From Newsgroup: comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.action

I'm considering getting a new game. I'm a big fan of the 'My Time at'
series and similar "cozy" farm/build types, preferably with minimal and
not too difficult fighting (if any). But I'm also hankering for an
"open world - go explore" kind of setting.

Any suggestions on games that combine those well?
--
I've done good in this world. Now I'm tired and just want to be a cranky
dirty old man.

--- Synchronet 3.21f-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.action

On 4/15/2026 8:46 PM, Dimensional Traveler wrote:

I'm considering getting a new game.  I'm a big fan of the 'My Time at' series and similar "cozy" farm/build types, preferably with minimal and
not too difficult fighting (if any).  But I'm also hankering for an
"open world - go explore" kind of setting.

Any suggestions on games that combine those well?

I would recommend "Nasty Farm Fuckers"
or even the old classic "Pony Pussy"
Both show animal penis & copulation with people.
--- Synchronet 3.21f-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.action

On Wed, 15 Apr 2026 17:46:07 -0700, Dimensional Traveler
<[email protected]> said this thing:

I'm considering getting a new game. I'm a big fan of the 'My Time at' >series and similar "cozy" farm/build types, preferably with minimal and
not too difficult fighting (if any). But I'm also hankering for an
"open world - go explore" kind of setting.

Any suggestions on games that combine those well?

It's not really a typical 'builder' game, in that there's no meat to
the strategy, but maybe take a look at "Tiny Glade"? It might be a bit light-weight for you; it's more of a 3D architecture tool than a
proper game as you don't have to worry about resources or constraints
on your constructions. All you do is build stuff that you think looks
neat. You don't even get to walk around the towns, really, since most
of the 'action' is from a top-down perspective.

There's no real exploration, though; your build area is fairly
constrained and you see it all from the start.

Still, "Tiny Glade" is fairly easy to figure out, and there's a lot of
hidden tricks you can use to make more complicated structures than
would seem initially possible. There's more depth in the game that
initially seems.

My only real complaint is with the game's limited assets (although, as mentioned, this can be stretched out by clever hackery) and the lack
of any population/sims that would give your creations 'life'. Still,
it makes for some pretty screenshots ;-)

But --depending on how much joy you get from building-- it can be
quite relaxing.

[Similar games I've tried include "Townscaper" and "Dystopika"]


--- Synchronet 3.21f-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.action

On 4/16/2026 9:06 AM, Spalls Hurgenson wrote:

On Wed, 15 Apr 2026 17:46:07 -0700, Dimensional Traveler
<[email protected]> said this thing:

I'm considering getting a new game. I'm a big fan of the 'My Time at'
series and similar "cozy" farm/build types, preferably with minimal and
not too difficult fighting (if any). But I'm also hankering for an
"open world - go explore" kind of setting.

Any suggestions on games that combine those well?

It's not really a typical 'builder' game, in that there's no meat to
the strategy, but maybe take a look at "Tiny Glade"? It might be a bit light-weight for you; it's more of a 3D architecture tool than a
proper game as you don't have to worry about resources or constraints
on your constructions. All you do is build stuff that you think looks
neat. You don't even get to walk around the towns, really, since most
of the 'action' is from a top-down perspective.

There's no real exploration, though; your build area is fairly
constrained and you see it all from the start.

Still, "Tiny Glade" is fairly easy to figure out, and there's a lot of
hidden tricks you can use to make more complicated structures than
would seem initially possible. There's more depth in the game that
initially seems.

My only real complaint is with the game's limited assets (although, as mentioned, this can be stretched out by clever hackery) and the lack
of any population/sims that would give your creations 'life'. Still,
it makes for some pretty screenshots ;-)

But --depending on how much joy you get from building-- it can be
quite relaxing.

[Similar games I've tried include "Townscaper" and "Dystopika"]

Doesn't sound like what I'm looking for, no "wander around exploring aspect.
--
I've done good in this world. Now I'm tired and just want to be a cranky
dirty old man.
--- Synchronet 3.21f-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.action

On Wed, 15 Apr 2026 17:46:07 -0700, Dimensional Traveler
<[email protected]> said this thing:

I'm considering getting a new game. I'm a big fan of the 'My Time at'
series and similar "cozy" farm/build types, preferably with minimal and
not too difficult fighting (if any). But I'm also hankering for an
"open world - go explore" kind of setting.

Alternately, if you just want to wander... try a hunting game! Just
don't hunt; instead, head for those hills in the distance and enjoy
the scenery! Often there are odd ruins and structures and other things
to find along the way. You usually can't do much with them but they're
pretty to look at and make for interesting diversions.

And if the wandering starts to tarnish as the bloodlust rises... well,
Bambi's always waiting in the bushes and you have a shotgun. ;-)


--- Synchronet 3.21f-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.action

On Wed, 15 Apr 2026 17:46:07 -0700, Dimensional Traveler
<[email protected]> wrote:

I'm considering getting a new game. I'm a big fan of the 'My Time at' >series and similar "cozy" farm/build types, preferably with minimal and
not too difficult fighting (if any). But I'm also hankering for an
"open world - go explore" kind of setting.

Any suggestions on games that combine those well?

*--

Oblivion Remastered? Basically, that is all I am doing with it now is wandering around, looking at the scenery. I decided just to be a good
guy and didn't want to kill or rob anyone or cast dark spells on them.
You can just wander around, I think. Don't have to get in fights from
what I remember. Maybe Elden Ring but I can't remember if I was
forced into battles, etc...

I booted up Skyrim yesterday and can't go back to it. Wow are the
graphics so terrible now compared to what it looked like when it came
out!

Dragon's Dogma 2? I haven't gotten far into it. Might have "tasks"
and such.

I know I must have played something that you are looking for in the
past, but just can't remember the names.

Amerzone: The Explorer's Legacy? On my wishlist but keep turning it
down. Don't feel like looking for great white birds but maybe that is
not required. Probably tons of stupid puzzles that I hate. Only $20
now, maybe I should get it and see. Pragmata looks interesting but
the little girl android is making me not want to buy it. I don't like
games with kids in them - not cute ones or cartoon ones :-).

-pw
--- Synchronet 3.21f-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.action

On 4/18/2026 8:06 AM, PW wrote:

On Wed, 15 Apr 2026 17:46:07 -0700, Dimensional Traveler
<[email protected]> wrote:

I'm considering getting a new game. I'm a big fan of the 'My Time at'
series and similar "cozy" farm/build types, preferably with minimal and
not too difficult fighting (if any). But I'm also hankering for an
"open world - go explore" kind of setting.

Any suggestions on games that combine those well?

