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Man, I gotta get my own Skyrim mods polished and finished up. Little stuff, you know, like tweaking crafting recipes (Corundum is NOT A METAL), changing the cost of certain spells, adding some new ones. Wards, especially, needed a lot more variety which I added. And I really want to expand on the Vanilla Staff and Scroll crafting the game has with the Atronach Forge.

Shower with your dad simulator.



5/10

About 1/4th through a fresh playthrough of Pillars of Eternity 2.

I figured it was time to revisit this excellent game now that 2 of the 3 planned Paid DLC content has been released. Looking forward to exploring more of Eora and more of its mythology.

I like to play Call of Duty after they been out a while to save money. Playing Black Ops III right now.

Pathfinder: Kingmaker

Binding of Isaac

 Bobthehero wrote:
Pathfinder: Kingmaker

Same. Rather good, not nearly as buggy as I feared from an untested studio.

It's very faithful to Pathfinder PNP, which is both good and bad. Lots (and lots) of options, which I'm sure will overwhelm a lot of people trying it, and (especially at low levels) combat can be very brutal. The RNG can just splatter characters at times.


At the moment, I've got my typical day 2 dilemma: continue on with a party I'm not entirely satisfied with, or start over with a different character.



@Nels- did they do a lot of tinkering again with the new patch? Kingmaker has all my attention at the moment, but I wasn't particularly happy with Deadfire on launch, and the massive revisions after the first dlc convinced me the best thing to do was wait until all three DLC were out, and then wait a month or two more until they get bored of messing about with changing mechanics and classes.

I've just started a fresh play through of Dragon Age Origins - I've played it so many times but still love it. I'm also playing World of Warcraft, and really enjoying the new expansion (trolls! So many trolls!).

Voss wrote:

 Bobthehero wrote:
Pathfinder: Kingmaker

Same. Rather good, not nearly as buggy as I feared from an untested studio.

It's very faithful to Pathfinder PNP, which is both good and bad.

Oh yes, waiting 2-3 minutes to get out of a cave I already explored because someone gets stuck on web trap and they fail their saves constantly is reeeeeeeeeeeally tedious.

Voss wrote:

@Nels- did they do a lot of tinkering again with the new patch? Kingmaker has all my attention at the moment, but I wasn't particularly happy with Deadfire on launch, and the massive revisions after the first dlc convinced me the best thing to do was wait until all three DLC were out, and then wait a month or two more until they get bored of messing about with changing mechanics and classes.

Its been so long since I did my initial playthrough, so I can't say for sure what they changed. I didn't even touch it until a few days ago when I was bored, so I'm not even sure what was changed for the first DLC.

Only thing that comes to mind is that Druid spells feel much more powerful, and the Rangers got some new abilities. It definitely feels easier, there are times when I'm playing "Classic" mode and I have to check that I didn't somehow turn difficulty to "Story Mode". Maybe I didn't turn on level scaling, or they made the game less difficult. Or I just L2P'd and know how to min/max my characters.

Pretty sure the rival families quest line in Port Maje is still bugged. I try to play both sides and do the peaceful resolution at the end, but one or the other turns hostile once I try to get them to the table. I may have done something wrong, but it was definitely bugged at launch, as i could double dip for end quest loot.

I'm playing it pretty slow, as I don't want to burn through the content and forget about it before the 3rd DLC is released.

I just finished playing a Total Warhammer 1 Dwarf campaign on Hard. Considering the difficulty and frustration I had in my 'Hard' Empire game, this seemed like a bit of cakewalk.

Although Hard Mode still seems to be, "nothings changed, but the enemies are way more experienced and do more damage to you, so you need 2 armies to beat their 1 army." (Or, if in the Empire's case, 3 armies...)

Ashaar wrote:
I've just started a fresh play through of Dragon Age Origins - I've played it so many times but still love it. I'm also playing World of Warcraft, and really enjoying the new expansion (trolls! So many trolls!).

Curiously, what did you think of DA2?

