Borderlands | Cheerful Ghost

The Steam Deck Is Just What PC Gaming Needed

I've been a PC gamer since I was a wee lad starting out on a Commodore VIC-20. The VIC wasn't called a PC, but it had a monitor a keyboard and played awesome games. Fast forward to 2023 and PC gaming has evolved a lot and if you can afford the hardware, is the cutting edge of graphics and performance. All that said, my profession is Software Engineering so at the end of the day I don't want to spend a lot more time at my desk playing games. I've preferred the Switch or more recently the XBox because I can kick back on the couch. I was excited when Valve announced Steam Machines but I was waiting a bit to see how folks were using them and even though Steam Machines... Read All I've been a PC gamer since I was a wee lad starting out on a Commodore VIC-20. The VIC wasn't called a PC, but it had a monitor a keyboard and played awesome games. Fast forward to 2023 and PC gaming has evolved a lot and if you can afford the hardware, is the cutting edge of graphics and performance. All that said, my profession is Software Engineering so at the end of the day I don't want to spend a lot more time at my desk playing games. I've preferred the Switch or more recently the XBox because I can kick back on the couch. I was excited when Valve announced Steam Machines but I was waiting a bit to see how folks were using them and even though Steam Machines were a great idea, they didn't catch on. Apparently Valve didn't give up on Steam in the living room because even after the Steam box streamer they came hot to the market with the Steam Deck, a premium Linux handheld that has quite a bit of PC power. I didn't pick one up at launch because I wasn't sure what to make of it. The initial reviews were good, but who knows how well they'd hold up? Well after waiting a while when the Deck recently went on sale I picked it up.

For me the Steam Deck is a shot in the arm to PC gaming and bringing me back to it to play games in my back catalog. Plus the Steam Deck runs Linux so you can do whatever else with it you want. Want to play Nintendo games you've already bought from Nintendo 5 times already? They will run. Want to play those free games you got on the Epic Games Store? Most will run. Want to play your incredible Steam back catalog? Most will work too.

Since the Steam Deck is running Linux and using Proton as the Wine emulation layer I expected things to be janky and I'm surprised it's as seamless as it is. I've been a Linux Desktop user and gamer for years and nothing in the past is this easy to use. Valve has done a ton of work and them owning all the hardware, drivers and Proton stack really adds up to a magical device that just works. Now all Steam games don't work, but I don't care much about that because I have thousands of games I'll never get around to playing anyway.

I got the official Steam Deck Dock and that works great on my TV and am currently replaying Borderlands that way. Bouncing between the Deck and my TV is seamless and occasionally there are issues, but it's nothing game breaking. The Steam Deck is so great I'll most likely purchase most new games digitally on PC because this really seems like the best way to play games.

Bordlands Movie Casting News

https://mcfarlane.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/New_Borderlands_Header.jpg

I found some fresh news from the production of the Borderlands movie that I'd thought I'd share. They've cast Ariana Greenblatt to play Tiny Tina. Ariana played young Gamore in Avengers: Infinity War. The article also reveals (possibly not new news) other cast members including "Cate Blanchett as Lilith, Kevin Hart as Roland, Jamie Lee Curtis as Tannis, and Jack Black lending his voice to Claptrap." I think this seems interesting. I wonder how Jack Black will sound as Claptrap. There's currently no news of when the movie will be released, but at least we know it's in production.

It's interesting to see video games being adapted as movies, sometimes with success and... Read All I found some fresh news from the production of the Borderlands movie that I'd thought I'd share. They've cast Ariana Greenblatt to play Tiny Tina. Ariana played young Gamore in Avengers: Infinity War. The article also reveals (possibly not new news) other cast members including "Cate Blanchett as Lilith, Kevin Hart as Roland, Jamie Lee Curtis as Tannis, and Jack Black lending his voice to Claptrap." I think this seems interesting. I wonder how Jack Black will sound as Claptrap. There's currently no news of when the movie will be released, but at least we know it's in production.

It's interesting to see video games being adapted as movies, sometimes with success and other times with failure. I remember something I read recently about this and how movie makers have seen that video games have become a dominant leader in entertainment. What I read mentioned how, many years ago, movies would buy the rights to video game characters and such, but did not stick to the IP and instead took their own "creative" path. I'd say Super Mario Bros. (the 1993 movie) is a prime example of this. What I read stated that movie makers saw Sonic the Hedgehog as a success and have seen the value of video games. That movie did veer off of what we knows as Sonic the Hedgehog a bit, but it probably wasn't as off course as the Super Mario Bros. movie. In fact, there will be a Sonic the Hedgehog sequel and it may already be in production. If you watched that movie's end-credits scene, you'll notice that Tails will be joining Sonic in the sequel (and rightly so, I think). Monster Hunter is another recent video game that was adapted into a move, but from what I read it seemed to have flopped, although the movie itself most certainly showed the possibility of a sequel.

Let me know what you think about this announcement. Is Borderlands something you're looking forward to seeing? What do you think about how more video games are being adapted into movies?

