So I should have a gaming PC by the end of the week, what am I in for?

[WouldYouKindly]

RTS games are my bread and butter.

Like they said, Sins of a Solar Empire is pretty good for grand space strategy. If you want something(slightly buggy, mind you) more in depth where you can design your own ships, I recommend Stardrive. It's a fun little 4X Strategy game where diplomacy is a valid option and your ships may never need to fire a shot in anger.

The Total War series is damn good fun as well. Even dim spots(IMO) like Medieval 2 and Empire/Napoleon can be made awesome with judicious use of mods.

Continuing on, Company of Heroes is like a more forgiving version of Starcraft. Which brings me to Starcraft II, an excellent game that I just couldn't really get into because I prefer spectacle to winning the battle as efficiently as possible. I'd always go for mass siege tank/marines because I liked the pretty explosions.

For something a little more basic, Dungeon Keeper I and II. Great fun with the best narrator in the history of ever. On that same note, Spacebase DF-9, a game still very much in a beta, but has the same kind of spirit though it's mixed with Dwarf Fortress(what the DF stands for) in that it's not focused on combat. It's a bit like FTL if it wasn't about flying across the galaxy.

Also, FTL, an awesome space roguelike with decisions that will pretty much always spell your doom. The myriad of options you can be presented make this a fantastic game.


Finally, a bit of general advice. Whatever problem you might be having, there is almost always a work around. Virtually nothing is permanently broken on PC. Do not fear support forums and make restore points liberally.

 

[Ihateregistering1]

Hello people of the internet, long story short, if all goes well (which is a phrase I'm growing increasingly hesitant to use given how many hoops I've already had to jump through.) I should have a game-ready PC with windows 7 (I was offered windows 8 but I heard that a lot of programs I'm gonna want aren't compatible) an i7 processor 8GB of RAM and a sapphire radion HD 7970 (I think) graphics card, I'm not very tech-savvy but the person I spoke to on the phone when discussing it assures me it should be able to run any game I throw at it, and I'm getting this at around £800 which is apparently a £500 discount, (I'm getting it on a disabled student's allowance, bit I have to pay the difference for the upgrades and also warranty and insurance also I'm having it assembled for me, with microsoft office and some antivirus software with a 22inch HD monitor, so I assume it's a pretty good price for everything

so anyway, I've wanted to experience the PC gaming scene for a long time (also I've grown quite tired of the whole "no backwards compatibility" thing, it's my understanding that a PC game is a PC game and can be made to run regardless of age

so my question is, aside from the obvious (more games, mods and flexibility) how does the PC scene differ from consoles? I'm hoping it will be easier to find a multiplayer session with, well...fun people, I mean I have no complaints for console multiplayer, except that no one ever communicates and when they do it's not a pleasant experience, so the word "team" as it's used in multiplayer games evidently has a very broad definition, is that any better on PC?

also can someone describe Steam sales to me? how good are they generally? I have a steam account but the laptop I'm currently using can barely load up the program

one thing I'm also particularly looking forward to is to be able to play RTS games again, I've been out of the loop since 2002, so could someone also recommend a good one? hell good PC games in general, I can normally get into pretty much any genre

For older games, your best bet is to find them on GOG or Steam, which has lots of the classics. These ones have been set up to be compatible with newer rigs, so you won't experience the same issues you would if you just bought an old CD off E-bay and tried to run it.

Obviously, strategy games have a big advantage on PC over consoles, StarCraft 2 being the biggest one, but I'd also try Sins of a Solar Empire: Rebellion or any of the Total War games (except Empire and, from what I've heard, Rome II).

I'd highly recommend Skyrim. Even if you've played it on consoles, you can mod it so much on PC it's essentially a whole new game. If you like action RPGs, I'd highly recommend Torchlight 2 and Path of Exile.

If you're a big fan of old-school, deep RPGs, definitely try the Baldur's Gate games and Planescape: Torment (my favorite game of all time).

Steam sales are AWESOME. Seriously, you'll find some great games for next to nothing, and they are very random (all of the sudden a game will just sell for 75% off with no warning).

 

[Oly J]

one thing I'm also particularly looking forward to is to be able to play RTS games again, I've been out of the loop since 2002, so could someone also recommend a good one?

2002? Holy fuckbubbles, that means you missed all the Dawn of War games. Get them, all of them... except maybe Dawn of War: Soulstorm which wasn't made by Relic and is crap compared to the others. If you're looking for something less traditional, there's the Dawn of War 2 games... but they're more real time squad tactical gaames than RTS.

Also, as Wombat said, the Company of Heroes games, also by Relic.

