jdodson | Cheerful Ghost

Supergiant Games: Transistor

"In Transistor, players assume the role of a young woman who gains control of a powerful weapon after a mysterious group of assailants nearly kills her with it. Now she must fight from street to street against forces that will stop at nothing to recover the weapon. During the course of the adventure, players will piece together the Transistor’s mysteries as they pursue its former owners."

What do you think, are you interested in getting Transistor? The music and visuals look top notch and the character and premise look very interesting.

http://supergiantgames.com/?p=1816

mate211 wrote on 03/21/2013 at 05:42pm

never played bastion myself, but this looks really promising. The song playing in the video was beautiful too:)

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 03/21/2013 at 05:44pm

I totally agree the song really hooked me into the premise and game world.

Travis Admin wrote on 03/21/2013 at 09:02pm

You had me at Supergiant Games.

scrypt Supporter wrote on 03/21/2013 at 09:49pm

Yes, please!

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 03/21/2013 at 11:33pm

Yeah, it looks really good. Hopefully more leaks out about it at PAX East.

scrypt Supporter wrote on 03/22/2013 at 12:24am

Or PAX Prime! Did you see the announce on ticket availability in a month or so?

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 03/22/2013 at 02:33am

Yeah, the site says to check back after PAX East. Woot! I got tix last time, but they sold out really fast.

beansmyname Supporter wrote on 03/22/2013 at 02:37am

I'll be picking this one up when the Linux version comes out, for sure. Bastion was incredible and this is a team that designs games they want to play.

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Age of Empires II: HD is Superb!

Age of Empires 2 is a classic RTS game that for many, defined the genre. I have had many epic LAN battles with my friends over the years and its really sad I can't play it with them anymore. I have tried much to get back to those awesome multiplayer battles, but nothing has worked.

As it turns out Hidden Path and Microsoft think this problem must solved and have paired up to release Age of Empires 2: HD Edition. Travis and I just got press beta access to this game and I had to post my first few hours with it!

Put simply, this is the game I wanted them to make.

fullscreen/windowed

There is a simple toggle to go from full screen to windowed mode and it works very well. If you have the game windowed you can resize it afterward and the game snaps to and works seamlessly. I tried the game in both Windowed and Fullscreen and had no issues at all. I have a very high resolution widescreen monitor and it looked great.

multiplayer

Age 2: HD has no LAN support.

http://forums.ageofempiresonline.com/forums/thread/350618.aspx

As they state, you can play Age 2 single player in offline mode but to play multiplayer you will need an Internet connection to Steam. Now before your rage-o-meter hits 1,000 there are a few things you need to know about how the Age 2 multiplayer on Steam works.

Age 2: HD lets you create games on Steam by first selecting the games visibility: "public," "friends," or "private." I created a "friends" game and since Travis and I are Steam friends Travis saw it right away and joined. It was buttery smooth and worked right away in Steam out of the box.

So yeah, LAN isn't included here but the Steam integration is top notch and we had zero issues getting into a game.

a few new awesome things

* Steam Cloud Saves
* Steam Workshop Integration. When I saw this in game my mind exploded with the limitless possibilities of awesome Age 2 mods. Can't wait to see what people come up with.
* Multi-Monitor Support.
* You can increase the population cap to 500 in mulitplayer. Seriously, it works and I totally did it. This means you can expect some ridiculously huge battles with your friends.

final thoughts

First off this is just a teaser of my first few hours of the game, I plan on posting again after Travis and I hit up a full mutiplayer epic with a 500 unit cap and my other exploits. Needless to say, this port is really what I wanted and am so very happy it was made. Leaving out LAN kind of hit me in the feels but if the Steam integration keeps being stellar I don't take point with it.

I felt like a piece of history and culture was lost with Age 2 classic and now its back and polished up for the modern era and this makes me very happy.

And really, I think we can all "wololo" that.

The game will officially launch on April 9th or April 5th with pre-order.

AdamPFarnsworth wrote on 03/22/2013 at 12:37am

Can't wait to play!

http://imgur.com/E4yz1

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 03/22/2013 at 02:33am

I just played multiplayer with Travis, going to be writing about that soon :D

Travis Admin wrote on 03/22/2013 at 02:36am

It. Was. Awesome.

It still lags out a bit when you get a ton of enemies on screen, but I'm sure Jon will be talking about that soon in his post.

beansmyname Supporter wrote on 03/22/2013 at 02:40am

Never played AoE II. Played a metric-poop-ton (trying to keep it clean) of the first, though. Many a late night gaming session became an early morning bedtime as me and my cohorts played 3-on-5 battles against the AI. Egyptian priests were my army and the computer's weapons became mine. :)

I drooled over AoE II before it came out, but life happens and I just never played it. Glad to see it got revived and is just as fun as it ever was.

