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What have you been playing... IN JULY 2012?
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Spalls Hurgenson
Jul 31, 2012, 8:53:41 PM7/31/12
to
Gosh, it's been a sweet summer so far, hasn't it? The weather is just
gorgeous out there. But I still drag myself inside every now and again
to play some games because, well, that's what I do!
There's another highlight to July; Steam's summer sale! I'm no fan of
the Steam platform, but I have to admit, they do offer some nice
bargains. I picked up a number of titles I was interested in, and more
than a few that I wasn't sure about but couldn't resist just because
the price was so good.
Anyway, we're at the end of the month, and that is when I start up
this thread again. No need for detailed explanations; after six years,
I figure most of us know the drill. Let's get right into things:
Short and Sweet
--------------------
* Rage (replay)
* Call of Duty 2 (replay)
* Ridge Racer Unbounded (new)
* Audiosurf (new)
* Limbo (new)
* AaaaaaAAaaa(etc.) for the Awesome (new)
* SpecOps The Line
* Skyrim (continued)
* Medal of Honor Pacific Assault (replay)
* Star Ruler (new)
TL; DR
----------
* Rage (replay)
Id recently announced that they "haven't forgotten Rage" but it seems
everyone else - myself included - has. Popularly considered one of
Id's least-inspired projects, I decided to revisit the game. I
recalled it being having uninspired gameplay coupled with pretty
graphics, all wrapped around a lackluster story. As it turns out, my
memory was far more favorable than the actual product deserved.
Pretty skybox aside, the textures in Rage are terrible and the
low-polygon models an embarrassment. I still am amazed at how good
Doom 3 looks; it boggles my mind how poorly Rage -created by the same
developers - compares to that eight year old game, much less when
placed against modern titles. And despite this, the graphics of Rage
are *still* the best part of the game. The setting is so trite and
cliched that it is almost embarrassing, and - while the gunplay is
adequate - the rest of the gameplay is marred by such annoying
minigames, dull fetch-it quests and re-spawning enemies that I very
quickly tired of the game. Less than two hours after first revisiting
Rage's post-apocalyptic fields, I uninstalled this title.
* Ridge Racer Unbounded (new)
Ridge Racer Unbounded is one part Flatout, one part Need For Speed and
no part fun. The map design is uninteresting with the usual neon-lit
city-scapes that feature in every racing game these days. But while
most games open up a bit, you never escape the concrete canyons in
Ridge Racer Unbounded. The level design is modular too, and those
modules are frequently reused between maps; I quickly tired of facing
the *exact* same curves and jumps map after map. The game also gives
racers annoying powers that punish skillful driving because people
behind could blast me. The game also lacks various expected features,
such as customization options for controls and graphics, or a
rear-view mirror. It really feels like a cheap downloadable arcade
game; priced at $10 it may have been worth it, but it certainly
doesn't cut it as a full price ($50) title, or even as a budget title
($20); there just isn't enough content.
* Limbo (new)
Limbo is an enjoyable little platformer that mostly makes it on its
striking monochromatic aesthetics. Despite being featureless, silent
silhouettes, the well-animated characters enable a setting as rich as
that found in any other game. The gameplay is not extra-ordinary - its
just a typical platformer - but most of the puzzles are well done.
Unfortunately, later puzzles are less fun because they are too
dependent on reflexes; I'm never sure if I have the wrong "solution"
or if it is right but I'm just not fast enough. This results in a lot
of trial and error (and error and error and error) gameplay; lots of
frustrating repetition as I try to get that jump "just right". Worse,
the end-game hardly justifies the effort. While I "get" the eerie,
open-to-interpretation plot, I'd rather all my effort be rewarded with
a proper wrap-up to the game. Still, as a short (and cheap)
alternative to the usual big-name games, I enjoyed my brief diversion
into Limbo.
* Audiosurf (new)
Audiosurf's core concept is turning music into exciting maps through
which you race, collecting blocks for points. Unfortunately, it's a
music game that - except for a handful of moments - never really
matches up to the music. Supposedly the map loops, rises and falls in
time to the music, but I rarely found any direct correlation between
the two. The maps themselves are fairly bland as well; there's very
little sense of speed and ultimately the gameplay - collecting blocks
- is fairly repetitive. Frankly, once you play once or twice you've
seen all the game has to offer. After that, it's just playing for
points. I suppose for some people, getting the high-score is an
challenge worth the effort. But I need a bit more reward than a number
on some electronic bulletin board, so it wasn't too long before
Audiosurf got uninstalled.
* AaaaaaAAaaa(etc.) for the Awesome (new)
Given the whole idea of the game - throwing yourself off buildings - I
was hoping for something a bit more fast paced. But -even while
hugging the face of a nearby building- AaaaaaAAaaa never really
presented me with any sense of speed. The levels also seemed fairly
short; each was done in only a minute or two. Furthermore, there is
not much variety from one level to the next, so the entire game starts
feeling very "grindy". And it didn't help that the controls felt too
loose and inaccurate, a cardinal sin for a game requiring accurate
threading of needles at speed. So while I loved the concept, the
overall execution went splat.
* SpecOps The Line
In most first-person shooters, the nameless hero guns down hundreds if
not thousands of faceless enemies but that hero never shows any regret
or impact from all of his murder and mayhem. The "hook" of Spec Ops
The Line is "what if the hero owned up to his kill-spree"? But despite
these shades of Apocalypse Now, this message is toothless; a tale
about the morality of choosing to kill loses its bite when the game
railroads you down a narrow path. If there is literally no other way
to proceed, the impact of "choosing" to become a ruthless killer is
lost because there is *no choice*; had the game offered multiple ways
of bypassing the enemies then perhaps the desired effect would have
been achieved, but as it stands the story is pointlessly preachy. It
doesn't help that the setting - an endless dust storm that buries a
modern city - is so unbelievable, or that none of the characters are
in the least bit relatable. Anyway, I am frankly tired of this endless
string of antiheroes in modern FPS games; it's become as trite and
overdone as all the other standard cliches used in every other
modern-warfare shooter.
But even aside from the overbearing plot, the game play is hardly
anything to write home about; it's an uninspired cover-based shooter.
The map design is thoroughly unimpressive and the low-poly graphics
looked extremely dated (especially the pathetic explosions, which
seemed fifteen years out of date). The AI was braindead (as usual),
with the usual "run behind cover and poke head up every ten seconds"
routines that seem to be the norm for the genre. This was made all the
worse since each skirmish long overstayed it welcome, with far too
many spawns. And for a game whose main theme was the horror of war,
most battles were remarkably bloodless, with enemies falling dead with
barely a mark on them (the sole exceptions were scripted events). In
the end, despite its worthy attempt to raise the level of discourse,
Spec Ops was an unlikable game in every aspect.
* Skyrim (continued)
My never-ending quests continue. The modmakers keep adding life to
this game, so I keep playing it. New graphics, new monsters, new
gameplay, new areas to explore. I'm edging up to 400 hours of gameplay
and I don't see myself quitting anytime soon.
* Medal of Honor Pacific Assault (replay)
The first thing that has to be said about this game is how terribly
dated it looks. Contemporary with Call of Duty 2, it looks years
older, with low-res textures, non-interactive levels and stiff,
low-polygon models. It really was quite distracting.
Unfortunately, the graphical exterior was not wrapped around solid
gameplay.The gunplay was tiresome, with underpowered weapons and
unconvincing AI (that too frequently decided that the banzai-charge at
machine-gun nests was the best tactic). The levels lacked variety -
there's only so many times you can fight across a jungle island - and
the on-rail vehicle segments felt forced even back in 2004; today they
can only be called tiresome. Even the music - a run-of-the-mill
"Saving Private Ryan"-esque soundtrack with the usual soaring
orchestral bits representing the great sacrifice of our troops felt
generic and trite.
War is called 9 parts boredom and one part terror. By that standard,
Pacific Assault was a 90% accurate representation of the war.
* Star Ruler (new)
Master of Orion is still the best sci-fi 4X strategy game, but it's
been 19 years since it was released. It should be therefore no
surprise that I am constantly on the look-out for a modern remake to
replace the current record holder. Star Ruler, however, is not that
game. Far too focused on the "eXtermination" part of the 4X equation,
it leaves the other aspects lacking.Unfortunately, even the battles
are not that well done; fleet management is a chore and it's
semi-realistic inertial physics make things even less enjoyable.
Exploration is mostly automatic (create a scout and it automatically
travels to the nearest unexplored system) so there's not much
excitement there either. The game also lacks character, without no
generic planets and alien races, and no real diplomacy options. It's a
pretty game, but shallow and not too enjoyable. Fortunately, MOO runs
well enough in DOSBox.
--------------------
And there we have it; that's my playlist for the last thirty. I'll
just sign off now and let the rest of you chime in.
What have you been playing... IN JULY 2012?
gorgeous out there. But I still drag myself inside every now and again
to play some games because, well, that's what I do!
There's another highlight to July; Steam's summer sale! I'm no fan of
the Steam platform, but I have to admit, they do offer some nice
bargains. I picked up a number of titles I was interested in, and more
than a few that I wasn't sure about but couldn't resist just because
the price was so good.
Anyway, we're at the end of the month, and that is when I start up
this thread again. No need for detailed explanations; after six years,
I figure most of us know the drill. Let's get right into things:
Short and Sweet
--------------------
* Rage (replay)
* Call of Duty 2 (replay)
* Ridge Racer Unbounded (new)
* Audiosurf (new)
* Limbo (new)
* AaaaaaAAaaa(etc.) for the Awesome (new)
* SpecOps The Line
* Skyrim (continued)
* Medal of Honor Pacific Assault (replay)
* Star Ruler (new)
TL; DR
----------
* Rage (replay)
Id recently announced that they "haven't forgotten Rage" but it seems
everyone else - myself included - has. Popularly considered one of
Id's least-inspired projects, I decided to revisit the game. I
recalled it being having uninspired gameplay coupled with pretty
graphics, all wrapped around a lackluster story. As it turns out, my
memory was far more favorable than the actual product deserved.
Pretty skybox aside, the textures in Rage are terrible and the
low-polygon models an embarrassment. I still am amazed at how good
Doom 3 looks; it boggles my mind how poorly Rage -created by the same
developers - compares to that eight year old game, much less when
placed against modern titles. And despite this, the graphics of Rage
are *still* the best part of the game. The setting is so trite and
cliched that it is almost embarrassing, and - while the gunplay is
adequate - the rest of the gameplay is marred by such annoying
minigames, dull fetch-it quests and re-spawning enemies that I very
quickly tired of the game. Less than two hours after first revisiting
Rage's post-apocalyptic fields, I uninstalled this title.
* Ridge Racer Unbounded (new)
Ridge Racer Unbounded is one part Flatout, one part Need For Speed and
no part fun. The map design is uninteresting with the usual neon-lit
city-scapes that feature in every racing game these days. But while
most games open up a bit, you never escape the concrete canyons in
Ridge Racer Unbounded. The level design is modular too, and those
modules are frequently reused between maps; I quickly tired of facing
the *exact* same curves and jumps map after map. The game also gives
racers annoying powers that punish skillful driving because people
behind could blast me. The game also lacks various expected features,
such as customization options for controls and graphics, or a
rear-view mirror. It really feels like a cheap downloadable arcade
game; priced at $10 it may have been worth it, but it certainly
doesn't cut it as a full price ($50) title, or even as a budget title
($20); there just isn't enough content.
