Any gamers around here?

[Mike Cl]

I am fortunate I wouldn't have to do quite all that, but I will buy or restore the old windows.  But Civ2 is not a game to give up lightly.  I bet I could take out the hard drive, mount the Civ2 disk in it and reinstall it.

Or when I mess that up, the local PC store can.  :) 

Do you really play Civ2 that much like I do?

No.  I used to play the hell out of it--back in the day.  I still like it, but I also Like Civ V, so that is the civ I play now.  But I'm really hooked on the Skyrim; Fallout games and those like it.  All those run on win 7, which means until or unless the future Skyrim or Fallout future generations require 10, I'll not get 10.  I had it for a hot minute on an older computer, and I found I did not like it.

[Cavebear]

No.  I used to play the hell out of it--back in the day.  I still like it, but I also Like Civ V, so that is the civ I play now.  But I'm really hooked on the Skyrim; Fallout games and those like it.  All those run on win 7, which means until or unless the future Skyrim or Fallout future generations require 10, I'll not get 10.  I had it for a hot minute on an older computer, and I found I did not like it.

Darn, I wanted to hear how a fellow atheist played Civ 2.  I went nuts trying to win the game without temples at first and cathedrals later.  Was wondering if you had the same experience.  I decided they were a part of the game you had to accept. 

Is that atheist or what?  I even try to play games with religion in them by trying to get around it.  LOL!

[Mike Cl]

Darn, I wanted to hear how a fellow atheist played Civ 2.  I went nuts trying to win the game without temples at first and cathedrals later.  Was wondering if you had the same experience.  I decided they were a part of the game you had to accept. 

Is that atheist or what?  I even try to play games with religion in them by trying to get around it.  LOL!

It is interesting what morals and ethics we honor in games.  In Civ I simply accepted temples and cathedrals as part of the game and built them quickly.  Made taking over the world easier!  I experimented a bit with religion and victory, but kept coming back to conquest as my favorite goal.  So, I tolerated religion as just another aspect of control--opiate for my masses--hate it when they become unhappy!

In the Fallout series slavery seems to play a role in most of the various games.  I refuse to partake in it or play the part of any slaver faction.  I actively try to kill as many slavers as I can, even if it has little to do with the story.  I've never played the role of Caesar in New Vegas, for example, not even to see what the world would look like if I aided him.   I always make it point to kill him no matter what faction I end up siding with.  Just as in Fallout 3, I always clear out Paradise of all slavers at some point, just to do it.

[Blackleaf]

It is interesting what morals and ethics we honor in games.  In Civ I simply accepted temples and cathedrals as part of the game and built them quickly.  Made taking over the world easier!  I experimented a bit with religion and victory, but kept coming back to conquest as my favorite goal.  So, I tolerated religion as just another aspect of control--opiate for my masses--hate it when they become unhappy!

In the Fallout series slavery seems to play a role in most of the various games.  I refuse to partake in it or play the part of any slaver faction.  I actively try to kill as many slavers as I can, even if it has little to do with the story.  I've never played the role of Caesar in New Vegas, for example, not even to see what the world would look like if I aided him.   I always make it point to kill him no matter what faction I end up siding with.  Just as in Fallout 3, I always clear out Paradise of all slavers at some point, just to do it.

Pretty much everyone who plays Skyrim is a thief, and the murderous Dark Brotherhood is the most popular faction. lol. Almost everyone goes on a killing spree in a random town when they get bored. Personally, I like massacring the guards in werewolf form. When they inevitably swarm me, I can use my roar to fill them with terror and make them run like sissies. And they were all worried about a dragon attack. Pfft.

[Cavebear]

It is interesting what morals and ethics we honor in games.  In Civ I simply accepted temples and cathedrals as part of the game and built them quickly.  Made taking over the world easier!  I experimented a bit with religion and victory, but kept coming back to conquest as my favorite goal.  So, I tolerated religion as just another aspect of control--opiate for my masses--hate it when they become unhappy!

In the Fallout series slavery seems to play a role in most of the various games.  I refuse to partake in it or play the part of any slaver faction.  I actively try to kill as many slavers as I can, even if it has little to do with the story.  I've never played the role of Caesar in New Vegas, for example, not even to see what the world would look like if I aided him.   I always make it point to kill him no matter what faction I end up siding with.  Just as in Fallout 3, I always clear out Paradise of all slavers at some point, just to do it.

Well, there you go!  Slavery bothers you more than religion.  Fortunately, Civ2 doesn't have slavery, or I might be faced with a difficult choice. 

