From Newsgroup: comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.action

So there being a massive sale on I thought it was time to buy
Borderlands4, it finally being at a reasonable price.

Hours to download, then you start, loads of logos, unskippable of
course, then it's compiling shaders for ages.

By the time you actually can start the game, steam has already ticked
down 10+ minutes of accumulated playtime.

Character selection, pick the siren and start.

Get woken up by some guy Arjay, given a gun, lead into the next room
where we jump through a hole down to the level below.

We then go around the corner and down a ramp and there is combat vs a
bunch of guards, then Arjay stops and holds out a RepKit.

And there the game ended.

There was literally no key press, key-combo, key pressed and held, or
anything else, that would have my character actually take the RepKit,
and until you do, the game goes nowhere, Arjay won't move and all the
exits are locked.

Looking online only turned up console instructions where you take it
with X, only X has 3 functions on a console, and those are on 3
different keys on the PC, none of which would take the item.

I literally tried every key on the damn keyboard, tapped,
press-and-hold, etc and even the onscreen instruction was just a box
saying [Take] instead of indicating a key.

Default controls the game comes with.
Looked at custom, nothing helped, nothing would [Take].

What a complete and utter fucking waste of time.

So now I have a refund "pending"; apparently Steam takes your money
right away when you buy, but gives it back sometime in the next 7 days
when they refund.

Oh well, back in the bad old days when I would have bought it in a Brick
and Mortar it would have been Box Opened, No Refund.

Incidentally the level was almost completely empty except for the 4
guards, and it was still a bit laggy.

I guess 7 months wasn't long enough for them to fix the issues. (and
they seem to have added more,) maybe I'll try it again in a few more
years.

More likely I'll skip it entirely.

Xocyll
--
I don't particularly want you to FOAD, myself. You'll be more of
a cautionary example if you'll FO And Get Chronically, Incurably,
Painfully, Progressively, Expensively, Debilitatingly Ill. So
FOAGCIPPEDI. -- Mike Andrews responding to an idiot in asr
--- Synchronet 3.22a-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.action

On Sun, 28 Jun 2026 06:21:11 -0400, Xocyll <Xocyll@gmx.com> wrote:

So there being a massive sale on I thought it was time to buy
Borderlands4, it finally being at a reasonable price.

Hours to download, then you start, loads of logos, unskippable of
course, then it's compiling shaders for ages.

By the time you actually can start the game, steam has already ticked
down 10+ minutes of accumulated playtime.

Character selection, pick the siren and start.

Get woken up by some guy Arjay, given a gun, lead into the next room
where we jump through a hole down to the level below.

We then go around the corner and down a ramp and there is combat vs a
bunch of guards, then Arjay stops and holds out a RepKit.

And there the game ended.

There was literally no key press, key-combo, key pressed and held, or >anything else, that would have my character actually take the RepKit,
and until you do, the game goes nowhere, Arjay won't move and all the
exits are locked.

Looking online only turned up console instructions where you take it
with X, only X has 3 functions on a console, and those are on 3
different keys on the PC, none of which would take the item.

I literally tried every key on the damn keyboard, tapped,
press-and-hold, etc and even the onscreen instruction was just a box
saying [Take] instead of indicating a key.

Default controls the game comes with.
Looked at custom, nothing helped, nothing would [Take].

What a complete and utter fucking waste of time.

So now I have a refund "pending"; apparently Steam takes your money
right away when you buy, but gives it back sometime in the next 7 days
when they refund.

Oh well, back in the bad old days when I would have bought it in a Brick
and Mortar it would have been Box Opened, No Refund.

Incidentally the level was almost completely empty except for the 4
guards, and it was still a bit laggy.

I guess 7 months wasn't long enough for them to fix the issues. (and
they seem to have added more,) maybe I'll try it again in a few more
years.

More likely I'll skip it entirely.

Xocyll

*--

I stopped playing it. And uninstalled it. Steam say 116 minutes. It
was just too hard for me. I kept trying to beat that enemy that
hovers near the water, forget exactly the area and name, but it also
had enemies everywhere on the ground too. I even watched videos on to
beat it. Way too monotonous for me too. Too long to request a
refund, of course.

And, I am not alone. I searched and found it is too hard from lots of
other players too. I gave it a chance, but life and spare time is too
short for this game!

