This week on the PC Gamer forums, we chat to Wonderbelly Games as part of the Studio Spotlight, gaming communities where you get to act as a mentor, the best space sims, and how we feel about an E3-free year.
The PC Gamer forums are a great place to chat with others about everything PC related. There are all kinds of threads to jump into, like the latest industry news, hardware help, and all kinds of genre-specific discussions. All you need to do is sign up and you're all set to start chatting.
In other PC Gamer news, the new magazine is out and it's the Top 100 special. PC Gamer has selected the best games we think deserve attention and have bundled them all together in a beasty main feature. For UK readers, the new issue is out now but US readers will have to wait a little bit longer.
Here's what's happened on the forums this week:
Studio Spotlight: Wonderbelly Games
This month's Studio Spotlight are Wonderbelly Games the developer behind the bouncy dungeon crawler Roundguard. The team have been chatting to the community on the forums all this week including an AMA with Wonderbelly's designer and artist, a special Roudnguard giveaway, and a thread that lets the PC Gamer community create their own levels.
Wonderbelly Games is a Seattle-based, three-person studio founded by Andrea Roberts, Bob Roberts, and Kurt Loidl. We’re a tiny team of close friends who spent a decade working on AAA games: Bob led the design team on Shadow of Mordor and Shadow of War, while Kurt and Andrea worked on the Fable series and more at Microsoft. Now we follow our hearts and our bellies to make the kind of games we love: bright, cheeky games with tons of strategic depth.—Bob Roberts, Wonderbelly Games designer
You can find a summary of the forum threads here or head on over to the Studio Spotlight area on the forums and check them out yourself.
Are you a mentor in your game?
Forum user DXCHASE started a thread about running a Destiny 2 clan and feeling like a mentor to other players who are new to the game. Are you part of a group or community that helps out new players? Have you joined a community that's had a great mentor figure? Head on over to the thread and leave a comment.
So I was reading the new article about being a mentor in ''great moments in pc gaming". Do you feel that you do a lot of mentoring in the game that you play a lot? I run a Destiny 2 clan and feel I do this all the time, explaining events, raids and different loadouts to people I run stuff with. Lots of trial and error at getting things done on time etc. It has its rewards no doubt.—DXCHASE
Since I play StarCraft II since 2012 I had a fair share of experiences, including helping players. I kinda "coached" my friend who surpassed me and almost got Grand Master league with 5400 MMR (GM is the ultra elite top 200 people on server, highest achievement available for non-pro players). I helped some people at random when they asked me to practice something with them after ladder match.—OsaX Nymloth
Here's a link to the full thread.
The best space sims on PC
When getting a new powerful laptop or PC, it feels amazing when you boot up a beasty game and it runs smoothly. Forum user mrholley3997 has done just that and is now on the hunt for the best space games on PC. We have our own list of recommendations on the site, but there have been some great suggestions in the thread. If a game comes to mind, make sure to head on over and drop a comment.
Trust me. You want No Man's Sky. The first half hour or so can be difficult, but after that it's just a blast.—ZedClampet
I've learned the no two space sims are the same. Elite Dangerous is a good cockpit space sim, imagine Euro-truck in space. No Man's Sky is a good all around space / survival sim. X4 is a good single player corporation space sim.—FreezerBurn
What did you think about the 'Non-E3' this year?
With E3 being cancelled this year many publishers have been running their own online shows and streaming them to the world. These streams have been spread out over the course of a month instead of being packed into one busy week, and Chris' mid-week question asks: do you think that's better or worse than previous E3s? Join the discussion over on the forum thread.
I liked it a bit more. Less flash and fluff, more focus on the games and the trailers, and I didn't feel compelled to try and conform my day to any schedule. There wasn't really much that caught my attention this year, though, and I think most of the upcoming games I care about had already been announced before this. I never actually go to these things, usually just catch them online in hopes of seeing something to keep me steadily hyped throughout the summer, but even so it felt a bit more focused on the right stuff.—drunkpunk
Having never gone to one before, I felt it was mostly the same. I do gotta say that for being a new console year, things have been rather lackluster. Though overall I am happy these industries were willing to flex towards what was needed for the public, rather than trying to do what was best for their bottom line. With everything being spaced out and individual studios doing things at their own pace, it does seem like I got the chance to see more indie titles than I used to. —MaddMan
Top threads this week
What was the first video game you remember playing?
Can real-time strategy come back from the brink of death?
Your favourite building/management games
What RPG did you FINALLY find time to play?
