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kefka

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Posts posted by kefka

  1. 18GB is crazy. Oh well, time for a bigger hard drive. As for the CPU, I'll stick with my E6600 until next year when Core i7 prices fall. I'm sure a dual core system can handle it if your video card is decent.

  2. IT LIVES!!

    yep, still alive. I crawled out from under my rock to make a post! Might hang around for a while this time...

     

    Really, try the demo at least before passing judgement on the game. It's the kind of game you either love or hate, and it's also the kind you can't really know what it feels like if you never actually play it.

    There's no PC demo yet, but I'll check it out if one appears. It's always better to 'feel' a game in action than watch a trailer. Still, if there's tons of precision jumps and trial and error I doubt I'll enjoy it.

  3. A first-person platformer with annoying jumping puzzles? What a shame. Could've been amazing. I thought this game would be a classic when I saw that HD trailer with the gorgeous outdoor scenery and ambient music, but presentation isn't everything. Doubt I'll buy it now. Respawning enemies also bug me - NOLF2 scarred me for life.

  4. I quit X3 after 10 minutes. The interface was a confusing mess which immediately turned me off. X2/ X-tension were far superior, and IMO, the original game is still the best for atmosphere. It might not have the open-ended gameplay of the sequels but it felt like you were in an actual universe, not a boring economy sim.

  5. I never use the slider though I'm tempted to do so when mobbed by Goblin warlords. Those guys are nasty.

     

    The only problem I have with the difficulty is that certain creatures have no business being that tough. I was out exploring some place at level 12 when I encountered my first black bear. Easy I thought - I've just wasted a bunch of daedra at Kvatch... *ahem*.. I died! Those bears are lethal. And lets not forget the mountain lion. Took me out in like 2 hits.

  6. In most RPGs leveling up is something to look forward too. In Oblivion it's something to avoid

    Yep, and even that is hard to do unless you intentionally pick skills you rarely use. I had alchemy as a minor and that went up 10 in no time. As a major it'd level you like crazy. Combat is the main culprit though. Just by doing the fighters guild quests I rose like 10-15 levels. I've maxed out both heavy armor & armorer with blunt & block close behind. My other majors - security, mercantile, and athletics are way behind.

     

    At least you aren't forced to sleep. So you could avoid leveling if you really want to.

  7. The scaling is bad enough but respawning enemies just make it worse. Kill every bandit in one of those ruins and a while later they are back, only sporting their nice new shiny armor and weapons. This is repeated over and over again. You can return at your leisure to grab the better loot. Money is even less of a problem in Oblivion than Morrowind.

     

    Btw, it's not really about difficulty but the incentive to explore and level your character. There's not much point to explore because you're not going to find anything you can't get in any of the dungeons. There may be a few unique items but most of it is random based on your level. I'm currently at level 30 and other than quest locations I see no point in going anywhere else.

  8. I hate the scaling in Oblivion. Possibly the worst I've seen. Not just because everything is at your level but they have the same gear too. Glass, daedric, ebony, you name it. Bandits even occupy the same position. I think Bethesda didn't expect people to revisit places they'd looted before. haha! Want to find that ringleader? No problem, he's standing exactly where the previous one was! It killed the immersion almost stone dead for me.

     

    Is there even a need for scaling? Gothic 2 had none. But the sense of accomplishment as you improved your skills was unmatched. The reward vs risk factor is non-existent in Oblivion. Why bother when the enemies are always as good as you? That's the whole point of leveling - to become better than the opposition.

     

    Since scaling is generally about combat, it should perhaps be based on your combat related skills alone and not just on a level number

    That's the best way of doing it I reckon. Of course I'd prefer no scaling but the way Oblivion is now it punishes the non combat character. So much for allowing you to do whatever you want. Just don't attempt the main story because you may find it impossible.

     

    It rains powerful items so they completely lose their specialness. Silly instances in Oblivion for example where bandits wearing gear costing 1000's of GP are demanding 100 gp off you.

    :p

  9. Well, apart from the tragic leveling/loot system (which has been discussed ad nauseum on the official boards) I'm quite impressed with Oblivion. It surpasses Morrowind in almost every way, though some people will probably say that isn't hard to do. :)

     

    Combat is greatly improved. The sheer ferocity of melee battles is a sight to behold. You feel like you are taking those blows. The new physics engine is a welcome addition.

     

    The world is extremely beautiful, but this splendor does come with a high price - you need a well equipped PC to take advantage or most of the graphical lushness is lost. Speedtree (I think they use that?) enables a very convincing woodland. The best I've seen yet. Dense, highly detailed foliage like this would have been impossible a few years back.

