I had originally been following an open source Diablo 1 project called Freeablo, but apparently he stopped because DevilutionX had basically finished before he did. I've been wanting to replay Diablo 1 for a while now, but now that I know this project exists, it's definitely something I'm going to try out soon.

I purchased BattleBit the other day for $15 USD and I am enjoying it so far. The community seems pleasant at the moment. The developer-run servers have strict rules against being an asshole and a zero tolerance for spam/racism/politics, so that's definitely a plus. I can play the game instead of muting people constantly.

!Server MOTD

If you're a fan of Battlefield (1 or 2) or Project Reality then BattleBit might be worth checking out. The pace is as fast or slow as you want it to be. If you prefer static defense -- go for it. If you want to run into the fray to drag incapacitated players from the field while tracers whiz by -- go right ahead. If you want to employ teamwork and tactics to capture objects -- no one will scoff at you.

I'm one of those weirdos with several end-game saves on their hard drive for CP2077. If all of the Phantom Liberty quests are supposed to take place in the middle of the base game's story-line, it might be too easy going into it at level 50 with a maxed out skill tree and the best weapons in the game.

I haven't had a chance to sit down and read everything available yet but I sure hope they give the player another twenty or thirty levels to grind through.

I'm so excited, I'm finally getting to build my computer that I've been wanting to build, while some parts are already bought, this is essentially my build list:

https://pcpartpicker.com/list/Hn4gRv

I've also decided to mount the new monitor I'm getting on the wall with this:

https://mount-it.com/products/height-adjustable-monitor-wall-mount-full-motion-gas-spring-arms-mi-3753b?_pos=5&_fid=74cd7f447&_ss=c

and lastly, I have a Micro Center near me, so I decided to look there for the case:

https://www.microcenter.com/product/652904/msi-mpg-gungnir-120r-tempered-glass-atx-mid-tower-computer-case-black

This is the first time I'm building a higher-end computer for both price and capabilities for its time. I cannot wait for it all to arrive!!!

I want this game to be good but given the last couple flops set in the Alien universe my expectations are pretty low. Fireteam Elite, for example, is/was too arcadey for my taste and left solo players like me high and dry. I'm not a fan of random people showing up in my (what should be) single player game to "help" either. The third-person camera didn't do it for me in all of those tight corridors.

There isn't much information out there for a game about to go live in 9 days. Maybe that's for the best? Without a massive hype train catering to 12 years olds (flashy visuals, stupid character poses, loot boxes, etc) the development team might keep their jobs long enough post-launch to actually respond to player feedback and release meaningful patches, and implement quality of life changes.

My hope is that Dark Descent will be what Fireteam Elite should have been - a dark and gritty tactical game with XCOM-like game mechanics, set in an awful future where an evil mega-corporation aims to unleash a nearly unstoppable plague of seven foot tall bloodthirsty locusts on humanity. (Is that too much to ask for?)

Gameplay:

• 54 parts
• No commentary
• All main, side, cyberpsycho, and NCPD quests completed
• 77% achievements (GOG)

PC Specs:

• CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 5800X
• RAM: 32GB G.Skill DDR4-3200
• GPU: AMD Radeon RX 7900 XT
• HDD: Samsung 970 EVO Plus SSD 1TB

Mods:

^Installed just prior to recording #28^

• High-Res Graphics Pack - MAXIMUM - https://next.nexusmods.com/cyberpunk2077/collections/g0tcm4 (+ all optional mods)

• Use Your Cybernetic Eyes to Aim - https://www.nexusmods.com/cyberpunk2077/mods/6793

• Metro System - https://www.nexusmods.com/cyberpunk2077/mods/3560

• Cyber Vehicle Overhaul - https://www.nexusmods.com/cyberpunk2077/mods/3016

• Cyberpunk Clothing Loot Overhaul - https://www.nexusmods.com/cyberpunk2077/mods/8013

----

My takeaway from this is that hard mode is hard in the beginning and enemies are absolute bullet sponges from start to finish.

Getting bullshit killed and running out of ammo constantly becomes tedious after a while. I'm not sure if its me or what. I feel like every encounter required several mag dumps just to kill a single guy. In that regard I have to say Cyberpsycho attacks win the "shittiest to fight" award. Sometimes they become immune to damage for reasons unknown. You really have to pay attention to the damage meter at the top of the screen, or risk prematurely wasting your entire inventory on a single crazy asshole.

During my first playthrough on normal I was a shotgun samurai through and through. However, sadly, even the best shotgun in the game can't keep up with the insane damage the various droids and gang members dole out at close range. Getting in close to splatter someone is a deathwish even if you spec out your character with full mitigation gear and select every skill under the shotgun skill tree.

If you're thinking about picking up or revisiting Cyberpunk 2077, don't bother with the higher difficulty settings. They add nothing to the game and have a tendency to break the immersion as you reload the same battle a dozen times because you got one-shot killed by a sniper from across town through five shipping containers.