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I’m currently playing Solasta: Crown of the Magister.

While it clearly doesn’t have a huge budget I think there’s a lot to like about this game. Anyone who loves Baldur’s Gate (who doesn’t?) and games of that ilk should be able to enjoy it. It uses the 5th edition D&D ruleset and sticks to it pretty faithfully. It also makes some changes to the genre which I think are for the better. In terms of mechanics, UI and graphics.

My concern is that I am a few hours in and the impression that I get is that the plot / story is becoming a bit formulaic. I would say more but don’t want to give away spoilers.

Yeah, as a tactical game its pretty decent. (held back a bit, personally, by the lack of choices in 5e).

Story-wise its kind of whatever.

In terms of voice acting & character art, its dog-crap. Same for character interactions, which IMO are pretty vital for an RPG. NPCs have stock dialogue, and every_single_NPC you're introduced to you in the starting city will berate you for being ignorant or new in one of their three lines (a couple have more than three, but they aren't stellar either), and it doesn't get much better.

UI-wise, its way better than the BG3 EA. (though that may have changed, as Larian supposedly updated that recently). They went all out in keeping things as faithful as possible to the ruleset rather than handwaving or leaving things out (which is still a BG3 problem)

Its also effectively complete (per their last big announcement stream), barring completely separate campaigns. I'm a bit sad for no new classes and etc, but a finished game is a very enviable thing right at the moment. I'm real tired of waiting for developers to 'really finish' their games.

I agree with your criticisms of Solasta, I do think it’s worth checking out though, for anyone who likes that sort of thing. I was thinking the other day that i haven’t played a party based RPG in the last 10 years that gripped me as much as Dragon Age Origins. There are plenty of options out there to choose from, and I’ve played some of them, but no luck so far. From what I’ve played of Solasta so far it comes close, though I admit it does a lot of things wrong too.

If Dragon Age 4 is anything like 3 (no reason to expect it not to be) I’ll probably play it to the conclusion, all the while wishing it was more like Origins. It’s sad to say that current day Bioware could learn a lot from Solasta in certain areas.

I haven’t played Baldur’s Gate 3 yet. It certainly looks good, though I don’t tend to buy Early Access games. Waiting for the game to be complete looks like it’s going to be a long wait too.

El Torro wrote:
I agree with your criticisms of Solasta, I do think it’s worth checking out though, for anyone who likes that sort of thing. I was thinking the other day that i haven’t played a party based RPG in the last 10 years that gripped me as much as Dragon Age Origins. There are plenty of options out there to choose from, and I’ve played some of them, but no luck so far. From what I’ve played of Solasta so far it comes close, though I admit it does a lot of things wrong too.

Oh, if someone is looking for tactical combat first? I definitely recommend it. Just that for me, its characters & story first, and it isn't good at that.

If Dragon Age 4 is anything like 3 (no reason to expect it not to be) I’ll probably play it to the conclusion, all the while wishing it was more like Origins. It’s sad to say that current day Bioware could learn a lot from Solasta in certain areas.

Gods, I hope it isn't like 3 or 1. Inquisition had too much wasted empty void space (and not enough story buried under all that padding), and oddly terrible characters. I still feel Origins is vastly over-rated. Partly because I was real keen on the marketing for it, which promised 'a fantasy setting unlike any other.' And it was... evil catholics, pseudo-orcs, elves dwarves dragons and bad magic. yay...? Generic corruption themes and more rape analogues (and actual rape) than you can shake a stick at. And lots and lots and lots of fetch quests. Woo...

I haven’t played Baldur’s Gate 3 yet. It certainly looks good, though I don’t tend to buy Early Access games. Waiting for the game to be complete looks like it’s going to be a long wait too.

Yeah, 2023 at best. I really want it to get better, but their writing is still kind of naff, the companion PCs they've introduced are... mmm. Not my cup of tea? Lets go with that.
And mechanically, they're not doing a great job recreating the system they're supposed to be transplanting to a computer game (and this is really one of the easier editions to make a computer game out of). They've stripped a couple classes of class features and haven't really replaced them.

For example, rogue sneak attack. In Solasta, it triggers like it should- you can choose to add a sneak attack on any hit (1/rnd) where you fulfill the criteria (advantage vs the target or target next to an ally). In BG3, its a type of attack you must choose in advance, and if it misses, you can't get the bonus damage on any of your other attacks, and you can't use it if you get advantage for shooting from higher ground, because reasons. Which is a huge downgrade in combat utility and functionality.

