What games are you playing now?

Slogging my way through Gothic 3. I like it better than Oblivion even though the graphics are not exactly cutting edge. I've died more in this game than any game I've ever played and that includes shooters and arcade style games. That makes this game a lot slower to play than The Witcher for me since it's a 30 second load from a save game.

Next is probably Sam & Max season 2, ep. 2. Maybe Orangebox for Portal.
 
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Bought several games before Christmas for my new rig; currently finished:

1) The Orange Box - including HL2 (replay), Episode 1, Episode 2, Portal (last two levels pending), Lost Coast, and tried Team Fortress 2 few times (my online multiplay skill sucks due to lack of time to do practices).

2)CoD4 - finished single player, haven't tried online multiplayer though.

3)Gears of War - Awesome, probably to replay it again sometime in future.

4)Crysis - Finished the SP portion, really great game, looking for interesting community mods.

Currently alternating between Bioshock and Condemned: Criminal Origins, and just now want to install FEAR:platinum Collection (including all releases in FEAR series).

Next couple months hopefully could move to The Witcher.
 
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An commentary which explains what makes The Settlers so interesting for an German audience:
http://www.intelligent-artifice.com/2007/04/ubisoft_buys_su.html

I think you should read it, because it explains a sub-genre of the RTS genre, which is seemingly rather unknown outside of Germany. Or at least that's my impression.
 
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Played Settlers on the Amiga way back was thinking about getting that new version but with so many games to play it's hardly worth it atm.
 
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I think you should read it, because it explains a sub-genre of the RTS genre, which is seemingly rather unknown outside of Germany. Or at least that's my impression.

Well, it would seem that Aufbaustrategiespiele games are the sort I really like, though I'll admit I've never really gotten into a Settlers game. Though I should give the new one a try again since I've updated my computer a little bit.
Anno is a great series.

But this quote from the article puzzled me:

One of the key factors setting this genre apart from American games such as Civilization or Caesar is the Wuselfaktor, the feeling of seeing a lot of tiny people walking around being busy

Has the author played Caesar, or any of the Impressions city builders (or CivCity Rome, or Caesar IV)? Those games are full of what he calls the Wuselfaktor. Watching people go about their lives and work is one of the reasons I like the games so much, it's just fun to watch. Seeing artisans deliver their goods to warehouses, farmers working the fields, merchants getting goods from granaries and so forth, it's absorbing.
Civilization lacks those things, as it's on a much larger scale. I wonder if someday we'll see a combination of Civ's turn-based gameplay with the city building elements, including living cities.

But, I think that article in general does address my general perspective on strategy games. I like my civ to feel like it's alive, like it has it's own culture down to it's religious choices, goods made, crops farmed, foods eaten and so forth. Large scale strategy games lack those things, and smaller scale games like Settlers or Anno or any city builder lack that sense of nation.

I do believe I'm waiting on the two to merge and give me the game I want.
 
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speaking of those types of games. i would be playing simcity societies (made by titled mill) though EA apparently didn't let them put their name on the box, but i can't get it to even get to the loading screen.

instead i'm playing 'the hobbit' which i finally read the book for, over the last week or so. its enjoyable and a bit challenging compared to what its cartoonish look would suggest. follows the story rather well so far too.
 
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@ c.u.--if the game is too buggy to load, perhaps Tilted Mill is glad not to have their name on the box. ;)

Since finishing my first Witcher playthrough, I've been unable to really get into anything else. I'm playing several different demos--Warhammer: Mark of Chaos prominently among them, and fiddling with Puzzle Quest. While my back was out and I was all doped up on muscle relaxers I had an enjoyable run through Titan Quest, but I think I'm burned out on playing it sober anymore. I have about ten games waiting to be played and may have ten more before I get settled into one it seems. :)
 
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Has the author played Caesar, or any of the Impressions city builders (or CivCity Rome, or Caesar IV)? Those games are full of what he calls the Wuselfaktor. Watching people go about their lives and work is one of the reasons I like the games so much, it's just fun to watch. Seeing artisans deliver their goods to warehouses, farmers working the fields, merchants getting goods from granaries and so forth, it's absorbing.

Yes, I know what you mean. I've got all of the Impressions games myself. :)

The "Wuselfaktor" has certainly to do with the cuteness of the people going around in the game. The figures of the Settlers I - IV were very "childish-looking", or so you could say, which was used by the developers of the Settlers V as a reason for making the Settlers V so much different-looking. They said that because of this cuteness, the games didn't sell well outside of Germany. And they wanted to change this with the Settlers V.

