Elite Dangerous, Deep Rock Galactic (free weekend), and D&DO.

Spalls Hurgenson <spallshurgenson@gmail.com> wrote:

> What I've mostly been playing this month is "drag way-to-big TV into
> house, buy new furniture and re-arrange everything so TV fits into
> house, then drag TV back out when it breaks" but I've already detailed
> that particular adventure in earlier posts. But I found a few moments
> to get in some video-gameplay too; not very much, but at least I got
> some time in front of the computer.

> The "It's Just a List" Part
> ------------------------------
> * Witcher 3 (replay)
> * American Truck Simulator (replay)
> * Control (replay from March 2021)

> The "Way More Detail Than You Want" Part
> ---------------------------------------

> * Witcher 3 (replay, in progress)
> Six years old and "Witcher 3" remains one of the most beautiful games
> on the market. Other games may surpass it in visual fidelity and
> specific detail, but there's an artistry to "Witcher 3's" graphics
> that make it stand out amongst its peers. Whether it is the lush
> countryside or the highly-detailed cityscapes, I'd be hard-pressed to
> find a scene in the game that isn't a delight to look at. It helps
> that everything is constantly in motion; the world is never still.
> Trees and grass bend to the wind, flocks of bird erupt out of the
> bushes, pennants snap, children dart in the hedgerows. It gives the
> game a lifelike verisimilitude that many other games lack and more
> than makes up for any deficiencies it might have in texture detail or
> lower polygon counts.

> If I have to fault the game with anything, it's how huge and dense it
> is. An hour into the game and I've already accumulated dozens of
> quests, and I know that number won't go down throughout the game's
> length; as soon as I finish one mission, another will pop up to takes
> its place. The quests are all fairly well done too, most with their
> own twist that makes them more than the usual "kill monster X" or
> "collect item Y" found in so many other games (even if that's what
> they ultimately boil down to). But it can be overwhelming and the
> knowledge that I still have a hundred hours or more before I get to
> the game's end actually discourages me from playing the game at times.

> That, and simple jealousy. As a tabletop gamer, I like to believe that
> I can present a more detailed, cohesive and realistic fantasy world
> than anything on a computer screen, but it's hard for me to maintain
> this belief while wandering the world of the "Witcher 3". The world is
> so well thought out and so delightfully reactive that it makes me look
> at some of my own campaigns and wish they were anywhere nearly as
> mature and detailed. I have to remind myself that "Witcher 3" was
> developed by a whole team whereas my adventures are created by only
> little ol' me, but it's disheartening sometimes and I actually find
> myself hating the game because of this.

> For all that I love its world-building, the gameplay in "Witcher 3" is
> - while solid - not altogether exciting. I find the combat more
> dependent on perfectly timing mouse-clicks than I'd like in a CRPG,
> where it should be the character's abilities and not my own that
> determine his success. Even the addition of the Witcher's renowned
> tracking skills is - stripped of all its fiction - in the end little
> more than a trail of breadcrumbs leading you directly from one clue to
> the next, requiring no actual deductive powers on my part to solve the
> mystery. It's none of it bad, but it lacks the innovative feel of the
> rest of the game.

> I'm only a third of the way through the game, and as much as I am
> enjoying it, I do wonder if I'll keep at it to the end. It's just so
> long and there's so much, and already a part of me is wondering 'What
> else could I play' rather than keeping at it to the end.

> * American Truck Simulator (replay)
> I've run out of things to say about this game that I haven't said
> before. It's got a nice big world, the driving is relaxing and even if
> its visuals aren't top-of-the-line, it still looks pretty nice. Having
> explored almost all of the map already (barring a few alleys and
> off-ramps) I am eagerly awaiting the next DLC so I can visit some new
> locals, but even without that I still get a thrill cresting a hill on
> an early morning drive and seeing the sun rise on the deserts of the
> American Southwest. "American Truck Simulator" remains a niche game
> that will only appeal to a few, but - seeing as I'm one of those few -
> I've got no complaints. I've been playing it for years and I expect I
> will continue to come back to it again and again for years to come.

