Any gamers around here?

[Hydra009]

Soooo...Steam Machines?  What's the general feeling on this?

Personally, I think it's a pretty bold plan for getting PC gaming to the living room.  I like the idea of Valve jumping in the console biz and competing with the likes of Sony and Microsoft.  And I also really like their decision to go with Linux.  The controller is a bit odd, but interesting.

Oddly enough, it might take more of a bite out of PCs than consoles.  If you can buy a cheap PC console (just saying that term is weird), plop down on the couch and play PC games, who'd want to shell out for a gaming rig?

[ParaGoomba Slayer]

You can just hook up any PC to a TV already. The controller looks interesting, might pick one up. I see no reason for a Steam OS though, Windows is just fine. And fuck off Linux fags, your operating system is worse than Windows for playing games.

[youtube:3fy4xqxv]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UdSKWKZFdrU[/youtube:3fy4xqxv]

[Shiranu]

My god, I just want GTA:O to start working... all my friends are playing it, and I'm stuck not being able to complete the fucking tutorial mission...

[Hydra009]

I've heard great things about GTA.  This guy liked it, I think.

[youtube:187pab39]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-227DQcgqF8[/youtube:187pab39]

[frosty]

I'm trying to get more involved in exciting video games lately. Nvidia GeForce has a bunch of offers I am eligible for, maybe I'll try those out.

Also, does anybody want to play Half-Life 1, or Half-Life 1:Source, on Steam, in co-op campaign mode? Apparently you can do it. I always thought it would be fun to do it co-op, especially in the Source version because it has updated graphics but the same storyline.

Linux is great for stability and security, but when it comes to games and running many programs it tends to be a pain in the arsehole when you realize you don't have all the files you need, and you have to go type up line after line of code in a command prompt to download the necessary specific files you need from a repository. It can get exhausting after a while, especially if you are a fast paced Windows (or Mac?) user.

[Hydra009]

World of Tanks.  If she were a woman, she'd be a fiery redhead tsundre who treats you to an amazing romantic dinner, then kicks you in the balls and calls in a bomb threat at your work.

Some days, my roomie and I are carrying the team.  Sniping like goddam errr snipers.  We are as gods.

Some days, I'm getting shot through like 3 allies by an enemy who you'd think would be shooting the other guys point fucking blank to him.  But I guess he saw like one pixel of my tank and is just wailing on me knowing I can't fight back because he's using my team's Medium 2 as a human shield.  And judging by the Medium 2's accuracy, he's complicit in it.  How do you miss at point blank range?  Your barrel is literally sticking into the enemy tank!  And it doesn't help that I'm a veritable shell magnet.  Enemy tanks will ignore perfectly exposed tanks much closer to them to shoot me, far away and in partial cover.  WTF.

Some days, I'm hastily firing at an unexpected scout who has revealed my whole damn team in like the first 20 seconds of gameplay and I'm the only one scoring hits on him at all.  Nothing that does much damage, but hits all the same.  And apparently, no one else on my team can hit this speed demon.  Not the TDs supposedly already set up and facing the guy from the onset.  Not the 35t and pz2 with freakin' machine guns mounted on their turrets.  And their scout just killed like two of our artillery single-handedly and almost made the return voyage before one of my shots knocked out his tracks.  gg guys.

I'm in such a love-hate relationship with this game.  When it's good, it's awesome.  But when it's crappy, it's really crappy.  It's the gaming equivalent of the Batman movies.  Every map is like a coin flip between Batman & Robin and The Dark Knight, with the occasional Batman Returns thrown in.

[Plu]

I tried World of Tanks once but I didn't get to play any tanks, just some tractor with a pee-shooter attached to it, so I got bored really quick.

[Nonsensei]

I watched an official event streamed on twitch. I was deeply confused. They seemed to be firing into the distance and hitting things and I really couldn't see how they knew where to shoot.

[Hydra009]

I tried World of Tanks once but I didn't get to play any tanks, just some tractor with a pee-shooter attached to it, so I got bored really quick.

Leichttraktor!   :-D

[youtube:2jbkye6e]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bu2PWIowvZI[/youtube:2jbkye6e]

It's the very basic training tank, both in game and historically.  Even upgraded, it's still laughable.  Just grin and bear it and get a tier 2 tank.  PzII or 35t or PanzerJag, depending on whether you want to go close-range or long-range or sniper.

I watched an official event streamed on twitch. I was deeply confused. They seemed to be firing into the distance and hitting things and I really couldn't see how they knew where to shoot.

Left shift or the mouse wheel will change your view to 1st person mode so you can see the enemy better.  The enemy tank is highlighted in a red silhouette when you're aimed at him and have a shot.  SPGs have an entirely different aiming mode that I'm not familiar with.

Also, some enemies move in predictable ways (a tank going in a straight line or remaining stationary), so you can still sorta know where they are even when you no longer have a visual or radar on 'em.

Beyond that, I dunno.

[Plu]

Just grin and bear it

I never do that in games :P Either make something that's fun within the first hour, or I'll play something else.

[Hydra009]

Just grin and bear it

I never do that in games :P Either make something that's fun within the first hour, or I'll play something else.

Yeah, well, lots of great games start out slow.  And books and movies and practically everything else.  A little patience never killed anyone, ya know.  Except maybe the people waiting in line for Half Life 3.

[Plu]

There is a major, major difference between starting out slow and starting out boring. I have no problems with games that are super complex and feature a 16 hour tutorial but you'd better damn well make playing the tutorial entertaining.

(Especially because the latter, especially in free to play games, is often done for psychological reasons; to trick people into thinking they accomplished something by biting through the boring parts, which makes them stick around longer even when the game itself is not that great. It's a long story to really explain but I've encountered enough as a game designer to no longer be willing to spend any time on games that try that trick, and I felt it quite strongly with World of Tanks unfortunately.)

[Sargon The Grape]

Just grin and bear it

I never do that in games :P Either make something that's fun within the first hour, or I'll play something else.

You could always try playing AI War: Fleet Command on maximum difficulty. That will get "fun" real damn quick. :P

[Jason78]

Star Citizen

This game wont be released fast enough!

[Hydra009]

There is a major, major difference between starting out slow and starting out boring. I have no problems with games that are super complex and feature a 16 hour tutorial but you'd better damn well make playing the tutorial entertaining.

Tier 1 isn't necessarily boring.  It's just that each nation only has one starter tank, so there's not much diversity (no tank destroyers, no medium tanks, no heavy tanks, no artillery), which generally makes for slower, less decisive battles.

And World of Tanks gameplay isn't especially action-packed, anyway.  Most of the battle is not spent in combat but positioning your tank and waiting for a target.  While that's not everyone's cup of tea, it's not necessarily bad, just not the sort of pacing that people are used to.

The game has periods of intense engagement and periods of rest.  I love that in video games and come to think of it, just about everything else.  Not everything has to be guns blazing all the time.  Personally, I find that exhausting.

I also love it because it has this amazing sense of choice.  The match starts and you're immediately confronted with various choices.  Do I scout the enemy base immediately?  I could spot half the enemy team but probably get blown up in the process.  Do I sprint for the hill?  It's strategically important but risky as hell.  Do I go rail?  TDs may or may not be waiting for me.  Do I go in the city?  Good defense there may halt an enemy advance and buy time for our flankers.  Do I stay and defend the base or artillery?  I may repel an early rush or save vitally important allies.  Our flank is collapsing.  What do I do?  Our flank is advancing.  What do I do?

It's an endless stream of meaningful choices.