What videogames have you been playing? version 1.22: What's with that plural?

[Smellincoffee]

If you need any help/tips, feel free to ask. I know quite a bit about the game.

Thanks! I just may. I just realized last night that the things I put in the large box outside my farmhouse aren't in storage, they're being sold. Right now my biggest issue is not being able to plant whole plots. I hoe out a big area and start planting parsnips, but then despite having plenty more seeds, the game doesn't allow me to place anything else in the plot. I started a new save on a different farm just to see, and it was the same thing. I've tried doing a screenshot to demonstrate but Print Screen is apparently disabled in-game. Will try to use the steam screenshot function..

 

[EgonSpengler]

The Long Dark - June Dev Diary

TALES FROM THE FAR TERRITORY, Part Three is getting close to launch[...] expect a launch toward the end of June.

One of the big additions in Part Three is a new feature called Frontier Cooking. [...]with Recipes you can cook more complicated foods that involve multiple ingredients — things like Rabbit Stew, Fish Pies, and so on.

The little Ptarmigan is the new wildlife

We’ve also added three new Revolver variants, another Bow variant, and an alternate Flashlight.

We've overhauled the Fishing system[...]

[and] you’ll come across a new type of harvestable plant – Burdock.

All intriguing. I'm probably most looking forward to the cooking overhaul. I hope the cooked food will allow us to make things that travel (e.g. that don't attract predators). There's an illustration of the new fishing system on that page that looks very promising. I'll be interested to see whether and how that develops your Fishing skill.

 

[Gorbles]

Had to stop my Guardians playthrough. The UK is going through a heatwave and it turns out 80 - 81C is when the game starts stuttering, and my relatively-old 1070 doesn't seem to let me customise the fan profile without getting really into the innards of it all. Either that or this part of this chapter is weirdly unoptimised for some reason. Either way, I'm waiting til the temp drops to see what happens.

In the meantime, I'm playing some Halo: CE from the Master Chief Collection, and a nostalgia replay of Dawn of War II (the campaign mode). Halo: CE is kinda nostalgia, but my plan is a complete playthrough. I played CE and 2 back in the day (on PC), and most of 3 on my mate's PS3 at uni. But never beyond that.

Oh, and the usual dabbling of AoE IV. The latest update is dropping at the end of the week, and it's a huge one. A new game mode, three new maps, a ton of balance + design updates, graphical improvements and all sorts.

 

[Kyriakos]

Isn't the remake of AoEII far more popular?

 

[Ziggy Stardust]

Age of Wonders 4 gives you a serious case of one-more-turn syndrome.

Really like figuring out the builds and strategies. My playthroughs all have been a little haphazard learning the ropes and just trying out stuff.

But it has been fun so far (20 hours)

 

[Chukchi Husky]

In the meantime, I'm playing some Halo: CE from the Master Chief Collection, and a nostalgia replay of Dawn of War II (the campaign mode). Halo: CE is kinda nostalgia, but my plan is a complete playthrough. I played CE and 2 back in the day (on PC), and most of 3 on my mate's PS3 at uni. But never beyond that.

You played Halo 3 on the PS3?

 

[Gorbles]

You played Halo 3 on the PS3?

It was a PlayStation? Or was it the Xbox? The guy had both (I was a bit jealous at the time hahaha).

 

[Chukchi Husky]

Halo is a Microsoft franchise. Xbox is Microsoft's console line. Halo was specifially made to be a system seller for the original Xbox with Master Chief becoming something of a mascot for Xbox.

 

[Sommerswerd]

The Long Dark: Tales from the Far Territory

Stalker, Day ~175. Fishing... fishing... more fishing... This is ridiculous. I could open a restaurant. Fishing... Fishing...

Out of curiosity, I 'cheated' and looked up how much fishing you have to do to get the skill to level 5. It turns out the increment from level 3 to level 4 is the longest: 100 fish. I seem to average 5 fish every 4 hours. From level 4 to level 5 is another 100 fish, but since your skill is higher, you'd catch more and it would go quicker. Incidentally, there's no way in Hades there are this many fish in a pond this size. So not only have I killed more wolves than live in Banff or Yellowstone irl, and a couple of bears, I'm overfishing the local watering holes. I am a one-man ecological disaster.

