2014 Pile thread - The 12 month plan.

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Welcome to the 12 month pile plan. How was 2013 for you? Did you get your game on, or are you drowning in the pile? If the answer to that question is more likely to be the second response, welcome, you are amongst friends.

This thread exists to help those of us that like a big picture overview of the year ahead, and a strong commitment to pile reduction. This is a place for support and encouragement, whether that be through playing, trading, or just jettisoning pile games altogether.

To make it easier to tackle your pile we've listed a few guidelines and a few tried and true methods to help you out. Feel free to use these to aid you in the pursuit of "pilus minimus". Or, if you've found a better way of doing things, feel free to share with the group.

With the help of this thread, we will be committing to a reduction in what has now become our mountains of shame. This thread is designed to support those who need it, and complement Hemidal's awesome efforts in the regular, monthly, pile of shame threads.

It is recommended, but not enforced, that you get yourself over to the backloggery and set yourself up an account. They have a really great FAQ that covers how to mark the status of your games, but, if that all seems too hard, and you are serious about making this 12 month thing a commitment, send me a PM with your lists, and I will happily enter the details in for you.

It is recommended you do it yourself, as some of us have found that particular exercise to be part of the process of increasing 'pile awareness'. I know personally, entering in all 126 XBLA titles I had bought one year was a massive PITA but it stopped me from checking the DotW threads for those particular must have purchases…

Garden Ninja has also been hard at work creating a tracking spreadsheet for those that want to get really down and dirty with their respective piles. Feel free to make a copy of that file, and modify it to meet your own needs if necessary.

REMEMBER: This doesn't replace Hemidal's monthly thread, it just complements it for those of us that want that long term plan in place, some realistic dissenablement and to stop the impulse purchases (links will be added for each monthly pile thread here).
January: Welcome Back, the Pile is Right Where You Left It.
February: 28 Days of Pile
March: Another Month, Another Pile
April: No Pile Jokes From This Guy
May: Mayday! This Pile Needs Help.
June: Summer Playing List, Pile of Shame Edition
July: Pile Independence is a Noble Endeavor
August: It's Hot, but Pile Games are Cool
September: The Pile is Calling, Will You Answer?
October - December: Shut it Down, Pile 2014

Trueheart's Quartet of Contemplation (where it all begins).

trueheart78 wrote:

Hemidal's Law: Anything that can be added to the pile will be added to the pile.

I love the pile of shame threads, but I'm contemplating starting a support group of sorts that goes hand-in-hand with it.

It would comprise of 4 parts:
1. Listing the games in our collections that we want to finish.
2. Looking forward to the game releases for the year/months ahead and taking note of the games that we're going to buy and at what price.
3. Looking behind to the previously released games and take notes of the games we're going to buy and at what price.
4. Committing to certain games via and making sure we take part in the Pile of Shame threads.

Clockwork's Addendum (alternatively known as the remedy for recurring transgressions).

ClockworkHouse wrote:

I will not shop for games unless I actually plan to buy something and play it right away.

But remember Minarchist's musings...

Minarchist wrote:

Tackling the pile is a good thing, but taken to the extreme it can impede fun.

beeporama's pile dieting tips.

beeporama wrote:

m0nk3yboy (and all): like with diets, it seems like the best motivator varies by person. So, try some things and see what profoundly affects you.

For me, I found it most effective to plan out a year. I said "I can average X games a month, so I'll list the 12 months for 2013, and schedule games for each of them based on my pile and release dates." Things moved throughout the year, but the important thing was, the schedule had to be "ONE IN, ONE OUT." Can't add a new game without removing one. Can't just toss a game on the pile without knowing it would be at least 2014 before I played it.

Shoptroll's affirmation

shoptroll wrote:

Everyone say it with me: Friends don't let friends have Steam Wishlists.

And finally, the internal ramblings of one haunted by the pile...

trueheart78 wrote:

Conversation with myself
Gamer: "Ooooh... [game] is on sale?"
Brain: "Are you ever gonna play that?"
Gamer: "I might..." / "But people say it's great" / "But that's a fantastic price"
Brain: "When?" / "Do you even like that genre?" / "Wrong answer!"
Gamer: "Well..."
Brain: "No [game] for you! Come back 1 year!"

Been working out pretty well for both of us ;)

IMAGE(http://members.iinet.net.au/~monkey.boy/MyPics/BoB.gif)
Quick Backloggery links for those that want them, carried over from 2012:

TrueHeart78m0nk3yboyshoptrollbeeporamaluggagephiluciferMaximusMinarchiststevenmackSallyNastyimbiginjapanhoneycut1mrtomaytoheadHiggledyAUs_TBirD (a massive pile) • VrikkcasktapperwalkeraGarden NinjaSteleMantidMaclintokfilthyspringbokFarley2kDemyxjdzappaUMOarsman • more...

