# Video games



## Sieglinde (Oct 25, 2009)

I couldn't find a thread (please merge if there is one somewhere).

What games are you favourites? What are you playing right now? Feel free to discuss. 


I just finished Ghost of Tsushima. It's incredibly gorgeous. It also has a great story and a very dynamic, fun combat system, but the visuals alone? Just breathtaking. 

What the game tells you to do: free your home from Mongol invaders!

What you actually do: pet every fox, parkour to shrines (die to gravity a lot), follow every bird, chill in hot springs, find every armour dye then spend half an hour colour-coordinating your armor with your swords and bow, oh wait there is a main quest?


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## adriesba (Dec 30, 2019)

I mostly like things that are simple.

Most video games don't keep my attention for long except Minecraft. I could spend _way_ too much time playing that!

Occasionally I'll also play Fortnite.

There are things that make me feel nostalgic such as old PS2 games or obscure Flash computer games that I enjoy. Not sure what to do when Flash is discontinued.


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## Open Lane (Nov 11, 2015)

Got mario 3d allstars today. Very fun but i prefer listening to classical music. Still a good break


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## Ethereality (Apr 6, 2019)

Combat games? Yeah that'll really supply my brain with meaningful or useful stimulation. Right.

Some top favorites:
- Grim Fandango
- The Council
- Until Dawn
- Risk Reforged
- Contradiction
- The Dig
- The Longest Journey


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## DeGustibus (Aug 7, 2020)

Got Assassin's Creed Black Flag when it was on sale for the switch a couple of weekends ago. Not my usual fare, but am enjoying it a lot. Also playing Civ VI on the switch, but despite having played almost every Civ version, I am frustratingly bad at it,


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## Phil loves classical (Feb 8, 2017)

I've been spending (some would say wasting) at lot of time playing online MMO's. LOTRO, Age of Conan, and Archeage. Archeage has great graphics. I'd say the best of any game I've ever seen. The Endgame is kind of boring for any game. Lots of grinding.


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## ldiat (Jan 27, 2016)

the Tomb Raider, Laura Croft


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## level82rat (Jun 20, 2019)

Open Lane said:


> Got mario 3d allstars today. Very fun but i prefer listening to classical music. Still a good break


I'm confused. What stops you from doing both at the same time?


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## ToneDeaf&Senile (May 20, 2010)

Since buying my first PC late 1989, I've concentrated on "Western" style RPG, as exemplified by such titles as the Elder Scrolls series, Kingdom Come Deliverance, a few of the old Wizardry titles and several early MMO RPGs (Meridian59, EQ1, EQ2). I was hooked on Minecraft for a few years, and greatly enjoyed Banished for a while.

Now in my dotage, I've 'recently' reasumed a long surpressed interest in steam era railroading, starting with train-centric economy game Transport Fever 1, eventually bought Trainz Railroad Simulator 2019, then during the latter months of 2020 acquired Train Simulator 2021. It is this last title I now devote the bulk of my gaming time to. I continue to focus almost solely on steam era railroading and am now pretty much specialize in British steam (despite being a Yank). Truth to tell I've sunk too much money into TS2021. Certainly more than intended. It's a bit of a money sink, or can be if craze a large variety of locos, rolling stock and routes on which to run them. Oh...I continue to enjoy modded Daggerfall Unity.

I'll end this mess by including a 4n1 images derived from as many TS2021 'QuickDrives', passenger runs each pulled by a different British steam 'tank' loco:


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## julide (Jul 24, 2020)

I love the ones where you get to undress firemen


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## ToneDeaf&Senile (May 20, 2010)

Drove an enjoyable Train Simulator 2021 'Standard Scenario' while ago. It takes place on the Ise of Wight, Britain. The train consisted of an LBSCR E4 tank loco pulling a string of SECR "Birdcage" coaches. I was skeptical of getting far in this scenario, as my experience with the E4 to-date hasn't been stellar, due to it relying on steam rather than vacuum brakes. To my surprise, steam brake or no steam brake, I had no problem driving it. Nor did I fall behind schedule, my most common failure. I admit to deliberately speeding to keep on schedule, but hey, it worked. I reached the scenario's final station with a few minutes to spare.