*--

Oblivion Remastered?

Too combat heavy. I did play the original a number of times "back in
the day" but just don't want the constant fighting now.

Basically, that is all I am doing with it now is
wandering around, looking at the scenery. I decided just to be a good
guy and didn't want to kill or rob anyone or cast dark spells on them.
You can just wander around, I think. Don't have to get in fights from
what I remember. Maybe Elden Ring but I can't remember if I was
forced into battles, etc...

I booted up Skyrim yesterday and can't go back to it. Wow are the
graphics so terrible now compared to what it looked like when it came
out!

I never finished Skyrim, same "too combat heavy" for what I want now.

Dragon's Dogma 2? I haven't gotten far into it. Might have "tasks"
and such.

I know I must have played something that you are looking for in the
past, but just can't remember the names.

Amerzone: The Explorer's Legacy? On my wishlist but keep turning it
down. Don't feel like looking for great white birds but maybe that is
not required. Probably tons of stupid puzzles that I hate. Only $20
now, maybe I should get it and see. Pragmata looks interesting but
the little girl android is making me not want to buy it. I don't like
games with kids in them - not cute ones or cartoon ones :-).

I'll look those up.

Basically I don't want the "standard" RPG type game. For those who have played 'My Time at Portia' I'd like something like the main character's father's job. Go explore and build. Any fighting simple, infrequent
and relatively easy.
--
I've done good in this world. Now I'm tired and just want to be a cranky
dirty old man.
--- Synchronet 3.21f-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.action

On Sat, 18 Apr 2026 09:22:28 -0700, Dimensional Traveler
<[email protected]> said this thing:

On 4/18/2026 8:06 AM, PW wrote:

On Wed, 15 Apr 2026 17:46:07 -0700, Dimensional Traveler
<[email protected]> wrote:

I'm considering getting a new game. I'm a big fan of the 'My Time at'
series and similar "cozy" farm/build types, preferably with minimal and
not too difficult fighting (if any). But I'm also hankering for an
"open world - go explore" kind of setting.

Any suggestions on games that combine those well?

*--

Oblivion Remastered?

Too combat heavy. I did play the original a number of times "back in
the day" but just don't want the constant fighting now.

Basically, that is all I am doing with it now is
wandering around, looking at the scenery. I decided just to be a good
guy and didn't want to kill or rob anyone or cast dark spells on them.
You can just wander around, I think. Don't have to get in fights from
what I remember. Maybe Elden Ring but I can't remember if I was
forced into battles, etc...

I booted up Skyrim yesterday and can't go back to it. Wow are the
graphics so terrible now compared to what it looked like when it came
out!

I never finished Skyrim, same "too combat heavy" for what I want now.

Dragon's Dogma 2? I haven't gotten far into it. Might have "tasks"
and such.

I know I must have played something that you are looking for in the
past, but just can't remember the names.

Amerzone: The Explorer's Legacy? On my wishlist but keep turning it
down. Don't feel like looking for great white birds but maybe that is
not required. Probably tons of stupid puzzles that I hate. Only $20
now, maybe I should get it and see. Pragmata looks interesting but
the little girl android is making me not want to buy it. I don't like
games with kids in them - not cute ones or cartoon ones :-).

I'll look those up.

Basically I don't want the "standard" RPG type game. For those who have >played 'My Time at Portia' I'd like something like the main character's >father's job. Go explore and build. Any fighting simple, infrequent
and relatively easy.

I mean... there's always "Minecraft". Kick it into creative mode and
you won't have to worry about monsters, there's near-endless stuff to
explore, and you can construct to your hearts content. I'm sure a lot
of other 'survival adventure' games offer similar options where you
can minimize the craft/grinding and combat so you can just muck about
the world.

Going in another direction, maybe a narrative game (a.k.a. a walking
sim?) They lack the building aspects, of course, but they are all
about wandering and exploring (the vastness and detail of the world
can vary). If you go that direction, I'd recommend "Firewatch" if you
want some story, or "The Vanishing of Ethan Carter" if you want
something more atmospheric.



--- Synchronet 3.21f-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.action

Spalls Hurgenson wrote:

On Sat, 18 Apr 2026 09:22:28 -0700, Dimensional Traveler
<[email protected]> said this thing:

On 4/18/2026 8:06 AM, PW wrote:

On Wed, 15 Apr 2026 17:46:07 -0700, Dimensional Traveler
<[email protected]> wrote:

I'm considering getting a new game. I'm a big fan of the 'My Time at' >>>> series and similar "cozy" farm/build types, preferably with minimal and >>>> not too difficult fighting (if any). But I'm also hankering for an
"open world - go explore" kind of setting.

Any suggestions on games that combine those well?

*--

Oblivion Remastered?

Too combat heavy. I did play the original a number of times "back in
the day" but just don't want the constant fighting now.

Basically, that is all I am doing with it now is
wandering around, looking at the scenery. I decided just to be a good
guy and didn't want to kill or rob anyone or cast dark spells on them.
You can just wander around, I think. Don't have to get in fights from
what I remember. Maybe Elden Ring but I can't remember if I was
forced into battles, etc...

I booted up Skyrim yesterday and can't go back to it. Wow are the
graphics so terrible now compared to what it looked like when it came
out!

I never finished Skyrim, same "too combat heavy" for what I want now.

Dragon's Dogma 2? I haven't gotten far into it. Might have "tasks"
and such.

I know I must have played something that you are looking for in the
past, but just can't remember the names.

Amerzone: The Explorer's Legacy? On my wishlist but keep turning it
down. Don't feel like looking for great white birds but maybe that is
not required. Probably tons of stupid puzzles that I hate. Only $20
now, maybe I should get it and see. Pragmata looks interesting but
the little girl android is making me not want to buy it. I don't like
games with kids in them - not cute ones or cartoon ones :-).

I'll look those up.

Basically I don't want the "standard" RPG type game. For those who have
played 'My Time at Portia' I'd like something like the main character's
father's job. Go explore and build. Any fighting simple, infrequent
and relatively easy.

I mean... there's always "Minecraft". Kick it into creative mode and
you won't have to worry about monsters, there's near-endless stuff to explore, and you can construct to your hearts content. I'm sure a lot
of other 'survival adventure' games offer similar options where you
can minimize the craft/grinding and combat so you can just muck about
the world.

Going in another direction, maybe a narrative game (a.k.a. a walking
sim?) They lack the building aspects, of course, but they are all
about wandering and exploring (the vastness and detail of the world
can vary). If you go that direction, I'd recommend "Firewatch" if you
want some story, or "The Vanishing of Ethan Carter" if you want
something more atmospheric.