Whew! Got here before it hits page 4 this time! :p

Going to end 2013 with a whimper, so I have plenty to accomplish in 2014!

I have my backlog target list prepped but I'm going to wait on posting it to see if I can trim the upcoming games list a little more. Next year is going to be an absolute doozy between upcoming releases and Kickstarter projects finally arriving

I'll probably get to this sometime next week. 2014 will look awfully hefty due to PS+ games.

Nice one Mantid!

I'm going to start with a spring clean of my Backloggery.

I was tempted to just delete the whole lot, and start again, but remembering how long it took me to get it all in there, I have 'cooled my jets' on that idea.

I must admit to being lazy for the latter part of 2013, resting on the laurels of my two pile purges. Although not a lot has been added, I now own a PS3, 3DS and Vita. While the individual units cost me nothing (PS3 was a gift), next to nothing (proceeds of the trade-ins), or very little (subsidized through gift vouchers) respectively I now have three more formats to keep track of pile creep on.

The conversion from MSPoints to 'real money' has helped cut down on that impulse, as the disconnect between price and value has been shattered. I dread to think how much money I pissed away through that little program. The lure of 'spend XXXX points to be rewarded with 800 points' seems ludicrous to me now it is reframed as 'you want me to spend how much, just to get $5 back'?

Bad move for them, good move for me.

I've also ditched the 'hunt for the cheev'. I can thank the 3DS purchase for that. I started 'playing' the game, rather than gaming the points. It was a very refreshing change. Even the Trophy system on PS3 seems less invasive than the 360's Achievements. I could be wrong, and it could just be my post-interventional view being applied to a similar system on another format.

I should also get a bit more game playing next year as 'both' of my kids will be in school for 2.5 days next year with my youngest turning 'kindy-age' and being in school on those extra days.

So yeah, looking forward to 2014 in a big way.

I have no idea what is coming in 2014, and I think I'll keep it that way

ccesarano wrote:

2014 will look awfully hefty due to PS+ games.

Even without PS+ in the mix (which I thankfully don't have) there's still 28 retail/downloadable games on my list distributed between PC, 3DS, Wii U, and the PS3 that currently have my attention. That's not counting Kickstarter projects I'm expecting in 2014.

m0nk3yboy wrote:

I've also ditched the 'hunt for the cheev'. I can thank the 3DS purchase for that. I started 'playing' the game, rather than gaming the points. It was a very refreshing change. Even the Trophy system on PS3 seems less invasive than the 360's Achievements. I could be wrong, and it could just be my post-interventional view being applied to a similar system on another format.

I really like Nintendo's approach of integrating the achievements in their games into the actual game instead of using a system-wide hypervisor notification system. Steam is my next favorite because the toasts are quiet and in the corner so they don't pull me out of the world as much as say the 360. I honestly don't remember how trophy notifications work in the PS3.

shoptroll wrote:

I honestly don't remember how trophy notifications work in the PS3.

If it wasn't for the sound notification that comes with them, they'd only be slightly more intrusive than Steam achievements. As it is they can be an annoyance, especially if the game designers didn't think about when they pop the achievement (like in the middle of a cut scene).

Hmmm. Pledging not to fall for every psn sale... Borderlands 2 dlc will be bought about day one... Dark Souls 2, South park, Lightning Returns.... that should do it for acquisitions pending any updates on stuff that's just to awesome not to get.

My list of games to finish will soon come....

m0nk3yboy wrote:

Feel free to use these to aid you in the pursuit of "pilus minimus".

You know, there's creams for that...

tetranomad wrote:
m0nk3yboy wrote:

Feel free to use these to aid you in the pursuit of "pilus minimus".

You know, there's creams for that... ;)

He he, that was my way of seeing if anyone was reading the OP.

EDIT:
Just had a revisit of my Backloggery...

I might just need to call it a cataloggery and extract a 12 month plan from that mess. Wow.

m0nk3yboy wrote:

I have no idea what is coming in 2014, and I think I'll keep it that way :lol:

Yuup, I'd like to be in that boat too. Although honestly, I already know that I'm adding at least three games by February and two more in March, sooo....Looks like that pile won't be shrinking in 2014

Heh. I already know what's coming in 2014: a Masters thesis, a baby and a doctoral thesis. I'm totally doomed.
Good thing I've pruned my list a bit!!