On the other hand, for the thief subclass of rogue, they couldn't (or didn't) implement the 3rd level subclass feature and just gave the subclass an extra bonus action always, that you can use on any type of bonus action you happen to have (off-hand attacks, shoves, interactions, items, spell-like abilities, dash because you're a rogue, whatever). Every turn. Which... is honestly god-tier broken, and can't be replicated by anything in the 5e system. Its freaking insane.

For the great old ones warlock, at 1st level they're supposed to get telepathy. They just... don't. The end. It isn't replaced by anything else, they just get nothing. And since the EA only goes to level 4, it means that for the time being, the subclass has no abilities at all. /shrug.
Both classes have been in the game since the beginning of EA (15 months ago now), and they're still just broken.

They just added the barbarian, which is... kinda cool, except the PnP rage mechanic just... doesn't work with their encounter design. You've got limited rages per day (2), and if you aren't attacked or attack, it ends. The intro map is huge, and enemies are all over the place (while PnP assumes a small number of significant encounters per day). If you can't consciously exploit _extremely_ long chains on unrelated enemies (that requires knowing exactly where they are and how to make 'fake' attacks between fights), you run dry and you're essentially a kind of crappy fighter without class abilities most of the time. Here they did a direct PnP port of a class and it simply doesn't work.

When I’m too tired for Elden ring or TWW 3 I’ve actually been playing Valheim. Great for chilling. I hang around my base or go on little adventures. There was recently a new update that added mountain caves. They are very atmospheric. I’d be very surprised if they aren’t tied to a future boss. Currently though except for the nice atmosphere they are kind of lackluster. You can craft a new unarmed weapon, a new armour set and a new rug with the loot from the caves. Oh and a new banner that looks like a curtain. I guess the one really cool addition is specialized armour. Like how the troll hide armour gave bonus to sneak. There’s now an armour that gives bonus to archery and one that gives bonus to unarmed. I guess that’s neat. Oh and since a while back you can tame and ride loxes. So I put loxes on a boat and shipped them to my base. It was hell to get them there but I love my new lox pasture. Riding around on them is fun.

I clocked Cyberpunk 2077 last night and I

My Cataclysm DDA experiment has ended after running afoul of the nutrition/calorie system.

Buddy, I don't even count calories in real life, why in the blazes would you expect me to do it for a computer game?

 Adrassil wrote:
I clocked Cyberpunk 2077 last night and I

Spoiler:

stormed Arasaka Tower as Johnny Silverhand and Rogue. It was pretty epic. My V pretty much massacred anyone that got in his way and even Adam Smasher didn't stand much of a chance. I had Johnny join up with Alt Cunnigham as that was what he promised. It was a strange experience talking to an NPC version of my character and how, as Johnny walks on the bridge I'm being insulted by me lol. The ending was...bittersweet. V has everything Panam, wealth, fame. But it's all for nothing as he's on borrowed time. The cliff hanger at the end is pretty I dunno, sad? I did spoil it for myself but it did affect me strongly. Cyberpunk is inherently a Nihilistic/Existentialist genre while Cyberpunk 2077 is more Existentialist it doesn't give the PC a happy ending. Great game!

Did you make the Arasaka sound system blast out Samurai as you were gunning your way through? Easily best part of the Rogue approach.

I recommend trying out all the approaches to the ending.

Since its release last week, I've basically been non-stop playing Gran Turismo 7.

It delivers all the hype that I personally had for the game, and then some. I am constantly amazed at the strides in physics these folks have made in the game, and the punishment/reward for how you do things on track is just so satisfying.

 A Town Called Malus wrote:
Did you make the Arasaka sound system blast out Samurai as you were gunning your way through?

Easily best part of the Rogue approach. I recommend trying out all the approaches to the ending.

No, but I wish I did! Do you need leet hacking skills to play music through it? Because my character isn't in that league much :(

 A Town Called Malus wrote:

Spoiler:

Especially the secret one which you get by having a good relationship with Johnny and waiting for some time on the roof instead of picking one of the others until Johnny proposes something different. It has you walking in the front door of Arasaka Matrix-style and gunning your way through. Makes you a legend and because you're doing it solo (well, you have Johnny in your head, too), you don't need to risk losing anyone.

The Nomad one is pretty cool, too! Definitely worth giving it a try and has a somewhat happier tone, I think.

