What have you been playing... IN DECEMBER 2009
Spalls Hurgenson
another year.
It was a rough month for my gaming habit, this December. What with
the job, a nasty cold, holiday cheer and spending time with the
family, I barely had time to focus on the important thing: my gaming
playlist this month is embarrassingly short. Hopefully in January I'll
be able to reapply myself to my addiction; there are a number of old
and new games I can't wait to play.
Meanwhile, let's kick this thing out. Everybody here knows the drill
so I don't know why I keep bothering to repeat myself. Nonetheless,
here I go again: list the games you've played this month and,
optionally, some of your thoughts about said games.
----------
* Star Wars - The Force Unleashed (new)
It'd be easy to dismiss "Force Unleashed" purely on its technical
failings. This is a poor port of the XBox360 game released last year.
As has been widely reported, the game fails to take advantage of the
strengths of the PC platform. But worse, the port is just shoddily
done; for example, if you change the keys in the setup program, this
isn't reflected in the game itself. The setup program does warn you of
this... but maybe rather than put up a warning the developers could
have, you know, fixed it?
I did not have much success battling the bugs in this game. For one
thing, I never could actually SAVE the game so I was unable to
progress any further than the third level. And for some reason, the
sound during actual gameplay only played through my left speaker (it
was full stereo during the cutscenes). So my experience was not
optimal. But -despite many complaints to the contrary by other gamers-
I didn't see any performance issues.
But forget all that; forget the bugs, the controls, the framerate.
How's the actual game? Not all that impressive. On the visual front,
the game already looks dated; maybe a year ago the physics and
destructibility of the world would have impressed me, but since then
better and greater games have been released and Force Unleashed
doesn't hold a candle to them. And the combat is unsatisfying too; the
controls are stiff, the camera is dodgy, the levels are dull and
linear and the AI is not in the least robust. Apparently the story
makes it worth the effort to keep playing (at least for Star Wars
fans) but I never got to see that much of it because a bug made it
impossible for me to save.
Maybe after some major patching this game could become worth playing,
although I doubt it will ever be that memorable. But at the moment,
Force Unleashed is a mediocre title made even worse by horrible
technical issues.
* Borderlands (new)
I disliked Borderlands right from the beginning.
And I mean *right* from the beginning; even the initial splash screen
annoyed me. The unskippable promotional movies that load before the
game didn't help either and by the time I actually got to start
playing there was little chance Borderlands was going to get a good
review from me. But that would have been judging the book by its cover
so I knew I was going to have to put some time into this game, just to
be fair.
Not that I saw much advantage to that; the game is, essentially,
Diablo except in first-person and with aliens instead of demons. I've
never much cared for Diablo-style action-RPGs; I find the genre
shallow and mechanistic. Borderlands was not convincing me otherwise.
Despite the billions of possible variations of weapons, most guns felt
the same except for a difference in damage; the much-touted cel-shaded
graphics looked like nothing more than dark-borders put around
otherwise mediocre textures, and the humor and writing of the game
were sophomoric. But worst of all, there just wasn't much variety in
the game; hours into the campaign and I was still shooting the same
handful of enemies and traveling across the same blasted wastelands.
Worse than becoming out-and-out bad, Borderlands was becoming *dull*.
I seriously considered abandoning the title and moving on to something
more interesting.
Nonetheless, I persevered and you know what? It did get better. Okay,
it only started to improve after I struggled through 80% of the
campaign, but by the end I had warmed up to the game some and by the
time I finished I actually had a grudging respect for it. It will
never be one of my favorite games; although it does have the dubious
honor as "most fun Diablo clone" I doubt it will even be replayed any
time soon. Still, as the end-credits crawled across my screen I came
to the realization that, all and all, it had been a fun experience
and, really, that's all I ask from my games.
I still hate the splash screen at the beginning though.
* Need for Speed Shift (new)
There are three things that come to mind when I think of the Need for
Speed franchise: gorgeous graphics, intense but not-too-realistic
arcade racing, and an awesome sensation of speed. When all three of
these ingredients come together, you have the recipe for an
unforgettable experience. When one or more of these features are
missing, well, you might not have a bad game but you won't have a good
Need For Speed Game. At its best, Need For Speed: Shift achieves two
of these criteria, and for some reasons not even one.
