Nonek

Games the same as any other medium stand on the shoulders of giants in my opinion: For instance the huge open world of the Witcher 3 borrows a lot from classic Ultima in that it is a world that makes sense, and seems eminently liveable, whereas in other open world games every element is just there to facilitate larping. The massive city of Novigrad could be said to borrow from Britain, Vizima, the Gothics or the early Elder Scrolls cities such as featured in Daggerfall, though obviously not the laughable hamlets that are present in later dumbed down iterations. The combat system deviates enough from everything else to be its own things, it is neither Dark Souls, Arkham (thanfully) or Severance (mores the pity.) Heart of Stone is cribbed almost entirely from Polish folklore as you probably know, and there are many other elements they have used that have been used before, this isn't a bad thing, quite the contrary. All that matters really is implementation, and end user experience. For me they should have stuck with some of the more elegant design they pioneered in the first game, instead of catering to the modern crowd, but there you go. Edit: To be honest I think the Wild Hunt could have benefited from removing a lot of handholding measures from the game, just based on my own improved enjoyment when I turned those features off, and adding directions to the gameworld, rather than underestimating their players with quest markers and such. I'm currently enjoying Deus Ex without such insulting measures being necessary and have explored far more old games where such handholding was not necessary, I often wonder why this changed and we now accept such "features." I find it difficult to believe that players found this too hard, it just required a little experimentation and exploration and resulted in far more satisfaction when difficulty was overcome. Of course there are those who needed cheat sheets and walkthroughs, but they are still here, indeed there are players who approach a game with a walkthrough first time spoiling themselves of any enjoyment. Design of course shouldn't be catered around them, and yet it is. I suppose it's just a sign of the times, there is far more handholding and babying in society full stop, and players now feel at home with being led around by the nose. A pity. Edit#2: You know I find an odd pleasure in pouring over my old maps of the Bard's Tale, Dungeon Master, Eye of the Beholders, Wizardry, Ultimas etcetera, the graph paper is near falling apart and the pencilled notes fading fast but I pity any player who's never experienced this method of gaming. They're missing something that is far more organic and satisfying.

Reminds me, i'll have to read those again, along with Mr Watsons other books. Space Marine, studying the strange and disturbing growth of an Imperial Fist Initiate was very good.

I have to admit I still use imperial measurement even though we're now supposed to abide by European dictates, inches, feet and yards just seem far more natural than this soulless modern...stuff. Then again i'm not particularly into Association Football.

Seconded. To introduce such a vast piece of fiction one would need to have relatable human characters, not the superhumans of the Astartes. Really I think Space Marines should have just as much an air of mystery and alienness as say the Eldar, Necron or Tau, and when a citizen sees one it should be a sure sign that peril is imminent. Stormcrows. As for the enemies of the Imperium they should be almost mythical to most I think, even the lowly Ork Boy should be a creature that will give the average human nightmares for the rest of their life, if they survive! To behold the soulless legions of the Necron, the forerunners of a Hive Fleet, the twisted speed demons of Commorragh, or the agents of the eight pointed star would be to probably lose ones mind. As for the Eldar, well shattered reflections of the Imperium, melancholic, sardonic and proud, obsessed with Death and Fate: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XwODnnfra3A

Visually it's absolutely stunning, I never thought i'd see the W40k world brought to life with such vision, and it's nice to see the civilisation at the heart of the Imperium rather than battlefields or ruins. I think it's a very good decision to go with an Inquisitors Angelae, mere humans who are far more relatable, and the young leader of that band with the slight Irish accent is an unusual addition that I like. Edit: Though in truth it's more a title sequence than a prologue.

Revered members of this august assembly, I come before you today with an obscure artifact: A vidfilm that pertains to His glorious inquisition, and seeks to highlight our work here upon Holy Terra, and out there on the million worlds where mankind holds sway. Is this Heresy most foul, or righteous propaganda fit for the ears of the Imperiums good, honest citizens? Only a fragment has yet been put forward for our judgement, and so I say to you, most wise and terrible of servants: Yay or nay? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cZc6cr6G2E4 Emperor be praised. Thought for the day: Envy the mind too small for doubt.

