Solemn Dilemna

[BuildHappy]

Please don't condemn me, but I am having a tough time deciding which game to play today. I picked up some EPs for Cities Skylines a while ago (they were on a good sale), and have been enjoying the new content. Steam workshop for this game is great. The mods and custom content for CS rival any game I have loved, even sims 3. The community on steam however, sucks. No one there is as generous, communicative, or supportive as the fine folks here at Black Liquid.




so I made a list with two columns, Banished on one side, CS on the other... to help me decide...



[img]<fileStore.core_Attachment>/monthly_2017_05/592732a20a6d6_ShiningRock.JPG.bd54681741769fc1587e3e50c4d41bf3.JPG[/img]

[estherhb]

Another option:  Fallout 4 is free on Steam through the weekend. Then you can buy it for 67% off if you like it. [img]<fileStore.core_Emoticons>/emoticons/smile.png[/img]/emoticons/smile@2x.png 2x" title=":)" width="20" />



 

[ShockPuppet]

After months of not even touching my pc i've been playing xcom 2 again [img]<fileStore.core_Emoticons>/emoticons/smile.png[/img]/emoticons/smile@2x.png 2x" title=":)" width="20" />



And also a bit of endless space 2




I love cities skylines, just play whatever you feel [img]<fileStore.core_Emoticons>/emoticons/smile.png[/img]/emoticons/smile@2x.png 2x" title=":)" width="20" />

[Vrayna]

I've fallen into the trap of The Long Dark, getting devoured by wolves or freezing in the snow several times a day...

[KevinTheCynic]

Ah <a contenteditable="false" data-ipshover="" data-ipshover-target="<___base_url___>/index.php?/profile/8733-buildhappy/&do=hovercard" data-mentionid="8733" href="<___base_url___>/index.php?/profile/8733-buildhappy/">@BuildHappy</a> I have to agree with you on everything you've said, I really enjoy Cities Skylines, even with its 20 minute load time (due to the number of mods I have installed!) and the content on Steam Workshop is large, well made and quite comprehensive - but the denizens of Steam are generally a pack of self-entitled, spoilt brats.




I took a major break away from Banished because I was waiting for a few of the modders to update their content for 107 and so I decided to restart Skyrim (which is also modded to within an inch of its life) and then for some more survival themed gaming I would play Empyrion: Galactic Survival and alternate with STALKER: Call of Pripyat (also modded).




It was a frustrating time waiting for Banished because according to my Steam stats (yeah I have the Steam version of Banished) I had played it for 996 hours and I got it into my head that I wanted to break the 1000 hour mark. So all the time I was playing those other games I was thinking, "Just four more hours and I'll hit 1000 hours on Banished!" - which I did today after installing the updated mods.




What can I say, I was obsessed! [img]<fileStore.core_Emoticons>/emoticons/biggrin.png[/img]/emoticons/biggrin@2x.png 2x" title=":D" width="20" />

[TuffDwarf]

 

1 hour ago, KevinTheCynic said:




Ah <a contenteditable="false" data-ipshover="" data-ipshover-target="<___base_url___>/index.php?/profile/8733-buildhappy/&do=hovercard" data-mentionid="8733" href="<___base_url___>/index.php?/profile/8733-buildhappy/">@BuildHappy</a> I have to agree with you on everything you've said, I really enjoy Cities Skylines, even with its 20 minute load time (due to the number of mods I have installed!) and the content on Steam Workshop is large, well made and quite comprehensive - but the denizens of Steam are generally a pack of self-entitled, spoilt brats.




I took a major break away from Banished because I was waiting for a few of the modders to update their content for 107 and so I decided to restart Skyrim (which is also modded to within an inch of its life) and then for some more survival themed gaming I would play Empyrion: Galactic Survival and alternate with STALKER: Call of Pripyat (also modded).




It was a frustrating time waiting for Banished because according to my Steam stats (yeah I have the Steam version of Banished) I had played it for 996 hours and I got it into my head that I wanted to break the 1000 hour mark. So all the time I was playing those other games I was thinking, "Just four more hours and I'll hit 1000 hours on Banished!" - which I did today after installing the updated mods.




What can I say, I was obsessed! [img]<fileStore.core_Emoticons>/emoticons/biggrin.png[/img]/emoticons/biggrin@2x.png 2x" title=":D" width="20" />

I took a few weeks off from playing Banished and then, like you, was sooo close to 1000 hours that I just had to get there so I came back.  Now I find I am at 1023 hours so of course I have to keep going to get to 1100!  Can't leave it at an uneven number, now can I?  [img]<fileStore.core_Emoticons>/emoticons/blush.png[/img]/emoticons/blush@2x.png 2x" title=":$" width="20" />

[Freedom]

@TuffDwarf I remember getting to 1000 hours, but that was so long ago - another 4658 hours ago actually.




