MedicineDan

Booo! ...But this fight doesn't seem the same to me now. I don't care. Ideally, there would be no kill XP, but it is what it is. I guess... I dunno… let the designers die on every hill. It's their job to make the game. It's my job to play and hopefully enjoy it. If you understand that, then you'll understand this: congrats, mate.

Finished Beast of Winter. Judging from the fact that my characters are down to the next to last tier on their skills tree leads me to believe I'm almost done. I can't imagine getting more that four or five more levels at this point. Currently at 18th level. I took Ydwin with me, but I prefer Serefen. I will say that Ydwin is the only NPC defaulted to multiclass and it seems to me that Rogue and Cipher complement each other well. Makes me think they did it that way because it's an easy multiclass to ease people into exploring multiclass options. I'm not a multiclass fan. I'm not sure how it works, but it seems to me that there is no specific special abilities gained from multiclass, only a broader array of lower level abilities. As far as I'm concerned, it's not worth losing the highest tiers just to dabble in a couple different mid tiers. Now, that's undoubtedly a characteristic of my personality. Ironically, considering my real life, I prefer my characters to be a master of one class rather than a jack-of-all classes. So, I faced big and bony again. I convinced her to come with me the first time, but then I did something uncharacteristic and reloaded because I didn't know if the game would allow me to destroy her later and that had to happen. On reloading, I fought her and she handled me easily. At some point, and I don't know when, I simply couldn't penetrate her defenses with anything other than spells. I also foolishly empowered an attack, which missed anyway, and didn't recharge the abilities on my mage. The third time, I convinced her to go after Destructo on her own, whereupon I ended up fighting the avatar of Dudenheim. He went down like a ton of rocks on the first try. I didn't even have to get all that creative during the battle. It's quite possible that The Beast of Winter has become my favorite DLC/expac evar. I'm completely surprised by the brilliant design. There were some small things that could occasionally be a downer, such as having to use transport portals to a bunch of different places that made exploring a bitch, but even that didn't get to me. The truly shocking and fascinating twists that they put into The Bridge Ablaze portion really explained things in a way that I don't see how people could truly understand the entire story without playing it. It makes me wonder if they had that in mind when they created Pillars One, like laying bare the outer layers of an onion and peeling them away to find the inside. Whoever worked on that portion did a superb job... and then enchanted it to legendary.

You had me at high INT high CHA sniper. My Fallout mains were *always* fast talkin' science guys. However, maybe I should go against type. Maybe not the *exact* way, but something different. Maybe.

I've been going through the Beast of Winter DLC for Deadfire. DLC can be hit or miss, but Obsidian nailed it with this one. Deadfire is superior to Pillars, at least to my tastes, but Pillars captures the creepy a bit better. The Beast of Winter does a wonderful job of recreating some of the surreal atmosphere of Pillars. In fact, Rymrgand is a much more interesting figure in this game. Still plodding through slavishly whenever I get the chance. I would say that I hope to finish soon, but I'd be a liar. I'm having great fun. Some games feel like a race to the finish or a chore of ferreting out the nitty gritty. Deadfire is just plain fun. The sailing is fun. The NPCs are fun. The exploration and unfolding story are fun. Truly an excellent game. Whenever I waste time hashing out a thorough review, I'll be up front about those issues that detract from my enjoyment, but the fact is, at this point, there are few such things to cite. Meanwhile, I finished one... side chapter? in Rymrgand's realm. Lady said she'd repay me by helping against tall, dark, and bony when I finally have to duke it out. EDIT: I just started The Bridge Ablaze. Incredible. I don't know were' they'll go with this, but it's ****ing brilliant! Even if they screw it up in execution, the underlying idea is just phenomenal!

Ended up going into a confusing temple where I suspect I'll end up facing other enemies a second time. I'll have to find out tomorrow because it's too late to continue tonight.

I understand this, but that assumes a cartoon reward. I don't trust myself to make an entirely coherent post at this post. BUNCH OF EDITS: let me leave it at this until/unless I feel a bit of more robust in my thought process.

I just finished off a dragon in what I assume is DLC. I finally find a bunch of fellow pale elves and they try to get me killed. I got it on the first try, but I managed to make a fairly significant mistake so Serefen ended up with two wounds. Still, it was a fun battle. Since my (wizard) main was the only one doing significant damage to him at the end, and he was looking pretty bad, I don't know if I would have made it had my last spell not hit. Serefen did some good damage. Disintegrate can ruin a day if it hits. Still, that bony bastard dragon had a real hardon for the little runt. Fun times!

