2017 - 12 Month Pile Program

I know the new thread isn't up yet, but my wheels are turning.

On average, I finish around 30 games a year of various sizes. I play maybe half that again. And I buy... far more than I care to admit to.

I'm trying to make a somewhat realistic set of goals for the coming year, something that both acknowledges that I'm going to be buying new games and something that helps me to not be overwhelmed by my backlog. That 30 games finished pattern seems to be a good starting point.

I'm leaning toward picking 20 games from my backlog to be my "pile" for this year then removing everything else from Backloggery. That gives me a bit of focus, but it also gives me a bit of wiggle room to get just under one new game per month.

Of course, I made that list of 20 games, and there are a lot of RPGs on it. That says I'm not really thinking very realistically yet.

100% the wrong thread. Move along

Mmm... Seems like a plan in theory and one that might be useable for others Clockwork. The more I ponder though... If it was me, as a flitterer I don't know one game to the next what I'll fancy, so a wider spread of genres would be preferable. For example once maybe twice a year I seem to really get a real hankering for rhythm games. Have a bunch on the pile all with different feels and so could mean picking up anything from Hatsune Miku to Amplitude to Rhythm Heaven or ouch... something new. So really if I picked those for a Pile 20 for 2018 I'd need at least three, maybe four to cover all the bases. It'd maybe be the same for say... Adventure, RPG, strategy, sim, puzzle, shooter, multiplayer, digital board, miscellaneous, etc etc. Personally I know I'd need a few of each to choose from... The more I ramble on this the more I don't think this would work for me and the way I play.

But then again as it is I hardly finish any games and the above is probably the reason. A close alternative could be that I make a list with one game from each of the genres. Then when I go to the pile I'll have something to tickle every fancy. Pick something play it until I'm done with it, completed or dropped and then rotate in another of the same genre for the next itch of that type.

Mmm... May take some more thought, but there might be something there...

... I do like formulating these plans even if they come to nothing

Right now what I have going is two separate lists: my Backloggery page and an Excel spreadsheet. The Backloggery page is what I intend to actually play, whereas Excel is a list of everything I own or, in the case of PS Plus, have access to.

Of course, I can't help myself with organizing further, so the Excel spreadsheet has two tabs, one for Playstation and one for Nintendo. I probably should add a PC one since I do have some Steam and GoG games... though that is one of the ways I have knocked down the pile is by focusing on consoles. It helps that I only have this beat-up laptop right now. Anyway, within the tabs each system has a column. I shade the cells blue if I own it digitally and pink if it is PS Plus. Italics for games I have finished. Bold for ones I intend to play.

A bit silly but I get enjoyment out of organizing information.

Side note: I actually looked up finish times for the games I intend to play. I don't recommend doing that. Or maybe I do if you're trying to shock yourself with reality.

Interesting. I do something similar except reversed: Backlog for everything, Google Doc for new purchases that year.

Serious question Steinkrug: why use different tabs when you can have a column specifically dedicated to platform?

I... hadn’t considered that.

But if I can guess as to why I went to route I did: I think I like having the Nintendo and Sony as top-level categories and then the columns in the tabs as second-level. Maybe if you could do tabs within tabs? If you wanted more information than the name about each game I could see how you’d want a tab for each system giving you room to multiple columns for each game.

I use an excel spread sheet with each tab for a system, plus tabs for psn digital purchases for each psn system, aaand a tab to keep track of what I finish each given year. I love tabs....

My plan for next year is make a list of planned purchases, and games I want to give significant time too for the first 6 months, then make adjustments mid year to account for new releases announcements, etc. I'll be lucky to finish 30 games next year so I need to allocate my time wisely.

steinkrug wrote:

I... hadn’t considered that.
But if I can guess as to why I went to route I did: I think I like having the Nintendo and Sony as top-level categories and then the columns in the tabs as second-level. Maybe if you could do tabs within tabs? If you wanted more information than the name about each game I could see how you’d want a tab for each system giving you room to multiple columns for each game.