* Limbo (new)
Limbo is an enjoyable little platformer that mostly makes it on its
striking monochromatic aesthetics. Despite being featureless, silent
silhouettes, the well-animated characters enable a setting as rich as
that found in any other game. The gameplay is not extra-ordinary - its
just a typical platformer - but most of the puzzles are well done.
Unfortunately, later puzzles are less fun because they are too
dependent on reflexes; I'm never sure if I have the wrong "solution"
or if it is right but I'm just not fast enough. This results in a lot
of trial and error (and error and error and error) gameplay; lots of
frustrating repetition as I try to get that jump "just right". Worse,
the end-game hardly justifies the effort. While I "get" the eerie,
open-to-interpretation plot, I'd rather all my effort be rewarded with
a proper wrap-up to the game. Still, as a short (and cheap)
alternative to the usual big-name games, I enjoyed my brief diversion
into Limbo.
* Audiosurf (new)
Audiosurf's core concept is turning music into exciting maps through
which you race, collecting blocks for points. Unfortunately, it's a
music game that - except for a handful of moments - never really
matches up to the music. Supposedly the map loops, rises and falls in
time to the music, but I rarely found any direct correlation between
the two. The maps themselves are fairly bland as well; there's very
little sense of speed and ultimately the gameplay - collecting blocks
- is fairly repetitive. Frankly, once you play once or twice you've
seen all the game has to offer. After that, it's just playing for
points. I suppose for some people, getting the high-score is an
challenge worth the effort. But I need a bit more reward than a number
on some electronic bulletin board, so it wasn't too long before
Audiosurf got uninstalled.
* AaaaaaAAaaa(etc.) for the Awesome (new)
Given the whole idea of the game - throwing yourself off buildings - I
was hoping for something a bit more fast paced. But -even while
hugging the face of a nearby building- AaaaaaAAaaa never really
presented me with any sense of speed. The levels also seemed fairly
short; each was done in only a minute or two. Furthermore, there is
not much variety from one level to the next, so the entire game starts
feeling very "grindy". And it didn't help that the controls felt too
loose and inaccurate, a cardinal sin for a game requiring accurate
threading of needles at speed. So while I loved the concept, the
overall execution went splat.
* SpecOps The Line
In most first-person shooters, the nameless hero guns down hundreds if
not thousands of faceless enemies but that hero never shows any regret
or impact from all of his murder and mayhem. The "hook" of Spec Ops
The Line is "what if the hero owned up to his kill-spree"? But despite
these shades of Apocalypse Now, this message is toothless; a tale
about the morality of choosing to kill loses its bite when the game
railroads you down a narrow path. If there is literally no other way
to proceed, the impact of "choosing" to become a ruthless killer is
lost because there is *no choice*; had the game offered multiple ways
of bypassing the enemies then perhaps the desired effect would have
been achieved, but as it stands the story is pointlessly preachy. It
doesn't help that the setting - an endless dust storm that buries a
modern city - is so unbelievable, or that none of the characters are
in the least bit relatable. Anyway, I am frankly tired of this endless
string of antiheroes in modern FPS games; it's become as trite and
overdone as all the other standard cliches used in every other
modern-warfare shooter.
But even aside from the overbearing plot, the game play is hardly
anything to write home about; it's an uninspired cover-based shooter.
The map design is thoroughly unimpressive and the low-poly graphics
looked extremely dated (especially the pathetic explosions, which
seemed fifteen years out of date). The AI was braindead (as usual),
with the usual "run behind cover and poke head up every ten seconds"
routines that seem to be the norm for the genre. This was made all the
worse since each skirmish long overstayed it welcome, with far too
many spawns. And for a game whose main theme was the horror of war,
most battles were remarkably bloodless, with enemies falling dead with
barely a mark on them (the sole exceptions were scripted events). In
the end, despite its worthy attempt to raise the level of discourse,
Spec Ops was an unlikable game in every aspect.
* Skyrim (continued)
My never-ending quests continue. The modmakers keep adding life to
this game, so I keep playing it. New graphics, new monsters, new
gameplay, new areas to explore. I'm edging up to 400 hours of gameplay
and I don't see myself quitting anytime soon.
* Medal of Honor Pacific Assault (replay)
The first thing that has to be said about this game is how terribly
dated it looks. Contemporary with Call of Duty 2, it looks years
older, with low-res textures, non-interactive levels and stiff,
low-polygon models. It really was quite distracting.
Unfortunately, the graphical exterior was not wrapped around solid
gameplay.The gunplay was tiresome, with underpowered weapons and
unconvincing AI (that too frequently decided that the banzai-charge at
machine-gun nests was the best tactic). The levels lacked variety -
there's only so many times you can fight across a jungle island - and
the on-rail vehicle segments felt forced even back in 2004; today they
can only be called tiresome. Even the music - a run-of-the-mill
"Saving Private Ryan"-esque soundtrack with the usual soaring
orchestral bits representing the great sacrifice of our troops felt
generic and trite.
War is called 9 parts boredom and one part terror. By that standard,
Pacific Assault was a 90% accurate representation of the war.
* Star Ruler (new)
Master of Orion is still the best sci-fi 4X strategy game, but it's
been 19 years since it was released. It should be therefore no
surprise that I am constantly on the look-out for a modern remake to
replace the current record holder. Star Ruler, however, is not that
game. Far too focused on the "eXtermination" part of the 4X equation,
it leaves the other aspects lacking.Unfortunately, even the battles
are not that well done; fleet management is a chore and it's
semi-realistic inertial physics make things even less enjoyable.
Exploration is mostly automatic (create a scout and it automatically
travels to the nearest unexplored system) so there's not much
excitement there either. The game also lacks character, without no
generic planets and alien races, and no real diplomacy options. It's a
pretty game, but shallow and not too enjoyable. Fortunately, MOO runs
well enough in DOSBox.
--------------------
And there we have it; that's my playlist for the last thirty. I'll
just sign off now and let the rest of you chime in.
What have you been playing... IN JULY 2012?
Rin Stowleigh
Jul 31, 2012, 9:20:56 PM7/31/12
to
I had enough fun with Tribes : Ascend to believe that the free to play
model for online shooters might just work out in the long run, so, I
decided to give Bullet Run a try.
Initial impressions were that its just another crappy shooter that
wasn't good enough for mainstream sale, but after I got more
acclaimated with it, I found myself wanting to go back and play it.
I don't think you need a beefy rig to play it, but one thing -- you've
GOT to turn on antialiasing (looks horrible without it), which I had
to do using nVidia control panel since the game doesn't let you turn
it on.
http://www.bulletrunthegame.com/
It doesn't bring anything new to the table, and it's not going to be
the crossover game that converts every single player gamer in this NG
into fans of online gaming, but if you have a passing interest in
multiplayer games and like to try them out on occasion, check out
Bullet Run.
It just came out, so it's one of those things you want to do either
soon or never. I'm sure over time, players will get well-practiced,
and at that point unless there is some mechanism for separating the
skilled from the noobs, it is going to become too unforgiving to
recommend to newcomers. Right now, everyone else is learning the maps
and getting used to the game mechanics, so the next week or two would
be the ideal time to try it it if you have any interest at all. Why
not, its free to play?
PW
Jul 31, 2012, 9:48:46 PM7/31/12
to
Rin Stowleigh
Jul 31, 2012, 10:03:43 PM7/31/12
to
Tim O
Jul 31, 2012, 10:06:06 PM7/31/12
to
On Tue, 31 Jul 2012 20:53:41 -0400, Spalls Hurgenson
<spallsh...@gmail.com> wrote:
>Short and Sweet
>--------------------
>* Rage (replay)
>* Call of Duty 2 (replay)
>* Ridge Racer Unbounded (new)
>* Audiosurf (new)
>* Limbo (new)
>* AaaaaaAAaaa(etc.) for the Awesome (new)
>* SpecOps The Line
>* Skyrim (continued)
>* Medal of Honor Pacific Assault (replay)
>* Star Ruler (new)
[snip]
<spallsh...@gmail.com> wrote:
>Short and Sweet
>--------------------
>* Rage (replay)
>* Call of Duty 2 (replay)
>* Ridge Racer Unbounded (new)
>* Audiosurf (new)
>* Limbo (new)
>* AaaaaaAAaaa(etc.) for the Awesome (new)
>* SpecOps The Line
>* Skyrim (continued)
>* Medal of Honor Pacific Assault (replay)
>* Star Ruler (new)
Skyrim (huge surprise, eh?) Very sporadic play in this one. A mission
or 2 every couple weeks. Looking forward to Dawnguard though.
FEAR 3 co-op... Actually played through the whole thing over the
course of a couple nights. Ultra linear, corny story that seems to try
to throw in every 90's+ horror cliche', but the co-op is pretty well
integrated and it has an end game that varies depending on your stats.
It was more fun than I expected.
MS Flight... Couple hours in this when I was in the mood for a sim.
Not detailed enough to be an interesting sim, too boring to be a good
casual game... MAYDAY!
Trimble Bracegirdle
Jul 31, 2012, 10:09:08 PM7/31/12
to
Thanks Spalls.
SKYRIM
DEUS EX :HUMAN REVOLUTION
Kingdoms of Amalur.
All Action RPG's
I keep on thinking I'm getting tired of Skyrim .
The Dungeons are pretty much all the same.
But then I start it up again & the Characters & there stories / quests set
my interest of again.
An action/Adventure game for me.
I will likely keep it as I do Oblivion to dip into for a side quest from
time to time.
@@@@
DEUS EX : HR . Just as I'm thinking I'm really enjoying it I find I'm in one
of those
seemingly endless industrial building complexes with the endless Computer
Terminals.
And a end Level Boss.
I can't see how any player could get though this game with a pure stealth /
no kill approach.
@@@@
Kingdoms of Amalur - Reckoning .
I want to recommend this Action RPG which came out earlier this year
...Colourer full ..comic strip style ...say like Jade Empire ...bit
Fable...Bit Gothic's..
Ancient World setting....FPS style
Once past the opening section its a Big fairly open world design .
Runs really well on modest hardware e.g. P4 .
Its Fun ..GSOH ...Save the World & do lots of side quests.
@@@
(\__/)
(='.'=) This is Bunny. Copy and paste Bunny into your
(")_(") signature to help him gain world domination.
SKYRIM
DEUS EX :HUMAN REVOLUTION
Kingdoms of Amalur.
All Action RPG's
I keep on thinking I'm getting tired of Skyrim .
The Dungeons are pretty much all the same.
But then I start it up again & the Characters & there stories / quests set
my interest of again.
An action/Adventure game for me.
I will likely keep it as I do Oblivion to dip into for a side quest from
time to time.
@@@@
DEUS EX : HR . Just as I'm thinking I'm really enjoying it I find I'm in one
of those
seemingly endless industrial building complexes with the endless Computer
Terminals.
And a end Level Boss.
I can't see how any player could get though this game with a pure stealth /
no kill approach.
@@@@
Kingdoms of Amalur - Reckoning .
I want to recommend this Action RPG which came out earlier this year
...Colourer full ..comic strip style ...say like Jade Empire ...bit
Fable...Bit Gothic's..
Ancient World setting....FPS style
Once past the opening section its a Big fairly open world design .
