Could you recommend me a game?
Could you recommend me a game?
What games would you guys recommend for a guy near 50, who doesn't have a gaming pc (my laptop is an i7, 16gb RAM and using onboard graphics) which tend to have an older community? I used to play RPG's and my least favorite games are those first person war games.
Something that doesn't require synchronous gaming and doesn't have a lot of stress would be even nicer.
Thanks for any input!
How about: Stardew Valley, Dwarf Fortress, Legends of Grimrock or Rift Wizard? Vastly different genres though.
Also dead cells, Rim world, into the breach, slay the spire. Ran fine on my old i5.
I've played Stardew Valley and loved it until the part where it's only about getting that perfection score. Dwarf Fortress seems very complex. Can you play it casually? I saw that it involves a lot of reading which doesn't threatens me but if by playing it casually I would be missing most of the stuff maybe it's too demanding. Legend of Grimrock look very old-school, remembers me of Elvira!! Does it have any sort of a community?
Dwarf fortress is very complex but it’s also very chill. You can spend a lot of time reading, but you don’t have to read every single little detail. Grimrock is old school style dungeon crawl which is a lot of fun, I haven’t played it very much myself! There is two in the series iirc.
@d3fc0n1 I’ll never not recommend Dwarf Fortress
I didn't knew the game and a couple of replies mentioned it. Must say that it looks like something extremely fun and addicting but also very daunting!
Slay the Spire!! It's all single player but it's a ton of fun. It's a single player deck building card battle game. I've got nearly 2000 hours in it. Very light weight to run, and that computer can definitely run it.
Have you heard of stardew valley? Its a calm 2d farming sim that has some combat and a lot of interpersonal relationships with the villagers pf your town.
The Shadowrun video games I think are really good "starter" rpgs. They're a lot of fun, plus the setting of Shadowrun is fascinating, and wanting to explore it and learn more really gets you invested. Although the third game in the trilogy is the best, I would actually start with the second game. Its still an excellent game, but playing it before the third game showcases how much they improved almost every aspect. Also although its a "trilogy", each game is its own story. The only connection is the shared setting/world. In summary, play Shadowrun: Dragonfall, then Shadowrun: Hong Kong. Have fun!
As a shadowrun GM, I really like those games. Rules-wise, they have very little in common with the tabletop RPG apart from using a few of the same words, but they capture the lore and the feel of the world really well.
Yeah its definitely a far simpler version of the tabletop ruleset, which I think might be its strongest feature. Not to rag on it, but the Shadowrun system is an absolute mess, and incredibly difficult to run.
Will check it. Thanks!!
Rimworld is a great game and will run on your laptop.
Stardew Valley is a stress-free game and runs on anything. Maybe look into Terraria as well.
Love it! Already finished it (not exactly 100% perfection, but.. the story is complete)
Into The Breach is turn based, so if you like old RPG turn based combat, you’ll feel comfortable. The graphics are very retro as well.
You control mechs fighting against giant bug enemies. The game can be more of a puzzle, as your mechs have different abilities that aren’t always obvious how they’d be beneficial.
The game is very short and encourages replays. You can mix and match different mechs to form different squads.
As an RPG game I think Neverwinter Nights is worth taking a look (you might have even played it when it was brand new) There is an enhanced edition that was first published a few years back that among other things, brought back online gaming without having to mess around. I think the community fits the bill nicely and in some groups you might not even be among the oldest.
Although you can play it solo, it's at multiplayer where it shines. Also, apart from official content, there's a ton of community content, some of it far better than official one.
Factorio has been also mentioned. Think of puzzle / problem solving / logistics / base building kind of game. There's a playable demo (probably >10 hours worth of content but I can't say for sure, I didn't need so long to decide it was my thing) so you can check it out before purchasing.
Additional info :
- First game, try to go in as blind as possible (no tutorial/videos, walkthroughs, ...) You can only beat the game for the first time /without prior knowledge once
- You can find the game referred as cracktorio. For many, the main cost of the game is not the purchase, but the electricity needed to run it for so long
- You can play it without bitters (enemies) so there's no rush in completing it. You just build as you see fit
I would also add Minecraft, Terraria, Stardew Valley for the chill factor.
You shouldn't have problems with any of these games on your laptop.
