Computer Gaming Fanatics Thread

[XkillerX]

Oh definetely. I'm very curious how others will fare with the twisted time puzzles. I am yet not just to meet, but to hear of a person who completed it without j00tubez. But if you have great creativity, unlike me, then the problems - well, shouldn't be much of a problem.

[XkillerX]

TRINE

Well hello there Lost Vikings. Haven't seen you for 17 years! What's that you're saying? Yet another reincarnation? Awww, don't worry, I'm quite sure it will never be as good as the original.

Indeed it's not.

You shapeshift between a sexy thief, a nerdy wizard and an idiot fighter at the touch of a button. Because steretypez rulz, blahblah. The graphics are pretty. The puzzles are useless and irritating. The physics effects are nice... if anybody seems to care. There is no zoom-in function which is very frustrating. And the game is just unplayably boring. Sorry. Trine, please return to the back of the class and come back when you've learned some fresh tricks.

(And please wipe out the incredibly boring storyline and storyteller)

[SpugFab]

In defense of Trine (I haven't played it), I have heard that the co-op multiplayer is much more fun and makes some sense of the puzzles. Single player isn't meant to be too special. Which is probably an oversight, as 99% of people will play it on their own

I'm having a little look at real-time strategy games at the moment, a genre I've never paid any attention to. Kicking off old school style with C&C: Red Alert

[XkillerX]

Spugman, pass on the C&C (except the first, first C&C) and pick up Starcraft or Warcraft3. They are epic, fantastic and an adventure by themselves. UNLIKE ANY OTHER FUCKING RTS they actually have a story and background happenings crafted by eartists and pröfessional dezignrz, so the RTS to me was more of a "have to" just to keep the plot unraveling

But it is time to unravel my plot, for a grand spectacle was *supposed* to happen today, but like always it ended in misery:

KILLER TRIES HIS FIRST MUMORPEGER, GETS PISSED OFF!!!

For those new to the whole thing, think World of Warcraft = the second job you actually pay for.

Now, EVE ONLINE. I have no clue to what made my expectations rise so high, for the very word ONLINE in the title concludes its misery. Maybe many hours spent playing wonderful shooters-traders in space?!

Elite has done it well. So did Frontier. And Xwing. Tie Fighter. THE ENTIRE FUCKING WING COMMANDER SERIES. Then Descent, and Freespace. And Freelancer. And many others.

All space f(L)ight games need to conform to THREE BASIC REQUESTS:

1. Flying around.
2. Shooting stuff
3. Making out with hot aliens



EVE FAILS IMMEDIATELY ON ALL OF THEM.

You fly around by clicking the fucking mouse, then context menu, set path, set target, bring up map, stick your elbow in your mouth and then your head in the arse, and then you move.

You shoot by clicking around for another modest five minutes, then finally clicking the WEAPON ICON, and then like in all proper mumorpegers, the ships automatically take turns shooting at each other!?

Dont even think about a hint of #3.

EVE, you suck in so many ways that if you were a prostitute I guarantue you would make even more money than with this bloated ubernerd nightmare that already earns you millions every month (who the F pays for this shit?! My 14 DAY trial period lasted a solid 45 mins and that was more than enough).

Ok ok wanna know more?

There are roughly 300 different skills. I am not kidding. You train them by queing them up and then not playing the damn game. I am still not kidding.

The intro calls you a demigod. I have a problem sharing a universe with several million other "demigods".

You customise your characters physical appearance for ~20 minutes at the start. Then you never get to see that face ever again, defeating the entire point of it.

No matter how much money you earn, you can't buy top equipment until you not play the game enough so you train your skills to certain levels.

And the overbloated screen and interface... Ugh... Serves me right for trying to get hooked on another job I have to pay for.

[Talyn]

Actually, I really liked the C&C series, in particular Red Alert and Generals.

Come on, little russian soldiers with guns that release tesla coils attached to their backs? That's too cool to NOT want to play at least once

[Heinrich]

Truely, EVE Online is not for everyone.
Yes, it has many many flaws. All the points you mention are misconceptions or false expectations though.