Oh, I was just wondering, that's all. Everyone has their own way of managing the Pile. I use Grouvee (which I sometimes forget to update), Backloggery (which I update as I go), and a spreadsheet which is a modified version of GardenNinja's spreadsheet which m0nk3yboy linked to in the OP.
Every year, I remove the finished and dropped games from my spreadsheet and drop them in another tab (for historical purposes, I guess). It allows for easier spreadsheet management, and I go through a lot of games, so it keep the data more manageable (and less daunting). So that's why having a column with the platform is easier for me.

It lives!

IMAGE(https://media1.tenor.com/images/898c144beafe192c03977e905c6d6c37/tenor.gif)

2018 thread!

December Progress update (because I will not buy anything else, I swear!)

Added:

Nioh Complete
Persona 5
Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice
Inside

Completed:

Inside

Dang holiday sales...

I may yet update what I complete for the year - I think I'm close to finishing a handful of games, if I only take the time.

Wrong thead just some enabling that should be elsewhere.

Final assessment: I knew work changes would mess up my year, but, it was worse than I expected. I also picked up DM'ing a D&D game once a week. Between the two, my video game time plummeted. Finally, I did not expect that instead of Final Fantasy XV being a 100+ hour game, it would end up being closer to 350 hours (and there's still more I want to do).

Original plan:

beeporama wrote:

January 2017: Final Fantasy XV; Inside
February 2017: Firewatch; Abzu; Dear Esther; The Last Guardian
March 2017: Horizon Zero Dawn (Feb 28)
April 2017: Mass Effect: Andromeda (March 31)
May 2017: Republique
June 2017: Watch Dogs 2 (final DLC due Q2 2017)
July 2017: Cuphead (good chance work will be VERY busy this month)
August 2017: Mafia III replay (with DLC)
September 2017: Dishonored 2 (with DLC)
October 2017: SMT: Persona 5 (Feb 14)
November 2017: The Witness
December 2017: Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age (tentative)

What I actually played:

Dishonored 2 (partial, without DLC)
Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age
Final Fantasy XV (lots and lots of it)
Firewatch
Horizon Zero Dawn
Little Nightmares
Mafia III (with all DLC) replay
Prey
Watch Dogs 2 (with all DLC)

On the bright side, for the first time in a while, there's really not much I'm looking forward to in 2018. Next year's plans will be much more modest, with a lot of shorter indies I've put off; and I'll redouble my efforts to avoid adding to the pile.

I don't see myself making any significant progress tonight so here's my December report

Added:
Oxenfree (GOG)
Freedom Planet (Steam)
Resident Evil 7 (Steam)
Fran Bow (Steam)
Life is Strange: Before the Storm (Steam)
Assassin's Creed: Unity (Steam)
Kingdom Hearts 0.2 Birth by Sleep -a fragmentary passage-  (PS4)
Kingdom Hearts: Dream Drop Distance HD  (PS4)

Beat:
Life is Strange (Steam)
VA-11 HALL-A: Cyberpunk Bartender Action  (Steam)

Made Progress In:
Stardew Valley (Steam)

Happy New Years Everyone

Same here, ForlornHope, it's past 11pm, and I'm not finishing anything else tonight, so here we go, the December report.

