As far as I've heard, previous Capcom games already feature these types of mostly meaningless DLC. So it's not a first test, and so far the older games haven't been adjusted to make the microtransactions more appealing.
I agree, Capcom aren't dumb, it's probably just a minimal amount of work, and if they can get even a few buyers they make money. Although, who knows if the hit to their reputations negates all of this.
Yes, all of their games in the past few years or so have DLCs like that. What I’m actually worried about is some of their games the MTX aren’t irrelevant like these. Monster Hunter has been getting more and more of these with each new release since World and I’m scared of what they’ll do with Wilds.
Wow. This is something I have never heard of before but it conceptually makes sense albeit I am a have no idea how long a tank would run a train for. Would love to learn more too, so please link is to whatever it is your are creating. Hoping a video on the topic.
Thanks! So far that site seems to be the best source of information I’ve been able to find (the Wikipedia article seems to mostly be a restated, trimmed down version of it) but there are a few other articles online I’m trying to vet for accuracy.
I’m especially interested in this quote:
“A fireless soda engine, together with evaporating apparatus, has been at work on the Aix la Chapelle-Burtscheid tramway for the last half year. In order to test the working capacity of this locomotive engine, and the consumption of fuel on a certain day, the Honigmann locomotive engine was put to work this day from 8:45 o’clock am till 8 o’clock pm, with a pause of three-quarters of an hour for the second quantity of soda lye. The engine was, therefore, at work for fully 10� hours, viz, 5� hours with the first quantity, and five with the second. The distance between Heinrichsalle and Wilhelmstrasse, where the engine performed the regular service, is 1 km, […] This distance was traversed sixty-four times, the total distance, including the journeys to the station, being 66 km.”
So it sounds like it ran for about five hours and traveled 33km on its load of caustic soda (I’m not sure at a glance which flavor chemical) and only took 45 minutes to refuel and come back up to temp.
And these were early designs, basically prototypes (though granted, the folks in that time making them probably knew a ton about steam locomotives). I imagine they could have been improved with time to study and refine the designs.
I’m not sure how well the boilers stood up to containing hot caustic stuff, but perhaps materials science has developed enough to help protect against that.
I’m writing and making visual art in the solarpunk genre, which tends to heavily emphasize trains and other public transit. But I want to broaden our options a bit beyond just electric trains. When I first heard about these, I felt like they’d mix super well with another invention of that time period, the mirrored solar concentrators used to run steam generators (some of the earliest solar power).
After all, one of the biggest disadvantages of the caustic soda locomotives was that it took more coal to dry the soda than to produce an equivalent amount steam directly with coal. But you don’t have to use coal. These 1800s mirrored dishes only require mirrors or polished metal and math to make (plus some simple motors and electronics to get them to follow the sun) and they could dry the soda for free. A lot of my focus is on less utopian, rebuilding societies, so trains and solar concentrators built with 1800s technology seems like a good place to start.
I’m going to start with a picture of a stop along the tracks for replenishing the soda in this style
plus a description. And I’m hoping to work them into a fiction story and a tabletop campaign.
As for the technical side, I’m not sure on whether they’ll be draining the diluted caustic soda and pouring in fresh, whether they’ll be drying it inside the locomotive’s boiler using superheated steam generated with a solar boiler besides the tracks, perhaps swapping locomotives to avoid delays, or even swapping boilers as someone on reddit suggested. If I go with swapping the soda, probably the boiler tank won’t actually be inside the dish, but nearby, with the steam from the dish heating it.
I hope that helps, I’m very new to this technology and am already trying to mix it with other stuff so we’ll see how it goes.
Considering that most of the descriptions I’ve seen of drying the caustic soda mention pumping superheated steam through it, and that almost any of these systems, or something like these modern ones could produce that, there’s probably lots of ways to match these trains to analog solar power.
Oh wow. What a great reply and a super cool project you are working on. You have inspired me too as one of the attractions in my VR Theme Park I am Imagineering is about trains and I would love to add a foot note about these. Thanks so much.
If the mtx is meaningless because you can get it easily in game, then it is predatory as it is intended to be purchased by people who are not aware that they can earn it in game. That strikes me as worse than mtx that is required to do something they can’t without it, because it preys on people’s lack of information and they aren’t making an informed choice.
You encounter the merchant where you can buy the MTX stuff in the first few hours of the game. You can’t even use the majority of them before reaching that point.
I would honestly bet money that they’d designed the game to not have microtransactions, then some executive at the 11th hour told them to find a way to include them, and they made them inconsequential as a sort of malicious compliance. Not that I think it’s OK to have them in the first place, it really soured me on the game initially. I think it’s considerably worse for including them, but they are completely meaningless.
