What Video Game Are You Currently Playing?

[Daytime Waitress]

Getting by in Dorf Fort. I can vaguely remember slapping a graphical tileset on the original over a decade ago and inching my way through fort setup with a guide from youtube, but I may as well be coming in fresh here.

 

The graphics of the steamium version do a lot to make it more approachable, but it's still a horribly arcane game. The way the tutorial just stops holding your hand after a bit doesn't help with first impressions, and I'm still mystified by the glee the game takes in generating a perverse amount of backstory for each world and yet info that seems like it ought to be to hand is just obscured for seemingly no reason. Oh, cool - one-hundred and eighty years ago, a mad alligatorman named Draygoth Butt-touches wrote a treatise on two-handed swords forged from pure obsidian. Hey, interface, one of my dwarves just died in combat and I want to check out their relationships and their last thoughts and read about their contributions to the fort - where is that data? Go fuck myself, you say? Well, I guess.

 

But I'd be lying if I said that it doesn't feel incredibly rewarding to overcome the interface and mechanics the game itself, precisely because DF has an amazing ability to generate the following kind of moments (apologies for length and girth):

 

Spoiler

>tutorial tells me to dig down immediately

>forgo epic mountainside entranceway for a pit in the ground like we're the ninja goddamned turtles

>cowabunga

>putter about through the first couple of years without incident

>dorfs are still fetching individual things for tasks by picking them up from the other side of the fort because I can't into stockpiles

>seem to be lacking a lot of primary industries because oh god these supply chains

>whatever, I'm having fun watching all the bearded norns run about

>plump helmet wine? nah, cuz, we fueled by dumb binch juice down here

>start to dig further down for shits and gigs

>pierce a waterlogged cavern

>NOPE.jpg

>decide to create choke points by walling off resources, aiming to grab what I can a bit at a time

>one wall doesn't get constructed because lel build orders

>but it'll be fine, right?

>it'll be fine, right?

>get distracted by maintenance but eventually send a dudette to chop down that newfangled giant mushroom

>get distracted again because carpenter has finished orders and is idling

>"Urist McWoodcutter is fighting"

>snap camera to her as she flies around the largest mine we've constructed to date, shrieking, and in a blind panic

>finally find the giant toad from a 16-bit JRPG causing the ruckus

>never done dorf combat, so didn't have a squad ready or trained

>no weapons, no armour

>they drop what they're doing and pelt down 86 flights of stairs

>snap camera to some other management miscellany

>snap back to the squad, stairway is coated in frog blood and vomit

>so much vomit

>first dorf on the scene has transformed into Kurt Angle, throwing this greasy grey bastard into ankle lock after ankle lock

>other squad members lay the slippers in where possible

>randos attempting to retrieve nearby stone are traumatised by the amount of vomit and blood but I haven't shut off orders to not go down there so hee hoo

>god, how much HP does this frog have?

>"Zugoth McCraftsdwarf's dead body has been found"

>HE WASN'T EVEN IN THE SQUAD HOW DID H-

>check the other side of the mine to find the corpse and some gollum-looking motherfucker

>oh shit frog's dead so let's book it

>maybe he won't come upstairs?

>Dorf Angle loses her dress in the fight with the toad, resumes her engraving work 86 flights above in just her togs

>FINALLY remember that I had weapons in my wagon

>tell squad to get equipped

>"KNOCK KNOCK, ELVISH CARAVAN!"

>send expedition leader to deal with them (did I mention he's the trade negotiator, too?)

>tell the plebs to move goods to the trading post while squad gets equipped

>miraculously, no-one wanders down to the bad layer

>expedition leader pulls a Basil Fawlty and leaves the elvish delegate to join the fray, too

>two miners from the from the squad intercept the manera as it starts climbing towards civilisation

>all three are fighting in a one-wide stairwell in the pitch dark

>carve it up pretty well, only injuries to one dorf, who spent as much time bitching about the squad leader as she did gutting the manera

>he wanders back to trade negotiations, gore-spattered, only to be told that, no, the elves really don't want the bowls of $1000 turtle soup we'd prepared because they're not SAVAGES

>now stone-gatherers are wandering past the craftsdwarf's corpse and getting sad

>realise I should probably construct a hospital and tomb in that order

>15 pilgrims journey to our holy shrine and decide to migrate on the spot

>semi-naked Dorf Angle collapses just inside the hospital entryway

>actually inspect her and she seems to be missing most of her lower body

>someone moves a bed beneath her like 30 turns later

>there are surgeons and bone doctors amongst the migrants, so the hospital is underway proper once I figure out how to produce thread

>mason's regular stockpile has run out, so she's refusing to make a coffin for the departed

>manera killer is lying in a stupor, "she is satisfied remembering yelling at a superior"

>Dorf Angle lies beside her, oozing pus and coughing up frog blood because apparently at some point she just gave up on ankle locks and started eating the fucking thing

>find the only flowchart on the wiki and realise how much gametime I need to devote to manufacturing the entire soap supply chain to actually clean up the wounded

>log out for the evening on that note

 

tl;dr version

 

Spoiler

Actual pic of me playing Dorf Fort

 

Ignore my gripes from earlier - 10/10 game.

