I'd love to know what you think of them, assuming you've played them. Also, let me know if you've tried to play them using the XBox 360 controller. As I said, I have various versions of many of them for PSX, PSP, and DS. I even have the NES cart for I and two SNES carts (II and III I think). But, I think having them via Steam would possibly be great.

Travis Admin wrote on 01/13/2016 at 04:01am

I only have three of them, 7, 8 and 13. There are way more on Steam, I hardly own almost every one, though I'd like to have more.

But I've only played a bit of VIII and I don't remember it well. I do remember thinking it looked better, but I didn't play much.

Travis Admin wrote on 01/13/2016 at 04:02am

(I've played all three elsewhere, though, I just got them on Steam for future-proofing)

Azurephile Super Member Post Author wrote on 01/13/2016 at 05:56am

Ah my bad. I thought I saw that you owned more of them, I was obviously wrong. I guess I saw the two and my mind just filled in the rest. Hehe

Azurephile Super Member Post Author wrote on 01/19/2016 at 08:07pm

FFVIII looks so awesome on the PC! I'm so happy and impressed! The models are the same, but the main ones have been updated and are much less pixelated. Some of the background is pixelated, but it is irrelevant background. The game does look like it got an HD remaster. I've just started and about to head to the Fire Cavern with Quistis. I just thought I'd jump out of the game for a second to post this. I also want to change my button configuration, because I always swap FFVIII's Cancel and Menu buttons.

I also got FFVII, which I will play when I'm done w/ VIII. I'm hoping that IX also got the HD remastered look.

Travis Admin wrote on 01/19/2016 at 09:14pm

Spoiler alert: The steam store page has screenshots and features, so you can see "high-definition movies and character models" as one of the features, and then look at the screenshots to confirm it. :D

So yep, IX did too.

Azurephile Super Member Post Author wrote on 01/19/2016 at 10:57pm

Sweet! I'm loving FFVIII's new look! I wonder if I should wait until X arrives on Steam to get it or get the PS3 version. The Kingdom Hearts games are tempting, too.

Azurephile Super Member Post Author wrote on 04/14/2016 at 07:33am

I just got an email saying FFIX is now on Steam (because it's in my wish list)!!!!!

jdodson Admin wrote on 04/16/2016 at 04:00am

Yep, it's out and seems to be getting really great reviews!

Recently I started Final Fantasy VI and it's been very fun.

Azurephile Super Member Post Author wrote on 04/16/2016 at 06:07am

Well #1, I loved it when it came out on the Playstation, #2 it looks so much better now (at least the character models and CG scenes), and #3 I picked it up for a discounted price of about $17.

There are also Steam achievements and in-game "cheat" modifiers you can use, although I never found the game to be extremely difficult.

Anyway, I'm glad you're enjoying FFVI. I was playing FFV on Steam, but haven't played it in a while.

If you want to join this conversation you need to sign in.

My Year in Gaming 2015

http://thumbs.dreamstime.com/t/new-year-blue-render-white-clipping-path-46640694.jpg

2015 was an interesting year in gaming. I had fun with friends and I spent about half the year playing a single game. I didn't watch many movies, but I liked what I saw.

Early in the year, I went back to Diablo III, where I completed campaign mode with every class of character for both genders. There is still much for me to do in the game, outside of campaign mode, but this is a game I've really enjoyed playing.

Spring brought the release of GTAV for the PC, which I pre-ordered and got to enjoy once again. I had a couple of video issues, but I managed to resolve them with a simple configuration setting. This was the game that made me realize how ignorant I was about choosing a GTX 690 for my new Alienware PC. I didn't realize it was a dual-GPU card, until now. I played a little bit of GTA Online, but not much.

Hearthstone: Heroes of WarCraft is a really fun card game featuring WarCraft characters and mobs. I enjoyed it, although I wish the game had a much stronger single player aspect to it. I'd love to be able to play against an AI instead of people. That's really why I haven't spent much time playing it. Still, it's a good game. You can spend money on it, but I have not. I did save up some earned in-game gold to buy some stuff, though.

Summer brought the much anticipated 1.3 update for Terraria. It was amazing! I got to play on a server with my fellow Cheerful Ghosts and I had a lot of fun. Once we were all ready for Expert mode, I had pretty much already moved on. Expert mode didn't last very long for us, but that gives us another reason to run another server. I also learned how to use Tshock, which is really awesome.

About this time, I also found out about a new Early Access game called Ark: Survival Evolved. This has turned into my game of the year. I have really enjoyed it and continue to play. While the game has a strong PVP aspect to it, I've been playing strictly PVE on my own in a single player mode. It's a bit like Minecraft, but includes dinosaurs and other creatures that can be tamed. Many of them can be mounted and serve various purposes. I've also enjoyed the various holiday events. I'm very tempted to write a much longer post about why this is my Game of the Year.

A local friend told me that he was playing The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt. I found the entire series on sale on Steam, so I decided to go for it. The first two games in the series weren't all that wonderful, but the third was fantastic! I enjoyed riding around the open world on horse back with plenty of quests to do. The story was also very excellent.

This Fall, Fallout 4 was released. It was a bit difficult at first. In fact, it took me around 5 times of starting a new game to finally get into it. I ultimately decided to tone down the difficulty a notch. Once I got into it and was comfortable with it, I began to enjoy it. Perhaps my only complaint with the game is that some quests are never ending and you're constantly getting notifications that they are available. It took me a while to decide to just finally start ignoring them. One of the things I enjoyed was the fact that pretty much all that junk you collect can be used in crafting a variety of structures and mods for weapons and armor.

StarCraft II: Legacy of the Void was also released this Fall. I haven't spent much time with it, honestly. I struggled to complete the first prologue mission in Whispers of Oblivion. After a bit of research, I was able to figure it out and make my way through it and the remaining two prologue missions. This ended up how I've had to complete many of the beginning missions of LotV, having to do so research to figure out how to complete them. I've been playing on Normal difficulty and it's been a while since I've played any StarCraft, so I had a rough start. I have taken a break from this after once again having difficulty in a mission.