Runs really well on modest hardware e.g. P4 .
Its Fun ..GSOH ...Save the World & do lots of side quests.
@@@
(\__/)
(='.'=) This is Bunny. Copy and paste Bunny into your
(")_(") signature to help him gain world domination.
PW
Jul 31, 2012, 11:12:19 PM7/31/12
to
On Tue, 31 Jul 2012 22:03:43 -0400, Rin Stowleigh
lemme know! <g>
Rin Stowleigh
Jul 31, 2012, 11:54:15 PM7/31/12
to
On Tue, 31 Jul 2012 21:12:19 -0600, PW
Well I do know at least one paraplegic that plays a mean game of Call
of Duty online, although I haven't talked to him in 2-3 years. I
think he would be 75 by now (and in a wheelchair from an accident when
he was younger). Doped up on morphine 24-7 but all reflexes still
good. I'm guessing most folks afraid to step out of single-player
only circles fear him in bare knuckle boxing as well... lol
of Duty online, although I haven't talked to him in 2-3 years. I
think he would be 75 by now (and in a wheelchair from an accident when
he was younger). Doped up on morphine 24-7 but all reflexes still
good. I'm guessing most folks afraid to step out of single-player
only circles fear him in bare knuckle boxing as well... lol
WESTERN UNION
Aug 1, 2012, 12:11:09 AM8/1/12
to
Tekken 6.
PW
Aug 1, 2012, 2:03:28 AM8/1/12
to
On Tue, 31 Jul 2012 23:54:15 -0400, Rin Stowleigh
HeHe!
Thanks Rin.
I can give you a link to an organization that I volunteer my time
guiding for. :-)
-pw
Thanks Rin.
I can give you a link to an organization that I volunteer my time
guiding for. :-)
-pw
rms
Aug 1, 2012, 11:42:13 AM8/1/12
to
>What have you been playing... IN JULY 2012?
Alan Wake American Nightmare
Played it right away on the hardest difficulty, and had little trouble,
given the respawning ammo. The increased emphasis on combat detracted
somewhat from the experience for me, as the voiceless enemies had lost much
of the menacing personal character of those in the first game, becoming
increasingly random -- what was a grenade-launching guy doing there?? Just
as random were the odd assortment of weapons laying around. But the
atmosphere and story made the return to that world a pleasure nevertheless
Binary Domain
Lots of cool robot blasting, and an interesting Ghost in the Shell plot made
this console port title a winner for me. The voice acting was decent,
mouse+kb controls were adequate. I didn't trouble with the game's big
gimmick -- voice commands for your squad-mates -- as keyboard commands
worked fine, and in particular because, playing on Normal difficulty, there
was no need to command them anyway: they mostly stayed out of my way and
healed themselves; I just made sure to upgrade their weapons and abilities
regularly (BTW, there are minor story branches and cut-scene differences
depending on how you treat your teammates; a deeper game would have done
more with this). On a higher difficulty team cooperation hopefully would
become more important. Looking back, my mental state on finishing was quite
positive -- meaning I never felt stressed from shooting human enemies, as
they are all mechanical, and the ending is fairly upbeat. I'm thinking this
could be a good shooter for younger kids.
rms
Trimble Bracegirdle
Aug 1, 2012, 6:01:38 PM8/1/12
to
GEARS OF WAR (1st from 2008) Here I fell for a next to nothing used Ebay
copy
of a game I wasn't interested in originally.
Mein Got its dreary ...Many Many near identical levels of Chunky Marine
with his squad friends dogging behind bits of some ruined environment to
kill
waves of assorted (but all the same really) Monster Invader Soldiers.
I got to level 4 'properly' then skipped though with a level cheat.
I swear it was all the same ...dull grey - brown .
One more proof that a financial bargain is no Bargain at all if its no good.
But I often fall for them.
@@@@
BATTLEFIELD 3 & RAGE (Single Player both)
These have in common for me that I started them up (after some months)
with the intention to confirm that I really don't like them (for different
reasons)
& uninstall them.
I may have 1.5 TB disc space but I resent even few Megabytes with things I
dislike
I think B3 will have to go but RAGE stays on ...there is a silliness about
it
& a good sense of 'What is going to happen next' which I like.
But it often suffers from one of Action Games Design Crimes of stretching
out a mission / section with (say) 3+ similar areas where the
design idea is only good for one.
@@@
From 1996 - ABUSE- is an 2D side-scrolling shoot-em up action/puzzle game
platform type game.
Hero must rush around through corridor complex destroying
Ants & similar Monsters & save Humanity.
I have 3 version copies, the original DOS, a WIN conversion. & a more
recent
Conversion called Abuse 2 which works OK on Win 7 64bit.
Its a genuine Classic of the type ...very addictive ..
copy
of a game I wasn't interested in originally.
Mein Got its dreary ...Many Many near identical levels of Chunky Marine
with his squad friends dogging behind bits of some ruined environment to
kill
waves of assorted (but all the same really) Monster Invader Soldiers.
I got to level 4 'properly' then skipped though with a level cheat.
I swear it was all the same ...dull grey - brown .
One more proof that a financial bargain is no Bargain at all if its no good.
But I often fall for them.
@@@@
BATTLEFIELD 3 & RAGE (Single Player both)
These have in common for me that I started them up (after some months)
with the intention to confirm that I really don't like them (for different
reasons)
& uninstall them.
I may have 1.5 TB disc space but I resent even few Megabytes with things I
dislike
I think B3 will have to go but RAGE stays on ...there is a silliness about
it
& a good sense of 'What is going to happen next' which I like.
But it often suffers from one of Action Games Design Crimes of stretching
out a mission / section with (say) 3+ similar areas where the
design idea is only good for one.
@@@
From 1996 - ABUSE- is an 2D side-scrolling shoot-em up action/puzzle game
platform type game.
Hero must rush around through corridor complex destroying
Ants & similar Monsters & save Humanity.
I have 3 version copies, the original DOS, a WIN conversion. & a more
recent
Conversion called Abuse 2 which works OK on Win 7 64bit.
Its a genuine Classic of the type ...very addictive ..
@@@
(\__/)
(='.'=)
(")_(") mouse (Waddle...Waddle...Quack)
(\__/)
(='.'=)
Xocyll
Aug 1, 2012, 9:03:12 PM8/1/12
to
"Trimble Bracegirdle" <no-...@never.spam> looked up from reading the
entrails of the porn spammer to utter "The Augury is good, the signs
say:
<snip>
I loved this game back in the day.
Xocyll
--
I don't particularly want you to FOAD, myself. You'll be more of
a cautionary example if you'll FO And Get Chronically, Incurably,
Painfully, Progressively, Expensively, Debilitatingly Ill. So
FOAGCIPPEDI. -- Mike Andrews responding to an idiot in asr
entrails of the porn spammer to utter "The Augury is good, the signs
say:
<snip>
>From 1996 - ABUSE- is an 2D side-scrolling shoot-em up action/puzzle game
>platform type game.
>Hero must rush around through corridor complex destroying
>Ants & similar Monsters & save Humanity.
>I have 3 version copies, the original DOS, a WIN conversion. & a more
Where did you get the windows version from?
>platform type game.
>Hero must rush around through corridor complex destroying
>Ants & similar Monsters & save Humanity.
>I have 3 version copies, the original DOS, a WIN conversion. & a more
I loved this game back in the day.
Xocyll
--
I don't particularly want you to FOAD, myself. You'll be more of
a cautionary example if you'll FO And Get Chronically, Incurably,
Painfully, Progressively, Expensively, Debilitatingly Ill. So
FOAGCIPPEDI. -- Mike Andrews responding to an idiot in asr
Andrew MacPherson
Aug 2, 2012, 12:31:00 AM8/2/12
to
The Steam Sale got me.
1) Just Cause 2. Great game for dipping in & out of. I could probably do with a
little more structure to the gameplay though, because last time I fired it up I had
no idea what I was supposed to be doing. :-)
2) A bit of MS Flight, then a bit more of Take On Helicopters, which feels a lot
tougher (and more realistic) to fly.
3) Osmos on the Nexus7.
4) Getting frustrated by hardware!
As part of my ongoing mid-life crisis I just picked up one of the "kosher"
equivalent of these Korean 27" panels which are being talked about. It's a 320ukp
DGM IPS 2560x1440 and it is absolutely stunning. I've never been disappointed by
monitor upgrades, whether that's my first 17" CRT (for more than twice as much
money!) or three cheap screens for my sim racing machine.
The desktop space is wonderful. The cinematic immersion when watching movies on a
screen so close is superb, and when I fired up Witcher2 the intro movie (rendered
in the engine) blew me away... and I'm not someone inclined to use phrases like
"blew me away" :-)
Obviously the game itself had to be scaled back a lot to get it to run well at this
res on a first gen GTX260, but the monitor scales well and things like Just Cause2 @
1080p are superb. I did the Far Cry 1 thing at one stage, just standing on a
mountain watching the sunset. It was wonderful.
Then I realised the brightness control doesn't work on this screen, and it sucks
116W at full brightness (which it seems to be stuck on) which will more than double
my monitor power bill for the year. And on a machine which is on all day when I'm
at home that will add up. So for the sake of my wallet and my eyes I need to turn
the brightness down. Which means an RMA and the lottery of another panel with no
other obvious defects.
(Actually there is fairly obvious backlight bleed in the bottom left when watching
movies, but it's not an issue at any other time).
Anyway, sorry to derail the thread, but the upgrade game is one we all play. I'm
hoping to get a decent swap for this (fingers crossed) otherwise I may be tempted
to up the budget and get the Dell equivalent. It's nearly twice as much, but
there's no going back to 1600x1200 now. :-)
Of course whatever happens next I'm gong to have to upgrade the Eyefinity card in
my sim racing machine so that I can liberate the 5870 from there and retire the
GTX260. The spending never stops... but sometimes it feels like it's worth it. This
screen may be in danger of blinding me as I type this, but editing some photos in
Lightroom earlier was a real revelation. Seeing my photos in such high resolution
for the first time was superb, and the colour rendition on this LG panel is very
impressive.
I'd better shut up. But this is helping me forget about the RMA lottery I am about
to embark on. :-)
Andrew McP
1) Just Cause 2. Great game for dipping in & out of. I could probably do with a
little more structure to the gameplay though, because last time I fired it up I had
no idea what I was supposed to be doing. :-)
2) A bit of MS Flight, then a bit more of Take On Helicopters, which feels a lot
tougher (and more realistic) to fly.
3) Osmos on the Nexus7.
4) Getting frustrated by hardware!
As part of my ongoing mid-life crisis I just picked up one of the "kosher"
equivalent of these Korean 27" panels which are being talked about. It's a 320ukp
DGM IPS 2560x1440 and it is absolutely stunning. I've never been disappointed by
monitor upgrades, whether that's my first 17" CRT (for more than twice as much
money!) or three cheap screens for my sim racing machine.
The desktop space is wonderful. The cinematic immersion when watching movies on a
screen so close is superb, and when I fired up Witcher2 the intro movie (rendered
in the engine) blew me away... and I'm not someone inclined to use phrases like
"blew me away" :-)
Obviously the game itself had to be scaled back a lot to get it to run well at this
res on a first gen GTX260, but the monitor scales well and things like Just Cause2 @
1080p are superb. I did the Far Cry 1 thing at one stage, just standing on a
mountain watching the sunset. It was wonderful.
