OT: Video Games/Computers/Gadgets/Gizmos

[ReasonablySober]

I just looked at a list of quests because I was curious about far I was or wasn't. Turns out, I'm right on the doorstep of the final quest. Doesn't feel like I should be there, yet. Story...it isn't great.

I got access to the Warfarer and Magic Magician vocations last night before I turned in. Also got access to all but the very best weaponry. I don't have any Dragonforged gear, and I'd like to get going on that before NG+.

Gonna have to hunt some drakes. Haven't come close to killing one yet.

[MikeIsGood]

I just looked at a list of quests because I was curious about far I was or wasn't. Turns out, I'm right on the doorstep of the final quest. Doesn't feel like I should be there, yet. Story...it isn't great.

I got access to the Warfarer and Magic Magician vocations last night before I turned in. Also got access to all but the very best weaponry. I don't have any Dragonforged gear, and I'd like to get going on that before NG+.

Gonna have to hunt some drakes. Haven't come close to killing one yet.

I have barely started the MQ. 100% exploring as I want as if it's Skyrim.

[jschligs]

You guys always make me want to buy games I was never considering. But if DD2 has some elements of Skyrim and is not a souls like game I'm in. The videos look awesome.

[ReasonablySober]

Have made it to level 35 with two nearly maxed out vocations but haven't paid any attention to gear or builds and I think it's showing when I try and take on drakes. I can get a supposedly weaker drake down to two health bars but I'm getting completely wiped soon after.

I'm gonna switch to a Magic Archer and see how that goes. It's gonna be a bummer having such a low vocation this deep into the game, but whatever, I'm in no rush to complete this play through. I planned a bit ahead by buying one of the most powerful bows. Also will let me make Shadowheart a thief after maxing out archer and mage, and I've already got some of the best blades available for her too.

[MikeIsGood]

You guys always make me want to buy games I was never considering. But if DD2 has some elements of Skyrim and is not a souls like game I'm in. The videos look awesome.

It rocks. It's definitely not quite as much of a sandbox as Skyrim, but the aspect I'm really loving is just how open and interesting everything is. Stumbling into caves and seeing what's there. Like Skyrim, I'm fast traveling very little and just opting for foot because of what I could be missing.

That's good, though, because a few things to know:

1. Fast travel is indeed purposefully limited. You'll get a bunch of stones in-game that will allow you to travel to specific locations (major cities, and you can set a few locations yourself), but it's definitely been an irking point for some that it's not more open.

2. Same goes for the save system. Capcom has said they're looking at adding a multiple-game save system to the Steam version, but even if they do, within those saves the game is pretty ruthless. You don't get to manage your own saves and so you won't get a chance to savescum at all. You get used to it - it's definitely caused me to be more careful and intentional. And return to home base more frequently to make "anchor" saves at an inn/your home. But again, this has irked some.

3. What's really irked people though is the DLC. And tbh I do not get it at all, because basically every game on the planet is rife with DLC now, but nonetheless FYI. There is absolutely zero reason to buy any of it if you don't want it, though. This is not like a 2K game where you can't have a good experience with dynasty or whatever unless you buy card packs; the DLC just lets you buy things that you can get in-game extremely easily. It's there to let people cheese if they want to (and they know it'll sell, obviously).

Those are the things I can think of that have given the game some backlash and my takes on them. The world is incredible and the combat absolutely rocks. I think my best description of it all is a Skyrim-like world, with Monster Hunter-like combat, and some Souls-like itemization and crafting.

[Prez]

Did not seem like Rise of the Ronin was worth 70 bucks and the uncapped 30fps for DD2 also makes me not wanna drop 70 bucks on it, so I have now moved on to finally playing Nioh 2

Getting utterly **** on to start the game, in case anyone was wondering lol

It would appear that playing a bunch of Cyberpunk with a hilariously OP Sandevistan build has me not prepared to deal with a difficult Soulslike

[ReasonablySober]

Did not seem like Rise of the Ronin was worth 70 bucks and the uncapped 30fps for DD2 also makes me not wanna drop 70 bucks on it, so I have now moved on to finally playing Nioh 2

Getting utterly **** on to start the game, in case anyone was wondering lol

It would appear that playing a bunch of Cyberpunk with a hilariously OP Sandevistan build has me not prepared to deal with a difficult Soulslike

It's such an insanely hard game. Nothing in the mainline Souls/Bloodborne/Elden Ring series comes close.

