It's always a bit weird to me when a game has a small update, like 37MB, but takes a little while for "preallocating" (which I would assume is assigning the space, but, you know, hardly any is needed) and then, after downloading, can take like five minutes or more to actually update. Today's example is Signal Simulator, but it happens quite often with varying titles - and usually indies. Mahoosive updates for AAAs etc hardly ever do that.
I have two theories about this:
1. Not just with Steam but in general, there's a trade-off between update download size and post-download update speed. This can exhibit through how highly compressed an file is or through the use of delta updates. In the case of the latter, instead of downloading all of a changed file, you only download the parts of it that are different. Then the updater goes through and changes the specific parts of the file. This process can take longer than completely replacing the file. The developer (or some automated patch-delivery system) made a calculated assumption that delivering a smaller download with a long post-install would be more beneficial for more users than a larger download with a quick post-install.
2. Steam is defragmenting cache files to save disk space and improve performance.
Oh dang, Underrail released an expansion a few months back! Played the Wasteland 3 alpha recently and rather enjoyed the combat demo, whet my appetite for something meatier. So let's see what this adds:
Key features:
A brand-new story line that becomes available during the mid-game, which you can play your own way as no decision or hostile action will lock you out of completing it
Nearly 200 new areas to explore of various types – shores and islands of the Black Sea, mysterious underground facilities, pirate strongholds, and more
Many new wild creatures and a couple of new crazy robots to combat
15 different jet skis, ranging from the puny "junk jet" up to the dreaded "Devastator", that you can use to get around the Black sea and outmaneuver or obliterate your naval foes; upgrade your ride by purchasing more powerful vehicle parts
Wait, stop right there. Riding and fighting on jetskis? Say no more, here's my ten bucks. Seems like there's been a few updates to the base game, too, including a global map feature. I'm glad work continues on this; I had issues with how it wrapped up, but it has great quest design and it's a remarkably big title for such a small team.
I never got around to Underrail, so seeing it plus the expansion on sale leads me to ask: how is it? And does anyone know if the expansion is worth the money?
I really liked most of Underrail. It's an acquired taste, being a difficult and mostly a solo adventure, and there are a lot of little things to learn as you go; which armor/shield types protect from which damage, what shops are going to buy how much of which items, and so on. But it has some great atmosphere, solid writing, flexible quest structures, and a nice variety of character builds. It encouraged my favorite playstyle, that of a sneaky bastard who plants traps for patrolling guards and sets up complex chain reactions to clear whole rooms, but you can go pure Tanky McPunch or learn psionics and screw with packs of enemies, or mix and match.
I'll be starting up the expansion later, but since the base game's half off for the next week I'd say it's worth a look. Check some videos, see if the art style and numbers-heavy gameplay does it for you, and get to dominating
Any obscure things that aren't obvious I should know about to improve quality of life from the beginning? Other than the cancelling a mission doesn't really have any big downsides one, that should help a bunch.
Any obscure things that aren't obvious I should know about to improve quality of life from the beginning? Other than the cancelling a mission doesn't really have any big downsides one, that should help a bunch.
Any obscure things that aren't obvious I should know about to improve quality of life from the beginning? Other than the cancelling a mission doesn't really have any big downsides one, that should help a bunch.
Random tips in random order:
The stock mech loadouts range from meh to really really bad and tend to have too low armor, but early on refitting them takes ages - except removing stuff and adding/changing armor both take 0 days. Try to time your serious refits for when you are travelling.
For missions that go badly for one of your mechs but you think you can still finish with the rest of your lance - the button to eject your pilot is hard to find, it's a red thingy in the middle of your mech's info somewhere. It wrecks the head but you get the rest of your mech back.
Your own pilot is immortal, at worst he will get hospitalized for a few months (which is bad too but not the end of the world).
If you play Ironman and lose a story mission, you get a game over.
You can rename generic pilots and give them fellow forum-user's names. Not sure if the guys you get at the start of the campaign can be renamed any more but you'll need to hire more once you eat some SRMs to the face in any case.
Dragons are bad.
I'm sure there's about 2348 more good tips but I can't think of any more right now, gonna go to bed. Have fun with the game!
Any obscure things that aren't obvious I should know about to improve quality of life from the beginning? Other than the cancelling a mission doesn't really have any big downsides one, that should help a bunch.
