How To Play PC Games On A Potato

Have you ever wanted to play pc games on a cheap, crappy, laptop? Is that all you have and a nice gaming desktop is too expensive? Well, look no further adieu, here's my guide for how to play pc games on a potato. 

Keep in mind that your potato has to be at least somewhat decent. I would say spend at least $400 [or more if you can spare, but my laptop is $400] and make sure you have a graphics card. My laptop is an Asus with a Radeon Graphics card. The computer isn't anything special but it boots up fast with Windows 10. 

To start, you must make sure you have your laptop's energy plan set to High Performance. This is a no brainer but you would be surprised that some people only always leave their laptop's energy plan set to save energy or energy planer because they use it periodically throughout the day and can't always have it plugged in. However, for gaming you'll always want this set to High Performance. 

Now for the in game settings. I'm going to give you my options that have me running three different games [Overwatch, Heroes of the Storm, and Team Fortress 2-my favorite games] with smooth frame rate and relatively low [if any] input lag. The games won't look great, or that good, but it will be smooth. Always make sure to run the games in windowed mode, a smaller window, as fullscreen takes up more processing power on your CPU, making your potato cry more and lag incessantly.

Overwatch 

 

Display Mode: Windowed

Resolution: 1366x768 [60`] [you always want this set to whatever option your overwatch game has the ` key set to, as this is your native resolution, which will give you better fps]

Vsync: OFF

Triple Buffering: ON

Reduce Buffering: OFF

Limit FPS: Custom

Frame Rate Cap: 30

Graphics Quality: Low

Advanced then click Render Scale: Automatic 50% 

And everything else set to low and off. Make sure to run the game in windowed mode, about 70% fullscreen size.

Heroes of the Storm

 

For this one it's more tricky as this game can become super laggy sometimes. A trick I've learned is that whenever you disconnect from a game just repeatedly hit the ESC key [don't know why that works]. You're going to want to go into the game files folder and add your own custom options there. 

 

On my computer you start by clicking This PC then going to Documents then Heroes of the Storm, and there you will see a text document entitled Variables, click that and change as neccessary. Here are my settings. You can tweak these as needed but I have everything set to the lowest possible and low and behold! The game runs fine. 

 