If you want to read the full article you can find it here: https://www.gamespot.com/articles/borderlands-movie-casts-avengers-infinity-wars-ariana-greenblatt-as-tiny-tina/1100-6488253/?utm_source=gamefaqs&utm_medium=partner&utm_content=news_module&utm_campaign=homepage

I Might Have a Problem and Borderlands on Switch Is Also Very Good

2K Games dropped a raft of games on Switch recently with Bioshock The Collection, The Borderlands Legendary Collection and X-Com 2. Last week I happily opened The Borderlands Legendary Collection on Father's Day and was able to play it enough to note that's it's another solid Switch port worthy of the games strong legacy.

I know this might not be a popular opinion but I think the first Borderlands game is the best in the series(I have yet to play Borderlands 3). And now that the original Borderlands was remastered with a ton of updates and quality of life improvements (auto pickup, etc) it really is the best looter shooter around. 2K took this remastered version and... Read All 2K Games dropped a raft of games on Switch recently with Bioshock The Collection, The Borderlands Legendary Collection and X-Com 2. Last week I happily opened The Borderlands Legendary Collection on Father's Day and was able to play it enough to note that's it's another solid Switch port worthy of the games strong legacy.

I know this might not be a popular opinion but I think the first Borderlands game is the best in the series(I have yet to play Borderlands 3). And now that the original Borderlands was remastered with a ton of updates and quality of life improvements (auto pickup, etc) it really is the best looter shooter around. 2K took this remastered version and perfectly ported it to Switch such that I honestly can't tell if they had to compromise anything in the way of visuals or gameplay.

If you are interested in buying the physical version of Borderlands on Switch there is something to keep in mind. 2K was able to put the original Borderlands on the game cart but if you want to play Borderlands 2 and the Pre-Sequel there is an included code to download them. As someone that enjoys buying a physical copy and loaning it to friends this is a bummer but on the other hand, there is no cart switching required to play Borderlands 2 or the Pre-Sequel. Plus if you just wanted to play those two games, one could buy the game snag the codes and loan out the game cart to someone that has yet to play the original.

Earlier on I picked up The Bioshock Collection and 2K put a bit of each game on the cart and required complete downloads of all with the game cart. I appreciate that they included a sample of all three games I think I prefer what they did with The Borderlands Legendary Collection.

Borderlands is already a classic game and it's good to see it continue to be relevant and come to an even wider audience on Switch. If you have Borderlands remastered on PC already and prefer that platform i'd recommend playing it that way but if you have a Switch and have yet to try it out this is a great way to do that.

I also wanted to note that I played Borderlands on Switch co-op with a friend recently and if your Switch is online it requires you friends account to be connected to a Switch online account. This makes some sense as Borderlands co-op can interact with public online as well but it was a major hassle to figure out how to get around this. To get around Switch Borderlands requirement for a friend account to link online you simply turn wifi off on your Switch. It's a strange hack but it worked and hope it helps anyone that runs into that problem.

So Many Games Coming To Switch In The Latest Nintendo Direct

There were a lot of games announced for Switch in the latest Nintendo direct and I wanted to highlight that 2K games is bringing some essential classics such as The Bioshock Collection, Borderlands Legendary Collection: includes Borderlands, Borderlands 2, and Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel and The XCom 2 Collection to the Switch on May 29th. The good news is these versions will come with a physical game releases but they are so large that they couldn't include everything on the 16 gig game cart.

I love Borderlands and had fun playing it on the PS3 and hopefully the Switch version is faithful to these games. As they don't require the most cutting edge of hardware... Read All

Borderlands Game of the Year Edition Enhanced Is An Incredible Update To Borderlands!

Borderlands is one of the best shooters I've ever played. The story, loot and gameplay are fantastic and started a new wave of looter-shooters that continued with Borderlands 2, Destiny and The Division. I was elated to learn that Gearbox was going to release a new 4K remaster of the original Borderlands and the best part is that Gearbox has added new features and quality of life enhancements making it even better.

I'm gonna clip out some new features that Gearbox brought to Borderlands to make it easy to see all the new stuff:

"* A Borderlands 2-style mini-map, which you can toggle on and off, has been added to complement the original compass
* Substantial improvements... Read All Borderlands is one of the best shooters I've ever played. The story, loot and gameplay are fantastic and started a new wave of looter-shooters that continued with Borderlands 2, Destiny and The Division. I was elated to learn that Gearbox was going to release a new 4K remaster of the original Borderlands and the best part is that Gearbox has added new features and quality of life enhancements making it even better.