Then I realised the brightness control doesn't work on this screen, and it sucks
116W at full brightness (which it seems to be stuck on) which will more than double
my monitor power bill for the year. And on a machine which is on all day when I'm
at home that will add up. So for the sake of my wallet and my eyes I need to turn
the brightness down. Which means an RMA and the lottery of another panel with no
other obvious defects.
(Actually there is fairly obvious backlight bleed in the bottom left when watching
movies, but it's not an issue at any other time).
Anyway, sorry to derail the thread, but the upgrade game is one we all play. I'm
hoping to get a decent swap for this (fingers crossed) otherwise I may be tempted
to up the budget and get the Dell equivalent. It's nearly twice as much, but
there's no going back to 1600x1200 now. :-)
Of course whatever happens next I'm gong to have to upgrade the Eyefinity card in
my sim racing machine so that I can liberate the 5870 from there and retire the
GTX260. The spending never stops... but sometimes it feels like it's worth it. This
screen may be in danger of blinding me as I type this, but editing some photos in
Lightroom earlier was a real revelation. Seeing my photos in such high resolution
for the first time was superb, and the colour rendition on this LG panel is very
impressive.
I'd better shut up. But this is helping me forget about the RMA lottery I am about
to embark on. :-)
Andrew McP
Toby Newman
Aug 2, 2012, 5:46:36 AM8/2/12
to
On 2012-08-02, Andrew MacPherson <mcp.a...@DELETTHISgmail.com> wrote:
>
> The desktop space is wonderful. The cinematic immersion when watching movies on a
> screen so close is superb, and when I fired up Witcher2 the intro movie (rendered
> in the engine) blew me away... and I'm not someone inclined to use phrases like
> "blew me away" :-)
>[...]
>
> The desktop space is wonderful. The cinematic immersion when watching movies on a
> screen so close is superb, and when I fired up Witcher2 the intro movie (rendered
> in the engine) blew me away... and I'm not someone inclined to use phrases like
> "blew me away" :-)
> Anyway, sorry to derail the thread, but the upgrade game is one we all play. I'm
> hoping to get a decent swap for this (fingers crossed) otherwise I may be tempted
> to up the budget and get the Dell equivalent. It's nearly twice as much, but
> there's no going back to 1600x1200 now. :-)
How long until 3rd parties start making non-apple "retina" (high res)
> hoping to get a decent swap for this (fingers crossed) otherwise I may be tempted
> to up the budget and get the Dell equivalent. It's nearly twice as much, but
> there's no going back to 1600x1200 now. :-)
displays I wonder?
--
-Toby
Add the word afiduluminag to the subject to circumvent my email filters.
Anssi Saari
Aug 2, 2012, 11:14:30 AM8/2/12
to
"rms" <rsqui...@MOOflashMOO.net> writes:
> Binary Domain
> Lots of cool robot blasting, and an interesting Ghost in the Shell
> plot made this console port title a winner for me.
Wow. Sold. I've just been rewatching GITS after I saw a review of the
> Binary Domain
> Lots of cool robot blasting, and an interesting Ghost in the Shell
> plot made this console port title a winner for me.
recent Bluray release of Solid State Society. Then again, RPS slammed
it pretty hard. Maybe the patch improved it? Waiting for a Steam
sale...
Trimble Bracegirdle
Aug 2, 2012, 12:08:32 PM8/2/12
to
>>>>>" From 1996 - ABUSE- is an 2D side-scrolling shoot-em up
>>>>>action/puzzle game
platform type game.
Hero must rush around through corridor complex destroying
Ants & similar Monsters & save Humanity.
I have 3 version copies, the original DOS, a WIN conversion. & Abuse 2 .
>>>>>action/puzzle game
platform type game.
Hero must rush around through corridor complex destroying
Ants & similar Monsters & save Humanity.
Where did you get the windows version from?
I loved this game back in the day".<<<<
The best way is here :
http://www.classicdosgames.com/online/abuse200.html
Play Online in Browser Window . Exactly the same as the original.
Even the Abuse 2 version I have on my Machine has bugs e.g...
a not-in-the-design invisible wall.
That http://www.classicdosgames.com has lots of in Web Brower old games
(\__/)
(='.'=)
Trimble Bracegirdle
Aug 2, 2012, 12:36:51 PM8/2/12
to
>>>>"...Monitor ...It's a 320ukp
DGM IPS 2560x1440 and it is absolutely stunning...">>>
I'm jealous !
Do you have to set the res to 2560 x 1440 ?
Would it make any sense at (say) 1600x1200 or 1280x xxxx ?
I want a bigger screen Monitor than my CRT 21" but resent
the need to get a new Graphic card just to up the
resolution AND reduce the quality settings....
I currently have HD5870
@@@mouse@@@
DGM IPS 2560x1440 and it is absolutely stunning...">>>
I'm jealous !
Do you have to set the res to 2560 x 1440 ?
Would it make any sense at (say) 1600x1200 or 1280x xxxx ?
I want a bigger screen Monitor than my CRT 21" but resent
the need to get a new Graphic card just to up the
resolution AND reduce the quality settings....
I currently have HD5870
@@@mouse@@@
Xocyll
Aug 2, 2012, 2:06:37 PM8/2/12
to
"Trimble Bracegirdle" <no-...@never.spam> looked up from reading the
entrails of the porn spammer to utter "The Augury is good, the signs
say:
entrails of the porn spammer to utter "The Augury is good, the signs
say:
>>>>>>" From 1996 - ABUSE- is an 2D side-scrolling shoot-em up
>>>>>>action/puzzle game
>platform type game.
>Hero must rush around through corridor complex destroying
>Ants & similar Monsters & save Humanity.
>I have 3 version copies, the original DOS, a WIN conversion. & Abuse 2 .
>
>Where did you get the windows version from?
>I loved this game back in the day".<<<<
>@@@@
>
>The best way is here :
>http://www.classicdosgames.com/online/abuse200.html
>
>Play Online in Browser Window . Exactly the same as the original.
>Even the Abuse 2 version I have on my Machine has bugs e.g...
>a not-in-the-design invisible wall.
I actually downloaded a version from another site but it won't even
>>>>>>action/puzzle game
>platform type game.
>Hero must rush around through corridor complex destroying
>Ants & similar Monsters & save Humanity.
>I have 3 version copies, the original DOS, a WIN conversion. & Abuse 2 .
>
>Where did you get the windows version from?
>I loved this game back in the day".<<<<
>@@@@
>
>The best way is here :
>http://www.classicdosgames.com/online/abuse200.html
>
>Play Online in Browser Window . Exactly the same as the original.
>Even the Abuse 2 version I have on my Machine has bugs e.g...
>a not-in-the-design invisible wall.
start. The edit mode runs, but after a few moments it slows to an
unplayable crawl.
Well I guess I'll have to take a look, even though I generally loathe
playing browser games.
Rin Stowleigh
Aug 2, 2012, 1:06:43 PM8/2/12
to
into a situation where framerates are dropping below 60fps, you've
introduced stutter, broken the immersion of a game and defeated the
purpose. So if you have a huge monitor(s), even if you buy a graphics
subsystem that plays it well today, every time a next-gen game comes
out, you end up making graphical trade offs to get the framerate back
to acceptable levels.
You're also in the same dilemma as me with CRT gaming. When our
existing CRT dies, there is nothing really available that I'm aware of
that can provide the same blur-free, input-lag-free experience.
Trimble Bracegirdle
Aug 2, 2012, 4:31:18 PM8/2/12
to
>>>>"...Well I guess I'll have to take a look, even though I generally
>>>>loathe
playing browser games."<<<<
I think that site is really good ..you can keep your games saves.
Only annoyance is that ABUSE is in a smaller Window
that I would like.
I can't see any way to full-screen it.
If you get stuck ..there isn't any ABUSE walkthrough around & next to no
cheats.
But put "Abuse pc game level" into Goggle or YouTube search
& there's lots of good Video Walkthrough's.
>>>>loathe
playing browser games."<<<<
I think that site is really good ..you can keep your games saves.
Only annoyance is that ABUSE is in a smaller Window
that I would like.
I can't see any way to full-screen it.
If you get stuck ..there isn't any ABUSE walkthrough around & next to no
cheats.
But put "Abuse pc game level" into Goggle or YouTube search
& there's lots of good Video Walkthrough's.
(\__/)
(='.'=)
(")_(") mouse (Cruel, Addictive Game)
(='.'=)
Andrew MacPherson
Aug 2, 2012, 4:35:00 PM8/2/12
to
rstow...@gmail.com (Rin Stowleigh) wrote:
> there is nothing really available that I'm aware of
> that can provide the same blur-free, input-lag-free experience.
When I first transitioned to an LCD screen it was because the desktop experience
> there is nothing really available that I'm aware of
> that can provide the same blur-free, input-lag-free experience.
was so much crisper and pleasant to use. Games fared less well, and that was when I
took the opportunity to have a second machine with CRT for gaming.
However things have improved since then and I've been happy gaming on my Dell
1600x1200 LCD for a long time. Lag, input delay, and blurring is not something I
notice at all... though I accept I might just have got used to it.
The new 27" is simply superb though. Today I discovered I can control the
brightness via the Nvidia settings, so that'll save me a support hassle.
> From:* "Trimble Bracegirdle" <no-...@never.spam>
> Do you have to set the res to 2560 x 1440 ?
> Would it make any sense at (say) 1600x1200 or 1280x xxxx ?
native resolution. But this particular variety of "not so cheap Korean" screen has
full support for interpolation. It'll even run the desktop at 1280x720 if my
eyesight starts to fail. :-) And as I said above somewhere, Just Cause 2 at 1080p
is amazing. It was less impressive at full resolution because on a screen this size
you need high quality textures, which my 260 won't handle well at max res.
Overall this is definitely one of those "Wow!" purchases, though it looks like I'm
going to have to get used to a hotter living room. The screen runs at 117W compared
to 42W on my 1600x1200, and most of that is turned into heat... which is not at all
welcome at this time of year. The power brick is too hot to hold and the screen
itself gives off a fair amount of warmth. I'm glad it had a 3 year warranty! :-)
Which was another reason for spending more than I had to.
My GTX260 is considerably slower than the 5870 in my other machine, running sims at
5040x1050. I shall be looking for an excuse to upgrade the sim machine later in the
year (probably pCARS or Asseto Corsa), and have no doubt the 5870 will handle this
27" screen much better than the 260... which does better than I expected in many
cases.
Andrew McP
http://techreport.com/articles.x/23291
http://www.pcper.com/reviews/Displays/Achieva-Shimian-27-Monitor-Review-1440p-IPS-Di
splay-Under-350
rms
Aug 2, 2012, 4:38:25 PM8/2/12
to
Wow. Sold. I've just been rewatching GITS after I saw a review of the
recent Bluray release of Solid State Society. Then again, RPS slammed
it pretty hard. Maybe the patch improved it? Waiting for a Steam
sale...
It's $10 at http://www.getgamesgo.com/product/binary-domain
recent Bluray release of Solid State Society. Then again, RPS slammed
it pretty hard. Maybe the patch improved it? Waiting for a Steam
sale...
