I would like to play a new CIV VI PBEM with a small number of players 4-5 max, continents or inland sea as I find myself with a bit of a relaxed shedule until the summer.

Any takers, I am open to all settings but would ban the usual wonders and maybe 1-2 new civs.

Here are 18 Massively Multiplayer Online games (MMOs) that are very different one from the other, but they all share 2 things: they're currently developed by independent studios (so no big publishers behind them) and they're among the most popular / promising projects in my opinion. This list has been shared on different platforms as I'm sharing the word about those games. Please let me know if you want to add new things to the list (or correct something)!

Dual Universe [Beta]
Setting: Science-Fiction || View: First-Person || Focus: PvP || Budget: ~$25M* || Engine: Unigine 2 || Origin: France/U.S.

• Single shard persistent universe shared by all the players
  
• Voxel-based universe: player-made cities, stations and warships
  
• Space warfare: pirate ships, coordinated attacks, skirmishes
  
• Player-controlled global economy: mining, crafting, building, optimization, barter and trade
  

• Heavily inspired by Dark Age of Camelot
  
• Large-scale RvR battles and sieges featuring more than a thousand players and hundreds of siege weapons
  
• Open world with islands that players can move to strategically reshape the world
  
• Block-by-block construction with server-side stability and destruction
  

• Heavily inspired by Shadowbane
  
• Player-created worlds with parcels of land and pre-fab building pieces
  
• Time-limited GvG/RvR campaigns that guilds or factions can win thanks to sieges, skirmishes and capture mechanics
  
• Deep crafting system inspired by Star Wars: Galaxies that is a central part of the player-driven economy
  

• Spiritual successor to EverQuest
  
• Deeply social: dungeons require teamwork and group strategy
  
• Combat focuses on preparation and awareness: players will face challenging scenarios that require understanding and skill
  
• Perception system: the world reveals its secrets through the environment
  

• Open and realistic sandbox world where player houses can be built almost anywhere
  
• True, real-time combat where outcomes are decided by skill rather than levels or gear
  
• Legendary crafters trading across the globe, famous warriors studying the art of combat, explorers puting names on the map
  
• Individual reputation: people will recognize players by their impact on the world
  

• Nodes system: player participation influences the type of content in the surrounding areas
  
• Open world housing: players have the ability to survey and develop land anywhere in the world
  
• Castle sieges with hundreds of players with many moving parts
  
• Harsh, unforgiving and stunning environment
  

• Spiritual successor to Freelancer
  
• Procedurally generated and handcrafted stunning worlds
  
• Open world PvP with high speed dog fights with multi-crew ships or intense FPS warfare
  
• Exploration: hidden outpost, abandoned ships and beautiful sunsets
  

• Seamless open world with fog of war
  
• Players explore the world, participate in trading, complete dungeons, or engage in PvP battles
  
• Day / night cycles as well as weather conditions
  
• Flexible character customization with a wide variety of builds
  

• Players voyage across a persistent, Earth-like planet to harvest resources, collaborate with other players, and conquer new lands
  
• The exoplanet is abundant with all forms of biomes, filled with various habitats, seasons, unpredictable weather, and ecology
  
• As a colony grows, resources, research, and construction will increase, which can permanently impact the economy of the planet
  
• Players can freely construct structures and organize offensive missions to raid other colonies, or join skirmishes
  

• Voxel-based, fully destructible and infinitely expanding universe shared by all the players
  
• In-depth physics simulation make fights (structural durability), exploration and flying spaceships more creative and fun
  
• Focus on building and designing spaceships and stations, exploration, resource gathering, crafting, trading, and combat
  
• Ships are hand made by the players, wired and controlled with a in-game programming language
  

• Heavily inspired by RuneScape
  
• Focus on  a deep skilling system, massive fantasy open-world, engaging quests, and a complex, skill based combat system
  
• 20 skills offering various bonuses and unlockable content
  
• Players play through open-world mini dungeons and bosses, as well as instanced raids
  

• Spiritual successor to City of Heroes
  
• Players defend Apotheosis City from criminals and alien invaders and explore whole new planets
  