The best 4X combat. Huge variety of units and sides (need DLCs though). Unique game in that it just focuses on combat, no diplomacy (it sux in all games anyway) no spies (also sux in other games), and simple but reasonably good (and different for different races) economy. It focuses at one thing - combat, drives it to perfection and the rest of the game design narrow focused to support that.
Being W40K helps with richness of the fluff, if this is important for you.
I’ll take your word for it, but no arcade racing game will ever be as fun as the old Burnout games (mainly 3 and Revenge). Certainly not 100% hits though…
The first that comes to mind is the entire crew in Pikmin 4, and particularly Collin. Those little chatterboxes never ever shut up or cease giving you advice on things you already know how to do. I hate them so much.
I believe there are a few games on F-Droid, I haven’t tried any of them tho. Other than that, I believe the best games for you would be Wii games or an older console. Possibly also switch (with yuzu if you find an apk), but that requires a beefy phone.
There are comparatively few worthwhile native games. Emulation is the ticket. I would focus on portable consoles - from GameBoy (mostly GBA) to PSP - since the design of titles for these systems is better suited to smaller screens and shorter play sessions.
The PSP is not a great platform for first person shooters in particular due to the lack of a second analog stick. There are a handful of quality third person titles though, chief among them the two GTA Stories spin-offs set in Liberty City and Vice City. These are proper classic 3D GTAs, just as sophisticated as San Andreas, but set in modified versions of the cities from the two predecessors. Both assume that you have played and completed GTA 3 and Vice City. These spin-offs were also available for PS2, but the PSP versions should run better and can be made to support a second analog stick in PPSSPP:
While you’re at it, you should also check out the isometric GTA Chinatown Wars, a unique and extremely well made title that straddles the line between 2D and 3D GTAs, but with game design that is as modern as GTA IV’s (but far more arcadey). It has been ported to Android, however, the PSP version is superior, having better graphics, more features (including multiplayer) and more missions.
One genre that truly excelled on Sony’s little system was racing games. Here’s a list of highly recommended titles of all subgenres, from arcade to simulation, that I compiled a while ago: beehaw.org/comment/2784912
Scarface: The World is Yours. Perhaps the best clone of classic GTAs, to the point that it’s the superior game in many respects. From the developers of The Simpsons Hit & Run, but decidedly less family-friendly. Brilliant graphics for the platform, outstanding voice acting, writing and direction. Watch the movie first, if you haven’t already! This very late licensed title boasts a fantastic combat system that is all about targeting specific body parts with perhaps the single best lock-on system in gaming history while hitting a button for swearing in order to fill up your “balls” meter, which, once full, allows you to switch to a first person mode with invulnerability and unlimited ammo. Combat is mad, bloody, unhinged fun. It’s not just presentation, narration and combat that are good in this game: There’s are really well made empire building mechanic, a negotiation minigame that somehow never gets old, some clever risk/reward incentives for players that remind me of roguelikes, a good (if not quite as good as GTA) open world, a catchy '80s soundtrack. Lots to love about this game.
Black: Criterion (otherwise known for the Burnout series) tried their luck with a first person shooter. It shouldn’t have worked, but they somehow pulled it off - and it’s just as wild and explosive as the racing game series. Every single weapon, from the lowliest pistol, is loud, punchy, powerful and sends the hapless enemies flying. There’s a marvelous destruction system that feels like black magic on hardware as old as the PS2. The story is nothing special, level design and scripting are average (but levels are at least fairly large and quite open at times), it’s not particularly long nor deep and there are difficulty spikes, but overall, this is still one of the most enjoyable first person shooters on the system and one that holds up remarkably well.
XIII: Based on a popular Belgian series of graphic novels, this highly stylized first person shooter has become a cult classic over the years. If you like conspiracy stories, cell-shaded graphics and a seamless blend of stealth and explosive action, then you will enjoy this game. Best feature: The kill cam, which consists of comic book style freeze frame inserts. So satisfying! Check out the comic book as well, while you’re at it. Just keep in mind that it’s far less stylized and far more adult than the game.
Timesplitters: I haven’t personally played this series yet, but since it’s by former Rare developers, the same people responsible for Goldeneye and Perfect Dark, and extremely highly regarded, you should probably not pass it up. Note that the second and third game are also on Gamecube and will likely run better in Dolphin than the PS2 versions do in AetherSX2.
Deus Ex: The classic immersive sim does qualify as a shooter if you choose to play it that way, but you’re far better off playing it slowly and meticulously as a stealth title. The PS2 port is very interesting. In some ways, it’s compromised, with slightly simplified graphics and levels having been broken up into smaller chunks due to memory constraints, but on the other hand, there is added detail to the environments and animations received a motion capture overhaul. There’s also a completely different UI. If you haven’t played this absolutely legendary title with sheer endless depth, complexity and replayability, then definitely give it a go.
