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.

[celedhring]

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. 

Thanks for the advice - Fired it up yesterday to "check it out" and when I finally looked at the watch it was 2AM. First this happens in a very long time with a videogame.

[crazy canuck]

 

[celedhring]

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.

The studio is in Sevilla, you just can't escape that shit there

EDIT: Reading about the new game - they say they were inspired in part by "La Abadía del Crimen" a Spanish 1980s isometric adventure game adapting (without license) - The Name of the Rose. Every single Spanish middle aged videogame nerd grew up playing that (and, tbf, it's a fantastic game for the era).

[Syt]

Topical:

https://store.steampowered.com/app/754500/Plutocracy/

Immerse yourself in the "Golden Era" of the first US billionaires. Start from scratch and become a shadow ruler. Look for profitable companies, negotiate with shareholders to buy out controlling stakes and put your people at the helm. Absorb competitors' companies and dominate the market, making super profits.

Be prepared to lobby politicians and laws to expand your influence. Corrupt officials, create barriers and intrigues against enemies. There are whole historical layers in front of you that you can influence. Create the most powerful financial empire. But remember: no one should know who really rules the world.

The game reflects the real dynamic mechanism of the economy of companies and the country. Having reached large-scale levels, you can influence the dynamics of prices, GDP, unemployment, etc. of the whole country.

We know how tiring excessive micromanagement is, so in addition to manual management of processes within the company, we also made automatic. Appoint directors and they will take over the routine processes. Create the most appropriate strategy for the current market realities and delegate management tasks to the board of directors.

In the game, you can increase the production plan of workers, the length of the working day and reduce wages. But the threat of a strike will grow, the accident rate of the enterprise will increase. The staff will be furious, all the unions will turn on you, but the profitability of the companies will increase.

The strike will affect the volume of production, companies will suffer losses. Will you satisfy the demands of the demonstrators or disperse the crowd of discontented with the help of corrupt police officers? Will you squeeze all the juices out of the employees, acting as tough as possible, or will you motivate the staff in a different way and improve their skills? Every decision has its own consequences.

Issue stocks and bonds, capitalize your companies and bring them to the stock exchange. Unite your companies into trusts and monopolies, expand your zones of influence and capture market shares. You can merge companies and absorb small ones in the market. Or you can use more dirty methods of competition.

Establish trusting relationships with the heads of companies and enter into a conspiracy with them, uniting in cartels. Together, you can drop the prices of products on the market and squeeze out competitors, and after establishing a monopoly, raise the price 3 times! Organize strikes and sabotage at competitors' enterprises, disrupt supplies and block logistics.

The market is a living self-organizing matter in which the functioning of industries is interconnected. For example, you can buy out all the transport companies in the region and increase the price of supplies for competitors several times, as Rockefeller did in the midst of capturing the oil market.

No one wants to suffer losses. Gnashing their teeth, competitors will be forced to sell their companies to you sooner or later. But do you have enough resources for such a costly strategy? Or should we act through loyal politicians and strangle competitors with the necessary laws?

Choose any available industry and absorb the market. Destroy your competitors, be ruthless on the way to your goal. You can develop and improve the infrastructure of your enterprises. Technologies bring many times more profit! Build new buildings, plan expansion and receive increased dividends. The game will give you the right to choose how you can achieve economic power.

In the game, the executive branch is represented by officials at the federal and local levels. The governor is responsible for the welfare of the state, the treasurer for finances, the prosecutor and the police for law and order.

You will meet a simulation of the real process of adopting the law both at the regional level and at the level of the whole country. The game simulates the real political system of the United States. Politicians solve significant problems on issues of financing, taxation, management, business, education, healthcare, migration, social programs and others.

You can hire political lobbyists who can cunningly and skillfully find arguments to promote a law that is beneficial to you or an unfavorable law for your competitors. Sponsor election campaigns of politicians, and they will not be left in debt when you need their help. Or collect compromising materials on them and use the media controlled by you, so as not to leave a chance to keep their post to those who refused to become your puppet.

The necessary bills will open up new opportunities for you to increase your fortune. Become famous in political circles, increase your status and establish favorable relations with influential officials and politicians.

