In gaming heaven at the moment (july 23).

[CMDR Karrde Sun]

Just wanted to share i'm having so much above average fun with games at the moment. I can't remember the last time it was this good for me, maybe 5? 10? 15? years ago?

Diablo 4 is amazing (as hardcore casual). None of the dopamine feed endgame problems apply to me, im turned the last corner to level 50 so have a reasonable build and a few options. The story is great, and there's a season coming up with most of it as participation rewards and cosmetics. I actually really like the build and gearing system, its like a strong alchohol vs straight red cordial that is diablo 3. Different experience and both are still fun in their own way. Really fun.

The world tour mode in sf6 is so janky but addictive. When the time comes i fully plan on using modern controls for the charge characters i still don't know how to play.

(interestingly both those games are seriously inappropriate for young kids, that was a novelty to conclude since all my other games have been fine).

Finally there's a new fs map, saxthorpe farms, that might just be on part with the old stream farm. What's the big deal? The old stream farm was the only playable map on fs19 as well, and was literally the first mod map available for 22. I basically haven't touched 22.. looking forward to that, the engine sounds and driving improvements i was really looking forward to.

Anyway.. i don't remember the last time games were offered that had me this excited.

Forgot about starfield as well.

After a decade of ubisoft open world games and witcher 3, feels like to be pulled back to AAA gaming again. Simulators and mmo's not considered. RDR2 was the best game drawing the line back.. 5 years? Its technically still on by backlog after 2 ps4 restarts and one ps5 restart. I'll definitely play it though, so determined.

Hope you are all enjoying it as well.

ps. also, sorry if this is off topic, but frontier have some serious competition if they don't want to just shrink back into a steam indie. Not doing anything is shrinking this year.

 

[Factabulous]

D4 is fun - good luck with the HC character, the number of times I've been one-shot in late game content makes me happy I went SC My Sorc has reached around lvl 87 and that's probably enough - most seem to say the game doesn't add much past this point so I'm around done for now (I want to try a Necro next, but want to do it in S1, so can't start yet).

The different classes seem to make for very different experiences - my Sorc struggled to finish the story and only managed it around lvl 60 IIRC - then I rolled a Barb and had the story done by lvl 40 (which was a bit scary as the end of the story seems hardwired at lvl 45, so it was a close call with the final series of boss fights).

Funny that the D4 forums hate that game nearly as much as the ED forums hate ED

Looking forward to Starfield, though I think the space travel will be more Rebel Galaxy Outlaw than ED/SC so there may be a lot of toys out of the pram moments around here, should be fun! (I like Bethesda games, so am looking forward to it more as a Bethesda game than an ED replacement).

It's a shame that fdev are letting ED fade away - especially that they remain 'excited' about upcoming things while quietly reducing CGs to every few weeks, minimising Galnets and reducing their streams (though why they are still streaming a 10 year old game I have no clue). It's weird because if you had asked me beforehand if I wanted a year of Thargoid story updates I would have been very happy, but the pace is like molasses .. so very very slow.

I think the only thing keeping ED going is that they would be embarrassed to shutter the game so close to Elite's 40th Birthday. Maybe next year we will get a 'we're done' message (hopefully along with a 'stay tuned for ED2 in five years!' follow-up).

Having said that I decided to go for Exobiology Elite on an alt and am having a great time visiting some out of the way DSSA carriers in my CM3 right now - the views out there are very good and as long as you can think up personal goals the game is good.

It's a shame fdev don't seem capable of moving as fast as Hello Games with NMS. On the bright side we'll get ED2 before Star Citizen is out of alpha

 

[CMDR Karrde Sun]

D4 is fun - good luck with the HC character, the number of times I've been one-shot in late game content makes me happy I went SC My Sorc has reached around lvl 87 and that's probably enough - most seem to say the game doesn't add much past this point so I'm around done for now (I want to try a Necro next, but want to do it in S1, so can't start yet).

