What are you playing?

[Space Lynx]

In my case it was Deus Ex: Mankind Divided which came bundled with the FX-8320E I bought (which allowed me to pass the Phenom II 965BE I used to my brother's pc). Funny thing? I never really got into the game as much as I did into Human Revolution.

Funny you mention that, I finally got around to trying Mankind Divided about 3 or 4 weeks ago, and it just felt off to me... it just didn't feel polished. I couldn't figure it out, but I just didn't like it at all and quit after about 20 minutes... really sad about that because I loved Human Revolution. Can't figure out what the difference is, but something about it just felt off.

 

[kapone32]

Funny you mention that, I finally got around to trying Mankind Divided about 3 or 4 weeks ago, and it just felt off to me... it just didn't feel polished. I couldn't figure it out, but I just didn't like it at all and quit after about 20 minutes... really sad about that because I loved Human Revolution. Can't figure out what the difference is, but something about it just felt off.

Human Revolution felt like an adage to Metal Gear and so inherited a lot of that nostalgia. Mankind Divided seems like a Game with no soul in comparison.

 

[robot zombie]

Okay, so after spending some real time with the RT on Elden Ring, I am very pleased with it. Listen, my eyes have over 500 hours on this game with no RT, and while it's not earth-shattering, it's basically a perfect improvement. Nothing about the fundamental visual representations change. But textures have such nice pop. All of the colors are both more natural and more varied. With the added illumination, shadows ARE more washed out, which some will decry as being too flat. I just find it more natural... again, especially in the color department. You can even see it on your own weapons and armor - it just pops that much more. Everything looks cleaner.

Also, it looks like we actually did get the full suite, but cut down. You can see the noise in the shadows... there are RT shadows to be found if you look close, but they clearly are not working with many rays or filtering. They're not super accurate, just accurate enough for that zoomed-out 3rd person view. Reflections on things like water are hybrid. The GI is by far the most prominent, and I'm glad because to me it is the most important. You don't appreciate a simple thing like having the colors of lights and shadows correctly influence how textures appear until you see it. After that, you can't mistake the absence of it when it's not there. The RT itself is not dramatically noticeable, though you may find yourself somehow more 'taken' by the images in ways that are difficult to point directly at. What IS noticeable, however, is how stark and 'disconnected' the various elements look when you disable it. Yes, there is more contrast, but it's like something is missing.

I don't like using realism to describe it. Video game environments often have a lot of realistic features, but their style is not 'realism' in the sense that they are still deviating heavily from how reality looks. Realism is about representing reality down to the finest details. The moment the lighting becomes even a little 'atmospheric' it has lost that. Realism is kind of is the definition of plain and everyday in terms of how it depicts reality. It's all about plain details. Games are at most, more like 'cinematic' or 'photorealistic', like reality+ than say, the bare realism of early renaissance times.

What I WILL say is that I think RTGI ups something I'd rather call the "plausibility." Plausibility in an image has little to do with its correlation to expectations for reality. You can deviate wildly from that and it still looks 'correct'. For instance, a Salvador Dali painting is the furthest thing possible from realism while still having recognizable objects and forms... and yet it all seems plausible within it's own universe. Part of what makes them so striking is how well they convince you that things just look that way and it should make sense to you. It's about INTERNAL visual consistency, how well the image incorporates the various elements. How well it conforms to its own given expectations and promises. When it comes to more abstract styles of drawing and painting, the way you place light and how the things you draw respond to it is basically instrumental to the 'success' of the end result. A more captivating image will usually have a more involved lighting dynamic that ties together the more abstract elements and gives the whole thing a better sense of cohesiveness and texture. The more seamlessly those things mesh and reinforce one another, the more automatic the suspension of disbelief tends to be. And again, this is something that works as well with hard realism as it does with entirely fantastical or surreal styles. In fact, it's more vital in the latter, where the lack of normal reference points will throw a person off, as all they have are the dynamics between the different aspects shown in the piece.

When it comes to Elden Ring's use of RTGI, I think it clears that plausibility mark. That's the only way I can describe it. It's still a fantasy world, but visually it feels somehow more complete. Everything just makes more sense. And it sounds crazy, but I think it's mostly down to the color dynamics that RTGI introduces. They nailed it, man. It looks so nice. Or more, these images feel nice, like they somehow have more granular texture to them. Materials I would've passed up suddenly look more interesting to me. And again... I have over 500 hours of play, yet it looks fresher to me now than on day 1 of playing. RTGI produces images that at times seem flatter, but as you adjust, you find that even those moments have a lot more going on with them than they used to, that justifies it perceptually and makes you forget that impression and start to sense more depth instead. The reason they are superficially 'flatter' is because there are entirely new lighting dynamics filling everything out, and you can begin to pick those apart and see how the light behavior comes together to make what is ultimately a better image. Definitely better and worse to it, but sometimes it is ultimately better to have less contrast. Not everything SHOULD be full contrast imo. It's kind of an odd experience, though - you almost can't believe how the images affect you, like things shouldn't seem as different as they do, just based on what you are consciously picking up on visually. There's no clear reason you can point to for why that is.

