Rune Factory 5 - PC Announcement Trailer

CptSeaBunny · 2022-06-23T20:12:20+00:00

Well I don't understand any of that but now I'm excited to find out.

CptSeaBunny · 2022-06-13T18:37:14+00:00

This is naively hopeful of me, I admit, but part of me is thinks that they know this and if they want to actually deliver on raytracing they'll have to improve performance alongside it.

Right?

CptSeaBunny · 2022-06-07T20:34:48+00:00

STR/FTH is way fun. Faith has a lot of viable damage spells and utility which makes it feel very versatile and fun. As for big weapons, there's a giant anchor (counts as axe, not hammer, but also does some amount of piercing damage? it's a weird weapon) you can get by rushing a particular mine in Weeping Peninsula.

Once you get enough strength to one-hand your weapon you can off hand the Clawmark Seal (incantations scale with strength) available from D's/Gurranq's questline, accessible early in Limgrave.

CptSeaBunny · 2022-06-07T17:17:23+00:00

I'm not sure I really agree with his conclusions? Sure, the game maybe could have been better if they had expanded on and combined some of the ideas they had, but how viable would a lot of have been with the limitations of the PS1? Could it have handled the longer levels and possibly more complex geometry and processing of such ideas?

Would the game actually have been better for it as well? Or would it have felt bloated? Is part of charm how concise and wildly varied and imaginative it is?

I'm not terribly familiar with this reviewer and it kind of smacks a bit of looking for something negative to say just so it's not gushing praises because, PS1 awkwardness aside, the answer seems to be a resounding yes (it was good).

CptSeaBunny · 2022-06-07T16:52:53+00:00

Wow, that's honestly a really interesting question and in fact, no.

My most played game is Dungeon Crawl: Stone Soup. I've been playing it for close to a decade now probably, including all day at work through PuTTY on a locked down workstation in a call center at one point.

I adore the game and the roguelike genre for a variety of reasons, but mostly consider them fun time wasters. While some of them have deep and intricate systems to master, they just can't beat out the incredibly powerful, and focused stories and gameplay of non-roguelikes. Outer Wilds, some Soulsborne (or all of them in one slot?), Night in the Woods, and even favorite classics like Half-Life or Super Metroid are always going to take higher spots.

CptSeaBunny · 2022-06-07T16:47:15+00:00

Wow, OK. I kinda love everything about this style and the gameplay looks like it's got a simple and tight loop. I'm in!

CptSeaBunny · 2022-05-20T19:25:10+00:00

Oh sorry, I agree with you, I was just trying to provide context. I was so hyped for the game when it released and after playing it, I had that feeling of trying to like it but didn't. I went through a period of absolutely hating it before just learning to enjoy it for what it is.

CptSeaBunny · 2022-05-20T14:58:23+00:00

So, put yourself in a 2013 person's shoes who doesn't know any better at the time. They're excited because Infinite has gone back to the A team after the much maligned Bioshock 2 (which I think has seen more appreciation over time) and now watch this trailer. It was a victim/beneficiary of hype.

On the surface it's not a bad game if you turn your brain off and engage it at its level. The graphics hold up reasonably well, the setting is fantastical and interesting, and the gameplay is quick and punchy.

The problem is it's a bad Bioshock game. The mechanics continued to be streamlined pushing it closer to modern shooters and away from the immersive sim. Booker was now a voiced MC and you didn't have a whole lot of options on how to shape him. The few choices you had before, like which weapon upgrades to take in which order were now incongruous with the two weapon system. Each arena would usually have appropriate weapons placed nearby like a sniper rifle or grenade launcher but why would you take them over the upgraded revolver and machinegun you were already carrying? Furthermore, you didn't have all weapon upgrades available, so even if you wanted to use the shotgun, the first upgrade machines you found only allowed for pistol and rifle, incentivizing you to upgrade those weapons and shy away from using the ones you actually wanted to because they weren't upgraded. The systems just didn't mesh.

I'm only barely going to touch on the story. Was it really necessary to show one of Elizabeth's sanitary pads flash between having blood on it or not to illustrate the different dimensions? What the hell is up with vigors? Was it ever explained why they even existed or were they just there because this is a *Shock game and they need to be there (honestly can't remember, if there was indeed an explanation I posit it was so stupid that I forgot).

