Tigranes

DA:O archers were insanely powerful if spec'd right, unless you mean enemy archers.

We know that Bethesda asked Obsidian not to touch certain areas or ideas, in case they make use of them later on. We cn assume that going back to the DC area would fall under this 'no-go' area.

Well if you have 4 in SP you'd need 3 AI-controlled companions, which isn't great.

Various lighting mods out there.

Putting that on its head, actually, why do we even need blood/gore unless it's meant to be a dark/horror/etc game, or a realistic real-life-humans-die-with-blood game? I certainly think blood/gore is often the 'kiddish' part of a game, encouraging people to sit there and OMG LOOK AT THE HEAD BLOWING UP MAN THATS SO COOL. Once again, it takes a significant amount of time and resources, and I struggle to think of a case where it is really important enough to add in. You often have toggles to turn OFF blood/gore as a parental control, but to go out there and make all the blood/gore content for people that really need it in their game? I mean, it is your preference and thats fair enough, I just struggle to see why it matters so much.

Good, now perhaps we can move on from the that all originated with a couple of idiot journos not knowing what they're on about. Sounds really normal to me, SP characters, MP characters, they earn XP, etc. This is a no-news. The only possibly controversial thing is hwo you can't have more than 1 Lucas in a single game, as that might get inconvenient.

Definitely Yes.

Something which can finally make me lose all doubt. Goodbye, DA2, I shall not bother. And I so wanted to like you. Although, I guess it'd be immensely hypocritical of me to believe a review...

Many great RPG stories have come from 15-20 hour games. Fallout 1 and Mask of the Betrayer comes to mind. Fable's main plot wasn't bad because it was too short, it was bad because it was stupid in every way imaginable. What's more important is whether the game feels too short once you play it, not absolute hours figure (and this is where the issue of comparisons might come in - doesn't bother me myself, but Fable is such a hugely different game to DS3 in design, execution, target audience, style, setting, etc.) - many '40 hour epics' just drag on and on with filler combat or filler quests (search the land for 4 macguffins). Will we see a slick, focused story that does the job in 15-20 hours, or a story that isn't much of a story? We'll see.

Ah, but could I not then choose based on my desire not to be punched in the crotch? Just confirmed I'm being flown to the US for an open day next month, to better aid my decision. Woop.

AFAIK, he just sat in a room and crunched like hell. I got the vibe that they didn't have much of a life, as a rule, but he's become... rather successful since then. To the point that if I want to find out more about Warwick, I'll have to get back to you in July-August. Well, it's a PhD, you're not meant to have much of a life. Going to have huge difficulty choosing between US and UK, going to wait and see where gives the most $. I've got cash of my own but it's not much and...um, I wouldn't mind a new computer.

I don't mind third person in Thief, it's not the best but it's not a huge deal... although it makes no sense to me if they don't let you use 1PP at all. More worried about how bright it is and how it looks like COD in Victoria, but it is just one screenshot.

Will try and pin down that thieves guild then, I like Gothic's faction system except for the fact that they don't always clearly advertise what kind of gskills and abilities you are going to gain access to and not gain access to as a result of your choice.

Gothic II is super fun even if it is still sort of laggy. Mkreku/etc, which faction should I join if I want to be ninja archer thief man?

Well, they'd have to make all the death animations and all that for every creature involved, and they'd also risk a higher age rating. You don't want 18+ if you can help it, for instance, as major off-the-shelf income sources such as Walmart won't stock it. In a game where you're killing things so fast you just need them to blow up and crumble appropriately, I don't see the point in investing any time and effort towards detailed gory deaths, as long as boss deaths are satisfying.

Cool down means the amount of time between each use of the same ability. e.g. 30 seconds between each fireball. We dont' know how that'll be used in DS3 though (do we even have confirm of cooldowns?) You will certainly get that, it seems, just not 50+ spells to choose from like in D&D CRPGs or whatnot. See: Diablo sorceress. Although my current feeling is that instead of having "Warrior Guy" and "Mage Guy" the DS3 characters will mix it up a bit more (other than, I suppose, Lucas - you do need a pick up and play type.)