Along these lines (a walking sim), have you tried, Getting Over It with Bennett Foddy? It's a climbing sim with pretty funny narrative. I can't
say I've gotten "very far," but I did enjoy what I got through.
--
Pharaoh was so pleased with Hadad that he gave him a
sister of his own wife, Queen Tahpenes, in marriage.
The sister of Tahpenes bore him a son named Genubath,
whom Tahpenes brought up in the royal palace. There
Genubath lived with Pharaoh’s own children.
--- Synchronet 3.21f-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.action

On Sat, 18 Apr 2026 09:22:28 -0700, Dimensional Traveler
<[email protected]> wrote:

On 4/18/2026 8:06 AM, PW wrote:

On Wed, 15 Apr 2026 17:46:07 -0700, Dimensional Traveler
<[email protected]> wrote:

I'm considering getting a new game. I'm a big fan of the 'My Time at'
series and similar "cozy" farm/build types, preferably with minimal and
not too difficult fighting (if any). But I'm also hankering for an
"open world - go explore" kind of setting.

Any suggestions on games that combine those well?

*--

Oblivion Remastered?

Too combat heavy. I did play the original a number of times "back in
the day" but just don't want the constant fighting now.

Basically, that is all I am doing with it now is
wandering around, looking at the scenery. I decided just to be a good
guy and didn't want to kill or rob anyone or cast dark spells on them.
You can just wander around, I think. Don't have to get in fights from
what I remember. Maybe Elden Ring but I can't remember if I was
forced into battles, etc...

I booted up Skyrim yesterday and can't go back to it. Wow are the
graphics so terrible now compared to what it looked like when it came
out!

I never finished Skyrim, same "too combat heavy" for what I want now.

Dragon's Dogma 2? I haven't gotten far into it. Might have "tasks"
and such.

I know I must have played something that you are looking for in the
past, but just can't remember the names.

Amerzone: The Explorer's Legacy? On my wishlist but keep turning it
down. Don't feel like looking for great white birds but maybe that is
not required. Probably tons of stupid puzzles that I hate. Only $20
now, maybe I should get it and see. Pragmata looks interesting but
the little girl android is making me not want to buy it. I don't like
games with kids in them - not cute ones or cartoon ones :-).

I'll look those up.

Basically I don't want the "standard" RPG type game. For those who have >played 'My Time at Portia' I'd like something like the main character's >father's job. Go explore and build. Any fighting simple, infrequent
and relatively easy.

*--

Let me know what you find DT! I, too, would most likely be interested
in the same thing you are looking for! But no puzzles please or
jumping games. Just wandering!

A building, construction, survival game is okay? Not for me.

-pw
--- Synchronet 3.21f-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.action

On Sat, 18 Apr 2026 13:50:43 -0400, Spalls Hurgenson <[email protected]> wrote:

On Sat, 18 Apr 2026 09:22:28 -0700, Dimensional Traveler
<[email protected]> said this thing:

On 4/18/2026 8:06 AM, PW wrote:

On Wed, 15 Apr 2026 17:46:07 -0700, Dimensional Traveler
<[email protected]> wrote:

I'm considering getting a new game. I'm a big fan of the 'My Time at' >>>> series and similar "cozy" farm/build types, preferably with minimal and >>>> not too difficult fighting (if any). But I'm also hankering for an
"open world - go explore" kind of setting.

Any suggestions on games that combine those well?

*--

Oblivion Remastered?

Too combat heavy. I did play the original a number of times "back in
the day" but just don't want the constant fighting now.

Basically, that is all I am doing with it now is
wandering around, looking at the scenery. I decided just to be a good
guy and didn't want to kill or rob anyone or cast dark spells on them.
You can just wander around, I think. Don't have to get in fights from
what I remember. Maybe Elden Ring but I can't remember if I was
forced into battles, etc...

I booted up Skyrim yesterday and can't go back to it. Wow are the
graphics so terrible now compared to what it looked like when it came
out!

I never finished Skyrim, same "too combat heavy" for what I want now.

Dragon's Dogma 2? I haven't gotten far into it. Might have "tasks"
and such.

I know I must have played something that you are looking for in the
past, but just can't remember the names.

Amerzone: The Explorer's Legacy? On my wishlist but keep turning it
down. Don't feel like looking for great white birds but maybe that is
not required. Probably tons of stupid puzzles that I hate. Only $20
now, maybe I should get it and see. Pragmata looks interesting but
the little girl android is making me not want to buy it. I don't like
games with kids in them - not cute ones or cartoon ones :-).

I'll look those up.

Basically I don't want the "standard" RPG type game. For those who have >>played 'My Time at Portia' I'd like something like the main character's >>father's job. Go explore and build. Any fighting simple, infrequent
and relatively easy.

I mean... there's always "Minecraft". Kick it into creative mode and
you won't have to worry about monsters, there's near-endless stuff to >explore, and you can construct to your hearts content. I'm sure a lot
of other 'survival adventure' games offer similar options where you
can minimize the craft/grinding and combat so you can just muck about
the world.

Going in another direction, maybe a narrative game (a.k.a. a walking
sim?) They lack the building aspects, of course, but they are all
about wandering and exploring (the vastness and detail of the world
can vary). If you go that direction, I'd recommend "Firewatch" if you
want some story, or "The Vanishing of Ethan Carter" if you want
something more atmospheric.

*--

I tried Firewatch. Too much of a love story for me. I think I
finished Ethan Carter Redux and liked it. I am going to reinstall it
again. Thanks Spalls!

-pw
--- Synchronet 3.21f-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.action

On 4/18/2026 10:50 AM, Spalls Hurgenson wrote:

On Sat, 18 Apr 2026 09:22:28 -0700, Dimensional Traveler
<[email protected]> said this thing:

On 4/18/2026 8:06 AM, PW wrote:

On Wed, 15 Apr 2026 17:46:07 -0700, Dimensional Traveler
<[email protected]> wrote:

I'm considering getting a new game. I'm a big fan of the 'My Time at' >>>> series and similar "cozy" farm/build types, preferably with minimal and >>>> not too difficult fighting (if any). But I'm also hankering for an
"open world - go explore" kind of setting.

Any suggestions on games that combine those well?

*--

Oblivion Remastered?

Too combat heavy. I did play the original a number of times "back in
the day" but just don't want the constant fighting now.

Basically, that is all I am doing with it now is
wandering around, looking at the scenery. I decided just to be a good
guy and didn't want to kill or rob anyone or cast dark spells on them.
You can just wander around, I think. Don't have to get in fights from
what I remember. Maybe Elden Ring but I can't remember if I was
forced into battles, etc...

