Gaming slump...help :C
- Thread starter DontTouchMyHoHos
- Start date
I'm currently playing Fallout new vegas, after playing fallout 1, 2 (didn't beat, will play after NV), and 3. Great way to kill a few hundred hours You can occasionally find deals for them. Also KOTOR 2 is on STeam for only $10, and includes support for a ton of mods
Arrangingstars
Space Marshal
NeoHelios_SC
Vice Admiral
TLDR: I try to remember why I got into gaming in the first place. To me, gaming is a means to an end. Challenge? Hang out with friends? Nostalgia? Where would I want it to take me?
...
Whenever I get in a rut, I go back to the nostalgia associated with classic console games (yes, I'm old). For gaming, not many things put a smile on my face like some Super Metroid or Link to the Past. Many titles are available as downloadable ROMs (stay legal, though: only stuff that you have previously owned). I have also watched a few NES and SNES speed runs on YouTube that brought back memories. Advantages: you get the "nostalgia" quick fix (YouTubers beating games in an hour or so), and it supercharges the memories associated with them. Who can forget the finale of Crocomire? I was a kid back then, and it freaked me out! hehe Point is, sometimes I gotta go back to the basics and remember why I got into gaming in the first place.
Another reason I found that games were boring is that I played them on easier settings. Dragon Age taught me the value of savoring a challenging experience. In fact, it wasn't until I started playing on Master until I truly started enjoying Skyrim into the hundreds of hours. Save scumming at first, but then I started learning HOW to play instead of just standing in one spot whacking away their health. I even sought out combat mods for Skyrim to make combat that much more interesting. I got a little carried away with combining combat mods with Sands of Time (great mod, BTW), but I eventually found a good balance, and found something that kept the game fresh and interesting. Many games can have very sophisticated (or let's be honest, "cheating") AI, but only if you open the floodgates with the difficulty slider. Whatever the case, it wakes me up, and engages me to actually think about what I'm doing.
Finally, online play with friends is the last major motivator for me to keep playing a game. Especially grindy games like many MMO's. If I'm playing by myself then eventually I figure, "what's the point?" However if I'm playing with friends, then the comedy and antics are what keep me going. The same goes for my IRL gaming group. Most of the time we just goof off and bounce jokes off each other for a few hours twice a month; we have an absolute blast--does't matter that our characters are wading waist-deep through kobold blood while trying to outrun a (plot specific) blind Tarrasque! (Surfs up, dudes!) But hey, "WE" made it a blast! Even Minecraft with my son is fun: together.
Failing that, I hear woodworking is pretty fun :) OH! hey, there are these little 3D metal model thingies that offer a good distraction for a couple of hours. Search Amazon for "Metal Earth". Lots of neat little models to build.
Seriously, that's why I'm a gamer: nostalgia, challenge, and community. If I didn't value any of these, anymore, them maybe it's time to move on to something else. What is the underlying reason YOU game? Remember, gaming is just a means to an end. Where do you want it to take you?
...
Whenever I get in a rut, I go back to the nostalgia associated with classic console games (yes, I'm old). For gaming, not many things put a smile on my face like some Super Metroid or Link to the Past. Many titles are available as downloadable ROMs (stay legal, though: only stuff that you have previously owned). I have also watched a few NES and SNES speed runs on YouTube that brought back memories. Advantages: you get the "nostalgia" quick fix (YouTubers beating games in an hour or so), and it supercharges the memories associated with them. Who can forget the finale of Crocomire? I was a kid back then, and it freaked me out! hehe Point is, sometimes I gotta go back to the basics and remember why I got into gaming in the first place.
Another reason I found that games were boring is that I played them on easier settings. Dragon Age taught me the value of savoring a challenging experience. In fact, it wasn't until I started playing on Master until I truly started enjoying Skyrim into the hundreds of hours. Save scumming at first, but then I started learning HOW to play instead of just standing in one spot whacking away their health. I even sought out combat mods for Skyrim to make combat that much more interesting. I got a little carried away with combining combat mods with Sands of Time (great mod, BTW), but I eventually found a good balance, and found something that kept the game fresh and interesting. Many games can have very sophisticated (or let's be honest, "cheating") AI, but only if you open the floodgates with the difficulty slider. Whatever the case, it wakes me up, and engages me to actually think about what I'm doing.
Finally, online play with friends is the last major motivator for me to keep playing a game. Especially grindy games like many MMO's. If I'm playing by myself then eventually I figure, "what's the point?" However if I'm playing with friends, then the comedy and antics are what keep me going. The same goes for my IRL gaming group. Most of the time we just goof off and bounce jokes off each other for a few hours twice a month; we have an absolute blast--does't matter that our characters are wading waist-deep through kobold blood while trying to outrun a (plot specific) blind Tarrasque! (Surfs up, dudes!) But hey, "WE" made it a blast! Even Minecraft with my son is fun: together.
