Cheerful Ghost: An Awesome Community For Gamers

How much fun is too much?

I never played the first Saints Row, because I heard it was a mediocre GTA clone. The second one, though, got some good press and people claimed it was the spiritual successor to the PS2-era GTA games. Even though I thought GTA4 was the best in the series, many thought it put too much focus on the serious storyline and took away from the zany antics of its predecessors. So, anyway, I picked it up and it was a lot of fun.

The third game didn't hold a ton of appeal for me. I have it, I got it as part of one of the Humble Bundles at one point, but I have yet to play it. The zany antics took a front seat. You even have a melee weapon shaped like a giant dildo. The dick and... Read All

scrypt Supporter wrote on 05/10/2013 at 09:07am

I think the big thing with the Saint's Row games has been a progressively more outrageous attitude of "Why? Because you can!" It's a fantasy version of GTA, which I've always appreciated, even though I've never played more than a few hours of any Saint's game. This 4th iteration is a little more appealing to me, mostly because of the super powers. Well...and the dubstep gun. That's just genius.

Travis Admin Post Author wrote on 05/10/2013 at 03:14pm

I did play an hour or so of SR3 after posting this, and I have to admit it's quite a blast so far. I mean I had a gunfight while in freefall. When does that happen?

beansmyname Supporter wrote on 05/11/2013 at 06:15am

"On the one hand, this seems like a game trying to be too much, throwing in so many different mechanics that it becomes a muddled mess."

That's pretty close to what I said about SR3 before it came out. I anticipated that there would just be too many elements thrown together haphazardly. Instead, I discovered the game had too many elements very carefully thrown together. SR3 is over-the-top without going too far into the realm of absurdity to make it a caricature of its own cleverness.

Still, not as much fun after the missions are complete as SR2. SR2 remains playable LONG after the story missions are done.

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The First 5 Minutes of Star Wars in Minecraft

Minecraft fans are notorious for making crazy things in game and this recent fan project is no exception. You need to watch the first 5 minutes of Star Wars rendered in Minecraft.

Awesome.

Recent Stardew Valley Twitch Stream

Tiy, the lead developer of Starbound recently streamed two hours of Stardew Valley on Twitch.tv. If you are interested in checking out how the game looks at this point in developement, head over and check it out.

The game looks great and based on this video looks very close to a release. More on that when it develops.

http://www.twitch.tv/tiyuri/b/399848607

The Forest - Did You Hear That?

I just saw this pre-alpha trailer for The Forest on Kill Screen. Looks like it's up on Steam Greenlight. Survival horror, with a bit of craftiness. Doing a quick Google search brings up a Slender clone called Forest, which I believe is an entirely different game, though they look similar, I guess (you're in a forest, and you're supposed to be scared). This game doesn't appear to be a Slender clone. If anything, it looks like a photorealistic Minecraft experience.

http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=143803558

Back to Diablo III, at least briefly

http://www.diablo3builds.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/Diablo-3-Inferno-Farming.jpg

Diablo III recently released version 1.8, so I thought I'd pop in and see what's up.

The auction houses are offline. Apparently yesterday there was a major gold duping glitch that people think will essentially ruin the economy, so that's awesome. This didn't bother me tonight, because it's been so long since I really played the game that I honestly have no clue what good gear is anymore, so I certainly wasn't about to buy any.

This patch smoothed out a lot of the problems a lot of people have with the game. I played through the last couple of quests of act 1 Inferno, which is so far as far as I've gotten. I can certainly see the progress. The trash mobs feel a lot... Read All Diablo III recently released version 1.8, so I thought I'd pop in and see what's up.

The auction houses are offline. Apparently yesterday there was a major gold duping glitch that people think will essentially ruin the economy, so that's awesome. This didn't bother me tonight, because it's been so long since I really played the game that I honestly have no clue what good gear is anymore, so I certainly wasn't about to buy any.

This patch smoothed out a lot of the problems a lot of people have with the game. I played through the last couple of quests of act 1 Inferno, which is so far as far as I've gotten. I can certainly see the progress. The trash mobs feel a lot stronger, and the elite packs have been toned down a bit. You now always have to be on guard to a point, but don't freak right the hell out when you see blue or yellow on the screen.

One of my big pet peeves, identifying rare items one by one by one by one by one has been taken care of. You can now visit Deckard Cain (or a book near where he would be) to identify all your items at once. In other streamlining fixes, you can now queue up things to craft so that you don't have to sit there clicking once every few seconds until you're satisfied with what you've done, and you can pull crafting materials from your stash so you don't have to carry those with you to the artisans.

