Thanks - that was really useful. I was in two minds, as there were a few nagging doubts, and that reinforced those doubts (and added a couple more!)

I’ll pass for now but follow in case of major update/sequel.

Dola, I did pick up Journey of Wrestling though, which after playing around with a couple of trial runs I think I like the dynamics of enough to give it a proper go.

Like a simplified TEW (or a more developed and streamlined version of another game I played years ago call Extreme Wrestling Revolution or similar - it might have even been the precursor to TEW IIRC)

I really liked it as a Civ/CK cross where you stay in a cool time period instead of pretty quickly skipping past it and racing to more modern units and tech, but like Civ and CK it also bogs down as you get later in the game and you've built up enough "orders" you either don't use them all many turns or you can do those blitz attacks "from off screen" under the fog of war. Looks like it's had a lot of DLC released, I wouldn't expect any major updates, but maybe just wait for a real sale - I think I got it under $20 pre or at release on Epic idk why the base game price is so sticky on Steam. Even if you just treat it kind of as a Civ scenario there's enough different and pretty cool mechanics it's worth a few starts and run throughs... not like I ever finish my Civ games anyways, the fun is the start and exploration. I thought this one did a really good job with the RPG elements and making family decisions or choosing which place to expand to in the early game/which houses to support feel like real choices that mattered, if I cared enough to look there might even be a Mod available that limits the orders later and keeps that tension.

BTW, speaking of TEW, TEW IX (they've dropped the year and just went with the release number)

Yeah, we don't do a new wrestling game every year (they are like presidential elections and every 4 years - 2016, 2020, 2024), so using the year made it seem like people were using an out-dated version a few years in.

Adam has been doing a Dev diary with all the changes if people are interested:
https://forum.greydogsoftware.com/to...opers-journal/

Play Fallout 4 not in New Vegas, but London-a totally modded version of Fallout 4: Game of the Year Edition is out today and free if you own that version already. The link will take you to GOG.com where you claim it.


IMPORTANT: There are instructions on this page to take you to instructions for what to do if you have the game on Steam. Please look at the section labelled A Polite Disclaimer where it tells you about what this mod will do to your base game, so probably not what you want to deal with if you have a Fallout 4 game ongoing,


RATING / ESRB / A

Dead by Daylight has a free weekend on Steam

After playing a lot this week, I’ve worked out the simplicity of JoW is also it’s downfall - it’s very addictive, fun to play, but ultimately too easy to get on a roll. If the game gets a tiny bit more depth without losing what makes it fun ATM it will be absolute gold!

Has whetted my appetite though, and very handy that TEW drops soon!

For a limited time get Jackbox Games, Drawful 2 for free on Steam

Free weekend of Myth of Empires, a multiplayer war sandbox game mixing survival, crafting, and leading troops into battle on Steam

Humble Bundle out with a new digital tabletop bundle out with some pretty good games for $18 if you want the full bundle-Wingspan, Dune Imperium,, Sagrada, Terraforming Mars (and 2 DLC), Root, Everdell, Munchkin, Quilts and cats of Calico, Scythe

TEW IX has been released, you guys can check it out here if you are interested:

Home - Grey Dog Software

The Star Trek version of Stellaris, Star Trek:Infinite is 50% off or $15 on steam

Such a screwy clusterfuck that turned out to be. Released and abandoned a mere five months afterwards. How they managed to botch it so badly feels like a heck of a headscratcher.

This version really does feel like it's taken a big step forward by introducing ideas and concepts that work better in a game than maybe they would in real life. It has taken a big step forward as a GAME in my opinion.

And really after playing this series for 25 years I've done all the fantasy booking I could ever want to do. At this point I just want to be entertained, and this is doing a MUCH better job than 2020 did in that regard.

yeah you would have thought Star Trek added would have been an near instant hit.

I have watch some people play this on Youtube, and it does seem to have amazing depth. If I weren't just bored to death of text sims it would be tempting.

I actually really enjoyed his World of MMA games, but could never get past determining the outcomes of the matches in TEW, I wanted to be surprised by the results, not surprised by the crowd reaction to my predetermined outcomes (I need a kayfabe simulation). If the new version is more 'gamey' maybe I'll like it more...I'll check out the demo.

you can always set no victor/loser note, and let the road agent determines who wins..

I just don't think I can deal with the convoluted reworking of angles. That's got to be one of the most ill conceived constructions I've ever seen in a game of any kind.

Good to know.

Meh, I get it. I’m one of the ones that would book 2 angles in a row to accomplish what I wanted. This fixes it. I’m using it. I wish there was a way to cut down clicks but I understand the change.

All the different roles though, yea, I honestly don’t know what he was going with there especially since the help file says almost all of them are the same thing and it’s mostly cosmetic.

