tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7801344413612447717.post6789167500888420737..comments2024-01-18T16:20:09.743+01:00Comments on Nils' Blog: Spending my TimeNilshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06468755466492675831noreply@blogger.comBlogger10125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7801344413612447717.post-78842983744401723392011-07-25T15:47:38.002+02:002011-07-25T15:47:38.002+02:00I recently had a moment where I realized that ever...I recently had a moment where I realized that every game I played was a *game* and it's kind of left me wondering what to do with my time. Given that I have a huge time sink coming into my life soon this might end up being a good thing, but I am starting to miss enjoying games.<br /><br />I've been playing a bit of a few games, but largely I find I can only be interested in a game for 15 or 20 minutes at a time.Sthennohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05429676469805661834noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7801344413612447717.post-11838994248396320602011-07-25T14:51:50.729+02:002011-07-25T14:51:50.729+02:00The same two games I always recommend: Dwarf Fortr...The same two games I always recommend: Dwarf Fortress and Just Cause 2. I personally guarantee you will have fun playing at least one of them, and maybe even both of them.Jessehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17419441414045755394noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7801344413612447717.post-86064931562419704612011-07-23T23:30:56.658+02:002011-07-23T23:30:56.658+02:00I honestly don't get this "immersion"...I honestly don't get this "immersion" argument you are making. Having a backpack based on weight is less immersive than magic in the fantasy genre you love? You realize dragon's couldn't fly based on their weight and bone structure, right? It is almost as though you don't actually want to be playing a videogame at all - you want a simulation, not something designed to be entertaining and not cumbersome.<br /><br />Maybe you should just take up hiking and camping IRL, eh?<br /><br />In Fallout 3 and NV, even though it was not required, I got so into the narrative that I explored every single nook and cranny of every structure for usable items despite having more bullets/caps than I could ever actually use. Scavenging itself was fun, as was trying to steal everything in the house/shop without getting caught. It did not break immersion to me that I was lugging around 250 lbs of gear because of a little thing called "suspension of disbelief." If I could only carry maybe 2 gallons of water (16 lbs), two guns, a handful of ammo, etc, the literal gameplay would be boring and masochistic.<br /><br />I mean, when was the last time you read a fantasy novel when they talked about the main character taking a shit? That presumably happens every 1-2 days in the story, but the author leaves it out. Immersion break, amirite? I just don't get how and why you draw lines when you do.Azurielhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16581263347888757710noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7801344413612447717.post-30626591081769383912011-07-23T20:40:42.561+02:002011-07-23T20:40:42.561+02:00Read a couple of Neal Stephenson novels you haven&...Read a couple of Neal Stephenson novels you haven't read yet. That'll be sure to keep you busy for several days. ;)Oscarhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14140224684044151805noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7801344413612447717.post-61055178236005180142011-07-23T20:24:09.047+02:002011-07-23T20:24:09.047+02:00Perhaps you're simply not particularly happy r...Perhaps you're simply not particularly happy right now, regardless of gaming or literature. Or I'm reading too much into too few words, as people are so eager to do.<br /><br />I would like to see a way to play Starcraft in the open-random matches, but at a slower speed. Have two brackets, one at faster speed, one at normal speed. It could make for a nice way to relax if it wasn't such a rushed experience.Klepsacovichttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07915576683657376929noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7801344413612447717.post-74088713600197990902011-07-23T15:09:20.245+02:002011-07-23T15:09:20.245+02:00Azuriel, I played Fallout:NV before. I really like...Azuriel, I played Fallout:NV before. I really liked the Hardcore mode idea. The implementation missed any serious consequences, but was nice nonetheless. What made me stop playing F:NV somewhere in the middle were a few things:<br /><br />First this "you can steal everything". I like to play at hardest difficulty and do everything to survive. This thrill of survival is what I like most. Unfortunately this forces me to steal all kinds of stupid stuff. Combine it with my backpack being big enough to carry all this, and you get a frustrating gameplay supporting a broken immersion.<br /><br />Look: I am a lone guy in the desert. I should try to get every advantage I can get. .. And then I have to stop me from getting every advantage, because it destroys gameplay and immersion. Stupid game design.<br /><br />While the story was still new to me, I was able to overlook these limitations. But the fact that I had to shoot some enemies some 20 times and more into the head before they were dead, really was a bit too much. Add some strange Mob AI that made some enemies run around at super-speed.