I was amazed at how easily I fell back into the game, having gone many months without really playing it, and it still holds the same appeal. I went on into act 2 after slamming the butcher, and I was able to get through the stupid bee things much more easily than before. The difficulty curve between acts seems to have smoothed out a bit. I then got to an elite pack of vortex desecrator bee things and got handily demolished, and decided that was a good place to call it quits for the night.

Still, progress has definitely been made, and I think I'll look at revamping my gear and getting on to act 2 soon. For anyone who quit the game because of whatever gripes you may have had, it's definitely worth another look.

Just don't expect to get any good gear on the auction house for less than a few billion gold for a few weeks.

hardeyez wrote on 05/09/2013 at 07:22am

I have to agree with this.

Over the weekend I decided to give D3 a spin again after having been away (since around 1.3 or 1.4, can't remember which). And, I was having the same frustrations -- tons of lag deaths, lots of dying before I even saw the champion pack monsters, etc. So I was annoyed all over, and put it away for the next several revisions.

Today, I tried 1.8 because of this post. And, WOW, what a difference. The game feels *so* much better. I died a couple times against the champion packs, but it was from fighting (and packs that have bind and pull buffs -- I'm a ranged DH and hate getting close). It was fun again. I might actually pick it back up and finally hit level 60... Yeah, I have a fairly low tolerance for annoying gameplay so I never maxed out as I was stuck in act 1 of hell mode. I didn't want to grind for gold to buy AH items (or pay cash). I just want to play, have fun, get loot I want to use (instead of sell). So I really hate the AH and don't use it... which feels like a major disadvantage. But, if I can play again, make progress (reasonably quickly -- no grinding for hours with nothing to show for it and losing gold due to repair costs), and have fun, then that is awesome. In fact, I got about 25% of a level in a quick half to quarter hour of play which is much better than I'm used to (I'm level 53, almost 54).

So, yeah, I'd second the thought that you should try it again after this patch.

jdodson Admin wrote on 05/13/2013 at 04:32am

I played this a bit tonight. Very fun as you said Travis but WOW the lag was incredible.

Travis Admin Post Author wrote on 05/13/2013 at 04:55pm

Interesting, I haven't had any lag problems in the past few days playing it. Luck of the draw I guess.

I just love the new monster density. Last night in Act 2 inferno at monster power 1 I had to walk through three screens to pick up the loot that I had left behind.

jdodson Admin wrote on 05/13/2013 at 04:58pm

Yeah the loot drops do seem better. I mean most of it is trash compared to what I have. In fact most of it is. I get tons of loot, but none of it is better than the stuff I've had for a few levels now.

Travis Admin Post Author wrote on 05/13/2013 at 05:12pm

That gets better once you hit level 60, but it is a little annoying when you're leveling a character yeah.

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Interview with Mo About A.N.N.E. a 2D Pixel Feast!

A.N.N.E. is a gorgeous upcoming 2D pixel side-scroller that mashes up elements of Contra, Castlevania and Blaster Master. It recently caught my attention from its Kickstarter campaign and after I watched the video I was hooked on its interesting gameplay and lush visuals. Currently A.N.N.E. is 7k shy of its backing goals and has 13 days left to achieve it. If this game strikes your fancy and you have a few bucks between stuck in your couch cushions I seriously recommend you consider backing this project.

I want to thank Travis and WhiteboySlim for tossing questions into the hat for this one.

jdodson: From the initial concept to now about how long have you been working... Read All

What if Elizabeth reacted to how you play?

This is one of my favorite fan dubs ever. How Elizabeth would react to you being a moron in Bioshock Infinite. No real spoilers in this, so feel free to watch while preserving your ignorance!

jdodson Admin wrote on 05/09/2013 at 12:17am

Thats really funny. Booker plays how I do at times. Sometimes you just wanna run and gun, you know? :D

jdodson Admin wrote on 01/01/2014 at 09:46pm

Watched this after having beat the game. This is really funny. It's a good thing she didn't actually treat me like this when I walked off. I also spent a TON of time rummaging through the trash and yeah, it's kind of gross.

One thing I did think about as I was playing the game though was "why do people throw so much money away?"

Travis Admin Post Author wrote on 01/02/2014 at 02:50am

Way to necro Jon.

But yeah, this is very poignant after having played the game. You spend a lot of time in the trash, eh?

Travis Admin Post Author wrote on 01/02/2014 at 02:56am

Oh, I just saw there was a part 2. Way better than the first.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M_PRofjuXbU

jdodson Admin wrote on 01/02/2014 at 05:16am

That's great too, thanks for sharing. I wonder what other games they clipped the guys voice from.

