<![CDATA[Relicnews Forums - The Gamer's Lounge]]> http://forums.relicnews.com/ Sit on the couch, have some cold ones, talk about games here! en Wed, 19 Jun 2013 02:57:34 GMT vBulletin 60 http://forums.relicnews.com/images/misc/rss.png <![CDATA[Relicnews Forums - The Gamer's Lounge]]> http://forums.relicnews.com/ <![CDATA[Let's Talk About - Are Steam sales diluting the value of games?]]> http://forums.relicnews.com/showthread.php?272763-Let-s-Talk-About-Are-Steam-sales-diluting-the-value-of-games&goto=newpost Mon, 17 Jun 2013 09:17:29 GMT Last fortnight we talk about Call of Duty and it's effects on the gaming industry, whether it was the pinnacle of gaming due to its simplistic formula or if it was just lucky. We got some great responses but another fortnight has rolled around and its time for another topic:

Are Steam sales diluting the value of games?

Steam sales come around almost like clock work these days, you've got sales for Summer, for Christmas, for American Thanksgiving and it is an excellent time to gather up those games you've been eying since it's release as it hits 15%, 20%, 30% or even 75% off. However, what effect is Steam actually having on the way we see gaming these days? The recent announcement of the Xbox One and the reactions to it's DRM got me thinking about it strangely enough; mostly due to a good number of the global gaming community commenting that "I'd put up with the DRM if there were steam style sales" which lead me to, are we getting to the point where gamers are starting to expect cheap games almost continually?

Last year, the Vice president of Electronic Arts said “I just think it cheapens your intellectual property” when asked if Origin would be doing sales like Steam does. He then went onto explain his comment further:

Quote:
“Also what Steam does might be teaching the customer that “I might not want it in the first month, but if I look at it in four or five months, I’ll get one of those weekend sales and I’ll buy it at that time at 75 percent off.” It’s an approach, and I’m not going to say it’s not working for Valve. It certainly works for Valve; I don’t know if it works as well for the publishing partners who take on the majority of that haircut.”
Which I tend to agree with as I've caught myself thinking the same way about a game that is about to come out or has just come out, I wasn't about to pay full price that kind of game when I know that it would be on sale come Steam summer sale; I might as well wait and save myself some dollars. Yet, I've begun to think about what effect all those sales are having on my perception of video gaming value; I know I've become a more savvy consumer (you have to be in Australia), searching out deals from retails, steam, green man gaming and other sources to get the best price for the game I want. But it's come to the point where I've almost refused to purchase a new game simply because it's set to the regular retail price in favour of waiting for it to be on a steam sale. It has effectively changing the way I see the value of video games, I can no longer see a $60-70 game as good value or am willing to purchase a title for that price, even if I really want the game.

There was a really good article on Steam about this same topic regarding a game called Lunar Flight, I suggest you check it out (Article). It's about the Indie game's developer and his experience with the steam environment and the effect those Steam Sales have had on his cash flow. We like to think that when a game goes on sale and it's bought up in the hundreds that the developer is going to be raking it in, but unfortunately that isn't the case:

Quote:
When I am not having a sale, the daily sales average around 5 – 10 copies, this generates about $US100 out of that I make about $US50. $US350 a week, $US1400 a month. This is much less than I would earn if I had a day job, it would be a nice supplementary income. While there will be future sales, they will be less frequent and be harder and harder to promote. When a sale is not on the front Store page as a Daily, Mid Week etc… it’s sales are based on discovery where it is burried among the many Simulation tiltles so despite being on sale the revenue increase can be much the same as the average.

So based on this forecast I have to plan for the future and that future is most likely going to be planning for a new title or getting employment.
It kind of makes you wonder, does Valves cut stay the same, regardless of if the game goes on sale or not, doesn't it?

So I'll throw the question a back at you guys, the members reading this:

Do you see the continuation of the crazy Steam Sales diluting your perception of how you view the value of a video game?

