What video game are you currently playing?

[FilterFreq]

About 450 hours playing

Dang, that is impressive. I'm still on the hunt for a game that can keep my attention for that long!

(most people see this as a negative thing for some reason, but I think it's serious dedication)

 

[T0m]

The Incredible Machine (Sierra, 1992)

The Incredible Machine

 

[Misery]

Dang, that is impressive. I'm still on the hunt for a game that can keep my attention for that long!

(most people see this as a negative thing for some reason, but I think it's serious dedication)

The sign of a great game as I see it.

I've got a couple like that... I've got probably like 700 hours in Binding of Isaac for instance, about... 330 or so in Streets of Rogue, a whole bunch of other games that are over 100 hours, Steam tells me.

And then there's Mushihime-sama. That's gotta be way over 2000 hours. It's one of the hardest games ever made, makes Dark Souls look like a happy picnic, and I was bloody stubborn about it. Had to do it, and it had to be on the highest difficulty (aka, nigh-impossible even for genre experts).

And I dont even want to know how much time I spent on Guilty Gear over the years. That's waaaayyyyyyy beyond Mushihime in terms of time. I dont think I could estimate that one. Fighting games are like that though.

 

[saturnv]

I am well over 500 in Factorio and I am back at it recently with the Space Age expansion.

I have quite a lot in the three Splatoon games too.

 

[grommet]

I looked this up.

The remote turret (gun) can aim and fire at stuff, but it specifically fires at things only if they have been tagged by the drone.

The idea is that you set the turret up somewhere, and you can hide safely somewhere and use the drone to get the turret to lock onto targets and shoot them. The enemy of course can attack the drone or the turret, but when they're doing that, they arent shooting you.

It seems like it's very much a tactical weapon, not meant to be used directly.

Generally if you see something in a game at all referred to as a "turret", or if it looks like one, it's gonna be powerful but situational and hard to use.



Enemies that are running around like "AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH" are not currently shooting at you and are now displaced from whatever possibly advantageous position they were originally in.

Obviously it's best if you can get the blast to hit them, but you cant count on that. Grenades in shooters are hard to use for good reason.

Thank you, I did not figure any of that out myself. I love the game but I also wish I did not feel compelled to play it. I play it even when I do not want to and tell myself I won't. I cannot find a way to stop playing. I had it on disc for my Xbox and threw the disc out so I could not play. Then later missed it so much I had to buy it again. Not a good feeling.

I have had so much fun playing it. I learned a lot of lessons. I failed so many times then felt great when I finally managed some challenges I thought were impossible. But so many hours are me playing when I do not want to.

I looked a lot on Xbox website but could not find anything else I wanted to play. I tried other games. I did not enjoy them. I did like Flight Simulator a lot, that was the best. I stopped because i kept crashing and it was so complicated to learn but, my friend who I kept telling about the game just bought a gaming laptop and joystick, all sorts of gear just to play it and I am hoping he will teach me how to play. He is a real pilot but does not fly any more.

I wish I could enjoy other games but I cannot seem o find anything else I like. Xbox let me try lots of them without having to buy them, it still did not work.

Is there any way to stop playing a video game? Nothing I do works, my brain craves it. The developers seems to know a lot about biology and psychology.

 

[Misery]

Thank you, I did not figure any of that out myself. I love the game but I also wish I did not feel compelled to play it. I play it even when I do not want to and tell myself I won't. I cannot find a way to stop playing. I had it on disc for my Xbox and threw the disc out so I could not play. Then later missed it so much I had to buy it again. Not a good feeling.

I have had so much fun playing it. I learned a lot of lessons. I failed so many times then felt great when I finally managed some challenges I thought were impossible. But so many hours are me playing when I do not want to.

I looked a lot on Xbox website but could not find anything else I wanted to play. I tried other games. I did not enjoy them. I did like Flight Simulator a lot, that was the best. I stopped because i kept crashing and it was so complicated to learn but, my friend who I kept telling about the game just bought a gaming laptop and joystick, all sorts of gear just to play it and I am hoping he will teach me how to play. He is a real pilot but does not fly any more.

I wish I could enjoy other games but I cannot seem o find anything else I like. Xbox let me try lots of them without having to buy them, it still did not work.

Is there any way to stop playing a video game? Nothing I do works, my brain craves it. The developers seems to know a lot about biology and psychology.

If you want to slow down on the gaming... which is a good thing, even I do that... the #1 thing I've found that helps is something I think I've mentioned a few times on the forum here, which is diversifying hobbies a bit.

Think about it this way: You want that burst of fun and enjoyment and whatever, and the game provides that, yeah? Well, if you can find more things to do that provide an equal burst but arent games, suddenly you've got a large variety of things you can pick from to do, and that means you're not stuck on just one over and over.