Damn you! Give it back! Finally quit for the night. I'm in some sort of undead city. I'm not at my most alacritous right now, but I think this has to do with some sort of Flying Dutchman thing in the game. Rat bastard game keeps me up to all hours.

My party is now level 16 in Deadfire. I've had a lot of weird things happen. The biggest news most recently is that I set a sea dragon free after siphoning off enough of its soul to keep the druids going for the time being. I simply killed off the slavers on their island. I figured I'd be screwed somewhere along the line, but apparently it doesn't matter that much. Anyhow, I (b)finally (/b) figured out that I can move to places within cities by clicking on specific locations once I click on a district. Good Lord! THEN, I found out I can sail to places immediately by clicking on known locations. I'm telling you, I'm kicking myself. However, since I'm (b)already(/b) planning my next run, it's not so bad. I have literally lost sleep playing this game, which is a hallmark of greatness.

I'm always for accepting folks fighting for what they want in a game. Seriously. I also don't hold grudges for people letting off steam and hating on things or even me. After all, a little heat can sometimes bring a bit o' light. Good God, I should put that in a fortune cookie! <.< Okay, as a jilted former nobody one his fifth for the night, I'm just saying that creating an account for the sole purpose of hating on this one aspect shoots past ridiculous, surpasses sublime, swerves around transcendent, and heads straight to divine. Okay, after a few, I get even more goofy. Anyhow, I don't mean any offense. I'm just joking around in my own weird way. In all seriousness, if you feel really strongly about it, keep fighting for what you want, PsychoCat4. The jaded view is that it's a limitation imposed by Microsoft, but if that's the case, then you can't blame Obsidian for it, right? If it's not imposed, then maybe it would take much longer to implement something that can't be used on all platforms? Perhaps the consumer pool insistent on this feature is simply not large enough to warrant the extra resources to implement it? If the latter is the cased then mayb e having enough people push for it could convince them. I personally don't care because I'll only play on the PC.

Didn't realize there was a thread already. Wrap this thread into the old one if you'd like. Also, Wormerine… Bubble Bobble? You bastard! I really love Sunless Seas. The game, the soundtrack, the whole idea.

I'm not offended. Of course, I'm not the original poster. However, I was also confused. I had the idea that clean sweep would hit a wider area, but I just wasn't sure from the description. I use positioning a lot, so getting people grouped up is much more to my liking. At any rate, I ended up having my suspicions confirmed, but I have to admit I was a little confused also.

I have two. One from Mandate of Heaven. Spanish guitar. Hauntingly beautiful. Another from Planescape: Torment. Nothing proclaims your love for someone you got killed more than melancholy music. I'll limit myself to two, but I could easily put in all sorts of games in here. There's a commercial out right now that sounds just like a beautiful song from Sunless Seas.

I don't know. I always go after slavers and no one ever accuses me of being a social justice warrior, although I'm quite social, I firmly believe in justice, and I endeavor to a warrior for the good. ...But, no, not really an SJW in today's parlance. I get where Katarack is coming from. It's personal. Kind of like the old DnD Chaotic Good with a little more bloodshed and a lot more 'good at the end of a barrel." I've found, over the years, that I'm a law and order kind of guy. I won't regale folks with real life examples, but, and this was surprising, I believe the laws of society are reflective of our desire for order and peace. I believe those laws should be a guide and, where those laws are wrong, they should be changed. Much different from my wildly liberal (in the classic sense) past. Oh, I still believe the individual is paramount, but how that individual fits into society is the question. This particular individual "points at self" pretends to lawful good. That's why I don't use Katarack's playstyle, but it doesn't strike me as woke scold territory. I won't beg pardon if I've offended anyone, but I won't go vendetta if someone responds angrily. It's funny, I've always envisioned myself as a wizard or a rogue my whole life only to realize in middle age that I'm probably more of a paladin or bard. Not a real paladin. They're much more upright, stronger, and braver than me. Not a real bard. They have real talent. ...But my predisposition would be so.

lol bastard! I plan on posting a meandering and long winded evaluation of Deadfire, but I refuse to do it until I'm well rested and at full capacity!