Here's a 4n1 captured during the run, one image being of the scenario DEBRIEF screen:








Here's a 6min 30sec video of an honest-to-goodness LBSCR E4 in action:


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## En Passant (Aug 1, 2020)

I love steam trains!


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## ToneDeaf&Senile (May 20, 2010)

For those who suffer from insomnia, I come to the rescue with a Train Simulator 2021 YouTube episode, documenting a QuickDrive session along Lenton-on-Sea Steam Workshop route. The train consists of a (British) Gresley GNR N2 0-6-2T steam locomotive in LNER apple green, pulling five Gresley Teak railway carriages. It begins at Jasper's Slaughter House and ends at Fenbury, with four passenger stops in-between. Gods help us all, the drive continues in a future upload. Not originally intended for public consumption, production values are fairly basic, mainly views from the cab, that being how I prefer to drive steam locos. I find the journey compelling, yet admit to a certain bias. Either you enjoy this sort of thing or you don't. Which can be said of pretty much any and everything, come to think on it.








julide said:


> I love the ones where you get to undress firemen


Heh...I wonder how many get this?


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## ToneDeaf&Senile (May 20, 2010)

I've been playing Transport Fever hot & heavy since the beginning of the week, my first extended stay since mid 2020. I concentrated solely on adding scenery to a heretofore ignored section of the map. I have finally admitted to myself that the map is over and done with so far as improvements to its railway network are concerned. Too many serious errors in judgement early on. To rectify that, I'd need to strip large chunks of my tracks and railway stations to bare earth and start afresh. At that point I might as well begin afresh on a new map, where I would hopefully do better from the start. That's unlikely to happen. Besides, I still have lots of scenery to add to my current map. Speaking of which...

I have unleashed my first Transport Fever Scenic Excursions episode in months. A passenger train ride along a newly scenicked landscape, from Sittingbourne to Bebington and back again. Our first visit to Bebington. My first YouTube video posting as a septuagenarian, having turned seventy 28 Jan 2021:


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## ToneDeaf&Senile (May 20, 2010)

I recently published another video documenting my Daggerfall Unity character, exploring the bowels of Community of Vannausa (dungeon), assigned by Daggerfall City Fighters Guild to remove a Gargoyle. We see the crawl itself and its aftermath. DFU graphics mods are on display, though that's incidental, not my primary focus this time round. My current DFU install is, as of early Feb 2021, dated. Footage was captured prior to DFU officially entering Beta status. Likewise, several mods have updated beyond what is seen here, D.R.E.A.M. included. Captured at 1080p, it is rendered and uploaded at 1440p. It looks decent at 1080p windowed. However, dungeon fog renders more naturally at 1440p when viewed full-screen, even on a 1080p monitor. Text narrative and music but no vocal commentary.

(I do NOT monetize, so have no financial interest in linking these game-related videos. I simply enjoy capturing documentation of selected play-sessions and sharing it, warts and all.)


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## Jacck (Dec 24, 2017)

ToneDeaf&Senile said:


> I recently published another video documenting my Daggerfall Unity character, exploring the bowels of Community of Vannausa (dungeon), assigned by Daggerfall City Fighters Guild to remove a Gargoyle. We see the crawl itself and its aftermath. DFU graphics mods are on display, though that's incidental, not my primary focus this time round. My current DFU install is, as of early Feb 2021, dated. Footage was captured prior to DFU officially entering Beta status. Likewise, several mods have updated beyond what is seen here, D.R.E.A.M. included. Captured at 1080p, it is rendered and uploaded at 1440p. It looks decent at 1080p windowed. However, dungeon fog renders more naturally at 1440p when viewed full-screen, even on a 1080p monitor. Text narrative and music but no vocal commentary.