Do you find yourself waiting until a game goes on sale before you'll think about buying, regardless of how much you want it?

Do you pass up games simply because they never go down in price at a good enough rate for you to consider them worth it?

Are steam sales ultimately harming the developers of the games? ]]> Akranadas http://forums.relicnews.com/showthread.php?272763-Let-s-Talk-About-Are-Steam-sales-diluting-the-value-of-games <![CDATA[[Destiny] Post-E3 Breakdown - What we know so far]]> http://forums.relicnews.com/showthread.php?272754-Destiny-Post-E3-Breakdown-What-we-know-so-far&goto=newpost Sun, 16 Jun 2013 16:05:00 GMT I've not gotten properly psyched about a game in a good while (Skyrim being the last) and not bought a console since Gamecube, but after all the hype i'm pretty sold on Destiny (whether that's a good mentality or not is another matter entirely..) and i've trawled the hyperwebs for as much juicy info as I can get my weasely ginger mits on.

Official Site
Cinematic Trailer "The Law of the Jungle"
E3 Gameplay Trailer
E3 Gameplay Demonstration
Alternate E3 Demo by IGN

What is it?
At first impressions, its a MMORPGFPSWTFBBQ, so lets break that down a bit.
Its completely online, in a shared world, you play as a persistent character with guns and Space MagicTM. It's been likened to a combination of Halo and Borderlands, with some Fallout, World of Warcraft and Star Wars thrown in. This doesn't really help clear it up but it does give a picture of what Bungie are trying to accomplish, in their words the game is not and MMO, its a "Shared World Shooter".
They've said that first and foremost, they've built a solid FPS game, they've then added what they deem compatible elements from other genres. This shooting game will take place in an online world shared with other players, you will be able to upgrade and customise your character, who is uniquely created by you.

Platform + Release?
So far its been announced for XBox 360, XBox One, PS3 and PS4, with a release date for all 4 around Spring 2014. Each platform will have unique servers so there will be no cross-platform multiplayer between Playstations and Xboxes or between current and next-gen consoles.
There has been no official word of any plans for a PC release, various Bungieites stating things along the lines of "we're concentrating on consoles but wouldn't PC be nice too, not that we're thinking about that... yet"

Single Player/ Co-op/ Multiplayer?
Yes.
Basically, do what you want. There's a full story based campaign which you can do by yourself, bring a friend or two (or a random you met in-game), and there's a bunch of multiplayer events too. One of the key points about the game is that all this is seemless, there's no menu to take you from single player to co-op, you just find a buddy in the world and go do it. While you're out exploring you'll run into public areas, again without needing to load them or access menus, they'll just be part of the world, and you can join in or walk on by as you see fit. I haven't seen any mention of split-screen functionality should you want to play with friends on the same console.

Online Play
From what i've seen, a lot of the story will take place in areas only you can access, along with your party (i.e. friends / people you've invited, and of course you could have been invited yourself), but between these areas will be spaces open to all, populated automatically with players around your level by a background auto-matching function. This happens in "Public Event" spaces, where something biggish happens, like a big wave of aliens coming by dropship etc. The UI indicates the start of a public event, and you can watch / join in / ignore. Watching the E3 demo this all happened seemlessly, no-one seemed to spawn anywhere but players ran in from corners. Apparently these public events will be pretty lucrative in terms of loot. Loot plus the denizens of the online gaming world is not always a fun combination, which is why in Destiny, when loot drops, its for you alone. Everyone else will get their own of course, but your loot is geared towards you, your level, and your class choice. meaning if your level infinitythousand and your friend has just started you can play together and still get good rewards. It's not yet clear if there are any PvP areas but there are hints that it's likely (see speculation).

Story
Quote:
Our civilization once spanned the solar system. Its ruins are still out there: buried in the dunes of Mars, hidden in the jungles of Venus, lost in a wild and abandoned Earth. For centuries we've huddled under the safety of the Traveler, protected from our enemies. Now, a new era has begun, and the only hope for our future lies in unlocking the greatest mysteries of our past.


