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there's a frog in my snake oil
Re: travel time. I'd be curious how it compares to EVE Online.
There are 2 issues in ED:

  • Hyperspace jumps to new solar systems (like that EVE vid)

In my pimped out spaceships this isn’t super killer. Might take 14 jumps to get to a 'distant' system on the other side of occupied space, at like 45secs per jump, including refuelling at stars on the way. [10 mins+]

With noob gear (much shorter jump range, slower fuel scoop, smaller fuel tank) that could take like 45 jumps... (with more frequent 2 minute refuelling pauses). [55 mins approx...]

Due to stuff like that I often just found clusters of systems I liked, stayed there, and ignored the far away opportunities. It meant meeting up with friends 'physically' was... not spontaneous... though :/

(There is a system to teleport to a friend’s ship and use their moon buggy / launchable fighters / turrets etc, but news on the DLC suggests a lot of co-op gameplay will still require travelling to hook up).

  • 'Supercruise' travel within solar systems

This is how you fly to points of interest inside a solar system. IE to where the main gameplay is. If there is a second sun within the system, and you accidentally agree to fly there, this can mean a 10min+ journey with no flight input, not content, no nothing. It’s dire. (I normally just dump the mission if this happens. Which it does too often...)

To bring home how unengaging Supercruise can be, here’s me in the new noob taxi service in the alpha (testing the VR), being flown on a pretty short trip to a planet’s surface...



Feels long right

This can be managed with experience. Flying the ship itself, avoiding slowing points of mass, dodging pirates, tracking down target ships, dropping in on space opportunities... All of that can make Supercruise a more engaging place. But when you’re just A-to-B-ing, and nothing happens... It is the not-good

—-

I don’t think the Odyssey DLC is going to address these issues. I’m kinda hopeful the content at the end of cruise will make up for it though. (And that the cruise will still tie in to the space world that they’re building, and feel fitting, if nothing else).

Guess we’ll see
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You ready? You look ready.
Star Wars: Republic Commando gets its PS4/Switch debut tomorrow.

I have half a mind to buy a copy, but I am waiting to see how much they polished it up. I have the backwards compatible version on Xbox and, while it is sorely dated, it's good enough to scratch the memory lane itch.
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"This is that human freedom, which all boast that they possess, and which consists solely in the fact, that men are conscious of their own desire, but are ignorant of the causes whereby that desire has been determined." -Baruch Spinoza



Star Wars: Republic Commando gets its PS4/Switch debut tomorrow.

I have half a mind to buy a copy, but I am waiting to see how much they polished it up. I have the backwards compatible version on Xbox and, while it is sorely dated, it's good enough to scratch the memory lane itch.
it reminds me of the ps2 days =p but im excited to get it tho



Tried playing Detroit: Become Human recently but it crashes every 2 minutes (literally). Shame, the game seems right up my alley. I'll just have to wait until I'm able to upgrade my PC, or they fix the port. What I'm saying is...it'll be a while.

I also bought A Way Out. Looks like fun and it was on sale, so why not.



I also bought A Way Out. Looks like fun and it was on sale, so why not.
A friend and I finished this co-op a month or so ago. It's a fun ride, albeit very over the top. The plot ending is a bit of a downer though.



Tried playing Detroit: Become Human recently but it crashes every 2 minutes (literally). Shame, the game seems right up my alley. I'll just have to wait until I'm able to upgrade my PC, or they fix the port. What I'm saying is...it'll be a while.

I also bought A Way Out. Looks like fun and it was on sale, so why not.
I liked D:BH a lot. One of the decisions I made towards the end ripped my heart out and made me totally indifferent about the climax though.

Let us know how A Way Out is. A prison escape game sounds so cool, but I remember being turned off by some reviews upon release.



I liked D:BH a lot. One of the decisions I made towards the end ripped my heart out and made me totally indifferent about the climax though.

Let us know how A Way Out is. A prison escape game sounds so cool, but I remember being turned off by some reviews upon release.
Yeah, games that are heavy on decision making are my go-to. Needless to say, I'm bummed that I can't play it. Did you play it on PC? If so, what are your specs? I'm considering buying a new GPU but everything is crazy expensive right now.

As for A Way Out I'll be sure to keep you posted. Assuming I'll be able to play it. Fingers crossed.



Yeah, games that are heavy on decision making are my go-to. Needless to say, I'm bummed that I can't play it. Did you play it on PC? If so, what are your specs? I'm considering buying a new GPU but everything is crazy expensive right now.

As for A Way Out I'll be sure to keep you posted. Assuming I'll be able to play it. Fingers crossed.
Yes. I think I got it on the Epic games client and it ran without a fuss. Ryzen 5 3600, 16GB RAM, & a GTX 1660. No overclocking. If your PC could muster Cyberpunk I don't know why DBH wouldn't run. Maybe drivers or a reinstall?



