FREE GAME: Dakar Desert Rally

[Spalls Hurgenson]

Oh! It's Thursday. I almost forgot that means we get another free game
from Epic. It wouldn't have been too bad if I had, though. Not because
the game isn't worth snagging but because I'm sure there would have
been a reminder on Usenet.

So, reminder on Usenet, remind us all what we're getting free today!

* Dakar Desert Rally
https://store.epicgames.com/en-US/p/dakar-desert-rally
I'll say this much for Epic's freebies; they almost
always have descriptive titles that let you know
exactly what you're getting from the name alone. If
you think "Dakar Desert Rally" is about racing in
the deserts around Dakar, well, guess what? You're
right! You get an interesting selection of vehicles -
motorcycles, tucks, traditional rally hatchbacks, etc. -
and a lot of sand and scrub to zoom through. Unfortunately,
it also suffers from bugs, abandonment and too much in
the way of microtransactions (although there is a free
add-on, so be sure to grab that). "Dakar" looks like it
could have been a great game (well, a great racer) but
its developers didn't give it the time it needed to
reach perfection. As it is, DDR has some strong bones
sadly holding up a lot of mortifying gameplay.


Well, I dunno if I'll take it (c'mon, who am I fooling; y'all know I
will) but I have seven days to decide. And so do you. Clock's tickin'!

[Zaghadka]

Link to the free DLC:

https://store.epicgames.com/en-US/p/dakar-desert-rally--snowrunner-cars-pack

--
Zag

No one ever said on their deathbed, 'Gee, I wish I had
spent more time alone with my computer.' ~Dan(i) Bunten

[Dimensional Traveler]

Now you can combine it with your truck driving simulators and race
tractor-trailer rigs through the desert!!!


--
I've done good in this world. Now I'm tired and just want to be a cranky
dirty old man.

[PW]

*--

Looks real good! I am actually installing a free Epic game I claimed!
:-)

Thanks!

-pw

[kyonshi]

I am gonna see if my kid likes it. He's more into racing games.

I actually have been enjoying a few of the offers, although still less
than 10% of what they actually give away.

[Mike S.]

On Thu, 15 Feb 2024 15:14:28 -0600, Zaghadka <zagh...@hotmail.com>
wrote:

>Link to the free DLC:
>
>https://store.epicgames.com/en-US/p/dakar-desert-rally--snowrunner-cars-pack

Good catch. Thank you.

[Ant]

Ditto. I keep forgetting to check for free DLCs.:(
--
"'I hate divorce,' says the Lord God of Israel, ...'So guard yourself in your spirit, and do not break faith.'" --Malachi 2:16. :) (L/C)NY (wood dragon).
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/ /\ /\ \ Please nuke ANT if replying by e-mail.
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( )

[Spalls Hurgenson]

You'd think, right? Except I don't actually like driving trucks. ;-)

"But-but-but," I hear you splutter, "You never fucking shut up about
American Truck Simulator. Every other month it shows up in your 'what
have I been playing' list. You LOVE truck driving!"

But I don't. Trucks are too big, too slow, manuever like a fat pig,
and just ugly, polluting machines. They give me no joy to pilot.

What I /do/ enjoy is the exploration and quiet mesmerism of the
highway. The slowness of the truck is a necessary friction to create
this attitude. Without it, I tend to speed recklessly, playing the
game like I would any other racer. There are actually mods that let
you import and drive cars into the game. Given the option, I drove
very differently and the experience was completely different. Not
necessarily bad but it lacked the same hypnotic quality that keeps
bringing me back to ATS/ETS2.

TL;DR: I don't actually like driving trucks... but I recognize the
need for trucks in the SCS simulators in order to create their
addictive gameplay.

So I've no real desire to drive trucks in other games, especially
racers, because they aren't trying to recreate the almost zen-like
'highway hypnosis'.

[Dimensional Traveler]

STL;DR: Its the journey, not the destination. :)

I get it. Many years ago I took a 6-week, 12,000 mile road trip
circumnavigating the lower 48 states. (It was originally planned to be
"drive thru all lower 48" but circumstances. Mostly one named 'Katrina'.)