You need to have 70% affinity with Johnny for the 'secret' ending I believe. It is determined by responses you give him when you have a chat in the oilfields after 'Chippin In'

I don't know if affinity matters. It might be tied only to your dialogue choices during that quest.

Last night I tried sitting and not deciding in Cyberpunk. Got nothing so either 60% isn't enough or I chose the wrong options in that scene. I've been quite nice to him and being too nice to him apparently isn't the right thing to do. Might try again if/when CD Projekt Red release a new game +. There does seem a few things I missed like the side quest to fix the ferris wheel in Pacifica.

 Adrassil wrote:
Last night I tried sitting and not deciding in Cyberpunk. Got nothing so either 60% isn't enough or I chose the wrong options in that scene. I've been quite nice to him and being too nice to him apparently isn't the right thing to do. Might try again if/when CD Projekt Red release a new game +. There does seem a few things I missed like the side quest to fix the ferris wheel in Pacifica.

They implemented the secret ending terribly. I am 99% certain that is only tied to 3-4 dialogue options during a specific scene at his grave.

Played some more Hearts of Iron 4. I keep getting Strikes as France and it's a pain in my ass.

I may see if there are more ways to increase stability if that's how Strikes start.

 flamingkillamajig wrote:
Played some more Hearts of Iron 4. I keep getting Strikes as France and it's a pain in my ass.

I may see if there are more ways to increase stability if that's how Strikes start.

Normal strikes are a chance depending upon stability. You need 50% to avoid negative events.

Keep in mind there's also the ones that start due to the montagnian(?) agreement / if you break it, its one of the reasons why left democratic side france is just not much fun to play as.

On my second Cyberpunk playthrough I somehow got the ending where V decided to eat their gun, despite the dialogue choices seeming to hint towards anything but that.

Anyway, chipping away at Cyberpunk pre-heist and also doing some Devour on the side, actually like it more than Phasmophobia, maybe because fighting back, as limited as it is, is better than doing nothing at all.

Well, since I can't seem to post in my own thread for some reason, I guess I'll share my thoughts here. I finally finished Horizon Forbidden West. What a ride. My save is currently at 125 hours and I have absolutely no intention of stopping any time soon.

This is, without doubt, my absolute favourite open world RPG. Everything is just so well executed. Characters, story, setting, combat, atmosphere, aesthetic - all of it is truly inspired. I loved Zero Dawn to death and this game has been an improvement in just about every conceivable way.

Favorite moments from the game...


Can't wait for the next one. Only 5 more years

I'm playing Battle Brothers, Stardew Valley and Empire TW. Also been enjoying Hunter Call of the Wild again, oh and Car Mechanic 2018.

Doing a hacker build in Cyberpunk 2077, running around fighting crime and doing gigs, not getting too deep into the main plot. Maxed out quickhacking with a focus on contagion spam. When I get bored with it, I just go in with a katana or shotty and finish them off. But its oddly satisfying to watch some of these scum bags run around dying while I watch from a safe distance.

There are certain gangs that just deserve no mercy, like the ones who were holding on to the Militech drone thing. They seem to heavily modify their bodies and their name escapes me. I haven't really done a deep dive into most of the other gangs, but those guys are kill on sight.

Maelstrom? Compared to the japanese fetish gang that enslaves prostitutes, they seem just average bad boys, with a few exceptions, like the pack screwing with the monks.

Yeah, Maelstrom crossed the moral event horizon for me when they forcefully installed cybernetics into the unwilling, including that monk who is part of a religious group that sees enhancements as impure.

Most gangs serve as nothing more than easy XP and street cred with the warrants on their heads.

 BrookM wrote:
Yeah, Maelstrom crossed the moral event horizon for me when they forcefully installed cybernetics into the unwilling, including that monk who is part of a religious group that sees enhancements as impure.

Most gangs serve as nothing more than easy XP and street cred with the warrants on their heads.

The ones I kill on sight are The Scavs who make the snuff BDs and did things so horrific to

Damned horrible.

Been playing a mix of Rimworld, Stellaris and Civ6.

 BrookM wrote:
Yeah, Maelstrom crossed the moral event horizon for me when they forcefully installed cybernetics into the unwilling, including that monk who is part of a religious group that sees enhancements as impure.

Most gangs serve as nothing more than easy XP and street cred with the warrants on their heads.

Truthfully, the game gives no reason for you NOT to kill every gang member you wander across. There's no real interaction or relationship penalty or anything. They're just bags of loot and XP rather than characters, its one of the fundamental flaws of the game. Unless you just want a shooter/looter. Its pretty fun when its just that.

