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[Phawx]

Don't know if you guys like shmups, but I did an LP of Redux: Dark Matters as well.

LP: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QFKOE5cuq3Y


Quick Impressions:

I always prefer to get the bad stuff out of the way first and then get to the good stuff. Not that there is much to find fault with, but there is just one issue I have with Redux: Dark Matters and that's with the art assets. They aren't bad per se and you can't see them in images alone. It's hard for me to eloquently explain this so please bear with me while I try to explain myself.

Essentially, all of the artwork exists as-if in a bubble. Perfectly in-focus at all times and never blending in with game. There has been one exception to this and I've made note of it in my Let's Play. There is a moment where your ship passes through a waterfall and it reacts accordingly. Not only does it have an animation for water hitting your ship, it actively pushes your ship down. But outside of this (which I will admit is excellent) one element, everything feels completely separate from another.

But that's the only negative thing I can say. Everything else about Redux: Dark Matters is excellent. Varied and eclectic power-ups from multi-angle missiles and blasters to bouncing lasers. Excellent boss fights at the end of each level that need to be mastered if you have any hope of beating the game.

Plus the difficulty is fantastic. If you are just an average shmup player, the normal difficulty is excellent. The game is just hard enough and you're equipped with an assortment of tools that (Which you can not spam) help you through tough bullet-hell situations.

Then there is Veteran difficulty level that is true to it's name. I could only beat the first level after completely exhausting all of my lives on Veteran.

Edit:

Also thanks again More_badass. I'm going to be taking your LD31 suggestions and doing LPs of them. If anyone else wants to list their picks of LD31, I'll do those as well

 

[managore]

Some of my favourites from Ludum Dare 31.

Owls Ever After - Free (Windows, Mac, Linux, Browser)

http://ludumdare.com/compo/ludum-dare-31/?action=preview&uid=34229

A game about the life of an owl family, made by my wife and me. Remember the past, one New Year's Eve at a time.

PhotoBound - Free (Windows, Linux)

http://ludumdare.com/compo/ludum-dare-31/?action=preview&uid=10948

You are a tourist who on a mission to take a picture of a rare bird, the Hippogriphastopholes. Unfortunately you are stuck on a single screen. If only you could use your camera like one of those camera's in those video games you play. Life's tough for a single screen tourist.

Hunt The Yeti - Free (Browser)

http://ludumdare.com/compo/ludum-dare-31/?action=preview&uid=6780

Hunt The Yeti on an exotic, snowy planet! ☃

Dig through the ice with your hi-tech drill then *PUNCH* enemies into the water, freezing them to death. Defeat all waves to face the Legendary Cyber-Yeti!

Serenity - Free (Windows, Linux)

http://ludumdare.com/compo/ludum-dare-31/?action=preview&uid=16007

A small game about musical fireflies.

 

[PandaPedinte]

RPS is putting theirs Bestest Best games of 2014, and there are indies being chosen.

 

[One Foul Note]

RPS is putting theirs Bestest Best games of 2014, and there are indies being chosen.

God damn, Hexcells is best puzzler, they know their stuff I'll give them that.

 

[NihonTiger90]

Couple of quick indie impressions with videos:

Shootmephrenia by Toco Games (GAF's own Davision) is an interesting 7DFPS entry. It's relatively short but the idea is unique (ricochet a bullet off mirrors to shoot yourself), though the first puzzles are pretty simple. The art style fits the idea of being stuck in a weird, morphing dimension you can't escape easily from, and I can imagine the puzzles becoming more complex and requiring more precision as the game advances. My only hope is for some more mechanics to the bullet besides simple deflection.

---

Catlateral Damage is a game where you are a cat. Your goal is to knock things over, as cats do. The game controls pretty well and the demo has two basic modes at the moment: knocking as much as you can on the floor to reach a certain score, and doing the same but only having certain objects count towards the score. It's a little dry in stuff to do at the moment, but more modes and a bigger house generated procedurally seem to be on the way. The art style is simple but rather appealing to me; the dev was going for a Katamari-style look and I think he pulled it off. If we can get some more to do and explore, I can see this being a fun little game to play casually, a la Goat Simulator or I Am Bread.

