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[More_Badass]

Then why is it EA?

Here's an excerpt from an interview, explaining why the dev went the EA route

Why Early Access? This is the first time you're doing an Early Access release, so I'm just wondering why you're going down this route now.

Barth: So I've actually never been a fan of Early Access. I think it's a bunch of developers prematurely releasing stuff that should not be released. A lot of the stuff I released a long time ago was not very good in the scheme of things, but I still only released them after I thought they were ready to go. You do a little bit of prep and testing, and you put a lot of work into it, and then you release it so that people can enjoy it.

I was always really - I believe very strongly that was the best way to do it. Then we started looking around and decided maybe that people don't value that as much as we thought they did. If something is compelling enough, releasing something before it's "finished" is actually quite acceptable, and can actually give you a lot of bonuses. One of them is that you can better respond to what players want, and better make a game that's less about your stupid artistic vision, and more about making something that's an interaction with your fans, so people are actually playing your game.

It also gives you way more press, and it shields you from crappy reviews. We got a lot of reviews for Ironclad Tactics at launch, and one of the major things that people complained about was the randomness. We actually added some factors in to mitigate the randomness, to fix those problems, but by the time we did, all the reviewers were done with it, and none of them wanted to go back. No-one gave a shit - they'd judged it, and they were done.

I feel like launching into Early Access is a little bit more honest with how we really work - we were very serious about releasing things that are of a professional quality, but at the same time, we want people to understand that we do a lot of work after release to make the product better.

So what our plan is, our Early Access is going to be what we would have released if we weren't doing Early Access. Then we're going to take a much longer, more deliberate and visible period of responding to player feedback, improving the game, adding more content, and then when everything's totally locked down, releasing. That's the plan.

So it sounds like you're aiming to put out a beta build, rather than an alpha, as is usually the case with Early Access.

Barth: Not even. We're doing private beta right now. It's really going to be a 1.0 release. I feel like a lot of people might say, "Eugh, Early Access." There's so many shitty Early Access games out there that are really not ready to go. But I feel like this is the best of both worlds... I feel like being able to label our game Early Access helps communicate that stuff, because even if we're not doing it quite like everybody else, at least they'll be on the right page in thinking about how we're releasing it.

 

[bobnowhere]

Games:

Instructions for participants:
I am giving away 5 Steam keys. To enter this giveaway, send a PM to ModBot with any subject line. In the body, copy and paste the entire line from the message below that corresponds to the game you want. (if you include more than one game, you will be blocked from entering). Confused? Watch this GIF tutorial or ask for help.

ModBot Basics:
- I really appreciate thank you messages, but please send them to me (bobnowhere, not ModBot!) via PM instead of in thread.
- Do not trade keys you win off-site to enrich yourself. Don't try to claim games you have no interest in collecting or playing. Don't claim games to give them to friends off-site.
- If the key is already taken you will not receive a reply. Replies may take a minute or two.


Super Toy Cars -- MB-F9265077011B0DEA - Taken by maguskain
Tesla Breaks the World! -- MB-665D78C70A386157 - Taken by lindarasta
Aztaka -- MB-73E8A7FC79A5FA89 - Taken by SSPssp
Whisper of a Rose -- MB-07F3E00106E8BB31 - Taken by PhoenixFyre
Eleusis -- MB-B60FB5BB2A4B7AB0 - Taken by Tesseract

These are building up:

Instructions for participants:
I am giving away 2 Steam keys. To enter this giveaway, send a PM to ModBot with any subject line. In the body, copy and paste the entire line from the message below that corresponds to the game you want. (if you include more than one game, you will be blocked from entering). Confused? Watch this GIF tutorial or ask for help.

ModBot Basics:
- No need to thank me. Please don't post thank you messages in thread or in PM.
- Do not trade keys you win off-site to enrich yourself.
- If the key is already taken you will not receive a reply. Replies may take a minute or two.

Rules for this Giveaway:
- This is a garbage dump. No other rules apply, you may claim as many as you want (there are no limits or throttles), and keys you win won't be counted as wins for your record. Do not SELL these keys for a profit.



