What videogames are you playing in 2025?

[Gladius Legis]

I've been testing out the D&D 2024 All-In-One Mod in Baldur's Gate 3 lately. It's definitely not perfect, and it has some homebrew stuff in there I don't much care for, but the bones of D&D 2024 are there and they honestly make it a lot more fun.

Also PSA, always play BG3 with the D20 Initiative mod.

 

[Ulfgeir]

Just started playing Clair Obscure: Expedition 33.
Otherwise also playing City of Heroes.

 

[Ruin Explorer]

and they honestly make it a lot more fun

Thinking about rules-modding next time I play BG3, was considering that one - what are the changes that you feel improve BG3 a lot here?

On a more general note, it feels like there's a weird lack of like, urban fantasy in games, especially big-budget ones. Perhaps because it's a bit harder to do (people know what the world looks like) and if you're going to spend that much effort, you might as well appeal to horrible gun/military gear-fetishists and so on, who are a huge market (c.f. Call of Duty etc.). But like, you could do an incredible Buffy-esque open-world game, like Cyberpunk 2077/Witcher 3 or even better, Skyrim style, set in a moderately sized town like Sunnydale (and environs), and it would be incredible.

Of course someone tried and completely screwed it up in every possible way with Redfall, so I guess that's poisoned the well for now. More's the pity. I feel like had Buffy come out, say, 5-10 years ago, instead of nearly 30, we'd gave a bunch of games trying things like that. The Blade game is also supposedly still being made too so maybe that's something.

 

[Thomas Shey]

@Ruin Explorer, I think that's what The Secret World is aimed at, its just over in the MMO sphere (which I can see some reasons might be viewed as a better place to do it).

 

[Gladius Legis]

Thinking about rules-modding next time I play BG3, was considering that one - what are the changes that you feel improve BG3 a lot here?

Off the top of my head:

• Jump is closer to tabletop, as in only costs movement speed rather than a bonus action. Though you can't jump quite as obnoxiously far as you do in the vanilla game unless you cast Enhance Leap. Still useful for jumping over allies for more direct paths to an enemy or dealing with elevation changes.
• The obnoxiously overpowered feats in vanilla BG3 (i.e. Tavern Brawler, Savage Attacker) are no longer a thing, as they are revamped into their 2024 Origin feat versions. But because Weapon Masteries are implemented in full (not perfectly, mind you, but well enough) all martial builds that didn't hinge on those two overpowered feats feel way more capable on the whole. Monks, likewise, feel better despite no longer hinging on vanilla Tavern Brawler. Also note that Thief no longer gives two bonus actions but instead got revamped to bonus-action throw (which IMO should've always been how Fast Hands was implemented).
• This mod also implemented the Dodge action, which is neat.
• 2024 Lunging Attack is so, so good. I put that thing on Battle Master Laezel at level 3 and she closes into melee almost without fail on turn 1 now, even on enemies ridiculously far away.
• My Durge is a Devotion Paladin, and just like my 2024 tabletop experience, I found I haven't really missed smiting every hit. Bonus-action Lay on Hands has already come in clutch for me a few times (I'm playing a Custom difficulty which is literally Honour Mode without the single-save part). Popping Sacred Weapon without having to spend an action of any kind (and also with more uses of it) also felt really good. Doubly so in Act 2 where I've been selecting the full radiant damage option and just MELTING 80% of the enemies there, all without smiting. (I've pretty much restricted Divine Smite entirely to crits only, as I do in tabletop 2024 now.) 2024 Divine Favor with no concentration and 10 turns duration is also really nice. Because of all of the above, 2024 Devotion Paladin is also a very strong contender for Radiant Orb abuse.
• As of the mod's current version (hope this doesn't get "fixed" down the road) the Great Weapon Fighting Style feat works on ALL rolled damage riders, making 3 the minimum roll on all of those. Which makes it far better than how it works in the real 2024 rules, where it's the clear worst Fighting Style feat. The mod's version went so well with my Devotion Paladin's Divine Favor + Everburn Blade combo early-game and will only get better with the likes of Strange Conduit Ring, Helldusk Gloves, etc.
• The one thing that kinda sucks though is that Spirit Guardians was changed to hew stricter to RAW, as in if you're evil it's always necrotic damage, and it's always radiant if you're good or neutral. And the way the mod determines if you're good, neutral, or evil is your deity ...
  Spoiler

  which REALLY sucks for Shadowheart in Act 2. Let's just say I was especially glad I picked Devotion Paladin for my Durge because of this.