I went around the back of Timberwolf Mountain and realized I have the geography all messed up in my head. There are a couple of rope-drops that don't lead where I thought they led. There's one climbing spot that has no rope, that I think would be convenient for going back up the mountain, and I cannot for the life of me figure out where it is from up there, so I can drop a rope. On my way to the summit, I dropped a rope where I thought that climb was, but I didn't bother to go down it at the time. Later, I went where I thought the bottom of that rope was, and it wasn't. So now I have no idea where that rope takes you, and I'm just all confounded. I'll have to walk all the way around again, nearly to the top, and then climb down that rope, just to see where it is.

Here's my cabin, all lit up with every lantern I've bothered to bring back. A terrible waste of fuel, but if I actually bother to cook all this fish, I'll have enough oil to deep-fry a whole doe. I read a while ago that it was possible to cover that hole in the roof with either a bear or moose hide that was nearly dry (at 99%), but I tried, and couldn't do it.

Spoiler :

View attachment 664641

First of all... Holy crap Day 175?!? When did that happen?? Second... that pic is beautiful... what a truly beautiful game TLD is.

My fancy laptop is busted! The dc power jack broke and is shot to hell, so I cant charge the thing anymore So I'm desperately searching for someone to fix it... its going to require soldering, and nobody seems to want to do that anymore. I guess I could try it myself as a last resort, but that seems so dumb since screwing up would brick the computer for sure.

It sucks because now I can't play anything while my computer sits in the shop. I also use my computer to do work, so it double sucks

I guess I will have to put one of my older laptops back in service... hopefully one of them still works...

 

[EgonSpengler]

First of all... Holy crap Day 175?!? When did that happen??

This is my Stalker game, not my Interloper game. My Interloper game is on Day 12 or 15 or something.

My fancy laptop is busted! The dc power jack broke and is shot to hell, so I cant charge the thing anymore So I'm desperately searching for someone to fix it... its going to require soldering, and nobody seems to want to do that anymore. I guess I could try it myself as a last resort, but that seems so dumb since screwing up would brick the computer for sure.

It sucks because now I can't play anything while my computer sits in the shop. I also use my computer to do work, so it double sucks

I guess I will have to put one of my older laptops back in service... hopefully one of them still works...

I'm pretty comfortable messing around with the guts of my desktop, but I've never opened up a laptop.

 

[EgonSpengler]

The Long Dark: Tales From the Far Territory

Stalker, Day 182. After a full month on Timberwolf Mountain, I got restless and decided to take a little vacation in picturesque Ash Canyon. Blue skies. Warm waters. Drinks with little umbrellas. I was here about 6 months ago, just to grab the technical pack and the crampons, but now I think I'll stay a little while. Maybe I'll get a massage and then have lunch at the little sushi place near the beach.

Spoiler :

 

[FriendlyFire]

Jurassic Park evolution Which I picked up a while back on Humble Bundle
Its pretty great sim game, currently on island 3

You have to rescue a failed park, by selling off the buildings but I managed to NOT sell the huge innovation center instead just enough to create some cheap Dinos to turn a profit
Then its a slow path rebuilding until you can turn the tickle of money into a steady stream to fund everything.

 

[EgonSpengler]

The Long Dark: Tales From the Far Territory

Stalker, Day 183. I had to chase off a pack of wolves, but I got a doe and a couple of rabbits, so I'm in pretty good shape now.

Nice weather at Narrow Falls; rope bridges; dinner:

Spoiler :

 

[Gori the Grey]

It sucks because now I can't play anything while my computer sits in the shop. I also use my computer to do work, so it double sucks

My video game machine is broke Oh, and I use it for work, too

 

[Lexicus]

My video game machine is broke Oh, and I use it for work, too

This is the correct order of priorities

 

[Sommerswerd]

This is my Stalker game, not my Interloper game. My Interloper game is on Day 12 or 15 or something.

I knew that it was Stalker, but still, I feel like I missed a lot. Were you just holed up in one place, with a daily routine for a few IG months?

I'm pretty comfortable messing around with the guts of my desktop, but I've never opened up a laptop.