It's not the graphics that are lacking, though -"Shift" looks as good
as any other racer on the market- but the dramatic change in gamestyle
costs it in the other two areas. In this latest edition, EA decided to
forego the long-since-played-out street-racing theme that has been
central to the past five or six games; the focus is on professional
tracks this time. The racing is also less "action-arcade" and more
sim-like. It's still a far cry from "Live for Speed" but the gameplay
is more calculated now; it's no longer just slamming the pedal to the
metal in a headlong rush to get to the front of the pack. While this
change may satisfy some, it certainly made the game less interesting
to me and is not at all what I expect from the franchise. In fact, its
almost systematic racing (coupled with the slow progression of cars)
cost the game in its most important aspect: speed. How am I supposed
to enjoy a race when for a good portion of the track I'm traveling
under 80mph?
NFS Shift wasn't a bad game but it didn't live up to its name. There
is a need in the market for racers that balance arcade and sim racing;
I just wish EA hadn't affixed the Need For Speed title to it. Twenty
or so races in, I concluded this game was not going to give me the
necessary speed fix and uninstalled.
* Thief 3 Dark Shadows (replay)
I was never a big fan of the Thief series. I admired the franchise for
its originality, but the actual gameplay and setting never drew me in
the way it did others. So while long-time fans bemoaned the third
game's shift towards a more mainstream audience, I quietly approved;
it meant I was finally going to get a Thief game I could play to
completion. And, indeed, on previous playthroughs I enjoyed the
experience all the way to the end of the game.
Unfortunately, this time I just wasn't having as much fun. The core
gameplay is still solid but I think I was simply in the mood for a
more adrenaline-packed experience (preferably something with big guns
and bigger explosions). In this respect, Thief 3 was completely
unsatisfying. Its aging graphics (even enhanced by third-party
high-resolution texture packs) proved an unwelcome distraction as
well. And while Thief 3 is probably one of the best steam-punk games
ever made, it's a genre which I've never warmed up to.
Ultimately, I found playing Thief 3 to be more a chore than an
enjoyable experience. I fault myself more than the game; in the proper
mood, I'd probably have had more fun. But intense as the Thief
experience could get, it wasn't giving me the satisfaction I desired.
* Strike Commander (replay)
In truth, I decided to play Strike Commander, a 16-year old
flight-sim, for one reason: I wanted to prove to myself I wasn't a
graphics whore, somebody who appreciated a game for its visuals over
the gameplay. Actually, that's not the only reason: I dig it's MIDI
soundtrack too. But I purposely went out of my way to find a game
which in no way matched the splendor of modern titles to see if I
could appreciate it despite its aging graphics. Somewhat ironically,
Strike Commander was one of the best looking games in its time, but
nowadays it is far less impressive on that front.
It turns out I had nothing to fear; for all its blocky pixels, warping
textures and embarrassingly poor animations, Strike Commander was
still a blast. As I've maintained before, no other game has so
perfectly balanced the genres of "simulator" and "arcade flier" in a
mix that can satisfy fans of both genres. You don't need to know
anything about flight envelopes to enjoy this game, but it doesn't
hurt if you do. The air-to-air combat is thrilling and finally (after
only 16 years and six generations of computer processors) I can play
this game with a silky-smooth frame-rate. The air-to-ground combat is
less enjoyable, mostly because the keyboard controls are too twitchy
for precise targeting (my joystick doesn't like the DOSBox emulator).
And the dynamic soundtrack just proves that this lost art needs to be
revitalized; modern game soundtracks might beat it in quality but
never in style or immersiveness.
I love Strike Commander when it first came out in 1993, and I was
delighted to find I still loved it sixteen years later. It may be
butt-ugly these days, but it's still an excellent game.
* Privateer Gemini Gold / Privateer (replay)
Privateer Gemini Gold is a fan remake of Origin's classic space-trader
game. After reading an announcement that they had recently released a
new version (http://privateer.sourceforge.net/files.shtml) I felt
obligated to download the game and give it a try.
With all respect to the Gemini Gold team -they've done some impressive
work- I was extremely disappointed. While the graphics were nicely
updated, pretty much everything else lacked polish. Rather than ruin
the memory of a great game, I decided to install (through the good
graces of DOSBox) the original and re-experience the game in all its
classic glory.
I didn't quite get the thrill from Privateer as I did from Strike
Commander. The combat was too twitchy (again, a consequence of playing
without a joystick) to be entirely enjoyable. Still, the scope of the
setting was impressive - an entire sector of galactic space! - as was
the freedom to chose one's own fate. Plus, I still couldn't help but
chuckle every time I was "sneezed" across hyperspace (fans of the game
will know exactly what I mean).
