StaceyPowers

Sony is introducing a new rewards program called “PlayStation Stars”: https://www.pocket-lint.com/games/news/playstation/162834-playstation-stars-explained-features-loyalty-points One thing that made me laugh that I saw about this program is supposedly one of the rewards is better customer support.

https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/story/2022-09-29/vr-meditation-taught-me-how-to-meditate-how-to-save-a-life Here is an interesting article about using VR to meditate. This makes a lot of sense to me, as I actually seem to get the benefits of meditating more from playing video games than “just sitting.”

What RPGs have the most nuanced factions? What I mean is, games where it is not a super clear-cut case of Good Faction A vs. Evil Faction B, and things are a bit more gray.

I was quite peeved today when I finally looked into The Outer Worlds 2 and saw it is an Xbox/PC exclusive (having just finished the first game on PS5). I worry about this happening with Elder Scrolls and Fallout as well since Microsoft bought all these studios. Anyone else feel it is totally lame not to continue releasing series on their original platforms?

Anyone have thoughts about The Outer Worlds 2? Mostly I just hope we do not see a lot of familiar corporation names, since it is meant to take place on an entirely different colony.

In another thread, someone mentioned they thought it’d be rare to miss certain details of a game’s mechanics unless one actively avoids walkthroughs. I actually do actively avoid them in most circumstances, but it never occurred to me this might be odd. Who else does this?

I feel like with just about every RPG, there are many complaints about the endings not having enough branching. This makes me curious--are there any RPGs that have largely escaped this complaint?

Unintuitive controls, I think? I already forgot what button it is now =D

Were you ever present for the final moments of an online game? I was fondly remembering the one week I spent in a MUD called Orone many years ago. I discovered it the week it shut down, and me and a friend challenged ourselves to try and accomplish as much as possible in-game before the plug was pulled. It was actually a lot of fun since there was zero pressure, and other gamers had no reason not to help us achieve our ridiculous goals. But they did pull the plug several hours early, which was a disappointment. I could have done so much with those hours.

What are your favorite channels or videos for gaming humor? Also, I apologize if I posted this already. I don't think I did, but I get overly excited about this video.

What’s the longest it ever took you to download and install a game?

Why do some games take up so much hard drive space while others take up so little? Sometimes I am surprised, as it seems like games that I would expect to be massive given their graphics, etc. or the sizes of their environments are fairly small. What factors make the biggest difference?

Can you think of any quests that were side quests, but felt like they should be part of the main questline for a game? An example I would give would be the quest about the retirement district in The Outer Worlds.

Are there any cannon endings in video games that bug you? Which ones, and why?

What games feature silent protagonists that to you still felt like they had their own distinct identities rather than just being a stand-in for "you" as the gamer? To me, Jack and Delta in the BioShock games felt distinct from me. So did the cat in Stray.

How many months/years do you wait around for a game you want to go on sale before you just decide it is not going to happen and you grab it at full price? I realize if you can buy it on a physical disc you might just grab it used eventually, but this isn’t applicable with digital.

One of my friends mentioned trying to sketch out how she wants her No Man’s Sky base to look, and that she also has done spreadsheets for her resource management. Do you ever write/draw plans like this for games you play?

Do you ever game and do other stuff at the same time, like work or homework? If so, what games do you find work best for this sort of multitasking? I used to play MUDs and work on homework as a teen, but all the games I play now are too active/demanding for multitasking.

To those who game online with friends, how do you overcome scheduling challenges, especially if you work different hours and days or you live in different timezones?

I was having a really bad day the other week, and found the only thing that made me feel safe and okay for a few hours was to log into my friend’s Minecraft world. When we were young, her house used to be the place I feel safe, but she lives across the country now. I was surprised by what a big help her Minecraft world was for getting me more centered again. Does anyone else here find that virtual environments have a therapeutic effect on you?

Are there any games where you regularly engage in microtransactions? Which games, and how do you feel about it?

When it comes to customer support, which developers and publishers have you found to be the best and worst to deal with?

I have a PS Plus membership for the first time ever courtesy of a friend. Tbh, I never paid much attention to PS Plus since I’m not really into subscriptions, but since I have it, what are the best things to do with it to get the most out of it?

Do you think the sewage smell affects the taste in a negative way? Or do you just manage to ignore the smell once you are drinking it? If you drink it slowly, does it help to avoid the crash? Which flavors gave you that chalky after-feeling? Which ones had a smoother after-feeling? I don't know why, but this made me laugh.

I have resolved the issue by not dying.