But the thing to remember in Nioh 2 is the game really wants you to use the Yokai Shift mechanic. It also assumes you're summoning blue Revenants in for help. So remember to Burst Counter often, use Yokai Shift (between Brute, Feral, and Phantom I had the most success with Feral in early boss encounters) when your gage is full, and take advantage of Revenants, even if they're just meat shields.

[TroyD92]

You guys always make me want to buy games I was never considering. But if DD2 has some elements of Skyrim and is not a souls like game I'm in. The videos look awesome.

It rocks. It's definitely not quite as much of a sandbox as Skyrim, but the aspect I'm really loving is just how open and interesting everything is. Stumbling into caves and seeing what's there. Like Skyrim, I'm fast traveling very little and just opting for foot because of what I could be missing.

That's good, though, because a few things to know:

1. Fast travel is indeed purposefully limited. You'll get a bunch of stones in-game that will allow you to travel to specific locations (major cities, and you can set a few locations yourself), but it's definitely been an irking point for some that it's not more open.

2. Same goes for the save system. Capcom has said they're looking at adding a multiple-game save system to the Steam version, but even if they do, within those saves the game is pretty ruthless. You don't get to manage your own saves and so you won't get a chance to savescum at all. You get used to it - it's definitely caused me to be more careful and intentional. And return to home base more frequently to make "anchor" saves at an inn/your home. But again, this has irked some.

3. What's really irked people though is the DLC. And tbh I do not get it at all, because basically every game on the planet is rife with DLC now, but nonetheless FYI. There is absolutely zero reason to buy any of it if you don't want it, though. This is not like a 2K game where you can't have a good experience with dynasty or whatever unless you buy card packs; the DLC just lets you buy things that you can get in-game extremely easily. It's there to let people cheese if they want to (and they know it'll sell, obviously).

Those are the things I can think of that have given the game some backlash and my takes on them. The world is incredible and the combat absolutely rocks. I think my best description of it all is a Skyrim-like world, with Monster Hunter-like combat, and some Souls-like itemization and crafting.

its not DLC though. It's a full priced $70 game with micro transactions.

[MikeIsGood]

You guys always make me want to buy games I was never considering. But if DD2 has some elements of Skyrim and is not a souls like game I'm in. The videos look awesome.

It rocks. It's definitely not quite as much of a sandbox as Skyrim, but the aspect I'm really loving is just how open and interesting everything is. Stumbling into caves and seeing what's there. Like Skyrim, I'm fast traveling very little and just opting for foot because of what I could be missing.

That's good, though, because a few things to know:

1. Fast travel is indeed purposefully limited. You'll get a bunch of stones in-game that will allow you to travel to specific locations (major cities, and you can set a few locations yourself), but it's definitely been an irking point for some that it's not more open.

2. Same goes for the save system. Capcom has said they're looking at adding a multiple-game save system to the Steam version, but even if they do, within those saves the game is pretty ruthless. You don't get to manage your own saves and so you won't get a chance to savescum at all. You get used to it - it's definitely caused me to be more careful and intentional. And return to home base more frequently to make "anchor" saves at an inn/your home. But again, this has irked some.

3. What's really irked people though is the DLC. And tbh I do not get it at all, because basically every game on the planet is rife with DLC now, but nonetheless FYI. There is absolutely zero reason to buy any of it if you don't want it, though. This is not like a 2K game where you can't have a good experience with dynasty or whatever unless you buy card packs; the DLC just lets you buy things that you can get in-game extremely easily. It's there to let people cheese if they want to (and they know it'll sell, obviously).

Those are the things I can think of that have given the game some backlash and my takes on them. The world is incredible and the combat absolutely rocks. I think my best description of it all is a Skyrim-like world, with Monster Hunter-like combat, and some Souls-like itemization and crafting.

its not DLC though. It's a full priced $70 game with micro transactions.