I only played it offline - I do not do multiplayer or play online
games. Mostly due to cheaters and my connection isn't good enough to
compete.

-pw
--- Synchronet 3.22a-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.action

On Sun, 28 Jun 2026 06:21:11 -0400, Xocyll <Xocyll@gmx.com> wrote:

So there being a massive sale on I thought it was time to buy
Borderlands4, it finally being at a reasonable price.

Thank you for complaining about Borderlands 4. I did not have
Borderlands 3 in my wishlist and your post reminded me to check Steam.
So I did, and as it turns out, the game is 90% off. I have no idea if
I will like the third entry as much as 1 and 2 but for $6, I don't
really care.
--- Synchronet 3.22a-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.action

On Sun, 28 Jun 2026 10:52:35 -0600, PW <noneused@noneused.net> wrote:

I stopped playing it. And uninstalled it. Steam say 116 minutes. It
was just too hard for me. I kept trying to beat that enemy that
hovers near the water, forget exactly the area and name, but it also
had enemies everywhere on the ground too. I even watched videos on to
beat it. Way too monotonous for me too. Too long to request a
refund, of course.

Hopefully, nothing in the third game frustrates me this much.

I only played it offline - I do not do multiplayer or play online
games. Mostly due to cheaters and my connection isn't good enough to >compete.

-pw

I only ever played Borderlands with friends which was a lot of fun. I
have no interest in playing this with strangers online.
--- Synchronet 3.22a-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.action

Mike S. <Mike_S@nowhere.com> looked up from reading the entrails of the
porn spammer to utter "The Augury is good, the signs say:

On Sun, 28 Jun 2026 10:52:35 -0600, PW <noneused@noneused.net> wrote:

I stopped playing it. And uninstalled it. Steam say 116 minutes. It
was just too hard for me. I kept trying to beat that enemy that
hovers near the water, forget exactly the area and name, but it also
had enemies everywhere on the ground too. I even watched videos on to
beat it. Way too monotonous for me too. Too long to request a
refund, of course.

Hopefully, nothing in the third game frustrates me this much.

It shouldn't. The third game has issues, and the worst villains of the
series, but it also has good variety with the different planets and
vehicles.

I only played it offline - I do not do multiplayer or play online
games. Mostly due to cheaters and my connection isn't good enough to >>compete.

-pw

I only ever played Borderlands with friends which was a lot of fun. I
have no interest in playing this with strangers online.

Ditto, I play offline only.

Xocyll
--
I don't particularly want you to FOAD, myself. You'll be more of
a cautionary example if you'll FO And Get Chronically, Incurably,
Painfully, Progressively, Expensively, Debilitatingly Ill. So
FOAGCIPPEDI. -- Mike Andrews responding to an idiot in asr
--- Synchronet 3.22a-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.action

Mike S. <Mike_S@nowhere.com> looked up from reading the entrails of the
porn spammer to utter "The Augury is good, the signs say:

On Sun, 28 Jun 2026 06:21:11 -0400, Xocyll <Xocyll@gmx.com> wrote:

So there being a massive sale on I thought it was time to buy
Borderlands4, it finally being at a reasonable price.

Thank you for complaining about Borderlands 4. I did not have
Borderlands 3 in my wishlist and your post reminded me to check Steam.
So I did, and as it turns out, the game is 90% off. I have no idea if
I will like the third entry as much as 1 and 2 but for $6, I don't
really care.

Three is not bad at all, and at that price you will definitely get your
moneys worth, even if you find Ava annoying like most of the universe
does.

Xocyll
--
I don't particularly want you to FOAD, myself. You'll be more of
a cautionary example if you'll FO And Get Chronically, Incurably,
Painfully, Progressively, Expensively, Debilitatingly Ill. So
FOAGCIPPEDI. -- Mike Andrews responding to an idiot in asr
--- Synchronet 3.22a-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.action

PW <noneused@noneused.net> looked up from reading the entrails of the
porn spammer to utter "The Augury is good, the signs say:

On Sun, 28 Jun 2026 06:21:11 -0400, Xocyll <Xocyll@gmx.com> wrote:

So there being a massive sale on I thought it was time to buy
Borderlands4, it finally being at a reasonable price.

Hours to download, then you start, loads of logos, unskippable of
course, then it's compiling shaders for ages.

By the time you actually can start the game, steam has already ticked
down 10+ minutes of accumulated playtime.