Jurassic World was fantastic! It seems like nearly a reboot of the original, but I thought it was quite awesome. New dinosaurs were introduced along with good characters. I enjoyed buying the JP Blu-Ray collection and watching all of the movies with my son.

Star Wars: The Force Awakens was simply great. I really enjoyed taking my son to see it. While our 3D experience wasn't great, the movie was fantastic. I'm looking forward to seeing at least a sequel.

Since I got an Amazon Gift Card for Christmas, I decided to use it to rent a movie and watch on my TV via my PS3. I watched The Avengers: Age of Ultron and I enjoyed it as I usually enjoy Marvel movies.

jdodson Admin wrote on 01/06/2016 at 03:21am

Originally I saw Jurassic World in the theater with my partner and friends. It was a fun movie and I enjoyed it but not as much as watching a second time. After the second viewing I was really hooked, it's a really nice follow up and sort of does the "Force Awakens" thing which is to say it takes just enough from the original and does enough on it's own to be very enjoyable. Since it made a ton of money I expect sequels and if they are as good as World, I am in.

Azurephile Super Member Post Author wrote on 01/06/2016 at 04:09am

I kind of had a similar feeling. I mean, I enjoyed it the first time, but I was really into it the second time. Maybe that's because I watched the previous ones before watching it. Good point about "Force Awakens," I agree. It was basically a Jurassic Park reboot, but different. The story was essentially the same, yet it wasn't. I liked the characters and the dinos that were in it.

scrypt Supporter wrote on 01/08/2016 at 04:41pm

One thing I guess I never realized about Ark: Survival Evolved is that it has a PVE mode! I figured it was just like the swarms of other multiplayer survival games, only with dinosaurs. Very cool :)

Azurephile Super Member Post Author wrote on 01/08/2016 at 11:19pm

Well yeah, it's primarily PVP, but I only play in single player mode (PVE). I have made an Ark friend and have been invited to play on an official PVP server. However, I'm doing some things on my own and not sure I'm ready to join. I'm not of fan of PVP, but apparently this server has neutral tribes and thus they don't do a lot of PVP.

Not only dinos, but other similar creatures as well. like the ape, Gigantopithecus, and the monkey, Mesopithecus. But, there's also tech stuff and weapons such as various firearms including small guns, rifles, grenades, and rocket launchers. Some things in the game seem to be more effective against dinos than humans and vice versa. One of the creatures, Dimorphodon, specifically targets humans, even when they're riding a dino. Usually when you attack a dino, it targets your dino, but not you.

I've played nearly 600 hours and I'm still playing and enjoying this game. Updates are frequent, including new items, creatures, bug fixes, and optimizations. I've also become a part of the community on Steam and the official forums at www.survivetheark.com. I believe the game is still in the alpha (pre-beta) stage, but it's really good for an alpha. One thing I like about the community is that I also feel like a beta tester, reporting bugs or issues I find.

scrypt Supporter wrote on 01/08/2016 at 11:29pm

It does sound fun. I'll try to check it out when it comes to PS4, which is supposed to be sometime early this year. My big anticipation right now, though, is The Division, which is due out March 8th. Epicness awaits (hopefully they don't muck it up)!

Azurephile Super Member Post Author wrote on 01/09/2016 at 12:38am

It is very fun, I think. I'm afraid playing on a PVP server won't be as fun because people will try to kill you and your creatures. Although, I also think it would be fun to play co-op with other people. On default settings it takes a very long time to tame some dinos. My new Ark friend recently said she found a level 120 (which is currently the max level for wild creatures) Spinosaurus and that it was going to take 4 hours to tame. Server admins can change a wide variety of settings to increase taming speed, harvesting amounts, XP earned, difficulty, etc. You can do that for single player mode, too. I've changed some settings, making it a little bit easier. I'm still playing on default difficulty, which seems to mean that I won't see a wild dino above level 40 and I probably won't see supply drops with higher levels of gear. Gear has different levels such as Primitive (the most basic), Apprentice, Journeyman, and Mastercrafted (the highest). Depending on the level of the gear, it's stats can be higher along with crafting costs. So, an Apprentice Pike will have a higher damage stat than a Primitive one. Saddles will have more armor.

I am aware that the game is supposed to be coming to the PS4. I think the ETA is this summer. XBox One already has it in it's Early Access-like program. So, XBox players are testing out the game now, just like us PC gamers. However, the versions are not cross-platform compatible. So, a PC gamer isn't going to be on the same server as an XBox gamer. The PC version is a expected graduate from Early Access this summer, too.

I'll also mention that I've started a fresh new game/character/map a few times now. I've been backing up my local files and reverting to them when something goes wrong (like death). I have made an error with that which made me decide to start over again a few months ago.

I'll be happy to continue talking to you about Ark. You can hit me up some time if you want to talk about it. I also recommend the link I provided in my last comment. I've also been watching Paul Soares, Jr., Zueljin, and Sl1pg8r on YouTube. Paul plays in single player mode while Zueljin and Sl1pg8r play together on a private server along with other really cool people.

Travis Admin wrote on 01/09/2016 at 02:55pm

The more I hear about ARK the less I'm interested. It just seems like the big thing these days is survival games, and this is just another one but this time with prehistoric creatures.

Then you read that the level of grind required to accomplish anything is so high as to be prohibitive, and to breed some of the high level dinos you have to spend a few actual real-life days incubating an egg, making sure the temperature is right, and... wait there are air conditioners?

The other main criticism is that you can get basically invincible creatures with no skill beyond reading the wiki and obsessing over getting the conditions right.