I remember Daggerfall. I think I had a pirated copy as a kid and tried to play it, but found it boring. The game has a HUGE procedurally generated world and I found it kind kind of empty, ie the density of interesting stuff was very low. A couple of years later, I then bought Morrowind for ca $50 during my stay in the US and then spend like 6 weeks playing it and I finished it. That was amazing. Both Oblivion and Skyrim were subsequently underwhelming. I don't like the TES RPG mechanics. I am more into the DnD party based RPGs like Baldurs Gate (we used to play DnD as kids, I was a Dungeon Master)


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## ToneDeaf&Senile (May 20, 2010)

Jacck said:


> I remember Daggerfall. I think I had a pirated copy as a kid and tried to play it, but found it boring. The game has a HUGE procedurally generated world and I found it kind kind of empty, ie the density of interesting stuff was very low. A couple of years later, I then bought Morrowind for ca $50 during my stay in the US and then spend like 6 weeks playing it and I finished it. That was amazing. Both Oblivion and Skyrim were subsequently underwhelming. I don't like the TES RPG mechanics. I am more into the DnD party based RPGs like Baldurs Gate (we used to play DnD as kids, I was a Dungeon Master)


I'm an odd-man-out in that My favorite TES titles are Daggerfall and modded Oblivion. Morrowind, good as it is, didn't hold my interest beyond maybe a month of play. Daggerfall I've played off-and-on since it was new and shiny, acquiring it on release during 1996. Daggerfall's game-world size is a big draw for me, though I certainly agree that it is far too empty. Even with modded Daggerfall Unity this remains the case, though with the right mods overland travel is more enjoyable. Which reminds me I need to add Roads of Daggerfall (or whatever its called) to my roster.

On other matters, I've posted yet another Transport Fever Scenic Excursions episode. How many more I can crank out before the map becomes too laggy to 'film' remains to be seen:


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## Phil loves classical (Feb 8, 2017)

Was heavily into Skyforge last couple months. Very realistic graphics and lighting. Also got into Guild Wars 2.


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## ToneDeaf&Senile (May 20, 2010)

I've recently tinkled around with TpF2, a title I've not yet made up my mind able. I also drove some TS2021 QuickDrive steam-locomotive practice sessions. Lastly, created a new video for my ongoing TpF1 series. Stutter is ever-present and becomes bothersome at times. Text narrative is decidedly sub-par, as I was extra muddleheaded the entire time I allotted myself to complete the project. Still, I enjoy the route and the tank loco that pulls its passenger train:


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## ToneDeaf&Senile (May 20, 2010)

Following a return stay in Transport Fever, I eventually migrated back to Train Simulator. Mostly Quick Drives, plus a few Standard Scenarios. I visually documented one Steam Workshop route passenger run, in both directions, as linked below.


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## Jacck (Dec 24, 2017)

I started playing Amnesia Rebirth
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amnesia:_Rebirth

it is a survival horror game. I did not have enough horror during the pandemic, so I need some more. This is already a third installment in this franchise. I played the first one in 2010 and it was definitely the scariest game I even played. There is no fight in the game, so you have to avoid the monsters. It had great atmosphere and story and was a piece of art. The good thing is that the game is just some 10-15 hours in length, so it is like reading an interactive novel.


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## Jacck (Dec 24, 2017)

So I've finished the game and and feel like I've been through a meat grinder or a Lovecraftian nightmare. I played it like horror games are supposed to be played, only after dark and using headphones. The review above does not do it justice and is a little misleading. The review shows the game just in one specific location (a military fort in Algeria) about a third into the game. It is only here that the story and the scares start to pick up (the beginning is really slow) and it was not the most interesting part. Under the military fort you discover some ancient ruins build by an alien civilization and you also cross to their planet using a gate. But the aliens are extinct and you wander about their ruins of their planet, while being haunted by lovecraftian nightmares. The artwork is great and the game was genuinely spooky at times. It is using many methods to spook you, cheap jump scares are relatively few and not too scary, there are also a couple of chase sequencies where you are hunted by monsters as you run through dark underground tunels, but most of the tension is build by excellent sound design and the great ambience of the surroundings. I would recommend the game to all lovers of lovecraftian scifi/cosmic horror, because it really felt like playing through one of Lovecraft stories (for example At the Mountains of Madness). Personally, I liked it more than the original Amnesia, but less then SOMA. SOMA was a real masterpiece of scifi horror. 
https://store.steampowered.com/app/282140/SOMA/


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## Jacck (Dec 24, 2017)