With all of these games I almost completely leave the combat part lone and focus entirely in building and maintaining the town. This is - as far as I know - what originally made the Settlers so famous within Germany - although the devs (in my eyes) alwys overrated the combat part - up to the Settlers V, which was almost entirely about combat, compared with the older games.

I never understood wjhy the developers had felt this urge to push the Settlers more and more into real RTS with lots of combat - against the will of those who love these games for their town-building parts. I can only assume that they had felt that without combat, these games would remain an extreme niche, and only combat could grant them international success.

If so, then this sheds some light on how the RTS genre is considered - or even gaming in general: Everything without combat doesn't sell. Point.

Games HAVE to include some kind or another of combat or they won't simply sell. Even Civ has some combat in it.

This is iho one of the great problems of gaming in general: Everything has to include some kind of combat - as if games weren't impossible without it.

You can try it: Try to imagine ten games entirely without combat, not even optional. I can't do it.

So ... - everybody believes that combat is "cool" and appeals to potential buyers, and is an "must have" within games.

This is the only explanation I have to explain myself that the Settlers and similar building games aren't done without combat.

Personally, I would rather prefer to simply build and watch cities as they grow, or even complex nations.
But no, this concept is thought to be utterly unsuccessful, therefore it is never done.
I can only play this style with turning or/and avoiding combat altogether, and i still can have some fun.


Back to the "Wuselfaktor" the verb "wuseln" means that a lot of people are teeming in a rather cute way. The word "Wuseln" implies a certain sense of cuteness. You can say it with other words as well, but only "wuseln" (to wusel) implies cuteness, of - let's say some Wombles wuseling aroung, so to say. ;)

The building games of Impression are filled with many, many teeming people, but there is no cuteness factor, therefore no "Wusel-Faktor".
 
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The "Wuselfaktor" has certainly to do with the cuteness of the people going around in the game. The figures of the Settlers I - IV were very "childish-looking", or so you could say, which was used by the developers of the Settlers V as a reason for making the Settlers V so much different-looking. They said that because of this cuteness, the games didn't sell well outside of Germany. And they wanted to change this with the Settlers V.

Ah, I see. Ok, then the author's comments do make sense.

With all of these games I almost completely leave the combat part lone and focus entirely in building and maintaining the town.

Same here, I never play the military campaigns in city builders. Not necessarily because I have an aversion to combat, but because combat is always so horribly done in those sorts of games.

I never understood wjhy the developers had felt this urge to push the Settlers more and more into real RTS with lots of combat - against the will of those who love these games for their town-building parts. I can only assume that they had felt that without combat, these games would remain an extreme niche, and only combat could grant them international success.

Yet nobody ever talks about how great the military campaigns are in games like that. Usually comments are negative, so indeed why add combat portions.

If so, then this sheds some light on how the RTS genre is considered - or even gaming in general: Everything without combat doesn't sell. Point.

I suspect this is more of a publisher superstition than marketable fact, but I can't say one way or the other, really.

Games HAVE to include some kind or another of combat or they won't simply sell. Even Civ has some combat in it.

It makes sense for Civ to have combat, after all, you are carving out a nation, and conflict with others is inevitable. Historically it's accurate. But combat in a contained city builder doesn't make so much sense. It fits for a game like Stronghold (so really, the combat in those games should have been immeasurably better), but not for Caesar.

You can try it: Try to imagine ten games entirely without combat, not even optional. I can't do it.

Well, there are lots. But do My Little Pony and Nintendogs count?

So ... - everybody believes that combat is "cool" and appeals to potential buyers, and is an "must have" within games.

Yes, but I'd be curious to know if this assumption is based in fact.

Personally, I would rather prefer to simply build and watch cities as they grow, or even complex nations.
But no, this concept is thought to be utterly unsuccessful, therefore it is never done.
I can only play this style with turning or/and avoiding combat altogether, and i still can have some fun.

Likewise. In games like Civilization I tend to play with a focus on culture and diplomacy, building my nation peacefully and absorbing neighbouring cities rather than winning them through war. But I'll admit that stomping all over a particularly irritating country can be satisfying.
Some strategy games, like Knights Of Honour, have an element in place to reduce your warring - your populations become restless and upset if you are are war too long. Things like that are nice to see.
 