Privateer Gemini Gold shows promise but still has a lot of work to do;
until then, the original more than satisfies in almost every respect.
----------
So, that's the end of my gaming for December and, indeed for 2009. Now
it's your turn.
What have you been playing... IN DECEMBER 2009?
Mr Rob
<spalls_h...@verizon.net> wrote:
>* Borderlands (new)
>I still hate the splash screen at the beginning though.
If you ever do decide to play it again, use the fan created
Borderlands Config Editor to get rid of the intro movies, remove the
dreadful line drawing effect, and to tweak some of the advanced video
options that for some bizarre reason are not available via the in-game
menu.
As much I have played Borderlands (205 hours in total) I do agree with
many of your criticisms. There really needed to be more variety in the
environments and types of enemies. A particularly glaring flaw is that
there is next to nothing to spend money on, yet it is dropped by just
about every enemy and is also found hidden throughout every map.
The first DLC is just more of the same but with zombies. I can't bring
myself to even play it.
The second DLC is essentially large arena's filled with wave after
wave of the same old enemies from the original game. They can take up
to 4 hours to complete and there are no save points between the start
and finish points. If you log out of the game you have to start right
back at the beginning again. It's unforgivably stupid.
There is a lot that Gearbox could improve on during the making of
Borderlands 2. I hope they don't ignore the masses of feedback that
they've had.
--
Rob
Tim O
<spalls_h...@verizon.net> wrote:
>And so we come to the end of another month and, as it turns out,
>another year.
>* Need for Speed Shift (new)
[snip]
>NFS Shift wasn't a bad game but it didn't live up to its name. There
>is a need in the market for racers that balance arcade and sim racing;
>I just wish EA hadn't affixed the Need For Speed title to it. Twenty
>or so races in, I concluded this game was not going to give me the
>necessary speed fix and uninstalled.
I'm more of a racing sim guy, and I think this is the best NFS game
(possibly the only really great one) since Porsche Unleashed. Their
formula has been stale for at least the last five years, I'm glad they
finally mixed it up a bit.
DiRT2 (new) What was I just saying about simulations? :)
This is a great title. Codemasters seems to have found just the right
balance of arcade play and realistic physics. This is a great game,
though some may be disappointed on its focus mainly on ciruit racing
rather than point to point traditionally Rally.
Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising (new) This was a Christmas gift
and I'm only a couple missions in. Like it so far, but I keep thinking
about old comments on time-limited missions, something I despise in an
open world game.
Far Cry 64 bit (replay). My Game Of The Decade pick is getting another
playthrough, this time the 64 bit version AMD had created when the
Athlon 64 came out.
It runs great speed-wise on Intel hardware and Windows 7, but suffers
from occasional crashed to the desktop. I'm a bit over 3/4 through now
and have suffered about 5 CTD's. Just refire the game without a reboot
or anything and it all works fine.
Combat Wings: Battle Of Britain (new). A STEAM cheapie I bought while
looking for something new to play. Its one of those behind the plane
action games set in a realistic environment. Fun for the 5 bucks it
cost. I actually like the realistic WWII plane models.
MX vs. ATV: Reflx (new PS3). My console title for the month, since
Rainbow decided not to bring this incarnation of the series to the
PC. Stuttery game play, crap controls, and rotten automatic matching
of multiplayer. You're lucky to get halfway through one race without
half the field dropping out. Crap that I wish would be great.
rms
Sorry you didn't like it this time around, but I also played it through
a couple months back, loved it, and I think most people in this group would
too. An excellent game.
This month I played through Stalker again, with the Complete 2009 mod -- it
deserves a capital C -- and loved it, again. Clear Sky is sitting here, but
I'll wait a bit on that.
Beyond Good & Evil is my current game. It won't install under Win7, so I
reboot to XP.
rms
Christian Brandt
> * Star Wars - The Force Unleashed (new)
Lucas Arts has been spewing out Starwars-Games like crazy lately. I
think this is the third SW-Game within four months, none of em getting
good notes in tests. This shows.