I've decided to complete big story-based games I still have open before starting any new ones. Those include The Walking Dead, Mass Effect 3 and Skyrim. This seems achievable over the next few weeks.

The un-started pile is huge though so my new plan is to only play one of a particular type of game at a time and being sure to finish it off before moving on.

So I've started putting together the Excel document for 2014, though I expect to at least complete Saint's Row the Third before the new year. However, I'll also have at least one game from Christmas I think, but seeing as I asked my family for 3DS games I'm not too worried. My commute will take care of that easily enough, seeing as, at this moment, I'm starting 2014 with zero 3DS games on my pile.

Even so, Playstation Plus killed it. If we're counting non-PS+ games, the pile is at 13. With PS+ games, 25. Granted, two of those I don't recall downloading (according to my Sony Online account, I have Battlefield 3 and Hitman: Absolution? Did they go free/cheap on PS+? I know they haven't been downloaded onto my over-stuffed hard drive), and the rest are shorter indie games (Unfinished Swan, The Cave, Outland, Machinarium), but still. It's a pretty big looking list that dwarfs any other system pile I have.

The real threat, however, is upcoming games. If you asked me what I was looking forward to in 2014 half an hour ago, I'd have shrugged and said "Rereleases, really". While that's still mostly true, well, it turns out there's quite a few titles I forgot about or just didn't consider. Right now there are twenty games I'm interested in playing. A good chunk of those are TBD, and one of them is PS4 only (and I don't even know if I'll be getting a PS4 next year), so who knows. Most of them I'd rather wait for a price drop anyway. Even so...I mean, damn.

I'll post a complete list for 2014 as we get closer to the holiday. Post-Christmas things could change a bit. Still, holy crap.

ccesarano wrote:

Even so, Playstation Plus killed it. If we're counting non-PS+ games, the pile is at 13. With PS+ games, 25.

Pffft!!!! Lightweight!!!

Because I know everybody wants to know all the games currently scheduled for next year: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2014_in...

The only ones that are must buys for me are:

Dark Souls 2
Dragon Age: Inquisition
The Division

The wife and I will be embarking on a big year long student loan repayment program next year, so I will be lucky to get all of those on release, they are nicely spaced though.

Also, as of right now I believe I am "free" from the pile, I have only one unplayed game Far Cry 3. That is of course not counting PS+ games, I do not count games I received for free. But I will continue to follow these threads to offer encouragement especially in the realm of getting rid of games (I am a HUGE believer in the fact that we as people have too much "stuff" and it greatly benefits us all to get rid of a lot of it).

Eleima wrote:
ccesarano wrote:

Even so, Playstation Plus killed it. If we're counting non-PS+ games, the pile is at 13. With PS+ games, 25.

Pffft!!!! Lightweight!!! ;)

Reasons I love not being a PC Gamer: I get to laugh at everyone around Steam Sale season.

Even if I am trying to convince myself not to pull the trigger on Binary Domain while it's free on PS+ seeing as so many people said it's actually pretty good.

ccesarano wrote:

Even if I am trying to convince myself not to pull the trigger on Binary Domain while it's free on PS+ seeing as so many people said it's actually pretty good.

Why *not* pull the trigger on a free game? Even if you don't play it right away, it'll be attached to your account for the price of nothing.

Hell, it's how I'm doing a good portion of my holiday gaming--all the free ps+ games have been downloaded and I'm slowly going to pick away at them one by one

Looking at my pile after just getting two new consoles, it's a bit of a mess. I've acquired a large backlog of sprawling RPGs and virtual console games. Any notions I might have had about my 3DS or Wii U being pile-free systems is out the door.

We're expecting a new baby in April, so I'm not only going to make little progress there for awhile, I'm not going to care.

But otherwise, my plan for the year is just to prioritize what I have and try to make smart purchases. Very likely, I have enough games to keep me busy through the end of 2014 without buying anything new, but I know that any sort of commitment to not buy anything at all would just make me resentful.

I'm going to set very low goals for myself. Rather than trying to clear the whole pile, I just want to target a few specific games. They are:

PlayStation 3:

  • Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch (in progress)
  • Tales of Xillia

Wii U:

  • New Super Mario Bros. U (in progress)
  • ZombiU (in progress)
  • Rayman Legends

3DS:

  • The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks (in progress)
  • Professor Layton and the Miracle Mask (in progress)
  • Mario & Luigi: Dream Team
  • The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds
  • Etrian Odyssey IV: Legends of the Titan (in progress)
  • Fire Emblem: Awakening (in progress)

That seems doable.

