What [not shmup] game are you playing now?

[Sumez]

Sad about Colossus.

I generally do not like stealth elements shoehorned into other genres, but The New Order really pulled it off excellently! So if that description turns you off, give it a chance regardless. It really manages to seamlessly flow into the straight up FPS action gameplay, with most areas usually being set up to give you a chance for reconnaissance and planning your way around things, and even take out some dangerous foes before everything eventually and nearly inevitably turns to shit and you need to shoot your way out

[Sima Tuna]

I dislike nu-Wolfenstein for a few reasons. It felt like a bit of a half-measure between the openness of Dishonored (which itself was a consolization of Thief's even more open structure) and the more linear, balls-to-the-wall action of DOOM. Stealth in particular felt very scripted and binary. When you do get into combat, every enemy has hitscan weapons and aimbots you. That's not a flaw unique to NEW Wolfenstein (old wolfenstein has plenty of hitscanners) but I didn't enjoy it. As a "new" game, it of course has context kills and QTEs which gall me. The story is fine but it's not as good as contemporaries in the genre and it can take a fair amount of time for the cutscenes to slog on. I didn't enjoy the grate-destroying context tool or the context climbing pipes or any of the other level-lengthening gimmick items that served no purpose but to pad out time between fights.

If I want a stealth-action hybrid FPS, Prey and Dishonored are right there. For pure action, any number of old classics and young guns (including Ion Fury) have more to offer IMO. Wolfenstein New Order just wasn't for me.

On the positives, I will say the devs for nu-Wolfenstein made some pretty fucking sick QUAKE levels. I was impressed by just how much can still be done within QUAKE's engine and how modern (in a good way) the level design and enemy placement can feel.

[it290]

Yeah, the Dimension of the Machine levels are great. Definitely enjoyed that remaster a lot. I still think Quake 1 is the best game iD ever made, just absolutely perfect movement tech and a great enemy mix.

I enjoyed New Order but think most of your criticisms are fair. The story is a bit problematic IMO but nothing too terrible. However, I don't know that there is really a solution to the prevalence of hitscanners in Wolfenstein. I mean, they're Nazis and they have machine guns, I don't know how you implement a non-hitscan version of that.

[To Far Away Times]

Back into Street Fighter VI in anticipation of my boy Alex dropping in a few months.

[Marc]

Agreed with the above - I loved the original nu-Wolf and it's expansion, but fired 2 off about a third of the way in for all the reasons already mentioned.

Phantom Fury is proving to be quite a chuckle. It's brainless early 00's slightly linear design can frustrate, but there are some fun firefights and some really funny jank. I had a bad fever the other day and spent an enjoyable few hours mindlessly mowing my way through this, worth the £5.99 I paid.

Making my way through the last Alone In The Dark. It's not bad at all, really. Combat is a bit basic, but atmosphere, exploration and puzzles are all on point. It won't trouble the greats, but it's enjoyable, and refreshingly compact.

[Stevens]

Haven't played anything else since starting Arc Raiders. The loop is just so damn satisfying.

The level design and environmental story telling is only rivaled by From. The sandbox's are huge and what you do in them is up to you.

[Sumez]

If I want a stealth-action hybrid FPS, Prey and Dishonored are right there. For pure action, any number of old classics and young guns (including Ion Fury) have more to offer IMO. Wolfenstein New Order just wasn't for me.

Criticism noted, but complaining about hitscanners and then praising Ion Fury is a little funny to me.

Ion Fury has some really damn cool level design, but holy shit the actual FPS gameplay is horrible, regrettably

[AGermanArtist]

Haven't played anything else since starting Arc Raiders. The loop is just so damn satisfying.

The level design and environmental story telling is only rivaled by From. The sandbox's are huge and what you do in them is up to you.

I find myself compelled to play this thing every day. In fact, it's pretty much all I play. There's just something about the level of tension that's addictive. Every time I play it, it's a unique experience. My assertions were proven as I was convinced there was aggression based matchmaking, from the first time I killed another Raider. I went from generally friendly lobbies to being ratted at extracts and embroiled in a constant bloodbath with other Raiders. I'd been messaging Embark about it on X, which they later confirmed was the case. I'm glad that it can be reset by playing 3-5 rounds w/out shooting at anyone. I prefer being helpful than a kill on sight player. It isn't a competitive shooter and yet there are many who play it like it's Gears of War. The game is great, but it just isn't agile enough for that. There is no instant respawn and you have stamina. Embark confirmed also that it was never intended to be a game about shooting people. The option to betray is there to add tension and it works.
One thing I'm finding incredibly frustrating is going in to a Queen/Matriarch event and being the only one there tooled up, doing most of the heavy lifting and being surrounded by parasites with nothing but an Anvil and they try to rob the reactors and gtfo w/out anyone realising. I think it's time to start taking these guys out.

