Thank you very much for showing me that you feel the same way about playing games ("not be frustrated"). I like progress, too, just like in real life.

That said, I know you often play FTL, which makes me think you're either really good or a glutton for punishment. Hahaha. You're probably way better at the game than I am, I'm sure you've clocked in more hours on it. Still, it is fun. Some games it just takes some experience or "Googling" to figure it out and get better and then it becomes more fun.

Thanks for paying attention to the Forums!

Wow, I'm impressed, but seeing how often you play the game, I'm not too surprised. I'm not sure what I have to unlock, I know I've unlocked very little. I also always play on easy. At least one Roundtable discussion I watched mentioned how hard the game is even on easy. That's the thing about "rouge-likes." Hehe. Still, I have not beaten the game. I may have made it to the end once. Still, I think the game is another Cheerful Ghost favorite. I should play it more.

Yeah, I really enjoyed Heart of the Swarm for the same reasons. It was fun with Kerrigan being overpowered! It reminds me, now, of a mission in Red Alert 3 (Uprising, I think) where you get to be this psychic girl who is pretty overpowered, too. Similar missions, similar fun!

When it comes to games like the Dooms and Quakes, I pretty much always entered into "God Mode." I had fun playing that way. I also cheated on the Resident Evil games (the ones that I got for the GameCube). I must have gotten a GameShark for the GameCube to do that. I found a "hack" to cheat on the Wii for Resident Evil 4, but the game crashed at a point and I wasn't able to get through the rest of it.

****BTW, Jon, did you get see my last PM?****

Wow, that's an excellent reply, Adam! I greatly appreciate that you've shared so many channels. It also makes me feel good that my son and I aren't the only ones who watch some kind of gaming YouTube channel daily. I'll have to check into those channels you posted they sound cool.

It's also cool to know that you're over there on the West Coast. I'm over here on the East Coast in Virginia, along with Travis. It's been a long dream of mine to live over there closer to your area. I believe there are more open-minded people (and Liberals) over that way and I feel like that's where I belong. Hopefully, some time in my future I may move over there. I have friends that are in California, as well, so I may at least get to visit in the nearer future.

Thanks, Jon. I've seen Twitch mentioned a couple of times on this site, but I don't know anything about it.

Cool, thanks for sharing, Tim. YouTube is really awesome, just about everything is there. My son also likes to watch cartoons there. Lately he's been watching the Kirby cartoon, but I've seen him watch the classic Super Mario Bros., Ghostbusters, Sonic, Pokemon, and more. I'm glad that the PS3 and Wii U have a YouTube app. Watching YouTube on the big TV is pretty cool, too.

Since we're talking about YouTube, I thought I'd share a few specific things I've been watching lately.

There are a lot of games on Paul's channel that are very similar. I refer the those that are similar to Minecraft, such as Salt, Subnautica, and Stranded Deep. Many of them are (or were) early access games and I enjoy watching him play them. Luckily, Salt has a demo, but I've only installed it, I haven't played it yet. Each of these are similar and yet very different. Salt, for instance, looks a lot like the graphical style of The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker. Stranded Deep and Subnautica look much more realistic. I may end up getting Stranded Deep eventually, the graphics look amazing, everything looks very real. There are sharks in the game, but one of the things I saw in one of his videos really made me want to jump in and that was a humpback whale. If you like open world sandbox kind of games, I recommend you check them out or at least check out the videos he's posted. I may later post something about these games.

Lately, I've played Don't Starve a bit and figured watching some YouTube videos about it would help me out. However, many of the videos I found were of the pre-release version and some of them were kind of annoying. Although, I finally found someone that has plenty of Don't Starve videos and have been watching his series. While some of the videos seem to have some kind of audio issue, I've found them to be very helpful and I'm still slowly making my way through them. If you want to check out the first playlist (there are two) visit this link: http://youtu.be/uc_y4VdldLs?list=PLAk5nLibEkcfqnuKzQfPlPf9BcpFCffGO I may later share this again in a post about the game.

I was taking a break from the game when I decided to write this, which was when I found out about the stable build update. After that, I noticed that I was no longer able to play the nightly build. So, I switched to the stable build. I found the answer to the issue I had in the forums; "Nightly is going to be broken until stable is released. It's our staging branch and we're doing some layout changes."

I also read that some people were having some issues after the update, but Chucklefish was working quickly to get that issue resolved. After I switched to the stable version and the game updated, I decided to see if that issue was resolved or, in other words, if I was having the same issue. To my surprise, I did not have an issue with it. The launcher worked without issue, which it did not do with the nightly build, and it also showed that the game was updated to "Upbeat Giraffe" (the name of the latest build).

My point is, that I was surprised because I found my character there on the stable build that I was using on the nightly build. I remember Chucklefish saying something about trying to make it so that the "unstable" build characters would transfer to the stable build, once it was completed. So, I am grateful that they got that to work. I was able to continue using my character and my universe without any issue.

I might delete my character and universe and start fresh with the new stable update. I'm not sure how that nightly build will differ from the new stable version, but I imagine there is little to no difference. Obviously, as I stated above, the only difference I can see now from the two is that the stable build is definitely stable.

I may continue to make notes here in the comments as I think of things I left out in my post. One thing I wanted to mention is that the Matter Manipulator can now be upgraded multiple times. One upgrade will allow you to use it with liquid. This new feature is really handy, because at one point you're going to need to collect oil. Your ship's AI will further upgrade your MM, but that will require further materials.

Tech upgrades are available as well, as I mentioned. One of those is a boat. Another part of the tech upgrades is called "suit." You can get upgrades that will allow your character to breathe underwater or on planets that have little or no oxygen. There is also cold, heat, and radiation protection suits. These are now tech upgrades and no longer require you to craft and equip accessories.

The need to eat is temporarily no longer necessary. However, there are many new crafting/cooking recipes and plenty of things that can be used in a farm. Instead of replenishing hunger, food now gives various buffs. Harvesting crops will not only provide seeds and food, but also plant fiber. There are many other types of plants that will also provide plant fiber, especially vines that you will find in caves.

