This whole paid mod thing is setting the stage for companies to release shoddy software, let the community fix it and improve it, then charge for the fixes and features they should have implemented on release all while avoiding the responsibility of hiring the developers who fixed or improved their game and paying them next to nothing for their efforts. This isn't some altruistic gesture made by Valve and Bethesda to help compensate creators. It's a money grab, pure and simple.
I've always felt (and occasionally bitched about in the thread) that Bethesda has a habit of releasing extremely buggy software and then relying on the mod community to finish their games for them.
One thing that really chaps my ass is that if I go out and buy Skyrim for its normal price of $20, or the complete edition for its normal price of $40, then I come to this thread and ask for the list of essential mods, odds are I'm now looking at like an additional $20 I'm gonna have to shell out if I want to get them all.
At least here I don't think that'll be a worry, because any mod (for Skyrim or Fallout 4 going forward) that requires a payment probably won't go on any essential mod lists. The payment existing at all takes the "essential" out of it entirely.
This whole paid mod thing is setting the stage for companies to release shoddy software, let the community fix it and improve it, then charge for the fixes and features they should have implemented on release all while avoiding the responsibility of hiring the developers who fixed or improved their game and paying them next to nothing for their efforts. This isn't some altruistic gesture made by Valve and Bethesda to help compensate creators. It's a money grab, pure and simple.
Someone at Valve: Hats are cool but it's time to think about future, boyz.
It's like a hat for the game itself!
There's no plan, there's no race to be run
The harder the rain, honey, the sweeter the sun.
One thing that really chaps my ass is that if I go out and buy Skyrim for its normal price of $20, or the complete edition for its normal price of $40, then I come to this thread and ask for the list of essential mods, odds are I'm now looking at like an additional $20 I'm gonna have to shell out if I want to get them all.
Is this a realistic concern? There are 17 paid Skyrim mods, down from 18 last night, and 25,178 free ones -- and that's just the Steam Workshop. Are the essential mods really pulling from that 0.07%? Most of those 17 don't even look significant.
It's not. Of the typical recommended lists I see, only Midas is one that gets thrown around a lot, and that still has a free version. Maybe Wet and Cold too but hardly essential.
Aha, my mistake.
I haven't played Skyrim and don't know which mods are essential, so I was just going by a rough estimate based on what it would cost to get most of the list of paid mods provided upthread.
The idea that a company is going to build their ideas around this are pretty Chicken Little "sky is falling" territory. The vast majority of companies don't build their strategies around PC gaming, let alone mods. They're not going to decide to release barebones or shitty games in the hopes of community fixes when 70 percent (and that's probably underestimating it) of their audience doesn't have access to them, money or not.
So I know that Necrodancer can be played with a dance pad, but is it actually worth doing? Based on the videos I have seen it doesn't look like the kind of rhythm game that needs a dance controller. Any steam thread people with experience?
I haven't tried it myself, but I hear it's pretty much just a gimmick and not meant to be played that way.
I thought that might be the case, still looks like it is worth picking up though.
The idea that a company is going to build their ideas around this are pretty Chicken Little "sky is falling" territory. The vast majority of companies don't build their strategies around PC gaming, let alone mods. They're not going to decide to release barebones or shitty games in the hopes of community fixes when 70 percent of their audience doesn't have access to them, money or not.
That the way all Bethesda games have worked since Morrowind. I mean no, they aren't shitty games, they are perfectly fine on their own. There absolutely is a feeling of "play it as released then get a ton of mods to fix all the little problems and add more content" for them, though. That's even been cultivated by the company itself with them releasing the creation kits and supporting modding as much as they have.
That's why the outrage is as big as it is. If it was any other company being the pilot for this program I don't know if people would be as angry. That it's Bethesda, with their games being some of the most mod-friendly games ever made where mods are often seen as essential for the full experience... it feels like a betrayal, regardless of whether it actually is or not.
The idea that a company is going to build their ideas around this are pretty Chicken Little "sky is falling" territory. The vast majority of companies don't build their strategies around PC gaming, let alone mods. They're not going to decide to release barebones or shitty games in the hopes of community fixes when 70 percent (and that's probably underestimating it) of their audience doesn't have access to them, money or not.
And this is the laissez faire attitude that lets companies drive to the point where they are doing exactly what you're saying they won't do. You don't think mod content will eventually find its way to consoles? Hm. Okay.
