Talk Video Games

16 Jun 2019 23:25:59
Surviving Mars:

Essentially a City Builder but on Mars and with some unique concepts. You have got the obvious things like you need to house everything in domes, but what I really like about the game, is you get these "events" which happen and this adds some really unique elements to the game. The events that occur usually lead to a unique series of break through technologies, all of which server different purposes. One of the events I had allowed me to bring earth-like traits to Martian born colonists via the education system, these would all be beneficial traits only.

You're also put up against 3 other rival colonies, these all have different levels of funding. You can interact with these colonies via trading, gifting, insulting or even colluding to eliminate another colony.

I did run into a couple of problems, a lot of my Geologists decided to stop working in the Geologists specific jobs, which left me running low on key resources such as Rare Metals, which you can either sell for extra funding or use to make electronics. Nothing too major but a little annoying.

Other than that the game is very well made, plays excellently and has a very mild learning curve. This is arguably the most polished game I've played recently.

Also, Frontier(Planet Coaster, Elite Dangerous, Jurassic World Evolution) have picked up the developers for this game and will be publishing their work from now on.

17 Jun 2019 20:28:32
Yeah I enjoyed surviving Mars but my colonists seemed to keep getting infected with those spores even tho I had air purifiers etc

18 Jun 2019 00:57:58
I've not come across that yet lol. I got to 100% terraformed and kind of stopped playing. I might try a new game with just 1 rocket of Earth colonists, see how long it takes me to get to 1000 population :D

23 May 2019 07:39:34
Completed my first playthrough of sekiro and think its on par with bloodborne and dark souls 3.

Vertical level design is amazing and gave me prince of persia sands of time vibe.

Has to be the most difficult game for newcomers as there is a mini boss around every corner of the game but the developers for the very first time have added tutorials, clues and explain what each item does to make it less frustrating.

After my initial struggles, once the game clicked and i got used to the combat the sword fighting in this game is unlike something you have ever experienced.

14 Apr 2019 17:25:19
Does anybody play f1 2018? I'm really struggling with the fuel and tyre management on the practice sessions if anybody could give any tips? Thanks

14 Apr 2019 21:32:02
Are you using a controller or wheel/pedals?

Tyre management is difficult with a controller, especially if you have it on the harder difficulties.

Fuel management is usually quite easy to achieve, try letting go of your acceleration about 0.5s before you would normally brake on each corner, This works especially well on tracks like Bahrain, China and Azerbijan. If you keep practicing it you'll eventually find the right spots.

15 Apr 2019 13:24:19
Thanks mate and yes controller. I’ve managed to get a bit better on tyre management by running the lean fuel on corners and the high fuel on straights it’s just the fuel saving is a pain. I also have traction on full basically all the assists bar braking as I’m a newbie and spin everywhere without tc. Any other tips would be greatly appreciated

15 Apr 2019 14:54:58
youtube.com/user/tiametmarduk1/videos

Try watching some of the videos from Tiametmarduk, he's a youtuber who streams racing games. He also gets inside info about up coming F1 games and updates, as well as offering tips to people who struggle with F1 games.

15 Apr 2019 17:49:04
I’ll check it out, cheers mate

{Ed001's Note - you really need a wheel and pedals to get the most out of a game like that mate. It is much easier to gently depress a pedal to avoid wheelspin than it is to avoid it on a controller. The range of movement on a controller is so much less.}

15 Apr 2019 23:06:01
Thanks Ed, it’s something I’ll definitely stick on the wish list for the future they do look a lot of fun especially with the three screen set ups. Do you play much racing yourself and do you have wheels and pedals?

{Ed001's Note - I do have a couple of sets. By mistake, I ordered one and misread the fine print, it turned out to be compatible with the PS3 not PS4. I did wonder why it was so cheap! I love racing games especially on the PC with multiscreen set up. I am going to save up for a gear lever set up, as it is better for some games having the option. I couldn't play a racing game on a controller any more.}

16 Apr 2019 11:36:26
Ok thanks Ed I think I’ll have to invest myself soon, I can see how much easier it would be on a wheel. But I won’t be playing truck simulator, each to there own but that looks terrible!

{Ed001's Note - sad to say but I find that quite addictive at times. Got both European and American as part of a Humble Bundle or for free from them (I forget which) and have tried both thinking they would be rubbish but just wanting a laugh with mates. However I did find them quite good fun, especially when you switch off the speed limiter so you can charge along trying to swerve between traffic at over 100mph with a heavy load of tractors on the back that you have to be careful not to get tipped over by on tighter bends.

I do much prefer racing games though. I just wish Gran Turismo was available on PC too. It is no longer the standout racing game, but nostalgia makes me want to play that over other racing games. The first one was the reason I got a playstation in the first place.}

16 Apr 2019 13:25:15
Fair enough Ed I suppose it’s better than trying it in real life!
Yeah the original gran turismo, I lost my childhood to that game and f1 97. I’m only on console at the moment so I’m going to save up for a gaming pc and the full set up.

