The Keys To Happiness - a Steam & Origin (and Desura!) key giveaway and trading thread

If you didn't play either game back in the day, they haven't aged particularly well. The engine was advanced for the time, animating lots of agents moving around your cities, but to modern eyes it's pretty terrible, and the UI sucks. Real-time agent sims didn't really start working until Rollercoaster Tycoon.

If you compare it to, say, Heroes of Might and Magic 3, HOMM was doing a lot less. It's far less technically advanced, but is actually a lot more fun to play, because the limitations of the engine feel pretty similar to a modern turn-based game. Caesar and Pharaoh, despite being far more ambitious, feel terribly awkward to interact with. The game is constantly slapping you in the face with how old it is, where simpler titles often don't feel that way.

I still play HOMM3 on a weekly basis... It doesn't get any better than that.

FWIW, here is an open-source reimplementation of Caesar III that was recommended on another forum.

As for HoM&M3, I have tried it a dozen times but get obliterated early on. Gonna do some reading and try it again.

Natus wrote:

FWIW, here is an open-source reimplementation of Caesar III that was recommended on another forum.

As for HoM&M3, I have tried it a dozen times but get obliterated early on. Gonna do some reading and try it again.

HOMM 3 can be brutal at normal level. Try to remember Defender of the Crown on the commodore 64: agressive style pays off.

Peoj Snamreh wrote:
Natus wrote:

FWIW, here is an open-source reimplementation of Caesar III that was recommended on another forum.

As for HoM&M3, I have tried it a dozen times but get obliterated early on. Gonna do some reading and try it again.

HOMM 3 can be brutal at normal level. Try to remember Defender of the Crown on the commodore 64: agressive style pays off.

The problem is, IIRC, that I build a character and an army and go a-conquering until an enemy army smashes me up and I've got nothing left. I'm looking up strategies on the Interwebs before I re-engage.

Natus wrote:
Peoj Snamreh wrote:
Natus wrote:

FWIW, here is an open-source reimplementation of Caesar III that was recommended on another forum.

As for HoM&M3, I have tried it a dozen times but get obliterated early on. Gonna do some reading and try it again.

HOMM 3 can be brutal at normal level. Try to remember Defender of the Crown on the commodore 64: agressive style pays off.

The problem is, IIRC, that I build a character and an army and go a-conquering until an enemy army smashes me up and I've got nothing left. I'm looking up strategies on the Interwebs before I re-engage.

Yeah.. it happens to me a lot. Especially on XL maps with no sea. Still think it is brilliant a game of this age throws curve balls at you

Malor wrote:

If you didn't play either game back in the day, they haven't aged particularly well. The engine was advanced for the time, animating lots of agents moving around your cities, but to modern eyes it's pretty terrible, and the UI sucks. Real-time agent sims didn't really start working until Rollercoaster Tycoon.

If you compare it to, say, Heroes of Might and Magic 3, HOMM was doing a lot less. It's far less technically advanced, but is actually a lot more fun to play, because the limitations of the engine feel pretty similar to a modern turn-based game. Caesar and Pharaoh, despite being far more ambitious, feel terribly awkward to interact with. The game is constantly slapping you in the face with how old it is, where simpler titles often don't feel that way.

Hard disagree. I’ve been playing both since yesterday, and all’s fine and dandy.
Did you try playing Project Highrise? Now *that* was unplayable.

Are you playing them new? I missed both Caesar and Pharaoh back in the day, and since people talk them up so frequently, bought Pharaoh on GOG awhile back. I found the interface and graphics to be very crude, enough to be quite distracting, and I wasn't grabbed by it at all. (I think it was the animation more than the actual graphics that put me off... the rough quality of movement was really off-putting.) Then I scared up a old copy of Caesar and tried that, and was even less impressed.

I gave both several hours, and just didn't see the magic. They were super ambitious for DOS titles, but the advent of 32-bit programming, fast graphics, and supercharged CPUs have changed agent sims a very great deal.

However, I still find the older Anno games (I think they were called Settlers? I'd have to go look) to be pretty playable, also without nostalgia filters. Their more stately approach and limited agent movement means they don't feel as crude. They tried for less, but really nailed what they reached for.

edit:: Yep, I'm specifically thinking about Settlers 2. That one still works quite well.

Longshot, but if anyone has a spare Tabletop Simulator key, my fiance and I would be very grateful. We own one copy but would like to play on both of our accounts.

Edit: Got some unclaimed Humble Choice keys which I thought I'd post here. Free to active and contributin' members.

IMAGE(https://i.imgur.com/1uVoc0C.png)

Edit: XCOM gone

Edit: Removed May: All choices gone

Edit: Another month used up~

Edit: All gone!

Thanks for the Swords of Ditto. Looking forward to playing it with the kids.

You missed an opportunity to rhyme ditto with kiddo....s......

astralplaydoh wrote:

You missed an opportunity to rhyme ditto with kiddo....s......

Dang it!