If you're looking for a more traditional RTS but with fucktons of units and unit variation, Supreme Commander is for you... maybe also the Forged Alliance add on... Avoid the sequel at all costs.

as it happens I've only played Dawn of War: Soulstorm, a friend gave it to me for free, it didn't sell me on the franchise, but I might give the others a try,

 

[someonehairy-ish]

Steam Sales are mainly a holidays thing. Like, for Halloween they had a sale on pretty much every horror/creepy game you can think of. I got the first 2 Dead Spaces, the new slenderman game, Don't Starve, err... idk at least 6 or 7 games total for about £15.

But there are also sales on random titles every weekend/wednesdays?

Also you can play more RTS/TBS/MMOs. And mods! And roguelikes! My favourite thing about PC is probably the sheer amount of indie fare out there, tbh.

 

[Doom972]

Hello people of the internet, long story short, if all goes well (which is a phrase I'm growing increasingly hesitant to use given how many hoops I've already had to jump through.) I should have a game-ready PC with windows 7 (I was offered windows 8 but I heard that a lot of programs I'm gonna want aren't compatible) an i7 processor 8GB of RAM and a sapphire radion HD 7970 (I think) graphics card, I'm not very tech-savvy but the person I spoke to on the phone when discussing it assures me it should be able to run any game I throw at it, and I'm getting this at around £800 which is apparently a £500 discount, (I'm getting it on a disabled student's allowance, bit I have to pay the difference for the upgrades and also warranty and insurance also I'm having it assembled for me, with microsoft office and some antivirus software with a 22inch HD monitor, so I assume it's a pretty good price for everything

Sounds great. Should be able to run any modern game, and any game that will come out in the next few years. Remember to maximize those settings to take advantage of it.

so anyway, I've wanted to experience the PC gaming scene for a long time (also I've grown quite tired of the whole "no backwards compatibility" thing, it's my understanding that a PC game is a PC game and can be made to run regardless of age

You might need to be creative if you're trying to run some obscure old game from the Windows 98 days or older. Some older games got official/unofficial patches to run on modern systems, Most DOS games run perfectly on Dosbox (some require a bit of tinkering though), but for some games you might need to learn how to use a virtual machine - but that is an extremely rare case (only happened once for me, and even then I later found out about an unofficial patch).

so my question is, aside from the obvious (more games, mods and flexibility) how does the PC scene differ from consoles? I'm hoping it will be easier to find a multiplayer session with, well...fun people, I mean I have no complaints for console multiplayer, except that no one ever communicates and when they do it's not a pleasant experience, so the word "team" as it's used in multiplayer games evidently has a very broad definition, is that any better on PC?

Avoid automatic matchmaking, and find your games using in-game server lists. Find a server with a nice community, mark it as a favorite and you're all set. It might take a while to find a server that you actually like. As for actual teamwork, it's rare on public server. You may want to find a group of like-minded players to play with. Try finding a Steam group.

also can someone describe Steam sales to me? how good are they generally? I have a steam account but the laptop I'm currently using can barely load up the program

A patient person can get any game for $10 or less. Just wait for your wanted games to be on sale. There are always sales, but you'll have to wait for your specific games to be on sale. There are also the big season sales, the biggest of which is the Winter Sale - in these sales you can get most games for a great price. Discounts can sometimes go up to 90%. 75% discount sales are a common sight.

 

[TehCookie]

First of all while PCs can run any game, that doesn't mean it will be as easy as consoles. To make it run old games you needs some tricks or emulators, it's not simply download and play. Google is your friend when you have issues, if you put time and effort into it you can do all sorts of things with PCs. If you spend time patching and modding to get a crappy game to look and play wonderfully or make a good game even better, the freedom is the beauty of PCs. If you don't put the effort in an want it to work immediately you should stick with consoles. The more you use it the more familiar you'll become so next time won't be as frustrating or time consuming.

As for Steam sales, you can find some good deals on there but they're not the best. Make sure to check other sites like Greeman gaming or good old games which sometimes have better deals. Humble bundles also are dirt cheap, and during big sales like christmas, the escapist will usually help you find better deals as well. However because almost everything goes on sale on Steam, never buy things full price and wait for it. Sometimes they will have better deals within sales, like with flash sales where it's only available for a short time, and it's normal to avoid buying your wishlist on the first day to see if any game you want gets further discounts.

I don't play consoles online or RTSes so I can't compare the userbase or give recommendations. Since a lot of games are crossplatform get the PC versions of the next games you want.

 

[OneCatch]

one thing I'm also particularly looking forward to is to be able to play RTS games again, I've been out of the loop since 2002, so could someone also recommend a good one? hell good PC games in general, I can normally get into pretty much any genre

Jesus, you've got some catching up to do! Here's a list, the ones I'd most recommend are italicised.

