Support NeoGAF

[Ozium]

It's been a trying few weeks and I do hope everyone involved here can learn about the direction everybody would like to pull in and not just a handful and definitely not turn this thread into an even more insular community than it looks from the outside.

As someone who is new to SteamGAF and GAF in general (I literally steam-chatted Stump during the Steam sale about getting my 7 year old account finally approved and he helped me like a boss.) I never once saw SteamGAF as being insular when I was lurking, and it was SteamGAF's awesomeness that led me to actually send an inquiry to Stump... Furthermore everyone has been extremely welcoming to me and other new people. Even people who have Junior Member status aren't looked down upon here like they are, often, on the rest of the forum.

I do see your point, but I think SteamGAF is one of the more welcoming places on GAF, and I think part of that comes from the fact that we do share jokes, anecdotes about life and other things with each other. Although I do see your point about things getting out of control--there should be a happy medium.

Just my $.02

 

[Caerith]

Thread rules:

• Do not spam post your steam stats/games count or post damage lists from sales.

Sadly, the list-posting will be the most topical discussion we have this week.

 

[Stallion Free]

I'm a bit of a slow player. I like to take my time in Dark Souls/DS2 exploring and checking out if there are traps and stuff like that. I started the DLC content and played for about 2 or 3 hours and I don't think I'm near the end yet - I haven't even reached one of the bosses yet! I think if you kinda pick up the pace, then the DLC should be about 4-5 hours tops, maybe a bit more if you get stuck on a boss. I guess.

The level design is superb, btw. Not just from a gameplay standpoint, with its labyrinthine architecture, but also from an atmosphere one: it feels ancient, alien and claustrophobic. Something a big part of DS2 was missing.

The DLC shoves the two primary bosses towards the end it seems. I haven't discovered the optional boss yet.

 

[Hugstable]

I've got some more giving away to do. I have actually given more than gotten if you include games sent through other means than modbot, but hope to give a lot more in the future as well. No huge wins here, as almost all of my wins and gives are bundle-level. But I do appreciate each one, have played or plan to play all, and definitely want to play more Speedrunners with you guys especially!

Games received: 18
Games/DLC given away: 10
Unclaimed keys: 4
Best game received: Speedrunners!

Haha yeah my number would be a bit closer too if it counted some of the gifts. I'm just happy to know that out of my 11/13 games I've given away where all pretty decent non-bundle games, while the other 2 was Pat & Mat and Dead Island Epidemic. Now that I'm around here so much though and getting into the bundle buying groove, I'm sure my number is gonna shoot up alot from doing bundle giveaways. I still got a copy of Bioshock 1 and Gun Monkies to giveaway, but I'm pretty sure noone wants that extra gifted copy of Gun Monkeys lol.

 

[Speevy]

30 games taken, 24 given. I'm catching up at least! This doesn't include steam gifts though.

 

[derExperte]

My apologies... first time using NeoGAF to give away keys! Here are three additional keys via ModBot for Vertical Drop Heroes HD on Steam. Once claimed, the game will activate on Friday, July 25th. It's a procedural platformer-RPG, in case you were wondering. Good luck!!

Nice and thanks, I'll get to it asap after release.

Uh, Gods Will Be Watching still has another hour to go?

New releases usually go online when the store updates so I was surprised the timer said it'll release earlier.

 

[rtcn63]

I won some strange-shaped keys from JaseC awhile back. There were inscriptions on them regarding a sword that got drunk and trapped itself in a stone, and a rusted Green Knight with a hard-on for karma in the immediate sense.

Traded them for copy of Payday 2 from a Russian.

 

[Jawmuncher]

Sadly, the list-posting will be the most topical discussion we have this week.

The damage totals is the main "list" thing that people don't like to see. Since those can get rather ridiculous on all angles and discussion.

 

[Speevy]

Why can't I add friends on the steam client? It just loads a blank screen. Does this mean I have too many friends or is it just down?

 

[JaseC]

Generally speaking I don't have a problem with list stuff (the exceptions being when it's liable to drown out the thread -- sale damage lists being the most obvious example), but I think people should be somewhat mindful and avoid posts that lack any other content. Slot it in as aside to something else rather than leaving it to stand on its own.