Because I loved DA:O, and I thought DA2 was perhaps the most disappointing sequel I've ever played in my life. I honestly don't remember why, exactly, but I remember feeling it was terribad.

 Kap'n Krump wrote:


Curiously, what did you think of DA2?

Because I loved DA:O, and I thought DA2 was perhaps the most disappointing sequel I've ever played in my life. I honestly don't remember why, exactly, but I remember feeling it was terribad.

I loved it, but fully recognise it's terrible. Interiors being reused over and over so every cave was the same, the ending being the same no matter what choices you make... so much of it was frustrating and felt half-assed. I really enjoyed it despite all this, and keep going back to it as I love the characters. I'm pleased they made the effort to make DA:I so good in comparison - but the story felt incomplete until after the Trespasser DLC, and having to buy DLC to make it feel 'finished' left a sour taste. DA:O is by far the best of the three imo.

I think DA2 stands as something of a rough diamond. While there are undoubtedly a lot of flaws (the reused assets and maps, the graphics not holding up even to their contemporaries) there's so much I love about it.

I think it possibly has the best cast of party members across the franchise, the three-act structure is a stroke of genius I'd love to see future Bioware games have another go at, the combat is to my mind a big step up over Origins just due to the faster pace. The writing I also think is fantastic, the way it weaves the seemingly separate narrative threads together and builds up an incredible tension towards the end of each act is great. Kirkwall feels like a powder keg about to explode at any minute and has a great sense of a place changing with the world around it.

To be honest, I love the fact that we have 3 DA games that are all totally different. Origins for the old-school RPG experience, DA2 for the grand, sweeping but very personal narrative, Inquisition for the truly epic 'end of the world' adventure. When DA4 rolls around, I hope it continues this trend of doing things differently every time, rather than just being Inquisition 2.0.

Agree. I know all lot of people feel DA2 was made on the cheap but I actually found it to be the most fun of them all.

wreckfest on steam, FC5 on ps4.

 nels1031 wrote:

Voss wrote:

@Nels- did they do a lot of tinkering again with the new patch? Kingmaker has all my attention at the moment, but I wasn't particularly happy with Deadfire on launch, and the massive revisions after the first dlc convinced me the best thing to do was wait until all three DLC were out, and then wait a month or two more until they get bored of messing about with changing mechanics and classes.

Its been so long since I did my initial playthrough, so I can't say for sure what they changed. I didn't even touch it until a few days ago when I was bored, so I'm not even sure what was changed for the first DLC.

Only thing that comes to mind is that Druid spells feel much more powerful, and the Rangers got some new abilities. It definitely feels easier, there are times when I'm playing "Classic" mode and I have to check that I didn't somehow turn difficulty to "Story Mode". Maybe I didn't turn on level scaling, or they made the game less difficult. Or I just L2P'd and know how to min/max my characters.

Huh. Difficulty was a problem from the start, I played it when it came out (and forced myself to finish early due to a bug with enemies not dying in combat, and instead becoming immortal)- but most fights were an absolute face roll.
Druid spells being more powerful is interesting.... they had apparently nerfed druids significantly last patch. Apparently too much. Yeah, I'll definitely keep waiting.

 KamikazeCanuck wrote:
Agree. I know all lot of people feel DA2 was made on the cheap but I actually found it to be the most fun of them all.

Agree on that. A few problems on interiors, boss fights and abomination spam, but it had the best characters, and a much better story. [I actually think DA:O is the most forgettable of the three]
Whatever they do with 4, I hope they manage the games media better than they did with Andromeda.


---

So... in other news, TW Rome 2 and TW Atilla are both on sale again. Which is the better option, especially as a first dip into non-Warhammer Total Wars?

Voss wrote:
So... in other news, TW Rome 2 and TW Atilla are both on sale again. Which is the better option, especially as a first dip into non-Warhammer Total Wars?

How long is the sale running for?

TW Three Kingdoms just went on pre-order (released early next year, and pre-paying gets you the Yellow Turban DLC), and there's apparently supposed to be some sort of Total War announcement on the fourth of October.