Everything changed with the arrival of the Traveler. Long ago, it breathed new life into our system and began our Golden Age. But it did not last. Something hit us. Knocked us down. Tried to stamp us out. No one knows exactly what, but we do know this: very few of us survived, and those who did owe their lives to the Traveler.


In our darkest days, Humans, Exos, and Awoken found the Traveler where it made its last stand, low above Earth, silent and immobile.We built this City – our last – within its protective shields, fighting countless wars to keep its peace. From that dark age, the Guardians of the City were born.
Your Character
You will play as a Guardian of The City. You can build your character's appearance as you see fit as in Skyrim/Fallout though there's no indication yet on how much you can do, or if its based on presets etc. there are 3 races to choose from;
Humans

Apparently we're tough and "Uncomplicated"..

Awoken

Blue people in space, who would have thought. Described as mysterious and exotic

Exo

Seem to be robotic, described as sinister and powerful.

This choice (along with gender) has no gameplay effect, its purely cosmetic, unlike your choice of Class:

Hunter

Quote:
Hunters once prowled the wilderness and wastelands, taking big risks for even bigger rewards. Making your own luck has always meant bending the rules. But you are no outlaw, at least, not anymore, and your unique brand of daring and ingenuity will be needed now more than ever.
A rogue class, mostly seen with snipers so far, but we've seen two abilities, a homing-grenade that splits into several and then flies at the enemy, and a power-up sort of ability which makes your weapons all flamey and perhaps one-shot stuff, referred to in one interview as "Traveler's Light" .

Titan

Quote:
The first Titans built the Wall, and bravely gave their lives to defend it. Now, you stand in the same place, steadfast and sure. Our enemies are deadly and merciless, but so are you. You hail from a line of legendary heroes and your strength and skill will be needed to shatter their ranks.
Warrior / Tank class, we've seen them with the bigger weapons like missile launchers, and one of their abilities is some sort of ground slam. These guys are the Space Marines / SPARTANs of the Destiny universe.

Warlock

Quote:
Warlocks have long studied the Traveler, mastering some of its arcane energies. Its true purpose still remains a great mystery, but discovering truth has always driven you into the unknown. Now, our enemies stand between you and your greatest discovery – the secrets of the Golden Age.
Space Wizards, essentially. Inspired by Jedi, they have more magic focus than the other classes. Abilities include Solar Flare, a sun-grenade, and the Nova Bomb, a thrown ball of energy than has a large AoE. They also have a sort of psychic double jump ability but from the gameplay footage the other classes seem to have a similar ability.

In game we see characters level is displayed, and upgrades / perks have been mentioned. So far all we've seen is a specific perk tree linked to a single weapon. Armour can be found and upgraded, and fits on separate slots - Head, Chest, Arms/Hands, Belt(?), Legs/Feet.
It appears that 3 weapons can be carried, one of which is classed as "Heavy", and its possible another might be a designated pistol slot, or a similar Primary/Secondary set-up.
Lots of weapons have already been revealed as can be seen on the Destiny Wiki, and there are plenty of renders of characters in various Armours too.

You will have your own personal spacecraft, though its unclear what you can do with it. We've seen them drop players into the world, and its been mentioned as a storage unit for your stuff, including a speeder-bike type thing i've seen referred to as a "Sparrow" and a "Pike". Its apparently customisable / upgradeable like most other things. You'll also have a "Ghost", a floating robot-orb thing than serves as a helper to turn on lights, perhaps mainly functions in story mode. Its voiced by Peter Dinklage.
It looks as though you can create multiple characters in your game too.

World + Enemies
Looks like most of our Solar System has playable locations, but mostly inhabited by the various enemy races, the Fallen, Cabal, Hive and Vex
All this backgroundy stuff can be seen on the Destiny Wiki far easier than me typing it out.
The City is likely a "safe zone", where you've got your own dock for your ship. Possibly this is where you'll find merchants etc to buy / upgrade things.