I have been playing Ghostbusters (�6 deal on Steam) lately and it
basically has the same problems: Bad port, looked a bit aged but a nice
story. Still very likeable, I liked GB quite a lot and be it just for
the goofy characters, the funny wordplay (english sub is perfect, german
also done well), the fanservice (you get to check out the Ghostbusters
HQ in every detail) and a world to literally lay waste upon while
chasing ghosts through a quite linear but exciting storyline. I liked
it, but would never pay more than �6 for it.
> * Borderlands (new)
> I disliked Borderlands right from the beginning.
BL always had an easy promise deliverd nicely though I wont buy it yet
because for its thin story it is brutally overpriced. Might buy at �20,
will buy at �10. Nuff said.
In other news, I have been playing some Team Fortress 2 because I play
it for 13 years already (and still like it),
Frontlines - Fuel of War multiplayer because a poverty striken friend
got it for �2,50. Nice game, we had a lot of fun for two evenings. Too
bad there are only two full servers left. Also played the two bonus
singleplayer maps, not as well done as the main campaign (I just ignore
stupid plots when the action is ok) but still worth its time.
Company of Heroes because the Tales of Valor Addon was available for
�7,50 and my buddies play it still quite often.
Left of Left 4 Dead because several buddies bought it lately.
Saints Row 2 - every month I play it for some hours, just because it is
so freaky.
To play for the next weeks:
GTA4 - bought at Steam sale for �7,50 but no time yet to play.
Universe at War - bought at Steam for �2,50 but no time yet to play.
Planned to buy:
The Witcher for sure, just waiting if it gets any cheaper.
Stalker: Clear Sky maybe - DRM sucks but cheap at Steam.
Riddick - Dark Athena maybe - DRM sucks but cheap at Steam.
Christian Brandt
Spalls Hurgenson
<rsqui...@MOOflashMOO.net> wrote:
>> * Thief 3 Dark Shadows (replay)
>
> Sorry you didn't like it this time around, but I also played it through
>a couple months back, loved it, and I think most people in this group would
>too. An excellent game.
Oh, I don't disagree. But sometimes I'm in the mood for a certain sort
of game and if I try to play something from a different genre that
game -no matter how good- it becomes more chore than entertainment.
I also made one big mistake: when I installed the texture upgrade pack
(http://www.john-p.com/textures/Thief-DS/index.shtml) it also changed
the highlight color of the various treasures. Diehards probably will
insist this makes the game more realistic, but I much prefer being
able to tell the valuables apart from the trash without having to pick
it up first. I'm sure if I hadn't done that I would have found the
game less frustrating.
Anssi Saari
> If you ever do decide to play it again, use the fan created
> Borderlands Config Editor to get rid of the intro movies, remove the
> dreadful line drawing effect, and to tweak some of the advanced video
> options that for some bizarre reason are not available via the in-game
> menu.
Seconded. I played it through with a Siren and thought I'd just check
to see what it's like as a Berserker. Now I'm level 23 Berserker...
Curious how it seems to suck me in.
Even without the videos it still takes a long time to start and I
almost always have to fiddle with video settings to get the shadows
fixed.
Does anyone know what this game actually does when it's "loading"?
There seems to be hardly any disk activity, so is it just making PC
users wait to give us the "console experience"?
> A particularly glaring flaw is that
> there is next to nothing to spend money on, yet it is dropped by just
> about every enemy and is also found hidden throughout every map.
I don't understand. There seems to be occasional class mods and high
level weapons costing around 75000 or so. I can't afford many of
those. The money pickups are usually just 20-30 dollars, so you need
to do quite a lot of scavenging to make 75000...
Mr Rob
>Mr Rob <noemail...@jsjsaiiowppw.com> writes:
>> A particularly glaring flaw is that
>> there is next to nothing to spend money on, yet it is dropped by just
>> about every enemy and is also found hidden throughout every map.
>
>I don't understand. There seems to be occasional class mods and high
>level weapons costing around 75000 or so. I can't afford many of
>those. The money pickups are usually just 20-30 dollars, so you need
>to do quite a lot of scavenging to make 75000...
The most that you can collect (or rather that the game will display)
is $9,999,999. I amassed that amount long before I finished
playthrough 1 on both Roland and Mordaci.
I remember not being able to afford a couple of things when I very
first started the game, but since then the opposite has been true. I
literally do not know what to spend my fortune of > $10,000,000 on.
I get all my top weapons from the 6 chests in New Haven and the 2
chests in Crimson Fastness. Ammunition is bountiful in trunks, boxes
and Skag piles throughout every map. I very rarely need to buy
anything. In fact, I rarely find anything worth buying that is even as
good as what I already have.