It's a lesson my father taught to me, actually, because I'd been stuck in exactly that same loop for ages. For me, it's why I have stuff like my board games and puzzles and such. When it's time to do hobby stuff for me, there's a pretty much equal chance that I'll pick from any of them. Some days, it's video gaming time, other days, it's time for dice and cards, other days, gonna do a bunch of puzzles, maybe draw stuff. And when the weather isnt made of stupid, some days are all about hiking. It's been GREAT for my mental health (and also great from a sensory standpoint, that switchup helped a lot more with that than I thought it would). Oddly, it also increased my appreciation for video games too; when you're way too close to something, that can actually reduce enjoyment of it. It might be part of why you've had trouble finding other games you might like.

It's not easy to do of course, it can take some experimenting and exploring to find new hobbies that give you that same level of enjoyment. It's worth doing though, seriously.

If you do find some other hobbies to vary things up, maybe make a routine of it. Like say, a calander, where it's like "Okay, Tuesday I can do video games, Wednesday it's gotta be [other thing]" and so on, that might help the switching be part of your routine. I dont do that one myself, it's just an idea that occurs to me.

That's my thoughts on it anyway. That's my #1 bit of advice I could give you on anything, I think.



As for the flight sim: Which version are you playing? There's the one that came out in 2020, and the new one that only just came out, Microsoft Flight Sim 2024. The 2024 one is WAY more friendly towards new and/or casual players and has way more things to do that arent like super serious all the time. It's got a lot of stuff in there, like the career mode, that can help you to learn easier, and various options that can give a bit of an assist so that the flying overall is not quite as hard while you're learning. And of course there's plenty of challenging stuff in there for players who like that, like the race mode where it's like "okay let's load this HEY NOW YOU'RE IN A JET RACE TO THE END DONT HIT THE CANYON WALLS HERE'S A MOUNTAIN LOL"

The only problem is that this new version of the game only just launched a couple of weeks ago and is currently having a series of screaming seizures as the servers keep imploding, but that'll be fixed soon enough. I've got all my flight sim gear all ready to go for it. I'm still a beginner myself, too. I'm waiting for the whole thing to calm the heck down before I touch it though (I've got zero patience for game crashes and disconnects).

There are also a TON of tutorials and such online that people have made that are exactly for players who are like absolutely new. It's how I'll be learning it. But of course if you've got someone who can help you learn IRL, that's gonna be great too.

Gonna be real interesting, I think. Gaming is great and all, but playing something like this while actually learning new things? I love that, I dont get that often enough. I'm really looking forward to it.

 

[grommet]

If you want to slow down on the gaming... which is a good thing, even I do that... the #1 thing I've found that helps is something I think I've mentioned a few times on the forum here, which is diversifying hobbies a bit.

Think about it this way: You want that burst of fun and enjoyment and whatever, and the game provides that, yeah? Well, if you can find more things to do that provide an equal burst but arent games, suddenly you've got a large variety of things you can pick from to do, and that means you're not stuck on just one over and over.

It's a lesson my father taught to me, actually, because I'd been stuck in exactly that same loop for ages. For me, it's why I have stuff like my board games and puzzles and such. When it's time to do hobby stuff for me, there's a pretty much equal chance that I'll pick from any of them. Some days, it's video gaming time, other days, it's time for dice and cards, other days, gonna do a bunch of puzzles, maybe draw stuff. And when the weather isnt made of stupid, some days are all about hiking. It's been GREAT for my mental health (and also great from a sensory standpoint, that switchup helped a lot more with that than I thought it would). Oddly, it also increased my appreciation for video games too; when you're way too close to something, that can actually reduce enjoyment of it. It might be part of why you've had trouble finding other games you might like.

It's not easy to do of course, it can take some experimenting and exploring to find new hobbies that give you that same level of enjoyment. It's worth doing though, seriously.

If you do find some other hobbies to vary things up, maybe make a routine of it. Like say, a calander, where it's like "Okay, Tuesday I can do video games, Wednesday it's gotta be [other thing]" and so on, that might help the switching be part of your routine. I dont do that one myself, it's just an idea that occurs to me.

That's my thoughts on it anyway. That's my #1 bit of advice I could give you on anything, I think.

Thank you very much for the advice. I had not thought o trying other hobbies but I do not know if I can. I have always had one I was obsessed with then after a few years, something else. I have something coming in the mail tomorrow that might help me do something else, I am looking forward to it.

