Video Games: No Man's Pie

[Rhom]

14 minutes ago, Fez said:

Been having a lot of fun with my DK in WoW, enough fun that I decided to buy the Legion expansion. Since I'm leveling the old fashioned way (though I did do a few invasions to get some gear chests that I'll open when I hit 100), and in fact I'm staying in Northrend for now even though I hit 80 because I want to go through all the Icecrown content, I used the free 100 boost on a new character so that I could have a Horde alt and be able to see all the pre-launch content  while it was still current. Went Shadow Priest, which is what I played way back when. The class is very different now, not sure I fully understand how it works yet, but I really like the class lore.

And I also created a Demon Hunter just to see what they're like. And jeez, they feel like something out of a completely different game. Between the double jump, gliding, and the dash attack they have so much more mobility than the other characters. I wonder if that's a direction Blizzard will eventually take all the classes. I kind of think they have to. I know Blizzard never really gets balancing right, except the original Starcraft, but I have to think that DHs are just dominating the other melee classes in PvP. Also, old news, but DHs can talk cross-faction to each other, which definitely seems like something that should get opened up to everybody.

Interesting.  Didn't know that.

The cross faction question really is ridiculous these days considering all the times the two factions wind up working together now.  So Sylvanas can talk to my dwarf, but random undead warlock can't?

[Fez]

10 minutes ago, Rhom said:

Interesting.  Didn't know that.

The cross faction question really is ridiculous these days considering all the times the two factions wind up working together now.  So Sylvanas can talk to my dwarf, but random undead warlock can't?

I know I'm new to being back in the WoW community, but I think the restriction will go away soon. I played Forsaken way back when, when they could talk to the Alliance, and I understand why Blizzard took it out back then (the insults were vicious). But I think they have much better tools in place to crack down on people who go over the line (certainly they do in Overwatch).

And it turns out that in a patch earlier this month Blizzard added the abilities for Pandas to cross-faction talk to each other too. So I suspect more and more exceptions will be added until everyone can do it.

[Werthead]

15 hours ago, Pliskin said:

I'm one of those nuts. Are you saying that

  Reveal hidden contents

Malik is still considered dead anyway? That would seriously piss me off, given that I spent a day or more trying to save her with no kill...

 

Nope:

It's simply not acknowledged. Malik isn't mentioned at all - although Sarif appears at the start and Pritchard is mentioned - and when someone asks you what happened in Panchaea, you just angrily say "It doesn't matter, it didn't change anything."

[Jasta11]

1 hour ago, Fez said:

Been having a lot of fun with my DK in WoW, enough fun that I decided to buy the Legion expansion. Since I'm leveling the old fashioned way (though I did do a few invasions to get some gear chests that I'll open when I hit 100), and in fact I'm staying in Northrend for now even though I hit 80 because I want to go through all the Icecrown content, I used the free 100 boost on a new character so that I could have a Horde alt and be able to see all the pre-launch content  while it was still current. Went Shadow Priest, which is what I played way back when. The class is very different now, not sure I fully understand how it works yet, but I really like the class lore.

And I also created a Demon Hunter just to see what they're like. And jeez, they feel like something out of a completely different game. Between the double jump, gliding, and the dash attack they have so much more mobility than the other characters. I wonder if that's a direction Blizzard will eventually take all the classes. I kind of think they have to. I know Blizzard never really gets balancing right, except the original Starcraft, but I have to think that DHs are just dominating the other melee classes in PvP. Also, old news, but DHs can talk cross-faction to each other, which definitely seems like something that should get opened up to everybody.

DHs don't have that much more mobility than Monks or Feral Druids, and aren't that great in PvP either. First, they're missing most of their talents at 100, and second they have no innate way to break snares or root. Thus, no jokes, a Death Knight can almost kite them around thanks to their spammable Chains of Ice. In a PvP world where crowd control is king, DHs also only have a 1 minute CD stun. And finally, they have no self heals unlike most melee classes now. They're fairly easy prey, actually, especially since many of them are rolled for the cool factor and aren't that good.

But yeah, moving around with a DH is loads of fun. I'm probably going to make mine into a tank, Vengeance feels really good already and I can see it becoming my primary alt in Legion alongside my Warrior who's going to be Fury as always.

