I recently got into a new game of Final Fantasy VI (Final Fantasy III US) on SNES. What's funny is as big of a FF fan as I am, I never completed that game. I keep starting a new game then lose interest and never finish. This time, THIS time it's gonna happen! Maybe....

I've been playing a few credits-per-day of Taito's 1988 "Truxton" via Retroarch emulation. This on a little homemade cabinet with proper arcade controls, and the innards of a PC.

The game has a certain nostalgia, being one of the best games at the main arcade I frequented as a kid during the early 90's. I did not play it a lot then, either, but used to watch friends play it, and spent many cumulative hours watching it's attract screen as a teenager with no coins. It's a really attractive game with surprisingly smooth and advanced graphics for it's age.

It's also a really hard game, as a non-shmup player. I believe it is split into 5 main levels. Each of which has a beginning 'space' setting, including some mini-bosses, followed by an overland 'asteroid' setting, which includes a big boss. Over about a month, I've progressed into Level 2 (that is, what I can achieve on one credit) - to be precise, I'm at about the 9:00 minute mark in the Longplay video linked above.

I'm starting to see noticeable skill improvements in myself, which is cool. Yesterday while playing, a few times I noticed myself successfully monitoring and dodging through a complex hail of bullets, and thought Wow, I would never have dreamed of doing that a month ago.

I am enjoying playing this kind of game at the moment, because I find it to be a real switch-off style of play. That is, while I spend that 5-10 minutes non-stop dodging bullets and moving the ship around, I will absolutely not be thinking about anything else. I will not be distracted by the slightest thing (else will die in short order). I come away feeling a unique kind of refreshed, like I have had a really intense mini-break. And the real world seems comparatively slow paced and relaxing afterwards. 🤣

Welp. 'Homeworld: Remastered Collection' is going to be my go to for the foreseeable future since GOG has it 90% off right now. $34.99 to $3.49 is a dagnabbit good deal. Includes the original games as well. Done. I dabbled with it back in the late 90s, but never had time to play around with it in any deep sense. I've heard it's amazing so looking forward to it.

liqmat wrote on 2022-01-14, 16:23:

Welp. 'Homeworld: Remastered Collection' is going to be my go to for the foreseeable future since GOG has it 90% off right now. $34.99 to $3.49 is a dagnabbit good deal. Includes the original games as well. Done. I dabbled with it back in the late 90s, but never had time to play around with it in any deep sense. I've heard it's amazing so looking forward to it.

Fantastic game.

This interview from Ars Technica with Rob Cunningham has some cool details about how the game was conceived.

Stalker: Shadow of Chernobyl

Okay, I may be in a little over my head with this one. I've never been very skilled at first person shooters. I can typically manage getting through them on the easiest settings. But even playing on Novice, this game is starting to get HARD (for me). It took me about a dozen tries to get through the outer courtyard on the way to the X16 Lab. Finally, I got smart enough to realize if I can make it to a roof top, I can slowly whittle down the enemies while ducking behind the roofline to recover. Finally, I made it into the building, let the enemies herd into the ground level entrance, then disposed of them with grenades from the level above. I just scavenged all the ammo I could from their bodies and made it into the basement.

Before I cleared this area, I was considering finding a Trainer (couldn't find one I trusted that supported the GOG version), and I considered moving on to another game. Depending on how much harder it gets, I may still consider logging a DNF. I'm in my 50s -- I'm in this for fun and entertainment. If it gets too frustrating, it's not worth it to me. Life already poses enough frustrations! 🤣.

Yes my attempt to play through Stalker SoC a few years ago didn't last too long - the scripted sections that you have to pass to progress really bothered me. I do love the vibe of the Stalker games and found Call of Pripyat was much more to my liking - still separate areas, not one huge world, but it's much more open world that SoC.

I recently fired up White Gold: War in Paradise, which is the sequel to Boiling Point: Road to Hell, but didn't get a western release like Boiling Point did (half-arsed versions have since appeared on Steam, etc but the localisation was never properly done). I spent a lot of time getting a version with english subtitles working back in the day, and working on it for so long kindof killed the magic of playing it so I haven't looked at if for years.