I booted up Skyrim yesterday and can't go back to it. Wow are the
graphics so terrible now compared to what it looked like when it came
out!

I never finished Skyrim, same "too combat heavy" for what I want now.

Dragon's Dogma 2? I haven't gotten far into it. Might have "tasks"
and such.

I know I must have played something that you are looking for in the
past, but just can't remember the names.

Amerzone: The Explorer's Legacy? On my wishlist but keep turning it
down. Don't feel like looking for great white birds but maybe that is
not required. Probably tons of stupid puzzles that I hate. Only $20
now, maybe I should get it and see. Pragmata looks interesting but
the little girl android is making me not want to buy it. I don't like
games with kids in them - not cute ones or cartoon ones :-).

I'll look those up.

Basically I don't want the "standard" RPG type game. For those who have
played 'My Time at Portia' I'd like something like the main character's
father's job. Go explore and build. Any fighting simple, infrequent
and relatively easy.

I mean... there's always "Minecraft".

That generates a knee-jerk "Blech!" Not sure why, maybe the perceived multi-player focus.

Kick it into creative mode and
you won't have to worry about monsters, there's near-endless stuff to explore, and you can construct to your hearts content. I'm sure a lot
of other 'survival adventure' games offer similar options where you
can minimize the craft/grinding and combat so you can just muck about
the world.

I don't mind some grinding and I like crafting. That's my idea of
"mucking about the world".

Going in another direction, maybe a narrative game (a.k.a. a walking
sim?) They lack the building aspects, of course, but they are all
about wandering and exploring (the vastness and detail of the world
can vary). If you go that direction, I'd recommend "Firewatch" if you
want some story, or "The Vanishing of Ethan Carter" if you want
something more atmospheric.

I'll take a look at Firewatch.
--
I've done good in this world. Now I'm tired and just want to be a cranky
dirty old man.
--- Synchronet 3.21f-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.action

On 4/18/2026 12:37 PM, PW wrote:

On Sat, 18 Apr 2026 09:22:28 -0700, Dimensional Traveler
<[email protected]> wrote:

On 4/18/2026 8:06 AM, PW wrote:

On Wed, 15 Apr 2026 17:46:07 -0700, Dimensional Traveler
<[email protected]> wrote:

I'm considering getting a new game. I'm a big fan of the 'My Time at' >>>> series and similar "cozy" farm/build types, preferably with minimal and >>>> not too difficult fighting (if any). But I'm also hankering for an
"open world - go explore" kind of setting.

Any suggestions on games that combine those well?

*--

Oblivion Remastered?

Too combat heavy. I did play the original a number of times "back in
the day" but just don't want the constant fighting now.

Basically, that is all I am doing with it now is
wandering around, looking at the scenery. I decided just to be a good
guy and didn't want to kill or rob anyone or cast dark spells on them.
You can just wander around, I think. Don't have to get in fights from
what I remember. Maybe Elden Ring but I can't remember if I was
forced into battles, etc...

I booted up Skyrim yesterday and can't go back to it. Wow are the
graphics so terrible now compared to what it looked like when it came
out!

I never finished Skyrim, same "too combat heavy" for what I want now.

Dragon's Dogma 2? I haven't gotten far into it. Might have "tasks"
and such.

I know I must have played something that you are looking for in the
past, but just can't remember the names.

Amerzone: The Explorer's Legacy? On my wishlist but keep turning it
down. Don't feel like looking for great white birds but maybe that is
not required. Probably tons of stupid puzzles that I hate. Only $20
now, maybe I should get it and see. Pragmata looks interesting but
the little girl android is making me not want to buy it. I don't like
games with kids in them - not cute ones or cartoon ones :-).

I'll look those up.

Basically I don't want the "standard" RPG type game. For those who have
played 'My Time at Portia' I'd like something like the main character's
father's job. Go explore and build. Any fighting simple, infrequent
and relatively easy.

*--

Let me know what you find DT! I, too, would most likely be interested
in the same thing you are looking for! But no puzzles please or
jumping games.

All parkour lunatics must die! Preferably by missing a jump way high up
so they have time to realize how much they fornicated up.

Just wandering!

A building, construction, survival game is okay? Not for me.

That's pretty much what I'm looking for, just one with the right balance
and focus.
--
I've done good in this world. Now I'm tired and just want to be a cranky
dirty old man.
--- Synchronet 3.21f-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.action

El 15/4/26 a las 21:46, Dimensional Traveler escribió:

I'm considering getting a new game.  I'm a big fan of the 'My Time at' series and similar "cozy" farm/build types, preferably with minimal and
not too difficult fighting (if any).  But I'm also hankering for an
"open world - go explore" kind of setting.

Any suggestions on games that combine those well?

Maybe "Forager"?
--- Synchronet 3.21f-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.action

On Sat, 18 Apr 2026 14:22:38 -0700, Dimensional Traveler
<[email protected]> wrote:

On 4/18/2026 10:50 AM, Spalls Hurgenson wrote:

On Sat, 18 Apr 2026 09:22:28 -0700, Dimensional Traveler
<[email protected]> said this thing:

On 4/18/2026 8:06 AM, PW wrote:

On Wed, 15 Apr 2026 17:46:07 -0700, Dimensional Traveler
<[email protected]> wrote:

I'm considering getting a new game. I'm a big fan of the 'My Time at' >>>>> series and similar "cozy" farm/build types, preferably with minimal and >>>>> not too difficult fighting (if any). But I'm also hankering for an
"open world - go explore" kind of setting.

Any suggestions on games that combine those well?

*--

Oblivion Remastered?

Too combat heavy. I did play the original a number of times "back in
the day" but just don't want the constant fighting now.

Basically, that is all I am doing with it now is
wandering around, looking at the scenery. I decided just to be a good >>>> guy and didn't want to kill or rob anyone or cast dark spells on them. >>>> You can just wander around, I think. Don't have to get in fights from >>>> what I remember. Maybe Elden Ring but I can't remember if I was
forced into battles, etc...

I booted up Skyrim yesterday and can't go back to it. Wow are the
graphics so terrible now compared to what it looked like when it came
out!

I never finished Skyrim, same "too combat heavy" for what I want now.

Dragon's Dogma 2? I haven't gotten far into it. Might have "tasks"
and such.

I know I must have played something that you are looking for in the
past, but just can't remember the names.

Amerzone: The Explorer's Legacy? On my wishlist but keep turning it
down. Don't feel like looking for great white birds but maybe that is >>>> not required. Probably tons of stupid puzzles that I hate. Only $20
now, maybe I should get it and see. Pragmata looks interesting but
the little girl android is making me not want to buy it. I don't like
games with kids in them - not cute ones or cartoon ones :-).

