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Notes -
Video Game thread! What are you playing?
I've been replaying Terraria, this time with a bunch of friends and some light mods. It's a blast. We got five people on at once one time, and we may be able to do six this weekend. A great game for curling up by the fire while it's snowing and just gaming all day with friends on.
The Planet Crafter - Toxicity DLC. Basically an Open World Survival Craft game with a terraforming flavour.
Also Cast 'n Chill fishing game.
Finally TR-49 for a Return of the Obra Dinn style mystery.
I've done a couple Planet Crafter runs but find that they stop being interesting to me right around the point that I no longer need to worry about oxygen.
Up to then it's a race against time for stability; once stability is gained it just becomes a matter of wandering back and forth over the landscape looking for the story-related stuff you didn't find/tag earlier.
Needs monsters. Devs have said no monsters ever.
Also the DNA/creature-gen system is vastly more complex and onerous than it is interesting, which IMO is a bad dynamic.
I'll complain generally that the whole "You are indebted/convicted and must work your way out of this situation for an evil corporation that has the deck stacked against you" is a tremendously-overused trope at this point. Can't we just be pioneers motivated by our own enterprise? Please?
Still, I have ~150 hours in that game so it must be doing something right.
Yeah, I find it becomes too grindy in a way once you need to start mass production of vegetables to start cranking out Biolab recipes. Still, I keep playing it and just bought the new DLC (sigh).
If you like the genre, consider Survival:Fountain of Youth, which is kind of a combination of Green Hell/The Long Dark. You're a 16th century Conquistador trying to find the fabled fountain.
Its got its flaws, but at least has 'monsters' in the form of rabid animals. Combat can be a bit clunky, but finally progressing to the point of getting a high end crossbow is very satisfying.
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