[Steam] Thread XXXIII: The only winning move is not to play

[Neftren]

So I just got into the Steam In-Home Streaming beta. Anyone else?


I'll probably give it a spin this weekend, when I have some free time.

[Volatar]

I apparently own Cities in Motion 2. I just learned this.

So uh, what is it?

[Triscuitable]

So I just got into the Steam In-Home Streaming beta. Anyone else?

Yeah.

So uh, what is it?

I have no idea. I think it's a SimCity style city builder, made during the downtime between SimCity IV and SimCity.

[factotum]

I think Cities in Motion is more Transport Tycoon than Sim City--the idea is to build the public transport systems of a city rather than the city itself.

[Volatar]

I think Cities in Motion is more Transport Tycoon than Sim City--the idea is to build the public transport systems of a city rather than the city itself.

Meh. It can't possibly be more fun than the crazy train networks in OpenTTD.

Have you SEEN an 8 line backbone interchange? So awesome. (Example.)

I really need to play that game again...

EDIT: OH NO I AM BEING SUCKED BACK IN HELP

[factotum]

I keep meaning to try out OpenTTD and never seem to get the chance...

[IthilanorStPete]

Meh. It can't possibly be more fun than the crazy train networks in OpenTTD.

Have you SEEN an 8 line backbone interchange? So awesome. (Example.)

I really need to play that game again...

EDIT: OH NO I AM BEING SUCKED BACK IN HELP

Wat. What on Earth is that?

[Grif]

Meh. It can't possibly be more fun than the crazy train networks in OpenTTD.

Have you SEEN an 8 line backbone interchange? So awesome. (Example.)

I really need to play that game again...

EDIT: OH NO I AM BEING SUCKED BACK IN HELP

Wow. How long did that take? I think the biggest I made was a 2-line interchange.

[Kris Strife]

Wat. What on Earth is that?

It's an 8-line backbone interchange.

[IthilanorStPete]

It's an 8-line backbone interchange.

Google isn't providing much information, so my best guess is that it's an intersection between 4 north-south lines and 4 east-west lines, where trains on any line can be switched to any other?

[JeminiZero]

So I logged into my Steam account today, after a nearly month long hiatus, and suddenly find I have a 50% voucher for Crusader Kings 2, expiring 1 Feb. I have decided to give it away free to anybody who wants it.

Edit: Also another coupon for 20% off Velocity Ultra has popped up.

[Brother Oni]

So I logged into my Steam account today, after a nearly month long hiatus, and suddenly find I have a 50% voucher for Crusader Kings 2, expiring 1 Feb. I have decided to give it away free to anybody who wants it.

Re-iterating that I also have the same voucher to give away free.

It seems that anybody interested in the game is waiting for the next 75% off sale since that includes DLC, while the voucher doesn't.

[Volatar]

Wow. How long did that take? I think the biggest I made was a 2-line interchange.

I have no idea how long that stuff takes. I don't build that big myself. (Heck, I haven't played OpenTTD in seven years, even though it has been on my flash drive the whole time.)

If you want to see big stuff like that on a regular basis though, check out the #openttdcoop community. They are awesome.

[Akodo Makama]

Google isn't providing much information, so my best guess is that it's an intersection between 4 north-south lines and 4 east-west lines, where trains on any line can be switched to any other?

That's almost right.

Each of the lines is only one-way (to allow for maximum throughput), two input and two outputs for each direction. So, each input only needs to go to one of 6 outputs (no need to fold back on itself, only two 'output' lines for each remaining direction). It's designed to allow trains to move at full speed (no tight turns) and using minimal ramps (that slow trains down). It also has 'priority switches' that force merging trains to wait until enough space is available on the mainline to allow the new train to be inserted into the flow without slowing the mainline trains appreciably. It also has several 'synchronizers' that account for the effect that can cause train pile-ups when going through tunnels/over bridges (because of the lack of signals). Finally, it allows trains moving straight through to simply move... straight through, with no delays.

