General Gaming thread

stickyfiddle · September 2023

monquixote said:

TeleMaster said:

Grumpyrocker said:

It's not remotely a disaster. I'm about 30 hours in and it's one of the best things I've played for years.

Well, it's a matter of opinion I guess. I am looking forward to playing it but if some of the issues raised in that video are glaring then I may end up agreeing with it. It doesn't look like a disaster but it does appear to be a marmite game because of peoples expectations of what they either assumed it was going to be, or what it was presented as. It's probably somewhere in between really.

I'm going into it with an open mind and I'm looking forward to sinking some hours into it tomorrow.

I wonder how much correlation there is between fans of No Man's Sky and people disappointed with Starfield.

Haven't bought Starfield but I was there on day 1 for NMS which went swimmingly lol...

From everything I've read over the last few days it feels like there are two camps:

those who fast travel everywhere and just want to do stuff, and
those who want to explore and get distracted and generally go "squirrel!" at regular intervals and the exploring is half the point of it.

All of both sets of people had a high likelihood of loving both Fallout 3 and Skyrim. The latter will have loved Zelda BOTW and TOTK while the former didn't see their appeal. Mass Effect was probably more appealing to the former group but good enough in general (and without precedent) to make group 2 happy enough bearing in mind it came out 12 years ago. No Man's Sky had buttloads of 2 and very little 1, and they have increased the appeal for group 1 with every patch in the 7(?) years since

Starfield looks to be nailed on for the first group, but utterly devoid of anything attractive to the second. Sadly I'm pretty sure I'm centrally in the second group.

Sporky · September 2023

I admire your restraint. It'd be really easy to over-analyse something like this, but you stayed frosty.

ThePrettyDamned · September 2023

stickyfiddle said:

I'm definitely up for SH2. I never played the original and it's regarded as an all-time classic so I want to see what the fuss is about. But I will be doing so in the middle of the day with the lights on thankyouverymuch

I'm assuming it won't arrive this month as they'll want more fanfare around it, not to mention not to get lost in the immense rush of stuff releasing in October, but hopefully they'll do a good job

Sh2 could have led the series into something a bit cooler - a series of stories linked only by the mysterious town. It's definitely the best game of the series, but I love 1 and 3 as well - it's just that sh didn't really need the story finishing... Sh2 as a concept was more interesting - unrelated stories around this mysterious town, rather than a cohesive story about the town.

Very excited, but also, it's a game that doesn't need a remake - just preserving across different generations.

Edit: I'll change my mind on this. I always flit between sh2 being my favourite and 1 and 3 being my fave.

musteatbrain · September 2023

I’m very much enjoying Baldur’s Gate 3 on PS5 since Saturday.

Have been playing 2 player Co-op. I was concerned how it would work on controller, but I have to say they have implemented it brilliantly. There’s a really diverse way you can approach each situation.

Was slightly worried about going back to a turn based combat system after many years away, but it’s really good fun. Can’t fault anything so far and strongly recommend it.

Sporky · September 2023

I started Starfield.

It's much prettier than I expected. Thus far it's vastly better than The Outer Worlds.

BigBearKris · September 2023

I've played for few hrs today too - I'm liking it very much. Plenty to discover in terms of mechanics, proper melee and how intuitive I'll find travelling from one place to another in long run but it's very promising.
After all the hrs spent with skyrim and fallout I do feel more or less at home.

TeleMaster · September 2023

musteatbrain said:

I’m very much enjoying Baldur’s Gate 3 on PS5 since Saturday.

Have been playing 2 player Co-op. I was concerned how it would work on controller, but I have to say they have implemented it brilliantly. There’s a really diverse way you can approach each situation.

Was slightly worried about going back to a turn based combat system after many years away, but it’s really good fun. Can’t fault anything so far and strongly recommend it.

Yea I like it a lot too. I have a save with my mate and I have my own save. I'm only worried that I'll be a bit like, I've played this already, when I go to re do it on whatever save I'm behind the other on.

TeleMaster · September 2023

Sporky said:

I started Starfield.

It's much prettier than I expected. Thus far it's vastly better than The Outer Worlds.

It is pretty. I do think it's a bit mad that you can shoot someone dead in a staff room and they don't blink an eye.

RedRabbit · September 2023

I'm about 4 hours into Starfield - split evenly between PC and Steam Deck.

The main thing...I'm enjoying it. I wanted something similar to Fallout 4 and that's what I've got but with a move involved levelling system and better dialogue options. The writing so far has been good. Even the side mission NPCs have been well-written and voice-acted so far.

Performance on Steam Deck is okay but definitely needs some tweaking to get the best out of it. Default settings have everything at low and uses the game's FSR. The latter makes things a fuzzy mess and needs changing to the CAS upscaling and then using the Steam Decks FSR to get decent image quality. You'll lose a couple of frames per second (i.e. 28fps vs 30fps) but it means it doesn't look like the screen has been smeared in grease. You'll also want to be plugged into a decent power supply if you want to play for more than an hour. I love my Steam Deck but I think this may be about its limit for AAA releases.

