Gaming question

[lydy]

I don't know if I actually want to do this...but if I wanted to play a video RPG, absolutely not multi-player, questish, on my MacBook Air, does anyone have any suggestions?  Back in the day, I loved the look of Myst, but was not clever enough to solve most of the puzzles, and just bogged down.  I absolutely do not want a first person shooter, and would prefer there be only some fighting.  Fantasy or medieval setting preferred, sf ok, post-apocalyptic right out.  Oh, and I do not want to buy any additional hardware.  I don't care if this is an old game that everyone else is already bored of.  I game so very little, it would be novel to me.

Any suggestions?   

Comments

[green_knight]

I'm playing ElderScrolls Online on my Air, and it's my first choice - a lot of the quests are extremely well written (this is the first game that made me appreciate video games as a storytelling medium), and you can mainly decide how much fighting you want to do. There are people who are in the game for the crafting and fishing.

(I got my code for less than a fiver; it's possible to play without a subscription, you'll just do more running back and forth)

I've also played - and enjoyed - LOTR: War in the North, but I didn't find it intuitive: I tried it, gave up, and came back several years later after I'd played other things.

My entry level drug was a little-known game called 'Fate': it's extremely linear ('my brother dropped an heirloom ring on level 43 of the dungeon, can you get it for me'?) I enjoyed playing as a protagonist _who wears glasses_, and it taught me a fair bit about the tropes and patterns of RPGs. (Torchlight would work just as well for this, I guess.)

All in all I find that my (2015) Air performs surprisingly well - I have to close most other apps, but otherwise, it's not noticeably worse than my MacBook Pro.

[guppiecat]

The only game I enjoy is ADOM. There's a free version here: https://www.adom.de/home/downloads.html

It's retro, with the option to play in the super-retro (text only) mode, or use a pseudo-modern graphical tile approach. It's a roguelike game, if that means anything to you. I like how it has different quests, different end states, and makes extremely good use of the random number generator so it's very replayable.

It is not, however, anything like the modern games you see like ElderScrolls (mentioned above) or any of the superduper multiplayer world things.

[thewayne]

If you have a tablet, assuming you don't have any problem with Eischer landscapes, look up Monument Valley and its sequel. Very good problem-solving game with muteable landscapes. Amazing game with a pleasant story. Bought it years ago and enjoy replaying it occasionally. Originally came out for the iPad and I believe they have an Android version now.

There's a game on Steam that I found kind of fun called Aviary Attorney. I'd read the description and decide whether or not you are interested. A Steam game that might drive you insane that is not a combat game is Kerbal Space Program....

[catherineldf]

Have you considered text based games? I'm exploring Chouce of Games choose your own story style games and finding them fairly relaxing. You can load them onto an IPad or equivalent- https://www.choiceofgames.com

[dreamshark]

How old is your computer? What are its specs? OS level?

A quick google reveals that older Macbook Airs are not only pathetically underpowered for gaming, they would actually overheat if you tried to play any kind of a first-person game on them. But there are apparently more options for newer ones. If it's capable enough that you could install Steam, there are a lot of games. Take a look at this site:
https://www.digitaltrends.com/gaming/best-mac-games/2/

The Witness sounds promising. And Thorin is a big fan of Night in the Woods.

If you can get it for the Mac, my number one suggestion is Gabriel Knight: Sins of the Fathers. It's one of the best-written video games EVER, but limited by the pixellated graphics available in 1993. But guess what! It was remounted in 2014 with a modern graphics engine! It is available on Steam.

[lydy]

ElderScrolls Online might be a good fit. I took a quick look at it, and I might give it a try.

[lydy]

I don't have a tablet. I had one, but lost it. Am annoyed, now. But for most things, it's the wrong size. I probably should look at Steam.

[lydy]

I'm more interested in pretty than I am in story, so a text-based game is not what I'm looking for. I just want to spend a relaxing half-hour wandering around a pretty place, doing something that at least seems purposeful.

[lydy]

It's about 2 years old, and the OS is 10.13.5. Gabriel Knight, huh. Thanks.

[dreamshark]

See if you can install Steam (which is free, although the games it delivers cost money). If that works, then you can browse through available games, including a peek at the graphics and user reviews. If what you want is mostly pretty and immersive, even the remounted Gabriel Knight might be a little too old-fashioned for your taste. Let me know if Steam loads and I can recommend some others.

[sonia]

(Here via network.) Thank you for this recommendation! I bought and happily played Monument Valley and its sequels.

[thewayne]

Sonia, I'm very happy for you!  I learned of Monument Valley from a Wired article before it was released and was much intrigued, and bought it as soon as it was released, along with the expansions and MV2.  Absolutely love the game.  Like I said, I enjoy replaying it occasionally.  As I'm having surgery at the end of next week and expect to be doped up a bit, I think I may load up the original on my iPad Mini again and play with it a bit.

[dreamshark]

Aha! I knew I had a few old games that included a Mac version as well as the PC version. I found a copy of Broderbund's The Last Express that claims to run on either Windows 95 or a Power Mac (obviously not a new game). I have no idea what would happen if you tried to install it on either a modern PC or a modern Mac. But I think you would enjoy it.

Here's how Wikipedia describes it:

"The Last Express is an adventure video game designed by Jordan Mechner and published by Brøderbund in 1997. Players take on the role of an American who accepts an invite by a friend to join them on the Orient Express, days before the start of World War I, only to become involved in a maelstrom of treachery, lies, political conspiracies, personal interests, romance and murder, upon boarding the train. The game is unique in how it was created, its non-linear story, and in how events in the game are conducted within real-time."

It's also quite pretty, featuring an elaborate rendering of the old Orient Express interiors. I enjoyed playing it for a while, but eventually got bored and exited the train in Vienna, leaving the entire rolling drama to steam on down the tracks without me. I've played other games where you could come to a dead-end and die with no way to finish the game without restoring from a much earlier save point. But this is the only one I know of where that could happen to you and leave you drinking coffee peacefully in the train station cafe while World War I started off-screen. A lovely innovation, IMHO.

Anyway, you're welcome to take my copy and try to install it.