 

[More_Badass]

Neo Scavenger is out of Early Access
http://store.steampowered.com/app/248860/

 

[Moobabe]

God damn, Hexcells is best puzzler, they know their stuff I'll give them that.

They do - but the site is so damn horrible to look at now.

 

[Phawx]

My LP of Rock Boshers DX: Director's Cut:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jYeRgOd8BIA

QI: I've never played a legit ZX Spectrum game before. I've seen videos of people playing the speccy and I've also seen a port of Doom on Speccy, but never actually played a single game. So keeping that in mind, I can only speak to the authenticity of RBDXC from second-hand accounts.

Having said that, by all of my accounts, it seems quite accurate. Not just the sounds and limited color palette, but even the limited mechanisms by which the games on that system were accustomed too.

It's quaint without appearing old. Or maybe I'm just too old . But even with all of the Go Here > Do This > Trigger That, however rudimentary, RBDXC is still quite fun.

My LP of Super Chibi Knight:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uai-9rRhTrI

QI: It feels like a flash game through and through. It's heavy on the grinding side of things, of which I am never a fan. Even the faintest whisper of grinding is an immediate turn off to me.

I really like that all of the sound effects and voices were done by the dev's eight year old daughter though. Quite playful.

I'd like this game heaps more if it was condensed considerably.

My LP of Run or Die

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EM12Nq00Jlo

QI: It's an endless runner with the narrative that you've taken a scientific device that grants the wearer infinite energy but with the side-effect that the user will blow up upon slowing down or stopping. There are six powers you have to assist your way through the, IMO punishing, gauntlet of obstacles.

This game frustrated the hell out of me. But I started to see the patterns emerging based on the different abilities that I had. It is unfair, but you can master this game.

They also have other modes, like challenges and dailies.

 

[gabbo]

Couple of quick indie impressions with videos:

Shootmephrenia by Toco Games (GAF's own Davision) is an interesting 7DFPS entry. It's relatively short but the idea is unique (ricochet a bullet off mirrors to shoot yourself), though the first puzzles are pretty simple. The art style fits the idea of being stuck in a weird, morphing dimension you can't escape easily from, and I can imagine the puzzles becoming more complex and requiring more precision as the game advances. My only hope is for some more mechanics to the bullet besides simple deflection.

You would think simple deflection would get boring, and to a degree, it does, but the puzzles have that 'just another try/one' feeling to them that you're either too into a specific puzzle and getting it 'just right' or tossing your m/kb into your monitor in frustration. It is weird to see Agent 47 going into wacky ragdoll death spirals though

 

[rybrad]

Not sure how many people remember Vagante but after a Kickstarter that fell short, the game is now available via Early Access on Steam. I am going to pick it up sometime this week and will report back with improvements if someone doesn't beat me to it.

 

[Toma]

Not sure how many people remember Vagante but after a Kickstarter that fell short, the game is now available via Early Access on Steam. I am going to pick it up sometime this week and will report back with improvements if someone doesn't beat me to it.

Oooh, very cool. I am interested in impressions, especially regarding the longevity of the gameplay mechanics during the alpha and the controls/enemy variety.

 

[More_Badass]

Huh, I still have the most posts in the thread...that's surprising. Anyway, been busy with finishing my semester lately, that's why I haven't been posting many impressions or game posts. But I finish this week so I want to go through that OP this weekend.

A bit disappointing to see the post numbers for these threads in a steady decline.

Toma, what's the ETA on the Community Voting, if you've decided?

 

[PandaPedinte]

My LP of Rock Boshers DX: Director's Cut:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jYeRgOd8BIA




My LP of Super Chibi Knight:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uai-9rRhTrI




My LP of Run or Die

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EM12Nq00Jlo

Rock Boshers DX: Director's Cut looks interesting

Not sure how many people remember Vagante but after a Kickstarter that fell short, the game is now available via Early Access on Steam. I am going to pick it up sometime this week and will report back with improvements if someone doesn't beat me to it.

Thank you for posting, I could have missed it.

 

[daydream]

Oh snap, I wanted to do a post, didn't I.

