sugar_in_your_tea

@sugar_in_your_tea@sh.itjust.works

Mama told me not to come.

She said, that ain’t the way to have fun.

Profil ze zdalnego serwera może być niekompletny. Zobacz więcej na oryginalnej instancji.

sugar_in_your_tea,

The original article completely misrepresents the initiative:

We appreciate the passion of our community; however, the decision to discontinue online services is multi-faceted, never taken lightly and must be an option for companies when an online experience is no longer commercially viable. We understand that it can be disappointing for players but, when it does happen, the industry ensures that players are given fair notice of the prospective changes in compliance with local consumer protection laws.

Private servers are not always a viable alternative option for players as the protections we put in place to secure players’ data, remove illegal content, and combat unsafe community content would not exist and would leave rights holders liable. In addition, many titles are designed from the ground-up to be online-only; in effect, these proposals would curtail developer choice by making these video games prohibitively expensive to create.

…

Stop Killing Games is not trying to force companies to provide private servers or anything like that, but leave the game in a playable state after shutting off servers. This can mean:

  • provide alternatives to any online-only content
  • make the game P2P if it requires multiplayer (no server needed, each client is a server)
  • gracefully degrading the client experience when there’s no server

Of course, releasing server code is an option.

The expectation is:

  • if it’s a subscription game, I get access for whatever period I pay for
  • if it’s F2P, go nuts and break it whenever you want; there is the issue of I shame purchases, so that depends on how it’s advertised
  • if it’s a purchased game, it should still work after support ends

That didn’t restrict design decisions, it just places a requirement when the game is discontinued. If companies know this going in, they can plan ahead for their exit, just like we expect for mining companies (they’re expected to fill in holes and make it look nice once they’re done).

I argue Stop Killing Games doesn’t go far enough, and if it’s pissing off the games industry as well, then that means it strikes a good balance.

sugar_in_your_tea,

And for Microsoft, to get a back catalogue to ensure your subscription service remains attractive.

sugar_in_your_tea,

not finishing so many of your games shows some kind of problem

If they’ve played 23%, that’s a lot of games, as in, well over 1k. Thy said nothing about how many they’ve finished, but I don’t think “finishing” is all that important.

What I’m more interested in is how much time they have for playing games. What’s they’re lifestyle like that they can play nearly 2k games while also accomplishing other life goals? It’s not an unreasonable amount, just sufficiently high that it raises some eyebrows.

I feel like it’s an obligation for me to finish a game unless I don’t like it.

If OP isn’t finishing any games, yeah, I agree. But there are a ton of games that I don’t find worth finishing, in any sense you define that, but that I still find worth playing.

For example, I didn’t finish Brutal Legend because I really didn’t like the RTS bits at the end. I still love that game and recommend it, but I only recommend it w/ the caveat that the ending is quite different from the rest of the game and it’s okay to bail. That type of game isn’t going to have an amazing ending, so the risk of not seeing the ending is pretty small (and I can always look that up on YT or elsewhere if I want). I did the same for Clustertruck because the ending had an insane difficulty spike on the last level and I just didn’t care enough to finish it.

However, other times I have pushed through, such as Ys 1 Chronicles, which has an insane difficulty spike on the final boss. I am happy I pushed through, because I really liked the world and the ending, which feeds into the next game (in fact, on Steam, it automatically started Ys II after finishing Ys 1). I ended up not liking Ys II as much (still finished), but I really liked the tie-over from the first to the second.

So yeah, I don’t fault someone for not finishing games, but I do think they’re missing out if they never finish games.

sugar_in_your_tea,

Exactly!

And it’s highly unlikely that OP is playing 100% new-releases, especially w/ that 200+ installed games, so they’re probably getting a bunch of those well below store price (i.e. through bundles and whatnot). I have several hundred games, many of which I haven’t played, and most of those came in a bundle that included a couple games I did play (and the total price was significantly less than the retail price of the games I did play).