Such a great game with endless scenarios and possibilities. Hats off to the great modding community and a developer who has stayed engaged past product release.   

[KevinTheCynic]

<a contenteditable="false" data-ipshover="" data-ipshover-target="<___base_url___>/index.php?/profile/9056-tuffdwarf/&do=hovercard" data-mentionid="9056" href="<___base_url___>/index.php?/profile/9056-tuffdwarf/">@TuffDwarf</a> <a contenteditable="false" data-ipshover="" data-ipshover-target="<___base_url___>/index.php?/profile/8101-freedom/&do=hovercard" data-mentionid="8101" href="<___base_url___>/index.php?/profile/8101-freedom/">@Freedom</a> I am happy to say that I am still amazed at the amount of time people will put into Banished. It's a testament to how engaging the game is, particularly with the utterly great work done by the modders.




I don't know when I'll reach the 2000 hour mark let alone the 4000 hour mark but you can bet that I will be working towards them for many years to come.

[BuildHappy]

19 hours ago, KevinTheCynic said:




What can I say, I was obsessed! [img]<fileStore.core_Emoticons>/emoticons/biggrin.png[/img]/emoticons/biggrin@2x.png 2x" title=":D" width="20" />

well, i am hoping this is a judgement-free zone, 'cuz i am about to spill a secret: i torrented banished before i bought it on steam. i am freaking broke, and even at $20, i would not buy a game without many hours of play to ensure i will not get tired of it. and banished is one game you can find almost every mod outside the workshop - cities skylines is definitely not.




i paid full price on steam for banished ($20.) i did not get it on sale (it is currently on sale for $5.) and since i feel BlackLiquid adds easily 50% enjoyment to my game, i donated to this site as soon as i could afford to (same amount as i paid for the game - $20 - sorry it couldn't be more, i know your work is WAY more valuable than i can pay!)




i never paid full price for CS, because they use the paid DLC model (same as EA sims 3, which i never got at full price). i always wait for at least 60% sale, and usually for 75% since my landlord is so fussy about being paid on time, i must prioritize.




all this is by way of replying i have 902 hours on steam, but since i didn't stop playing my pirate version while i waited for the extra spending money, i have no idea how many hours i have in total, but i strongly suspect it is around 1200.




[img]<fileStore.core_Emoticons>/emoticons/smile.png[/img]/emoticons/smile@2x.png 2x" title=":)" width="20" />



and <a contenteditable="false" data-ipshover="" data-ipshover-target="<___base_url___>/index.php?/profile/8101-freedom/&do=hovercard" data-mentionid="8101" href="<___base_url___>/index.php?/profile/8101-freedom/">@Freedom</a> just wow... what the heck else do you even have time to do...?




edit: it's been 1228 days since the release of banished. if <a contenteditable="false" data-ipshover="" data-ipshover-target="<___base_url___>/index.php?/profile/8101-freedom/&do=hovercard" data-mentionid="8101" href="<___base_url___>/index.php?/profile/8101-freedom/">@Freedom</a> has played 5658 hours, that's 4.6 hours per day, every single day. simply amazing. do you play a city to self-sustaining, and then let it run while you do other things? i know some folks can do that. (i can't.)




even between jobs i don't have 4.6 hours per day to play. and even if banished is my favorite game, i still get a hankering for variety, and go off to sim or build elsewhere for a while...  4.6 hours per day for 1228 days borders on monomania, and i am in awe.   [img]<fileStore.core_Emoticons>/emoticons/biggrin.png[/img]/emoticons/biggrin@2x.png 2x" title=":D" width="20" />



 

[KevinTheCynic]

<a contenteditable="false" data-ipshover="" data-ipshover-target="<___base_url___>/index.php?/profile/8733-buildhappy/&do=hovercard" data-mentionid="8733" href="<___base_url___>/index.php?/profile/8733-buildhappy/">@BuildHappy</a> I can sympathize all too well with your situation, I was made redundant at my last job and have not been successful at finding full time employment for the last few years. I was lucky in that I bought Banished when I was still working and it was on sale at another site (like Green Man Gaming or one of those) and it had been about 8-12 months after the game had been released so I had the benefit of getting mods for it almost immediately.




I don't have the right to make any judgements and I believe that others here won't judge you because you liked the game well enough to buy a legit copy of it and thereby support the creators - and then you donated to BlackLiquid as well. I think most people will understand the desire to "try before you buy" and particularly if the player ends up buying the game, it gets contentious when someone gets a cracked version of a game and then starts asking for help to fix problems or starts whining about it not working.




In Australia the prices for games are about double what they are in Europe or North America even when buying through something like Steam but because I was still financial at the time I pre-ordered CS and so paid full price for it. However I was particularly irked by the price of the DLC so I have only ever bought them when they were on sale (which explains why I have owned it for so long but have a small amount of time on it compared to Banished - I was waiting for the DLC prices to be reduced).