Rock Boshers DX: Director's Cut - 6,29$ (PC, PS4, Vita)

http://tikipod.com/rockboshersdx/

A twin-stick shooter set on a suspiciously British alien planet and a loving tribute to the ZX Spectrum. Escape from captivity and grab a jammy scone or two on the way.

Game has a PS+ discount, FYI.

 

[BudokaiMR2]

So I think that Rime Berta was already included in one of these threads when it first hit PLAYISM, but I wanted to just come in and update people that it just hit Steam!

http://store.steampowered.com/app/312600

The Steam keys for any PLAYISM purchasers should be available in the next 24 hours on your account page!

Also, if anyone is willing to help out our Thunderclap campaign for the Steam release we would be really grateful!
https://www.thunderclap.it/projects/20247-rime-berta-comes-to-steam

 

[Moobabe]

Not sure how many people remember Vagante but after a Kickstarter that fell short, the game is now available via Early Access on Steam. I am going to pick it up sometime this week and will report back with improvements if someone doesn't beat me to it.

Thanks for the heads up man!

 

[More_Badass]

Saw this on RPS:
http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2014/12/17/secret-habitat-art-gallery-simulator/#more-254759

Secret Habitat - Free (PC, Mac, Linux)

http://strangethink.itch.io/secret-habitat

Aimlessly explore 99 procedurally generated art galleries full of generated artwork and generated sound loop exhibits. Maybe you will find some meaning here. I don't know.

 

[Moobabe]

So what's everyone playing this weekend? (I say weekend because I've got the next two days off before I'm back at work on Saturday)

 

[Phawx]

I did these two LP's with a friend, so there is a lot more chatter between the both of us. I apologize for my profuse laughter in my Tristoy LP. The way my friend said "Wizard Stain" coupled with the fact that I do my LP's at like 1AM didn't help matters.

My LP of National Zombie Park:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r0i8SEaIcN4

QI: It's not fully baked. Needs more time in the oven. No matter what we did, MP wouldn't work. Software firewalls / port forwarding, VLANs, all were a no go. And the single player is vanilla Unity forest game. It is an Early Access title though.

My LP of Tristoy

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bN3ls8LwhXY

QI: I have an early access version of this game, it's not scheduled to release until a month from now, but there are a few things that are .. weird?

Perhaps there is placeholder sounds instead of no-sound files, but playing as the magic user and using magic, whenever you hit something there is this piano chord sound. It is very off-putting and I kind of wish there was no-sound at all.

It's a Co-Op only game, but the online multiplayer worked without a hitch, nice and streamlined. Discounting the sound issues that we had, the artwork and animation tweens are very nice. There was one portion that kind of had a Dragon's Lair fluidity to it.

Pretty cool Co-Op only action-adventure game with a pretty decent narrative that you play a part in.

So what's everyone playing this weekend? (I say weekend because I've got the next two days off before I'm back at work on Saturday)

I should have Vagante LP and QI up tomorrow. Over the weekend I plan on playing stuff I am required to do LP for and hopefully some LD31

Edit: Actually! I forgot. I have to do Axiom Verge preview 2

 

[More_Badass]

So what's everyone playing this weekend? (I say weekend because I've got the next two days off before I'm back at work on Saturday)

I want to go through some of the OP games and also put some more time into RimWorld

Oh, and Metrocide is out of Early Access

 

[PandaPedinte]

So what's everyone playing this weekend? (I say weekend because I've got the next two days off before I'm back at work on Saturday)

Good question, I'll be busy during mostly of the weekend so I'm planning to play some of the games in the OP on Friday's night. Likely to be the stuff that looks more relaxing and not time demanding.

 

[CheesecakeRecipe]

Stylish Alien-abduction adventure game To Azimuth failed to reach its $20,000 funding goal a few hours ago. Thankfully, it seems like the team are treating it like a bump in the road and hoping to continue pressing forward regardless.

 

[Phawx]

My Let's play of Vagante is up:

http://youtu.be/kf3QyeBfF-0

Quick Impressions:

There was a minor mishap in the game where I learned a fire spell (after purchasing it from a friendly vendor) and was testing it when I accidentally set the merchant on fire. The merchant didn’t take too kindly to my prestidigitation and promptly locked his store and tried to slay me whilst enflamed. I didn’t mean to murder the merchant. But since he was already dead, I destroyed his display stand and broke down his locked room and stole the rest of the stuff I couldn’t afford.