I’m guessing that’s OP’s case, and given how many they claim to have played, I’m guessing they have a lot of time to play games.

sugar_in_your_tea,

Yeah, I have far fewer games and have played a lower percent of the ones I have. There are just so many bundles that have one or two games I do want and I just add the rest to my library.

sugar_in_your_tea,

A lot of Steam games don’t have any DRM, and most of the rest are pretty easy to strip.

Give it a shot sometime. Completely quit out of Steam, turn off your internet, and try running some of your older Steam games directly from the Steam folder.

I do this somewhat often when my kids are on my other computer playing games on my account and I still want to play something. It’s a little trickier on Linux since you need something to run the Proton/WINE layer, so I mostly stick to Linux-native games in that pretty rare case.

sugar_in_your_tea,

No, the Steam life is not to play games, but to buy them.

sugar_in_your_tea,

Exactly. I have something like 10-20 “complete” games because they either give 100% completion for rolling credits or I really enjoyed the game and ended up completing the achievements anyway. Of the rest, I’ve probably rolled credits on 80% of my “played” games, because sometimes I just lose interest before I reach the end, while still enjoying my time w/ it.

Games should be fun, and if they stop being fun, move on.

sugar_in_your_tea,

That sounds awesome!

I chose a bit of a different life path with different rewards and caveats. I’m glad you found something that brings you joy. :)

sugar_in_your_tea,

Really? I haven’t tried that since they revamped the sharing thing. I have three accounts, one for me, my wife, and one my kids share, and they’re all linked. Most of the time my kids use my account, but I can easily change that if it’ll allow simultaneous play (on different games).

Thanks for the tip, I’ll try it out!

sugar_in_your_tea,

My history with consoles is:

  1. Whatever by brother bought
  2. OG Xbox to play Halo
  3. Xbox 360 for Kinect games
  4. Switch - play w/ kids; Smash has been amazing for this
  5. Steam Deck - not a console, but I use it as one; got it to play games in bed

I play most games on PC because I’m just not as interested in exclusives anymore, except maybe Zelda games, and with BOTW and TOTK, I’m less interested in those (they lost the formula I like).

I’ll probably get the Switch 2 eventually, but I’ll wait until there’s a game I really want (say, ALttP remake or something), my kids break our OLED Switch, or there’s an OLED Switch 2 with better battery life.

sugar_in_your_tea,

While true, I think it’s important to note that many buy the Switch for other reasons. My kids wanted a Switch, but I didn’t get it until there were enough games my wife and I really wanted to play. My wife was bummed about Kinect dying and was Ted a replacement for her exercise games, and I had been missing Zelda games, so I got the Switch, some Just Dance games, Ring Fit Adventure, the two Zelda remakes, and a couple games for the kids. The kids have kind of taken it over, but it still fulfills our purposes in getting it.

My point is that the Switch has a lot more appeal than just shutting kids up for a bit. It’s a good console on its own, and the only console I’m willing to buy. The PS5 and Xbox Series has nothing I’m interested outside of a few exclusives, so my wife and I just play on our PCs and my Steam Deck.

sugar_in_your_tea,

The jobs do exist, and I’m pretty sure the young men are working them, but the jobs also kinda suck.

sugar_in_your_tea,

Maybe. But in many areas, only one party realistically has a shot, so reps basically get elected in their primary process. So instead of needing a majority of the total population to win, you just need a plurality of the few who get involved in the primary process.

Blame the people involved in the primary process, not the people who only vote in the general election.

What are your favourite single-player games without much fluff, grinding or difficulty spikes? angielski

Hello, in the recent years I find myself willing to spend much less time and energy on games, but I do still enjoy them. Oftentimes I end up quitting a new game I tried out relatively early on, because I’m encountering some block, grind, non-optional boring side quest, empty open world, uninteresting clutter or details that I...

sugar_in_your_tea,

I really like the Ys games, and I think Y’s Origin meets those requirements. The boss fights are difficult, but no crazy difficulty spikes, provided you’ve been killing things properly along the way. I only had to grind for a few min for one boss, and that’s back because I actively avoided the mobs and ended up underleveled.