> * Control
> (originally played March 2021 but added here just to bulk out the
> list)

> Here's another game I wish I enjoyed more.

> This time, though, the fault isn't so much with the game as it is with
> me. While "Control" isn't flawless, it is a well-made game and I
> understand why it garnered so much praise on its release. I just don't
> care too much for the particular genre (think "X-Files") it uses. I
> don't hate stories that use the setting, but they've never engaged me,
> and "Control" fails in this regard too.

> Still, I can admire the game from afar, even if I found it a bit of a
> slog to work through. There's some impressive design in this game,
> even if most of it feels more evolutionary than revolutionary. Remedy
> Entertainment - the developers - have an obvious love-affair with
> their physics engine (something apparent as far back as Alan Wake,
> whose massive tornadoes of whirling debris were the highlight of the
> game), and they leverage those physics again in this game. Practically
> every prop in the game - every desk, every chair, every light - can be
> moved, and this volatility makes for some very wild - and messy -
> battles as gunfire, explosions and telekinetic powers scatter debris
> everywhere. Even the floor and walls aren't safe, since you can rip
> chunks of stone out of the level geometry to hurl at foes; while it is
> more a cosmetic effect than true deformable geometry - you can't
> bypass pesky locked doors using this tactic - it still looks very
> neat.

> Actually, there's a very impressive amount of destructibility built
> into most things; things don't just break, they splinter and fall
> apart into increasingly smaller pieces as you continue to blast at
> them. The levels themselves are very fluid, with shifting walls and
> floors; the "Ashtray Maze" level is a particular high-point, but there
> are numerous examples that are almost as good to be found throughout
> the game.

> The remainder of the game is less thrilling, although still fairly
> confident. The weakest part, in my opinion, is the gun-play. While the
> weapon effects are glorious, they are opposed by some very spongey
> enemies. Battles frequently overstay their welcome, especially since
> the game over-uses the respawning enemy trick to build enemy numbers
> back up as you thin them out. The AI is underwhelming, and more than
> once some enemies have gotten stuck behind some obstacle (apparently
> an issue known to the developers, since the game teleports them closer
> to you if they haven't engaged you in combat after a set period).
> There is an interesting variety of enemy-types - heavy gunners,
> snipers, shielded units, flying units, kamikazes, and more - but most
> of them look so similar it's hard to tell them apart, and the lack of
> visual differentiation makes them all feel the same.

> This lack of variety applies to the levels too. The whole game is set
> in the eerie "Oldest House", a supernatural office building, and the
> developers do a great job of creating mood and atmosphere, but
> visually there's only so far you can go with office furniture and
> concrete walls. It would have been nice if the different floors of the
> building were more visually distinct.

> I was underwhelmed by the story too. It was torturously slow, none of
> the characters were very interesting, and the various twists were
> fairly humdrum. By the nature of the genre, it had lacked the
> satisfying conclusion I prefer too (which is one of the reasons this
> sort of paranormal-fiction doesn't resonate with me).

> Still, I admire the effort that went into the game. The technology is
> impressive, as is the world-building, and there is some excellent
> environmental storytelling. The gameplay is at least competent, if not
> enthralling, and any dissatisfaction with the narrative itself is more
> an issue of personal taste than a complaint about the story itself.
> It's not a great game, but it is good one, and fans of "Alan Wake" or
> shows like "Twin Peaks" will probably have a blast.

> ------------------------------

> And that's what I did for my summer vaca^h^h^h^h^ the past month. And
> you?

> What Have You Been Playing... IN FEBRUARY 2022?

--
Dang tech issues again like the 12 yrs. old PC losing its 115 SSD SSD, iPhone, emails, changes, etc. BUSY & warmer weather again for the new week and before the short month ended! Incoming cold rain and slammy hump day again soon!
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