I'm gonna clip out some new features that Gearbox brought to Borderlands to make it easy to see all the new stuff:

"* A Borderlands 2-style mini-map, which you can toggle on and off, has been added to complement the original compass
* Substantial improvements to the inventory system—such as allowing you to “lock” weapons or mark them as “junk”—simplify item management
* Items like ammo, money, and health now auto-pick up from the ground
* Rewards Ready: With the addition of the SHiFT player rewards program, you can now use Golden Keys to unlock special in-game items and rewards. Returning SHiFT users who’ve played Borderlands 2 or The Pre-Sequel on PC will receive 75 free Golden Keys, as well as two randomly selected all-new weapons, for their first newly-created Vault Hunter.
* Added Firepower: A new set of six named, custom-skinned Legendary weapons make the base game’s arsenal even deeper. Beat bosses or gather Golden Keys for a chance to collect ‘em all.
* Badder Boss Battle: In direct response to fan feedback, the campaign’s final boss encounter has been adjusted to be more engaging, challenging, and rewarding.
* Cosmetic Customization: For the first time, you will be able to customize your Vault Hunter beyond simply selecting a color scheme. Each of the four available characters has five brand new cosmetic heads unlocked and equippable right from the start of the game."

After the new Borderlands released for free to everyone that had the original on Steam, I installed it and transferred over my original Borderlands characters. I decided to start fresh with a new character and I'm glad I did because I forgot how great the start of Borderlands is. Right away the Borderlands 2 style mini-map and auto-pickup of items is just what Doctor Zed ordered and makes the game feel so much better. Truth be told the original mechanics weren't bad, but these enhancements just make the game that much nicer. There is also a huge golden key chest in the middle of town and with 75 keys to start, you have a lot of options for some great weapon finds. That said, I don't typically use the golden keys as I've found they make the game a bit too easy, that said they are here now which is a nice addition. Gearbox is also tweeting golden keys for Borderlands often so if you want more, you can get them.

The 4K visuals are stunning and the new build of the game makes Borderlands feel like a brand new game. The addition of character skins is also really neat and already I've customized my character a bit to make the game a bit more fun. It's not something I found essential in Borderlands 2 but it's a nice way to look a bit different to friends in multiplayer.

Whenever I came back to Borderlands on PC I never felt like that version gave the game the credit it deserved and it seemed like more attention was put into the PS3 and XBox 360 versions. Borderlands 2 changed this as the PC version was first class and now, the original Borderlands is just as incredible. And frankly with all the Epic store exclusive business, maybe returning to the original adventure through is the best choice?

https://steamcommunity.com/games/8980/announcements/detail/1767008477036180317

Borderlands and Borderlands 2 Are Getting A 4K Re-Release "Wub Wub"

We are living in the age of the video game re-release where a game company or publisher takes an older game, maybe not even that old and dusts it off, upgrades the textures and makes it easier to play on modern systems. As a huge fan of retro games I think it's great so many games are becoming easier to play. Recently Gearbox had a huge PAX East presentation and two bits of news were that Borderlands and Borderlands 2 The Handsome Collection are getting 4K remasters. If you own Borderlands on Steam this new version will be applied to your existing version for free and if you have the Handsome Collection it's also a free upgrade.

The Borderlands 4K remaster is a bit... Read All We are living in the age of the video game re-release where a game company or publisher takes an older game, maybe not even that old and dusts it off, upgrades the textures and makes it easier to play on modern systems. As a huge fan of retro games I think it's great so many games are becoming easier to play. Recently Gearbox had a huge PAX East presentation and two bits of news were that Borderlands and Borderlands 2 The Handsome Collection are getting 4K remasters. If you own Borderlands on Steam this new version will be applied to your existing version for free and if you have the Handsome Collection it's also a free upgrade.

The Borderlands 4K remaster is a bit more than a graphical overhaul, with the included new features it's a lot like a new Borderlands game. According to PCGamer:

"As well as a minimap in the style of Borderlands 2 which you can switch on or off, the inventory system will be simplified, and you'll automatically pick up items found on the ground like ammo and health.

There are more fundamental tweaks to the game, too. The game's final boss has been altered for a tougher, more rewarding challenge, and to make it a more "engaging" encounter—we'll have to give that a try before we know exactly what impact that makes.

The SHiFT player rewards are also coming to the game—anyone who's played Borderlands 2 or The Pre-Sequel on PC will get 75 free Golden Keys, as well as two random new weapons when they create a new Vault Hunter. Six new legendary weapons have been added to the game, too, which you can unlock by hoovering up Golden Keys or by defeating bosses. More customization options are being added for player characters, too, with five swappable sets of head gear for your Vault Hunter available at the start. "

The original Borderlands on PC has always been a bit shaky, and I can't wait for this new version to give it the love it deserves. I found the loot drops and story to be more my style in the original Borderlands and I can't wait to jump back in to the fresh new version to see how well it translates.

https://www.pcgamer.com/borderlands-game-of-the-year-edition-is-coming-to-pc

Borderlands, A New Beginning?

http://cdn.edgecast.steamstatic.com/steam/apps/8980/header.jpg?t=1447366534

I became aware of Borderlands 2 because a friend told me he was playing it on his Xbox. There was a free weekend of it on Steam and I tried out it then, but not for very long. While first-person shooter games are very popular, I tend to stay away from them, with a few exceptions. I missed out on the Borderlands 2 Cheerful Ghost event. Every seemed to have a good time with that. Someone else mentioned it to me and I decided to buy the trilogy during a recent seasonal Steam sale.