{Ed001's Note - build it yourself mate. A good case or chassis is only fairly cheap and it will save you a lot in the long run as you only need to update the part that is struggling when it struggles or breaks, rather than buy a new PC every few years. It is not that difficult to build either, as most things will slot in and just need you to download software to set it up.}

16 Apr 2019 14:52:00
Lerchy, I would recommend you visit Overclockers.co.uk and then venture onto the forums and ask them what to get. You'll need to give a rough estimate for a budget, but they are incredibly helpful and knowledgable.

16 Apr 2019 16:34:00
Nice one lads, great replies!

{Ed001's Note - if you have any old pcs already, you could just buy a case and cannibalise them for most of the parts you need just to get started. For gaming, the CPU and RAM can be easily skimped on a bit with older parts.}

26 Mar 2019 16:19:24
Anybody started with sekiro? Prices are too high for the game here. Will pick it up later.
I heard it punishes you for playing it like a soulsborne game.

{Ed001's Note - I had a look at it but the price put me off too.}

27 Mar 2019 07:18:31
Agree ed, wouldn’t be surprised if activision has a hand in this. The collectors edition in the states is cheaper than the standard base game here. Luckily these type of games drop in price very quickly.

{Ed001's Note - games are getting ridiculously overpriced in general. I only got the Division 2 because I had saved up credit through Humble Bundle over years and it made it a reasonable price. Otherwise I doubt I would ever buy a new game again, I just can't bring myself to pay the amounts they are asking for what is always just a rehash of something that has gone before.}

28 Mar 2019 13:56:52
I really fancy getting seriko as well but I’ll also wait on a price drop,done the same with far cry new dawn and managed to get it for 20quid last week

09 Feb 2019 23:58:20
Anyone seen this new Early Access game on Steam called SkaterXL?
It's literally bare bones at the minute, with only 1 map which is pretty empty, however the modding community have really taken to this game.

If anyone is a skater or used to skate, I would highly recommend this game, as it's not only realistic, but the community are really, really involved.

This video is about 2 days after release on the basic default map. If you want to see some of the excellent modded maps, just check out the rest of Nightspeeds videos on youtube. =]

13 Jan 2019 21:15:42
So saw post a while back and as a result but divinity 2 original sin, going to start with my missus. How much to class’ affect play?

31 Dec 2018 23:42:39
Eds/posters,

Apart from games, can discuss about pc/notebook specs here as well? Need some opinions and advices on this.

{Ed001's Note - go for it mate.}

01 Jan 2019 04:45:22
Thanks Ed01.

I'm going to replace my PC with a laptop. I have kind of a strict budget, but I want it to be decent enough to play some of the recent games.

Between Ryzen and i5, which one would be better? Then the graphics, the Ryzen comes with RX 560, while the i5 comes with GT1050. Both with 4GB graphics memory.

I really like the price of the Ryzen laptop, which is few hundreds Malaysian Ringgit cheaper than the i5. Some said Ryzens and Radeons are actually a bit better than its equivalent Intel and GeForce. But you know sometimes you tend to be a bit sceptical when considering the cheaper options; is it really better, if it is why it's cheaper etc.

Games will be just like the secondary usage of this laptop. Mainly want it for the kids. I can't consider to buy two, wife will be furious that's for sure.

{Ed001's Note - I don't know which of those are better, as I have used neither but I do know why they are cheaper. It is simply their USP is to undercut the market leader. When people get an idea in their mind that one thing is better, it becomes difficult to get them to consider an alternative. Intel and Nvidia have much bigger advertising budgets, so you can't use advertising to convince people you are better. The other main alternative is to go cheaper, as budget is always a key consideration when buying an expensive product like a computer. (I knew those business courses I did would come in handy one day!!!)}

01 Jan 2019 05:27:51
You might have a point there Ed01.

I did some of my own research on these two. The Ryzen/Radeon seems to be a wee bit better in terms of specs compared to the i5/Geforce. But too much of figures and jargons that I really couldn't understand from the articles that I've read on this. And yet the Ryzen is cheaper. Brand power, is it?

Now comes to brand. The laptop that I'm considering the most is an Acer. I'm also considering some from Asus and MSI. Is the brand Acer okay? In terms of reliability I mean. Tech support is something I don't think too much of here.

{Ed001's Note - my old laptop is an Acer which I picked up very cheap as it was the previous year's model. The only problem I have had with it, apart from running ridiculously hot (so hot you can't have it on your lap! Though, to be fair it is far too big to seat comfortably on a lap anyway) is when a Windows update caused an issue with it and I had to roll it back. Other than that, never had a problem.

If one has an SSD for the operating system, rather than an HDD, then I would suggest taking that. The difference is extremely noticeable between the two, far more than the difference between the CPUs and GPUs in terms of performance.}

01 Jan 2019 08:02:38
I totally overlooked this. Further look at the specs, the Ryzen comes with 1TB HDD + 128GB SSD, whereby the i5 just with 1TB HDD. Yet, still, the Ryzen is cheaper. Thanks Ed01. Now I know which one I'll go for.

