StaceyPowers

done

In a thread where we were talking about where to store consoles, @kingpotato mentioned covering them with a thin blanket to ward off dust, and @The Blackangel mentioned using plastic storage tubs. I am wondering what other tips others here have on how to protect unused consoles from dust? It seems like it would be easy to forget to dust them regularly if they are out of sight and out of mind for long periods of time.

@The Blackangel was talking about using Game Genie in order to make opponents stronger when games become too easy. I was wondering what everyone else’s strategies are for continuing to get the most out of a game when the challenge goes away even at the hardest settings? I don’t find this a problem with story-driven games, as I am mostly playing them to enjoy the stories. But with open world games, I will usually try and challenge myself to play through with a different set of weapons/tactics.

@LadyDay was mentioning that her sister finds it more stressful to play The Sims on PlayStation than on PC, which led her to wondering if it the game is harder to play on console than it is on a computer. This made me wonder what games everyone here has played on multiple platforms, and whether some platforms made the games significantly more challenging. @Crazycrab mentioned using the console commands for Skyrim, which was the example that sprung to mind for me as well. So many times, I find myself with a problem in Skyrim, and I look up the solution, only to find that there is no way to solve the problem on PS3, as the only known solutions are console commands I would have to enter on PC. So I can definitely say that makes the game harder to play on PS3.

We probably already have a thread somewhere on our favorite party members in various single player games, but I don’t think we have one on party members we can’t stand. Are there any characters that just annoy the heck out of you who are eligible to be in your party? Do any of them annoy you so much you dismiss them completely? This topic leapt to mind while playing Mass Effect last night, and deciding I don’t like Ashley’s attitude toward aliens. I don’t know if Mass Effect lets you boot people out entirely, but I’ll probably still keep her around in case she has an interesting story.

@skyfire made an interesting suggestions in another thread that he’d like to see Eastern religions featured in video games since a lot of people especially in the West may not be as familiar with them in a world dominated in large part by Christianity. I was wondering if there are other real-world topics you all would like to learn more about by seeing them featured in popular video games? I learned a lot about history, architecture and design while playing BioShock games, so those are areas where I’d love to continue to learn more while playing other games in the future.

I recently started watching Stranger Things, and I love how the teamwork skills the characters developed playing D&D help them to work together in real life. It made me reminisce about how I learned a lot of teamwork skills playing MUDs, probably more than I picked up on doing group projects in school. Playing MUDs helped me learn some basic etiquette that helps facilitate teamwork (apparently I didn’t learn that stuff as a kid), and also helped me feel more comfortable in leadership roles. Both have served me well in business IRL. For those here who play MMOs, FPS games, co-op games and so forth, have you learned valuable teamwork skills doing so? What specific skills, and how have you applied them IRL?

@LadyDay was recommending The Sims 4 to me as a relaxing, stress-free game. By coincidence, a friend was telling me a couple days later that she finds the game very fun, but that it stresses her out without using cheat codes to take care of her sims' basic needs. I am curious who here makes use of cheat codes in video games? In which games do you use them, and why?

I currently own one console, but hopefully, I will soon own two. In a small space, that will be a challenge. I know some of you probably have multiple consoles right now. For those of you who have two, three, four or even more consoles, where do you keep them all? Do you have them all pretty much set up and ready to go all of the time? Or do you keep most of them in storage somewhere, and pull them out only when you want to use them? Do you rotate through each of your consoles? Or do you mostly keep the most recent one out all the time, and only occasionally play on your older consoles? @The Blackangel @kingpotato @killamch89 @skyfire

Following up on this topic about the future of VR, do you think we’ll ever have a true, full-immersion VR experience that incorporates all of the senses, like the holodeck in Star Trek? I’ve seen websites for a few companies in the past that were trying to create holodeck-like VR experiences (i.e. you show up at their facilities, put on a headset, and they provide the rest of the effects in your RL surroundings). What do you all think of this concept? @The Blackangel @kingpotato @Alyxx @skyfire @Shagger

I spent like 50 minutes fighting one lone geth armature last night in Mass Effect on casual level. I eventually beat it by standing near it behind a barrier and dodging a lot, but seriously, one shot from that thing and Shepard dies. Anyone have any combat tips for this game? Is it just a matter of using cover like this and being supremely patient, or am I missing something? @Alyxx @killamch89 @DylanC

I don't think you stepped on any toes? Great example, too! I forgot about the whole Talos issue in Skyrim. On the whole, I sided Imperial, but that was the one point where I completely empathized with the Stormcloaks.

