Hey gamers, looking for recommendations for spending my $10 Epic coupon.
In Malaysian Ringgit that is RM40 quite a discount.

My laptop is i7 with 16GB RAM. Not too powerful but seems to be ok for
the cheaper games.

So I am looking for any game around $20 mark?

TIA

--
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--[ /query geeknix on libera.chat | tilde.chat ]--

On 2022-01-01, Geeknix <usenet@apple.geeknix135.net> wrote:
> Hey gamers, looking for recommendations for spending my $10 Epic coupon.
> In Malaysian Ringgit that is RM40 quite a discount.

Couple of options so far:

https://www.epicgames.com/store/en-US/p/panzer-corps-2
https://www.epicgames.com/store/en-US/p/hot-wheels-unleashed

Needs to be above RM59.99

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On Sat, 01 Jan 2022 02:08:37 GMT, Geeknix
<usenet@apple.geeknix135.net> wrote:

>Hey gamers, looking for recommendations for spending my $10 Epic coupon.
>In Malaysian Ringgit that is RM40 quite a discount.
>
>My laptop is i7 with 16GB RAM. Not too powerful but seems to be ok for
>the cheaper games.
>
>So I am looking for any game around $20 mark?

I can only tell you my general rule of thumb, which is that a coupon
only has value in one of two cases:

1) If I can use it to lower the value of something I was going to
purchase anyway, before I learned of the coupon
2) If my total purchase cost is less than or equal to the value of the
coupon

In other words, if you were already planning on buying a $20+ game but
just weren't sure WHEN you were going to make the purchase, then use
the coupon to buy that game.

But if the coupon has you shopping for new games that have a price
higher than the coupon, it's a marketing ruse to get you to spend
money on something that will probably be listed for free in a few
weeks on the Epic store.

In other words a coupon with a perceived cash value of X dollars does
not really have a value of X dollars if there are limitations on what
it can be spent on, such as item must be over Y list price to qualify.

One trick I see the marketing douchies doing a lot is offering an
amount as "bucks" (meaning just like cash, spend it however you like)
but then while the bucks are active, the catalog selection of what you
can spend it on is suspiciously filtered to only show certain
products. More marketing douchebaggery.

If you just want to try some games on the cheap, look at whats on sale
in the various stores (Steam, Epic, etc). Check for freebies
regularly and you will soon have WAY more free games in your library
than you know what to do with.

On Friday, December 31, 2021 at 6:23:24 PM UTC-8, Geeknix wrote:
> On 2022-01-01, Geeknix <use...@apple.geeknix135.net> wrote:
> > Hey gamers, looking for recommendations for spending my $10 Epic coupon.
> > In Malaysian Ringgit that is RM40 quite a discount.
> Couple of options so far:
>
> https://www.epicgames.com/store/en-US/p/panzer-corps-2
> https://www.epicgames.com/store/en-US/p/hot-wheels-unleashed
>
> Needs to be above RM59.99

I've been wondering what to do with that too. I already bought
a bunch of games elsewhere on deep discount, and there's the
freebies to try too so I feel like my plate is overflowing and looking
at more is like thinking of eating a wafer thin mint for
Mr. Creosote.

Last time I bought the DLC for Outer Worlds... which I never
got around to trying out. (Outer Worlds I love, but so many
other things to try and DLCs I tend not to try if I don't get
them with a game.)

I always check Steam reviews if I can't find any here. I was
unaware of Hot Wheels Unleased. The reviews are fairly good
in general, but digging deeper it seems many people feel it's
a poorly executed racing game, with repetitive races and short
which sounds pretty damming. Being somewhat into racing
games, it sounds bad enough to be pretty warry. I still added
it to my Steam wishlist :)

Panzer Corps 2 is fairly out of my wheelhouse*, and I'm not
able to evaluate the reviews well enough to say anything,
as they mostly seem to be comparing to tabletop/old
strategy titles.

* The only strategy game I ever remember liking was
Fantasy General.