Added:

  • Batman: The Enemy Within - The Telltale Series (Steam) IMAGE(http://backloggery.com/images/new.gif)IMAGE(http://backloggery.com/images/unplayed.gif)
  • Ken Follett's The Pillars of the Earth (Steam) IMAGE(http://backloggery.com/images/new.gif)IMAGE(http://backloggery.com/images/unplayed.gif)
  • Obduction (Steam) IMAGE(http://backloggery.com/images/new.gif)IMAGE(http://backloggery.com/images/unplayed.gif)
  • SC2VN - The eSports Visual Novel (Steam) IMAGE(http://backloggery.com/images/new.gif)IMAGE(http://backloggery.com/images/unplayed.gif)
  • What Remains of Edith Finch (Steam) IMAGE(http://backloggery.com/images/new.gif)IMAGE(http://backloggery.com/images/unplayed.gif)
  • The Confines of the Crown (Steam) IMAGE(http://backloggery.com/images/new.gif)IMAGE(http://backloggery.com/images/unplayed.gif)
  • SoulSet (Steam) IMAGE(http://backloggery.com/images/new.gif)IMAGE(http://backloggery.com/images/unplayed.gif)
  • These nights in Cairo (Steam) IMAGE(http://backloggery.com/images/new.gif)IMAGE(http://backloggery.com/images/unplayed.gif)
  • Along the Edge (Steam) IMAGE(http://backloggery.com/images/new.gif)IMAGE(http://backloggery.com/images/unplayed.gif)
  • Old Man's Journey (Steam) IMAGE(http://backloggery.com/images/new.gif)IMAGE(http://backloggery.com/images/unplayed.gif)
  • Subsurface Circular (Steam) IMAGE(http://backloggery.com/images/new.gif)IMAGE(http://backloggery.com/images/unplayed.gif)
  • Return to Zork (Steam) IMAGE(http://backloggery.com/images/new.gif)IMAGE(http://backloggery.com/images/unplayed.gif)
  • Zork: Grand Inquisitor (Steam) IMAGE(http://backloggery.com/images/new.gif)IMAGE(http://backloggery.com/images/unplayed.gif)
  • Finding Paradise (Steam) IMAGE(http://backloggery.com/images/new.gif)IMAGE(http://backloggery.com/images/unplayed.gif)
  • Dream Daddy: A Dad Dating Simulator (Steam) IMAGE(http://backloggery.com/images/new.gif)IMAGE(http://backloggery.com/images/unplayed.gif)
  • An Octave Higher (Steam) IMAGE(http://backloggery.com/images/new.gif)IMAGE(http://backloggery.com/images/unplayed.gif)
  • Fran Bow (Steam) IMAGE(http://backloggery.com/images/new.gif)IMAGE(http://backloggery.com/images/unplayed.gif)
  • Candle (Steam) IMAGE(http://backloggery.com/images/new.gif)IMAGE(http://backloggery.com/images/unplayed.gif)
  • Resonance (Steam) IMAGE(http://backloggery.com/images/new.gif)IMAGE(http://backloggery.com/images/unplayed.gif)
  • Chime Sharp (Steam) IMAGE(http://backloggery.com/images/new.gif)IMAGE(http://backloggery.com/images/unplayed.gif)
  • Life is Strange: Before the Storm (Steam) IMAGE(http://backloggery.com/images/new.gif)IMAGE(http://backloggery.com/images/unplayed.gif)
  • Pyre (Steam) IMAGE(http://backloggery.com/images/new.gif)IMAGE(http://backloggery.com/images/unplayed.gif)

Ummmm..... Whoopsies?

Finished:

  • Sam & Max: Season 3 - Episode 1: The Penal Zone (Steam) IMAGE(http://backloggery.com/images/new.gif)IMAGE(http://backloggery.com/images/beaten.gif)
  • Dishonored: Death of the Outsider (Steam) IMAGE(http://backloggery.com/images/new.gif)IMAGE(http://backloggery.com/images/beaten.gif)
  • Doki Doki Literature Club (Steam) IMAGE(http://backloggery.com/images/new.gif)IMAGE(http://backloggery.com/images/beaten.gif)
  • Lifeless Planet (Steam) IMAGE(http://backloggery.com/images/beaten.gif)
  • Sam & Max: Season 3 - Episode 2: The Tomb of Sammun-Mak (Steam) IMAGE(http://backloggery.com/images/new.gif)IMAGE(http://backloggery.com/images/beaten.gif)
  • Sam & Max: Season 3 - Episode 3: They Stole Max's Brain! (Steam) IMAGE(http://backloggery.com/images/new.gif)IMAGE(http://backloggery.com/images/beaten.gif)
  • Sam & Max: Season 3 - Episode 4: Beyond the Alley of the Dolls (Steam) IMAGE(http://backloggery.com/images/new.gif)IMAGE(http://backloggery.com/images/beaten.gif)