On Flight Simulator, I played the 2020 version. My friend has 2024 and talked about lots of bugs but they will be fixed. He is enjoying it so much though he just started three days ago when he bought a new gaming laptop for it, he has already bough a joystick, foot pedals, a new keyboard, new monitor and new mouse. He is also thinking about eventually going from his laptop to a high-end desktop PC.

I wonder so much what it is like for a real pilot to play the game but he himself got excited about it from watching a working Airbus pilot who makes FS videos. I worry a little he is going too fast but I did that with VR and I do not regret it at all. It was the most fun I ever had. I do not play VR at all any more. Maybe if I had something to do with it and used a standalone headset. But maybe not, I think I moved on. I think flat games look better than VR.

I liked hearing about you hiking. You live in a wonderful place for that with trees and paths. I think the smell must be so nice.

On playing other games. Maybe if I could stay away from mine for a really long time I could find something else I liked but you once told me to try things I normally would not because I might find something I really like. I did that but did not find one thing I liked. Maybe in a way I know my brain then again sometimes I find things I did not think of before and they turn out to be great.

I get a little sad playing my game because I realized all my friends were imaginary, NPC's who were always angry at me and trying to kill me. They were who I spent every day with. Did not seem right to me but I did not know what to do about it. Also, there are two lady NPC's in the game I noticed I felt attracted to and felt embarrassed about that. Maybe the developers make them attractive on purpose though. They made Lara Croft movies and I think she was meant to be attractive.

 

[FilterFreq]

I've got probably like 700 hours in Binding of Isaac for instance, about... 330 or so in Streets of Rogue, a whole bunch of other games that are over 100 hours, Steam tells me.

Roguelikes are pretty interesting like that. I think I've probably got about 100 on both TBOI and SoR myself (probably even stuff like Axiom Verge, even though it's not a rogue and I just suck at it), but once I get to that point I'm usually ready to just stop for good, lol. Maybe I give up too easily.

Factorio I think was about 100 hours, too. I got to fluid mechanics after a few failed startups and then I just felt overwhelmed. But I'm still on the hunt! Maybe a new genre entirely or something will be that special thing

700 on TBOI is seriously impressive, though.

 

[Outdated]

But I'm still on the hunt! Maybe a new genre entirely or something will be that special thing

This is an older game but certainly different from anything else I ever played - Black & White. Although it seems a little childish at first it's quite a bloodthirsty war game.

There was a sequel that came out and although it had better graphics it was nowhere near as entertaining as the original, it was a real disappointment to tell the truth.

Black & White has been abandoned by it's developers and is now available for free on sevaral sites. If it interests you I have copies of all the addons, patches and extra download content that goes with it.

Black & White (Windows)

 

[Misery]

but I do not know if I can

Remember Jeff?

I did that but did not find one thing I liked.

Eh, honestly the Xbox store (I'm assuming this is where you were looking for new games to try) and whatnot doesnt exactly make it easy to find stuff. I know whenever I go on there and browse it, I usually just end up really irritated. The Playstation store, as well as Nintendo's, arent any better either.

I actually always find new games through other means rather than there. Sometimes it's worth just exploring entirely new avenues.

You live in a wonderful place for that with trees and paths. I think the smell must be so nice.

It's funny, sometimes the area smells like grass and flowers.

Other times it smells like a cow exploded.

A lot of farms around here, the forest preserves are sorta mixed in with them.

Factorio I think was about 100 hours, too. I got to fluid mechanics after a few failed startups and then I just felt overwhelmed.

Fluids are where everyone seems to get stuck in that game. As much as I like Factorio it really doesnt do a very good job of helping the player to learn anything. I had to watch some tutorials myself.

Ever tried any other factory games at all?

 

[Jonn]

Ah, that could be the amount you're carrying. It has a big impact on your speed and stamina long before you reach the limits.

It might have had something to do with buying a good quality protection suit that weighed less.
I now have the Weir Water artifact that increases the amount you can carry without the stamina issue, up to a point.

The original versions I'd collect everything I could. In this version that tactic gets you killed (more). Any weapon marked as damaged with a red indicator can't be sold: unload and drop. Only keep those with a yellow indicator if damaged.

There is a trader that buys wrecked weapons.
What I have been doing is storing them in the personal locker, going to that trader, loading up the rubbish, and selling it to him.
I don't buy or sell anything else from him because he rips you off.
I can find the trader's location if you like.

 

[Jonn]

The sign of a great game as I see it.

I've got a couple like that... I've got probably like 700 hours in Binding of Isaac for instance, about... 330 or so in Streets of Rogue, a whole bunch of other games that are over 100 hours, Steam tells me.

And then there's Mushihime-sama. That's gotta be way over 2000 hours. It's one of the hardest games ever made, makes Dark Souls look like a happy picnic, and I was bloody stubborn about it. Had to do it, and it had to be on the highest difficulty (aka, nigh-impossible even for genre experts).