EDIT: While dithering about what to do about Mutant: Year Zero, I accidentally started another career. I just wanted to see what randomized starting mechs I got. But then I got two Centurions, two Panthers and a Spider, which might be one of the best starting lances possible. Like rolling a natural 18/97 on your new fighter. Well, just had to take that for a spin, right? Took home a Hunchback in the second mission, and then had cash to buy three pieces of Blackjack in the starting system. That's a pretty bananas good start. I can't not play that out a bit more, right...?
Well I learned the game doesn't autosave. Spent half an hour doing the first mission then the last mech guy kills one of mine in one hit game over, restart.
Not going to go into detail about what transpired yesterday at home but I will say slept little and was on the receiving end of a lot of shouting. Made for a terrible shift at work to boot as I was groggy. So it was especially nice to come home to my own bedroom and PC and log on to see a gift box from none other than the amazing @Claw Shrimp with a parcel of some good old dogfighting shenanigans via Ace Combat 7!!! You absolute legend, thank you so much mate!
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QuestorPAX Aus Tabletop [E]Melbourne, AustraliaRegistered Userregular
edited September 2019
How have I missed this thread previously...
This is the 'Unplayed games anonymous' thread right?
Well I learned the game doesn't autosave. Spent half an hour doing the first mission then the last mech guy kills one of mine in one hit game over, restart.
I'll try again tomorrow.
Once you get past the first few story missions, the game autosaves before and after.
Basically, once you get into a Leopard drop ship, it will start autosaving.
Don't be afraid to check some YT vids for the start of the campaign. You'll get an idea of what you're dealing with.
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QuestorPAX Aus Tabletop [E]Melbourne, AustraliaRegistered Userregular
Thanks to Humble Bundle sale, (because of course) I managed to pick up MonHun World for about $15 Au after using my store credit.
I don't have a problem, what are you talking about?!
Metro: Last Light definitely leans into the trashy side of pulpiness more than Metro 2033 did. So far the plot has found excuses to bring me to a burlesque show and a brothel, and just had a sex scene with a female character that it didn't really sell me on being the natural thing for her character to do.
Metro: Last Light definitely leans into the trashy side of pulpiness more than Metro 2033 did. So far the plot has found excuses to bring me to a burlesque show and a brothel, and just had a sex scene with a female character that it didn't really sell me on being the natural thing for her character to do.
Metro: Last Light felt like Call of Duty: Metro for me after playing 2033, tbh. It felt structured in that classic Call of Duty way, with big scripted sequences and whatnot.
+1
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Zavianuniversal peace sounds better than forever warRegistered Userregular
Metro Exodus IMO is by far the best Metro game, easily. If you haven't played it yet, you're missing out in a great game with great characters and story. Nothing felt trashy, and they made me care about a female lead character in a way most games don't. The 'down sections where you're just walking around interacting with NPCs on the train was done really well IMO. I wish it wasn't involved with the EGS drama because on its own as a game it's really great. I haven't even tried the new DLC yet but that's been getting positive reviews as well
Metro Exodus IMO is by far the best Metro game, easily. If you haven't played it yet, you're missing out in a great game with great characters and story. Nothing felt trashy, and they made me care about a female lead character in a way most games don't. The 'down sections where you're just walking around interacting with NPCs on the train was done really well IMO. I wish it wasn't involved with the EGS drama because on its own as a game it's really great. I haven't even tried the new DLC yet but that's been getting positive reviews as well
oh, Exodus isn't the same protag as 2033? I kinda of assumed it was the same guy for all 3 games.
Metro: Last Light definitely leans into the trashy side of pulpiness more than Metro 2033 did. So far the plot has found excuses to bring me to a burlesque show and a brothel, and just had a sex scene with a female character that it didn't really sell me on being the natural thing for her character to do.
Metro: Last Light felt like Call of Duty: Metro for me after playing 2033, tbh. It felt structured in that classic Call of Duty way, with big scripted sequences and whatnot.
It's definitely had more scripted sequences, but I don't think it's completely shifted in that direction. Most of the levels are at least as unscripted as the average level in 2033, the swamp level I went through a bit back was the least linear level I've encountered in the series so far, and I've felt like there's more tactical options in the level design than 2033.