Then there's the "gotta catch 'em all" aspect that requires more obsessing over.

Now you're telling me there are dinosaurs that, by default, take 4 hours to tame? And that unless you do save file swapping when you die, you're permadead?

It seems like if you want to sink hundreds of hours into obsessing over things it's great, and there are plenty of people who like that kind of game.

Azurephile Super Member Post Author wrote on 01/09/2016 at 09:34pm

Yeah, survival games seem to be pretty popular. I like them, though. Minecraft and Terraria have given me a strong desire to play similar games. This game, to me, is much like them. There's survival, crafting, pets, exploration, etc. It seems to me, still, that FPS games are extremely popular, especially FPS or survival games that feature zombies. I really don't understand the great appeal for that.

Yeah, the amount of grinding sucks. It does seem to (by default) take a long time to incubate an egg. I haven't messed with breeding yet, so I have no personal experience to speak of. Yes, there are air conditioners (along with various other high tech items). Air conditioners actually help by increasing hypothermal and hyperthermal insulation. With the right amount of them (4 or more), you can incubate an egg no matter the environmental temperature, apparently.

Yeah, you can get some pretty OP creatures. However, they recently did a huge rebalance of stats, which has upset a huge amount of people as many tamed creatures received a larger nerf. Some creatures, such as Giganotosaurus are sill quite OP.

I enjoy the Pokemon-like "gotta catch 'em all" aspect.

Yes, some creatures take a very long time to tame. There are also other challenges such as an increase in the speed of how long it will take them to wake up from being knocked out. There is a hardcore option for permadeath, but it is not on by default. When you die, you can spawn in certain general areas or on a bed you've made. You can then go back to where you died and retrieve the items you lost.

The game is still in Early Access and there's plenty of criticism about it. One of the main things is that it's not yet very optimized, so it runs poorly for most people. Even with my GTX 690, I'm only getting about 50 FPS and I have to force the game to use DirectX 10 instead of 11 just to get that. I also use other command line launch options such as removing sky details. I have also created a special shortcut for it that makes it run as a high priority process. I have also "unparked" my CPUs and told the game to "use all available cores." The game looks great in DirectX 11 mode and without all of my special options, but I lose 10-30 FPS by running it that way.

Thanks for the reply! =)

Travis Admin wrote on 01/10/2016 at 02:44am

I don't even consider Minecraft and Terraria to be survival games, though. Not in the sense of what the genre has become anyway. "Surviving" in Terraria is just a matter of walling in a 3x4 rectangle. But the idea of gathering, crafting, etc. I'd imagine are similar throughout. Rust, for instance, has a crafting interface very reminiscent of Minecraft.

Travis Admin wrote on 01/10/2016 at 02:47am

Also WRT the hardcore option-- the way you mentioned swapping saves when you died made me think you just died entirely, but I guess based on your reply here you do that just so you don't have to go searching for items. It sounds like the Minecraft way, or the Medium-core Terraria mode.

Travis Admin wrote on 01/10/2016 at 02:50am

(apparently I just want to make notifications tick up for you guys, and it has nothing to do that I don't have my thoughts in order to make one comment and have it done :D)

Your reply actually alleviates some of the issues I thought I had with the idea of the game. But then that's the problem-- all I have is the idea. I wish games still had demos.

Azurephile Super Member Post Author wrote on 01/10/2016 at 03:08am

I've heard of Rust, but don't know anything about it.
What does "WRT" mean? Well, yeah, I don't like dying and I don't like losing items upon death. When I play Minecraft I use the command that lets you keep your inventory upon death. But, yeah, it's very dangerous in Ark to die and then have to go try to retrieve what you lost. Your body may be there, or eaten. Even if it is eaten, you'll have a pack that sits there for a certain amount of time, giving you time to retrieve it. However, that pack does despawn (along w/ your body) after that time is up. Retrieving your pack from some places can be near impossible, like if you fell into lava in a cave or died in the deep sea. But, yeah, I use a back up system for death and when other things go wrong, like losing a dino.

Some games still have demos, but not all of them.

Travis Admin wrote on 01/10/2016 at 04:33am

WRT = With regard to

If you want to join this conversation you need to sign in.

Ark: Survival Evolved Available for XBox One

I thought I'd share the news with you that Ark: Survival Evolved is now available for the XBox One. The game is still in development and I've been following it very closely. I don't have an XBox One, but I've been playing this game on my PC since the summer, at least. I think it's a great game and it's certainly very popular. It also has issues which need to be addressed. Right now, I'm waiting for optimization updates. Unfortunately, the PC version doesn't run very well unless you have an extremely high-end GPU like a Titan. I only have a GTX 690 and I don't believe the game takes full advantage of my dual-GPU card. I can get the game to run well by using a command to launch the game using DirectX 10, although it looks much better using DirectX 11. Unfortunately, for me, it doesn't perform very well with DX11. DirectX 12 support is in the works and is supposed to increase performance by 20% according to the game's upcoming patch notes. If you're interested in how to get it running well on your PC, leave a comment here and I'll point you to some excellent resources.

Check the game out on the XBox store using the link below:
https://store.xbox.com/en-US/Xbox-One/Games/ARK-Survival-Evolved/70e3ab21-a3ba-4946-82e9-df7b5a72e363

You can also get the game on Steam using the link below:
http://store.steampowered.com/app/346110/

Travis Admin wrote on 12/17/2015 at 09:35pm

Your Xbox link appears broken.

Azurephile Super Member Post Author wrote on 12/17/2015 at 09:38pm

It wasn't when I posted, but it apparently is broken now. I just Googled "Ark Survival Evolved XBox" and found that link on the XBox Store. I did it again and yes, the link is apparently broken now.

Travis Admin wrote on 12/17/2015 at 09:42pm

Yeah I tried searching on Xbox.com and couldn't find any mention of it. Apparently they've scrubbed it from the site.