Spectre: we do smoe hopping and puzzlesolving and reach the Flower That Does Not Officially Exist, bolstered by our lack of fall damage. Truly Manny is a Force of Good, Saver of Perfumes Old and New. Spectre: But there's more work to be done! Manny the Great Hero Man Thing visits the courtesans' house, Madam Eve's, and finds a murder mystery afoot. Three are dead.. Spectre: ...but, uh, the first victim... Manny: It's Folo the Farmer! I told you about him, Mister Machina. And there's his pet pig, Kevin, that I rescued! Spectre: So he, uh, booked a love-hotel alone with his pig. Manny: Yes, it's a pity he's dead. He was such a nice fellow, so kind to his pigs. Spectre: Kind isn't how I'd put it. Manny: Kevin's mind tells me that Folo was indeed murdered! Spectre: You can read pig minds? Manny: Yeah, it's mostly audiovisual stimuli, though, and occasionally a strong craving for the companionship of other pigs. Spectre: More murders. But the guards won't let us into the last room, since the dead is someone important, apparently. We'll have to come back with more evidence found - so far we've found some suspicious skin, pixie dust and a strange knife. Spectre: We first visit Dr. West, the necromancer, who tells us the skin belongs to 'naturally occuring undead'. Spectre: Then Chanelle (who happens to be the niece of that dead perfume-searcher), who tells us how to reverse the pixie dust effect to reveal hidden corridors. Manny: Ah, and she also happens to be a hairdresser. I think I'll get a cut done. Spectre: Now? Manny: A hero always has to look his best, especially when he apprehends murderers! That's where you get all the money shots. Manny: So I'd like a straight cut, not too long at the back, and- Spectre: Ooh, look at all these options. Hey, lady, you can change his voice? Chanelle: Sure. Voice, Gender, you name it, love. Manny: Hey, what? Wait- Chanelle: You look gorgeous, darling! Manny: What is this? What have you done? Spectre: I'm very pleased, lady. Here, have a thousand gold. Have two thousand gold. We won't be coing back. Manny: I feel your stares! DIE! DIEEE! Spectre: Why, not such a do-gooder now, are you, Manny? I think we'll have some fun yet...

Sidenote: Christ, there are some powerful weapons in the xpack. Pity we squandered a lot of our money at the endgame before, not thinking about this. Spectre: A random trail of bread, apples and the like leading to a house where Hansel lives. Seriously? Manny: Let's investigate! Spectre: Look, even setting aside your complete disrespect of everyone's privacy, this city is besieged. Everyone's complaining about having no money and home and supplies, and there is a trail of foodstuffs in the middle of the street that nobody picks up? Spectre: Help, help, I'm being oppressed! Manny: Mister Machina, the tomato tells us that two of his friends have also been fruitified by an evil witch! We must restore them to their original state! Spectre: Or we could eat it. It's a super tomato. Manny: That's cannibalism! Spectre: Actually, the physical changes imposed by such a magic transformation are total: in terms of what you are eating, it is, completely and utterly, a tomato. You won't eat it? No? Pity. I have this great recipe here... Manny: See? Mr. Pumpkin says the three of them can give us the passwords to get through to their secret library, where we can defeat the evil lich and also find the information needed to help you, Mister Machina. Spectre: I'm touched, Manny. All this time, you were really thinking of me? Manny: Really? Spectre: No, now hurry up if you're not going to eat it. Spectre: *bored voice* On our way, Manny the Meddler also finds the time to help two refugee goblins be accepted into the Aleroth army, so that they can render their previous flight as refugees entirely pointless by getting themselves killed. Joy. Manny: Hey, it's all done now. All I needed to do was pay the goblin merchant 10,000 gold and get them some goblin equipment- Spectre: Wait, ten thousand? Are you kidding me? You could equip every human in this town with it. Manny: Well, I guess goblin equipment is a very rare thing- Spectre: -because, of course, you've only killed a million armed goblins in the last couple of months. Never mind. Spectre: We also find a black market, where we mindread the gateguard waiting for 'Dormen', say we are Dormen, enter and shop, then find the real Dormen rebuffed. It's good to know that identity fraud is such a widespread problem in Rivellon society. Manny: It is? I mean, I thought the wider implications of this would be quite troubling. Spectre: Why, not at all. It just means that crime works as a useful counterbalance to the many inherent problems in the government and the social infrastructure - a reset button, so to speak, for your life. It just involves screwing over someone else. Spectre: We also find a haunted playhouse where the ghosts keep acting out their plays, but they are quite rubbish and the Head Ghost is pissed. Spectre: Hey, Manny, there's no proble here, right? Just get an illusion to look like a woman and you can help them with their play! Manny: Out of the question! I'm a man that's as manly as they come, and there ain't no man that's as manly as I man. Am. Spectre: I'm disappointed, Manny. I thought you were going to help the poor and the weak! I thought you were going to be a champion of Good! Manny: You hate it when I do good things! Spectre: Ohhhh, but I have seen the light, Manny. I have seen it, and it is bright, and, um, Good. You are my shining beacon, Manny, my example of Goodly Goodliciousness! Will you let me down now? Manny: Oh, all right, we'll see if we can find an illusionist. Spectre: But for now, Manny, the Great Knight of All That Is Good, checks up on that Minius fellow that went into the undead temple. He was trapped behind a secret wall, lured by a chest. Spectre: Further on in the cave, we also found Baldini, a perfume maker who went looking for, well, a scent that he had never smelled before. But his quest for THE NEW **** led to his demise, as he fell to his death. Wait, but there's no fall damage in Divinity II! Poor man.