[Fez]

23 minutes ago, Jasta11 said:

DHs don't have that much more mobility than Monks or Feral Druids, and aren't that great in PvP either. First, they're missing most of their talents at 100, and second they have no innate way to break snares or root. Thus, no jokes, a Death Knight can almost kite them around thanks to their spammable Chains of Ice. In a PvP world where crowd control is king, DHs also only have a 1 minute CD stun. And finally, they have no self heals unlike most melee classes now. They're fairly easy prey, actually, especially since many of them are rolled for the cool factor and aren't that good.

But yeah, moving around with a DH is loads of fun. I'm probably going to make mine into a tank, Vengeance feels really good already and I can see it becoming my primary alt in Legion alongside my Warrior who's going to be Fury as always.

Fair enough. I haven't PvP'd since 2006, so I have no idea what its actually like. And when I did, I was terrible and only did it because there were quests for it.

Still, I wasn't planning on playing a DH, I only wanted to see what the starting zone was like. But moving with them is just so fun, I just may have to. Although, my main time sink for a while will be continuing to level up my DK. But once I finish Icecrown I'll probably do that pretty quickly; I don't have as much interest in seeing what I missed in the other expansions as I do with Wrath.

[Rhom]

51 minutes ago, Jasta11 said:

DHs don't have that much more mobility than Monks or Feral Druids, and aren't that great in PvP either. First, they're missing most of their talents at 100, and second they have no innate way to break snares or root. Thus, no jokes, a Death Knight can almost kite them around thanks to their spammable Chains of Ice. In a PvP world where crowd control is king, DHs also only have a 1 minute CD stun. And finally, they have no self heals unlike most melee classes now. They're fairly easy prey, actually, especially since many of them are rolled for the cool factor and aren't that good.

But yeah, moving around with a DH is loads of fun. I'm probably going to make mine into a tank, Vengeance feels really good already and I can see it becoming my primary alt in Legion alongside my Warrior who's going to be Fury as always.

While running Black Temple for a couple months in an effort to finally get the Bulwark of Azzinoth transmute, I wound up getting both of the legendary Warglaives.  It bugs me more than a bit that I can only dual wield in Fury spec now, and half the abilities require me to be using 2H weapons.    Hard to walk around with them for the cool factor like that.

Generally, I've always been Prot spec.  Even when leveling was SLOWWWWWW with prot spec in vanilla, I was prot.  But I liked being able to swap out and use some of the old weapons. 

[MerenthaClone]

10 hours ago, Corvinus said:

Too late, I deleted the campaign, and will start over. But I seriously doubt I will try ironman again. In my experience, the game is not that salvageable. In this particular case I lost 2 soldiers (one of them the SPARK) within two turns, and the rest were in serious trouble. I highly doubt I could have saved many of them. And the few left at the base were already wounded, too. That's what annoys me about the game, the healing process takes too long, and sometimes a soldier takes 3 point damage and is gravely wounded, other times they are only wounded.

I was also two points away from the Avatar project being complete. I was planning to hit a black site after this mission, but I would not have had the manpower to do that mission after this disaster.

And I seldom have resources to buy new recruits. I generally have to save my supplies for equipment upgrades, and occasionally a new facility built. Things were going ok, until I hit the backspace key.  

A few things:  Build an AWC early and staff it with an engineer, you get a much faster heal rate.  Use evac, seriously.  You can get everyone out in one turn as long as they're within move distance of the evac zone.  Its a very good ability, and the inability to use it is why the missions with an existing LZ are so dangerous.  Its also worth rotating newer soldiers in so that a squadwipe doesn't devastate you;  having three full squads is worth the slightly reduced experience that your best soldiers will have.  Its XCOM, have backups.  They're definitely worth the cost.  And maybe for me, but part of the fun of the game is riding out setbacks.  If you've got two pips left until completion, you've got a lot of time left.  Probably at least a full month, maybe more.  

 

e:  Sorry, I really, really like XCOM2 and played it way too much after getting really involved with XCOM:EW's LW mod, so I'm probably on the masochistic side of players.  