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Zavianuniversal peace sounds better than forever warRegistered Userregular
Metro Exodus IMO is by far the best Metro game, easily. If you haven't played it yet, you're missing out in a great game with great characters and story. Nothing felt trashy, and they made me care about a female lead character in a way most games don't. The 'down sections where you're just walking around interacting with NPCs on the train was done really well IMO. I wish it wasn't involved with the EGS drama because on its own as a game it's really great. I haven't even tried the new DLC yet but that's been getting positive reviews as well
oh, Exodus isn't the same protag as 2033? I kinda of assumed it was the same guy for all 3 games.
It is, I was talking about his wife, who's one of the main characters in your train. The way it's set up you can lose people along the way, including her, but the game made me care enough to try hard and save her. I like when games slow down and you get to actually just hang out with a character, they become more than just some random video game NPC. I liked how you can just have a smoke and drink with Anna and talk, wasn't expecting that, felt like a European road trip movie which it basically is https://youtu.be/4r5vMQxGnhA
Another level down....and....I know that ship....I blew up many of them in TIE Fighter.
Okay, giving Disney some credit with curating the universe, seeing a model of shuttle you know from another IP story outside the core movies is a squee sensation that's hard to beat. Seeing those Hammerhead cruisers in Rogue One and Rebeles was nice. Seeing these R-91's, a DX9, and other things that that make me shiver with delight, I look forward to a single player game actually having this.
Battlefront having a merc with a naboo fighter was something I enjoyed finding on youtube.
Posts
I have two theories about this:
1. Not just with Steam but in general, there's a trade-off between update download size and post-download update speed. This can exhibit through how highly compressed an file is or through the use of delta updates. In the case of the latter, instead of downloading all of a changed file, you only download the parts of it that are different. Then the updater goes through and changes the specific parts of the file. This process can take longer than completely replacing the file. The developer (or some automated patch-delivery system) made a calculated assumption that delivering a smaller download with a long post-install would be more beneficial for more users than a larger download with a quick post-install.
2. Steam is defragmenting cache files to save disk space and improve performance.
I really liked most of Underrail. It's an acquired taste, being a difficult and mostly a solo adventure, and there are a lot of little things to learn as you go; which armor/shield types protect from which damage, what shops are going to buy how much of which items, and so on. But it has some great atmosphere, solid writing, flexible quest structures, and a nice variety of character builds. It encouraged my favorite playstyle, that of a sneaky bastard who plants traps for patrolling guards and sets up complex chain reactions to clear whole rooms, but you can go pure Tanky McPunch or learn psionics and screw with packs of enemies, or mix and match.
I'll be starting up the expansion later, but since the base game's half off for the next week I'd say it's worth a look. Check some videos, see if the art style and numbers-heavy gameplay does it for you, and get to dominating
Now playing: Teardown and Baldur's Gate 3 (co-op)
Sunday Spotlight: Horror Tales: The Wine
Gotta add that one to the Space Mutiny list...
Fridge Largemeat!
Punt Speedchunk!
Butch Deadlift!
Bold Bigflank!
Splint Chesthair!
Flint Ironstag!
Bolt Vanderhuge!
Thick McRunfast!
Blast Hardcheese!
Buff Drinklots!
Trunk Slamchest!
Fist Rockbone!
Stump Beefknob!
Smash Lampjaw!
Punch Rockgroin!
Buck Plankchest!
Stump Chunkmen!
Dirk Hardpec!
Rip Steakface!
Slate Slabrock!
Crud Bonemeal!
Brick HardMeat!
Rip Slagcheek!
Punch Sideiron!
Gristle McThornbody!
Slate Fistcrunch!
Buff Hardback!
Bob Johnson! Oh, wait...
Blast Thickneck!
Crunch Buttsteak!
Slab Squatthrust!
Lump Beefbroth!
Touch Rustrod!
Reef Blastbody!
Big McLargeHuge!
Smoke ManMuscle!
Eat Punchbeef!
Hack Blowfist!
Roll Fizzlebeef!
Steam | XBL
Steam | XBL
Any obscure things that aren't obvious I should know about to improve quality of life from the beginning? Other than the cancelling a mission doesn't really have any big downsides one, that should help a bunch.
Joining the Battletech/MWO thread is obscure.
https://forums.penny-arcade.com/discussion/226241/battletech-mechwarrior-urban-warfare-is-sweeping-through-the-battletech-nation/
Steam: betsuni7
Random tips in random order:
The stock mech loadouts range from meh to really really bad and tend to have too low armor, but early on refitting them takes ages - except removing stuff and adding/changing armor both take 0 days. Try to time your serious refits for when you are travelling.
