What Game Are You Currently Playing?

[Toby Frost]

Tomb Raider (2013): a succession of tedious quick-time events. Not recommended.

 

[thaddeus6th]

I think my current XCOM 2 playthrough may have run its course, after a promising start and seemingly effortless procession up until recently.

I made a mistake (but also felt a bit hard done by) when advancing into a tricky area, ascending to a new level where there were six enemies, scouted by my reaper. Despite knowing where they were and no red indicated, moving up a grenadier alerted them, and I was pretty much screwed from there. Lost all but one of an experienced squad.

Better yet, the dark event was closing the Black Market. Moments later, I'd finished researching the best armour but couldn't buy it as I couldn't sell stuff at the market.

Next mission, it was so-so, then I moved a ranger a few squares and managed to alert six damned enemies, already with an archon, blazing pinions, a Chosen, and the Lost on the scene.

Ah, well.

 

[Foxbat]

I’m still playing Pike and Shot and thoroughly enjoying it. I’ve had to drop the difficulty level to that of a lowly captain but now feel ready to raise it again. The hardest troops I’ve come against are winged hussars. They were going through my units like a hot knife through butter. I had to do a bit of research on them and it turns out their ‘wings’ weren’t just for show. The wooden frames helped protect their backs. I like a game that forces me back to the history books

Polish hussars - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[Garfunkel]

I've been playing Final Fantasy 7 (the original) on the PSP. It's been really good; I think I'll complete it soon, which will make it the first Final Fantasy game I've actually finished. I have 8 and 9 to play on the PSP too, so I may tackle one of them next. Or perhaps a different series; Dragon Quest 6 for the DS arrived a few days ago, so maybe I'll go for a 2D RPG instead.

 

[paranoid marvin]

It may (or may not!) be of interest to you fans of Total War , but there was a tv series on the BBC where they invited guests to replay a famous battle using the Total War engine called Time Commanders. Worth checking out.

 

[Foxbat]

It may (or may not!) be of interest to you fans of Total War , but there was a tv series on the BBC where they invited guests to replay a famous battle using the Total War engine called Time Commanders. Worth checking out.

I remember watching that at the time. There was also one before it hosted by Angela Rippon on Channel 4 called Game Of War. It used modern military commanders to recreate tabletop versions of battles like Waterloo and Naseby. It was okay but never really left Nerdsville.

 

[Rodders]

Replaying Jedi: Fallen Order on a harder setting.

Sorry Vince, I won't be starting Alien: Resurrection until after the Easter break.

 

[Vince W]

No worries. I'm spending my time switching between Halo 5 and Doom: Eternal.

 

[Venusian Broon]

It may (or may not!) be of interest to you fans of Total War , but there was a tv series on the BBC where they invited guests to replay a famous battle using the Total War engine called Time Commanders. Worth checking out.

This was the TV show that got me into Total War when I saw it in 2003. First obsessed with Medieval then Rome when it came out the year after.

Showing my age a bit, as I was thirty at the time!

Really dissappointed when the TV show got a re-make and it got an episode in 2016 and they put Greg 'soddin' Wallace in as the presenter
The man who likes to 'age' his books by taking them into saunas and steaming the pages.

 

[.matthew.]

This was the TV show that got me into Total War when I saw it in 2003. First obsessed with Medieval then Rome when it came out the year after.

Same, except my first real playing of Total War was Medieval 2 - loved that game.

 

[reiver33]

Still plugging away at HOI4, The Road To 56

 

[Rodders]

No worries. I'm spending my time switching between Halo 5 and Doom: Eternal.

I should try Halo.

 

[Vince W]

I should try Halo.

Very shooty, but fun.

 

[paranoid marvin]

I should try Halo.

I tried it on PC quite some years ago. From what I remember, the weapons seemed very under-powered and kept running out. Driving around in the vehicle was good fun though.

Tbh my 2 most favourite FPS games are both quite old now, Tron 2.0 (which had a great basic disc weapon) and the original Far Cry.

 

[thaddeus6th]

Playing some Civ VI, which has many new modes since the last time I won a game. Not playing with all of them, but about half.

Doing pretty well so far as Nubia. Simon Bolivar hates me for no apparent reason, but otherwise everyone else likes me a lot. The hero Maui is proving very handy (he can make bonus/luxury resources).

 

[Pyan]

Simon Bolivar hates me for no apparent reason, but otherwise everyone else likes me a lot.

Perhaps he hates you because everyone else likes you a lot...

 

[thaddeus6th]

Pyan, that's true. He be but a green-eyed monster.

 

[Foxbat]

I upped the difficulty level in Pike and Shot and got my arse handed to me on a plate. Playing as the Polish against the impertinent Transylvanians, even my winged hussars took to their heels and ran. Today I commanded a parcel of rogues with no stomach for a fight.

 

[paranoid marvin]

The problem with computer AI is that you never know at what stage they are cheating. Making an artificial opponent faster, more intelligent, more cunning is one thing, making them omniscient (ie seeing parts of the play area the player isn't capable of seeing) or giving them an unfair advantage such as faster movement/construction is another altogether.

A computer can't cheat at chess for example, but it is capable of doing so in most video games. When we ramp up the difficulty level on a game, we never really know for sure if we're simply making the AI cheat to beat us.

 

[Foxbat]

I’m a bit unsure what the actual problem is. If an enemy unit is charged and falls back, my unit follows. If an enemy unit breaks and routs, my unit often chases it off the map and returns sometime later. I know this is historically accurate regarding the behaviour of some cavalry, it’s just that although the AI units still tend to chase fleeing forces, they (appear to) return to the fray much quicker and gain local superiority. Often they are then able to conduct rear or flank attacks whereas, my units never seem to have such favourable positioning after chasing fleeing troops. I should probably point out that the user has no control over chasing units and simply has to wait until they start behaving themselves again.

It’s probably just me, and I think if I’d been a field commander in the Thirty Years War, casualties and defeats would have marked me down as one of the worst generals in history.