What are you playing? [SPOILER TAGS PLEASE]

[Brandon]

That have, actually.  Turn Based was the norm for years until Real Time became popular.  I hate real time and love turn based, so I don't really play video games much anymore.  The fact that these days I don't have $60 to buy a new game doesn't help either.

There are still some turn based games out there. For me the big one thats coming out in the future, that I know of, is Xenonaughts but its still in alpha (and you can do an alpha purchase but Ive found the game crashes a lot for me). Still its a fun turn based game, especially if you enjoyed the old X-Com games

[Inkidu]

There's also Civ 5 it remains turn-based, but if you're looking for something down the pipe, there's also X-Com: Enemy Unknown hitting shelves this fall for all the platforms. Faraxis has picked up the old Microprose license and is basically making a massively updated version of X-Com. I think the only thing they changed was they made the UI a lot more friendly, and it apparently doesn't take a calculator and a ream of paper to get the maximum efficiency out of your commandos' turn. They're using a DnD syle two action system for the turn based tactical missions. Now, let me hear how it's totally ruined, you know there's one of you somewhere. :]

[Sabby]

They're changing the formula so any idiot on his Xbox can play. OF course it's ruined! This is exclusive club.

[Hemingway]

The original X-COM titles were massively complex. There's so much stuff going on that you probably won't even be aware of unless you read the manual or look it up online, and it's amazing really. The battles were pretty straight-forward by comparison, but the new one better have kept things like reaction shots, rank affecting the mission, and so on, or it just won't be the same thing. But my biggest fear - not that I'm really that worried - is that they'll make it simpler, more "user friendly", at the expense of the things that made it such a deep game.

[LunarSage]

I fucking loved X-Com.  :-)

I liked one and Terror From the Deep.  The third was was kinda meh in my opinion.  I never could figure it out.  I hope the new one will be like one and two rather than 3.

[Sabby]

I'm loving this SkyrimNexus thing. All I need to do to add a mod is press a fucking button, no dicking around with zip folders and .esp files in the wrong places and screwing the whole game up if I do it wrong, it's just click to add, click to remove.

So far, got better looking blood, faster arrows, a bunch of animation changes, new magic, some friggen amazing lighting, new sounds and interface, a categorized favourites menu... I'm loving it.

[Inkidu]

The original X-COM titles were massively complex. There's so much stuff going on that you probably won't even be aware of unless you read the manual or look it up online, and it's amazing really. The battles were pretty straight-forward by comparison, but the new one better have kept things like reaction shots, rank affecting the mission, and so on, or it just won't be the same thing. But my biggest fear - not that I'm really that worried - is that they'll make it simpler, more "user friendly", at the expense of the things that made it such a deep game.

Let's see GI reported on that:

The game in general (sans a few special events/story stuff) is procedurally generated. That goes for the on-the-ground missions as well.
You won't be able to do or save everything, apparently like the original.
They kept the individual units and rankings, as well as, panic in combat.

The only things I can think of that they changed (and I have to take peoples' word for it. I was pretty young when X-Com came out) is the aforementioned unit movement, and in general they've cleaned up the UI. Honestly, if your UI is one of the largest factors in making your game difficult or heaven forbid "hardcore" then someone screwed up somewhere.

Also you don't know the specialization of new recruits (green). They reveal in battle. This is supposed to keep people from finding the one squad that works and using it for everything. It's supposed to come out this fall.

Ironically, this one was supposed to come after the FPS they were working on (which was a prequel to this game). That's actually pretty smart. You get the FPS crowd and then you get another game in there that gets all the fans.

"Oh, sorry? Well, enjoy this!" Pretty smart move, 2K.

[Hemingway]

Well, the things I'd be most concerned with is things like how the aliens take over. I didn't even realize how deep the original X-COM games were until I looked it up. I imagined that things like countries making pacts with the aliens and cutting X-COM funding was just a counter that counted down if your performance wasn't good enough, but the aliens actually send ships there - more and more the closer they get to actually making a pact - and you can prevent it by intercepting them. It's a lot deeper than it looks on the surface, with things going on that you wouldn't even be aware of.