That elusive hide-and-seek cow is at it again

I mentioned old Sega Genesis' Phantasy Star II (1990?) not long ago and I'm still with it. I guess I've averaged an hour a night for a week now. It's still a very nice RPG. Currently, my lead character is level 10 of a max 50 and I've cleared two dungeons with two of seven potential companions (you can choose up to three companions to join your lead character, changing out any time you return home). With age I've learned more patience so I'm taking my time leveling stats and saving for adequate gear before dungeon grinding, unlike my 13ish year-old self who probably rushed the first dungeon as soon as I found it.


The image, above, shows the standard overhead town view of Arima, the second town you will soon discover after starting the game. Menus shown provide access to your character Item sets (each character carries 16 items total, including equipped gear; State for your party showing current levels of health (HP), magic (TP), character levels, and MST, which is the in-game currency. Here, "Sam" is the player's custom-named lead character. Yes, you can name your main!

Also in the image, notice the level of destruction in the burnt plant life and damaged homes and storefronts!! As you explore this town by speaking to each and every villager, you learn that the Scoundrels have kidnapped a local girl, and that her father lost his mind and has started terrorizing locals for money. These are all clues to seek out and explore the first dungeon, Shure.


Here is the world-view, once leaving a town. You lead your group town to town, picking up clues on the local travesties that only you can put an end to. All the while randomly bumping into world monsters to fight, leveling your characters and the in-game currency, Meseta (MST). Both will take considerable dedication to max out. As suggested in the image, areas are partitioned off from each other, only connected by small bridges. Here, the black background is actually a water canal currently blocked off by several dams scattered around this world. "Why?" will become a question to solve later in the game. Each world partition seems to restrict higher level monsters from accessing lower skill areas, so once you learn where the big ticket beasts reside, you can grind till your heart's content.

Speaking of beasts, following is the battle view:

Here we have Ash (custom named, remember?) and your first companion, Nei. As the introductory story reveals, you first met Nei six months earlier being attacked, I believe. Since, she has joined you and has sworn to fight at your side to solve the mysteries of Mota (the world on which you live), and why Mother Brain (a central computer that regulates all things on the planet's surface) has created and allowed monsters to roam the planet.

Battles are turn-based, most times giving you first shot. You can choose to immediately fight or to strategize your encounter. You could run away, but rarely does that work if your level is lower than your attacker. The more practical strategy is to set each character to use physical or magical attacks, set to defend, or to cast healing support targeting specific party members. In this example, the player has only come across three Mosquitos. You may encounter up to two different monster types at a time, where one group is named in the top-left frame and the other, top-right. You may face up to four total monsters.

The battles are exciting and, though the background here is quite minimal, the character and monster animations are very well done. Half of the fun, for me, is waiting to discover a new monster to see its new attack animation. The only down side to these battles is that while you can plan your attack to focus on only one monster type, you have no control as to which of that monster type you attack first. Nor can you focus fire your characters one just one enemy. Often times I've screamed at the monitor while my team skips around, hitting monster 1 then jumping over to monster 2 leaving BOTH alive when two hits might have killed one or the other. So it becomes obvious, early in the game, to thin the numbers by attacking whichever monster type has the least monsters on screen. Other than that, it's great stuff and details really are gorgeous for this timeframe. For that, I'm ok with the minimal battle screens.

I'd say the game easier this time around compared to my experience back in the 90s, but that's just the level grind. The dungeons, which this game is known for (both loved and reviled), is as dense as I remember them being. For context, the original cartridge came with a 100+ page hint guide complete with maps to each dungeon level. The first dungeon, Shure, is four levels deep with telepads scattered throughout. Some take you up to the next, more difficult level, while others take you down to lower levels.



You have to use these telepads strategically. For example, there may be three pads on level one that take you to level two. Two of those lead to locked treasure chests. Where's the key? Somewhere on level four, of course. The third teleport takes you through to level two, but you then have port up to three, find another port back down to two to bypass a deadend on three. All of course require the long scenic route to find. Yeah. With multiple ports and paths per level, most of which you don't find until traversing half a floor, you could spend all night just mapping one dungeon. Hence the ridiculously long hint book. Good news for ROMmers, these maps are readily available online through gaming communities.

So two dungeons down and I just added my fourth companion. I'm not as obsessed as I was as a kid, but there is still an addictive quality to it all. I can now at least turn off before I pass out.

The soundtrack is great and the story is fairly dramatic. At least for as much as a 13 year old kid could handle. The game is grim compared to say Chrono Trigger, so be prepared for something more in line with Final Fantasy arcs.

So far so good. I'll post back if I continue. Maybe with pics too.



