The wife and I are doing our first play through of stardew valley.
It’s a lot better than I expected
If you’re playing on PC and end up wanting more content, I can’t reccomend the Stardew Valley Expanded modpack enough.
Adds a ton of new townsfolk, and an entire second neighboring town, all as fully fleshed out as the OG townies and all woven in with base game content to the point that they don’t stand out as mod added.
Thanks! We will finish vanilla and then look into mods. We haven’t even unlocked ginger island yet. Haha
Maybe SVE on the first playthrough is a little much…
ALSO the anthro character mod… my sweet dragon Abigail.
They put Reatroachievements on Gamecube games so apparently I’m now balls deep into OG Animal Crossing. Don’t even know how it happened, but Tom Nook is saying my kneecaps are at risk if I don’t come up with 150K bells by the end of the month.
Man, that Nook is teaching everybody hard truths about capitalism.
Holy shit, by bringing this site to my attention I think you may have ruined my life, but fuck it. I’m going in.
It is really cool. I don’t always love the achievement design some of the volunteer coders land on, but it’s still a wonderful way to revitalize old games. And the recently added completion tracking stats, where you don’t just get an award for 100% every achievement, but also for beating the main campaign, is incredibly fun and useful to track which games you’ve playted through. Sony and Microsoft should steal that immediately.
does Fallout:London count for patient gamers? Fallout 4 is old, but the mod itself is new. That mod has consumed all my gaming hours so far.
I’ve been wanting to try it, how is it? Is it closer to Fallout 4 or Fallout 3/New Vegas?
it’s been multiple eternities since I’ve played 3 or NV. 4 I’ve played more recently, but that was … basically when the last dlc dropped? So… memory of those games not really the sharpest.
London is mechanically almost identical to 4 (duh? because mod, duh.). The parts of the main-story I’ve done has been great. I recall preferring side and dlc missions over main-plot in 4, but I was pretty into the main stuff (dlc or not) in NV.
some thoughts about it in no specific order:
- I’m around 20 hours in, and it feels like I’ve only started. Plenty of map markers opened, but VERY little of actual land area explored.
- there seems to be less emphasis on settlements, haven’t had a permanent residence (storage, bed) so far, been storing my junk in some friendly town crafting stations which don’t seem to de-spawn stored stuff (as tipped in the mod’s discord).
- but settlements are apparently still a thing (not sure how I feel about it, they were the worst part in 4, imo) - haven’t aquired a settlement yet.
- it’s bit more difficult than 4, ammo is a bit scarce and some enemies are ridiculously tanky, even at normal difficulty.
- the early game can be a bit brutal, but eases off as you get levels (ref: at ~10-15h or so in, I was finally able to take enemies down with confidence)
- The city is HUGE and dense (requires some more grunt from the computer than base-game), there’s things to do and see in every corner, a lot more buildings to enter.
- “level design” is mostly great, but there have been places where the route forward/mission critical progression item was hidden by all the clutter and generally darker lighting.
- the level design also contains surprisingly deep puddles here and there on the streets, and those build up radiation QUICKLY. Bodies of water in this game are dangerous.
- Food and other non-stimpacks seem to be in quite a big role, at least in early game. IIRC fallout 3/nv/4 basically showered the player with stimpacks.
- Voice acting is pretty good, if a bit hammy at times.
I recall enjoying all fallout games, some more than others. I mostly mod for convinience (eg. busywork, carryweight) so I’m not really playing the game(s) as intended. And this one is great… if a bit buggy here and there - but not any more so than actual Fallout games. :D
I totally recommend London, but it comes with an asterisk: the mod requires tweaking, and depending on your computer-skills it can be either “man, this is obvious” to “wtf am I doing”. Config-file editing and extra mods are required to get it actually working. Def recommending Mod Organizer 2 as well. Also, if your base fallout 4 (and dlc) are from steam, you need to downgrade from the “Next gen update”. I’m fairly sure there’s good step-by-step how-to’s to get it set up at this point.
but settlements are apparently still a thing
Bizarre choice lol, but everything else sounds good. Thanks for the rundown.