It's super-weird stuff. I get why some people doubt it, but like I said before, I think your average person hugely takes for granted how they actually see things. Personally, getting into photogrophy is what got me more plugged into the nuances of game visuals. I think before that, I wouldn't have cared about RTGI myself. But after having to try and wrangle light with machines, always contending with the fact that light doesn't fully behave as seems to in the eye, I've come to really appreciate this focus on further granulating how light works in games, and I think it stands to improve the visuals of games done in virtually any style. This game is just another example of that in my book.

 

[gffermari]

That's why RT performance is what matters most today.
I play Metro Exodus Enc. Edition and although the game is bad in nearly every aspect, the GI makes it look impressive.
The correct lighting and shadows gives the feeling that you are in that environment. You don't fly around.

 

[Outback Bronze]

Yeah, it's not bad. Have been enjoying playing it so far. Steam had it on special so thought why not.

 

[Icon Charlie]

What am I'm playing right now. I-Chess (Arena Chess) on idiot mode. Heh. If I have time I would study a bit, buuuut real life gets ugly over here so it's on idiot mode for me. My Chess Ranking is in the low 900's in this game. Bruh.

 

[TheDeeGee]

Ion Fury, cuz what else do you play on a 4070 Ti?

After that it's No One Lives Forever 2, DUSK and Aliens vs. Predator 2.

 

[lexluthermiester]

Does buying new hardware due to a bundled game (which would require a bit more oomph) you wanted very much count?

Yeah, but no worries.

plus these days its best to wait for patches so meh.

YES! This. SOOO much this!

 

[Methodical]

That's the reason we get new and stronger hardware. Not to play newer games, but to play old games better

Yep. Gotta see what I was missing back then with this new stuff.

 

[WhitetailAni]

 

[igralec84]

Just like last weekend, i'm playing Diablo 4 beta. Looks good, can't wait to play it on June 2nd for real but it does seem a bit oversimplified, with just skill points and the items drop very below your level and it doesn't make any difference, at lvl 20 you can fight lvl 30 enemies etc. Maybe the game really starts after level 50 or something, don't remember Diablo 2 being so casual Will probably be able to undervolt much more when it comes with DLSS 3

 

[QuietBob]

I completed Undertale taking the True Pacifist Route. This gives you the best/intended ending, but is impossible to achieve on the initial playthrough. It has a number of prerequisites, and involves a good deal of backtracking:



I must say that this was a completely unique experience, unlike any other game I'd played. Undertale is both an homage to and a clever pastiche of 8-bit (and following) RPGs, whose turn-based combat includes bullet hell waves and other arcade segments. The low-res pixel art graphics with limited color palette, use of checkpoints to save progress, NPC interaction, inventory management and chiptune soundtrack are all reminiscent of the late eighties/early nineties classics.

But its most peculiar feature is that the game is aware of itself. And I don't just mean the NPCs responding differently to reflect your actions. Without spoiling it, Undertale keeps a tally of all your choices and develops in really unusual ways. It has you constantly second-guessing yourself. And every time you think you have figured the game out, it comes out of leftfield to say "gotcha!"

I thoroughly enjoyed the whole adventure, but Undertale also brought me a lot of frustration, especially in the beginning. The combat mechanics are never properly explained, so you will have to figure out every encounter and enemy attack pattern on your own. And you will die. Repeatedly. Think souls-like. Though once you figure out how to protect yourself, the enemies become much easier to dodge.

And did I mention the music? Undertale has absolutely amazing score that adjusts its tone and tempo to mirror your acts. And this whole game is only 155 MB, including the 89 MB soundtrack. It's truly an experience without an equal. If you haven't played it yet, do give it a try. Don't let the "childish" fairy tale setting fool you. It's a deep meaningful story about the essence of humanity. It will captivate your soul.

 

[Muck Muster]

I argue with my friends every day on discord as they laugh that I play at 60. It's not their problem, dammit

60hz should play faster on your machine.. . In First Person Shooter, that's the name of the game. However, you own a 6700 with good latency, that must be a kick-a55 machine. Removing detail and resolutions (like ray-tracing) help anyone's machine run faster, better. The graphics card doesn't have to work as hard to resolute (apply) all the detailed graphics. I like than in CoD WW2 because the enemy players stand out more AND because the nonsense details doesn't disguise them well. The game runs cooler, faster. For a few years I done this with a janky 4 1/2 yr. old Vega64 it ran @35-45c even thou I turned up the fans to 80+. It ramped to 1800 fps+/-. Yeah, noise wasn't the factor winning was.

 

[Jetster]

7 Days to die

 

[Muck Muster]

Looks like my new home. After this year. I'm broke and in the negative. I'm packin' my bags, now.

 

[Cvrk]

Is this poster ethical for Muslims to have in their house??
I don't know man, this is a bit much even for Christians....

 

[Chomiq]

Yeah, it's not bad. Have been enjoying playing it so far. Steam had it on special so thought why not.

View attachment 289312

I could never get into it, fetch quests after the first tutorial area made me give up on it.

