/arcade/ - vidya gaems and other gaems too

>>2464
I've been trying to get more into HoI3 or other computer wargames since HoI4's inadequacies rag on me; but the combination of the varying narratives, LARP potential, map painting and general user experience makes it hard to put down. Most wargames are more pointed and specific, as well as having minimalist graphics so as to not distract from the gameplay. Base HoI4 is a total mess that I'm loathe to ever play, but regarding mods I'd hope to be able to take my country of choosing and resolve the game in a position of dominance with all the map variation that might come from that power's rise to hegemony.

The aforementioned inadequacies are the watered down strategy mechanics you mention: a completely nonexistent military hierarchy, zero attempt to simulate mustering/recruitment, lack of balance combined with poor AI resulting in the same strategies being employed over and over for maximal efficiency and minimal engagement regardless of situation. (I'm sure there's much more I could find if I spent more time thinking on it.) However despite all of this, the genre is rather slim pickings, and choosing between HoI4 or some of the more diehard autism simulators out there, it's not much of a surprise why people stick to and play HoI4 so much.

Another pet peeve of mine is HoI4's decision to turn anything mechanical into a build-a-bear minigame instead of actually engaging with the unique equipment each side was fielding at the time. Really rustles my jimmies that unless the player goes out of their way, there's no actual difference between what the Italians or Russians are fielding armor-wise. This was even true before the designers came into the picture so really it's just laziness on the part of Paradox.

>>2465
But we don't have any computer strategy games for insurgencies. It would be cool if that existed. Still Poland sucks. Its rainy and they drink bread.

>>2466
They play hoi4 because its watered down and accessible and suddenly military nerdism has blown up into something huge and mainstream. I do like the LARP potential, which isn't there with hoi3, but beyond that hoi4 is a trashfire. It seems like virtually every paradox game now is watered down to the point a chimpanzee could play it. Just draw a line here and click and your armies just magically do everything. Its a shame the game mechanics in hoi3 or vic2 were never really built upon but scrapped and dumbed down.

>>2467
I agree that HoI4 is both watered down and accessible compared to its peers in the genre, but I still wouldn't consider it to be a particularly accessible game in general. Unless you've got a buddy to hold your hand it can be pretty rough. The main conceit of grand strategy games is that they're often spreadsheet simulators, and the actual depth and complexity can only really be appreciated once you know all the numbers at play and how they properly engage with each other. HoI4 is terribly shallow once you know all the numbers, but for the average person it's still a lot to learn and keep track of. I consider it relatively accessible and that relative accessibility results in far more players than other games, but I'd hardly characterize the average HoI4 player (especially one with thousands of hours as is often stereotyped) as just being some normie getting into tacticool operator chic.

I also agree about the continual decline of Paradox. HoI4 in general seems to have been the pivot, its success likely leading to it being their keystone going forward, which is a horrible precedent and the results are clear as day. I think the issue is that they opt to throw random BS into their games to sell as new features rather than bunkering down, minimizing mechanical bloat and focusing on fleshing out the actual meaningful stuff.

Given your clear distaste for HoI4 in favor of other titles, I'd like to ask what sorts of games would you recommend?

Finished GTA 4. I really want to push it to 100% but the post game content is a little daunting and boring. Seems all the effort went into the amazing story that I have been coming back to for years. Maybe I will get back to it and push it to 100%. I want to 100% all the GTA games.

>>2463
It was called Collapsing World: Rise of Radicalism. TL;DR: The idea behind the mod was that society is collapsing everywhere at once, and most countries start off in a civil war or are on the verge of one. Sounded like something with potential, but I found it falling short of the mark.
>>2467
>>2468
Can't disagree about base hoi4 or its consequences. I had some fun with Vicky 2, even if I'm bad at it, and seeing what happened to Vicky 3 was just sad.
Anyways, moving on from Paradox fuckery, I recently finished Shadowrun: Dragon Fall. Big improvement over Returns, the Berlin Flux State was a great setting. Combat is still a little rough, but the companions were cool, and the plot was excellent - one of the better ones I've come across in a video game, with great plot twists.