Yeh i only have a 46 (i think sorc). I don't know how i think it should occur, but the sorc seems very aspect dependent, what you choose from each tier seems to be inescapably influenced by specifically legendary aspects. I was surprised at how unappealing / unfun / weak the elemental synergies are, at least for where i'm at. To fix that one more enchantment slot would be great. Having said.. what i've managed to cobble together is amazingly fun, and i love it how i'm required to think about everything to play it, targeting, mana, rotation, mobility.. but things go crackle and boom and i can run round while hydras do damage and have resource regen. I think technically im a lightning sorc. The only thing i know is on the horizon is i don't generate vulnerable at all.. just from frost nova.. given the cooldown it feels like its not enough. I don't have the gear yet.? I don't know if the enchangement for hydra frost nova also applies it.. but then i lose lighting.. fun stuff, i love it.

The different classes seem to make for very different experiences - my Sorc struggled to finish the story and only managed it around lvl 60 IIRC - then I rolled a Barb and had the story done by lvl 40 (which was a bit scary as the end of the story seems hardwired at lvl 45, so it was a close call with the final series of boss fights).

I have another problem.. i started playing thinking i could do completionist.. i was level 40 before i worked out this might actually break my character.. i really hope when you arrive at a new world tier they really catch you up quickly or somehow make that not a problem. Surely they would have figured that the casual market they were making the game for would not just rush to endgame... or maybe they thought that same demographic wouldn't care about gearing and wt3/4? Fair assumption.

Funny that the D4 forums hate that game nearly as much as the ED forums hate ED

No they're bad.. they're just kids pulling each other deeper and deeper into feeling angry about something. The game isn't diablo 3.. i love it how diablo 3 is still viable after diablo 4.. its great. In diablo 3, you could use one ability to beat the game forever. Everything was over the top and boomy, and later on, it was the potential of going even more boom that narrowed the focus and made you specialise. d4 everything is a sidegrade, there's negatives to every decision, its fundamentally different. While much of the complaints don't apply to me because the thought of so openly and directly expecting such dopamine delivery from a game developer is terrifying.. the other half of the complaints i'm actually glad they did it that way and, well, the game is for me. I think they know this and this is fine. I hope they don't just go and make it diablo 3 again and stick to what they were originally thinking.

Also, i think as some observed, due to the popularity, they've attracted a huge number of non arpg players, who want the live service model to not be like arpgs... its really clear that its people wanting it to be more like wow and destiny??

See what happens.

Looking forward to Starfield, though I think the space travel will be more Rebel Galaxy Outlaw than ED/SC so there may be a lot of toys out of the pram moments around here, should be fun! (I like Bethesda games, so am looking forward to it more as a Bethesda game than an ED replacement).

Yeah. 2023 is spoiled year.

It's a shame that fdev are letting ED fade away - especially that they remain 'excited' about upcoming things while quietly reducing CGs to every few weeks, minimising Galnets and reducing their streams (though why they are still streaming a 10 year old game I have no clue). It's weird because if you had asked me beforehand if I wanted a year of Thargoid story updates I would have been very happy, but the pace is like molasses .. so very very slow.

I think the only thing keeping ED going is that they would be embarrassed to shutter the game so close to Elite's 40th Birthday. Maybe next year we will get a 'we're done' message (hopefully along with a 'stay tuned for ED2 in five years!' follow-up).

Having said that I decided to go for Exobiology Elite on an alt and am having a great time visiting some out of the way DSSA carriers in my CM3 right now - the views out there are very good and as long as you can think up personal goals the game is good.

It's a shame fdev don't seem capable of moving as fast as Hello Games with NMS. On the bright side we'll get ED2 before Star Citizen is out of alpha

I don't know if i should be caring. Everything i've ever said in the past about elite was assuming frontier still have a pulse. Will have to detect that first. I'm still here, and at the end like he first still subscribe to Obsidian Ants youtube channel. There's nothing to be positive or negative about.