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AusGAF 11 - Twice the price, a year late but still moving forward

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Anyone have opinion on consumer UPSes? My Eaton/Powerware 5110 died overnight (after around five years of use), and I'm considering either replacing with a CyberPower BRIC (since it's verified to work with my NAS) or the successor to the 5110, the Eaton 5S.
 

senahorse

Member
Yep, Divinity, South Park, and probably Pillars of Eternity will come first.

Loved South Park as well and can't wait for Pillars of Eternity, will be interesting to see how Obsidian go with their own IP not on a publisher's timetable, they can delay it as much as they want as far as I am concerned :).
 
I don't have an opinion, although I feel like I should
All I can suggest is APC but not really consumer grade the models I have had anything to do with, maybe they do consumer versions?
Thanks guys. I figured there wouldn't be much of an answer, and that APC would probably be it. I've used mostly APC in enterprise level, but I reckon they're a bit overpriced just to protect one NAS and one PC, so chose Eaton last time since they're also reasonably well-known.

Unfortunately they're unsupported with my NAS though, and I'd really like the NAS to auto-shutdown in the event of a power outage, as opposed to the current situation of hoping the UPS lasts longer than the power outage. And cheaper APC models don't even have USB/ethernet connections.
 

Stackboy

Member
Grats Jambo!!

Well look at that, iView for PS4 the same day as Plex for PS3/4.

Neato, I installed Plex last night, but couldn't be bothered getting it all setup on my pc. Is the $6 app on IOS the easiest way to use it to stream between my PC and PS4?

I'm on Steam, yeah. Wait, we HAVE to be Steam buddies, right? Surely. I'm Gazunta if you haven't added me already.

Just added you.

STEAM SAEL!! I bought State of Decay for $5. So it begins.

So I want to swap our broadband from Telstra and go to Optus. Roughly how much downtime would there be?
 
Grats Jambo!!



Neato, I installed Plex last night, but couldn't be bothered getting it all setup on my pc. Is the $6 app on IOS the easiest way to use it to stream between my PC and PS4?


lol, you *need* a PC based media server. Windows, Linux or whatever, but you need the server software to be running in order to use client apps like the XBO or PS4 or iPhone.
 

Roulette

Member
Congratulations to all recipients of various pieces of paper and offspring! Both are hard work.

Thinking about a late present for my wife. She's been talking about wanting a tablet/laptop for a while. She'd probably kill me if I spent a lot (say, $500+). Needs:

  • To be able to run Photoshop Elements (she has CS6 on desktop)
  • Web browsing and maybe email
  • Netflix (so customisable DNS settings)
  • Useable offline

Preferable:
  • keyboard/mouse
  • Capable of running Steam, specifically lighter games (she plays Marvel Puzzle Quest a lot, for reference)

Am I asking too much for under $500? Any suggestions?
 

Stackboy

Member
lol, you *need* a PC based media server. Windows, Linux or whatever, but you need the server software to be running in order to use client apps like the XBO or PS4 or iPhone.

Oh yeah I had the plex media server running on my PC. I hadn't bothered adding anything to it. I just figured I would use the IOS software to throw stuff to my Xbone. Or am I confused?
 
Oh yeah I had the plex media server running on my PC. I hadn't bothered adding anything to it. I just figured I would use the IOS software to throw stuff to my Xbone. Or am I confused?

The plex app on xbox one streams whatever you want from your pc server. You don't need any intermediary device.

You can use an iPhone w/ smartglass to act as a remote controller should the need arise.
 

Kritz

Banned
Xenos, I absolutely don't believe that the combat in this game gets any less tedious. The skill trees each character have all look very barebones, and the cooldowns on most abilities takes so long that even when I do want to micro my party there's no interesting choice beyond letting the party member scoff a potion or just keep auto attacking.

But, giving you the benefit of the doubt, could you give an example of one interesting story / character interaction moment that happens within DA:I, within the next 5 hours of gameplay, that doesn't occur within the stronghold?

In Divinity, the first hour of that game is you talking with people in town. Even once you've left town to go fight zombies, there are still NPCs with / related to quests that you can interact with and have some kind of branching conversation with. Nearly every NPC you encounter gives a branching choice at some point, where you get to consider what you know about them and how they fit into the world. E.G., you have to decide the fate of a lighthouse keeper who let his wife's ship smash into the shore because he thought she was cheating with him.

Does DA:I present anything like that?
 
DA:I has a serious problem with it's exploration areas having hardly any conversations in them. Even in the cities and such you can usually only talk to plot critical NPCs afaik. Even shopkeepers are generally quite automated, you talk to the signs next to them to buy stuff.

Side quests hardly ever have talking beyond the quest giver / finish quest dialogue, from memory .
 

Roulette

Member
Roulette: Try searching for a cheap / refurbished Surface Pro 1 or 2? $500 will be pushing your luck.