Freecell and Deadfire

That's great! lol Every now and then, I admit I'll just go gonzo and slaughter everything in sight, but that's typically when I feel lazy and I'm not serious about playing at the moment. On the other hand, if the design team is good enough to create characters I dislike, I'm tempted to kill them off. That is to say, if there's an important person in an organization and he starts to get under my skin, I'll start to talk and sometime respond with outright hostility. Also, I love well-done evil dialogue. I'm basically Dudley Do-Right in games, but I get real laughs out of the snidely whiplash dialogue. Sometimes, great dialogue isn't evil per se. I laughed out loud last night when I came across Eothas and one of my options was like: "You stole my soul, you jackass!" Not evil at all. I was tempted to choose it because I kind of felt that way. Still, I thought it was better to problem solve. Hey, Gloomseeker, your post was entirely understandable. I was quite tired and perhaps not thinking very clearly. If I'd been speaking, I would undoubtedly have been slurring my words. Instead, I'm afraid I slurred my typing. EDIT: I almost always just kill off slavers. Rat bastards.

It's late where I live and so it's quite possible I'm missing something. I say that without rancor or subtext, but... why? I guess I could create a wall of text, but you didn't. Out of respect, I'll leave it at 2 questions: 1. Why would Bethesda's past relationship force Obsidian to create less nuanced game right now? 2. Why would it matter? I mean, I dunno, I've read a few masterpiece works of literature and some of the best aren't exactly 'nuanced' in the way that people seem to take the term now. I would cite Gogol and Dickens as just two. Note: please take this question as I mean it rather than an attack. My flaming days are long behind me, so I'm asking what I consider a legitimate question. I'm perfectly happy to hear an answer.

I have a couple of complaints about Deadfire but I'm too lazy to detail all of them. I will cite merely two, and probably not the most irritating two. First, can Aloth not target one enemy with a handful of his mates in the target area? I like boarding battles, but the AI is idiotic. Now, for the impetus behind this post: I like Maia. Honestly, she's not only a cool NPC but also a useful companion in battle. That reposition and shoot is awesome. Essentially two attacks every round for most battles. However, "forecastle" is pronounced "FOLK-SiL." Come on, damn it. She's a sailor! Meanwhile, I finished *a lot* of the game and it's simply brilliant. I really loved the first game, but the alacrity with which the population jettisoned the gods was simply amazing. The new game addresses that really well. Bringing back Eothas is simply brilliant. I'm not using spoirel tags for that because 1, the game has been out forever and 2, Eothas' return is a fundamental part of the game from teh outset. I like the fact that the most 'politically correct' solution *not* always works best. This is truly a phenomenal game. Seriously, any game that steals sleep so I can keep ahead of project deadlines has something going for it. It's addictive in every sense, both good and bad. EDIT: not at my best, but I added a word that makes all the diffrerence to the meaning.

I won't steal anything, which means if I go into a village, a house, or a lone yurt, I won't filch so much as a piece of fruit. In dungeons, ruins, or areas that are otherwise abandoned, I consider what I find as treasure hunting trophies and my prerogative. If someone attacks me, I own what I conquer. I try to negotiate with everyone unless they are unrepentant murderers or guilty of capital crimes. NB: I will still try to talk to criminals, but once I know they have no remorse, and especially if they are dangerous, they're fair game and I keep what I conquer. I typically forgo rewards unless doing so would insult the giver or they start to insist. Loyalty to my companions is paramount. I like to play witty and charismatic characters. (Hey, since I can't be so in real life, I have to play one in a game!) I prefer mages, mage-like characters, or, if it's hard-core no 'magic,' then a quick draw laser/energy weapon specialist. I'm assuming the game is science fiction or fantasy. I can't think of an RPG that didn't have some sort of option from above, but if I did have to play a game otherwise, I guess I'd play a sleuth or investigator or some such. I agree with Wormerine, though. The choices are pretty limiting. I like to be a hero, then someone kills my dog and I scourge them and everyone they love from the earth. Before there was Wick, there was Fallout.

Damn it, I intended to come in here and flame folks. I'm grinning here. The thing is, any platform that exists must, by necessity, provide something of value to those who provide their custom. I b completely /b respect that people will push for what they desire. I'm not being facetious. Seriously, keep fighting. I'll always support consumers going to the mattresses for what they want. I just think attacking other fellow consumers is weak. It works a little sometimes in the beginning, if that. Otherwise, it just hardens opposition. Agitate for what you want. Don't waste your time going after supporters for their preference. I use STEAM *a lot.* I'd rather have it on STEAM. However, it's not a deal breaker if I need to use a different service. I'm kind of tired an maybe not at my best right now, but is there an option to buy it in hard copy mode? I don't know. Maybe I'm not as invested as I used to be, but I can't bear animosity for people buying a game on the platform they prefer.