Ive done a bunch of laptop repairs... the backup laptop I'm using almost immediately developed the swollen battery issue which warped the keyboard and case. So I had to open it up to take out the battery. Now I am running the laptop with no battery and just direct outlet power until the new battery I ordered arrives. Its OK except its annoying when the power cord accidentally slips out because it causes immediate shutdown.

 

[EgonSpengler]

The Long Dark: Tales From the Far Territory

Stalker, Day 186. Ash Canyon. A bit of a setback last night. I was exploring the peaks and had made a second outpost up at the Foreman's Retreat. I was planning to head over to the High Meadow, but wanted to drop the climbing rope overlooking the ice fishing hut first. I didn't know if I'd ever use it, but I figured since I was walking right past it...

Anyway, I noticed a little downhill climb that I didn't think I'd seen before. It didn't look too steep and it had a couple of the visual markers of a slope you can climb up as well as down, but I f'd up and crossed the invisible, artificial boundary and got stuck unable to climb back up. I was forced to climb all the way back down to the canyon floor, spraining a wrist on the way. A thick fog came up, and I got attacked by two wolves in quick succession. I managed to fight them off with my axe, but got bitten three times and my other wrist got sprained. Thankfully I had four bandages and four Old Man's Beard dressings. I had to wrap one of my wrists so I could use my revolver (both wolves ran off into the fog and I didn't know if I'd killed them). I made it to the fisherman's cabin with about 20% health left and a lot of torn clothing.

So now I'm back down at the bottom of the canyon and have to climb back up if I want to explore the rest of the high ground. My only specific goal in this region is to find the Curator's Rifle, which wasn't in the one spot I know to look for it. I didn't leave too much behind at Foreman's Retreat, I don't think. I really don't feel like making my way all the way over there again, so after I rest up I'll probably just hike up the opposite side of the canyon. I never got to the rope-drop before my tumble down the cliff, so now I have to decide whether to carry the danged rope with me. And I suppose there's probably 1 or 2 dead wolves around here for me to go clean up. I don't really need the meat or the skins, but I feel bad killing an animal and then leaving it.

I knew that it was Stalker, but still, I feel like I missed a lot. Were you just holed up in one place, with a daily routine for a few IG months?

I spent a month on Timberwolf Mountain, yeah, gathering the supplies, sketching the map, and working my skills. I finally found a regular rifle, which I don't really need anymore. How far along Signal Void have you gotten?

 

[Sommerswerd]

I spent a month on Timberwolf Mountain, yeah, gathering the supplies, sketching the map, and working my skills. I finally found a regular rifle, which I don't really need anymore. How far along Signal Void have you gotten?

In my current Stalker run (which is currently on hold) I'm still at Forsaken Airfield, hunting rabbits on Drift Island. I want to explore some of the caves here before heading back to continue the Signal Void quest. In any case, I'm reluctant to play TLD survivor mode with no battery in my laptop because the plug getting accidently jarred out would cause an insta-shutdown. I know that this would just likely reset me to the last save-point, but I'd be pissed if I did a bunch of stuff outdoors and then randomly lost everything because of the plug falling out*. So what i've been doing instead is trying to finish a challenge mission, specifically "The Hunted Part I" where you have to run/hide from the Demon Bear. Its actually pretty thrilling and I reiterate that I wish they would add Ol'Smokey as an option to include in survival mode... maybe with a longer respawn timer between times that you lose/evade/scare him off. The fact that you can use the flare gun to shoo him away just makes the flare gun an even more powerful/important weapon.

So in this challenge Smokey is furious at you for starting all these fires in the forest and not cleaning up after yourself. Plus he's sick of you killing all his forest friends and he's basically just having none of it anymore... he's so fed up with your crap, he's relentlessly after you. I've died to Smokey a few times, so far, but in my current run, after looting the Skeeter's Ridge basement... which is mandatory, since you always spawn mid-bear-mauling right next to it and you can't survive long exposed, since you are freezing and bleeding out, which is freaking terrifying every time, but even moreso especially when you don't remember that the challenge starts that way (which was my experience this time around). Anyway I spent the night in Skeeter's basement to heal up and collect all the items, some of which are essential to completing the challenge. This last run I decided to first head for the plane crash, before descending the mountain, because Smokey ripped my pants off (he destroys random clothing when he attacks) and I was running around in my underwear.