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 03/22/2013 at 03:17am

Yeah, it is very fun. I just posted about the match Travis and I had.

Microsoft and Hidden Path both said this won't be coming to Linux though. Total bummer.

beansmyname Supporter wrote on 03/23/2013 at 01:38am

Oh well. There'll be other games. There will always be other games.

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 03/23/2013 at 05:10am

Always more games!

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Interview with Sam Didier About Heart of the Swarm

PC Gamer keeps dropping the interviews they gave on the SC2: Heart of the Swarm launch. Sam Didier or Samwise as been an artist at Blizzard for quite sometime. He has a really unique art style that isn't seen a ton in the video game industry and its cool to hear his perspective on the game. He also does a very good Zegara impression.

Dungeon Defenders 2 Drops Late 2013

"Dungeon Defenders II is the sequel to our popular tower-defense role-playing game, Dungeon Defenders. Unlike it’s predecessor, Dungeon Defenders II features a cooperative and competitive mode. Heroes, cosmetic items, pets, and more will transfer across both modes."

The interesting bit is that Dungeon Defenders II will ship as a free to play game. Taking the on the mantle of many free to play MoBA and Tower Defense games, DD2 will be free to play. Looks like all the hero's in DD2 will not be F2P and only a few rotation selections will be. DoTA2 and League allow you full access to all the heros and you can purchase skins and other cosmetic items to allow you to customize your experience. Seems DD2 is not going this direction entirely.

Are you excited about DD2? What did you think of the original?

http://dungeondefenders2.com/game/

Sign up for the beta here:

http://dungeondefenders2.com/register

beansmyname Supporter wrote on 03/23/2013 at 01:47am

I liked the original but didn't play much because I got it well after most of my friends had. I have it for the PS3 and Steam (Windows only...for now) and the Linux port. Do you know if DD can be played cross-platform?

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 03/23/2013 at 05:14am

It was on a recent bundle and I think it's on Steam for Linux now.

beansmyname Supporter wrote on 03/23/2013 at 05:36am

I have Dungeon Defenders from the first Humble Bundle that offered it, so I have access to the Linux version, but it's not yet in Steam for Linux. Not all of the HB titles have transitioned to Steam. Torchlight (which never really ran that well for me to begin with), Binding of Isaac (sad, sad, sad, sadness), Swords & Soldiers, Psychonauts, Super Meat Boy and a handful of other games offered in the early Humble Bundles are still not in Steam yet.

From what I was reading elsewhere, though, some of those titles may never actually get into Steam. Some have Linux ports just to satisfy the Bundle's requirement for cross-platform. I imagine part of the delay is adding in the additional hooks for Steam and getting someone to work on the port.

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 03/23/2013 at 04:59pm

Yeah, well I hope someone does work on those Steam ports and gets them added. Ive heard the Meat Boy Mac version wasn't awesome, can't imagine the Linux port being much better.

I see more games being added to my Steam Linux account over time though. I currently have Solar 2 and FTL installed on Linux and they both run very well. I see Torchlight listed, but I haven't tried it yet.

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What Should I Play Next?

I was just talking to @scrypt on Steam about this and I am wanting to ask you all as well. Now that I have completed Starcraft II: Heart of the Swarm what should I play next? I mean, I am totally getting Age of Empires II: HD but, beyond that, what should I play?

A few thoughts on games I could buy:

* FTL
* The Walking Dead
* Dishonored
* FarCry 3

Games I own I haven't started yet:

* Bastion
* Fallout: New Vegas
* Braid

So what do you think I should play next? Ill make a choice based on your suggestions and let you know how it turns out.

Travis Admin wrote on 03/19/2013 at 03:16am

You already own three amazing games that you haven't played. I would suggest New Vegas. If you want to ease your way in before going into another hardcore game, Braid can be completed in just a few hours.

jaelte wrote on 03/19/2013 at 04:06am

While I know I do not follow this example at all, it's probably best to go for a game you already own. If you've played Fallout 3, you probably have an idea of how much time you'll be putting into New Vegas. Should you be up for a long game, I'd say go for that one. I haven't played Braid, but I can definitely vouch for Bastion. I beat it in 11 hours, but you could spend a lot more time going for various challenges if that was the sort of thing that interests you.

jaelte wrote on 03/19/2013 at 04:09am

All that said, you really do need to play The Walking Dead. So if you have a little extra money burning a hole in your pocket, get that one.

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 03/19/2013 at 04:22am

All that makes sense, thanks guys. Leaning to New Vegas, because I own it already and LOVED Fallout 3.

Then again, Bastion, FTL and Braid.

AdamPFarnsworth wrote on 03/19/2013 at 03:27pm

You also should watch LOST lol

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 03/19/2013 at 04:52pm

Ok its down to FTL and Fallout: New Vegas.

