Cheerful Ghost: An Awesome Community For Gamers

Cheerful Ghost Radio Episode 78: The Episode Where We Tell You The Future of Gaming

You may not know this, but we recently unlocked latent psychic abilities, and in this episode we are here to tell you exactly what's coming to gaming in the next ten years. But this episode is not the most important thing right now.

While we usually boost ourselves on social media when we drop a new episode, but this time we aren't doing that. Right now, the world is hurting. If the pandemic wasn't enough, the senseless murder of George Floyd has resonated throughout the world, and this seems like the wrong time to try to boost ourselves. We hope this episode provides you with a welcome distraction, but we aren't going to try to spread it around. Instead we'd like to... Read All

Watch LGR Restore An IBM PC XT 286 from 1986

LGR is one of those really unique YouTube channels that focuses on all kinds of retro tech and one of his latest videos hit me right in the feels. My Grandmother had an IBM PC XT 286 and it was one of the coolest computers I used as a kid because it was my first experience dialing up a BBS. On one visit to my Grandmothers she showed her new computer that could dial up the Library and that you could search through the book catalog and put something on hold. The whole process of dialing up the library was magical and I remember staying up late just searching the library for books like The Hobbit and The Big Friendly Giant. There wasn't much to do beyond looking for... Read All

The Untold History of Arcane: Dishonored / Prey / Ravenholm / LMNO / The Crossing

"Noclip travels to France and Texas to tell the story of Arkane's twenty year history. Featuring exclusive first looks at the gameplay of three cancelled projects; The Crossing, LMNO & the Half-Life spin-off "Ravenholm"."

Noclip, the YouTube documentary channel is back at it with a very strong documentary about Arcane Studios the creators of Dishonored and Prey. One thing I didn't know before watching this was that Arcane was working on a Half-Life 2 episode that featured Father Gregory that looked pretty damn cool until Valve cancelled it.

Download Borderlands The Handsome Collection Free on the Epic Store!

If you somehow missed playing Borderlands 2 or Borderlands The Pre-Sequel or simply don't own them on PC yet you are in luck as they are both free on the Epic Store.

Borderlands 2 is one of the best looter shooters and the Pre-Sequel is well worth checking out and now that they are free it's even better.

https://www.epicgames.com/store/en-US/bundles/borderlands-the-handsome-collection

On May 20th Nintendo Online Gets Four New Games!

If you were looking for some new to you retro games to play Nintendo Online is getting 4 new ones on May 20th in Wild Guns, Panel de Pon and Operation Logic Bomb on Super Nintendo and Rygar on Nintendo.

Rygar is a classic Nintendo title I've yet to try and am interesting in giving it a go but Wild Guns has my attention. Apparently Wild Guns is a space western shooting gallery game that looks incredible. Plus if you've played for Nintendo Online free is a great price.

2020's Best Monitors for PC Gaming: A Digital Foundry Guide

Recently I purchased a new Ultra Wide monitor as I am Software Engineer by trade and work from home. I've been doing that now for 8+ years and also provide myself all of my peripherals, monitor, desk, chair and office. About the same time ago I purchase a Dell Ultrasharp that has run like a champ from job to job and StarCraft II to Rage 2 over those 8 years. I recently started a new role at Salesforce and decided that after 8 years it was time for a new monitor. In the end I went with a fresh new Dell Ultrasharp Ultra Wide and it's a dream. It's not something i'd recommend for gaming but if you are looking for a new gaming display Digital Foundry has a great video... Read All

LGR Builds An Incredibly Powerful PC!

I'm not sure this is video game news in a general sense but I found this LGR video to be entertaining and awe inspiring. Awe inspiring because it's really incredible how powerful computers are now and I felt like it was worth talking about. Yeah, yeah, we have blazingly capable computing devices in our pocket, the Nintendo Switch and any smartphone being chief among them but it still feels special to me when we hit certain computing milestones and somehow when I watched this LGR video it felt like one.

What are the specs on his latest PC?