I guess we play old games partially because we wait for mods to release? So we shouldn’t have to wait for the mods to be old?
it counts! looks great
Took quite a bit of tinkering to stop crashing tho. But it’s great once it does work!
Ahh, you need to be a patient gamer to get it to run! good news
I guess patient with documentation. Out-of-the-box experience is very crashy, and recommended stability mods require some ini-tweaking to make them stable. But the how-to guides keep evolving, I started my trip through the stability-minefield when the mod was released x)
Hades.
Avoiding spoilers, the game just keeps unfolding out additional gameplay content and story long past what originally appeared like it was going to be the end.
There’s definitely some slow parts in terms of progression though, as the resource costs for some of the permanent stat upgrades and house contractor stuff are just expensive enough to be annoying. Like, do you want to have fun this run or do you want to pray to RNGesus that you get the resource multiplier boons and hit a brick wall later when you haven’t gotten enough combat boosting boons? Otherwise enjoy doing multiple runs to unlock one single thing that may or may not be purely cosmetic.
The gameplay carries it through any rough spots though, along with the drip fed stories of the different characters that progress each time you lose a run.
Overall a wonderful game.
RNGesus
I think you mean HeRNGmes
But yeah Hades is a good game. Got it in the latest Steam Summer Sale. it’s my current couch / big screen Deck game.
My current desktop game is still Just Cause 2.
I very impatiently snagged Hades 2, after my 100 run Hades streak. It’s INCREDIBLE. I beat it a few times and now I’m waiting until full release to do it again.
Finally got into Baldur’s Gate 3, and oh boy! I get what people were saying. I’m INVESTED. I’m going Dark Urge and currently trying to figure out if I wanna be with Karlach or Shadowheart.
Shadow heart has some nice early appeal, but karlach is bae all the way. Tried to go with shadow heart the first time around, and couldn’t bring myself to do it to karlach
Path of Exile: Settlers of Kalguur. Loving the new mechanics so far.
I still haven’t gotten to maps but I love the tiny town. Getting to trade currency is also great.
I’m playing Morrowind! It’s my first time!
I already downloaded a couple code fixes to reduce crashing, Solstheim rumour fix, DB attack fix, and gender neutral dialogue. Any other must-have mods I can install on an in-progress save?
Morrowind is one of my favorites! Graphic Herbalism is nice, but the DB and Sosltheim fixes are the only necessary ones, atleast for OpenMW.
Have fun! You’ve probably already heard this if you’re aware of the bug fix mods, but if it seems like you’re missing every other attack, check your stamina and make sure you’re using a weapon you’re character has the skills in. A low stamina bar affects every skill check, and that iron dagger in the census office often trips people up if they try using it without taking short blade as a major skill, as an example.
I love Morrowind, but it doesn’t do the best job of walking you through how combat works unless you read the manual, so I thought I’d mention it just in case :).
I’m using a bound spear. I have skills in conjuration and spear. I still miss most attacks though. How am I supposed to have high stamina when I reach enemies if getting to enemies requires walking and thus expending stamina? Should I be taking a rest break every ten steps or guzzling potions?
I just got back from the first difficult Mages Guild duty. I had to recruit a new member and gather dues from some people who live in bumfuck volcanic nowhere. I now hate cliff racers with a passion. On the other hand, I’m level 5 and I’m starting to kill scribs in one hit. I also can’t believe I cleared that entire dwemer dungeon just to find the puzzle box right near the entrance. Plus side, now I’m loaded on dwemer coins. And playing a conjurer was definitely the right move when it came to those ghosts. I’d have been fucked if I were using mundane weapons.
One thing I’m disappointed by is that a minion-based build seems much less viable in Morrowind than Skyrim. Seems you can’t just go all in on conjuration in this one. One thing I like is spears! Spears are the best weapon!