As well as the technical spit and polish, bug quashing and FIXING THE CAMERA, I think really that if NWN2 were remastered I would want to see a major reworking of the plot, characters and choices. In essence I think it needs streamlining, getting rid of all the flabby boring stuff and making what remains detailed and reactive. Some of the characters i'd merge, perhaps Khelgar and Casavir, so that one interesting character emerges from two fairly dull and cliched ones. Areas that were unexplored, introduced and then discarded i'd expand to cover multiple roles: Crossroad Keep, Fort Locke and Highcliff Castle i'd probably merge into one gradually changing and evolving location, that opened up as explored and the plot demanded. Highcliff i'd probably make the protagonists home, it is far more striking visually, allows access to the Mere and would serve just as well as West Harbour. The run to Neverwinter i'd try to make a Flight from the Dark like desperate escape, pursued, endangered and deadly. I'd also like to maybe allow multiple routes instead of just one, and have consequences and unique content on each. I could go on, i've written out a veritable campaign based on how i'd GM the OC, though i'd definitely keep most of the core elements as they are well designed. I really don't know why i've thought about this so much when I consider the OC mediocre, strange. Edit: Oh i'd also like the dance of death from the first NWN re-implemented, dodges, parries, attacks etcetera animated. Lord knows why they omitted this.

A little tip when playing the Deus Ex: GMDX mod, Karkians are lethal, alpha strike the things or run/swim for your life.

I believe the meme is, "Fixed that for you." You're welcome. Causality is overrated.

I'm afraid to say that when NWN came out I just could not get over the absolutely hideous graphics, coming from the painted artwork of the IE games (which probably reached its zenith in IWD,) to the blocky and hideously designed artwork of NWN, well that was a regression that just didn't appeal to me. The modding scene was yet young when I abandoned the game, I think the mod everyone was talking about at the time was called Elegy or somesuch, and so I never saw much of that side of the game. NWN 2 however had a far superior campaign with a brilliantly implemented personal motivation for the protagonist, rather than the boring Chosen One trope that passed for motivation in the first OC, and a number of high points where Obsidian showed some real promise. Unfortunately the dull grind of everything between those high points was uninspired and repetitive, and far too Bioware-ish. I don't regret playing the second games OC like I did the first, and I appreciate what a visual treat it was, but I have as yet had no urge to play it again. Though I do ocassionally listen to the soundtrack of both games. I liked SoU, despised HotU, adored MotB and admired the innovation of SoZ.

Personally i'd have thought the Codex would have been crowing about the incident, affirm their reputation of being the ninth hell of game discussion, bearing blacklistings with honour. Exiled by InXile, is quite the catchphrase however.

Double English Literature with Sister Jane, long blond tresses, eyes as big and blue as a summer sky, a willowy figure that filled out her floral dresses in a breathtaking fashion, a slight Highland lilt to her pronunciation and the sweetest demeanour i've ever seen a grown woman possess. Every lad in class was a little in love with her.

"Well Gene, since you're in Heaven now, and you are the angels guest and they your hosts: What's your pleasure? What would you like to do?" "Oh I don't know. Play chess...screw..." "Well let's play chess!"

Theres a new King's Quest? They kept that quiet.

Jolly decent of them. I assume the rage over at the Codex is vibrant, self sustaining and memeful? Have to say that Divinity 2 preview with Sven was very informative, excellent piece of journalism, and far more in depth than the usual articles. Keep it up chaps. Edit: A pity really that Inxile chose not to benefit from such a thorough grilling as Larian, who came off looking like devs who are enormously consumer friendly and enthusiastic about their product, very good publicity. Still least said, soonest mended what.

Hong Kong, how do I love thee? Let me count the ways. So many rough edges and yet so very, very good. I'm going for a dip in the canals.

Alright Codex, you've had your fun, let them out of the pit and stop making them rub lotion into their skin. You're just going to have to find somebody else to make a meat suit out of.

Just finished the Osgood & Sons warehouse mission in Deus Ex. An exhaustive and thorough exploration of the place, from every side, above and below I attacked and eliminated every NSF terrorist (except the dogs of course) with extreme prejudice. Had a few moments of near death, hiding and running away or falling back to a mined (well LAM'd) area, but that was all part of the experience. The tension and excitement were palpable, mostly I think because of the lack of idiot proof measures, I had to explore to find my way, there were no wallhacks to see enemies, rather I had to stick my head around a corner and risk detection, or listen to the sound of approaching or retreating feet. Listening, sneaking, preparing and then striking from a position of hopeful strength. I have to thank the devs who used to make games like this, and the modders whom are updating it. Exploration, experimentation and excitement rather than being led around by the nose in what are becoming Skinner boxes. Hope this design method comes back some day. Edit: I really wish that I could spare Gunther somehow, his situation becomes more tragic and relatable every time I play through the game.

Why is it that I find the music of Deus Ex so appropriate and appealing, while the Human Revolution soundtrack though technically I suppose better, left me so cold? I don't think it's just nostalgia with both being such recent games, sixteen and five years old, I think it's something else though i'm at a loss as to what that is. Also has anyone ever noticed the Deus Ex soundtracks resemblance to that of the film True Lies, or is this just me?

