Holding back

[Destructor]

I don't think I've been playing games as much as I used to, and this is somewhat an act of deliberation on my part. I haven't been addicted to a game for a long time, years ago I got pissed off if I couldn't play a game due to homework or what-have-you. And although I don't get pissed anymore, I still like to sink my teeth into a product. But not anymore it seems as I'm holding back. I haven't outright declared to myself that I will not play games anymore, well not yet anyway, but I have an element of resistance to them now.

For example, I bought STALKER due to hearing all the good things about it here, but I can't really get into it. Sure, I could if I really wanted to, but because of this slight resistance I put up it's hard. Another example is I bought a Wii but I haven't bought any games for it yet even though I've spent a boatload of money on a new rig recently. I'm just content with playing Wii Sports with my sister every now and then.

Why did I get a new rig if I'm not playing games much at the moment? you may ask. Well, I still want to keep up with technology and have the equipment to play games if I want to play games. A part of me would just be happy buying one high tech game a year, and just playing it a little to justify spending heaps on hardware. I know this sounds a bit ridiculous and can be regarded as gaming blasphemy as it were, but I don't care. There's a sense of pride in me when I'm holding back on playing games and there's people around me who are possibly addicted to them. I know one friend of mine who sometimes stays up all night gaming. That's something I've never done.

This holding back though, as good as it may sound to some, may not be that good for me though. Contrary to what some may think, I haven't been using the time for not gaming for more important things. Most of the time I'm just piss farting about doing nothing. Okay, that may be an exaggeration but it sure seems that way sometimes. A part of me thinks I'd be better of playing games more. Why? Because that way I might feel more stimulated. I do feel understimulated at times, as this holding back not only applies to games. It can apply to other things aswell like movies (especially movies), books and music.

For example, it took at least four months for me to read Children of Dune, as I only read teeny weeny bits at a time. Never did I sit down and have a good read for an hour or two, you know, enough time to get myself immersed in the world the author created. I did race through another book at the time but it wasn't an immersive book like Dune. With Children of Dune, I just read it in a way akin to just scratching the surface of water. I got the main jist of the story but never did I sink down into the depths of imagination. All the book was for me was just a bunch of words on paper. And even when I finished the thing I didn't feel a sense of satisfaction as one may think one may feel after reading a book for so long. No, it was just meh. So, I don't know.

Maybe I am deliberately under-stimulating myself and giving myself a boring life. But even so, there is that sense of pride. I felt kinda proud sticking with the book for so long and finally finishing it, but it wasn't a strong sense of pride though. Mainly what I feel most of the time is a low undercurrent of control. Sometimes I feel too much in control.

So, what do you think? Does anyone here feel this way too? Do you think I should boot up my new rig and play STALKER or some other fun game for a day and a bit or should I continue like how I've been doing? Or is it maybe time I stop playing games altogether and concentrate fully on other things (like getting a job for instance! :o)?

Some other facts about me is I am a gamer at heart, or at least I like to think so. I had childhood dreams of owning a computer entertainment company, and I still sometimes fantasize on what I would create if I was a 'Scott Miller' IP creator dude in the industry. Also, I check these forums regularly even though my post count may not reflect that, and I like reading about what's coming up and what's going on in the gaming world.

So, yeah, this is me. What do you think? :confused:

NOTE: Sometimes, rarely though, I do try to get really into something. Once I prepped myself up to read Children of Dune for a couple of hours but I ended up almost falling asleep. I ended up dropping the book and so I just went 'screw it' and lay on my bed for a while. Maybe that was just a boring books for me to read though, although I did enjoy Dune, especially the second time I read it.

[Dogy]

Lemme get the off-topic stuff out of the way first:

- How's the original Dune? I've been thinking of picking it up since I'm a sci-fi nut and Dune is a sci-fi classic.

- What rig did you build?

- What's your monitor/sound system?

On-topic stuff:

It appears that you haven't found that particular game that re-builds your faith in gaming once again. What are your favorite genres? Are you willing to learn how to properly play a game just to have fun with it?

[Wamplet]

I have actually found myself sampling older vintages recently. I tend to buy a few games that offer a good deal of replay value (multiplayer) or something that will take a while to play (like an RPG) and eventually i will pass a ton of other games in the process.

I recently went and played the following games for the first time in the past year, because I was absolutely bored and uninterested in the new games that were being churned out:

System Shock 1 and 2
Thief 1 and 2
Outcast
Neverwinter Nights 1 and expansions.

These are some of the best and funnest games i have ever played and as you can see, a lot of these games were out 5+ years. some even way longer, like system shock :o

You should let us know what kind of games you like and maybe we can help you out with finding something you like. :)

[Destructor]

How's the original Dune? I've been thinking of picking it up since I'm a sci-fi nut and Dune is a sci-fi classic.

It's very good. I haven't read much sci-fi so I can't really say it's the best or anything but I love it. I also love the David Lynch film. As a kid I always wanted to read it and tried to but never got into it because of the author's 'advanced' vocabulary and the complexity of the story. But, last year I think it was, I tried reading it again without trying too hard to get into it and I did get into it. Overall, it was a good read. It's like drinking a fine wine though, you can't skulk it down.