Not as impressive as many of the designs truly obsessive players come up with. openttdcoop-ers are nuts.

[Antonok]

Possible free copy of Enclave. Worked for me anyhow.

[Volatar]

Not as impressive as many of the designs truly obsessive players come up with. openttdcoop-ers are nuts.

I am one of those people.

[Akodo Makama]

I am one of those people.

I used to think I was good... until I saw ProZone game #13...

[IthilanorStPete]

That's almost right.

Each of the lines is only one-way (to allow for maximum throughput), two input and two outputs for each direction. So, each input only needs to go to one of 6 outputs (no need to fold back on itself, only two 'output' lines for each remaining direction). It's designed to allow trains to move at full speed (no tight turns) and using minimal ramps (that slow trains down). It also has 'priority switches' that force merging trains to wait until enough space is available on the mainline to allow the new train to be inserted into the flow without slowing the mainline trains appreciably. It also has several 'synchronizers' that account for the effect that can cause train pile-ups when going through tunnels/over bridges (because of the lack of signals). Finally, it allows trains moving straight through to simply move... straight through, with no delays.

Not as impressive as many of the designs truly obsessive players come up with. openttdcoop-ers are nuts.

Interesting. I poked around on OpenTTD and openttdcoop's wikis; looks like an interesting game, I'll have to give it a shot.

[Rawhide]

Possible free copy of Enclave. Worked for me anyhow.

I can confirm that this worked for me.

[Cogwheel]

Those of you who aren't playing Our Darker Purpose (???) probably should be.

That is all.

[Pendulous]

So I bought this game that's still on sale called Sparkle 2 Evo. It reminded a lot of this browser game I played a long time ago. Basically, you were a tiny fish, and there were different sizes of fish going different ways. You had to eat fish smaller than you to get bigger, until you were the only one left. The concept reminds me a little of Katamari Damacy, which I played recently. I haven't played Sparkle 2 Evo yet, but it looks pretty fun.

[Akodo Makama]

So I bought this game that's still on sale called Sparkle 2 Evo. It reminded a lot of this browser game I played a long time ago. Basically, you were a tiny fish, and there were different sizes of fish going different ways. You had to eat fish smaller than you to get bigger, until you were the only one left. The concept reminds me a little of Katamari Damacy, which I played recently. I haven't played Sparkle 2 Evo yet, but it looks pretty fun.

It's a nice little tablet game. Not so good a desktop game. Sorta hard to tell what will block your path vs what is simply background vs what you're supposed to 'eat', and the controls are a bit... It doesn't feel laggy, but almost; nor mushy, but sorta. There's something about it's physics engine (and the limitations on movement provided thereby) that makes my intuition make the wrong decision about how to get the bug to do what I want, so I constantly have to try and undo, but the same limitations are fighting me then as well.

But, it's available for Linux, and I like supporting developers that bother to keep me in mind.

[Rodin]

Those of you who aren't playing Our Darker Purpose (???) probably should be.

That is all.

I just gave it a spin - I had eyed the game, the reviews were mixed, but decided to give it a shot. And ultimately, I'm glad I did.

The game definitely has its rough edges - there's no controller support, which is kinda inexplicable in a twin-stick game like this. It couldn't be more designed for a controller if you tried, but keyboard-only it is. There's an annoying tendency to get stuck on certain terrain objects and it isn't always clear whether you can squeeze through a tight gap.

That said, I've been enjoying it. Action Rogue-likes are my bread and butter, and this one is well executed. The atmosphere is really what's making it stand out. -It's like a British boarding school went grimdark. My one worry thus far is that the "pre-start" bonuses look extremely grindy to get - I'm pulling down 20 credits in a 45 minute run, and it's over 100 to get a bonus.

Still, it's surprisingly fun, and certainly something different.

[Cogwheel]

Snip

Not perfect, no. Only excellent. I admit, the problem with controllers never occurred to me; I use a gamepad for many things (hello, entire fighting game genre), but this felt like a keyboard game to me from start to finish. I can definitely see how a gamepad would help now that you mention it, though.