• Unique character customization with countless options
  
• Thousands of power combinations to form a unique playstyle
  

• Skill-based combat mechanics à la Mount and Blade
  
• Class-less system with diversified equipment
  
• Open world territory control for guild castles and sieges
  
• Complex crafting system: leatherworking, armorsmithing, engineering, weapon forging, woodworking and more
  

• Territory conquest: guilds can leave their mark on the game's history by conquering mines and castles
  
• Players can build small towns and great cities in the open world
  
• No class or level: combat style is determined by what players exercise the most
  
• Open PvP and full loot: karma system with restrictions to access cities if the player is a criminal
  

• Eight player-run factions are locked in endless galactic strife of commerce, intrigue and warfare
  
• Brutal conflicts: combat is entirely skill-based, with full-loot on death rewarding those who master the art of war
  
• Players forge their destiny as an interstellar entrepreneur, a mercenary or a faction leader at the helm of the next chapter
  
• A detailed economic system provides the backbone for mining, production and manufacture fueling conflict and player greed
  

• Cross platform: can be played on PC and mobile
  
• Ever expanding world: exploration of the lively land with new exciting  environments
  
• Randomly generated dungeons that are unique and offer a new experience every time
  
• Random events: dragons could swoop down, the undead may rise, or there could be an Easter egg hunt
  

• Single shard with hundreds of players: wars that last several weeks and reset after each war
  
• Players are what they carry or drive: player progression is purely horizontal as characters have no stats
  
• Three main roles: soldier, logistics, builder, and many sub-roles: medics, drivers, gunners, artillery, partisan, etc.
  
• Deep logistics and building mechanics: transportation, factories, scrapping, trenches, bridges, defenses (AI), bunker bases
  

• Spiritual successor to Knight Online
  
• Full PvP-based maps and events
  
• PvE content like missions, creatures and bosses that take several groups to defeat
  
• An endless war between two kingdoms
  

I figured it would be best to have a thread for posting your current Caster of Magic playthroughs. Let me start with a High Men wizard I've been running.

Wizard: 

I ran with:
Nature: Sprites, Earth Lore
Chaos: Fire Bolt, Hell Hounds, Flame Blade, Wall of Fire, Chaos Channels

The idea here being, I would shore up the early game weakness of High Men by hunting and supporting with Sprites, while focusing on a Chaos Channels based build for later. Flame Blade would be a great offensive buff, Hell Hounds would be a decent filler summon, and Fire Bolt and Wall of Fire are both good at what they do without being spectacular.

Started by casting Earth Lore on my initial location, found some decent lairs so summoned two Sprites to hunt them down. I later upgraded this to four Sprites and casted Earth Lore further to the south, as that was where my landmass stretched further and had the most lairs. Noticed some decently grown Halfling hamlets from Raven, so I decided to try my hand at capturing them. My first attack succeeded, but I lost the city thanks to Sprites fighting the counter attacking Swordsmen in melee the next turn. The auto attacking option makes weird decisions sometimes..

The second attack on the city failed since Raven learnt Guardian Wind by then, however they did significant damage to his garrison. I was close to finishing up my Fighter's Guild and building Pikemen, so I decided to have the surviving Sprites hang around the city. They were grouped up enough to dissuade any counter attacks from Raven. I was amused to see him frantically rush War Bears into the city. An Earth Lore there revealed that Raven had started on the south of my landmass! Well, this was a lucky find.

Assembled some Pikemen and Sprites and mounted a third attack. Raven tried desperately to hold, but Flame Blade Pikemen simply cut down War Bears to ribbons. Sprites were pretty good ranged support, sniping off targets before the Pikemen engaged. With his city captured, I diverted Pikemen to his western city while sending Sprites to support again. His western city fell easily, and he didn't seem to have much remaining to fight me. Raven did perform a sneak attack on my eastern High Men city and took it since it was poorly garrisoned and I casted Wall of Fire in combat, not realizing it didn't work well against War Bears. Some Pikemen promptly recaptured it though. My Sprites captured his northern city, and that sealed the deal. He begged for peace, and I accepted.

From there, I started building Flame Bladed Pikemen to capture nodes and lairs. A lair with many Great Lizards fell to them, yielding a Nature book. Chaos Channels showed up in my book afterwards, letting my Pikemen attack nodes with Air Elementals and Sky Drakes. It's shocking how fast these enemies melted away once my Pikemen could fly or breathe into them. The node yielded Valana, and more importantly Doom Mastery!