As of less than 20 hours into the game, it seems ok. It has humor, challenge, and fun. I’m getting more used to it, my character is growing, and I’m feeling more comfortable with it. It seemed a... Read All

jdodson Admin wrote on 02/14/2017 at 05:30am

It's good that you are starting with Borderlands because firstly, it's great and secondly Borderlands 2 adds some mechanics that make it a bit harder to come back and enjoy the first game. Nothing major, but nice quality of life improvements that make Borderlands 2 that much better for it. Personally I enjoy the gameplay focus on the first game over the story and dialog focus on the second. The story is pretty engaging and funny the first time but becomes less so the more times you go through the game. I really hope Borderlands 3 does something that allows you to play the game without dialog or something.

That said, the original Borderlands is a really contained game that provides a nice length campaign that, to me, never felt overlong. I play it mostly on the PS3 and the game shined on that system but still holds up very well on PC. I've always dreamed they'd bring the Mac port to Steam and also port it to Linux but that doesn't seem to likely at this point.

Anyways, glad you are enjoying the game and I look forward to more of your thoughts on it.

Travis Admin wrote on 02/14/2017 at 10:51pm

Yeah what Jon says is absolutely true. Overall, I remember the first game more fondly. It had more charm somehow. It was rough around the edges but I liked that. The setting, overall, is more appealing.

But Borderlands 2 ramps up the polish, a better written story, more humor (perhaps too much at times), an incredibly charismatic villain, and most importantly tons of balance and mechanics changes that really make it better. Weapon skill leveling is gone, perks are in. Gunplay feels more impactful.

Borderlands 2 is the better game, definitely, but it misses some piece of magic from the first game that I can't quite quantify.

Azurephile Super Member Post Author wrote on 02/15/2017 at 05:42am

As for the first game, when is the best time to access those areas? I'm level 27 or 28 now, I have 27 backpack slots. There seems to be plenty to do, Claptrap keeps telling me someone somewhere wants to talk to me or there are new missions available. I'm still just getting around, I just recently got the ability to teleport with that one station.

Travis Admin wrote on 02/15/2017 at 04:41pm

By "those areas" I assume you're talking about DLC missions? Each mission should tell you what level it's geared toward, and the DLC ones will reset every few levels if you ignore them. So, there's really no wrong time once you reach the first threshold for them. Each one has a different initial level target I think. It's been a while so I can't remember.

jdodson Admin wrote on 02/15/2017 at 07:30pm

I'd play the DLC after you are done with the main game campaign. You can do it whenever, but I believe the DLC story wise happens after the main storyline.

Travis Admin wrote on 02/16/2017 at 03:38am

That's a good point. For the most part it doesn't matter but there's one key part of one DLC that wouldn't make a lot of sense if you haven't gotten to a certain point in the main game.

That's vague as hell, but I don't want to spoil things.

Azurephile Super Member Post Author wrote on 02/16/2017 at 04:21am

After asking my question here, I decided to Google it hours later and what I read is what Jon said, play them after the main story.

As for Borderlands 2 and the prequel, what order do you suggest for those games? I believe a friend told me I should play the prequel before the 2nd game as that's how the story flows, but I was thinking that I might just go by what was released first (B2).

Travis Admin wrote on 02/16/2017 at 04:31am

That's like saying you should watch the Star Wars prequels before the original trilogy!

Definitely go in release order. The Pre-Sequel kinda assumes you know things that happened in BL2 in a sense. It actually takes place *after* BL2 in a sense, since there are characters from BL2 telling the story. You'll spoil plot points in BL2 by playing The Pre-Sequel first.

jdodson Admin wrote on 02/16/2017 at 04:32am

Borderlands => Borderlands DLC => Borderlands 2 => Borderlands The Pre-Sequel.

jdodson Admin wrote on 02/16/2017 at 04:33am

That said, I still have yet to play the Borderlands DLC, finish up Borderlands 2(I am very close) and then the Pre-Sequel. I have games for ages.

Azurephile Super Member Post Author wrote on 02/16/2017 at 05:09am

LOL @ Travis. Why wouldn't you? Hahaha. Well, I did play Wolfenstein The Old Blood before I played The New Order and I think it was fine.

One of the reasons I thought about playing the BL trilogy by going by which was released first, was because I imagine various game mechanics are different or improved upon in the newest version (the Pre-Sequel).

Thanks for the input and helping me choose a path.

I'm 30 hours in, feeling a bit more comfortable, happy with some guns, not so happy with others. I tend to use a shotgun or sniper rifle, hardly anything else other than grenades, which I use to give me health.

I'm still learning the game. Claptrap keeps telling me about new missions via a notice board or person. But, I bounce around so much that I hardly get to know any areas or the people in them. I'm also not sure about Class Mods, particularly what I should be using. I haven't quite learned all of the benefits some of them provide and some of those seem to be for co-op play.

