Wow... that was a month, wasn't it? C'mon, try and deny that was a
month. Because it totally was. It was December. December is a month.
It's unimpeachable logic; you can't argue with it! Post hoc ergo
propter hoc. Quidquid latine dictum sit, altum videtur.

So, back to the usual shtick. No excuses for not participating, since
you all have your "what am I playing NOW" posts for reference ;-)


Look Mum, I Can Do "Short"...
---------------------------------------
* Observation (new)
* American Truck Simulator (again)


... But I Just Don't Wanna
---------------------------------------

* Observation (new)
I've been looking forward to this game for a long time.

"Observation" is, at its heart, another 'narrative sim', also known as
a walking game. Set in a failing orbital space station, you take the
role of the platform's onboard AI and help a lone astronaut bring the
station back on-line and figure out what caused the initial
catastrophe. There are some fairly minor puzzles but at its heart this
is a game about wandering about and looking at things. It's not a
genre that appeals to everybody, but I've enjoyed more than a few of
this sort of game, so "Observation" looked right up my alley.

And it's a good-looking game too. Although it doesn't have all the bells'n'whistles of the most modern games, it uses what it is to very
good effect. The setting is very realistic, and the lighting and
camera angles are used so excellently that at times I actually found
myself wondering if I was looking at real video footage. The space
station is incredibly well detailed, and it added a great deal of verisimilitude to the whole experience. The overall story and
characters well enjoyable as well; "Observation" isn't the deepest of
games and there's little that it asks that hasn't been covered in better-written sci-fi novels, but for a video game? It was pretty
good.

The gameplay is, superficially, pretty good too. Again, it is mainly a
'walking sim' so actual challenge is low and rarely more involved than
clicking on whatever you've just been clearly instructed to click on.
It's never very complicated, but the interactions are varied and fit
well with the setting. Functionally, however, the game suffers from a significant flaw: horrible controls. Whether it's the too-slow panning
of the cameras, the languorous movement of the mouse across the
screen, or - my favorite - nonstandard interactions where the controls
are only introduced to you after the timer for the challenge has
already started counting down.

The ultimate result was more aggravation than enjoyment. There's a
good game buried beneath the annoying controls, but - even though I
persevered to the end - I didn't think it time worth spent.


* American Truck Simulator
Because of course. It wouldn't be another "What have you been playing
list" if a truck simulator didn't appear in it. It's getting sort of
boring - the write-ups, I mean. Not the game. That keeps me endlessly
occupied. Most of my time was spent exploring all the nooks and
crannies of the Texas expansion; not the most exciting place to visit
(in fact, quite dull and annoying with its endless highway
interchanges), but I'd paid for the map and I'd be damned if I wasn't
getting value for my dollar.

And you do get a lot of content with is expansion; probably equal to
two or three previous expansions combined. It got to the point that I
turned off traffic, damage and law enforcement just so I could whiz
about madly and checkmark all the sights as quickly as possible... and
it still took me two months to see everything. It's a big place,
Texas.

But after that, it was back to the usual; humbly driving within the
speed limit hauling cargo across the American west. If you don't get
the appeal, I can't explain it to you, but expect to see me going on
about it in months to come. Sorry. Sic est.


---------------------------------------

Just two games this month for me. Well, three; there was this thing on
Usenet I did which I thought pretty entertaining and had something to
do with video games, but I think we've all heard enough about THAT for
a while, so I'll only mention it in this tangential way. Otherwise, it
was just the usual December nonsense keeping me busy (December, what a
month!).

But what about you? What Have You Been Playing... IN DECEMBER 2022?

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
* Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)

But what about you? What Have You Been Playing... IN DECEMBER 2022?

Scorn
I'm giving Scorn high marks, because it deserves them: Detailed,
imaginative Giger-esque (Bezinski paintings are also a big influence; look
up both names for examples) graphics; generally good environmental puzzles
(I did check a walkthrough a few times when I got stuck, no big deal); a
dollop of combat with interesting weapons to raise tension and spice up the exploration (this seems to have caused much frustration with professional reviewers, but I thought it added tension to the basic exploration
gameplay); not a single bug; and a non-obvious story that requires you to
think about the history of this Gameworld civilization, and your characters' part in it. I'm delighted such an adult-themed game is available on
Gamepass, and want more such titles!