I'll look those up.

Basically I don't want the "standard" RPG type game. For those who have >>> played 'My Time at Portia' I'd like something like the main character's
father's job. Go explore and build. Any fighting simple, infrequent
and relatively easy.

I mean... there's always "Minecraft".

That generates a knee-jerk "Blech!" Not sure why, maybe the perceived >multi-player focus.

Kick it into creative mode and
you won't have to worry about monsters, there's near-endless stuff to
explore, and you can construct to your hearts content. I'm sure a lot
of other 'survival adventure' games offer similar options where you
can minimize the craft/grinding and combat so you can just muck about
the world.

I don't mind some grinding and I like crafting. That's my idea of
"mucking about the world".

Crafting? Oh well, count me out then DT!

How about Valheim??? I got sick of the crafting but it was a big world
from what I remember. Might have to install it again and try it.

https://www.pcmag.com/reviews/valheim-for-pc?test_uuid=06f2t2mKxAWPbc1xmAn5J4t&test_variant=A

Pros & Cons

Deep, yet streamlined crafting system
Huge worlds to explore
Creative building mechanics
Beautiful graphics and soundtrack
Small file size

Generic story
Performance is spotty on slower PCs



-pw

Going in another direction, maybe a narrative game (a.k.a. a walking
sim?) They lack the building aspects, of course, but they are all
about wandering and exploring (the vastness and detail of the world
can vary). If you go that direction, I'd recommend "Firewatch" if you
want some story, or "The Vanishing of Ethan Carter" if you want
something more atmospheric.

I'll take a look at Firewatch.

--- Synchronet 3.21f-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.action

On 4/18/2026 6:07 PM, PW wrote:

On Sat, 18 Apr 2026 14:22:38 -0700, Dimensional Traveler
<[email protected]> wrote:

On 4/18/2026 10:50 AM, Spalls Hurgenson wrote:

On Sat, 18 Apr 2026 09:22:28 -0700, Dimensional Traveler
<[email protected]> said this thing:

On 4/18/2026 8:06 AM, PW wrote:

On Wed, 15 Apr 2026 17:46:07 -0700, Dimensional Traveler
<[email protected]> wrote:

I'm considering getting a new game. I'm a big fan of the 'My Time at' >>>>>> series and similar "cozy" farm/build types, preferably with minimal and >>>>>> not too difficult fighting (if any). But I'm also hankering for an >>>>>> "open world - go explore" kind of setting.

Any suggestions on games that combine those well?

*--

Oblivion Remastered?

Too combat heavy. I did play the original a number of times "back in
the day" but just don't want the constant fighting now.

Basically, that is all I am doing with it now is
wandering around, looking at the scenery. I decided just to be a good >>>>> guy and didn't want to kill or rob anyone or cast dark spells on them. >>>>> You can just wander around, I think. Don't have to get in fights from >>>>> what I remember. Maybe Elden Ring but I can't remember if I was
forced into battles, etc...

I booted up Skyrim yesterday and can't go back to it. Wow are the
graphics so terrible now compared to what it looked like when it came >>>>> out!

I never finished Skyrim, same "too combat heavy" for what I want now.

Dragon's Dogma 2? I haven't gotten far into it. Might have "tasks" >>>>> and such.

I know I must have played something that you are looking for in the
past, but just can't remember the names.

Amerzone: The Explorer's Legacy? On my wishlist but keep turning it >>>>> down. Don't feel like looking for great white birds but maybe that is >>>>> not required. Probably tons of stupid puzzles that I hate. Only $20 >>>>> now, maybe I should get it and see. Pragmata looks interesting but
the little girl android is making me not want to buy it. I don't like >>>>> games with kids in them - not cute ones or cartoon ones :-).

I'll look those up.

Basically I don't want the "standard" RPG type game. For those who have >>>> played 'My Time at Portia' I'd like something like the main character's >>>> father's job. Go explore and build. Any fighting simple, infrequent
and relatively easy.

I mean... there's always "Minecraft".

That generates a knee-jerk "Blech!" Not sure why, maybe the perceived
multi-player focus.

Kick it into creative mode and
you won't have to worry about monsters, there's near-endless stuff to
explore, and you can construct to your hearts content. I'm sure a lot
of other 'survival adventure' games offer similar options where you
can minimize the craft/grinding and combat so you can just muck about
the world.

I don't mind some grinding and I like crafting. That's my idea of
"mucking about the world".

Crafting? Oh well, count me out then DT!

Well, I'd boot you out but I'm barefoot ATM and don't want to bother
digging out my boots. Lucky you.

How about Valheim??? I got sick of the crafting but it was a big world
from what I remember. Might have to install it again and try it.

https://www.pcmag.com/reviews/valheim-for-pc?test_uuid=06f2t2mKxAWPbc1xmAn5J4t&test_variant=A

Making a note of it, will take a look later.

Going in another direction, maybe a narrative game (a.k.a. a walking
sim?) They lack the building aspects, of course, but they are all
about wandering and exploring (the vastness and detail of the world
can vary). If you go that direction, I'd recommend "Firewatch" if you
want some story, or "The Vanishing of Ethan Carter" if you want
something more atmospheric.

I'll take a look at Firewatch.

I looked Firewatch up on Steam, seems interesting. Looked it up on GOG
and its on sale for $4, so I bought it and tipped GOG a dollar. :)
--
I've done good in this world. Now I'm tired and just want to be a cranky
dirty old man.
--- Synchronet 3.21f-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.action

On 19/04/2026 05:34, Dimensional Traveler wrote:

Going in another direction, maybe a narrative game (a.k.a. a walking
sim?) They lack the building aspects, of course, but they are all
about wandering and exploring (the vastness and detail of the world
can vary). If you go that direction, I'd recommend "Firewatch" if you
want some story, or "The Vanishing of Ethan Carter" if you want
something more atmospheric.

I'll take a look at Firewatch.

I looked Firewatch up on Steam, seems interesting.  Looked it up on GOG
and its on sale for $4, so I bought it and tipped GOG a dollar.  🙂

I've played through Firewatch a couple of times and do enjoy it as a
game as an experience instead of a game as a challenge. Two of the
things I think it does very well are that although there is walking it's
keep to the right level not to make it feel like a chore and the art
style means you can just take in the atmosphere. The other thing you
have is the interesting relationship between you character and the woman
on the radio.