Smokey chased me to the plane crash, but he has a tough time actually finding his way into the clearing where the crash is, so you can lose him for a bit in there, which allows you to loot the crash site which of course is a treasure trove of clothing and food, from all the luggage strewn about. The whole time you can hear Smokey roaring and whining as he tries to find a way into where you are, but he can't find the entrance for a long time... essentially, I think that as long as you don't go to sleep, Smokey will be too triggered by your presence and stay in attack mode, which doesn't allow his pathfinding to calm down and/or respawning to kick-in, to get him inside the crash site.

Once I left the crash site I had to book it for another shelter, the closest being Draft Dodger's cabin. This has the nice bonus effect of stranding Smokey on the ridge above, especially if you billy-goat down the cliff or use a rope. I spent another night in the cabin to heal some more. Of course the problem with sleeping, is that it triggers a Smokey respawn, which is generally right in your path. So after leaving the cabin, I had to head for the Pleasant Valley big Barn. Then bad weather set in, and I couldn't see well enough to risk a run for the Farmhouse. Also, the farm is swarming with wolves of course, which makes escaping Smokey even more complicated. So that's where I am now, pinned in the barn, plotting my next move. I'd like to head to the Farmhouse, then the radio tower on my way to Mystery Lake. The idea is to minimize use of flare shells until you need them as a last resort, while leapfrogging from shelter to shelter to escape Smokey. The mission objective is to reach Trapper's Cabin, to obtain a weapon to defeat Smokey.
* sounds a little obscene somehow

 

[Zardnaar]

Fallout 4.


Marco doing the merchant thing. Level 21 barely left Sanctuary Hills.

10 intelligence, charisma, moderate perception every thing else dump Stat.

 

[Quintillus]

In the meantime, I'm playing some Halo: CE from the Master Chief Collection, and a nostalgia replay of Dawn of War II (the campaign mode). Halo: CE is kinda nostalgia, but my plan is a complete playthrough. I played CE and 2 back in the day (on PC), and most of 3 on my mate's PS3 at uni. But never beyond that.

Halo CE... at first I thought you meant Custom Edition, a mod for the original PC version of Halo: Combat Evolved. A good choice either way. I played a lot of that in the late 2000s, since it was the only Halo that ran on Windows XP. Gephyrophobia is arguably my favorite map there, play with one friend only and it's a fantastically tense setup.

And after a few rounds of that we'd play Longest with rockets and as many players as we could find to blow off some steam in the complete opposite setup.

I didn't play as much II (since its PC release required Vista), but I had some good time on Ivory Tower on the XBox and 360. My favorite match was one where we set the points to win to 200 or 250, whichever was the max, and turned on bonus points for things like headshots and assassinations. Four players, free-for-all, and it was surprisingly dynamic as one or the other of us had a good run. I forget who won, but it came down to the wire. That was probably in early 2014, well after Halo 2's peak, but it didn't matter, we were all in the same room on split screen and having a great time.

I have MCC now, but have hardly played it... Halo was all about the games with friends for me, and we've all grown older and got jobs and don't have the time for it that we used to have... especially at the same time so we can play each other. Although there were a few years when I was fairly good in Halo 1 against random players online.

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Depending on the manufacturer, I'm comfortable repairing laptops (generally, just avoid Apple if you want to be able to fix or upgrade things), but I've never attempted to repair a power jack, or had to solder something on one. Definitely a bummer. Good plan keeping older laptops around though, hopefully one of them works.

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I've been playing Gear City (my favorite business simulator, about cars, also nice if you are a gearbox or internal combustion engine nerd, which I'm not really, but more so because the business simulation aspect has drawn me in), Old World (Assyria will rise again!), and Night Call (a game where you play a philosopher cabbie solving crimes). I always think maybe I'll branch out, but Night Call is the only new one of the bunch. I'd tentatively recommend it, it's in the slow-pace-but-listen-to-stories type of game, kind of like VA-11 Hall-A, but more French and with fewer mixed drinks. I think it's one of the many games I picked up in a Humble Bundle years ago, and am finally trying out.