[Kyka]

"someone moves a bed beneath her like 30 turns later".

 

"I've been on worse dates," she said, raising what little remained of her eyebrows.

[Rudolph]

Since things are quiet lately, I have resumed playing Planescape: Torment between two sessions of Fallout Shelter.

 

While I am not at all familiar with the Dungeons & Dragons universe and not particularly fond of fantasy settings, I am enjoying it so far: I am out of the Mortuary now and I must say the game feels much more like a point & click adventure than a traditional RPG. I am particularly pleased that the game allowed me to avoid combat altogether by either talking to the creatures I encountered or disguising myself in order to sneak past those who could not be reasoned with. I am not sure if that will have an impact later on in the story, but I have yet to feel compelled to resort to violence.

 

I have also played Encased - which I got in a recent EGS giveaway - a bit to see if it is for me. I am still very early in. I first tried to play a Kenshiro-type character after noticing that the game features one hand-to-hand combat skill literally referencing Hokuto No Ken, but it did not feel right, as the setting is nothing like Fallout; you start off as a newly-assigned corporate employee riding a giant elevator down to a futuristic station and the game seems to be very much inspired by S.T.AL.K.E.R. of all games - even featuring the ability to throw bolts to reveal anomalies.

[ZethXM]

Finally got around to playing Bug Fables.  Very, very good.  I think my decision to play on Hard Mode per my partner's recommendation may have harmed the pacing of the playthrough, as it sagged in the middle and rapidly snowballed towards the end... or that was a result of my decision to level Medal Points a lot.  In my defense, the other options (1 Hit Point per party member or 3 Teamwork Points, which are this game's FP) just don't stack up on paper and never feel worth it to pick in the moment.

 

Regardless, game's excellent. If you wanted more Thousand-Year Door, this is it.

[Technicolor]

Chex Quest 3

[MrFroz]

Batman - The Telltale Series

 

I quite like some of the liberties with the traditional Batman story that this game takes.

[Agent Slacker]

I picked up DOOM 3 again on the Switch. Even though it's based off of the BFG Edition, it's still a fun time. Sure, the models and textures are dated, but the lighting still looks gorgeous (I'm one of the 5 people that preferred BFG's adjusted lighting), and seeing this game running at 60FPS on a portable is kinda surreal.

[Rudolph]

46 minutes ago, Agent Slacker said:

seeing this game running at 60FPS on a portable is kinda surreal.

I guess the same feeling, albeit with Playstation 1 games on my Playstation Portable. I know it is no longer considered impressive at this point, but it still amazes me how games that I distinctively remember playing on a TV - or a high-end computer in Doom 3's case - over twenty years ago can now run flawlessly on a device slightly bigger than a smartphone! :D

[Daytime Waitress]

Still on Dorf Fort.

My armourer got so angry at the lack of water sources that she tore off her pants and wandered around the fort for several weeks, babbling incoherently.

She then proceeded to drop dead of dehydration... directly in the middle of the fully-stocked tavern, traumatising the forty or so patrons enjoying their ale.

 

1 hour ago, Agent Slacker said:

 seeing this game running at 60FPS on a portable is kinda surreal.

 

36 minutes ago, Rudolph said:

I know it is no longer considered impressive at this point, but it still amazes me how games that I distinctively remember playing on a TV - or a high-end computer in Doom 3's case - over twenty years ago can now run flawlessly on a device slightly bigger than a smartphone! :D

 

My aging brain refuses to accept that mobile/portable games can do 3D environments at all.

[kawadec]

Off-and-on Elden Ring with friends, via the Seamless Coop mod. It's WIP and quite glitchy at times, but totally worth it for removing vanilla co-op's limitations. Been cycling through a few different characters, with builds based on various Fate servants --- Ushiwakamaru with a light load katana build (I am not Let Me Solo Her, so this isn't going very well), King Hassan with a heavy load Strength/Faith black flame build (versatile thanks to the stats, the fact he has both armor and an optional greatshield makes for good survivability, and heck he always seemed like a more anime-ish Soulsborne character anyway so he fits right in), and most recently Elizabeth Bathory who will be more breath/voice focused to go with her dragon characteristics and musical aspirations. I guess a polearm weapon would be most fitting for that last one, though Liz is a popular enough character to have multiple variations (Lancer, Saber, Caster, etc.) to base her combat around, we'll see what shakes out.

[Rudolph]

 

Butterfly Soup 2. Cute and generally lighthearted, like its predecessor.

 

I am also continuing my Planescape: Torment playthrough, but I find it kind of exhausting to play and I oftentimes need to take a break.

Edited January 7, 2023 by Rudolph

[Herr Dethnout]

Lost levels are good shit. I sad that Bethesda didn't give it a "Addon's option" like Doom 1 & 2  or Quake 1 rereleases.

[Technicolor]

Rise of The Triad: The Hunt Begins (Shareware).