Sweet Lily Dreams #2 -- MB-D775F81B6076B20C - Taken by cardinalmind
Sweet Lily Dreams -- MB-C3C77A1B50192656 - Taken by freshVeggie

By the way, there were some errors processing your keys...
Note: The key you added for Sweet Lily Dreams was already listed in ModBot from a previous giveaway of yours, but was not taken. Updating key info to match new giveaway.

 

[Ozium]

The bullet.

damn

 

[VikasNarula]

Guys, I have a Sony HMZ-T1 headmounted display, which I'd like to use for playing PC games with a controller while I ly dow on the couch... the only problem is that I don't have wireless keyboard or mouse, so if I need to alt-tab out of the game, switch to another game, or in some games even access the menu I have to get up and walk to the PC desk. So I'm thinking of getting one of these wireless mini-keyboards with built-in touchpad, so that I can have full Windows control from the couch:



Good idea? Bad idea? Better similarly-priced alternatives? Any thoughts?

Yeah its a good idea, i was in same situation few months back and bought this, Its build quality is better then FAVI

 

[matrixman92]

ehhh, i hope this a proper place to ask about this. I have asked in numerous other places, with no results. Several months ago, I had a video card that crapped out and I got a replacement. Around this same time, steam just stopped working for me(I have no idea what these two things have in common, but they happened around the same time). I could login to steam, but I could not access the store or download anything. It was giving me "error:-118" in the store. I have searched and searched for this error code online, with no success on finding what it means.

Today I have finally been able to login to steam by putting it in my startup folder and having it immediately start when I boot my PC. Now whenever I try to download a game, the speed goes normally, and then down a little, then down some more, still going down, then just ends at 0 bytes/s. I cannot download anything, I tried multiple games. When this happens, in Steam, it says "No Connection" at the bottom. This is on there until i completely reboot my PC

Here is what I have tried so far:

-uninstalling and reinstalling
-restarting pc
-changing download region
-deleting appcache and config folders in the installation folder
-I tried looking for a specified .blob folder, but I could not find it to delete.
-Refreshed Steam Files
-removed all firewalls and antivirus programs
-rebooting modem and router

I believe thats it, any help would be appreciated. I dont really know where else I can ask.

 

[bobnowhere]

Played a bunch of random games today:

Vector: It's a stage based infinite runner with a silhouette visual style. You use parkour and time your jumps to conserve momentum as best as you can. The idea is cool but I found it a bit too clunky to pull it off. Awful UI, possibly a mobile port? If this sounds like something you might like maybe try it, but I don't really recommend it and won't be playing more.

I was hoping for it to be Canabalt on steam, but it's quite terrible. It just feels slow, every movement is accompanied by a delay, it's the antithesis of a fast reaction based platformer.

 

[Sajjaja]

It was a mediocre third person console PvE shooter with an annoying loot drop mechanic.

fite me

i just don't think anyone cares about multiplayer in the mass effect series

It was one of the most refreshing experiences last gen and surprisingly well done for what it was. I put hundreds of hours into it myself. If it get's the PvZGW treatment in ME4, it will be HUGE.

 

[zkylon]

It was one of the most refreshing experiences last gen and surprisingly well done for what it was. I put hundreds of hours into it myself. If it get's the PvZGW treatment in ME4, it will be HUGE.

i just think it hurt the single player, so i hate it

 

[someguyinahat]

ehhh, i hope this a proper place to ask about this. I have asked in numerous other places, with no results. Several months ago, I had a video card that crapped out and I got a replacement. Around this same time, steam just stopped working for me(I have no idea what these two things have in common, but they happened around the same time). I could login to steam, but I could not access the store or download anything. It was giving me "error:-118" in the store. I have searched and searched for this error code online, with no success on finding what it means.