Marty: The future, it's where you're going? Doc: That's right, twenty five years into the future. I've always dreamed on seeing the future, looking beyond my years, seeing the progress of mankind. I'll also be able to see who wins the next twenty-five world series.
The idea that a company is going to build their ideas around this are pretty Chicken Little "sky is falling" territory. The vast majority of companies don't build their strategies around PC gaming, let alone mods. They're not going to decide to release barebones or shitty games in the hopes of community fixes when 70 percent (and that's probably underestimating it) of their audience doesn't have access to them, money or not.
And this is the laissez faire attitude that lets companies drive to the point where they are doing exactly what you're saying they won't do. You don't think mod content will eventually find its way to consoles? Hm. Okay.
Yes, I don't. They've tried it before and it was a miserable failure. They don't even give console gamers resolution options and you think they're going to want to start letting them have mods? The industry is already under fire for the launches of Drive Club, Halo MCC, and AC Unity being broken pieces of shit. They're not going to introduce modding from random users when games to this day can get stuck in certification for weeks on console. There are huge barriers for releasing something on console that aren't there on PC.
Enjoying Dungeons 2 so far, nice balance between the dungeon management and RTS overworld action and fun humor. Some tweaks to the UI and AI and a little more polish is desired though.
My main complaints are the narrator can be a bit quick to egg you along to the point of being grating. The objectives are always visible and some of the dialogue is quite funny but common I'm trying to manage a dungeon here! The other is Little Snots (imps) loathe brewing beer, the main foodstuffs in the game. This leaves me with massive shortages when I expand my total monster base or haven't gone on an overworld expedition for awhile. They would rather dig out tunnels than sit around brewing all day. This is obviously an AI issue but man they love to shirk the best job they can get.
Do any of those games improve your character as you play more rounds?
Like rogue legacy let's say, where you gain gold and can buy stats after you die?
I thought someone mentioned sunless sea has a mechanic like that. I'm looking for a rogue like that has this.
Thanks!
Hmm.
Super House of Dead Ninjas lets you unlock more weapons/items to choose from at the beginning of the game based on your achievements. It's not nearly as deep as Rogue Legacy, though. It's a pretty fun game overall.
Mods on consoles aren't unheard of. UT3 on the PS3 supported mods and custom maps. Hell, even Quake 3 on the Dreamcast supported (server side) mods in online multiplayer (although it was generally limited to stuff like instagib or grappling hooks due to not being able to alter any local files on the game disc). Paid mods on consoles aren't really something I would be concerned about though, they already have a DLC clusterfuck (buy easy fatalities!) as it is.
I finally downloaded the Cinematic Mod for HL2. It's an 18GB download.
I'm currently installing, install size is 47GB. Holy shit.
While it's installing I'm hunting around for Alyx Vance models that don't look like drunken trailer trash.
This is a completely excellent squad based, single player RTS with some really clever procedurally generated elements. The game is very reactive, you'll have to adapt throughout a mission to accomplish your goals. The new DLC is on sale too and at an amazing deep discount. You can get the whole shebang for just under six bucks! Amazing! Would you like to know more?
In a move that should surprise no-one, @Drake answered my questions about Infested Planet by..giving me Infested Planet. I then installed it and thought I'd play the first mission to see how it is. Several hours later, I can confirm that it is...quite good. And by quite good I mean, I physically have to sleep or I'd still be playing it.
If pausable RTS with tactical positioning, upgrades and a thoroughly ridiculous plot are your thing..then this is probably a good choice.
ETA: Thanks, Drake, for arranging for my Friday night to get eaten!
The idea that a company is going to build their ideas around this are pretty Chicken Little "sky is falling" territory. The vast majority of companies don't build their strategies around PC gaming, let alone mods. They're not going to decide to release barebones or shitty games in the hopes of community fixes when 70 percent (and that's probably underestimating it) of their audience doesn't have access to them, money or not.
Bethesda have already spent years building their ideas around releases that are in a state just good enough to slide past the reviewers and casuals, then throwing mod tools at the dedicated players so they can sort the rest out: afkmods.iguanadons.net/Unofficial%20Skyrim%20Patch%20Version%20History.html
The definition for what is "barebones" is different for these two groups, but so far the enthusiasts have been satisfied only because the community patches things up. Now, should Bethesda get the lion's share of profits from a bug fixing mod like this? This is not some dystopian future, it's the current reality.