Azurephile Super Member Post Author wrote on 12/17/2015 at 09:53pm

I did, too, before posting my comment. It's odd, but I haven't seen any news about the game since I posted this. Do you have an XBox One?

Travis Admin wrote on 12/17/2015 at 10:10pm

Nah, I have none of the current gen consoles.

Azurephile Super Member Post Author wrote on 12/17/2015 at 10:12pm

That's what I thought. I just have the Wii U.

Azurephile Super Member Post Author wrote on 12/18/2015 at 04:35am

The link is working again, it seems.

If you want to join this conversation you need to sign in.

My Spoiler-Free Experience with Fallout 4

Azurephile gives this a solid "Rad" on the Ghost Scale

This is fun, with very few issues, and is well worth your time.

Azurephile gives this a "Rad" on the Ghost Scale

This is fun, with very few issues, and is well worth your time.

My experience included:

S.P.E.C.I.A.L. point allocation uncertainty

Limited ammo and use of melee weapons

Crafting, settlement building, and looting everything

Realizing it’s not necessary to give companions Stimpaks

Radiant quests

Factions and having to choose sides

Issue/bug with one mission

Available choices in how to go about a quest and dialogue

Starting a new game to choose a different path

Pre-loading: I was aware of Fallout 4 about the time when Bethesda showed it off at E3. I liked what they showed. Since I enjoyed Fallout 3 and New Vegas, I was sure I'd enjoy 4, although I didn't get too excited about it. I did finally pre-order the game on Steam, but it wasn't until launch day or hours before that I realized it was ready for “pre-loading.” It took me a few hours to get it downloaded and installed, but once it was ready, I jumped in.

S.P.E.C.I.A.L. allocation: My beginning with it was full of anxiety. I had no idea how I wanted to allocate my S.P.E.C.I.A.L. points at the beginning. So, I decided to even them all out. I actually restarted my game quite a few times. One of the reasons was because it seemed too difficult for my taste. Luckily, Travis brought it to my attention that you can change the game's difficulty level (at any time) under the game's options, something I overlooked. I also decided to max out my Strength stat because I was looting everything and getting encumbered. Then, I found the perk that increases your carrying capacity. I also learned that companions have a limited amount of weight they can carry.

I also felt that ammo was too limited. So, I ended up trying to kill almost everything with a melee weapon. Speaking of weapons, I was also overwhelmed with how many are in the game, I wasn't sure which pistols or rifles to carry around. I ended up carrying around many more than I actually used. I also didn't even try to mod them. I only modded my armor a couple of times to help me carry more weight. The only other kind of crafting that I did was giving a few settlements things they needed like defense turrets and repairing my Power Armor when needed. I also did a lot of cooking. I ended up mostly relying on those items to restore my health. Travis helped me realize that even though you can use Stimpaks on your companions, you probably should save them for yourself. It doesn't seem as though companions can die, but they can become helpless during battle if they take too much damage, unless you give them a Stimpak.

Radiant quests: Travis also helped me realize that the game's quests are very much like Skyrim, that is many of them are “radiant” or, in other words, never-ending. So, I ended up searching on Google to find out which quests were radiant and I ignored them, because I got tired of doing them after a while. I did run into some non-radiant side quests. I was trying to focus on them while ignoring the main quest line. Eventually, I decided to just go for it.

This was about when the game started to focus more on factions. Siding with different factions helps you gain allies, but it also creates enemies. This intensified later because I found out that two factions wanted the same thing from one location and the game forces you to decide which side to take. So you were given a choice as to go on to the mission or inform the other side. If you use the transportation provided by either side it will tell you that you will become an enemy of the other.

The only major technical issue I had with the game was when I got lost on a particular mission. I took an elevator back to the top of a building, because the game had me going around in circles. When I got to the top, the screen was totally black after it loaded that area. A few seconds later, I could see the world around me, but I fell to my death when I tried to move. So, I had to revert to a previous save which cost me a few hours of game play. In the end, I realized that I was supposed to be with someone on that mission, someone who wasn't there the first time I tried. I also forced this person to follow me by coaxing them into an elevator by moving in front of them, because I wasn't sure if the person would follow me to a lower floor.

Choices: I noticed other instances in which the game gave you the option of how to handle a situation, which could turn out in your favor or against you. During one in particular, I chose a path that didn't end very well, so I tried it again another way, which gave me a good result. Another mission started off badly if I didn't successfully convince another faction of my good intentions. A little later in the mission, I had to try to convince someone to join me, which failed every time until I decided to suit up in some clothing that increased my Charisma stat.

Eventually I became more comfortable with the game and how I was progressing as a player. After a while, I stopped looting everything, for instance. In conclusion, I think the game is good. I definitely recommend it for anyone who's played even a little bit of Fallout 3 and/or New Vegas and enjoyed it. In the end, the game forces you to choose sides, which can be a tough decision, but I think that just adds to the game's replay value.

I know I did not discover every place and I'm sure there's plenty that I missed, but I felt like I “finished” the game. However, since I picked one side and went with it, I decided to start a new game so I could play a bit differently and go along with the other side. One of the other main differences in this new game play is that I maxed out my Intelligence stat right away so I could get the most EXP possible right away. I think that will help me out greatly with leveling up and selecting the perks I want.

PC Vs. Console Games: Which Is Superior?

http://i.ytimg.com/vi/eGTkglBDKdw/hqdefault.jpg

I was just recently thinking about which is superior, between PC and console games. I guess this mostly stems from playing PC games and running into multiple bugs or issues. However, console games aren't immune to these issues. Long ago, in the early life of video games, consoles didn't receive patches for issues, but now they do.

One of the problems with PC games is that there is a huge variety of hardware that these games are supposed to run on and therefore support. So, one PC gamer may not see the same issues as another, perhaps because they have better hardware. Consoles, on the other hand, don't have this issue. So, I think that makes consoles a bit better and easier to support.