- What rig did you build?


Well, these are the current specs of the thing:

- Pentium 4 3.2GHz
- 1GB 667 MHz RAM
- 8600GT video card

It's quite better than my old rig which is a Celeron 2.8 GHz with only a 9550 video card.

I've got threads in the hardware forum about such stuff. BTW, speaking of computers and stimulation, building my new rig was probably the most stimulating (if not stressful) thing I've done in a while. Pity that process didn't last long.


- What's your monitor/sound system?


19" widescreen LCD, crappy $10 speakers. I have a 2x120 watt (RMS) hi-fi system but there's no room on my desk for it.


It appears that you haven't found that particular game that re-builds your faith in gaming once again. What are your favorite genres?

My favourite genres are first person shooters, racing/GTA type stuff, and adventure games. I find adventure games the most stimulating when I sink my teeth into them. The Longest Journey was a great game in that regard. One school holidays I got into it and that's all I pretty much did those holidays. In fact, that's the last adventure game I bought that I really got into. I did get Syberia 1 & 2 afterwards, as well as Myst 4: Revelation, but no luck with those unfortuantely.

Half-Life was another game I got heavily into, but I'm pretty much over that now. GTAIII was good also but I've gotten all I can from that. San Andreas is pretty good, about three quarters of the way through it, but it's on and off and it can get tedious.


Are you willing to learn how to properly play a game just to have fun with it?


Well, I suppose. I learnt how to use the Shadow Warrior Build engine but I never built any levels with it though. Yeah, I know, that's not a game but anyway. Now that you mention it though, something with a bit of a learning curve might be good for me. I might enjoy a game better if I feel I've worked hard to get the hang of it.

The PS2 game, I Love Katamari was good in that regards as you can only use the analogue sticks for that game and it took a while to get used to and to learn how to roll a Katamari. And I love that game. Also, I got the Wii mainly just to get acquainted with it's control system and not just be stuck with the nerdy keyboard and mouse. Of course, if a game has a learning curve it's got to feel worth it.


These are some of the best and funnest games i have ever played and as you can see, a lot of these games were out 5+ years. some even way longer, like system shock :o

Ah yeah, I've heard good things about System Shock and Thief but I never tracked them down. I did get an older game called Heavy Metal FAKK2 though from eBay because I had a demo of it, which was pretty fun. It came in a pack with Serious Sam, Rune, and Oni. All quite good old games that I missed when they first came out. Although I didn't really get into Oni though, maybe I should boot it up again.


You should let us know what kind of games you like and maybe we can help you out with finding something you like. :)

Yeah, that might be a good idea. I doubt there is a game out there that will enlighten me or change my life in a huge way or anything like that though. But it would be good to find something I won't be able to stop playing and get almost addicted to. I know it is possible as it has happened with other games before, quite a few games at that. However, with my slight resistance it may be quite hard now.

Anyway, I gave out a few details on what I like in this post. Something with a learning curve seems to be a good selling point for me at the moment. Any ideas immediately spring to mind from reading this stuff? Cheers, guys. :)

[Dogy]

Ok then, I seriously suggest you start playing some of the bigger RTSs. Rome: Total War would be a good place to start.

Demo of it is here: http://files.filefront.com/Rome+Total+War+Demo/;3612012;;/fileinfo.html

And here's the Medieval II demo. This is the most amazing looking RTS I've ever seen, considering the fact that you can get 10,000+ troops in a single battle.
http://files.filefront.com/Medieval+II+Total+War+Demo+Updated/;6086713;;/fileinfo.html

Your processor is giving your 8600 GT a huge bottleneck.

In addition, you should pick up some good headphones. Going from a shitty set of speakers to amazing headphones will be a night and day difference. I recommend the Sennheiser HD202s, I use them, and they're fairly cheap.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16826106306&Tpk=HD202

It also appears that you're looking for games that require INTELLIGENCE. All of the Total Wars will suffice, as well as Silent Storm, StarCraft, and all of the Hitmans.

If you have any questions about any of the Total War games, throw me a PM. I thought I was a Valve fanboy, but I'm more of a The Creative Assembly fanboy (The developer behind Total War).

To sum up what the Total War series is in a setence:

Think of Risk combined with a real-time strategy game battle system.

[Malgon]

I'm sure almost every gamer comes to that point where they feel a lack of motivation in doing what they have always loved. It's something that you want to fix, but it isn't always easy to find the right game that just grabs you and re-ignites the faith (as Dogy said) in your favourite hobby. I'm sure the guys around here are more than willing to help you find that game that will make you jump out of your seat and make you remember what it's all about. :cool:

P.s. Hope that makes sense. :)

[Phait]

Yeah, I know, that's not a game but anyway. Now that you mention it though, something with a bit of a learning curve might be good for me. I might enjoy a game better if I feel I've worked hard to get the hang of it.

http://www.mobygames.com/game/windows/falcon-40-allied-force/screenshots

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FmTSjePGqD8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zsZCzIpeuf8 tutorial

:p

[Mountain Man]

My biggest problem at the moment is simply lack of time, and with so many games I want to play, I often find myself jumping from game to game rather than playing one religiously until I finish it. That's why these days I have a number of unfinished games in my collection, though I continually chip away at them until I do eventually finish.