Gamecube/Wii:
Metroid Prime Trilogy: Sci-fi 3D Metroid goodness. I have to admit that I haven’t found the time and patience to really sink my teeth into these games yet, having only perfunctory experience with them, but there’s no denying that these are outstanding games, with strong, inventive mechanics, complex level design and excellent presentation.
Resident Evil 4: The best console version of the original classic. The PS2 port was severely compromised, as was the original PC port. Note that on PC, you can install the RE4HD project, which is perhaps the most impressive fan remaster of all time. The developers of this mod even traveled to the locations that the original developers used for reference photos in order to capture material for enhanced textures and geometry. There are texture packs for Dolphin, which are however, to the best of my knowledge, nowhere near as in-depth. Still a decent way of experiencing this title though.
Gun: Neversoft’s attempt at a third person open world Western game. A solid effort. Compared to Red Dead Redemption on Xbox 360 / PS3, it feels like amateur hour, but it’s still fine, with good combat, limited exploration and a solid story. The open world is unfortunately not very open, hampered by invisible walls and fairly bland design.
James Bond: From Russia With Love: An unusual licensed title, based on 1960s James Bond with Sean Connery, dripping with atmosphere, charm and spectacle. There isn’t much depth here, but it looks great, plays fluently and is solid fun all around. If you like the idea of racing a classic Aston Martin through dense European streets in one level and fighting bad guys while being suspended from a jet pack in another as Sean Connery does his best to charm some hapless bond girl, then check this game out.
I decided to look into Vice City Stories again and discovered that the PS2 version has more side missions, which I was previously unaware of, so if you want the full experience, emulate that version instead of the PSP original, provided your device can handle it. It also looks slightly better.
I’m assuming you’re referring to black bars left and right? Many PS2 games were 4:3, although over the course of the system’s lifespan, more and more did support 16:9 natively and the system could be set to widescreen from the start.
You can set the aspect ratio of the PS2 emulator on this system to widescreen in the options. This should cover most if not all games, including those that never officially did support widescreen.
Huh, that’s odd. I haven’t seen this in videos of the system emulating PS2. This might be done for performance reasons (1x PS2 resolution, no upscaling - something like that), but even if that’s the case, you should be able to set the emulator to fill the entire screen, with an upscaled image if necessary. Experiment with settings, but keep in mind that different PS2 games have vastly different hardware requirements in an emulator. Shadow of the Colossus will always run far worse than e.g. a simple licensed game like Ratatouille, so on limited hardware like yours, there’s no way around per-game settings for at least some titles.
Back in 2010, I tried my luck with PS2 emulation for the first time. Shadow of the Colossus ran so poorly on my PC at the time that I bought one of the last brand new PS2s (for 100 bucks, I believe), almost entirely for this game (and then I paid full price for the game, because it sold so poorly that even used copies went for 60 bucks). This game pushed the little console to its absolute limits, running at single digit frame rates in the most intense screens and forcing the fan to spin at its highest speed, so it’s not just the fault of your little handheld emulation system - it wasn’t very fluent on original hardware either, although still far better than on my PC. Most people played the original’s faithful remaster on PS3 (different from the PS4 remake), which runs far better.
The first time I tried the system, I was shocked by the terrible image quality of the Composite cable that came with its, so I spent a rather substantial amount of money on a Component cable, which did make a noticeable difference.
Back to your emulation console: You should be able to upscale native resolution to the full screen size at least. Might look a bit blurry, but there’s no performance penalty (since the same number of pixels are being rendered - they are just stretched, which even the weakest modern GPUs can do with ease) and your eyes will thank you.
By the way, there are a few Monster Hunter games for PSP, which are very easy to emulate. I’ve played Monster Hunter Freedom Unite both on original hardware and in PPSSPP. It looks astonishingly good and plays very well. There’s also Monster Hunter Freedom, the predecessor, which I haven’t played and didn’t review as well. Japan got an exclusive Monster Hunter Portable 3rd, of which there’s a fan-made translation, including the PS3 enhancements, that runs in PPSSPP. No idea if the enhancements work on your system, so try both the standard fan translation and the fan translation that includes PS3 assets. There’s a further texture enhancement mod for the latter, but this might be pushing it (doesn’t hurt to try though): github.com/…/MonsterHunterPortable3rdHDRemake
Then again, any halfway decent Android phone will run PSP games at a higher resolution than the Vita (and you can use a controller cradle), so it’s not that great of a deal anymore.
@DdCno1 yeah that's helps... adrenaline can normally map face buttons to the sticks without special modifications. I do it with syphon Filter Dark Mirror and there is no Fl0w mod for it.
maybe the pathfinder games by owlcat. the pathfinder rules they use are very very simmiliar to d&d 3.5 so, should feel familiar if you enjoyed neverwinter.
they are not super hardware hungry and run without a problem through proton/wine.
bin.pol.social
Aktywne