I can't see anything new under $800. People are selling second hand Pro 1s for $400-ish, but I don't know about a second hand gift...

Was hoping one of those shitty looking netbooks I always see in JB for <$500 would get the job done. But in my heart I knew it was unlikely. Will keep an eye out for cheap surface. Thanks, Gaz.
 

Dead Man

Member
Congratulations to all recipients of various pieces of paper and offspring! Both are hard work.

Thinking about a late present for my wife. She's been talking about wanting a tablet/laptop for a while. She'd probably kill me if I spent a lot (say, $500+). Needs:

  • To be able to run Photoshop Elements (she has CS6 on desktop)
  • Web browsing and maybe email
  • Netflix (so customisable DNS settings)
  • Useable offline

Preferable:
  • keyboard/mouse
  • Capable of running Steam, specifically lighter games (she plays Marvel Puzzle Quest a lot, for reference)

Am I asking too much for under $500? Any suggestions?
I got an Asus Transformer t100 I think for 500, it's borderline on some programs, but does most of what I want and the size is perfect. No idea if it will run elements, but it does run full windows with no major issues.

http://www.asus.com/au/Notebooks_Ultrabooks/ASUS_Transformer_Book_T100TA/

Looks like they are 424 at dicks, didn't look anywhere else.

http://www.dicksmith.com.au/computers-tablets/asus-10-1-transformer-book-t100ta-dk003h-dsau-xc9233
 

senahorse

Member
Xenos, I absolutely don't believe that the combat in this game gets any less tedious. The skill trees each character have all look very barebones, and the cooldowns on most abilities takes so long that even when I do want to micro my party there's no interesting choice beyond letting the party member scoff a potion or just keep auto attacking.

Regarding the combat, I never specifically said it gets any less tedious so you don't have to not believe, that's the system it uses, love it hate it, that's how it is. It does present some different mechanics/skill trees later on that you can't see at the start of the game though. The combat has certainly been dumbed down from origins, there's no denying that. Having said that, I don't mind it, and I have had some great encounters that required me to pause the action and change the strategy of my party members (e.g. make one tank more, one be defensive etc)

But, giving you the benefit of the doubt, could you give an example of one interesting story / character interaction moment that happens within DA:I, within the next 5 hours of gameplay, that doesn't occur within the stronghold?

Quite early on, there is a choice that affects if you support the mages or templars depending on what you choose presents you with a completely different and imo fantastic mission.
One involves you going into the future and the fade has taking over everything, was quite an eerie parth of the game
if you choose the other option, it's a completely different scenario from that and has some pretty big changes for dialog options for rest of the game. I am sure there are other ones but being 50+ hours in I don't recall them off the top of my head, I can ask my gf later she is better at remembering these things (always reads/talks to the npc's etc).

In Divinity, the first hour of that game is you talking with people in town. Even once you've left town to go fight zombies, there are still NPCs with / related to quests that you can interact with and have some kind of branching conversation with. Nearly every NPC you encounter gives a branching choice at some point, where you get to consider what you know about them and how they fit into the world. E.G., you have to decide the fate of a lighthouse keeper who let his wife's ship smash into the shore because he thought she was cheating with him.

Does DA:I present anything like that?

Maybe not as involved as that Divinity quest, I remember that having 4-5 parts to it. But you certainly have the opportunity to decide the fate for people from missions prior, ie they can be judged at the throne.

But lets not compare Divinity to Dragon Age. Divinity is probably (imo) the best rpg in 10 years. edit: at the very least, the best CRPG

DA:I has a serious problem with it's exploration areas having hardly any conversations in them. Even in the cities and such you can usually only talk to plot critical NPCs afaik. Even shopkeepers are generally quite automated, you talk to the signs next to them to buy stuff.

Side quests hardly ever have talking beyond the quest giver / finish quest dialogue, from memory .

Did you do many of them? Quite a number I have done have had lots of dialog, and quite a few didn't. For example the scholar in that desert area researching dragons.
 

Quasar

Member
Also Plex is NOT a free app, you need to be a Plex Pass subscriber to use the app until they unlock it for all users.
Plex Pass is $150.

Well you could just subscribe for the few months before the playstation app is out of its plexpass period. Assuming you dont just wait. I imagine it wont be that long.
 
Also Plex is NOT a free app, you need to be a Plex Pass subscriber to use the app until they unlock it for all users.
Plex Pass is $150.

Lifetime pass is $150, you don't have to do lifetime though.

Did you do many of them? Quite a number I have done have had lots of dialog, and quite a few didn't. For example the scholar in that desert area researching dragons.

I've done scattershot numbers of quests all over. A lot of them in the hinterlands. A huge number of quests are actually just checkboxes like requisitions, "find all camp sites", etc. I've given the dragon guy all his packages and now he wants some other shit. I may or may not finish that particular quest.