Gary_Butterfield wrote on 03/19/2013 at 05:27pm

New Vegas is so fucking good and it's easily twice the game FO3 is (and I love FO3). I think the answer is clear.

2nd runner up? Bastion is a pure joy and is short.

BR Supporter wrote on 03/19/2013 at 05:55pm

Definitely New Vegas since you already own it. Although, the waflkig dead is an amazing game I'd wait till you can get it on sale because it is a small game, content-wise (huge game story-wise though)

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 03/19/2013 at 05:57pm

Yeah, I am edging to Fallout: New Vegas. Already have it, seems to be double awesome over Fallout 3 so can't go wrong there.

For sure will play The Walking Dead and FTL and Bastion at some point though.

beansmyname Supporter wrote on 03/20/2013 at 12:24am

I know your mind is made up, but here's one more vote for Bastion. Beat it once, but there is so much that I left undone, I'll be going through it again.

Also, The Walking Dead (the Telltale adventure, not the travesty that just came out) is a must-play if you enjoy the comics or television show. It's not a feel-good, romp-a-minute action game, but it'll stop your heart once or twice.

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 03/20/2013 at 01:35am

Ill take a swing through Bastion at some point for sure!

Travis Admin wrote on 03/20/2013 at 01:08pm

Anyone else wanting Bastion can get it for as low as a buck this week: http://www.humblebundle.com/weekly

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Achievement Unlocked: Game Complete.

So I beat the single player missions of Starcraft II: Heart of the Swarm. This time I put it away in less than a week, which is a personal best. I drew out Starcraft II: Wings of Liberty to take 2 weeks to complete because I wanted to savor the game more. I can't say which experience was better, but I am a bit biased to Heart of the Swarm. Not sure if its because it was a better single player experience or because I just played it.

tone & story

Tonally the two flow well together. Wings of Liberty single player might be a tighter game and overall a bit better experience but Heart of the Swarm takes it up a few notches. All said, I really appreciate the ambition of Heart of the Swarm and really fell over the more grand set pieces and story arcs. If you read my previous tear down of my progress at about 1/3rd of the way through the game I was a bit mixed on it. By the end I was sold entirely on the game and felt it really delivered a solid punch.

For reference here is my first writing about the game:

http://cheerfulghost.com/jdodson/posts/1086

I can say what I experienced to that point was an intended part of how they were telling the story. I think they wanted to grate on you a bit as to what was happening to Kerrigan and it totally worked for me. I will say that they open up her Character such that she really did have a character arc and it was VERY well done. Not to say it wasn't campy at points, but its pulp sci-fi, its going to have those elements.

gameplay

The single player missions are very good in Heart of the Swarm. Its hard to say how they stack up to Wing of Liberty, because Wings may have had nearly perfect scenarios. Heart of the Swarm is great, and the stronger points were that you felt like a total bad-ass. They also nailed the Swarm aspect of the Zerg and a few missions you get a ridiculous amount of Zerg to play with. Since the Zerg are my jam, yeah it really worked for me.

One of the final missions features a pretty cool set of conditions. You have to destroy a shield and hop back and forth between playing as a Hero sneaking around blowing up energy stations and Kerrigan building a base and attacking the Confederacy. Its a great game-play mechanic and worked very well.

My only minor gripe was that the game is easy. As I have poured over the Intarwebs, it seems most people agree on this point. It also was a bit more "handholdey" than I require after playing Starcraft for so many years as well.

final thoughts

Frankly I can't wait to start Wings of Liberty again and play Heart of the Swarm afterward. But, like my viewings of Star Wars, I stagger myself so it doesn't lose some of its magic. If Legacy of the Void is just as good then I imagine I will come back to play the campaigns again every so often. Some games I enjoy so much I come back to them and play them multiple times. Dungeon Siege, Link's Awakening, Final Fantasy IV, Doom 3 and now SC2. I can't wait for Legacy of the Void.

At some point I might write more of my thoughts in spoiler form, but for now I want to keep it relevant but accessible.

Zelda Starring Zelda

"Earlier this week, I read about that awesome dad who edited Donkey Kong to let his daughter play as the Princess. I wished I had someone who could have done that for me. Then I remembered. I'm an adult now. If he could work it out, I could too.

I'm hobbyist animator and my boyfriend is a professional video game programmer. I sent him the article and I asked, "How do I do this?"

"I think he's just using an existing rom editor, so he just went in and changed the sprites."

"I want to switch around Link and Zelda."