I'll say a few more words (or tips) on the plot, after reading through
Scorn's artbook and viewing several yt analysis videos. The most
informative comment I've seen is a reference to the original title for the game, Dasein, a philosophical term for 'Being' or 'Existence' https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dasein A good approach for starting this
game, is first realize this is more of an arthouse experience than a traditional point A to point B game, as the developers state more than once
in interviews, and don't get hung up on having everything explained, but put some effort into considering the environments you move through, and how they might have come about and say about this vanished civilization, as well as
the many metaphors and themes that come to mind. The other tip is to
realize that you play as two separate individuals over the course of the
game -- this is very easy to miss, I missed it myself -- and that 'aliens'
or Cthulhu are not involved, rather that this is some future possible human world: The developers again mention both of these points in interviews.

Anyway, Scorn is on PC Gamepass, and I enjoyed it quite a bit, finding that
it provided dramatically more mental stimulation than most games I've played recently. The developers knowingly took a big chance and showed integrity
in keeping to their original vision. Give it a chance!

Metamorphosis:
This is an Alice in Wonderland type game that puts you in the shell of a
tiny bug -- with a plot that's a mash-up of the title story, The Trial, & likely The Castle -- and has you first-person platform your way through many fantastical and surreal environments, trying to both find a way out of your
own predicament as well as save your human friend, who's been inexplicably arrested.

Kafka himself lived in early 1900's Prague, and that's the setting for the
game as well, so your journey is filled with walking over and under and
through books, papers, pens & ink, phonographs, and imaginative bureaucratic steampunk machinery, chatting with other bugs along the way. There are many references to Kafka's works throughout, and the bug's perspective you play
in is continually engaging and at points magical and humorous.

No performance issues on a PC (I used mouse+kb with the 'free' Prime Gaming version) and the world is colorful and interesting (not a bad game for older kids I would think). At about 4 hours long, Metamorphosis did not overstay it's welcome, and indeed inspired me to re-read the original story
immediately after finishing. This is a fantastic story that I initially
found horrific and tragic, but after some thought and reading of analyses, I started seeing the humor and now think it's pretty funny. Thinking of
watching the 2012 adaptation as well as Naked Lunch now as well. That the
game would leave me wanting more is a good reason to give Metamorphosis high marks!

rms

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
* Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)

Already? Well, I already shared what I played earlier in the month. :P I
need to get back into my original Skyrim game.


On 1/1/2023 7:37 AM, Spalls Hurgenson wrote:

Wow... that was a month, wasn't it? C'mon, try and deny that was a
month. Because it totally was. It was December. December is a month.
It's unimpeachable logic; you can't argue with it! Post hoc ergo
propter hoc. Quidquid latine dictum sit, altum videtur.

So, back to the usual shtick. No excuses for not participating, since
you all have your "what am I playing NOW" posts for reference ;-)

Look Mum, I Can Do "Short"...
---------------------------------------
* Observation (new)
* American Truck Simulator (again)

... But I Just Don't Wanna
---------------------------------------

* Observation (new)
I've been looking forward to this game for a long time.

"Observation" is, at its heart, another 'narrative sim', also known as
a walking game. Set in a failing orbital space station, you take the
role of the platform's onboard AI and help a lone astronaut bring the
station back on-line and figure out what caused the initial
catastrophe. There are some fairly minor puzzles but at its heart this
is a game about wandering about and looking at things. It's not a
genre that appeals to everybody, but I've enjoyed more than a few of
this sort of game, so "Observation" looked right up my alley.

And it's a good-looking game too. Although it doesn't have all the bells'n'whistles of the most modern games, it uses what it is to very
good effect. The setting is very realistic, and the lighting and
camera angles are used so excellently that at times I actually found
myself wondering if I was looking at real video footage. The space
station is incredibly well detailed, and it added a great deal of verisimilitude to the whole experience. The overall story and
characters well enjoyable as well; "Observation" isn't the deepest of
games and there's little that it asks that hasn't been covered in better-written sci-fi novels, but for a video game? It was pretty
good.