accountCountry=USA
alternateclock=false
alternateLowTextures=true
ambientenvironmentmap=false
aolight=false
architecturePreference=2
autojoinchannel=true
camerafollow=true
camerasmartpan=false
chatpositionx=0.000000
chatpositiony=0.000000
cheapquadselection=true
creepnormalmap=false
creepQuality=0
creepselfshadow=false
creeptrans=false
creepUseGroundNormalTexture=false
cursorconfinemode=1
deff=false
deffspec=false
deffspecpow=false
depthDisp=false
displaymode=0
displayunitstatus=Damaged
dof=false
dragScrollMode=GripWorld
dragscrollspeed=28
extrapostprocessbuffer=false
fogvolume=false
foliagedensity=0.000000
foliagequality=0
frameratecap=60
frameratecapGlue=30
gamma=1.253306
globalhdr=false
glossmaps=false
GraphicsApi=Direct3D11
GraphicsOptionEffectsDetail=0
GraphicsOptionLightingQuality=0
GraphicsOptionModelQuality=0
GraphicsOptionMovies=0
GraphicsOptionOverallQualityVer7[21]=5
GraphicsOptionPhysicsQuality=0
GraphicsOptionPortraits=1
GraphicsOptionPostProcessing=0
GraphicsOptionShaderDetail=0
GraphicsOptionSSAO=0
GraphicsOptionTerrainQuality=0
GraphicsOptionTextureQuality[2]=0
halo=false
height=1080
highqualityframeblur=false
highqualityhaloblur=false
highqualityhaloblurgame=false
hotkeyprofile=0_Default
keyboardscrollspeed=31
lastDeviceId=39028
lastReplaySaveMode=0
lightingLevel=1
lightmap=true
lightmapcastshadows=false
linearDepth=false
localao=false
localeidassets=enUS
localeiddata=enUS
localeidinstall=enUS
localhdr=false
localight=false
localShadows=false
lowqualitymodels=true
lowQualityMovies=true
mastervolume=1.000000
mousescrollspeed=32
MoviesSeen[1]=1
music=true
MusicContinuous=false
MusicHeard=1
musicvolume=1.000000
normalmap=false
normalzieHalfVector=false
OptionRevision=5
OptionRevisionAccount=0
parallax=false
particlelod=0
particleobjects=0.000000
particleterrain=0.000000
physicsClothEnabled=false
physicsdensity=0
physicsMaxComplexRagdolls=0
physicsRagdollsEnabled=false
pixellight=false
portraits3d=false
preBlendedCreep=true
PreferredGameSite=
profanityfilter=true
reverb=false
ribbonlod=0
shadowmapsize=512
shadows=false
simplifiedCloaking=true
simplifiedShaders=true
soft=false
softshadows=false
sound=true
soundambience=true
soundambiencevolume=1.000000
SoundAutoDetectCPUCoreCount=4
soundchannels=32
soundeffects=true
soundeffectsvolume=1.000000
sounderrors=true
soundheadphonemode=false
soundoutput=Speakers (Conexant SmartAudio HD)
SoundQuality=0
soundready=true
soundreadyvolume=1.000000
SoundResampler=NOINTERP
soundresponses=true
SoundSampleRate=22050
soundui=true
sounduivolume=1.000000
soundvoices=true
soundvoicesvolume=1.000000
spec=false
splatlod=0
ssparticles=false
subtitles=false
targetinfopanelpositionx=0.000000
targetinfopanelpositiony=0.000000
targettexeldensity=0.150000
terrainHeightmapBlend=false
TerrainTextureLowResCacheSize=40
TerrainTextureSize=480
texQualityLevel=0
transparentshadows=false
treadlod=0
useLowqualitymodels=true
voicechatautojointeam=true
vsync=false
watercaustics=false
waterdeptheffects=false
waterflipbook=true
waterrendertargetformat=0
waterrendertargetsize=768
watershadow=false
width=1920
windowheight=697
windowstate=1
windowwidth=991
windowx=185
windowy=0
winkeydisabled=false
 

You can delete your files and copy and paste mine but I don't recommend that. I recommend looking at what your settings are and changing them to mine if you have a potato machine to game on. These settings will automatically change your in game graphics settings [it will say custom when you check it in graphics settings] so you don't need to mess around with the in game settings for HoTs except for the following. It helps to lower the sound quality, turn off headphones mode and reverb, turn off voicelines and subtitles, turn off Vsync, and run in windowed mode, about 60% to 70% fullscreen size.  

Team Fortress 2

Lastly, my favorite fps game, TF2. This one was a bit more tricky for me to get perfect but I finally nailed it. 

Resolution: 1280x720 [I've had problems with Native Resolution on this game]

Display Mode: Run in a Window

Click Advanced Graphics Settings 

Model Detail: Low

Texture Detail: Low

Shadow Detail: Low 

Shader Detail: Low

Color Correction: Disabled

Antialiasing Mod: None

Filtering Mode: Bilinear

Wait for Vertical Sync: Disabled

Motion Blur: Disabled 

Multicore Rendering: Disabbled 

High Dynamic Range: Full [if available]

Use Bloom effect: not toggled on

That should do it for these three games. What works for me might not be as great for others. Again, this is only options for people with a super low end laptop. Mines only cost $400 so its pretty much a potato. Also, keep in mind that you must run the games in windowed mode with these settings. For Hots I have to play it on a much smaller window for it to work, which caused me to learn how to play it with a smaller interface, which thankfully is easy with the grid movement button via mouse. But its also the same for Overwatch and Team Fortress 2, you must run the games in a smaller window, maybe not a totally small screen like I do for hots, but like 70%-75% of the screen you're used to if you always play games on fullscreen. 

