StaceyPowers

Do you feel that way even when the purchasable upgrades are only cosmetic?

True. I mean, at least once you stop sitting on the couch 12 hours a day, life should more or less go on. With the alcohol or drugs, you may be battling addiction on a physiological level with withdrawal, etc. And in some cases, long term major health consequences.

That's true. Because somehow it's different than you remember it. Kind of reminds me of going back to Disneyland as an adult. All the cool effects on the rides which were so magically convincing to me as a kid were so "flat" as an adult.

Have you ever played any freemium games? Was it a good or bad experience? I’ve played a number of freemium games in the form of MUDs. Some were great, others were terrible. The deciding factor was definitely whether or not the buyable upgrades were cosmetic or functional in nature.

@TheSteelyardDweller That sounds like that ad actually emphasizes two stereotypes, the second one being that gamers can’t get or keep girlfriends/boyfriends. That’s very strange, considering that “nerd” interests have become trendy of late rather than being “uncool” as they were when I was a child. It’s amazing how long some companies can remain out of the loop. @The Blackangel “Things like decision making, coordination, therapeutic elements, and relaxation just to name a few.” I am starting to wonder how much research has been conducted on some or all of these applications. I should look for some studies. “That's why I volunteer with a local pitbull rescue organization that takes in any pit from anywhere in the country to rehabilitate them” Just for this, you score even more points with me :) One of my close friends works with rescues for German Shepherds, so animal rescue has become quite close to my heart.

I don't think that companies shouldn't be allowed to make "freemium" games. As a player though, I can tell you that unless all buyable upgrades are cosmetic in nature, I tend to avoid "freemium" like the plague (based on bad experiences in the past).

@kingpotato Most graphics from that generation feel completely obsolete nowadays. I still like NV's graphics though, at least in terms of the scenery. I thought they did well rendering the atmosphere (literally). The way the light is ... it looks/feels like it does in that actual location IRL.

@Executor Akamia @The Blackangel I was expecting responses about specific moments in terms of writing in single player games for some reason, but your responses emphasize an important point. The most memorable moments in games are often the ones we make. "Also replaying a favorite game that you were sure you knew everything about, only to discover something that advances your character that you never knew about." Those are always some of my favorite moments! My mind is always blown by just how much there is to discover.

In this thread where we were talking about the elements most important to us in the games we play, @SpaceExplorer mentioned, "If a game gets all three, though, (gameplay, story, and setting), then I'm instantly hooked." We all know there are games where there is a strong emphasis on one aspect or another. But which games do you all think are most balanced in terms of getting all of these elements (and others) right? @skyfire @kingpotato @The Blackangel @DylanC @UleTheVee @LadyDay @Bravosi @Executor Akamia

@The Blackangel It seems so far we're the odd ones out in this respect. Why am I not surprised? =D @SpaceExplorer You mentioned that "there's only a few" stories in games today that can capture your full attention. Which games have you played which really impressed you in terms of their stories?

Can you elaborate, especially regarding "fan fiction?"

Of course, this reminds me of The Oregon Trail ... where historical education met videogame rage for me as a child.

You are quite right--we are exact inverses in this respect. I love hearing that from you though, because in many respects I feel we see eye to eye on games, so it's cool hearing your differing perspective.

Regarding the Aldmeri Dominion, Skyrim is probably screwed either way. But the Imperials are far better equipped to fend off the threat than Skyrim is on its own at this point, which is an unpleasant but practical reality. Now, there are other factors to consider as well. The way I see it, the evils stand thus: The Stormcloaks are racists. The Empire enforces a policy of religious oppression. It was the specifics of the situation that made me decide the Stormcloak issue is the bigger problem. There’s a point during Solitude quests where the queen asks you to take an item to a Talos shrine on behalf of the dead king. That moment made it evident to me that those involved with the Empire’s administration of Skyrim are not fond of the anti-Talos policy. Indeed, it seems clear to me that nobody was particularly keen on it—it was just the only option at the time to hold the Aldmeri Dominion at bay. As such, I would expect this to be a “lax” policy of oppression, enforced only at the minimum level to convince the Dominion it was being observed. But the Stormcloaks’ racism? That’s coming from within, not being pushed on them from outside, and it seems to be embraced with enthusiasm, given the state of affairs in Windhelm. The other trouble with the Stormcloaks for me concerns Ulfric’s actions in the Reach as described in “The Bear of Markarth.” That book makes it quite plain he was guilty of full-on war crimes against the populace. Even if I weren’t fond of the Forsworn, I would be troubled by that. I tried to play neutral the first time, and was furious when Markarth got traded right into Ulfric’s hands during negotiations. As a result of all of the above, I end up playing Imperial now every time. @Bravosi @LadyDay would love your thoughts.