>>2097
Yeah fair enough. Tbh a lot of Ultima-like roguelikes have this. They start out promising but then don't get updated enough.

I've also been playing ToME in long spurts. I really try to not die, but a random stronger enemy or getting mobbed kills me. I've almost gotten to level 20 before after a few hours. I find myself getting really bored by that time because of the samey gameplay. Still, it's an absolute gem. I love the concept of unlocking classes and lore through gameplay. I love finding items and discovered a little bit more of the world. I haven't played much, but I'm a bit disappointed in the summoner class. I really don't like having to summon constantly. It's a real burden to summon up some monsters when really, it's a lot more fun and straightforward to play a melee class. Still, I really didn't play for very long before getting killed. Because I was so weak at the beginning, it really only takes your summons getting killed before you're next. I hope the necromancer class isn't like this, but I'd bet it is.

My go-to has been Infra Arcana for a some years now, though ashamed to admit I've still not managed a single win… Not really sure how I feel about the warded doors and mirrors added in the last updates, but interesting to see it change. When I started playing the whole level was always in view, disliked the change from that at first too.

Found Into Ruins (on itch.io) the other day, simple and neat but quite fun. Tank controls and hexbased movement rather than the standard fare, and manages to make do with only arrow keys + 2 buttons. No classes, just gear and artifacts. No stairs to find, just jump down any hole you want. Would have spent so much time on this growing up if it had been on the GBA or something. Only critique I have is that some items are very hard to spot on some tiles, like a green cloak on grass.

I've been playing Zorbus, it's pretty fun and reminds me of a simpler DCSS. I only managed to make to the 4th floor so far but the levels are really big which is cool. One thing I don't like is that it feels like I get carried by any allies I recruit and then when they inevitably die from overextending into a pack of enemies I'm left comparatively helpless until I find more.

>>1917
Are roguelites allowed here? I don't think I ever played a roguelike, but I love roguelites.

Switching between battle mode and exploration. The basic framework for combat is starting to appear!

Not directly gamedev per se, but more of a meta-gamedev. I want to make an Interactive Fiction engine that compiles to the Z-machine and glulx formats.
It's something that I've wanted to do for a long time already, and recently it's been on my mind a lot, along with a refreshed interest in programming.
But I do have a specific game project in mind, also in Interactive Fiction, I won't give details right now but it's about troubleshooting and fixing a ship in deep space that's gone all wrong.
>>2427
I love this, keep it up sushi, I look forward to seeing the finished product!

first minigame WIP, a treadmill. needs art.
also made some more improvements to fighting, specifically a snap mechanic when punching that brings you to the proper range automatically

Small update, added a new enemy type and added damage on hitting walls and objects at speed

>>2437
i love how proud he looks after that amazing streak

>>2457
You can certainly rollspam your way to win, but a parry is much preferable. Actually, combining both is a way to counter delayed attacks, but it took me whole playthrough to realize. AI Limit is not particularly dark, but it portrays the struggle of post-apocalyptic world well. It has plenty of cute anime girls. And with big weapons, too. All with their little stories and motivations, it was exciting to watch them unfold. I am now trying to get all achievements which I never do.

Exploration is so well done in AI Limit, it is by far my favorite part of it. You are being rewarded with beautiful outfits!!

>>2459
I might give this one a try I haven't played a new game in a while
How much character customization is there? Is it just like full armor sets/outfits or can I mix and match and play fashion?

>>2460
You have an outfit slot and head slot. You can also carry two weapons, both are visible. Tons of choices - dozens of each type, but you need to find them.

Have fun, thanks for picking this game up!

>>2458
My issue is less with the dominance of rolling in these sorts of games and moreso the seeming focus on action and combat which isn't particularly depthful. The tradeoffs between playing a basic timing game or playing a slightly stricter basic timing game aren't something I'm particularly captivated by. I can't think of any time in any of these games where the player has had to actually think about whether dodging or parrying was better in a situation, as when parrying is available it's almost always objectively better for the riposte. Because of this, parrying just replaces the so-called rollspam beat-for-beat rather than adding anything to the equation.