Today I have finally been able to login to steam by putting it in my startup folder and having it immediately start when I boot my PC. Now whenever I try to download a game, the speed goes normally, and then down a little, then down some more, still going down, then just ends at 0 bytes/s. I cannot download anything, I tried multiple games. When this happens, in Steam, it says "No Connection" at the bottom. This is on there until i completely reboot my PC

Here is what I have tried so far:

-uninstalling and reinstalling
-restarting pc
-changing download region
-deleting appcache and config folders in the installation folder
-I tried looking for a specified .blob folder, but I could not find it to delete.
-Refreshed Steam Files
-removed all firewalls and antivirus programs
-rebooting modem and router

I believe thats it, any help would be appreciated. I dont really know where else I can ask.

Have you tried using a different computer to log in to Steam? Just to see if it's a problem with your computer as opposed to your account?

 

[Naked Snake]

Yeah its a good idea, i was in same situation few months back and bought this, Its build quality is better then FAVI

Thanks, that looks better, more comfortable and is cheaper! (The black one at least, crazy that the white one is so much more expensive)

 

[matrixman92]

nvm

 

[iosefe]

So....

The Slaughtering Grounds got a 32 MB update

 

[matrixman92]

Have you tried using a different computer to log in to Steam? Just to see if it's a problem with your computer as opposed to your account?

yeah it works perfectly fine on my laptop

 

[Turfster]

yeah, it works perfectly fine on my laptop

Check your DNS settings on the system where it doesn't work.
Can you get to other sites without trouble?

Also maybe do a malwarebytes malware scan.

 

[Anustart]

Oh, one thing. People talked about problems with character transferring from 2 to 3 if it came from 1. Do I get mangled later or did I somehow miss creation of Skippy Shepard

For the new page.

 

[AsfaeksBR]

Just finished Act 3 of Kentucky Route Zero

 

[LurkerPrime]

ehhh, i hope this a proper place to ask about this. I have asked in numerous other places, with no results. Several months ago, I had a video card that crapped out and I got a replacement. Around this same time, steam just stopped working for me(I have no idea what these two things have in common, but they happened around the same time). I could login to steam, but I could not access the store or download anything. It was giving me "error:-118" in the store. I have searched and searched for this error code online, with no success on finding what it means.

Today I have finally been able to login to steam by putting it in my startup folder and having it immediately start when I boot my PC. Now whenever I try to download a game, the speed goes normally, and then down a little, then down some more, still going down, then just ends at 0 bytes/s. I cannot download anything, I tried multiple games. When this happens, in Steam, it says "No Connection" at the bottom. This is on there until i completely reboot my PC

Here is what I have tried so far:

-uninstalling and reinstalling
-restarting pc
-changing download region
-deleting appcache and config folders in the installation folder
-I tried looking for a specified .blob folder, but I could not find it to delete.
-Refreshed Steam Files
-removed all firewalls and antivirus programs
-rebooting modem and router

I believe thats it, any help would be appreciated. I dont really know where else I can ask.

Sounds like a router or AV firewall is messing with Steam's connection to the Internet, preventing it from connecting to the store and slowing/stopping downloads(?!?). If turning off your AV firewall didn't fix it, then it must be the router. You'll have to check the router's settings to figure out what's going on, but here's a link to the ports you need to forward for Steam to work.

I have no tech support experience, so note that I might be totally wrong. :/

So....

The Slaughtering Grounds got a 32 MB update

I wonder how many Jim F'n Sterling Sons are in the game now for the player to kill.

 

[Turfster]

The "detective work" in The Detail is... iffy, game mechanic-wise.

 

[matrixman92]

Check your DNS settings on the system where it doesn't work.
Can you get to other sites without trouble?

Also maybe do a malwarebytes malware scan.

yeah, all internet stuff seems fine besides steam. Im on neogaf right now on the computer in question lol. I will try a scan

 

[Haunted]

The "detective work" in The Detail is... iffy, game mechanic-wise.

Where does it fall on the adventure puzzle bullshit spectrum?

Classic point n click adventure obscure inventory bullshit?
Classic point n click adventure pixel hunt bullshit?
CSI/Castle licensed game braindead minigame bullshit?
Sherlock Holmes Frogwares arbitrary trigger points bullshit?

Not looking for spoilers, just a general idea on what to expect (bought the game today).

