Any gamers around here?

[SGOS]

It's the curse of the least common denominator!

You have to have something that appeals to everyone to even hit critical mass and have enough people to play anything at all.  But whatever appeals to everyone is something you've likely experienced a gajillion times, so it's boring.

The solution is simple, find something new and exciting.  Really shake things up.  Plot twist - suddenly, a lot less people want to play.  Not enough players, no game.

And a big part of that is people not investing the time in learning something new.  Well, if you're bored with the same ol' same old, but you won't participate in anything new, then who's really to blame for your boredom?

The last board game I remember coming out during my early adulthood was Trivial Pursuit.  I took the country by storm.  I loved it.  My friends loved it.  We would play to the conclusion.  But it's international enthusiasm seemed to have a short shelf life.  After you played it enough times, you started to gain familiarity with some of the trivia questions, making the whole game pointless.  Then they came out with new versions with new trivia dedicated to different categories like "The Silver Screen," "Books and Authors," etc.  But by then, the enthusiasm had faded, and the game just died and went away.  But what fun while it lasted.

I had a friend who owned a Trivial Pursuit game, but instead of playing the game, he liked to entertain his guests by just grabbing a box of questions, and reading them out loud to the room.  My God!  That got boring, but he seemed to think it was great fun.  I don't think he understood the concept of board game playing.

[drunkenshoe]

When I was a kid, my friends and I used to play Monopoly all the time.  It was a different era.  Today's diversions didn't exist.  But it was totally unusual to finish a game of Monopoly.  It was fun to play, but boring to finish.  Just after I retired, I babysat a sick kid, whose mother had to go to work.  He decided he would like to play Monopoly, so we got out the board.  We played for perhaps 15 minutes until he said he was tired of playing, and it all came back to me.

Other board games were usually played to conclusion.  Monopoly may have been by far the most fun, but was seldom finished.  Once a player had all the property on the last 10 squares, a slow and inevitable decline into bankruptcy begins, and it makes more sense to give up than finish.  I heard a rumor once that some guy, somewhere, from some unnamed location, was almost bankrupt, and his opponent owned everything from Baltic Avenue to Boardwalk, but he kept playing and his luck changed, and he was able to win the game.

I didn't believe it.  I think I may have pretended to believe it with an, "Oh yeah?  Really?  That's very interesting," but I didn't believe it, not one word of it.

This is so true, it is unfinishable,lol. And that guy sounds familiar too. May be they are a cult. 

[Mike Cl]

When I was a kid, my friends and I used to play Monopoly all the time.  It was a different era.  Today's diversions didn't exist.  But it was totally unusual to finish a game of Monopoly.  It was fun to play, but boring to finish.  Just after I retired, I babysat a sick kid, whose mother had to go to work.  He decided he would like to play Monopoly, so we got out the board.  We played for perhaps 15 minutes until he said he was tired of playing, and it all came back to me.

Other board games were usually played to conclusion.  Monopoly may have been by far the most fun, but was seldom finished.  Once a player had all the property on the last 10 squares, a slow and inevitable decline into bankruptcy begins, and it makes more sense to give up than finish.  I heard a rumor once that some guy, somewhere, from some unnamed location, was almost bankrupt, and his opponent owned everything from Baltic Avenue to Boardwalk, but he kept playing and his luck changed, and he was able to win the game.

I didn't believe it.  I think I may have pretended to believe it with an, "Oh yeah?  Really?  That's very interesting," but I didn't believe it, not one word of it.

I grew up with 4 brothers.  The key to game playing in our house was that dad liked to play board games.  So, we had our (or his) standard staple of Careers, Risk, poker, pinnacle, cribbage, hearts, casino, canasta, Clue, and chess.  Monopoly was in the house and played once in a great while----and never finished.  Growing up we did have a TV, but at most, we had 3 channels, so it not as dominant then as now.  Distractions were far fewer.

[Hydra009]

But it was totally unusual to finish a game of Monopoly.  It was fun to play, but boring to finish.

But that's the whole point of the game!  The initial enthusiasm and the world of possibilities grounds to a halt as all players except one are locked into an endless cycle of debt and despair inevitably culminating in financial ruin.  It's the very essence of capitalism distilled into an afternoon's diversion.

[SGOS]

But that's the whole point of the game! 

I read some place that the impetus behind designing the game was to encourage people to get into real world investment and development.  I don't know if that's true, but I read it.

Edit:  Not exactly to encourage, but to teach people of the dangers:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monopoly_(game)#Early_history

[Hydra009]

I've been playing more Endless Legend.

