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What are you currently playing?
Niunio
Member #1,975
March 2002
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Minecraft version 1.6. I realized that I never reached The End so I decided to play it again, and 1.6 is the best version of Minecraft.

I play City Skylines in between too.

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Current projects: Allegro.pas | MinGRo

Neil Roy
Member #2,229
April 2002
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I finally grabbed Skyrim, but got bored of it once I hit the first town. I should give it another go I guess.

I just got done playing World of Warcraft again... for a month... and I remembered why I quit playing it last year. Account closed. Sometimes you to go back to remember why you left.

Other than that, I haven't been playing a lot of anything. I finally quit buying games completely as they don't do much for me anymore. I'm trying to get back into my own game development

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“I love you too.” - last words of Wanda Roy

bamccaig
Member #7,536
July 2006
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I absolutely destroyed at CSGO tonight. I rarely have such a good night. It was only casual so nothing really to brag about, but still I'm normally not this consistent. Feels like a full moon or something. My teams were all amazing. I was top points and top frag most rounds. Pushing 50 and 60 points (before multiplier) for 3 or 4 maps. 30+ frags and only 5 or so deaths. It was epic. The only kick in the nuts was that my weekly bonuses were apparently gone so instead of getting like 1000 EXP each time I was only getting ~250 EXP or so (normal casual multiplier of x4).

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It's clear to see my performance drop off as the night wears on, but still holding my own. The scoreboard also doesn't show the epic kills, but there are "MVP" counts (the stars) which are also pretty much at the top of the board. Not at all a disappointing night. :) My aim was pretty spot on for most of it (trust me, some nights I can't hit the broad side of a barn, and those nights are painful).

Eric Johnson
Member #14,841
January 2013
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Sounds like you had fun, bamccaig. :) Any plans on becoming a CS:GO pro? ;)

Neil Roy said:

I finally quit buying games completely as they don't do much for me anymore.

F :'( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NfT1XLD51zc

bamccaig
Member #7,536
July 2006
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Sounds like you had fun, bamccaig. :) Any plans on becoming a CS:GO pro? ;)

I have no grand illusions that I'm anywhere near good enough or ever could be. Those guys are insane. Though to be fair, I have had my share of "clutch" moments that make me feel like it sometimes. But no, I might have the odd euphoric moment of awareness and destroy 5 or 6 n00bs in a pinch, which looks good to present company and feels great, but doing it consistently under pressure against skilled opponents is much different. When I play competitive I am usually exhausted after a single match or two. The pros practice that shit literally 8 or 12 hours a day. And I'm only ranked Silver 3 so far. The pros are Gold "8" or "9" or something like that. They'd decimate me without even trying.

I've been playing Counter-Strike for about 10 years now. I have seen my share of insane players that are not hacking. They're just that good. Some of it is probably hardware. Some of it seems to be hardcore illicit drugs (I met one guy that would binge play for 2 or 3 days at a time on heroin or meth or something along those lines, but he could out shoot me doing it anyway!). Some of it I think is a mixture of innate talent and regiment. Some of these pros are working out and eating like professional athletes (probably doping like them too).

All in all, the very best of the best can make a very comfortable living while they're hot, but I think the average and bottom pro gamers are lucky to make $30,000 a year. Still, it sounds like a fun way to do it, but not a very sustainable career choice. At best it's a short term thing that might last 10 or 15 years, and there will always be younger guys coming up to replace you as you age. At 31 this August I'm no Spring chicken either. I'm probably already older than most of the pros. I can also imagine that when you're forced to play the game and your performance matters to your bottom line the fun probably gets a little bit sucked out of it. I think the greener pasture is probably just game vloggers that make most of their money from donations and sponsors just for being entertaining on YouTube, but to be successful at that you need to have natural charm and charisma. I've dabbled in that with my motorcycle and it's clear I lack the innate skills required to do it.

I have my fun though. There's a reason I spend so much time playing it. It's a blast, the game never gets old, and you do interact with interesting people.