And, yeah, I hope they keep ( assuming there is a psi system ) the system where you didn't get to see your operatives' psi scores until you researched and built the psi lab. The X-COM equivalent of Murphy's Law states that your highest ranking guy will always be the one with the lowest resistance, and thus ... a huge liability to the team, because the enemy always mind controls or panics the guy with the lowest score.

All in all, what you've listed sounds promising. I haven't really looked into it myself.

The only thing that sort of worries me is that they'll remove reaction shots, where you ( and more frequently, your enemies ) get to shoot out-of-turn if someone enters their line of sight. I can't remember if reaction shots are free, or come at the expense of time units in the following turn ( I think the latter ), but it does make breaching UFOs a much more tactical affair. Rushing in is a sure way of getting your guys killed. I just don't see how that's going to work if they change the system from time units to just based on actions.

Heh, and now I feel like playing X-COM...

[LunarSage]

I hated those brain things that infected your men by laying an egg in them and turned them into zombies until they finally turned into another brain alien thing.

[Inkidu]

Well, the things I'd be most concerned with is things like how the aliens take over. I didn't even realize how deep the original X-COM games were until I looked it up. I imagined that things like countries making pacts with the aliens and cutting X-COM funding was just a counter that counted down if your performance wasn't good enough, but the aliens actually send ships there - more and more the closer they get to actually making a pact - and you can prevent it by intercepting them. It's a lot deeper than it looks on the surface, with things going on that you wouldn't even be aware of.

And, yeah, I hope they keep ( assuming there is a psi system ) the system where you didn't get to see your operatives' psi scores until you researched and built the psi lab. The X-COM equivalent of Murphy's Law states that your highest ranking guy will always be the one with the lowest resistance, and thus ... a huge liability to the team, because the enemy always mind controls or panics the guy with the lowest score.

All in all, what you've listed sounds promising. I haven't really looked into it myself.

The only thing that sort of worries me is that they'll remove reaction shots, where you ( and more frequently, your enemies ) get to shoot out-of-turn if someone enters their line of sight. I can't remember if reaction shots are free, or come at the expense of time units in the following turn ( I think the latter ), but it does make breaching UFOs a much more tactical affair. Rushing in is a sure way of getting your guys killed. I just don't see how that's going to work if they change the system from time units to just based on actions.

Heh, and now I feel like playing X-COM...

Well, I imagine you could you know take something equivalent to that. A kind of ready-action. Sure you spend half your move going to the door, but you could ready him to shoot at anything that exits said door.

[Brandon]

There's also Civ 5 it remains turn-based, but if you're looking for something down the pipe, there's also X-Com: Enemy Unknown hitting shelves this fall for all the platforms. Faraxis has picked up the old Microprose license and is basically making a massively updated version of X-Com. I think the only thing they changed was they made the UI a lot more friendly, and it apparently doesn't take a calculator and a ream of paper to get the maximum efficiency out of your commandos' turn. They're using a DnD syle two action system for the turn based tactical missions. Now, let me hear how it's totally ruined, you know there's one of you somewhere. :]

As X-Com games go Im about as big of a fan as I can be but I wont say its ruined till I see that it is ruined. The Problem is I am a bit concerned that it will get to simplified and loose the tactical strategy edge that made X-Com awesome. A simplified movement/action system sounds good on paper but a lot of things sound good on paper and work horribly in reality, this might be one of those things. Still Im willing to give it a fair shot

To be fair, sometimes design choices for a game dont make sense, especially with radical changes in franchises. See in part the FPS styled X-Com game that was accounced and trashed. I hated that thing with a passion because it wasnt X-Com, people just wanted the franchise recognition. I would have been much kinder to it if it were a new IP but as long as it holds the X-Com title and lacks strategy to it I will dislike it just on principle

You know what? Now Im kinda feeling some plot bunnies for an X-Com roleplay :P

[Inkidu]