Minecraft is not my type of game but Stardew Valley is and I finished it :) (not 100% perfection though)
I have Neverwinter Nights in my Steam library I now feel very tempted to finally start playing it! Do you happen to know where the community gathers?
Thank you very much for your input.
(the following applies to enhanced edition)
Playerwise, the main servers (main as in where most players connect, not necessarily the best) are Arelith and Ravenloft, but you can check status and playercount here: https://nwn.beamdog.net/
Both of them are role-playing servers, you act/speak as your character at all times (it's far less daunting than what it might seem)
Ravenloft is gothic horror themed, think Curse of Strahd from pen and paper. https://www.nwnravenloft.com/
Arelith is based on Forgotten Realms, in/around an island far in the west. https://nwnarelith.com/
Both of them have a lot of custom mechanics, classes, ... not found on the base game. Also, both of them are big. They are probably over 1000 different areas (as a reference, the full base campaign, The Wailing Death has less than 100 areas (from the top of my head))
In case you want to try Arelith, it's split between a few (interconnected) servers. You probably want to check the Distant Shores one. It's designed for new players / low level characters.
There are also some action oriented, no RP required, just kill & loot if that's more of your thing. There's one I personally liked but it's been offline for a while, hometown diablo. I also tried one based on middle earth for a while.
Just check a few (smaller servers might seem "less lively" but DM run events might be more custom tailored) and see which one you like most.
To connect, just click on multiplayer and connect to a server. It might take a while as the game will download all the custom content used in the server.
Terraria!
Terraria!
That's my second most played
I'm assuming by first person war games, you mean the well-known first person shooters, such as Call of Duty, Battlefield, Arma, etc.
Have you already played the Bethesda Games: Morrowind, Oblivion, Skyrim, Fallout 3, Fallout New Vegas, Fallout 4? These should most likely run on your system, als the last one came out 8 years ago, however they do feature real-time combat.
Other than that, the older Final Fantasy games are now on Steam and should run on your system, such as Final Fantasy X. Depending on the game, they feature turn-based combat, so you can leave at any time, if that is what you meant by synchronous gaming.
There are also the classic more sandbox games, such as Minecraft or Stardew Valley.
Then there is the narrative driven games, such as To the moon.
Most 2d RPGs, such as Bastion, Binding of Isaac, Transistor, etc. should also work on you system, but they almost always feature fast paced combat, which might be too stressful, depending on your definition of too much stress.
For better recommendations on what your system can run, it's probably best to post your Laptop model, or at least the CPU Model, as the first i7s do date back quite a few years ago. Also, as there exists a lot of games, it's helpful to specify a bit more what you're into, such as Open World, Turn-based Combat, etc.
Thanks for your time in answering me.
Yeah, that's exactly what I meant, just didn't know that they were called "shooters" but it makes sense! I've played FF VII on PSx and definitely is the kind of game I like (maybe because it's turn based, so no stress is involved). Also, Stardew Valley was the last game I've played. So, you're right on spot.
I was searching for something more story driven and with a more mature community, so I think I'll check the Fallout series. My CPU is a i7-10510U. I don't know if there are open world games with turn-based combat, but that would be like the soft-spot for me. Also, community is very important, because I feel that, at my age, I just want to connect with nice people who casually have a same hobby. World is too fucked up to let ourselves vanish in the foam of the tide.
A have a couple of friends who played WoW for many years and although I never got into it, their community sense was really cool. If I could find something not so tight in terms of scheduling your gameplay and with a nice community, I guess I would dedicate my time to it.
MMORPGs like WoW will always have a strong sense of community, but they do require dedicating a lot of time, as they're multiplayer only. Other than that it's the long running single player games, which have remained fan favorites (Mass Effect, Fallout, Elder Scrolls, The Witcher, Dragon Age, etc.)
If community is your main focus, I'd recommend checking out the board game community (maybe at your local game shop, if you've got one close by). Some of the board games rival video games in complexity. Then you can join or grow your local community and meet people in real life.
There exists the genre of narrative focused, open world, turn-based combat RPGs, often called isometric RPGs, which is basically D&D as a video game. Notable entries are Divinity: Original Sin (I & II), Baldur's Gate, Pathfinder: Kingmaker / Wrath of the righteous.
I'd also suggest you quickly google your Graphics Card (Intel UHD 620) and the name of the video game, before buying something. Often there are some videos of people playing them on either the previous Generation (Intel UHD 520) or your graphics card. Then you can get an impression on how it'll run on your system.