Live service games are obviously about player retention, so there are many measurable metrics in this game and I want to see if you can mould the game to your own style of play. I've been experimenting with difference in matchmaking if you carry a defib. Does carrying a defib say something about you as a player? Obviously if you shoot on sight, you're going to aggressive PvP lobbies, but I want to know if you shoot people while they're looting, is there a different sort of aggressive lobby where the campers and rats are? Does completing the surveys have a bearing on your lobbies? I've been exclusively responding to surveys with 'loved it' if I have a particularly uneventful round where I don't shoot anyone or ARC to see what happens.

[vol.2]

Criticism noted, but complaining about hitscanners and then praising Ion Fury is a little funny to me.

There are definitely enemies in Ion Fury that aren't hitscan. Most of them have either lobs or windups that can be avoided. It's also possible to trap a lot of enemies behind grates or other locked openings and strategically eliminate them with bombs or other weapons. Yes, it does feel a lot more "arcade-y" than a well crafted modern FPS with good AI, but that's the point.

[Stevens]

I find myself compelled to play this thing every day. In fact, it's pretty much all I play. There's just something about the level of tension that's addictive. Every time I play it, it's a unique experience. My assertions were proven as I was convinced there was aggression based matchmaking, from the first time I killed another Raider. I went from generally friendly lobbies to being ratted at extracts and embroiled in a constant bloodbath with other Raiders. I'd been messaging Embark about it on X, which they later confirmed was the case. I'm glad that it can be reset by playing 3-5 rounds w/out shooting at anyone. I prefer being helpful than a kill on sight player. It isn't a competitive shooter and yet there are many who play it like it's Gears of War. The game is great, but it just isn't agile enough for that. There is no instant respawn and you have stamina. Embark confirmed also that it was never intended to be a game about shooting people. The option to betray is there to add tension and it works.

One thing I'm finding incredibly frustrating is going in to a Queen/Matriarch event and being the only one there tooled up, doing most of the heavy lifting and being surrounded by parasites with nothing but an Anvil and they try to rob the reactors and gtfo w/out anyone realising. I think it's time to start taking these guys out.

Live service games are obviously about player retention, so there are many measurable metrics in this game and I want to see if you can mould the game to your own style of play. I've been experimenting with difference in matchmaking if you carry a defib. Does carrying a defib say something about you as a player? Obviously if you shoot on sight, you're going to aggressive PvP lobbies, but I want to know if you shoot people while they're looting, is there a different sort of aggressive lobby where the campers and rats are? Does completing the surveys have a bearing on your lobbies? I've been exclusively responding to surveys with 'loved it' if I have a particularly uneventful round where I don't shoot anyone or ARC to see what happens.

I think the matchmaking system is genius and gives players the freedom to play however they choose. Including those who like PvP and want to get into friendly lobbies to go hunting. Those players keep you honest cause you never really know who you are running into.

I think there is a lot going on under the hood they haven't explained, but I think the gist is shooting other players. I've never been sent straight to sweat city after a knock. For the record I never shoot first, but always carry a showstopper in my hand with my gun out. Even if I get shot first the showstopper turns the fight to your favor quick provided you yourself aren't in the blast zone. And even in those cases it has seen me through more often than not. I love those things. I always carry defibs too. One if I'm just going around, but at least three for the matriarch.

I do think there are levels to the lobbies from totally passive, to mixed (maybe a 20/40/60/80 type thing), to full on kos.

As far as your matriarch lobbies go - the ones on the NA server are usually pretty good, particularly Spaceport and Blue Gate. If your connection allows it I would suggest trying the north American servers. I usually play in the afternoon, but even tonight I was in some good rounds. Mind you this is on PC, console players tend to be a bit more assholey in my experience.

My embark id is SomewhereInTime#0066.

[To Far Away Times]

I feel very fraudulent in Street Fighter 6. I’m Platnum II currently and when I check other player’s profiles they usually have hundreds of more hours invested in practice (and in the game in general) than I do. I uh… probably shouldn’t be in Platnum II and I definitely have some gaps that other’s don’t, but here I am.