Voss wrote:

So... in other news, TW Rome 2 and TW Atilla are both on sale again. Which is the better option, especially as a first dip into non-Warhammer Total Wars?

Atilla is my favorite TW game, as it added so many great features, some of which you will recognize from Warhammer. I enjoyed Rome 2 as a sandbox, but Atilla has a more narrative driven experience in that the story is based around the titular character's birth, rise and rampages across Europe. You also have to battle against climate change, in that a mini-ice age goes along with Atilla's rise. So even if you get your gak together militarily before the Huns or any other nomadic factions come your way, the changing weather patterns might devastate your economy. There are also plagues and religious upheavals chewing up public order, depending on what faction you choose.

Playing as Western Rome in Atilla is like playing Warhammer 1+2 with Archaon's invasion starting on turn one. It was so fun and tense. It felt like an entire campaign of desperate last stands and winning against all odds. It becomes like a normal TW game once the storm has passed, though.

Opinions will vary of course, but I like Atilla the most. Rome 2 had a tainted launch but its now one of the better and more polished historical titles CA has ever released. Only took like 3-4 years of TLC (and DLC). It now has some of the features that made Atilla my favorite, but its just not the same because of the (I believe)different game engines.

Why not buy both and play the rise and fall of Rome(at least the western half)?

edit: Warning: I haven't played Atilla in a bit, and from what I read there is a bug that CA hasn't adressed in a few years. People comment on it every time there is TW news on Facebook pages. I'm not sure the extent of the bug, so can't speak to if its game breaking or just annoying. Keep that in mind when it comes time to purchase.


Automatically Appended Next Post:

Voss wrote:

Huh. Difficulty was a problem from the start, I played it when it came out (and forced myself to finish early due to a bug with enemies not dying in combat, and instead becoming immortal)- but most fights were an absolute face roll.
Druid spells being more powerful is interesting.... they had apparently nerfed druids significantly last patch. Apparently too much. Yeah, I'll definitely keep waiting.

After playing it a bit more, it mainly seems to be just one spell, which is a level 10 AoE that my druid pops at the start of combat. It can reliably knock same level mobs down to about half life. Its water/ice based, so it probably has something to do with resistances. The mage fire AoE doesn't have as much effect, yet. Seems like Ice based enemies are in the first DLC, and fire in the second, just going by screenshots. I haven't delved into either yet. Just trying to get leveled and gear for the new content.

I kicked up difficulty to whatever was above "Classic mode"(I forget) and turned on level scaling. It feels better now, much more of a challenge.

Eumerin wrote:

Voss wrote:
So... in other news, TW Rome 2 and TW Atilla are both on sale again. Which is the better option, especially as a first dip into non-Warhammer Total Wars?

How long is the sale running for?

To October 1.

One big thing is Atilla+all DLC is less than the normal price of the base game.
Rome 2 is $20 (not unreasonable) and all the DLC for that is still $77 despite big discounts on most of it. That's pretty crazy, even with Rise being very recent (and only 10% off, which is fairly reasonable given its barely more than a month old)

TW Three Kingdoms just went on pre-order (released early next year, and pre-paying gets you the Yellow Turban DLC)

Can never escape those yellow turbans. Nearly 6 months seems far, far too early to pre-order. Especially since CA has favored youtubers they'll give early access copies to, probably in late Feb. I'll at least wait until those start going up and a good look at the game happens.


An announcement, eh? Could be something for Thrones or Warhammer 2. It's about time for a campaign pack or something for either.
Or it will be disappointing and just the 4th Dark Elf lord free release.

Should be the Warhammer 2 campaign pack announcement as they had said there was going to be one at the emd of the year. October announcement gives November release and that leaves some time to put out a patch before the Christmas break I assume.