- Justisaur

Remember the $10 coupon repeats, so you can get multiple games.
The simplest way to look at all games you can use the coupon on, is go to
the holiday deals page, and use the Filter option to list all games '$14.99
and above'
A few you might consider are:
Inscryption
Sable
Alan Wake Remastered
Kena Bridge of Spirits
Dishonored
Prey
The Forgotten City
hitman 3
horizon zero dawn
desperados 3
disco elysium
detroit become human
Hades
the outer worlds
tetris effect
Outer Wilds
AC Odyssey
Darksiders 3
Metro Exodus

rms

BTW, I strongly recommend you take a look at XBox PC Gamepass. They have an
introductory price of $1 for 3months or some such, and it includes a deep
selection of games across all genres. This is a really good way to sample
titles for a very low fee!

rms

On 2022-01-01, Rin Stowleigh <rstowleigh@x-nospam-x.com> wrote:
> On Sat, 01 Jan 2022 02:08:37 GMT, Geeknix
><usenet@apple.geeknix135.net> wrote:
>
>>Hey gamers, looking for recommendations for spending my $10 Epic coupon.
>>In Malaysian Ringgit that is RM40 quite a discount.
>>
>>My laptop is i7 with 16GB RAM. Not too powerful but seems to be ok for
>>the cheaper games.
>>
>>So I am looking for any game around $20 mark?
>
> I can only tell you my general rule of thumb, which is that a coupon
> only has value in one of two cases:
>
> 1) If I can use it to lower the value of something I was going to
> purchase anyway, before I learned of the coupon
> 2) If my total purchase cost is less than or equal to the value of the
> coupon
>
> In other words, if you were already planning on buying a $20+ game but
> just weren't sure WHEN you were going to make the purchase, then use
> the coupon to buy that game.
>
> But if the coupon has you shopping for new games that have a price
> higher than the coupon, it's a marketing ruse to get you to spend
> money on something that will probably be listed for free in a few
> weeks on the Epic store.
>
> In other words a coupon with a perceived cash value of X dollars does
> not really have a value of X dollars if there are limitations on what
> it can be spent on, such as item must be over Y list price to qualify.
>
> One trick I see the marketing douchies doing a lot is offering an
> amount as "bucks" (meaning just like cash, spend it however you like)
> but then while the bucks are active, the catalog selection of what you
> can spend it on is suspiciously filtered to only show certain
> products. More marketing douchebaggery.
>
> If you just want to try some games on the cheap, look at whats on sale
> in the various stores (Steam, Epic, etc). Check for freebies
> regularly and you will soon have WAY more free games in your library
> than you know what to do with.

Wise words, I know when I spend $$ on a game that used to be $$$ I am
still spending $$ I did not intend to do, but I'm a sucker for this
marketing gimmick.

I forgot about the coupon and think I have missed the window now. A well
maybe next time they'll trick me to open my wallet.

--
Don't be afraid of the deep...
--[ bbs.bottomlessabyss.net | https | telnet=2023 ]--
--[ /query geeknix on libera.chat | tilde.chat ]--

On 2022-01-01, rms <rsquiresMOO@MOOflashMOO.net> wrote:
> Remember the $10 coupon repeats, so you can get multiple games.
> The simplest way to look at all games you can use the coupon on, is go to
> the holiday deals page, and use the Filter option to list all games '$14.99
> and above'
> A few you might consider are:
> Inscryption
> Sable
> Alan Wake Remastered
> Kena Bridge of Spirits
> Dishonored
> Prey
> The Forgotten City
> hitman 3
> horizon zero dawn
> desperados 3
> disco elysium
> detroit become human
> Hades
> the outer worlds
> tetris effect
> Outer Wilds
> AC Odyssey
> Darksiders 3
> Metro Exodus

Thanks for the list, Disco Elysium and Hitman 3 catch my eye. The filter
option is a great idea.

I think Prey was offered free recenty on one of the platforms.

--
Don't be afraid of the deep...
--[ bbs.bottomlessabyss.net | https | telnet=2023 ]--
--[ /query geeknix on libera.chat | tilde.chat ]--

On Sat, 08 Jan 2022 11:33:01 GMT, Geeknix
<usenet@apple.geeknix135.net> wrote:

>Wise words, I know when I spend $$ on a game that used to be $$$ I am
>still spending $$ I did not intend to do, but I'm a sucker for this
>marketing gimmick.

Same here. I call it 'spending money to save money' which is, of
course, stupid... but I do it anyway.

On Sat, 08 Jan 2022 09:24:59 -0500, Mike S. <Mike_S@nowhere.com>
wrote:

>On Sat, 08 Jan 2022 11:33:01 GMT, Geeknix
><usenet@apple.geeknix135.net> wrote:
>
>>Wise words, I know when I spend $$ on a game that used to be $$$ I am
>>still spending $$ I did not intend to do, but I'm a sucker for this
>>marketing gimmick.
>
>Same here. I call it 'spending money to save money' which is, of
>course, stupid... but I do it anyway.

Psychological research is pretty much at the root of all modern
marketing strategies anyway (including the specific one we're
discussing here), so rest assured that when we succumb to the
gimmicks, we are part of their successful Pavlovian experiments. :)

But at the same time, there is another side to all of this that is
also rooted in psychology -- something I can't really describe well
but I know it when I see it.....