I’ve been trying to take the game a bit more seriously. I have always sucked at combo execution but through years of playing fighting games I’ve developed good fundamentals. Give me a fireball and a dragon punch and I’ll control space, hit my anti air’s, have good wake ups, etc. But my game specific knowledge is ass.

It’s funny that the one fighting game that I was actually very good in was BlazBlue. The anime air dashing and combo heavy stuff is normally not my bag, but I was carrying a good rate through 1,000+ ranked matches, Top 10 with my character on the ranked leaderboards, etc. I only really did one combo, but with three ways to get into it, and that was enough and the anime games have easier execution. It was a smaller roster too, so I kinda knew the gaps in fake pressure after a while.

But I just can’t figure out pressure and combos in SF6 at all.

I think I keep getting blown up by fake pressure but it’s hard to read where the openings are on block strings.

[AGermanArtist]

I find myself compelled to play this thing every day. In fact, it's pretty much all I play. There's just something about the level of tension that's addictive. Every time I play it, it's a unique experience. My assertions were proven as I was convinced there was aggression based matchmaking, from the first time I killed another Raider. I went from generally friendly lobbies to being ratted at extracts and embroiled in a constant bloodbath with other Raiders. I'd been messaging Embark about it on X, which they later confirmed was the case. I'm glad that it can be reset by playing 3-5 rounds w/out shooting at anyone. I prefer being helpful than a kill on sight player. It isn't a competitive shooter and yet there are many who play it like it's Gears of War. The game is great, but it just isn't agile enough for that. There is no instant respawn and you have stamina. Embark confirmed also that it was never intended to be a game about shooting people. The option to betray is there to add tension and it works.

One thing I'm finding incredibly frustrating is going in to a Queen/Matriarch event and being the only one there tooled up, doing most of the heavy lifting and being surrounded by parasites with nothing but an Anvil and they try to rob the reactors and gtfo w/out anyone realising. I think it's time to start taking these guys out.

Live service games are obviously about player retention, so there are many measurable metrics in this game and I want to see if you can mould the game to your own style of play. I've been experimenting with difference in matchmaking if you carry a defib. Does carrying a defib say something about you as a player? Obviously if you shoot on sight, you're going to aggressive PvP lobbies, but I want to know if you shoot people while they're looting, is there a different sort of aggressive lobby where the campers and rats are? Does completing the surveys have a bearing on your lobbies? I've been exclusively responding to surveys with 'loved it' if I have a particularly uneventful round where I don't shoot anyone or ARC to see what happens.

I think the matchmaking system is genius and gives players the freedom to play however they choose. Including those who like PvP and want to get into friendly lobbies to go hunting. Those players keep you honest cause you never really know who you are running into.

I think there is a lot going on under the hood they haven't explained, but I think the gist is shooting other players. I've never been sent straight to sweat city after a knock. For the record I never shoot first, but always carry a showstopper in my hand with my gun out. Even if I get shot first the showstopper turns the fight to your favor quick provided you yourself aren't in the blast zone. And even in those cases it has seen me through more often than not. I love those things. I always carry defibs too. One if I'm just going around, but at least three for the matriarch.

I do think there are levels to the lobbies from totally passive, to mixed (maybe a 20/40/60/80 type thing), to full on kos.

As far as your matriarch lobbies go - the ones on the NA server are usually pretty good, particularly Spaceport and Blue Gate. If your connection allows it I would suggest trying the north American servers. I usually play in the afternoon, but even tonight I was in some good rounds. Mind you this is on PC, console players tend to be a bit more assholey in my experience.

My embark id is SomewhereInTime#0066.

I had crossplay enabled for the first couple of months, but switched it off since KBM players have an advantage and access to cheats.
Embark want you to play their game, so they provide the tools to give you the game you want. It's just figuring out what to manipulate. I'm sure it's why the surveys are there, I just want to see what modifiers there are and the result. For the past couple of weeks, it's been "don't shoot" and no bodies on the ground, so I must be doing something right. I also use Showstoppers rather than C4s. I have had the odd scrap from people who shoot first and they were dealt with, but I had to 'cleanse' my soul by repeatedly running Bluegate with free loadouts and extracting until I got back to "don't shoot" lobbies where I felt comfortable running with a loadout. I found that carrying a defib and replying to the surveys with 'loved it' if I didn't have an encounter, cut that down from 6-10 rounds to 3-5. I'm also reviving as many downed players as I can to see if this further enhances the chances of friendly lobbies. There has to be a reason why that data is collected.
I will add you when I get back on.