Zelda games tend to also be really well designed, pretty much any will do.

sugar_in_your_tea,

Yup! Most of my wishlist is on sale.

sugar_in_your_tea,

Same, and I’ve even played one or two!

sugar_in_your_tea,

I’m still mad Galaxy doesn’t support Linux. I’d probably still use Heroic, but the mere fact of being a second class citizen doesn’t feel great.

sugar_in_your_tea,

This is an oldie, but Lords of the Realm II. I loved the first two, but had trouble with the third and ended up giving up, assuming it was a me problem.

Nope, the community pretty much unanimously hates it. It’s not a terrible game per se, it’s just very different from the first two, throwing out everything most people liked about the predecessors and not exactly succeeding at the new mechanics.

I’ve decided to build my own take on the best parts of all three, we’ll see if I ever finish it.

sugar_in_your_tea,

Boots up Hitman.

sugar_in_your_tea,

I’m guessing something like a “justice boner,” but with misinformation?

sugar_in_your_tea,

There really should be another level to it:

Tinker: runs fine with some in-game config or with Steam OS tools like Steam Input

It would exclude any lower level tweaks like changing launch args or using a special Proton version, those can stay unsupported. Basically, if you can get it working well intuitively without looking stuff up online, it should have some level of support.

I’ve played several “unsupported” games that work fine, so something should be done here.

sugar_in_your_tea,

Learn to use a mouse left handed, it’s worth it. ;)

sugar_in_your_tea,

Switch between left and right and you’ve got a party!

sugar_in_your_tea,

Force them to jump in the tutorial, and solve the main boss thing through normal storytelling, whichever way makes sense for your game. If the only time you need to know something is late game and there’s nothing to remind you mid-game, that’s poor design.

sugar_in_your_tea,

Well, some of the outfits are pretty close already, and they definitely have some jiggle, haven’t yet played it so I can’t say whether it’s realistic.

sugar_in_your_tea,

If you’re comparing them, as in you don’t have a strong preference for one vs the other, the Steam Deck wins hands down. You get access to a much larger library of games, repairability is awesome, and you can use it like a PC, because it is one.

The only reasonable reasons to get a Switch 2 are:

  • play first party titles - even when emulators come out, the performance probably won’t be there on the Steam Deck
  • it’s for someone who wants a very simple experience, and they’re willing to pay more
  • the Steam Deck is too big for you - if you have smaller hands, it could be uncomfortable

But I don’t think most people will really be deciding between the two, they target very different markets.

I’ll probably end up getting the Switch 2, and I have a n OG Switch and a Steam Deck.

sugar_in_your_tea,

It’s still exciting. If you can run arbitrary code, you can probe the system for vulnerabilities.

sugar_in_your_tea,

Yeah, who knows. But it’s the first step toward a larger exploit.

Huh, I forgot cake days were a thing. Thanks!

sugar_in_your_tea,

That’s always been the case. They can charge whatever they like, I’ll only buy if I think the price is worth it.

sugar_in_your_tea,

Here’s the thing, there are already vendors doing largely what. Indies generally:

  • cost less
  • release in a playable state
  • take risks on new ideas
  • don’t have microtransactions

But people usually talk about big AAA games in these complaints. Buy indies and we’ll end up with more variety.

sugar_in_your_tea,

Nice! This was a surprisingly fun little game, and quite pretty. It wasn’t very hard, but some puzzles did require some thinking, so that was nice.

sugar_in_your_tea,

Eh, I liked Yooka-Laylee. It wasn’t superior innovative or anything, but it was a lot of fun. It reminded me of classic 3D platformers, which is a good thing.

I give it a 7/10, a touch higher if you’re looking for that classic 3D platformer experience.

sugar_in_your_tea,

Oh absolutely prefer a new Yooka-Laylee game and won’t buy this remake because the original is still very playable.

