does one recommend that have both great gameplay and graphics? I like just about anything except linear story driven shooters? Is Dark Souls 3 any good? Witcher? How about some good flight combat sims out there? Space shooters?
Thanks in advance.
Quite a few of the fellows here rave about Witcher 3 (The whole series if I'm not mistaken) and from what I've seen the game is gorgeous. A nice new shiny rig should run that game nicely.
It's on my "to do" list this XMas O0
Well I did what any Southern Man would do in a situation like this....
I waited until she was fast asleep and ordered the beast, paid from an account we rarely use. >:D
It's easier to ask for forgiveness than to ask for permission.
Total War series for good looking 3D strategy: Attila, Rome 2, Warhammer, or Shogun 2. Medieval 2 is also good but it's gfx are showing their age nowadays.
I consistently end up spending a lot of time playing the TW series' single-player campaigns. Good mix of grand strategy + real-time battles. It's too bad there aren't more series with the same scope out there.
The TWs get somewhat regular discount sales, so you can get many of them at a good price, if you watch for them.
For Flight Sims, you can download DCS World from their site or via Steam. You get a free Su-25T Frogfoot ground attack aircraft to fly, along with the unarmed P-51 trainer. Costs nothing to check it out. Often sales on the purchasing further aircraft modules, if you enjoy.
Skyrim has been extremely popular, for an open world 3rd/1st-person RPG. Been out for a few years now, so you can also find sales for it. Gives me motion sickness, due to the default console style Point Of View and Field Of View, so I haven't been able to play it too much. Wish I could. Many people dont have that issue and loved it.
Good suggestions. I played the heck out of the one TW game that dealt with the US War of Independence. I forget the name.
I'm really looking forward to seeing how Skyrim looks with the new computer My old one started to lag with some of the mods I put in it although I never got that far into the game.
I'll check out the DCS world game but hope there is more of an arcade option because I'm just a noob with flight games. Has anyone ever played the Dark Souls series? They do look nice.
I can't wait to see how good Graviteam Tactics looks on the new rig
edit. I think Skyrim has a mod that allows you to play in 3rd person iirc, as I dislike 1st person views.
Quote from: Moreb on November 02, 2016, 09:45:13 PM
I'll check out the DCS world game but hope there is more of an arcade option because I'm just a noob with flight games. Has anyone ever played the Dark Souls series? They do look nice.
If you just want to do some Arcade dogfighting, go with the Free-To-Play
War Thunder:
http://warthunder.com/en/
-or-
http://store.steampowered.com/app/236390/
There are three modes; Arcade, Realistic, and Sim. You can readily just use Mouse & Keyboard in 'Arcade' and 'Realistic' matches, with minimal settings adjustments. You should expect to use a Joystick or HOTAS setup if you want to do Sim mode.
It's not a hardcore sim. The Arcade mode is very forgiving, gives you respawns in each of the extra aircraft types you bring to the mission, provides lead targeting indicator circles, etc. You can eventually move up to Realistic mode, where the flight models are a bit more realistic and you have to go back & land to reload your ammo/bombs (unlike Arcade where it's just a hotkey and wait time).
HUGE amount of aircraft types to fly. Although they don't all have perfectly fitting flight & damage models, the sheer number you can get will keep you interested. You can also play tanks via the same game client, plus a mixed air & tank mode in Realistic and Sim modes.
The graphics look pretty good, when you crank them up, too! They're also not very taxing - must be well optimized.
Quote from: Moreb on November 02, 2016, 09:00:44 PM
Well I did what any Southern Man would do in a situation like this....
I waited until she was fast asleep and ordered the beast, paid from an account we rarely use. >:D
It's easier to ask for forgiveness than to ask for permission.
Amen but good luck explaining things if and when she notices the new rig. O0
Totes jelly as we need to update our gear to push BF1.
I had to look up what totes jelly was. Lol.
I'm salivating over the idea of the new Gforce 1080 8 gigs watercooled graphics card. Stoked I tell ya.
The Witcher 3 is my favorite game purchase of this year. Get the Game of the Year edition for about US$30.00 and you will be happy for 100s of hours. I'm taking a quick break from it now but think about it every day...seriously.
You, sir, are a brave man.
I think Witcher 3 will be a must buy for sure. I'm not even going to look further at it so I can be surprised around every corner.
Quote from: Bison on November 03, 2016, 06:59:54 PM
You, sir, are a brave man.
There's a fine line between brave and foolish. Time will tell. I'll just have to remind her that the preacher man said for better OR worse. She was warned.
