Monte Carlo

I got my CE pre-ordered from Game, but then again my loyalty card was pretty stacked with points so it would have made no sense not to.

Now I'm curious Monte, what makes you more interested in this than the originals? No, I'm not going to rage, even if I do post on No Mutants Allowed to comment news. I've never been a massive fan of the original Fallout games. Don't get me wrong, I've always liked the setting and acknowledge that it's probably the most original and intriguing video game setting I've experienced. I completely understand the love for it. But I feel that the old-skool clunky TB gameplay doesn't really do it justice. I know, it's heresy, the Turn-Based Taliban will shoot me down. But as an old-skool gamer myself I've never really liked turn-based combat at a tactical level with firearms. Jagged Alliance 2* is the only game that's captured that for me, the Fallouts (apart from Tactics - which I always played in semi-TB mode) didn't. The Bethseda FO3 was OK, I enjoyed it. But it missed the dialogue and characterization that I associate with Obsidian games. So here I am, confronted by an Obsidian realisation of a cool PA setting with the FO3 polish vis-a-vis the engine and one of the most credible collector's edition packages I've seen for a while. So all in all I am looking forwards to FO:NV a great deal. Am ready for incoming. Cheers MC * Edit - I forgot XCOM. I think the clarification is that squad-based games work for me turn-based, RPGs don't anymore.

The way I made my party was via BG2 not ToB. Mainly because I wanted to go to the adventurer's mart, Shadowkeeper gives you 9999 scrolls / potions etc when you assign them to inventory. So we have 2 protection from undead scrolls, no daystar, no throwing axe of undead killing (etc). But we do have The Mace of Disruption +2. Serrano has it, although his THACO is not that great. OTOH, Hurlshot has 25 STR courtesy of the Hammer of Twinkiness and, hasted, goes through anything, demi-lich or not, like a hot bayonet through butter. Massive lulz when, going through the slums to unlock the map for WK those two eedjits outside the Copper Coronet wanted a fight. Hurlie chunked them in about 0.5 seconds.

I'd forgotten the sheer tunnel-awesomeness of TotL. Whyohwhyohwhy can't they make games like this anymore?

The party is rolled up, the multi-classed characters are in the mid-teens and the fighters 19th level, the assassin is 23rd level. So everybody is just about one level away from special high level abilities. I have given each character the sort of kit you might expect at the start of ToB, but not too much, for example Shryke starts with the Warblade +4 and the Harmonium Halberd from Planescape. He's wearing the enhanced human flesh armour and looks pretty badass, although so does Tigranes who has Celestial Fury +3, the Rogue's Ward buckler and shadow armour. And a returning dart. You gotta have one of those. I'll post screenies, everybody is currently standing outside the Watcher's Keep wondering who's gonna die first.

aVENGER hello and big respect, it's your mod I've got installed. Thanks for your hard work.

Mwuhahahahahhaaaa see how I blatantly ignore your attempt to foist a freakin' bard on the party. The half-orc I will create for you, to make up for it, get to enjoy the Soppy Bioware Romance I have planned. :: evil cackling and laughter ::

The first six lambs to the slaughter will be: Hurlshot: Child of Bhaal and Dwarven Ftr / Cleric, Chaotic Neutral, sorry Hurlie couldn't be bothered to dual-class one plus I have a great dwarf port I wanna use Tigranes: Halfling Chaotic Evil Assassin (no neutral assassins allowed in BG2) and POWA BEHIND THE THRONE! Oner: Neutral Evil Human sorcerer with special sociopathic powaz Sorophx: Lawful Evil Elven Anti-Paladin Serrano: Chaotic Good Elven Mage / Cleric with terrible taste in adventuring parties Shryke: Neutral Evil half-orc Barbarian with greatsword and halberd fetish (You gotta have one, right?) --- Obviously, the attrition rate will be very high given the deadliness of the dungeon and my propensity to drink heavily whilst playing Infinity Engine games. Anybody else want to post a character feel free, I'm sure you'll get a turn! Just need to work out the whole how-to-take-screenshots and post them thing, any help on that front appreciated.

Arnie 'The Terminator' is involved in censoring violent entertainment content. And they say irony is dead.