Eric Johnson
Member #14,841
January 2013
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bamccaig said:

I think the greener pasture is probably just game vloggers that make most of their money from donations and sponsors

I don't know what you look like, but with enough makeup and effort, you might pull off the camgirl look and reel donations. ;D

So long as you're having fun, I suppose that's all that matters. Impressive that it's held your attention for all this time, too! How easy would it be for an absolute newbie to jump into the mix? Is the community friendly enough? Say I bought the game, would I be able to have fun, too, or would I be totally obliterated by the long-time players?

Neil Roy
Member #2,229
April 2002
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;D, nice video Eric. ;D

I did buy one game fairly recently that looked interesting. "Quern - Undying Thoughts", it's a really nice looking MYST like game. When I ran it, I realized very quickly that my system is way out of date! ;D, it was the first time in a long time I had to lower my graphics settings down from their default. A gorgeous looking game though. If I play anything, that will probably be it.

I also grabbed "Saints Row 2", it was free on GOG.com. It's not too bad, but... like most of those games, it has the annoying driving with a timer routine, and now I am on some sort of "escort the computer dude who is a retard that can't follow me worth shit so I keep failing my mission"... so, i stopped playing it. I usually say screw the missions and just explore and shoot random people. ;) But that gets boring too.

I dunno... getting into some sort of weird rut lately, can't get into coding anything, can't get into playing anything. I'm looking forward to nice weather so I can get outside at least. :-/

But then, I've been using computers since the early '80s so... been doing this for roughly 37 years (since I was 15, and that was 1980).

---
“I love you too.” - last words of Wanda Roy

bamccaig
Member #7,536
July 2006
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So long as you're having fun, I suppose that's all that matters. Impressive that it's held your attention for all this time, too! How easy would it be for an absolute newbie to jump into the mix? Is the community friendly enough? Say I bought the game, would I be able to have fun, too, or would I be totally obliterated by the long-time players?

CS:GO is nicely divided up so that the really serious players tend to be separated from the beginners. They have different game modes to start: "Deathmatch", "Arms Race", "Demolition", "Casual" and "Competitive" (I might be forgetting one in there).

The most serious players are almost exclusively in "Competitive" matches. Teams are smaller, tactics matter more, and you have more control over who you play with. There are penalties for leaving the game, and you will definitely be abused if you are bringing your team down (and they aren't friends). It's no place for a beginner unless you're playing with friends.

However, Competitive is also matched based on rank so a beginner should be matched with mostly beginners too. They'll likely be better than you if you're just starting, but won't be too far out of your league either.

The other game modes are a mix of beginners and intermediates. You typically get a good distribution of newbies to decent players. For the most part, it's very friendly, but you do need to learn to lingo and understand the inside jokes.

For example, a common theme that crops up is "clutch or kick". "Clutch" means to basically come back against bad odds and win the match. Usually in a 1 vs. N scenario, but sometimes something like 2 vs. 2N or something. "Clutch or kick" means if you don't clutch you're going to get kicked. It's more common in Competitive when people are goofing around, but it carries back over to other game modes too.

A beginner has basically zero chance of clutching. It's just a form of trolling that mostly kids do. Though some might try to use it to pressure friends into performing better. Kicking is a voting system so there has to be enough people agreeing to kick for it to matter, and lots of people ignore it (after all, they're just as vulnerable). Of course, lots of people are sheep so sometimes this does happen. Sometimes it's fun too. It's just part of the culture that you get used to.

You will definitely be obliterated by the long-time players when you first start, but you can practice offline first to get a feel for it, and start out with the beginner friendly modes to get practice in before you set foot on a stage where your performance even remotely matters. Even still I have really really really bad days where I'm terrible. You get the odd troll harassing you, but you just mute them and go on with your day.

You can always play with friends too so that they can help you learn the netiquette rules and stick up for you. Not to mention, help you to improve faster. So certainly, it's a friendly community that anybody can join. It does have a steep learning curve, but if you consider yourself good at first person shooters then I'm sure you can learn to play CS.