I did make a massive boo-boo today. On playthrough 1 on my Mordaci
character I found a Scavenger mod with +2 find rare items. Today,
during playthrough 2 on that character I unequipped it to equip a mod
that added killing power to myself and my Bloodwing pet. I forgot I'd
done that and went and sold it to a vending machine a while later.
I am completely gutted and now have to farm to try to find another
one. They are incredibly rare and I don't hold out much hope of
finding another one anytime soon.
--
Rob
Sandra Young
action shooting. When bored, i turn to Jane's 688(I) Hunter/killer, submarine
simulation.
I was considering strategic naval games like Harpoon 3 but they
are much more complex decision making. Learing curve is steep for such game...
That day i was at shopping mall and saw Modern Warfare on display. Objects now
have realistic shading so guns can shine and moving targets do have bones and
not just bunch of polygons... nevertheless, running and gunning games no likey.
:(
Etal
> * Star Wars - The Force Unleashed (new)
> It'd be easy to dismiss "Force Unleashed" purely on its technical
> failings. This is a poor port of the XBox360 game released last year.
> As has been widely reported, the game fails to take advantage of the
> strengths of the PC platform. But worse, the port is just shoddily
> done; for example, if you change the keys in the setup program, this
> isn't reflected in the game itself. The setup program does warn you of
> this... but maybe rather than put up a warning the developers could
> have, you know, fixed it?
>
>
> What have you been playing... IN DECEMBER 2009?
>
Watched another couple of movies and played their games.
(2006-08-10) *Eragon*
Developed by /Stormfront Studios/
Action, Fighting-game, 3rd Person view.
What you write about badly done OS-conversion from some
console to PC(Windows) applies to Eragon. On each start you have
to 'Esc' out of a warning chastising that you should play with a
gamepad rather then using your keyboard. Option to adjust audio
volume, but not for speech, effect or music separately, so one
has to listen to that orchestral movie-mood-music at full blast
(sigh).
The game often feels like a 2-D side-scroller fighting-game
with a fixed camera, just with fancy graphics. There's no freedom
to turn and look at enemies surroundings. Most levels just take
you from one small arena with spawning enemies to another one via
a a narrow corridor with invisible walls. For some reason you
kill off the enemies in hand to hand combat in gruesome ways many
will think is unsuitable for the younger teen boys the shallow
story of the movie probably appeals for and thus the game
probably should be made for.
(2002-08-14) *The Thing*
Developed by /Computer Artworks/
Action, with companions, 3rd Person view.
A creepy movie and a creepy game. The 2002 game is a sequel
to the 1982 movie instead of the normal movie cash-in games.
Along with the enemy /things/ that roam antarctica undisguised,
also the companions you pick up along the way (and that you need
to help you open doors) will turn into murderous things. These
events are scripted and it would have been more interesting if
there instead was a probability factor for them being infected if
you left them alone while going off to perform tasks on your own.
Now, this is how a 3rd Person view action-game should be.
When you turn to the left, the camera repositions behind you and
you look at whatever or whomever you want... Older graphics, but
better game-play and better game.
--
Nah-ah. I'm staying out of this. ... Now, here's my opinion.
Please followup in the newsgroup.
E-mail address is invalid due to spam-control.
Etal
>
> (2002-08-14) *The Thing*
> Developed by /Computer Artworks/
>
> Action, with companions, 3rd Person view.
> A creepy movie and a creepy game. The 2002 game is a sequel
> to the 1982 movie instead of the normal movie cash-in games.
> Along with the enemy /things/ that roam antarctica undisguised,
> also the companions you pick up along the way (and that you need
> to help you open doors) will turn into murderous things. These
> events are scripted and it would have been more interesting if
> there instead was a probability factor for them being infected if
> you left them alone while going off to perform tasks on your own.
> Now, this is how a 3rd Person view action-game should be.
> When you turn to the left, the camera repositions behind you and
> you look at whatever or whomever you want... Older graphics, but
> better game-play and better game.
Oh, one thing i had meant to complain about *the Thing* is that
although the small things come at you and jump all over you, for
some reason you as a highly trained soldier, an arctic marine,
you are unable to jump onto or over the smallest object.
I feel it is mostly an unnecessary limitation, since when you're
inside you have real building walls to keep you on the /path/ and
outside it's level snow to the next building and you will freeze
to death if you wander off to far.