[Stevens]

I find myself compelled to play this thing every day. In fact, it's pretty much all I play. There's just something about the level of tension that's addictive. Every time I play it, it's a unique experience. My assertions were proven as I was convinced there was aggression based matchmaking, from the first time I killed another Raider. I went from generally friendly lobbies to being ratted at extracts and embroiled in a constant bloodbath with other Raiders. I'd been messaging Embark about it on X, which they later confirmed was the case. I'm glad that it can be reset by playing 3-5 rounds w/out shooting at anyone. I prefer being helpful than a kill on sight player. It isn't a competitive shooter and yet there are many who play it like it's Gears of War. The game is great, but it just isn't agile enough for that. There is no instant respawn and you have stamina. Embark confirmed also that it was never intended to be a game about shooting people. The option to betray is there to add tension and it works.

One thing I'm finding incredibly frustrating is going in to a Queen/Matriarch event and being the only one there tooled up, doing most of the heavy lifting and being surrounded by parasites with nothing but an Anvil and they try to rob the reactors and gtfo w/out anyone realising. I think it's time to start taking these guys out.

Live service games are obviously about player retention, so there are many measurable metrics in this game and I want to see if you can mould the game to your own style of play. I've been experimenting with difference in matchmaking if you carry a defib. Does carrying a defib say something about you as a player? Obviously if you shoot on sight, you're going to aggressive PvP lobbies, but I want to know if you shoot people while they're looting, is there a different sort of aggressive lobby where the campers and rats are? Does completing the surveys have a bearing on your lobbies? I've been exclusively responding to surveys with 'loved it' if I have a particularly uneventful round where I don't shoot anyone or ARC to see what happens.

I think the matchmaking system is genius and gives players the freedom to play however they choose. Including those who like PvP and want to get into friendly lobbies to go hunting. Those players keep you honest cause you never really know who you are running into.

I think there is a lot going on under the hood they haven't explained, but I think the gist is shooting other players. I've never been sent straight to sweat city after a knock. For the record I never shoot first, but always carry a showstopper in my hand with my gun out. Even if I get shot first the showstopper turns the fight to your favor quick provided you yourself aren't in the blast zone. And even in those cases it has seen me through more often than not. I love those things. I always carry defibs too. One if I'm just going around, but at least three for the matriarch.

I do think there are levels to the lobbies from totally passive, to mixed (maybe a 20/40/60/80 type thing), to full on kos.

As far as your matriarch lobbies go - the ones on the NA server are usually pretty good, particularly Spaceport and Blue Gate. If your connection allows it I would suggest trying the north American servers. I usually play in the afternoon, but even tonight I was in some good rounds. Mind you this is on PC, console players tend to be a bit more assholey in my experience.

My embark id is SomewhereInTime#0066.

I had crossplay enabled for the first couple of months, but switched it off since KBM players have an advantage and access to cheats.
Embark want you to play their game, so they provide the tools to give you the game you want. It's just figuring out what to manipulate. I'm sure it's why the surveys are there, I just want to see what modifiers there are and the result. For the past couple of weeks, it's been "don't shoot" and no bodies on the ground, so I must be doing something right. I also use Showstoppers rather than C4s. I have had the odd scrap from people who shoot first and they were dealt with, but I had to 'cleanse' my soul by repeatedly running Bluegate with free loadouts and extracting until I got back to "don't shoot" lobbies where I felt comfortable running with a loadout. I found that carrying a defib and replying to the surveys with 'loved it' if I didn't have an encounter, cut that down from 6-10 rounds to 3-5. I'm also reviving as many downed players as I can to see if this further enhances the chances of friendly lobbies. There has to be a reason why that data is collected.
I will add you when I get back on.

Cheating is an issue, but it's a sweat city issue. If you're not in kos lobbies on PC you're not running into people aim botting and what not. In 200 hours I think I may have run into a cheater once, and even there I am not totally sure.

Since the match making was revealed, and I think we all knew something was up after a few weeks, I keep an eye on the horizon. Occasionally (once or twice a week) there will be a random PvP'er who has worked there way into friendly lobbies popping flairs, and that's good for the game. Like I said before, those players keep me honest and from getting complacent.

If I have to down/knock someone I'll usually run a free kit for a few matches and stay to the perimeter of the map. I'll loot stuff for crafting and generally stay out of the way. I've never had to PvP a 2nd time before making my way back to friendlies.

