OT: Video Games/Computers/Gadgets/Gizmos

[TroyD92]

Also had a bad paste job and my cpu is running like 20*c hotter. So Gonna have to drain it again this weekend(learned my lesson to not use **** that they give you) and re-paste using some kryonaut. Think i'm going to replace my remaining hard tubes with soft tubing as well. Just so much easier and gives me way more peace of mind.

[machu46]

Finished Jedi: Survivor today. Not positive but I think it may have finally eclipsed KOTOR for my favorite Star Wars game ever. It is so, so good.


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[Siefer]

I'm about 10 hours into FF16, and I'm really enjoying it, but I can't help but feel like CBU3 missed an obvious thing that's dragging on immersion. During mainline quests characters chat and banter, and that's great, but when moving around the more open spaces, or doing side quests (which I think are solid as little vignettes), your companions tend to become little more than combat dolls. It's like something out of the PS1 era, and it would have gone a long way towards making the world feel vibrant and lived in if your characters just engaged with each other and the world a bit more.

For example:

Spoiler:

The first time I go out and about with Jill, we come upon a man near an overturned carriage, and he asks for a favor, while commenting on how unsavory it is to be getting help from a slave. Jill is never acknowledged, and never acknowledges the conversation even though she's standing right there, and we had just discussed the cover story of her being a noble with her bearer 10 minutes prior. It's was jarring, and completely removed me from the setting. I understand this is a side quest, and that Jill doesn't necessarily need to be there when you take it up, but c'mon. This is a triple A game, and I'd expect something more cohesive and thoughtful, especially given the fraught subject matter.

[MikeIsGood]

Watch on YouTube

[Sauce Boss]

Watch on YouTube

I was not expecting a gameplay trailer already. He looks pretty cool, I’ll definitely be giving him a spin when he comes out on the 24th.

[MikeIsGood]

Uninspiring dev diary from Blizzard for the first D4 season IMO.

First of all, it was a mess and that drip-fed information over the course of an entire hour (before I gave up - may still be going). The lead guy kept talking over his producers and developers, at one point they started talking about colonoscopies - it was just a total waste of time and I think I learned my lesson to wait for a one-paragraph summary next time. (Edit: Maybe POE has spoiled me. I see that sentiment, and the same for Warframe, on the Diablo sub. First 10 minutes is a ton of exciting information about the new league, pre-produced. Then 20 more minutes deep-diving into each new thing, pre-produced. Then there's a live fireside if you want that type of thing. So much better.)

Second, the season itself seems extremely shallow. Lots more uniques and aspects, which is a good addition especially for a game early in its lifespan, but the mechanic being added is barely a mechanic. Wait to find an elite that's possessed, kill it, kill what it spawns, and you get a new type of item to slot into jewelry. After promising that the seasons they planned for D4 would be much bigger than what they did for D3, this was a big let down.

[Ryan5UW]

I’ve been kicking around the idea of getting a PC for a few different basic tasks, but getting something I could also use for gaming crept into my mind. If I wanted to get something, laptop or tower, capable of running a game like Starfield - what ballpark range am I looking at for cost? It would be hooked up to my tv, so no monitor needed, just the computer.

[ReasonablySober]

I'm very near the end game of FF. Right at the point where you encounter Barnabus/Odin for a second time. I'm holding off a little bit because some side-quests open up, and I think there's two hunts I can go on.

Final Fantasy Mode looks like bittersweet fun. I spent a good amount of time grinding for AP and I've really enjoyed walking around with a handful of nukes that lay waste to everything. I've also done all the sword updates and I've only got one remaining to go. It's gonna be tough to have those abilities taken away and have my sword quickly outclassed in NG+.

Overall though this is my GOTY so far. It's not as intelligent and thoughtfully designed as Tears of the Kingdom, but I've come to really like FF's story and characters a whole lot. Voice acting has been excellent. The Eikon battles are absolutely incredible. The game really shows off the power of the PS5, IMO. But mostly I'll remember this game as truly about the friends you make along the way.