Azurephile Super Member Post Author wrote on 02/17/2017 at 04:43am

I found those people and notification boards I needed to see for more missions. After finishing a bunch of missions, I completed the "first playthrough." Now I'm working on Dr. Ned's DLC. I also looked up info about "class mods" and went with Commando.

jdodson Admin wrote on 02/17/2017 at 05:51am

Cool! What did you think of completing the base game? What did you think of the ending?

Azurephile Super Member Post Author wrote on 02/17/2017 at 08:28am

In a way, I expected it to be longer, yet I didn't really know what to expect. It has it's challenges and fun. I didn't complete all of the challenges, I only looked at that screen once, I think. I'm not sure if I found all the Claptraps, but I think my backpack has about 36 slots. Also, I only completed it once with Roland, the soldier, so there is definitely more to do other than the DLC.

I wasn't expecting the storyline to end the way it did, so I was surprised.

Travis Admin wrote on 02/17/2017 at 02:25pm

Ah, I forgot about finding claptraps to get backpack upgrades. I kinda like that more than spending that secondary currency on them in BL2.

Azurephile Super Member Post Author wrote on 02/17/2017 at 08:49pm

Have any of you gone through the game more than once? What classes or characters did you choose?

Travis Admin wrote on 02/17/2017 at 10:37pm

Not all the way through, no. But I tried all of them for a few hours but Lilith was my jam.

jdodson Admin wrote on 02/18/2017 at 05:43am

I beat the game with Lilith too. Roland was also pretty fun.

Timogorgon Member wrote on 02/20/2017 at 09:21pm

I beat the game with Roland and Mordicai. Played a bit as Lilith and Brick. Roland is by far my favorite character in the first Borderlands. You can set yourself up to basically have unlimited ammo and grenades. :P

Azurephile Super Member Post Author wrote on 02/21/2017 at 12:10am

Nice! I was waiting for you to join us in this post, Tim. :)

So, I tried out the 2nd DLC, Mad Moxxi's Underdome and I don't think I'm going to complete it. I tried and found it to be a bit too difficult and the battles were too long. It seemed like it'd take forever just to beat one of the three arenas. I can imagine that it could be better with friends. So, I'm working on the 3rd DLC now.

Also, at least 2 or 3 of my friends have told me that the Pre-Sequel is their favorite. Some of them still recommend playing it before BL2.

Azurephile Super Member Post Author wrote on 02/21/2017 at 12:59am

@Tim, what class mod did you go with for Roland?

Travis Admin wrote on 02/21/2017 at 02:10am

Moxxi's DLC is a very different kind of expansion since it's just an arena. It's fun but not like the others.

Azurephile Super Member Post Author wrote on 02/22/2017 at 07:28pm

Oh wow, the visual difference between the first two games is..."wow!" BL2 looks wonderful! I played it before, or at least during a free weekend, but I only spent a couple of hours in it. I like that I've now played the first game and have moved to the second, because I know things and see recognizable things in the world. I chose Zero when I played it years ago, but this time I went with Axton because I got used to the first game with Roland, a similar character.

I might go back to Borderlands eventually, but I think for now I'm going to move on to BL2. I left Moxxi's Underdome and Crawmerax unfinished.

Travis Admin wrote on 02/22/2017 at 10:35pm

I guess by Crawmerax you mean the General Knoxx DLC? If so, yeah you got the best ones done. Although I was getting quite annoyed with Claptrap by the end of the Robot Revolution DLC, I still enjoyed it. Zombie Island is the best I think.

Azurephile Super Member Post Author wrote on 02/23/2017 at 01:16am

Yeah, I think that's where Crawmerax is. I read that it's hard even with 4 people. I got kind of tired of driving all around back and forth in the General Knoxx DLC. I thought Robot Revolution and Zombie Island were good, though. I turned in hundreds of Clapcomponents, but at the end decided to not continue that cycle, I was ready to move on.

BL2 seems to be better many ways, but not necessarily all. I liked having the markers on the compass instead of just the mini-map. I don't think I've run into any med kits that you can buy, store, and use later. I'm still quite impressed at the visual upgrade from BL to BL2.

Travis Admin wrote on 02/23/2017 at 03:26am

I think I ended up kinda cheesing Crawmerax. It doesn't give you good enough loot to punish yourself with it unless you're on your second (or higher) playthrough.

Timogorgon Member wrote on 02/26/2017 at 03:39am

It's been awhile, so I don't remember the specifics about my class mod I preferred with Roland. I just remember it had team ammo regen.

For BL2 I play Salvador or Gaige.

For Salvador I invest heavily in the rampage skill tree. I'm all about being able to spend as much time gunzerking as possible! I stick to class mods that give team ammo regen plus whatever the best skill bonuses I can find.

For Gaige I went down the Little Big Trouble tree, which gives a bunch of fun bonuses to electric damage weapons, as well as some fun stuff like sending out an electric shock-wave every time you reload or causing an electric AoE when you score a critical hit. Early on I just look for whatever mod gives the best stat bonuses. Once I get interspersed Outburst, I look for a mod that gives me a bonus for that.