This time, I get to play as lava-loving little scamps and their disturbingly vast collection of war machines and lava-producing equipment gradually annihilating all greenery (and people) on an already dying world.  Needless to say, diplomatic relations with other factions are difficult at best.  "Sorry I created a lava river that ran through your orphanage.  Friends?"

And this time, the titular Endless (incredibly advanced beings who transformed the universe, creating both splendor and horror) play a much more pronounced role.  I won't spoil anything, but suffice it to say that the Cultists (an Endless-hating fanatical cult) declared holy war on me more than once.  They have quite a grudge!

Apparently, I had no idea how to play these lava gnomes correctly.  You have to think ahead - creating lava on territory you plan on taking far in advance of actually taking it.  Otherwise, your citizens starve.  Mine presumably ate snow and rocks in desperation until death worked its way through my newly conquered cities.

I also forgot that these guys get resources from sieging.  ABS - Always Be Sieging.

They require more micromanagement than any other faction and they start off pitifully weak, but they're insanely powerful in the late game with access to lots of production bonuses and access to some of the most powerful gear.  It's a shame they have to burn through enormous amounts of resources to get there.

Managing this faction is like piloting a paddleboat with built-in flamethrowers and a white phosphorus grenade launcher.  Sure, you can kick some ass, but you have to be insane and borderline suicidal to even try.

Also, the new eclipses are really quite stunning, full of that same wondrous aesthetic that I've come to love in this game and giving new tactical complexity to the map.  9/10 would burn down Auriga again.  ♪ I don't want to set the world on fire... ♬

[Sal1981]

I bought Age of Empires: Definitive Edition yesterday.

Very refreshing look, they should make AoE2 look this way.

[Mike Cl]

I've been playing more Endless Legend.

This time, I get to play as lava-loving little scamps and their disturbingly vast collection of war machines and lava-producing equipment gradually annihilating all greenery (and people) on an already dying world.  Needless to say, diplomatic relations with other factions are difficult at best.  "Sorry I created a lava river that ran through your orphanage.  Friends?"

And this time, the titular Endless (incredibly advanced beings who transformed the universe, creating both splendor and horror) play a much more pronounced role.  I won't spoil anything, but suffice it to say that the Cultists (an Endless-hating fanatical cult) declared holy war on me more than once.  They have quite a grudge!

Apparently, I had no idea how to play these lava gnomes correctly.  You have to think ahead - creating lava on territory you plan on taking far in advance of actually taking it.  Otherwise, your citizens starve.  Mine presumably ate snow and rocks in desperation until death worked its way through my newly conquered cities.

I also forgot that these guys get resources from sieging.  ABS - Always Be Sieging.

They require more micromanagement than any other faction and they start off pitifully weak, but they're insanely powerful in the late game with access to lots of production bonuses and access to some of the most powerful gear.  It's a shame they have to burn through enormous amounts of resources to get there.

Managing this faction is like piloting a paddleboat with built-in flamethrowers and a white phosphorus grenade launcher.  Sure, you can kick some ass, but you have to be insane and borderline suicidal to even try.

Also, the new eclipses are really quite stunning, full of that same wondrous aesthetic that I've come to love in this game and giving new tactical complexity to the map.  9/10 would burn down Auriga again.  ♪ I don't want to set the world on fire... ♬

Somehow this slipped under my radar.  I noticed there is an Endless Space 2--have you played it yet?  If so, what do you think. 

EL seems to be a variant of Civ games--have you played both?  What do you think of each?  I do like the 4X type of game and have put many hours into the Civ franchise.  Still go back every now and again and it seems EL would be a nice addition for me.

[Hydra009]

Somehow this slipped under my radar.  I noticed there is an Endless Space 2--have you played it yet?  If so, what do you think.

Yes.  I have played it heavily.  Suffice it to say that it's my favorite game after Endless Legend, which is my favorite game of all time.

EL seems to be a variant of Civ games--have you played both?  What do you think of each?

I've played Civ 4 and 5.  EL blows it out of the water:  fantastic artwork, amazing music, deep lore, and interesting mechanics and quest system.

The downsides:  new players might find the story confusing at first, some of the mechanics are difficult to grasp (if I told you an item gives a hero +30 XP when recruiting a unit on units, would you know what I was talking about?) or poorly explained (would you research a unit with the Inner Fire ability if you could only find out what that does after you have it researched?), the map can get really crowded with all sorts of stuff so you have to be able to mentally filter relevant information, and you can get easily get bogged down with too many quests at once to keep track of them all.  Also, the battles are kinda meh overall.

Not a deal breaker, and it gets easier as you learn more about the game, but it can certainly be daunting experience for new players - most things are decently explained, others not so much.  And there's so much content now that you have to start small and introduce new concepts over time, otherwise you'll just drown in a sea of confusion and indecision.

