I didn't knew the game and a couple of replies mentioned it. Must say that it looks like something extremely fun and addicting but also very daunting!
If you want to get your feet wet in the genre without diving into the bottomless pit of possibilities that is DF, I'd heavily recommend RimWorld. It's basically a simplified, streamlined DF with a futuristic space theme.
Slay the Spire!! It's all single player but it's a ton of fun. It's a single player deck building card battle game. I've got nearly 2000 hours in it. Very light weight to run, and that computer can definitely run it.
"Hexcells Infinite" is a great stress-free (and cheap) game. It plays like Minesweeper, but every puzzle is completely solvable with just logic (there is never a need to guess!)
Into The Breach is turn based, so if you like old RPG turn based combat, you’ll feel comfortable. The graphics are very retro as well.
You control mechs fighting against giant bug enemies. The game can be more of a puzzle, as your mechs have different abilities that aren’t always obvious how they’d be beneficial.
The game is very short and encourages replays. You can mix and match different mechs to form different squads.
https://geoguessr.com is my crack.
Cities Skylines is often the perfect game for me to just zone out and chill, it surely didn't run on a smooth 60 fps for me on my i7 laptop with no gpu but it performed well enough for me.
I just like to spend a couple of hours laying new railroads and streets and just expanding my city, be aware though the game can be a timesink if you're not careful.
Luckily for the OP Cities Skylines is heavily CPU based, although it can only work with one CPU core unfortunately, but the sequel is coming soon which will address this problem.
Exactly, which is why I was able to run it reasonably smooth, although it was sluggish at a times probably due to the fact you just mentioned.
You could try StarSector from Fractal Softworks. Its not free but an awesome game for what you may be looking for.
Starsector (formerly “Starfarer”) is an in-development open-world single-player space-combat, roleplaying, exploration, and economic game. You take the role of a space captain seeking fortune and glory however you choose.
The Shadowrun video games I think are really good "starter" rpgs. They're a lot of fun, plus the setting of Shadowrun is fascinating, and wanting to explore it and learn more really gets you invested. Although the third game in the trilogy is the best, I would actually start with the second game. Its still an excellent game, but playing it before the third game showcases how much they improved almost every aspect. Also although its a "trilogy", each game is its own story. The only connection is the shared setting/world. In summary, play Shadowrun: Dragonfall, then Shadowrun: Hong Kong. Have fun!
As an RPG game I think Neverwinter Nights is worth taking a look (you might have even played it when it was brand new) There is an enhanced edition that was first published a few years back that among other things, brought back online gaming without having to mess around. I think the community fits the bill nicely and in some groups you might not even be among the oldest.
Although you can play it solo, it's at multiplayer where it shines. Also, apart from official content, there's a ton of community content, some of it far better than official one.
Factorio has been also mentioned. Think of puzzle / problem solving / logistics / base building kind of game. There's a playable demo (probably >10 hours worth of content but I can't say for sure, I didn't need so long to decide it was my thing) so you can check it out before purchasing.
Additional info :
I would also add Minecraft, Terraria, Stardew Valley for the chill factor.
You shouldn't have problems with any of these games on your laptop.
Minecraft is not my type of game but Stardew Valley is and I finished it :) (not 100% perfection though)
I have Neverwinter Nights in my Steam library I now feel very tempted to finally start playing it! Do you happen to know where the community gathers?
Thank you very much for your input.
(the following applies to enhanced edition)
Playerwise, the main servers (main as in where most players connect, not necessarily the best) are Arelith and Ravenloft, but you can check status and playercount here: https://nwn.beamdog.net/
Both of them are role-playing servers, you act/speak as your character at all times (it's far less daunting than what it might seem)
Ravenloft is gothic horror themed, think Curse of Strahd from pen and paper. https://www.nwnravenloft.com/
Arelith is based on Forgotten Realms, in/around an island far in the west. https://nwnarelith.com/
Both of them have a lot of custom mechanics, classes, ... not found on the base game. Also, both of them are big. They are probably over 1000 different areas (as a reference, the full base campaign, The Wailing Death has less than 100 areas (from the top of my head))
In case you want to try Arelith, it's split between a few (interconnected) servers. You probably want to check the Distant Shores one. It's designed for new players / low level characters.
There are also some action oriented, no RP required, just kill & loot if that's more of your thing. There's one I personally liked but it's been offline for a while, hometown diablo. I also tried one based on middle earth for a while.
Just check a few (smaller servers might seem "less lively" but DM run events might be more custom tailored) and see which one you like most.
To connect, just click on multiplayer and connect to a server. It might take a while as the game will download all the custom content used in the server.
Just saved your comment and will use it as a guide. Like your say seems a bit daunting to role play in servers but honestly, in these times, it might as well be what I'm needing in my life. Thanks once again.
thanks for using Leebra!
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@d3fc0n1 I’ll never not recommend Dwarf Fortress
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