 

[zkylon]

For the new page.

never happened to me

 

[Sajjaja]

i just think it hurt the single player, so i hate it

lol fair enough, but given how ME3 story played out, it's clear that it had more problems than simply "too focused on MP."

 

[Turfster]

Where does it fall on the adventure puzzle bullshit spectrum?

Classic point n click adventure obscure inventory bullshit?
Classic point n click adventure pixel hunt bullshit?
CSI/Castle licensed game braindead minigame bullshit?
Sherlock Holmes Frogwares arbitrary trigger points bullshit?

Not looking for spoilers, just a general idea on what to expect (bought the game today).

pixel hunt, so far.
Like, I had to turn on "show all hotspots" to find random shit I'd never have clicked on otherwise.

 

[Nyteshade517]

I have a quick question or two I hope someone can answer...

I'm thinking of getting more RAM. Right now I have 8 GB of Corsair Vengeance RAM. I found out the model/part number and no one except the company itself sells that specific one anymore. Would getting more of that brand but a different model/part number be ok? Would getting a different brand entirely cause any issues?

I'm an idiot with this stuff so please go easy if those were stupid questions

 

[someguyinahat]

pixel hunt, so far.
Like, I had to turn on "show all hotspots" to find random shit I'd never have clicked on otherwise.

There is no shame in "show all hotspots." I bless any point and click that does it.

 

[Turfster]

I'm an idiot with this stuff so please go easy if those were stupid questions

You should be fine as long as you pick something with the same latency.

There is no shame in "show all hotspots." I bless any point and click that does it.

Well yeah, but it really breaks the "you figure it out on yourself" side of the detective work.
It just becomes "click everything until it's no longer yellow"

Also, given the polish of most of the rest of the game, they really should have splurged for proper voice acting, instead of just music.
It just doesn't feel right.


Also uh... It's over already, after an hour, with no achievements gotten.
Hell, didn't even drop all cards. Not that they're worth anything any more.

 

[zkylon]

lol fair enough, but given how ME3 story played out, it's clear that it had more problems than simply "too focused on MP."

agreed, tho i think the single player is such a trainwreck that it's probably one of the main reasons for the game feeling underbudgeted. i mean you can tell they never really planned ahead and that's what killed me3 more than anything, but then the side content feeling so unfinished and crappy and all the reusing of mp maps, that stuff feels like maybe bioware wasn't ready for sp+mp at the same time

 

[Ozium]

any idea when we should expect an email from gamestop? either with the keys or a "gtfo lol" email?

 

[Sajjaja]

agreed, tho i think the single player is such a trainwreck that it's probably one of the main reasons for the game feeling underbudgeted. i mean you can tell they never really planned ahead and that's what killed me3 more than anything, but then the side content feeling so unfinished and crappy and all the reusing of mp maps, that stuff feels like maybe bioware wasn't ready for sp+mp at the time

They had a whole bunch of free DLC that introduced new maps, new enemies, classes and characters, events in the MP that made it such an enjoyable experience to play. YOU COULD PLAY AS OTHER RACES MAN, THE BIOTIC GOD, THE VOLUS.

It was balanced really well too.

 

[InfiniteNine]

You mean this game?

Why would a rebranded Puyo be Tetris? Puyos and Tetris isn't the same!

 

[Casimir]

fite me

Yeah, no probl..oh wait. No PvP.

 

[Turfster]

They had a whole bunch of free DLC that introduced new maps, new enemies, classes and characters, events in the MP that made it such an enjoyable experience to play. YOU COULD PLAY AS OTHER RACES MAN, THE BIOTIC GOD, THE VOLUS.

It was balanced really well too.

They should have kept their multi out of my space opera adventure =p
They wanted mp? Fine, make a different fucking game.
Don't starve the single player for this bulletpoint bullshit.

 

[Kurt Russell]

any idea when we should expect an email from gamestop? either with the keys or a "gtfo lol" email?

What if Gamestop finds out that you bought it for me and denies the key because I'm not a Real American (tm)?

 

[Ozium]

Panel de Pon is the best puzzle game anyways...

are there any clones on Steam?