Speculation and Extras
A lot of people have gone over the gameplay and various other videos frame-by-frame and come out with some pretty interesting theories, some of which look pretty solid. We see heavy use of multimedia applications in the Reveal Trailer indicating you can keep track of your profile outside of the game, as well as receive updates about the story or missions. From this we've seen that potentially they will be releasing bounty style missions where you have a set time (days) to complete certain objectives for rewards which is a nice feature. A lot like facebook games only potentially far less annoying.
Its been mentioned that Playstation 4 will have exclusive bonus material but not much is known about what that might be. No indication if there will be equivalent content for XBox One.
We've als had a sneaky peak at the Playstation 4 controls for the Warlock class from which we figure each class has 2 active abilities which might be swapped out. This lines up with the gameplay footage where the warlock uses his powers and the icons in the lower left recharge over time.
There are also several confirmed Factions, which might indicate the basis for some PvP gameplay, or some competition between factions that might impact the story, not much is known, but Bungie employees are often seen with faction t-shirts.
A great breakdown of possible things seen in the eveal trailer can be found here though it's worth pointing out how early in development the game still was at this point, much about the UI and menu's may have changed.
Its been mentioned that this is the first game in a series, and that curent plans are along the lines of a new game every 2 years with an expansion pack for each in the year between. Each game will be a single "Book" of the story. We see the story broken into "Chapters" and its possible these might be released into the game periodically.
In the trailer shown at the end of the gameplay footage it sounds like one character might be voiced by Bill Nighy though i've found no source stating that as clearly as the Dinklage voice acting.
Anything extra i'll add to this post as time goes on.



So who's as excited as I am? Very much looking forwards to hearing more about how leveling will work and exactly how customisable everything will be. Going to be difficult to create a unique looking character in a multiplayer online environment so will be good to know how many choices we'll get in armours and weapons, and if there are any cosmetic changes we can make to things. The only MMO style game i've ever tried was Warhammer Online, which was... terrible, but the chance to play this whole game alone and have people join you only if you want that is a great feature, but it will be interesting to see exactly how the storyline is implemented. Will you be able to stay up all night and complete it or will we wait for updates to unlock certain parts, thus tying everyone's story together?
I'll be grabbing a PS4 most likely, hopefully enough Dolts will be interested to organise some shenanigans. I'll be a Human Warlock, and maybe a secondary Exo Hunter character if that's allowed. Either way, shooting aliens in the face is going to be awesome. ]]> Grabnutz http://forums.relicnews.com/showthread.php?272754-Destiny-Post-E3-Breakdown-What-we-know-so-far Xbox One Discussion http://forums.relicnews.com/showthread.php?272748-Xbox-One-Discussion&goto=newpost Sun, 16 Jun 2013 10:01:04 GMT Quick warning first. If you come into this thread with the sole intention of spouting off the... Quick warning first. If you come into this thread with the sole intention of spouting off the 'Xbone is shit' 'Long live Sony' 'You're a fucking retard for wanting a xbox one'. Seriously, Get the fuck off the forums. We use to be a tolerant lot of gamers but now it seems the local internet hate wagons have infiltrated and influence peoples opinions so much that they can't have a decent discussion. If you want to talk about Sony, go make a Sony thread. I shouldn't have to write up a warning to make sure people behave before the start of a thread - You are all better than that.



So E3 happened and everyone is claim that the Xbox One to be dead on arrival and that Microsoft has lost the next generation console war before it has even begun, but have they really? When you peel back all the anti-Mircosoft stuff on the internet and focus on the core of what the Xbox One is about you see that isn't a bad console at all, and that it is a solid bit of technology and the issue is simply Microsoft being unable to communicate correctly to the consumer. The main issue around Xbox One seem to be DRM, Kinect and the TV integration.