As for new releases, I have plenty on my radar, but I've gotten a lot better in the last year about putting things on a wishlist and getting to them when I can instead of when they release. That said, I'll likely get Bravely Default at release and have already pre-ordered Professor Layton and the Azran Legacy.

Best of luck to you all!

2013 was all about pruning. I got a new PC, and during the transfer I deleted all the games I wasn't going to start, finish, or return to. Now my Steam and GoG list are starting to build back up and it's time to have a plan. I've been adding games to my Steam wishlist instead of outright purchasing them, which is an improvement, but could end up only being a delaying tactic. My current backlog is a paltry half-dozen games, but a few things have me on alert.

1) My Steam wishlist is at least 20 games, and the upcoming winter sale may--prolly will--cause me to pull the trigger on all kinds of titles.

2) I have a huge RPG gap in my life currently. 2013 was a weak year for them on the PC, and I may not be able to hold out until Dragonage:Inquisition, Pillars of Eternity, and The Witcher 3. I have found myself eyeing the increasingly affordable XBOX360 for stuff like Lost Odyssey, and the 3DS for stuff like EO4, pokemon, and Fire Emblem. I've only ever been a PC gamer, so I fear the path of madness once I dive headlong in to other platforms that already have tons of good games on them.

My first plan is to start tracking my activity a lot better, as far as what I'm playing, and what's next on the list of stuff to play. From there, courses of action will develop. Tips and tricks from pro-backloggers encouraged!

I have to say, those looking at the 2014 list of releases, consider this.

ClockworkHouse wrote:

I will not shop for games unless I actually plan to buy something and play it right away.

This has proven to be huge for me.

The only games I bought this year were Tomb Raider and DMC. I completed the first, and lost momentum on the second, it's sitting at 70% finished.

DMC is coming up on the PS+ IGC next month, along with Borderlands 2. I have enough on my pile right now 'not' to buy anything in 2014, and then pick up what I do want for very little, at the end of the year in a GOTY version, Steam Winter/Summer sale, or I might be lucky enough to jag it for free on PS+.

Just because it's releasing this coming year, doesn't mean you have to buy it this year. I think a big part of reducing the pile, for me, was dropping out of the Alpha-Gamer mindset. I just don't have the time, or the money, to truly benefit from a day 1 purchase anymore

I'll definitely be trying for that mentality, but it will still be rough. I mean, Fable Anniversary and Earth Defense Force 2025 release on the same day.

I want to put a smiley there, but I'm not joking. I want both of those games a lot, and have no idea which I should choose. Chances are I'd go for EDF since I already played through Fable, but still, I'd love to go through again with the HD treatment they're putting on.

What's really going to toss a wrench into the gears, however, is the 3DS and city commute. Case in point, as I said, I have 0 games on my 3DS pile right now, and get roughly 10 hours of game time a week on that machine. So instead of buying Fable or EDF, I may actually get Bravely Default instead.

More likely: I'll start reading books again, even if they typically aren't so perfectly pocket sized.

ccesarano wrote:

More likely: I'll start reading books again, even if they typically aren't so perfectly pocket sized.

amazon.com/kindle

Kamakazi010654 wrote:

Because I know everybody wants to know all the games currently scheduled for next year: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2014_in...

Hee hee they list "Zelda U" as Q4. I think that's optimistic.

Kamakazi010654 wrote:
ccesarano wrote:

More likely: I'll start reading books again, even if they typically aren't so perfectly pocket sized.

amazon.com/kindle ;)

Psh, like I can afford one of those with all the games I'll be buying.

ccesarano wrote:
Kamakazi010654 wrote:
ccesarano wrote:

More likely: I'll start reading books again, even if they typically aren't so perfectly pocket sized.

amazon.com/kindle ;)

Psh, like I can afford one of those with all the games I'll be buying. :P

http://www.amazon.com/Trade-In/b/ref...

2 birds, one stone

I only trade games in I don't plan to ever play again.

Can't explain why I'm still holding onto Aliens: Colonial Marines, though.

ccesarano wrote:

I only trade games in I don't plan to ever play again.

Can't explain why I'm still holding onto Aliens: Colonial Marines, though.

Because no-one will buy it?

Ah, that's the one hard and fast rule I'm assigning myself this year: no selling or trading things. I can lend until the cows come home, and stuff can gather dust and be off the pile if I don't like it, but I'm tired of regretting getting rid of things.

I have no regrets about getting rid of Assassin's Creed III. Good riddance!

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