For missions that go badly for one of your mechs but you think you can still finish with the rest of your lance - the button to eject your pilot is hard to find, it's a red thingy in the middle of your mech's info somewhere. It wrecks the head but you get the rest of your mech back.
Your own pilot is immortal, at worst he will get hospitalized for a few months (which is bad too but not the end of the world).
If you play Ironman and lose a story mission, you get a game over.
You can rename generic pilots and give them fellow forum-user's names. Not sure if the guys you get at the start of the campaign can be renamed any more but you'll need to hire more once you eat some SRMs to the face in any case.
Dragons are bad.
I'm sure there's about 2348 more good tips but I can't think of any more right now, gonna go to bed. Have fun with the game!
Yes, @Aistan!
Tips for getting started in the campaign.
Also, somewhat spoilery tips for some tough campaign missions:
Tips for ammo crate mission
EDIT: While dithering about what to do about Mutant: Year Zero, I accidentally started another career. I just wanted to see what randomized starting mechs I got. But then I got two Centurions, two Panthers and a Spider, which might be one of the best starting lances possible. Like rolling a natural 18/97 on your new fighter. Well, just had to take that for a spin, right? Took home a Hunchback in the second mission, and then had cash to buy three pieces of Blackjack in the starting system. That's a pretty bananas good start. I can't not play that out a bit more, right...?
Steam profile.
Getting started with BATTLETECH: Part 1 / Part 2
I'll try again tomorrow.
This is the 'Unplayed games anonymous' thread right?
Sounds about right. Does that mean I am winning?
Actually think I might be losing.
AniList
Except where the goal there was to not buy anything and beat games, the goal here is to keep buying games and not finish them.
Once you get past the first few story missions, the game autosaves before and after.
Basically, once you get into a Leopard drop ship, it will start autosaving.
Don't be afraid to check some YT vids for the start of the campaign. You'll get an idea of what you're dealing with.
I don't have a problem, what are you talking about?!
We like to explore the duality of the human condition here.
A very expensive tip jar.
3DS Friend Code: 2165-6448-8348 www.Twitch.TV/cooljammer00
Battle.Net: JohnDarc#1203 Origin/UPlay: CoolJammer00
Steam: betsuni7
... also monsters, so it tempers that hope. Again, the duality.
Steam: Elvenshae // PSN: Elvenshae // WotC: Elvenshae
Wilds of Aladrion: [https://forums.penny-arcade.com/discussion/comment/43159014/#Comment_43159014]Ellandryn[/url]
Metro: Last Light felt like Call of Duty: Metro for me after playing 2033, tbh. It felt structured in that classic Call of Duty way, with big scripted sequences and whatnot.
oh, Exodus isn't the same protag as 2033? I kinda of assumed it was the same guy for all 3 games.
Left 4 Dead/Zombie Master Mod comes to the RE universe.
Twitch: KoopahTroopah - Steam: Koopah
It is, I was talking about his wife, who's one of the main characters in your train. The way it's set up you can lose people along the way, including her, but the game made me care enough to try hard and save her. I like when games slow down and you get to actually just hang out with a character, they become more than just some random video game NPC. I liked how you can just have a smoke and drink with Anna and talk, wasn't expecting that, felt like a European road trip movie which it basically is
Okay, giving Disney some credit with curating the universe, seeing a model of shuttle you know from another IP story outside the core movies is a squee sensation that's hard to beat. Seeing those Hammerhead cruisers in Rogue One and Rebeles was nice. Seeing these R-91's, a DX9, and other things that that make me shiver with delight, I look forward to a single player game actually having this.
Battlefront having a merc with a naboo fighter was something I enjoyed finding on youtube.
http://www.fallout3nexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=16534
Oh yeah, that totally reminds me... might as well cross-post this here.
COME FORTH, AMATERASU! - Switch Friend Code SW-5465-2458-5696 - Twitch
Huh. A raspberry beret.
When does that come out? Cause I'm probably ready for another Souls-esque game. Unless I try and get back into Nioh.
There's a free demo on PS4 right now.
Prince, Hendrix, Bowie, could I run some of these games, all my characters would be based on ......eclectic musicians.
Also, you can make an entire D&D campaign out of Sam L. Jackson roles.
http://www.fallout3nexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=16534