Another important detail is that because you're going to be gaming in windowed mode for all this, you need to go into your Mouse Settings and where it says Roll the Mouse Wheel To Scroll, set it to One Screen At A Time. If you don't do that whenever you accidentally click outside of the window of any of the games, you'll run into problems.

I was really bored today because of the election so I decided to write this. I hope this helps somebody out there who like me, isn't very technical with computers but is willing to learn and test things out. And game on a potato.

Happy gaming!

Video Games Made Quarantine Better

Video games have made quarantine better. Like way, way, way, better. In the world of 2020, where covid-19 is running amok across every nation, every state, and every city, the world of video games has not only become more open and welcoming, but it's made life and quarantine better. 

I'm a pretty busy guy. I have a job, I read lots of books, I write a lot, I have friends and family to attend to, and I play guitar, bass, and piano. So I'm usually short on time most work days. However, the quarantine has really given us all a lot more time. Time to ourselves. In some of these moments I immerse myself in the world of PC video games, and the results are almost therapeutic. 

I only play team based competitive games. I'm a big fan of Blizzard's Heroes of the Storm and Overwatch. In addition, I've played some 200 hours on Steam of Valve's Team Fortress 2. I always play the role of support healer, the character that stands back, avoids damage, and doesn't die often, healing the team and keeping them alive. This element of support [they call me Dr. Love] gives me a sense of cooperation, teamwork, and accomplishment that single player games can never provide. Because, as they say, we are all in this together. The best way to win a team-based competitive game [no matter what title it is] is through teamwork, experience, information, communication, and awareness. Ironically, these things are also needed to combat covid.  

The fantasy realities that these games provide gives the player an outlet. An outlet for their frustration, an outlet to escape from their work from home jobs or on site jobs, an outlet away from their friends, families, and coworkers. Aside from the occasional gamer trolls, it's a safe house. It's a happy place. And when I'm just chilling at home at the crib, that's where I want to be. 

How To Be A Great Healer in Competitive Video Games, An Essential Guide

 
Hello, ladies and gents. I've been doing a lot of writing exercises, mostly of a somewhat serious nature. Here I thought I'd lighten the mood up and write about how to be a great healer in competitive video games. 

This guide adheres to any kind of healing in any competitive video game but in this specific context I'm referring to healing in Heroes of the Storm [a Blizzard moba], Team Fortress 2 [class based shooter from 2007], and Overwatch [Blizzard's first-person shooter]. 

First, why would you want to play healers? Well, the reason I play healers is that I just prefer to be the backline of the team, not doing damage, not tanking damage [absorbing damage, and mitigating it], and healing the team, ensuring our victory by making sure that every player gets to survive fights more easily, making the entire team more durable, stronger. 

The other reason is that healers are naturally the playmakers of the team. If you're playing the healer you have the most important job, ensuring everybody's survival, mostly the tanks [the big brutes of games, that can take damage but can't dish it out as much as the DPS], but also the DPS [damage per second, the assassins of the team, getting the kills]. So if you're naturally a leader you'll gravitate towards being a tank or a healer, or if you're not naturally a leader but want to play a leadership role, then you'll gravitate towards being a healer. This is mostly of a personal nature for me, but it applies to other people as well. 

Or, you could want to be a healer because it just fits your personality. I don't have fun playing tanks and assassins, it's not my cup of joe. Girls gravitate more towards tanks and healers in online games, I've noticed, but other times they're on the frontlines getting the kills, so you can never judge a book by its cover. 

Second, it's all about positioning. As a healer, you're supposed to be in the backline of the team, making sure you don't get hit too much, or die very often, if at all. For example, the best thing you can do as a Mercy player in Overwatch is simply to not die very often and keep on healing as much as you can, and damage boosting if need be [don't worry about that for now]. The longer Mercy is alive and keeps healing, the better job she is doing. 

As a Mercy main myself, I've found that the best way for me to maximize my healing with the cadeuous staff is to simply not die. This is harder than hell, as most enemy players will be looking for you, Mercy, throughout the entire round to kill you, so that you can't keep healing. 

