What i do in March // Including Chorus Review

Dragon's Dogma 2... the microtransaction plague. I really don't get it. Why the need to shoehorn microtransactions into a single-player RPG? And why isn't the gaming community rising up against it? It's like the publishers, developers, or studio bosses are slowly boiling the frog. It might be a combination of factors contributing to this trend. When did this really happen? Capcom is cracking down on mods, yet they're more than willing to let you pay for every little thing. Just like the absurdity of navigating through countless streaming services to find a movie, only to discover it's on some obscure platform you've never even heard of, but you have to subscribe.. only another 10 eddies. I'm starting to miss the simplicity of video rental stores, and I didn't think I would say that out loud.

I recently purchased a used B450 motherboard on eBay (ASRock Fatal1ty K4 Gaming). It's functional and will serve as the centerpiece for my planned personal cinema setup. I'm talking about a real budget cinema here. I'm aiming to use mostly second-hand components. The idea is to have a computer in there for streaming, YouTube, emulation and gaming. With a Jellyfin server also in the works. 

Why AM4? Because it offers affordability and high value for the money. A Ryzen 3700 would be powerful enough to handle any tasks I throw at it. 

Don't let anyone tell you that you always need the latest and greatest. Sometimes, it only needs to be fast enough for what you want to do. I can replace the machine when AM5 becomes more affordable down the line, but only when I feel the limitations on a daily basis.

On the list are:

Beamer

Streaming / Gaming PC

Popcorn Machine

Some kind of Surround Sound

Most confy couch

I've recently acquired some used joysticks to dive back into Star Citizen. I took a break from the game back in late 2015 when I was feeling a bit burned out from giving it too much attention. But now feels like a good time to revisit it, especially with bigger changes on the horizon that I want to experience. I ended up with two cheap Thrustmaster T.16000M joysticks, both used and known to be broken. The common issues with these sticks are the thrust control and the rudder yaw, which are normal potentiometers. I'm hoping that spraying them with contact spray might help alleviate these problems. The main axes are hall effect, so they should not drift or have ghost inputs in the long run. Even though having two sticks provides more functionality than just one, you'll quickly run out of usable buttons. I have some ideas for additional inputs, but nothing is final yet. Maybe in the future.

Make sure to get the second versions of the sticks if you plan to replicate this setup. Fortunately, they are easy to differentiate. Version 1 has a silver trigger and buttons, while Version 2 has an orange/yellow trigger and black buttons. Version 2 also features decals printed on the body. Opt for Version 2 because of the mounting points underneath, making it easier to mount on our makeshift mounting system. While you can still screw Version 1 in place, I wouldn't recommend it without checking to avoid hitting the axis decoder. Version 2 just makes the mounting process much easier, and the prices seem to be the same on the used market.

I've also mounted them on two separate wooden mounts, which I then clamp onto my table using quick clamps. I got these clamps from my local discount store, and I'm sure you can find similar ones near your location. Just make sure that the clamping area is made of rubber to avoid damaging or marking your furniture.

I've also been playing Choros, and it's meeting my expectations so far. It's not ultra-deep, but still enjoyable. I have a sense of where the story might go in the long run, but I'm only 4 hours in at this point. One quick con: I HATE how nearby markers are highlighted. I never get the feeling that I completely know where everything is. The map doesn't provide custom highlighted spots or anything in this regard. You can quick travel to a jump gate on the map, but the higher travel speeds are normally fast enough that you do not need it. I am split on that. If I could set custom markers on the map, I might have explored more. I don't know how far my scanners work either, but the scanning effect is nice.  Yes, that's bad. But, in exchange, the visuals are more than good. I appreciate the inner monologue of our main character, Nara, and later with her ship AI, Forsaken. There is even a scene where we hush Forsaken and very disrespectfully silence his opinion. That felt really cyberpunky man vs. machine or futuristic fears like, which I have to admit, I enjoyed. I've noticed that the game presents some really black and white choices, and in the best Mass Effect tradition, I'm playing as the complete Paragon for now. I'm committed to nothing less than embodying the light the universe needs from me (for now). 