As X-Com games go Im about as big of a fan as I can be but I wont say its ruined till I see that it is ruined. The Problem is I am a bit concerned that it will get to simplified and loose the tactical strategy edge that made X-Com awesome. A simplified movement/action system sounds good on paper but a lot of things sound good on paper and work horribly in reality, this might be one of those things. Still Im willing to give it a fair shot

To be fair, sometimes design choices for a game dont make sense, especially with radical changes in franchises. See in part the FPS styled X-Com game that was accounced and trashed. I hated that thing with a passion because it wasnt X-Com, people just wanted the franchise recognition. I would have been much kinder to it if it were a new IP but as long as it holds the X-Com title and lacks strategy to it I will dislike it just on principle

You know what? Now Im kinda feeling some plot bunnies for an X-Com roleplay :P

They seemed pretty focused on keeping the strategy and tactics intact. Honestly, and I'm not saying you are, but I wouldn't call a change from a multitude of point-buy actions to a simple set of actions per character that radical a gameplay shift.

[Hemingway]

Am I the only person who actually looks forward to XCOM ( that's the FPS! )? I mean, it has a great setting, a great concept, and hopefully it'll implement capturing and researching alien technology in a way that's slightly more sophisticated than, say, upgrading weapons in BioShock.

I mean ( and this applies to Enemy Unknown as well ), research is a large part of what made the older games so interesting, and I hope they manage to capture that. Again, it had depth beyond what you'd imagine. It doesn't just unlock new weapons, gadgets and so on. There are also research projects that do nothing by themselves, but unlock new paths of research. There are also projects that have no purpose, except to give information about the aliens.

[Inkidu]

Am I the only person who actually looks forward to XCOM ( that's the FPS! )? I mean, it has a great setting, a great concept, and hopefully it'll implement capturing and researching alien technology in a way that's slightly more sophisticated than, say, upgrading weapons in BioShock.

I mean ( and this applies to Enemy Unknown as well ), research is a large part of what made the older games so interesting, and I hope they manage to capture that. Again, it had depth beyond what you'd imagine. It doesn't just unlock new weapons, gadgets and so on. There are also research projects that do nothing by themselves, but unlock new paths of research. There are also projects that have no purpose, except to give information about the aliens.

I look forward to it, too. I never got to play X-Com, and I don't really have the internet connection or even the money really (saving up for ME3) to buy it, plus I don't know if I would like it. I'm with you, Hemingway, if they try to instill the sense of strategy and tactics that a different genre of gaming has into another different genre of gaming who really loses? I'm excited to see a shooter where you might not be able to take down every enemy because you don't have the tech (that doesn't equate to power so much as not having the tools) or at least easily take down every enemy.

I guess I'm just able to accept the fact that people are going to forget about the games I care about and I guess it would be selfish of me to want to deny other people the possibility of enjoyment from a beloved franchise just because it's different than what I remember.

[Capone]

Blue shells suck and need to die

[Brandon]

Am I the only person who actually looks forward to XCOM ( that's the FPS! )? I mean, it has a great setting, a great concept, and hopefully it'll implement capturing and researching alien technology in a way that's slightly more sophisticated than, say, upgrading weapons in BioShock.

I mean ( and this applies to Enemy Unknown as well ), research is a large part of what made the older games so interesting, and I hope they manage to capture that. Again, it had depth beyond what you'd imagine. It doesn't just unlock new weapons, gadgets and so on. There are also research projects that do nothing by themselves, but unlock new paths of research. There are also projects that have no purpose, except to give information about the aliens.