The trick is to be ninja-like. The less time the enemy team sees you, the easier it will be for you to survive. In fact, I know that the enemy Mercy is a really good player if I hardly ever see her throughout the entire round. The best way to do this is by using all obstacles in the map to your advantage; walls, monuments, buildings, ally players, and your abilities like your flight L-shift button. It should also be mentioned that you must know how to super jump to be an effective Mercy. To super jump, simply press L-shift and crouch at the same time while flying to an ally, and right before you reach the ally hit the space bar. This will give you a super jump, making it harder for enemies to hit you and making it easier for you to get to places where you can be ninja-like; hide, heal behind walls or around corners, or get to the high ground on maps so you can avoid fire on the ground level. 

Positioning by itself is a very simple concept. But, like playing healers or maining [I only play healers, maining is a term referred to when you only play healing characters as oppsed to tanks or DPS] it's easy to learn but hard to master. Steep learning curve. As a healer this is something you'll work on all the time, always improving upon. You'll never be a grandmaster of positioning as even grandmasters die out of position. 

Third, know your character. This is a given but you'll be surprised to see how many players out there will play their character the wrong way [their own way or just being clueless, which can be misguided and cause more losses in pug {pick up group} games].

There are so many players that think they've got their character down. They have hundreds of hours in the game, they keep perpetually playing the same healer characters, and then they wonder why they keep losing games all the time. Obviously, it's inevitable that sometimes you're going to lose games, but you can mitigate some of the percentages of losses if you simply know your character, so well, that you understand the mechanics of the character better than most of the other healers in your rank. 

How well do you know your character? Well, you simply play a lot of that one character. But that's only the beginning. The flip side is that you have to study up on your character; look up videos on how to play the character better, read forums where lots of different people give insight on how to play the character better, and lastly, learn from your deaths. If you know what keeps killing you and you utilize that knowledge to your benefit, you can lessen the number of deaths that keep happening the same way, and then start to learn more from the more random elements that kill you. Again, a very simple concept. But the meta for knowing your character is steep. 

Lastly, have fun. The whole point of competitive video games is to have fun. Yes, there will always be toxic players [people who can't restrain themselves, take their anger out on the team, cuss people out, are childish and stupid], and throwers [people who purposefully lose games because they're either not good players, or they want to make a point to the team that they're especially toxic] but for the most part, most players play for fun, and they play to win. Keep that in mind. Fun AND winning. Not just winning, not just having fun. The correlation between the two is strong as heck, but it should be noted yet again that if you aren't having fun you should simply log off the game and do something else. Fun is the one thing money can't buy and if you aren't having fun playing healer then you should definitely play a different class [tank/assassins] or take a break from gaming; perhaps go for a nice walk, or enjoy a nice novel. As a healer, your job is the most important to you and the team. With great power comes great responsibility. Use it wisely. 

Medic [from Team Fortress 2 w/ German accent]: Get on the cart dummkopfs!

Grimoire: Manastorm is a fun spellcasting Unreal Tournament

So I was looking around on the free to play game section on Steam and I found this game called Grimoire: Manastorm. This is an fps (first person shooter) game made by Omniconnection where you play as wizards and cast spells to kill your enemies. Pretty great idea already. Replace guns with a bunch of spellcasters and you have a super fun experience. The game is in early access on Steam.

From my initial experience and only having played the game for maybe twenty minutes I can say this is one of the most fun free to plays I've tried out on Steam. I haven't had this much fun on a free to play on Steam since Nosgoth was out.

The game's free version only comes with the fire and earth spellcasters. The fire mage is freakin' amazing. They give you one of the coolest mages ever for free which is pretty awesome. When you burn people as a fire mage it is so satisfying watching their hp drop. It makes me feel like the pyro from Team Fortress. I love it.