I'll tell you one thing, I just lost The Game...
Things that are a bit outside of your usual zone but are my personal chill favorites and might be enjoyable to look into (they're all on Steam): RimWorld, Banished, Above Snakes, Factorio, Age of Wonders, Pillars of Eternity
Project Zomboid! Easily one of the most feature rich zombie games I have ever played. It's basically "the Sims" on steroids with zombies.
Your laptop should be able to handle it easily. It takes a while to figure things out, but you can tweak the zombie settings to your preference. It also has a multiplayer option if you're looking for a community while playing.
- Baldur's Gate: A classic and relatively chill game, with a more or less functional multiplayer. Be an old timey DnD adventuring party going on a quest, kill gnolls by the dozen, and careful you don't blow up your own party with a poorly aimed spell!
- Morrowind: I'll pitch this to everyone because I'm one of those fangirls who can't get through the day without mentioning it at least once. It is first person but it doesn't play like a shooter at all. One of the best RPGs ever made imo with incredible lore and one of the best magic systems ever made, just have to get past some of the dated mechanics.
- Planet Crafter: It is still a bit clunky (really small dev team I think just 2 people) but getting to watch the world change as you terraform it is really rewarding. Pacing is fairly slow it is a good calm game.
- Loop Hero: Fascinating story. Solid roguelike with a quick gameplay loop.
- Contraption Maker: Rube Goldberg machines the game! You're given partially completed machines and a box of parts to try and complete them. There is a custom level creator and you can share levels with people.
- Vampire Survivor: Bullet hell style game but you're the murder machine fighting hordes of monsters. Very minimalist controls makes for good brain-off gameplay (pretty much all you do is use joystick to place yourself and the weapons auto-attack). Lots and lots of references to other games especially yesteryear classics in the Castlevania genre.
- Don't Starve / Don't Starve Together: Single / multiplayer. Servers can be run with asynchronous gameplay. I don't have a lot of experience with the public servers but playing with friends is great fun. It is a survival horror crafter type game with a cutesy art style. It can be both relaxing and incredibly manic at times.
Cities Skylines is often the perfect game for me to just zone out and chill, it surely didn't run on a smooth 60 fps for me on my i7 laptop with no gpu but it performed well enough for me.
I just like to spend a couple of hours laying new railroads and streets and just expanding my city, be aware though the game can be a timesink if you're not careful.
Luckily for the OP Cities Skylines is heavily CPU based, although it can only work with one CPU core unfortunately, but the sequel is coming soon which will address this problem.
Exactly, which is why I was able to run it reasonably smooth, although it was sluggish at a times probably due to the fact you just mentioned.
I'm not seeing anyone mention Undertale. I wouldn't say the community is older, but it fits the bill for RPGs, is almost universally acclaimed, the soundtrack is amazing, and the game is only particularly difficult if you want it to be.
Oh I played Undertale. Most recently in an ambernic handheld and it was great!!! Didn't know it has a community!
https://geoguessr.com is my crack.
Dwarf Fortress!
I regularly plan to learn DF, then just play RimWorld instead. It really is DF for normies.
Tales of Maj Eyal is an oldschool turn based roguelike game that is free to play (with paid DLCs or steam edition) and should run just fine on your system. It has an adventure mode that lets you play with no punishment for dying for a more stress free experience. It also has a global in-game chat with others who are playing the game, despite it being a single player roguelike, which is kinda cool for that community aspect.
Hypnospace Outlaw is a fantastic game about exploring an alternate version of the internet as it was in the 90's, only this one is accessed via headsets when asleep. It sounds weird, but is super chill, and hits the nostalgia pretty hard. It feels like its own community all by itself!
"Hexcells Infinite" is a great stress-free (and cheap) game. It plays like Minesweeper, but every puzzle is completely solvable with just logic (there is never a need to guess!)
You could try StarSector from Fractal Softworks. Its not free but an awesome game for what you may be looking for.
Starsector (formerly “Starfarer”) is an in-development open-world single-player space-combat, roleplaying, exploration, and economic game. You take the role of a space captain seeking fortune and glory however you choose.
I recommend Turing complete! Its a puzzle game in which you learn how to make computers.