I was reading @MelbourneStar585's very intriguing topic here on full dive VR. I will pose a related question. What do you want the future of VR to look like? What would be your ideal? I would love it if there were a way to bridge VR metaverses with “real life” fully so that it all counts as “real life,” and you could make a living and have a functional existence in digital space and/or in meatspace. So long as people are taking care of their physical bodies, housing, dependents, etc., I’d love a cyberpunk future. I feel like it’d open the doors to unparalleled freedom of personal expression and would bring a lot of new ideas and possibilities into existence. What about you? What do you want from the future of VR?

I always wondered if God of War would pass muster with a believer. Now I am excited to play them.

Assuming bodily needs are met and folks are taking care of their families/pets, I personally would be totally cool with a broader definition of "reality," that incorporated digital metaverses as viable living spaces.

I was looking at @Shagger's post here with a game where you play as Jesus, and some responses mentioning not being a fan of religious games or religion. Has anyone played any games that you thought did a good job handling religion as a topic? I can think of two examples. I have (thus far, anyway) liked Dragon Age’s handling of religion. The Chantry really bothers me as an organized religion. I do suspect I am supposed to lean toward their side, but the games haven’t shoved me hard in that direction, and do make it clear that it is a very flawed political entity. I’ve been able to play with an anti-Chantry attitude with no problems. The other example I can list is BioShock Infinite. Infinite is not a religious game (though you could play it as one, if you weren't fundamentalist in your beliefs), and I suspect (but don’t know) that Ken Levine isn’t religious at all. But the game handles religion very, very well IMO. Organized religion is represented very negatively, and the game makes a serious critique on belief systems that involve casting off personality responsibility in return for instant salvation. At the same time, baptism imagery is woven through the story as an image of redemption, but in this case, redemption through claiming personal responsibility instead of abdicating it. As for the use of “May the Circle Be Unbroken,” I weep whenever I hear it. Has anyone else found examples of games that approach religion in a way you found compelling?

Madagascar cockroach. What about you?

Who here has plans to purchase a next gen console? Will you be going with the PlayStation 5 or the Xbox Scarlett, and why? How soon do you plan to buy your next console? After skipping a generation (PS4), I plan to buy the PS5 since it should be able to play PS4 games. I prefer the more extensive backwards compatibility which Xbox features, but what can I say? I am a huge TLOU fan, and it’s a PlayStation exclusive, and that is a big enough factor to get me to buy a PS5 instead of the Scarlett. While I would love to buy it when it comes out during the holiday release window next year, I will probably wait up to a year for the price to drop. What are your next gen plans? @DylanC @The Blackangel @kingpotato @Alyxx @killamch89 @skyfire @Executor Akamia @Shagger

Just read that @The Blackangel recently bought an Xbox One after avoiding Xbox for a very long time after spotting a great deal at GameStop. It got me wondering what motivated everyone here to buy the consoles you own. For the longest time, I was a PC-only gamer, until I managed to buy my current PS3 off of my neighbour for cheap after borrowing it for a year or so. Between PlayStation and Xbox, I was always leaning toward PlayStation, simply because I am not a big fan of Microsoft. I do feel like Sony is really backwards with a lot of its policies and attitudes though, so both options leave a lot to be desired. I will buy the PS5 and not the Scarlett though, because of Sony’s exclusives. What about you? What made you choose the console you have today?

Does anyone know ways to take screenshots on the PS3, preferably without plugging in peripherals like a USB keyboard? My PS3 has very dodgy USB ports, and I try not to touch them.

An eye for improvisational weapons.

On another thread, @Alyxx, @killamch89 and I were talking about spending lots of time customizing characters. I wanted to know if anyone here has screenshots to share of their favorite characters that they put a lot of work into? I would share, but I have still not figured out how to take screenshots on my PS3 =D

I used to MUD a lot. It wasn't bad from a pacing standpoint at all, since you can spend a lot of time on your own if you want.

Just following up @kingpotato's thread on Black Friday plans. What did everyone here ultimately end up getting? I grabbed some DA Inquisition DLC for about $4.

Elder Scrolls Online, likely because that is his patient's favourite game :) I've had great results from everything from exploring/questing RPGs like Skyrim to FPS games like Quake III Arena.