Character selection, pick the siren and start.

Get woken up by some guy Arjay, given a gun, lead into the next room
where we jump through a hole down to the level below.

We then go around the corner and down a ramp and there is combat vs a
bunch of guards, then Arjay stops and holds out a RepKit.

And there the game ended.

There was literally no key press, key-combo, key pressed and held, or >>anything else, that would have my character actually take the RepKit,
and until you do, the game goes nowhere, Arjay won't move and all the
exits are locked.

Looking online only turned up console instructions where you take it
with X, only X has 3 functions on a console, and those are on 3
different keys on the PC, none of which would take the item.

I literally tried every key on the damn keyboard, tapped,
press-and-hold, etc and even the onscreen instruction was just a box
saying [Take] instead of indicating a key.

Default controls the game comes with.
Looked at custom, nothing helped, nothing would [Take].

What a complete and utter fucking waste of time.

So now I have a refund "pending"; apparently Steam takes your money
right away when you buy, but gives it back sometime in the next 7 days
when they refund.

Oh well, back in the bad old days when I would have bought it in a Brick >>and Mortar it would have been Box Opened, No Refund.

Incidentally the level was almost completely empty except for the 4
guards, and it was still a bit laggy.

I guess 7 months wasn't long enough for them to fix the issues. (and
they seem to have added more,) maybe I'll try it again in a few more
years.

More likely I'll skip it entirely.

Xocyll

*--

I stopped playing it. And uninstalled it. Steam say 116 minutes. It
was just too hard for me. I kept trying to beat that enemy that
hovers near the water, forget exactly the area and name, but it also
had enemies everywhere on the ground too. I even watched videos on to
beat it. Way too monotonous for me too. Too long to request a
refund, of course.

Well it's under 2hrs of playtime and under 14 days since purchase that
you can request a refund.

So if you bought it less than two weeks ago you might still be able to.

And, I am not alone. I searched and found it is too hard from lots of
other players too. I gave it a chance, but life and spare time is too
short for this game!

I only played it offline - I do not do multiplayer or play online
games. Mostly due to cheaters and my connection isn't good enough to >compete.

My connection is fine, I just have zero desire to pvp, and I like to
take my time and explore levels, not rush through them like most online
players seem to want to.

They cannot stop and smell the Roses, they already drove over them.

Xocyll
--
I don't particularly want you to FOAD, myself. You'll be more of
a cautionary example if you'll FO And Get Chronically, Incurably,
Painfully, Progressively, Expensively, Debilitatingly Ill. So
FOAGCIPPEDI. -- Mike Andrews responding to an idiot in asr
--- Synchronet 3.22a-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.action

Xocyll <Xocyll@gmx.com> writes:

Hours to download, then you start, loads of logos, unskippable of
course, then it's compiling shaders for ages.

By the time you actually can start the game, steam has already ticked
down 10+ minutes of accumulated playtime.

Yah. Startup times have been awful. I haven't played in a while but oh
boy. Extra issue is that I moved my installation to HD since I lost my
two extra SSDs to my fat video card.

The shader compilation in the first logo screen used to go faster
but then it'd compile shaders when loading into a new area and you'd be watching the fast travel pipe animation and waiting and waiting...

Looking online only turned up console instructions where you take it
with X, only X has 3 functions on a console, and those are on 3
different keys on the PC, none of which would take the item.

For the record, it's primary use, E. I replayed the prologue to see if I
have this too, but no.

I guess 7 months wasn't long enough for them to fix the issues. (and
they seem to have added more,) maybe I'll try it again in a few more
years.

Oh, performance. Randy Whatsisname made a fool out of himself trying to
defend it. It's not great and while maybe it's a little better than it
was initially, it's not fast and they haven't worked on that. I mostly
played at 1080p which is annoying too, for some reason I get flicker in
that resolution. Didn't seem to cause any headaches or anything so it
was just an annoyance.
--- Synchronet 3.22a-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.action

Anssi Saari <anssi.saari@usenet.mail.kapsi.fi> looked up from reading
the entrails of the porn spammer to utter "The Augury is good, the
signs say:

Xocyll <Xocyll@gmx.com> writes:

Hours to download, then you start, loads of logos, unskippable of
course, then it's compiling shaders for ages.