You can now also craft a bug catching net, which you will need as one of the first Outpost NPC quests will be to give the NPC a bug.

These things that I've mentioned are just a fraction of what has been changed or added in the game. Please see the link I provided at the top of my post for more information. I've pretty much only covered the things that I have noticed in my play through.

Pickaxes can no longer be repaired. There doesn't seem to be a good reason to make them anyway, since the Matter Manipulator can mine ore and provides some light. It also can reach places that are farther away from the character.

As I mentioned, there are now only two types of fuel for your ship. However, fuel is only necessary to reach a different star system. Travelling within your local star system requires no fuel at all. As for the Core Fragments, you will only need 20 and it seems you will never use them again.

As I mentioned, the Matter Manipulator can be upgraded to collect liquid. In order to create Steel, you will need to collect Oil on a desert planet with your upgraded MM. Initially, to upgrade your MM, you will need refined ore such as Silver.

I deleted my old character and universe and started a new game as a Novakid and I like it. The guns seem to be powerful. I still use a melee weapon as some are more powerful than the gun. Previously, I pretty much only created Avian characters and used only melee weapons. After my latest play through of the nightly build, I realized that ranged weapons can be so much more effective. You don't have to worry about ammunition as they use your energy instead. However, they will drain your energy, which will replenish quickly if you stop using your weapon for a few seconds. If you use too much of your energy, it will be depleted and you will hear a sound telling you that. You will not be able to use your energy until it refills, which you will also know because of a sound.

I am very happy with Starbound now. I was disappointed at first because I was just running around collecting ore to obtain higher-tiered armor and weapons, fighting some bosses along the way. Other than that, I felt like there was no other purpose to exploring the universe. Once I finally obtained the highest tiered weapons and armor, there was no longer a reason for me to explore or to play. That has changed thanks to the multiple quests given to you throughout the game by the NPCs at the Outpost. I'm happy to report that Starbound is a much better game than it was before this new update.

Oh my goodness! I just completed the first mission without cheating! They apparently nerfed the boss and made it's energy beam attack slower. I didn't even use my shield, but I kept healing myself after getting hit. I'm so glad they made that mission doable without cheats. This makes me very happy!

Awesome! I haven't played multiplayer in Starbound. Thank you very much for replying to my post. Are you enjoying the new update? I'm seriously loving it, the game is so much better now and it's wonderful!

Oh, I didn't have a problem with Dreadwing. For that, I was using a rocket launcher I found on the lunar base (first boss area). I didn't find any when I did the mission on the stable version, though. In the nightly build, I found rocket launchers and grenade launchers, which were very helpful in defeating the "infected miners." The good thing about them is that they can't jump, so they're easy to take out from a distance, some where they cannot get to.

I don't think the Floran "party" mission gave me much trouble either. However, the second boss that the penguin sends you to, the weapons test mission, was more difficult and I used the /admin command to beat that. I haven't made it to those missions yet in the stable release, so I'll see how it goes.

You're welcome and thank you for reading! I know my post was long and my commented additions are, too, but I guess that's just how I do it. Hahaha. I think this new update is exciting and there is so much that is new. That and the fact that I've spent some time with it recently has given me plenty to say about it.

I really hope you and others get back into the game and check it out. I think you will be delighted and have a much more enjoyable experience with the game now. I think this new update is very big, much like the much anticipated update coming to Terraria.

With that, I'd also like for us to discuss a bit about our experiences with both games and how differently (if so) we play them. For me, when I start playing Terraria, I start building a huge house for me and NPCs, then I start exploring. With Starbound, I don't build at all. I put everything I make (such as crafting tables, bed, etc.) on my ship. I'm wondering if you and others play these games the same way.

Yeah, that would suck, Travis. However, if you built something on a planet, you could set it as your home planet, I think that's done using the starmap. Then, whenever you went to your teleporter, you could select "beam to home." There are now moons that contain no creatures whatsoever, so they are perfect for building something and not having to worry about being interrupted by monsters. There is also a new tech which reverses gravity, making building much easier.

However, I came across an issue that I have not yet researched. When taking metal crates from my home planet to use on my ship as storage containers, I accidentally grabbed some pieces of the structure when are slanted in one direction. These pieces are made to look like wooden structural supports. Unfortunately, it seems that they slant in only one direction and I could not put the piece back as it was because I couldn't reverse the direction of the slant.. These pieces look like this: / and \

There is now also a Paint Tool, which can be unlocked via the ship's AI. In order to craft paint, you will need a Robotic Crafting Table and at least 15 pedals of the color you want. I didn't experiment with this on the nightly build, but I intended to paint the internal sections of my ship blue. I plan to do that as soon as I'm able to make a Robotic Crafting Table. I already have 15 blue pedals to do this with.

There is also an animation on the first link I provided in this post that shows improvements to turrets. Check out the link for more info.

Thank you all for the comments! Hardeyez, thank you for covering some of the things I didn't mention. I have not yet tried out the staves. I also remember the fact that they said they are going to add a teleport list.

One thing I wanted to mention, also, was that when upgrading your ship, you will notice the new parts of your ship are blocked off by "hazard" blocks. These can be taken away with the Matter Manipulator.

Yes, Tim, I highly recommend that everyone jumps in the game. The game is much different now and definitely worth playing. You have a good point that it is still a work in progress, but it's great to check out the amazing progress they've already made. I'm looking forward to seeing what a completed 1.0 version looks like.

I just defeated Dreadwing, though I'm kind of ashamed at how I did it. I noticed I could kill off the little penguins easily enough with my upgraded Novakid weapon (a gun). I also noticed that if I went far enough to the right and just a little bit, I could barely see Dreadwing's ship, but he couldn't see me. So, I kept shooting at it from afar. That is how I finished the mission in the stable build. When I played the mission with the nightly build, I had rocket launchers and didn't even die. That was definitely not the case this time. So, I took advantage of an obvious flaw.