The political parties of Republicans and Democrats differ in their ideologies. So, if you are an adherent of the policy of crony capitalism and want the government to have less influence on the regulation of market relations, then you should enlist the support of Republicans.

For example, you can create your own monopoly and push through a bill that reduces corporate taxes. Greed is not always good, learn to balance and juggle the interests of all parties and clusters of society so that your monopoly does not collapse like a house of cards.

But if you think that the bills of the democratic parties on the promotion of social programs that reduce unemployment, increase wages, provide benefits to the population and so on are the most suitable for your interests, do not miss the opportunity to push the bill to its signing and adoption!

Use politicians and officials for your own purposes. Will you improve the well-being and standard of living of the population or will you only care about your own well-being?

If you want to play dirty, you should use agents of influence who are your assistants in difficult situations. There are many unique characters whose hands you can fight with competitors. Create political intrigues, secret fraudulent manipulations and win the competition!

You have a huge set of tools: you can use methods such as arson, accidents, etc. And also use secret and cunning methods: organize strikes and block production to competitors, evade taxes, influence the stock market, use the services of a journalist and the media, and more. But be careful, every illegal action is strictly punishable by the court! Well, or make sure that the judge and the prosecutor are on your side.

In the game, economics and politics have a human face: 15 thousand characters, including shareholders, officials, politicians, have their own interests, fears, ambitions that can be used as leverage. Just imagine a game world in which all the characters interact with each other, buy shares, lobby their interests, try to arrange their lives.

Organize routs and make useful connections among influential people. Give gifts, help people realize their ambitions and you will get access to enormous resources. In the game, each character may pose a threat or have access to game resources. Therefore, choose with whom to make connections, consciously!

Win luxury items at auction. Win the competition for prestigious lots and increase your social status. Buying horses, you can win money at the races. Rare coins or paintings will definitely increase in price! Buy houses and get stable annual rent, thoroughbred horses, cars, yachts and aircraft to dazzle the upper class with your luxurious life.

Collectibles and luxury items are also a tool for building friendly relationships. If any influential person is fond of rare coins, then why don't you become a collector and make friends at the upcoming social event, like Rothschild and the Prince of Hamburg at the time?

An unforgettable adventure awaits you, a long, luxurious, but difficult life. Powerful companies, corrupt politicians and money-hungry stock sharks... Will you have enough willpower and wit to resist in this fight?

[Syt]

Sims 1 and Sims 2 are now on Steam:

https://store.steampowered.com/app/3314060/The_Sims_Legacy_Collection/

https://store.steampowered.com/app/3314070/The_Sims_2_Legacy_Collection/

Reception seems mixed based on Steam reviews with posters complaining that it doesn't look like EA made any effort to update the games a bit for modern systems (resolution, UI scaling, taking care of old bugs .... ).

I never played S1, but I ended up buying all expansions for S2 (and S3 ). I definitely spent the most time with S2. Not necessarily playing it, but downloading mods/building houses time and time and time again.

Sims 3's "living" world (i.e. townie characters aren't static but also age/die; works even better with mods) was a huge step up IMO, but S3 was a step down (IMHO) in terms of simulation.

Oh, and:

Warning: This title uses 3rd-party DRM (EA app (Origin)).

[garbon]

Sims 1 and Sims 2 are now on Steam:

https://store.steampowered.com/app/3314060/The_Sims_Legacy_Collection/

https://store.steampowered.com/app/3314070/The_Sims_2_Legacy_Collection/

Reception seems mixed based on Steam reviews with posters complaining that it doesn't look like EA made any effort to update the games a bit for modern systems (resolution, UI scaling, taking care of old bugs .... ).

I never played S1, but I ended up buying all expansions for S2 (and S3 ). I definitely spent the most time with S2. Not necessarily playing it, but downloading mods/building houses time and time and time again.

Sims 3's "living" world (i.e. townie characters aren't static but also age/die; works even better with mods) was a huge step up IMO, but S3 was a step down (IMHO) in terms of simulation.

Oh, and:

Warning: This title uses 3rd-party DRM (EA app (Origin)).

I don't think there is any reason to buy the Sims on Steam as it is played through Origin. So yeah the DRM is part and parcel of the experience.

[Syt]

Some posters say that S2 is basically the Ultimate Edition they gave away for free a while ago, but now they (supposedly) added Denuvo.