[Corvinus85]

1 hour ago, MerenthaClone said:

A few things:  Build an AWC early and staff it with an engineer, you get a much faster heal rate.  Use evac, seriously.  You can get everyone out in one turn as long as they're within move distance of the evac zone.  Its a very good ability, and the inability to use it is why the missions with an existing LZ are so dangerous.  Its also worth rotating newer soldiers in so that a squadwipe doesn't devastate you;  having three full squads is worth the slightly reduced experience that your best soldiers will have.  Its XCOM, have backups.  They're definitely worth the cost.  And maybe for me, but part of the fun of the game is riding out setbacks.  If you've got two pips left until completion, you've got a lot of time left.  Probably at least a full month, maybe more.  

 

e:  Sorry, I really, really like XCOM2 and played it way too much after getting really involved with XCOM:EW's LW mod, so I'm probably on the masochistic side of players.  

Built AWC fast, built Guerrilla Tactics School fast, build Proving Ground fast. And need power relays for them. Too many and not enough resources or time.  

And I really like the game, too. I already beat it once but without Ironman mode. And now I got some mods and the Shen DLC.

[Jasta11]

It's why I don't play Ironman. Sorry, but I don't want a few silly mistakes or misclicks ruining a 40-50 hour campaign. If that makes me a casual, so be it. I do need to finish my latest game, I'm pretty far in with the Better Advent mod which throws some... interesting curveballs at you. Such as elite Sectoids that break your Psi powers, which almost got half my team killed when an Andromedon stopped playing ball with me.

Also, in TW:Warhammer related news, the newest DLC is titled the Grim and the Grave, and introduces some neat new stuff, such as Volkmar, Flagellants and Knights of the Blazing Sun for the soldiers of the Emprah, and Corpse Carts + Mortis Engine for the Vampires, along with a couple new Lords and 18 Regiments of Renown (basically reskinned basic units with unique traits such as Vanguard deployment). For 7$, it's not too much of an asking price, and CA also said the Vampires get Vlad von Carstein as a free Legendary Lord for all players which is cool.

[Fez]

Without any warning, I think, Cyan (the developers behind Myst, Riven, etc.) released a new game yesterday, Obduction. Which looks exactly like one of those games, just much better looking graphically. I'm not sure I have the brain power anymore to play something like that anymore, but seeing that trailer sure does make me nostalgic.

[Channel4s-JonSnow]

9 hours ago, Jasta11 said:

It's why I don't play Ironman. Sorry, but I don't want a few silly mistakes or misclicks ruining a 40-50 hour campaign. If that makes me a casual, so be it. I do need to finish my latest game, I'm pretty far in with the Better Advent mod which throws some... interesting curveballs at you. Such as elite Sectoids that break your Psi powers, which almost got half my team killed when an Andromedon stopped playing ball with me.

Also, in TW:Warhammer related news, the newest DLC is titled the Grim and the Grave, and introduces some neat new stuff, such as Volkmar, Flagellants and Knights of the Blazing Sun for the soldiers of the Emprah, and Corpse Carts + Mortis Engine for the Vampires, along with a couple new Lords and 18 Regiments of Renown (basically reskinned basic units with unique traits such as Vanguard deployment). For 7$, it's not too much of an asking price, and CA also said the Vampires get Vlad von Carstein as a free Legendary Lord for all players which is cool.

I've never really played Ironman either, although I like the idea of every action meaning something, but XCOM makes me frustrated enough as it is, I can't imagine the mini rage I would get if something dumb causes a wipe out.

As for Warhammer, I can't say I'm hugely impressed by what is essentially a reskin that I have to pay for. 

[Stannis Eats No Peaches]

Mankind Divided looks pretty appealing, but I've never played a Deus Ex game. Will I need to play Human Revolution or any of the previous games to understand what's going on? I might pick up HR anyway, but I've heard that the original game, while a classic, is rather dated.

[Melphis Amekia]

1 hour ago, Stannis Eats No Peaches said:

Mankind Divided looks pretty appealing, but I've never played a Deus Ex game. Will I need to play Human Revolution or any of the previous games to understand what's going on? I might pick up HR anyway, but I've heard that the original game, while a classic, is rather dated.

You get a 12-min recap video in Mankind Divided before you start the game. I do recommend you to buy HR but if you don't want to you don't have to.

