Sie

Terraria. In space

Started playing Elder Scrolls Online.

I think, like many, I had this game down as a pointless addition to the series and probably a shit MMO to boot. Turns out its about the best MMO I've played since the magic vanilla days of WoW. Same sense of wonder at the world. It's an Elder Scrolls game and not a generic MMO with a well known name slapped on it. It's nice to get back to playing an MMO that isn't just an exercise in min/maxing numbers or grinding mobs. This is all about exploration and being immersed.

But my gawd is has a terrible introductory tutorial. That shit put me right off when I first played it in beta. But after that, once I get dumped into the game proper, its quite brilliant. Thoroughly underserving of the vitriol from folk who wanted Skyrim 2. ESO feels more like Morrowind to me.

Nope. Hold off.

So Jenny, when is VT gonna get an exclusive photo of that lovely Olympic medal?

Or have we had one and I've missed it?

I'm sure I've seen baselayers go by Jenny Jones on here in the past as that is who I immediately thought of when I heard the news.

Jenny, did you ever have your now less famous than you American talkshow host namesake as your avatar?

I don't post nearly as much as I used to but I think one for the VT crowd WINNING A GODDAMN OLYMPIC MEDAL is a good enough reason to return. Not been following the Olympics much but my Facebook lit up with VTers posting celebration shortly before Nayson gave me the news too.

What a fantastic achievement Jenny! My utmost congratulations to you.

 

The standalone alpha is on Steam Early Access now. Haven't got it yet but watching streams/videos really made me want to play it.

 

Has anyone got this yet? Be interested to see how it differs from the original mod.

 

Been playing it a few days.

It''s very much a true alpha and I would say to anyone not sure about picking it up or perhaps trying DayZ for the first time - DON'T. What is there right now is enjoyable if you know what you're in for (testing the alpha having already played the mod) but its not even close to a finished game. Many of the major systems (loot and zombie spawning for example) have yet to be implemented. Optimisation is still to come too (increasing the number of zombies, loot etc). Up to this point, their main focus has been rewriting the server architecture and now the alpha is here to start building the gameplay with input from the alpha testers.

The inventory system is much improved and graphically, the game is noticeably better - there's too many changes to list in fact. It'll definitely evolve into something pretty special but that'll be months down the line.

So yeah, consider this a warning and save yourself from disappointment if you dive in expecting what the mod was.

Edit: If you do want to see it in action, I play it regularly on my twitch channel with friends. You can watch that here - http://www.twitch.tv/sievsdan

 

 

 

http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/digitalfoundry-battlefield-4-next-gen-vs-pc-face-off-preview

 

I hope this is just because the developers are getting used to the new systems, but 'next gen' is hardly inspiring me much reading that. Especially when the XBO is supposedly just about making 720p, and with a low res. The PS4 is slightly more uplifting but even that couldn't get to 1080p

 

I kind of wish I had the room for a PC, as soon as I move house in a couple of years I'll be building one again. This may be the last console I'll be getting on/close to release.

It's a stupid test though, comparing a PC that costs around £300 more, almost double the price of a PS4/XBO. Not sure what they were hoping for writing that.

 

 

 

They know a lot of their audience have PCs like that, so the test is fair. 

 

It's not really. High end PC and compare it with obviously inferior much cheaper gaming consoles and talk about how PC is better. No shit

 

Well people are genuinely interested in seeing how these new consoles stack up against a high end PC and the article answers that question at this point in time. The test is fair and a lot more honest that way. Comparing the PC version by deliberately holding it back on cheaper hardware just to make the consoles look better answers nothing.

 

 

 

 

I've heard COD looks horrendous on both. Doesn't look next gen at all.

The videos i've seen look just like current-gen. 

 

Infinity Ward have pretty much come out and said that the people who play COD are very casual gamers who have found a formula they like and will keep buying it, so IW will keep making it. 