Also the economy in this game is really well thought out. Nothing is useless and chances are I am always out of something. And you can't just buy everything cause the vendors only have so much.

I run Spaceport, Blue Gate, and Dam the most. God I love Spaceport, such a great map.

I too would love to know exactly what makes the ABMM tick, but I'm happy knowing just enough to be able to enjoy the game like I want to.

See you topside.

[AGermanArtist]

I think the matchmaking system is genius and gives players the freedom to play however they choose. Including those who like PvP and want to get into friendly lobbies to go hunting. Those players keep you honest cause you never really know who you are running into.

I think there is a lot going on under the hood they haven't explained, but I think the gist is shooting other players. I've never been sent straight to sweat city after a knock. For the record I never shoot first, but always carry a showstopper in my hand with my gun out. Even if I get shot first the showstopper turns the fight to your favor quick provided you yourself aren't in the blast zone. And even in those cases it has seen me through more often than not. I love those things. I always carry defibs too. One if I'm just going around, but at least three for the matriarch.

I do think there are levels to the lobbies from totally passive, to mixed (maybe a 20/40/60/80 type thing), to full on kos.

As far as your matriarch lobbies go - the ones on the NA server are usually pretty good, particularly Spaceport and Blue Gate. If your connection allows it I would suggest trying the north American servers. I usually play in the afternoon, but even tonight I was in some good rounds. Mind you this is on PC, console players tend to be a bit more assholey in my experience.

My embark id is SomewhereInTime#0066.

I had crossplay enabled for the first couple of months, but switched it off since KBM players have an advantage and access to cheats.
Embark want you to play their game, so they provide the tools to give you the game you want. It's just figuring out what to manipulate. I'm sure it's why the surveys are there, I just want to see what modifiers there are and the result. For the past couple of weeks, it's been "don't shoot" and no bodies on the ground, so I must be doing something right. I also use Showstoppers rather than C4s. I have had the odd scrap from people who shoot first and they were dealt with, but I had to 'cleanse' my soul by repeatedly running Bluegate with free loadouts and extracting until I got back to "don't shoot" lobbies where I felt comfortable running with a loadout. I found that carrying a defib and replying to the surveys with 'loved it' if I didn't have an encounter, cut that down from 6-10 rounds to 3-5. I'm also reviving as many downed players as I can to see if this further enhances the chances of friendly lobbies. There has to be a reason why that data is collected.
I will add you when I get back on.

Cheating is an issue, but it's a sweat city issue. If you're not in kos lobbies on PC you're not running into people aim botting and what not. In 200 hours I think I may have run into a cheater once, and even there I am not totally sure.

Since the match making was revealed, and I think we all knew something was up after a few weeks, I keep an eye on the horizon. Occasionally (once or twice a week) there will be a random PvP'er who has worked there way into friendly lobbies popping flairs, and that's good for the game. Like I said before, those players keep me honest and from getting complacent.

If I have to down/knock someone I'll usually run a free kit for a few matches and stay to the perimeter of the map. I'll loot stuff for crafting and generally stay out of the way. I've never had to PvP a 2nd time before making my way back to friendlies.

Also the economy in this game is really well thought out. Nothing is useless and chances are I am always out of something. And you can't just buy everything cause the vendors only have so much.

I run Spaceport, Blue Gate, and Dam the most. God I love Spaceport, such a great map.

I too would love to know exactly what makes the ABMM tick, but I'm happy knowing just enough to be able to enjoy the game like I want to.

See you topside.

I had noticed that. If you have a long run of successful extractions, you either go into a sweaty lobby or you get insta-mauled by ARC, then it resets back to Friendly again. Spaceport is a fave here, I have a weird obsession with Toasters. I come away with about 20 of them almost every time from Arrivals/Departures/Control where there's a hatch just across from it. I have a specific route there, mostly for sensors, wires and trinkets + the security breaches, and usually hatch out in the last couple of mins.
In 300+hrs I've only got 34 kills and defibbed 6 strangers. Last night, I just felt like killing people after being ratted in a 'friendly' lobby - it was a 50/50 and both of us died, so I was shoot on sight in a sweat lobby next run, and killed 4 with a Stitcher before extracting. I'll no doubt pay for that today, but it was kind of cathartic lol and I got some great loot from them. One of the guys had clealy intended to run for the Matriarch and I got his Hullcracker to add to my collection of 24 and over 100 Hullcracker rounds with 2 BPs I didn't have. He shot first and whined about being downed by someone with a Stitcher/Free loadout.