It's a bit wonky, just as Boiling Point was, but it's also a lot of fun if you're into light hearted shooter RPGs. I never got anywhere close to fixing up the ~40K lines of english dialog and some of it's truly awful, so as I'm playing through it now I'm re-writing the subtitles and it's quite fun! If I get a decent amount done I'll see if I can get my changes included in the community patch.

clueless1 wrote on 2022-01-15, 10:27:

Stalker: Shadow of Chernobyl

Okay, I may be in a little over my head with this one. I've never been very skilled at first person shooters. I can typically manage getting through them on the easiest settings. But even playing on Novice, this game is starting to get HARD (for me). It took me about a dozen tries to get through the outer courtyard on the way to the X16 Lab. Finally, I got smart enough to realize if I can make it to a roof top, I can slowly whittle down the enemies while ducking behind the roofline to recover. Finally, I made it into the building, let the enemies herd into the ground level entrance, then disposed of them with grenades from the level above. I just scavenged all the ammo I could from their bodies and made it into the basement.

Before I cleared this area, I was considering finding a Trainer (couldn't find one I trusted that supported the GOG version), and I considered moving on to another game. Depending on how much harder it gets, I may still consider logging a DNF. I'm in my 50s -- I'm in this for fun and entertainment. If it gets too frustrating, it's not worth it to me. Life already poses enough frustrations! 🤣.

Use a trainer if you have to theres no shame. I remember using one for the weight limit, just don't quit playing!

liqmat wrote on 2022-01-14, 16:23:

Welp. 'Homeworld: Remastered Collection' is going to be my go to for the foreseeable future since GOG has it 90% off right now. $34.99 to $3.49 is a dagnabbit good deal. Includes the original games as well. Done. I dabbled with it back in the late 90s, but never had time to play around with it in any deep sense. I've heard it's amazing so looking forward to it.

Unfortunately the Remastered version of Homeworld 1 changed the gameplay to make it closer to Homeworld 2, and in doing so ruined what game balance there was. Also they didn't bother re-licensing the Yes song from the credits despite it having been written specifically for the game. It's definitely the more accessible version, but GOG includes the original as you mentioned, so I'd recommend just playing that way.
And imo, Homeworld: Cataclysm (which is on GOG but renamed Homeworld: Emergence) is a better Homeworld 2 than Homeworld 2.

DosFreak wrote on 2022-01-15, 12:29:

clueless1 wrote on 2022-01-15, 10:27:

Stalker: Shadow of Chernobyl

Okay, I may be in a little over my head with this one. I've never been very skilled at first person shooters. I can typically manage getting through them on the easiest settings. But even playing on Novice, this game is starting to get HARD (for me). It took me about a dozen tries to get through the outer courtyard on the way to the X16 Lab. Finally, I got smart enough to realize if I can make it to a roof top, I can slowly whittle down the enemies while ducking behind the roofline to recover. Finally, I made it into the building, let the enemies herd into the ground level entrance, then disposed of them with grenades from the level above. I just scavenged all the ammo I could from their bodies and made it into the basement.

Before I cleared this area, I was considering finding a Trainer (couldn't find one I trusted that supported the GOG version), and I considered moving on to another game. Depending on how much harder it gets, I may still consider logging a DNF. I'm in my 50s -- I'm in this for fun and entertainment. If it gets too frustrating, it's not worth it to me. Life already poses enough frustrations! 🤣.

Use a trainer if you have to theres no shame. I remember using one for the weight limit, just don't quit playing!

Thanks, I completed X16 and made it back with the documents (and armor) from Ghost's body. No trainer! BTW, any good trainer recommendations? The main one I found and tried (wemod) only seems to work with the Steam version. I'm playing the GOG version.

clueless1 wrote on 2022-01-15, 15:09:

DosFreak wrote on 2022-01-15, 12:29:

clueless1 wrote on 2022-01-15, 10:27:

Stalker: Shadow of Chernobyl

Okay, I may be in a little over my head with this one. I've never been very skilled at first person shooters. I can typically manage getting through them on the easiest settings. But even playing on Novice, this game is starting to get HARD (for me). It took me about a dozen tries to get through the outer courtyard on the way to the X16 Lab. Finally, I got smart enough to realize if I can make it to a roof top, I can slowly whittle down the enemies while ducking behind the roofline to recover. Finally, I made it into the building, let the enemies herd into the ground level entrance, then disposed of them with grenades from the level above. I just scavenged all the ammo I could from their bodies and made it into the basement.

Before I cleared this area, I was considering finding a Trainer (couldn't find one I trusted that supported the GOG version), and I considered moving on to another game. Depending on how much harder it gets, I may still consider logging a DNF. I'm in my 50s -- I'm in this for fun and entertainment. If it gets too frustrating, it's not worth it to me. Life already poses enough frustrations! 🤣.