It is. Switch out DLC with MTX. My point still applies - it's all entirely unnecessary and accessibly within the game. People are bitching about "$3 to change how my character looks" when it costs 500 RC in-game. I currently have over 10,000 RC from just naturally playing the game.

Don't buy them if you don't want them The only way we, as gamers, are getting rid of MTX is if we stop buying them. But people do, so developers will keep including them. It's just really weird that DD2 took this huge backlash for it for some reason when it is way, way, way worse in many other games.

[ReasonablySober]

You guys always make me want to buy games I was never considering. But if DD2 has some elements of Skyrim and is not a souls like game I'm in. The videos look awesome.

It rocks. It's definitely not quite as much of a sandbox as Skyrim, but the aspect I'm really loving is just how open and interesting everything is. Stumbling into caves and seeing what's there. Like Skyrim, I'm fast traveling very little and just opting for foot because of what I could be missing.

That's good, though, because a few things to know:

1. Fast travel is indeed purposefully limited. You'll get a bunch of stones in-game that will allow you to travel to specific locations (major cities, and you can set a few locations yourself), but it's definitely been an irking point for some that it's not more open.

2. Same goes for the save system. Capcom has said they're looking at adding a multiple-game save system to the Steam version, but even if they do, within those saves the game is pretty ruthless. You don't get to manage your own saves and so you won't get a chance to savescum at all. You get used to it - it's definitely caused me to be more careful and intentional. And return to home base more frequently to make "anchor" saves at an inn/your home. But again, this has irked some.

3. What's really irked people though is the DLC. And tbh I do not get it at all, because basically every game on the planet is rife with DLC now, but nonetheless FYI. There is absolutely zero reason to buy any of it if you don't want it, though. This is not like a 2K game where you can't have a good experience with dynasty or whatever unless you buy card packs; the DLC just lets you buy things that you can get in-game extremely easily. It's there to let people cheese if they want to (and they know it'll sell, obviously).

Those are the things I can think of that have given the game some backlash and my takes on them. The world is incredible and the combat absolutely rocks. I think my best description of it all is a Skyrim-like world, with Monster Hunter-like combat, and some Souls-like itemization and crafting.

its not DLC though. It's a full priced $70 game with micro transactions.

There's a big difference in a game with predatory and game changing micro transactions, and what Capcom is doing with DD2. There's no reason to spend an extra cent on DD2.

[TroyD92]

It rocks. It's definitely not quite as much of a sandbox as Skyrim, but the aspect I'm really loving is just how open and interesting everything is. Stumbling into caves and seeing what's there. Like Skyrim, I'm fast traveling very little and just opting for foot because of what I could be missing.

That's good, though, because a few things to know:

1. Fast travel is indeed purposefully limited. You'll get a bunch of stones in-game that will allow you to travel to specific locations (major cities, and you can set a few locations yourself), but it's definitely been an irking point for some that it's not more open.

2. Same goes for the save system. Capcom has said they're looking at adding a multiple-game save system to the Steam version, but even if they do, within those saves the game is pretty ruthless. You don't get to manage your own saves and so you won't get a chance to savescum at all. You get used to it - it's definitely caused me to be more careful and intentional. And return to home base more frequently to make "anchor" saves at an inn/your home. But again, this has irked some.

3. What's really irked people though is the DLC. And tbh I do not get it at all, because basically every game on the planet is rife with DLC now, but nonetheless FYI. There is absolutely zero reason to buy any of it if you don't want it, though. This is not like a 2K game where you can't have a good experience with dynasty or whatever unless you buy card packs; the DLC just lets you buy things that you can get in-game extremely easily. It's there to let people cheese if they want to (and they know it'll sell, obviously).

Those are the things I can think of that have given the game some backlash and my takes on them. The world is incredible and the combat absolutely rocks. I think my best description of it all is a Skyrim-like world, with Monster Hunter-like combat, and some Souls-like itemization and crafting.

its not DLC though. It's a full priced $70 game with micro transactions.

It is. Switch out DLC with MTX. My point still applies - it's all entirely unnecessary and accessibly within the game. People are bitching about "$3 to change how my character looks" when it costs 500 RC in-game. I currently have over 10,000 RC from just naturally playing the game.