What if Gamestop finds out that you bought it for me and denies the key because I'm not a Real American (tm)?

I will go to a retail location and knock over a magazine rack for you.

 

[Kurt Russell]

Panel de Pon is the best puzzle game anyways...

are there any clones on Steam?



I will go to a retail location and knock over a magazine rack for you.

I've been clapping my hands after dinner every day, hopefully that will be enough to fool Gamestop and avoid magazine rack destruction.

In other news, I'm a lot more excited for a game that I played at least 5 times already than I am for Evolve.

 

[Sajjaja]

Yeah, no probl..oh wait. No PvP.

Good. THAT'S RIGHT, EXCUSES FROM A SCRUB. SHOULDN'T HAVE EXPECTED ANY DIFFERENT.

They should have kept their multi out of my space opera adventure =p
They wanted mp? Fine, make a different fucking game.
Don't starve the single player for this bulletpoint bullshit.

And remove the best part of the game? No thanks.

IIRC, they did want to do that but for whatever reason they didn't.

 

[AbundantChoice]

Oh god.. I may have just played through all of HuniePop in one sitting.

 

[Turfster]

IIRC, they did want to do that but for whatever reason they didn't.

Suits that wanted that shit in every game chasing that fucking collar duty money =p

 

[A Fish Aficionado]

Oh god.. I may have just played through all of HuniePop in one sitting.

Looks like your choice wasn't abundant.

 

[PhoenixFyre]

Oh god.. I may have just played through all of HuniePop in one sitting.

I have found my next Let's Play..

Excuse me. I have some trading cards to farm.

 

[Casimir]

Good. THAT'S RIGHT, EXCUSES FROM A SCRUB. SHOULDN'T HAVE EXPECTED ANY DIFFERENT.

DON'T COME AT THE KING SON, I'MMA MAKE YOU A TERTIARY COLOR.

 

[Barbarian]

Some bundle stuff. Enjoy.

Instructions for Barbarian:
Press the quote button to the left of this PM, select the quoted text, copy, and paste in the thread. You can remove these lines from the version you paste. Your giveaway will be automatically reposted on your behalf.

Instructions for participants:
I am giving away 4 Steam keys. To enter this giveaway, send a PM to ModBot with any subject line. In the body, copy and paste the entire line from the message below that corresponds to the game you want. (if you include more than one game, you will be blocked from entering). Confused? Watch this GIF tutorial or ask for help.

ModBot Basics:
- I really appreciate thank you messages, but please send them to me (Barbarian, not ModBot!) via PM instead of in thread.
- Do not trade keys you win off-site to enrich yourself. Don't try to claim games you have no interest in collecting or playing. Don't claim games to give them to friends off-site.
- If the key is already taken you will not receive a reply. Replies may take a minute or two.

Rules for this Giveaway:
- If you are a lurker you are not eligible for this giveaway. You need five or more posts in either the current Steam thread or the previous one to be eligible
- This giveaway is a raffle. The winners will be selected by random draw 3 hours after the draw was created. Any games not claimed after that point will be given away first come first serve.



Tesla Breaks the World! -- MB-BB1910FA07A09344 - Taken by sensoft04. 1 entrants total.
Final Dusk -- MB-7F143031AA979FB1 - Taken by Milamber. 11 entrants total.
Sweet Lily Dreams -- MB-F514CCB210101149
Eleusis -- MB-B36AE1244B8AEC6F - Taken by bigzgod. 3 entrants total.

 

[CheesecakeRecipe]

Just finished Act 3 of Kentucky Route Zero

Wasn't it just the best? I love Johnny and Junebug. That scene in The Lower Depths had me in awe.

 

[matrixman92]

Sounds like a router or AV firewall is messing with Steam's connection to the Internet, preventing it from connecting to the store and slowing/stopping downloads(?!?). If turning off your AV firewall didn't fix it, then it must be the router. You'll have to check the router's settings to figure out what's going on, but here's a link to the ports you need to forward for Steam to work.