Dropped:

  • The Dream Machine: Chapter 4 (Steam) IMAGE(http://backloggery.com/images/null.gif)
  • The Dream Machine: Chapter 5 (Steam) IMAGE(http://backloggery.com/images/new.gif)IMAGE(http://backloggery.com/images/null.gif)
  • Uncharted: Drake's Fortune (PS3) IMAGE(http://backloggery.com/images/null.gif)
  • Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception (PS3) IMAGE(http://backloggery.com/images/null.gif)
  • Uncharted 2: Among Thieves (PS3) IMAGE(http://backloggery.com/images/null.gif)
  • Just Cause (Steam) IMAGE(http://backloggery.com/images/null.gif)
  • Just Cause 2 (Steam) IMAGE(http://backloggery.com/images/null.gif)

Played:

  • Assassin's Creed: Syndicate (Steam) IMAGE(http://backloggery.com/images/unfinished.gif)
  • The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion GOTY Edition (Steam) IMAGE(http://backloggery.com/images/new.gif)IMAGE(http://backloggery.com/images/unfinished.gif) - Still love this game so much!...

Remaining games: 60 IMAGE(http://backloggery.com/images/unfinished.gif) (58 IMAGE(http://backloggery.com/images/unplayed.gif))
Progress (Games): 64 IMAGE(http://backloggery.com/images/beaten.gif) + 16 IMAGE(http://backloggery.com/images/null.gif) - 76 IMAGE(http://backloggery.com/images/new.gif) = 4
Est. remaining hours: 591 IMAGE(http://backloggery.com/images/unfinished.gif) (565 IMAGE(http://backloggery.com/images/unplayed.gif))
Progress (Est. total hours): 432.5 IMAGE(http://backloggery.com/images/beaten.gif) + 172 IMAGE(http://backloggery.com/images/null.gif) + 34 played IMAGE(http://backloggery.com/images/unfinished.gif) - 543.5 IMAGE(http://backloggery.com/images/new.gif) = 95

Backloggery's Memory Card is still pretty at 39. So yeah, that took a sharp plunge. All thanks to a last minute purchase of 17 games. And the worst part is that I forgot to add Audiosurf 2 in my cart, so now I'm debating whether or not to add more Steam credit. Yeah, I know. It's a lot of games. But you know what, that's okay. I'm happy with my games, I love games, I don't got out to the movies all that often, I rarely buy games outside of Steam sales, so there it is. Happy new year, everyone!

I suppose it is a good time to just sum up the final gaming month of the year.

GAMES COMPLETED:
- Horizon Zero Dawn
- What Remains of Edith Finch
- Planet of the Apes: The Last Frontier

GAMES DROPPED:
- ICEY

GAMES IN PROGRESS:
- Children of Zodiarcs
- Batman: The Telltale Series
- Fire Emblem Warriors
- Mario & Luigi: Super Star Saga (+ Bowser's Minions)

December has been weird. A mixture of depression and delight, of being busy and procrastination. This week I go to MAGFest, and I think it may be the last time. I'd rather take the week between Christmas and New Years off and save cash and just go to PAX East (which I'm still uncertain I'll be going to: got a hotel room but no badge yet). Just about no footage has truly been captured for my YouTube channel.

I made some decent last-minute progress to play some games in time for the GotY tally, but they were all purchased at the last minute as well. Moreso, I ended up going and buying both Xenoblade Chronicles 2 and Mario + Rabbids this past weekend for Switch because reasons. Fortunately I am currently in a Switch gaming mood, but... well, we'll see how the new year goes.