 

Does anyone know where to buy full version on internet? I can't find.

[Rudolph]

1 hour ago, Technicolor said:

Rise of The Triad: The Hunt Begins (Shareware).

 

Does anyone know where to buy full version on internet? I can't find.

https://www.gog.com/en/game/rise_of_the_triad__dark_war

https://www.gog.com/en/game/rise_of_the_triad_ludicrous_edition

https://store.steampowered.com/app/358410/Rise_of_the_Triad_Dark_War/

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1421490/Rise_of_the_Triad_Ludicrous_Edition/

Edited January 9, 2023 by Rudolph

[Technicolor]

6 hours ago, Rudolph said:

https://www.gog.com/en/game/rise_of_the_triad__dark_war

https://www.gog.com/en/game/rise_of_the_triad_ludicrous_edition

https://store.steampowered.com/app/358410/Rise_of_the_Triad_Dark_War/

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1421490/Rise_of_the_Triad_Ludicrous_Edition/

 

Not Dark War. Hunt Begins.

[Redneckerz]

46 minutes ago, Technicolor said:

 

Not Dark War. Hunt Begins.

The Hunt Begins is the title of the Shareware version. Dark War is the full release.

 

You can't buy Hunt Begins because it is the shareware version, meaning it is mean't to be released for free.

 

Relevant Wikipedia page.

[Technicolor]

49 minutes ago, Redneckerz said:

The Hunt Begins is the title of the Shareware version. Dark War is the full release.

 

You can't buy Hunt Begins because it is the shareware version, meaning it is mean't to be released for free.

 

Relevant Wikipedia page.

 

Dark War's first episode is different. I have it. 

 

Dark War does not have Hunt Begins maps. Strange then.

 

Normally full games inculude the demo maps as well. It wasnt this way for Doom, Heretic, Hexen etc.

Edited January 9, 2023 by Technicolor

[Rudolph]

The Hunt Begins is not included as an extra in the Ludicrous Edition?

[Dubbag]

God Of War Ragnarök

[Rudolph]

While I wait for my Vault Dwellers to finish their training or reach their destination in Fallout Shelter, I am returning to Classic Doom for the first time in 2023. More specifically, I feel like finishing Plutonia 2 now; last time I played, I have made it to MAP21.

[Technicolor]

25 minutes ago, Rudolph said:

While I wait for my Vault Dwellers to finish their training or reach their destination in Fallout Shelter, I am returning to Classic Doom for the first time in 2023. More specifically, I feel like finishing Plutonia 2 now; last time I played, I have made it to MAP21.

 

I dont play new Doom. Doom ends with classic Doom for me.

[Rudolph]

14 minutes ago, Technicolor said:

I dont play new Doom. Doom ends with classic Doom for me.

Well, I meant to say that I took a break from Doom in the last months of 2022. But yeah, the more recent Doom games do not really appeal to me.

 

But regarding Rise of the Triad, do you own the Ludicrous Edition? I find it hard to believe that The Hunt Begins maps would not be included.

[Technicolor]

1 hour ago, Rudolph said:

Well, I meant to say that I took a break from Doom in the last months of 2022. But yeah, the more recent Doom games do not really appeal to me.

 

But regarding Rise of the Triad, do you own the Ludicrous Edition? I find it hard to believe that The Hunt Begins maps would not be included.

 

I have normal Dark Wars. 

 

It is Vanilla Rott at 320X200 Pixels.

 

Edited January 9, 2023 by Technicolor

[mrthejoshmon]

In between my usual haunts I'm doing a modded Morrowind playthrough.

 

Massive fan of the more outlandish (well, not for morrowind) community armour sets, this one is "Ceremonial Adamantium" and it took 20+ hours to secure the funds for it, even then I had to pop several personality buffs, sell my Orcish armour set, flog a few ebony weapons and every single last precious gem I had found so far just to be able to afford it all.

[Rudolph]

28 minutes ago, Technicolor said:

I have normal Dark Wars. 

 

It is Vanilla Rott at 320X200 Pixels.

Well, according to the store description, the Ludicrous Edition contains "All original ROTT episodes and expansion packs plus A NEW episode created by New Blood, Night Dive and Apogee Software Veterans". I would assume this includes The HUNT Begins, but you might want to ask first.

[MemeMind]

I recently got into a Warhammer phase, so I have been playing a shit out of Total War: Warhammer 3 and Dawn of War 1 and its Expansions. 

 

Also built and painted some Ad Mech minis.

[The BMFG]

doing a modded fallout nv playthrough like the mojavepilled gigachad i am

[arsac]

5 hours ago, The BMFG said:

doing a modded fallout nv playthrough like the mojavepilled gigachad i am

[MrFroz]

Resident Evil: Code Veronica X (emulated with PCSX2).

[SFFlowerBoy]

Been playing a bit of the castlevania advance collection, mainly Dracula X. It is my first classicvania type game so I am getting my ass beaten. I also played a lot of sifu recently. Try to play every stage without dying.