I daresay that PC gaming is a bit more expensive because PCs usually cost a lot more than a console. However, we can also clearly see that some games shine much better on a PC than a console (look at GTAV, for instance).

So, what do you think? Which platform is truly superior? Which do you prefer to play, console or PC games?

Travis Admin wrote on 10/23/2015 at 02:03am

PC gaming is way cheaper unless you build a monster like yours. Steam sales, man. $500-600 can get you a PC that can play near anything that will come out for years, and usually with better graphics unless it's a shoddy port, and then the games are *really* cheap if you do it right.

But as for which is superior? Vim or emacs, KDE or Gnome, Xbox or Playstation, Consoles or PC, this is a debate with no end.

jdodson Admin wrote on 10/23/2015 at 02:15am

> PC gaming is way cheaper unless you build a monster like yours.

In defense of Greg's PC, because it can't defend itself. For luxury PC's it might be that they get a longer life out of them than a lesser buy. So if the PC lasts a long time, it might pan out.

But like you say the real different is in cost of games and that's all true. Plus there are just a lot more choices on PC as it is an open platform. That said, I don't knock people either way and I think anymore I look at it more like, "where am I going to play a game." I play Hearthstone on my PC & Phone. I can also cast it to my TV in the living room. I think we are moving to a future where it's not the system you play the game on but the location.

Azurephile Super Member Post Author wrote on 10/23/2015 at 02:20am

Yeah, that's true. Steam sales do make PC gaming cheaper. That PC range you gave is just a little more expensive than the latest consoles. Good PC ports do seem to get "better graphics," but if your PC sucks, then you're going to have to change some graphical settings to get it to run smoothly. I'd say PCs also typically have more processes running while gaming than consoles, too.

Oh Vim, the memories! I seem to recall playing around with Vim more than emacs. But yes, I agree that this is a debate with no end. I think one can easily make the case for both PC and console gaming depending on the game and PC or console.

Travis Admin wrote on 10/23/2015 at 02:26am

"I'd say PCs also typically have more processes running while gaming than consoles, too."

That's true, BUT they also have more horsepower out of the box. Since consoles are built to do one thing at a time, they don't have to have top-of-the-line CPUs. The CPUs in both current consoles are not stellar, because they don't need to be. And RAM is so cheap you can have a bunch of stuff taking it up without ever noticing it. Background processes that aren't doing much don't cause a CPU hit, but they do cause a RAM hit, though as mentioned before that's negligible. I have 16 gigs of ram in my rig and even while gaming I'm not touching even half of it.

AdamPFarnsworth wrote on 10/23/2015 at 04:49pm

My argument used to be "consoles just work, whereas computers need tweaking."

Unfortunately, now that all consoles are online, this is no longer true. It used to be that a game had to launch "whole" or it was just considered a bad game. There was no patch to fix ET.

Now a game has a better chance of working out of the box on a console than a PC, but there's no guarantee. I still argue that having a console is the simpler option of the two, and for me, that makes it the superior system, but it's easy to argue that a PC can get you a better quality of game, making it the superior system.

Travis Admin wrote on 10/23/2015 at 05:50pm

@Adam, Also with things like Steam handling dependency installation for you, it's rare to have to tweak anything except to get better graphics. Shockingly, that's generally the case for Mac and Linux as well.

As for games working out of the box, if you aren't on an old PC they do tend to just work, but that's the same for consoles. It's just easier to target that with consoles since you don't have replaceable parts. In order to play shiny new PC games, you MIGHT have to upgrade or buy a new PC, but in order to play shiny new console games, you DEFINITELY have to buy a new console.

Your point about the "consoles just work" being an old argument is definitely true: The Bethesda games from last gen (Oblivion, Skyrim, Fallout 3, Fallout New Vegas) didn't "just work" on PS3, even after tons of patches, they were horribly broken in many ways, at least to some degree. Bayonetta on PS3 suffered some major framerate issues and ludicrous loading times. Half-Life 2 stuttered in the later levels on PS3 to the point where it was unplayable for some (I got hit with that, Jon didn't). TF2 on consoles never got content updates, GTAV on last gen is no longer getting content updates for GTA Online, even though last gen is when it launched.

I'm mostly mentioning PS3 here, but that's because people targeted the 360 and ported to PS3, leading to some crappy ports. Crappy ports exist for PC, but generally not game-breaking ones. Arkham Knight being the notable, recent exception.

You're definitely right that consoles used to be the easy way, but that's no longer the case.

Azurephile Super Member Post Author wrote on 10/23/2015 at 09:43pm

It seems to me that games on the older, original consoles didn't have as many issues as the games on current consoles (including PC). It makes me wonder what changed to make that happen. Do you guys feel the same way, too? If so, what do you think was the change that made today's games much more buggy than the older ones?

I also wanted to mention that yes, you can perhaps buy a decent gaming PC in the price range Travis stated. However, my experience with GTAV on my "luxury" PC makes me not recommend the game unless you also have a "luxury" PC. That game made me doubt the power of my PC. I was, however, able to get it to run better by changing some settings. I do wonder how Fallout 4 will perform on my PC.

Travis Admin wrote on 10/23/2015 at 10:06pm

"It seems to me that games on the older, original consoles didn't have as many issues as the games on current consoles (including PC). It makes me wonder what changed to make that happen. Do you guys feel the same way, too? If so, what do you think was the change that made today's games much more buggy than the older ones?"

It's absolutely universally true. I think it's just because of complexity, for the most part.

AdamPFarnsworth wrote on 10/23/2015 at 10:27pm

Complexity and also I would suspect a "we need to ship now, we can patch it later" mentality, now that all consoles are online.

jdodson Admin wrote on 10/24/2015 at 12:34am

Yeah, you could ship an old game with a single developer. The games are pretty complicated and require legions of developers and a ton of money. If we continued to just ship mario, then yeah sure that's easier. And some do as seen with Indie games and sometimes, the bug count is much lower.