While I've realized how beneficial ranged weapons are, I've found a minor annoyance with them. Sometimes vegetation gets in the way and instead of shooting a monster, I shoot a shrub or something instead.

Hardeyez, have you tried a Novakid yet? I think they're pretty cool.

Oh! I just noticed something today! You know how when you click "Play" in Steam, the Starbound Lancher loads and you can select "Launch Starbound" or "Launch Starbound (OpenGL)?" Well now there's a new option, "Launch Starbound (64-bit OpenGL experimental)." I've been using the new option today and I haven't run into any problems with it.

Ok, I found out how to use the Paint Tool. You don't need anything other than the tool itself. Select the tool and right click to switch colors. Then aim it and click the left mouse button to paint the background of whatever you want. I painted my ship's internal walls blue. I remember some crafting recipe in the nightly build that used pedals, but I couldn't find it on the stable build.

Oh man, that "Mysterious Party" mission was tough this time! It's probably because I didn't have a rocket launcher. I did find a nice two-handed melee weapon, but I was also using a nice two-handed crossbow I found elsewhere. The crossbow was better than crafting the next gun for my Novakid, so I didn't craft that.

It's cool that I'm playing the stable build after playing nightly because I know some things the NPCs are going to ask for later. So, when I found these things, I was able to collect them ahead of time.

As I mentioned in a different post (by Jon), I was hoping for new music. I think my wish was granted. The missions seem to have new music and it's pretty cool. I had said I was tired of the music, but I'm not feeling that way now.

I'm surprised I finally beat the "Weapons Test" mission. This was one mission that I used the /admin command to complete when I played the nightly build. This was a tough mission. I think having a high armor rating is important, but blocking with a shield is pretty much necessary. This mission made me learn how to block with a shield, which isn't as simple as it sounds. When you block with a shield, you don't take damage, your shield does. That makes sense, but your shield can only take so much damage before it will not protect you. If it takes too much damage, it will need to "recharge," although it doesn't have to fully recharge before providing protection. You can, however, negate this damage by timing the block perfectly by raising your shield right before you get hit. Since I found a two-handed shotgun that does over 700 points of damage, I was not able to block and attack at the same time. I did, however, have my shotgun as my leftt-click and my shield as a right-click. So, instead I was only able to hold the shield when I was holding another item, which in my case was a Medical Kit. In order to craft a Medical Kit, you will need at least one Bandage and one Bio Sample. Bio Samples can be obtained from certain plants. If you are in a Radioactive star system and find yourself on a "lush" or forest planet, you will be able to find Bio Samples by breaking plants, either with your MM, melee, or ranged weapons.

Tim, I've never played multiplayer Starbound. I can hardly imagine it, because the universe is so big. Obviously, with the boss fights, I can see how helpful it could be though.

It'd be cool if Cheerful Ghost had some kind of access to game servers, so that we could set them up for games we want to play together.

*This comment may contain spoilers*
I'm finished with Starbound. I have completed every quest and have upgraded my ship to it's maximum limit. There are only a few "Missions" or boss fights. I believe there were more previously, but most of them have been removed. Hopefully, Chucklefish will add them back later.

One of the things that took me so long to do was one of the quests where you have to find an Avian Airship and take a Treasure Map from it. I had never seen one of them before, but you'll notice them on a planet by the anchor that sits on the planet's surface. Then you'll have to find a way to get up to the ship. I made some platforms with various materials I had (like dirt).

One of the upgrades to the ship required Plutonium, which I hadn't encountered in the new update. The reason is because I did not explore moons or asteroids. The good thing about moons, I learned, is that not only do they contain Plutonium, but they also contain Erchius Liquid. So, if you want free fuel for your ship and have your MM upgraded to collect liquid, go visit a moon.

Another quest took some time to figure out. The NPC gives you a blueprint for a kennel, which requires red dye, which you can't make. However, once you "learn" the blueprint, you can access the 3D printer from your ship AI and "print" the kennel.

Anyway, you probably don't want to know too many spoilers. All that said, the latest update is still a great improvement to the game. It's still in beta and it took a year for them to get this update out. We can only imagine what might later be added to the game and when it might finally reach version 1.0.

More about Windows 10 that I found today: http://www.pcworld.com/article/2873219/windows-10s-new-features-cortana-on-the-pc-continuum-and-more.html#tk.nl_today

I was pretty happy with Windows 7, too. I had some doubts about 8 because of the negative things I heard. However, Travis gave me his opinion about it and I did some research. I found out that, among many things, it improves performance. So, I went ahead and decided to get a new computer with 8 instead of 7. I don't regret that decision at all. 10 is supposed to also improve performance, especially with video games (a new API), so I'm thinking I'll most likely upgrade when it's available, especially because it will be free (at least if I do so within the first year of its release).

I'm hoping that my hard drive won't have to be reformatted if I upgrade. That's honestly my only concern. I'm assuming, but I doubt that my current games and programs will have compatibility issues.

I don't use the Metro stuff either, really. Like you, if I want to find something, I just hit the Windows key and type what I want in the search field. That said, I've noticed it lags a little bit once I start typing. I start typing something and then it seems to pause before I can finish typing, presumably it's beginning it's search. I can't say anything about performance because I know the reason why this PC excels over my PC has a LOT to do with the hardware. I know it can't all be attributed to the hardware, but I don't have a good visual of the same hardware on a Win7 PC.

That's great about the VM performance. Win8 seems to lack the virtual machine. To get some things to work I've installed VMware Player.

Yes, I saw in the latest news I've shared that a new browser is coming to the Win10 Tech Preview, "Sparta" is it's name, I think. I'm not really concerned about it really because I'm in love with Chrome. I don't know much of anything about Cortana, except for what I read in the link I shared. I know nothing about Siri.

That's a cool idea for the Windows upgrades.

Thanks for the input and adding what you posted on my FB link. Thanks also for your final advice. That might not be a bad idea. It seems to me that they got rid of Virtual Machines in Windows 8, so how are you running a VM?