I haven't checked any walkthrough yet but a question in case
anyone here remember from playing it. About one third in when you
enter the sub-station you will explore in two directions but
there is a third optional area, 2 rooms, you can access for
supplies if you blow up barrels in the 1st room. If you then
enter the now opened door putting out the flames, while there are
three other functioning wall-lights in that 1st room, there is
short cut-scene pointing to a 4th broken wall mounted
light-fixture. I can't fix the light, i can't blow up the wall
there, or seem to do anything. What is that cut-scene trying to
inform me about?
Anssi Saari
> The most that you can collect (or rather that the game will display)
> is $9,999,999. I amassed that amount long before I finished
> playthrough 1 on both Roland and Mordaci.
Well, how? I checked my Siren character, after the first playthrough
she has about 900,000. So somehow I'm 9,000,000 short? What did I
miss? Where do you get the money since it doesn't seem to be the $20
pickups or the few thousands you get from (some) quests? Guns and
other stuff sell for maybe $2000 on the average, sometimes a little
more, class mods maybe 20,000, but they are rare. Still not a good way
to make millions...
> I get all my top weapons from the 6 chests in New Haven and the 2
> chests in Crimson Fastness. Ammunition is bountiful in trunks, boxes
> and Skag piles throughout every map. I very rarely need to buy
> anything. In fact, I rarely find anything worth buying that is even as
> good as what I already have.
I agree about the ammo, sometimes I've bought some since it's cheap.
But for example today, I found a "Give Sick" for sale. You know,
revolver, 403 damage, x4 corrosive, 96.3 accuracy. But I'm 50,000
short, have about $130,000 and it costs $180,000. My Berserker is now
level 27 or thereabouts. I guess I shouldn't have bought that class
mod earlier...
> I am completely gutted and now have to farm to try to find another
> one. They are incredibly rare and I don't hold out much hope of
> finding another one anytime soon.
I take it this "farming" means you go through some chests, like the
ones in New Haven, quickly and then exit and restart the game again so
the chests are all refilled?
Mr Rob
>Mr Rob <noemail...@jsjsaiiowppw.com> writes:
>
>> The most that you can collect (or rather that the game will display)
>> is $9,999,999. I amassed that amount long before I finished
>> playthrough 1 on both Roland and Mordaci.
>
>Well, how? I checked my Siren character, after the first playthrough
>she has about 900,000. So somehow I'm 9,000,000 short? What did I
>miss? Where do you get the money since it doesn't seem to be the $20
>pickups or the few thousands you get from (some) quests?
In playthrough 1 I make sure that I pick every single dollar that is
dropped and open up every box and crate and take that money too. I
farm "Lucky's" in the Dahl Headlands for about 30 minutes on the way
to New Haven and sell every single gun from all 3 chests.
>> I am completely gutted and now have to farm to try to find another
>> one. They are incredibly rare and I don't hold out much hope of
>> finding another one anytime soon.
>I take it this "farming" means you go through some chests, like the
>ones in New Haven, quickly and then exit and restart the game again so
>the chests are all refilled?
That's the best way to make money and get the best guns. Farm Lucky's,
the five chests in New Haven (six if you can be bothered with one on
the outskirts of town) and the two chests at Crimson Fastness when you
get there.
Crimson Fastness is the hotspot for the best (purple) mods. You'll
find a +2 or +3 Team Find Rare Items mod either in one of the chests
or from the vending machine there.
I've just made it to New Haven with a new Lilith character and she
already has over $600,000 and I've spent quite a bit in machines on
the way there.
Thirty minutes at "Lucky's" and thirty minutes at New Haven just
farming the chests will give you $1,000,000 at least, probably more if
you find plenty of purple and orange weapons. During playthrough 2 you
can at least triple that figure.
--
Rob
Anssi Saari
> Crimson Fastness is the hotspot for the best (purple) mods. You'll
> find a +2 or +3 Team Find Rare Items mod either in one of the chests
> or from the vending machine there.
Isn't that really late in the game though? So not that useful, except
for maybe some rare items and money. I don't expect to ever do a
second playthrough. I'm not sure if I'll do more than two first
playthroughs. Probably Mass Effect 2 is going to take my playtime
pretty soon...
> Thirty minutes at "Lucky's" and thirty minutes at New Haven just
> farming the chests will give you $1,000,000 at least, probably more if
> you find plenty of purple and orange weapons. During playthrough 2 you
> can at least triple that figure.