Do any of those games improve your character as you play more rounds?
Like rogue legacy let's say, where you gain gold and can buy stats after you die?
I thought someone mentioned sunless sea has a mechanic like that. I'm looking for a rogue like that has this.
Thanks!
Few, if any, are going to have that anywhere near the level of persistence that Rogue Legacy does. In fact, I'd argue that Rogue Legacy has so much persistence that there isn't really anything rogue-like about it at all except a couple of minor thematic elements, and that's coming from someone who's fairly liberal with the label. If you've played a bunch of games people call roguelikes and the only one you liked was Rogue Legacy, there's a pretty good chance that you don't like roguelikes.
Dungeonmans has some sort of system where your characters gradually earn stronger and stronger starting stats, but I haven't played it since an old alpha, so I can't give you any details. It certainly isn't anywhere near the level of "your next character is almost exactly as strong as your dead one and keeps all of their progress", unless it changed way more dramatically than I'm inclined to assume.
Desktop Dungeons (a roguelike-inspired puzzle game of sorts) has a ton of race and class unlocks, but not a huge amount of actual power creep between runs. You can buy starting equipment using a shared pool of gold, and probably some other temporary bonuses, but every dungeon run follows the same basic arc of "start from level 1 and figure out a way to kill the boss without running out of resources." ("Resources" is not a terribly descriptive term, because Desktop Dungeons literally does not contain a single entity, object, or concept which is not, under at least some circumstance, a resource. Monsters are a resource. The fog of war is a resource.)
It is insane how much extra detail has been crammed into all of the environments. Areas that before were sparse and empty looking are now filled with little details, everything from rubble to exposed piping to power cables to just random whatever. The world starts to look like what a gritty urban city would look like, and it's awesome.
The difficulty is a little higher (bullets are a lot more powerful and take off more health), but on the upside headshots are one hit kills. The new models range from good (G-Man) to decent (Barney) to awful (pretty much everyone else), but you can individually select which NPC models are new and which are the original versions for your playthrough. The new civilian NPC models throw in significantly more variety compared to the originals (as opposed to just seeing the same four or five models over and over again).
The music is "epic" in a "Nolan Batman trailer" kind of way (because a lot of the music is from Nolan Batman trailers), but you can change between the new soundtrack and the original.
The addition of ironsights is kinda weird, but it works, especially with the redesigned weapons.
In short, I would heartily recommend anyone who is interested in running through HL2 again to give it a shot. It's a huge download and the install size is enormous, but while I haven't gotten too far in yet (I'm just before the airboat) it has been a complete blast running through a game I know and love with a completely new coat of paint.
The only real downside I have found is that the overlay doesn't seem to work.
edit: On a side note, it's been a trip seeing HL2 actually make my GPU work for a change. I'm only getting like 70fps instead of 2-300 8-)
But I did get an XFX R9 290X Double-D Black Edition. It came down to that or a Sapphire brand but I really like XFX's lifetime warranty and all the reviews I read were really positive.
Nice. Are one of your kids still rocking that old 4850? If so, a hand me down 280x will be a significant upgrade. I'd be willing to bet they are as excited as you are.
@SmokeStacks - nope, one has a 7950 and the other has a GTX 970.
I'll end up selling off the R9 280X - there must be someone who would want a good deal on a lightly-used GPU.
That rogue-like sale is pretty bloody good, but Sunless Sea is still a bit out of my price range. I'm pretty sure FTL hasn't been cheaper, but show me a person who doesn't own FTL and I'll show you a wretch of a human being.
My pick? Tales of Maj'Eyal, for a really great turn-based rogue-like experience. I have to give it another go after being frustrated/mauled by a bear, but it's something I'll definitely return to
It bears mentioning that Tales of Maj'Eyal is available for free. Buying it on Steam just gives you the donation incentives (one new class and some cosmetic stuff, the last time I checked). Also there's DLC now apparently? It's been a few years since I last followed the game. Either way, if you're on the fence you can always go check it out on the creator's site first.
Wyvern on
Switch: SW-2431-2728-9604 || 3DS: 0817-4948-1650
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KoopahTroopahThe koopas, the troopas.Philadelphia, PARegistered Userregular
My contract ends at Chase on Thursday, but I think my last day is Monday because of how quickly I'm burning through work. Not having money coming in is gonna suck, but it also means I get to spend more time working on my game and my pixel art, yay!