[Kalbear]

I've played 20 hours and still haven't finished the first main story mission yet. 

I did however break into a bank, cause the robots to execute almost everyone in the building and cause the police to make the entire place a crime scene. Whilethey ushered me out of the place, run Lola run style. 

[Sullen]

Reaper's Due (and the accompanying patch) is out today.

I've yet to play it yet, but I honestly can't wait to get back to playing Crusader Kings 2 optimized, and with East Africans being properly represented (at last). Now if only we had West Slav portraits, and maybe an update to the vanilla Western European/Muslims faces, the game would be perfect as far as portraits go. Maybe do one for Berbers as well.

[MerenthaClone]

4 hours ago, Channel4s-JonSnow said:

I've never really played Ironman either, although I like the idea of every action meaning something, but XCOM makes me frustrated enough as it is, I can't imagine the mini rage I would get if something dumb causes a wipe out.

As for Warhammer, I can't say I'm hugely impressed by what is essentially a reskin that I have to pay for. 

So don't buy it.  The base game has tons of content and is easily worth the asking price, and the DLCs are extra on top if you want them.  The only unfinished faction (Bretonnia) is even the one that's getting fully fleshed out for free later, and the various faction packs are added as enemies in the grand campaign anyway, so you're still getting some decent post-release support for the base game as-is.  

[Channel4s-JonSnow]

15 hours ago, MerenthaClone said:

So don't buy it.  The base game has tons of content and is easily worth the asking price, and the DLCs are extra on top if you want them.  The only unfinished faction (Bretonnia) is even the one that's getting fully fleshed out for free later, and the various faction packs are added as enemies in the grand campaign anyway, so you're still getting some decent post-release support for the base game as-is.  

I won't be buying it. Its not like I haven't purchased TW DLC's before. I've just been burnt getting Beastmen as a DLC, which was pretty empty campaign wise. 

I don't mind getting DLCs if I feel some effort has gone into them and they might give me a different gaming experience. Total War, like many game series suffers because its become one reskin after another. Warhammer I really enjoy, but its the same game as Attila with different graphics and some settings turned off with other things renamed. Attila is just Rome 2 with some minor changes. You can go all the way back through the series and say each one is just a minor reskin of the other. Thats fair enough, if I was a company its what I would do, but sometimes these games have the same flaws that keep cropping up time and time again, you just want them to start again and create something from scratch.

[Werthead]

On 25/08/2016 at 3:22 PM, Stannis Eats No Peaches said:

Mankind Divided looks pretty appealing, but I've never played a Deus Ex game. Will I need to play Human Revolution or any of the previous games to understand what's going on? I might pick up HR anyway, but I've heard that the original game, while a classic, is rather dated.

Human Revolution and Mankind Divided are prequels to the original Deus Ex, although I think they're going in such a different direction in tone that they're essentially soft reboots anyway.

In terms of chronology it's:

1. Human Revolution (2027)
2. Mankind Divided (2029)
3. Deus Ex (2052)
4. Invisible War (2072)

So yeah, start with Human Revolution, in particular the Director's Cut which is far superior to the original release. The original Deus Ex is playable if you can forgive a very clunky interface and iffy graphics. The freedom Deus Ex gives you to do stuff and still be able to complete the game is completely mindblowing though.

[briantw]

26 minutes ago, Werthead said:

Human Revolution and Mankind Divided are prequels to the original Deus Ex, although I think they're going in such a different direction in tone that they're essentially soft reboots anyway.

In terms of chronology it's:

1. Human Revolution (2027)
2. Mankind Divided (2029)
3. Deus Ex (2052)
4. Invisible War (2072)

So yeah, start with Human Revolution, in particular the Director's Cut which is far superior to the original release. The original Deus Ex is playable if you can forgive a very clunky interface and iffy graphics. The freedom Deus Ex gives you to do stuff and still be able to complete the game is completely mindblowing though.

The original is also ball-numbingly difficult.  I remember playing it back when it came out and it basically took every ounce of gaming skill from my childhood to get to the end alive.

[Werthead]

It also has no - or almost no - autosave. If you don't save for 3 hours and then die, you have to replay the full 3 hours. Even in 2000 that was really unusual.