[Cavebear]

Pretty much everyone who plays Skyrim is a thief, and the murderous Dark Brotherhood is the most popular faction. lol. Almost everyone goes on a killing spree in a random town when they get bored. Personally, I like massacring the guards in werewolf form. When they inevitably swarm me, I can use my roar to fill them with terror and make them run like sissies. And they were all worried about a dragon attack. Pfft.

Oh well, I never got beyond the early stages of Dirk The Dragon Slayer.  Werewolf Roar sounds good!

[Baruch]

It is interesting what morals and ethics we honor in games.  In Civ I simply accepted temples and cathedrals as part of the game and built them quickly.  Made taking over the world easier!  I experimented a bit with religion and victory, but kept coming back to conquest as my favorite goal.  So, I tolerated religion as just another aspect of control--opiate for my masses--hate it when they become unhappy!

In the Fallout series slavery seems to play a role in most of the various games.  I refuse to partake in it or play the part of any slaver faction.  I actively try to kill as many slavers as I can, even if it has little to do with the story.  I've never played the role of Caesar in New Vegas, for example, not even to see what the world would look like if I aided him.   I always make it point to kill him no matter what faction I end up siding with.  Just as in Fallout 3, I always clear out Paradise of all slavers at some point, just to do it.

So John Brown lies mouldering in his grave, it is.

[Hydra009]

It is interesting what morals and ethics we honor in games.

I dunno why, but in open world RPG games (Freelancer/Morrowind/Skyrim/Fallout), I'm extremely loathe to break the law.

I don't attack anyone who didn't attack me first except for monsters or bandits, who get exterminated mercilessly.  (The only exception to this is the Dark Brotherhood assassination missions.  And even then, I'm only doing it in service to a faction, I would never think about assassinating on my own.)
I rarely steal.  When I do steal, I often feel bad about it.  But "salvaging" equipment from defeated enemies, especially bandits, is a-okay.
I don't do drugs.  I rarely use consumables.  I "save" potions for later but end up never using them.
I always pick a faction to protect and improve, usually a government or technologist faction.  I'll literally go to the ends of the earth to help them out.

[Mike Cl]

Pretty much everyone who plays Skyrim is a thief, and the murderous Dark Brotherhood is the most popular faction. lol. Almost everyone goes on a killing spree in a random town when they get bored. Personally, I like massacring the guards in werewolf form. When they inevitably swarm me, I can use my roar to fill them with terror and make them run like sissies. And they were all worried about a dragon attack. Pfft.

I like to play as an archer.  But I do steal when I can get away with it.  And I play the Dark Brotherhood as well.  The Thieves Guild, while somewhat tedious, is also fun--and gets one a chance to bet in good with Nocturnal.

[Cavebear]

I like to play as an archer.  But I do steal when I can get away with it.  And I play the Dark Brotherhood as well.  The Thieves Guild, while somewhat tedious, is also fun--and gets one a chance to bet in good with Nocturnal.

@both...  Sounds like dot/hack/sign...  Where do I start on an Apple?  Just what I need, a new obsession...

[Mike Cl]

@both...  Sounds like dot/hack/sign...  Where do I start on an Apple?  Just what I need, a new obsession...

I'm totally sure that Hydra will know tons more about this, but you can get a windows emulator for the MAC.  You'd have to do that and I'd imagine that Steam would be the best place to get Skyrim from. 

Cavebear, not only is Skyrim addictive, but if you are a member of Steam, you have access to literally thousands of mods that change every aspect of the game in a myriad of ways--and that is addictive again adding a subtracting and joining new mods for all kinds of things.  And the best part is that the mods are painlessly added.

[Cavebear]

I'm totally sure that Hydra will know tons more about this, but you can get a windows emulator for the MAC.  You'd have to do that and I'd imagine that Steam would be the best place to get Skyrim from. 

Cavebear, not only is Skyrim addictive, but if you are a member of Steam, you have access to literally thousands of mods that change every aspect of the game in a myriad of ways--and that is addictive again adding a subtracting and joining new mods for all kinds of things.  And the best part is that the mods are painlessly added.

I appreciate the info Mike.  But a few questions.  Do I have to be a part of a team to be successful?  Do I have to spend months finding tools or weapons?  Is it an action game or one where you can sit and think?  Is it a cloud game where I can only play with others?

I have a win10 computer I use standalone, but can online it at will.  Do I need to have it online all the time for other players to interact while I'm not present?

[Mike Cl]

I appreciate the info Mike.  But a few questions.  Do I have to be a part of a team to be successful?  Do I have to spend months finding tools or weapons?  Is it an action game or one where you can sit and think?  Is it a cloud game where I can only play with others?