Its lightweight and written in Godot, plus there is a native Linux build. The gameplay is mostly figuring out how to implement something and you can undo any mistakes (assuming you find them). Might not be exactly what you had in mind, but I still recommend it!
Was not expecting to see someone else mentioning TC on Lemmy within a week of joining. There are at least two of us, I guess!
Wasteland 3 maybe? Don't need to have played the previous entries to the series.
Turn-based combat, RPG, immersive world, choices have consequences. It sometimes has a puzzle feel to it with different ways to achieve a mission goal, or how you approach a fight.
If you're into horror and lovecraftian imagery, the first Darkest Dungeon might be a great fit.
In essence, you have to recruit teams of characters to send on missions, in order to get resources to upgrade these characters and build up the dilapidated hamlet your ancestor left behind.
It doesn't require quick reactions. Its turn based, and you have all the time in the world to make your next choice. It is a great example of turn based RPG that isn't in the JRPG style. Built around a creative approach to Lovecraftian horror, its also deeply punishing. So expect to lose. A lot.
I don't know if it can run on your computer, but as far as I know it is not the most taxing game. Wholehearted recommendation.
I will definetely check it. It seems like a cool story and not very stressful. Does it have an online community?
Lol I guess that depends on how you define stressful. It doesn't require fast reaction time, but it will definitely prompt you to feel some powerful emotions at times.
It has a big community on discord and reddit. The devs recently released Darkest Dungeon 2, so a lot of attention is paid there.
Their discord is: https://discord.gg/darkestdungeon
Funny you should say stressful haha. Cause its only stressful in the sense that your heroes will be stressed out, and you might be when a plan falls through. Hope you have fun if you check it out!
A game I've been getting into recently it's called Mechabellum, it's a autobattler so no reflexes required! Matches are short so I wouldn't really call it stressful unless the idea of losing reaaaaaallly stresses you out. I don't think you should have any issues running it on that laptop, and it's only 15 dollars. While there's choices to be made every round it doesn't feel overwhelming but it's still a deep game that you can sink your teeth into! Good if you like strategic thinking, and you can accept and adapt to consequences and mistakes or even just bad breaks.
I got really interested in WoW Classic Hardcore Mode after watching a recent video about it. In this mode, when your character dies, that character is automatically deleted and you have to start a new one. I'm curious what it would feel like to play WoW again, but this time knowing that death is the end of my adventure. I think I may give it a shot one day.
I know you said it shouldn't require synchronous gaming. WoW of course wants you to be online with other people… but you don't have to be online with any particular people. There's always someone on to group up with. Hardcore mode is having a moment, so you should have no shortage of people to play with. I wouldn't worry about trying to schedule time to play it. I don't want a game that is like a job. Just play when you can, enjoy it as long as you do, and then move on to something else. I guess what I'm saying is that you should play WoW Classic Hardcore casually. 😅
Or you could play the true hardcore mode: play WoW Classic Hardcore until one character dies. Then shelve the game forever and move on to something else. 😆
I'm loving this chill and beautiful 1996 scifi VN called "YU-NO"...amazing music too!
this classic was for PC-98 (a pioneer in many ways, it paved the way for others like Steins;Gate)
with Sega Saturn and Windows releases soon after (and fantranslated in english for PC),
but there is also a 2019 officially translated remake for Steam/PC, PS4, and Nintendo Switch
sad that the creator and composer both passed away...they had such a groundbreaking vision...
Baldurs' Gate 1&2, Icewind Dale 1&2, Planescape Torment.
All have been redone to work on modern Windows.
Neverwinter Nights and Shadowrun series. both are isometric RPGs, with the latter using turn-based combat.
I've really enjoy turn based isometric battle rpg games.
I think xcom2 was the peak but the shadowrun games really packed in the story.
They're pretty lightweight and kind of old so they're cheap and your laptop should be able to run them fine without a gpu.
If you try them and like them the mod scene on steam for them has 50x more content than the original game.
You could check out the isometric RPG "Disco Elysium". The game is story and dialogue focused and very unique. Was my favorite game of 2022.
Crosscode! it's an RPG game
Hardspace:Shipbreaker
What do you think of turn based games like XCOM? I've found I can enjoy the planning and execution of a plan more when I'm not stressing about actions per minute or micro managing a ton of things.
Do you have a console or is it just the laptop?