Well 2017 is almost over sooo....

Finished!(with)
Horizon Zero Dawn
Valkyria Chronicles
Stardew Valley*
Cities Skylines**

Added
Dirt 4 (steam)
Planet Coaster (steam)
Hob (ps4)
Lost at Sea (ps4)
Earthlock (ps4)
Mass Effect Andromeda (ps4)
Dragon Age Inquisition (ps4)
Fallen Legion (ps4/vita)

In progress
A lot of things really but Wolfenstein 2 is pretty close to being finished, I got an hour or two left I think.

All in all, I'm pretty happy with rolling credits on Horizon earlier this month, and Valkyria Chronicles few days ago, Valkyria been on my to do list for such a long time I'm happy to see it finished.

*Stardew Valley, I pretty much accomplished what I wanted to do in the year and half (in game time), I might come back in a few months to get the 2 year milestone
**Cities Skylines, I managed to build couple successful cities and played it enough to get my city building fill for a while, I might revisit this also in a few months if I manage to snag some cheap expansions.

Purchases wise I think I did ok between steam sale and PSN sales, I wanted to grab couple smaller titles to play in between my big rpgs. Mass Effect and Dragon Age where total impulse purchases though >.<

December
Played:
Grim Dawn
Wolfenstein 2
Xenoblade Chronicles 2 - in progress

Added:
Night in the Woods
Pyre
What Remains of Edith Finch
The Long Dark

I surpassed my pile-clearing expectations in 2017 overall. First year I tried planning ahead, and kinda liked having some goals.
Nearly all the pile clearing happened in the first 6 months of the year - after that I only managed to play games which I had also added during the year.

11 old games - out of 22 - from my 2017-pile list finished
8 planned new releases finished
10 new purchases games not on lists finished
About 14 other games bought that will enter the pile (not including random games from bundles I will never play) - so I guess my pile is still larger than a year ago. New releases in 2018 looks a lot less overloaded than in 2017 at least, so maybe there will be more time for the pile...

Final final final report for December 2017 and the year itself

December:

Added:

South Park: The Fractured but Whole (technically added in November/Black Friday)
Inside
Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice
Nioh
Persona 5

Beat:

Inside
Undertale
Stories: The Path of Destinies

2017 Stat Breakdown

23 Games added to the pile
19 Games beaten or completed

Looking back, this is actually a pretty good set of stats. Now I don't feel so remorseful about having added so many games! I really ought to dial the purchases down in 2018, though hahahaha

Here's my final update for the year

Pile In:
Xenoblade Chronicles 2 (Switch)
Nier: Automata (PS4)
VS. Super Mario Bros. (Switch)
Romancing SaGa 2 (Switch)

Pile Out:
River City: Rival Showdown (3DS)

I always forget how little time I actually have in December. Managed to beat River City: Rival Showdown pretty quickly (it's short) but it's designed to be replayable and there's 4 more endings I want to get so I'll be picking away at that some more over the next couple of months. I also started another run of Parasite Eve which is a quasi-annual tradition of mine around this time of year (it's seasonally appropriate!) which ate up some time I could've spent playing other things (I regret nothing!). So I failed to get Night in the Woods knocked into the done pile. Oh well.

So Backloggery puts me at -26 which is a significant improvement over the last two years although I have yet to make any actual progress on the pile. Looking over my list of planned purchases...
* I had 21 games that were "Must Buys". Of those, I bought 15 (71%) titles, and played all of them but 4 (27%)
* I had 26 games that were "Wait for Reviews". Of those, I bought 1 (and played it) and received another as a holiday gift (and have not played it).

So that's pretty good as far as planning went. I played most of the games I was excited for (even if I didn't finish them) and kept lower priority buys to a minimum. There were a handful of unplanned purchases like retro titles I wanted for the "wine cellar", surprise digital releases, and the odd bundle or Kickstarter which kinda wrecked a decent year. But, it does look like my current approach of better purchase planning is helping.