.... Over the decades I've noticed that, when it comes to games in
particular (and not necessarily other purchased items), I tend to get
more out of the titles I pay for than the ones I get for free or at
extreme discount. By this, I mean typically with games I paid little
or nothing for, I tend to give it a very quick play to see if it grabs
me quickly, and if not I put it down and almost never pick it back up
again. When I pay a significant amount for a title, I tend to give it
more time to reel my interest in.

I can remember buying games in the early days of PC gaming and feeling
underwhelmed or disappointed with certain titles, only to resume them
later, because I had already gone to the trouble of buying them,
installing it, etc... then during these subsequent loads of the game
starting to wrap my head around the experience the designers intended
and getting immersed in the game as I grew more familiar with it's
nuances, quirks, or whatever it was that my first instinct was opposed
to.

That happens less often these days with free games or games with a
refund-in-the-first-two-hours-of-play policy.

So, I don't know how common it is or even how to label that
phenomenon, but basically sometimes paying for something obligates me
to stick with it long enough to warm up to it.

In that sense, paying something, however much, for a title you
otherwise had no intention of buying may not always be the worst of
things... what matters at the end of the day is that you get enough
entertainment out of it to justify the price you paid.

On 1/8/2022 9:23 AM, Rin Stowleigh wrote:
> On Sat, 08 Jan 2022 09:24:59 -0500, Mike S. <Mike_S@nowhere.com>
> wrote:
>
>> On Sat, 08 Jan 2022 11:33:01 GMT, Geeknix
>> <usenet@apple.geeknix135.net> wrote:
>>
>>> Wise words, I know when I spend $$ on a game that used to be $$$ I am
>>> still spending $$ I did not intend to do, but I'm a sucker for this
>>> marketing gimmick.
>>
>> Same here. I call it 'spending money to save money' which is, of
>> course, stupid... but I do it anyway.
>
> Psychological research is pretty much at the root of all modern
> marketing strategies anyway (including the specific one we're
> discussing here), so rest assured that when we succumb to the
> gimmicks, we are part of their successful Pavlovian experiments. :)
>
> But at the same time, there is another side to all of this that is
> also rooted in psychology -- something I can't really describe well
> but I know it when I see it.....
>
> ... Over the decades I've noticed that, when it comes to games in
> particular (and not necessarily other purchased items), I tend to get
> more out of the titles I pay for than the ones I get for free or at
> extreme discount. By this, I mean typically with games I paid little
> or nothing for, I tend to give it a very quick play to see if it grabs
> me quickly, and if not I put it down and almost never pick it back up
> again. When I pay a significant amount for a title, I tend to give it
> more time to reel my interest in.
>
> I can remember buying games in the early days of PC gaming and feeling
> underwhelmed or disappointed with certain titles, only to resume them
> later, because I had already gone to the trouble of buying them,
> installing it, etc... then during these subsequent loads of the game
> starting to wrap my head around the experience the designers intended
> and getting immersed in the game as I grew more familiar with it's
> nuances, quirks, or whatever it was that my first instinct was opposed
> to.
>
> That happens less often these days with free games or games with a
> refund-in-the-first-two-hours-of-play policy.
>
> So, I don't know how common it is or even how to label that
> phenomenon, but basically sometimes paying for something obligates me
> to stick with it long enough to warm up to it.
>
> In that sense, paying something, however much, for a title you
> otherwise had no intention of buying may not always be the worst of
> things... what matters at the end of the day is that you get enough
> entertainment out of it to justify the price you paid.
>
My immediate thought after reading this is that there at least appears
to be a shortening of attention spans in the industrialized world.
Instant communications, instant gratification from our hand-brains,
everything at least feeling like it is speeding up constantly seem to
conditioning us to have ADHD. The games we play themselves help
contribute to that. So I suspect that everyone is passing judgement on
games they have just acquired/started faster than they did years (and
years in some cases ;) ) ago.

In a way all the free games are like junk mail. Great numbers get
spewed out but the percentage of hits needed to make a profit from it is
very small. (Old snail-mail junk mail companies considered a 2%
_response_ rate, regardless of _type_ of response, to be a magnificent
success.) So the free games are, I suspect, relying on that plus "the
first taste is free" addictive drug approach.

--
I've done good in this world. Now I'm tired and just want to be a cranky
dirty old man.