This all happened in the tutorial of the game.

Imagine if you took Spelunky (Procedurally generated 2D platforming levels + Permadeath) and you mashed it up with a blend of Skyrim (Elder Scrolls) + Rogue and you’d get Vagante

For being an Early Access title, Vagante is crazy polished. I’m not even sure why this game is labeled as Early Access even after reading the FAQ. There is a ton of variety and a LOT of depth to even master the game at this point. Gripping on to ledges has to be intentional. There is a gravity to the game’s pace that presses real and urgent danger everywhere you turn. Secret areas, Boss fights on each level, crazy thieves, traps. Vagante is amazing.

When the tutorial manages to be fun, you know a game is doing something right. Seriously, I am having a ton of fun with this game.

Be warned though, it’s pretty brutal.​

My Let's Play of Axiom Verge Preview 2:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DkxOOuyo-a0

Quick Impressions:

The Let's Play isn't that long, only 10 minutes of additional footage (I didn't start from the beginning) but most importantly it shows off the "Address Disruptor" which allows you to glitch enemies or corrupted areas. A few examples is that you can glitch floating NPCs to turn them into terrain so that you can hover upwards or those giant hearts that spawn birds, will instead spawn health. Also there is another boss in this preview and it just further makes me appreciate the pixel art.​

My Let's Play of The Sun and Moon

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ea0XFro4LFc

Quick Impressions:

(Like a fool, I completely forgot this game won LD29 and when I mention it in my LP, I casually bring it up as one of the highlights of LD29. /sigh.) At it's core, The Sun and Moon is a solid platformer. The twist on the mechanics of polarizing the platforms and equipping them with reversed gravity is where things start to shine. But perhaps most importantly is the ingenuity of the level design, I mention it once in my LP, there is a point when there is just a series of simple platforms and it, from the onset, looks extremely straight forward. But the nuance of the platforms perfectly being placed doesn't become apparent until you serially step through the level.

I kind of feel like this is in some way an allegory to how some people can see deeper meaning in... paintings for example. I've always scoffed at people who look for deeper meaning in, well, anything really. I subscribe to Occam's razor and generally do not like making things complex when instead there can be a simple answer. That's not saying the answer can't be difficult or seemingly impossible to do. I digress, but I'm trying to elaborate on why I like The Sun and Moon. Careful brush-strokes, precise placement of platforms. It is like if you could take the word "platformer" as it's applied to video games and use The Sun and Moon as an example of the word.

Definitely check it out. Solid looped music accompanies the experience.​

 

[Toma]

The Community Indie GOTY Voting is open (Yes, lazy reuse of last years awesome banner):
http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=955174

If possible, please try to quote this post on top of every new thread page here.

 

[PandaPedinte]

Strange, I noticed that I didn't played the mostly of the biggest indie releases this year

 

[Toma]

Strange, I noticed that I didn't played the mostly of the biggest indie releases this year

Yeah, I missed quite a few of them too. Curious how our list will end up. In any case, I just posted my initial consideration list in the other thread. Trimming that down to a top 20 is going to be a blood bath.

 

[More_Badass]

Looking over this year's games, I realized none of the 7DFPS, 7DRL, and Ludum Dare entries blew me away the way Beyond Perception and SuperHOT did last year

 

[Toma]

Could anyone be so kind to compile a list of all users who participated in the monthly votings this year? Please reply to this post if you do, so we don't have multiple people doing the same work.

 

[NihonTiger90]

Looking over this year's games, I realized none of the 7DFPS, 7DRL, and Ludum Dare entries blew me away the way Beyond Perception and SuperHOT did last year

Shift came close for me.

 

[Phawx]

Did an LP of an updated build of 404sight v0.8 and used my Rift DK2:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hbJVqeo030g

Looking forward to this game getting devved more. I am not intrigued by the prospect of a more fully realised Mirror's Edge in VR.

