What are you playing at the moment?

[Zzzptm]

Yeah, Starfield is a game that has lots of promise... it's what a game in development hell looks like.

Victoria 3 is coming out with the 1.5 patch/upgrade in a few more weeks, and I'm interested in what that offers. It's coming up on a year since its release and I'm glad to see it not get abandoned, but having its problems worked on.

American Truck Simulator Oklahoma - I just finished a World of Trucks goal to deliver shipments to each of the 10 cities in Oklahoma in the expansion, and I had a lovely time driving around. I need to do the run up through Beavers' Bend, though, as that's not on the direct path to anywhere and is one of the prettiest spots I've been through in real-world driving.

[Zzzptm]

For the BG3 players, I have a spoiler-y question that's not really answered directly anywhere... read after you've gone through a number of dialogues with The Emperor in Act 3:

: show

Is The Emperor responsible for the tadpoling that happened to the main characters? He picks out some deeply flawed people that all have a point of leverage and then uses them for his ends. He definitely is an ends justify the means type of dude. Knowing that The Dark Urge was intended to be the main player character underlines that more. Given that, in the opening, there are some mind flayers out of commission as an illithid that looks very much like The Emperor approaches us in a POV shot, I'm thinking that even if The Emperor didn't do it directly, he had localized control of the nautiloid that retrieved the Astral Prism and killed off any other illithid that got in his way.

[Vyn]

I have finished BG3 - agree with your earlier comment about game of the year, it was a well-executed, awesome storyline.

As far as your Q:

: show

I don't believe Emp is responsible. I think that Tav and the rest of the party were scooped up and tadpole-ized just like the rest, and then Emperor stepped in and chose the folks it wanted to protect with the goal, of course, being to counter the Absolute. I lean towards that narrative due to the astral tadpole - if Emperor was involved in the beginning, why not have given everyone - that - tadpole instead of the plain-jane tadpoles? Emperor was able to shield the characters from the tadpole's hijacking by the Absolute, as well as the traditional ceramorphasis role those tadpoles had, but did not insert the tadpole either directly or indirectly.

That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

[Zzzptm]

The use of the SPOILER tag continues...

: show

Went back to the start and disguised myself and went on an Act One speak with the dead spree... there's a mind flayer in the Goblin Camp that is the one we recognize as the illithid that was plying the tadpoles on the nautiloid. But I've read enough Philip K. Dick to ask if the narrator is gaslighting me...

1. Mind flayers mess with minds, right? How do I know that The Emperor isn't pinning the blame on the only other mind flayer I encounter outside the crash site in Act One so that I'm diverted from what he did?
2. Mind flayers have a "hive mind" but still show some individuality, to varying degrees. Is it possible for a locally strong mind flayer (The Emperor) takes over the operation on the nautiloid and kills off those that get in his way so that he has smooth runnings with the illithids that go hive with his mind. So he's not conspiring to get at us specifically, but takes us as part of his aspirations. We're what's left after the Goblins/cultists haul off survivors and kill them off.
3. The side plot of Astarion and the vampires got me to wonder if there wasn't some kind of hierarchy in The Emperor's "special brew" tadpoles. He likes to have insurance to cover his schemes, having us be slave minds to his makes for a darn good insurance, should he need it.
4. The Emperor is careful. Even though The Absolute is aware of his strategy, it's still the one he sticks with - best strategy will still work even if the opponent is aware of it. He knows what he can do and, as such, needs the Netherstones to get the job done. And that Orpheus brain, over there. If you're not forthcoming, then he has zero confidence in your skillz and goes with The Absolute, presumably to await another aeon in which he can grab for power.
5. The Emperor also lies. "I only eat criminal brains" - uh, what about my man Orpheus over there? "I will not let you turn into a mind flayer" - uh, what's that astral tadpole in your hand, there, buddy?
6. But The Emperor also has limited ambitions - he doesn't want to be running everything, just to be the power behind the throne. Is the world a better place with a willful mind flayer running a weapons ring behind the scenes? Mmmmaaaayyyybeeee it is...?

[Thelemech]

I uninstalled Starfield and I feel fine 🙂

Total waste of time and the most disappointing game of the year.

[Vyn]

I uninstalled Starfield and I feel fine 🙂

Total waste of time and the most disappointing game of the year.

That's too bad it was such a bust, the marketing sure makes it look fancy.

[Zzzptm]

Come join us in BG3, Thel!

Doing a run as Karlach right now, WONDERFUL in-head dialogue streams we get in that one!

[Vyn]

Nifty video of a fight instigated by a bard name Jimi Henderstix. From Act 1, spoilered in case anyone simply does not want to know anything, but nothing too spoil-like...

: show

BG3: A guy steals the iron flask, tosses it in the middle of the Gith patrol, a beholder pops out and fighting ensues. The toon is a bard, so after the battle he, of course, plays a song, ahhahahaha.

[Zzzptm]

That be some LULZ going on there.

In non-spoiler discussion, I find that I absolutely love the telekinesis spell when I get a chance to use it. Tossing around the boss spellcasters is a great feeling.

[Charger]

Well looks like I got my new more gaming oriented computer up and running...just need to finish some installations as all seems to be finally working with it so time for me to log back into the world of PC gaming.

First thing to try I believe will be this:

It's been getting some great reviews on playablity. Most people saying this plays like the good old battlefield 4 used to. The graphics are what they are but if the gaming is good the graphics to me are non important.

The new Battlefield 2042 is in a spot where it starts to be nerfed to death so I'm starting to lose interest. Need something else to try.

Also will be getting Modern Warfare 2 although that wasn't reportedly nearly as good as MW was few years ago.

[Zzzptm]

On point comment with the gaming being good - get that done right, and we can forgive graphics resolution quality. Look at Minecraft and Stardew Valley - hugely popular because the *game* underneath is good. Graphics are last-century on both those titles, but who cares?

Meanwhile, I'm looking at Cities: Skylines 2 coming out in a month. It got announced with amazing-looking graphics... that were not actual gameplay. The actual gameplay looks about the same as CS1. Difference being that somehow, to get those same-as-the-old-boss graphics, one now needs a massive 11GB RTX card! I'm not going to dive into that game with eagerness. I will likely buy it because I have a channel that does CS material, but I am ready to be disappointed by it.

[Charger]

Well Modern Warfare II still costs 69€ in Steam so no thank you!

[Charger]

Well Battlebit was a dud... The graphics is too bad...it's too much of a mess you can't really see anything and you can't make out who's an enemy and who's a friend before you're dead...

Can't really recommend that.

[Vyn]

... you can't make out who's an enemy and who's a friend ...

KILL 'EM ALL!

[Thelemech]

Playing Forza Motosport and finally Microsoft have made me glad that I bought the Xbox Series X
This is the game I have been praying for and I must say that it is a blast and looks awesome 👌