Loading screens are a complete non-issue for me on the PC (Ryzen 7, 3060ti, 16GB ram and game installed on m.2 drive) and only slightly annoying on Steam Deck (installed on microSD). They are certainly more bearable than Fallout 4's loading screens which would often last minutes.

My only real complaint is that I don't seem to be able to leave Vasco at the ship yet! I don't want a companion! It's one thing The Outer Worlds got right - let me walk through companions, It may not be realistic but it's a lot less frustrating than being trapped in a room due to my companion stubbornly standing in the doorway. Even Dogmeat got sent back to Sanctuary after he blocked one too many doorways.

TeleMaster · September 2023

The first takeoff was disappointing, I'm not gonna lie.

racefaceec90 · September 2023

i just got baldur's gate 3 for ps5 and it does look very nice i have to say. just going to take a while to get to grips with the combat system as i haven't played a d n d game for years and the turn based combat takes some getting used to (but i'm not complaining i have to add).

also bomb rush cyberfunk is most excellent too (a def spiritual successor to jsr for sure).

TeleMaster · September 2023

I'm finding 30fps on Starfield a bit difficult to get used to tbh. I find it very noticeably stuttery.

Penn · September 2023

So I’ve played a fair bit of Starfield. Probably 15/16 hours. I’ve had a few thoughts about it. It took a while to get into.

I’ve gotten stuck under a mast and fallen out of a ship in space repeatedly. I’ve had characters I’ve been talking to do some odd head banging up and down/flashing in and out of existence. Had a few other annoying bugs.

The endless loading screens really break the immersion. They are not good. There should at least be an animation of the ship leaving, door opening or whatever to cover them up. It’s a bit crap.

Graphics are ok on Xbox series X. The NPC models/faces aren’t the best.

The stuff I do like, story is fun, different worlds are impressive enough. There’s a lot to do.

Not a bad game but it’s not what you’d expect from a AAA game. It feels half finished in places.

BigBearKris · September 2023

Penn said:

So I’ve played a fair bit of Starfield. Probably 15/16 hours. I’ve had a few thoughts about it. It took a while to get into.

I’ve gotten stuck under a mast and fallen out of a ship in space repeatedly. I’ve had characters I’ve been talking to do some odd head banging up and down/flashing in and out of existence. Had a few other annoying bugs.

The endless loading screens really break the immersion. They are not good. There should at least be an animation of the ship leaving, door opening or whatever to cover them up. It’s a bit crap.

Graphics are ok on Xbox series X. The NPC models/faces aren’t the best.

The stuff I do like, story is fun, different worlds are impressive enough. There’s a lot to do.

Not a bad game but it’s not what you’d expect from a AAA game. It feels half finished in places.

That's interesting- I haven't had any of these bugs on my xbox series x. I'm about 10hrs in.
Also - when docking/leaving ship/landing etc - animation is what I have, no static loading screen - so not sure whether versions vary or I misunderstood your post.

I'm also not going to defend it like it's a perfect game - I'm not drawn into and hooked like I was with Skyrim for example, but I do think it's very good. I find navigating on the map and setting course etc - easy buy not clear at all, I'm jumping through the planets and missions log without knowing where I am and is it even far where I'm heading to (I know it's shown, but it almost makes me not wanting to pay attention to it).
I guess I have to keep playing and it'll either grow on me or it'll be a long, cool but forgettable journey, we'll see - early days...

TeleMaster · September 2023

Penn said:

The endless loading screens really break the immersion. They are not good. There should at least be an animation of the ship leaving, door opening or whatever to cover them up. It’s a bit crap.

Graphics are ok on Xbox series X. The NPC models/faces aren’t the best.

The stuff I do like, story is fun, different worlds are impressive enough. There’s a lot to do.

Not a bad game but it’s not what you’d expect from a AAA game. It feels half finished in places.

I agree. For a AAA game in 2023 it is strange. NMS did this much better. I have found some of the graphics a bit shoddy. Like rocks and walls and stuff, and the way NPCs react is strange and unnatural. It is enjoyable in places but I think it really is just an old engine pushed to the limits by a uniquely eccentric gaming studio who may well be past their best.

That said, there are lots of unintentionally hilarious moments, like this.

Sporky · September 2023

I've had a few Bethesdaisms, but I am enjoying it far more than NMS. On my PC the load times are typically 5 seconds or less, which probably helps.

RaymondLin · September 2023

I get the feeling that Starfield was held back not only because they are using their decade old engine but also being held back by being on console, especially having to run on Series S.

The fact that it needs loading screen constantly means they are hitting the limit all the time in that space, the cities are compartmentalised to break them up probably for memory. There’s no reason why they can’t do what Cyberpunk does and walk from one end of the city to another if you wanted to. The engine is far too ancient and if remade on Unreal Engine 5 I would think it would be amazing.

TeleMaster · September 2023

RaymondLin said:

I get the feeling that Starfield was held back not only because they are using their decade old engine but also being held back by being on console, especially having to run on Series S.