I'm not sure, Travis. Actually, it seems Hyper-V will do it, but that's not available in the standard edition, only Professional and Enterprise. We used virtual machines at the community college. The college used some kind of testing software for a local huge business that didn't work in Vista, so we ran virtual machines so that computers could use that software that only worked in XP.

Yes, Jon, I do the same. I add them to the task bar as well. However, some times there are things within the OS I want to find and need to search for. My most recent example is Windows Update. That was the last thing I used in the fashion that me and Travis described.

As for gaming, Win10 is supposed to increase video game performance, so it seems that it will be a good idea to upgrade for video games. I read in one of the articles I shared with this post about a new API, I think. I read in another article that DirectX 12 will ship with Win10, too.

See the following link for more info: http://blogs.windows.com/bloggingwindows/2015/01/21/the-next-generation-of-windows-windows-10/

Thanks for the input, Adam. You get some respect from me because you came out and said why. I respect that. I understand what you mean and say. I'm of a different kind, however. When a new operating system comes out, I get excited about the new changes. The learning curve is quite small with me because of my experience with operating systems or the computer. I've been an IT professional, so I think that kind of explains it, although being a computer geek does, too. To me there is no "learning curve" since it's so very small. I don't feel like I have to learn how to use a new operating system, I just do it and learn as I go. Perhaps it even just comes a bit natural to me. I hope I've made that understandable. I'm sure Travis, and probably even Jon, feel the same way I do.

Jon, thanks for promoting this to "main." I'm thinking of writing another post and yet I'm not sure whether I should put it in the forums or on the main page. It does have to do with gaming, though. I put some of my recent discussion pieces here because they're not about gaming.

If you're interested in seeing the Win10 Tech Preview visit https://insider.windows.com. I believe you can sign up for free, if you don't already have an account. Once you do so visit http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/preview-iso for the .iso, otherwise it will want to upgrade your current OS. When you have the .iso download, you can try it out in VMWare Player, which can be found for free at http://www.vmware.com/products/player.

When it comes to Windows, I haven't really felt much of a learning curve since I began, with a bit of an exception. The exception was when I was learning about it very much in-depth for IT classes. This includes XP and Server editions. I did attempt to get Microsoft certified, but I failed that test. Afterwards, I bought a certification exam prep book for Windows 7. Although I never took the test for that one, I did read a lot about it.

Otherwise, the other big learning curve I've experienced in recent years has had to do with Linux distributions. I think some time after high school I bought a Linux for Dummies book and began to experiment with Linux installations. In college, at Radford University and with Travis, I continued to experiment with Linux and took a class. Later, when I went back to my local community college, I took another Linux class. Since then, I've installed a Linux distribution (usually Ubuntu) on occasion as a second OS on PC, although I didn't play around with it much when I did so.

So, I've spent plenty of years learning about Linux and Windows, with Windows being the primary. I can do a lot more in Windows than I can with Linux and there's still quite a bit for me to learn about both operating systems, but I definitely know more about Windows and therefore have much less of a learning curve issue than with Linux.

Cool and I agree with the last statement you made, which I think applies to both operating systems. As I'm sitting here with my VM of Win10, thinking about what to do with it, I came upon another thought. It might be interesting to dual boot with it. That could get me to use it more and try out everything that I currently do with 8.1.

Since we're talking about different operating systems, I think it's only fair to mention MacOS. That said, I pretty much know nothing about it. I don't hate Mac, I just don't really have any experience with them.

Yeah, excellent point there, Travis. I have some in-class and work experience with Windows servers, but not very much. In class, we did pretty much everything. At work, I mostly did some updates and user configurations. Therefore, there is still plenty for me to learn or re-learn. I still have some of the books I used in IT classes at my local community college.

Windows 10 Release Date July 29: http://www.gamespot.com/articles/windows-10-release-date-announced/1100-6427711/

"Windows 10 Costs $120 If You Can't Get a Free Upgrade" http://www.gamespot.com/articles/windows-10-costs-120-if-you-can-t-get-a-free-upgra/1100-6427734/

I'm thinking about upgrading as soon as I can. I know it may not be perfect, although I could give it a year. I've barely spent any time in my Win10 Virtual Machine.

I think I'd like to upgrade without wiping my hard drive. I've been pretty pleased with new versions of Windows, even at launch many of them didn't disappoint me. I like 8.1, although I almost never use the "metro" stuff or apps. I make use of Desktop mode. So yeah, it's very likely that I'll upgrade as soon as possible. I took Travis's recommendation of 8 and I trust his opinion on 10 as I'm sure he's spent more time with it than I have.

Yeah, I remember people recommending to do a clean install of Windows every now and then, especially if your computer began to drag or crash. I actually haven't done that in a very long time, though. I may have no more than a few times on the old PC that I built, but I'm sure it's been a long time since I did that.

I'd like to be able to just upgrade what I have because I have so much installed and stored and currently only one hard drive. My old PC had two of them, but they both died. So, my backup condition is definitely limited and vulnerable now. I'd hate to have to burn a bunch stuff to DVDs again. I also don't want to have to re-install everything. GTAV took a really long time to download and install.

My confidence is boosted by your comments, Travis. I'm hoping for a good upgrade.

That wouldn't surprise me, Jon, as the current version of Windows 10 available to MS Insiders is an ISO.

Jon, are you running Windows on anything? If so, what version? What are your thoughts on Windows? Do you like MacOS or Linux better?

Cool, "to each their own". I enjoy Windows and have dabbled in Linux. I really have no experience with MacOS, except for helping Mom with her work-provided iPad once or twice. I think Windows keeps improving and that's something I like about it. I don't really have any issues with it. I know Windows isn't cheap or always cheap, especially for the better versions.

That's right, Travis, my mistake.

Windows 10 is apparently being released at the end of the month. Is anyone going to jump in and upgrade?