It doesn’t work the way you want it to work though. The road agent will basically always pick the guy that has a higher perception in the company. If it’s the same the higher overness is the winner. Not exactly nail biting results like in WMMA.

And with the exception of maybe a turn or two, I'm not sure I've ever once booked 2 angles in a row for anything.

My head canon abstracted the angles stuff by & large. They never really ever meant anything to me other than a way to boost a show rating for a high Entertainment/Low ring skill guy.

And Will largely plays only Japanese (or J-styled) promotions any more in order to avoid having to deal with them at all. (and he's reached the decade mark with at least a couple of companies, so he plays way more than me anymore)

Anything that makes it feel more like a game and/or makes it more difficult I’m all for. The new angle system lets you stop cheating the angle system for artificially high ratings, if you want, in a way the old system couldn’t do. If you choose not to it doesn’t seem like it would be too different to me. You can do one part, change nothing on the left side. Choose who you want in it and just set them to whatever, we can go with cutting a promo or hype the crowd for the people on screen and off screen for everyone else and you are good to go. It’s functionally the same angle system at that point.

That is also good to know.

Intravenous-a top-down stealth action fighter is free to claim at GoG.com over the next couple of days

Titanfall2 is 90% off or $4 on Steam, most (all?) of the Dragon Age games are 90% off too

Always appreciate your work, Thomkal.

Thanks!

Humble Bundle out with a new RPG bundle featuring RPG's from Owlcat and Beamdog including their latest Warhammer 40,000:Rogue Trader, various Pathfinder games and season passes, and Balder's Gate 1 and 2, and Icewind Dale:


https://www.humblebundle.com/games/b...masters_bundle

Steam with free weekend of Hunt: Showdown 1896

Ok, I bit. I have been playing this for the last week, and I just can't get enough. I don't know crap about wrestling, yet I can't stop thinking about the this game and strategies and things I want to try. I really, really, really wish they could make the interface better. Other then that though it is shocking me how much fun I'm having with this.

free weekends of Core Keeper and HellCard on Steam


Edit:Another free weekend of Diablo 4 too

And with all the talk of Civ 7, another classic has entered early access on Steam:Heroes of Might and Magic:Olden Era


After ten long years, we’re finally getting a new Might and Magic game

Gog.com has a freebie to claim in the next 72 hours-Tropico 4

Oh that is fantastic. Hope it doesn't bomb.

Kingdom Come: Deliverance is free to play this weekend and 90% off if you like it on Steam


Hogwarts Legacy now at 70% off which seems a bit crazy for such a popular game

Once Upon a Jester is now free to claim at GoG.com for the next 46 hours

Anyone play the new Star Wars game? I see comparisons to Red Dead and I’m tempted but then I see people talk about how bad it runs (especially on PC where Ray Tracing cannot be turned off) and it makes me think I should just wait until it’s fixed and had a few discounts.

SomeOrdinaryGamers on YT said gameplay is bland and it'd be best to hold off until a discount

https://youtu.be/MGI26JTm5M0?si=jD7FU3ur9wRlDdlI

Sony is removing the game Concord, which just came out, from its servers and offering a refund for anyone who bought it. A major miss for a major company:


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The competition for hero shooters is crazy right now with Apex, Overwatch, and Valorant plus Valve has a new one in beta right now. These games require a large player base to have any success and the bar is incredibly high to pull players from established games.

The writing is also on the wall for Firewalk Studios. Got bought by Sony last year and their first game shuts down and gets refunded less than 2 weeks after release.

I read somewhere that Concord was in development for 7 years. In that time its competition has just been improving itself with updates. It should have launched 5 years ago and benefitted from 5 years of updates between then and now. These companies really need to get a handle on dev times and dev costs before they all put themselves out of business.

I’m actually wrong. It was in development for 8 years. Apex Legends was developed in a little over 2 and has been updated consistently since then. This one really was DOA long before it was released.

Some estimates put the cost at $100,000,000.

Crazy.

Yeah Valve can get away with that and a few other developers could as well. Your studios first game? No chance.

Everyone wants to release these games that are huge and epic on day 1. Even for single player games it seems like it would be better to release a solid, polished experience you can build off of with regular updates and/or expansions rather than a mediocre and empty complete game on day 1.

If anyone is following Avowed, from Obsidian, they realized early on that competing directly with Skyrim wasn't something that made sense for them. Instead, Avowed will be a smaller, but more dense experience with potential expansions coming after release.

The Crew 2 is almost free-$1 on steam/Epic/most consoles for a limited time;


Save 98% on The Crewâ„¢ 2 on Steam


Also on sale on Steam for a $1-Black Desert Online

Vampire game, V Rising is free to play this weekend

There are 5 Sega old games you can get for free even though they are not on a store page. follow the instructions here to see what they are and install them:


429 Too Many Requests