StaceyPowers

In a lot of games, the elements of “challenge” come from fighting harder and harder enemies, though they also get progressively easier to handle since you level up as you are doing it. What are some games that by contrast do not focus on leveling (or maybe don’t even include it), but offer challenges in a more organic way?

What are some examples of realism that just do not translate well to video games? For example, I like a small amount of camera wobble in first person, but if it’s a “realistic” amount, it just is awful for me to look at, and reduces immersion instead of increasing it.

So, I love everything about RDR 2 so far (which I just started playing) except for the controls, which I find extremely elaborate (I mean, there are even nested control schemes). I think with a certain level of detail in terms of what you can do in games, elaborate controls may be unavoidable, but it is increasingly hard with modern games for me to keep track of how to do things. Is anyone else overwhelmed by modern control schemes in games? Can it go too far?

I love that in RDR 2, I can actually pick up items off shelves in stores and examine them and buy them, rather than just using a shopping menu. What are some other games that feature interesting shopping mechanics?

I just started RDR 2, and am blown away by the level of detail in environments, character interactions, character status, etc. What games have impressed you the most with the level of detail they feature?

I was reading a post the other day about Saudi Arabia’s government creating esports initiatives, and how they expect it to create tons of jobs in the economy over the years ahead. It got me thinking about how esports competitor may remain a viable job for humans long after AIs take many other jobs, because the entire appeal is to watch humans compete and excel. Thoughts on this?

So, I have a weird question. Say a game is a PC/Xbox exclusive. I purchase it on PC, and then play it with my DualSense. Would the sensitivity with the DualSense be similar to what it would be on Xbox (i.e. completely reasonable), or will it be more like struggling to play a PC game without a mouse where the sensitivity is crazy on a gamepad?

I feel like Microsoft/Xbox give a lot of mixed signals about exclusives. On one hand, I read Phil Spencer saying somewhere within the past year that he thinks exclusives are going to phase out of existence in the future. On the other hand, Microsoft keeps buying studios and making exclusives, including in series that were previously not exclusive. Thoughts?

https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/playstation-boss-jim-ryan-flew-to-brussels-to-voice-concerns-to-eu-over-xboxs-activision-deal/ “PlayStation boss Jim Ryan reportedly flew to Brussels last month to meet with European Union regulators currently scrutinising Microsoft’s proposed acquisition of Activision Blizzard.” Basically, Phil Spencer said that COD would be on PlayStation for “several more years.” The implication is that after that, it would be a Microsoft exclusive. This has Sony worried.

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.