Azurephile Super Member Post Author wrote on 10/24/2015 at 02:52am

Yeah, I think perhaps it's due to a variety of complexities. Games are much more demanding than they were way back then. Video game technology has vastly improved. So yeah, those old games were a lot simpler than modern day games. I think back then, perhaps developers had to try to find ways to deal with hardware limitations. I think now developers are still pushing the edge, but perhaps aren't as limited.

I also wonder if the fact that there are now three major console developers has anything to do with it. I mean, yeah, we did agree that porting one game from one console to another or to PC doesn't always turn out well.

I agree with what Adam describes as the developer mentality today. Many years ago, they weren't able to patch games, so perhaps they spent a lot more time with quality assurance.

If you want to join this conversation you need to sign in.

The Witcher

Azurephile gives this a solid "Rad" on the Ghost Scale

This is fun, with very few issues, and is well worth your time.

Azurephile gives this a "Rad" on the Ghost Scale

This is fun, with very few issues, and is well worth your time.

Recommendations:

The Witcher (first game): Not so great, not really recommended

The Witcher 2: Good game kind of recommended

The Witcher 3: Strongly recommended, must play!

This summer, one of my friends mentioned that he was playing The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt. I knew the game was popular, but otherwise knew nothing else about it. I noticed that The Witcher series was on sale during Steam's Summer Sale. The entire series cost about as much as The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, so basically it was as though I bought the third game at a discount and got the other two games for free.

I started out with the first game and I wasn't too greatly impressed. It was an ok game, although parts of it really got on my nerves. For instance, in one city at night you can hear a baby constantly crying. The game introduces you to the character Geralt of Rivia, a Witcher, who is basically a mutant that has special magical abilities and is pretty much a monster slayer for hire. He carries two swords, one is steel for humans and the other is silver for monsters or non-humans. Although a contract killer of monsters, Geralt finds himself hesitantly getting involved in local politics in an era that's most like our Middle Ages. Although I didn't really enjoy the first game, I did like the character of Geralt and knew I would continue playing the rest of the series.

During the time I spent playing the first game, my expectations grew, hoping, and even knowing that the second and third games had to be much better. The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings was definitely better than the first game. Before playing it, I took a break to play some other games and by the time I was ready for The Witcher 2, I pretty much wanted exactly what it gave me, a game that didn't require me to use my brain so much, and one that would tell me a story. I wasn't very disappointed.

Geralt returns in The Witcher 2, however he has amnesia and thus his memories begin to return as the story unfolds. The game starts out showing the assassination of a king who is being entertained on a ship. This CG movie was really good. This game was, to me, a great improvement over the first. It wasn't very difficult, likely because I selected an easy difficulty setting. The tutorial at the beginning is good, but it still leaves some things out, which I had to look up. In fact, there were only a few things I had to look up, mostly things that occur in the beginning. The first boss fight was the most difficult of the entire game and it took me a few tries and “Googling” to get it right. At that point, I was intimidated and tempted to give up playing, but I pressed on.

The game continues as another king is assassinated and Geralt is wrongly accused, thus he goes on in order to clear his name. He finds himself hesitantly in the midst of politics again. One of the interesting aspects of the game is that you get to make decisions in the game and they, presumably, change the outcome of events, though I can't attest without “investigation” whether this is entirely true. I liked that at points, I could choose whether to spare or take a life. I spared some lives, but not all. I enjoyed the story a bit and I kind of like how it turned out. I thought the second game was a great improvement on the first, I still found it to be an “ok” game. I still enjoyed the character of Geralt.

I just recently finished the second game and decided to start playing the third. This one contains a lot of DLC, the majority of which is free, although there is at least one that you can buy. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is a grand improvement over the first and second games. While following the main quest, various side quests open up in which Geralt can take on monster killing contracts or help out other NPCs. That is what I'm doing right now in the game, exploring outside of the main quest.

One of the main differences, in the third game, is that Geralt rides a horse named “Roach.” I found the name to be humorous because one of the main characters in the second game is a man named “Roche” (pronounced just like “roach”). The graphics are great, although the sound volume seems to vary at times. One thing I love about these games is that they have performed exceptionally well on my PC without any obvious frame drops.

These games remind me of a few others. Some of the music in the second game sounds a lot like Oblivion. The third game reminds me a lot of Red Dead Redemption.

If you play the third game, I don't think it's essentially necessary to play the other two, although you won't notice the returning characters. Although there are new characters which were never even mentioned in the first two games. Still, I think the third game could be enjoyable even if you don't play the previous games of the series.

These games are based on a "book series" by Andrzej Sapkowski.

Azurephile Super Member Post Author wrote on 10/11/2015 at 12:29am

I'm really enjoying The Witcher 3. It's very much better than the first two games in the series. However, I'm glad I played those because it makes me appreciate this one more. Plus, I recognize returning characters.

While nearly every DLC for the game is free, one is expected to be released in a couple of days, for a price. I have pre-ordered it. It seems yet another is coming after that. I didn't buy the Season Pass.

Also, a massive update (6+ gigs) was released for the game, fixing a lot of bugs. This was part of why I decided to start a new game. I also decided to play the side-quest card game, which I ignored my first time through.

There is plenty to do in this game, multiple quests and side-quests. I think it's fun and interesting and therefore highly recommend it.

jaelte wrote on 10/11/2015 at 07:20am

Man, I need to drag myself back to that game before Fallout 4 comes out and monopolizes my next 150-200 hours or so of gaming. I think I'm about a third of the way through it.