I think those times are a little optimistic. I've farmed New Haven now
a few times, I usually get about $20,000 worth of stuff from the five
chests. I think I may have gotten some purple weapons, no orange from
there. I did pick up some interesting weapons, like an Eridain energy
shotgun. Very inaccurate, but fairly powerful and very cool thunder
sound effect. The shock effect on enemies is quite interesting close
up too.
The thing is, for me it takes about 5 minutes per round, so with 20000
per round that would be $120,000 in half an hour. But, I have about a
million now, so I probably won't need to leave any weapon in a machine
because I can't afford it, at least.
BTW, there's a secret room in New Haven too, with two chests and some
lockers that usually spawn weapons. I'm not sure how long it's
available, though. But it's available now, so farming it :)
Vincenzo Beretta
the plot dragged a little bit in the middle. However that was compensated by
the six different beginnings. I completed all of them, even if I finished
the game only with my female human warrior. I'll replay it for sure, but not
for a while.
DA put me in the mood for some big fantasy battles, to, so I dusted off
"Dominions 3" (again) and finished a campaign in the Middle Age with Ulm on
a 6 players map. Great stuff a susual, even if the AI, sadly, could really
be improved. Can't wait for some MP action, now.
Beside these games, I discovered once more the wonderful world of "indie"
titles. I played "Aquaria", "Osmos", "Trine", "Blue Lacuna", "Spelunky" and
"Blueberry Garden". Some indie are for free (like "Spelunky"), and most of
them were totally worth it.
I also fiddled around with "Europa Universalis 3" and the new "Heir to the
Throne" expansion, but I'll wait for the new version of the "Magna Mundi"
mod before throwing myself into a real campaign.
The rest of my time was spent with "Warship Combat: Navies at War", a truly
excellent tactical wargame devoted to naval warfate in WWI and WWII:
detailed, easy to learn and with a lot of scenarios. For grognards only, but
really recommended.
Nostromo
19:32:54 +0100, Anno Domini:
>My main title for December was "Dragon Age". Great game all around, even if
>the plot dragged a little bit in the middle. However that was compensated by
>the six different beginnings. I completed all of them, even if I finished
>the game only with my female human warrior. I'll replay it for sure, but not
>for a while.
Say I wanted to player those 6 (?) starts before I chose a char to continue
the game with from there. At what point does the plot re-converge (minimal
spoilers pls! ;)? What are the extra 3 starts, other than the 3 base classes
- races or gender...?
--
Nostromo
WDS
> Say I wanted to player those 6 (?) starts before I chose a char to continue
> the game with from there. At what point does the plot re-converge (minimal
> spoilers pls! ;)? What are the extra 3 starts, other than the 3 base classes
> - races or gender...?
Human noble fighter or rogue
Human or elf wizard
City elf
Dalish elf
Dwarf noble fighter or rogue
Dwarf casteless fighter or rogue
Gender doesn't matter for choosing an origin though some pay a bit
differently depending on your gender.
They all end and the "real" games begins when you are recruited into the
Gray Wardens.
Having played all of them I think the Dwarf noble and the Wizard are the
best.
WDS
> Human noble fighter or rogue
> Human or elf wizard
> City elf
> Dalish elf
> Dwarf noble fighter or rogue
> Dwarf casteless fighter or rogue
Oops, the two elf ones are "fighter or rogue".
Human noble fighter or rogue
Human or elf wizard
City elf fighter or rogue
Dalish elf fighter or rogue
Ian Galbraith
[snip]
> Having played all of them I think the Dwarf noble and the Wizard are the
> best.
Human noble is pretty good.
--
"Every normal man must at times be tempted to spit on his hands, hoist
the black flag, and begin slitting throats." - H. L. Mencken
noman
> * Need for Speed Shift (new)
> NFS Shift wasn't a bad game but it didn't live up to its
> name. There is a need in the market for racers that balance
> arcade and sim racing; I just wish EA hadn't affixed the
> Need For Speed title to it. Twenty or so races in, I
> concluded this game was not going to give me the
> necessary speed fix and uninstalled.
While I have only played the demo, I think NFS: Shift is the best NFS
game in last several years. A combination of arcade and sim racing
suits the series just fine.
> So, that's the end of my gaming for December and, indeed
> for 2009. Now it's your turn.