Failing that, I hear woodworking is pretty fun :) OH! hey, there are these little 3D metal model thingies that offer a good distraction for a couple of hours. Search Amazon for "Metal Earth". Lots of neat little models to build.
Seriously, that's why I'm a gamer: nostalgia, challenge, and community. If I didn't value any of these, anymore, them maybe it's time to move on to something else. What is the underlying reason YOU game? Remember, gaming is just a means to an end. Where do you want it to take you?
NeoHelios_SC
Vice Admiral
PS I have also noticed that I am prone to genre rotation. Meaning, I might play a RPG for amonth or so, get bored with all RPGs, and find that RTS is my thing for a month. I get bored, and then do simulators for a brief stint. Then Eve Online to remind me how many assholes there are out there, quickly followed by a carebear MMO like SWTOR. Of course that gets boring, so I up the difficulty a bit by getting back into RPGs, and "rinse, repeat". Do you have a rotation?
NeoHelios_SC
Vice Admiral
Ooh, system shock 2 can be multiplayer, too! That would be so fun to watch a stream on Twitch! (hint, hint!) :)
Check out The Secret World, TSW. Buy to Play, MMO. Pretty nice title. Killing Floor 2 if you want shit to shoot. Shroud of the Avatar if you want an MMO in Alpha. Witcher 3, GTA, Payday 2, Space Engineers. So many great games.
Played them all, bored with them. Payday 2 is the biggest dlc scam alive, everything makes the game almost 300$ to get.
WarrenPeace
Space Marshal
I remember the first time I played Super Metroid on SNES, and got to the Crocomire fight. I just about poo'd my pants afterwards. Funny how involved you get with games as a kid, that they leave such lasting experiences.
There are a fair few F2P options out there worth checking out, a few already listed.
If you know someone in the same country as you, Warframe is worth a look, I loose alot of time in that. The games are hosted between players, hence why you would want someone in your region. Basically a third person dungeon crawler with ninjas, in space!
If you know someone in the same country as you, Warframe is worth a look, I loose alot of time in that. The games are hosted between players, hence why you would want someone in your region. Basically a third person dungeon crawler with ninjas, in space!
I have been playing shadowrun returns, and dragonfall. Nostalgia is strong with this one.
Mautobu
Rear Admiral
I only buy the Payday 2 content on sale, so only spent $200.
What about going old school EQ or EQ2.
Played warframe, but not after major overhaul. It was just a grind feast like dynasty warriors, lost the appeal fast and if I go down the mmo route it will either be FF14 or the numerous mmos that are not out yet, like, black desert online. Others i'm waiting for are kingdom under fire 2, lost ark, and tree of savior. If none of you guys heard about those games, Black Desert, KUF2, Lost Ark, and tree of savior(ragnarok 2 creator) are something you should all look up.
Star control 2 / the Ur-Quan masters. Great old-school space opera with a very deep story and open galaxy to explore. Pretty hand-drawn graphics and a wide variety of aliens and ships. Plus a lot of good humor. The controls might not hold up that well over time, but once you get used to steering your ship and the top-down 1-on-1 combat, the game becomes very fun.
http://sc2.sourceforge.net/downloads.php http://sourceforge.net/projects/urquanmastershd/
A similar game that you can dump hours into is X3. Either Terran Conflict or its stand-alone expansion Albion Prelude. This game takes a few (dozen) hours to really get started, once you figured out the basics of the game and economy, but then its a wide open galaxy for you to explore. It can definitely be a little daunting when the game just dumps you in the middle of a system with only a basic tutorial under your belt, and I recommend using one (or more) of the online guides to get you started. X rebirth, released a little less than 2 years ago, improves the graphics but not much else (although that is slowly changing as they release more free content)
http://sc2.sourceforge.net/downloads.php http://sourceforge.net/projects/urquanmastershd/
A similar game that you can dump hours into is X3. Either Terran Conflict or its stand-alone expansion Albion Prelude. This game takes a few (dozen) hours to really get started, once you figured out the basics of the game and economy, but then its a wide open galaxy for you to explore. It can definitely be a little daunting when the game just dumps you in the middle of a system with only a basic tutorial under your belt, and I recommend using one (or more) of the online guides to get you started. X rebirth, released a little less than 2 years ago, improves the graphics but not much else (although that is slowly changing as they release more free content)