Between Rome and Atilla, both are great, Rome has a bit more diversity and a little less in the way of annoying mechanics (the food/climate change of Atilla which means everyone is going to starve to death with 1/2 being barren wasteland, its a very forced mechanic the AI can't really deal with). When it comes to DLC just skip the Rome mini campaigns (Ceasar, Hannibal and Sparta), they are decent but not that different for the price. The last two I haven't tried but last I heard the Rise of Rome one had an annoying Civil War conga line kind of bug. Atilla DLC is decent, the Last Roman isn't that amazing, Charlemaigne(?) Is better for a kind of early Medieval style TW, but again not super amazing.

Rome 2 has more diversity in factions with DLC as Atilla has the three faction super blobs. Given the choice though? Skip all the mini campaign DLC for now, one or two faction packs if they really speak to you but overall I think you might be happier with 2 games instead of 1 with all DLC if that is the way you would go. You can always get some DLC once another sale rolls by, but with mods its already going to give you plenty to mess with before the next sale comes by.

Voss wrote:

Or it will be disappointing and just the 4th Dark Elf lord free release.

Hey, they still need to add Malus Darkblade

A Malus Darkblade campaign would be pretty neat. Start off heading into the wastes and getting possessed by Tz'arkan, then have to acquire the relics and recover your soul and then march on Hag Graef.

This “We Happy Few” is proving to be a bit of a let down game play wise.

Blasted through Battletech, little over 60 hours for the campaign, game is awesome.

Also, went back to Total War Warhammer, still a great game.

Guild Wars 2 and Battletech (2nd play thought)

Tried a few battles with Skaven in TWW 2. I'm honestly surprised how resilient some of their commander units are. During one skirmish against Bretonnia, a warlord managed to cleave through a unit of squires on his own. In that same fight, a warplock engineer and doomwheel managed to fight off pegasus knights and grail reliquae in close combat. They were the only three standing, and somehow won the fight.

 A Town Called Malus wrote:

Voss wrote:

Or it will be disappointing and just the 4th Dark Elf lord free release.

Hey, they still need to add Malus Darkblade

A Malus Darkblade campaign would be pretty neat. Start off heading into the wastes and getting possessed by Tz'arkan, then have to acquire the relics and recover your soul and then march on Hag Graef.

I would be so bummed if DE got their 4th lord before the Lizards get 3. That would be two factions with 4 lords while the Lizardmen are still stuck on 2.

 Disciple of Fate wrote:

 A Town Called Malus wrote:

Voss wrote:

Or it will be disappointing and just the 4th Dark Elf lord free release.

Hey, they still need to add Malus Darkblade

A Malus Darkblade campaign would be pretty neat. Start off heading into the wastes and getting possessed by Tz'arkan, then have to acquire the relics and recover your soul and then march on Hag Graef.

I would be so bummed if DE got their 4th lord before the Lizards get 3. That would be two factions with 4 lords while the Lizardmen are still stuck on 2.

That seems most likely. The last time I saw the Free DLC banner image, the background for the next lord was a DE city.
Can't find that recently, though.

The October 4th announcement is almost certainly fantasy though, considering the 'news' bit on the Steam page is "A fantastical announcement is drawing near'

The only hope I can hold onto for Lizardmen is that the FLC bamner got changed a lot Originally the image was a Lizard style temple and jungle, but the Norsca mess and the QntC saw it change to High Elves suddenly. The idea seemed to be Slaven and Lizardmen FLC lords with HE and DE dlc lords. Well whatever, I'm curious what they will introduce given the options and if it is Southern Realms, as most people expect, what it's going to look like. Hopefully it won't be too long of a wait for the Lizardmen versus Skaven pack after that.

Maybe they will release it before Three Kingdoms. I'm pretty curious about that one, I always hoped for a China TW. Although I'm not as excited as I used to be for other CA titles. I don't know why, but Three Kingdoms just doesn't entirely click yet, certainly after it sounds like they removed naval combat.

 Turnip Jedi wrote:
Trying to complete FTL on Hard with the type C stealth cruiser, it's not going well, as whilst there is clearly a knack to playing FTL well the initially no-Stealth or Shields ship is starting to feel a bit of a RNG flukefest

FTL patched for multiple languages and I thought I'd have another crack at this after giving up, still blood boilingly nigh on impossible wink