That said, it seems you're really taken with the game and I'm glad you enjoy it so much. If >>2459 is true and the exploration is nice I might give a try. My desire to return to the DeS and DaS formula is that I think these sorts of games thrive most off of exploration rather than combat.

i have an old psp that i bought refurbished from amazon and modded it. also, i have an 3ds that is modded and i saw a guy program a mastodon client for the 3ds which was pretty neat

>>2071
how do you deal with the input lag and audio desyncing? or is your wi-fi that good?

I have one that I modded a few years ago before the Vita came to basically mod themselves. I don't play it often and when I do i just use Adrenaline and play some PSP games. I should seize more moment to play it when I am out of the house.

>>1257
how do you take screenshots on the vita?

>>2450
You just learn to put up with it. Doesn't bother me much, probably because I don't play anything online.

I'm currently stuck on Never 7: The end of infinity. Currently at Yuka's route. Unfortunately, I never try reading it much due to life n' me being lazy.

While at first the characters seem boring, I think I enjoy some of the banters here and there, and I enjoyed the drunken Yuka moments.

>>2204
Not sure if you are still out there, but I have finished the last entry of the series. I don't want to get overly sappy, but the series moved me like nothing else. It was sickening at times and disturbing throughout, but it leaves me hopeful. These past few quarters of my life will be forever defined by Kara no Shoujo.

I did enjoy how it evolved towards lighter tones, and I loved all mysteries that it portrayed and resolved. I also liked how playful it was with christian themes, almost mockingly. And I did shed a tear during the true finale, it was woven so beautifully.

>>2400
Not to say that I had no problems with the games, there were some some issues that I am happily overlooking.

I saw this on game author's twitter. Awesome ad!

Since the (allegedly) last Nekopara has a release date (May 22) and I haven't finished all of them guess I know what I'm reading now.

>>2413
What a great VN. You can really see the author had a lot of fun with it.

>>2431
looks erotic though

https://x.com/0210CYAN/status/1898449707543994878/photo/1

ive been trying to improve at it. this is my latest going for the low poly PSX style, still working on a real scene to place her in tho.

>>2430
im currently at 800 hours and still feel like a total beginner…

>>2444
very cute sushi. i tried to get into character modeling but (uv unwrapping + rigging + animation + the need for drawing skills for texturing) filtered me. it really is a lot of skills. anyway, its not like i know what i am talking about but i like how you shaded her.. and the colors!

my first render - a desk!
followed this tutorial https://youtu.be/AiW6O4QeQ7E

It's been on my to-do list. Gonna steal all the interesting material/links others post on here

It's my favorite series, but I still need to play through the DLC missions and Project Wingman. It's a shame they didn't crank out any sequels after 7.

i really liked Ace 7, played through it a bunch of times. not as many times as AC0 though, that's still my favorite.

>>2419
there are a few ace combat-adjacent games that you can play, Project Wingman in particular, but also Project Nimbus, Raiders Sphere 4th, these sorts of things. they can be fun and scratch the itch.

>>2421
War Thunder….

but also IL-2 Sturmovik!

>>2429
Project Wingman is fun, i go pew pew and shoot down baddies. i think I only played through it a couple times though, it didn't capture me like some of the AC games. I haven't played the PW DLC yet, that was just released in December last year. Maybe if I pick up the DLC that would be a good time to play through it again.


wwww i love you sushi bye bye!!

>>2433
Sturmovik looks good. Warthunder isn't simulator enough for me.

>>2434
but war thunder has simulator mode!

>>2433
I know what you mean. I always love going back and playing through the ps2 trilogy, before I knew it even Ace difficulty was very doable. I somehow unlocked the secret plane in either 5 or 0 (been too long to remember, but the one with the full 360 computer screen cockpit) without actually knowing what I was doing either.
I really should give electrosphere a proper go, I think I was intimidated by it at first and then just never got around to it, but I hear a lot of love.