It remains fun because it's skill based. You have to practice and develop strategies to succeed. Unlike computer opponents who are typically static and usually have weaknesses that you can learn to exploit, human players change constantly and are more dynamic. And CS does not have any "easy buttons" to even the odds for everybody. The best player is the best player. The worst player is the worst player. This makes it more difficult to get into it, but also more rewarding once you are.

Eric Johnson
Member #14,841
January 2013
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Neil Roy said:

I also grabbed "Saints Row 2", it was free on GOG.com

I also grabbed it, but haven't played it yet.

Neil Roy said:

I dunno... getting into some sort of weird rut lately, can't get into coding anything, can't get into playing anything. ... I've been using computers since the early '80s so... been doing this for roughly 37 years (since I was 15, and that was 1980).

That makes you about 52 then, right? Somehow I thought you were younger. No worries; it's like I tell a buddy of mine who's in his 60s: you're only as old as you smell. ;)

That's a crazy long time to have used computers though. You've been using computers longer than I've been alive (I'm 22). :o

But hey, there's nothing wrong with taking a break from coding for a while to recharge. Take a break, relax, and return to it with a fresh perspective when you're ready in a few months or so. I did that with studying Japanese recently, and it's helped. :)

bamccaig said:

A well-written, lengthy, informative response.

Thanks for the information. :D I'll be sure to add it to my wishlist for later on. It sounds like it could be great fun.

Samuel Henderson
Member #3,757
August 2003
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Terraria, Starbound, and as of yesterday (at my wife's insistence) Divinity: Original Sin

=================================================
Paul whoknows: Why is this thread still open?
Onewing: Because it is a pthread: a thread for me to pee on.

GullRaDriel
Member #3,861
September 2003
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I'm parenting at my best, and what a game ^^
That aside I sometimes capture the flag on UrbanTerror.

"Code is like shit - it only smells if it is not yours"
Allegro Wiki, full of examples and articles !!

Neil Roy
Member #2,229
April 2002
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That makes you about 52 then, right? Somehow I thought you were younger. No worries; it's like I tell a buddy of mine who's in his 60s: you're only as old as you smell. ;)

Yep, 52 exactly; I was around 30 when I started with Allegro and C in the '90s. I think you'll find many of the original developers aren't too far behind me in age either. If they were in their 20s back then, they're in their 40s now. Though many of them seemed to have vanished from here, which is kind of sad. Life I guess.

Actually, if you point your mouse at that little info card at the top of this message, I put a real picture of me in there. ;)

---
“I love you too.” - last words of Wanda Roy

Eric Johnson
Member #14,841
January 2013
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Lookin' good in all your 160x160 glory! :D

2229.jpg

Bob Keane
Member #7,342
June 2006

Bambam said:

My finaceé works two jobs and sometimes picks up a few hours babysitting too. I don't know how she does it. I couldn't. Props to you if you can, but watch you don't burn yourself right out.

They are only part time jobs. The thing that kills me is traveling. I don't have a car, so I take the bus. There is no direct route from the day job to the night job, so I have to go to the station and wait for a second bus. Then I walk from the bus stop to the office. All told it takes two hours.

By reading this sig, I, the reader, agree to render my soul to Bob Keane. I, the reader, understand this is a legally binding contract and freely render my soul.
"Love thy neighbor as much as you love yourself means be nice to the people next door. Everyone else can go to hell. Missy Cooper.
The advantage to learning something on your own is that there is no one there to tell you something can't be done.

Bruce Perry
Member #270
April 2000

bamccaig said:

they had to move to the UK

Score! ;D

[EDIT]
For the avoidance for doubt, that's a sympathetic comment - they (not [only] we) have scored :)

--
Bruce "entheh" Perry [ Web site | DUMB | Set Up Us The Bomb !!! | Balls ]
Programming should be fun. That's why I hate C and C++.
The brxybrytl has you.

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