What Video Games have you been playing II: Have you finished that backlog?

[GoodSarmatian]

Few people ? I think New Vegas is far better than 3 in almost all respects, except for the beginning.

 

[PhroX]

Yeah...I was under the impression that most people preferred NV....

 

[GoodSarmatian]

Started Dragon Age: Inquisition.
Performance is OK. Used the auto settings: Most things high, texture quality was on Fade Touched (above ultra), but I might have to dial that down to high because of micro stutters during cut scenes and my very loud GPU fan.
I'm not expecting another DA: origins and I'm keeping an open mind, but there are already things that annoy me: The hair and facial hair selection is the low point of character chreation, and beards in particular look like glued on, the camera controls and key bindings are unintuitive, but I think I'll be able to get used to it, and Cassandra's lisp is already grating.

 

[bhsup]

Yeah, the hair drove me nuts. Turn the "mesh" setting up as high as your system can handle it. I tried it on a low setting and the hair looked liked putty a kid scrapped on a mannequin with a knife.

I like Cassandra's voice

 

[Takhisis]

I thought that allout-fay oo-tay was the best in the ranchise-fay.

 

[Civ'ed]

I like fallout tactics
*ducks with cover mechanics*
*wastes AP*

 

[Wolfbeckett]

Fallout Tactics was great as long as you know going into it that it isn't a traditional Fallout game. Kind of like Final Fantasy Tactics, it doesn't really resemble Final Fantasy at all but still a great game in its own right.

Based on the conversations I've had regarding this franchise, it seems that (in general) the group of people who prefer Fallout 3 over NV has a LOT of overlap on the old Venn diagram with the group of people who never played Fallout until 3 came out. Those who played the original games seem to overwhelmingly favor New Vegas (myself included).

This makes sense to me, I've been saying since shortly after Fallout 3 came out that it was a great game, but a bad Fallout game. Had they released the same game with all the Fallout stuff renamed and called it Capital Wasteland or something nobody would be able to say it wasn't great. But New Vegas feels MUCH more like Fallout 3 than the actual Fallout 3 ever did. I really wish Bethesda would let Obsidian keep playing with the franchise.

 

[Takhisis]

Fallout: Tactics sounds good, but I'm hampered by its being called Fallout and I keep expecting to play it with a turn-based combat system. Does anybody have any good leads/advice so that I can actually, um, advance during it?

butw kudos on missing the Ctrl-Alt-Del reference. It harks back to when CAD was a must-read.

 

[Zack]

Fallout 3 was the first Fallout I ever played, and I think New Vegas is a much, much better game. 3 just feels like the Elder Scrolls in a different setting, and I don't mean that in a good way.

 

[Wolfbeckett]

Fallout: Tactics sounds good, but I'm hampered by its being called Fallout and I keep expecting to play it with a turn-based combat system. Does anybody have any good leads/advice so that I can actually, um, advance during it?

butw kudos on missing the Ctrl-Alt-Del reference. It harks back to when CAD was a must-read.

There's an option in Tactics to play it turn based. You can either do squad turn based, where you move your entire squad, then all of the enemies move, then all of your guys move again, or you can play individual turn based, where your turns and your enemies turns are mixed together depending on their Sequence.

 

[Takhisis]

I'll have to investigate.

 

[SamSniped]

I have roughly way too much money on Amazon in gift cards. Any suggestions for games? Currently planning on FM2015, M&B:W, an Assassin's Creed: Black Flag, and Civ: BE, but other than that, any ideas are appreciated

 

[Timsup2nothin]

I have roughly way too much money on Amazon in gift cards. Any suggestions for games? Currently planning on FM2015, M&B:W, an Assassin's Creed game (probably 3 or Black Flag? not sure yet), and Civ: BE, but other than that, any ideas are appreciated

The only game I have more time in than Civ is X3, if that's a recommendation. Most honest game I ever played. In the manual it says straight out to say goodby to your life. I thought they were kidding, or boasting, or something.

 

[Zack]

What games do you already have? Post a pic of your steam library or something.

 

[Commodore]

The only game I have more time in than Civ is X3, if that's a recommendation. Most honest game I ever played. In the manual it says straight out to say goodby to your life. I thought they were kidding, or boasting, or something.

Can you give a brief summary of the gameplay for X3? I have been doing a little research on it as a potential purchase, but I always like to hear the opinions of people who actually played the game.

 

[gay_Aleks]

Into the void I sail! I shall now proceed to play X3.

 

[Timsup2nothin]

Can you give a brief summary of the gameplay for X3? I have been doing a little research on it as a potential purchase, but I always like to hear the opinions of people who actually played the game.

Gameplay of X3...