Almost 0100 right now and I finally made myself stop playing Deadfire after getting somewhat into the Engwithan Waystation. Okay, I've been gushing too much about the game and I want to address some things that I don't think work particularly well. First is the Romance angle. I mean, it doesn't make me angry. I literally laughed out loud when I did something I almost never do and pursued a romance. Choti was the object of my desire, although I tend not to be infatuated with people who don't bathe regularly. Whatever, she's an accumulation of pixels. Anyhow, I won her over and my character shows his mental acumen, cultural sensitivity, and innate charm by suggesting something like "let's go somewhere else to continue our discussion." bwahahaha I was actually hoping for the 'fade to black.' That would have heightened the humor. Alas, it was neither in the stars nor in the design. hehehehe Honest to God, I also had a second thing that I was going to cite, but I can't think of it now. Probably because it's almost 1 and on most nights that means I'm one tired ol' bear not thinking as clearly as I once did. I tell you, just insert some irritating thing or something humorous where the player wasn't supposed to laugh. Okay Okay! I'm half convinced that the romance was meant to be funny to someone! I literally followed virtually none of the development of the game, but I wouldn't be surprised if it was intentionally meant to tweak the players. I'm in the Engwithan Waystation now, only into the first level, but it's interesting. On the way, I got my ass handed to me by some Principi pirate. I *almost* had the pirate bastard, but there were four people with three red skull things and I just couldn't burn down the last two. After ignominious defeat, I decided to forgo a rematch and simply avoid them. Damned game is addictive. I have so much work to do and I'm just not able to shake off late nights like I was wont in my youth. I mean, if I stay up later, I find ways to get into more trouble. Curse you, Obsidian, you've corrupted me with your brilliant arsed game! There, that's my second point. Swine hearted wretches!

I actually don't mind that I was forced into the moral dilemma so much as I wish I could have at least talked to their Ranga about this. At that point, I would rather have had the game explicitly force me to make the decision. Given the choice, and here's how I'll live with it, guilty until proven innocent. From O.J. to Zimmerman, I've been pissing off people on both sides, but sacrificing one innocent in order to save the nation sacrifices the nation. Maybe a bit flamboyant and a tad hyperbolic, but I'll live with that just like I'm okay with sending Rongi to his death for what he did in order to save Tamau, a truly wretched character, for what he did not. In my mind, I appealed to everyone and he or she refused to listen. Eventually, society will break down from hunger and decay and, hopefully, the survivors will learn. If not, they will die. If so, they will also die. Just later. If you hate nihilism, believe in something beyond yourself. If not, then Tikiwara thriving or not doesn't matter anyway.

I've been so addicted to Deadfire. I'm truly astounded that I had this idea that it wasn't going to be all that great and basically finally started playing it out of desperation. I guess I do have the benefit of having DLCs and patches. It's been remarkably stable for me so far. I have several DLCs now, but I eschewed a couple that looked iffy to me. That Seeker Slayer Survivor thing looks like an arena sort of DLC and I have no interest in either arenas (single or multiplayer) or multiplayer anything. At this point, I enjoy the action as long as it goes with the story. I'm not even planning on playing the game on anything other than classic difficulty at this point. Yeah, it was fun back when I could map out mazes in my head, but I've only gotten dumber over the years, not smarter, and double for lazy. No pencil and paper to keep track of maps, mazes, and messages for me. If the game doesn't provide a record review of it, I'll probably miss it. Just got to Tikawara or some such. Place reminds me of Spanish Picaresque literature. Everyone is abjectly poor and starving and whatnot. Anyhow, just talked to the first several people and, of all things, I'm off to find... fruit? Now that I see it, I wonder if I have the right Spanish genre? Maybe I'm thinking Picayune or something like that? I know it's pointless to think about it, but if anyone knows, that would be great. Meanwhile, Picaresque serves as an apt description also, especially considering there's literally a rascal stuck on a post when we breeze into town.

Damn! Spoiled myself. Not your fault, brother! Just wasn't careful enough in a subforum that includes a spoiler warning. On the other hand, the prospect of being able to talk my way out of the final battle appeals to me greatly! I love games that allow for that.