That got his attention. We'd been talking about a Zelda-centric game ever since the first Tropes vs Women in Games video was released. He's a huge fan of the series and really wants to see a game completely based around Zelda. The series could use a shake-up like that. "

Thinking the next time I play the original Zelda that it would be fun to play as Zelda! I know no one here has ROM's but if you were so inclined, the steps are included on Kenna's blog.

http://kennastuff.blogspot.com/2013/03/zelda-starring-zelda-story.html

I Totally Want This Card

Its pretty good too, regenerates and only costs 3 mana? Not bad.

Means the only way this thing goes bye bye is with some kind of lock down or exile.

A New Feature: Post Tracking

I just rolled out a new feature many of you have been asking for called "post tracking." Post tracking is the star to the right of the comment button. The star lets you know by it being highlighted or not if you are tracking a post.

If you track a post you will get notifications whenever anyone comments on the post. If you want to stop getting notifications on a post, click the star to stop tracking it.

If you create or comment in a post you will automagically track it.

Tracking specifies you and everyone else's interest in the post over time. You might be interested in a post in the beginning and over time might want to exit the conversation. You also might just want to follow the banter on a particular post without adding to the mix. With this feature, you can now do all of those things.

Its a new thing and as such might be buggy in some way, if you see anything out of sorts let me know.

Timogorgon Member wrote on 03/16/2013 at 11:49pm

Woot!

beansmyname Supporter wrote on 03/16/2013 at 11:53pm

Fantastic news.

AdamPFarnsworth wrote on 03/17/2013 at 12:17am

Very cool new feature!

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 03/17/2013 at 12:55am

Thanks everyone, its been a long process of thinking about it after all that it was really only maybe a few hours to add it in.

BR Supporter wrote on 03/17/2013 at 01:16am

Yay, now I won't get 1 million notifications when I comment on something. :P

All jokes aside, this is a really cool, and simple to use, idea.

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 03/17/2013 at 01:19am

Glad you guys like it! Personally I love getting notifications and only recently didn't know people didn't like that. :D

Travis Admin wrote on 03/17/2013 at 03:19am

Yeah there has yet to be a conversation I wanted out of, but I can understand with things like the Terraria server, if you weren't in on it and didn't need to get updates, etc.

Looks awesome!

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GCW Zero. An Awesome Looking New Handheld.

For many years I have wanted a mobile gaming handheld that is better than my iPhone. For some the iPhone is an amazing device for gaming and it has some great games, but I find the touch interface to be a bit limiting. So much so that I find the original Gameboy to be a better gaming device than the modern iPhone. I know some may not agree, but its not about the power of the system or the graphics its about the games, gameplay and controls. Maybe my mind is forever set on thumb controls for mobile games, maybe its just a better way to play them?

Even if the touch screen can be made to work with an old game port, often its totally crapped up to the point of being a terrible version of its former self. Checkout my review of the Secret of Mana iPhone port I wrote some time ago for more of my thoughts about that. I do a side by side comparison of the iPhone version and in the end I had to stop playing it because it attacked my soul.

http://cheerfulghost.com/jdodson/posts/259

I have spent many evenings scouring the internet for a handheld that makes sense for me. I want to run the games I already own on my NES and Super Nintendo and don't want to buy them again. I want to run Doom and Quake too. You know, normal nerdy shit. I don't mind a store where I buy games either, as it turns out I love buying games that are awesome.

Recently the GCW Zero was successfully Kickstarted and is nearing a normal retail launch soon. From all I have read, this looks like the device for me. Totally unlocked from the start, it runs Linux and can do much. Has the form factor of a PSP or DS and looks to be quite powerful. I have heard the device will sell for around $160 or so and that sounds reasonable.

When they release more details about when it becomes available for purchase, ill let you know.

http://www.gcw-zero.com/

Timogorgon Member wrote on 03/16/2013 at 11:52pm

I currently have my retro gaming needs handled pretty well with my hacked wii, but I would love to have that experience in a portable. I've been playing PSone games on my PSP lately, and it's been awesome. I might look into this when it hits the general market if it's not too expensive.

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 03/17/2013 at 12:54am

Ill let you know how much it is. I am fairly certain ill pick one up if I can and of course report back :D

Travis Admin wrote on 03/17/2013 at 02:26am

WBS, you can hack your PSP quite easily and get emulators there as well. I've played SNES games on my PSP more than actual PSP games.

Timogorgon Member wrote on 03/17/2013 at 05:59am

Already hacked. :P I didn't feel like buying all my PSone games again on the PSN store just so I could play them on PSP. I haven't looked into an SNES emulator though, but that would be cool.

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jdodson1

2746 Posts

Supergiant Games: Transistor

Age of Empires II: HD is Superb!

Interview with Sam Didier About Heart of the Swarm

Dungeon Defenders 2 Drops Late 2013

What Should I Play Next?

Achievement Unlocked: Game Complete.

Zelda Starring Zelda

I Totally Want This Card

A New Feature: Post Tracking

GCW Zero. An Awesome Looking New Handheld.