A couple board game Steam codes from the recent Play with Friends bundle are up for grabs, standard coffee grinder rules apply:

Mysterium
Small world 2
Carcassonne
Scythe Digital
Lords of the ring adventure card game

5-29- All Gone

I would be pleased to take Small World, Carcassonne, or Scythe. Happy with any of them.

i will chime in for Carcassonne.. But första till kvarnen...

Peoj Snamreh wrote:

i will chime in for Carcassonne.. But första till kvarnen...

Is that a Swedish idiom, first to the mill? Might add it to my English lexicon, but I'd like to know if it's used in other contexts, if you'll indulge me. Idioms are a bit of a hobby of mine, though not too seriously hehehe.

brokenclavicle wrote:
Peoj Snamreh wrote:

i will chime in for Carcassonne.. But första till kvarnen...

Is that a Swedish idiom, first to the mill? Might add it to my English lexicon, but I'd like to know if it's used in other contexts, if you'll indulge me. Idioms are a bit of a hobby of mine, though not too seriously hehehe.

Japp.. First to the mill. Just got the Humble package - So do have Smallworld 2 for grabs

Peoj Snamreh wrote:
brokenclavicle wrote:
Peoj Snamreh wrote:

i will chime in for Carcassonne.. But första till kvarnen...

Is that a Swedish idiom, first to the mill? Might add it to my English lexicon, but I'd like to know if it's used in other contexts, if you'll indulge me. Idioms are a bit of a hobby of mine, though not too seriously hehehe.

Japp.. First to the mill. Just got the Humble package - So do have Smallworld 2 for grabs

Hahaha nice. Know a few peeps from the early death metal scene in Gothenburg (that's how I know Skal for Fan and what not), but was curious.

brokenclavicle wrote:
Peoj Snamreh wrote:
brokenclavicle wrote:
Peoj Snamreh wrote:

i will chime in for Carcassonne.. But första till kvarnen...

Is that a Swedish idiom, first to the mill? Might add it to my English lexicon, but I'd like to know if it's used in other contexts, if you'll indulge me. Idioms are a bit of a hobby of mine, though not too seriously hehehe.

Japp.. First to the mill. Just got the Humble package - So do have Smallworld 2 for grabs

Hahaha nice. Know a few peeps from the early death metal scene in Gothenburg (that's how I know Skal for Fan and what not), but was curious. :)

Wie het eerst komt, het eerst maalt - would that be in my native tongue

I just added

  • ENSLAVED™: Odyssey to the West™ Premium Edition

to the infamous Boss Key Master List

jamos5 wrote:

I just added

  • ENSLAVED™: Odyssey to the West™ Premium Edition

to the infamous Boss Key Master List

Someone should jump on that. It's one of the worst names for a quite good game that I've ever seen.

It's by Ninja Theory (Heavenly Sword, DMC: Devil May Cry, Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice).

I've got an extra key for Cities: Skylines from the current Humble Bundle.

PM me if you'd like it.

Normal grinder rules apply.

I've also updated my holdings on the master list.

EDIT: Gone

BadKen wrote:
jamos5 wrote:

I just added

  • ENSLAVED™: Odyssey to the West™ Premium Edition

to the infamous Boss Key Master List

Someone should jump on that. It's one of the worst names for a quite good game that I've ever seen.

It's by Ninja Theory (Heavenly Sword, DMC: Devil May Cry, Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice).

PM’d. Yesterday actually, but if jamos is anything like me, it’ll be 3 weeks before he/she realizes I sent a PM.

Haha I'm glad you said something because I would have never noticed! I do see 2 other keys on the boss key list so if anyone else wants one you still have options!

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets...

Anyone want Stygian: Reign of the Old? An unforgiving cRPG set in a Lovecraftian world.

PM me, usual rules apply.

Metacritic link

edit: claimed!

dejanzie wrote:

Anyone want Stygian: Reign of the Old? An unforgiving cRPG set in a Lovecraftian world.

PM me, usual rules apply.

Metacritic link

It is on my wishlist but may be a while before I get to play it, so if it hasn't gone in a few days I'll be happy to take it off your hands

(Now posted in correct location, whoops)....

I have some game keys on Steam that I dont need/already have, from the Covid Humble Bundle a month ago.

If you want one of these games, just post. First post, first get.

(edit, 3 games gone so far, keep it coming!)

Fahrenheit: Indigo Prophecy Remastered
Sniper Elite 3
Darksiders II Deathinitive Edition
Darksiders Warmastered Edition
Worms Revolution
Brutal Legend
Psychonauts
A Mortician's Tale

DUCATI - 90th Anniversary
Pikuniku
PAC-MAN™ CHAMPIONSHIP EDITION 2
Magicka
HIVESWAP: Act 1
Alien Spidy
Stealth 2: A Game of Clones
Hacknet
Tilt Brush
Lostwinds
Rebuild 3: Gangs of Deadsville
Super Hexagon
Speed Brawl
Zombotron

Thanks,
Cer

Sorry forgot to check my list on every service. I already had one I was thinking of.

Killing Floor 2 would be cool. Had a lot of fun with the first.

Pikuniku

Somebody take this! I recently finished it on Switch and it was a wonderfully silly experience. Some of the most wholesome fun I've had in a long time.

I'll bite on Lego Batman for my daughter.