Now, I have a Xbox 360 and have so for many years, but at this time the last time I played a game on it was over 6 months ago yet I still use it nearly every other day - Streaming movies from my PC to my TV, watching DVDs and using it for Satellite TV. I am actually looking forward to all the TV intergrate and how it works with Kinect because the idea of talking to my TV and having it obey my command is fucking cool as shit - Even the hand waving to me is something I look forward to because its new and exciting. Even though Kinect one was a bust (it was still a great proof of concept, no one can deny that) I look forward to the added power of Kinect 2 and what effect that will have on the gesture technology.

To me, the Xbox One seems to be Microsoft's way of looking were the console market is heading and jumping forward without letting the past restrict them. Yes, 24 hour connections can be a hassle, but I have 24/7/365 internet connection right now so the though of having a device 'call home' one a day doesn't phase me in the slightest, steam has to do that every time I boot it up. Kinect Always on? Reports say no, you can turn that off - much like the always on feature of the console (countries have laws in place to stop devices doing that to save power) isn't an issue either - I turn things off at the wall to conserve power as it is. And how can anybody not be excited about the 'Family Access' thing they are talking about. I can purchase a game in Australia and Gorb in the UK can play it while I sleep/work because I've enabled him as Family - Seriously... that is awesome.

I recently stumbled upon this - an anonymous Xbox engineer explains the Xbox One and while people might claim its fake, it reads true from what others have been saying about the console.

I'll be getting the Xbox One because the technology inside of it excites me, I want what Microsoft is offering and not more of the same old as the last generation. What are your thoughts on the Xbox One? ]]> Akranadas http://forums.relicnews.com/showthread.php?272748-Xbox-One-Discussion Expeditions: Conquistador - Before Political Correctness Was A Thing. http://forums.relicnews.com/showthread.php?272736-Expeditions-Conquistador-Before-Political-Correctness-Was-A-Thing&goto=newpost Sat, 15 Jun 2013 09:45:34 GMT So I've been playing this game for a few days, and I must say, it's pretty damn great. Here's their website.

Basically, you get to play as a captain (no, El Capitan), leading a party full of aggressive racist narcissists intrepid adventurers into the new world in 1518. You get off your ship with your hopefully well rounded team (what do you mean I should have a scholar? MORE GUNS.), get told and bitchslapped by the local dick gov'ner, and then have to work through his problems to get back to your adventure. Basically the start of the game is a mini campaign to give you a feel of the game, what you should be doing, how to not horribly fuck up, all before going to the mainland, which is yes, full of fuck.

Anyways, for an indie title, the quality is quite high. The UI, art, and music are great. The actual graphics are ok, but that's not what this game is about. The gameplay is tactical battles that are also ok but not all that engaging (though there is fun to be had with them). The real meat of the game are your choices, and the random shit thrown at you.

Whenever presented with an event, you are given a bunch of choices (usually), and it's up to you to decide what is right. Sometimes you can avoid a fight, or get into one if you want one. Clever actions will make things easier, not so clever can get your party members killed, or make some future enemies. Your character has 6 skills: Tactics, Diplomacy, Healing, Survival, Scouting, and Leadership. Each has their uses, and it's best to focus on a few, depending on what you want to do. Your party also gives bonuses to these stats, depending on what role they are. These skills are either used in events (to haggle, intimidate, prepare an ambush, etc), or for your party themselves. This game throws a lot of shit your way, to the point it's almost roguelike. Oh, and difficulty is actually done quite well. There are a bunch of sliders to fiddle with, and the presets never touch damage. Instead, it makes the AI smarter (WHAAAAAAAAAT), and makes found resource more rare, injuries more severe, etc. There's no cheap kills in the game (unless you check the I am a masochist sudden death box), and people only die due to certain event choices, or neglect when they're injured.