AMD Ryzen Threadripper 3970X Processor
MSI Creator TRX40 Motherboard
Corsair Vengeance LPX 128GB (4 x 32GB) DDR4-3600 RAM
EVGA GeForce... Read All

Elder Scrolls Blades is Now on the Switch!

Blades released on iOS and Android in March of 2019 and was a pretty good Elder Scrolls game considering the free price. The game looks stunning on my iPhone XS Max and when Bethesda mentioned it would eventually come to consoles and PC I was excited. I played it starting at the beta and stopped a month or so after I started. Blades is a good phone RPG but it didn't have a lot to do and I felt the missions were all very similar.

Since I left Bethesda has been continuing work on Blades and recently they released it on the Nintendo Switch. Since Blades is an online game it seamlessly loads your account from the phone version to the Switch. Your progress, inventory and... Read All

Travis Admin wrote on 05/16/2020 at 04:44am

I just removed Blades from my phone yesterday. It has some decent playability, but at a certain point those free-to-play trappings become way too much. I got faaaaaairly far I think. I got pretty deep into the neverending dungeon mode. But eventually everything just became samey and I felt like progress halted. The game was designed around making you feel like you *almost* had what it takes to get to your next goal............... just 99 cents and you can get there.

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 05/17/2020 at 10:19pm

You do need a fair amount of that for and endless phone RPG but like you say, you can see the seams too much. I thought Fallout Shelter did this better but you almost never needed lunchboxes and the ones you got normally were just fine.

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 05/17/2020 at 10:20pm

I wonder if Elder Scrolls 6 will take a nod from Blades or be more of a directed story line? I hope for the latter.

Travis Admin wrote on 05/19/2020 at 08:43pm

Me too!

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Behold The Wonder of Terraria 1.4!

ChippyGaming has a fun new Terraria 1.4 gameplay video out showing some of the new game features and they look superb. The biggest standout are the updated graphics and polished UI improvements.

Dare I say this looks to be the biggest Terraria update yet? Glad this game made a zillion bucks so they can give it this final send off.

This has been shared in some comment threads but wanted to give it more visibility.

Azurephile Super Member wrote on 05/11/2020 at 03:09am

That makes me want to play, particularly so I can more easily notice the difference.

Travis Admin wrote on 05/11/2020 at 02:34pm

Yeah I think Journey mode alone would have made this the biggest update yet.

Azurephile Super Member wrote on 05/12/2020 at 12:40am

Saturday!!! Whoooot!!!!!!!

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 05/13/2020 at 02:04am

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PIb6AZdTr-A

Azurephile Super Member wrote on 05/13/2020 at 02:31am

Azurephile Super Member wrote on 05/15/2020 at 02:40am

https://forums.terraria.org/index.php?threads/there-back-again-a-summary-of-journeys-end.87997/

Travis Admin wrote on 05/15/2020 at 03:05am

As Thanos said, this does bring a smile to my face.

This is easily the biggest update. Before this, the core game was still the same, but this changes things in such fundamental ways that it feels almost like a sequel.

Like just the NPC hotels we always made... those are now a very bad idea. But the pylons let us visit them wherever they are, and it makes sense to put them where they want to be. And that changes the game in enormous ways on its own.

Azurephile Super Member wrote on 05/17/2020 at 09:56pm

Try using the seed 05162020 and go find the Moon Lord's legs. This is a mysterious seed and is the date of the update's release. Check it out and watch Chippy's video: https://youtu.be/6pltnm1Ax7o

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 05/18/2020 at 02:44am

Moon Lord's legs are great. Seems like they aren't too hard to find either.

Wonder what else is hidden in that map and if there are any other maps like that?