Our adventures of Manny Do-Good and his jolly sidekick, Spectre, continues in the city of Aleroth. Spectre: A sidekick? What do you want me to do next, wear a furry hat? You don't pay me enough for that. Well... you could also take the job as narrator. That would effectively double your pay. Spectre: So I can afford two dry croissants a day. Joy indeed. Hey, if you don't want to... Spectre: *ahem* So the grand adventures of Manny the Retard continued, as he picks up meaningless sidequests one after the other, prevaricating instead of his ultimate goal- Manny: What is our ultimate goal? Spectre: What? Manny: Well, I don't think we screenshotted the plot-critical dialogue last time round. So we don't really have an ultimate goal. Spectre: TO FREE ME! BELRIHIN THE GREAT! TO FIND THE KEYS TO MY TOMB AND FREE ME, AND THEN I SHALL NOT ONLY FREE THE DIVINE ALSO BUT GRANT YOU THE POWER TO DEFEAT DAMIAN- Manny: Oh, more MacGuffins. I had plenty of those, thanks. Spectre: You would renege on our bargain?! Manny: Maybe I'll help you if you weren't so evil all the time. Now look here, these guards are about to assault that poor man based purely on suspicion! I'm going to put a stop to it. Spectre: Why bother? He's probably a necrophiliac or something. Manny: STAND AND DELIVER! Spectre: Manny the Moron rescues the suspicious man for no other reason than his belief in humanity. As he progresses in his road to inevitable doom, he meets a like-minded soul in General Halliwell, the respected leader of the New Order. Manny: See? He appreciates my quest for Good. Spectre: He sure appreciates you, given the way he thrusts his crotch out for all to see. Spectre: Alright, let's move this along. Manny the Homosexual Magnet discovers that a giant tree is blocking the way towards the undead and demon infested area of the city, the Crow's Nest. Rather than celebrating that this magic construct is effectively quarantining them away, Manny accepts to help find a way to get past. Spectre: Manny the Meek also promises, for some reason I cannot fathom, to help a skeleton recover his skin. Spectre: I told you he's hiding something. Manny: Surely the good general can help us cure this unhappy fellow, Mister Machina! Spectre: Sodomy as palliative care is generally frowned upon in the medical community, Manny. Spectre: Not content with the amount of lazy idiots he has added to his travelling entourage, Manny the Charitable promises to help yet another long-dead skeleton fire up his old enchanter's workshop... Spectre: ...and help some morons in their quest for glory track down some kind of undead temple or other. We are, of course, operating on the presumption that any celebration of the undead, alternative deities or colours on the cold side of the spectrum are surefire signs of eeeeviiiiiilll. Manny: Look, Mister Machina, they're fighting over who should charge into the temple! It's so cute, reminds me of when I was level two and I would rescue pigs for farmers. Spectre: Pigs? Manny: Yeah, for... Folo the Farmer, or something. I think he was in love with his pigs, actually. Spectre: I see your present condition has been a long time coming, Manny. Manny: Listen, I've mindread Minius, and it seems he's carrying a wound - we should let the other fellow go. Spectre: Actually, we should let the wounded man go. Manny: What? Why? Spectre: Because if we're going to do this, we might as well do it right. We can send him to certain doom, come in at the nick of time, rescue his sorry arse, then claim double reward. Manny: Heavens, no! But that gives me an idea, we will send the other man and then check up on his safety later. Spectre: You really are a stupid bastard, aren't you. Spectre: Manny the Useless also comes across several grovelling peasants, who all want pointless family heirlooms recovered from disproportionately dangerous locations for no doubt forgettable fees. We.... accept. Spectre: Ah, this is more like it. This Astridax, pointlessly verbose as he is, will pay handsomely for those same heirlooms! Surely there is no doubt here. Manny: You're right, there isn't. We're returning them to their rightful owners. Spectre: Oh, for fu- they're not going to die! They're not going to lose their house, lose their wife, contract a deadly disease, suffer a grave case of injustice from abuse of authority, lose their skin, be refused revenge, anything! It's just freaking heirlooms! They'll probably pawn it off after you return them for an extra potato in their salary. Manny: Sorry, Mister Machina. That's just how I am.

I got it for the sale but tbh I'd wait for CK2, currently in development. It's a fun and unique game but it's rather opaque.

It does look much better than the screenies, though. I'm impressed by how the character models look so much better now, there's some decent lighting going around, etc. The town art direction is still generic and not particularly 'Nordy', though, and there are certainly bits of that trailer that can't be ingame (e.g. some of the more dramatic dragon stuff, IMO), but it's a good first impression they're making.

Thanks all. I've just confirmed that UPenn will fly me for their open day as well, so it will be a hard decision, esp. if I get into any more places. Congratulations! My cousin got his PhD from Warwick. Awesome, do you know what his general opinion was about living in the area?

Got into Warwick also, but waiting on whether I get any/how much funding. Pip pip!

Enthusiasm wanes a bit as I've finished and gone to Gothic 2, but I won't be a quittah! Update will come after sleeps.

I wonder how big the DS fanbase is now. I tried DS1, got assaulted by boring generic rubbish and forgot about the series, but heck, just the fact that they're using the franchise here must show the series sold decently.