[KidA24]

I’ve been kicking around the idea of getting a PC for a few different basic tasks, but getting something I could also use for gaming crept into my mind. If I wanted to get something, laptop or tower, capable of running a game like Starfield - what ballpark range am I looking at for cost? It would be hooked up to my tv, so no monitor needed, just the computer.

You could get something that would be pretty awesome for around $1K.

This is a great resource:

https://www.logicalincrements.com/

[TroyD92]

I’ve been kicking around the idea of getting a PC for a few different basic tasks, but getting something I could also use for gaming crept into my mind. If I wanted to get something, laptop or tower, capable of running a game like Starfield - what ballpark range am I looking at for cost? It would be hooked up to my tv, so no monitor needed, just the computer.

Requirements for startfield don't seem too crazy. I'm, pretty sure these are for 60fps and 1080.

Ryzen 5 3600x -> $150-250
16gb ram -> $30-50 maybe? Probably would jump up to 32gb here though
6800xt/2080 (this is probably skewed for Nvidia's Ray tracing). I'd say get like a 3060ti or something like that. -> $300
m.2 ssd(1-2tb) -> $100-200

Need to factor in case/cooling/motherboard/power supply so probably can swing something around 1k or so

https://pcpartpicker.com/list/97FRfv

this is a little under 1k and should do the job. Probably a good idea to wait for prime day though lots of sales on computer parts around then

[Ryan5UW]

Very cool, thanks guys!

[jschligs]

Very cool, thanks guys!

I have also been very impressed with the $1200 range laptops that I’ve seen posted lately.

[tydett]

I'm about 10 hours into FF16, and I'm really enjoying it, but I can't help but feel like CBU3 missed an obvious thing that's dragging on immersion. During mainline quests characters chat and banter, and that's great, but when moving around the more open spaces, or doing side quests (which I think are solid as little vignettes), your companions tend to become little more than combat dolls. It's like something out of the PS1 era, and it would have gone a long way towards making the world feel vibrant and lived in if your characters just engaged with each other and the world a bit more.

For example:

Spoiler:

The first time I go out and about with Jill, we come upon a man near an overturned carriage, and he asks for a favor, while commenting on how unsavory it is to be getting help from a slave. Jill is never acknowledged, and never acknowledges the conversation even though she's standing right there, and we had just discussed the cover story of her being a noble with her bearer 10 minutes prior. It's was jarring, and completely removed me from the setting. I understand this is a side quest, and that Jill doesn't necessarily need to be there when you take it up, but c'mon. This is a triple A game, and I'd expect something more cohesive and thoughtful, especially given the fraught subject matter.

Completed game thoughts contained within - hence spoiler

Spoiler:

I really enjoyed FFXVI, but I walk away with kind of what you're communicating here. There's a large cast of characters, but by far and large I ended the game feeling like I knew almost nothing about most of them except for their one-note stories. The decision to focus on Clive's story was good because it means that I really cared about Clive at the end of the game, and felt fully invested in his goals and dreams. But in doing so, it lost the essence of other Final Fantasy games where party members are characters whose stories I also care about.

Jill, for example, kind of gets her resolution in the Ironborn saga, and then is just kind of there for the rest of the story - and she never really gets compelling either.

Joshua is a really nice character and a good companion for Clive, but his fate is pretty much foreshadowed from his first appearance, and so his arc completes but doesn't necessarily impact him as a character - moreso Clive.

Almost every other party member is, again, just kind of one note:
Gav - funny spy guy
Goetz - cute big dumb guy
Byron - funny uncle guy
Dion - stoic prince guy
Wade - childhood friend guy
Random cursebreakers- are former slave guys
Torgal - is a dog

Unfortunately, in focusing so much on the other Dominants - to certain degrees of success (Benedikta/Hugo - good, Dion/Barnabas - not so much!), the people close at home (our party) really suffer. The game's first half is really strong, but I think the decision to kill Cid halfway through - while merited for Clive's personal growth - really made the second half of the game Clive and his band of Nobodies, which made the ending a little bit wistful because I don't really care what happens to most of these people.