Azurephile Super Member wrote on 05/19/2020 at 08:25pm

I started to wonder something and only did a little "Googling," but I'm not entirely sure I have my answer. What has my curiosity is why Re-Logic (and other devs) have (or continue to do) given us free content expansions/DLC. I read it could be kind of service to the community or fans. I think maybe new content would help increase sales, though I'm not sure by how much or for how long. I'm just not sure that it makes complete sense to me though. I'm certainly not complaining, but I'm sure devs want paid. Maybe they've made enough from sales to keep working on it. Perhaps each company (devs) has their own reason for this. What do you think? Again, I do think it's really nice and even great that devs continue to work on a game even after it's released and with such content. It certainly makes a game more playable (assuming the content is good).

Travis Admin wrote on 05/19/2020 at 08:42pm

They reached their highest concurrent player count on the release day of 1.4, so yeah I think the updates throughout the years have definitely helped their sales. I'm sure they would have made a fraction of their millions without the updates.

Travis Admin wrote on 05/25/2020 at 05:47pm

Jon, you wondered what other seeds might be available, there are two more. I think one is of particular interest to you ;)

https://terraria.gamepedia.com/Secret_world_seeds

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 05/25/2020 at 07:07pm

Hahahaha ❤️

Azurephile Super Member wrote on 05/25/2020 at 08:37pm

I like games w/ seeds, especially if I can find really good seeds. I haven't searched for one for Terraria, but I could describe what I want, but it might be difficult to get. Also, wow it's almost hard to fathom why people would want this game to be even harder.

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 05/27/2020 at 03:22am

> Also, wow it's almost hard to fathom why people would want this game to be even harder.

Yeah. I don't get why furries but they are here and that's ok.

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Looking At Doom 3: BFG Edition

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

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

Azurephile gives this a "Rad" on the Ghost Scale

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

After playing Doom 64 recently, I got Doom 3 BFG Edition on Steam. It was certainly different. The best description I’ve found is put simply in the embedded video as the original Doom games were action games, while Doom 3 is a "realistic" horror game. This made the game unappealing to me at first and is a bit still, but I see other parts of the game that make me think it’s not bad. I’m not a fan of horror games, but I’ve played a few Resident Evil games. It’s just not the kind of game I’m into.

Instead of running around killing already spawned in demons in a mostly open area like the original, Doom 3 leads you through a mostly linear path down corridors. Although all... Read All After playing Doom 64 recently, I got Doom 3 BFG Edition on Steam. It was certainly different. The best description I’ve found is put simply in the embedded video as the original Doom games were action games, while Doom 3 is a "realistic" horror game. This made the game unappealing to me at first and is a bit still, but I see other parts of the game that make me think it’s not bad. I’m not a fan of horror games, but I’ve played a few Resident Evil games. It’s just not the kind of game I’m into.

Instead of running around killing already spawned in demons in a mostly open area like the original, Doom 3 leads you through a mostly linear path down corridors. Although all Doom games can have you running in circles, confused about what you’ve missed, where you’re supposed to go, but there’s plenty of info on the web to help you find your way around when you get stuck. You’ll need to find PDAs to get security clearance to access some places. They may also contain some of the game’s lore, but not forcing you to listen to recorded audio. You’ll also collect some inventory items along the way, which are important for the task at hand. For instance, sometimes you’ll have to remove a power cell from one generator and place it in another.

There are some scary lighting effects going on, there is a lot of darkness, flashing lights, and you can’t always walk with your flashlight on, sometimes it has to charge. It can be hard to see enemies at times, but it’s best to look all around as much as possible. Usually monsters will spawn in with a noticeable sound and flash in an area. There are also plenty of “jump scares” and pieces of the environment falling out of place at times to scar you, too. It is a bit of a thrilling experience.

The demons all look different than we’re used to seeing them in the Doom series, you should take a look at them, if you’re a fan. Their design is definitely close to “realistic” horror. Some are difficult to recognize, while others are easily recognizable. Perhaps the scariest of them are the bosses, which can be “bullet sponges.” Some take strategy to defeat, while some just take enough fire power.