 

[More_Badass]

Lisa - $9.99 (PC)

http://store.steampowered.com/app/335670/

A game about survival, sacrifice, and perverts...
Lisa is a quirky side-scrolling RPG set in a post-apocalyptic wasteland. Beneath the charming and funny exterior is a world full of disgust and moral destruction.

The Taos Principle - $39.99, Free demo (PC, Mac, Linux)

http://www.croteam.com/talosprinciple/

The Talos Principle is a philosophical first-person puzzle game from Croteam, the creators of the legendary Serious Sam games, written by Tom Jubert (FTL, The Swapper) and Jonas Kyratzes (The Sea Will Claim Everything).
As if awakening from a deep sleep, you find yourself in a strange, contradictory world of ancient ruins and advanced technology. Tasked by your creator with solving a series of increasingly complex puzzles, you must decide whether to have faith or to ask the difficult questions: Who are you? What is your purpose? And what are you going to do about it?

Xenodrifter - $9.99 (PC)

http://www.renegadekid.com/xeodrifter.htm

Blast your way through alien landscapes, seek out valuable secrets, and defeat ancient guardians to unlock powers from a legendary supreme culture in this exciting journey of mystery and adventure.

bit Dungeon II - $4.99 (PC, Mac, IOS, Android)

http://kintogames.tumblr.com/post/105258031537/bit-dungeon-ii-is-released-steam

bitDungeon II is fast action roguelike game with a giant overworld to explore. Inspired by some of my favorite games Zelda, Diablo and Dark Souls.

Bliss - $7.99 (PC)

http://oruji.com/games/bliss/

Bliss is a quiet and subtle puzzle platforming adventure.
Always searching for what he didn't have; the man climbed a mountain his entire life just to find himself alone at the top with a view of all the mistakes he made along the way.
In Bliss you are a shadow trapped in a strange world constructed from someone's memories. The world is infected with dark creatures that you have to remove before you can proceed. To your disposal you have a boomerang and a stopwatch that can freeze time.

Galcon 2: Galactic Conquest - Free (PC, Mac, Linux, IOS)

http://www.galcon.com/g2/

Galcon 2 is a demolition derby in space! Send swarms of ships from planet to planet to conquer the galaxy in this fast paced multiplayer strategy game!

Distance - $19.99 (PC, Mac, Linux)

http://survivethedistance.com/

Distance is a survival racing game that combines the intense action of arcade racing with the exploration of an atmospheric world. You control a unique car that allows you to boost, jump, rotate, and even fly through a chaotic and twisted city.

Paper Knife - Free (PC, Mac)

http://paperknife.itch.io/paperknife

A psychological exploration game by Fionn Murray and Tiago Roldão.
Play as Dr. Joanna Dowell, a child psychiatrist, and explore the minds of her patients to unlock their deepest traumas and anxieties.

Trench Run - ????

http://www.thd.vg/trenchrun

Multiplayer run & gun game. Simple cooperative/team mechanics, lots of explosions and pixel gore mixed with some tongue-in-cheek features.
That’s ‘Trench Run’ in a nutshell.

Chromyrinth - Free (PC)

http://ludumdare.com/compo/ludum-dare-31/?action=preview&uid=38163

In Chromyrinth, you play as a teeny tiny creature trying to use lasers to purify all the colors in its excessively colorful world.
The world is made up of many different zones, each of which can be controlled and moved around like a tile in a generic sliding tile puzzle. Your ultimate goal is to collect enough energy packets to turn on all 4 lasers, and to align the lasers such that they all intersect in the middle of the white zone.

Visibility Zero - Free (Browser)

http://vidroid.itch.io/visibility-zero

You've are an astronaut, stuck on a distant planet.
You need to find the Simple Field Emitter parts to fix Communication Device and call for extraction.
The good news: the planet is a junkyard, 99% chance to locate needed parts.
The bad news: zero visibility. Almost absolute darkness.
Pitch black. The only option is to use OneScreen 9000 device.