Steamworks game, so just plug the code into steam
rms
Trimble Bracegirdle
Aug 2, 2012, 4:39:04 PM8/2/12
to
>>>>>".... with CRT gaming. When our existing CRT dies,
I'm surprised & disappointed they still can't display a wide range of
resolutions decently.
@@@mouse@@@
there is nothing really available that I'm aware of
that can provide the same blur-free, input-lag-free experience." <<<<<
Really ? I've not look into what's around re. LCD Monitors recently.
that can provide the same blur-free, input-lag-free experience." <<<<<
I'm surprised & disappointed they still can't display a wide range of
resolutions decently.
@@@mouse@@@
Trimble Bracegirdle
Aug 2, 2012, 4:44:07 PM8/2/12
to
Thanks thanks encouraging ...message clearly is "Don't buy Cheap"
@@@mouse@@@
@@@mouse@@@
Rin Stowleigh
Aug 2, 2012, 4:54:01 PM8/2/12
to
a 120mhz LCD reviewed by Anandtech sometime back that seemed very
promising.
Even in console gaming with TVs, the situation seems to be a mess with
results all over the board. I don't know if you read my thread a
couple of months back regarding the search for a good 32" or 37"
display adequate for Mortal Kombat / Tekken type fighting games on the
360, some of which just aren't available for PC. Well, all I wanted
was a smaller version of the performance I get on my plasma display
(which is fantastic for large screen gaming, BTW), but since I can't
buy plasma that small, I have yet to find an acceptably performing
"smaller" (relative to average HDTV size at least) LCD/LED that meets
my needs. Many years ago they were saying OLED would be dominating
the market by 2009.. heh... that didn't work out so well.
I plan to look into this display Andrew is referring to. However I'm
pessimistic, because the high-energy style of many multiplayer games
probably makes me less tolerant of tradeoffs that might not bother
other players that play mostly SP games. Also, going from an average
LCD to a better LCD might be a pleasant experience, while going from a
compromise-free CRT to even the best of LCDs would feel like a
downgrade with regard to overall gaming performance.
noman
Aug 2, 2012, 6:59:38 PM8/2/12
to
On 8/1/2012 9:31 PM, Andrew MacPherson wrote:
>
> As part of my ongoing mid-life crisis I just picked up one of the "kosher"
> equivalent of these Korean 27" panels which are being talked about. It's a 320ukp
> DGM IPS 2560x1440 and it is absolutely stunning. I've never been disappointed by
> monitor upgrades, whether that's my first 17" CRT (for more than twice as much
> money!) or three cheap screens for my sim racing machine.
>
Aaha, the Korean 27" LCD monitors. I almost bought one a few months
>
> As part of my ongoing mid-life crisis I just picked up one of the "kosher"
> equivalent of these Korean 27" panels which are being talked about. It's a 320ukp
> DGM IPS 2560x1440 and it is absolutely stunning. I've never been disappointed by
> monitor upgrades, whether that's my first 17" CRT (for more than twice as much
> money!) or three cheap screens for my sim racing machine.
>
back. The only thing stopping me was the hope of seeing a 120Hz display
in the future. For those who don't know, Ebay has quite a few of these
monitors on sale directly from Korean resellers. The monitors use the
same LG panel that the 27" Apple Cinema display and Dell U2711 also
have, only that these panels are A- quality. There could be some defects
(stuck or dead pixels, but not more than five overall, and not more than
one in the center portion of the screen)
Search for Catleap, Shimian and Crossover at Ebay if you want more
information. The prices range from $280 - 450 or so. The lower priced
panels come with almost nothing on the controller board, so you won't
find usb ports or options to resize the image, adjust color temperature
or the gradient and will have to rely on the graphic driver control
panel (this is actually desirable for some, as the lack of features in
the controller mean less processing and less input lag). The cheaper
ones also have flimsy stands, but some of them have VESA mounting
mechanism, where you can buy a $50-60 VESA stand from any online store
as replacement. Some of the sellers charge extra to confirm that you
won't be getting stuck/dead pixels. They all do basic level of checks
before shipping these out of Korea.
In my search, Crossover seemed the best option, as it comes with a
better stand and some basic picture adjustment controls. Catleap however
is the only monitor that can do 100Hz+, but then you need special
controller boards that are overclocked (version 2b if I remember
correctly) and those particular models are more expensive.
Whichever one you get, the picture quality is supposedly awesome. If you
get lucky and get a monitor with no (or almost non-existent) defects, it
can be a great deal.
> Then I realised the brightness control doesn't work on this screen, and it sucks
> 116W at full brightness (which it seems to be stuck on) which will more than double
> my monitor power bill for the year. And on a machine which is on all day when I'm
> at home that will add up. So for the sake of my wallet and my eyes I need to turn
> the brightness down. Which means an RMA and the lottery of another panel with no
> other obvious defects.
--
Noman
John Lewis
Aug 2, 2012, 8:08:28 PM8/2/12
to
On Thu, 2 Aug 2012 05:31 +0100 (BST), mcp.a...@DELETTHISgmail.com
(Andrew MacPherson) wrote:
>
>Then I realised the brightness control doesn't work on this screen, and it sucks
>116W at full brightness (which it seems to be stuck on) which will more than double
>my monitor power bill for the year. And on a machine which is on all day when I'm
>at home that will add up. So for the sake of my wallet and my eyes I need to turn
>the brightness down. Which means an RMA and the lottery of another panel with no
>other obvious defects.
>
Andrew,
(Andrew MacPherson) wrote:
>
>Then I realised the brightness control doesn't work on this screen, and it sucks
>116W at full brightness (which it seems to be stuck on) which will more than double
>my monitor power bill for the year. And on a machine which is on all day when I'm
>at home that will add up. So for the sake of my wallet and my eyes I need to turn
>the brightness down. Which means an RMA and the lottery of another panel with no
>other obvious defects.
>
This article MAY help with your brightness problem:-
http://techreport.com/articles.x/23291
Specifically the bottom half of page 3 of the article....
John Lewis
>
>Andrew McP
>
>
PW
Aug 2, 2012, 11:14:01 PM8/2/12
to
On Thu, 2 Aug 2012 14:38:25 -0600, "rms" <rsqui...@MOOflashMOO.net>
wrote:
It's $40 at Amazon and Steam. I never heard of this place
getgamesgo.com!
Should I trust them?
-pw
wrote:
getgamesgo.com!
Should I trust them?
-pw
rms
Aug 3, 2012, 12:54:56 AM8/3/12
to
> It's $10 at http://www.getgamesgo.com/product/binary-domain
>Steamworks game, so just plug the code into steam
>
>rms
It's $40 at Amazon and Steam. I never heard of this place
getgamesgo.com!
I'd say so; check their FAQ: http://www.getgamesgo.com/support/help/faq
>Steamworks game, so just plug the code into steam
>
>rms
It's $40 at Amazon and Steam. I never heard of this place
getgamesgo.com!
BTW, http://www.cheapshark.com/ will give you a quick rundown on sales at
the major digital retailers.
rms
Andrew MacPherson
Aug 3, 2012, 2:48:00 AM8/3/12
to
john...@frontier.com (John Lewis) wrote:
> Specifically the bottom half of page 3 of the article....
The interesting thing is that my DGM monitor is that monitor (identical stand and
> Specifically the bottom half of page 3 of the article....
design) except mine has a full range of inputs, the internal electronics needed to
allow normal resolution flexibility, and an OSD. Which is why (plus a 3 year
warranty) it's almost 1.5x as expensive as the cheapest imports. But it's still
less than 2/3rds the price of the Dell I might be tempted to buy if I lose faith in
the DGM.
My solution of messing about with the Nvidia brightness setting works but -- as the
article suggests -- it's papering over the cracks rather than filling the crack,
and I really would like to be able to persuade the screen to draw a bit less power
if I can.
Having decided to keep the panel rather than return it to the supplier, I'll take a
few days to get to know the thing better, then contact DGM for a bit of tech
support or advice.
Ultimately it will probably be a repair job though, because the brightness
definitely works for other people with the same screen.
But even with this complication, I have to say this is still an impressive
experience every time I fire up the PC. As I said about tablets in my Nexus7 thread,
sometimes you get a glimpse of the future of computing, and there is something
distinctly 'Minority Report' about having such a big, vibrant desktop to play with.
Whether it's necessary is a different matter. Very little in PC life is "necessary".
But if you can afford a good graphics card to drive a panel like this it
undoubtedly steps up the gaming experience. It's not "3-screen good" when it comes
to flight or racing sims, but for everything else it's very nice indeed.
I watched the Witcher2 intro again yesterday. It really is ridiculously impressive.
Part of that is the fact they were able to tweak it for gorgeousness, but part of
it is definitely the resolution and IPS experience.
Andrew McP
Andrew MacPherson
Aug 3, 2012, 2:48:00 AM8/3/12
to
no_...@zzzyahoo.yycom (noman) wrote:
> I hope you get another panel with no noticeable defects.
I suspect in this kind of price range the risk of some kind of defect is always
> I hope you get another panel with no noticeable defects.
going to be strong. It's a case of finding something good enough that it doesn't
bug you in use.
I know some people aren't impressed by the DGM's backlight bleed on a dark screen,
and on mine the lower left is distinctly brighter when letterboxing a movie. That
may well be the kind of thing which makes these panels fail the stricter
manufacturers' criteria, but it's not something which is an issue in real world use
except in very dark circumstances.
I can certainly live with that. And other issues, like my AWOL brightness control,
are likely to be down to manufacturing cut to the bone to preserve some kind of
profit. But then that's why these things are so much cheaper than the mainstream
opposition. So it's hard to complain, and easy to be won over by the screen's
'presence' on your desktop.
Andrew McP
Andrew MacPherson
Aug 3, 2012, 2:53:00 AM8/3/12
to
rsqui...@MOOflashMOO.net (rms) wrote:
> It's $40 at Amazon and Steam. I never heard of this place
> getgamesgo.com!
Several places have changed their names in recent months and I've lost track of
> It's $40 at Amazon and Steam. I never heard of this place
> getgamesgo.com!
which company owns which digital portal. So it's kind of pushed me back into using
just Steam again. I was starting to get comfortable using alternative sources but
rebranding and takeover exercises always worry me... perhaps foolishly.
In this case I still haven't any idea who getgamesgo are. :-)
Andrew McP
Andrew MacPherson
Aug 3, 2012, 2:53:00 AM8/3/12
to
One thing to add is that these panels are very shiny. That's nothing new in the
monitor world, but there's no anti-glare treatment whatsoever, so you have to be
careful with your room/window lighting.
Maybe this is one reason why the panels are so bright by default... to drown out
the reflected light. :-)
Anyway, it's not a problem for me even though I really liked my Dell's anti-glare
finish. But it's the kind of thing some people would find unacceptable... though
perhaps not in this price range. :-)
Andrew McP
monitor world, but there's no anti-glare treatment whatsoever, so you have to be
careful with your room/window lighting.
Maybe this is one reason why the panels are so bright by default... to drown out
the reflected light. :-)
Anyway, it's not a problem for me even though I really liked my Dell's anti-glare
finish. But it's the kind of thing some people would find unacceptable... though
perhaps not in this price range. :-)
Andrew McP
Toby Newman
Aug 3, 2012, 6:08:45 AM8/3/12
to
On 2012-08-02, Trimble Bracegirdle <no-...@never.spam> wrote:
> That http://www.classicdosgames.com has lots of in Web Brower old games
Now that is a cool site, thanks!
