Whatcha all playing!

I played and rolled credits in animal well which was really fantastic. I am still looking for secrets! Also checked out caves of qud’s new UI update on the beta branch. It’s outstanding

      • They made a lot of changes this season to weapon crafting and modifying that’s made it much easier than previous seasons. There’s also a couple things that they made available across all difficulty tiers instead of the two higher ones. I haven’t looked into specific specs, but I believe they’ve also buffed a bunch of the skills.
        I don’t know about mtx, but the paid battle pass is really only cosmetic stuff and doesn’t affect core gameplay, if that’s what you’re worried about. There are things called “smoldering ashes” which serve as season permanent buffs, but they are available on the free battle pass, so everyone gets those.

    • This is exactly where I’ve been for the last week, it’s insane just the sheer difference the changes they made have had on the overall gameplay.

      It feels as if I went from playing the technical demo (season 3) of the game to the actual launch version (season 4) - which sounds dramatic but it’s the second time I’ve made it to WT4 (I usually can’t slog through this much) and never this early!

  • I just finished Immortals of Aveum. I really liked the story. Felt like an early 2000 science fiction action movie. It’s gorgeous looking but the shooting didn’t have enough oomph to be really fun, so I stopped playing after the credits rolled. Didn’t feel the need to 100% it.

      • It has a lot of Doom-like exploration for new gear and other goodies. Also a handful optional bosses which are pretty hard to beat. But the shooting revolves around basically 3 weapon types (magic types in this case): a DMR, an SMG and a shotgun. The variations thereof don’t feel different enough and the feedback lacks kick, so the shooting doesn’t feel very meaty. It’s still solid enough, but the story is definitely what carried me through the 20ish hours of the game.

  • Fallout 76. I’m genuinely surprised how generous the players are, and it’s been generally fun. It doesn’t feel exactly like typical Fallout, but it lives somewhere between Fallout and Metro: Exodus.

    Only big downside is the weight limits they put on everything (including your stash box), because that’s how the devs try to encourage players to buy in with cash. You can still run while encumbered, which is a nice change, but it uses AP to do so. Eventually you have to stop and “catch your breath” before you can keep going. Since it also blocks fast travel, it kind of puts a damper on the fun of collecting all the things when you are forced to travel by foot.

    • Welcome to the game! I played ages ago and returned recently. Definitely enjoying myself and trying a power armor heavy gunner build.

      I strongly recommend just not holding onto as much scrapped junk. Its actually pretty easy to come by a lot of scrap types when you need it. Also strength is a good stat, invest in it for carry weight increases. Power armor also increases your carry weight if you have low strength. Power cores are decently easy to come by.

      • Thank you! I bulked several hundred of the heaviest items and sold them to a vendor, and I made throwing knives from the excess steel (and sold those).

        I think I should still pare that down, though. Right now, screws are my primary concern, and like you pointed out, I don’t seem to be having trouble with things like lead, cloth, and steel. I do have power armor, and I saved up to get the core recharger, so I should probably make use of that more often.

        What are your thoughts on keeping higher level weapons in stash? I have some level 25+ items, but I’m only level 19.

        • At low levels you’ll be blasting through weapons pretty quickly because you’ll outlevel them and find better stuff. If you’re running low on space don’t bother hanging onto more than maybe two guns you want to use at higher levels.

          What playstyle do you enjoy? I’m level 170 and only really do heavy guns and rifles. Pistols (revolvers in particular) are usually my favorite but in this game they’re suboptimal. As such I have maybe 4 or 5 weapons that are really good I hang onto.

          Also what’s your platform? Maybe I can help you out a bit.

          • Thanks! That helps a lot. I have a few heavy weapons I’m holding onto that are 45+, so I’ll see what’s worth keeping.

            I tend to enjoy the stealthy, long-range playstyle. My favorite weapon so far is a hunting rifle I’ve modded with a long scope and a suppressor (and others mods that boost aim, crit, or reload), and I try to use a plasma pistol for close quarters (because of the chance for nuclear waste); I have an automatic laser rifle and a 10mm subauto as backup, if things get overwhelming. I’m open to suggestions, though!

            I play on PC via the Xbox/Game Pass launcher.

  • Just beat Slay the Princess twice. Wow, really lived up to the hype for me. Excellent writing and art. Excellent… Format and pacing for a visual novel with a lot of different choices. The themes it explores are incredibly interesting and varied.

    I heartily recommend it to anyone who enjoys a VN with a mysteriously intriguing story.

  • I made it about 3/4ths of the way through my second play of Lies of P before I decided I had to take a mental sanity break. I don’t think I’ve ever played a game that has made me so angry and frustrated because I can’t change the core trajectory of the story.

    .

    After learning the lore in the first run and actually hearing the King of Puppet’s dialogue during his boss fight this time, I feel extra bad that I complained so much about it in my first playthrough. Geppetto can go fuck himself. I am begging this game to let me side with Romeo.

    To fill the Lies of P void, I decided to take another go at We Happy Few. I started a playthrough a few years ago and finished the first act, Arthur’s story, but never got around to the rest of the game. I don’t feel like I got to fully immerse myself in the world last time, so I’m going to take my time this round.

    Diablo 4: Season 4 started this week, and I’m going with a fire/ice based sorcerer build. I’m liking the changes that they made to crafting and modifying weapons, and I’ve already made it to the paragon boards. I also got one of my friends playing with me this season with a similar build, so it’ll be extra fun.

    • Diablo 4 for me too. I did not play much last season, but this one I enjoy a lot. I like the changes regarding loot and crafting and I see myself finally using the Aspects now that they are not consumed, but can be pulled from the codex as often as I want. Previously I saved my good rolled aspects “for later”… and later was usually beyond my playtime for a season :-)

      • Previously I saved my good rolled aspects “for later”… and later was usually beyond my playtime for a season :-)

        Oh yeah, this 100%. I did the same thing, where I’d save aspects for when I’d get a “better” piece of armor/weapon. I’m enjoying a much cleaner stash.

        (edit: spelling)

  • Just finished Cyberpunk 2077 and Phantom Liberty, which I enjoyed greatly, despite all the jank!

    I’ll likely move on to DMC 5 now, since I left it unfinished a few years ago and would like a shorter / fast-pace game atm.

    I’ve also been playing a fair amount of Guilty Gear Strive on the side, first real fighting game and it’s a blast so far trying to learn the right combos, cancels, etc…