The other class you get free is the earth mage. His regular attack speed is super fast but weaker than the fire mage but he can heal himself I noticed. You can cast a spell that creates a tree and when you stand near it your hp recovers at a moderate speed. He's definitely a support mage. This game has supports like in Team Fortress or Overwatch.

The game features abilities like a moba (like Heroes of the Storm) and all the different mages' abilities can be countered so its possible to survive any situation theoretically and given the proper skill and effort. One thing to note is that you can teleport too. This makes the game crazy fast a la Unreal Tournament and Quake, great games to be inspired by. It brings the Skyrim (the first person view of the mage with the fireball or manacrystals in their hands look exactly like Skyrim) style mage into the twitch shooter environment. Its the best idea I've seen in a game in a super long time. The fact that this game puts together ideas and is inspired by so many other games is probably what makes it so fun. Add to that the unique idea of shooting spells instead of guns. How clever and unique.

The one thing that could be better is the graphics. However, you don't need high end graphics in a twitch shooter. As long as the environments are creative enough and fun to play on everything's cool. I'm going to keep playing this game. I'm interested in seeing how big the community becomes for it and how long the player base will keep on it. I think the game has a lot of potential especially if they create more interesting spellcasters.

Play Titanfall 2 Free This Weekend

EA is hosting a free multiplayer trial of Titanfall 2 this weekend, beginning on November 30th for Origin Access members and December 2nd for everybody else. From then on until December 4th all maps, modes, and weapons will available to everyone. This includes the Angel City's Most Wanted DLC that comes out December 3rd.

The fact that EA is doing this shows that despite the nearly cut in half sale price that went on until Cyber Monday that the game is not selling well. It came out at a bad time. Season 3 in Overwatch just started and everybody is still playing tons of Battlefield 1. Although I do think Titanfall 2 is a better game than Battlefield 1 I think Battlefield 1 has a cooler atmosphere being World War 1 and all. However, I will probably get both games at some point. I'm obligated to as a pc gamer. :D

If you choose to play the trial version and pick up the game your saved profile will carry onto your Origin account when you buy the game. The fact that a triple A title game like this has to rely on a free trial to get more people to buy it shows that big company games can sometimes get out shined (mishun compree!) by cheaper indie game companies. I can tell you right now that I've been watching my brother play Titanfall 2 on Xbox 1 and the game is terrific. In fact, I think its so good that I'm surprised they're doing a free trial for the weekend to get more people to buy.

I'm definitely going to try this out this weekend. Playing it on pc might be more fun than on console because I prefer shooting in fps's (first person shooters) using a mouse and keyboard. I was born and molded by the keyboard as a wee little middle schooler playing Diablo 2 and Starcraft Brood War. Good times. 

Play it this weekend!

Team Fortress 2 Matchmaking and Competitive Mode Update

Team Fortress 2's latest update launched earlier this month and I finally got around to playing it. Here I'll go into the details of the changes. The update is called Meet Your Match, presumably because you'll be playing up against players of even skills in the new Competitive and Matchmaking modes. The update brings the long anticipated Competitive Mode and replaces Quickplay with an Unranked Casual Mode. Before this update the only way to play Competitive Mode was to get a beta pass from a friend, which thankfully my friend gave me. It was a blast playing that before all these sweeping changes. 

The update also brings us three new community maps-Sunshine, Metalworks, and Swiftwater. There's also four new taunts-three community taunts for Pyro, Spy, and Soldier, and an official taunt for the Scout. There's a lot of general changes-improved UI, replaced sounds, and bug fixes. These can all be found on the Team Fortress 2 website.

Competitive Mode requires a premium TF2 Account. So you'll have to buy at least one item to become a premium member. You can even buy a 99 cent item and you'll be eligible. There's 18 ranks ranging from 'Fresh Meat' to 'death Merchant', and post-match medals.