Azurephile Super Member Post Author wrote on 10/11/2015 at 02:08pm

I'm not sure how far I got in the game. Steam says 61 hours, but I noticed my first few hours were reset after installing some DLC, so I've actually played a little more than that. I haven't finished the game and I'm not sure how far into I got. I never left Velen. I'm not sure what level I got, but I don't think I reached 20 yet. I can see how very easy it is to spend hundreds of hours in this game.

jdodson Admin wrote on 10/11/2015 at 05:04pm

To date I haven't really been sucked in by a Witcher game. 2 was great graphics wise but I sort of walked away due to the complexity of the controls. Does 3 simplify that at all Greg?

Azurephile Super Member Post Author wrote on 10/11/2015 at 07:08pm

I thought the first game's controls were complex. It took me a little bit to get used to. The second was better. One way the third one simplifies things is that when you face an enemy, Geralt automatically draws the right weapon. However, other controls get more "complex." There are so many keys you can use. Tab brings up a quick menu with a radial dial so you can switch between items, especially ones that you use by clicking the mouse scroll wheel. You can also press space on this menu to meditate. Backspace brings up a larger menu with nearly everything in it, you can click on what you want to go through such as Alchemy, Character, Inventory, World Map, and Glossary. You can access Inventory with "I" and the World Map with "M." You can switch weapons with "1" and "2." So, I'd say the third has more complex controls, but I don't think that means an increase in difficulty with control usage. I'm not sure how this game makes use of the controller, but as popular (and great) as this game is across all platforms, I'd assume it does it quite well.

Azurephile Super Member Post Author wrote on 10/11/2015 at 07:21pm

I think combat is rather simple, use the left mouse button to attack, however that's a "fast attack." To do a "strong attack," you need to hold the left Shift key along with the left mouse button, but I don't often attack this way unless someone has a shield. Signs are used with the "Q" key, you can switch between them using the mouse scroll wheel. One of the things you can use by clicking the moust scroll wheel is the crossbow, but you can use other items this way. Also, I think this game makes the signs more memorable and usable. There are other keys you can use for food (to regenerate vitality) such as "R," "F," and "T."

I would say don't pre-judge the third game based on the first two. The third one is so much better than those two. I did find the story in all of them to be interesting and I do like the characters and being able to make choices throughout the games.

Azurephile Super Member Post Author wrote on 10/13/2015 at 09:47pm

Jaelte, have you played Gwent? I ignored it mostly at first, but now I've gotten into it. I like it, it's simple and fun. Did you get the new DLC? Did you get the Season Pass? There's apparently another DLC coming.

One of the things I learned in my second play through was that you can use your crossbow underwater. I'm not sure why the game didn't tell me that the first time. I was wondering if I could attack enemies under water. Thank goodness the game let me know, finally.

jaelte wrote on 10/20/2015 at 04:20am

GregoPeck, sorry I didn't see your questions until now. I've played quite a lot of Gwent. Unfortunately, I think I may have broken the Gwent quest line by advancing the main quest to a certain point at the wrong time. At least I haven't figured out how to get that one mob boss dude (former advisor to a king) to play a game with me in his current location.

Anyway, I don't have any of the DLC yet. I figured I'd worry about it later if I wanted to play more after I beat the game. I haven't had cause to fight under water yet, so thanks for the tip!

Azurephile Super Member Post Author wrote on 10/20/2015 at 05:44am

Cool, better late than never! Yeah, you probably advanced the quest involving Djkstra or chosen an option that doesn't allow you to play Gwent with him. I managed to play him, I think. I have his card, too. I really love Gwent. I have a collection, but not every card. I haven't played using any deck except the default, Northern Realms. I like it.

The DLC that just came out has quests with a suggested level of 32. I did two of those quests, actually. One involved a tax collector who decided I had to pay some taxes. He approached me while I was in Novigrad. I have plenty of money, so I decided to go ahead and pay the taxes that were due. Another involved a dwarf alchemist that was missing an apprentice. I ran into that one because I was looking for a White Gull recipe, but it turns out I had it and wasn't looking at the right place under Alchemy because it's an alcohol. I needed that for a sword upgrade, but then I don't have yet have the diagram for another piece I need. I haven't done all of the treasure hunts yet. I did run into a bug during one, though. A missing power cell didn't show up where it should have, so I ended up having to install a mod for the command console and give it to myself.

I haven't finished the main story line yet. It has progressed more than I expected. Meaning, the game didn't end when i thought it would, which pleases me. I usually stay away from the main story line and do side quests. There is absolutely so much to do in this game. I really love it!

Azurephile Super Member Post Author wrote on 10/20/2015 at 06:09pm

Speaking of Gwent, I just did the High Stakes quest and won the tournament! =) I got some new leader cards out of that. I doubt I'll collect all the cards. I haven't been playing every merchant or innkeeper nor have I looked to see if they have cards to buy.

jaelte wrote on 10/21/2015 at 04:46am

I was thinking about doing the High Stakes quest, but I decided that I don't have a good enough collection yet. I think my current best deck is a Scoia'tael one, but I'd like a few more cards before I'd consider it consistent enough to try that tournament.

jaelte wrote on 10/21/2015 at 04:50am

As far as the main quest goes, I still haven't left the first major area (with Baron, Dijkstra, King Whats-His-Name, etc.), but I think all the main quest lines are pointing me off to a new zone. I still have so many side quests to finish, though! I've only played ~50 or so hours, I think.

Azurephile Super Member Post Author wrote on 10/21/2015 at 06:14am

I don't remember when "High Stakes" became available, but I know it took me a long time before I decided to finally do it.

The first time I played, I didn't get make it out of Novigrad, either. I didn't want to finish the main story quest line too soon and you know the game provides plenty to do. When the latest (huge) patch came out, I decided to start over. I still hesitated to move on, but eventually I did.