> That http://www.classicdosgames.com has lots of in Web Brower old games
Xocyll
Aug 3, 2012, 1:49:31 PM8/3/12
to
mcp.a...@DELETTHISgmail.com (Andrew MacPherson) looked up from reading
One other thing to be wary of depending on where you're ordering from -
plug type.
From the list noman provided I did a few ebay searches and one Yamasaki
Catleap looked quite good - $350, perfect pixel, double packed for
shipping. Then you scroll way down and there's a note - "Must have
EU/Korean type power plug", which means it's not going to work in North
American plugs.
<Google search>
Wow, I had no idea that many different plug specs were out there.
http://users.telenet.be/worldstandards/electricity.htm#plugs
Glare wouldn't be a problem for me since I have heavy black towels over
the window and generally have only on desk light running (aimed at a
corner of the ceiling.) It's like I'm London Blitz prepared.
No light in, no light out, no glare possible.
I often sleep in the day so blocking out the light is necessary and the
towels let me block out all the light while draping them such that the
cat can still get up in the window.
It doesn't pay to annoy our feline overlords after all.
the entrails of the porn spammer to utter "The Augury is good, the
signs say:
signs say:
plug type.
From the list noman provided I did a few ebay searches and one Yamasaki
Catleap looked quite good - $350, perfect pixel, double packed for
shipping. Then you scroll way down and there's a note - "Must have
EU/Korean type power plug", which means it's not going to work in North
American plugs.
<Google search>
Wow, I had no idea that many different plug specs were out there.
http://users.telenet.be/worldstandards/electricity.htm#plugs
Glare wouldn't be a problem for me since I have heavy black towels over
the window and generally have only on desk light running (aimed at a
corner of the ceiling.) It's like I'm London Blitz prepared.
No light in, no light out, no glare possible.
I often sleep in the day so blocking out the light is necessary and the
towels let me block out all the light while draping them such that the
cat can still get up in the window.
It doesn't pay to annoy our feline overlords after all.
noman
Aug 3, 2012, 8:38:49 PM8/3/12
to
On 8/3/2012 10:49 AM, Xocyll wrote:
> mcp.a...@DELETTHISgmail.com (Andrew MacPherson) looked up from reading
> the entrails of the porn spammer to utter "The Augury is good, the
> signs say:
>
>> One thing to add is that these panels are very shiny. That's nothing new in the
>> monitor world, but there's no anti-glare treatment whatsoever, so you have to be
>> careful with your room/window lighting.
>>
>> Maybe this is one reason why the panels are so bright by default... to drown out
>> the reflected light. :-)
>>
>> Anyway, it's not a problem for me even though I really liked my Dell's anti-glare
>> finish. But it's the kind of thing some people would find unacceptable... though
>> perhaps not in this price range. :-)
>
> One other thing to be wary of depending on where you're ordering from -
> plug type.
> From the list noman provided I did a few ebay searches and one Yamasaki
> Catleap looked quite good - $350, perfect pixel, double packed for
> shipping. Then you scroll way down and there's a note - "Must have
> EU/Korean type power plug", which means it's not going to work in North
> American plugs.
I think you can just use your existing power cord with the new monitor
> mcp.a...@DELETTHISgmail.com (Andrew MacPherson) looked up from reading
> the entrails of the porn spammer to utter "The Augury is good, the
> signs say:
>
>> One thing to add is that these panels are very shiny. That's nothing new in the
>> monitor world, but there's no anti-glare treatment whatsoever, so you have to be
>> careful with your room/window lighting.
>>
>> Maybe this is one reason why the panels are so bright by default... to drown out
>> the reflected light. :-)
>>
>> Anyway, it's not a problem for me even though I really liked my Dell's anti-glare
>> finish. But it's the kind of thing some people would find unacceptable... though
>> perhaps not in this price range. :-)
>
> One other thing to be wary of depending on where you're ordering from -
> plug type.
> From the list noman provided I did a few ebay searches and one Yamasaki
> Catleap looked quite good - $350, perfect pixel, double packed for
> shipping. Then you scroll way down and there's a note - "Must have
> EU/Korean type power plug", which means it's not going to work in North
> American plugs.
and it should work.
> Glare wouldn't be a problem for me since I have heavy black towels over
> the window and generally have only on desk light running (aimed at a
> corner of the ceiling.) It's like I'm London Blitz prepared.
> No light in, no light out, no glare possible.
matte one. For that matter, I remember finding one Korean monitor that
did have a non-glossy screen. Also few of these come with
tempered-glass, which the Apple Cinema monitors also use. I am not sure
what's the benefit of attaching this glass screen over a glossy LCD
panel, but they do charge extra for it.
Going through this discussion, I am again getting this urge to just buy
one of these panels. What I am hoping is that with the ultra high-res
displays in Apple's monitors, this whole market will have much better
offerings in about 6-12 months. Then I might even find a cheap Korean
120Hz 27" 2560x1440 monitor. But these deals are very tempting already.
--
Noman
noman
Aug 3, 2012, 9:14:11 PM8/3/12
to
On 7/31/2012 5:53 PM, Spalls Hurgenson wrote:
> What have you been playing... IN JULY 2012?
>
Gemini Rue - It's a fairly traditional adventure game with the graphic
technology similar to what used to come about twenty years ago. The
sound effects and the art-style however does create a pretty good
atmosphere. Dialogues are all voice acted. At certain points, the game
may resort to some action sequences where the character will have to
take cover, reload weapon and shoot out. I haven't reached those parts
yet, but the combat interface was covered in a tutorial. Combat controls
were very basic, again something that you may find in early Space Quest
games. For puzzle solving, there are four or five action icons, and the
inventory items can be interacted with in two or three ways. Good game,
overall.
Rage - I purchased it, thanks to a tip about a NewEgg deal posted by
'rms' here. The game is somewhat above-average overall. Combat is quite
good. Driving is uninspired, and textures are shockingly bad at times.
Texture pop-ins are not that big of an issue anymore after id software
patch and graphic driver updates, but they are still noticeable. Texture
detail however can't be made much better. The last patch introduced a
texture detail settings, but all that does is to mathematically sharpen
the base low-resolution textures by a noise pattern, and is fairly hard
on GPU (or may be it's CPU). The performance suffers when I enable that
option and I have an i7 920 @3.6GHz and HD6950 2GB. Without that option,
the game runs with great frame rates.
Witcher - Completed one more mission in act 4. Must be close to act 5 now.
This month, my hard disk running the OS died, and I started using the
Windows8 release preview exclusively, that I was dual booting before. So
far, everything has run well. The only exception was Rage, which would
crash on start, until I changed the compatibility settings to Windows7.
It has worked fine since then.
--
Noman
> What have you been playing... IN JULY 2012?
>
Gemini Rue - It's a fairly traditional adventure game with the graphic
technology similar to what used to come about twenty years ago. The
sound effects and the art-style however does create a pretty good
atmosphere. Dialogues are all voice acted. At certain points, the game
may resort to some action sequences where the character will have to
take cover, reload weapon and shoot out. I haven't reached those parts
yet, but the combat interface was covered in a tutorial. Combat controls
were very basic, again something that you may find in early Space Quest
games. For puzzle solving, there are four or five action icons, and the
inventory items can be interacted with in two or three ways. Good game,
overall.
Rage - I purchased it, thanks to a tip about a NewEgg deal posted by
'rms' here. The game is somewhat above-average overall. Combat is quite
good. Driving is uninspired, and textures are shockingly bad at times.
Texture pop-ins are not that big of an issue anymore after id software
patch and graphic driver updates, but they are still noticeable. Texture
detail however can't be made much better. The last patch introduced a
texture detail settings, but all that does is to mathematically sharpen
the base low-resolution textures by a noise pattern, and is fairly hard
on GPU (or may be it's CPU). The performance suffers when I enable that
option and I have an i7 920 @3.6GHz and HD6950 2GB. Without that option,
the game runs with great frame rates.
Witcher - Completed one more mission in act 4. Must be close to act 5 now.
This month, my hard disk running the OS died, and I started using the
Windows8 release preview exclusively, that I was dual booting before. So
far, everything has run well. The only exception was Rage, which would
crash on start, until I changed the compatibility settings to Windows7.
It has worked fine since then.
--
Noman
PW
Aug 3, 2012, 10:35:08 PM8/3/12
to
Xocyll
Aug 4, 2012, 12:28:46 PM8/4/12
to
noman <no_...@zzzyahoo.yycom> looked up from reading the entrails of
designed to take for input voltage from the mains.
100-127 volt, at 60 hertz frequency (in general: North and Central
Americas, Western Japan)
220-240 volt, at 50 hertz frequency (in general: the rest of the world,
with some exceptions)
Plugging something made to run on 220@50HZ into 120@60Hz is unlikely to
end well, even if it doesn't explode (which going the other way almost
certainly would.)
>> Glare wouldn't be a problem for me since I have heavy black towels over
>> the window and generally have only on desk light running (aimed at a
>> corner of the ceiling.) It's like I'm London Blitz prepared.
>> No light in, no light out, no glare possible.
>
>In such environment, a glossy screen would work out much better than a
>matte one. For that matter, I remember finding one Korean monitor that
>did have a non-glossy screen. Also few of these come with
>tempered-glass, which the Apple Cinema monitors also use. I am not sure
>what's the benefit of attaching this glass screen over a glossy LCD
>panel, but they do charge extra for it.
I don't know if it would work out better, but it would work out no worse
I guess. I don't see much point in the tempered glass options since I
don't have kids or drunks around throwing stuff that could damage the
screen.
>Going through this discussion, I am again getting this urge to just buy
>one of these panels. What I am hoping is that with the ultra high-res
>displays in Apple's monitors, this whole market will have much better
>offerings in about 6-12 months. Then I might even find a cheap Korean
>120Hz 27" 2560x1440 monitor. But these deals are very tempting already.
They are quite tempting at the price, especially with that perfect pixel
option. I can't even get that in a store here - they all have that 2-3
dead/lit pixel policy.
I'm resisting at the moment due to unsurety about whether it would work
here - I definitely need one speced for the North American market, and
secondarily my current setup has no room for a monitor that big on the
desk - there's a grid-shelf "hutch" built over the systems to store
cds/dvds and such on and currently that limits me to a 20inch width.
At some point I'll disassemble it and find room elsewhere and then I can
revisit the big-ass monitor purchase.
the porn spammer to utter "The Augury is good, the signs say:
>On 8/3/2012 10:49 AM, Xocyll wrote:
>> mcp.a...@DELETTHISgmail.com (Andrew MacPherson) looked up from reading
>> the entrails of the porn spammer to utter "The Augury is good, the
>> signs say:
>>
>>> One thing to add is that these panels are very shiny. That's nothing new in the
>>> monitor world, but there's no anti-glare treatment whatsoever, so you have to be
>>> careful with your room/window lighting.
>>>
>>> Maybe this is one reason why the panels are so bright by default... to drown out
>>> the reflected light. :-)
>>>
>>> Anyway, it's not a problem for me even though I really liked my Dell's anti-glare
>>> finish. But it's the kind of thing some people would find unacceptable... though
>>> perhaps not in this price range. :-)
>>
>> One other thing to be wary of depending on where you're ordering from -
>> plug type.