Edit - just did 5 runs on Bluegate firstly with a free loadout, extracted and traded the augment for the basic one with safe pocket, stuck a key in it and did another 4 runs, hatching out on each. Feel confident enough to go back to chasing Queens/Matriarchs again. I love fighting those things, especially if you can aggro it to get you to follow you to the gas station/sun-roof place at the gates to the tunnel. It's a buzz to have that thing right on top of you. I haven't felt anything as exhillarating in a video game as that, ever.

[Stevens]

I had crossplay enabled for the first couple of months, but switched it off since KBM players have an advantage and access to cheats.
Embark want you to play their game, so they provide the tools to give you the game you want. It's just figuring out what to manipulate. I'm sure it's why the surveys are there, I just want to see what modifiers there are and the result. For the past couple of weeks, it's been "don't shoot" and no bodies on the ground, so I must be doing something right. I also use Showstoppers rather than C4s. I have had the odd scrap from people who shoot first and they were dealt with, but I had to 'cleanse' my soul by repeatedly running Bluegate with free loadouts and extracting until I got back to "don't shoot" lobbies where I felt comfortable running with a loadout. I found that carrying a defib and replying to the surveys with 'loved it' if I didn't have an encounter, cut that down from 6-10 rounds to 3-5. I'm also reviving as many downed players as I can to see if this further enhances the chances of friendly lobbies. There has to be a reason why that data is collected.
I will add you when I get back on.

Cheating is an issue, but it's a sweat city issue. If you're not in kos lobbies on PC you're not running into people aim botting and what not. In 200 hours I think I may have run into a cheater once, and even there I am not totally sure.

Since the match making was revealed, and I think we all knew something was up after a few weeks, I keep an eye on the horizon. Occasionally (once or twice a week) there will be a random PvP'er who has worked there way into friendly lobbies popping flairs, and that's good for the game. Like I said before, those players keep me honest and from getting complacent.

If I have to down/knock someone I'll usually run a free kit for a few matches and stay to the perimeter of the map. I'll loot stuff for crafting and generally stay out of the way. I've never had to PvP a 2nd time before making my way back to friendlies.

Also the economy in this game is really well thought out. Nothing is useless and chances are I am always out of something. And you can't just buy everything cause the vendors only have so much.

I run Spaceport, Blue Gate, and Dam the most. God I love Spaceport, such a great map.

I too would love to know exactly what makes the ABMM tick, but I'm happy knowing just enough to be able to enjoy the game like I want to.

See you topside.

I had noticed that. If you have a long run of successful extractions, you either go into a sweaty lobby or you get insta-mauled by ARC, then it resets back to Friendly again. Spaceport is a fave here, I have a weird obsession with Toasters. I come away with about 20 of them almost every time from Arrivals/Departures/Control where there's a hatch just across from it. I have a specific route there, mostly for sensors, wires and trinkets + the security breaches, and usually hatch out in the last couple of mins.
In 300+hrs I've only got 34 kills and defibbed 6 strangers. Last night, I just felt like killing people after being ratted in a 'friendly' lobby - it was a 50/50 and both of us died, so I was shoot on sight in a sweat lobby next run, and killed 4 with a Stitcher before extracting. I'll no doubt pay for that today, but it was kind of cathartic lol and I got some great loot from them. One of the guys had clealy intended to run for the Matriarch and I got his Hullcracker to add to my collection of 24 and over 100 Hullcracker rounds with 2 BPs I didn't have. He shot first and whined about being downed by someone with a Stitcher/Free loadout.

Edit - just did 5 runs on Bluegate firstly with a free loadout, extracted and traded the augment for the basic one with safe pocket, stuck a key in it and did another 4 runs, hatching out on each. Feel confident enough to go back to chasing Queens/Matriarchs again. I love fighting those things, especially if you can aggro it to get you to follow you to the gas station/sun-roof place at the gates to the tunnel. It's a buzz to have that thing right on top of you. I haven't felt anything as exhillarating in a video game as that, ever.

Most of my Blue Gate matriarch fights tend to center around reinforced reception/warehouse/headhouse. I've never seen it down by the gas station, but that sounds like a great place to engage.

I have this funny thing with my gun stash - I only ever keep two or three of each gun I use - anvils, renegades, and hull crackers. One is level three and I use it till it gets shitty (or I lose it) then I recycle and buff the next one. There are a few torrentes in there too, but I don't bring those out too often, thing eats bullets. I've given away a few near broken hull crackers too cause why not?

