Discussion What's your favourite video game you've been playing?

[Frag Maniac]

Hopefully something pops out at me next time i get around to trying the puzzle im stuck on. I may need to resort to your video ;P

Have you reached the first exit of Faith Plate yet, or are you stuck on the first part?

Seemed really hard at first, but I managed to get through the first exit in about 30 min or so. The second part is proving to be quite tough though.

OK, after a little over an hour in a couple sessions the 2nd part of Faith Plate I'm through now. I'm on Transition now. Compressing and uploading now.

SPOILER ALERT FOR THOSE WHOM HAVEN'T PLAYED IT!!!

 

[boju]

Spoiler

Haha ok that's how it's done, looks so simple now gosh 🤠. Was stuck on the second part. Managed to have a cube near the door and on the button but couldn't work out how to reverse the portal bridge thing whilst keeping the cubes in transit to press the door button on the other side.

Nice 👍

 

[Frag Maniac]

Spoiler

Haha ok that's how it's done, looks so simple now gosh 🤠. Was stuck on the second part. Managed to have a cube near the door and on the button but couldn't work out how to reverse the portal bridge thing whilst keeping the cubes in transit to press the door button on the other side.

Nice 👍

Spoiler

Yeah I wasn't sure at first that was the way after trying it like that and failing a few times. The key was to wait until the cube was on the pipe aligned with the button, then hitting the fizzler button cube portal and portal by the door one right after the other. If you wait a fraction of a second too long between those shots, the cube will just fall out of the pipe.

 

[Gman450]

I finished Portal Stories: Mel. The puzzles were definitely harder than Portal 2 for me. Luckily, I didn't have to look up any puzzles online. There were a couple levels which I felt were really hard but I kept away the urge to look them up. Just a general hint for you guys if you're having trouble in certain places - I'm gonna mark this as a spoiler anyway

Spoiler: Portal Stories: Mel

Don't be afraid to dispose any cubes so that you can get a new one

This game was a blast. I haven't played Portal in a while and I was thinking of replaying Portal 2, but this really scratched that itch for me. So glad you guys recommended this.

 

[Frag Maniac]

Spoiler: Portal Stories: Mel

Don't be afraid to dispose any cubes so that you can get a new one

Spoiler

For me, the recurring theme of solving was to give up on numerous attempts that fail, and look for portal compatible surfaces that are away from others that you aren't using. Also, look up, look up, look up. Quite often the way through is a portal compatible surface up high, or an opening up high you can pass over.

Here's Transition, it was kinda long, but also fairly easy.

SPOILER ALERT FOR THOSE WHOM HAVEN'T PLAYED IT!!!

Kudos Gman for finishing with no online assistance. A little Portal Stories: Mel trivia I found. This is also a warning that looking for online assistance may not help. Apparently from forum chat I've read, Portal Stories: Mel originally launched as only an Advanced mode campaign. Later the Regular mode was added, but from what people say, most of the walkthroughs were done for the original mode. This is why some whom have looked online for help are seeing puzzles they aren't even playing. I really feel I'm close enough to the ending now to get through the rest of the way without YouTube anyway.

 

[Gman450]

Here's Transition, it was kinda long, but also fairly easy.

SPOILER ALERT FOR THOSE WHOM HAVEN'T PLAYED IT!!!

Nice, Frag. You're almost to the end. Chapter 4 has a decent number of puzzles too. I wanna see how you take on the last test chamber puzzle in it. And Chapter 5 is...

Spoiler: Portal Stories: Mel

...pretty much endgame so no complex puzzles to solve over there.

 

[Frag Maniac]

Nice, Frag. You're almost to the end. Chapter 4 has a decent number of puzzles too. I wanna see how you take on the last test chamber puzzle in it. And Chapter 5 is...

Spoiler: Portal Stories: Mel

...pretty much endgame so no complex puzzles to solve over there.

Thanks, I'm done with Overgrown now, wasn't too hard. Over Goo however starts out fairly easy, but the 2nd part is a real head scratcher. I may however be on the verge of figuring it out if my hunch is correct.

SPOILER ALERT FOR THOSE WHOM HAVEN'T PLAYED IT!!!

 

[Frag Maniac]

OK, finally done with Over Goo. This one nearly caused me to give up, and then I discovered at about the 5:40 mark where there's a checkpoint I had to reload over and over, that I missed one simple little detail that made it obvious how to do it. The first part was also not done nearly as fast as shown, as I had the cube fall into the toxic goo once, and some mishaps operating the button. So I had to reload even the first checkpoint a few times. Suffice it to say it probably took well over 1.5 hrs in 3 sessions to get both parts done.

The last couple days I'm also having a problem with YouTube not fully processing my 1440p vids to an actual 1440p viewing option. A few days ago there was no problem with this. I even tried uploading a mere 30 sec clip, and some time later, that STILL is only available in 1080p.