>> From the list noman provided I did a few ebay searches and one Yamasaki
>> Catleap looked quite good - $350, perfect pixel, double packed for
>> shipping. Then you scroll way down and there's a note - "Must have
>> EU/Korean type power plug", which means it's not going to work in North
>> American plugs.
>
>I think you can just use your existing power cord with the new monitor
>and it should work.
It's not just the plug, it's the transformer it hooks into and what it's
>On 8/3/2012 10:49 AM, Xocyll wrote:
>> mcp.a...@DELETTHISgmail.com (Andrew MacPherson) looked up from reading
>> the entrails of the porn spammer to utter "The Augury is good, the
>> signs say:
>>
>>> One thing to add is that these panels are very shiny. That's nothing new in the
>>> monitor world, but there's no anti-glare treatment whatsoever, so you have to be
>>> careful with your room/window lighting.
>>>
>>> Maybe this is one reason why the panels are so bright by default... to drown out
>>> the reflected light. :-)
>>>
>>> Anyway, it's not a problem for me even though I really liked my Dell's anti-glare
>>> finish. But it's the kind of thing some people would find unacceptable... though
>>> perhaps not in this price range. :-)
>>
>> One other thing to be wary of depending on where you're ordering from -
>> plug type.
>> From the list noman provided I did a few ebay searches and one Yamasaki
>> Catleap looked quite good - $350, perfect pixel, double packed for
>> shipping. Then you scroll way down and there's a note - "Must have
>> EU/Korean type power plug", which means it's not going to work in North
>> American plugs.
>
>I think you can just use your existing power cord with the new monitor
>and it should work.
designed to take for input voltage from the mains.
100-127 volt, at 60 hertz frequency (in general: North and Central
Americas, Western Japan)
220-240 volt, at 50 hertz frequency (in general: the rest of the world,
with some exceptions)
Plugging something made to run on 220@50HZ into 120@60Hz is unlikely to
end well, even if it doesn't explode (which going the other way almost
certainly would.)
>> Glare wouldn't be a problem for me since I have heavy black towels over
>> the window and generally have only on desk light running (aimed at a
>> corner of the ceiling.) It's like I'm London Blitz prepared.
>> No light in, no light out, no glare possible.
>
>In such environment, a glossy screen would work out much better than a
>matte one. For that matter, I remember finding one Korean monitor that
>did have a non-glossy screen. Also few of these come with
>tempered-glass, which the Apple Cinema monitors also use. I am not sure
>what's the benefit of attaching this glass screen over a glossy LCD
>panel, but they do charge extra for it.
I guess. I don't see much point in the tempered glass options since I
don't have kids or drunks around throwing stuff that could damage the
screen.
>Going through this discussion, I am again getting this urge to just buy
>one of these panels. What I am hoping is that with the ultra high-res
>displays in Apple's monitors, this whole market will have much better
>offerings in about 6-12 months. Then I might even find a cheap Korean
>120Hz 27" 2560x1440 monitor. But these deals are very tempting already.
option. I can't even get that in a store here - they all have that 2-3
dead/lit pixel policy.
I'm resisting at the moment due to unsurety about whether it would work
here - I definitely need one speced for the North American market, and
secondarily my current setup has no room for a monitor that big on the
desk - there's a grid-shelf "hutch" built over the systems to store
cds/dvds and such on and currently that limits me to a 20inch width.
At some point I'll disassemble it and find room elsewhere and then I can
revisit the big-ass monitor purchase.
Anssi Saari
Aug 4, 2012, 3:22:38 PM8/4/12
to
PW <emailad...@ifIremember.com> writes:
> It's $40 at Amazon and Steam. I never heard of this place
> getgamesgo.com!
>
> Should I trust them?
Well, at least they emailed me my reg code for Binary Domain. I
> It's $40 at Amazon and Steam. I never heard of this place
> getgamesgo.com!
>
> Should I trust them?
haven't tried it yet, though. Not at home and no Steam installed on
this computer...
Anssi Saari
Aug 4, 2012, 3:39:27 PM8/4/12
to
Xocyll <Xoc...@kingston.net> writes:
> It's not just the plug, it's the transformer it hooks into and what it's
> designed to take for input voltage from the mains.
>
> 100-127 volt, at 60 hertz frequency (in general: North and Central
> Americas, Western Japan)
> 220-240 volt, at 50 hertz frequency (in general: the rest of the world,
> with some exceptions)
Is that really an issue these days for monitors? At least my Dell
> It's not just the plug, it's the transformer it hooks into and what it's
> designed to take for input voltage from the mains.
>
> 100-127 volt, at 60 hertz frequency (in general: North and Central
> Americas, Western Japan)
> 220-240 volt, at 50 hertz frequency (in general: the rest of the world,
> with some exceptions)
2407WFP says 100 to 240 VAC / 50 or 60 Hz + 3 Hz / 2.0A (Max.) for AC
input voltage.
Xocyll
Aug 4, 2012, 6:52:46 PM8/4/12
to
Anssi Saari <a...@sci.fi> looked up from reading the entrails of the porn
That's kinda the point.
When importing something directly from a country that uses a different
power scheme than yours and notes that you must be using their kind of
power plug the question is does it support a wide range or was it built
for that market specifically and won't function on the other voltage
scheme at all?
That's not something I'd like to find out after doing an international
order.
I've never heard of any of these brand names before, so that does rather
point to their not being in this market (North America) at all. Since
these are all available for _considerably_ less than the monitors that
do sell here, that could mean they've skimped on the circuitry and can't
function on the power here.
That Monitor I mentioned was $350, the equivalent Samsung (also Korean)
offering available locally is $800 (and if you think it's bad comparing
ebay vs a shop - the same Samsung monitor on ebay was ~$1050.)
$350 vs $1050 - you know they skimped on something.
spammer to utter "The Augury is good, the signs say:
When importing something directly from a country that uses a different
power scheme than yours and notes that you must be using their kind of
power plug the question is does it support a wide range or was it built
for that market specifically and won't function on the other voltage
scheme at all?
That's not something I'd like to find out after doing an international
order.
I've never heard of any of these brand names before, so that does rather
point to their not being in this market (North America) at all. Since
these are all available for _considerably_ less than the monitors that
do sell here, that could mean they've skimped on the circuitry and can't
function on the power here.
That Monitor I mentioned was $350, the equivalent Samsung (also Korean)
offering available locally is $800 (and if you think it's bad comparing
ebay vs a shop - the same Samsung monitor on ebay was ~$1050.)
$350 vs $1050 - you know they skimped on something.
Antonio Huerta
Aug 5, 2012, 5:38:35 PM8/5/12
to
On Aug 1, 10:20 am, Rin Stowleigh <rstowle...@gmail.com> wrote:
> check out
> Bullet Run.
Looks like a cross between Rage and Brink, visually.
> check out
> Bullet Run.
Looks like a cross between Rage and Brink, visually.
Trimble Bracegirdle
Aug 5, 2012, 6:23:03 PM8/5/12
to
Hmmmm ;) Thanks Rin . You r a Brick.
I'm interested ..looked at site.
How big is the download ?
The initial Download File the site offers BR_Setup.exe is a humble 68 MB
BUT what does that lead to ??
Also particularly, how essential is the
in-game purchases to getting a decent Game ?
I'm interested ..looked at site.
How big is the download ?
The initial Download File the site offers BR_Setup.exe is a humble 68 MB
BUT what does that lead to ??
Also particularly, how essential is the
in-game purchases to getting a decent Game ?
(\__/)
(='.'=)
(")_(") mouse ('acclimated' A New Word For Us ;)
(='.'=)
Rin Stowleigh
Aug 5, 2012, 6:33:45 PM8/5/12
to
looks like about 1.6GB in total.
To be honest I haven't even looked at in-game purchases... I've been
having fun without betraying my credit card. I think most of the
stuff that you can buy could also be acquired just buy earning XP
in-game.
Be sure to get anti-aliasing going on the exe from your vid driver,
because it's not offered in game and the graphics look like hell
without it.
Rin Stowleigh
Aug 5, 2012, 6:36:29 PM8/5/12
to
is a lot more polished and thought through, yet the sum of its parts
is just no fun to play. This is not on a par with top tier MP games
by any means, but I think the fun factor is there (I mostly play
Dominion mode). It taps into a lot of what I liked about old school
MP shooters without all the pretentiousness and mismanagement we see
these days with current AAA titles.
rms
Aug 7, 2012, 8:05:14 PM8/7/12
to
>When importing something directly from a country that uses a different
power scheme than yours and notes that you must be using their kind of
power plug the question is does it support a wide range or was it built
for that market specifically and won't function on the other voltage
scheme at all?
I've read that many Catleap failures are suspected to be from this
power scheme than yours and notes that you must be using their kind of
power plug the question is does it support a wide range or was it built
for that market specifically and won't function on the other voltage
scheme at all?
issue.
rms
noman
Aug 7, 2012, 8:22:42 PM8/7/12
to
brick sent out to US supports 110-240V. The power cord that goes from
the brick to the wall outlet has the Korean plug, for which you can use
any of the standard power cords used for powering PCs and monitors.
I don't think this particular thing should be a big concern.
The one that can be troubling was the mention of lack of HDCP support in
the review JonL linked here before. Note that HDCP doesn't require HDMI,
and can work perfectly fine on DVI-D which lot of these monitors have as
the only input source. Until now I had never heard this particular
complaint. Some tested on Catleap and Crossover (27Q) monitors and found
HDCP functioning correctly.
Still, ~$300-330 for these monitors is a bit too good of a deal to pass
up. The more I post in this thread, the more I am tempted to forget
about 120Hz and buy one of these right now :)
--
Noman
Andrew MacPherson
Aug 8, 2012, 4:59:00 AM8/8/12
to
> Still, ~$300-330 for these monitors is a bit too good of a deal to
> pass up.
The current Techreport podcast http://techreport.com/articles.x/23371 has a follow
> pass up.
up mention of an Aria monitor available at Micro Center. It sounds very similar to
mine. A bit more expensive, but with the extra inputs and options.
http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0384780
From what they said it's better than the import they tested, helping justify the
additional cost.
Andrew McP
PS Sorry for setting the hardware huices flowing. :-) I still love mine, I just
wish the brightness worked properly (all efforts to persuade it to have failed) and
it ate a bit less power. On balance though, it's very hard to complain about the
overall package.
Xocyll
Aug 8, 2012, 12:51:04 PM8/8/12
to
mcp.a...@DELETTHISgmail.com (Andrew MacPherson) looked up from reading
>Andrew McP
>
>PS Sorry for setting the hardware huices flowing. :-) I still love mine, I just
>wish the brightness worked properly (all efforts to persuade it to have failed) and
>it ate a bit less power. On balance though, it's very hard to complain about the
>overall package.
Indeed, sometime you can get some amazing deals out there and a minor
flaw is, well, an acceptable tradeoff for the low cost.
I'm seriously thinking about getting one.
the entrails of the porn spammer to utter "The Augury is good, the
signs say:
signs say:
>> Still, ~$300-330 for these monitors is a bit too good of a deal to
>> pass up.
>
>The current Techreport podcast http://techreport.com/articles.x/23371 has a follow
>up mention of an Aria monitor available at Micro Center. It sounds very similar to
>mine. A bit more expensive, but with the extra inputs and options.