No i'm wearing pyjamas and my robe, hipster jeans would look ridiculous on a gentleman of my years. Press ^ to walk forward eh? Putting thoughts into their brains, I apologize :-P You claim developers do something for a reason that you have constructed in your head was my point. Just as I have done in the games you have just mentioned (okay, I didn't play Styngian Abyss), but also in, say, STALKER, Deus Ex: Human Revolution or Dishonored. And I agree, experimentation and exploration are my favourite things to do in videogames. And it's cool that you didn't have to ring anyone for help, same as I never had to enable objective markers. But the phone service was there. I'm pretty sure you can just kill him, no? Well i'm sorry for whoevers brain i've putten thoughts into. Good for BT. I still prefer fun to boring quest markers and other such insulting handholding measures. Try it sometime.

That they're adults who can decide for themselves which features would they prefer in their game? Putting words into someone else's mouths without a single shred of evidence notwithstanding, I guess I am missing your entire argument since I for one enjoy when developers give paying customers some agency in how do they wish to enjoy their game. It's not fault of the entire gaming industry that you choose to perceive optional features the way you choose to perceive them. Were you even around in the earlier days of teh interwebz? No matter the stage of evolution of gaming media, questions of "Where is X?", "Can't find Y." and "How do I do Z?" kept popping up pretty much constantly. Hell, before that, major developers had paid phone services in place to help players who were stuck in their games (thinking their audience are a bunch of idiots, clearly). It would require some major selective memory to phase all of that stuff out and claim that an entire generation of gamers did not need help with navigating large and complex levels. Developers obviously don't think of their customers as adults if implementing such insulting features. Whose mouth am I putting words in exactly, could you name the chap please so I can apologise to him? Yes I was around before the Internet and I played all of the early games without having to ring anyone for help, I navigated Wizardrys, Ultimas, various Dungeon Master clones, the Stygian Abyss, the Labyrinth of Worlds, the Thief games, Deus Ex etcetera. I used some graph paper and a notebook if needed, or wrote on the map like in UU. Experimentation and exploration were part of the fun instead of blindly following boring quest markers through levels that absolutely do not need them. Edit: I really wish there were a way to betray Paul, I can see the latter part of the game playing out fairly similarly as Page's goon and hatchet man.

I uh... I'm not sure how to tell you this without offending you, but developers of Human Revolution seem to think that their audience is intelligent enough to choose which features do they wish to use. Look, I'm not lying here: I'm playing with most of that stuff disabled (yes, including aiming reticule because you can aim down sights, but I hate inventory tetris so automatic inventory management is a must for me) and the only thing which the game still does is mark the objective on your map, which is a feature we've had for ages now and makes quite a lot of sense. Aside from users preferring more convenient measures, there's a wide array of people with various degrees of visual impairment for whom these modes can be quite helpful (there's no colorblind mode which sucks tho) or, say, people who have trouble with navigation for no fault of theirs. I don't know how about you, but I think giving users a choice is always a good thing. Well you can, just ... Just click the "off" button and they're obliterated in your game :-P You can even imagine an Ion Cannon shooting them from orbit or whatever, it's crazy! If a dev is implementing such features in their game at all then it's quite obvious what they think of their audience. Of course you can find options in the options menu, you're missing my argument if you think that's what this is about. As for applauding the idiotic handholding measures that a whole generation of games and gamers did not need when navigating much larger and more complex levels, well that's your decision, personally I don't need them and don't like to be treated as feckless and bumbling by the developers. Edit: Just managed to kill every terrorist and save the lives of every UNATCO trooper in the firefight at the 'Ton on my first save, gas grenade spam at distance, pepper spray and pistol at close range and repeat. I feel quite proud, i'm sure Paul will be horrified.

Meanwhile at the foot fetishists convention...

A hammer driver is quite a good job, I worked a few months at Firth Rixsons doing this, requires quite a bit of manual dexterity but i'm sure you'll have that because of youth and fitness. Scale is quite a hazard and accidents do happen that are sometimes incapacitating, however as you say the pay was even then very good. Edit: Are you sure the industry won't head East as most manual work has done? Oh while I remember, I cramped because of loss of liquids quite regularly, took salt tablets and drank little regularly. I at first worked like a Dervish and then collapsed when taking a big drink of chilled water, tea hit the spot for me when i'd learned better.

But... None of those things are forced upon you in either Human Revolution or Mankind Divided, they're entirely optional. (what is not optional is level design, sadly) Anyway, never heard of GMDX mod, it does look rather great tho. Let's see whether I can force myself to get past the terrifying aiming controls the original had. I wouldn't know about the latest Deus Ex but in Human Revolution when I started playing all of these options were on, assuming that I am the kind of moron who does not know that one can climb up or down a ladder. Insulting to say the least and indicative of how the developers think of their audience. Edit: Furthermore I believe such babying measures should be destroyed! Judging by your attitude maybe they're right in the way they perceive their audience. Ooh handbags at dawn.