Don't buy them if you don't want them The only way we, as gamers, are getting rid of MTX is if we stop buying them. But people do, so developers will keep including them. It's just really weird that DD2 took this huge backlash for it for some reason when it is way, way, way worse in many other games.

Why is it weird? This is a game that had no indications of "DLC" and then includes mtx. The idea that people can't be angry about a predatory company like Capcom doing the same **** they do in Monster Hunter or Streetfighter in a single player game is a bit much. Of course some people are mad about it.

1. Bad Performnace
2. Denuvo
3. Limiting players to a single character.
4. MTX

These are all inherently anti-consumer.

[TroyD92]

It rocks. It's definitely not quite as much of a sandbox as Skyrim, but the aspect I'm really loving is just how open and interesting everything is. Stumbling into caves and seeing what's there. Like Skyrim, I'm fast traveling very little and just opting for foot because of what I could be missing.

That's good, though, because a few things to know:

1. Fast travel is indeed purposefully limited. You'll get a bunch of stones in-game that will allow you to travel to specific locations (major cities, and you can set a few locations yourself), but it's definitely been an irking point for some that it's not more open.

2. Same goes for the save system. Capcom has said they're looking at adding a multiple-game save system to the Steam version, but even if they do, within those saves the game is pretty ruthless. You don't get to manage your own saves and so you won't get a chance to savescum at all. You get used to it - it's definitely caused me to be more careful and intentional. And return to home base more frequently to make "anchor" saves at an inn/your home. But again, this has irked some.

3. What's really irked people though is the DLC. And tbh I do not get it at all, because basically every game on the planet is rife with DLC now, but nonetheless FYI. There is absolutely zero reason to buy any of it if you don't want it, though. This is not like a 2K game where you can't have a good experience with dynasty or whatever unless you buy card packs; the DLC just lets you buy things that you can get in-game extremely easily. It's there to let people cheese if they want to (and they know it'll sell, obviously).

Those are the things I can think of that have given the game some backlash and my takes on them. The world is incredible and the combat absolutely rocks. I think my best description of it all is a Skyrim-like world, with Monster Hunter-like combat, and some Souls-like itemization and crafting.

its not DLC though. It's a full priced $70 game with micro transactions.

There's a big difference in a game with predatory and game changing micro transactions, and what Capcom is doing with DD2. There's no reason to spend an extra cent on DD2.

I mean its all the same. If you are fine with it in DD2 then you're fine with it in any game.

That's fine, but a lot of people are explicitly anti-mtx

[ReasonablySober]

I mean, it's not remotely all the same. A bunch of full priced games come with modes that actively make the playing of the game worse unless you fork over more money. They hammer you with constant pop up screens trying to sell you upgrades and content you'll never see unless you pay. Or they make the process of getting to that content so tedious and un-fun that you're essentially forced to pay. Or there's simply Pay to Win.

None of that is the case in DD2.

[MikeIsGood]

its not DLC though. It's a full priced $70 game with micro transactions.

It is. Switch out DLC with MTX. My point still applies - it's all entirely unnecessary and accessibly within the game. People are bitching about "$3 to change how my character looks" when it costs 500 RC in-game. I currently have over 10,000 RC from just naturally playing the game.

Don't buy them if you don't want them The only way we, as gamers, are getting rid of MTX is if we stop buying them. But people do, so developers will keep including them. It's just really weird that DD2 took this huge backlash for it for some reason when it is way, way, way worse in many other games.

Why is it weird? This is a game that had no indications of "DLC" and then includes mtx. The idea that people can't be angry about a predatory company like Capcom doing the same **** they do in Monster Hunter or Streetfighter in a single player game is a bit much. Of course some people are mad about it.

1. Bad Performnace
2. Denuvo
3. Limiting players to a single character.
4. MTX

These are all inherently anti-consumer.

The rest of it is beside the point here. Go ahead and be mad about 1-3.

Go ahead and be mad about 4, too! If you have a consistent opinion on MTX and avoid all games with it, good for you (seriously - I don't have have same willpower). But I'm calling out it being weird - and there being some straight-up misinformation and lies, not from you but in general feedback - with the commentary around the MTX with this game. I play Monster Hunter. I play Street Fighter. Those games didn't have the same MTX backlash as DD2 is getting. And the MTX here is extremely tame.