So I'd appreciate it if anyone uploading 1440p vids can tell me if th e1440p processing has been MUCH slower for you the last couple days? Better yet, if anyone can manage to upload a sub 30 sec test clip at 1440p, I'd appreciate some feedback. If you only have a 1080p display like me, you can resize the vid before uploading.

SPOILER ALERT FOR THOSE WHOM HAVEN'T PLAYED IT!!!

Spoiler

ALWAYS check your surroundings for hints that they're trying to get you to use a cube in ways it doesn't need to be!!!

 

[Frag Maniac]

OK, after posting a thread on several forums describing the problem I've had the last couple days with YouTube 1440p uploads only processing up to 1080p, I now have confirmation that this is happening to a lot of people in the last few days. My guess is with lots of people at home mostly during COVID, a lot of them with the extra time they've had made and uploaded videos, causing excess stress on the VP9 processing servers.

At any rate, I hope it's fixed soon. I now have completed the Two of a Kind chambers of Portal Stories: Mel. This was a pretty easy level, no more than I'd guess 35 min total. The video is only 18.5 min, but it's mostly real time, with most boo boos not edited out.

SPOILER ALERT FOR THOSE WHOM HAVEN'T PLAYED IT!!!

 

[Frag Maniac]

Just finished Destroyed, which was another pretty easy one. I say this one, again, took a little over 30 min, but some mishaps at the start of the 2nd chamber caused me to edit out a restart, which ballooned into a 2nd session. That damned turret caught me off guard, but I got my revenge on it. LOL

SPOILER ALERT FOR THOSE WHOM HAVEN'T PLAYED IT!!!

 

[Gman450]

You're almost at the end. One more 1 hour sitting will be enough to beat the game.

Spoiler: Portal Stories: Mel

I actually had a tough time figuring out the very last puzzle, involving the laser. Took me a while to figure out that I can just disintegrate the cube with the button and then have the laser point directly to the door's power point. It's funny actually. All the other rooms were bigger and grander in scope but I felt stumped at the smallest one. LOL.

I started Devil May Cry 3: Special Edition yesterday. It's been more than a year since I last played the original DMC. I decided to skip DMC 2 because of some well known reasons, lol. I've finished 5 missions so far and I'm having a good time. Bosses are still hard, maybe not as hard as the original for me but I guess we'll know more in time.

On the PS4, I've got InFamous: Second Son. Controls felt horrible at first and the framerate was not consistent at all. An update fixed the FPS problem though and frame pacing is a lot better now. I've never played an InFamous game before so I didn't know what to expect. The first couple of hours left a bad taste in my mouth to be honest. Controls were bad and I had a hard time understanding the gameplay, but once I got to the city, things started to make more sense. Everything opened up and you start upgrading the powers you have and you get a very cool new power which is my favorite at the moment. It's quite fun now.

 

[Frag Maniac]

You're almost at the end. One more 1 hour sitting will be enough to beat the game.

Spoiler: Portal Stories: Mel

I actually had a tough time figuring out the very last puzzle, involving the laser. Took me a while to figure out that I can just disintegrate the cube with the button and then have the laser point directly to the door's power point. It's funny actually. All the other rooms were bigger and grander in scope but I felt stumped at the smallest one. LOL.

Spoiler

Yeah I really don't like games getting easier at the end, feels kinda anticlimactic. Didn't read the spoiler, because you already spoiled Chapter 5 for me. Probably shouldn't have read that. You DID tag it as a Spoiler though, so my fault I guess.

BTW, were you referring to "Factory" when you said you wanted to see how I did the last test chamber in Chapter 4?

At any rate, here's Factory. Seems to me there's only one way to do the actual solution.

SPOILER ALERT FOR THOSE WHOM HAVEN'T PLAYED IT!!!

When I got through the first part of Two of a Kind, that was the one I was wondering you may have meant when you said you wanted to see how I did it. I don't know if there's another way, but the rapid trick shot seemed the only way to me. This mod is described as having only mental puzzles, but a few of them can take some quick shooting too.

 

[Gman450]

I may have misremembered the start of Chapter 5. 'Factory' is not it, I was referring to the last one you encountered in 'Destroyed'. You can read the spoiler in my previous message, no issues.

The one you mentioned in 'Factory'...

Spoiler: Portal Stories: Mel - Factory

...I pretty much skipped since we are already told that it's a malfunctioned test chamber. I didn't even bother going in at all, I just went past it.

Sorry about the spoiler. I did mention Chapter 5 before I put it out there though... maybe I should have added that in the spoiler title as well like I've done here.

 

[Frag Maniac]

I may have misremembered the start of Chapter 5. 'Factory' is not it, I was referring to the last one you encountered in 'Destroyed'.