The credit stuff is semi-grindy? But they're not necessary, and you accumulate plenty just by playing. Add to that, achievements can give huge credit payouts. Frothy and the Cauldron both give 50 credits for their achievements, so far (Cauldron is trivial, Frothy is not that hard, but nerve-wrecking anyway, thanks to FLOORFIRE).

There's a chapter 2 boss that gave me 100, but I digress. To start with, I highly recommend grabbing the Sudsy achievement for a lovely lesson unlock. And yes, I agree, the atmosphere and writing are the biggest selling points, though the game is solid in general.

Anyway, thanks for trying it! Nice to see someone else playing this lovely game.

PS: Some Harmless Markings is perhaps the most unsettling boss I have seen in a long time.

[Morph Bark]

How does Warhammer 40k: Dawn of War II measure up to the first one? I've played the first and really enjoyed it, usually playing as the Chaos Marines. Have had many a great LAN game with it, and thus I figured I'd get a copy for me and one for one of my best friends whose birthday it is today.

And how different and/or better are Retribution and Chaos Rising from DoW II?

[Edge]

How does Warhammer 40k: Dawn of War II measure up to the first one? I've played the first and really enjoyed it, usually playing as the Chaos Marines. Have had many a great LAN game with it, and thus I figured I'd get a copy for me and one for one of my best friends whose birthday it is today.

And how different and/or better are Retribution and Chaos Rising from DoW II?

DoW II is focused more on small squad tactics than massed battles. I've heard a lot of people say it's Company of Heroes with a 40k skin, but given that I've never played Company of Heroes, I can't comment on that.

I do know that I love the game, for different reasons than the original Dawn of War. One is a much more character-centric campaign with an RPG system of random loot and level ups for your squad leaders. Two is probably the best written Space Marines you will ever see, in that they're actually distinct characters. The campaign is Space Marine only, but other playable factions are the Eldar, Orkz and Tyranids.

Chaos Rising and Retribution are expansions for DoW II. Chaos Rising continues on from the campaign of the main game, whilst Retribution is a standalone expansion that fast forwards a few years and has campaigns for each playable faction. As the name implies, Chaos Rising adds Chaos Marines as a playable faction, whilst Retribution adds the Imperial Guard.

All well worth getting, in my opinion.

[Hiro Protagonest]

How does Warhammer 40k: Dawn of War II measure up to the first one? I've played the first and really enjoyed it, usually playing as the Chaos Marines. Have had many a great LAN game with it, and thus I figured I'd get a copy for me and one for one of my best friends whose birthday it is today.

And how different and/or better are Retribution and Chaos Rising from DoW II?

The single-player campaign is just you playing as a small squad of Space Marines. The multiplayer, though, is the best. I think Retribution is the one people get for the multiplayer.

[DemonicAngel]

snip

I gotta ask, are the consuler bonuses supposed to disappear after each closing of the window, or is my game bugged?

so far the game is great, lots of atmosphere and some very nice boss fights. reminds me a lot of Binding of Isaac.

[Silverraptor]

How does Warhammer 40k: Dawn of War II measure up to the first one? I've played the first and really enjoyed it, usually playing as the Chaos Marines. Have had many a great LAN game with it, and thus I figured I'd get a copy for me and one for one of my best friends whose birthday it is today.

And how different and/or better are Retribution and Chaos Rising from DoW II?

My friends and I want to play the old DoW, but ever since the servers were permanently taken down, we haven't been able to play with each other, even on programs like evolve due to the fact we are unable to download all the patches and other random stuff. Do you have any recommendations to get around that?

[Volatar]

My friends and I want to play the old DoW, but ever since the servers were permanently taken down, we haven't been able to play with each other, even on programs like evolve due to the fact we are unable to download all the patches and other random stuff. Do you have any recommendations to get around that?

As long as you are all running the same version, even an early one, you should be able to at least PLAY the game...