Why can't I add friends on the steam client? It just loads a blank screen. Does this mean I have too many friends or is it just down?

Steam Community is a bit wonky at the moment. If your friends list is full you'll get an error saying as much.

 

[Turfster]

Why can't I add friends on the steam client? It just loads a blank screen. Does this mean I have too many friends or is it just down?

The steam website is having serious problems.

 

[derExperte]

Why can't I add friends on the steam client? It just loads a blank screen. Does this mean I have too many friends or is it just down?

No Connection

3) Self-moderation. It's time we start asking ourselves a hard and simple truth: who gives a shit? Why am I posting what I'm posting as I'm posting it? If you can't really come up with a reason that doesn't sound like it should belong in a chatroom, it may be time to rethink your post.

yep

 

[Hugstable]

The steam website is having serious problems.

Yeah even the chat and everything went down right now. I wonder what happened?

 

[Copons]

As a person who has been in every Steam thread since the beginning, I can say that the current state of the thread is categorically worse than what usually happens after a major sales event. However, we all have to shoulder the blame on this one a little bit as there is actually very little behavior you can call out a newer poster for that hasn't, in some way, been done by a veteran poster before.

These new posters aren't the first to post literally just a "Good morning, SteamGAF!" comment. There's just now more people doing it and, more importantly, these people haven't built up a reputation yet. Is any of the off-topic stuff being posted now any worse than the 3DS tangents we'd go on?

What I'm trying to say is: we created a certain culture in here, and we didn't get too upset about things because it was only a few posts and, "oh, hey, it's Morningbus. He's posted in here forever, so why am I going to get on his case about M&M codes?"

So, what are the problems?

1) There are a lot of new people. This shouldn't be a problem, but it becomes one because...

2) We've set a poor example of what's acceptable in the thread.

How do we fix it?

1) More on-topic, more of the time. We don't have to be robots parsing the world for scraps of news related to Steam, but we also don't need to know about your breakfast.

2) Proportion. Think about your post as part of a larger collection of posts. Is your gif really necessary to hammer home a reaction, or did the five other gif posts before you basically run the gamut of human emotion?

3) Self-moderation. It's time we start asking ourselves a hard and simple truth: who gives a shit? Why am I posting what I'm posting as I'm posting it? If you can't really come up with a reason that doesn't sound like it should belong in a chatroom, it may be time to rethink your post.

Listen to this guy, it's not a coincidence if he's a veteran!

But really, the points morningbus is raising here are absolutely spot on.

As for me, the most important point should be the second one: apparently what most of us here can't understand is that when someone posts, for example, whatever stats (like how many games have you won/given through ModBot?), there will suddenly be a tsunami of posts absolutely no one will read (see also point 3 of morningbus' list).
Whenever someone posts a connection speed, a screenshot of his library, an alpaca pic, a saoirse gif, it's 100% sure that everybody will follow with another post about speeds, libraries or alpacas.
When we (or better, those veteran-ier than me) were fewer, it was manageable, readable. Now it isn't anymore.

Dr Dogg was talking about two opinions about Arkham City, that I guess were posted earlier today.
Well fuck me, I missed both, even though I've been scrolling this thread all day and, worse, I'm actually interested in AC opinions because I don't know why I've had it installed for months and I've never really wanted to begin it for real.

I didn't even know what I was scrolling, because at this point it doesn't even matter if there aren't off topics going on, as this thread basically seems all whitenoise between ModBot giveaways.
It's kind of a weird feeling. Sad, too, as I love(d) this community.

 

[Firebrand]

Yeah even the chat and everything went down right now. I wonder what happened?

Just Steam being Steam. TF2 master server also not available.

 

[MayMay]

Steam died

 

[kiyomi]

Yeah even the chat and everything went down right now. I wonder what happened?

It said routine maintenance on mine; now it just says no connection can be made.

