Gorth

No idea if the game is going to be good or not, but the engine itself looks interesting. What we *haven't* seen is how it handles hordes of actors on screen plus AI to control them. I would get wet dreams at the thought of a turn based JA2 running on an engine like that.

For the same reason they are not using Onyx for Project Eternity? Right tool for the right job and all that. IIRC they use Unity because with it they have an easier time making PE for other platforms. The only reason right now (granted, I haven't watched the whole pitch video, so I maybe have missed something) for them to use this one is drunken master physics and pretty lights. That, and the price (royalties) they have to pay to all the middleware license holders that is contained within Onyx. Matters less when it's publisher funded, since Obsidian presumably gets a fixed price for their project, any margins per unit and units shifted is the publishers problem. When they are effectively "self publishing", the profit per each suddenly matters.

For the same reason they are not using Onyx for Project Eternity? Right tool for the right job and all that.

I downed my first medium sized ufo today and met my first sectopod. I don't remember them being *that* nasty in UFO: Enemy Unknown

Maybe the need for 'faith' grew as human intelligence involved? As we started to become more aware of the world around it and started asking questions beyond 'where food?', 'find fire' and 'mate with me?', we started worrying because we didn't know the answers. Most intelligent beings don't like uncertainty, so we needed to fill in the gaps. We started 'believing' in things in order to explain the gaps we couldn't fill in with observable, reproducible facts. As knowledge of facts expands, the room for faith diminishes. Some appreciate the change, some don't. Watch this space if some discovery some day turns out to put everything we thought we knew on its head.

Is probably just a touch, a smidgeon, a tad overstated in the reverse direction. I felt like using big words. I don't get to do it a lot now that I've defended. So, from a hypothetical bias in the designated target demographic, you extrapolated a behavioral pattern?

Once you get used to mechanical keyboards, there is no way back

They should have let you I like your way of thinking

That would explain why he looks so angry.

Well, I bought the big pile of all things DA:O off Gamersgate, so I'm going to replay it again some day to try out the DLC's. Not that I didn't already complete it a few times. It had its own share of things that I didn't like, but again weighing up the pros and cons I ended up with a net positive. Positive enough to replay it at least. Doesn't mean I would heap universal praise on it

Finished DA2. Ending wasn't as bad as ME3, but still a WTF? ending Not happy about the Merrill quest line and I'm not sure where Anders' would have taken me because I turned down helping him after collecting stuff for him I doubt he was being honest about (turned out to be the right decision). At least Aveline stood by me, despite voicing some misgivings. Good girl But damn, something that felt good (who said you couldn't make any meaningful choices): That was an awesome feeling, made me all warm and fuzzy inside Yeah, I probably stand by some of my previous observations, I liked the game mechanics of DA:O way better and the recycling of stuff did hurt the game (third act felt like a third cup of tea made from the same tea bag, but the first two acts were ok), but it (the game) wasn't worse than I'm definitely up for a replay in a not so distant future. I'll have to finish my ongoing game of FO:NV first though, since I've yet to complete that game and I also have that game of XCOM going now that I started on.

I used the first two of those. Once encounters started, it was micro management... pause, unpause, pause, unpause for every fraction of a second. Sometimes pause unpause etc. was interrupted by new instructions to party members

I haven't been part of the discussion, but just wanted to add that it could possibly be a deliberate anti-spam measure. Brings back memories of spam bots and accounts creating posts with hundreds of links to pharmaceutical and x-rated sites

