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Latest Comments by kaiman
Steam Next Fest - October 2023 Edition is live now
10 October 2023 at 5:03 pm UTC Likes: 1

The Thaumaturge is one of the games I have wishlisted, but with these story-heavy games, I usually stay away from demos. And while it might seem tempting to use the opportunity as a chance to check Linux/Wine/Proton) compatibility, I already had demos run great and the release not at all, and the other way round, too.

But let's see what else they have ... probably plenty that I never heard about before!

Humble removing the Humble Games Collection from Humble Choice
10 October 2023 at 4:55 pm UTC

Quoting: WorMzyI'm still bitter about the Giana Sisters debacle. Fuck Humble.
Haha. I'm feeling old when I can be still bitter about the Giana Sisters debacle and think "Fuck Nintendo!" :-).

EU court upholds fine against Valve for geo-blocking
28 September 2023 at 3:36 pm UTC

Quoting: BlackBloodRumWith that said, a lot of those limits weren't so much about restricting buyers, but rather restricting scalpers who would buy cheap keys from another region and then sell them on third-party websites.
I thought it was more about buying a cheap physical game in EU country A that required activation on Steam, but activation would not work in EU country B.

If the ruling would apply to digital keys, it should be perfectly fine to buy games cheaply by using a VPN service in a low-price EU country. No need for a middle man. But I don't think that's gonna fly ... not that I ever tried.

Horizon Forbidden West Complete Edition arrives on Steam in 'early 2024'
28 September 2023 at 11:27 am UTC

Quoting: uzaySteam and Epic? So no GOG release this time I guess
Wondering the same. Though if I remember correctly, the GOG release of HZD followed a couple months after it came out on Steam. So I guess there's still hope.

Comedy point and click The Will of Arthur Flabbington releases November 10
19 September 2023 at 6:04 pm UTC Likes: 4

Quoting: syxbitI just can't get into point and click games without voice acting. Good voice acting is vital IMHO.
There actually was a successful Kickstarter to add voice acting, so the release should be fully voiced. If it will be good remains to be seen (or heard), of course ... but I'd expect another trailer to showcase that.

That said, a lot of the truly classic P&C games did not have voice acting (originally), so I personally do not miss it if it's not there. But I do remember the wow factor when the first "talkie" versions released, even when the audio quality was miserable at the time.

Crusader Kings III hits 3 million sales after 3 years
3 September 2023 at 9:50 am UTC Likes: 2

Quoting: slaapliedjeI really should try the Tutorial
Honestly, I think the tutorial is pretty bare-bones, but it provides fairly easy start conditions and a rudimentary explanation of the most important systems.

OTOH, given that CK3 is the first grand strategy game I played, it all went smooth enough. Getting into it will probably grow harder over time, as they're piling additional features on top. So I guess starting early is key.

Even then there's still a lot of room for trial and error, to see what effect certain actions would have. But it's actually part of the fun to discover those. One time I ended up as a 6 year old and everyone in the realm seemed to think it was time for independence (as usual when that short reign penalty kicks in). As an adult, I'd throw a couple feasts and befriend the major parties to get things under control, but those weren't options available to a child. Luckily, I had a few infidels rotting away in the dungeon, and after some exemplary executions everyone felt it was probably for the best to fall back in line. Problem solved!

Crusader Kings III hits 3 million sales after 3 years
1 September 2023 at 6:58 pm UTC Likes: 2

QuoteOwn up, how many hours do you have in Crusader Kings III on Linux? What's your wildest story from it so far?
Might as well go first. 504.1 hours, says Steam. That's from playing the "tutorial" campaign, an early start in India, and halfway through an early start in Germany. And a weekend of multiplayer.

Not sure I've any wild stories to share, but that's not to say all those hours were uneventful. It's actually one of the few games I find more fun to play on ironman mode, as it's not so unforgiving as to become frustrating, but having to roll with whatever happens certainly enhances the experience. The best-laid plans ...

I've got some funny bugs to show, however:



And a bit of a love-hate relationship.

Patch 2 for Baldur's Gate 3 coming with 'major performance improvements'
29 August 2023 at 6:22 pm UTC Likes: 2

I'm not rushing my playthrough either, so that the later acts receive a bit more polish by the time I arrive. Not that it's hard to linger in Act 1, as there is so much to do and discover. Even when I think I've already turned every stone twice, there surely is another hidden area somewhere that I missed before.

And there's still some patches of black left on the map, too ...

We Stay Behind is the next game from Unforeseen Incidents developer
15 August 2023 at 7:57 pm UTC Likes: 1

Unforeseen Incidents was nice, so I had this wishlisted for quite a while. However,

QuoteEnjoy a puzzle-free experience in a beautiful, stylized 3D environment.
seems to imply that it's more of a walking sim. While those can be nice (I tremendously enjoyed Firewatch, for instance), they really have to hit the nail in the story department to keep my interest up. But add in a set of quality puzzles and the story doesn't matter that much, anymore.

Baldur's Gate 3 is now Steam Deck Verified
7 August 2023 at 4:52 pm UTC

Quoting: ArehandoroPretty much my experience, too. Also with the traps xD
Same here. Ditto. Though I did have an autosave that was only minutes old :-).

Still, saving often is certainly advisable.