I'm not sure when I'll upgrade. I might end up waiting, yet I may bite right away. I know there are people who often say not to upgrade right away, but it seems as though their experiences differ from mine. I think I jumped right away on Vista and 7, but I think that's in part because I was using them when I was working at my local community college in the IT department. It took me a while to upgrade to 8, but at the time I didn't feel like spending the money to upgrade. Then, I got a new PC and decided to go with 8 and upgraded to 8.1 immediately.

I figured you would. Please keep me informed on how it goes if I don't do the same. You could add here, message me, or create a new Windows 10 post. =)

I'd still like to hear about how you Ghosts decide when to upgrade your operating system, whether it's Windows, Mac, Linux, or whatever. Do you hesitate to upgrade or do you jump in?

Yeah, that's a great point in the "debate." Older versions of Windows are pieces of crap compared to Vista and higher. I think people are just remembering the pre-Vista days when the OS wasn't as stable and often crashed with the BSOD. Waiting isn't a bad idea, but then how long do you wait? Until a Service Pack? That's ok, but that could be quite a while and by the time that happens it won't be too much longer before they start talking about the next version. Price has certainly held me back from upgrading my OS, but now with Windows 10, it's free, since I already have 8.1.

I've probably not spent more than 15 minutes in my Windows 10 virtual machine. It looked nice and there wasn't very much that I looked at. One thing about my current OS is that I really don't have any issues with it. I've had a couple that I've managed to resolve, but otherwise it's just about as "perfect" as I can think of. So, I do feel some hesitation there because I don't want to upgrade and then start having a bunch of problems. Although, I've been told that I have a natural skill for tech support/resolution, so I don't doubt that I'd be able to solve any problems I come across or that they'll be resolved in time.

I'm sure one of us can create a new post about it. I'm thinking I'd perfer to upgrade just as I did from 8 to 8.1, then I wouldn't have to wipe everything on my single hard drive. I could re-partition it, but I haven't done that on this PC and honestly want to be careful not to erase the backup partition that was set up by Dell. So, if I could do a simple upgrade, then I might not hesitate.

I loved Vista right away. Being able to actually see what I was typing while I was entering the key for the wireless networks at my old job was a big help! It seemed to me at the time that most people were complaining about it because it looked and functioned a bit differently than XP. There are still those that won't give up XP.

Anyway, here's something new I found, Windows 10 is already finished: http://www.techspot.com/news/61383-windows-10-has-finalized-now-ready-send-manufacturing.html

Good points. All of that and they've sweetened the deal by making it free to many of us and have decided to change the way future upgrades or updates will occur.

I've noticed a Windows 8+ looking icon in my system tray. It was to sign up to get confirmation that the upgrade is available, etc. So, I went through that and I guess I'm just waiting now.

I found out that I have the core edition of Windows 8.1, which is what the others are built on (they add on to it). So, I'm wondering if I should upgrade to Pro. I've been mostly using the Pro edition at home, until I got this PC. What do you all think? What edition of Windows are you running and would you upgrade?

I use TeamViewer for remote desktop, often when people need me to work on their computers.

You are right, most of that stuff doesn't really matter to me. I think I had 7 Pro installed on the old PC, it'd be interesting if I could use that key to upgrade to 10 and then I'd have a 10 Pro copy to install on this new PC.

Both hard drives on it apparently died, so it's not in use. I haven't repaired nor replaced it for Vinny, yet, I'm not entirely sure he's ready for his own PC again. We had some issues that I hoped not having it would iron out. I probably still have the OS image, backup, and license some where on this computer, since I backed up the old one to this one.

Found a cool review in my email: http://www.techspot.com/review/1037-windows-10/

I wonder when that email is going to arrive. I haven't prepared, but since I'm just going to upgrade I shouldn't need to. I'm looking forward to it, just because it's new. From that review I shared and some of the stuff I've seen in my email, it's the best Windows yet, which is exciting, even though they probably say that about every new version of everything.

Ok, I decided to right click on the new Windows 10 notification in the Quick Tray and it seems ready. So, check that notification if you want to get started.

Upgraded this morning. I mostly like it. I like how small the Taskbar icons are now, which gives me more room on my Taskbar. So far, I think I've run into a couple of issues. I was able to resolve most of them with a reboot. One, the old File Explorer slot on my Taskbar was missing it's icon. I couldn't right-click to remove it. I think I managed to get that to work after a reboot. I removed the old icon and added the new. I've had some failed attempts at opening the Notifications window, another issue that seemed to get better by rebooting. The other issue isn't an issue apparently, it's working.

I decided to leave the "accent" color setting alone. This means that it changes often since I chose a slideshow for my background. Oh, and I did use Edge because the free version of Minecraft wouldn't download using Chrome, because it has to connect to the MS Store, via Edge.

Hm, Steam isn't letting me Shift-Tab, even though the overlay is checked. Maybe it will work after a reboot.

*Update* The Steam Overlay is working again. Like my other issues, it seems to have been resolved after restarting it or the game, whichever it was that I did. That "other" issue I mentioned was my keyboard not working completely. The keys that control the sound weren't working, but yet again after a reboot they work fine now. I'm not disappointed, I think these little things can be expected, especially when upgrading your OS to the very latest as soon as it's available. I'm not sure how long the upgrade took as I watched it for a bit and then left it alone and went to bed. I haven't done too much with it yet other than my normal Chrome and Steam stuff. I like how everything looks and I'm satisfied with the changes I've noticed (like the new Start Menu).

Wow, Jon, I didn't expect your enthusiasm. That's great that you gave it a look and it impressed you. I'm looking forward to how updates and upgrades are released in the future. I'm expecting (and perhaps hoping) it will be more like how Linux distros are updated, which I can only assume is close to how Mac does it, too. It does blow my mind that it is free for almost everyone. I wonder what happened to make them change. I wonder if maybe 8 was a serious flop. I guess Microsoft is rich enough now to offer their most popular operating system for free for most users. From what I read, they recieved and incorporated a lot of user feedback for Windows 10.