>
>http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0384780
>
>From what they said it's better than the import they tested, helping justify the
>additional cost.
$400 is still plenty cheap compared to $800+ for a Samsung variety.
>> pass up.
>
>The current Techreport podcast http://techreport.com/articles.x/23371 has a follow
>up mention of an Aria monitor available at Micro Center. It sounds very similar to
>mine. A bit more expensive, but with the extra inputs and options.
>
>http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0384780
>
>From what they said it's better than the import they tested, helping justify the
>additional cost.
>Andrew McP
>
>PS Sorry for setting the hardware huices flowing. :-) I still love mine, I just
>wish the brightness worked properly (all efforts to persuade it to have failed) and
>it ate a bit less power. On balance though, it's very hard to complain about the
>overall package.
flaw is, well, an acceptable tradeoff for the low cost.
I'm seriously thinking about getting one.
Mr. Stabby
Aug 8, 2012, 2:38:39 PM8/8/12
to
I won't list all the games I bought during the Steam summer sale, but I'll list the ones I've been playing:
Skyrim: Already had this since November, still play it from time to time. Need to get on that main questline again at some point. ;)
Star Wars Force Unleashed II: I played the demo on the PS3 and loved mowing my way through Stormtroopers using light sabres, force lighting, force push, and mind trick. Got the full PC version and it is lots of fun, but the bosses are a PITA and you pretty much have to play with a controller rather than keyboard/mouse.
Driver San Francisco: Very interesting driving game, it has a "Starsky and Hutch" sort of vibe. The city is nicely detailed and the driving mechanics are fairly good, sort of like GTA IV. Many licensed cars from mundane to exotic. You can "shift" into any other vehicle on the road and control it, which is a silly concept but makes for some interesting gameplay, especially in multiplayer. If you're behind in a race you can shift into an oncoming car and smash into your competition, or just shift into a car that's right behind your competition. Also has different multiplayer game modes like capture the flag and gate crasher. Driver SanFran is another game that pretty much needs a controller, trying to play with keyboard was very difficult when shifting into another vehicle because the overhead view uses different directional controls than driving for some reason. Basically too many keys to keep track of.
Burnout Paradise: Free-roam fast arcade driving game with a big city and country driving area and many different challenges. Multiplayer is fun and includes not only point-to-point and lap races but challenges like "first person to drift 1000 meters" or "jump your car off the parking garage to another building." Frantic fun.
Splinter Cell Chaos Theory - Had played Conviction before, both solo and co-op. It's a great action/stealth game, very linear for the most part but fun like a Thief game because you can skulk around in the shadows and do stealth takedowns. There is a separate campaign for solo and co-op. Co-op has some elements that require 2 players, like player A boosting player B upwards to grab a high ledge, then player A climbs up player B to get on the ledge, then player A pulls player B up. It's totally not gay or anything. The maps are fairly linear and force you to use those sort of moves to progress. It's not a sandbox at all but it's still fun. There is still strategy and tactics, you can go in guns blazing, use stealth hands-on takedowns, use frag or flashbang grenades, etc.
Alan Wake American Nightmare: Not a very scary game but atmospheric. Nice portrayal of the American Southwest at night. It's a linear third-person adventure/combat game where you fight shadowy enemies with a flashlight and various weapons. You are a writer caught in his own nightmare, fighting against an evil version of himself (that doesn't even have a goatee, I'm doubtful.) I've played up until the point where the protagonist has to repeat a multi-part task again, that stuff gets on my nerves so I've quit playing for now.
Skyrim: Already had this since November, still play it from time to time. Need to get on that main questline again at some point. ;)
Star Wars Force Unleashed II: I played the demo on the PS3 and loved mowing my way through Stormtroopers using light sabres, force lighting, force push, and mind trick. Got the full PC version and it is lots of fun, but the bosses are a PITA and you pretty much have to play with a controller rather than keyboard/mouse.
Driver San Francisco: Very interesting driving game, it has a "Starsky and Hutch" sort of vibe. The city is nicely detailed and the driving mechanics are fairly good, sort of like GTA IV. Many licensed cars from mundane to exotic. You can "shift" into any other vehicle on the road and control it, which is a silly concept but makes for some interesting gameplay, especially in multiplayer. If you're behind in a race you can shift into an oncoming car and smash into your competition, or just shift into a car that's right behind your competition. Also has different multiplayer game modes like capture the flag and gate crasher. Driver SanFran is another game that pretty much needs a controller, trying to play with keyboard was very difficult when shifting into another vehicle because the overhead view uses different directional controls than driving for some reason. Basically too many keys to keep track of.
Burnout Paradise: Free-roam fast arcade driving game with a big city and country driving area and many different challenges. Multiplayer is fun and includes not only point-to-point and lap races but challenges like "first person to drift 1000 meters" or "jump your car off the parking garage to another building." Frantic fun.
Splinter Cell Chaos Theory - Had played Conviction before, both solo and co-op. It's a great action/stealth game, very linear for the most part but fun like a Thief game because you can skulk around in the shadows and do stealth takedowns. There is a separate campaign for solo and co-op. Co-op has some elements that require 2 players, like player A boosting player B upwards to grab a high ledge, then player A climbs up player B to get on the ledge, then player A pulls player B up. It's totally not gay or anything. The maps are fairly linear and force you to use those sort of moves to progress. It's not a sandbox at all but it's still fun. There is still strategy and tactics, you can go in guns blazing, use stealth hands-on takedowns, use frag or flashbang grenades, etc.
Alan Wake American Nightmare: Not a very scary game but atmospheric. Nice portrayal of the American Southwest at night. It's a linear third-person adventure/combat game where you fight shadowy enemies with a flashlight and various weapons. You are a writer caught in his own nightmare, fighting against an evil version of himself (that doesn't even have a goatee, I'm doubtful.) I've played up until the point where the protagonist has to repeat a multi-part task again, that stuff gets on my nerves so I've quit playing for now.
rms
Aug 8, 2012, 4:56:46 PM8/8/12
to
> I've played up until the point where the protagonist has to repeat a
> multi-part task again, that stuff gets on my >nerves so I've quit playing
> for now.
The loops are not identical, and repeat less and less, so don't give up
> multi-part task again, that stuff gets on my >nerves so I've quit playing
> for now.
on this account. It's a story mechanic, so embrace it!
rms
PW
Aug 8, 2012, 10:49:09 PM8/8/12
to
On Fri, 03 Aug 2012 12:49:31 -0500, Xocyll <Xoc...@kingston.net>
wrote:
I think I will wait until NewEgg or Amazon carries them (realizing the
price will most likely be higher). I have never bought anything from
eBay and don't plan on doing so!
wrote:
price will most likely be higher). I have never bought anything from
eBay and don't plan on doing so!
Xocyll
Aug 9, 2012, 12:12:27 AM8/9/12
to
PW <emailad...@ifIremember.com> looked up from reading the entrails
I never have either, and frankly I can't see buying anything from ebay
that could come broken and unreturnable in any way.
I realize thousands of people buy shit successfully and happily every
day, but I'm not so trusting.
Hell, whenever possible I prefer to buy locally so I can walk back into
the store if there's a problem with the purchase.
that could come broken and unreturnable in any way.
I realize thousands of people buy shit successfully and happily every
day, but I'm not so trusting.
Hell, whenever possible I prefer to buy locally so I can walk back into
the store if there's a problem with the purchase.
PW
Aug 8, 2012, 11:59:29 PM8/8/12
to
>
>>I think I will wait until NewEgg or Amazon carries them (realizing the
>>price will most likely be higher). I have never bought anything from
>>eBay and don't plan on doing so!
>
>I never have either, and frankly I can't see buying anything from ebay
>that could come broken and unreturnable in any way.
>
>I realize thousands of people buy shit successfully and happily every
>day, but I'm not so trusting.
>
>Hell, whenever possible I prefer to buy locally so I can walk back into
>the store if there's a problem with the purchase.
>
>Xocyll
Same here! But I live in Montana and there isn't a Best Buy or Fry's,
>>I think I will wait until NewEgg or Amazon carries them (realizing the
>>price will most likely be higher). I have never bought anything from
>>eBay and don't plan on doing so!
>
>I never have either, and frankly I can't see buying anything from ebay
>that could come broken and unreturnable in any way.
>
>I realize thousands of people buy shit successfully and happily every
>day, but I'm not so trusting.
>
>Hell, whenever possible I prefer to buy locally so I can walk back into
>the store if there's a problem with the purchase.
>
>Xocyll
etc any where close so I rely on Amazon and NewEgg.
I remember a couple friends getting ripped off with eBay purchases. I
don't have the time, money, or patience for that!
Thanks
Phat_Jethro
Aug 9, 2012, 9:53:51 AM8/9/12
to
find elsewhere and never more than I am willing to lose if it all goes
south.
J
--
Jethro[AGHL] aka Phat_Jethro
Reply Email: jethro86 (at) gmail (dot) com
Mr. Stabby
Aug 9, 2012, 2:35:38 PM8/9/12
to
rms
Aug 10, 2012, 1:34:40 PM8/10/12
to
Well, at least they emailed me my reg code for Binary Domain. I
haven't tried it yet, though. Not at home and no Steam installed on
this computer...
It's $10 today on Steam as well, if anyone cares.
haven't tried it yet, though. Not at home and no Steam installed on
this computer...
rms
PW
Aug 10, 2012, 10:14:08 PM8/10/12
to
Thanks for the heads up! Although it didn't get a great review from
GameSpot, it looks like some fun for $10!
-pw
Etal
Aug 19, 2012, 12:40:25 PM8/19/12
to
Spalls Hurgenson wrote:
>
> What have you been playing... IN JULY 2012?
I played ...
>
> What have you been playing... IN JULY 2012?
_Action_
*Rune, Viking Warlord* (2000)
developed by /Human Head Studios/
An action-adventure with melee-only fighting (swords, axes
& big hammers) in 3rd-person view. Quite fun, fun to explore,
smashing walls to get ahead. My only complaint is that the world,
the enemies, it's all quite mono-toned brown-tinted, and it would
have been nicer with more variety in that respect. Hopefully the
recent re-release i read about have changed also that a little
and not only simplified/shortened the not too difficult in-game
action compared to the original release.
_Adventure_
*Myst V, End of Ages* (2005)
developed by /Cyan Worlds/
1st-person view, with a choice of clicking to move between
fixed nodes or free-moving in a /very peaceful/ FPS kind of way.
i used the latter and it worked well. Somehow i felt the puzzles
where more more primary and that the story was built around them.
And the man that repeatedly showed up wanting your help but gave
no help on how to proceed was annoying. The best thing was to
revisit the Myst-island from the first game in free-walking form
and much better graphics, just unfortunately almost nothing there
worked.
To summarize the Myst-series, even though several of the
puzzles in Myst IV didn't mesh with my way of thinking its
underlying story was good with it's resolution of what had
happened in the first game, so i like Myst II, III and IV better
then Myst V. Myst I, its worlds feels smaller and more barren,
but i guess it's thanks to the success of that game that the
successors could have more resources put into them and maybe
playing the RealMyst-version of it would help.
--- End of Ages?, no, it's not over, next up ... Uru
--
Nah-ah. I'm staying out of this. ... Now, here's my opinion.
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