The wife and I are doing our first play through of stardew valley.
It's a lot better than I expected
A gaming community free from the hype and oversaturation of current releases, catering to gamers who wait at least 12 months after release to play a game. Whether it's price, waiting for bugs/issues to be patched, DLC to be released, don't meet the system requirements, or just haven't had the time to keep up with the latest releases.
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The wife and I are doing our first play through of stardew valley.
It's a lot better than I expected
If you're playing on PC and end up wanting more content, I can't reccomend the Stardew Valley Expanded modpack enough.
Adds a ton of new townsfolk, and an entire second neighboring town, all as fully fleshed out as the OG townies and all woven in with base game content to the point that they don't stand out as mod added.
Thanks! We will finish vanilla and then look into mods. We haven't even unlocked ginger island yet. Haha
Maybe SVE on the first playthrough is a little much...
They put Reatroachievements on Gamecube games so apparently I'm now balls deep into OG Animal Crossing. Don't even know how it happened, but Tom Nook is saying my kneecaps are at risk if I don't come up with 150K bells by the end of the month.
Man, that Nook is teaching everybody hard truths about capitalism.
does Fallout:London count for patient gamers? Fallout 4 is old, but the mod itself is new. That mod has consumed all my gaming hours so far.
I've been wanting to try it, how is it? Is it closer to Fallout 4 or Fallout 3/New Vegas?
it's been multiple eternities since I've played 3 or NV. 4 I've played more recently, but that was ... basically when the last dlc dropped? So... memory of those games not really the sharpest.
London is mechanically almost identical to 4 (duh? because mod, duh.). The parts of the main-story I've done has been great. I recall preferring side and dlc missions over main-plot in 4, but I was pretty into the main stuff (dlc or not) in NV.
some thoughts about it in no specific order:
I recall enjoying all fallout games, some more than others. I mostly mod for convinience (eg. busywork, carryweight) so I'm not really playing the game(s) as intended. And this one is great... if a bit buggy here and there - but not any more so than actual Fallout games. :D
I totally recommend London, but it comes with an asterisk: the mod requires tweaking, and depending on your computer-skills it can be either "man, this is obvious" to "wtf am I doing". Config-file editing and extra mods are required to get it actually working. Def recommending Mod Organizer 2 as well. Also, if your base fallout 4 (and dlc) are from steam, you need to downgrade from the "Next gen update". I'm fairly sure there's good step-by-step how-to's to get it set up at this point.
but settlements are apparently still a thing
Bizarre choice lol, but everything else sounds good. Thanks for the rundown.
I guess we play old games partially because we wait for mods to release? So we shouldn't have to wait for the mods to be old?
it counts! looks great
Took quite a bit of tinkering to stop crashing tho. But it's great once it does work!
Ahh, you need to be a patient gamer to get it to run! good news
I guess patient with documentation. Out-of-the-box experience is very crashy, and recommended stability mods require some ini-tweaking to make them stable. But the how-to guides keep evolving, I started my trip through the stability-minefield when the mod was released x)
Hades.
Avoiding spoilers, the game just keeps unfolding out additional gameplay content and story long past what originally appeared like it was going to be the end.
There's definitely some slow parts in terms of progression though, as the resource costs for some of the permanent stat upgrades and house contractor stuff are just expensive enough to be annoying. Like, do you want to have fun this run or do you want to pray to RNGesus that you get the resource multiplier boons and hit a brick wall later when you haven't gotten enough combat boosting boons? Otherwise enjoy doing multiple runs to unlock one single thing that may or may not be purely cosmetic.
The gameplay carries it through any rough spots though, along with the drip fed stories of the different characters that progress each time you lose a run.
Overall a wonderful game.
RNGesus
I think you mean HeRNGmes
But yeah Hades is a good game. Got it in the latest Steam Summer Sale. it's my current couch / big screen Deck game.
My current desktop game is still Just Cause 2.
Finally got into Baldur's Gate 3, and oh boy! I get what people were saying. I'm INVESTED. I'm going Dark Urge and currently trying to figure out if I wanna be with Karlach or Shadowheart.