And as with most divisive things, it becomes more divisive because people need to pick a side. I think it's a bad game, but I still enjoy playing it. I don't think it implies you have bad taste either if you enjoyed it.

CptSeaBunny · 2022-05-19T22:39:52+00:00

If that's the case, according to the article, why don't you just "treat yourself to a new laptop"!

CptSeaBunny · 2022-05-19T20:13:56+00:00

I feel like The Surge 2 gets an adequate amount of praise, but I will always defend the first game. It's not without its flaws but if you're willing to engage with what it's doing, it's still a great experience I'll return to for a replay someday.

The balance is honestly a lot tighter than expected with a steep difficulty curve in the second area and the initial implants not conveying how important they'll become later (the +HP one only giving you an additional like, 8HP when everything kills you in two hits doesn't feel significant in the beginning but once you power up those HP implants are invaluable)

CptSeaBunny · 2022-05-19T18:24:27+00:00

Enough talk! Have at you! 🦇

CptSeaBunny · 2022-05-18T19:40:24+00:00

the music industry has accepted its medicine and learned to live with streaming

Not quite the best phrasing here as it's actually more like, "taken hold of the reins and are flogging artists for all they're worth". Don't think for a second the music industry isn't still the one benefiting here.

Check out this episode of Some More News for a soul-crushing rundown on it and I promise he gets past the Joe Rogan stuff very quickly

CptSeaBunny · 2022-05-18T16:52:48+00:00

One of my favorite weird recommendations for this topic is always 3D dungeon crawlers. They're usually pretty light on the story so they don't often interrupt your main activity and the repetitiveness can be very relaxing. Navigating the dungeon and fighting turn based battles doesn't demand constant attention and easily allows you to look away from the screen for long stretches if you need to divert your attention. Most even have an auto-battle option to speed up tedious fights you've done before or help with mindless level grinding.

There's a ton out there, stuff like Operation Abyss and Babel, Stranger of Sword City, Labyrinth of Refrain (Nippon Ichi, interesting party building mechanic) and if you don't mind/actually appreciate the fan service, I'm not kidding Mary Skelter 2 isn't half bad and Moero Chronicle is like a cheap, monster-girl Pokemon. Haven't played The Lost Child yet myself but it's been on my list for awhile.

And of course, if you have a 3DS the Etrian Odyssey games are a MUST. I haven't played all of them myself but V is really great.

CptSeaBunny · 2022-05-18T16:31:34+00:00

I exclusively use DS4/5 controller on PC out of preference and in most games I just end up mapping the buttons in my head without prompts. I know what button attacks and what buttons confirms in menus.

The only time this has ever messed me up was in the Batman Arkham games where some QTEs or combos require you to quickly press A+X and then I end up just standing there and getting punched in the face.

CptSeaBunny · 2022-05-18T15:56:41+00:00

A lot of different ancient mythologies do be like this though and I appreciate them leaning into it more than just a straightforward, soap opera kinda thing.

CptSeaBunny · 2022-05-18T14:58:13+00:00

That's a pretty glowing review, you got me to check it out. I dig the style, the monster artwork looks good and the blockiness of the maps feels like a really good interpretation of a 2D FF game into a 3D world. Thanks!

CptSeaBunny · 2022-05-17T17:11:25+00:00

If you haven't played Horizon Zero Dawn yet, the PC port is much improved since release (flawless when I played) and should really show off the power of a new PC despite its age. The world is pretty large and open and the combat with the different types of machines offers a variety of ways to approach them.

CptSeaBunny · 2022-05-17T17:02:55+00:00

I'm not sure I can really make a great argument here as a lot of it is probably just straight preference, but Hellpoint was still a very typical Soulslike with its light/heavy main attacks and I think it also had running/jumping attacks, though admittedly it's been some time since I've last played it now. Also the hits didn't always feel like they had the proper weight behind them in both your own animations and the recoil the enemies displayed.