{Ed001's Note - that would defo be my choice mate. An SSD is so much quicker, even just booting up.}

01 Jan 2019 20:19:26
HaizanMSS, if you're looking for something to game on, I would stick with a desktop. Laptops have improved significantly in the last 5-10 years, but they're still years behind desktops and any failures with components, require you to buy a whole new laptop. Desktops also have the advantage of being fully customisable(unless you buy a Dell - DON'T BUY ONE), they have advanced cooling features which can prolong component lifespans and they're far more powerful.
Desktops are also attainable over a period of time, you can buy each component seperately when you're finances allow, this increases your budget overall.
For example I spent £1400 on my desktop over a period of 4 months. I purchased different components at different times and now I have a seriously powerful rig.

If you require portability for traveling then ignore what I've said, except one thing. Stay away from MSI, as from personal experience, their components fail regularly as in all 4 of my own MSI components failed over the years.

01 Jan 2019 21:18:36
Thanks hsf. I oftenly bring my kids to here and there, even when I have outstation trips, that's why I have no choice but to go for a laptop.

The model that I'm eyeing is a gaming laptop, a budget one of course. I assume these gaming laptops have much better cooling system than the ordinary laptop. Am I right?

Some of my friends suggested MSI, and yet none of them have used or currently using it! Hence I came here. And again, thanks a lot hsf!

{Ed007's Note - This all baffles me. I'm trying to get the £ together for a PC powerful enough to let me stream my PS4 on Twitch, run OBS etc and I've been told it'll cost anything from £400 to £1500 just for a start up system.
I'm not saying guys like Ed001 & HSF don't know what they're talking about btw but just how confusing it all is to joe public and how easy we can get ripped off without having people like them to ask.}

01 Jan 2019 22:28:21
Agree Ed07. I did find some articles, as well as forums discussing about these things, but they were more discussing about hardwares that are way way off of my budget. High-end stuffs. High-end means 4 or 5 thousand plus considering my currency here. Plus, like I said they used lots of numbers and figures and jargons which I found it difficult to understand. Like talking to engineers. I can create an account in any of these forums and post my questions there, but I'm not into having too many online accounts and stuffs. Good thing is, I have you guys, Eds. You guys created these sites, which easy for us to discuss and ask about almost anything in here.

Again I agree when we asked the wrong person, we might get misled or ripped off. Some suggested to me to walk-in to any of the stores, but that despise me. Whenever a customer mention about "budget", especially shoestring budget, most of these sales person tend to make those irritating faces and just refuse to attend the inquiry as much as they should.

Hsf, I missed asking you about Dell. Dell was initially one of my preference, mainly because years ago my clients preferred me to quote and supply them Dell computers, and these clients were mainly in engineering field and RnD. I had an assumption that maybe Dells are good. I decided against Dell purely because they are too ridiculously expensive, and those that are within my budget probably might just allow me to run Tetris! Why you advice me not to consider one, if you care to share. Thanks a lot hsf!

01 Jan 2019 23:37:45
Agreed Ed007, I still seek advice from the overclockers forums because you can never be too sure. A lot of the component review sites are bias in some way or another, so relying on personal testimonies from PC enthusiasts is more beneficial.
£1500 sounds a bit much for a rig just to stream. But then again I don't stream, so I wouldn't really know.

{Ed007's Note - If I'm buying anything electronic I ask Ed001 for advice, from laptops to phones and tablets and he's never let me down yet - the Samsung tablet he recommended when we met up in Birmingham about 6 years ago is still running well enough for what I want.
I think the £1500 prices are more for if you want to play games on the PC, which I don't but I wonder how many people buy (or are 'conned' into buying) a PC that they don't actually need?}

03 Jan 2019 18:33:14
HaizanMSS, they've just done a few shady things in the past with their hardware. They used to cheap out on some components like the power supply and memory. The power supply for example would be "just" powerful enough to run the system, but would be some off-brand garbage that would likely fail shortly after the warranty.
Memory would be the lowest frequency the motherboard could handle.
The case fans would be cheap and have strange adapters so they couldn't be replaced.

I don't know if that is still the case, as this was around 2006 maybe? But it was enough for me to never ever buy one.

04 Jan 2019 14:06:37
Wow. That sounds more like robbing the customers. Regardless, I ain't going to consider Dell definitely purely because of the price.

Went to a shop, and found a model with SSHD, a hybrid of HDD and SSD. A bit more expensive though, but the margin is not too much and I'm really considering that one now.

05 Jan 2019 19:58:38
One other thing I should have mentioned before is the cooling pads. A friend of mine uses one and highly recommends them.

They are a pad which your laptop sits on, that has fans built into it. All you need to do is plug it in via a usb port on your laptop.

SSHD's are pretty good, they cut down on load times a little bit as they have a specific sized cache dedicated to SSD, as well as a large HDD storage area. It's pretty clever and quite efficient.