Path of Exile: Settlers of Kalguur. Loving the new mechanics so far.
I still haven't gotten to maps but I love the tiny town. Getting to trade currency is also great.
I'm playing Morrowind! It's my first time!
I already downloaded a couple code fixes to reduce crashing, Solstheim rumour fix, DB attack fix, and gender neutral dialogue. Any other must-have mods I can install on an in-progress save?
After you get done with your first playthrough and you still want more, check out the Tamriel Unlimited mods. They add the rest of Vvardenfell (the mainland) and it's almost twice as big as the base game, as well as tons of new locations, characters, and quests to go with it. They've also made/are making full-size Skyrim and Cyrodiil expansion maps as well.
Morrowind is one of my favorites! Graphic Herbalism is nice, but the DB and Sosltheim fixes are the only necessary ones, atleast for OpenMW.
Have fun! You've probably already heard this if you're aware of the bug fix mods, but if it seems like you're missing every other attack, check your stamina and make sure you're using a weapon you're character has the skills in. A low stamina bar affects every skill check, and that iron dagger in the census office often trips people up if they try using it without taking short blade as a major skill, as an example.
I love Morrowind, but it doesn't do the best job of walking you through how combat works unless you read the manual, so I thought I'd mention it just in case :).
I'm using a bound spear. I have skills in conjuration and spear. I still miss most attacks though. How am I supposed to have high stamina when I reach enemies if getting to enemies requires walking and thus expending stamina? Should I be taking a rest break every ten steps or guzzling potions?
I just got back from the first difficult Mages Guild duty. I had to recruit a new member and gather dues from some people who live in bumfuck volcanic nowhere. I now hate cliff racers with a passion. On the other hand, I'm level 5 and I'm starting to kill scribs in one hit. I also can't believe I cleared that entire dwemer dungeon just to find the puzzle box right near the entrance. Plus side, now I'm loaded on dwemer coins. And playing a conjurer was definitely the right move when it came to those ghosts. I'd have been fucked if I were using mundane weapons.
One thing I'm disappointed by is that a minion-based build seems much less viable in Morrowind than Skyrim. Seems you can't just go all in on conjuration in this one. One thing I like is spears! Spears are the best weapon!
Yeah, resting whenever the stamina bar hits half is generally what I do lol. The Mages Guild definitely throws you to the wolves with that quest, when I did it I failed the speech check and had to fight her.
I've never tried a conjuration build, but I definitely remember falling back on my dagger regularly when I played a Dunmer mage. The Mages Guild has an item chest with magika potions you can use freely.
You can also enchant a ring or amulet to conjure, so even if your magic/Intelligence is low you can consistently summon minions if you can afford the cost of the enchantment. A big difference from Skyrim is that enchanted items recharge automatically when you rest.
This makes a build where you carry around summoning rings/amulets to use before every fight not only possible, but incredibly strong from what I've heard.
Ghost of Tsushima - Took a while to click, but now I'm really enjoying it. Pulling off some of the sword moves perfectly feels so satisfying. And it's gorgeous to look at.
And also Dave the Diver. Very charming game and it keeps adding more and more layers to the gameplay. The gameplay loop is really fun so far.
Skyrim, I have modded the game on Steam Deck and installed a bunch of mods, including, Beyond Skyrim Bruma and it runs great.
Rimworld, finally started playing with one of the expansions, Biotech. Permadeath mode or whatever it's called.
I keep shooting pods of toxic waste at one of my enemies. They keep coming over to complain about it....with fire and pain
I'm close to finishing The Talos Principal 2 as well, I'm quite enjoying it.
Been going back to Minecraft parkour and adventure maps, lots of fun
Final Fantasy 14, specifically the new expansion content.
Did you know Need For Speed: World is alive and kicking? Not officially, obviously, but through the power of fan servers and the wonderful project that is Soapbox Race World. It's not the best NFS in the series and can be pretty tough if you play it without power ups but it's fun.