Quote from: Moreb on November 03, 2016, 08:01:24 PM
Quote from: Bison on November 03, 2016, 06:59:54 PM
You, sir, are a brave man.
There's a fine line between brave and foolish. Time will tell. I'll just have to remind her that the preacher man said for better OR worse. She was warned.
I rely on this one too.
Even if you watched YouTube videos on it for 100 hours you would only get the tiniest little inkling of the wonders in store for you in Witcher 3.
Quote from: Gusington on November 03, 2016, 06:59:07 PM
The Witcher 3 is my favorite game purchase of this year. Get the Game of the Year edition for about US$30.00 and you will be happy for 100s of hours. I'm taking a quick break from it now but think about it every day...seriously.
The Witcher III: The Wild Hunt - Game of the Year Edition (https://www.gog.com/game/the_witcher_3_wild_hunt_game_of_the_year_edition) is on sale at GOG.com right now for $29.99 U.S. I wish I had waited to buy it instead of the vanilla game because there is no upgrade for mine to the GotY edition yet. :(
Can it run Crysis on max settings?
(Sorry, couldn't resist >:D)
Just built a new rig about a month ago. I also loaded graphic intensive games on it to see how they looked/played. It was awesome! Then I went right back to playing turn-based 4x games and old games like Imperialism and Birth of the Federation on it. :P
Witcher III gets my vote.
Quote from: jamus34 on November 04, 2016, 05:01:43 AM
Can it run Crysis on max settings?
(Sorry, couldn't resist >:D)
Not sure yet. It's still being shipped.
Quote from: bbmike on November 04, 2016, 07:36:59 AM
Just built a new rig about a month ago. I also loaded graphic intensive games on it to see how they looked/played. It was awesome! Then I went right back to playing turn-based 4x games and old games like Imperialism and Birth of the Federation on it. :P
You know that's right. I played the hell out of Imperialism II.
BBoyer you scamp!
Moreb did you decide on any board games for the kids yet?
You know that kind of went by the wayside for now. I got him a couple simple ones but his attention just wasnt there. Im thinking next year after he matures a bit more. I did look into all the suggestions and have those bookmarked because they were right up my alley on what I think will be compelling. Thanks for reminding me about those, especially with Christmas coming up.
I just got these games for my almost 5 year old boys. They are doing quite well with them (apart from the usual crying and screaming if they don't win followed by intense pouting and whining). But these are necessary skills to become good miniature wargamers in the future!
Actually my main goal is for them to have fun playing, learn how to handle losing, and to respect the rules because no one likes playing with cheats (unless they are on your team because then they cheat for us - you know like pirates) :arr:
https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/41916/magic-labyrinth
(https://cf.geekdo-images.com/images/pic477249_md.jpg)
https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/93688/sneaky-snacky-squirrel-game
(https://cf.geekdo-images.com/images/pic2388611_md.jpg)
Those look good for entry level especially The Magic Labyrinth.
This is the one I think he'd like too as suggested by bayonetbrant.
https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/41010/my-first-carcassonne
(https://cf.geekdo-images.com/images/pic1971215_md.png)
I also really like the look of this but it would have to be later.
https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/100901/flash-point-fire-rescue
(https://cf.geekdo-images.com/images/pic1129370_md.jpg)
With maybe this one before Flash Point
https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/125921/catan-junior
(https://cf.geekdo-images.com/images/pic1332510_md.jpg)
and another co-op like Flash Point with probably a steeper curve
?
https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/65244/forbidden-island
(https://cf.geekdo-images.com/images/pic646458_md.jpg)
Forbben Island is a great coop game with kids.
Dungeonquest (http://www.boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/157958/dungeonquest-revised-edition) from FFG has been a huge hit with the under age 10 kids. After playing it a couple times, that is always the one they want to play.
(https://www.grogheads.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fcf.geekdo-images.com%2Fimages%2Fpic2017396_md.jpg&hash=dc0a9d46f9131a941c6a0a514f0eed5194572a34)
It's an updated version of the old '80s boardgame from Games Workshop (and a small Swedish or Norwegian company prior to iirc).
It's basically a much more filled-out version of TSR's old Dungeon. Similar, but with more variety in what you find in each room. A press-your-luck race to gather loot & get out before inevitably dying.
There's a lot of different parts, but the game play pretty much breaks down to this:
1) Decide which exit to take, out of your current dungeon room, OR search for a secret door.
2) Draw a random room tile and place in new location (I put the tiles in a small bucket, but a box lid would work although there are quite a few). The young'ns love doing this for some reason. Drawing a surprise every turn. ;D
3) You read the room type results off and draw a card from the associated deck to see what the player found in the new room.
