What Game Are You Currently Playing?

[Muginns]

Baldur's gate 3 - one of the best games I ever played :O

 

[Dragonlady]

having a trip down memory lane and rediscovering zeus: master of olympus via gog, still good fun!

 

[Foxbat]

Many years ago, I was on a nightshift and it was very quiet. My colleague (who had some kind of business degree) decided to pass the time by trying to teach me double entry book keeping. He failed miserably. I didn't understand a word of it. I can't therefore explain my attraction to business sims but, right now, I'm busy trying to learn Capitalism Lab. To be honest, my brain is strugging.

 

[Toby Frost]

Scars Above: An adventure game about a scientist trying to survive on an alien planet. The graphics are really pretty and the visual design is very good. However, (a) it crashes a lot and (b) it's obscenely hard. I really hate the tendency in some modern games to make everything extremely difficult. I'm not a masochist, so why would I bother playing a game like that? I could play an easier game, punch myself in the face every few minutes and have just as much fun. A wasted opportunity.

 

[Foxbat]

I'm slowly getting to grips with Capitalism Lab. It's kind of making me uncomfortable because, here I am, a self-confessed socialist, searching the globe to find a place where I can get my goods manufactured and give my workers as little as possible in wages. Then, I ship them off to richer cities with higher earnings and quality of life.

The other side I'm finding out about is how moddable it is. I've already added a few companies (Fray Bentos, Heinz, Kraft) and my absolute favourite - Los Pollos Hermanos run by one Gustavio Fring (with logo). Anybody familiar with Breaking Bad or Better Call Saul will know what I'm on about

 

[Toby Frost]

Man O'War Corsair (2017) - this is a Warhammer spin-off from a few years ago, based on a long-defunct game about fantasy sailing ships (which was pretty good). It's got a lot going for it, including a lot of options for improving and customising your ship and its scurvy crew, and at times feels like a fantasy version of games like Elite (although simplified to make it playable, unlike Elite). Some of the enemy ships are really wacky and there are some great sea monsters. However, it all feels slightly primitive and unfinished, like a really good mod for an older game: the towns you visit look like the streets from Thief 1. I've quite enjoyed it so far, but it really feels basic at points.

 

[Foxbat]

Man O’War sounds like something I might look into.

 

[Muginns]

Just got back into League of Legends... I know I shouldn't but it's damn addictive did anyone watch the Blizz Con yesterday?

 

[thaddeus6th]

Started a new game of Stellaris for the first time in a little while. Mostly my neighbours love the Serene Republic, as it's super nice, but I do have some (thankfully distant) fanatical purifiers, and the nearby honourbound warriors loathe me too. The only strategy game since Civ II I can beat on the highest setting, but it's always a bit nip-and-tuck so not sure how this will end up going.

 

[Toby Frost]

So, Man O'War ought to be great fun but isn't. Everything about it is cumbersome and awkward: not just sailing a ship (you'd expect some awkwardness there!) but trading, paying your crew, equipping your men, boarding the enemy, exploring, even looking at the map. It's full of good ideas and execution that would have seemed clunky in 2005. It's so awkward, coupled with the difficulty of "standard" mode, that there's very little incentive to do anything at all, really. You might as well play something else. Doesn't somebody playtest these games? Or am I just unusual in wanting them to be enjoyable to play?

 

[Foxbat]

So, Man O'War ought to be great fun but isn't. Everything about it is cumbersome and awkward: not just sailing a ship (you'd expect some awkwardness there!) but trading, paying your crew, equipping your men, boarding the enemy, exploring, even looking at the map. It's full of good ideas and execution that would have seemed clunky in 2005. It's so awkward, coupled with the difficulty of "standard" mode, that there's very little incentive to do anything at all, really. You might as well play something else. Doesn't somebody playtest these games? Or am I just unusual in wanting them to be enjoyable to play?

You can take comfort in the fact that you’ve playtested it for me and I’ll give it a miss.

 

[Toby Frost]

True. I've got no background in games, but I've always found them interesting as a concept. I've also come to realise that my idea of enjoyment in games is different to a lot of other people.

 

[Mgellis]

I don't play too many games, but I do spend a bit of time playing and writing scenarios for COMMAND: MODERN OPERATIONS. It's probably one of the best war games (emphasis on naval and air operations, but some ground warfare elements, too) available right now.

 

[Foxbat]

I don't play too many games, but I do spend a bit of time playing and writing scenarios for COMMAND: MODERN OPERATIONS. It's probably one of the best war games (emphasis on naval and air operations, but some ground warfare elements, too) available right now.

I have a copy of its predecessor (Command: Modern Air and Naval Operations.
It’s a game I want to love so much but it is just too much for me. I wasn’t surprised when the military started using it because it’s so detailed. Needless to say I won’t be buying Command: Modern Operations.

I have found Rule The Waves 3 much more to my liking.

 

[Toby Frost]

I loaded up Neverwinter Nights 2, really just to see what it was like. I played this about 10 years ago, and really liked it: in particular, the character interactions felt really detailed and new. Unfortunately, it feels pretty bog-standard now. My tolerance for cod-Tolkien fantasy settings has decreased, too - NWN2 is literally based on Dungeons & Dragons - and it's just not very interesting to look at or play. Maybe I should have another look at the Dragon Age games - they're also medieval fantasy, but a bit more interesting.

 

[Mgellis]

I have a copy of its predecessor (Command: Modern Air and Naval Operations.
It’s a game I want to love so much but it is just too much for me. I wasn’t surprised when the military started using it because it’s so detailed. Needless to say I won’t be buying Command: Modern Operations.

I have found Rule The Waves 3 much more to my liking.

I agree there is a bit of a learning curve on Command. Love it anyway, though.

 

[Vladd67]

So, Man O'War ought to be great fun but isn't. Everything about it is cumbersome and awkward: not just sailing a ship (you'd expect some awkwardness there!) but trading, paying your crew, equipping your men, boarding the enemy, exploring, even looking at the map. It's full of good ideas and execution that would have seemed clunky in 2005. It's so awkward, coupled with the difficulty of "standard" mode, that there's very little incentive to do anything at all, really. You might as well play something else. Doesn't somebody playtest these games? Or am I just unusual in wanting them to be enjoyable to play?

Sadly that was my view, it feels like an early access game that the developers never finished. A pity as it had potential.

 

[Toby Frost]

Yes, it could have been really good. I agree that it doesn't feel properly finished. There do seem to be a lot of ropey games out there.

 

[Venusian Broon]

Really enjoying Starfield at the moment. I can see why some may not like it, but it's like a nice warm bath for me: lots of Bethesda RPG quests - so main and a bunch of factions, plus all the little odd ones you find; a lot of No Man Sky explorations - but a lot more gunfights; and a lot of interesting sub-systems to work towards: ship building, base building, fallout-style equipment research and upgrading...that I have barely got into to. Only level 32. Putting skill points into other things.

This is definitely my winter '23 game. Might even 'complete' it. (Still haven't finished fully Skyrim or any of the Fallouts...)

 

[Foxbat]

Watched a video of Starfield (I noted that in said video, the bad guys were tagged as Raider Scum and I immediately thought of Fallout).

Looks very good but the tech specs are too high for my PC. I'd need a new processor, video card, more RAM and SSD ( I'm currently running on HDD). I'm afraid my days of buying (or even significantly upgrading) a computer just to run one game are long gone so I doubt if I'll get to play it anytime soon (unless my PC catches fire and I have to buy a new one...hmm, where's that insurance policy....).