Well worth $4 + tip in my opinion.
--- Synchronet 3.21f-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.action

On Sat, 18 Apr 2026 13:41:46 -0600, PW <[email protected]> said
this thing:

On Sat, 18 Apr 2026 13:50:43 -0400, Spalls Hurgenson ><[email protected]> wrote:

On Sat, 18 Apr 2026 09:22:28 -0700, Dimensional Traveler >><[email protected]> said this thing:

On 4/18/2026 8:06 AM, PW wrote:

On Wed, 15 Apr 2026 17:46:07 -0700, Dimensional Traveler
<[email protected]> wrote:

I'm considering getting a new game. I'm a big fan of the 'My Time at' >>>>> series and similar "cozy" farm/build types, preferably with minimal and >>>>> not too difficult fighting (if any). But I'm also hankering for an
"open world - go explore" kind of setting.

Any suggestions on games that combine those well?

*--

Oblivion Remastered?

Too combat heavy. I did play the original a number of times "back in >>>the day" but just don't want the constant fighting now.

Basically, that is all I am doing with it now is
wandering around, looking at the scenery. I decided just to be a good >>>> guy and didn't want to kill or rob anyone or cast dark spells on them. >>>> You can just wander around, I think. Don't have to get in fights from >>>> what I remember. Maybe Elden Ring but I can't remember if I was
forced into battles, etc...

I booted up Skyrim yesterday and can't go back to it. Wow are the
graphics so terrible now compared to what it looked like when it came
out!

I never finished Skyrim, same "too combat heavy" for what I want now.

Dragon's Dogma 2? I haven't gotten far into it. Might have "tasks"
and such.

I know I must have played something that you are looking for in the
past, but just can't remember the names.

Amerzone: The Explorer's Legacy? On my wishlist but keep turning it
down. Don't feel like looking for great white birds but maybe that is >>>> not required. Probably tons of stupid puzzles that I hate. Only $20
now, maybe I should get it and see. Pragmata looks interesting but
the little girl android is making me not want to buy it. I don't like
games with kids in them - not cute ones or cartoon ones :-).

I'll look those up.

Basically I don't want the "standard" RPG type game. For those who have >>>played 'My Time at Portia' I'd like something like the main character's >>>father's job. Go explore and build. Any fighting simple, infrequent >>>and relatively easy.

I mean... there's always "Minecraft". Kick it into creative mode and
you won't have to worry about monsters, there's near-endless stuff to >>explore, and you can construct to your hearts content. I'm sure a lot
of other 'survival adventure' games offer similar options where you
can minimize the craft/grinding and combat so you can just muck about
the world.

Going in another direction, maybe a narrative game (a.k.a. a walking
sim?) They lack the building aspects, of course, but they are all
about wandering and exploring (the vastness and detail of the world
can vary). If you go that direction, I'd recommend "Firewatch" if you
want some story, or "The Vanishing of Ethan Carter" if you want
something more atmospheric.

I tried Firewatch. Too much of a love story for me.

More of a friendship story, since the two main characters never hook
up and aren't likely to. Especially since the protagonist was still in
mourning for his dead (or dying? I forget) wife. The game was about
the camaderie formed between two isolated individuals who can only
communicate over radio. Also, lots of wandering through beautifully
rendered (if not entirely realistic) forests and glens.

But it's definitely not a game for everybody. I mostly appreciated how
human the conversations between the two characters were; not only did
the deuteragonist react to what you said, but also when you said it
(or if you said nothing). It felt extremely life-like, despite the
limitations of being told through a traditional 'pick a choice of
things to say' menu mechanic.

I think I
finished Ethan Carter Redux and liked it. I am going to reinstall it
again.

I mostly enjoyed "Ethan" for its visuals; for a long time it topped my
'most realistic looking game' list. It probably helped that the game
stuck entirely to scenery and didn't feature any actual human
characters... or, really, any animal life at all. The forests were
quite beautiful.

The story was less compelling, but it had an interesting atmosphere of
mystery and wonder to it. Mostly it was the visuals that made the game memorable, though.


--- Synchronet 3.21f-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.action

Okay, in my directionless looking thru Steam and GOG I've looked at 'Starfield'. Anyone played it? The graphics are eye-catching and the
setting seems to be conducive to wandering around exploring. Any
opinions (other than hissing "BETHESDA!" while holding up your religious fetish of choice)?
--
I've done good in this world. Now I'm tired and just want to be a cranky
dirty old man.
--- Synchronet 3.21f-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.action

On Sun, 19 Apr 2026 09:05:55 -0700, Dimensional Traveler
<[email protected]> said this thing:

Okay, in my directionless looking thru Steam and GOG I've looked at >'Starfield'. Anyone played it? The graphics are eye-catching and the >setting seems to be conducive to wandering around exploring. Any
opinions (other than hissing "BETHESDA!" while holding up your religious >fetish of choice)?

I haven't played it, but I have watched some long-plays of other
people engaging with the game. So my opinions of the game with as
large a grain of salt as you want.

#

I actually enjoy Bethesda games, although I'll be first to acknowledge
their jank. I most enjoy the freedom to wander their large detailed
worlds, which is the main reason I got so much satisfaction from
"Skyrim" (and "Oblivion" and "Fallout 3" before that). I'm less
engaged with their games mechanically; the combat isn't that
compelling and the storylines are fairly flat. Still, I do enjoy how
their worlds presents itself as having so many different factions to
join and how they interact with each other. And when the games start
getting tired, there's always the mods. So even as I laugh at the lack
of polish of Bethesda titles, I do play almost all of their releases.

But I still haven't gotten around to "Starfield". There are several
reasons for this.

First, it's just the price. Bethesda is still asking full price for
this game, and I just don't feel like paying that much. Call me cheap,
but I like my bargain-bin prices, and am quite willing to wait until a
game drops down to a reasonable (for me) price.

Second: it's a science-fiction CRPG. Now, I love me some sci-fi, and
don't mind it as a setting to role-playing, but given the choice I
much prefer fantasy.

Third: It's a huge open-world game, and --as I've mentioned before-- I
tired of playing these giant games all the time. The games are such
time-sinks, and I hesitate to jump into them.

But it's the fourth reason that causes the most hesitation, and is my
biggest knock against the game. "Starfield" used a lot of procedural
generation in the creation of its levels. It boasts a thousand planets
to explore and very little of that content is hand-sculpted. There's
very little 'placed' content designed specifically to be interesting.
It's a lot of algorithmically generated landscape to wander across
with very little to actually do. It's not that none of it is
interesting... but it gets repeated a lot. I'd much rather a much
smaller game with content all placed by humans and for a purpose.

