PC Building Simulator Is Free On the Epic Games Store (theverge.com) 48
PC Building Simulator is currently free on the Epic Games Store until October 17th. The Verge reports: Like the majority of sim games, PCBS speaks to a very specific type of fantasy. If your idea of a good time is overclocking your computer while managing a small business, this is a game that does exactly that. My favorite feature has to be making your work computer in-game look exactly like your computer IRL. The game will even adjust the RGB lighting and wallpaper of your machine to match. However, depending on your level of experience, the game can actually serve as a worthwhile educational tool for anyone who wants to learn more about... well, building PCs.
PC Building Simulator has received its fair share of DLC, mostly in the form of different workshop environments that are entirely cosmetic. However, it did get an esports expansion that's a little more narrative-focused and plays more like a timed puzzle game rather than a business simulation. It's also worth noting that the game regularly receives free updates that add new hardware to the already massive roster of cases, CPUs, GPUs, and other bits and bobs. There are really only two things this game doesn't simulate: misplacing that last thumbscrew and getting thermal paste on absolutely everything.
PC Building Simulator has received its fair share of DLC, mostly in the form of different workshop environments that are entirely cosmetic. However, it did get an esports expansion that's a little more narrative-focused and plays more like a timed puzzle game rather than a business simulation. It's also worth noting that the game regularly receives free updates that add new hardware to the already massive roster of cases, CPUs, GPUs, and other bits and bobs. There are really only two things this game doesn't simulate: misplacing that last thumbscrew and getting thermal paste on absolutely everything.
Simulates using components you can't afford (Score:3)
Can't afford to build a PC because component prices are through the roof? Play a video game where you build one instead.
Le sigh.
Re: (Score:2)
Provided you already have the relevant components that can run the simulation, that is.
Catch 22.
Re: Simulates using components you can't afford (Score:2)
Not that much different from racing games, flight simulators. You can't afford that McLaren either.
Re: (Score:1)
Re: (Score:2)
And before you ask, there is Bus Simulator, Garbage Truck Simulator, Goat Simulator, etc and I did not bother remembering all the other things that may exist.
Re: (Score:2)
There is a difference.
Perhaps as recently as two years ago, one could build a reasonable gaming PC for under $1000. Now one can scarcely afford a reasonable gaming dGPU for under $1000.
Automotive racing has always been prohibitively expensive, as has aviation.
Re: (Score:2)
Unless you need to buy that $1000 GPU to get the same performance as that 2 years old GPU you'd fit in that $1000 PC, I think part of the problem is that harcore PC gamers now have higher expectations than they did.
You don't need a $1000 GPU to play games. Sure, games run better on that GPU but they still do on much cheaper ones. And this is even more true for CPUs. You get very little benefit with that 8-core CPU compared to the 6-core one.
You can still get a $1000 gaming PC, as long as you get a 10th-gen
Re: (Score:2)
Learn how to build a server.
Re: (Score:2)
Can't find a GPU in real life
Re: (Score:2)
Oh, you can. Scalpers will sell them to you for insane markups. But even the MSRPs are badly-inflated.
Re: (Score:2)
Yeah obviously I don't do scalpers, I am a cheap bastard and have proclaimed same proudly on many occasions here.
The only time I'd consider going to a scalper would be for something I needed to live, and then I'd consider all my options regarding that transaction.
Next: PC Gamer Simulator (Score:3)
Re: (Score:2)
That might be fun though, PC building simulator is hard grind IMO, I didn't even get to the bit where you could build more interesting custom PCs, that took far too many hours to get to.`
And more to the point, SLASHVERTISEMENT for epic, I don't need a slashdot article telling me when games are free, IsThereAnyDeal does that regularly and when it's the epic store, I ignore it.
Re: (Score:1)
Re: (Score:2)
And then, a /. simulator. ;)
OMG (Score:3)
"My favorite feature has to be making your work computer in-game look exactly like your computer IRL. The game will even adjust the RGB lighting and wallpaper of your machine to match."
Second Life for nerds, stuff that matters.
These life-sims get ridiculous (Score:2)
C'mon, what's next? Cooking sim... oh, wait, no, that exists. House renovation si... no, exists. Car repair s... damn.
C'mon, are we really that bored that we have to buy games that mimic what people get paid for? What's next, clean-up-your-room, the simulation, for people to play while they continue living in a garbage dump?
Re: These life-sims get ridiculous (Score:2)
You didn't even mention the Wonderful Chinese Parents game where you can get yelled at that your grades aren't good enough while studying for the next test...
Re: (Score:2)
Please tell me you're joking. Artificial pets were already ridiculous enough, artificial parents are not even funny.
Re: (Score:2)
https://store.steampowered.com... [steampowered.com]
"In this casual sim set in China, you step into the shoes of an average kid from birth towards the end of your high school. Study hard, have fun, make friends and face your ultimate challenge, the “Gaokao”. What will your life be after that? And when you have a child, will you be a Tiger Parent?"