All of this wrapped up in some great writing and amazing attention to detail. Lots of history thrown in, and gives you a good feel of what the first steps into the New World were like. I would give some examples of what the events are like, but use your imagination. Just remember: 1500's are racist as fuck, and the jungle is also full of fuck. ]]> Trizzdog http://forums.relicnews.com/showthread.php?272736-Expeditions-Conquistador-Before-Political-Correctness-Was-A-Thing Official Relicnews E3 2013 Thread http://forums.relicnews.com/showthread.php?272618-Official-Relicnews-E3-2013-Thread&goto=newpost Fri, 07 Jun 2013 22:58:32 GMT It is approaching that time again, the Electronic Entertainment Expo 2013 or E3 2013 is less than 3... It is approaching that time again, the Electronic Entertainment Expo 2013 or E3 2013 is less than 3 days away. It is perhaps the biggest calendar event for gaming enthusiasts around and this year it seems to be all the more interesting due to the Xbox One and Playstation 4 being set to reveal their next line up of games for the new consoles. It really is an exciting time as there is the promise of new IPs, sequels and hopefully a lot of surprises.

The current press conference schedule is as follows:

Quote:
Developer/Publisher Press Conferences
  • Microsoft - Monday, June 10th @ 9:30AM
  • EA - Monday, June 10th @ 1PM
  • Ubisoft - Monday, June 10th @ 3PM
  • Sony - Monday, June 10th @ 6PM 7 PM
  • Nintendo - Nintendo Direct: Tuesday, June 11th @ 7AM
Is there any you are looking forward to seeing? Can your wallet handle it?

Me personally, I'm watching for news from Bioware and information on the next Battlefield, but other than that not much so far has caught my eye. I'm not really interested in the next generation consoles at this point. ]]> Akranadas http://forums.relicnews.com/showthread.php?272618-Official-Relicnews-E3-2013-Thread Did you ever want to fly the ships in Homeworld? So did I, then I made a game. http://forums.relicnews.com/showthread.php?272597-Did-you-ever-want-to-fly-the-ships-in-Homeworld-So-did-I-then-I-made-a-game&goto=newpost Thu, 06 Jun 2013 19:59:21 GMT argh already exists d'oh ]]> chaosavy http://forums.relicnews.com/showthread.php?272597-Did-you-ever-want-to-fly-the-ships-in-Homeworld-So-did-I-then-I-made-a-game <![CDATA[Let's Talk About - Call of Duty, Is it the epitome of video games?]]> http://forums.relicnews.com/showthread.php?272592-Let-s-Talk-About-Call-of-Duty-Is-it-the-epitome-of-video-games&goto=newpost Thu, 06 Jun 2013 10:15:51 GMT This weeks Let's Talk About is focusing on one of the biggest franchises in an medium; Call of Duty.

Call of Duty needs no introduction when it comes to gamers a world around, it is a massive Juggernaut of hype and success that is released within a predictable cycle much like the seasons. The formula of the games has remained relatively unchanged since the World War 2 Call of Duty one graced our CRTs all those years ago. Yet over the years it has grown into something that transcends the normal gaming culture into something completely different, just about everyone who owns a device hooked up to the internet knows what Call of Duty is, be it from the game itself or from the ever increasing celebrity driven advertisements that appear on TV (and even before movies).

But if you ask the hardcore gamer, they'll tell you how Call of Duty is the worst thing to happen to gaming since EA shut down Westwood; be it due to the yearly release schedule or how it attracts young teenage boys onto Xbox Live. However, if you look deeper at Call of Duty itself, you have to wonder - is this what the epitome of gaming is?

Here me out for a second before you type up that nasty post. Call of Duty is extremely easy to understand from a design point of view, you point the virtual gun at the bad guys and pull the trigger, that's it. There isn't any deeper mechanics to think about, no stats or power ups, no min-maxing your attributes. If you get hit, you simply hide until you are healed up again and continue until you win the mission; simple Design that rewards instantly. Even the multiplayer is designed in such a way that anyone can pick up and play, and that has to be the reason for it's success, right?