 

I don't know how people can look at COD and BF with next-gen eyes and see COD as the better game to play. Surely this is Battlefield's time to become tog dog of the FPS genre?

 

Because the way BF plays is pretty awful, people will always go to COD.

 

Really?

 

On the 360 yeah. It played at 30FPS. On Xbone it will play at 60FPS and will be just as smooth as COD.

 

I said the way it played. The controls and movement are very clunky, it's a game I can't get into at all. I tried 2, then 3, just not for me at all.

 

The infantry gameplay in BF4 struck me as noticeably better. It's incredibly smooth now and everything flows from action to action.

Been enjoying State of Decay a lot since picking it up the other day on PC. Still have GTAV to continue with but lately, I just haven't been in the mood for it for some reason.

The new Killzone story trailer.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JzyibMjn7YE

That is stars Ripley's daughter makes no **** sense whatsoever. 

I'm still very much content with KZ:SF, BF4 and AC4 for my launch line-up. The Watchdogs delay confirmed my niggling feeling that game wasn't up to scratch and Driveclub just doesn't appeal to me right now.

There was an AC4 preview that trickled out the other day though that effectively said it was by far the most accomplished title in the series, even trumping AC2. Lets see if that holds true. If it does, oh man am I gunna love me some AC4!

In actuality, the example they gave was regarding jets. The explanation being that someone new to the game started jets with access to dog fighting guns which require a great deal of skill to be good and had to go up against established players with heat seeking missiles and defence measures that don't.

Ultimately, it's less about guns being objectably better, more about guns offering variety and allowing a player to mix it up the more they play as a means to keep them interested. CoD, last I played (MW2 era) was very good at this. BF3 less so. They're hoping to address this in BF4.

ShopTo are still taking day release pre-orders. Not sure about anyone else though but yeah, you might struggle to walk into a store and buy one on the 29th.

DICE have acknowledged that as a big misstep in BF3. The starter kits for each class are definitely improved in BF4. Presumably so it's the progression.

I think my fondest memories are still from the 1942 era. I remember really enjoying BF2 but I don't actually remember the time I spend playing it (I even reviewed it for a video game website at the time). The 1943 remake on consoles really hit the spot too.

My problem with BF3 was that it just felt like it was chasing the CoD money (which we know it was) a little too aggressively. For what I've played of BF4, its nice to see they're easing off on that and trying out new ideas (the verticality in maps). And getting rid of the blue BF3 filter is a bonus - that thing looked great on first impressions but got old quickly.

Its 720p at 60fps on PS4. Watchdogs however is said to be 30fps on PS4. 

The game itself is definitely an improvement over BF3. The verticality of the beta map is pretty spectacular and the improved player animations and overall feel of the controls makes everything you do feel very responsive, intense and cinematic.

 

 

It was such a good game when up until WOTLK, the relief you got when you finally got your first mount at level 40, the battles at Blackrock Mountain/Tarren Mill.

 

I kind of hope they release the original on the new consoles so I can do it all again. It'll never happen though

 

Real world PvP was ace.  We used to use Samisdead as bait outside of one of the Alliance flightpaths, then we'd all pile in and camp them until their mates showed up.

 

 

Did someone call?

 

Hmmmm.....

 

 Sam! Come back Sam!

Well, I bought MoP a month or so ago, but haven't really done anything yet - I'd like to do a panda from l1, so if anyone wants to join me, post a time and date. If a few of us could do so at the same time, that might still be kind of cool....

You still interested in this Juju?

So what are the UI mods like these days?

I'm playing with everything strictly default right now because they seem to have added a helluva lot of useful functionality.

But I know that will change soon. Any decent UI packages worth taking a look at?

You in a guild these days Sion?

Edit: Just fired up a Pandaria free trial to have a look around. I forgot how pretty this game is, especially in this new panda starting area.

I'll roll a character on the condition that we all make gnomes,

But we can't make Horde Gnomes (also Alliance smell of poop)

Pet battles?

Does WoW have pokemon in it now?

No deal.