Edit: Okay, okay... you can highlight targets on the map. Did take me long enough, or it is only possible later? I was sure that it was not like that at the start. I'm now 14 hours in the game, and It's improving. Tip for beginners: start the side missions when you have Forsaken, ignore them before then. Stakes are rising, and the story is becoming even more engaging. Still nothing fancy, but it's better than much of the other stuff out there lately.

Edit 2: I've now spent 30 hours in the game. It's solid, a bit more mature than I initially thought. I don't want to praise it too much—it's good for a video game, which is both a compliment and a critique. I've completed all the content and achievements, and it held my interest until the end. Although having more armored enemies would have been good for the achievements. Overall, I'd give it a solid 7, maybe even a strong one if you enjoy the setting.

And now, having completed it entirely, I feel compelled to share more about the game beyond just the gameplay experience. Typically, our journey unfolds in space, with all interactions occurring while piloting our ship. We never set foot on the ground, except for a few in-game sequences where we briefly step out of the cockpit. Occasionally, we have the opportunity to take command of a battleship, although these moments are rare, they remain enjoyable because of their scarcity.

We're able to upgrade our ship, and initially, I anticipated a greater variety in weapons or tiers, since some were color-coded by rarity. However, all weapons are pre-defined, with the latest one usually proving to be the best choice, albeit with occasional exceptions. For instance, the slow-firing gatlings weren't to my liking. Additionally, we can choose three perks for our ship, ranging from faster travel speed to weapon or shield enhancements. We can also boost our rights. This is where things get interesting as we get into some fantasy elements, we gain access to special abilities like teleporting behind enemies or impaling them with a spear like boost. The combination of these two skills provided the most enjoyment for me, and I found myself utilizing them frequently. Additional perks are earned by achieving specific milestones, such as defeating a defined number of enemies with certain weapons or abilities.

If someone tells you that Chorus is the game where you play as the ship, I see where they're coming from. All side quests seem to naturally progress the story, but the missions involving the Pirate Queen seemed hidden from me. I completed this one so late in the game that I was super overpowered. The fight didn't take more than maybe 15 seconds, even though I played on normal difficulty. At the start, this felt good and challenging, but later I became too strong. However, I heavily leaned into the rights abilities fairly early on, boosting them with all I had. So perhaps it's different when you primarily use normal weapons.

Aside from the obvious combat, we have passages that I'd equate to platforming sections in a shooter. We must drift (decouple flight) to activate shootable switches or fly swiftly through tight areas with enemies in pursuit. I died in these missions from time to time because I took a wrong turn. I did also die a few times where I had to figure out through trial and error what to do in the first place. Not too bad, but the game does feature a permadeath mode. Whoever finishes the whole game in that mode must be crazy. 

Overall, ship travel feels great, and occasionally stunning when the visuals really hit the mark. Boosting feels quick, and aileron rolls feel impactful when you use them to narrowly pass an obstacle at the last second. You can tell that a lot of effort went into perfecting the feeling of ship flight. Even when you're just cruising at high speed, engaging in conversation with the ship feels seamless. I briefly attempted to play with a flight stick, but it's clear that this game is meant to be played with mouse and keyboard, or perhaps a controller. However, streaming it from my main PC to my Steam Deck felt a bit odd to me, so mouse and keyboard it is.

Lastly, there are some boss fights and encounters with medium-sized enemies. Darting around and through a battleship feels satisfying and enjoyable, especially when systematically destroying its components to bring it down step by step. However, the bigger ships lack detail. The overall ship design plays it safe, without taking many risks. There are larger boss battles that I won't spoil, but they attempt to mix things up by challenging you with mechanics you learned earlier. It feels satisfying to figure out how to overcome these challenges, although I know myself well enough to realize that if I were to play the game for 10 hours, then wait two months before returning, I might forget how to beat certain parts. However, this is a balancing act for every game. I'm okay with how it's handled here because I dislike when games constantly remind me how to beat them. It's worth mentioning, but not necessarily a drawback.