Use a trainer if you have to theres no shame. I remember using one for the weight limit, just don't quit playing!

Thanks, I completed X16 and made it back with the documents (and armor) from Ghost's body. No trainer! BTW, any good trainer recommendations? The main one I found and tried (wemod) only seems to work with the Steam version. I'm playing the GOG version.

Wemod works fine with GOG version you have to tell Wemod where the executable is first and launch the game from Wemod, IIRC the Play button has a drop down menu attached to it if it cant find the game letting you point it to the right executable.

I use Wemod a lot since MrAntifun is one of their main trainer developers and he has been doing trainers for .. years now and he was always my goto for trainers in the past.

Tie Fighter...

Under A Killing Moon on my Macintosh Performa 6116CD.

Well, I completed the 5th and final, for real this time, episode of Heretic. I enjoyed it well enough. Those first 2 levels of Episode 4 and 5 were an incredibly steep hill to climb, and actually quite enjoyable. But after that things get back to "normal".

Maybe I'm just easy to please. I never indulged much in the decades of highly rated community WADs that put the humble offerings of first gen "Doom Clones" to shame. But I really enjoy Heretic. I did then, and I do now. It's maps felt like real places, without devolving into tired Sandy Petersonesque "urban" Doom 2 levels. They had an attention to detail in giving the world a lived in feel that Doom, for all it's triumphs, frequently lacked. And I especially enjoyed the sound design. Nothing is ever going to match Doom 2's super shotgun for punchy audio. But a lot of the death sound effects come close in Heretic. Especially the sound of Golems cracking open, and the spirit escaping their flesh.

I honestly have no clue what's next on my menu. I may take a break from gaming for a bit and read a few books that have been on my plate, begging to be read. Mostly playing catch up with Battletech, and maybe picking up The Witcher too. Wife finally talked me into the Netflix series, but I know the books are going to be better.

Actually... maybe I'll try playing The Witcher...

Namrok wrote on 2022-01-16, 02:17:

I honestly have no clue what's next on my menu. I may take a break from gaming for a bit and read a few books that have been on my plate, begging to be read. Mostly playing catch up with Battletech, and maybe picking up The Witcher too. Wife finally talked me into the Netflix series, but I know the books are going to be better.

Actually... maybe I'll try playing The Witcher...

Can't tell from your post have you played The Witcher before or not, but if you haven't I'd say it's still a good game but it definitely has some quirks. The story is kinda crap and the game can be pretty janky, but can also be quite atmospheric at times too. I much rather play it than the sequel, The Witcher 2 didn't impress me much on release and these days I can't play it at all, the gameplay is awful if you ask me. I can tolerate the combat system, which I've never liked, but having to constanly use your medallion to find stuff is beyond annoying.

Sombrero wrote on 2022-01-16, 05:52:

Namrok wrote on 2022-01-16, 02:17:

I honestly have no clue what's next on my menu. I may take a break from gaming for a bit and read a few books that have been on my plate, begging to be read. Mostly playing catch up with Battletech, and maybe picking up The Witcher too. Wife finally talked me into the Netflix series, but I know the books are going to be better.

Actually... maybe I'll try playing The Witcher...

Can't tell from your post have you played The Witcher before or not, but if you haven't I'd say it's still a good game but it definitely has some quirks. The story is kinda crap and the game can be pretty janky, but can also be quite atmospheric at times too. I much rather play it than the sequel, The Witcher 2 didn't impress me much on release and these days I can't play it at all, the gameplay is awful if you ask me. I can tolerate the combat system, which I've never liked, but having to constanly use your medallion to find stuff is beyond annoying.

I tried to play The Witcher Enhanced version earlier this week but it doesnt like my 2080ti, tried everything I could think of but it refused to render the whole screen. Ended up only seeing the first inch of each edge of the screen with a big black box obscuring the centre. Gave up and uninstalled it and installed The Witcher 3 instead.

Might try The Witcher Enhanced on a DX 9/10 machine I have, it should work better there.

liqmat wrote on 2022-01-14, 16:23:

Welp. 'Homeworld: Remastered Collection' is going to be my go to for the foreseeable future since GOG has it 90% off right now. $34.99 to $3.49 is a dagnabbit good deal. Includes the original games as well. Done. I dabbled with it back in the late 90s, but never had time to play around with it in any deep sense. I've heard it's amazing so looking forward to it.