I don't have it installed at the moment, and I'm planning an uber-TuTu session in the autumn. Are you applying for the assassin slot? The anti-paladin out Keldorn's Keldorn. Was rather hoping for a volunteer to play a sorcerer, my personal fave. Sorcerer applicants have a high chance of acceptance onto the ironman program, and indeed survival.

We will be taking on Tougher Demogorgon and I have the thief enhancements / tweaks mod that nerf time-traps. A cleric / mage? Hmmm if you like but I've never really used one but it's ironman so if he croaks... Elven paladins? Sorry but this is 2nd Ed. AD&D so no demi-human paladins. Come back with another character unless you want a lawful evil elf anti-paladin because I have the mod that supplies that, it's super twinky (it plays like an inqusitor with some serious dispel magic going on) and might assist with the general toughness of the modded dungeon. Hurlie is in, but no axes for clerics, I'll make him a flail and hammer monster. The only specialist kit for a neutral cleric is Helm in BG2 but I could try and shadowkeeper in a few Tempusian powaz.

The more I see, the more I like. In fact, because I am a heathen I am digging this more than the original games (except Tactics, of course). I have pre-ordered a CE. And I'm looking forward to DS3, go Obz, GO!

Inspired by all the ironman action on the forum, here is mine: BG2 Ironman: Watcher's Keep Yep, WK only. I will create six characters and Shadowkeeper them the way the playaz want. Your character will be in the 15th-23rd level range, depending on class (i.e. one and three quarter million XP, in your early high-level ability range). Ask for appropriate equipment / goodies that you'd reasonably expect at that level. You must use your forum name, but apart from that post a quick character bio, stats, profile etc. The six that amuse me most will make the cut. Obz staff are also welcome, if you could be arsed. Remember: It's Watcher's Keep ironman - core rulez. Dead characters will be replaced by the next on the list. Who will pwn Demogorgon? I can't remember what mods I've got installed at the moment, I think I have that crazy tactical mod you get at the start of WK that we could do for the lulz. I, as you all know, am a traditional kinda gamer and a complete Nazi as a Dungeon Master so we need: Fighters x3, Mage, Cleric and Thief. Obviously, you can mix and match kits and multi-class (no dual-classing kids, can't be arsed micro-ing in shadowkeeper) and you can be as twinky as you like (Ranger / Cleric? No problem). Cheers MC

Then it's not really Syndicate is it? It's a FPS based on Syndicate. Nothing necessarily wrong with that, the sky won't fall in, but there's nothing wrong with veracity. You can call vodka and pineapple juice a bloody mary all day, but it doesn't make it so.

State of Play is very good.

A follow-up story: Police (& Media) Now Playing up D&D Connection to Murder We all have a duty not to take seriously the way the MSM treats serious stories in August.

Hilarious. The link is FUBAR.

The chick outside WK sells the Short Sword of Mask +4, it has a 25% no save chance of entangling an opponent and retails at about GP14.000. You don't even have to set foot in the place to buy it.

None, it'll be fine. It's pretty robust, I installed it off of a seven-year old freebie disc from a gaming magazine on top of a clean install and it was fine. I like Windows 7.

No, that chemistry is intrinsic in the process is obvious, but appreciation of the end product is an art. Not a science.

A page is turning, every game store I go into these days has one small shelf of PC games and rows and rows and rows of massive displays for console.

^ Did you try crying when the cop got the ticket out? It always works for me.

^ Agreed, it's one of the reasons I can't be arsed to re-install it. Which is a shame because as a tactical, turn-based 3E D&D combat sim it's really very, very good. It also looks prettier on the screen than on the pics posted here, it's not butt-ugly. Yeah, the GUI is horrible and the portraits are a disgrace but the actual avatars etc are nicely done, like a really polished infinity engine game.

I spent a full half hour playing with the alienFX on my new laptop, making pretty colours.

Why not learn some proper life skills, like how to navigate a wine list and also how to cook properly. Where you live is a wine and foodie heaven in terms of produce. And let's be honest, the ladies love a man who can cook... but chemistry? Unless the chick is strange and digs crystal meth labs, I suppose. Cookery is full of science, I didn't give a fig about physics or chemistry until I started cooking properly!