Travis Admin wrote on 02/26/2017 at 04:49am

Gaige's skill tree is tons of fun to experiment with. It looks like you put way more thought into it than I do! :)

Travis Admin wrote on 02/26/2017 at 04:49am

Also Greg, your header image broke!

Azurephile Super Member Post Author wrote on 02/26/2017 at 05:23am

That's cool, thanks for sharing, Tim!

Travis, it looks like my image on the post is fine.

Travis Admin wrote on 02/26/2017 at 05:40am

Weird. I wonder what's breaking it on my end!

jdodson Admin wrote on 03/01/2017 at 02:33pm

Occasionally the avatar images break for some reason(not sure why though). All of them are simple links back to whatever service the person selected.

Travis Admin wrote on 03/01/2017 at 06:29pm

I meant the post's embed image. It was gone for me for an hour or so but then it was fine.

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Borderlands Update Removes DRM Allows PC Users Steam Copy

The original Borderlands was one of my most beloved games of the last few years so it's awesome to see it get some useful updates. It seems Gearbox pushed an update to Steam to get rid of the SecuRom DRM from the base game and all DLC. They also created a tool that grants you the Steam copy if you purchased the PC version outside Steam.

http://steamcommunity.com/games/8980/announcements/detail/175956536787509775

scrypt Supporter wrote on 07/30/2014 at 02:33am

...Allows owners of the game a free Steam copy. Thought they were handing out Steam codes to everyone for a second there ;)!

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 07/30/2014 at 02:34am

Ha yeah, that would be awesome. I kind of want them to hand out Steam keys for people with PS3 and XBox 360 copies, but... Not everyone is Valve and this isn't Portal 2.

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 07/30/2014 at 02:34am

Still, a Steam copy from any PC version is pretty nice.

scrypt Supporter wrote on 07/30/2014 at 02:42am

The article states that the Granting Tool works with retail discs. Will it work with non-Steam digital copies? Some people commenting are saying you have to have the disc in the drive when using the tool.

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 07/30/2014 at 02:52am

I am not sure. That said, if you had the retail PC disc I guess you pass it around to your friends for a free copy each?

Travis Admin wrote on 07/30/2014 at 03:03am

I downloaded the tool to convert to Steam, but I can't get any further in the process because the first step is to verify your disk, but I assume it also requires you to put in a product code later? But it may be so long into the game's life that they don't really mind if you share it with your friends.

Travis Admin wrote on 07/30/2014 at 03:03am

At any rate, scrypt, yeah it seems like you have to have the game disk. Maybe, if it does key verification later, you can use someone else's disk with your key? Who knows...

Travis Admin wrote on 07/30/2014 at 03:05am

FINAL COMMENT in this chain, sorry for spamming up the place: based on comments on that Steam topic, it does seem that it requires a key after verifying the disk.

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 07/30/2014 at 03:07am

Ah. That's good to know. So they have some kind of Gearbox key they verify and then hand out a Steam copy if it all works right. :godmode:

Travis Admin wrote on 07/30/2014 at 03:09am

So it seems. It's apparently getting hammered right now though, some people are reporting some issues connecting.

scrypt Supporter wrote on 07/30/2014 at 03:16am

Most retail disc games (all, that I'm aware of...) come with a CD key for registration. I would assume if the tool requires the disc, it would then verify the CD Key, as a two-step proof of ownership. Just glad they moved away from SecuRom!

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 07/30/2014 at 03:27am

I am glad too, that's why I posted it mainly. I have less of a problem with DRM is the companies remove it at some point. There is a slight usecase for DRM around launch I guess and if they strip it away at some point, it makes the whole concept of it less stupid.

Travis Admin wrote on 07/30/2014 at 03:33am

Here's something to think about. When the Witcher 2 released, the version that showed up on The Pirate Bay wasn't the DRM-free version from gog.com that would have been trivial to pirate, it was the Steam version with the SecuROM cracked out. People in that scene were just used to doing it that way. That's how trivial it is to crack. DRM only screws with paying customers who want to play fair, having to have the disc in to play, or in some cases having to keep a constant internet connection to the publisher's servers. But if you have to have DRM, Steamworks DRM is the least obtrusive of all of them I've seen. You just have to have Steam open and occasionally connect it to the internet. I suppose Origin is the same way.

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 07/30/2014 at 03:52am

I agree with you and, for sure, history and is on your side here. It's just that if DRM has a purpose it's only in the run up to the game launch and a bit thereafter. Certainly it isn't useful during a big ass Steam sale where the game costs $5 or in the games 5th year of life.

I guess I am just trying to strike a middle ground somewhere so publishers can feel better and DRM gets removed in some known period.

scrypt Supporter wrote on 07/30/2014 at 04:04am

Excellent point. Another something to think about (or speculate over, as the case may be): Concerning the implementation of DRM, do you think most companies are worried about losing profits, or annoyed that someone is getting something for nothing? Put another way, if all the people that pirate games (or any digital content) lived on some remote island with amazing satellite broadband, but TSA level shipping restrictions, would anyone really care if their product was pirated? Would digital piracy even be an issue at that point?