Now for my personal thoughts on the matter. I feel like Valve made this update because Overwatch is the new hit team-based objective shooter and they feel the need to compete with them. That's a healthy attitude for big gaming companies to be fighting for our attention and wanting us to play their games. However, I feel like this update is too little, too late. TF2 is ten years old at this point and they should've done this update a long time ago. Why did they wait so long? Releasing the update right when Overwatch is still in the eye of the gaming zeigeist seems like a cry for help. However, that being said I do believe TF2 is the better game.

But just because TF2's better than Overwatch doesn't mean that Valve does a better job keeping the game relevant, new, or exciting. Overwatch released its own Competitive Mode and they're already talking about releasing a new hero-Ana.  I feel like Blizzard's dev team for Overwatch is doing more exciting things than Valve is.

The interesting thing about all of this for me is that TF2 is what got me into competitive first person shooters. Before Overwatch was released it was in beta and I never got an invite from Blizzard. My friend is a huge TF2 veteran with some 7,000 total hours played. He showed me the game and I decided to start playing it. I loved the cartoon graphics and the comical death animations. I was hooked. I played TF2 a lot before Overwatch was released. I still do. My exceptional Mercy skills in Overwatch are due to my Medic skills from TF2. When playing Medic and Mercy you have to know the ins and outs of combat positioning. It isn't easy at first and not everyone can master it. But that's the fun of it for me. I also sometimes like to play Soldier, Sniper, and Spy but Medic is my main role. I have tons of fun playing Sniper using the bow and arrow, aka the Huntsman.

I got around to playing the new update today and I gotta say that TF2 is still great. However, I don't think this update is revolutionary for the game and I don't think it will bring in new players. I do think the Competitive Mode is a great idea though. I feel like Valve did the Competitive thing because of the success of competitive modes from CS: GO and Overwatch.

My favorite change is that the medic can now move as fast as the characters he's healing. So I can now move as fast as the Scout when I'm healing him. Pretty sick. I like to play a fairly offensive Medic so this is a change that buffs the heck outta the Medic. 

Lastly, the update is awesome. If you play TF2 I'm sure you've already been playing the new Competitive Mode. If you want to try out a great f2p (free to play) team-based objective shooter that predates Overwatch then this is the game for you. This game was doing what Overwatch does back in the day when I was still a teeny bopper. Now, if you excuse me I have a team to heal.

"Medic!"-My teammates 

Gaming plans

I have some plans for gaming that I'm working on.

Getting on a semi-professional and/or rookie gaming teams
I'm interested on getting on semi-professional gaming teams. Right now I'm in the process of trying out for a smash 4 team. But I'm also interested in joining a team fortress and an overwatch team. I play games so much competitively and I want to get better and keep moving forward with my skills. I know a lot about a plethora of games. Now I want to put my skills to the test and keep improving. It will be great working together with teams and having coordination. Up until now I've mostly been a solo queue type of gamer. I wrote all about what that's like here. As a solo queue player I must say that these are.....trying times. But in all seriousness once I get on a team things will be more difficult because I'll have to play better but I will most likely enjoy it more. Although it seems like a lot of pressure I can handle it. In the past I was on a Starcraft II team called Team Peace and we did scrims twice a week and I even played in a tournament style setting. Good times.

Getting more Twitch viewers
So my Twitch account can be viewed here. While my total views has skyrocketed when I stream I hardly get 2 or 3 viewers. I'm not sure what to do. I post when I'm live on a Facebook twitch streamers group and also on my Twitter but the viewers don't seem to be coming in. I know that streaming is a tough gig and that it might take a long time to get more viewers but I've had moments where I've had like 16 viewers in the past. That was when I was playing Starcraft II. So one thing I'll do is play more Starcraft. And try to find other games that seem to attract viewers. Because right now Overwatch and Heroes of the Storm isn't bringing the noise. An important factor that I've worked hard to improve upon is my demeanor and commentary.  