Yeah (about the update releases), that's what it seems like. Perhaps Linux and Mac have had an influence on Microsoft and Windows 10 is bit of a result of that.

You're right (about many things). I don't imagine most people will upgrade their current OS. People seem to be very sketchy about doing so and many of them seem to be afraid of change. They have a lot of anxiety about a new OS, especially right after it's been released. But, yes, MS does get money on new PC purchases and now when people buy a new one with Windows, they've got it for the life of that hardware. Personally, I think it's great because I always thought Windows was expensive.

Security is definitely important to them. I think Vista began to show signs that they had gotten more serious about it. I think many users didn't like the new user access/account control and ended up turning it off. There are still lots of computers out there running XP, which is now outdated and it is important, I think, for people to upgrade. Some people are pretty stubborn about it though.

Thanks for the extra info on the Insider update, I didn't realize that.

Is it really free? One source says it's not:
http://www.pcworld.com/article/2957365/windows/why-windows-10-isnt-really-free-the-subtle-new-world-of-built-in-costs.html#tk.nl_pcwbest

Let the record show that I do not support fear mongering and that was not my intention by sharing that article. After all, this isn't Fox News, this is Cheerful Ghost! I'm not sure where I saw that article about MS spying on us, but it could have been from the same source. I'm not afraid anyway.

Well, it's been a long time since a Nintendo console and handheld system were able to function together. The Gameboy Advance was able to be connected to the Gamecube and used in some games (like Animal Crossing). Recently, that functionality has come back. In Super Smash Bros, you can use the 3DS and Wii U together, or at least transfer data from one system to the other. Actually, now that I think on it, I think the Wii and DS versions of Animal Crossing also had similar functionality.

At first, I thought the Wii U gamepad was a bit bigger than I expected, when it used it at the kiosk in Gamestop. Since then, I've gotten used to it and I like it a lot. I now turn on the Wii U using the gamepad and I use the touch screen to select the game I want to play and log in under my profile (instead of my son's). I've been playing Hyrule Warriors a lot and don't usually use the touch screen in game, though. I did try to co-op the game with my son, which put him on the TV and me on the Gamepad. That was a bit disappointing since I'm used to playing on the TV.

I'm glad you're enjoying your Wii U.

I've enjoyed the amiibo functionality that's on the Wii U gamepad. I think it's interesting that it came with that functionality before the amiibo figures were released. Every day I use my Link amiibo and my son's Mario amiibo to give me something in Hyrule Warriors. I usually get a weapon using the Link one and just about anything with the Mario one. Sometimes Mario gives me gifts that aren't that great, such as one day I got 1 rupee.

I've used the amiibo figures once on Mario Kart 8, I can't even really recall how that functions, I think it just unlocks Mii costumes. I've used my Link amiibo in Super Smash Bros. on the Wii U a few times, usually putting us on a team. I still have hardly played Super Smash Bros. on the Wii U, but I'll probably play it more when I'm done with Hyrule Warriors, which should be soon. After that, I'll be waiting for the Majora's Mask DLC.

Nintendo also announced new amiibo figures coming out soon. Toad is among them because he has a new game (which I think is already out). The article (link) I shared also states that more Marth figures will be coming out along with a new Fire Emblem game (for the DS, I believe).

I found a link explaining the lack of charger for the new system. It states:

Nintendo responded to our request for comment on why it was decided to leave the charger out of the box. According to Nintendo, it was a measure designed to save costs for consumers who may already own a 3DS or DSi system: "New Nintendo 3DS XL uses the same AC adapter as any Nintendo 3DS or Nintendo DSi system. Rather than raise cost of New Nintendo 3DS XL by charging consumers for a component they may already own, we are giving them the option to only buy if they need an AC adapter." http://www.ign.com/articles/2015/01/14/new-3dsxl-doesnt-include-charger-here-are-some-options

From another Google search, it seems that it will definitely compatible with all DS games, with some exceptions. See the following link: http://en-americas-support.nintendo.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/324/~/can-i-play-nintendo-dsi-and-nintendo-ds-games-on-nintendo-3ds-family-systems%3F

(My first ever Emoji usage.)

=) So, I beat you to a post! Hahaha. I'm not as up-to-date on hardware like I used to be, so I found some of this confusing, to a point. I re-checked my system specs and I'm sure my PC won't have any trouble with the game. I have an Intel Core i7, 16 GB of RAM, and a Geforce 690 (4GB). While my old PC was able to run GTAIV, it seems that it would not run GTAV, even if it wasn't dead. Speaking of GTAIV, I haven't tried playing it on my new PC.

I'm not yet done with Hyrule Warriors, so I'm not too concerned that GTAV won't be out until near the end of March. I feel like I can wait for it. Although, I'm eagerly awaiting for Terraria 1.3 and Starbound to update.

That said, I wonder how the PC version of GTAV might work with GTA: Online. Meaning, I wonder if PC users will be able to play GTAO with PS or XBox users. That would be really cool, but I kind of doubt it will happen.

Yeah, actually my "rig" seems about double the "recommended specs." I wasn't worried, really, but it pleases me greatly that my PC is still over-powered for an awesome game that's not even out yet. I seriously have no regrets about buying this awesome PC. For what I paid for it, it should be over-powered hopefully for a few years. It's really quiet, too! =)

I think GTAV will be awesome on the PC. It was cool to see the changes that were made for the next-gen consoles (PS4 and XBox One). The article (link) I shared in this post states: "This PC release will bring all the benefits of the most recent PS4 and Xbox One versions. That includes the first-person mode and an expanded soundtrack, and, exclusively for the PC version, native 4K support." So, yeah it's going to be awesome on the PC.

As for Red Dead Redemption, I loved that game. It is sad that it hasn't come to the PC yet. However, I seem to recall seeing something about a sequel coming. Yeah, check out this link: http://www.gamespot.com/articles/rockstar-teases-red-dead-2-explains-gta-5-heist-de/1100-6424277/

Cool, I don't even know a thing about 4K (or any #K for that matter), except that it seems to be the new HD.

