Monte Carlo

Yes, I've got a high Vitality build because I'm using a two-handed weapon. It's seems to work, and making top tier Amethysts is a pretty cheap way of boosting my HP as opposed to the rubbish the blacksmith pumps out.

^ Yeah agreed, but funnily enough I'm finding the gem guy pretty useful.

My new rig arrives next week, I'm going to install it on that, crank up all the settings super maximum and have a bit of a go on it.

Thanks for the tip about gems, LadyC. I managed to get the Legendary Blind Faith gimp mask helmet, socketed, on Ah for a good price plus a 170 DPS halberd, so my overall DPS is up to 1179 or something. The AH can be cranky but yeah I found all my money hiding in there! Level 45 on Act II, about 3/4 of the way through (solo and with no follower) and it's becoming less of a slog. I seem to use the spear / drag ability with a rune-happy power / earthquake thing that is totally OP. I drag the mobs into my AoE ability and melt the suckers. It has a long cooldown but it's great.

I found a couple of new places I'd not seen before on Act 2 (Faud's cellar and the Rockworm caverns). My gimpy barbarian, at level 44 is starting to get a *BIT* better (I'm spamming perfect Amethysts into all socketed items for health apart from weapons, they get rubies). This means I get over 12000 hp or so but my DPS is still pretty poor. I've tried buy a 170 DPS weapon in the AH but it took my gold and... nothing happened. Balls.

I actually saw Iron Sky last night. Very, very strange, but watching SS men driving BMW motorcycle combinations on the moon was funny.

I like the way the maps randomize every time you re-start them. I've also found some small easter-egg type areas.

Yeah, but can you imagine Bioware being that candid about dreck like DA2 or ME3?

Apart from **** Francis, I'm struggling to think of another author ploughing this niche furrow. Although, allegedly, Mrs. Francis wrote them all. Since **** passed away, his son does them now. D.1ck Francis. FFS, the derivative of Richard is filtered. Bollocks.

That's because Sci-Fi and Fantasy fans are a broad church, and surprisingly tolerant. Also, the folks who read that teen vampire crap don't go to book shops much --- they *need* the signage.

:: shrugs :: Genres are genres. New ones evolve all the time, Science-Fantasy was seen as 1970's heresy by fantasy and sci-fi grognards, for example. It's easy to hate. I try not to. But when you get saturation of a genre it grates... and publishers (not surprisingly) want to jump on the next cash-cow and milk it to death. I'm hardly suffering for my art: I want to be a journeyman hack author... but I write thrillers and crime and that's my beat. It feels phoney doing something else because my heart ain't in it.

Only two have made it as far as publishers for consideration. I have an agent, though, which is great. The market is in a crazy place at the moment. Seeing as I don't write: soft SM porn for housewives, teen Post-Apoc emo fiction, Scandie crime or vampire romance I'm kinda out of fashion

Dude I'm on number six and waiting on the publisher (again) to roll the dice of fate! What's it about?

You will be delighted to learn that (Advanced) Fighting in Tunnels only has four character classes: Tunnel Fighter - doughty tunnel warrior and expert at killing things in tunnels Maze Mage - a magic-user, skilled in subterranean magic and bending the tunnel environment to their will! The Sapper - Engineer, scout, medic, hero! Prospect - roll a character with less than optimal stats, and not qualify for the main classes? Reach level 2 (if you dare) as a Prospect and choose any class (even if your stats are below those normally required) and get a boost to your prime statistic.

^ Yeah, just better drops would be a start. I beat a blue elite mob in NM and get a load of dreck. Sheesh.

I think creating a joke, unbeatable level isn't viable anymore. If you put it in, folks expect to be able to beat it.

Thanks. I'll have a look at that too, am in a strategy mood to Ying / Yang my fun (but utterly mindless) Diablo 3 fixation.

Have read all your comments and am grateful. It's a steep learning curve and the mish-mash of cultural ideas is, TBH, grating. I was expecting factions to have distinct flavours as opposed to the Bronze Age 'English' developing Buddhism. But onwards and upwards.

Actually, that article is one of the most informative, gamer-friendly and reasonable patch notes I've seen for a long time. It's not like I'm a Blizz fanboi or anything. @ LadyC, what do you think about the notes re. inferno... I like a lot of others thought that inferno was a joke but it looks like Blizz are treating it seriously as a viable level to beat...

Italy's problems are manifold: yes corruption, massive regional imbalances, a corporatist system, weak coalition governments and now an EU satrapcy in Mario Monti. Northern and Southern Italy are almost like separate countries. But corruption and organised crime are not as pronounced as Russia, where organised crime is a government department.

I've got a Bbn too, at level 43 halfway through NM. Come and give me a freakin' hand next time your on. My DH is on normal still.

The thing is building a high DPS / high armour / high UP tank is darn tough and predicated on grinding / farming and auction house pot luck. None of which I can be arsed to do.

Level 13 Demon Hunter. Those chakram things are the most OP, munchkin powaz ever. I love it. I started with the toughest class, thinking it might be like the D2 Bbn who was one of the easiest...

Religion = $$$ Who'da thunk it?

It's downloading now, am quite looking forward to it. I know this is a biiiggg question but any general advice for a compete n00b? I'm very used to strategy games but this is a new one on me.