By the time you actually can start the game, steam has already ticked
down 10+ minutes of accumulated playtime.

Yah. Startup times have been awful. I haven't played in a while but oh
boy. Extra issue is that I moved my installation to HD since I lost my
two extra SSDs to my fat video card.

The shader compilation in the first logo screen used to go faster
but then it'd compile shaders when loading into a new area and you'd be >watching the fast travel pipe animation and waiting and waiting...

Looking online only turned up console instructions where you take it
with X, only X has 3 functions on a console, and those are on 3
different keys on the PC, none of which would take the item.

For the record, it's primary use, E. I replayed the prologue to see if I
have this too, but no.

I hit literally every key on the keyboard, both tap and press-and-hold.
Nothing would take the item.

By the time I requested the refund I had 59 minutes played, of which 3
minutes was actual playtime, and the rest shader building and futilely
trying to take the item so the game would actually let me play.

And this is a game with a $89.99 + Taxes regular price tag.

Congrats Randy, you've made a game _worse_ than Descent to Undermountain
or Battlecruiser 3000AD.

I guess 7 months wasn't long enough for them to fix the issues. (and
they seem to have added more,) maybe I'll try it again in a few more
years.

Oh, performance. Randy Whatsisname made a fool out of himself trying to >defend it. It's not great and while maybe it's a little better than it
was initially, it's not fast and they haven't worked on that. I mostly
played at 1080p which is annoying too, for some reason I get flicker in
that resolution. Didn't seem to cause any headaches or anything so it
was just an annoyance.

I still play in 1920x1080, never saw any reason to get a bigger monitor
or go to a higher resolution.

Even in that first area it had lag spikes with all of _4_ enemy guards,
lord knows what it would have been later with actual crowds.

Xocyll
--
I don't particularly want you to FOAD, myself. You'll be more of
a cautionary example if you'll FO And Get Chronically, Incurably,
Painfully, Progressively, Expensively, Debilitatingly Ill. So
FOAGCIPPEDI. -- Mike Andrews responding to an idiot in asr
--- Synchronet 3.22a-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.action

On Tue, 30 Jun 2026 09:08:36 -0400, Xocyll <Xocyll@gmx.com> said this
thing:

Congrats Randy, you've made a game _worse_ than Descent to Undermountain
or Battlecruiser 3000AD.

I mean... it's Gearbox; what did you expect? They haven't really
presented themselves as a developer of exceeding programming
cleverness or quality in recent history. And Randy is shady as shit
;-)



--- Synchronet 3.22a-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.action

Spalls Hurgenson <spallshurgenson@gmail.com> writes:

I mean... it's Gearbox; what did you expect? They haven't really
presented themselves as a developer of exceeding programming
cleverness or quality in recent history. And Randy is shady as shit
;-)

I also noticed that on Steam, Gearbox is still pushing the party line to negative reviewers. Amazing. I have a vague memory there was some dev
comment that BL4's design is fairly complex and there's no low hanging
fruit for optimization so no reason to expect that.

Also some precedent: as I recall, back in BL2, the PhysX effects were so
heavy that if you wanted to max them out, you needed a separate
dedicated GTX970 to run those. With a single card, medium and low was
still fine.
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From Newsgroup: comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.action

Spalls Hurgenson <spallshurgenson@gmail.com> looked up from reading the entrails of the porn spammer to utter "The Augury is good, the signs
say:

On Tue, 30 Jun 2026 09:08:36 -0400, Xocyll <Xocyll@gmx.com> said this
thing:

Congrats Randy, you've made a game _worse_ than Descent to Undermountain
or Battlecruiser 3000AD.

I mean... it's Gearbox; what did you expect? They haven't really
presented themselves as a developer of exceeding programming
cleverness or quality in recent history. And Randy is shady as shit
;-)

Yeah but this is Borderlands, and while the writing has been a bit crap
the code and gameplay was solid, at least for single player play which
is all I was ever interested in.

Having it jam up in what is literally the tutorial of sorts was more
than a bit of a shock.

Xocyll
--
I don't particularly want you to FOAD, myself. You'll be more of
a cautionary example if you'll FO And Get Chronically, Incurably,
Painfully, Progressively, Expensively, Debilitatingly Ill. So
FOAGCIPPEDI. -- Mike Andrews responding to an idiot in asr
--- Synchronet 3.22a-Linux NewsLink 1.2