----
Speaking of flawed games. I wandered back into World of Warcraft to use up some game tokens and to play something that has finished content while I wait for other games to come out of delayed development.
Its the end of the Shadowlands expansion, which has largely been disastrously bad and Blizzard itself has been nightmareland, but leveling characters in old content is pretty relaxing when I'm tired and burned out.
But I've inadvertently finished the end end zone story (I think there's one more part to go next week), and it wasn't completely terrible. Wrapped up some story lines and bits of it were almost touching (like questing with the current 'Lich King' and his daughter and watching them reconcile). The main thrust of the expansion is still dumb as hell though. Ends with


They're going to announce the next expansion next month- it should be funny. They're going to have to dig real deep to recover from the various holes they dug, and really hope Microsoft (heh) can rehabilitate their image.

Voss wrote:


Speaking of flawed games. I wandered back into World of Warcraft to use up some game tokens and to play something that has finished content while I wait for other games to come out of delayed development.

I've played every expansion, had a max level for every character for all of them, including Classic and TBC Classic, but Shadowlands and nu-Blizzard killed my interest. The story has never been good, only passable, but at this point it's jumped back to back expansions of sharks and their weird need to go back and censor old quests and NPCs is...off-putting. Some /funny jokes were tasteless, but IIRC those were generally worse than any quest.

Decided to do a replay of New Vegas, doing two things I'd normally never do: decided to start the game at max level and some choice kit (Ranger armour and the .45 auto pistol), as well as trying to install some mods to up the performance and quality of textures. Also, an eyepatch, because I like the idea of the Courier taking two rounds to the dome, one of those could've ruined an eye, so why not?

Am now also the owner of a Switch, really enjoying Luigi's Mansion, can't wait to play Pokemon UK when my brother remembers where he left the cartridge.

I downloaded Gladius- Relics of War and just completed a game as Eldar, fighting with Imperial Guard and the new faction, Adeptus Mechanicus vs Orks, Chaos Space Marine and Necrons. It was fun and very addictive, and made sure to wipe out the enemy factions before completing the uhh "campaign". As the last time I won the "campaign" before taking the fight to the enemy, they had top tier units such as Big Stompas that one-shot my level 10 Autarch Raloth Arlyandor I'd been training since the early game. By the end of the game, it's pretty cool having Wraithknights and Scorpions crawling across the map one-shotting Umbras is pretty cool.

Also, what are Umbras in 40k anyway?

Also, also, the new Warlock unit is awesome, OP as hell.

 Adrassil wrote:
I downloaded Gladius- Relics of War and just completed a game as Eldar, fighting with Imperial Guard and the new faction, Adeptus Mechanicus vs Orks, Chaos Space Marine and Necrons. It was fun and very addictive, and made sure to wipe out the enemy factions before completing the uhh "campaign". As the last time I won the "campaign" before taking the fight to the enemy, they had top tier units such as Big Stompas that one-shot my level 10 Autarch Raloth Arlyandor I'd been training since the early game. By the end of the game, it's pretty cool having Wraithknights and Scorpions crawling across the map one-shotting Umbras is pretty cool.

Also, what are Umbras in 40k anyway?

Also, also, the new Warlock unit is awesome, OP as hell.

I love Gladius. I usually set up thematic maps. Like space marine vs 7 allied ork players. Or eldars vs two teams of 3 necrons in each. Or guards vs 7 allied ‘nidz. It’s rare that I win theese themed games but it does happen. It’s the only big scale 40k simulator we have. Not counting chapter master, bfg or DoW apoc mod. Umbras are an xeno species that may or may not house (minor) chaos gods. It’s said that the kroot god is asleep in her Umbra. Umbras are what you see in the astartes animation.

I got sick and wasn’t quite up for playing Elden ring. So I’ve been doing Endzone. Bad timing because dlc is just around the corner. Honestly I prefer banished over endzone. It’s just that I’ve finished all the content in banished. I mean I do have lots of mods installed but they don’t quite do it for me. Massive respect to everyone who’s worked on the mods though, they’re incredibly extensive.

Went on an Amazing Cultivation Simulator binge. I started over, as I often do. This time I got my first golden core cultivator. And learned how not to do things. I also discovered some elements of the dialogue system that I hadn't realized existed up until now.

Time to start over again so that I can properly utilize the features...