I don't know when I'm going to play again, I'm sort of holding out for more patching.
 

senahorse

Member
Lifetime pass is $150, you don't have to do lifetime though.



I've done scattershot numbers of quests all over. A lot of them in the hinterlands. A huge number of quests are actually just checkboxes like requisitions, "find all camp sites", etc. I've given the dragon guy all his packages and now he wants some other shit. I may or may not finish that particular quest.

I don't know when I'm going to play again, I'm sort of holding out for more patching.

The hinterlands quests are the worst, big mistake that area. The real interesting ones are in the other zones, the OT title is leave the damn hinterlands for a reason. The quests there make the game feel like WoW offline, just horrible. I think the best advice, is do a few quests, go to the war table and unlock other areas and go there instead.

Also, even in other areas, don't try and 100% them, keep moving, there is no way you can do even 3/4 of everything and not over-level yourself. There are some areas I will probably not even go to.

There are definitely design/technical issues with this game but I have really enjoyed my time with it thus far. Will it be in my GOTY top 3, no way, top 10 yeah probably.
 

Dead Man

Member
That's a lot of bones to drop on a game series that you might not like.
Yeah, but fuck it, not going to find the (almost) whole series cheaper, and I sort of want to start from the start, a friend had Metal Gear when I was a kid and I never played it because he didn't like it so nobody could play it :( Surely I will like at least two of the games, which will be enough for me to justify the purchase.
But TDM gave a reason...

But I think it's a bit of a silly reason. Financial responsibility? Why start now?
 
So, any reason I don't buy the MGS Legacy collection for $90 so I can finally see what all the fuss is about?

$90 is a lot for a few older games on PS3. If its no biggie to drop that kinda cash- sure, why not?

MGS2 is an excellent game- probably one of the best things on PS2. MGS3 is also really good.

Do you like endless cutscenes and endless codec conversations (basically when you talk to someone on the radio but its in a separate screen from the rest of the game)?

Do you like insane and illogical conspiracy theories?

Do you like to skip cutscenes?

Do you like games from incredibly self-indulgent creators?

Do you think
love can bloom on a battlefield
?
 

hamchan

Member
Yeah, but fuck it, not going to find the (almost) whole series cheaper, and I sort of want to start from the start, a friend had Metal Gear when I was a kid and I never played it because he didn't like it so nobody could play it :( Surely I will like at least two of the games, which will be enough for me to justify the purchase.

But TDM gave a reason...

But I think it's a bit of a silly reason. Financial responsibility? Why start now?

Alright, a reason then.

We used to pay $120 for games here in Australia. New games are still around the $70 mark.

$90 for a whole bunch of games that are critically acclaimed by a large majority is not as huge a risk as he's making it out to be. It's basically a huge bargain if you end up liking it even a little bit.
 

Dead Man

Member
$90 is a lot for a few older games on PS3

MGS2 is really good. MGS3 is also really good.

Do you like endless cutscenes and endless codec conversations (basically when you talk to someone on the radio but its in a separate screen from the rest of the game)?

Do you like insane and illogical conspiracy theories?

Do you like to skip cutscenes?

Do you like games from incredibly self-indulgent creators?

Do you think
love can bloom on a battlefield
?

No

Yes

Yes

No

Yes

Alright, a reason then.

We used to pay $120 for games here in Australia. New games are still around the $70 mark.

$90 for a whole bunch of games that are critically acclaimed by a large majority is not as huge a risk as he's making it out to be. It's basically a huge bargain if you end up liking it even a little bit.

That's pretty much my reasoning.

Sod it, I'll get it, and if I hate it and I feel like I wasted my money, TDM can say 'I told you so' :)
 
Lifetime pass is $150, you don't have to do lifetime though.

Well yeah. That's why I wrote $150 rather than 'x per month'. Quite aware of that. Would be easier to recommend if it was still $75 for the lifetime pass like it used to be.

Well you could just subscribe for the few months before the playstation app is out of its plexpass period. Assuming you dont just wait. I imagine it wont be that long.

Yeah Chromecast app was 3 months I think? Feels like less than that though. Someone at some point said 3 months for the X1 app though for some reason.
 

Darren870

Member
Whats the benefit of the plexpass? I don't have it and use plex everyday.
I guess just to sync your media so you can access it if you aren't at home? Other ways to get around that though.
 

Quasar

Member
Well yeah. That's why I wrote $150 rather than 'x per month'. Quite aware of that. Would be easier to recommend if it was still $75 for the lifetime pass like it used to be.

Yeah Chromecast app was 3 months I think? Feels like less than that though. Someone at some point said 3 months for the X1 app though for some reason.

I am pretty happy I upgraded before the price rise. Its my #1 media app and I'm really happy to support all the work they are doing.
 
2l0kPmM.jpg

X1 with AC Black Flag & AC Unity for $388 from Big W from Boxing Day
 
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