Yes. I think I got it on the Epic games client and it ran without a fuss. Ryzen 5 3600, 16GB RAM, & a GTX 1660. No overclocking. If your PC could muster Cyberpunk I don't know why DBH wouldn't run. Maybe drivers or a reinstall?
Wow, you're pretty much set, ya lucky duck. That basically confirms that it's me. I hear the game's very demanding, so an upgrade is essential. Well, it'll just have to sit tight for a while. I think the reason I was able to play Cyberpunk is because it was made with PC in mind so even my rinky-dink of a machine could handle it.



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Imagine an eye unruled by man-made laws of perspective, an eye unprejudiced by compositional logic, an eye which does not respond to the name of everything but which must know each object encountered in life through an adventure of perception. How many colors are there in a field of grass to the crawling baby unaware of 'Green'?

-Stan Brakhage



Okay, A Way Out is actually a lot of fun. Unlike the Dark Pictures games, there are far more co-op elements that I would expect from a, you know, co-op game. I'm having a blast.



That elusive hide-and-seek cow is at it again
Phantasy Start II (continued)
Alright. I've been slacking these last two nights in PS2. I still play a bit, but not but maybe 10-20 minutes a session. Mostly I've just been grinding for Mesata for gear, then I kinda get bored and bail. That's not to say I'm done. Far from it. Just these last few nights I've been late getting home and have other obligations to chase that eat into my game time. Still, I'm in it to win it.

I now I have uh... *counts* six characters total to pick from, for a party of four. My main is level 14 while Nei, my primary companion, is around 20. Basically, after completing landmarks (plot points, dungeons, new towns), you will find a new companion waiting whenever you decide to return home. Because it's staggered, the grind requirements just keep growing. So, for example, to complete the first dungeon you need to be around level 4. Returning home you then meet a new character that is, unfortunately, level 1. Before moving on to the next higher zone, you need to level up the newbie, else he/she will likely die in no more than two hits. You can set the new character to guard mode where they are more protected if attacked, allowing you a slightly lower risk in going after higher level creatures for faster gains. The problem though is that IF the new member dies in combat, then they receive NO EXP from the encounter, effectively wasting the entire effort. Add to that they start with lower gear, so you need the cash to upgrade. And that takes time too.

With each new area, comes new creatures. With new creatures come new equipment requirements to be able to adequately fight them. With each battle resulting in an average of 200MST (in this particular stage of the game) and ONE (higher level) weapon costing 6,700MST, it will take a good bit of time to gear out your entire crew. That's one weapon. Most companions can hold two, plus head gear, chest, etc., but that's the old school RPG grind and I love it.

Someone once asked if this game is worth a visit today. I have to say yes. Yes, it most certainly is.

WARNING: "broad storyline spoilers" spoilers below
Over the course of this adventure you will experience what may be the first perma-death of a main character ever used in console gaming of the time. You will, inadvertently, devastate a world's ecosystem while trying to actually save it. Being the sequel to the original Sega Master System's Phantasy Star, you actions eventually lead to the destruction of the entire world that the original game was set in. An entire planet is wiped out because of the choices you will have to make! Comprehend THAT as a pre-teen kid! You will experience philosophical debates between a culture's faith in technology vs faith in spiritualism and the dangers of both. As you discover more and more of why these monsters exist and of the technology developed to make citizens' lives easier, you will learn of human arrogance and our inability to learn from our repeated histories from thousands of years. You will literally have to fight humanity! All that to say that this game is quite epic, considering its 16-bit place in time.

Find the ROM if you don't have the system or the Genesis game pack on your favorite modern console. It really is an historic landmark of a game. If you care at all about nostalgia for a revisit, RPGs, or gaming history in general, you really need to experience this cart.
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"My Dionne Warwick understanding of your dream indicates that you are ambivalent on how you want life to eventually screw you." - Joel

"Ever try to forcibly pin down a house cat? It's not easy." - Captain Steel

"I just can't get pass sticking a finger up a dog's butt." - John Dumbear



Playing We Happy Few. It's actually a pretty decent game. Well, it was until...

WARNING: spoilers below
I was forced to play as Sally. The second I saw she had a baby I actually uttered "Oh, Jesus Christ!" and knew bad times would be had. Sure enough, this is the most annoying thing I've ever had to do in a game. It wouldn't be so bad if it didn't affect my mobility seeing as she's constantly over encumbered due to her "guilt" of being a "bad" "mom" because she can't afford to buy that $400 baby feeder or whatever it's called. Well, I'm trying, Sally! I'm selling everything we have for that bundle of snot and turds. I'm digging through every trash can I can find! Give me a break, woman!



The Adventure Starts Here!
Playing We Happy Few. It's actually a pretty decent game. Well, it was until...
Sounds like it should be called We Unhappy Many.

I've had that on my Steam wishlist forever but the price remains too steep, even on sale.