Yeah, resting whenever the stamina bar hits half is generally what I do lol. The Mages Guild definitely throws you to the wolves with that quest, when I did it I failed the speech check and had to fight her.
I’ve never tried a conjuration build, but I definitely remember falling back on my dagger regularly when I played a Dunmer mage. The Mages Guild has an item chest with magika potions you can use freely.
You can also enchant a ring or amulet to conjure, so even if your magic/Intelligence is low you can consistently summon minions if you can afford the cost of the enchantment. A big difference from Skyrim is that enchanted items recharge automatically when you rest.
This makes a build where you carry around summoning rings/amulets to use before every fight not only possible, but incredibly strong from what I’ve heard.
How do I enchant items?
If you talk to an Enchanter NPC, the option to enchant will be in the dialogue list like a shop owner or spell crafter. Since you’re in the Mages Guild, the easiest to reach would probably be Galbedir in the Balmora Mages Guild.
If you need more specific info the UESP wiki (https://en.uesp.net/wiki/Main_Page) is a great source. Just be weary of spoilers. I personally use it to check racial attribute spreads whenever I start a new game.
Thank you. Will using an NPC to enchant items increase my enchanting skill like in Skyrim?
No, but enchant skill in Morrowind is kinda weird so I honestly wouldn’t worry about leveling it for a first time playthrough. I never leveled it and was still able to enchant some exquisite pants with enough stamina restore to negate fatigue entirely, for example.
Thanks for all the advice, I want more, as I have a question Google wouldn’t help me with. I think my character would fit in great in House Telvanni, except for the slavery part. If I join Telvanni, can I climb the ranks and eventually abolish slavery?
Welcome! This is a pretty fun question, because it shows both the strengths and limitations of the game. On the one hand, there’s no full quest line to abolish slavery in Morrowind, although some slaves can be freed. There are some mods for adding quests, but I haven’t looked into them very deeply.
On the other, since no NPC is essential you can end slavery through brute force and kill every councilor that supports it, every slave trader, etc. Bloody, but still arguably in line with the “might makes right” philosophy of the Telvanni.
So while there’s no “official” way, the game leaves the door open to roleplaying if you’re playing a character who would take matters into their own hands.
If you kill an NPC needed for the main quest, the game will give you a “the thread of prophecy has been severed” message. It’s still possible to get the necessary equipment to fight the final boss of the main quest even if you kill, say, Caius, but I wouldn’t recommend killing any main quest NPCs until after it’s completed.
The built-in failsafes aren’t explained in-game, and are buggy. It’s more so just a cool last resort for repeat playthroughs where you play, say, a traditionalist who refuses to work with the Empire to solve the blight storm crisis.
It’s one of the coolest things about the game. Even though I’d never consider methodically killing everyone on the island, the knowledge that you can do it makes the decision not to much more impactful from a roleplaying perspective.
By the Hist, thank you. But if I spoke to the slaves, they’d still call themselves slaves, right?
Many slaves have the “go free” dialogue option, which allows you to free them if you have the appropriate key from that area. Not all can be freed this way, there might be a mod for that but I’m not sure. Happy hunting!
Awesome. Time to prove that my abolitionist beliefs are superior because I have the best spells.
After you get done with your first playthrough and you still want more, check out the Tamriel Unlimited mods. They add the rest of Vvardenfell (the mainland) and it’s almost twice as big as the base game, as well as tons of new locations, characters, and quests to go with it. They’ve also made/are making full-size Skyrim and Cyrodiil expansion maps as well.
Skyrim, I have modded the game on Steam Deck and installed a bunch of mods, including, Beyond Skyrim Bruma and it runs great.
All the deck modding guides make me anxious messing about with the game filesystem. But I would like a decent inventory manager. How easy is it to restore the game and saves if you cock up?