 

[Amzin]

So after playing several more hours of Arkham Origins, the flaws of the challenges is way more apparent. The 6th "Worst Nightmare" challenge can only be completed in TWO scripted rooms in the game. If you don't have it available by the first room you have to wait until almost the end of the game for your second chance, which means the other 9 challenges are just stuck. Similarly, the final challenge in the 2nd tree to stop a crime in progress in every district is buggy as hell as the bridge doesn't naturally spawn crimes in progress, but you must complete one on it to finish the challenge. The FIRST crime in progress you get (tutorial one essentially) is on the bridge super, super early in the game.

I do LIKE the challenges, but if they include them in Arkham Knight they either need to be less restrictive or (my preference) have every challenge unlocked right away so you can do them more naturally.

 

[Pupo]

The steam website is having serious problems.

Realy dead.

 

[MulderWasTaken]

Games received: 28
Games/DLC given away: 137
Unclaimed keys: 12 (fixing this below)
Best game received: Wolfenstein The New Order

Instructions for participants:
I am giving away 12 Steam keys. To enter this giveaway, send a PM to ModBot with any subject line. In the body, copy and paste the entire line from the message below that corresponds to the game you want. (if you include more than one game, you will be blocked from entering). Confused? Watch this GIF tutorial or ask for help.

ModBot Basics:
- No need to thank me. Please don't post thank you messages in thread or in PM.
- Do not trade keys you win off-site to enrich yourself.
- If the key is already taken you will not receive a reply. Replies may take a minute or two.

Rules for this Giveaway:
- This is a garbage dump. No other rules apply, you may claim as many as you want (there are no limits or throttles), and keys you win won't be counted as wins for your record. Do not SELL these keys for a profit.



CT Special Forces: Fire for Effect -- MB-029BD757D088523E - Taken by bluechox2
Zooloretto -- MB-0D04077AA7B7DF7B - Taken by Gunstarheroes
Radical Roach -- MB-BF8EEB392F0565C0 - Taken by Henry Swanson
Chronicles of a Dark Lord: Episode 1 Tides of Fate -- MB-D169419EAAB7E17D - Taken by Henry Swanson
Oil Rush -- MB-DD9BDAD79F8E00E4 - Taken by zeroOman
Guardians of Middle-earth: Smaug's Treasure DLC -- MB-1FD5DF970EBD1DC6 - Taken by Henry Swanson
Ravensword: Shadowlands -- MB-8D5E6E1238319A99 - Taken by yoshizzle
Zombie Driver HD Soundtrack -- MB-FC2F17277F359545 - Taken by Henry Swanson
Evopollution #2 -- MB-01651696E8938A5C - Taken by Vlad
Brazen Prototype -- MB-6DFAE3FD964121D5 - Taken by swx
Nightsky -- MB-0B054A654E0D5256 - Taken by bluechox2
The Lord of the Rings Online: Steely Dawn Starter Pack -- MB-7F4D9CCE2C13AEE3 - Taken by bluechox2

 

[Parsnip]

One other interesting thing I noticed in Dark Souls 2 DLC is that even during that ~6 hours I was invaded more times than the entirety of the base game. Were the invasion items so scarce before that people saved them up, but now that the game has been out for a while people aren't afraid to use them anymore? Or maybe a patch changed their drop rate or something? I haven't been looking at the notes, other than the latest rather significant patch.

 

[user237]

I counted everything manually, though.

copy and paste things into excel or another spreadsheet to easily count them.

this works for anything that uses 1 line for each item.

you can also paste them into a programmer-oriented text editor like notepad++ since they count lines as well

 

[dave is ok]

Yeah even the chat and everything went down right now. I wonder what happened?

Techies

 

[Marceles]

Whew, thought I was the only one

 

[Tellaerin]

But here's the thing if the thread is failing is one of it's functions, ie; offering up visible impressions (which I look a bit silly now as I missed yours about Teslagrad, a game I too have posted about in this thread) then it kind of points to there being issues that would be better addressed than the solution proposed.

Personally, I like Knurek's idea of setting up a wiki to archive the reviews and impressions people post in these threads. It's not about this thread "failing one of its functions". It's about having an easy way to find some impressions of that one game you're eyeing because it's on sale now, the one people were talking about six months and a half-dozen threads back. That would still be helpful even if there was zero crosstalk in these threads. It's nice that some folks here (like Dusk Golem) will take the time to repost their detailed impressions for the rest of us when it's relevant, but we can't expect everyone to do that.