Still splitting my time (what little there is) between XCOM and DA2. XCOM is nice enough, but there are some things that irritates me. The "streamlining" has removed some parts that I miss and I can't find out how to completely remove the "Jumpy Cam Feature". I hate it when aliens become visible and the camera just goes AWAL to show a closeup of them. Disabling "kill cam" etc. in settings was even the first thing I did. I like the two characters in the base though, the heads of the science and engineering departments. As for DA2, I'll probably agree with alanschu that 3rd act is the "weakest". So far, I've seen very little that I didn't already do too much in second act. Spent a lot of time killing the same scum (with a different name) at night, visiting the same mansion, the same dungeon etc. It would probably have benefited from dropping the third act and add whatever plot centric stuff still to come at end of the second act instead and call it a day. Sometimes less is more Still on my to-do list is telling Meredith (who seems to have replaced the viscount in the game mechanics) that I've caught her wayward mages and solve a side quest for Merril and Anders (both of which are (together with Fenris) my trio of least favourite characters. I fear I'm probably going to "rush" the final part, just to get to the ending now Not sure why people seems to hate the characters. I don't expect excessive realism in my games. As long as they stay true to the nature that the game has defined for them, I'm quite happy. My favourites are still Isabella for her happy go lucky attitude, Varric for being the coolest dwarf ever and Aveline for being a woman shaped battering ram (I think that was the in-game comment). Bethany only played a role in first act and Sebastian only really in the second act. Will wrap up my final thoughts and share once fully finished. I'll probably replay the game again some day as a fighter... and yes, I liked the two DLC's, Legacy and Mark of the Assassin. Nice change of pace and location

Things may have changed the last decade, but I don't seem to remember anybody celebrating it (or knowing much about it) when I lived in northern Europe. Still, Happy All Hallows' Evening to those who celebrate it

Thanks a lot Now, maybe we should inform Sargy that his signature is a bit premature

Enough booze and adrenaline means bodypaint is all the protection (you think) you need

It started out as a vague hope Stranger things have happened in the real world. Mighty men and woman have fallen, principles forgotten, oaths ignored etc. when people start thinking with their hormones and thought and reason starts dribbling out through a small hole in the bottom of peoples skulls

Having visited both rainforests and deserts, I *can* think of a few cultural reasons why barbarians might not want to wear too much body armour as a rule of thumb. Besides, it does indeed look more impressive when giving in to rage and you start tearing your flimsy deer skin toga apart Hulk Hogan style Besides, vikings were sort of archetypical barbarians. Wouldn't want too much armour pulling you down if you are a sea faring people. I didn't really meant anything like that, I wouldn't want to level armor either (unless it was intelligent armor ). A bit like the stealth suit in Old World Blues

Executing your predecessor and grab power for yourself, shelling a few villages in the process when they wont march to the new tune?

Sounds a bit like Class Bonus Feat (Barbarian): Armour Specialisation: Hide Armour - "Your warrior feels more at ease in dead animal skins and receive xyz bonus to protection"

The more satellites you have operational, the greater your monthly income. They also reduce panic levels, which is nice. I built a new power plant after discovering that power was a limiting factor, and I wish I had the resources for a satellite nexus thing, but for now I think I just have to settle for a simple two satellite hub. Damn network congestion Trying to plan a bit ahead too, so my facilities ends up next to each other for the added efficiency.

You need to shout a bit louder, I don't think GW can hear you over in Nottingham I'm probably an oddity, because I don't really like a lot of loot in my games. I would love just for once to play a game where finding enough funds to upgrade my rusty shortsword to a shiny new longsword (with a pommel gem!) felt like something worth celebrating at the local tavern. Same thing for armours. Rather than an overabundance of types and making it hard to chose what to wear (that sounded all wrong?), let me refine and customize what I wear. Nice chainmail. Maybe add a bit of padding, some pauldrons and a fire retardant paint job? It's still my favourite old chainmail which I named after taking it off some baddies dead body and adjusted the length.

At the risk of sounding like Captain Obvious, I would love the initial types to remain viable. Please, no silly +1 modifiers. I liked the 'Quality Longsword' etc. from IWD. Besides quality of craftmanship, make material a factor? I.e. if my barbarian starts out wearing elf-hide armour, he might later be able to upgrade/replace it with troll-hide armour which has some self-repairing qualities (or whatever, just making up silly examples). It's still visually and functionally a hide armour.

I love that Bayeux tapestry