>
> What have you been playing... IN DECEMBER 2009?
I got very little time in December. Here are few of the games,
* Assassin's Creed - I think, I am at the last mission, but haven't
gotten chance to try it in past few weeks. The game could have been
much better. The only reason I am trying to finish it, is to see its
ending.
* Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade - Bought the Lucasarts adventure
pack over Steam, and Indy3 seemed like a good game to have on laptop. I
am only 10-15% in.
* Final Fantasy X (PS2 on 80GB PS3) - Made some more progress and
passed one particularly tough boss battle (seymore flux). I have now
passed 45 hour mark after three and half years!
* Usual combination of GRID, Burnout Paradise, Trackmania Nations and
NFS:Shift demo, with my son.
--
Noman
Nostromo
Domini:
Tx WDS. I'm past those already, so I guess I could play the first 3 or 4
levels again 5 more times, but will I really get a proper feel for a class
without going further into the game? :-/. Sucks also that there's only one
wizard path - I would have liked to replay that a couple more times, given
there are so many spell schools to choose from & a different intro/story
would just be the icing to tempt me to do it. Is there really a lot of
difference between the various intros for all those fighter & rogue choices,
or is it mainly just the initial race that determines the main
storyline/text you see? What I'm getting at, apart from the 3 archetypal
classes, do you really get much difference in the intros anyway?
One thing that pissed me off with playing a mage through the wizard's tower
& first wilderness area was that you had to leave so many chests unopened,
as you don't get a rogue until later & the NPCs that join you up to that
point are just fighters & one useless low-level rogue that can't open any
chests from memory. So, it seems the only way to get into those chests would
be to play a rogue & focus on thieving(?) early on, correct?
--
Nostromo
WDS
> Thus spake WDS<Bi...@seurer.net>, Tue, 12 Jan 2010 14:47:22 -0600, Anno
> Domini:
>
>> On 1/12/2010 2:46 PM, WDS wrote:
>>> Human noble fighter or rogue
>>> Human or elf wizard
>>> City elf
>>> Dalish elf
>>> Dwarf noble fighter or rogue
>>> Dwarf casteless fighter or rogue
>>
>> Oops, the two elf ones are "fighter or rogue".
>>
>> Human noble fighter or rogue
>> Human or elf wizard
>> City elf fighter or rogue
>> Dalish elf fighter or rogue
>> Dwarf noble fighter or rogue
>> Dwarf casteless fighter or rogue
>
> Tx WDS. I'm past those already, so I guess I could play the first 3 or 4
> levels again 5 more times, but will I really get a proper feel for a class
> without going further into the game? :-/. Sucks also that there's only one
> wizard path - I would have liked to replay that a couple more times, given
> would just be the icing to tempt me to do it. Is there really a lot of
> or is it mainly just the initial race that determines the main
> storyline/text you see? What I'm getting at, apart from the 3 archetypal
> classes, do you really get much difference in the intros anyway?
There's not much difference story-wise between playing a rogue or
fighter in the origin stories. There's a bit more based on your sex (at
least in some of the origins) but still not much that changes the actual
story.
In the long term if you play a rogue you have to be a bit more hands-on
in your control of your character during fights. Fighters are just
plain easier.
What I did was played partway through as a fighter (Dalish elf) to get a
feel for the game. I did all of the origins then and played all the way
through as a wizard. And I have begun another full playthrough as a
dwarven noble rogue. Each one had different areas that were easier or
harder and it was fun to see how all the origin stories tied in to the
larger game story.
> One thing that pissed me off with playing a mage through the wizard's tower
> & first wilderness area was that you had to leave so many chests unopened,
> as you don't get a rogue until later& the NPCs that join you up to that
> point are just fighters& one useless low-level rogue that can't open any
> chests from memory. So, it seems the only way to get into those chests would
> be to play a rogue& focus on thieving(?) early on, correct?
Yes. But it's not really worth the bother. There is a small amount of
wealth and some (in the long term junky) stuff you miss. Nothing to
really worry about. They are there as a bonus for rogues.
Nostromo
Domini:
Kewl, tx again dude. Will persevere with my elven mage chickee-babe for now
then. I can only hope for a les-fest with Morrigan at some stage - that
would definitely make it GOTY material! <EG>
--
Nostromo
Antonio Huerta
wrote:
> What have you been playing... IN DECEMBER 2009?
I was playing with myself.