 

[ashecitism]

The steam website is having serious problems.

Techies is killing it.

 

[ussjtrunks]

Omg i cant play csgo sadness

 

[Interfectum]

Instructions for participants:
I am giving away a Steam key. To enter this giveaway, send a PM to ModBot with any subject line. In the body, copy and paste the entire line from the message below containing the game you want to enter for. Confused? Watch this GIF tutorial or ask for help.

ModBot Basics:
- I really appreciate thank you messages, but please send them to me (Interfectum, not ModBot!) via PM instead of in thread.
- Do not trade keys you win off-site to enrich yourself. Don't try to claim games you have no interest in collecting or playing. Don't claim games to give them to friends off-site.
- If the key is already taken you will not receive a reply. Replies may take a minute or two.

Rules for this Giveaway:
- If you are a lurker you are not eligible for this giveaway. You need five or more posts in either the current Steam thread or the previous one to be eligible
- This giveaway is a raffle. The winners will be selected by random draw 3 hours after the draw was created. Any games not claimed after that point will be given away first come first serve.



Inversion -- MB-D0072D95BB8D9124 - Taken by Dragon1893. 11 entrants total.

.

 

[Hugstable]

Just Steam being Steam. TF2 master server also not available.

that sucks. I don't think i'm gonna be able to get those Clockwork cards off in time now haha. Gotta start saving up for TiTs on the 29th!

Getting ready to start my day 2 of Dishonored. I wish I played this game earlier, I'm loving everything about it so far. I probably posted alot about this yesterday but it reminds me alot of the original Deus Ex in it's level design (at least the whole Campell mission was so far) in that you have multiple ways to go about every situation, and the powers that you obtain also open up for even more opportunities. Can't wait to see what this game has in store for me next. Also I'm going max Chaos, but still being sneaky when I can. I might try to pure stealth no kill run someday, but this feel like a game that needs to be enjoyed and the powers need to be used.

 

[Atraveller]

One other interesting thing I noticed is that even during that ~6 hours I was invaded more times than the entirety of the base game. Were the invasion items so scarce before that people saved them up, but now that the game has been out for a while people aren't afraid to use them anymore? Or maybe a patch changed their drop rate or something? I haven't been looking at the notes, other than the latest rather significant patch.

I find a lot of people using red eye orb to invade in Iron Keep bridge, it's super annoying when you are trying to summon your friend to coop or duel.

 

[Shadownet]

He's not angry at the idea of collecting reviews in one thread, he's annoyed by the fact that you even had to come up with the idea because good posts are being lost in a flood of posts about pancakes and Elizabeth Olsen.

Well this was goddamn personal attack if I ever see one.

 

[Dio Brando]

So, i finished Watch Dogs earlier this week, and thought it would be interesting to post my steam review of it.

An absurdly missed oppurtunity of a game, and that makes me really sad.
First, is quite different to what was promised. Yeah, most games end up changing over their developement, but the state of this game is ridiculous: When your main character clips through his clothes, or the game physics make me feel like i'm on the moon, something really must have gone wrong.
With that said, let's address the common things in games:
The plot... is not really good. I mean, the concept is interesting(a world of people's information in your hands), but the execution is done poorly. IMO, it's because of the characters and the pacing of the game. If you people to feel something/connected to Aiden, give him charisma, or do not make the first thing he does in the game morally wrong(the Merlaut Hotel Job). Pacing wise, it feels like the game starts really slow then out of nowhere characters start doing stuff they shouldn't be doing or at least things that weren't foreshadowed, at least for me. Damian goes from someone who wants to know why things happened the way the did after the Merlaut, and out of nowhere wants to be the god of CtOs.
Gameplay – i'm sorta conflicted abou it. For some reason i cant really explain why, the shooting was incredibly satisfying for me and i loved doing the gang hideout missions. But yeah, everything besides that was lacking: Driving was really boring, to the point where I found myself fast traveling to the “quick travel” points almost exclusively; hacking got old after a while; side missions weren't very good, etc.
I know it’s a matter of taste but I really disliked the radio too, only a handful of famous songs and not many “good” songs of the genres that were there so I ended up enabling 2-4 songs and listening to them in a loop.
Finally, the game (on PC) is not that well optimised. GTAIV runs better then WD and that’s really something.
So yeah, do not buy this game – It will obviously have a sequel where they might get it “perfect” but this game is far from perfection.