I just installed Vortex and modded Skyrim. I also have a couple of mods on Stardew Valley. For Skyrim, I was following https://www.reddit.com/r/SteamDeck/comments/118alll/mod_skyrim_w_vortex_working_no_pc_needed/ and installed Vortex and there you can install and uninstall mods from the manager itself. Making them run is a bit tricky, but it is definitely worth it.
Ghost of Tsushima - Took a while to click, but now I’m really enjoying it. Pulling off some of the sword moves perfectly feels so satisfying. And it’s gorgeous to look at.
And also Dave the Diver. Very charming game and it keeps adding more and more layers to the gameplay. The gameplay loop is really fun so far.
I really enjoyed Ghost of Tsushima when it premiered on the PS5. As you say the satisfaction of pulling off the sword moves is really nice. The story isn’t bad either and some of the fight bosses certainly keep you on your toes. I brought the DLC expansion the day it came out just so I could spend some more time slashing away ;-)
I was wanting to play something ‘Assassin’s Creed-y’ and this has really fit the bill! I like how easily you can be killed.
Should I play the DLC content after I’ve beaten the main game? It looks like I can go to the additional island whenever I want.
Rimworld, finally started playing with one of the expansions, Biotech. Permadeath mode or whatever it’s called.
I keep shooting pods of toxic waste at one of my enemies. They keep coming over to complain about it…with fire and pain
- Played daily dose of Helldivers 2 and some EDF6.
- Finally completed Talos Principle 2.
- Gave Suicide Squad a try.
- Returned a bit to Trine 5 here and there
I’m close to finishing The Talos Principal 2 as well, I’m quite enjoying it.
It’s really good but like 30% too long for my taste. I had to push myself forward to complete it.
You know I feel the same way. Around the last two or three levels it dragged. I’m just starting the golden puzzles now, and it’s definitely falling off. But those first, say, 10 levels were great.
Do you play EDF5 at all?
I did multiple playthroughs, over ~150h. I do not expect to return to it, now that EDF6 is out. It reaaaaaally resembles EDF5. From what I have seen thus far, it could be called an “expandalone”. There is much more difference between EDF4.1 and EDF5 than EDF5 and EDF6
Ah. That’s a bit unfortunate. I have 4.1 and 5 and it looks like I won’t be buying 6 for a while.
I’ve been enjoying OpenArena. The bots are vicious.
Good to sée you here!
Been going back to Minecraft parkour and adventure maps, lots of fun
Did you know Need For Speed: World is alive and kicking? Not officially, obviously, but through the power of fan servers and the wonderful project that is Soapbox Race World. It’s not the best NFS in the series and can be pretty tough if you play it without power ups but it’s fun.
For those who never heard of NFS:W - it’s a live service, online only entry in the series. It consists of maps from Most Wanted and Carbon combined into one and brings some additional gameplay changes specific for the live service model (power ups, performance parts with incremental stats upgrades etc). It also has a pretty good visual editor - can be a bit cumbersome at times but you can do some great stuff with it.
Fan servers are surprisingly active and provide A LOT of new cars, parts etc do play with. They also have different rules so if you want a place where getting everything you want is easy, you can do that as well.
My second game is Wagahime or Waga Himegimi ni Eikan o, a comedy visual novel by Minato Soft. Unlike their other work (that I read anyway) it’s set in a medieval fantasy world with magic, beast races and all the usual stuff. It has three main routes, each expanding the world and providing details for the other ones, and each filled with fun characters and events.
I won’t be spending much time on it since all that’s left is finishing the final route but it’s a great read and I really wanted to mention it. Minato Soft seriously reignited my love for VNs lately.
Last but not least, Reverse Collapse: Code Name Bakery - a sci-fi strategy RPG. It came out this year so I’m not going to go too much into it but it’s a great and at times challenging title. Worth looking into if you’re interested in this genre.
Kingdom Come: Deliverance. Again. So good.
Happy cake day