The gameplay is, superficially, pretty good too. Again, it is mainly a 'walking sim' so actual challenge is low and rarely more involved than clicking on whatever you've just been clearly instructed to click on.
It's never very complicated, but the interactions are varied and fit
well with the setting. Functionally, however, the game suffers from a significant flaw: horrible controls. Whether it's the too-slow panning
of the cameras, the languorous movement of the mouse across the
screen, or - my favorite - nonstandard interactions where the controls
are only introduced to you after the timer for the challenge has
already started counting down.

The ultimate result was more aggravation than enjoyment. There's a
good game buried beneath the annoying controls, but - even though I persevered to the end - I didn't think it time worth spent.

* American Truck Simulator
Because of course. It wouldn't be another "What have you been playing
list" if a truck simulator didn't appear in it. It's getting sort of
boring - the write-ups, I mean. Not the game. That keeps me endlessly occupied. Most of my time was spent exploring all the nooks and
crannies of the Texas expansion; not the most exciting place to visit
(in fact, quite dull and annoying with its endless highway
interchanges), but I'd paid for the map and I'd be damned if I wasn't
getting value for my dollar.

And you do get a lot of content with is expansion; probably equal to
two or three previous expansions combined. It got to the point that I
turned off traffic, damage and law enforcement just so I could whiz
about madly and checkmark all the sights as quickly as possible... and
it still took me two months to see everything. It's a big place,
Texas.

But after that, it was back to the usual; humbly driving within the
speed limit hauling cargo across the American west. If you don't get
the appeal, I can't explain it to you, but expect to see me going on
about it in months to come. Sorry. Sic est.

---------------------------------------

Just two games this month for me. Well, three; there was this thing on
Usenet I did which I thought pretty entertaining and had something to
do with video games, but I think we've all heard enough about THAT for
a while, so I'll only mention it in this tangential way. Otherwise, it
was just the usual December nonsense keeping me busy (December, what a month!).

But what about you? What Have You Been Playing... IN DECEMBER 2022?

--
:)NY! Let's hope 2023 will B better, but nope it started out bad with
the leaking old nest & old body again. :( "Therefore, if anyone is in
Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!" --2 Corinthians 5:17
Note: A fixed width font (Courier, Monospace, etc.) is required to see
this below signature correctly.
/\___/\ http://aqfl.net & http://antfarm.home.dhs.org
/ /\ /\ \
| |o o| | Axe ANT from its address if shown & e-mailing privately.
\ _ / Please kindly use Ant nickname & URL/link if crediting.
( )

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
* Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)

On Sunday, January 1, 2023 at 7:37:16 AM UTC-8, Spalls Hurgenson wrote:

* Observation (new)

...

The space
station is incredibly well detailed, and it added a great deal of verisimilitude to the whole experience. The overall story and
characters well enjoyable as well

...

Actually sounds interesting.

Functionally, however, the game suffers from a
significant flaw: horrible controls. Whether it's the too-slow panning
of the cameras, the languorous movement of the mouse across the
screen, or - my favorite - nonstandard interactions where the controls
are only introduced to you after the timer for the challenge has
already started counting down.

The ultimate result was more aggravation than enjoyment. There's a
good game buried beneath the annoying controls, but - even though I persevered to the end - I didn't think it time worth spent.

And there it is. I'll avoid it :(

TL;DR:
Let's see if I can remember them all, well no, but I can look at
recently played games in the various clients... that's a lot to look
through though, almost missed the AC games since there's apperenatly no
way to look at that in origin, and almost forgot to check there too.

**** Horizon Zero Dawn
**** King of Seas
**** Sable

Flipped:
*** Weird Worlds: Return to Infinite Space
*** Assassin's Creed Valhalla
*** Assassin's Creed Origins

*** Divine Knockout
* Moose Life
** 911 Operator
** Warhammer Vermintide

I've posted about most of these, so I'll try to keep it short.