Recollection - Free (PC, Mac)

http://community.vfs.com/arcade/game/recollection/

Recollection is a first person puzzle game with shooter elements in a surreal environment

Proelium - Free (PC)

http://ludumdare.com/compo/ludum-dare-31/?action=preview&uid=41470

Fight agents, mercenaries, zombies and samurai with 4 different weapons in this immensely satisfying arena-action shooter.
Contestants come from near and far to star on Proelium, the world's only fight-to-the-death TV show.

Suddenly, Thousands - Free (Browser)

http://omiyagames.itch.io/suddenly-thousands

Suddenly, Thousands is a mob controlling game that takes inspiration from Pikmin and The Swapper. As a lone individual, you can recruit characters with synchronized movements to help push blocks, trigger switches, and avoid perilous lasers. Help lead the mob to it's sacred safe-house!

Roadkill - Free (PC, Mac)

http://shawnbecktp.itch.io/roadkill

A game about absurd city-planning, anarchic pedestrians and casual murder.

 

[More_Badass]

New Children of Mortis trailer

 

[Moobabe]

New Children of Mortis trailer

This looks great - Kickstarter in January as well

 

[More_Badass]

Really creepy and unsettling interactive fiction

my father's long, long legs - Free (Browser)

http://correlatedcontents.com/misc/Father.html

"Free Twine game My Father’s Long, Long Legs manages to capture some of the uncanny horror of Junji Ito’s Uzumaki using nothing more than a fine selection of words and some cleverly applied sound effects."

 

[Moobabe]

Ok guys we need to talk.

I think it's honestly better for this thread, in terms of posts from other users outside of the regular ones, if we tone down on images.

I know we like to recommend games - but the OP (because it's automatic) ends up full of games that, perhaps, we never get around to playing the following month simply because there's so many.

Pages are taking longer and longer to load with the images and the gifs and I think it would benefit the thread if we came up with something to reduce that. I've seen multiple people, those who browse on mobile or don't have a lot of RAM or whatever, say they don't post in these threads because they take too long to load.

 

[Toma]

Ok guys we need to talk.

I think it's honestly better for this thread, in terms of posts from other users outside of the regular ones, if we tone down on images.

I know we like to recommend games - but the OP (because it's automatic) ends up full of games that, perhaps, we never get around to playing the following month simply because there's so many.

Pages are taking longer and longer to load with the images and the gifs and I think it would benefit the thread if we came up with something to reduce that. I've seen multiple people, those who browse on mobile or don't have a lot of RAM or whatever, say they don't post in these threads because they take too long to load.

I dont think they are talking about normal pages though, are they? The first post takes ages to load, but the rest of the pages are rather easy on the loading times. And if we stopped doing that, we wouldnt have a thread anymore from next month onwards, as no one would post formatted posts.

Its true that the image posting might disrupt discussions though, but then again, they are free bumps which the thread otherwise might not get.

I'd love to hear more opinions on it though, because we had a similar discussion last year, where we got to the conclusion that images help getting attention here in the first place.

 

[Moobabe]

I dont think they are talking about normal pages though, are they? The first post takes ages to load, but the rest of the pages are rather easy on the loading times. And if we stopped doing that, we wouldnt have a thread anymore from next month onwards, as no one would post formatted posts.

Its true that the image posting might disrupt discussions though, but then again, they are free bumps which the thread otherwise might not get.

I'd love to hear more opinions on it though, because we had a similar discussion last year, where we got to the conclusion that images help getting attention here in the first place.

I think the GIFs mess me up - they make posts take a little longer to load.

I'm only saying because I've seen a couple of people say they don't post as much in these threads because of the loading times. I'll see if I can get them to post.

On topic - I'm currently playing through Elegy of a Dead World. It's very, very different to anything I've played before. I suspect it'll also fall foul of the "it's not a game" society.

 

[daydream]

I'm strongly in favour of having images/gifs in the OP, otherwise it'd be impossible to tell the games apart. And for the images to end up in the OP, they need to be included in the posts that Toma-bot picks up. I can see the point about subsequent pages, though. Two possible solutions I can think of off the top of my head:

1) Separate thread for Screenshot Saturday and new game posts in general.
2) The posts are still made in here but instead of IMG-tags, the images are put into URL-tags and Toma-bot is adjusted to put the links back into IMG-tags for the next thread's OP.