[candycanearter07]

On 2/16/24 14:32, Ant wrote:
> Mike S. <Mik...@nowhere.com> wrote:
>> On Thu, 15 Feb 2024 15:14:28 -0600, Zaghadka <zagh...@hotmail.com>
>> wrote:
>
>>> Link to the free DLC:
>>>
>>> https://store.epicgames.com/en-US/p/dakar-desert-rally--snowrunner-cars-pack
>
>> Good catch. Thank you.
>
> Ditto. I keep forgetting to check for free DLCs.:(

Honestly, I find free DLCs almost more annoying than paid ones. At least
with paid DLC, there's an excuse as to why the devs couldn't include it
because "oh we're providing more so you should pay for it" (which i dont
agree with), but for free DLC, its always the smallest thing added, like
a new quest with 3 levels.. and you KNOW it will become lost content the
second the servers go down. Frankly, stuff like that should just be a
update or *included in the base game*.
--
user <candycane> is generated from /dev/urandom

[Spalls Hurgenson]

On Sat, 17 Feb 2024 09:43:39 -0800, Dimensional Traveler
<dtr...@sonic.net> wrote:


>STL;DR: Its the journey, not the destination. :)

Sure, just point out to the world how I can't do short. ;-)

>I get it. Many years ago I took a 6-week, 12,000 mile road trip
>circumnavigating the lower 48 states. (It was originally planned to be
>"drive thru all lower 48" but circumstances. Mostly one named 'Katrina'.)

Sounds great... although honestly a bit too much for me. The best
thing about virtual driving is that I can hit ESC and take a break
whenever I need to.

I've done the trip across the continental USA. It was interesting but
not really one I found entirely enjoyable. It's still something I
recommend everyone do at least once. In some ways its even more
interesting than going across Europe.

There's a part of me that wished I'd done a similar trip across Africa
(north to south); /that/ would have been fascinating, I think. But
most of me thinks it just sounds exhausting, especially since there
isn't (or wasn't, I don't know if things have changed) a direct road
network down through the continent. Driving the highways is bad
enough; 7000 miles across unpaved roads is a bit much ;-)

[Xocyll]

Spalls Hurgenson <spallsh...@gmail.com> looked up from reading the
entrails of the porn spammer to utter "The Augury is good, the signs
say:

Watch the two Top Gear Special that take place in Africa, and you'll
appreciate just how good we have it, even when the city hasn't dealt
with potholes in years.

Xocyll

[Dimensional Traveler]

In Europe/North America a pot hole means a bump and a little damage to
your tire maybe.

In Africa a pot hole means a spelunking expedition to rescue the
survivors.

:D

[Xocyll]

Dimensional Traveler <dtr...@sonic.net> looked up from reading the

If I remember correctly, the second special in Africa, where they seek
the start of the Nile, there's a point where there is a hole in a muddy
road so bad they were literally pushing foot diameter rocks and such
into it to fill it.

Then in Tanzania, James hits a pothole which not only blows out both
tires on one side, it broke both rims too.

Then later there was a road so bad that blew out almost their entire
supply of spare tires and broke the steering on Richard's car (a piece
shattered) - one front wheel straight, one full left.

Clarkson: 3 flats, 2 airbags went off, shock absorbers completely blown
James May: 2 flats, fuel line came off, front bumper came off, shocks
gone
Hammond: dunno they never said, they were counting up while waiting for
him while he fabricated a piece to fix the steering.

...and this was in a lot less than 100 miles.

Makes the worst pothole ridden streets round here seem like nothing
much.

Xocyll

[Dimensional Traveler]

And that doesn't even include the time they had to build their own
bridge across a river!

[JAB]

Well that would have given the time for Clarkson to punch the producer
and throw around some racist remarks. What a lovely guy.

[Dimensional Traveler]

Hee. I know someone in another newsgroup who vigorously defends
Clarkson's right to get drunk and punch a producer because it doesn't
matter that they didn't arrive at the restaurant until 2am and Clarkson
immediately got stinking drunk. Clarkson wanted a steak dinner and it
was the producer's job to produce one in the middle of nowhere! He also
used to do special effects for Hollywood and claims that "producers" at
that level are just glorified gofers. But he feels that way about
pretty much anyone who works or worked on movies or TV shows.

[JAB]

It was always hard to tell whether his rather horrible persona was just
an act for TV but after that it was a case of, oh you really are a bit
of an arsehole and not just putting it on the cameras. One of his other
highlights is below.

https://www.theguardian.com/media/2023/jun/30/jeremy-clarkson-sun-article-on-meghan-was-sexist-says-press-regulator