Cool, thanks for the info, Travis. It's crazy how technology is constantly improving, it's hard to keep up sometimes.

I just restarted Steam because of an update and I found the following news:
"PRE-PURCHASE BY FEBRUARY 1 AND GET $1,000,000 IN-GAME PLUS A BONUS $300,000 AND A BONUS GAME
Pre-purchase and get $1,000,000 in-game ($500,000 for Grand Theft Auto V and $500,000 for Grand Theft Auto Online).

Pre-purchase by February 1 and get a bonus $300,000 for Grand Theft Auto Online and a bonus digital download of Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas on PC.

Grand Theft Auto V for PC will be available for pre-load prior to release."

Are you going to pre-order? I think it's tempting, but I'm not sure if I will.

Actually, I think I probably will pre-order. Here's more info that I read more from Steam:
"EXCLUSIVE CONTENT FOR RETURNING PLAYERS
To reward loyal Grand Theft Auto V fans for playing on PC and experiencing a newer, more detailed version of Los Santos and Blaine County, Rockstar Games has an array of exclusive items specifically for these players returning from PlayStation®3 and Xbox 360 - with each of them connected to activities designed for them to experience the game's massive world in new and exciting ways. For more info about gaining access to exclusive content for returning players, please visit rockstargames.com/V/bonuscontent.

TRANSFER YOUR EXISTING GTA ONLINE CHARACTER
Existing players on PlayStation®3, PlayStation®4, Xbox 360 and Xbox One will be able to transfer their Grand Theft Auto Online characters and progression to PC. For more information, please visit rockstargames.com/gtaonline/charactertransfer"

http://store.steampowered.com/app/271590?snr=1_41_4__42

Oh and if anyone pre-orders the game (as I just did), here's a solution to the issue you will find when installing San Andreas. After pre-ordering the game, Steam will tell you that it wants to install San Andreas. However, if you're running Steam on Windows, you'll find an "invalid platform" error. To fix this issue, go to your Steam Library and click on San Andreas and click the "Install" button. It will work that way.

Sorry for the multiple comments that I could have posted in one or two.

I don't even really care about the in-game cash bonuses. I think it's cool to have San Andreas on the PC now. I played it on the PS3 and liked it, with a couple of exceptions. I HATED the mission called "Supply Lines." Although, I think I did better at it the second time I played it. I also couldn't seem to get 100% gang owned area, I only got 99%. It would be cool to have all of the other GTA games for the PC, especially GTA3. I really loved that game when it came out on the PS2. I spent tons of hours playing it when I was at Radford University. I also later bought it for the original XBox and liked that it could use the music I had stored on my XBox at the time. I can't recall if I was able to use my own music on the PS3 or PC versions of GTAIV. I wonder if San Andreas is like that, too.

You have some good reasons for not pre-ordering, Travis. I have plenty of money in the bank, so I don't mind that it's a $60 game. I think it's worth it, even though that's what I paid for the PS3 version.

Travis, did you play San Andreas or GTAIV with a controller on your PC? If so, did you enjoy it better than using the keyboard?

Cool, thanks for the input (no pun intended). I know I played GTAIV a little bit on the PC years ago and I know that I had to have used the KB+M, though I can't recall that experience very much. Now that I have an XBox 360 USB controller for my PC, perhaps I'll give it a try while playing these games.

Awesome, I'm glad you saw my post and replied. I was afraid that it got hidden by the new stuff you posted. Hehehe.

When we last had a post about StarCraft 2: Legacy of the Void, I was impressed because the development seemed to have progressed faster than I expected. That was due to something I read some where, I'm thinking Wikipedia. I'm looking forward to seeing a release date at least.

I'm not familiar with the development of Terraria on Mac and Linux, but I think it will be good when those versions are released as well. I like that Terraria is available on multiple platforms already such as PC, mobile, and consoles. I have yet to purchase the game for my PS3, but I'm considering doing so when I get more time.

I understand about your concern or issues with Starbound. I enjoyed the game (to a point) when I jumped in and I imagine you played it before I got in to it, so I can only imagine what it must have been like for you. I imagine perhaps my playing of the "nightly build" was similar to your early Starbound experience. I am tempted to get in to the unstable build, but since I'm extremely focused on Hyrule Warriors now and have other games to play, I think I'll wait for the stable release. Do you think you will try it out once that becomes available?

Well, I'm happy to report that Terraria has finally been updated to 1.2 for the Amazon Kindle Fire. I just found out about this on the wiki. Since I was following the Mobile 1.2 thread on the forums, I know that it's been a long wait for us and I'm glad that we finally have the update! I stopped following the thread a few days ago or so. I guess I got tired of waiting for the news and reading since so many people were complaining that our version hadn't received the update yet. I'm not sure when I'll jump back into the game, but I'm just glad that one of the things I was waiting for has finally be released. =)

I'm so jealous of your figurines and sonic screwdrivers! I wish I had at least one sonic screwdriver! Doctors 10 and 11 are definitely among my most favorite. It's very hard to choose between them. The 10th had the saddest regeneration, meaning it was really sad to see him regenerate, yet the 11th Doctor is really awesome! I also love River Song.

My parents have dish TV, but I don't watch it. I haven't had that kind of service in my room on my TV in many years. I am, however, an Amazon Prime member, so I get to watch Doctor Who using the Amazon Instant Video app on my PS3. =)

Awesome, Jon!

Awesome, Travis! I recently finished re-watching season 6. I don't know how much of season 7 I watched. I think that is about where I stopped.

Tim, where did you get your sonic screwdrivers? I'm tempted to get at least two of them, the ones that the 10th and 11th Doctors use. How do they function? Do they do a sonic sound? Do they act as a flashlight? If you have the 11th Doctor's one, does it pop out four (or three) pieces like his does? I mean, do they function as they do when we watch them on Doctor Who?