 

[Toma]

I'm strongly in favour of having images/gifs in the OP, otherwise it'd be impossible to tell the games apart. And for the images to end up in the OP, they need to be included in the posts that Toma-bot picks up. I can see the point about subsequent pages, though. Two possible solutions I can think of off the top of my head:

1) Separate thread for Screenshot Saturday and new game posts in general.
2) The posts are still made in here but instead of IMG-tags, the images are put into URL-tags and Toma-bot is adjusted to put the links back into IMG-tags for the next thread's OP.

2nd would work, but I actually prefer getting a first impression in the thread here, instead of needing to click on a link first.

 

[daydream]

2nd would work, but I actually prefer getting a first impression in the thread here, instead of needing to click on a link first.

I mean, that's my preference but I was looking for ways to compromise. A lot of people browser GAF exclusively on mobile and I can see this thread being a minefield for them. We should hear from them first, though.

 

[Toma]

I mean, that's my preference but I was looking for ways to compromise. A lot of people browser GAF exclusively on mobile and I can see this thread being a minefield for them. We should hear from them first, though.

Kind of a catch-22 if no one is here to read it, and we don't know who to ask about that.

 

[Toma]

I got around to play Hack n Slash for my GOTY nomination list and I gotta say... I am not impressed.

The game doesnt feel like a proper hacking/programming game, more like a light puzzle game in a hacking skin. One example: Instead of pushing stones, you need to hit the stone first to give it the property of being pushable and then do that 7 times to solve a stone-pushing puzzle. Similar incidents in other parts of the game.

The level design just seems ... boring? and despite the low playtime still ends up being repetetive. I rarely felt engaged by the solutions or options the game allowed me to do. In terms of puzzle design, I know why they put some limitations on it, but I would have preferred if they just went nuts with it instead of limiting options to obvious solutions.

I am also underwhelmed by the range of choices the game gives you. Most of it are just simple numbers. Admittedly, its cool to look at once you change your first enemy to run 1000x as fast, but that gets old quick. Spoiler for the first boss fight:

Spoiler

So there is that boss and you have turtles attacking you. Solution: Reprogram a turtle to be super strong and to be on your side.

Other solutions? Not really, other than making less strong but multiple turtles. There is just not enough sense of wonder and actual choice. Another idea would have been: Transforming one of the turtles into the good version of the boss and fight it out. Or making the boss hungry until he ate too many turtles and gives up, Or whatever else you might be thinking of.

Other than that it also seems unpolished with too many asset reuses, unpolished animations and some bugs.

The game still has an sorta cute art style (even though I am not a huge fan of it) and is worth playing overall, but I am very glad I got it gifted, as I cant recommend paying more than maybe $5 for it. Maybe in my extended top 50 list if I ponder more about and I miss other choices, but will likely not land in the top 20.

 

[Moobabe]

I'm strongly in favour of having images/gifs in the OP, otherwise it'd be impossible to tell the games apart. And for the images to end up in the OP, they need to be included in the posts that Toma-bot picks up. I can see the point about subsequent pages, though. Two possible solutions I can think of off the top of my head:

1) Separate thread for Screenshot Saturday and new game posts in general.
2) The posts are still made in here but instead of IMG-tags, the images are put into URL-tags and Toma-bot is adjusted to put the links back into IMG-tags for the next thread's OP.

Definitely keep them in the OP - that's cool, and I don't think #1 would work - it would just splinter people even more.

Kind of a catch-22 if no one is hear to read it, and we don't know who to ask about that.

This is kind of how I feel too - attracting people to the thread should be a priority right?

As for this month's games there's really nothing in the OP that's grabbing me. Has anyone played much from the OP so far to recommend a good starting point?

 

[daydream]

Kind of a catch-22 if no one is hear to read it, and we don't know who to ask about that.

This is kind of how I feel too - attracting people to the thread should be a priority right?

To clarify, I was specifically referring to this:

I'm only saying because I've seen a couple of people say they don't post as much in these threads because of the loading times. I'll see if I can get them to post.

 

[Toma]

As for this month's games there's really nothing in the OP that's grabbing me. Has anyone played much from the OP so far to recommend a good starting point?