 

[Easton Dark]

I probably posted alot about this yesterday but it reminds me alot of the original Deus Ex in it's level design (at least the whole Campell mission was so far) in that you have multiple ways to go about every situation, and the powers that you obtain also open up for even more opportunities.

Each level has increasingly more avenues to get where you need to go and how you do things. So it gets better.

 

[Grief.exe]

One other interesting thing I noticed in Dark Souls 2 DLC is that even during that ~6 hours I was invaded more times than the entirety of the base game. Were the invasion items so scarce before that people saved them up, but now that the game has been out for a while people aren't afraid to use them anymore? Or maybe a patch changed their drop rate or something? I haven't been looking at the notes, other than the latest rather significant patch.

Are you on NG+?

 

[Dr Dogg]

I'll check for more accurate time as soon as Steam Community is up, but I'd say I took around 6 hours. I'm very slow and meticulous player though, so it may not represent how long it takes at an average.

I'm a bit of a slow player. I like to take my time in Dark Souls/DS2 exploring and checking out if there are traps and stuff like that. I started the DLC content and played for about 2 or 3 hours and I don't think I'm near the end yet - I haven't even reached one of the bosses yet! I think if you kinda pick up the pace, then the DLC should be about 4-5 hours tops, maybe a bit more if you get stuck on a boss. I guess.

The level design is superb, btw. Not just from a gameplay standpoint, with its labyrinthine architecture, but also from an atmosphere one: it feels ancient, alien and claustrophobic. Something a big part of DS2 was missing.

Took me about 4-5 hours.

So between 4-6 hours. Cheers folks. Level design does sound more like the interconnections of the first Dark Souls. The loot does sound a bit underwhelming but I'm about 2 or 3 Lord Souls in and still using a Bastard Sword maxed out!

Hopefully the other 2 parts will be at least the same length. From may get stick sometimes but boy does it seem these guys and gals know how to do DLC.

 

[Speevy]

The back to school sale is up!

Dailies are Papers, Please, Crayon Physics Deluxe, Ballpoint Universe, Civilization V, Crusader Kings 2, Type Rider, and 100% Orange Juice.

 

[derExperte]

I'm actually interested in AC opinions because I don't know why I've had it installed for months and I've never really wanted to begin it for real.

That's where I'm at with AO, installed since release, played an hour, no drive to continue.

 

[PetriP-TNT]

I said it yesterday and I'll say it again. Dark Souls 2 DLC.

Is.

Friggin.

Brutal.

You died you died you died. Managed to beat a boss and even that had a

Spoiler

crazy friggin' minion that's like children of Orstein and Smough.

 

[Enco]

Maybe we are getting a really cool big patch that fixes all the problems with Steam?

 

[Blak_Status]

Man... my loot stash doesn't include the stuff from my old username. Oh well.

 

[Jawmuncher]

.

If you're looking for a decent Gears Clone with a syfy movie plot this is a go. It's not that bad if you want a bmovie TPS.

Heads up play on easy and coop if you can.

 

[Caerith]

Generally speaking I don't have a problem with list stuff (the exceptions being when it's liable to drown out the thread -- sale damage lists being the most obvious example), but I think people should be somewhat mindful and avoid posts that lack any other content. Slot it in as aside to something else rather than leaving it to stand on its own.

I used to agree with this, but if you (the royal you, meaning anyone) write a post with impressions on a game, discussion of changes in the beta client, and an alpaca, you're going to get a flood of responses to the alpaca and none to the actual content.

Dr Dogg was talking about two opinions about Arkham City, that I guess were posted earlier today.
Well fuck me, I missed both, even though I've been scrolling this thread all day and, worse, I'm actually interested in AC opinions because I don't know why I've had it installed for months and I've never really wanted to begin it for real.