Rome Total War and expansions. My favorite strategy game of all time
Medieval II Total war plus Kingdoms expansion. Technically better than Rome, similar gameplay.
Empire and Napoleon Total War if you like musket era.
Shogun II if you liked Shogun back in the day.
Rome II is kind of buggy but still good (the complaining about it is a bit over the top IMO)

Company of Heroes and expansions (get 2 if you like the first)
If you like 40k, the Dawn of War games are kind of similar to Company of Heroes.

Endless Space was a minor release but is surprisingly fun. Along similar lines is Sins of a Solar Empire
Civ 3,4,5 are great.


Moving away from strategy there's the Bioshock, FarCry, Crysis franchises, and also Battlefield and COD, which are similar to on console, but prettier.

Will post more if I remember.

Edit: In terms of RPG games - KOTOR, Elder Scrolls series 3-5

 

[aozgolo]

For steam sales, here's what I do: Just go through the steam library... all of it... on some day you have some hours to spare, and just add any game that you think you'd enjoy playing to your wishlist, if you're like me you'll end up with 100+ games on your wishlist. This seems a bit excessive but the reason is simple: Don't buy any of these games unless you're just dying to play them right away, then save the rest for sales, almost every single game on Steam is on sale at some point. If you tie your e-mail account to your steam account then you will even get notifications whenever an item on your wishlist is on sale. Of course I don't buy games JUST because they are on sale, if I already have a game like it I haven't played much of yet, I pass (Like I won't buy any Adventure games until I finish the ones I got).

A word of caution on the bundle sites. Buying bundles is a great way to get lots of cool games for super cheap, some of the best sites I've found are Humble Bundle, Indie Gala, and Bundle Stars. That being said you want to ALWAYS check to see what kind of service these bundles are for. Aside from Steam there's also Origin, Desura, and a few other more obscure services that you can play games on, these are free but if you don't want to hassle with multiple distribution platforms you may wish to avoid it. Some games in bundles may also not even be PC Compatible, there are IOS and Android games from time to time, so while I do strongly encourage bundles (You can usually buy 5-10 games for around 4-6$), know what you're paying for ahead of time.

 

[Jamash]

I'm not very tech-savvy but the person I spoke to on the phone when discussing it assures me it should be able to run any game I throw at it... with a 22inch HD monitor, so I assume it's a pretty good price for everything.

Is "22 HD monitor" (specifically the HD part) your words or what the person on the phone sold it to you as?

It's just that computer monitors have been capable of displaying (what we now refer to as) HD resolutions as standard since at least 1990, so to describe a computer monitor that is less than 20 years old as HD is at best redundant, at worst disingenuous if that's what the salesperson promoted it as.

However it's not as bad if by "HD" they meant Full HD, i.e. a 1080p capable monitor, but labelling it as just a "22inch HD monitor" doesn't mean anything and is no indication of quality, performance or specifications (e.g. native resolution, response rate, contrast ratio, viewing angle, power consumption etc.).

 

[Oly J]

I'm not very tech-savvy but the person I spoke to on the phone when discussing it assures me it should be able to run any game I throw at it... with a 22inch HD monitor, so I assume it's a pretty good price for everything.

Is "22 HD monitor" (specifically the HD part) your words or what the person on the phone sold it to you as?

It's just that computer monitors have been capable of displaying (what we now refer to as) HD resolutions as standard since at least 1990, so to describe a computer monitor that is less than 20 years old as HD is at best redundant, at worst disingenuous if that's what the salesperson promoted it as.

However it's not as bad if by "HD" they meant Full HD, i.e. a 1080p capable monitor, but labelling it as just a "22inch HD monitor" doesn't mean anything and is no indication of quality, performance or specifications (e.g. native resolution, response rate, contrast ratio, viewing angle, power consumption etc.).

I actually had a lengthy chat with the salesperson and made sure it was 1080p capable, oh and it's 24 inch I just double-checked,

 

[Jamash]

I'm not very tech-savvy but the person I spoke to on the phone when discussing it assures me it should be able to run any game I throw at it... with a 22inch HD monitor, so I assume it's a pretty good price for everything.

Is "22 HD monitor" (specifically the HD part) your words or what the person on the phone sold it to you as?

It's just that computer monitors have been capable of displaying (what we now refer to as) HD resolutions as standard since at least 1990, so to describe a computer monitor that is less than 20 years old as HD is at best redundant, at worst disingenuous if that's what the salesperson promoted it as.

However it's not as bad if by "HD" they meant Full HD, i.e. a 1080p capable monitor, but labelling it as just a "22inch HD monitor" doesn't mean anything and is no indication of quality, performance or specifications (e.g. native resolution, response rate, contrast ratio, viewing angle, power consumption etc.).

I actually had a lengthy chat with the salesperson and made sure it was 1080p capable, oh and it's 24 inch I just double-checked,

That's good to know.

Full HD 1080p is a lot better than potentially any old rubbish being exaggerated and passed off as good on the half-truth that it's technically "HD".