(Oddly, one of the reasons "Skyrim" was so much better received than
"Oblivion" was that --despite the games being very similar-- the
dungeons and cities in "Skyrim" had more variety and curated content.
So it's really weird that Bethesda went back towards the generic with "Starfield").

Does any of this make it a bad game? No. From everything I've seen,
"Starfield" is on par with most of Bethesda's open-world titles; not
really better, not really worse. The combat is adequate, their are
lots of factions, it has an obscenely huge world(s) to explore, and
the usual excuse-plot and world-design. If you enjoyed "Fallout 3" or "Oblivion" or any of their other games, you won't hate "Starfield".
It's the same thing.

But in my case, it's lacking the interesting (if artificial)
world-design that made exploring so rewarding, and that --coupled with
its size, price and sci-fi genre-- make me reluctant to buy it. One
day I'll definitely play it. But at the moment, the price and value
just aren't matching up for me.

Is it something you want? Well, I'm not sure. It's got the exploring
you crave for sure; whether you'll mind or not that its
algorithmically generated you'll have to decide for yourself. It might
be a bit combat heavy though, if you already rejected "Skyrim" or
"Fallout 3". And the crafting is fairly limited (and also,
fortunately, largely ignorable if you're not into that sort of thing).

#

Although writing this, it makes me wonder: have you considered "No
Man's Sky"? The combat is very low-key and mostly avoidable; there are
millions of planets to explore (although it too suffers from being all procedurally generated), and you can craft or not to your heart's
content. It lacks some of the 'coziness' of other games mainly because
you are an isolated astronaut far from home; you don't really have a
home except for your spaceship and any outposts you build for
yourself. But if you're "Starfield" is a serious consideration, you
might be better fitted for "No Man's Sky". Despite its very rocky
start, the developers have put the effort in and turned it into a very
good game.

(As a bonus, the developers of NMS don't nickel-and-dime you for
expansions. AND the game is half the price of "Starfield" to boot!)



--- Synchronet 3.21f-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.action

On 4/19/2026 10:00 AM, Spalls Hurgenson wrote:

On Sun, 19 Apr 2026 09:05:55 -0700, Dimensional Traveler
<[email protected]> said this thing:

Okay, in my directionless looking thru Steam and GOG I've looked at
'Starfield'. Anyone played it? The graphics are eye-catching and the
setting seems to be conducive to wandering around exploring. Any
opinions (other than hissing "BETHESDA!" while holding up your religious
fetish of choice)?

I haven't played it, but I have watched some long-plays of other
people engaging with the game. So my opinions of the game with as
large a grain of salt as you want.

#

I actually enjoy Bethesda games, although I'll be first to acknowledge
their jank. I most enjoy the freedom to wander their large detailed
worlds, which is the main reason I got so much satisfaction from
"Skyrim" (and "Oblivion" and "Fallout 3" before that). I'm less
engaged with their games mechanically; the combat isn't that
compelling and the storylines are fairly flat. Still, I do enjoy how
their worlds presents itself as having so many different factions to
join and how they interact with each other. And when the games start
getting tired, there's always the mods. So even as I laugh at the lack
of polish of Bethesda titles, I do play almost all of their releases.

But I still haven't gotten around to "Starfield". There are several
reasons for this.

First, it's just the price. Bethesda is still asking full price for
this game, and I just don't feel like paying that much. Call me cheap,
but I like my bargain-bin prices, and am quite willing to wait until a
game drops down to a reasonable (for me) price.

Second: it's a science-fiction CRPG. Now, I love me some sci-fi, and
don't mind it as a setting to role-playing, but given the choice I
much prefer fantasy.

Third: It's a huge open-world game, and --as I've mentioned before-- I
tired of playing these giant games all the time. The games are such time-sinks, and I hesitate to jump into them.

But it's the fourth reason that causes the most hesitation, and is my
biggest knock against the game. "Starfield" used a lot of procedural generation in the creation of its levels. It boasts a thousand planets
to explore and very little of that content is hand-sculpted. There's
very little 'placed' content designed specifically to be interesting.
It's a lot of algorithmically generated landscape to wander across
with very little to actually do. It's not that none of it is
interesting... but it gets repeated a lot. I'd much rather a much
smaller game with content all placed by humans and for a purpose.

(Oddly, one of the reasons "Skyrim" was so much better received than "Oblivion" was that --despite the games being very similar-- the
dungeons and cities in "Skyrim" had more variety and curated content.
So it's really weird that Bethesda went back towards the generic with "Starfield").

Does any of this make it a bad game? No. From everything I've seen, "Starfield" is on par with most of Bethesda's open-world titles; not
really better, not really worse. The combat is adequate, their are
lots of factions, it has an obscenely huge world(s) to explore, and
the usual excuse-plot and world-design. If you enjoyed "Fallout 3" or "Oblivion" or any of their other games, you won't hate "Starfield".
It's the same thing.

But in my case, it's lacking the interesting (if artificial)
world-design that made exploring so rewarding, and that --coupled with
its size, price and sci-fi genre-- make me reluctant to buy it. One
day I'll definitely play it. But at the moment, the price and value
just aren't matching up for me.

Is it something you want? Well, I'm not sure. It's got the exploring
you crave for sure; whether you'll mind or not that its
algorithmically generated you'll have to decide for yourself. It might
be a bit combat heavy though, if you already rejected "Skyrim" or
"Fallout 3". And the crafting is fairly limited (and also,
fortunately, largely ignorable if you're not into that sort of thing).

#

Although writing this, it makes me wonder: have you considered "No
Man's Sky"? The combat is very low-key and mostly avoidable; there are millions of planets to explore (although it too suffers from being all procedurally generated), and you can craft or not to your heart's
content. It lacks some of the 'coziness' of other games mainly because
you are an isolated astronaut far from home; you don't really have a
home except for your spaceship and any outposts you build for
yourself. But if you're "Starfield" is a serious consideration, you
might be better fitted for "No Man's Sky". Despite its very rocky
start, the developers have put the effort in and turned it into a very
good game.

(As a bonus, the developers of NMS don't nickel-and-dime you for
expansions. AND the game is half the price of "Starfield" to boot!)

No Man's Sky is the next game I'm going to check out. Thanks for the write-up.
--
I've done good in this world. Now I'm tired and just want to be a cranky
dirty old man.
--- Synchronet 3.21f-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.action

On Sun, 19 Apr 2026 12:05:33 -0700, Dimensional Traveler
<[email protected]> said this thing:

No Man's Sky is the next game I'm going to check out. Thanks for the >write-up.