I didn't have enough horror yet, so I played through another psychological horror game - *>observer_*
https://store.steampowered.com/app/514900/observer/
I have never played quite something like this, this was a total mindfück. As if the screenplay was written by Philip K Dick and Orwell, and then directed by David Cronenberg and David Lynch who were heavily on acid. The game was obviously inspired by Blade Runner. The main protagonist is played and voiced by Rutger Hauer (the Blade Runner character), but at the same time, the game is much darker and inspired by 1984 (it is set in 2084). At the same time the game has a 1980's real socialistic Polish vibe. You are a futuristic cop with the ability to hack other people's minds and you investigate a murder mystery. Those hacks of other peoples minds are psychedelic trips like I have never seen before and towards the end of the game the border between reality and fiction becomes fluid. This is a cyberpunk - high tech, low society. The whole game is dark and opressive and feels like a story by Philip K Dick. It is quite short, some 5-10 hours to play through it, so it could theoretically be done in one sitting, althrough it took me 3 days. The artistic execution of this game deserves high praise. The game was originally released in 2017 and was quite cheap, but then they made a remaster called a "Observer: System Redux" and are currently selling it for 30 Euro, which is quite high for a 10 hour game. The Polish studio has made several other successful horror games like Layers of Fear, The Medium and the Blair Witch. I have not played any of those, but maybe I will.


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## Conrad2 (Jan 24, 2021)

After playing Geoguesser, a browser game that my nephew introduce, where you try to approximate the location of an interactive picture from Google Map, I discover Virtual Vacation's City Guesser, where instead of pictures there are videos for you to guess the location. So far, it's very fun to play and is free. I'm worried that since it's so new, if I played too often, I will see all the videos, but so far I haven't seen a repeat video. Thought you guys might be interested in it.


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## ToneDeaf&Senile (May 20, 2010)

Here's visual documentation of my struggles at becoming a minimally competent TS2021 train driver. Lots of shunting here, which I'm very rusty at. Still, I don't end up with so much egg on my face that I'm mistaken for an omelet:





Aside from Train Simulator, I'm doing no gaming at all. I keep telling myself I'm going to upgrade Daggerfall Unity to its latest Beta version, but never drum up the mental energy to do so. It's an age thing, I suspect.


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## ToneDeaf&Senile (May 20, 2010)

Game wise, I continue to be a one-trick-pony, playing TS2021 and nothing else. (To be fair, I fired up Transport Fever for a short session, but ended up doing absolutely nothing other than looks for something to do.) I tend to be a hot-and-cold faux steam loco driver. Some days I do well. Other days I barely start scenarios before making some stupid mistake that ends them. Be that as it may, I've visual documentation of another mostly successful run, driving one of my favorite locos:


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## ToneDeaf&Senile (May 20, 2010)

I continue to be something of a one-trick-pony, playing mostly Train Simulator. I have, however, also returned to Solitile. As the name implies, it's a remove-the-tiles game. It's a game that has stayed with me since I first became a PC gamer back in late 1989. I don't play it consistently, sometimes not touching it for years at a time. But when I do play it, I like it every bit as much as I did back in the day. To be honest, I play only one of its tile layouts. But that one layout, named "The Bridge", is a classic. I generally play in sets of three (rounds), and often play multiple sets per session.

Back to TS2021, I continue to occasional publish video evidence of my less-than-stellar driving prowess. Of recent uploads, my favorite might be one featuring an LNWR "Greater Britain" steam loco hauling passengers on Weardale & Teesdale route. The loco's unique "Lavender & Cream" livery is a sight to behold:


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## ToneDeaf&Senile (May 20, 2010)

I've devoted most of my ample leisure time to reading lately, thus done little gaming. However, a Train Simulator video uploaded to YT some time ago reached its publish date this morning. It's my fourth episode focused on Western Branch Lines, Steam Workshop route. It's a short run, rather scenically pleasant:


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## ToneDeaf&Senile (May 20, 2010)

I'm in the midst of a months-long gaming-slump, not helped by my right hand/wrist being in a brace. For good or ill, it at last seems to be weakening. (The gaming-slump, not my hand.) I've recently driven a number of Train Simulator and Trainz 'quick-drives', creating a video from my most recent TS2022 drive:


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## tdc (Jan 17, 2011)

Zelda - _Breath of the Wild_ is an excellent game. I beat it, but I'm finding it even better the second time through because I understand the game better, the fight scenes are smoother now, the game play is enhanced. It took me a little while to pick up on some of the details.


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## Metalkitsune (Jul 11, 2011)

Skyrim,assassins creed III remastered and x plane 11.55


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