Making more YouTube videos
My first YouTube video can be viewed here. Although it wasn't that great I think it was a good first attempt at a YouTube vid. I plan on making more. My friend suggested that I make guides for Overwatch. That sounds like a great idea but I'm also interested in making comedy gaming videos as well. My stand-up and general banter is pretty hilarious and I think it would be great to expand on that through viral media. The problem I've run into right now is that my friend doesn't want to help me out with making more videos. Its mostly the fact that he's not good at editing videos himself that's the problem. So I'm going to have to learn something-like in school! My next step is to download Blender and look up some tutorials and learn it myself. Good luck to me!

So yeah hopefully once I get things crackin' on this stuff things will be more interesting. I'm already having fun and enjoying everything but I'm at the point now where I want to work harder and produce better and more content. I've got a whole 'lotta work to do. Rip my free time.

Steam summer sale

In case you didn't know the Steam summer sale has been going on for a while. It ends on the 4th of July-really soon! If you wanted to pick up any of those triple A titles or indie games now is your last chance!

My friend got me Fallout 2 because he heard me talking about wanting to try out the older Fallouts. I mentioned to him that I thought the idea of a turn based Fallout sounded cool. It was only $5.99, not too shabby. What a great friend!

I figured I'd talk about some of the highlighted deals.

The Fallout franchise is 40-50% off. I really only wanted Fallout 2 as I have Fallout 3 and New Vegas. Plus I share my steam account with my brother who owns Fallout 4 so I can play it whenever he's not logged on. Fallout is a great series-definitely one of the best pc gaming series. 

Call of Duty Black Ops III is 50% off. I've actually wanted to get this game for a while but I held off-for good reason. I played the beta and it was great. But once the game came out for $60 I felt that was too much for what the game offered. My friend has a multiplayer competitive map only version that I can always play if I want to play it again.

Metal Gear Solid The Phantom Pain is 30% off. I've always wanted to play this game because it got god-like reviews and everybody under the sun was praising it. I haven't played a Metal Gear game since I played an older one on Gamecube as a kid. I used to love doing stealth takedowns and stuffing the bodies into lockers. Great experience. 10/10 would play again.

Rocket League is 40% off. This is a game I like to play with my friend when we chill. I've always wanted to pick it up but again, I've held off because its a game I'd only want to play when my friend is in the same room. The game offers a lot for an indie title.

Undertale is 30% off. This is another one of those must play games that I haven't played. Now that its so cheap I will probably look into it more. I dig indie retro style games because it gives me something different from the mostly multiplayer experience that I indulge in everyday. Sometimes you need to take a step back and enjoy a single player game.

The Witcher franchise is 50-85% off. I've always wanted to play The Witcher 3 the Wild Hunt. It's another one of those must play triple A titles that the gaming media hyped up-for good reason. The game is amazing.

Age of Empires HD Edition is $2.99. The original Age of Empires was one of the best rts (real time strategy games) ever made. I was just a second grader when I was playing it with my childhood friend from. We used to get a kick out of the elephant ram units. For this price it would be a shame not to pick it up.

Counter Strike Global Offensive is 50% off. If you like shooters and don't have this game yet do yourself a favor and pick it up. You won't regret it. Competitive. Massive player-base. Fun.

The Doom franchise is 40-50% off. The new Doom game has been tempting but I've held off because I heard the multiplayer wasn't as good as the single player. I've never played a Doom game but maybe now is the time.

Left 4 Dead 2 is 80% off. For this low a price and the chance to shoot thousands of zombies you would be messing up if you didn't already have this game. Not to mention the pvp combat can be fun too.

Civilization V is 75% off. This is another one of those must play pc titles. It's on every best pc games list that I've ever seen. It must be great. Although it seems like a complex rts game that I might not understand at first, if I give it a shot and learn the mechanics I might really like it. This is another one I'm definitely interested in.

Hyper Light Drifter is 20% off. Not much of a sale but I've heard great things about the game. That it's as difficult as Dark Souls with the sprites of an indie dev team. I think it would make a great game for my stream.

So I'll keep the list there because these are the games I'm the most interested in. I've come to the conclusion that I should get Civilization V and Hyper Light Drifter. Can't go wrong with that. Not bad Steam. Not bad at all.