<br /><br />Somewhere along the line I just stopped playing. And now I have trouble getting into it again, because I already know all the story.<br />I think I started it up some 20 times over the last few months; just to quit it soon after.<br /><br /><b>Minecraft:</b><br />Minecraft lacks meaning, because everything I build is just there to be looked at. To have a high and thick wall of stone to protect me? Meaningless. A reasonably high and thin wall is good enough. <br /><br />And I play alone. Solo play always cripples meaning in sandbox games. <br />The mobs are also a bit .. dumb. I mean, they are smarter than you would think, but still not really dangerous. They don't have a plan, you know ;)<br /><br />I also dislike looking up how to build stuff. Trying it out is ridiculously boring - especially if you once knew how to build stuff. And reading it up isn't much better and feels like cheating.<br /><br />Don't get me wrong: I love Minecraft! But it's just not a full-fledged game. It's a proof of concept. A brilliant one.Nilshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06468755466492675831noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7801344413612447717.post-86651498319241618972011-07-23T06:02:59.653+02:002011-07-23T06:02:59.653+02:00So what it sounds like is you have a bunch of comp...So what it sounds like is you have a bunch of computer games you already beat still clogging up your computer, for no reason. Of course you would be bored with games you already beat.<br /><br />Re: F:NV. I hope you have actually played this previously, rather than ragequitting before you left the tutorial. Accidentally clicking in the house and then the doc killing you would be pretty punishing game design, especially since he doesn't give you any equipment until you go outside for the first time. And while it is not necessarily the ideal option, there are plenty of mods out there that change all sorts of things about the game. The Project Nevada mod, for example, contains a huge amount of immersive changes such as wearing goggles/helmets cause you to look through the eye pieces, high-tech armor having high-tech benefits, and I believe one piece of the mod lowers HP across the board, makes head-shots lethal to characters without helmets, and increases the need to drink water/etc in Hardcore mode. Of course, they also added bullet-time and incremental stealth fields through Stealth Boys (letting you use them more), but the modular design of the mod supposedly would let you disable those if you wish.<br /><br />Re: Minecraft. I am surprised to hear you say that your creations lack meaning in a completely Sandbox game. If your creations lack meaning in Minecraft, they lack meaning everywhere in any game. I have stopped playing recently, but that is mainly because I was not entirely sure my structures will be ported over to 1.8 successfully (it was on the forums, so it could be total BS).Azurielhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16581263347888757710noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7801344413612447717.post-83595499585939183612011-07-23T01:53:53.045+02:002011-07-23T01:53:53.045+02:00It seems you're going the way of Abalieno @ ht...It seems you're going the way of Abalieno @ http://www.cesspit.net.<br />He started as a game design critic and presented numerous innovative ideas (around 2009), but later he turned to reviewing literature, and guess which series he wrote a lot about? The Malazan cycle :)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7801344413612447717.post-41931906834442735072011-07-22T23:21:13.794+02:002011-07-22T23:21:13.794+02:00Speaking of Game of Thrones - I downloaded the ser...Speaking of Game of Thrones - I downloaded the series too, and watched it non stop in 3 evenings or so . I was so impressed that I downloaded all the book and read them in 2 weeks<br /><br />I was avid reader in my youth but havent read much in past 8 years (blame MMOs :) ) . Song of Ice and Fire is a great series. More medieval than fantasy with great characters and fluid writing. But more than that it seems fresher outlook than most high fantasy books <br /><br />On the other hand it does feel too much like real life- betrayal, pain , torture and death. All too graphic and too real . The feeling of despair you get when reading any real world history - humans are crooked power hungry creatures. And those are the best of them. As the rest are not worth the dirt they walk on.<br /><br />Martin not afraid to hurt in order to invoke strong emotions. That makes the series both great but at times cumbersome. I want escape from real world yet the other one is much the same!Maxhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14814638059509556522noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7801344413612447717.post-53783133083224765902011-07-22T18:18:46.732+02:002011-07-22T18:18:46.732+02:00I haven't played a game in over 6 months... I...I haven't played a game in over 6 months... I couldn't figure out if it was me being too demanding and if I should lower my expectations or if the games really weren't good. I don't know whether or not I envy the people who can sit down and enjoy the things that I can't. <br /><br />Maybe I'll try the Witcher 2 eventually.Gildedhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10405106959355145426noreply@blogger.com