Console issue: I like cheating in these kinds of games (Doom in particular), it makes it more fun for me. I thought that I might turn on cheats eventually, but that moment never came. As soon as I started a new game, the game told me achievements were disabled because the console was being used. After some troubleshooting this seems to be an issue in the game and there’s a simple remedy for it. You just need to add “seta com_allowconsole 0“ (without quotes) to the “default.cfg” file that’s in the folder at “C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\DOOM 3 BFG Edition\base\” as noted by “IcyDeadPeople” here: https://steamcommunity.com/app/208200/discussions/0/828925849197513340. This resolved the issue for me, although it may have allowed me to get achievements even if I used console commands, but I never reached the point of deciding to cheat, so I never looked into those commands.

Technically, the game runs extremely well. Granted this could be expected with modern hardware and the game’s age, but I still can’t help but be impressed just how little time it takes to load. This version of the game also comes with the original Doom and Doom 2, however they’re a bit functionally different than the recent Doom Classic Complete Collection I recently wrote about here: https://cheerfulghost.com/GregoPeck/posts/4401/getting-the-doom-complete-collection-to-run-on-windows-10 That is because that version wouldn’t run on it’s own. Instead, I had to copy the .WAD files to a source port and play it that way, however that’s not necessary with the versions in this edition. These work well with no extra configuration needed. I find this impressive, but also confusing as to why the two versions don’t just simply work in the same way. Since this version of those games lets them run just fine, you can work on getting their achievements, too.

I should also note there is a source port for this, which seems to work more for Doom and Doom 2, although it does come with some extra features for Doom 3. It's called Doom 3: BFA Edition. I started out with this version, but it didn't really connect to Steam and I didn't find it necessary. In fact, I enjoyed the game(s) just fine without it.

It’s kind of hard to say whether I recommend this or not. If you’re into horror games and Doom, then you’ll probably be into this. It does have a “very positive” score on Steam. Personally, I think I like the action kind of Doom game better, like Doom (2016). If you’re a Doom fan, you should at least take a look at some video of it. I’ve embedded a video that talks about why it is a good game.

jdodson Admin wrote on 05/02/2020 at 09:21pm

Doom 3 BFG Edition is an interesting port. I'd say in some ways it goes back on the original horror design that made the original so special creating a somewhat confused game, sort of.

For instance, in the original game you had to pick whether you had a flashlight in your hand to see in very dark areas or a gun. That made the horror hype WAY more felt and real. I remember playing this game with the lights off and it was, and is a great experience. Doom 3 BFG Edition allows you do tape a light on your gun and also makes the game WAY less dark which kind of makes it ... i'd say a confused sort of game. It's sort of horror, but not really and it takes away some of the choice elements that made the first edition special.

Azurephile Super Member Post Author wrote on 05/02/2020 at 09:53pm

Yeah, I read about that. I think I like that the flashlight can work with weapons in BFG Edition. I'm not sure if I'd like it in the original, though it would have made the game a bit more scary, sure. What's sad is that now that I've played it, I'm going back to playing Doom (2016) and wishing I had that flashlight. Even replaying original Doom and Doom 2 I would sometimes hit "F" to turn on my flashlight, although I didn't have one of course.

jdodson Admin wrote on 05/05/2020 at 03:40am

🤩

I think that Doom 3 did a lot right and also went for something unique. The series in in different territory now and most people seem to like that a lot, which I appreciate, but I really enjoy Doom 3 even though you can't right click to aim (prob my biggest issue with it if I have one).

Azurephile Super Member Post Author wrote on 05/05/2020 at 04:20am

That's a surprise. I feel a bit neutral about it. At first it was mostly negative and I wasn't even sure that I really wanted to complete it, but I did and it's not a horrible game, but it's not a favorite. Doom 64 impressed me much more, actually. Those were the only two Doom games I've never played that I played recently. Seeing that we seem to lack a review for DOOM (2016), I might write one up as I finished completing it only for the second time, though I loved it.

jdodson Admin wrote on 05/10/2020 at 04:01pm

At the time Doom 3 was an incredible visual feat that stood out in a very sparse PC game landscape. Not like now where it's a VERY crowded shooter market and Doom 2016 hit and makes it look somewhat pale in comparison.

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