I missed those too. I used to catch up on the thread whenever I got back from, like, sleeping or whatever, but lately the signal to noise ratio has been practically zero.

 

[Stallion Free]

That's where I'm at with AO, installed since release, played an hour, no drive to continue.

Yo push on because that story kicks in and shit gets so real. The narrative beats are amazing.

 

[Anteater]

I agree with morningbus's post.

I'd like to say the recent trend of people trying to lay the blame on a few new users are a bit off putting, some of you have been with steamgaf for years, but not everyone was, give people time to adjust. Everyone contributed to this thread in their own different ways, some people talked about their game nights sessions, some organized them, some do giveaways which led to others talking about a game, etc.

 

[Turfster]

The back to school sale is up!

Dailies are Papers, Please, Crayon Physics Deluxe, Ballpoint Universe, Civilization V, Crusader Kings 2, Type Rider, and 100% Orange Juice.

Who? What? Where?

 

[Baron_Calamity]

Lets see, my stats:

Won: 21 games (though to be fair, 3 of them were invalid or already used keys)
Unclaimed: 1
Give away:34

I think I could do better but I also like gifting people on my friends list based on their wish list. So i tried to spread it around.

 

[rtcn63]

Maybe we are getting a really cool big patch that fixes all the problems with Steam?

jshackles is still unemployed brah

 

[Ozium]

Everyone with a beef: Can we leave pancakes out of this? They are delicious and never hurt anyone (maybe someone w/ a gluten allergy, I dunno) Are we going to go after french toast next?

legit question: why is pancake talk worse than 20 posts in a row lamenting the fact that Steam is down (a daily to semi-daily occurence.) One could argue that since the posts are about Steam then they are relevant, but do we need 20 different posts complaining that Steam is down?

 

[RavenValor95]

An absurdly missed oppurtunity of a game, and that makes me really sad.
First, is quite different to what was promised. Yeah, most games end up changing over their developement, but the state of this game is ridiculous: When your main character clips through his clothes, or the game physics make me feel like i'm on the moon, something really must have gone wrong.
With that said, let's address the common things in games:
The plot... is not really good. I mean, the concept is interesting(a world of people's information in your hands), but the execution is done poorly. IMO, it's because of the characters and the pacing of the game. If you people to feel something/connected to Aiden, give him charisma, or do not make the first thing he does in the game morally wrong(the Merlaut Hotel Job). Pacing wise, it feels like the game starts really slow then out of nowhere characters start doing stuff they shouldn't be doing or at least things that weren't foreshadowed, at least for me. Damian goes from someone who wants to know why things happened the way the did after the Merlaut, and out of nowhere wants to be the god of CtOs.
Gameplay – i'm sorta conflicted abou it. For some reason i cant really explain why, the shooting was incredibly satisfying for me and i loved doing the gang hideout missions. But yeah, everything besides that was lacking: Driving was really boring, to the point where I found myself fast traveling to the “quick travel” points almost exclusively; hacking got old after a while; side missions weren't very good, etc.
I know it’s a matter of taste but I really disliked the radio too, only a handful of famous songs and not many “good” songs of the genres that were there so I ended up enabling 2-4 songs and listening to them in a loop.
Finally, the game (on PC) is not that well optimised. GTAIV runs better then WD and that’s really something.
So yeah, do not buy this game – It will obviously have a sequel where they might get it “perfect” but this game is far from perfection.

Watch_Dogs really seems like the sort of game that'll have a really good sequel like Assassin's Creed 1 to Assassin's Creed 2, now that they've got a sort of base for the game they can flesh it out and remember to give the main character a character beyond MY NIECE, seriously I'd rather play as Jordi than Aiden(Seriously, Jordi is the best character in the game, although that's not saying much)

And I definitely agree about the radio, coming off of Assassin's Creed IV with its amazing sea shanties one of the biggest things I was wanting to do in Watch_Dogs was just drive around a rainy chicago with some nice music on, but there's only like two good songs and I just put those in a playlist and repeated those until I got sick of them.

 

[Speevy]

Who? What? Where?

Spoiler

School supplies and books