Im sorry but when it comes to FPS games (except ones with heavy RPG elements like fallout) I have zero confidence for companies to make a good game. Think about this for a moment in the trailer they showed,  black blob things entering peoples skulls and taking possession of them. That idea is similar to the chryssalid enemies in Enemy unknown except the humans dont turn monsterous. Its basicly invasion of the body snatchers which is ok by itself. Problem is since every enemy was basicly a black blob there werent any weapons or other alien gear to collect and therefore nothing to research. To complicate matters it was reported that the game would take place solely in the US during the 1950s. If it were a new IP I would be kinder to it but its an FPS, they dont have strategy elements besides where to take cover and how to flank positions. That is NOT X-Com, X-Com is a strategy game about running a global organization tasked with stopping UFO invasion all over the world

[zemo8801]

blast carrying a team to try and win a game but since I'm only  one  person it tough especially when I using a shotgun with no high skills.

[Khanken]

Rewatched Ego Raptor's Sequelitis, where he talks about games having to tell you constantly what to do without actually designing the levels to teach the player. And just as I'm watching this, I'm also playing Vanquish... which made me see how fucking right he was o.O There's always some side character or handler on an ear piece or something chirping in to explain this new enemy or area.

This is exactly what I've been ranting about. No immersion whatsoever.

[Sabby]

I wouldn't call it an immersion breaker, but it does rob you of a sense of achievement.

If your playing Skyrim on PC, you absolutely MUST get the Deadly Combat mod. It changes the entire game. Armor is less effective, but blocking is more effective, the player and enemies are almost always staggered by small hits, and get really knocked around by big ones, power moves and bashes take up more stamina, but stamina recovers faster, arrows hurt more, and magic like Ice Spike or Fireball sends you and enemies flying.

So, one on one fights are now way more dynamic, with you both having to move around more, group fights are tense as hell since being bracketed is now an actual tactic, and getting flanked is going to stagger you into another guys blade, Mages are now fucking deadly from a distance, but near helpless if you close in, an Archer is practically dead already if you close in, and a group of Mages? Forget about it. You'll never win.

I dunno if the shield perk Elemental Protection helps. I'll come back when I've gotten it.

[Hemingway]

I feel like I'm really getting the hang of Dark Souls. I killed the Undead Dragon in my second try, and both Sif and the Iron Golem in my first. I feel pretty good about that. I'm really curious about what New Game+ will be like, because .. at the risk of sounding like a dick, I miss the challenge I was faced with when I first started playing.

[Inkidu]

I wouldn't call it an immersion breaker, but it does rob you of a sense of achievement.

If your playing Skyrim on PC, you absolutely MUST get the Deadly Combat mod. It changes the entire game. Armor is less effective, but blocking is more effective, the player and enemies are almost always staggered by small hits, and get really knocked around by big ones, power moves and bashes take up more stamina, but stamina recovers faster, arrows hurt more, and magic like Ice Spike or Fireball sends you and enemies flying.

So, one on one fights are now way more dynamic, with you both having to move around more, group fights are tense as hell since being bracketed is now an actual tactic, and getting flanked is going to stagger you into another guys blade, Mages are now fucking deadly from a distance, but near helpless if you close in, an Archer is practically dead already if you close in, and a group of Mages? Forget about it. You'll never win.

I dunno if the shield perk Elemental Protection helps. I'll come back when I've gotten it.

Since you have to fight a lot of mages in Skyrim, I think the mod needs some redressing.

[Capone]

In regards to hand-holding, I think it is more that some games have lost the art of subtle design, but let's face it. Just like film, television and books, the majority of entertainment won't do as good a job as the greats.

This analysis of Super Metroid really puts things into perspective, though.

[Sabby]

YES! There's a mod for a Dwemer Terminator. I knew someone would make that. Also...





Skyrim Mods Daily - Heroic Dwarven Armor and Weapons - Skyrim Mods

And here's the Dwemernator

[yobo]

I just picked up Port Royale 2 from GOG. Still learning the game, but I like those good old trading games. And I also find the time period interesting, so all in all it will hopefully bring me some fun. Anyone else here played the Port Royale-series?

[Lirliel]

Got PR2 on my PC right now.

Try to set up a decent trading-fleet before tackling anything else, also during fights on the high seas. Be aware you will only spawn 1 ship, the enemy, all of them at once. You are warned.