What games are you playing?

[Windshadow]

I "decided that I will be a very long time dead."...

So I am giving myself (for this winter solstice )a new PC configured for the Microsoft 40th anniversary edition of Flight simulator that launched recently. Your train sim looks exciting, and this PC should have the hp for it as well. what do you think of the configuration?

Processors : AMD Ryzen 7 7700X 8-Core 4.5GHz (5.4GHz Max Boost)
CPU: Thermal Compound
Motherboard: ASUS ROG STRIX X670E-E WiFi
Memory: 32GB CORSAIR VENGEANCE DDR5 (2x16GB) 5600MHz
System Cooling: iCUE H150i ELITE CAPELLIX Liquid CPU Cooler
System Fans: ORIGIN PC Standard Fan Kit
Graphics Cards: Nvidia GeForce RTX 4080 16GB
Operating System: MS Windows 11 Home
Operating System Drive: 1TB Samsung 980 PRO

...So make every day count, live with purpose, be happy, make other people happy."

 

[Decrepit&Senile]

I "decided that I will be a very long time dead."...

So I am giving myself (for this winter solstice )a new PC configured for the Microsoft 40th anniversary edition of Flight simulator that launched recently. Your train sim looks exciting, and this PC should have the hp for it as well. what do you think of the configuration?

Processors : AMD Ryzen 7 7700X 8-Core 4.5GHz (5.4GHz Max Boost)
CPU: Thermal Compound
Motherboard: ASUS ROG STRIX X670E-E WiFi
Memory: 32GB CORSAIR VENGEANCE DDR5 (2x16GB) 5600MHz
System Cooling: iCUE H150i ELITE CAPELLIX Liquid CPU Cooler
System Fans: ORIGIN PC Standard Fan Kit
Graphics Cards: Nvidia GeForce RTX 4080 16GB
Operating System: MS Windows 11 Home
Operating System Drive: 1TB Samsung 980 PRO

...So make every day count, live with purpose, be happy, make other people happy."

This looks pretty good to me, though I've not studied current AMD CPUs as much as I have Intel. (Last gen, I leaned heavily AMD, buy didn't buy.) That particular set of Corsair RAM seems to be about the best price/performance offering available at the moment. I'd check YouTube for channels reporting that the RTX 4080 might not be an ideal choice at the moment. At least I'm pretty sure I've noticed a number of videos to that affect. (I've never been able to afford an Nvidia XX80, always settling for an XX70, so haven't watched any of the 4080-specific videos I'm recommended.)

 

[Windshadow]

The loud voices about the card were all around the 12 GB version, not the 16GB version. They also messed up something in the drivers in the batch that went out to the prominent "influencers" they support.

 

[Windshadow]

The last time I built myself a PC was in the early 90s. Then, the cult of Apple sucked me in, and after windows 95, my Windows PC use was emulated on a macintosh. The 3080 was on backorder at about $50 less than the 4080, so With the Black Friday discounts, the bite was not too bad. This time, I am getting it built to order as well as the tremor in my hands now makes the assembly of a computer less than fun. I also want this to be the last windows machine I buy, so I am specifying it as high as possible before my inner Scotsman yells at me. I will be shocked if I am still around and playing computer games 10 or 15 years from now. So this has to run today's games and perhaps the games that ship in the next few years at an acceptable level.

After All, D&S Your Train Simulator posts are partly responsible, and I will depend on you for some pointers. About who to go to for quality DLC

I did go on several engine driver experiences in the 80s. Some were just a day in the preserved branch line driving a small tank stream engine on the SVR or the NYMR, switching carriages and cold engines around their yard, and then on a week on the watercress line firing and driving a 9F with a whole rake of coaches and a conductor also under training.. and then I did a day driving the Flying Scotsman the year before it went off for its extensive rebuild.

I ended up with this outfit as having a good reputation the build I posted above came to about $3,500, including shipping in a wooden crate {it is the annual package smashing time, after all} and 5% sales tax (sort of like VAT and not displayed with the pricing but as as a surprise at checkout)(it also varies from state to state and even from city to city within the same state).
https://www.originpc.com/configurator/neuron/ and went with this mid-tower case

 

[Raf]

These guys are pretty good as well for custom systems.

www.maingear.com

 

[Ropie]

I'm playing The Last of Us Part 2 on my (recently re-reacquired) PS4. The graphics are, at times, the best I have ever seen, but as a game it's at turns brutally violent, utterly terrifying but very very slowly paced. I really can't decide how I feel about it. The characters are amazing, though, and there's lots of good sneaking around to be done.