For those who never heard of NFS:W - it's a live service, online only entry in the series. It consists of maps from Most Wanted and Carbon combined into one and brings some additional gameplay changes specific for the live service model (power ups, performance parts with incremental stats upgrades etc). It also has a pretty good visual editor - can be a bit cumbersome at times but you can do some great stuff with it.
Fan servers are surprisingly active and provide A LOT of new cars, parts etc do play with. They also have different rules so if you want a place where getting everything you want is easy, you can do that as well.
My second game is Wagahime or Waga Himegimi ni Eikan o, a comedy visual novel by Minato Soft. Unlike their other work (that I read anyway) it's set in a medieval fantasy world with magic, beast races and all the usual stuff. It has three main routes, each expanding the world and providing details for the other ones, and each filled with fun characters and events.
I won't be spending much time on it since all that's left is finishing the final route but it's a great read and I really wanted to mention it. Minato Soft seriously reignited my love for VNs lately.
Last but not least, Reverse Collapse: Code Name Bakery - a sci-fi strategy RPG. It came out this year so I'm not going to go too much into it but it's a great and at times challenging title. Worth looking into if you're interested in this genre.
The gift that keeps on giving, No Man's Sky. Pretty much just aimlessly wandering around and having a blast!
Sadly, I‘ve been sick, so I couldn’t play for more than a couple minutes at a time AND my Steam Deck decided to go into a boot loop for no reason, black screen, fans spinning, no BIOS access; had to let it run itself dry in the boot loop for 6 hours and when I connected the AC adapter it booted normally as if nothing happened, crazy!
Anyway, I played a little of Frog Detective 2, it‘s a silly, very short, and simple game series that was perfectly suited for my current state of mind.
Skyrim SE, yet again. At this point it feels like a second job.
Helldivers 2 spreading managed democracy for Super Earth
Monster Hunter World
Alan Wake 2 is an amazing game, glad I got it. Visually it’s stunning, storytelling is amazing and on all aspects just wow. Never thought they do make a sequel out of Alan Wake.
Replaying Last of us and still loving it. Not much else to say about it.
Unfortunately I’m not that happy about Hogwarts legacy. The beginning was great but after 3 hours, I find the gameplay and story very dull and close to dropping it. It makes me a bit sad, I like Harry Potter in general and was hoping for a great magical game. However, they did the whole world building of Hogwarts very well.
Minetest with mineclonia ; Dead Cells ; 0A.D. with my childrens ; Grim Dawn with Reign of Terror mod and Zombasite
Persona 5 Royal Reloaded
I got P5R on steam sale at lowest price and found out with a jail broken PS4 (which i have) you can convert your save to PC so you don't have to start over (completed first dungeon on PS4 and dropped it a few years ago)
Can't stop playing it now, especially with mods that mix up the battle music and one ones that restore the oddly cut content shown in the recently leaked 2015 beta build. (More hangouts and more "M" rated language present)
The Last of Us Part 2 - what a RIDE!
I'm about to finish Phoenix Wright 1 and with it the whole saga (I started my replay with 2), and I'm playing Breath Of Fire IV. The first time was 2 years ago and my phone died mid-playthrough, hopefully this time there will be no issues. I'm playing it on an RG Cube for the portability, the only downside is I can't fully appreciate the gorgeous sprite work in such a small screen.
I just started playing Sekiro.
I started once before, but life happened and I kinda just stopped.
It is a lot of fun though and I think I will stick with it this time.
I’m playing Dishonored these days. It was highly recommended after I said I was loving Prey.
Is it OK if I’m not loving it? Hahaha.
The no kill limitation was really shoe-horned in there, so I think I’ll only really have fun on the second playthrough. Shame.
Prey limits you quite a bit for the good ending, but it’s still complex, broad and fun.
I picked up Xcom 2 War of the Chosen after walking away for 2 years. Loaded it up and remembered why, half my squad severely wounded and surrounded. Knuckled down and got everyone out alive. Don't name your soldiers after your friends.