I didnt play anything from December yet, I blame the 2014 backlog for the voting thread.

 

[CheesecakeRecipe]

Moobabe (<3) saw me mentioning my issues with this on twitter and encouraged me to speak up about it a few months back. At the time, I figured my issues were just my own so I didn't see the need to bring the thread down with "Well, it's giving me problems so..." But now I see that the threads have been in a steady decline of activity, and I'm sorry I haven't been very active here. Not that I could compare to some of the others who, without their frequent contributions, this community wouldn't have even gotten this far.

The fact that there's no easy solution also gave me pause in mentioning it. The pictures do their job of catching your attention to the game and selling you on at least checking out the description and potentially even looking at the game's site/store page. And Screenshot Saturday helps expose games that are currently in development which could use some hyping up. But it bogs my computers down with all of the in-browser rescaling and the dozens upon dozens of 10MB+ gifs that load in. Even with my new rig, it still disrupts my browsing experience enough where visiting the thread has been less and less appealing. Don't even get me started on if I instinctively click on the thread when I'm in the Steam overlay.

I'm open for suggestions on how to solve the overload issue. 100 posts with a majority of them being beefy GIFs and large JPGs/PNGs is rather overwhelming to the casual viewer and problematic for some web browsers regardless of strength of system. But it's how these threads got so popular to begin with, so what can you do?

 

[Moobabe]

To clarify, I was specifically referring to this:

Ah ok, I'm with you now.

I didnt play anything from December yet, I blame the 2014 backlog for the voting thread.

Same - I'm so far behind. I picked up Dragon Age but it didn't really grab me at all like I thought it might.

 

[Toma]

On a similar note regarding my backlog:

Tabletop Simulator is really, really, really good. If you love boardgames, but have troubles finding the time to get together with friends to play them... this is, hands down, the ultimate solution. The base game only contains basic games, but the workshop items have a multitude of serious board games available. K2, Carcassonne, Risk, Takenoko, Hero Quest and 1400 others. The rules are usually not included, but due to the simulated "tactility" of game pieces, it really feels quite engaging. I havent played Monopoly in ages and was never the biggest fan of it, but earlier I sat down and played 2 hours of Fallout Monopoly with a friend from the US. That was really good. This has very, very good chances landing in my top 20. Highly recommended to grab and check out if you like boardgames.

Screenshot of a Munchkin endgame mayhem:

 

[Toma]

I'm open for suggestions on how to solve the overload issue. 100 posts with a majority of them being beefy GIFs and large JPGs/PNGs is rather overwhelming to the casual viewer and problematic for some web browsers regardless of strength of system. But it's how these threads got so popular to begin with, so what can you do?

Changing the gaf view to 50 posts per page should help for one

But yeah, other than that.. the only thing we could reasonably put somewhere else are the monster posts from Desura, or M_B's screenshot saturdays/ big game posts. Maybe not using the other thread for ANY discussion and just dumping game info for the next month? I mean those posts WILL pop up in the actual thread next month, so not having them included in the running of the thread wouldnt hurt that much. We could also introduce a no-gif rule for any of the OP posts.

Like... using this thread for games and recommendation games about games we find interesting, but if its just a post of 2-10 games that are up for next month, put it in an extra community thread. How does that sound?

 

[Moobabe]

Changing the gaf view to 50 posts per page should help for one

But yeah, other than that.. the only thing we could reasonably put somewhere else are the monster posts from Desura, or M_B's screenshot saturdays/ big game posts. Maybe not using the other thread for ANY discussion and just dumping game info for the next month? I mean those posts WILL pop up in the actual thread next month, so not having them included in the running of the thread wouldnt hurt that much. We could also introduce a no-gif rule for any of the OP posts.

Like... using this thread for games and recommendation games about games we find interesting, but if its just a post of 2-10 games that are up for next month, put it in an extra community thread. How does that sound?

That could work? I mean, for me, the GIFs are what's slowing me down big time, so that sounds ok?

I don't wanna be a stick in the mud - and I can imagine MB reading this discussion grinding his teeth because he finds some amazing gifs. I feel like a JERK.