 

[Windshadow]

Flight Simulator X 12 and Microsoft flight simulator 40th birthday version

 

[Berlyn]

I'm playing The Last of Us Part 2 on my (recently re-reacquired) PS4. The graphics are, at times, the best I have ever seen, but as a game it's at turns brutally violent, utterly terrifying but very very slowly paced. I really can't decide how I feel about it. The characters are amazing, though, and there's lots of good sneaking around to be done.

This is one of my favourite games of all time. The storytelling from the perspective of Ellie and Abby is some of the best in the entire industry. Interested to hear what you thought of the game (assuming you've since finished it).

 

[Ropie]

This is one of my favourite games of all time. The storytelling from the perspective of Ellie and Abby is some of the best in the entire industry. Interested to hear what you thought of the game (assuming you've since finished it).

The gameplay was generally pretty good but I suppose a lot of the interest comes down to the fact that the player's point of view switches so many times between the diametrically opposite sides of the game, and if you can enjoy that kind of thing. I have to admit I found it a bit distracting although it was interesting how they handled the loyalty of the player. In the end I think I came down more on the side of Abby as I preferred the positivity I sometimes saw in her character to Ellie's totally downward trajectory.

I do have a fundamental problem with this kind of game though: the extreme violence constantly required to progress just makes me feel sick and numb after a while, especially when it's all so realistically rendered. Or at least I was no where near good enough to complete any of the game's sections simply by being stealthy! Anyway, I slogged through it but would never want to play it again.

On a side note: my favourite part of the entire game was the flashback with Ellie & Joel visiting the dinosaur and science museum. Absolutely stunning!

Interestingly, my friend lent me his disc copy of Part 1 (the original) and I played through half of it before deciding I'd had enough. I had already played it years before on my PS3 and quite enjoyed it at the time, but it looks like a bit of a joke graphically now compared to Part II. I wouldn't put either of them amongst my favourite games but they are impressive.

 

[jevonknights]

Anyone into indie games? I find myself really craving retro-style 8 bit games similar to my nes childhood. I loved Alwa's Awakening, and Shovel Knight. But then I played several other disappointing ones. Just bought the Messenger because it went on sale so trying that next.

 

[greymouse]

OCARINA OF TIME - A Masterclass in Subtext. This might be the most insightful video about The Ocarina of Time ever made. It might be the most insightful video about any video game ever made.

 

[greymouse]

With Eyes Unclouded - How Studio Ghibli Inspired Breath of the Wild

 

[Decrepit&Senile]

Due to an ongoing issue with my primary PC, I've not played much TSC lately. In its place, I'm playing a good bit of online No-Ads Spider Solitaire 4-suits on my secondary PC. 1-suit is a snooze-fest, winnable with your eyes closed, barring unimaginable poor luck. 4-suit, on the other hand, can crush your soul. Which is what makes it enjoyable.

Here are a few captures from one of the last TSC drives I took prior to my PC's ailment:

Below: Penge East station

The route is Chatham Main Line, purchased from the game's Steam Store. The loco is an LSWR "Adams Radial Tank" seen in Holly Green. It pulls LSWR coaches. It is an early Third-Party TS purchase. I didn't drive in much due to lackluster textures. Another Third-Party creator recently came out with a freeware enhancement pack for the loco, which improves texturing (for most but not all variants) and addresses a few other issues. An enhanced Adams Radial is seen in these images.

 

[Raf]

Playing Everquest 2 again. Some long time friends are trying to set up a Saturday afternoon PUG (pick up group) Raid and wanted some help. So the wife and I fired up our old toons and with the help of said friends brought them up to par for the first series of raids ( 4 groups of 6 for a full raid). Barely par, lol...but it's a good start.

I used to raid 3 times a week back in the day. 1 weekday night & Saturday / Sunday mornings. But these days, I'm just too busy to maintain that kind of schedule. An afternoon raid with no attendance requirements is just the thing for my current schedule.

 

[Raf]

Giving Elden Ring a try.

ELDEN RING

#block-views-block-galerie-personnages-block-1 .view-galerie-personnages .view-content .views-row.slick-current .content::before { content: none; } The Golden Order has been broken. Rise, Tarnished, and be guided by grace to brandish the power of the Elden Ring and become an Elden Lord in the...

en.bandainamcoent.eu

Pretty cool RPG. Some things I don't like about it. Like the pvp, but mostly that is because I'm really bad at it.

The graphics are unbelievable...only level 11 so far. I suck at mounted combat, but it sure is fun. As far as that goes, I'm pretty bad at dismounted combat too

But, I really only play a little bit on weekend mornings. And it's nice to have a new world on tap to explore when I do get some time.