The fact that it needs loading screen constantly means they are hitting the limit all the time in that space, the cities are compartmentalised to break them up probably for memory. There’s no reason why they can’t do what Cyberpunk does and walk from one end of the city to another if you wanted to. The engine is far too ancient and if remade on Unreal Engine 5 I would think it would be amazing.

Why wouldn't they use a very new engine over an old one like this? Cost or what?

RaymondLin · September 2023

They begun production predates UR5 I believe and perhaps they have too much trust in their engine back then before they found out their ambition far exceeds the limitation of what they are working with.

TeleMaster · September 2023

Okay I've made a decision. I'm not going to continue with it. I've played a good 10 hours and overall I'm finding it dull and I have no interest in ship building, and the combat is formulaic, uninspired, the graphics are poor in lots of places and it just feels extremely dated. I'm glad I've not paid for it.

Back to Baldurs Gate

RaymondLin · September 2023

I just bought Baldur’s Gate 3 on steam deck too

DefaultM · September 2023

Would Baldurs gate be local 2 player like diablo and is it any good if so? I don't want to go on YouTube in case I spoil the UFC results before I watch at teatime.

TeleMaster · September 2023

DefaultM said:

Would Baldurs gate be local 2 player like diablo and is it any good if so? I don't want to go on YouTube in case I spoil the UFC results before I watch at teatime.

Yea it's got local two player. I haven't played it but the game overall is excellent.

DefaultM · September 2023

Very nice, I'm gonna buy it for us. I stopped playing diablo iv, no particular reason really which usually says a lot.

Grumpyrocker · September 2023

Nah it's the engine holding it back. The game runs on PCs weaker than the Series S. But the nature of the engine doesn't allow for endless streaming.

But you have to realise how difficult all this is, especially for something the size of Starfield. But there are also clear moments where it's not loading for the reason you think.

Take for example when you enter your ship. The world outside is not unloaded. You can go to a window or the cockpit and the see the world you left working as before. The reason for the load was likely to reset the interior of the ship and make sure all the NPC characters, crew, and companions were reset into the right positions.

Notice how if you get ahead on a planet then enter a base, after the load your companion has caught up. That's good practice to ensure that you can't get stuck because a companion can't follow you quick enough.

Anyway, despite some Bethesda jank I still think it's a masterpiece. It has some of the best art and modelling seen in a game, and amazing lighting at times. It's held back by some decision regarding colour grading, but the work on ship and base interiors is next level.

And it'll only get better. You know how Bethesda supports its releases.

DefaultM · September 2023

TeleMaster said:

DefaultM said:

Would Baldurs gate be local 2 player like diablo and is it any good if so? I don't want to go on YouTube in case I spoil the UFC results before I watch at teatime.

Yea it's got local two player. I haven't played it but the game overall is excellent.

Ah shit actually do you need the triangle button? Triangle is broken on the second controller we've got haha.

TeleMaster · September 2023

DefaultM said:

Very nice, I'm gonna buy it for us. I stopped playing diablo iv, no particular reason really which usually says a lot.

Well there's nothing to do after a certain level except grind, grind, grind. They dropped the ball for end game really.

DefaultM said:

TeleMaster said:

DefaultM said:

Would Baldurs gate be local 2 player like diablo and is it any good if so? I don't want to go on YouTube in case I spoil the UFC results before I watch at teatime.

Yea it's got local two player. I haven't played it but the game overall is excellent.

Ah shit actually do you need the triangle button? Triangle is broken on the second controller we've got haha.

I think so yea lol.

TeleMaster · September 2023

Grumpyrocker said:

You know how Bethesda supports its releases.

Fallout 76 *cough cough*.

Grumpyrocker · September 2023

TeleMaster said:

Grumpyrocker said:

You know how Bethesda supports its releases.

Fallout 76 *cough cough*.

Perhaps I should have said "single player" releases

RedRabbit · September 2023

To be fair, Fallout 76 got a lot of updates and they did fix some of the issues people had with it on release (lack of NPCs for example). I'm still not going to play it because I don't want a multiplayer Fallout but, by all accounts, it's a much better game now then when it released.

Bethesda's commitment to the creation engine is perhaps counter productive at this point. It does seem to make a Bethesda game a Bethesda game but I think Starfield shows that it's starting to creak a bit. Looks like they can still make it work reasonably well for PC but consoles are struggling.

My main worry is that development of elder scrolls 6 is well underway and is presumably using Creation Engine. Assuming it's still a couple of years from release, I can only assume how outdated it'll be by then.

For what it's worth I'm enjoying Starfield. I'm not that far into the main story but I've done quite a few side quests that I've enjoyed. Fetch quests seem happily absent and the couple of "take X item here" quests I've done have taken me to a new planet where a quick wander around finds interesting characters and quests.

It's far from perfect (combat isn't great, mainly due to enemies being bullet sponges) but it's hitting the spot for me. I wanted something Fallout 4 like in space and that's what I've got.

Howdy, Stranger!

Categories

In this Discussion

Become a Subscriber!

General Gaming thread

Comments