majestic

RLM has a Half in the Bag episode about TFA: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AvsiJppCdmk I guess Mike got a bit too hyped about this totally not being like the prequels. Pretty much like I was when I left the theatre and before things settled in (and before a second watch, anyway). Still, it's quite fun to watch.

Odd, I don't recall Bioware stating that it'll be not long before operations - only that they plan on releasing content patches every 6 weeks, which was quickly put to a 6 to 8 weeks exactly one patch later, and during Shadows of Revan while KotFE was being developed Bioware never made any mention about new operations (only that silly scaling). But yeah, it does look like they're actually running on fumes over there even though EA supposedly increased resources for Köfte KotFE. Kind of odd considering that this is supposed to be one of the Hero Engine's strengths: Quickly adding content because developers and artists can work simultaneously on game assets in real time.

It's pretty amazing that the game works at all, considering the basis it is built upon. The Hero engine is an immense turd. Back when SWTOR launched the guys who made it claimed it was Bioware's engineers that messed it up when finishing the engine in-house, but now, four years later, the unmodified Hero Engine is still... a turd. Not to mention that IF is in financial dire straits. Not that this is supposed to excuse Bioware's blundering about, they do seem to have a massive problem with version control. A while back when I still played each new content patch reintroduced the same bugs to the upgraded version of certain relics. Without fail. Content patch -> same bugs come back -> fix three weeks later. I'm still waiting for my "The Red Blade" codex entry that I never got on my operative that I play since launch (well not so much recently, obviously). I kind of have given up on it.

Baby don't hurt me!

I'm not really chiming in on the side of leaving too many questions unanswered. Too many and everything becomes strange, for instance, a while ago when Satellite Reign came out I felt cheated by the ending. It just happens without any prior hints or explanations which I though was really bad. I just disagreed with the nerd-analogy and how important the open questions of PS:T really are in the context of the story it tries to tell.

We already have Cassandra. There were some outraged teenage boys who argued that she has some additional southern landmass. *wink* *wink*

That is a strange analogy.

The compass just points in the same direction. Always. Which is sort of obvious in a fixed perspective isometric view. Where else would "north" go?

Oh, yes, there's no doubt about that. The Practical Incarnation was magnificent in his... practicality, unfettered by any moral consideration.

Starting with 18 in WIS is a must, then distribute among INT and CHA. CHA is a little less important than INT. Focus on WIS while leveling up, get it to 25 as soon as possible (that includes some easy to find early boni to the stat). If I remember correctly the highest INT check is 21, so make that your second priority then work on CHA. The rest of the stats can easily be ignored. Look for a certain NPC that can help you become a mage so that you get most out of the stats - just make sure she is a mage before hitting level 7 (there's a stat level-up bonus that otherwise will go to STR as fighter or DEX as thief) so you get a point in INT as a freebie. Talk to your companions early and often, they all and you gain massive stat improvements through dialog. If you're worried about starting with annoyingly low physical stats you can drop a few points into DEX, maybe start with 15 (that's enough for the entire game). That also helps with playing an evil TNO if you're so inclined, but it's not really necessary. TNO *is* immortal after all and the only downside to dying is that you need to walk back a bit. Unlike in other RPGs, being an evil bastard in Torment is a bit different. You're not just evil for the lulz. You'll end up being a really, really terrible person. Especially to your companions. Heh. EVUL SPOILAH:

No, it isn't.

Of course both are silly. It is, however, possible to earn a living by being the snobbish variant. We call those people art critics.

Ah, now, see... Arcanum is a title that is utterly unmade by the terrible (combat) mechanics while ToEE is a title that is utterly unmade by all the elements that aren't combat. I kind of wish that someone would combine the two into one actually playable game.

I think the complaint was more about developers releasing "in-engine" footage with graphics and effects that are then not present or of reduced quality in the final product. Mostly so that console peasants don't feel bad about being console peasants. Erm, not that this would apply to a PC-only game.

Did you ever meet any of those swaggetarian hipster guys that seem to pop up everywhere? I'm perfectly certain such equivalents exist for entertainment too. Like a bunch of people I know who pretend to like jazz because it makes them feel superior to the grunts enjoying a bunch of Taylor Swift. Heh.

Careful, we don't want Luzianus to come back. Better not to talk too openly about this.

That's pretty spot on. The disjointed nature in which the storyline is told makes it hard to casually play the game and follow it, unless you're really good at remembering details. Keeping WIS, INT and CHA high is also necessary, otherwise you miss out on a lot of stuff, and what's maybe even worse, have to fight more battles, and those are certainly *not* PS:T's strong suit. In a way this is a flaw that PS:T shares with KOTOR 2: If you don't have the right stats and actively influence and talk to your companions you will miss out on many details of the main story line - so much that it might even appear to not make sense at all or have plot holes the size of a small moon space station. I don't think it is a coincidence that both were made by MCA.

Yeah, a throwback to Luke's and Han's antics on the Death Star while trying to save Leia. Maybe that's what annoyed me. I seem to have trouble dealing with the remakey nature of the film. =(

The entire escape sequence for instance. I can already see the "Fin and Poe dicking around in space" comedy-spinoff. And yes, maybe I'm a bit too cynical and jaded and exaggerate that out of proportion, but there *were* comedy elements to Finn's character in the beginning of the film that annoyed me to no end.

It's different from ToEE insofar as you only control one character and the combat is a bit more like in Fallout (the original Fallout, that is). Oh, yeah, there are feats that give you access to a bunch of tactical features that my character has no access to because he's killing things with mentally projected fireballs and neuroshocks instead of weapons, so no idea how those are. In the beginning you're given quests from one of the head honchos in the starting area, and that's pretty much it. I spent most of my time so far wandering the tunnels and killing... rats, trying to catch fish and other critters. That nobody really wants to buy because old-school traders not only have a limited credit supply but also a list of things they want to buy. Found a real nice but useless piece of armor worth a fortune? Yeah, too bad for you if noboy's buying armors right now. Oh, well, maybe the guy that does has nothing you want and not enough cash. Heh.

I already spent a couple hours wandering around caves and tunnels. So far it's been fun, but a few things are bugging me, or dare I say: A few things are a *bit* too old school. Especially the part where there are multiple currencies with weird exchange rates and the fact that the barter window doesn't give you a price in numbers but instead a slider showing how good (or bad) the deal is. The exploration part is a bit hamstrung by the fact that the game very clearly tells you where you are not yet supposed to be. In the form of impossible skill checks at that level or enemies that kill you in a single round, but maybe that'll change. It certainly didn't help that I had no real idea what I was doing when I made my character. Oh, and lest anyone else falls for this trap, if you want to use psi abilities then keep in mind activating them will cost you a point of constitution.

edit: I hope Fin stops being the silly black guy comic relief character in any subsequent films. While I applaud JJ for not abusing the Droids for that or creating a new Jar Jar Binks using the token black guy for some stereotypical black guy antics in the first half of the film felt a bit off.

I don't think it is unreasonable to say that the movie is too much of a conservative remake for its own good. Maybe the next one will stand on its own and pass from being good to being great.

I wonder who came up with the names in the prequels and in TFA. Supreme Leader Snoke, I'm officially calling you Lord Sudoku from now on.