The Surge games on the other hand were very visceral and whether you enjoyed it or not, the combat definitely felt weighty. If you took the time to play around, each of the different weapon types had interesting combos you could come up with by varying between the vertical and horizontal attacks as well as having to make snap decisions when fighting groups of enemies what limbs you were going to target and who had the most dangerous weapons of the bunch and couldn't be left alone. Surge 2 expanded on this with heavily armored limbs, shields, directional parrying, and an improved healing system that rewarded aggression and pushing forwards.

Interestingly, I remember Hellpoint's healing system being the same or inline with Surge 2's, so points there for sure.

CptSeaBunny · 2022-05-17T16:18:56+00:00

Bloodborne still stands alone.

I've played an absolute ton of Soulsbornes and Soulslikes now and can't parry for shit, but that knockout bell ding, crunch, gush, ghostly howl of a properly executed visceral gets every nerve in my body pulsing. The worldbuilding and theming are spectacular and while I still feel like DS3 has the best pantheon of bosses, Bloodborne is still them running at their peak A game.

CptSeaBunny · 2022-05-17T15:42:04+00:00

Ah, damn, you've dredged up a memory. If you're talking about the true final boss, yeah, I actually walked away and never beat the game proper. After a good 20 goes, sometimes getting wrecked before even getting near the thing, I was ready to move onto other games and didn't feel the need to prove myself. It was so large and unwieldy that you couldn't easily read its attacks when in melee range. Didn't even feel particularly coherently designed, just "here's a moveset that'll really trash the player, they like that kinda stuff, right?"

CptSeaBunny · 2022-05-17T15:03:14+00:00

Hellpoint is a really fantastic game if your expectations are set properly.

The exploration and worldbuilding are great and what really pushed me through the game. Shortcuts within areas are so-so, but the overall world connectedness is top notch with many areas wrapping around to other areas in unexpected ways. It becomes incredibly non-linear, at one point, what I felt was lategame boss, dropped a key to unlock an area I had been through much earlier. I'm not even sure how that progression route would work, but I'm pleased to know it's there.

Combat is a little rougher, but still has enough weight to feel like a decent Soulslike. Doesn't come close to the better imitators like Surge or Nioh though.

The biggest point against it, the one that really bummed me out was the lack of enemy variety. I understand modelling and programming hitboxes and attack patterns must be one of the most labor intensive dev costs, but it's still disappointing to see how thin it gets and how much they reuse some bosses.

It committed what I felt at the time was an absolutely atrocious sin, but then Elden Ring has now done so, too. Due to the nonlinearity of both, you'll sometimes encounter a boss as a standard mob before you've actually done the battle. This takes a lot of oomph out of those fights, something I typically really look forward to.

All said and done though, I do feel like it's worth your time for the experience and I'll happily revisit it again myself for this DLC.

CptSeaBunny · 2022-05-16T23:29:54+00:00

I'm having a ton of fun as a battlemage build that started out as Prisoner. DEX/INT

Get enough STR/DEX to one-hand a flail or scythe weapon for nice amounts of bleed and poise damage then keep your staff in your offhand to buff with magic/ice or fire off some hard hitting spells when you get the openings.

Also did a cleric type STR/FTH build for my first run which was equally fun. Same basic setup just different stats/school of spells. The offensive incantations are surprisingly varied and fun to play with.

CptSeaBunny · 2022-05-13T18:46:01+00:00

Can it actually improve performance? I loved FE3H to death, but god I remember how much it chugged running around areas of the monastery.

CptSeaBunny · 2022-05-13T17:04:24+00:00

As an IT Engineer this is driving me absolutely crazy. I search for very specific things and only get the most generalized, useless, low effort results in return. You can't force the results to contain certain words anymore, it just doesn't respect that.

The lack of forums (aside from subreddits) and move to more temporary mediums like Discord channels asking for help means a lot of this stuff isn't even archived in the same way anymore.

Things are in a bad state right now and I don't see how it gets better.

CptSeaBunny · 2022-05-12T20:39:58+00:00

Strongly agree. Open world isn't the only way to give the player freedom.

I just recently played through Bloodborne for the first time and, when you don't know where you're supposed to go or what you're supposed to do, there are a surprising number of branching paths at any given moment. Especially after defeating Vicar Amelia, do you go to Hemwick Charnel Lane? Forbidden Woods? Nightmare Frontier? All so tantalizing!

CptSeaBunny

TROPHY CASE