On 08/01/2022 11:35, Geeknix wrote:
> Thanks for the list, Disco Elysium and Hitman 3 catch my eye. The filter
> option is a great idea.
>
> I think Prey was offered free recenty on one of the platforms.
>

Disco Elysium is very much a marmite game so personally I'd suggest
having a look at a let's play video first.

On Sat, 8 Jan 2022 11:24:08 -0800, Dimensional Traveler
<dtravel@sonic.net> wrote:

>On 1/8/2022 9:23 AM, Rin Stowleigh wrote:
>> On Sat, 08 Jan 2022 09:24:59 -0500, Mike S. <Mike_S@nowhere.com>
>> wrote:
>>
>>> On Sat, 08 Jan 2022 11:33:01 GMT, Geeknix
>>> <usenet@apple.geeknix135.net> wrote:
>>>
>>>> Wise words, I know when I spend $$ on a game that used to be $$$ I am
>>>> still spending $$ I did not intend to do, but I'm a sucker for this
>>>> marketing gimmick.
>>>
>>> Same here. I call it 'spending money to save money' which is, of
>>> course, stupid... but I do it anyway.
>>
>> Psychological research is pretty much at the root of all modern
>> marketing strategies anyway (including the specific one we're
>> discussing here), so rest assured that when we succumb to the
>> gimmicks, we are part of their successful Pavlovian experiments. :)
>>
>> But at the same time, there is another side to all of this that is
>> also rooted in psychology -- something I can't really describe well
>> but I know it when I see it.....
>>
>> ... Over the decades I've noticed that, when it comes to games in
>> particular (and not necessarily other purchased items), I tend to get
>> more out of the titles I pay for than the ones I get for free or at
>> extreme discount. By this, I mean typically with games I paid little
>> or nothing for, I tend to give it a very quick play to see if it grabs
>> me quickly, and if not I put it down and almost never pick it back up
>> again. When I pay a significant amount for a title, I tend to give it
>> more time to reel my interest in.
>>
>> I can remember buying games in the early days of PC gaming and feeling
>> underwhelmed or disappointed with certain titles, only to resume them
>> later, because I had already gone to the trouble of buying them,
>> installing it, etc... then during these subsequent loads of the game
>> starting to wrap my head around the experience the designers intended
>> and getting immersed in the game as I grew more familiar with it's
>> nuances, quirks, or whatever it was that my first instinct was opposed
>> to.
>>
>> That happens less often these days with free games or games with a
>> refund-in-the-first-two-hours-of-play policy.
>>
>> So, I don't know how common it is or even how to label that
>> phenomenon, but basically sometimes paying for something obligates me
>> to stick with it long enough to warm up to it.
>>
>> In that sense, paying something, however much, for a title you
>> otherwise had no intention of buying may not always be the worst of
>> things... what matters at the end of the day is that you get enough
>> entertainment out of it to justify the price you paid.
>>
>My immediate thought after reading this is that there at least appears
>to be a shortening of attention spans in the industrialized world.
>Instant communications, instant gratification from our hand-brains,
>everything at least feeling like it is speeding up constantly seem to
>conditioning us to have ADHD. The games we play themselves help
>contribute to that. So I suspect that everyone is passing judgement on
>games they have just acquired/started faster than they did years (and
>years in some cases ;) ) ago.

I think this is a contributing factor -- but to some extent, at least
in my case, the free vs paid perception of value has been there since
the beginning. An example was when I used to run BBS systems in the
early 80s. People would upload plenty of cracked/pirated games (I
confess to having facilitated this, but I was a teenager at the time),
and of course I would sample the goods from time to time. There were
plenty of titles I didn't give much of my time to; if it didn't grab
me in the first few minutes it was like "next".. But the games where
I actually physically drove to the store and spent my hard earned cash
on them were different -- I was already invested in them so I gave
them more playtime even if I ended up not really liking them.

>In a way all the free games are like junk mail. Great numbers get
>spewed out but the percentage of hits needed to make a profit from it is
>very small. (Old snail-mail junk mail companies considered a 2%
>_response_ rate, regardless of _type_ of response, to be a magnificent
>success.) So the free games are, I suspect, relying on that plus "the
>first taste is free" addictive drug approach.

Yeah, the overload of titles available is a contributing factor as
well. Lots of garbage to weed through to find the gems.

Yet another contributing factor is just that game design itself has
become very hit and miss for me. So many titles are trying to make
political statements with their games these days and that's a big turn
off for me, so if a game comes along that even shows a hint of that BS
(which so many of them do, even if it's not a direct political
statement but is reflected in things like characters in the game or
the character creation process).... then it really doesn't matter to
me if it's free or not, I'm just not going to play it and certainly
won't pay for it.