Raven, having realized my might, started asking for a Wizard's Pact. I hesitated at first, but after realizing he was unlikely to spread further on the map, signed it. I started casting Doom Mastery while adding Magicians and Slingers into my armies. I ran into the other two wizards soon enough, Merlin seemed mildly upset with me but never actually attacked. Tlaloc had grown big, but was also willing to leave me alone. Lairs yielded some decent stuff, including a Sage Master retort, a Life book, and some decent artifacts. 







I soon got Land Link and that basically sealed the deal. Nature buffs play really well with Doom Mastery, and Land Link is no exception. In particular it made my Slingers and Pikemen utter monsters.

I also made some decent trades with other wizards. Cracks' Call for Cockatrices and Blizzard for Nature's Cures, both from Raven iirc, who remains too small to be a threat. I've researched upto Efreet and started learning Doom Bolt, so I will have decent options for doomstacking soon. Current state of the game:





Currently still lair hunting. I regret not being a bit more aggressive with Sprites as Tlaloc and Merlin captured some relatively easy lairs, but I still have the upper hand. Once Arcanus is cleared of lairs, I'll start killing off wizards. Tlaloc might be good to start with, though it depends on how good his cities are.

This is a thread for all those that expressed interest in playing left 4 dead (or at least listed it as a game they have played) OR anyone that would be willing to play it in the future.

Quick rundown: Its a 4 player coop zombie shooter game. Your goal when playing the campaign-style modes is to get from point A to point B till you reach the "finale" stage and usually have to fight off a horde of zombies till the chopper/rescue boat/ect arrives. There is a Versus mode where upto 8 players can play against each other with half of the players being Infected(zombies) and the others still having to try and make it from point A to B. I prefer Versus because it adds a more competitive side to the game where each group of players tries to make it farther than the other.


Bob, Amicalola, Haphazard, and myself have all fit the opening statement, if anyone else wishes to join its a fairly cheap game with plenty of replay value as there are a TON of maps/everything tends to be randomized each playthrough, ect. Also, id buy the game if that is the factor preventing you from playing.



This thread is mainly to discus playtimes in an easier place.

Times people are available:
Looks like mostly Weekends or Afternoon US-Central time/Late night Europe.

I'm here to kick some gum and chew some ass and I'm all out of gum... 

Wait, that doesn't sound right...

How much of a beating do I want to take? I'm considering taking Mapuche, because I like SA civs and screwing uo GA plans seems nice. Also considering Korea, because of cheap Campuses and early field cannons. Rome and Mongolia also crossed my main. Zulu as well.

How would you guys go about choosing a duel Civ?

Gustaran wanted a topic for hidden gems, so I'll go ahead and post it with a few examples.



Super Nintendo  (it was on other platforms too, but I played this one on the Wii Virtual Console)


Uncharted Waters New Horizons


-This is an RPG set in the cartoon 16th century, with historically accurate details like pterodactyl attacks on your crew and a clear Northwest Passage.    Each characters has their own story, but you're probably here to plunder other ships in a turn-based version of Sid Meier's Pirates.  Exploring the world gives you "discoveries" which you can sell for cash.  Buy out towns if you want to expand your country's influence.  The economy is basic, with several reliable trade routes that don't degrade much over time.



PC


Geneforge 1-5


-The series plays similarly to Fallout 1 and 2, except with magic and monster allies.  The story and world are well written, and you may end up debating the merits of the factions on an Internet forum afterwards.  Geneforge allows for variants such as solo challenges, and even "pacifism" in the sense of no direct kills by player character or their monster summons.  (Did that for Geneforge 3-5 before I joined Realms Beyond.)



N64


Bomberman 64:  The Second Attack

-This was a late release for the N64, so probably not many people here have played it.  The Second Attack will change your mind if you think Bomberman games have bad single player campaigns.  Finding hidden equipment, battling bosses, and evolving the companion Pommy are all fun.



PSX


Tomba


-Tomba is a 2D platform adventure game set in a colorful world.  (The term "Metroidvania" makes me want to puke.)  Find items, laugh and cry at doors, and battle the 7 Evil Pigs.  