On to 2018!

I... went a little wild getting new games this month.

December / EOY Update

Added & Started

  • Picross S
  • Mario + Rabbids : Kingdom Battle
  • Nioh
  • Horizon Zero Dawn : The Frozen Wilds
  • X-Morph : Defense
  • Escape Goat 2
  • Momodora: Reverie Under the Moonlight
  • Chronicles of Teddy: Harmony of Exidus
  • Shantae : Half-Genie Hero : Pirate Queen's Quest
  • Mummy Demastered
  • Ronin
  • Ruiner
  • Assassin's Creed Origins
  • Mystik Belle
  • Dragon's Dogma : Dark Arisen
  • Cities Skylines

Continued

  • Rise of the Tomb Raider (replay)
  • Amnesia : The Dark Descent

Finished

  • Mario + Rabbids : Kingdom Battle
  • Mystik Belle

I've been using How Long to Beat for most of the year, supplementing with a text file. HLTB is a decent tool, but I'm not sure I actually care about personally adding my times. Plus, Backloggery has better stats, and folks in these threads are over there, so I'm considering making a new Backloggery account and using that.

I beat 29 games this year. I think that's about average for me the past couple of years. 9 of them were long games (like, 40+ hours). A lot of what's on my backlog is also long games, so I have to factor that into any hypothetical 2018 plan.

Garden Ninja wrote:

I... went a little wild getting new games this month.

I've got you beat, so rest easy.

Eleima wrote:
Garden Ninja wrote:

I... went a little wild getting new games this month.

I've got you beat, so rest easy. ;)

I made a goal to finish more games than I buy for 2018... so as a result I bought a bunch of games in December.

Eleima wrote:
Garden Ninja wrote:

I... went a little wild getting new games this month.

I've got you beat, so rest easy. ;)

And this is why friends don't let friends Steam sale

Well yeah, but with region restrictions and all, I wasn’t getting many gifts (NOT THAT I’M COMPLAINING!), so I had to take matters into my own hands.

my steam account says "[no gifts]".

but that doesn't stop me getting games on Switch and PS4... >.>

Though I am at least pretty certain I'll play them all. eventually. I don't play on PC. Not sure I even have steam installed anymore.

December update

Annual game budget remaining at start of December - £13

Incoming
Elite Dangerous (PS4) - £11
Odin Sphere: Leifthrasir (Vita) - £11
To the Moon (Android) - £1
Old Man's Journey (Android) - £1
Iron Marines (Android) - £2
Motorsport Manager 2 (Android) - £1

Outgoing
Nowt.

Annual budget on 28 December - minus £14

Not too shabby, but then...

Incoming 28-31 Dec AKA 2017.5
Nintendo Switch £224
Screen Protector £6
Case £15
128gb Memory Card £40
Zelda Breath of the Wild £48
Stardew Valley £11
Battle Chef Brigade £17

Deduct £45 random game trade in towards Zelda.

Total Switch spend £316.
So bit of a blip, a freak accident, but do I care? Not a jot.

Have been playing
Fallout 4
Sorcery Saga: Curse of the Great Curry God
Stardew Valley (post 28 Dec)

Game of the month (thanks Pinkerton)
Fallout 4.
Restarted. Enjoying and plan is to take my time over the coming 6 months say, maybe even the year. Hopefully the Switch won't distract me to the point of dropping it again.

Biggest temptations in January
Monster Hunter World (PS4)
Mario + Rabbids (Switch)

I am super determined to adopt a one out, one in policy on the Switch. As closely as I can anyhow

Monster Hunter Worlds, not so much a temptation as a definite purchase. I have been looking forward to it since announced. Enjoyable time with the first Beta confirmed that I'll be picking it up pretty soon after release.