Challenge yourself to master a game

[undercovergeek]

^I fear that very much. It's just so easy to sit back and listen, watch or read sometimes compared to playing 

I suppose it comes down to enjoyment - are we actually enjoying pc gaming or going through the motions all the time wishing we weren't and should be catching up on that Netflix series or whatever - I find myself doing the opposite - watching something but constantly thinking if I put XXX here and XXX there can I rescue the rebels?

[Silent Disapproval Robot]

Do you think sometimes we just outgrow or shift appetite and gaming isn't our thing anymore yet one clings on to it for familiarity and habit

I'm sure the day will come when I'd rather listen to a podcast instead of play but accept that for what it is - grab a cuppa and some biscuits and listen to the podcast - sometimes, eventually just let pc gaming go if it isn't doing anything for you

I still enjoy playing games, but I tend to multitask and have a podcast going at the same time so I find myself playing a lot more strategy/sim/management type games where I don't have to listen to or read through a lot of exposition. 

Very easy for me to sail around in my PT boat and lob a few torpedoes at a cruiser in War Thunder or move my tanks and infantry around in The Troop while listening to something in the background. 

[Redwolf]

Not that you mentioned both, I actually think that cutscenes with recorded audio versus written text for story play a role here.

I can't easily follow people's rambling at their natural pace - cutscenes are the worst. The same information provided as a text bubble is fine.

[Strela]

Dang, I freaking love retirement. Are you kidding?  No more useless meetings, no more dealing with idiots.  I'm having a great time.   And I use the time from when my wife goes to bed (generally 9pm) until my bedtime (1-2am depending on how much I'm  into the game) for gaming.  It's fantastic.  No interruptions, lotsa time etc.

I'm the same. I have the absolute best of all worlds. I retired from a 'real job' in 2018, and was very, very fortunate to be one of the partners to buy John Tiller Software as Wargame Design Studio in 2021.

I now have a dream job where I am in the industry we all love with an amazing catalogue and a chance to build games I want to play. All while working from home in Australia with a globally distributed team.

That said, this thread was about games we want to master. My goto currently is Ultimate Admirals: Dreadnoughts. If you haven't played the campaign, it's well worth your time. I am on my third play through as Japan and the attention to detail, the fact the ships look like Japanese ships and that you can play at multiple levels due to its sandbox approach is fantastic.

[Jarhead0331]

I'm the same. I have the absolute best of all worlds. I retired from a 'real job' in 2018, and was very, very fortunate to be one of the partners to buy John Tiller Software as Wargame Design Studio in 2021.

I now have a dream job where I am in the industry we all love with an amazing catalogue and a chance to build games I want to play. All while working from home in Australia with a globally distributed team.

In case you're hiring an executive assistant, I make a very good cup of coffee, take dictation and look great in heels.

That said, this thread was about games we want to master. My goto currently is Ultimate Admirals: Dreadnoughts. If you haven't played the campaign, it's well worth your time. I am on my third play through as Japan and the attention to detail, the fact the ships look like Japanese ships and that you can play at multiple levels due to its sandbox approach is fantastic.

I appreciate seeing posts like this because all the negative reviews on Steam hold me back from investing the time.

[Tripoli]

I'm the same. I have the absolute best of all worlds. I retired from a 'real job' in 2018, and was very, very fortunate to be one of the partners to buy John Tiller Software as Wargame Design Studio in 2021.

I now have a dream job where I am in the industry we all love with an amazing catalogue and a chance to build games I want to play. All while working from home in Australia with a globally distributed team.

....

Your journey is similar to mine, in that I'm finding my post-retirement work with Fight Club is keeping me doing something I believe in with the gaming community. 
 

[Old TImer]

^I fear that very much. It's just so easy to sit back and listen, watch or read sometimes compared to playing 

I suppose it comes down to enjoyment - are we actually enjoying pc gaming or going through the motions all the time wishing we weren't and should be catching up on that Netflix series or whatever - I find myself doing the opposite - watching something but constantly thinking if I put XXX here and XXX there can I rescue the rebels?

I'm really enjoying the games...wouldn't play them if I didn't.
To my mind nothing beats combining a really good book like say a Vietnam history or a Victorian era the foreign policy of Britain....and playing Campaign Series Vietnam or Victoria 3.  I learn stuff too :))

[Sir Slash]

I like retirement so well that it should've been my first job. Never been late. Never been held-over. Never gotten a bad review. And they can't fire me. 

[FarAway Sooner]

I think I've "liked" more posts in this thread than any other thread in the history of Grogheads!  Given the 10,000+ posts in the Ukraine War thread over in Current Events, that's saying something!

With an 11-year old and a 14-year old, extended periods of gaming only come at the cost of sleep for me.  Plus, I'm temporarily retired (i.e., "unemployed") and the job search is no fun.  So I really have to stay away from deeply immersive games lest I fall into that trap when I need to be looking for work.