China's education system is so fucked, there is a satirical game about how crazy Chinese parents are about the "success" of their kids.
Re: These life-sims get ridiculous (Score:2)
I had a Tamagochi(sp). It was fun for all of 5 minutes. When I happened across it while rifling through my desk drawer a few weeks later, the pet was long dead.
Re: (Score:2)
Why not start a game studio and make a better game then? Or just play a Game Dev Tycoon https://store.steampowered.com... [steampowered.com]
Re: (Score:2)
And sometimes, when the demand isn't something illegal, it's not a bad thing.
I for one am glad that there's still this many opportunities to turn a buck as a small time developer with all the big asshole development studios that swallow other studios to produce their yearly crap fest of unimaginative dreck dressed up in new graphics produces by some poor artists that were hired for 3 months of crunch and then can go fuck themselves, like Electronic Arts, Micro
Re: (Score:2)
In general: where's demand, there's a market.
Mass murderer simulator. [youtu.be]
Re: (Score:2)
So instead produce unimaginative life sims?
There are imaginative games. Yes, mostly from indie devs. Which is by now my exclusive source of entertainment. Not only are they not just ($generic game) ($year) but actually interesting, engaging games with an interesting mechanic and progression. But do you really want to claim that these life sims are by any stretch of the word imaginative? Clickhere, click there, watch item move about, then click here, then there to screw, unscrew, plug or unplug. It's not exa
Re: (Score:2)
But don't be like one of the morons who believe that they know the only valid way of how things are supposed to be and everyone else is wrong.
Unless we're talking about those highly monetized mobile games that are only designed to drain people's purses, these games involving mundane things still help to diversify the market, help small time developers to get some experience in development and perhaps funding bigger projects.
Re: These life-sims get ridiculous (Score:2)
I've wanted to raise a Xwixiziz to brobbik around inside a gwuzivin.
Yeah, nobody really wants anything that has zero ties to reality or anything familiar, and this is why MMOs and such today still have "wizards" and "dark forest lands".
Re:These life-sims get ridiculous (Score:4, Funny)
I'm currently playing, posting on a forum with feedback. It seems so life-like.
Re: (Score:2)
It's kinda different when it's multiplayer.
Re: (Score:2)
You are likely to be eaten by a grue.
Re: (Score:2)
Well, they could make a forum trolling simulator, where you start off by making Hot Grits and Goatse posts on Slashdot in the late 90's and slowly move onto other platforms like Facebook and Reddit as they are released.
Perhaps you can own your own state sponsored Russian troll farm by the end the the game, where your troll armies amass the power to swing national elections with misinformation campaigns.
Re: (Score:1)
Seriously? (Score:5, Insightful)
There's free games every other week on Epic games store. Did Tim pay for this advertisement?
Re: (Score:2)
Of course he did.
PC Building Simulator by itself is relatively dull. It's made up because it has dozens of DLC components.
Epic Game Store suffers from a conversion problem - lots of people are there just for the free games but few people actually buy anything.
The goal is to release the base game here and hope that to get greater variety you'd convert and start buying the DLC for it. It's one of the games that well, you'd want to get the DLC.
Of course, personally I get the itch to build a PC every few years,
Re: (Score:2)
Of course, personally I get the itch to build a PC every few years
Ain't that the truth. I recommend if you really need to scratch hard try watercooling. Turn your PC building into art :-)
Re: (Score:2)
This game was good for one thing, though... it was a painful reminder of how boring desktop support can be.
Sometimes I've felt the urge of leaving the drudgery of corporate IT and opening my own custom PC shop instead. After I played this game for a few hours, I got a painful reminder that cleaning out dirty cases with compressed air and doing desktop PC malware cleaning multiple times a day is even MORE boring than what I currently do for a living. So, bring on daily status meetings with Karen droning on a
Semi-accurate Sim (Score:4, Insightful)
It doesn't come close to what can go wrong in real life DIY PC building. Nothing like bleeding on your new computer. Parts exploding or releasing the magic smoke or things catching on fire. =D
Re: (Score:2)
How accurate is this thing for planning builds? Like can I pick a small form factor case and some parts and check that they will all fit? Including stuff like AOI water coolers.
Still trying to decide if my next machine should be a laptop or a small form factor desktop. I only play old games and emulators.
So now we can build a Virtual Machine on a Virtual (Score:2)
Re: So now we can build a Virtual Machine on a Vir (Score:2)
Tim can't play nice with iPhones (Score:1)
Memories (Score:2)
I used to build my own machines with any surplus parts I could get my hands on.
ISA cards, IDE drives, half height Seagate "Winchester" drives, Hercules mono graphics cards and later VGA, etc..
Not sure how this would work as a game for me, but it will help me relive the good old days.
I'm using it to simulate bitcoin mining. (Score:2)
Problem (Score:2)