Actually I was referring to Factory as the last one in Chapter 4, which it is. The only strange thing is, you don't actually get a checkpoint for the next area (Core Access) until you get well beyond the point where it says Chapter 5 onscreen. Seems to me the checkpoint to start Core Access should have been at that elevator you take down.

As far as the last part of Destroyed, yeah that was indeed a small chamber. Truth be told when I got the fizzler shield down, I wasn't sure at first how to progress. Then I realized destroying the cube by just releasing another was the way to do it. I suppose the fact that the first part of Over Goo, a couple chambers prior to Destroyed, required destroying a cube as well, maybe kept that tactic fresh in my mind.

And it didn't really dawn on me what Virgil was saying about the test chamber being down and to take a catwalk above until I looked around after seeing the chamber exit was caved in. When I first step into a chamber I'm so intent on observing everything that what he says goes right through me sometimes.

So on the first part of Two of Kind, how long did it take you to figure out the wall crawl/quick shot method to get over the low fizzler shield in the middle of the long room? Or is there another way I'm unaware of?

Truth be told, I watched a speedrunner do several chambers I'd already completed, so I know there's definitely alternative and very unconventional methods. He says he has the world record on Portal Stories Mel, doing the whole campaign in about a half hour. There's no way I would attempt or could even try his methods though, because quite frankly he was going so fast half the time I couldn't even see what he was doing. LOL

 

[Frag Maniac]

All finished with Portal Stories Mel now. It was actually a great ending I thought and did include a lot of navigation puzzles, so it wasn't really all that spoiled for me. I've read there's some Easter eggs in the ending and I don't know whether they mean Advanced mode only, but I may go back and see if I can find any. I have an idea where one might be.

SPOILER ALERT FOR THOSE WHOM HAVEN'T PLAYED IT!!!

(This is both Core Access and Finale in one video)

 

[SpiderSparrow]

Here is an interesting thing, I am a huge Single Player gamer, Uncharted, Spiderman, God of War, Deus Ex, Call of Duty Campaigns, Death Stranding, etc... Basically anything that lets me go on a movie like storytelling journey with interesting gameplay, I am on board.

However, out of nowhere, Destiny 2 I just decided to try and have gotten crazy hooked, so much so that it's been the only game I have been playing the past few weeks, nothing else. I love it.

And to think the first Destiny was like the first game I ever sold cause of how bored it made me.

I think a lot of it is due to just how well crafted it is as a shooter at its base with really cool storytelling (was surprised by how good both the now free Warmind and Red War campaigns were, Red war felt so much like Halo at times)

And the music, omg the music:

I think its the overall presentation and quality of it all that's got me hooked. Glad I picked it up, but also not glad at all as I was so hooked on Death Stranding on PC and Ghost of Tsushima, but stopped playing them

 

[Frag Maniac]

Started a run through of Portal Stories Mel again, this time on Advanced mode. Yeah, it's definitely advanced alright. The minutes tick away as you scratch your head. I don't know what's worse, not being able to figure out what to do to get where you need to go in Regular mode, or knowing where you have to go, and in general by what means, but stuck trying to figure out how to manage it with the restrictions Advanced mode puts on you (like not having line of sight access on a crucial portal placement you did before). The funny thing is, when I was playing this particular puzzle in regular mode, as soon as I realized the way to do it, I wondered how hard it would be had I not caught that glimpse of a distant portal surface. Well, now I know, it's VERY hard!

Despite that, so far I nearly made the necessary jump to the exit. Well, the cube makes it every time, just not poor Mel. Guess I have to rethink it.

 

[Frag Maniac]

OK, a bit of an update on my Portal Stories: Mel Advanced run. Turns out that puzzle I was referring to as very hard, the one where you don't have visual access to the exit portal of the jump like in non advanced mode, was not hard at all. In fact I was already using the basic method required. As far as I can tell the reason I kept falling on the jump vs getting enough height is that I was tapping vs holding down space when doing the jump (8:11 mark).

Spoiler

Truth be told, up to the point where you get past the first actual test chamber after rescuing Virgil, it's all relatively easy. Most puzzles are not changed much, if at all. The ones that are, weren't too hard to figure. The 2nd actual test chamber though, where you deal with excursion tunnels and a center fizzler, and the one I'm currently stuck on, is much harder than it was in non advanced mode. The main reason being the excursion tunnel that's actually generated by the device that projects it is not accessible from the floor like in non advanced mode.

The following video is condensed into a fast run after having figured out the ways, but in a couple spots, not the exact sure fire way, which cost me nearly 2 min. Hence at 22:52 about 21 sec is wasted by

Spoiler

not placing the portal spewing repulsion gel elsewhere before the jump across the catwalk

At 26:50 about 1:10 is wasted not knowing which end of the portal to start the jump from. More due to lack of precision than technique, at 15:38, the only other spot requiring retries, the jump across to the fizzler button in Ramp was not executed properly.