I have just started part two of season 7, so I've started watching episodes that are new to me. I was happy to see an Ice Warrior return to Doctor Who in the last episode I watched. The Doctor really went a long time without seeing any of them.

I like Clara, she's sexy, or at least her actions and flirting with the Doctor are sexy. LOL

Awesome, Travis! I can't recall seeing River with one. "Flanges" sounds like a good term to call those things. Vinny got me a stylus for Christmas that has an LED flashlight and a laser pointer on it. I think of it as my sonic screw driver. It'd be cool to have a "real" sonic screw driver. Heck, it'd be cool to have a real TARDIS, too. The sonic screw driver didn't debut until the Second Doctor. It was cool when he came out with it.

Many of the Doctor's companions are pretty girls. Tegan is pretty, but still one of my least favorite companions. I also think River is pretty, too. Oh and that woman who was in charge of Torchwood during the "ghosts" episode, she was hot, too. Hahaha. Certainly I can't resist figuratively drooling over pretty girls, I've been doing very well at keeping to the single life in the last couple of years. =)

Awesome!

Yes, I remember, I thought it was his that he gave her.

Cool, thanks for reminding me. =)

Yeah, I remember that, which is why I didn't think she had one of her own. Meaning, I thought she had the Doctor's.

That's a cool explanation of River's sonic screwdriver. Thanks for the link, I'll have to watch those webisodes, since I haven't seen any of them. I did watch the movie. As for the actor who played The Master, he's been a bad guy before, I think in The Dark Knight, so I thought he was a good fit for the role. The 8th Doctor was a good one, too.

I've seen a few of them before, mostly Time Crash and a couple of the others. Some of them are available on Amazon Instant Video, including the prequels. Last night, I watched all of the other ones, up until where I currently am with season 7.

I have finished all of the mini-episodes in the link, which means I have finished season 7. It also means I have just finished watching the 50th Anniversary episode. I got to see a very brief glimpse of the newest Doctor, but only very briefly. I'm looking forward to watching season 8 and seeing the new regeneration, though I'm going to miss another Doctor. I'm sure I'll like the new one. It's weird, too, because when I finish with season 8, I will have seen all of Doctor Who. So, it means one long "adventure" will be coming to an end. It's taken me quite a while to watch all of Doctor Who, but soon I will be all caught up. Once I'm done with season 8, I'm thinking of watching Torchwood.

Thanks for the reminder, the Christmas special is actually the next episode I need to watch.

I just finished watching "Time Heist," which means I'm nearly halfway done with the season, so I thought I'd share some thoughts on season 8 and Peter Capaldi. I didn't have any doubts that I would like him. I've liked every regeneration of the Doctor, even though there was one I didn't like at first. I explained that some time ago. I thought the first episode of season 8 with the new regeneration was cool. The Doctor was still getting used to his new regeneration and was a bit more eccentric or "mad" than usual. Since I've watched all of the other Doctors regenerate, I can tell you that he often takes some time to get use to his new regeneration, usually just the initial episode.

I also have access to some "extras" for each episode, which I watch right after the episode. They are cool. Oh and I liked the addition of Strax, Jenny, and Madame Vastra. For some reason, Strax reminds me of a character in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine named Nog. If you know who I'm talking about, perhaps you notice a similarity, too. It's kind of hard to explain. Strax is funny though, he's a cool character.

You make a good point. I don't know exactly how Strax reminds me of Nog, I think it's perhaps his speech, the way he talks, though I'm just not sure. Nog was a cool character. Yes, a few years ago, I finished watching every Star Trek episode starting with the beginning to the very end of Enterprise. I even watched the animated series and all of the movies.

I liked it. I think it could have gone on longer and I was sad that it didn't. I thought it was cool that the actor who played one of the major bad guys in DS9 returned and played a character in Enterprise. Ever since I started watching Quantum Leap, I've been a fan of Scott Bakula, so I thought it was cool that he was the captain. His Vulcan officer was pretty.

Before I watched all of Star Trek a few years ago, I had seen most of TNG, some of DS9, and a little bit of Voyager (especially the beginning). I had never watched The Original Series nor did I even know about the animated series. So, I was glad to watch everything.

I have liked the new Star Trek movies, although I can't recall the last one (which is the second of the reboot), so I may have to watch it again (I think I watched it). I was familiar with the guy who played (young) Spock because of his role in Heroes. As for the guy who played (young) "Bones," I've seen him a few times, too. I believe I saw some where recently that there's going to be another one.

Hm, I don't know who Roberto Orci is, but IMDB shows that he's a writer/producer.

As for Karl Urban, thanks for telling me his name, although I could have "Googled" that one, too. I don't remember him in Lord of the Rings. Vinny got a DVD for Christmas called "Walking With Dinosaurs: The Movie" and I recognized him. I think he was also in "Doom" (the movie). Ah yes, IMDB confirms that. I also saw "Priest," which I also recognized him in.

Actually, now that I think of it, maybe I do recall seeing Karl Urban in Lord of the Rings. It's been a few years since I've watched the movie.

I've just finished "series 8." That means I have just the 12th Doctor's Christmas episode left. The final two episodes were dark, sad, and surprising.

Thank you all for commenting. I had hoped some of our other frequent members would have something to say as well.

Thanks for pointing out those things, Jon. Setting ourselves apart from other game sites is a bit tricky. What makes us different could be our numbers, content, and users. Personally, I see us as a bit of a small group of friends that like to write about gaming and other topics. Personally, I'm also glad to have a site with a group of friends that I can use to write and read about video games and other topics. You, Jon, may be the only one aware of the traffic this site gets, so it's cool to see some positive things about it. It's also cool that you see SPAM accounts in a positive way as well.

I think we do quite a bit of discussing non "Triple A" games. I'm really not aware of any of the gaming sites you mentioned, except for Reddit, which I hardly even looked at. Still, I think our non "Triple A" game discussion is one thing that probably sets us apart and perhaps helps us generate traffic as perhaps some of those games might not get as much attention.