4) Roll/Fight any bad encounters, and/or draw loot card for treasure found.
5) Next player goes.
The thing that makes it popular with the kids is that there really aren't many tough decisions to make, or very many at all. The reading of the room tile types and cards can be done by an older person playing because there is no hidden information (which makes competitive games difficult).
Also.. there is no direct player-vs-player confrontation; it's a race down a very deadly gauntlet, so the players are still pretty much trying their luck against the game system instead of getting stomped by a player opponent's devious tricks.
The turns also go by pretty fast, as long as there is no combat vs a monster encounter (doesn't happen too often). Long turns, and the resultant down-time between their own, is often a big negative due to short attention spans.
I was actually looking for a new game to play with my oldest 2...anyone have experience with this one? They are 10 and 7...I've been playing Carcassonne with both of them, chess regularly with the oldest and also starting to teach the 7 yr old chess.
Anyone have any experience with this???
(https://cf.geekdo-images.com/zKvtC4E0HL5p0SgZF9E9jyyc0Iw=/fit-in/246x300/pic1312072.jpg)
Quote from: jamus34 on November 06, 2016, 09:33:24 PM
I was actually looking for a new game to play with my oldest 2...anyone have experience with this one? They are 10 and 7...I've been playing Carcassonne with both of them, chess regularly with the oldest and also starting to teach the 7 yr old chess.
Anyone have any experience with this???
(https://cf.geekdo-images.com/zKvtC4E0HL5p0SgZF9E9jyyc0Iw=/fit-in/246x300/pic1312072.jpg)
No, but it looks like a great game for kids and adults. After looking at this and others I'm convinced I need to dedicate some effort guiding him towards more thought provoking activities such as board games. We see him at least once a week, sometimes more.
https://www.boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/124708/mice-and-mystics
Quote from: jamus34 on November 06, 2016, 09:33:24 PM
I was actually looking for a new game to play with my oldest 2...anyone have experience with this one? They are 10 and 7...I've been playing Carcassonne with both of them, chess regularly with the oldest and also starting to teach the 7 yr old chess.
Anyone have any experience with this???
(https://cf.geekdo-images.com/zKvtC4E0HL5p0SgZF9E9jyyc0Iw=/fit-in/246x300/pic1312072.jpg)
I've seen mixed reviews about it. Some love it... others not so much (including kids?).
From what I recall, some of the criticism was due to the game using canned episodes. Like playing through a linear story, but once you've played the few missions included, the replayability may lack some surprises.
Never played it. Was kinda popular for a time, after it came out, so it must be enjoyable if you can get into the theme & story line setups. :)
QuoteFrom what I recall, some of the criticism was due to the game using canned episodes. Like playing through a linear story, but once you've played the few missions included, the replayability may lack some surprises.
I'm not sure if you noticed this but it seems they sell several chapters as addons and a couple well received full expansions with Mice and Mystics: Downwood Tales being the most popular. It looks like the Chapters are cheap but the expansion not so much. The contents seem well made.
https://www.boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/124708/mice-and-mystics/expansions?pageid=1
I play a lot of games with my kids. We should start a thread in the board game section to gather and pass around thoughts. I've got a fairly extensive list of games that we play at the house and have played at the game store.
Meh started a thread in the boardgaming section. http://grogheads.com/forums/index.php?topic=18165.0 I enjoy this topic a lot.
Give us a link Bison.
edit: I see. lol
Quote from: Bison on November 06, 2016, 11:14:31 PM
I play a lot of games with my kids. We should start a thread in the board game section to gather and pass around thoughts. I've got a fairly extensive list of games that we play at the house and have played at the game store.
Meh started a thread in the boardgaming section. http://grogheads.com/forums/index.php?topic=18165.0 I enjoy this topic a lot.
I could swear there was a "boardgaming with the kids" thread somewhere, in the past. But I'm not gonna look for it. :)) Carry on!
Quote from: Nefaro on November 07, 2016, 06:39:04 AM
Quote from: Bison on November 06, 2016, 11:14:31 PM
I play a lot of games with my kids. We should start a thread in the board game section to gather and pass around thoughts. I've got a fairly extensive list of games that we play at the house and have played at the game store.
Meh started a thread in the boardgaming section. http://grogheads.com/forums/index.php?topic=18165.0 I enjoy this topic a lot.
I could swear there was a "boardgaming with the kids" thread somewhere, in the past. But I'm not gonna look for it. :)) Carry on!
I had a boardgaming with the family thread awhile back, but I'm to lazy to use the search function to find it. :(