[MikeIsGood]

Very cool, thanks guys!

One thing I'll add is forethought Which is super difficult, because I was in the exact same position you are and thought for sure that would be my setup indefinitely, but within six months of having said setup I wished I'd built an actual gaming desktop (and, subsequently, I did just that). So I don't have anything to add about the actual PCs that hasn't already been shared, but just something to think about given I was in your shoes. It doesn't mean you will go the same route, though!

[Ryan5UW]

Very cool, thanks guys!

One thing I'll add is forethought Which is super difficult, because I was in the exact same position you are and thought for sure that would be my setup indefinitely, but within six months of having said setup I wished I'd built an actual gaming desktop (and, subsequently, I did just that). So I don't have anything to add about the actual PCs that hasn't already been shared, but just something to think about given I was in your shoes. It doesn't mean you will go the same route, though!

Yeah, I’ll probably start justifying an extra $100 here and there pretty quickly as I go down this road - buy once, cry once

[Ayt]

Very cool, thanks guys!

One thing I'll add is forethought Which is super difficult, because I was in the exact same position you are and thought for sure that would be my setup indefinitely, but within six months of having said setup I wished I'd built an actual gaming desktop (and, subsequently, I did just that). So I don't have anything to add about the actual PCs that hasn't already been shared, but just something to think about given I was in your shoes. It doesn't mean you will go the same route, though!

Yeah, I’ll probably start justifying an extra $100 here and there pretty quickly as I go down this road - buy once, cry once

Will you be connecting it to a 4k TV? If so, you are going to want to shell out more for a GPU that can hit 60 FPS at that resolution.

[TroyD92]

One thing I'll add is forethought Which is super difficult, because I was in the exact same position you are and thought for sure that would be my setup indefinitely, but within six months of having said setup I wished I'd built an actual gaming desktop (and, subsequently, I did just that). So I don't have anything to add about the actual PCs that hasn't already been shared, but just something to think about given I was in your shoes. It doesn't mean you will go the same route, though!

Yeah, I’ll probably start justifying an extra $100 here and there pretty quickly as I go down this road - buy once, cry once

Will you be connecting it to a 4k TV? If so, you are going to want to shell out more for a GPU that can hit 60 FPS at that resolution.

Only one that can is the 4090 really. I guess the 4080 and the amd équivalent possibly? But all the benches I’ve see have the 4090 as the only one stability in that 60fps range on 4k

[Ryan5UW]

Yeah, I’ll probably start justifying an extra $100 here and there pretty quickly as I go down this road - buy once, cry once

Will you be connecting it to a 4k TV? If so, you are going to want to shell out more for a GPU that can hit 60 FPS at that resolution.

Only one that can is the 4090 really. I guess the 4080 and the amd équivalent possibly? But all the benches I’ve see have the 4090 as the only one stability in that 60fps range on 4k

That’s why part of me wants to just go more budget on the computer and then buy an Xbox - much cheaper 4K gaming lol

That website you shared is super helpful btw!

[TroyD92]

Will you be connecting it to a 4k TV? If so, you are going to want to shell out more for a GPU that can hit 60 FPS at that resolution.

Only one that can is the 4090 really. I guess the 4080 and the amd équivalent possibly? But all the benches I’ve see have the 4090 as the only one stability in that 60fps range on 4k

That’s why part of me wants to just go more budget on the computer and then buy an Xbox - much cheaper 4K gaming lol

That website you shared is super helpful btw!

Well just for reference PC's graphics are significantly better. Just because it runs at 4k doesn't mean its the same experience. For reference. Also pretty sure most ps5 game's get limited to 30fps at 4k, but could be wrong there. I think the real value for PC is at 1080/1440 where you get similar graphics, but also run games at over 100fps

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[MikeIsGood]

Join the PC Master Race and never look back