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 07/30/2014 at 04:07am

Lost profits) Yes, I think that's the point entirely, with games at least. I think DRM is made to stop people from simply copying files to a friends computer so they can play it for free.

Remote island) Piracy wouldn't be as popular in terms of downloads but in countries with bad internet they have dealers on the street selling DVD's and such. Like life, piracy finds a way.

scrypt Supporter wrote on 07/30/2014 at 04:38am

My point is that pirates will pirate, they won't purchase. As long as they don't sell what they pirate, and the people that purchase content legitimately continue to do so, what harm does piracy do? Transformers 4 grossed $300M worldwide in its first three days. I'll take a presumptuous guess and say that it was pirated at least 100,000 times, which is likely a low figure. If someone steals something from a stockpile of infinite supply, what does it matter if a handful consistently go missing?

Travis Admin wrote on 07/31/2014 at 02:47am

> My point is that pirates will pirate, they won't purchase.

That's not entirely true. Netflix won over a lot of pirates because there was finally a better product than piracy. Many people chose to pirate the first Assassin's Creed game on PC because of the draconian DRM. Plus it isn't unheard of to pirate a game as a demo and buy it later, but that example is the exception rather than the rule.

scrypt Supporter wrote on 07/31/2014 at 06:07am

I'll amend my hyperbolic statement, and say instead that pirates don't want to purchase. I wasn't thinking so much of the people that dabble in blue moon piracy, as DRM isn't built for these people. Netflix streaming service hasn't offered much in the way of new content in years, and I'll bet that most of those pirates that "converted" are really just ripping Netflix discs as they come in the mail.

Free to Play is an excellent solution to piracy (maybe the only pure solution, as it is essentially legalized piracy), although it doesn't always seem applicable. How would Wolfenstein: New Order work as a Free to Play game? And this is what I was vaguely and sloppily coming around to: Could there be more room to innovate in the Free to Play model? Do you think we might see a big game, like Uncharted 4 or Half-Life 3, released in some F2P hybrid?

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 07/31/2014 at 04:37pm

> My point is that pirates will pirate, they won't purchase.

I think that scrypt is right for some people. I know this guy that was an avowed pirate, he bragged how little he bought and pirated a ton of content. He lauded that he bought stuff he loved, but I didn't really buy that from him, he wasn't terribly trustworthy as a person anyway. Not saying all pirates are bad people, but he seemed to have the value of "I don't pay for stuff and am happy about it." He had money to buy it, he just didn't want to and was happy to stick it to someone. Games, movies, whatever.

Netflix does offer new films in rotation. I just recently watched The Master, World War Z, Oldboy(Spike Lee remake), Machete Kills, Pain and Gain & Don Juan. Maybe not all triple A movies, but I wanted to see them all and was happy I didn't have to rent. That said, I love films but don't need to see each triple A movie release, waiting or never is fine for me.

I hear from many people that they rip discs from Netflix and Redbox too, that seems to be really common. I think that shows that digital movie pricing is a bit high for some, and i'd tend to agree. I think the only digital pricing that seems to have come to a norm are some ebooks, music and indie games. Everything else needs to catch up to a better model.

Free to play seems to work for multi-player competitive games, but perhaps, not a ton else. Well, Candy Crush works too I guess. That said, Wolf: New Order wouldn't work well in F2P and it doesn't need to because, if memory serves, it sold pretty well.

I hope we don't see games like Half-Life 3 come F2P because it doesn't make a ton of sense to and they'd make enough money through normal sales anyway. Will Valve make more money over time from DoTA 2 than Portal 2? I think so but I hope they still make non F2P games, because I honestly play more of them anyway.

Travis Admin wrote on 07/31/2014 at 08:52pm

Ugh, you watched the Spike Lee remake? I've heard it's at best OK if you haven't seen the original, and atrocious if you have.

Also, Half-Life 3 could be free-to-play if they gave Gordon tons of hats to wear. It seems to have worked for TF2.

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 07/31/2014 at 08:59pm

The Oldboy remake was fine but the original one was much better.

scrypt Supporter wrote on 07/31/2014 at 09:53pm

I've heard good things about the original Oldboy. I haven't seen either, though. All consumed with Guardians of the Galaxy coming out this Friday, which, I read on the internet somewhere, will be better than both Oldboys combined.

Say that Gabe sends out a memo to Team Half-Life, stating that he wants the third iteration to be Free to Play. Half Life is a universe serious in tone, and you don't want to throw gimmicks at it to monetize it, and no way in hell will there be ad placement. Beyond the typical Free to Play structures we've seen, how could you go about monetizing a "free" experience, without cheating the player or the story? I apologize if I just keep repeating the same thing in different words. It's fascinating to think about it, and each time I post a comment I feel like I'm close to progressing the conversation with an actual idea, but then I get trapped in my head, thinking about what I'm thinking about, and that turns into a desire for cinnamon rolls, and then I lose the thought.

I'll have something later, I promise!