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MMO Minefield

Oh, this is one of those games where you spend way too much time playing. Yup, it's normal minefield. However, it's MMO, you are playing on a giant field with other people all at once. You get points for clearing blocks and placing flags (and much larger negative points for placing incorrect flags or clearing a mine).

It's entirely HTML5, so plays right in your browser.

http://mienfield.com/

It's compelling, has leaderboards, and is fun. I recommend giving it a try.

Travis Admin wrote on 05/08/2013 at 09:40pm

How many trolls are there who put up incorrect flags just to mess with people?

hardeyez Post Author wrote on 05/08/2013 at 11:08pm

Ah, you can't. Incorrect flag placement gives you a big points deduction, just like hitting a mine. It works great. But yeah, kinda weird that you know the flags are mines.

Chowda wrote on 05/08/2013 at 11:32pm

Such a brilliant idea. After you shared this with me I promptly bookmarked it and played for much longer than I should have. Performance is even really good until you zoom out to the world view and try to scroll around. Everyone should at least give this a two minute look!

scrypt Supporter wrote on 05/09/2013 at 04:24am

Two minutes turned into an hour... stop clicking...

jdodson Admin wrote on 05/09/2013 at 05:21am

:D

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6 Game Invites and A Few Thoughts

Hey O everyone. I seem to find myself with 6 Firefall invites. One scratchable card and 5 email invites to be exact. The game is in beta right now but I installed it and am trying my hand at the tutorial parts. So far, its quite a bit of fun where other MMO shooters have fallen flat for me. One way Firefall sets itself apart is by having a really great set of intro steps getting you familiar with the game. All of it is optional, but its really useful trying out the classes and seeing what they are capable of.

The game also allows you a really satisfying selection of guns and I really liked the ability to switch between first and third person mode. Nothing janky here,... Read All

jaelte wrote on 05/08/2013 at 03:01am

Hmm. Sure, I'll give it a shot.

scrypt Supporter wrote on 05/08/2013 at 03:05am

I actually have 4 invites that I'm sitting on, as well! Anyone that wants are welcome to them.

I decided to jump into Firefall last October (I think it was October...), but haven't been on since January, as there wasn't really that much more to do at the time. Very entertaining though. Almost like a World of Warcraft meets Borderlands feel. I'll make my way back in eventually. Sounds like quite a few things have changed.

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 05/08/2013 at 03:13am

@jaelte sent.

@scrypt: I am hacking on the site tonight, let me know what you find. I only played the game a little bit and quite enjoyed what I found.

Timogorgon Member wrote on 05/08/2013 at 03:20am

I'd love one! I just got a new PC and would love to break it in. :)

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 05/08/2013 at 03:42am

@WhiteboySlim: Sent.

jaelte wrote on 05/08/2013 at 04:02am

Thanks! It's downloading now. I hope to get some time in tonight, if it's not too late when it's done installing.

scrypt Supporter wrote on 05/08/2013 at 05:56am

Peeked back into the game to see what's what. I really like that they added a tutorial/testing area at the beginning. VERY glad to see that all of my content and progress was saved, and hope that continues through the release. I don't expect it to, but it would be nice. See they have Twitch integration now, and more robust system options. Lots of new items to acquire, which will undoubtedly be my prime reason for spending more time in New Eden :).

BR Supporter wrote on 05/08/2013 at 01:06pm

I'll take one of those. I'd like to give it a shot

AdamPFarnsworth wrote on 05/08/2013 at 06:22pm

Hey O could I get an invite too?

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 05/09/2013 at 12:12am

Adym & BR: Invites sent.

Tungsten wrote on 05/09/2013 at 09:52am

If you still have on laying around, I wouldn't mind checking it out.

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 05/09/2013 at 04:37pm

Tungsten: Sent

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I was the Sun (Before it was Cool)

Last week I published an interview with Curtis Schweitzer, one half of the amazing composer duo working on the Starbound score. In the interview I posted a question tossing out names for possible songs about the Novakids, one of the in game playable races.

One of the new Cues uses a name I suggested in the interview "I was the Sun (Before it was Cool)." I am very happy to see this happen and want to thank Curtis for using it! Curtis, if you need any more song titles, hit me up!

Check out the recent blog post about it as well as the other track Hylotl: "The Eternal Tide"

https://curtis-schweitzer.squarespace.com/blog/postid-5

To read the original interview in its entirely:... Read All