     

    However, the aforementioned level problem comes very close to ruining the whole experience.

     

    Other games have leveled enemies but never so blatant as here. When you see plain old bandits fully decked out in Daedric armor with all manner of magical weapons, you know there's a problem. This is the case for every fort or ancient ruin you visit. And apparently the main plot is the same. Depending on your level when you take on the Daedra invasion the enemies are scaled to you. Not just weaker or stronger but different - say, stunted Scamps vs Flame Atronachs! I hate this level-based crap. Gothic 2's model is far superior. Love or loathe that game it never cheated the player.

  10. I hope this interface works as good as it sounds. It's the main reason why I rarely play mages. I hate having to navigate unwieldy menus just to cast a simple spell. In NWN there's slots available for quick casting but you're screwed if you need something else. Melee characters are so much easier to control and that's usually because you don't have to fight the interface.

  11. but then that's not really the devs fault imo, the only reason why you can't beat them is because you've neglected him ..

    Of course it's the devs fault! They included a scene that "assumes" you've used Atton. Not everyone devotes their time to every NPC. Fortunately I hadn't neglected him which made this battle easy. But I can see how poor preparation could make it a tough challenge. Even worse if you equipped the best weapons on other NPCs and sold the rest.

  12. It's almost certain that Kotor3 will use a new engine. The only question is, which one? There's so many out there right now you're spoiled for choice. An in-house engine is possible but would obviously take much longer to develop than licensing one.

     

    Another thing I'll be happy to see is a physics engine. Imagine using force powers that take advantage of ragdoll physics! That would be amazing to watch. Push a guy against a wall and he'd fall into a crumpled heap, or ricochet off objects and other people! You could even pick things up (using the force) and throw them at your enemies. man, I'm drooling just thinking about that. HL2's gravity gun comes to mind...

     

    Star Wars is a cinematic experience (yes, even when it's an RPG) and deserves a modern engine.

     

    Unreal3 is a good candidate (which Bioware has also licensed). Character models have fantastic detail which is very important in an RPG, since you spend so much time speaking to other people.

     

    http://media.pc.ign.com/media/670/670283/imgs_1.html

  13. Not true. As someone who spends their life writing essays and articles, whenever referring to character whose sex is not specified or does not matter "masculine" pronouns: "he" and "him" are always used.

    Like they were always used in Kotor? Hardly. It would have been quite easy to do what the game did; always refer to Revan as Revan and never use a specific gender.

     

    This does, however, does NOT indicate that the character is male; it is simply a standard writing convention.

    Perhaps, but someone reading the Chronicles for the first time would not be thinking in such terms. They would see Revan as male. And the point was not how the character is written, but that Lucasarts would choose male if they were forced to use an official gender. The Chronicles reinforce that fact. When people have to make excuses like "writing convention" to deny LA's preference it is indeed rather silly.

  14. Everyone's going to think that they way they played should be the definitive storyline. Well, tough cookies, everyone. No amount of discussion over it is going to change anyone's view or make it true.

    Maybe so, but if an official gender for Revan/exile was chosen you'd have to live with it.

     

    The Chronicles on Lucasarts' site always refer to Revan as he/him/his - which seems to indicate their preference.

     

    I think it's safe to assume that if Revan became Star Wars canon he'd be a LS male.

     

    It was already problematic in Kotor2 with all the combinations. Kotor3 would be a nightmare to write with both Revan and Exile potentially male/female, DS/LS, etc.

  15. Thing is I dont recall the original game being difficult either and I dont believe that had extreme stats.

    Sure, the original was quite easy, but it did have several encounters that could be challenging. Even the Dark Jedi that Malak sends after you caused more problems than most enemies in Kotor2. The fact that they used force powers made a big difference. That adds a bit of uncertainty to battles since it's always possible you could fail a save and be incapacitated. Sadly, very few in K2 (except for bosses) ever use the force.

     

    The extreme stats are an indulgence to satiate powergamers. They just like to see big numbers next to their character. :)

     

    Like I said if I played it again I wouldnt upgrade anything which should sort most of that out.

    Sounds like an artificial way of dealing with an easy game. Had it been balanced properly you could use all that kit and still have a challenge.

     

    Well I already said on another thread that a Jedi is like having a magic user cleric fighter without having to split the levels.

    Right. A Jedi is powerful, but you should have some limitations. The original did a better job because each class was more distinct. A Guardian felt like a fighter, while a Consular was your 'magic' user, but not as good in saber combat. They all had strengths and weaknesses. However, in K2 the classes are almost identical.

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