"No Man's Sky" is a game I /appreciate/ more than I actually /like/.
Given the choice between it and "Starfield", I'd probably play the
latter. I find NMS --and most 'open world survival crafting' games to
be too... I dunno, 'hollow' for my liking. I find the
collect-craft-repeat loop of crafting to be extremely tedious. I want
more to my games than just sandbox wandering. I like having narrative
and pacing to move me forward. Which isn't to say the one is better
than the other; just that I have a preference. Overall, I'd say
(again, having only /watched/ "Starfield" and not engaged with it
directly) that NMS is probably the better game... but it's not what I
like.

But it sounds like what you're looking for may be better suited by
NMS's gameplay than Starfield's.


--- Synchronet 3.21f-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.action

On 4/19/2026 9:05 AM, Dimensional Traveler wrote:

Okay, in my directionless looking thru Steam and GOG I've looked at 'Starfield'.  Anyone played it?  The graphics are eye-catching and the setting seems to be conducive to wandering around exploring.  Any
opinions (other than hissing "BETHESDA!" while holding up your religious fetish of choice)?

I played it a bit. Seemed to be a lot of combat on otherwise empty
worlds and space. Otherwise it felt like a soulless corporate committee
made the story missions. Load times were atrocious and frequent. I
can't recommend it. Seems a lot of people liked it though.
--
-Justisaur

ø-ø
(\_/)\
`-'\ `--.___,
¶¬'\( ,_.-'
\\
^'
--- Synchronet 3.21f-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.action

On 4/20/2026 7:13 AM, Spalls Hurgenson wrote:

On Sun, 19 Apr 2026 12:05:33 -0700, Dimensional Traveler
<[email protected]> said this thing:

No Man's Sky is the next game I'm going to check out. Thanks for the
write-up.

"No Man's Sky" is a game I /appreciate/ more than I actually /like/.
Given the choice between it and "Starfield", I'd probably play the
latter. I find NMS --and most 'open world survival crafting' games to
be too... I dunno, 'hollow' for my liking. I find the
collect-craft-repeat loop of crafting to be extremely tedious. I want
more to my games than just sandbox wandering. I like having narrative
and pacing to move me forward. Which isn't to say the one is better
than the other; just that I have a preference. Overall, I'd say
(again, having only /watched/ "Starfield" and not engaged with it
directly) that NMS is probably the better game... but it's not what I
like.

But it sounds like what you're looking for may be better suited by
NMS's gameplay than Starfield's.

Well, I looked at my bank account and the fact that NMS is also on sale
at GOG (while Starfield isn't available on GOG at all) GOG got a few
more bucks from me.
--
I've done good in this world. Now I'm tired and just want to be a cranky
dirty old man.
--- Synchronet 3.21f-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.action

On Mon, 20 Apr 2026 10:52:34 -0700, Justisaur <[email protected]>
wrote:

On 4/19/2026 9:05 AM, Dimensional Traveler wrote:

Okay, in my directionless looking thru Steam and GOG I've looked at
'Starfield'.� Anyone played it?� The graphics are eye-catching and the
setting seems to be conducive to wandering around exploring.� Any
opinions (other than hissing "BETHESDA!" while holding up your religious
fetish of choice)?

I played it a bit. Seemed to be a lot of combat on otherwise empty
worlds and space. Otherwise it felt like a soulless corporate committee >made the story missions. Load times were atrocious and frequent. I
can't recommend it. Seems a lot of people liked it though.

*--

I quit playing it when I found out there was dating in it, like in a
SIMS game. I just couldn't get into it at all. I preordered it and
was excited to play it, but it wasn't what I thought it would be.

-pw
--- Synchronet 3.21f-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.action

Dimensional Traveler <[email protected]> writes:

Okay, in my directionless looking thru Steam and GOG I've looked at 'Starfield'. Anyone played it? The graphics are eye-catching and the setting seems to be conducive to wandering around exploring. Any
opinions (other than hissing "BETHESDA!" while holding up your
religious fetish of choice)?

I have some 30 hours in it now. As expected, some of the side missions
are interesting, if limited. Main story I'm not so sure about. You're
after these magic artifacts at first but then it's suddenly about
collecting magic powers from temples. Maybe it starts making sense at
some point.

So it's been a little meh but I just got into this industrial espionage flavored sequence of missions which has been a little more
interesting. Had a longish sneakery mission although you could also
shoot anyone in sight. You were also given a non-lethal weapon which
isn't very good since it seems to take four or five hits while your
target screams bloody murder and shoots off a lethal gun. Maybe there's
a trick (or a skill check?) to this or it's just the usual Bethesda
stuff.

But this was good, felt almost like Deus Ex for a while. The game's
hinting at a little mind control implant as a reward for completing this
string of missions but we'll see. Some of the other stuff was somewhat entertaining, e.g. you run into an old space ship that was en route from
Earth for a couple of centuries while soon after they left everyone got
onto magic FTL ships and colonized a big chunk of the galaxy while these
guys were sitting in their generation ship... Very old sciffy idea and
could've been written better but not too bad.

Oh, about the no or easy combat thing, well, I've managed to avoid
combat by sneaking and persuading people. It seems you can level up
persuasion to a decent level fairly fast so that it actually
works. Feels way better than Fallout's "I'll just do enough drugs to
boost whatever skill to pass."

That isn't to say there isn't some combat but then I've also gone on
murder missions on purpose to improve my weapons and other skills.
--- Synchronet 3.21f-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.action

Justisaur <[email protected]> writes:

[Starfield]

Load times were atrocious and frequent.

About the load times, I had this on HD initially but quickly moved it to
SSD. Load screens are indeed many but with an SSD they're short.
--- Synchronet 3.21f-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.action

On 4/21/2026 2:45 AM, Anssi Saari wrote:

Justisaur <[email protected]> writes:

[Starfield]

Load times were atrocious and frequent.

About the load times, I had this on HD initially but quickly moved it to
SSD. Load screens are indeed many but with an SSD they're short.

It was on my m.2 There's no reason it should be that slow. I don't even
have any HDs in my computer for the last 4 years. I do have 2 older
SSDs where I put the non-game stuff.

Most games load so fast I don't have time to read the tips.

I have had a couple of games that are just slow for no apparent reason
though. AC Valhala, though that appeared to be some sort of storage
leak as it kept getting worse the further I went. Crimson Desert is the
only other one, though it's still nowhere near either of those, and it's somewhat understandable for how insane the graphics are, it also doesn't
have particularly long or frequent transition loads like Starfield. Transitions (which are very rare) or reloading saves is about 30 seconds.
--
-Justisaur

ø-ø
(\_/)\
`-'\ `--.___,
¶¬'\( ,_.-'
\\
^'
--- Synchronet 3.21f-Linux NewsLink 1.2