I finally decided to pursue the main quest to the end and I just finished it tonight. I still didn't do every quest or explore every undiscovered ("?") area on the map. Steam says I played the game for about 150 hours, but I think I played 20-30 more as I noticed my counter was reset after installing some of the free DLC. It's a great game and it's very easy to spend a lot of hours playing it.

If you want to join this conversation you need to sign in.

Steam Midweek Madness Sale: Grim Fandango Remastered

http://cdn.akamai.steamstatic.com/steam/apps/316790/header.jpg?t=1433793877

I remember when Grim Fandango was released. At the time, I already had a subscription to PC Gamer and was enjoying receiving a CD with game demos with each issue. Although I was aware of Grim Fandango, I never played it even though I thought it looked cool (and I had the demo for it). It wasn't too long ago that a remastered version was released. I still didn't bite. However, it's on sale now for about $5, so I decided to get it.

Has anyone played it before? If so or not, what are your thoughts? Are you going to grab it during this sale?

jdodson Admin wrote on 09/10/2015 at 01:28am

I've only lightly played it myself. Many years ago I traded it for Morrowind which couldn't run on any computer I owned. I had aspirations to play Grim but sadly it's on my list of shame.

What do you think of it so far?

Azurephile Super Member Post Author wrote on 09/10/2015 at 01:57am

Interesting trade.

I haven't installed it yet. It's still downloading because I'm still playing ARK.

jdodson Admin wrote on 09/10/2015 at 02:01am

Makes sense. The first part of Morrowind didn't sit well with me. Again, likely because my computer was so laggy it wasn't a great experience. Been meaning to head back and try it out but TBH I played Oblivion and Skyrim and never finished them. Fun games, but they never really tickled my fancy very much.

Azurephile Super Member Post Author wrote on 09/10/2015 at 02:24am

I LOVE Oblivion and Skyrim. I'm tempted to play Oblivion yet again. I didn't get very far with Morrowind and I only tried out it in the last few years. I found it to be a bit more difficult than Skyrim or Oblivion. Some of the quests really seem to require you have magic skills. I'm looking forward to the remake of Morrowind that uses the Skyrim engine.

If you want to join this conversation you need to sign in.

Now Billionaire Minecraft Creator Feels Isolated

http://static4.gamespot.com/uploads/scale_super/536/5360430/2656294-minecraft-xb1-screen07-png.jpg

Minecraft was obviously a huge hit, it's still extremely popular and a work in progress. However, things have changed a bit for the creators of Minecraft, since Mojang was sold to Microsoft for a couple billion dollars. Markus "Notch" Persson recently tweeted about how he now feels more isolated and lonely than every before, proving that money doesn't necessarily buy happiness.

I do honestly feel sorry for him a bit. I watched the documentary, so I understand his story. He was a guy that just decided to make a game and it became a huge blockbuster which really shocked him. Instead of getting super excited about it, he retracted and decided to get away from the game and work on something else. Fame and fortune just didn't seem to fit him. He is apparently an introvert and therefore I feel like I can understand that as I feel a bit introverted as well (although I also often display signs of extroversion). That was also before the company was sold to Microsoft. I'm still not sure why the company was sold.

What do you guys think? Did he "sell out?" Should we feel sorry for him? Or is this perhaps a reality check that fame and fortune can't buy you happiness? Feel free to reply in the comments and check out the link below for the full story which includes his tweets.

http://www.gamespot.com/articles/ive-never-felt-more-isolated-says-billionaire-mine/1100-6430171/

jdodson Admin wrote on 09/03/2015 at 03:21am

I've heard it's lonely at the top. I don't know if that's true from personal experience, but all us bottom dwellers might want some personal time up there to find out for ourselves. /rimshot

I think if I had a ton of money I could turn into a total douche wad. I kind of skirt around being a proper asshole and a lovable one so I think a few bucks more would make me go "full douche-tard."

That said, i'd never turn it down and would welcome wealth. Because, you know, who wouldn't? But that's a dumb way to look at it as it this wasn't just hoisted on him unwittingly. He had a few choices in the matter.

That said, I don't really feel bad for him or take joy in this. It's more like a "huh, well I guess that could be a thing if I ever get there." Which will be never so you know, that.

Azurephile Super Member Post Author wrote on 09/03/2015 at 04:20am

Well yeah, I'd love to take the money, too! Right now I could use it to pay off my near $50k student loan debt and move out West where I really want to be. Then, I could buy a mansion, invite friends to move in or come by some time. I'd not just have this sweet PC, but I'd have one with Titans, like Notch does!

I remember times in my life (college especially) when I felt extremely lonely (even though I wasn't alone). Now I feel like I've dominated that feeling and now actually more often than not wish to be alone. I, selfishly, want the freedom to do what I want when I want and as long as I want. That especially goes for sleeping and gaming. I also don't want to feel like a social or family slave. But all of that is just how I imagine it would be (really f'ing great), but I won't know how it will be until it happens and I doubt that it ever will.

At the same time, I feel like Notch in that I don't want fame. I don't want the spotlight or even 15 minutes of fame. I don't want everyone up my tail and with their nose constantly in my face. I think it must suck to be famous, having he public eye watching your every move, writing down your every word and expressing their contrasting opinions about, becoming the hot topic on Facebook. I think i'd like to be rich, but not famous. But I'll tell you honestly, if I just got a load of money, I'm sure the first thing I'd do is pay off that student loan debt (otherwise I don't see how it'll ever be paid).

If you want to join this conversation you need to sign in.

Azurephile27

329 Posts

Final Fantasy VIII Steam Review

What Do You Think About Final Fantasy VII Remake?

Final Fantasy IX Coming to PC

My Year in Gaming 2015

Ark: Survival Evolved Available for XBox One

My Spoiler-Free Experience with Fallout 4

PC Vs. Console Games: Which Is Superior?

The Witcher

Steam Midweek Madness Sale: Grim Fandango Remastered

Now Billionaire Minecraft Creator Feels Isolated