[AGermanArtist]

Cheating is an issue, but it's a sweat city issue. If you're not in kos lobbies on PC you're not running into people aim botting and what not. In 200 hours I think I may have run into a cheater once, and even there I am not totally sure.

Since the match making was revealed, and I think we all knew something was up after a few weeks, I keep an eye on the horizon. Occasionally (once or twice a week) there will be a random PvP'er who has worked there way into friendly lobbies popping flairs, and that's good for the game. Like I said before, those players keep me honest and from getting complacent.

If I have to down/knock someone I'll usually run a free kit for a few matches and stay to the perimeter of the map. I'll loot stuff for crafting and generally stay out of the way. I've never had to PvP a 2nd time before making my way back to friendlies.

Also the economy in this game is really well thought out. Nothing is useless and chances are I am always out of something. And you can't just buy everything cause the vendors only have so much.

I run Spaceport, Blue Gate, and Dam the most. God I love Spaceport, such a great map.

I too would love to know exactly what makes the ABMM tick, but I'm happy knowing just enough to be able to enjoy the game like I want to.

See you topside.

I had noticed that. If you have a long run of successful extractions, you either go into a sweaty lobby or you get insta-mauled by ARC, then it resets back to Friendly again. Spaceport is a fave here, I have a weird obsession with Toasters. I come away with about 20 of them almost every time from Arrivals/Departures/Control where there's a hatch just across from it. I have a specific route there, mostly for sensors, wires and trinkets + the security breaches, and usually hatch out in the last couple of mins.
In 300+hrs I've only got 34 kills and defibbed 6 strangers. Last night, I just felt like killing people after being ratted in a 'friendly' lobby - it was a 50/50 and both of us died, so I was shoot on sight in a sweat lobby next run, and killed 4 with a Stitcher before extracting. I'll no doubt pay for that today, but it was kind of cathartic lol and I got some great loot from them. One of the guys had clealy intended to run for the Matriarch and I got his Hullcracker to add to my collection of 24 and over 100 Hullcracker rounds with 2 BPs I didn't have. He shot first and whined about being downed by someone with a Stitcher/Free loadout.

Edit - just did 5 runs on Bluegate firstly with a free loadout, extracted and traded the augment for the basic one with safe pocket, stuck a key in it and did another 4 runs, hatching out on each. Feel confident enough to go back to chasing Queens/Matriarchs again. I love fighting those things, especially if you can aggro it to get you to follow you to the gas station/sun-roof place at the gates to the tunnel. It's a buzz to have that thing right on top of you. I haven't felt anything as exhillarating in a video game as that, ever.

Most of my Blue Gate matriarch fights tend to center around reinforced reception/warehouse/headhouse. I've never seen it down by the gas station, but that sounds like a great place to engage.

I have this funny thing with my gun stash - I only ever keep two or three of each gun I use - anvils, renegades, and hull crackers. One is level three and I use it till it gets shitty (or I lose it) then I recycle and buff the next one. There are a few torrentes in there too, but I don't bring those out too often, thing eats bullets. I've given away a few near broken hull crackers too cause why not?

I maybe have some sort of hoarder mental issue, but I feel more comfortable about losing something if I have plenty of them and while I'm holding them in my stash, getting them all up to LvIV and full kitted out gives me a reason to go Topside. Also, sometimes crafting a weapon frees up more than one space - it just depends on what I have on me. I'm currently sitting on 25 LvIV Hullcrackers (all because using an Exodus Module and a Magnetic Accelerator gave me a Hullcracker and a free space), 35 LvIV Anvils and 22 LvIV Toros all with LvII or above attachments. I don't have an Anvil BP this time around, so I hoard what I find, and $6.6M with no intention of doing the current Expedition.
I really want an Anvil and a Wolfpack BP. I got the Deadline BP the other day and was super buzzed to get that one.

[vol.2]

I'm replaying Final Fantasy 1.

Doing two Black Belts, White Mage, Black Mage. I like to have both kinds of magic, but I wasn't in the mood for inventory management.

I got the canoe and I'm trying to bang it out to class change early. I got through the Ordeals at level 12 by running a lot and starting over a lot for good RNG. Now at the Ice Cave and getting my ass truly handed to me by enemies who are 1 hit KO before I even get the chance to attack. I gave it pause while I rethink how many times I will have to redo the whole dungeon over and over.

[AGermanArtist]

The Pragmata demo. Absolutely love it, can't wait for the release.

[it290]

What are you digging about it? I really hate those circuit board minigames so it's hard for me to imagine a game where the whole combat system is built around that.