In any case, I haven't gifted in a bit and this seems to be close to the top of the most wanted wishlist:
Question about Steam in general... What exactly is this "inventory"? I have a variety of random cards from playing different games, but what do they *do*?
Are you a Software Engineer living in Seattle? HBO is hiring, message me.
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KalnaurI See Rain . . .Centralia, WARegistered Userregular
Question about Steam in general... What exactly is this "inventory"? I have a variety of random cards from playing different games, but what do they *do*?
Posts
At least here I don't think that'll be a worry, because any mod (for Skyrim or Fallout 4 going forward) that requires a payment probably won't go on any essential mod lists. The payment existing at all takes the "essential" out of it entirely.
It's like a hat for the game itself!
The harder the rain, honey, the sweeter the sun.
Aha, my mistake.
I haven't played Skyrim and don't know which mods are essential, so I was just going by a rough estimate based on what it would cost to get most of the list of paid mods provided upthread.
I thought that might be the case, still looks like it is worth picking up though.
That the way all Bethesda games have worked since Morrowind. I mean no, they aren't shitty games, they are perfectly fine on their own. There absolutely is a feeling of "play it as released then get a ton of mods to fix all the little problems and add more content" for them, though. That's even been cultivated by the company itself with them releasing the creation kits and supporting modding as much as they have.
That's why the outrage is as big as it is. If it was any other company being the pilot for this program I don't know if people would be as angry. That it's Bethesda, with their games being some of the most mod-friendly games ever made where mods are often seen as essential for the full experience... it feels like a betrayal, regardless of whether it actually is or not.
And this is the laissez faire attitude that lets companies drive to the point where they are doing exactly what you're saying they won't do. You don't think mod content will eventually find its way to consoles? Hm. Okay.
Doc: That's right, twenty five years into the future. I've always dreamed on seeing the future, looking beyond my years, seeing the progress of mankind. I'll also be able to see who wins the next twenty-five world series.
Yes, I don't. They've tried it before and it was a miserable failure. They don't even give console gamers resolution options and you think they're going to want to start letting them have mods? The industry is already under fire for the launches of Drive Club, Halo MCC, and AC Unity being broken pieces of shit. They're not going to introduce modding from random users when games to this day can get stuck in certification for weeks on console. There are huge barriers for releasing something on console that aren't there on PC.
My main complaints are the narrator can be a bit quick to egg you along to the point of being grating. The objectives are always visible and some of the dialogue is quite funny but common I'm trying to manage a dungeon here! The other is Little Snots (imps) loathe brewing beer, the main foodstuffs in the game. This leaves me with massive shortages when I expand my total monster base or haven't gone on an overworld expedition for awhile. They would rather dig out tunnels than sit around brewing all day. This is obviously an AI issue but man they love to shirk the best job they can get.
Do any of those games improve your character as you play more rounds?
Like rogue legacy let's say, where you gain gold and can buy stats after you die?
I thought someone mentioned sunless sea has a mechanic like that. I'm looking for a rogue like that has this.
Thanks!
Origin: Broncbuster
Hmm.
Super House of Dead Ninjas lets you unlock more weapons/items to choose from at the beginning of the game based on your achievements. It's not nearly as deep as Rogue Legacy, though. It's a pretty fun game overall.
I finally downloaded the Cinematic Mod for HL2. It's an 18GB download.
I'm currently installing, install size is 47GB. Holy shit.
While it's installing I'm hunting around for Alyx Vance models that don't look like drunken trailer trash.
Also it has minimum specs up:
OS: 64 Bit Windows 7/8/8.1/10
Processor: Quad Core @ 3.0 GHz
Memory: 4 GB RAM
Graphics: AMD HD5870 / Nvidia GTX460
Network: Broadband Internet connection
Hard Drive: 20 GB available space
Sound Card: DirectX Compatible soundcard
Sounds good
Steam | XBL
In Desktop Dungeons, you have a town you can improve. In Sunless Sea, I think? you can inherit the map and stuff from the last character.
In a move that should surprise no-one, @Drake answered my questions about Infested Planet by..giving me Infested Planet. I then installed it and thought I'd play the first mission to see how it is. Several hours later, I can confirm that it is...quite good. And by quite good I mean, I physically have to sleep or I'd still be playing it.
If pausable RTS with tactical positioning, upgrades and a thoroughly ridiculous plot are your thing..then this is probably a good choice.