 

[CRM114]

I completed ‘Zelda tears of the Kingdom’ last month, hardly crediting ‘Breath of the wild’ could be improved upon. Truly, I do agree when people comment that we’re ‘living in a golden age of video gaming‘ when you think of games like Elden Ring, God of War and the above. Sticking with Nintendo switch. I have re-played Dragons Dogma in order to refresh my memory on the world environs and mythology prior to the sequel dropping.

 

[Monty Mike]

Playing Everquest 2 again. Some long time friends are trying to set up a Saturday afternoon PUG (pick up group) Raid and wanted some help. So the wife and I fired up our old toons and with the help of said friends brought them up to par for the first series of raids ( 4 groups of 6 for a full raid). Barely par, lol...but it's a good start.

I used to raid 3 times a week back in the day. 1 weekday night & Saturday / Sunday mornings. But these days, I'm just too busy to maintain that kind of schedule. An afternoon raid with no attendance requirements is just the thing for my current schedule.

Wow! I used to play EQ2 around launch and for a year or two after. Amazing to hear you casually logging in for a raid in 2023!

I enjoyed New World when it launched, but most recently finished season 1 of Diablo 4.

 

[Raf]

Wow! I used to play EQ2 around launch and for a year or two after. Amazing to hear you casually logging in for a raid in 2023!

I enjoyed New World when it launched, but most recently finished season 1 of Diablo 4.

The PUG Raid lasted for a few months, then peeps started drifting away as usual. EQ2 is an old game. Years upon years of layered and stacked currencies, game requirements and spell research just make it a literal extra job for new and returning players trying to catch back up. My wife and I just dabble in it for nostalgia's sake mostly. IMO, it hasn't had a really fun expansion for several years.

New World's open world architecture is a good game for my current playstyle. Mostly now, I just wander around harvesting mats and selling them on the broker while I level up all of the weapons.

Haven't really found a new MMO that inspired us the way Everquest did. GW2 managed that at launch. But subsequent xpacs (excluding Path of Fire...which was a blast) just didn't hold my interest.

Given the cost of these games, I really wonder about the future of new MMO's.

 

[Decrepit&Senile]

Gaming wise, I've little to report other than a daily dosage of 1-4 free-to-play online crossword puzzles. That said, here are the first four of many images documenting a recently driven Train Simulator stopping passenger service:

The train consists of LSWR T3 No.563 hauling four MK1 coaches from Bournemouth Central to Swanage along the Dorset Coast route. All images were captured at or within sight of Bournemouth Station.

 

[Decrepit&Senile]

The last time I built myself a PC was in the early 90s. Then, the cult of Apple sucked me in, and after windows 95, my Windows PC use was emulated on a macintosh. The 3080 was on backorder at about $50 less than the 4080, so With the Black Friday discounts, the bite was not too bad. This time, I am getting it built to order as well as the tremor in my hands now makes the assembly of a computer less than fun. I also want this to be the last windows machine I buy, so I am specifying it as high as possible before my inner Scotsman yells at me. I will be shocked if I am still around and playing computer games 10 or 15 years from now. <SNIP?

After All, D&S Your Train Simulator posts are partly responsible, and I will depend on you for some pointers. About who to go to for quality DLC

I did go on several engine driver experiences in the 80s. Some were just a day in the preserved branch line driving a small tank stream engine on the SVR or the NYMR, switching carriages and cold engines around their yard, and then on a week on the watercress line firing and driving a 9F with a whole rake of coaches and a conductor also under training.. and then I did a day driving the Flying Scotsman the year before it went off for its extensive rebuild. <SNIP>

Sorry for not responding sooner, me being mentioned in your post. I have a vague memory of reading it soon after posting, then entirely forgot about it until revisiting "recent" posts today. Congrats on the PC build! I "upgraded" mine earlier in the year, but was forced to keep my GTX 1070 due to the ungodly expense of the RTX 40xx line. (I also retained my Phantek Enthoo Pro case, but here it was because I felt no need to update a perfectly fine case. Also retained were all existing drives, though I bought a 2TB M2.NVME drive to supplement them.)

I originally included a long, confusing discussion of Train Simulator Classic that made little sense, even to me. Instead, I simply ask if you took the plunge and acquired it. If so, do you have any specific questions I might or might not be able to assist you with? (I can indeed mention some specific DLC recommendations in my few areas of semi expertise: British Steam routes and locos / wagons / coaches to run on them.)