Steam Deck on lunch breaks, travel, and shorter sessions at home. PC when I want max settings gameplay. I tend to play games that can wrap up a loop in ≈30min on the Deck and more graphically intense/immersive/grindy games on the PC.
I’m convinced now that there is no story so earth-shattering, so horrifying, so diligently researched and expertly told that we could Upton Sinclair’s The Jungle our way to a better games industry.
I disagree, but I also recognize the fundamental lede buried in this lengthy gripe piece: the law is not just. The industry isn’t going to change from the top down, because the fundamental core of the games industry is the same rot that plagues every industry. There’s a club of rich good ol’ boys at the top whose rampant sexism and ultra-capitalism still pervades many economies, and they’re able to successfully lobby the politicians that should regulate them.
But I disagree that it’s ultimately fruitless. There may be no singular story that fixes things, but continued effort to bring that stuff to light has influenced people’s decisions to buy into certain games or publishers. It’s resulted in lawsuits that at least give some justice to the victims. It’s resulted in new indie studios with good work cultures who make amazing games.
So I agree the problem still exists, but the “sunlight” they talk about isn’t a panacea—it’s one of many collective steps towards building a better industry.
Generally, arcades have not done terribly well. There used to be a lot of video arcades all over out there in the 1980s. Video game hardware has gotten a lot cheaper, and a lot of people just have it at home now.
Why bother with going to an arcade when you could go to a cozy place with a Steam Deck? Why pay to play old games on an arcade cabinet when there’s countless handheld emulators out there?
It worked when people had to go to a mall or arcade to play things, but nostalgia can only attract so many people, anymore. The market is no longer captive, and the people who played in arcades have grown up, gotten jobs, families, Steam Decks, and beefy gaming PCs of their own.
The only demo left is the hobbyists, and even they can now build their own arcade cabinets to get some of the experience.
Supposedly, there’s mods that really improve things. I don’t have the game, but if you own it, it might not be a lost cause thanks to community modders.
Thanks! That helps a lot. I have a few heavy weapons I’m holding onto that are 45+, so I’ll see what’s worth keeping.
I tend to enjoy the stealthy, long-range playstyle. My favorite weapon so far is a hunting rifle I’ve modded with a long scope and a suppressor (and others mods that boost aim, crit, or reload), and I try to use a plasma pistol for close quarters (because of the chance for nuclear waste); I have an automatic laser rifle and a 10mm subauto as backup, if things get overwhelming. I’m open to suggestions, though!
Thank you! I bulked several hundred of the heaviest items and sold them to a vendor, and I made throwing knives from the excess steel (and sold those).
I think I should still pare that down, though. Right now, screws are my primary concern, and like you pointed out, I don’t seem to be having trouble with things like lead, cloth, and steel. I do have power armor, and I saved up to get the core recharger, so I should probably make use of that more often.
What are your thoughts on keeping higher level weapons in stash? I have some level 25+ items, but I’m only level 19.
Fallout 76. I’m genuinely surprised how generous the players are, and it’s been generally fun. It doesn’t feel exactly like typical Fallout, but it lives somewhere between Fallout and Metro: Exodus.
Only big downside is the weight limits they put on everything (including your stash box), because that’s how the devs try to encourage players to buy in with cash. You can still run while encumbered, which is a nice change, but it uses AP to do so. Eventually you have to stop and “catch your breath” before you can keep going. Since it also blocks fast travel, it kind of puts a damper on the fun of collecting all the things when you are forced to travel by foot.