If you want to play it as a space based version of Flight Simulator, you can, and it is among the best ever made. Lots of different ships, fantastic background scenery, cool looking stations to dock at and use as pylons for crazy high speed flying. Shooting optional but wildly entertaining with AI pilots that are sufficiently challenging. Keyboard and mouse control is great, and I was totally happy with it for years. Got a joystick for a different game that required it and found that X3 supports it perfectly and it is even better. It is a great flight sim, but you can manage a vast trading network and/or direct a vast imperial war fleet from the cockpit of a fighter floating at some dock, or from the deck of a dreadnaught floating at some dock, and never fly around at all if you choose.

I discovered X3 when I asked on a forum if there was such a thing as a space based version of Port Royale. Played as a trading game/economic simulator it is terrific. The economy is vibrant, lots of different goods to be traded, and pricing follows coherent though not real world rules that can be exploited ever more effectively the more thoroughly you learn how they work. Sizes and speeds of trading ships vary, and will affect results, making choices you make matter. Multiple approaches to automation of trading fleets are available, and the player can also acquire production facilities. Size of trading empire is only limited by how many automated trading ships your computer can handle you stuffing into the universe. I have had thousands.

Played as an Imperial conquest game it is endlessly replayable. Six races to interact with, each with their own lines of ships from small scout craft to massive capital ships. If trading is not your thing it is totally possible to amass a giant war fleet through capturing enemy ships, or you can build your trading empire to fund your operation, bearing in mind that your trading activities may be disrupted by enemy action if you make enemies. You can choose to support one or more of the races, building your reputation with them while battling their enemies, or opt for total piracy and take on the entire universe. Or be friends with all the races while acting as universal law enforcement and declaring personal war on the pirates. Or be a sociopath and take on all the races and the pirates.

It has plots, a series of linked missions associated with a particular race or corporation which you can do or ignore completely as you choose, and missions you can pick up from assorted inhabitants of the universe, which you can also do or ignore as you choose. If you choose to take on taxi missions only and role play as a taxi driver, or take on assassination missions and role play as an assassin, that's up to you.

That may not have been the briefest summary, but I did my best. If you post that on the X3 forum I predict you will get an immediate flurry of 'oh, I play it this way' responses suggesting any number of things I left out. Someone is sure to point out, so I will beat them to it, that you can be a dashing fighter pilot with a vast trade empire and giant Imperial fleet all at the same time. The game is a total sandbox.

 

[Commodore]

Played as an Imperial conquest game it is endlessly replayable. Six races to interact with, each with their own lines of ships from small scout craft to massive capital ships. If trading is not your thing it is totally possible to amass a giant war fleet through capturing enemy ships, or you can build your trading empire to fund your operation, bearing in mind that your trading activities may be disrupted by enemy action if you make enemies. You can choose to support one or more of the races, building your reputation with them while battling their enemies, or opt for total piracy and take on the entire universe. Or be friends with all the races while acting as universal law enforcement and declaring personal war on the pirates. Or be a sociopath and take on all the races and the pirates.

This part intrigues me the most and makes me want to buy the game. Thanks for taking the time to summarize the game.

One more question: Is it possible to be a "behind the scenes" manipulator as well? Something like setting the different races to war with each other with none of them realizing it is you that is real cause behind the chaos?

 

[Snerk]

Been playing a little of this and that lately after a looong gaming hiatus (bar civ5): Batman: Arkham City, GTA V, Skyrim, Red Dead Redemption. Skyrim was great but like Oblivion I've gone and grown tired of it before finishing the main quest. Not sure I'll ever complete it..

 

[Timsup2nothin]

This part intrigues me the most and makes me want to buy the game. Thanks for taking the time to summarize the game.

One more question: Is it possible to be a "behind the scenes" manipulator as well? Something like setting the different races to war with each other with none of them realizing it is you that is real cause behind the chaos?

Not really. One weak point is that the races are basically locked in an unalterable and static struggle. If you support race X, who are at war with race Y, you need to deal with the fact that race X border sectors are subject to incursion by race Y invasion fleets, which will occasionally come in and raze the sector to the ground before a defense fleet arrive...including your stuff if you are their enemy. You can just avoid building much in those sectors, or provide adequate defenses, or maintain good enough relations with the enemy that they leave your stuff alone while razing everything that belongs to your hosts. The races in conflict don't do 'occupation' at all, so eventually the razed sector will be redeveloped by the owners, only to eventually be razed again.

Manipulation isn't available, but profiteering certainly is. Watching two enemy fleets pound each other to dust while you scoop up salvage since you are friends with both is a good pass time...though capital ships carry weapons that can inflict significant collateral damage so a degree of caution is required.

Oh, hey, I forgot. There's also two sociopathic alien races that are in a constant state of war with everyone, including you. If you build in some race's core space you are reasonably safe from them because the races defend their core sectors (mostly) adequately, but the pirates aren't really organized enough to defend their space against these guys so if you build there you have to deal with them yourself. Among long term players the development of automated fleet strategies for occupation of enemy sectors (where enemies will spontaneously and endlessly spawn) is a goal.