I haven't played it yet, but A Plague Tale: Innocence looks like it has some serious potential as a survival game.

Do you have any all-time favorite moments in video games? I actually have to think about this one to come up with my own response. There are a lot of memorable moments in TLOU and Bioshock games, but I’m not sure which are the most standout ones to mention. @LadyDay @Bravosi @The Blackangel @DylanC @UleTheVee @skyfire @SpaceExplorer @Executor Akamia @xXInfectedXx @kingpotato

Does anyone else care more about story than gameplay? I find that when I play games, my considerations go like this: 1-Story and characters 2-Setting and atmosphere 3-Gameplay If story, characters and atmosphere are solid enough, I almost don’t even care about gameplay (it’s a plus if it’s really great, but it’s not a deal-breaker if it isn’t). I think this is kind of odd though, since it seems like most gamers rank it as high or higher in importance than other considerations. But I’m not sure that’s actually true, or if that’s just the impression I get from reading posts. Obviously this applies to single player games most. If I’m playing a multiplayer game, I have other considerations, and gameplay is much higher (or even on top). What is most and least important to you in a game? @LadyDay @Bravosi @The Blackangel @DylanC @UleTheVee @skyfire @SpaceExplorer @Executor Akamia @xXInfectedXx @kingpotato

Not a bad answer to any question about a future Fallout game, really. Whatever it is ... give it to Obsidian.

Eep, there you and I differ. I'd love to hear the alternate point of view though. I felt the Empire was the lesser of two evils. Why do you pick the Stormcloaks?

This Orchendor guy in Skyrim, during the quest “The Only Cure”: https://elderscrolls.fandom.com/wiki/Orchendor I got so mad at this bastard. He teleports all over the place, frequently to the upper or lower floor, he is immune to many kinds of damage. I don’t recall what difficulty level I was fighting him on, but I had I think three followers and an atronach (counting Barbas as a follower), and it took me around 20 minutes to kill him. The worst part was that a lot of Skyrim bosses are no big deal, so I waltzed in there five minutes before my bedtime, expecting him to be dead inside of minutes. But he wasn’t—and I was angry. So I just kept fighting him, over and over and over. By the time I actually went to bed, my brain was addled from fatigue, adrenaline was coursing through my veins, and the worst thing was that I had the Tetris effect (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tetris_effect) from repeating the elements of the fight so many times so late at night. So my brain was still fighting him like an hour later, and I couldn’t sleep. It was awful. I couldn’t stand to look at a Skyrim dungeon for weeks.

Yes, definitely. Bioshock Infinite gave me a number of historical topics to research, and I was glad that I did.

That is so the kind of thing I could see doing to myself. Sometimes I get really angry at a certain boss and get determined to beat it that day no matter what it takes, and/or I feel I must beat it using a certain weapon or strategy, and by the time I'm done, I don't want to look at the game again for weeks.

I noticed @killamch89 and @Darya chatting over here about about how online games with too strict of rules are not enjoyable environments, and I thought this would be a good topic for discussion. I used to MUD, and I was very dedicated. But I remember that there were constant issues with administrators. @killamch89 mentioned that overly strict admins seem like they’re trying to be GOD, and in the games where I was playing, the admins were literally present in their own games as gods. It wasn’t an altogether terrible way of doing things—it did have some interesting results—but talk about overly involved administrators. Way too often, the rules they imposed were arbitrary, and were driven by their personal feelings rather than those of players. They fought the organic development of their games at every turn, trying to steer them along artificially imposed pathways. On the other hand, all too often when someone should have come down on something really bad (i.e. in-game sexual harassment), they were nowhere to be found—again often for personal reasons. So it was often the worst of both worlds. I never did find a “best of both worlds” in terms of the perfect balance of rules versus freedom in an online game. How much admin involvement to you look for? Do you prefer a strictly controlled environment with firm rules, or more openness when it comes to behaviour which is allowed in a game? Have you ever found an “ideal” game in this respect?

Has anyone had a chance to play this yet? I've been following news about it for a couple of months, and it's getting rave reviews now that it's out. It looks like it'd be right up my alley. Game play looks a bit like TLOU.

If a game in your collection could never be played again for some reason (i.e. you just can’t get your hands on a compatible console), which would be the worst for you to lose? My heart would break at not being able to play any of the games I love anymore, but the worst loss for me would be Bioshock Infinite.