I do like the 4X type of game and have put many hours into the Civ franchise.  Still go back every now and again and it seems EL would be a nice addition for me.

It sounds like it would be.

Put it to you this way:  have you ever wanted to lead a race of tech-savy scholar-warriors against a horde of ravenous man-insects, befriend a nest of hydras, topple a fanatical cult, and unearth secrets buried since time immemorial that will allow you to take your people to the stars?  If that sounds in any way up your alley, give this game a try.

[Mike Cl]

Yes.  I have played it heavily.  Suffice it to say that it's my favorite game after Endless Legend, which is my favorite game of all time.
I've played Civ 4 and 5.  EL blows it out of the water:  fantastic artwork, amazing music, deep lore, and interesting mechanics and quest system.

The downsides:  new players might find the story confusing at first, some of the mechanics are difficult to grasp (if I told you an item gives a hero +30 XP when recruiting a unit on units, would you know what I was talking about?) or poorly explained (would you research a unit with the Inner Fire ability if you could only find out what that does after you have it researched?), the map can get really crowded with all sorts of stuff so you have to be able to mentally filter relevant information, and you can get easily get bogged down with too many quests at once to keep track of them all.  Also, the battles are kinda meh overall.

Not a deal breaker, and it gets easier as you learn more about the game, but it can certainly be daunting experience for new players - most things are decently explained, others not so much.  And there's so much content now that you have to start small and introduce new concepts over time, otherwise you'll just drown in a sea of confusion and indecision.
It sounds like it would be.

Put it to you this way:  have you ever wanted to lead a race of tech-savy scholar-warriors against a horde of ravenous man-insects, befriend a nest of hydras, topple a fanatical cult, and unearth secrets buried since time immemorial that will allow you to take your people to the stars?  If that sounds in any way up your alley, give this game a try.

Thanks for the reply.  I have the game marked on Steam and when it goes on sale I'll get it.  Or if I finish the game I'm on, I'll get it.  Steep learning curves I understand.  The Civ series has a bit of one.  FO 4 has a very steep one when crafting is put into the mix.  All the games I really like had a steep to very steep learning curve.  I used to think I had to excel at a game right out of the box, so to speak.  Now I jump right in with the idea of many restarts to become familiar with the mechanics of the game.  So, Endless Legend should fit right into my list of favs. 

[Hydra009]

It's not so much steep learning curve as it is strange/unintuitive to people not familiar with the Endless games.

Also, there's been just a *little* bit of feature creep.  Every DLC added something, so there's a lot more to keep track of now than there has been in the past.  People who played vanilla and then worked their way through the new additions had a much easier time learning everything than people who are jumping into it now and getting hit with everything at once.

If/when you start your first game, feel free to PM me any questions anytime and I'll get back to you as soon as I'm able.

[SGOS]

Red Dead Redemption II came out today.  There are positive reviews done by some of the writers of game magazines who have played part way through, but it's still early.  I'll guess that some of these reviews were written by the manufacturer and given out as last minute hype.  Still I have high hopes for this one, and there are reasons to believe it will be good.  First, it's done by Rock Star using a kind of Grand Theft Auto sandbox, and second, the old west makes for a great setting that has wonderful opportunities that can be utilized by an FPS game.  Also, the first one was very good.

[SGOS]

So yesterday, I bought a PlayStation 4 <Finally>, and Red Dead Redemption II.  It's too early to say much and I've only played it for 2-3 hours.  It takes about an hour to load the database into the PS hard drive.  It's a double disk game.  The combination of PS4 hardware and software development of Red Dead, is not at all subtle.  The environment is spectacular, and I think the characters, while greatly improved visually are still a bit wooden in their actions.  While the game is billed as 60 hours, I'm going to make a possibly premature speculation that this is because the game takes place at a slower pace, which makes it much more realistic.  In both Grand Theft Auto and Red Dead I, you can drive your car or ride your horse at breakneck speed around corners, and crash into a lot of stuff before your ride no longer functions.  Not so in RDRII.  A few years ago, I showed a friend Red Dead I, and his first response was that if you rode a real horse like that for a half hour, you would kill him.  You can't do that here.  You must treat your horse as you would a real horse, and he can't run faster than an actual horse.  I'm not sure if this will be a plus or a minus for most gamers or not.  But stuff does seem impressive, breath taking, and almost photographically real.  Of course we say this about every next generation of games.  They still have a ways to go on the people here.  They are much improved, but not as movie like as the environments.

[Mike Cl]

Am still pissed at these guys for not making the game on PC.  So, well......................fuck em!!!!!

[_Xenu_]

Free Steam keys:

Resident Evil Revelations
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Dead Island Definitive Edition
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