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Events sound a bit like what went on in Rifts, which were pretty cool. edit: My number one wish is a match chestpiece setting. My trooper looks horrible.

Wow that's fast. Hopefully it will be something good. Turbine used to release a content patch every other month for Asheron's Call. Those were good days. I'll be very happy if they give us some new content every 3-4 months.

I've been planning my big summer RV trip. I think we've got it worked out. I'm going to head up to Tillmook, Oregon for a couple days and do the factory tour as well as enjoy their ice cream. Then we will head to Washington and take a Ferry across to Vancouver Island (with the RV, which will be neat.) We will psend a week on the island, a few days in Victoria and a few days further north near Nainamo. We will take another ferry across to Canada, and then start the long drive home, stopping in Salem for a couple days. I'm pretty excited, it looks like about a 16 day trip. I'll start making the reservations in march, but I like to have a plan early.

So you think that a large development cycle justifies the massive change of direction instead of just streamlining DA1? What part of "It doesn't forgive some terrible decisions" do you not understand? I wasn't in on the design meetings, so I can't understand how they ended up where they did. All I'm saying is that it was not surprising that there was a big change from DA1 to DA2. Unfortunately many of us feel that was a change for the worst.

The problem I see here is that the direction ME2 went was fantastic and improved on the original in many positive ways. I can see folks getting pissed about the direction DA2 went. I disliked it tremendously. But we should also remember DA1 had a problematic development cycle and it was no surprise that they would need to streamline that for future games. It doesn't forgive some terrible decisions they made, but changes were necessary nonetheless.

I agree with you to an extent Gromnir, it's a bit late to offer a grey path. But I will say they should be adding new content every few months. They have a huge team, so I'm guessing we will be getting a new planet, or at least a content expansion somewhere, every 3-4 months. I'll also say the monotony is surprisingly well expected among the hardcore crowd. Some folks will raid every night, basically repeating stuff every week or two. That's not my idea of fun, I'll put on the breaks for a month or two and come back when a patch peaks my interest. In fact I doubt I'll max out a character anytime soon, I've already pulled back on my 31 trooper and have started creating Empire folks.

Xcom 2: Terror from the Deep had the craziest house fires, I don't know how many squaddies I lost because they passed out due to smoke inhalation. I always sent my people in teams of two, and I remember multiple occasions where one would pass out, and the other would drop all their gear and try to drag the other to safety.

I don't see the big deal about Diablo 3 on consoles. Unlike RTS's, an action-RPG works just fine with a controller. Diablo 3 isn't exactly a complex game, it's about hacking and slashing and getting neat loot.

I'm less upset about the ammo than the multiple bases. I loved having a research base, a military base, and a manufacturing base. Still, everything else sounds sublime, so I'm planning on it as a day one purchase. Not having to manufacture individual clips will also be nice, that was a pain in the original.

"Sounds like you need a trooper" is repeated quite a few times, but it's said in such a sleazy way that it makes me laugh every time.

We call it the Dark Ages simply because of the lack of information about that time period. There is just very little writing going on during the early middle ages, the records are few and far between, and historians have to make a lot of assumptions in order to fill in the gaps. Compare that to the rather meticulous record keeping of the Romans or Greeks, and you have a fairly mysterious period of history.

Oh, that's what I wasn't sure on. It seems odd that they wouldn't give any companion bonuses from the daily's and flashpoints, but if that's what you've heard, I guess you do rely more heavily on gifts at 50.

In Saints Row 3, I'm more surprised at what I manage to survive than how I die. I let my daughter drive around in the game last night, she is 4, and she hit some curb, sending herself hurtling through the windshield and hitting a wall headfirst. She yelled "Why wasn't I wearing my seat belt!?! Where is the seat belt button daddy?"

I'm not entirely sure how the end game will work, but in most other MMO's you still continue to quest and take part in dialogue after you hit the level cap. The main story arc might be completed, but all those bonus quest series, repeatable heroics, and flashpoints are still there. You no longer get xp, but you get other rewards, and gaining companion points would seem to be one. As I said, it isn't a big hook, but it's another reason to keep playing. Again I have no idea if that is Bioware's intention, but it seems like a logical thing, particularly given how quickly the level cap seems to be coming up. This is one of the faster leveling curves I have seen in a new MMO. I'm also not saying you don't need or want companion gifts to help raise their affection, I've been running investigation missions and giving those gifts to my companions when they are applicable. I just don't think you need to spam the gifts, as you put it. I can't imagine spending money at the AH to buy gifts either, but maybe I'll change my mind when I try and level my third companion (I don't count the cleaning droid.) It's definitely true that you can play it the way you want though. If you want to make a big push to get their affection up with gifts, then that is available. I imagine if you are playing in a group all the time that would be pretty important.

I'm pretty sure I have all my companions at this point, but what I'm saying is you aren't thinking about this as an MMO. You aren't really halfway through the game, because the game doesn't end at level 50. There is no real rush to max out the companions, it can be a long term project. I guess if you are playing it like a single player game and you want to be done in a month, then that could be a rub, but if that's the case I would just focus on one companion. edit in response to your edit: It's really just one aspect of the post-50 play, I'd imagine. Not really a big hook, but something to do nonetheless. To be honest I don't plan on hitting 50 too soon, I'd rather slow it down and work on some other characters.

I actually think the companion points are going a bit fast. I've got one companion over 6k and one at 4k, and I'm at level 31. The companion gifts have done very little of the raising there, mostly its because of questing. You probably don't really want all your companions maxed out when you hit 50, because it gives you something to do when you hit the max level. At least that's what I assume Bioware is thinking.

A society without some degree of faith over reason would be super lame.

I dig it.

Don't forget folks, MMO's are about the ride, not the destination. Take your time enjoying each level. Even the best MMO developers struggle to get new content out quickly (Turbine used to manage something new every 3 months) so the slower you take it, the easier it is to stay interested in it.

Spider, you might not be getting much of the companion points, but you are getting all those social points. I have no idea what they do, but it makes me feel good when they pop up. Did I mention how much I love choosing the douchebag lines when I'm playing with my wife? She's always trying to be nice and helpful, and I come across as a total jerk, it's awesome.

I get all my companion gifts by sending them on missions. I've trained them in investigation. I never even noticed that you get xp for giving gifts, I'm just trying to woo my cold fish female partner.

I haven't grinded, or done flashpoints, or most of the heroics, and I still find myself at the right level range. I did notice that I was about a level short for Tatooine (I heard you want to be 25 for a speeder on that planet, which was very true), so I went back to Taris and finished the Bonus series, and that pushed me well into the range. Do a couple space missions if you find yourself a level short, they give a surprising xp boost, they are short, and they can be a nice detour. I've only done about 3 of them, but I found they helped me jump a level.

They usually are. The first 6 weeks are really just poops, boobs, and naps.

One night is 12 hours long (dusk til dawn). The stuff I did in the main story seemed to take about 2 or 3 hours, tops. Thank goodness, way too many of these games drag the main storyline out beyond good reason. A ten hour main story is perfect, going over that is unnecessary, just like a movie over two hours. It's great that they supply all the side stuff so those who want more out of the game can do so without the game dragging. Assassin's Creed is also a great example of a game that dragged.

I read the Hunger Games trilogy. It was better than expected, kind of like The Giver, but with a bit more teenage angst.