Tigranes

Love how it looks, but of course seems like all the 'cool things you do with memories' are 'go here and press the awesome button then watch the UI move around in a cool manner'. Wait and see.

I'm doing pretty well. I can tell I'll be done with it soon, there's no variation in platform popularity or other such things, and I'm starting to suspect that getting a 'hit' game that suddenly sells 8 times the normal is some kind of scripted affair in getting out of your garage. Haven't explored the endgame as much yet, though. $8 is probably slightly overpriced for this simple job. I think a much, much, much superior game is Nino Arndt's Gamebiz series. GB3 is ~$15 but GB2 is now freeware and is actually a sort of 'classic' in the series: http://www.veloci.dk/gamebiz/index.asp?visnu=GB2.htm Cons: more grindy and the worst UI you've ever seen, though you get used to it quickly. Pros: best game dev simulation out there.

Alpha Protocol is awesome. Next week I'll probably take a week off, and it's going to be AP, the BG2 LP, and MOTB. Oooh.

Do not get BGEE, unless you really want to play on tablets, or are really allergic to simple, easy to install mods. Every IE game has a small set of must-get mods, such as the widescreen mod, and I/the forum can walk you through finding and installing them easily. BGEE is not an authentic experience - it's not the type that adds new functionalities or fixes enduring bugs for the player, but fiddles with a new (ugly) UI and other things that can be hit and miss. It's a waste of your money coming at twice the original on GOG. I like BG1, but for someone starting, yes, I'd recommend BG2 as their first.

Their site seems to be down a lot. (DDOS?) I mean, point being that it's a DRM-free game so there will be 'clean' versions flying around piratespace by now, but it's a nice touch. I'll check out the demo... as soon as I can get that far without the site plunking.

I saw Steve Wilson, the creator of Porcupine Tree, with his solo band outfit thing in NYC last night. Bloody good, except for some increasingly drunk yobo who insisted on giving interpretive dance performances to every inch of each song to his mates. This is pretty much the same as how he did it last night:

If you say so.

CDP has stupid idea, CDP realises is stupid idea. Good times.

OK, Zoraptor. Well played.

I'm on $85 now, and that is my limit. Absolutely. Two copies and Dragon Commander. Yes. No more. No sirree.

(1) Die a few more times, learn how it works, and you start to find out how amazingly fun it can get. That doesn't mean you have to put up with it, but that's just the facts. (2) Of course your diplomat will die all the time, but you can often find ways to not get into stabby situations. (3) Yes, teleporting often replaces walking back and forth, though I think latest version makes much of it optional. It's controversial. (4) It's a low-magic setting. (5) The game may not be for you because of the above, but voiced dialogue? Uh...

In all likelihood, you'll be playing it months before Wasteland 2 and years before P:E & TToN = RPG goodness in the interim is assured. It has quite different design goals from any of those, so isn't more of the same. +$40 Dragon Commander is not a bad deal, see http://www.rpgcodex.net/content.php?id=8925 Gragt's preview, second half.

Term finishes next Friday. Then I have 3 conferences and a research trip, but I should have time to update.

Well I had asked my friend for the key but he didn't have it either, and even if he did I'd have had to repurchase MOTB. I ended up getting the $20 GOG bundle because I wanted to try Mysteries of Westgate and also have the whole package for the future. Obviously the other option was to download 'illegally' and yeah, it's hard to see a problem with a situation where (1) I would have been eligible to ring and recover my CD Key, if only NWN2 isn't such a convoluted mess of legal agreements I'd probably have to call 17 different places in some Blackadderian Nightmare; (2) buying it from GOG I very much doubt gives Obsidian any money; (3) It's a 7 year old game. Last night I was feeling particularly down though and ironically just wanted to make it an impulse buy. Starting MOTB with some kind of Sorcerer / Eldritch Knight / Red Dragon Disciple / Arcane Scholar of Candlekeep combination planned. I forgot just how wildly convoluted the character builds can be, which is awesome!

(1) Wants to play MOTB/SOZ (2) Discovers I have lost MOTB (3) Pop in NWN2 CD (4) Discovers I have thrown away box = no CD Key (5) Check GOG (6) Discovers NWN2 Complete was $4 on sale two weeks ago, is now $20 (7) Check wallet (8 ) Cry Ironic, given I still have the signed box copy of SOZ...

It works for some games. For a complicated RPG, I don't think so, given the way these games are built and given the way they work. Mount & Blade is the most RPGy example that used this method successfully, but it was still a very different affair. It's also adding on a second layer of pay-first get-(finished game)-later after Kickstarter. I like the model but I think there are games it works for and games it doesn't.

Baldur's Gate II is the 'complete package' and is the paradigmatic IE game. So it's not a bad place to start from. Afterwards, or in the middle of it, you can then make an easy decision to jump to IWD1/2 (for less 'epic', more combat), Torment (worse combat, best writing, unorthodox in various ways), BG1 (similar but with its own charm).

No codexer could be offended so easily. You wound me, sir! There's a lot of stupid poop-throwing there but also the best rpg reviews, info and LPs on the internet. Dragon commander is available as a 40$ add-on so I may go for that. Really want the KS to reach 650k.

It's a little different since usually, the idea is that for the particular game being pitched, $25 up front is more necessary / valuable than $50 later. It's less true when we're talking about a different title which is pretty much finished. Though, AFAIK, both games are self-published/financed by Larian, so it's a question of $50 - digital retailer cut vs. $40 - Kickstarter/Amazon 10% cut. I personally wouldn't mind paying $50 if that meant a significant difference on that front.

Might add on Dragon Commander based on Gragt's preview, though technically, buying it full price on launch is probably better for Larian. Ironically it actually isn't supporting them as much to get it for $40 through KS, no?

Wals: kickstart the world's first up-scale bangers & mash restaurant-****-matchmaker spectacle, set in a steampunk aesthetic.

Interesting that save functionality is much harder than checkpoints. I don't mind the two things or the DRM issue hugely in and of themselves, they all have a decent reason, but combined it still made me consider whether it's worth a pre-order cancellation. Game looked good enough in the video, though, so I'll probably stay at $15. Doubt I'll pay for the Steam DLCs in the future.

I remember nothing of Div2's story except that it made no sense. I didn't mind, I played that game for the wacky bits and little quests.

I tried the demo and wasn't impressed. Was yet another open-world RPG clone, except neither very open world nor with a story worth more than a few yawns; the art style had potential but becomes buried in bloom; the combat isn't too bad except for some terrible AI (I could slaughter the entire town with an exploit that wasn't obscure but in your face). If you're hankering for more Elder Scrolls clones and don't mind the budget quality on every aspect then I suppose it's worth a look.

Playing DivDiv again and it's a charming game, though combat really is meh, and I always forget to save while walking around then get killed.