 

[Outback Bronze]

I could never get into it, fetch quests after the first tutorial area made me give up on it.

Yeah, I'm on level 9 and a little worried about the repetitiveness of the game. I'll keep going for a while as I'm sucked in atm but I'm wondering how long I'll be amused for

 

[Calmmo]

I found the main story mission lore as you progress to be quite interesting, the moment to moment goings on and dialog less so. But that was more than enough for me. Other than that it's a rather by the numbers ubisoft style open world affair.

 

[Chomiq]

I found the main story mission lore as you progress to be quite interesting, the moment to moment goings on and dialog less so. But that was more than enough for me. Other than that it's a rather by the numbers ubisoft style open world affair.

It's map marker pokemon concept of open world game design.

 

[Sithaer]

I found the main story mission lore as you progress to be quite interesting, the moment to moment goings on and dialog less so. But that was more than enough for me. Other than that it's a rather by the numbers ubisoft style open world affair.

Yeah I think if you don't find the lore interesting then the game wont last.
Personally I Ioved that game and it kept me hooked when I first played it, read and listened to every lore related thing I could cause I found the game's world interesting enough.
Fetch quests I did not mind tho, I used to be an MMO player so its normal for me.

Combat is also pretty fun imo.

 

[kapone32]

I wanted to give Steam some love during the sale and with the recent announcement of Diablo 4 I wanted a new ARPG. This was $11 on sale on Steam. It would seem the Dungeon is somewhat online but as you can see the map is huge. The skill tree is almost as good as Path of Exile but pales to Grim Dawn. If you have played Victor Vran you get it.

The skill tree is not overwhelming like Path of Exile but looks like a Chinese Checkers board. It works with a controller and the enemies are varied and boss battles are challenging but you get lot's of items and all of the traditional teleport, trade, upgrade, craft scenarios are in the Game.

Its is called Wolcen: Lords of Mayhem and has a crazy intro.

 

[Vayra86]

I mean sure I understand the concern but you know me I'm a rather simple person in that regard and I don't have high or 'unrealistic' expectations and pretty much don't care about any of that corporate crap or whatever is behind the scenes. 'most bigger corporations/dev teams are no saints anyway..'
As long as I get about the same fun out of the actual gameplay like I get from D3 even after almost 11 years its fine with me.

Basically I'm just looking for my next Diablo journey and my go to ARPG fill for the coming years.
Since the beta is only ACT 1 and up to level 25 + 1 world boss to kill its about enough to get the general feel of how the game plays and maybe checking the performance too.
Gameplay feel and end game is important to me so I won't be able to properly judge the game until its fully relased and I have a max level char.

Either way I will report back from the beta with that limited experience.

If the mechanics and the game is good, I'm all in. Its that simple. I care little for corporate bs either, until it invades the game and its gameplay, and its impossible to deny that didn't damage D3 in the past.

That's my fear, really, but then again, I say that with a distinct IDGAF-face because there's enough out there regardless.

I wanted to give Steam some love during the sale and with the recent announcement of Diablo 4 I wanted a new ARPG. This was $11 on sale on Steam. It would seem the Dungeon is somewhat online but as you can see the map is huge. The skill tree is almost as good as Path of Exile but pales to Grim Dawn. If you have played Victor Vran you get it.

The skill tree is not overwhelming like Path of Exile but looks like a Chinese Checkers board. It works with a controller and the enemies are varied and boss battles are challenging but you get lot's of items and all of the traditional teleport, trade, upgrade, craft scenarios are in the Game.

Its is called Wolcen: Lords of Mayhem and has a crazy intro. View attachment 289434

Its considered a notoriously bad ARPG, I'm inclined to agree.

Just like last weekend, i'm playing Diablo 4 beta. Looks good, can't wait to play it on June 2nd for real but it does seem a bit oversimplified, with just skill points and the items drop very below your level and it doesn't make any difference, at lvl 20 you can fight lvl 30 enemies etc. Maybe the game really starts after level 50 or something, don't remember Diablo 2 being so casual Will probably be able to undervolt much more when it comes with DLSS 3

Oooh dear...

 

[Keullo-e]

Currently RE4 remake. Feels great so far though I'm only in the village part so far.

 

[leeamtheone]

That might be a bit problematic I assume, I had around 1+ hour queue shortly after the 'pre order' beta started last weekend but the rest of the days were fine.
Supposedly 1+ million players tried that beta out and now this one will be open beta so I expect a lot more traffic. 'hopefully it wont be that bad cause I also want to try out a Necro, only had time to try Sorc so far'

It went semi-smoothly on my end, thank Inarius I did play Necro (of course) but didn't fell in love in the game or anything...
Maybe I shouldn't expect them to make it similar to D2, but the damage-sponginess of the mini bosses has been varsity overplayed n recent years. That makes most of the monster unmemorable. It's not like in D2 and those special super-uniques that we all know and love (Pindleskin, Frozenstein, etc.). But who knows, the full release might feel more substantial...

On the bright side, I loved the razor-sharp focus on itemization and how cool can the attributes get. Seems like min-maxing builds this time around will be quite the ride. In that respect, I think DIV is even better than PoE