**** Horizon Zero Dawn (still playing)
Really polished, but feels like they took Far Cry/Assassin's Creed and
put some quests and a lot of talking and post apoc & primitive stuff
mixed in with a bit more fantasy/sci-fi weapons and monster machines
from monster hunter. I've almost quit a few times the last couple
days. I really don't like the 3rd person platforming stuff, and it was getting wearing trying to get through heavily monster infested areas,
since handling large groups is usually deadly. I wish I had a smoke
bomb so I could shed agro. I just got corruption arrows which really
helps in the few fights I've used them to lower the heat from groups.

I have no idea how far along I am, as I've completely avoided
spoilers. It FEELS like it should be over soon, but I don't know.

Would I recomend it? Yes, it's got RPG like story, it's interesting
setting, the combat is good, the sneaking isn't too bad, Even though
I'm not really happy with the feeling like they just built on FC, it's
a really good rendition of it and well worth the current $17 sale
price.

---

**** King of Seas (GoG Freebie)
This is a really good top down pirate game. I did finish it (alsmost
unheard of for a free game not from Spalls!) There's some possible
complaints about it. I don't mind the voodo spells, but they typically
are more important than cannons and crew. You can get the best voodo
spell on your second ship the brig quite easily, and speed seems more important than crew/cannon, so you don't really need any other ships,
and in fact finished the game with the brig. It feels like about the
first half, perhaps more they litter too much treasure around that you
don't have to fight for, and you get xp for picking it up, and it feels
like it's easier/quicker to just pick up all that loot. It also feels
a bit kitchen sink, they just put too many things in this game and it
might have been better a bit more focused. If you picked it up from
the gog freebie I'd give it a try, it's not too long - 30 hours for me,
and you know I tend to drag games out a lot

Spalls Hurgenson <spallshurgenson@gmail.com> writes:

But what about you? What Have You Been Playing... IN DECEMBER 2022?

Well, I finished my very overdue replay of System Shock 2 finally but I
wrote about that already. As Spalls said, with invisibility the
difficult fight at the Many's brain was a doozie.

One thing I haven't mentioned is why I wanted to play SS2 again after
all these years. Thing is, the integrated heating and ventilation system
in my house has a compressor in it to transfer heat from outgoing air to
the hot water tank. At some points in the house that compressor sort of
sounds like the weird hum in SS2 title screen so it's been a constant
reminder every winter.

I also started on Deliver us the Moon. AFAIK it's another narrative
walking sim, on the moon with some light puzzles. Only made it as far as
the rocket I'm supposed to ride to the moon.

Other than that, I played some Nethack. I've never played it seriously
before but the recent posts in rec.games.roguelike.nethack made me want
to try it. After a few stupid deaths I learned at least a few things and
might actually be getting somewhere. In fact, my Valkyrie already has an Excalibur which should sort her for weapons. Just need a few gazillion
magic and armor items to actually win (i.e. ascend).

Other than that, Christmas prep and travel prep took a lot of time in
December, I spent last week on the island Tenerife with some warmth and
sun. Quite a lot of both, in fact.

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
* Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)

On Tue, 10 Jan 2023 00:44:33 +0200, Anssi Saari <as@sci.fi> wrote:

Spalls Hurgenson <spallshurgenson@gmail.com> writes:

But what about you? What Have You Been Playing... IN DECEMBER 2022?

Well, I finished my very overdue replay of System Shock 2 finally but I
wrote about that already. As Spalls said, with invisibility the
difficult fight at the Many's brain was a doozie.

One thing I haven't mentioned is why I wanted to play SS2 again after
all these years. Thing is, the integrated heating and ventilation system
in my house has a compressor in it to transfer heat from outgoing air to
the hot water tank. At some points in the house that compressor sort of >sounds like the weird hum in SS2 title screen so it's been a constant >reminder every winter.

It's odd the things that remind of us of our video games. To this day,
I can't look at certain types of sunsets - the one with long cirrus
clouds high up in the sky and the heavens turning a bluish-purple -
without being reminded of "MS Flight Simulator 5". And the tweeting of
certain birds in Spring always brings to mind the intro to "Ultima 7".

(I'm sure there are others too, but I don't remember them until they
occur)

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
* Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)