[Wamplet]

If you want something with a learning curve, some of the Space or RTS games rely on those.

I think The Guild 2 was probably one of the more harder games for me to learn. :o

Not really sure what genre you like, but another game that was fun was Knights of Honor, which is a diplomatic RTS game. You can empty a lot of time in that game.

[Dogy]

I uploaded a 300 meg, 20 minute long video of a Medieval II battle.

From start to finish, it's uncut.

http://files.filefront.com/M2Battlezip/;8030385;;/fileinfo.html

[Destructor]

Your processor is giving your 8600 GT a huge bottleneck.

Really? Next time I upgrade I'll be sure to get a better processor then. :)


In addition, you should pick up some good headphones. Going from a shitty set of speakers to amazing headphones will be a night and day difference. I recommend the Sennheiser HD202s, I use them, and they're fairly cheap.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16826106306&Tpk=HD202

Ah yeah, I do have some not bad headphones, but they are a bit uncomfortable on my ears though.


It also appears that you're looking for games that require INTELLIGENCE. All of the Total Wars will suffice, as well as Silent Storm, StarCraft, and all of the Hitmans.

Yeah, maybe. Hitman sounds alright. Don't know about the RTS games you mentioned though, as I'm not really an RTS fan anymore. I did play a little bit of Command & Conquer: Tiberian Sun not long ago though, and I have been thinking of getting the new Command & Conquer game.

BTW, those links you put up, I haven't investigated them yet due to my limited Internet connection at the moment. But thanks anyway. :)



To sum up what the Total War series is in a setence:

Think of Risk combined with a real-time strategy game battle system.

Heh, I had to wiki Risk to find out what that was. :)

I'm sure almost every gamer comes to that point where they feel a lack of motivation in doing what they have always loved. It's something that you want to fix, but it isn't always easy to find the right game that just grabs you and re-ignites the faith (as Dogy said) in your favourite hobby. I'm sure the guys around here are more than willing to help you find that game that will make you jump out of your seat and make you remember what it's all about. :cool:


Hmm, maybe my gaming life goes around in cycles, and I'm just on a fairly low end of the cycle at the moment. It's probably bound to pick up sooner or later, even if I do not find that one perfect game people are suggesting I should find.

http://www.mobygames.com/game/windows/falcon-40-allied-force/screenshots


Flight sim? Hmm, don't know... :p

My biggest problem at the moment is simply lack of time, and with so many games I want to play, I often find myself jumping from game to game rather than playing one religiously until I finish it. That's why these days I have a number of unfinished games in my collection, though I continually chip away at them until I do eventually finish.

So your the opposite to me at the moment. I have plenty of immediate time on my hands, but little of it goes to gaming. Plus, I usually stick to one title religiously, as you so eloquently put it. :)

[Destructor]

BUMP!

Heh, looking back on this thread, I can say that I'm still gaming. I bought a whole bunch of games recently including Quake 4, FarCry, Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher's Bay, and Command & Conquer 3: Tiberium Wars. I've played all of them except Chronicles (because it won't start up for some reason) and they all seem to be quite solid entertainment. Where I'm at in FarCry is quite tricky though. :)

I think the solution to the issue I explained above is that I've got to put a bit of effort into having fun. Yes, it can feel like work in that way, but it can pay off. Heh, one of my friends has a timetable for gaming and plays a different game each day (i.e. Monday: Blizzard Warcraft games, Tuesday: C&C3, etc). I think that is going a bit too far though, especially since he could put that effort and organisation into more important areas of his life. But then again, what's more important than gaming? :p

[Dogy]

World in Conflict demo

NOW! Don't stare at this page, go download it!

[Damien_Azreal]

How about... no. :p

Some people just are not into RTS. ;) I'll stick with BioShock.

[John]

Aye, some people like to stick to one genre. :(


I ran into a rut when it came to gaming because my old PC died and I've been using a (fairly decent) laptop since. The only games I really feel like playing on it are old favorites like Fallout and Planescape, but my friend let me borrow his X360 so I've been able to keep up with the latest/best games atleast, although the controller for first person shooters still feels unnatural, heh.

[Phait]

I've recently gotten bored with general gaming but I'm finding a new lease on fun with sim racing.

[Mr.Fibbles]

I am lax in my gaming; it is just boring lately and doesn't keep me interested. The things that keep me interested is the editing it (and even that gets boring fast). After I beat a game, I am just bored with it.

I guess I am waiting for the King to return, then maybe I will get back in the gaming zone.

[Damien_Azreal]

I tend to play something every day, more some days than others.... but it's a daily thing for me.

[Malgon]

I try to play games as often as I can in my free time. I do stay up and get a couple of hours in during the week, and then pay for it the next day at work! :D