Travis Admin wrote on 07/31/2014 at 10:56pm

Well, now *I* have a desire for cinnamon rolls, so thanks. :)

scrypt Supporter wrote on 08/01/2014 at 12:07am

There is a place here called Ginger Browns and they make amazing cinnamon rolls. Not gooey, or overly cinnamony, but dense and rich and chewy and you pretty much die after eating one. It's ridiculous.

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New Borderlands coming this year, not developed by Gearbox

I have mixed feelings about Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel

On the one hand, more Borderlands! And we finally get to go to the moon base that everyone has been wanting for years now.

On the other hand, it isn't being developed by Gearbox. In the past we've seen good and bad things come from franchises that get games passed around like this, so I'll hold out hope for good things. It's still staying inside 2K, and Randy Pitchford loves the way 2K Australia is handling it, so I'm choosing to trust them until I'm proven otherwise.

The game takes place between Borderlands 1 and 2, and you'll play as familiar characters from the franchise, including Claptrap. Yes, Claptrap is a... Read All

Gearbox just dropped the skill tree for the new Mecromancer

Gearbox just dropped the skill tree for the new Mecromancer class here:

http://www.borderlands2.com/us/skilltree/mechromancer.html

Based on information in the skill tree the Mech you summon is called Deathtrap. Not all the Mecromancer skills effect the Mech, that said some do and they look really cool(these are not all of Deathtrap's abilities):

Buckup: Deathtrap restores the sheilds of one ally.

Upshot Robot: While Deathtrap is active, if you or Deathtrap kill an enemy it increases Deathtrap’s Duration and grants both of you a stackable Melee Damage bonus. Bonuses are lost when Deathtrap goes away.

Explosive Clap: Deathtrap causes an explosion in front of him,... Read All

Timogorgon Member wrote on 10/09/2012 at 06:18am

The little big trouble tree looks like fun. I usually I don't go for the electric weapons because their damage takes a dive once your target's shield is down. But I like the idea of your electric weapons also setting stuff on FIRE! Mwa ha ha ha!

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 10/09/2012 at 01:42pm

Yep, that extra ability seems fun. The Mecromancers skill tree is pretty creative, too bad she didn't ship with the normal game.

Travis Admin wrote on 10/09/2012 at 02:06pm

I need to get Maya to max level fast so I can be done with her when Gaige comes out. This is quickly becoming the most interesting class.

Multiplayer should be fun on day 1. Hundreds of 4-mech parties.

Travis Admin wrote on 10/09/2012 at 02:09pm

While we're on the topic of classes, does anyone else have zero interest in the commando?

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 10/09/2012 at 02:51pm

Axton is pretty good. I use him when I play with my friends. The turret is pretty good and this time around its a bit better.

Looks like the Mecromancer is made to be a sort of support class though now, which is pretty cool.

BR Supporter wrote on 10/09/2012 at 03:48pm

I love playing as axton. His turret is much better than the one in the first borderlands as Jon said. Currently he is my favorite character, that is, until Gaige comes out. I'm really looking forward to trying out her skills.

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 10/09/2012 at 04:02pm

Hey yall, looks like Gaige will drop later today, or a full day early.

https://twitter.com/DuvalMagic/status/255540164959559682

Woot.

vdogmr25 wrote on 10/09/2012 at 05:09pm

Going through the skill names I'm amazed at the My Little Pony references. 20% Cooler, Evil Enchantress, The Stare, Discord, and Potent as a Pony (sort of) all reference MLP. Kinda cool.

Travis Admin wrote on 10/09/2012 at 06:09pm

It seems everyone who isn't me is obsessed with MLP ;)

But awesome that she's dropping today! Can't wait.

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 10/09/2012 at 06:18pm

/me not obsessed with MLP. I liked it when I was a young lad i'll admit. Happily not a Brony. That said, I have no aversion to Bronies.

Timogorgon Member wrote on 10/09/2012 at 06:30pm

I play Axton as my solo character. The Turret is fun and really helpful while playing solo. Plus, when 5 points are put into it, one of Axton's first tier abilities gives you a +20% gun damage. That's an awesome tier 1 ability!

And WHAT!? Mecromancer drops today!? That's awesome!

BR Supporter wrote on 10/09/2012 at 10:27pm

I can't believe they released it early! I am so excited to try her out. I won't be able to till tomorrow though, but still, I'm just extremely happy they released her early.

Travis Admin wrote on 10/10/2012 at 03:07am

OK, can I just say... The mechromancer is awesome. That is all.

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 10/10/2012 at 06:02am

Yeah she really is. Played her tonight in 3 person game to level 9 and she was awesome. Deathtrap is real fun! He is like a much better version of the turret with melee and ranged attacks. Plus he stays on the battle field pretty long compared to other abilities!

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 10/13/2012 at 05:54pm

Just tried Maya with 3 people and lockdown is DOPE FLY!

The abilities I had were if you kill something in lockdown you get health regen orbs. Really useful in co-op. I also tinkered with the shoot to heal ability, that was fun but at a low level kind of a bullet waste.

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 10/13/2012 at 05:55pm

Didn't think the new Siren would be good at all, I really like her quite a bit now.

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