The Miscellaneous PC & vidya Games Thread

[Grey Fox]

It's on Gamepass PC. I've played a couple hours of it. The concept 's pretty cool and it's worth a try.

[crazy canuck]

Speaking of which, should I get Against the Storm from the current monthly bundle? I'm not much into city builders, pero the concept seems so unique.

Yes, definitely. Excellent game-and not really a city builder. 

[Syt]

Do people still remember The Guild? Sælig seems to be similar in scope:

https://store.steampowered.com/app/612720/SAELIG/

A Note From The Developer:

First, we should address the elephant in the room - SAELIG has been in Early Access like 7 years. That's a long time. What's the deal with that then?

Well SAELIG is a hobby project I work on after work and on weekends, and there is no set ending or final design. SAELIG continues to evolve over time and is updated fairly often with fixes, tweaks, and new features. So while SAELIG is in Early Access, it's less because it's missing lots of content, and more because I see it as a living project. It's always evolving and changing, and I feel like the Early Access tag is a convenient way to indicate just how much aspects of the game can change between updates.


The Game:

SAELIG is a strategy game that blends simulation, RPG elements, trading, and business management, where your goal is to ensure the survival, wealth, and legacy of your family. Set in the Dark Ages of England, you'll step into the Anglo-Saxon kingdom of Wessex during a time of turmoil. Engage in commerce, manage your enterprises, and make crucial decisions to carve your own path and leave a lasting mark on the world for generations to come.

You have the freedom to shape your destiny and play your way—become a trader, a business owner, a hardworking labourer, a landlord, a cunning criminal, a vigilant watchman, an influential abbot, a skilled hunter, or explore other roles. The choice is yours.

SAELIG features a dynamic, living world where every action counts, and each character leads a life of their own. You're not here to save the world or play the hero—you're here to live your life, make your choices, and do your best to thrive in a world full of possibilities.

SAELIG offers many possibilities for how you approach the game, giving you the freedom to shape your story in countless ways:

• Begin your journey however you choose—from beggar to business owner and everything in between.
• Forge your own path, regardless of your starting point.
• Find love, start a family, and build a lasting dynasty.
• Rise to power as an Abbot running the church, or take charge as a Town-Reeve, placing yourself above the law.
• Take on a humble job and earn your keep with honest work.
• Become a gravedigger, earning silver by tending to the dead, or care for the village children at the Learning Hall.
• Forage for resources and sell your findings at the market.
• Hunt wild animals and profit from processing their hides and meat.
• Trade goods between markets and seize opportunities for wealth.
• Establish towns and build them up alongside the other civilians.
• Adopt orphans and send them to work in the mines.
• Invest in properties and rent out homes for steady income.
• Run a variety of businesses to supply towns with vital goods.
• Buy land and develop it, helping the community grow.
• Manipulate the economy, start fires, hoard resources, and create chaos if you wish.
• Turn to a life of crime, stealing your way to riches.
• Fight for survival against brutal Viking raids.
• Win the favour of the King and rise to the rank of Thegn.
• And so much more—your story is yours to create.

SAELIG has a living world that deepens your experience:

• A living, breathing world where every character is striving to survive and thrive.
• Every character has a full life, from birth to death, and the ability to influence the world just like you.
• Experience multiple generations—when your character dies, continue the story as one of your children.
• Dynamic seasons and weather that impact the environment and gameplay.
• A variety of buildings to construct, purchase, and upgrade to suit your needs.
• Fires and diseases that can devastate not only your home but entire towns and villages.
• A living economy where every item is produced and consumed by the population—nothing exists without purpose.
• A knowledge system that rewards practice and mastery, allowing you to improve skills through repeated actions.

And for a hobby project it looks quite pretty (though obvs. not high end)

Splattercat has a video:

And it's only €12.49.

[Crazy_Ivan80]

Thnx, I'll have a look at this

[Razgovory]

Suddenly my kids are playing a ton of Mario Kart and Smash Bros.  We've had a Switch for years which they've played the heck out of, but not recently.

Dammit - when my kids were little I'd clean up at least in Mario Kart - now they beat me handily.

I cut the tip of my left index finger off so it's kind of hard to play 'action' type Switch games lately, so I have gotten into the Phoenix Wright Ace Attorney series.  Since they are courtroom drama games, you might like them if you've never tried Beeb.

I am vaguely familiar with them - but I'm afraid 25 years litigation has ruined legal dramas for me, and I suspect legal video games.

(Except for My Cousin Vinny - the only legal drama/comedy that is actually really, really accurate)

You have never seen Harvey Birdman attorney at law?

[Syt]

This one takes me back - Burntime, released by Austrian devs MAX Design in 1993, has been remastered by a fan, and it's available on Steam. For free: https://store.steampowered.com/app/3269080/Burntime_Remastered/

Never been good at the game, but maybe we might see remastered 1869 from MAX some day?

[Syt]

Foundation comes out of Early Access after 5 years:

Farthest Frontier is also nearing V1.0, though no release date announced yet.

Been watching OPB's Manor Lord videos - he's adding a lot of historical context and tries to build his villages historically plausible. Very pretty game.

Good times for medieval city builders.

[Syt]

The studio that made Blasphemous I & Blasphemous II, souls-like platformers steeped in medieval Spanish Catholicism, are bringing out a new game. This time it seems to be a Commandos style game ... steeped in 18th century Spanish Catholicism. I sense a bit of a theme here.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1309710/The_Stone_of_Madness/

From the studio that brought you the Blasphemous series comes The Stone of Madness: a real-time tactical stealth game set in an 18th-century Spanish Monastery. Located in the Pyrenees, this time-worn Jesuit monastery is home to a madhouse and an inquisitorial prison. Five prisoners - plagued by cruel punishment, madness, and despair - pool their skills and resources to face their phobias, stave off insanity, uncover the mysteries of the Monastery, and find a way to escape.

Escaping such a well-guarded monastery is no easy task, but Agnes, Leonora, Eduardo, Amelia, and Alfredo are determined to see it through. Alternate control of all five characters and use their unique upgradable skills to cast spells, assassinate targets, distract enemies, stun evil spirits, explore hard-to-reach areas, and more.

Explore your surroundings and combine the characters' abilities to find clues and tools scattered throughout the monastery. Be careful though, if you're caught being somewhere you shouldn't be, the guards will not be kind.

Each playable character possesses a fully realized set of traumas and phobias. To effectively navigate the monastery, you must be mindful of each character's mental health.

Triggering these traits depletes a character's sanity, ultimately triggering a traumatic event with negative effects such as paranoia, dementia, or bouts of violence; fundamentally changing how the afflicted character is played.

Sneaking, exploring, and gathering materials are all ideal tasks to complete during the day when security guards are easily distracted. But as morning gives way to evening, the paranormal inhabitants of the Monastery will start to reveal themselves; posing a threat to the characters' sanity.

Nighttime is most wisely spent planning and managing the escape plan. Any player who explores the monastery after curfew will be met with an extra challenge. Security is tighter, and guards will not take kindly to any prisoners wandering about. But sometimes, the risk is worth the reward.

The visuals in The Stone of Madness have been lovingly hand-painted and animated frame by frame, drawing heavy inspiration from 18th-century artist Francisco De Goya.

The game's isometric perspective acts as the perfect showcase for the eye-catching visuals, allowing players to observe every minute detail and feel as if they're adventuring through a Goya painting brought to life.