I have a win10 computer I use standalone, but can online it at will.  Do I need to have it online all the time for other players to interact while I'm not present?

I DO NOT ever play any game that is multiplayer, nor that is an on-line game with others involved.  I play only solo with the game downloaded on my computer.  I play Skyrim because I can take my time, I can experiment with different characters and character types.  It is a game that requires figuring things out, yet they are not puzzles in which the answers make no sense.  You may run across very very difficult obstacles or monsters or enemies, but there are ways to take care of them, if you think about it and are flexible.  I do spend months discovering things and weapons and tools, but only because I want to and it is a natural part of the story.  This is a cross between a first person shooter (FPS) and a role-playing game.  It's also a game of discovery and the game world is huge.  Part of the fun was to just start going somewhere and see who I run across or what places I can discover.  And I can then rejoin my story line with no loss in the story.  Skyrim, Fallout 3, Fallout:New Vegas, and Fallout 4 are games that are like that.  I have invested over 2000 hrs into Fallout 4, for example, and still find story lines and places I've not see before.

I love those games because they give me the opportunity to just lose myself in that world; lost in thought about how I can do this better or find out what happens if I do something this way or that.  Very relaxing.  The 'real' world is gone for awhile.  These are well thought out games, with great graphics; it is almost like watching a movie, only you are directing the action of a character in that movie.  Or playing the part of a person in a good book, like Clan of the Cavebear; but you play a central part that determines the outcome.  I do think you'd like them.   

[Blackleaf]

I appreciate the info Mike.  But a few questions.  Do I have to be a part of a team to be successful?  Do I have to spend months finding tools or weapons?  Is it an action game or one where you can sit and think?  Is it a cloud game where I can only play with others?

I have a win10 computer I use standalone, but can online it at will.  Do I need to have it online all the time for other players to interact while I'm not present?

Skyrim isn't online or multiplayer. Although, there is a mod in development that is attempting to add online multiplayer. If you want a somewhat similar experience online, go with Elder Scrolls Online. It's an MMORPG that kind of sits between traditional Elder Scrolls gameplay and something like World of Warcraft. Skyrim is a single-player game with no classes whatsoever. You're just released into the open world to do as you wish. You can pick up a sword and a shield, or a two-handed hammer, or a bow, or forget weapons altogether and throw fireballs instead. You have two hands that can be equipped with anything that doesn't require two hands. So you can dual wield swords, or hold a sword in one hand and a spell in the other. There are guilds to join that fit certain character archetypes. For instance, if you just want to hack and slash monsters, you can join the Companions. If you're a mage, you can join the College of Winterhold. If you're a sneaky thief, you can join the Thieves Guild. Or if you're a murderer, you can join the Dark Brotherhood. You can craft your own weapons, armor, and potions, and enchant your gear yourself, and your character will get better at it the more they practice. Eventually, you could even build yourself a set of armor and weapons from dragon bones, enchant your armor to resist every element, and enchant your sword to paralyze your enemies. Basically, you start out this green horn with no skills, and you build up your character to become godlike over time.

If you want a team, you can bring one follower with you at a time. But it's possible to bring more followers if you use the Amazing Follower Tweaks mod. This one will also allow your followers to automatically level up with you, which they normally wouldn't do.

Also, if you're looking to get it, there are two different versions. Normal Skyrim has been out longer, and it has more modding tools available. But it was also made for older systems. Skyrim Special Edition came out last year, and it was updated to take advantage of the higher capabilities of 64-bit computers. As a result, it actually runs much more stable, is less likely to crash, and can handle more objects and NPCs being loaded at once without lag. It also had improved graphics, removing some of the need (but completely) for texture mods and the like. But again, it lacks some of the modding tools that the original Skyrim had, so your options for mods are more limited, and it may not be able to handle as many plug-ins. I should also mention that if you have an XBOX One, you can get Skyrim Special Edition and mods are actually available for that console. Just don't get it for PS4. Sony decided not to allow mods to create any new assets, severely limiting modding possibilities on their console.

[Hijiri Byakuren]

I appreciate the info Mike.  But a few questions.  Do I have to be a part of a team to be successful?  Do I have to spend months finding tools or weapons?  Is it an action game or one where you can sit and think?  Is it a cloud game where I can only play with others?

I have a win10 computer I use standalone, but can online it at will.  Do I need to have it online all the time for other players to interact while I'm not present?

Skyrim is not an online game. It's just big. This is true of all five of the main-title Elder Scrolls games: not online, no multiplayer, just really fucking big.