If gaming is all about getting as many people to play in the easiest possible way, making them feel good instantly about playing and players are obviously having fun, surely Call of Duty is the peak of gaming.... right? ]]> Akranadas http://forums.relicnews.com/showthread.php?272592-Let-s-Talk-About-Call-of-Duty-Is-it-the-epitome-of-video-games <![CDATA[Scrolls Beta [TCG]]]> http://forums.relicnews.com/showthread.php?272583-Scrolls-Beta-TCG&goto=newpost Wed, 05 Jun 2013 15:42:46 GMT So Mojang's new offering went into open (paid) beta on Monday:



Personally I'm having a lot of fun, started out with the Growth deck, did a few trials and played three quick matches, Won one and lost two, first TCG I've dabbled with since I was a kid and It's enjoyable, hopefully It gets regular updates. So, anyone else pick it up? Thoughts? ]]> Tregelen http://forums.relicnews.com/showthread.php?272583-Scrolls-Beta-TCG <![CDATA[[Mobile/Tablet] Deus Ex: The Fall]]> http://forums.relicnews.com/showthread.php?272580-Mobile-Tablet-Deus-Ex-The-Fall&goto=newpost Wed, 05 Jun 2013 14:30:09 GMT So yeah. Deus Ex: The Fall ... So yeah.

Deus Ex: The Fall

]]> OpelFalcon http://forums.relicnews.com/showthread.php?272580-Mobile-Tablet-Deus-Ex-The-Fall Void Destroyer - Newtonian Space RTS/Sim Hybrid http://forums.relicnews.com/showthread.php?272558-Void-Destroyer-Newtonian-Space-RTS-Sim-Hybrid&goto=newpost Mon, 03 Jun 2013 09:30:50 GMT I've found this on Kickstarter and it grabbed my attention. It's a space single player game that can be played from tactical/sim mode, making it somewhere inbetween Homeworld and Battlezone classics.

Physics are newtonian! Theres a Steam Greenlight for the game already. Its Kickstarter goals are not that high and it looks like it gonna make it. Current game status is late-alpha.


More info on Kickstarter page. ]]> Cortlendt http://forums.relicnews.com/showthread.php?272558-Void-Destroyer-Newtonian-Space-RTS-Sim-Hybrid <![CDATA[You Don't Know Jack is on Android phones now too]]> http://forums.relicnews.com/showthread.php?272548-You-Don-t-Know-Jack-is-on-Android-phones-now-too&goto=newpost Sun, 02 Jun 2013 17:29:31 GMT It's free and as fun as ever. Even better, you don't need to log in with Facebook, which is great for me as I don't have it, you can play as a guest and get basically everything (except playing with your Facebook friends obviously). For those who don't know YDKJ is a trivia game that mixes high and pop culture. The android version has you play with five other random people. You get a free game a day, or you can use tokens to play more (which you get by playing the game, at a decent clip, or by giving them money). There's a version of the game on basically everything now.

Come to think of it does anyone have the 360 version of the game too? I'd love to go through that with some of you dolts. ]]> Starblade http://forums.relicnews.com/showthread.php?272548-You-Don-t-Know-Jack-is-on-Android-phones-now-too So XENONAUTS just popped up on Steam http://forums.relicnews.com/showthread.php?272529-So-XENONAUTS-just-popped-up-on-Steam&goto=newpost Fri, 31 May 2013 23:06:17 GMT I had forgotten about this thing until just about right now. THE DEVS SAY... I had forgotten about this thing until just about right now.

THE DEVS SAY that there is going to be a demo, which excites me well enough since there's a certain feel I want out of the game that I don't think videos are going to help me figure out.

At any rate, any y'all dolts bought into this yet, have any comments? ]]> Integrity http://forums.relicnews.com/showthread.php?272529-So-XENONAUTS-just-popped-up-on-Steam <![CDATA[[Kickstarter] Massive Chalice-Double Fine has another go!]]> http://forums.relicnews.com/showthread.php?272516-Kickstarter-Massive-Chalice-Double-Fine-has-another-go!&goto=newpost Thu, 30 May 2013 20:17:03 GMT Linky: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/doublefine/double-fines-massive-chalice So they have... Linky: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/...assive-chalice

So they have some people with some spare time and a very very nice idea, so why not try Kickstarter again.