PS3


Tokyo Jungle


-It's an action survival game set in post-apocalyptic Tokyo.  The "goal" is to survive 100 years (i.e. minutes) as a family of whatever species you choose.  The basic division is between carnivores and herbivores, but size affects gameplay.  Small and mid sized animals may not be as strong, but they can climb buildings and hide in the sewers when the dinosaurs show up.  The poison mechanic is my main criticism of the game, since it punishes slow animals like the elephant.

Of ALL TIME. 


Curious what everyone's Top Ten games are, that they've played.  Don't have to be contenders for any sort of Greatest Games Ever list worthy of the best clickbait journalism, just the ten you personally have derived the most enjoyment of, however you care to define that, and for whatever reason.  I recommend providing a simple list first, and following with explanations afterwards, if so inclined.  Here's mine, in a vague sort of best -> less best order:


1. Civilization 3 (including expansions)

2. Witcher 3

3. Escape Velocity: Override

4. Mass Effect 2

5. Persona 5: Royal

6. Danganronpa 2

7. XCOM 2 (including expansions)

8. Civilization 4 (including expansions and FFH)

9. Sims 3

10. Cross Code




My primary criteria were games which A: the experiences will stick with me for a long time, and B: I wouldn't mind playing again (which ruled out quite a few from my youth).  I apparently really enjoy sequels; only #10 isn't an entry into an existing franchise.

After a stretch of playing lots of RTS games (They Are Billions is a lot of fun ), I was in the mood for an ARPG. I decided to give the first Torchlight a try. Reviews of the newest game have been mixed, but the first two seem to be pretty well regarded.

There is certainly a lot of Diablo 2 ancestry in the game. So far it has been a lot of fun, although I find myself constantly wishing I could zoom out a bit further. I am smashing things with a dual-wielding detroyer (tanky melee class) character, who through level 10 has not done much with mana beyond some basic crowd control skills. The pet has been useful, filling the companion/mercenary role nicely and also providing a mechanism to sell loot without leaving the dungeon. Quests, loot, bosses, socketables, health and mana potions -- the game definitely scratches the ARPG itch.

Any fans of Torchlight here at Realms Beyond?

Inspired by posts in some of the other threads around RB, I figured the site ought to have one specifically for people to share their non-gaming hobbies.


For myself, my primary hobbies aside from vidya gaming are gardening and landscaping; I don't have a large enough yard to indulge in either as much as I'd like, but I still grow enough tomatoes, garlic, oregano and basil to have most of the components to make fresh pasta sauce throughout the summer. I've also planted a variety of native ornamental plants, including American cranberry bushes (technically not actually a species of cranberry; still theoretically edible), honeysuckle, a poplar, and redbud trees.


I'm also a firearms enthusiast and enjoy target shooting (currently only out to 100 yards; I prefer outdoor ranges, and land being at a premium in my area means it's a bit of a haul even to get to a location where I can shoot that far). I don't own a massive arsenal, and I'm relatively new to the hobby in terms of shooting for sport, but it's a fun (if expensive) way to spend an afternoon.

It was part of MOM, so maybe no one has questioned it yet.  COM is supposed to be more about spellcasting than MOM was, so maybe deterrents from effective spellcasting are no longer a good thing.  If you want to play a wizard with lots of combat casting, Channeler seems pretty much a must-choose.  That's two picks that can't be used for other possibilities.  Would combat spellcasting be so overpowered without using up two picks (or lots more mana)?  Would the game be more or less fun/interesting without the range modifiers?  I think it's something worth thinking about.

If the range costs don't really add to the fun of the game, I did think of two possibilities:

  Drop the range modifiers and change Channeler to add a bonus to combat spells.  The bonus might be more damage, a resistance modifier, or maybe a bonus to combat summons.

  Keep the range bonus, but make Amplifying Towers (or other building, or high-pop cities or held nodes) be counted as towers for range calculations.  This adds a strategic element for setting up and protecting these 'range from' points.  A new--and expensive to maintain--building could replace the 'cost' of Channeler.  A wizard depending on summons or overland buffs wouldn't need that building, while the combat caster would have to plan ahead, sending a settler specifically to lower costs for a future invasion or defence, and maybe paying lots of gold to build the special building when needed against a surprise attack.