I generally play games until I master the whole system and then I move on.  Replay value for me comes from having to really explore different mechanics to win as different factions (best exemplified in Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri).  In no particular order, here are the list of game-things I'm looking to master:

• Fully understand the logistics logic in Shadow Empire (I've won the games multiple times, and watched 10+ hours of video tutorials on logistics, but I still usually just throw stuff at a logistics problem, see if it disappears, then go back and play around in the logistics interface for 30 minutes trying to figure out what changed, before I ultimately just go back to playing the rest of the game, which is more comprehensible)
• Hex of Steel campaign game
• Against the Storm

[CptHowdy]

looking through the steam space exploration fest that started today i saw kerbal space program. that is a game i would like to master but i never get far into it.

[Tanaka]

I have to say, this thread may well be one of the most interesting ones I have seen in a long time. At 73 years old I find myself slipping more and more into less complicated games even though I still long to master many of those you guys have posted here.

Is that because of lack of time or age causing attention span issues? Because the great thing I think a lot would look forward to is retiring and having the time to enjoy gaming. But that is slipping away as newer generations are forced to retire later and later.

Well I'm 72 years old and I've had no problem getting into:

Command Modern Operations (smaller scenarios only though)
Grand Tactician (best CW game ever)
War in the Pacific AE (again, smaller scenarios only although I did edit the Saipan scenario to give me a couple more weeks)

I learned those games when I was younger and I have noticed that I've since then leaned toward simpler games (currently deep into Ageod's Wars of Napoleon while reading Roberts'"Napoleon-a life".

I do think age is a factor although having learned WITPAE years and years ago I have no problem going back to it and seemingly retaining the rules for the most part.  I would never do the campaign game cuz I would literally not live long enough to finish it, which is quite depressing.
So while I'll fire up the Grigsby games occasionally I can't imagine learning them from scratch at this point.

I do have way too many games in my Steam library.   For example I have all of the Assassin's Creed games which look amazing but I don't have the hand/eye like I used to and therefore really struggle with those games.


*learned Grand Tactician by watching You Tube videos

I see a lot of WITPAE posts here. I suggest hooking up with Jochen Heiden he loves teaching new players how to play:

https://discord.com/channels/967804647500808262/967805349279182928

[Con]

I think I've "liked" more posts in this thread than any other thread in the history of Grogheads!  Given the 10,000+ posts in the Ukraine War thread over in Current Events, that's saying something!

With an 11-year old and a 14-year old, extended periods of gaming only come at the cost of sleep for me.  Plus, I'm temporarily retired (i.e., "unemployed") and the job search is no fun.  So I really have to stay away from deeply immersive games lest I fall into that trap when I need to be looking for work.

I generally play games until I master the whole system and then I move on.  Replay value for me comes from having to really explore different mechanics to win as different factions (best exemplified in Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri).  In no particular order, here are the list of game-things I'm looking to master:

• Fully understand the logistics logic in Shadow Empire (I've won the games multiple times, and watched 10+ hours of video tutorials on logistics, but I still usually just throw stuff at a logistics problem, see if it disappears, then go back and play around in the logistics interface for 30 minutes trying to figure out what changed, before I ultimately just go back to playing the rest of the game, which is more comprehensible)
• Hex of Steel campaign game
• Against the Storm

I'm in the same boat - 2 13 year olds who keep me more than busy (especially since one has special needs) cuts deeply into my gaming time.  I have had to let go the dream of having my kids want to game with me as they have no interest in any of the games that I like.  I dream of being retired every day I have so many things I want to but one of my biggest worries is my wife has very few hobbies her biggest one seems to be making sure there are chores for me to do if she catches me gaming.

CMNO Shifting Sands with youtube videos gives you a real appreciation of mission planning and the way tech evolved and influenced strategy.
Also one that I put a lot of time into was command ops
Lastly I love WitE2 but I only play smaller scenarios since its so massive and I just like diving deeply into games and not investing 200+ turns top find out some decision I didnt understand in turn 2 comes back to haunt you and make the game unwinnable.

For all that though there is something to be said about simpler games I just recently installed Stronghold Definitive Edition and its sucked me in deeply - its satisfying to just have it be obvious.

[Anguille]

For all that though there is something to be said about simpler games I just recently installed Stronghold Definitive Edition and its sucked me in deeply - its satisfying to just have it be obvious.

I agree. A good combination of games easy to get into and games to learn is key to have fun when you don't have much time to play.

[undercovergeek]

i just like diving deeply into games and not investing 200+ turns top find out some decision I didnt understand in turn 2 comes back to haunt you and make the game unwinnable.

Here lies the rise of the YT streamer - many gaming hours have been lost because I didn't build the golden sword of doom in time or the right spearmen - I fear it now in xcom 2 and although I'd like to remember those days fondly of trying again and again and again I don't have the time or the patience to get 80% into a game to find out I failed hours ago - I'm assuming this is an age thing - and so I watch a couple of let's plays before embarking on a full campaign of anything but I wonder if this takes away from the excitement, learning and mystery of a new game that we had when it was just magazines and tip letters to the editor

My fondest gaming memory is beating civ 2 by trial and error after months and months - the rule book was immense and I didn't take the time to read it all - but when you find out the pyramids wonder counts as a granary in every city and the Great Wall of china counts as a wall in every city and you can disband the ones you'd built and now your maintenance costs are halved and you can afford the army do go pillaging the AI - gaming joy