[MikeIsGood]

Fun example here since it just came out today...

Cities: Skylines 2 - which I was enormously hyped for and ultimately disappointed by - released its first DLC today. DLC, not MTX. $10 for...20 new houses - 10 per theme (US & EU), each with 3 levels for them to grow to. They're beach themed, in a game without the ability to have beaches.

They want you to pay $10, 1/6 of the cost of the game itself, to add 20 new houses to the game. It's a game starved for assets to be sure, and without full mod support right now, some are going to feel like it's needed to make the game feel less monotonous. And all of that makes the DLC feel even worse.

It's typical Paradox bull. But personally, that's the kind of DLC that irritates me.

[ReasonablySober]

Watch on YouTube

I hadn't looked into the various Augments much, but this is a good video to check out.

I'm honestly surprised by how few Augments actually seem worth it. These seem like the best (and a ranking):

12 - Dominance - Warrior (8) - Augments your Knockdown Power.
11- Constancy - Sorcerer (6) - Augments your Knockdown Resistance.
10 - Ambuscade - Archer (2) - Increases damage dealt by your attacks when targets are not in battle stance.
9 - Vitality - Warrior (2) - Increases your maximum Health.
8 - Dynamism - Warfarer (9) - Reduces the amount by which weight affects your movement speed
7 - Amelioration - Magick Archer (9 [ugh]) - Reduces the amount of time taken for fallen pawns to revive
6 - Fugacity - Trickster (2) - Decreases the likelihood of being beset by hostile targets while camping or riding in an oxcart.
5 - Radiance - Archer (6) - Causes your lantern to consume less oil and illuminate a wider area.
4 - Athleticism - Mystic Spearhand (9 [ugh]) - Reduces Stamina consumed while dashing
3 - Apotropaism - Mage (2) - Augments your Magick Defense.
2 - Mettle - Fighter (2) - Augments your Physical defense.
1 - Detection - Trickster (2) - Alerts you to the presence of any Seeker's Tokens or Wakestone shards in the vicinity with sound and blinking light.

[jmuelly]

Computer ?. What would you recommend for virus protections/spyware etc. Would you run a VPN, if so whats a good one? I used to just run yearly virus protections but I’ve heard people do so many different things now just curious what I should really be looking at. Thanks

[ReasonablySober]

Computer ?. What would you recommend for virus protections/spyware etc. Would you run a VPN, if so whats a good one? I used to just run yearly virus protections but I’ve heard people do so many different things now just curious what I should really be looking at. Thanks

I can't help with antivirus software, but I use Mullvad VPN and I like it a lot.

[MikeIsGood]

Computer ?. What would you recommend for virus protections/spyware etc. Would you run a VPN, if so whats a good one? I used to just run yearly virus protections but I’ve heard people do so many different things now just curious what I should really be looking at. Thanks

I presume you're asking from a Windows POV.

Honestly, at this point, I just run Windows Defender/Security. It's come a long way from way back in the day. If you aren't doing anything outside normal confines it should work just fine. I supplement with MalwareBytes free for added protection on that front, and I have a password manager to handle everything in that realm.

If you want some added protection - which I assume you may as someone looking into VPN - maybe consider Avast or Norton? I think both effectively offer all-in-one bundles.

[MikeIsGood]

I'm starting to consider a new desktop. I had originally intended to wait-out for the 50-series, but not sure I want to wait into 2025 for good card availability, and the 40-super series seems to be grading fine. It's also more than enough for me.

I'm considering just buying a (fancy) rig, though, as I don't have ample time to research and build these days. Which feels like heresy, but I've done some research to know which vendors to avoid and the opportunity cost - generally sitting around $500 more than self-built - feels worthwhile to me. That said, seeking feedback from y'all. I've literally never bought a desktop PC! Back in HS/college I built, then I had my Apple moment, then when I came back to Windows around 2016 y'all helped me get back into building (s/o Ayt) and have re-built from there.

So, aside from $$$ and the joy of doing it (I do get it), just curious for thoughts from y'all and if you have any positive or negative stories to share.