SPOILER ALERT FOR THOSE WHOM HAVEN'T PLAYED IT ON ADVANCED MODE!!!

 

[Frag Maniac]

Part 2 of my Portal Stories: Mel Advanced run. I'm sad to say I was broken by the 2nd chamber at the 1:47 mark, and went looking online for the solution. The most upsetting thing was, I knew full well the key would be getting to the high horizontal excursion tunnel, but just didn't see the obvious way.

SPOILER ALERT FOR THOSE WHOM HAVEN'T PLAYED IT ON ADVANCED MODE!!!

 

[Frag Maniac]

The 3rd and final Part of my Portal Stories: Mel Advanced run. No online assistance was used in this one, just mad at myself still for the one puzzle I mentioned I got help on in Part 2.

SPOILER ALERT FOR THOSE WHOM HAVEN'T PLAYED IT ON ADVANCED MODE!!!

 

[xyloosepwr]

I have best memories with Wolfenstein: Enemy Territory. I have played that game for almost 11 years. I think its still somehow alive, at least few servers.

 

[Gman450]

I don't think I'll be doing an Advanced mode playthrough for Portal Stories: Mel anytime soon. Not many games these days that I play back to back.

Since the last time I posted, I finished Infamous: Second Son on the PS4. It was a good game. I just wish it had more length to it because it felt pretty short by the end and I had a lot of really cool powers. Gameplay was nice especially traversal and the graphics are just stunning for a 6 year old console game. Story was very straight forward, executed well enough but again, I wish they prolonged things by a few more hours.

I also finished Devil May Cry 3: Special Edition yesterday. This is my favorite DMC game right now. The gold mode really helped ease the frustration of having to redo the entire level if you died to a boss/going through the level. The bosses themselves were very well made and challenging too. I died to many bosses at first but upon trying again and again, you start figuring out their moves and eventually I was able to beat them easily. I can't wait to start playing DMC4 now.

 

[Frag Maniac]

I don't think I'll be doing an Advanced mode playthrough for Portal Stories: Mel anytime soon. Not many games these days that I play back to back.

Well, quite frankly I thought it was odd that

Spoiler

a lot of the puzzles were unchanged from regular mode, but a few of the ones that are were pretty tough. Overall it was easier than I expected, but still kicking myself for not seeing the obvious on the one puzzle I got help on. In my defense though, it was right after the smoke from the west coast forest fires was getting pretty thick and the combination of breathing a lot of that and staying up too late a few nights had me feeling strange.

Just played through Portal 2 again and it had been so long since I played it that I hardly remembered any of it. Despite that though it felt easy compared to Portal Stories: Mel. It did have me chuckling at the dialog though, as I'd forgotten how funny it was.

I'm now playing through Portal 1, and am finding it doesn't support 4K nearly as well. It can run at 4K, but the menu is so tiny it's unusable.

 

[Gman450]

In my defense though, it was right after the smoke from the west coast forest fires was getting pretty thick and the combination of breathing a lot of that and staying up too late a few nights had me feeling strange.

I can see how that can affect one's patience and thinking. I can't stand smoke...

I started Dishonored 2 a few weeks back. The lore to this game is great and the graphics look amazing at times. I've been going all stealthy, trying not to kill the enemies but whenever I get into a direct confrontation, 1/2 of them ends up dead. Levels are so well designed and you can approach things in multiple ways. I like reading all the books and notes that are scattered throughout so that I can take in more of the lore, so each level ends up being a good 3-4 hours long.

I also started Uncharted: The Lost Legacy on the PS4. OMG those graphics! I don't know how Naughty Dog does it but man the game just looks so hyper realistic. I'm very early in the game but the story and gameplay is like how you'd expect from any of the Uncharted games and it's fantastic.

 

[Frag Maniac]

I can see how that can affect one's patience and thinking. I can't stand smoke...

Yeah it can actually make you light headed, and easily irritated. The next day though I woke up and when I saw how thick the smoke was in the air I closed all windows on the elevator landings of every floor in our apt building and put up signs asking tenants to keep them closed until the smoke clears. We've had Very Unhealthy rated air quality most every day since, but today we had a good bit of rain and it went down to Fair. Tomorrow there's supposed to be a couple more showers though, so hopefully this won't last much longer. I feel for all those whom lost their homes in these fires, but mostly for the innocent animals that suffer when things like this happen.

Played and finished Portal 1 today. I'd forgotten about that last puzzle that always had me disoriented trying to find the next surface to shoot a puzzle at. It's like whack a mole, but the player plays the mole. I also beat 5 of the advanced bonus puzzles, but now am stuck on the 6th and final one, which happens to be that last one from the game I just mentioned, and it's WAY harder than the one in the game.