My point was that I found it a bit above average. Then again, I’m not that into the genre, so maybe it doesn’t compare as favorably to others.

sugar_in_your_tea,

Yeah, I played about halfway through that, and it was fun, but performance was a bit odd. Yooka-Laylee felt a lot better to play, though A Hat in Time had more charm.

sugar_in_your_tea,

? LEGO rocks!

sugar_in_your_tea,

It’s probably a common EULA for all games, so they probably added it to carify the terms for some other game that includes it.

sugar_in_your_tea,

Yup. I claim through the website and play through Heroic. I haven’t ever installed the Epic Games launcher, yet I’ve played several free games.

sugar_in_your_tea,

“Masterpiece” comes from the art world, and there are absolutely works everyone seems to agree qualify, such as:

  • The Mona Lisa
  • David statue
  • David Copperfield by Charles Dickens

It’s usually the best work by an artist, or at least the one that got them their recognition, and it stands out among other works in the field.

sugar_in_your_tea,

I’m taking this to mean games that stand out in or define their genre, are widely considered to be excellent, are timeless, and there’s very little if any fat to trim.

  • Super Mario Brothers - NES
  • Super Mario 64
  • Dark Souls - maybe Elden Ring takes over?
  • Return of the Obra Dinn
  • Half Life 2 - honorable mention: Left 4 Dead 2
  • Diablo 2
  • Doom
  • Tetris
  • Chrono Trigger
  • Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past
  • Portal 2
  • Little Nightmares - honorable mention: INSIDE
  • GTA SA
  • Tony Hawk Pro Skater 2

These aren’t necessarily my favorite games, but games I think are well respected. I probably missed a bunch.

sugar_in_your_tea,

Nier Automata

I loved Nier Replicant, but didn’t get into Automata, maybe I’ll give it another shot. I do love that style of storytelling though.

sugar_in_your_tea,

Someone likes a challenge. :)

sugar_in_your_tea,

That’s quite a lot for a SP game. Most games I’ll get 10-30 hours, 40-50 if I really like it. There are some outliers where I get hundreds of hours, but must games will be in that range.

sugar_in_your_tea,

Depends on your definition of “direct.”

I’ve played around 1k hours of Europa Universalis IV and I’ve never completed a campaign (gotten to the last year in the game), because I find I’ve completed my goals about halfway or two thirds of the way through the time line. The same goes for most Civ games, I just quit and restart once I know I’ve won.

I imagine Elden Ring is similar for many people, they play a character for a couple dozen hours and restart with a new character.

sugar_in_your_tea,

Perhaps. But if a boss is too hard, I also see a lot of people starting over to redo the earlier bosses with a different build. I’ve done that a fair amount on other games.

sugar_in_your_tea,

the deadzones suck

You can tune those, though the tighter you make it, the more likely you’ll run into drift issues. Replacing with hall-effect sticks is absolutely reasonable if you’re playing a lot of racing and similar games that benefit from slight adjustments near the neutral point. I mostly play action games, so I slam my sticks against the edges most of the time.

I totally understand size issues though. The Deck works a lot better with larger hands, so if yours aren’t large enough, it could be uncomfortable.

highend gaming product

I don’t consider the Steam Deck “high end” at all. There are handhelds with hall effect sticks and higher end graphics.

sugar_in_your_tea,

I’d still buy two, unless I don’t need a laptop (i.e. phone is sufficient). The ergonomics of a decent laptop are just too good, and I really don’t want to haul around a decent keyboard just to get that on a handheld PC. That said, if I’ll bring both always, then I’d get a portable monitor and make the Steam Deck work, but that’s a really niche case.

sugar_in_your_tea,

Exactly. Steam OS 1-2 were Debian based. SteamOS 3 is Arch based. That’s a massive difference, and AFAIK there’s no upgrade path to SteamOS 3.

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