You fly your ship in a 3rd person view. And position doesnt matter in EVE, only range, speed and direction. Yes, its a different way of controling your ship and it doesnt support the feel of "Im flying this ship". It helps greatly later to keep an overview of whats happening around you later on.

There is no taking turns.

There are no aliens...

The skillsystem doesnt force you on how you spend your time playing. In other MMORPGs you increase your skills by spending time doing the things that the skill is good for. In EVE the time still needs to pass but you are free to do what you want in the meantime. Less grinding.

Compared to regular humans, Capsule Pilots are Demigods and there are only about 300.000 of them around (about 45.000 at the same time)

Your portrait is on your charactersheet and everyone who checks you out is seeing it.

You can buy all equipment you can affort. You might not be able to use it though. Nothing different to any other game where you have levels or skillevels.

I am not trying to sell you EVE. If you dont like it dont play it.
No need to drag it into the mudd though, for things that arent true or because you expected a lollypop but got icecream.

[SpugFab]

I've been meaning to have a look at EVE. I think having a game of that size running in a single universe instance is a great achievement.

Got distracted from C&C by Final Fantasy Tactics. PS3 action just now is Call of Duty: World at War followed by Modern Warfare.

[Crash]

Just a little warning from Encarta sources to all you gaming fanatics out there to take an occasional break:

Several men have died after marathon video-game sessions, particularly in 24-hour cybercafés that are popular gaming venues in Asian countries. In South Korea, a 24-year-old man died of exhaustion after playing for 86 straight hours in 2002; and a 28-year-old man who had recently lost his job because he spent too much time playing Starcraft died of heart failure in 2005 after a 50-hour session. A 27-year-old Taiwanese man reportedly passed away in 2002 after playing video games for 32 hours, and in 2007, a man fainted in a Chinese cybercafé after three straight days of gaming. Perhaps these cybercafés should impose a time limit.

[richie_b]

Has anyone been playing Left 4 Dead 2?
It's a huge improvement on the first one & really well conceived & executed. However, the servers can be a bit flaky & randomly being dropped into a group of snotty 16 year olds can be a bit crap too.
So I'm a bit divided & am interested in what others might think...

[Heinrich]

Hell yea!
Both parts of Left 4 Dead are the best shooters I have played in years (actually, I havent played shooters in years because there werent any good).
Dont bother with Singleplayer Mode. Its no good. Multiplayer is gold though. Co-Op as well as Versus.

+Zombies
+Real teamplay required
+Competitive
+Balanced without being the same on both sides

Playing on random servers can be a pain. Mostly due to alot of people leaving when they are loosing but thats not really the games fault. And the best way to counter that is to play with people you know.

Feel free to add me, "Beinrich" is my name there.

[richie_b]

Cheers for that, Heinrich. I haven't been able to play with friends since my game-playing friends have rather selfishly gone and bought the Xbox version, or, in one case, decided to focus on their PhD....
You're right about the team work being required & this is the best and worst of playing with strangers: if a team gels, it's real fun, but 90% of the time, it's folk running off & playing it like a solo game, which is no fun at all.

If you're using the PC version, I'll add you later & maybe see how much fun playing with real people is.

[Rainycat]

I've been meaning to have a look at EVE. I think having a game of that size running in a single universe instance is a great achievement.

I think EVE looks fantastic, though I've never got round to having enough spare time to look into it. I saw Eyjólfur Guðmundsson present a talk on some of its complex economics at the Edinburgh Interactive Festie last year and was quite blown away by the intricacies of it

[XkillerX]

(actually, I havent played shooters in years because there werent any good).

Painkiller, Quake4, Modern Warfare, Bioshock, Stalker, PORTAL...

Modern Warfare 2 is out in the wild.

It's fantastic yet again.

[Heinrich]

True.
I should have said multiplayer-shooter, thats what I meant.

CoD6 seems cool. Dont have time for it though since I have to kill ZOMIES!!!

[XkillerX]

I should have said multiplayer-shooter, thats what I meant.

(actually, I havent played shooters in years because there werent any good).

Painkiller, Quake4, Modern Warfare, Bioshock, Stalker, PORTAL...

Modern Warfare 2 is out in the wild.

It's fantastic yet again.

Plus Team Fortress 2.