ChaosDent

Steam already has cross-game party text and voice chat built into the standard and big picture overlay. This chat system also features game invites through steamworks enabled games that will jump you directly into the server, lobby or instance of the game your friends are playing. We'll have to see about broadcasting, but I'd be surprised if there wasn't something eventually.

I have a HTPC case, a motherboard and power supply that I've been waiting for a reason to pull out and use. I'll definitely download and install the SteamOS beta on one of my current computers. Assuming it's good, I'll definitely finish up that HTPC and install it with SteamOS. As to why? I'm a Linux user, I like to tinker with computers and new operating system environments. I have a Windows gaming PC that don't often use any more because it's so loud and hot, and it's desk is not very comfortable. If the streaming works well, and I can play my Windows games from my couch in addition to the Linux games I've been acquiring with a well built silent media PC that's a win for me.

They are saying there will be a tactical mode, but all they are showing looks like a nice fluid action game... I won't take their word for the tactics a second time. More power to them for building an engine that actually works as an action game, I'm just not interested in that game any more.

That list says "Action RPG" to me, there are enough tactical games with at least the popularity of a Kingdoms of Amalur or a Dragon's Dogma to have included on the list if they wanted.

Guitar Hero, then Rock Band easily for me.

@skjeggen: Agricola and Eclipse are two of my favorites, along with Dominion, Advanced Civilization and Android Netrunner. Though to be fair, I have about 40 games and my favorite game is usually the one that's currently on the table at the moment.

@svenzon: Cosmic Encounter is a classic interactive/diplomatic game. You really need to get it on the table.

@2headedninja: If you like Space Alert, check out Galaxy Trucker. It's by the same designer, has the same "the future is shit" space theme, but it's a fun real time ship builder where your ships inevitably tear apart into pieces. It's good fun.

Yeah, cooling has gotten much easier over the last few years thanks to Intel's power efficiency focus. My home workstation is an Ivy Bridge system I built last year with stock cooling that is almost completely silent. My gaming PC is a 3 year old AMD Phenom II with 2 ATI 5770 cards (speaking of bad decisions) that sounds like a jet engine idling on the Windows desktop. I'm almost due for a rebuild, but I'm putting it off until next summer.

I've played a reasonable amount of the 3rd and 4th editions of Shadowrun over the last 10 years, but I missed the old console games. This looks pretty good, and I'm interested to hear more impressions from folks, though I'll probably wait until the Linux version is released before picking it up.

@fisk0 said:

I'm a 101 key Model-M user and I just rebind Caps Lock to the Windows key. Who needs Caps Lock anyway?

I have high sensitivity to motion sickness, so I find a wider FOV, limited to no view bob and more accurate mouse-based aiming critical to giving me at least a couple hours at a time. First person console games are usually very tough on me.