u/Surrealist328

I bought CMSF2 earlier this month. I absolutely love it. My budget allows me two possibilities for the next pay cycle. I can either buy another Combat Mission (thinking Final Blitzkrieg because my grandfather fought at the Battle of the Bulge) and a DLC (up to $35) for SF2, or I can buy Graviteam Tactics Mius Front and a DLC for SF2. I'm set on buying a DLC for SF2 because I've enjoyed my 50 hours with the base game so far.

Thoughts?

I'm new to wargaming (conventional fps doesn't count). Did I just come across one of the best as a newbie?

I just started in Freeport as a human warrior. Things are quite confusing. So far I've been able to reach level 4 by just killing low level mobs right outside the city. What should I be doing. I know EQ isn't supposed to be a quest oriented MMO. Where can I find groups? When should I seek a group? etc, etc

Thank you!

I tried FF14 but the gameplay loop is too dependent on the story, so much so that it became stale. Dungeons and raids also feel artificial and detached from anything resembling social interaction. I tried EVE Online. The concept is brilliant, but it's so playercentric (as opposed to FF14) that the gameplay is too passive. You spend an inordinate amount of time going through jump gates or engaging in tasks that are unengaging. I couldn't even get past the tutorial in WOW because, and I know this sounds shallow, it presents itself too much as a cheap mobile game.

I've listened to and watched videos regarding EverQuest, and it's definitely caught my attention. So, what do you enjoy more about EverQuest compared to other MMOs?

Anyone else experience this while practicing? I swear the minute a random thought enters my head I'm dead within five seconds. It's only when I'm emotionless that I actually see progress being made. No other genre does this. In every other genre I can play and think at the same time. It's almost as though shmups requires you to reach a state of perfect equilibrium or nirvana.

I'm asking because it can take tens if not hundreds of hours to 1CC a lot of titles. I spent a good 20-30 hours playing Darius Gaiden, one of the "easiest" shmups, before achieving a 1CC. I spent at least a hundred hours playing Radiant Silvergun (couldn't pull off a 1CC). I just don't get it, especially when people like to construe value in terms of playtime. For those who have tried or even succeeded in pulling off a 1CC, they know that you go through a long process of micro analysing each individual stage, which implies a ridiculous amount of depth despite typically only having 6-7 stages. Yes, a playthrough lasts 25-40 minutes. But mastering that 25-40 minutes takes months or even years.

I really want to enjoy HR and MD, but they don't do a good job of replicating the spirit of the original. They feel like good corporate video games instead of the playercentric immersive / epic original.

Should I just force myself to do at least one playthrough of either HR or MD?

I've been playing other games such as Bannerlord and Shadow Empire. In both games there is overhead that has to be accounted for, especially in Shadow Empire. You would think that a sandbox game which prioritizes the economic aspect of the underlying simulation would include recurring expenses. This would not only provide some extra challenge and realism to the simulation, but also help regulate stress on one's CPU (you won't have as many assets).

There are no real liabilities in X4. There are only potentially limitless assets.

This actually applies to most Atlus rpgs. As we know, the original SMT games were undoubtedly DRPGs. But as they gained popularity (for some reason) they lost the moniker. Having played them, I would say yes. I just started Metaphor Refantazio and it's obvious to me that the gameplay loop is essentially the same. The difference between these AAA DRPGs and the more niche ones which are classified alongside the Wizardry series is that the former is accompanied by more gameplay elements that work alongside the standard DRPG structure.

It just seems odd that a game like Metaphor Refantazio received such praise from people who want nothing to do with DRPGs.

To be fair, I focused on the main campaign for the 40 hours I played of it. The last sections felt like a slog, but the reality is that Stalker 2, despite its flaws, is an insanely great game. I can see myself returning to it after I've had a chance to play other games. Not sure what the point of this post is. I just feel somewhat sad. I feel I've had enough of S2, and yet a part of me wants to return to the Zone.