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In Civ I can understand that - it's the building of a whole nation.

And the thing in Knights of Honour you mentioned - haven't heard about it. Sounds both nice & interesting. :)

The longest campain I played with one of these games was with the First Emperor game by Impressions (China) - and of course there was military involved - it was the campaign.

But simply the building and maintaining of such a complex network that is a town fills me with pride. :) I like that most of all. :)
 
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I'm getting a bit of the old Wuselfaktor from my little sims in Virtual Villagers 1&2 (completing part 2 right now). Part 1 basically starts out a few shipwreck survivors on a desert isle, and you have to develop a little village out of them. You give them all jobs to do, and they do research and discover things, and you get them to have children. The village develops, and along the way there are several puzzles on the island for you to solve. There are also events that happen, and how you decide to resolve them can influence your tribe greatly, for better or worse.

Part 2 expands on this by upping the number of buildings that can be built, providing treasures for the children to take part in finding, and several more puzzles, island events, and stews that your villagers can make which have various effects on them. It looks a bit better too, things like the villagers get grey hair as they get older and there's far more villager variations, and the water looks better. The adults can tell children stories to increase their skills before they can work (children dont work before 14), and children can also provide medical care for sick villagers if they have the skills. Just found out about that one tonight.

Also adds multi-tribe capabilities and some handy hotkeys to zoom around the island with.

I think theyre pretty cool, cheap little games. Got the jewel case part 1 off the bargain rack at Target, then saw part 2 a couple weeks later and grabbed it. Ive enjoyed them both, while not very deep or action oriented at all, theyre interesting little peaceful sim games worth a look imho.

http://www.virtualvillagers.com/
 
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And the thing in Knights of Honour you mentioned - haven't heard about it. Sounds both nice & interesting. :)

You should check it out. The game came out a couple of years ago so you can probably find it cheap. Made by a European developer called Black Sea Studios.
It's real-time, but not in the RTS formula at all. There are three medieval periods to choose from, though all they really do is alter the national landscape of Europe, and you pick your nation and build it up. You can start as a small one or two province nation or a large sprawling empire-in-progress from anywhere in Europe.

Along the way you have to manage your diplomacy and your own court. You can have eight (I think) "nobles" which fill the roles of spies, marshals, clergy, traders, landlords and builders. You will have a royal family which needs some management in terms of assigning them jobs and looking for marriages.

There's a fairly good trade good system as well, which leads to being able to obtain certain things.

Battles are real-time and fairly simple in design, but you can use auto-resolve as well, and it works out quite fairly.

I'd like it to be a bit more in-depth, particularly in the diplomatic sections (maybe take a page or two from the Crusader Kings model), but it's all in all a great game. Can't avoid war though, it's fairly central to the gameplay as it's the only real way to expand your empire.

And Sam, thanks for the reminder on Virtual Villagers, I had meant to take a look at that last time you mentioned it and then forgot!
 
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And Sam, thanks for the reminder on Virtual Villagers, I had meant to take a look at that last time you mentioned it and then forgot!

My thoughts exactly!
 
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Still finishing up Sam & Max 202: Moai Better Blues ... such great stuff you never want it to end!
 
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Real Life. Im trying to get highscore or at least a few achievements.
 
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still playing Gothic 3.. now that i'm close to the end, i'm dragging my feet a bit.

after that, i'm not sure what i'll be playing, perhaps Assassin's Creed if there is a PC port but i'm open to suggestions.
 
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Orange Box. I finished Portal and that has got be one of the better games I've ever played. It had a perfect balance of game play. I love games that have just the right challenge and Portal balanced both puzzle and hand/eye coordination exercises just right. I never got past the frustration saturation point and I felt satisfaction upon completing a level. It's a fun game, I highly recommend it.

Now I'm working on Half Life 2 and it's not quite as fun. I have a fairly low tolerance for shooters and this one is irking me as I'm constantly being attacked with little room to stop and breathe. That's what I like about Portal, I could stop and study the situation without being under the gun, as it were.

I also recently finished Sam & Max: Moai Better Blues. It doesn't get much better than Sam & Max, I've been playing since Sam & Max Hit The Road.
 
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Just hit act III in witcher, and kinda suprised how hard the trade quarter is kicking my pc's ass. It's been ok in the game so far, but this part of the city is really running sluggish. Not unplayabl,e but disappointing.

Also cruising around in Puzzle Quest on my Griffin, gotta love that "Death Dive" move!
 
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