Play the originals. Remaster is a total fuckup, completely invalidates original's formations.

appiah4 wrote on 2022-01-16, 07:55:

liqmat wrote on 2022-01-14, 16:23:

Welp. 'Homeworld: Remastered Collection' is going to be my go to for the foreseeable future since GOG has it 90% off right now. $34.99 to $3.49 is a dagnabbit good deal. Includes the original games as well. Done. I dabbled with it back in the late 90s, but never had time to play around with it in any deep sense. I've heard it's amazing so looking forward to it.

Play the originals. Remastrr is a total fuckup, completely invalidates original's formations.

Community to the rescue: https://www.moddb.com/mods/homeworld-remaster … d-players-patch

TrashPanda wrote on 2022-01-15, 15:22:

Wemod works fine with GOG version you have to tell Wemod where the executable is first and launch the game from Wemod, IIRC the Play button has a drop down menu attached to it if it cant find the game letting you point it to the right executable.

I use Wemod a lot since MrAntifun is one of their main trainer developers and he has been doing trainers for .. years now and he was always my goto for trainers in the past.

Thanks! It works. I have to select the Steam version in the Wemod interface, then custom point to the actual GOG executable. It does eliminate the -nointro parameter I set, but that's okay. I'm not playing with it, though. Saving it in case I get stuck.

Namrok wrote on 2022-01-16, 02:17:

I may take a break from gaming for a bit and read a few books that have been on my plate, begging to be read. Mostly playing catch up with Battletech, and maybe picking up The Witcher too. Wife finally talked me into the Netflix series, but I know the books are going to be better.

Actually... maybe I'll try playing The Witcher...

I may be the only Witcher fan in the world who's read all the books but never got around to playing the games. But I can tell you that you should absolutely read the books. The books are excellent, and way more progressive than you'd expect from a fantasy series written by an old white Polish dude. Geralt's whole arc has him growing from a centrist jerk willing to both-sides racism into a literal social justice warrior, though less in a "learning to care" sense and more a "realizing he always did" sort of way. Sapkowski also pointedly refuses to stop using his platform to talk about how cool and good women's bodily autonomy is, to a degree that it might feel excessive (on the other hand, subtlety can be overrated).
I have mixed feelings on the Netflix show. It's fine in its own right, and the themes are all there, but they've skipped over some of the best material from the early short stories and invented so much filler. Almost nothing in season 2 was actually in the books. And when I look at the behind-the-scenes stuff, it starts to feel like maybe the show's only good to begin with because they have Henry "Witcher Superfan" Cavill on set. (They also did some crappy things with the doppler in season 1, which gets extra gross when you consider the dopplers are a pretty obvious queer allegory in the books.)
I'm honestly a little afraid to play the games to some extent. The Netflix show has the original material to draw from (when it wants to) but the games are entirely new ground, and their very existence as sequels to the books kind of misses the point of the books' ending. I have a feeling someone will ask how, but I don't want to spoil it for everyone with the attention to read this wall of text (I really apologize for going on so long here, but when you get me started talking about The Witcher, it's hard to stop) so here's an explanation behind a spoiler tag:

I know the games are supposed to be really good (the third especially) and I would love to see more of these characters and world, but between the above and not really knowing how well the developers necessarily understood the themes (and for lack of a better word, politics) of the source material I really love, I'm given pause. Curious what you all think, and again I apologize for rambling on for so long.

Einherje wrote on 2022-01-14, 22:32:

Fantastic game.

This interview from Ars Technica with Rob Cunningham has some cool details about how the game was conceived.

NovaCN wrote on 2022-01-15, 13:51:

Unfortunately the Remastered version of Homeworld 1 changed the gameplay to make it closer to Homeworld 2, and in doing so ruined what game balance there was. Also they didn't bother re-licensing the Yes song from the credits despite it having been written specifically for the game. It's definitely the more accessible version, but GOG includes the original as you mentioned, so I'd recommend just playing that way.
And imo, Homeworld: Cataclysm (which is on GOG but renamed Homeworld: Emergence) is a better Homeworld 2 than Homeworld 2.

Sombrero wrote on 2022-01-16, 08:06:

appiah4 wrote on 2022-01-16, 07:55:

Play the originals. Remastrr is a total fuckup, completely invalidates original's formations.

Community to the rescue: https://www.moddb.com/mods/homeworld-remaster … d-players-patch

Thanks folks. I was definitely leaning towards playing the originals, but will check that mod out. I need a good RTS that I can pickup and play when I have a spare hour or two throughout the week.