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PaperclipPerfector  2d ago (text post)   1822 thread views

Friday Fun Thread for October 9, 2026

Be advised: this thread is not for serious in-depth discussion of weighty topics (we have a link for that), this thread is not for anything Culture War related. This thread is for Fun. You got jokes? Share 'em. You got silly questions? Ask 'em.

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It’s an interesting discussion none the less.

It’s not a function of having time or not having time. I have 3 young kids and a demanding job. I have 2-3 hours of “me time” most days that I will sink into a good game. I’d rather spend 2 months making my way through Valheim than crossing new releases off my play list. Frankly, so few good and interesting games are released that I generally have a playlist of like 5-10 games I go back to. Very few of them are new releases.

I suppose it comes down to why you are playing video games. Seriously, why are you even playing Valheim? To cross it off a list? I’m sincerely asking.

Edit:

I fucking hate corpse runs. But fair enough that makes me not want to die. But that leads me to playing cautious and ultra boring all the time. I am absolutely not gonna risk a 50 minute meal count down on a risky and aggressive strategy.

Yes. There are consequences to death. And with no map, it’s much more likely your corpse and inventory is not getting recovered. But maybe if you remember where you were you can pull it off. You described combat as boring. It’s definitely not boring with those stakes. And playing defensively is typically a mistake. That’s what makes it interesting. It’s fully engaging. That’s why I think it’s a best in class. Literally the polar opposite of those new release slop games that play themself.

I am having fun despite all my complaints. It's not just crossing it off a list.

Exploring the dungeons in the deep north has been fun. Sieging the forts in the Ashlands has been fun. Kiting bosses while they absolutely obliterate the environment around me is fun for thirty minutes, just not an hour or two.

The progression is always something I'm addicted to. I wish it was more tied to the character itself rather than just the gear and meals.

The building is fun at my super base once I had a huge backlog of stone or other raw material.

I like the size of the world but I just wish there was a faster way to traverse it. I'd love if there was an end game air ship. And a mid game ship with way more speed. Possibly some resource burning option for a flat boost to speed. So you would still want the wind for top speed, but aren't completely stuck dead in the water when you get a headwind in a narrow channel.

I mean this sincerely but I think we just have a very different definition of fun and we’re looking for different things in a game.

I need a game to be punishingly difficult and designed well enough to where I can practice and improve - sort of like golf. Mastery of a game.

Or I need a game that’s truly well designed and experiencing the interplay of systems is satisfying. I like building in games, all the way back to Sim City 2000. Valheim has a terrific building system where the pieces are small enough, clipable, and there’s a logical restrictions on weight/engineering. But if I’m given unlimited resources to build, and the building serves no functional purpose, I’m not satisfied. Valheim scratches that itch. Building is very functional. And at the same time you can get really flamboyant with the designs.

Enshrouded may have a great building system. But with no bare raids and no practical use (benches with craft from chest) , I am extremely bored by it.

So why do you play games? Is it just moment to moment fun? Second screen?

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