ETA: Thanks, Drake, for arranging for my Friday night to get eaten!
Goodreads
SF&F Reviews blog
Which reminds me I need to buy this thing while this sale is happening.
Oh, it has a map? Cool! To freeware version just had class/race/etc unlockables, so it's nice to know they added more.
Bethesda have already spent years building their ideas around releases that are in a state just good enough to slide past the reviewers and casuals, then throwing mod tools at the dedicated players so they can sort the rest out: afkmods.iguanadons.net/Unofficial%20Skyrim%20Patch%20Version%20History.html
The definition for what is "barebones" is different for these two groups, but so far the enthusiasts have been satisfied only because the community patches things up. Now, should Bethesda get the lion's share of profits from a bug fixing mod like this? This is not some dystopian future, it's the current reality.
Dungeonmans has some sort of system where your characters gradually earn stronger and stronger starting stats, but I haven't played it since an old alpha, so I can't give you any details. It certainly isn't anywhere near the level of "your next character is almost exactly as strong as your dead one and keeps all of their progress", unless it changed way more dramatically than I'm inclined to assume.
Desktop Dungeons (a roguelike-inspired puzzle game of sorts) has a ton of race and class unlocks, but not a huge amount of actual power creep between runs. You can buy starting equipment using a shared pool of gold, and probably some other temporary bonuses, but every dungeon run follows the same basic arc of "start from level 1 and figure out a way to kill the boss without running out of resources." ("Resources" is not a terribly descriptive term, because Desktop Dungeons literally does not contain a single entity, object, or concept which is not, under at least some circumstance, a resource. Monsters are a resource. The fog of war is a resource.)
It is insane how much extra detail has been crammed into all of the environments. Areas that before were sparse and empty looking are now filled with little details, everything from rubble to exposed piping to power cables to just random whatever. The world starts to look like what a gritty urban city would look like, and it's awesome.
The difficulty is a little higher (bullets are a lot more powerful and take off more health), but on the upside headshots are one hit kills. The new models range from good (G-Man) to decent (Barney) to awful (pretty much everyone else), but you can individually select which NPC models are new and which are the original versions for your playthrough. The new civilian NPC models throw in significantly more variety compared to the originals (as opposed to just seeing the same four or five models over and over again).
The music is "epic" in a "Nolan Batman trailer" kind of way (because a lot of the music is from Nolan Batman trailers), but you can change between the new soundtrack and the original.
The addition of ironsights is kinda weird, but it works, especially with the redesigned weapons.
In short, I would heartily recommend anyone who is interested in running through HL2 again to give it a shot. It's a huge download and the install size is enormous, but while I haven't gotten too far in yet (I'm just before the airboat) it has been a complete blast running through a game I know and love with a completely new coat of paint.
The only real downside I have found is that the overlay doesn't seem to work.
edit: On a side note, it's been a trip seeing HL2 actually make my GPU work for a change. I'm only getting like 70fps instead of 2-300 8-)
@SmokeStacks - nope, one has a 7950 and the other has a GTX 970.
I'll end up selling off the R9 280X - there must be someone who would want a good deal on a lightly-used GPU.
My pick? Tales of Maj'Eyal, for a really great turn-based rogue-like experience. I have to give it another go after being frustrated/mauled by a bear, but it's something I'll definitely return to
I'll give you
In any case, I haven't gifted in a bit and this seems to be close to the top of the most wanted wishlist:
Level 1+ Adventure Team, ends 8pm EST tomorrow.
Twitch: KoopahTroopah - Steam: Koopah
You make it hard to say no.
3DS: 0473-8507-2652
Switch: SW-5185-4991-5118
PSN: AbEntropy
Steam / Origin & Wii U: Heatwave111 / FC: 4227-1965-3206 / Battle.net: Heatwave#11356
Where's Hit Bit when you need him... also I realized that I still need to reinstall Photoshop.
Twitch: KoopahTroopah - Steam: Koopah
Would there be any reason to be interested in that if I already got that VXAce Humble Bundle a ways back?
You mean something like . . .
@Vrtra Theory, you need @Jragghen's awesome card explaining post (that may someday be imported into this thread.) The OP has some useful info as well.
Be careful, though. This rabbit hole goes deep.
Steam profile.
Getting started with BATTLETECH: Part 1 / Part 2
Nuuvem has Batman AK preorder for roughly 28 bucks. Steam, appears to be no region locks or VPN fuckery needed.