I have no tech support experience, so note that I might be totally wrong. :/

I just put in all those ports and its still not working. Im at the point where i just want to go get a new router. Scans found nothing. Steam is the only thing on my computer that doesnt work

 

[the_firewithin]

Wasn't it just the best? I love Johnny and Junebug. That scene in The Lower Depths had me in awe.

God that song was so damn good

 

[AsfaeksBR]

Wasn't it just the best? I love Johnny and Junebug. That scene in The Lower Depths had me in awe.

I thought the act was almost at the end after this part. The following was almost too much for me, specially the

Spoiler

inside of The chapel. What was all that?

 

[Parsnip]

For the new page.

I don't remember having any issues going from one game to the next.
I think I remember ME3 on consoles having some issues though, like, if you had imported Shepard from 1 to 2, import in 3 would break or something.

It's all a bit foggy to be honest.

 

[Teeth]

On Mass Effect 3...

I really don't think the single player was "starved" by multi. It was done from the ground up by a different team, a new, young team that needed to get its feet wet in large scale development. I've played about 12 hours of ME3 now and almost half of that has been the multiplayer. I couldn't believe people were saying it was good, but it really is. The unlock system is super lame, but the core combat, mission, and encounter design is good fun. I'm still using the guns I started with and am having a great time.

So far, my overall opinion of ME3 is that it's a step down from ME2. The scripting has gone from kinda cheesy to downright hammy in ME3. The big "orchestra swelling" moments are completely unearned and the tries at emotional resonance generally make me laugh rather than cheer or shed a tear. The ME games have always been best while building an interesting back story or air of mystery or swimming around in sci-fi fantasy and ME3 is no different. Really pushing for the game to try and tug at the heart strings hurts it a lot. I want to know about the sci-fantasy in-universe reason for these species to conflict on a biological level, not why someone has daddy issues that causes them to hurt themselves. I want to marvel a feats of sci-fantasy technology and delve into the inner workings of synthetic beings, not watch a man cry over his lost wife. I want to unravel the mysteries of a dead species, not watch a space-cop try to be HARD while dealing with bad guys. Bioware should stop trying to write the next great emotional war story and instead wallow in scientific philosophizing navel gazing, they'd be better for it.

Also, I've found the single player combat to be slightly worse in ME3 than 2. The actual encounter design is far more harried and unfocused. Lots of splash damage weapons that remove player control and obscure vision of the battlefield. And the goddamn Husks that mob from out of camera view from all different directions skews the combat in favour of hanging back and picking shots more carefully. Shepard also seems to be a bit squishier, making the already pointless shotguns nearly completely useless; aside from the aforementioned Husks, enemies are generally fought from mid-to-far distance. They are also really squirrelly, making picking head shots on bolt action sniper rifles much more difficult; the combat is very skewed towards accurate rifles, pistols, and sub-machine guns.

That said, I really appreciate the wider variety of enemy types in both visuals and abilities. Lots of different variations on standard soldiers and ability types keeps stuff relatively fresh, even if they all generally go down to the same tactics.

Finally, the art design seems strangely a step back from ME2. The actual textures in resolution and detail are generally higher, but the actual architecture and lighting design feels like a step back. Too many blue-grey corridors with ultra-harsh lighting conditions. ME2 glowed with reds and oranges overlaid on accented blue and green metallic landscapes; it was both gritty and beautiful, extremely varied. ME3 is too uniform and stark, even if it still does impress occasionally. The skin shaders and point-lights on the characters (and their eyes especially) are a nice addition though.

But this is still pretty early in the campaign. I'm still at the point where I can let the cheese wash over me and still stay interested in gleaning some backstory or political meanderings of the different races. It's still fun at the core, but it does feel like a step back (i didn't even get into the terrible "overheard conversation" mission design...sheesh).

 

[PepsimanVsJoe]

Wrack is pretty damn sweet.

Basically a mid-90s FPS with custom-map support. Can't go wrong with that.

 

[BruteUA]

any idea when we should expect an email from gamestop? either with the keys or a "gtfo lol" email?

Look in your order status, mine says that the key will be released at 9am Central time.