[guigui]

I'm also curious to hear what is so good about Pragmata demo, care to develop ?

[AGermanArtist]

What are you digging about it? I really hate those circuit board minigames so it's hard for me to imagine a game where the whole combat system is built around that.

I'll always give a new Capcom game a shot and didn't get along with some of the recent titles Exoprimal and Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess.
The latter had lots of interesting mechanics, but it just didn't jive - it lacked polish and felt like a mish-mash of styles that just didn't work for me. Pragmata on the other hand has the level of polish I expect from a Capcom game and its combat feels fresh, and while it does feel like a combination of third person combat and Tetris, the hacking aspect feels integral and not shoehorned. Looks great, feels solid and the combat is fresh - it feels like the hacking mechanic will become more complex and rewarding as you progress. A solid 8/10 for me, very promising. This and ARC Raiders are the freshest games I've played lately.

[ryu]

What are you digging about it? I really hate those circuit board minigames so it's hard for me to imagine a game where the whole combat system is built around that.

I played the game at gamescom and enjoyed the challenge of splitting your attention between the minigame and the actual combat

[AGermanArtist]

I really enjoyed that aspect and the combat balance. You can shotgun enemies up close to stagger them and you get enough time to retreat and hit them with the hacking attack. You also have a stasis weapon like Dead Space which has limited ammo in the demo, but it affords you time to chain multiple hacking attacks while being an agile enough game to allow you to dodge attacks from other enemies on screen which haven't been affected. Since the demo is seemingly the first section of the game, there's scope for the systems evolving. It's not as agile as Vanquish, but agile enough to not feel like your movement is being hampered. Which is how I felt about Binary Domain which just felt incredibly cumbersome to control. Moreso than The Club, for example. I love The Club, though. So it gets a pass.
Aside, I really thought I'd hate Diana, but the interactions between her and Hugh are kind of endearing. There's no cutscenes in the demo, just a little exposition text. He finds her on a supposedly deserted space station where the AI has taken over.

[Steven]

I may have discovered my non-rerelease game of the year for 2022: Last Command. I know that doesn't say much because lol modern games, but Last Command is a legitimately good game, and a pretty great example of why I haven't completely given up on modern games yet.

It's basically Snake (yes, that game from the 70s where you control a thing that moves around and dies if it crashes into itself, although it wasn't called Snake back then) but a version of it in which you get to kill shit by shooting at it/crashing into it/bombing it/etc. and also be shot at by everything with amounts of bullets that resemble DoDonPachi, so it has a very strong STG flavour. Given that, I'm kind of surprised nobody has mentioned it here at all until now. Turn up the difficulty and it becomes unexpectedly difficult, but fair. If that sounds awesome, that's because it is! I have no idea how the hell I found this game, but I was meaning to buy it for like a year or two or three and finally got it in the Steam sale at the beginning of January.

Go check it out. It's excellent, I promise.

[ryu]

Is Romeo is a Dead Man not coming out on discs? Wtf

[it290]

What are you digging about it? I really hate those circuit board minigames so it's hard for me to imagine a game where the whole combat system is built around that.

I'll always give a new Capcom game a shot and didn't get along with some of the recent titles Exoprimal and Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess.
The latter had lots of interesting mechanics, but it just didn't jive - it lacked polish and felt like a mish-mash of styles that just didn't work for me. Pragmata on the other hand has the level of polish I expect from a Capcom game and its combat feels fresh, and while it does feel like a combination of third person combat and Tetris, the hacking aspect feels integral and not shoehorned. Looks great, feels solid and the combat is fresh - it feels like the hacking mechanic will become more complex and rewarding as you progress. A solid 8/10 for me, very promising. This and ARC Raiders are the freshest games I've played lately.

Ok, but the hacking really is just that circuit board minigame isn't it?

[AGermanArtist]

I liked it. It adds tension. It can be as simple or as complicated as you like. You can add extra modifiers to make it more complex, where the damage output is multiplied. I guess you'll just have to try it yourself. It's Capcom, it feels like a very modern arcade game.

[it290]

I'm intrigued, but given the release timing I'm 100% confident I'll be playing Saros at that time instead.

[AGermanArtist]

I'm intrigued, but given the release timing I'm 100% confident I'll be playing Saros at that time instead.

In for Saros, too.

[ryu]

Saros is the game I'm looking most forward to this year. Hopefully they didn't nerf the difficulty too much relative to Returnal.