And I dont even want to know how much time I spent on Guilty Gear over the years. That's waaaayyyyyyy beyond Mushihime in terms of time. I dont think I could estimate that one. Fighting games are like that though.

I have been playing "Shogun: Total War", on and off, since it came out.

Shogun: Total War is a turn-based strategy and real-time tactics video game developed by The Creative Assembly and published by Electronic Arts for Microsoft Windows personal computers. Released in June 2000, the game became the debut title in The Creative Assembly's Total War series.

24.5 years and counting.
Beat that!.

 

[Misery]

24.5 years and counting.
Beat that!.

1984, sir. And I never stopped playing these.

I mean okay I dont remember 1984 but I'm told they gave me the console when I was 3 or 4 years old, so that works well enough.

Of course these days I use an emulator (with LaunchBox) to play these. Physical cartridges are one of those things I dont miss too much from those days. Darned things just get all over the place. If I had cartridges these days, the dogs would just find ways to grab them.

Also that particular game is bloody impossible. Doesnt matter how good I get at gaming overall, I *still* cant get anywhere in that one.

 

[Boogs]

I now have the Weir Water artifact

Not sure I found that yet, but I have the one that gives an extra 6Kg early on although is radioactive?

I can find the trader's location if you like.

I never turn down good intelligence material! Yes please!

 

[Outdated]

I have been playing "Shogun: Total War", on and off, since it came out.

Same here, all 3 of the original Total War series. The remakes suck, the originals are far better.

 

[Misery]

Same here, all 3 of the original Total War series. The remakes suck, the originals are far better.

I dont play that series myself, but from what I've heard, it's kinda gone downhill as time goes on.

Though that seems to be how a lot of really long running series go.

 

[Outdated]

I dont play that series myself, but from what I've heard, it's kinda gone downhill as time goes on.

They greatly increased the graphics requirements and as a result they had to greatly reduce the size of the fields you do battle on. So instead of having a large area in which you can maneuver and use tactics against an enemy all of a sudden you're both face to face and it's just an all out slogging match.

The Age of Empires series did exactly the same thing, what had started off as a tactical war game became just an attention deficit slogging match. Two babies bashing each other with wiffle bats.

 

[grommet]

Remember Jeff?

I never forget Jeff.

Eh, honestly the Xbox store (I'm assuming this is where you were looking for new games to try) and whatnot doesnt exactly make it easy to find stuff. I know whenever I go on there and browse it, I usually just end up really irritated. The Playstation store, as well as Nintendo's, arent any better either.

What other places are there that have games for the Xbox? I thought only the Xbox store.

 

[Misery]

I never forget Jeff.

Excellent.

What other places are there that have games for the Xbox? I thought only the Xbox store.

Well, stores arent quite what I meant.

To be more specific, I learn about games most often from places entirely outside of stores in general. On Steam for instance I usually dont find things through browsing the shops, I find things by watching the activity feed, which shows things that people on my friends list are buying. Most of them have similar tastes to my own, so when they're buying things, I check those things out. Often, I've never heard of whatever it is.

Other than that I also use Youtube to find new stuff. People just LOVE to show off games they found. Any type of game you can imagine. Even stuff that's like, super duper niche that hardly anyone has ever seen. Doesnt matter what kind, it's in there somewhere. Once I learn about a game I want, if it's on both PC and Xbox I can then decide which one I want to get it for. And go from there.

Of course the trick is finding good channels that like to talk about the sorts of games you might have an interest in. But they are out there.

That's just my approach though, there's certainly other methods of finding new stuff out there.

They greatly increased the graphics requirements and as a result they had to greatly reduce the size of the fields you do battle on. So instead of having a large area in which you can maneuver and use tactics against an enemy all of a sudden you're both face to face and it's just an all out slogging match.

I hate when devs do this one.

Like good grief, you dont need hyper super duper graphics to make a great strategic/tactical experience. I daresay that too much into graphics even makes things harder to read at a glance.

One of my favorite games that has bloody enormous armies going against each other is Dominions 6, it's all awkward 2D sprites on a 3D battlefield, and it is absolute, utter chaos.

Not to mention that going too far in graphics reduces the amount of actual content available. If ya gotta make a super detailed 3D model with animations for every bloody unit/item, ya aint going to have all that much variety.

 

[FilterFreq]

Fluids are where everyone seems to get stuck in that game. As much as I like Factorio it really doesnt do a very good job of helping the player to learn anything. I had to watch some tutorials myself.

Ever tried any other factory games at all?

That is a good question -- not yet! Do you have any recommendations? I don't think I've actually explored the genre otherwise