The idea itself?

Oh just a fantasy take on X-Com. You're a king that needs to defend his kingdom for a very very long lasting demonic invasion. You use heroes of various kinds in tactical combat while also managing your kingdom on a strategic level.

Now the really neat part is that besides permadeath your heroes also grow old with time and can die of age. They can also hump and pump out little baby heroes in bloodlines which pass on skills and traits and special artifacts and whatnot.

So, I just got another target for throwing my money at (the other being ARKYD) and I'm not sure if I'll have enough for both things.

How about you guys? ]]> Jopax http://forums.relicnews.com/showthread.php?272516-Kickstarter-Massive-Chalice-Double-Fine-has-another-go! Call of Juarez: Gunslinger http://forums.relicnews.com/showthread.php?272512-Call-of-Juarez-Gunslinger&goto=newpost Thu, 30 May 2013 11:54:22 GMT So has anyone else picked up this little gem? Just came out the other day for a fraction of what... So has anyone else picked up this little gem? Just came out the other day for a fraction of what most new games are costing new so I thought I'd take a punt and I'm certainly happy I did!

With visuals akin to a less cartoony borderlands, great arcade style fast paced shooting, character skill trees, minor bullet time, gun duels (like in The Quick and the Dead) and a well told, if slightly predictable story (narrated by a bounty hunter in a bar and the game world changes with the narration, as he forgets, changes his train of thought and adds things to the story), it really is one of the best Wild West games I've played and actually one of the better FPS experiences I've personally had in the last few years. I'm even finding myself running around trying to search for all of the extras as well as they give a few paragraphs of history on the wild west era of American History, which as an Englishman I find very interesting as it's teaching me little tidbits of information here and there.

]]> Moodyblues http://forums.relicnews.com/showthread.php?272512-Call-of-Juarez-Gunslinger <![CDATA[[Crusader Kings 2] The Old Gods (new expansion/DLC) and other shenanigans]]> http://forums.relicnews.com/showthread.php?272499-Crusader-Kings-2-The-Old-Gods-(new-expansion-DLC)-and-other-shenanigans&goto=newpost Tue, 28 May 2013 17:28:24 GMT I don't know if anyone has been paying attention, but the latest CK2 expansion entitled 'The Old Gods' has just been released. A quick comment on the expansion (I don't have it yet): It is the most expensive expansion/DLC released for the game so far, and it does look promising ($15 on release, unlike $10 for Sword of Islam and $5 for Legacy of Rome). A very big patch was released just hours before in preparation for the patch. Some of the more interesting changes include technology being basically revamped completely. There's some mechanism for gaining points to spend on boosting specific technologies of your choosing for your capital. I guess that means we actually need to look at the Technology tab now, heh heh.

Some quick details on the expansion are found here. A list of features from the Steam page reveals stuff like being able to play an earlier start date like 867 AD and something about adventurers which are landless characters that can still gather armies and create their own realms. This is on top of obvious features such as being able to play as the Pagans.

Is anyone else still following this game? I'm still playing it now and then (just got my ass handed to me as a Muslim Emir shortly after the Mongolians came and decided that my palace was too nice to not have, followed by civil wars and other Muslim leaders swallowing me up), and still enjoying it.

-

New technology system explained: This link has some technical details on how the new technology system works. Technology points in each of the 3 tech types accumulate in your capital, and you choose specific techs to improve (buy upgrades, basically). These technologies have a chance of spreading to adjacent counties as well (if I'm not wrong). Placing council members in these provinces increases the chance that techs from nearby areas spread into them, so you don't plonk all of them in your capital anymore. It works a little different for your spymaster though, he improves the spread from the spied area into your capital. ]]> Rotlung http://forums.relicnews.com/showthread.php?272499-Crusader-Kings-2-The-Old-Gods-(new-expansion-DLC)-and-other-shenanigans