 

[Ruin Explorer]

Off the top of my head:

• Jump is closer to tabletop, as in only costs movement speed rather than a bonus action. Though you can't jump quite as obnoxiously far as you do in the vanilla game unless you cast Enhance Leap. Still useful for jumping over allies for more direct paths to an enemy or dealing with elevation changes.
• The obnoxiously overpowered feats in vanilla BG3 (i.e. Tavern Brawler, Savage Attacker) are no longer a thing, as they are revamped into their 2024 Origin feat versions. But because Weapon Masteries are implemented in full (not perfectly, mind you, but well enough) all martial builds that didn't hinge on those two overpowered feats feel way more capable on the whole. Monks, likewise, feel better despite no longer hinging on vanilla Tavern Brawler. Also note that Thief no longer gives two bonus actions but instead got revamped to bonus-action throw (which IMO should've always been how Fast Hands was implemented).
• This mod also implemented the Dodge action, which is neat.
• 2024 Lunging Attack is so, so good. I put that thing on Battle Master Laezel at level 3 and she closes into melee almost without fail on turn 1 now, even on enemies ridiculously far away.
• My Durge is a Devotion Paladin, and just like my 2024 tabletop experience, I found I haven't really missed smiting every hit. Bonus-action Lay on Hands has already come in clutch for me a few times (I'm playing a Custom difficulty which is literally Honour Mode without the single-save part). Popping Sacred Weapon without having to spend an action of any kind (and also with more uses of it) also felt really good. Doubly so in Act 2 where I've been selecting the full radiant damage option and just MELTING 80% of the enemies there, all without smiting. (I've pretty much restricted Divine Smite entirely to crits only, as I do in tabletop 2024 now.) 2024 Divine Favor with no concentration and 10 turns duration is also really nice. Because of all of the above, 2024 Devotion Paladin is also a very strong contender for Radiant Orb abuse.
• As of the mod's current version (hope this doesn't get "fixed" down the road) the Great Weapon Fighting Style feat works on ALL rolled damage riders, making 3 the minimum roll on all of those. Which makes it far better than how it works in the real 2024 rules, where it's the clear worst Fighting Style feat. The mod's version went so well with my Devotion Paladin's Divine Favor + Everburn Blade combo early-game and will only get better with the likes of Strange Conduit Ring, Helldusk Gloves, etc.
• The one thing that kinda sucks though is that Spirit Guardians was changed to hew stricter to RAW, as in if you're evil it's always necrotic damage, and it's always radiant if you're good or neutral. And the way the mod determines if you're good, neutral, or evil is your deity ...
  Spoiler

  which REALLY sucks for Shadowheart in Act 2. Let's just say I was especially glad I picked Devotion Paladin for my Durge because of this.

Ok that does sound pretty hot except the last part which is a fundamental misunderstanding by the modders of how BG3 works - you should never be guessing on behalf of the player like that.

 

[Kaodi]

Everspace 2 is good fun, but it does get a bit repetitive after awhile.

Which is why it is perhaps curious that after "finishing" my first playthrough (including all sidequests and possibly all location challenges, but not most of the endgame content) I immediately turned around and started a new game where I ground my way up to level 16 before leaving the Ceto system and now I just finished grinding my way up to level 30 without even going to any ramen joints in Union, thus never progressing beyond that system either.

This time though I eschewed all location challenges and pretty much all loot that was not in a randomly generated area. But now at least whenever I am awarded a legendary item it will be the proper level for the endgame. And when I landed back on Nephtys station there was an ascendant item for sale. Though I am a bit confused as to why there was no tutorial to what that means when I equipped it.

I expected most quests for a while now are going to be resolved by my pressing the left mouse button with my level 30 superior thermo gun equpped, .

 

[SkidAce]

How long into the game before you dont get blown away by encounters?

Or is it just my skills are lacking?