[What are you Playing Now? - Games don't make you violent, lag does]

Been playing Diablo IV since its regular launch (not early access) and I'm still having a blast. I finished the campaign a few days ago and IMO it's easily the best thing Blizzard has put out in years in terms of story, themes, atmosphere and world-building. In terms of gameplay I really like that they went open world but stuck to the classic, fixed camera angle, and the seemless in-game cinematics where you can see your chr in full detail are great for immersion. Itemization is good -- there's a lot of flexibility there -- and the other progression systems are well-thought through and make sense. Haven't gotten into the end-game much yet, but that looks promising too... But I'd say I got my money's worth with the campaign alone. Really good stuff.

[Random video game news... RNG says "Nope"]

1 hour ago, Gfted1 said:

Did DH basically evolve into Rogue? Ive got a ridiculous amount of hours on my DH and I havent played in a few years.

Pretty much, yeah. They play quite similar if you put a heavy focus on ranged abilities, with the biggest difference being that you can now also go full melee if you want. And no hand crossbows, from what I have seen

[Random video game news... RNG says "Nope"]

28 minutes ago, Lexx said:

But does the Rogue look like the Amazon and has spear and stuff.

No spears. Bows, Crossbows, Daggers and Shortswords from what I've seen.

Looks are up to you. You can customize your chr when you create them and there is a wardrobe feature that lets you unlock and apply different gear looks and dyes. I'm sure you could quite easily make a pale, blonde, pony-tailed woman with orange armor if you wanted to.

[Random video game news... RNG says "Nope"]

55 minutes ago, Lexx said:

I honestly remember nothing from D3 except that I played the voodoo woman with frogs.

Would probably consider playing D4 if it had the Amazon or very similar class. But afaik it doesn't, so why bother. Barbarian is lame as hell.

D4 Rogue can go full ranged, full melee, or hybrid, and can imbue their attacks with poison, cold or shadow damage. Probably the closest you can get to Amazon in D4 for now.

[Random video game news... RNG says "Nope"]

On 3/12/2023 at 10:01 PM, Malcador said:

Strange to feel that way.  But is interesting that they'll have 3 versions of the series running at same time.  Maybe 3 will lose appeal, D2R won't, will have those committed to that as the be all and end all

I assume D3 will enter maintenance mode when D4 is released and then slowly fade from the public consciousness. I played the D4 beta and it feels like a proper successor to D2 in many ways. I'd say it is arguably what D3 should have been... Thematically and in terms of atmosphere, but also with the more MMO-like open world, being able to see and interact with other players, etc. IMO that evolution makes sense for the series, and even Blizzard North was going in the same direction when they were developing their D3.

Which makes the D3 we got feel like this weird crossroads game where they didn't really know what to do with the series. The always online requirement didn't really make sense for the type of game that it became, but it does for D4. The graphics style and atmosphere didn't match what people came to expect from a Diablo game after D1 and D2, so they stepped away from that and went back to the series' visual roots for D4... D3's gameplay felt great but chr progression was, again, not what many people expected / wanted, so they kept the overall "feel" of the combat but went back to skill trees with more depth for D4... Sure, we'll have to see how the paragon boards turn out, what they do with the battle pass stuff, etc. But my overall first impression of D4 is extremely positive after last weekend.

I'm sure D2R will remain popular with part of the fanbase -- it's a great game in its own right and different enough from 3 and 4 to hold it's own place -- and some purists will never accept anything else as "Diablo" unless it is a carbon copy of that game's formula. It's in their best interest to keep maintaining and updating it for the foreseeable future.

[Historical accuracy, research and inspiration]

On 6/13/2022 at 5:48 PM, Pidesco said:

In that case I'd like for Pentiment to feature a bibliography, and plentiful notes for the optional depth of knowledge. 

I am pretty sure that Josh said in one of the interviews that it will have a in-game glossary that will tell you more about people, places, etc. in the game should you need it.

 

I imagine it works similar to Deadfire's in-dialog tooltips.

[Customizable appearance for player character?]

Don't think it's that kind of game

[The TV and Streaming Thread: Pilot Week]

12 hours ago, Hurlsnot said:

I guess the idea is he is a grumpy retired Jedi and we are supposed to watch him run around and say he is getting too old for this %&*#.

Unfortunately Ewan McGregor doesn't look old enough to be Danny Glover.

Not really. The idea is that he is a disillusioned Jedi, wrecked by guilt over what happened to his apprentice, and whose belief in and connection to the force has taken a huge hit as a result of everything that happened in Revenge of the Sith. He has been hiding in a cave for 10 years because the Empire destroyed everything and everyone he believed in and cared about, and is still actively hunting any remaining Jedi who might be out there trying to do some good. He has been watching over Luke, basically against the wishes of his uncle, who doesn't want anything to do with him, let alone let him have any kind of impact on or relationship with him.

The point of the show is telling the story of how he gets from this all-time low back to some version his old self (ie. around Rebels / A New Hope), where he feels like he can be a positive influence, make a difference in the fight against the Empire, and possibly even secure a brighter future for the entire galaxy. Is it perfect? Nothing ever is, but i find it some of the best Star Wars content since Rogue One.

 

@Lexx  I guess you are talking about

Spoiler

Leia

Yeah I didn't like their ending either, but I tend to more or less ignore those stories (especially the last one) when looking at the bigger Star Wars picture. I also very much like how they use the character in Obi-Wan Kenobi. It was unexpected but makes a lot of sense.

 

1 hour ago, majestic said:

I thought the Mandalorian was brought down by trying to ape spaghetti westerns but with a guy in a helmet, thus lacking an integral part of what made Leone's long takes on faces work, but I have found that this is something that did not bother anyone else I know who watched the show. I also hated how baby Yoda basically invalidated the real Yoda from Empire, but again, that apparently was also only a "me" thing.

The helmet thing didn't bother me -- quite the opposite, in fact -- I felt it added an interesting dynamic to the show and story, especially when, in season 2, he starts learning more about the Mandalorian culture outside of the little "sect" that he grew up in

Also, how did baby Yoda invalidate the real Yoda?

[First Person ARPGS!]

I'm pretty sure they were inspired by Skyrim when they chose to take the Eternity franchise in this direction, and a game in that vein is probably what you should expect. Obsidian also has a pretty successful history working on First Person RPG's, most recently with The Outer Worlds (as you mentioned), but more notably with Fallout: New Vegas, which many (including myself) consider far better than anything Bethesda has done with the franchise, and its popularity has only grown in the years since it was released.

I am also looking forward to Avowed and hope to hear and see more of it soon.

[SW: The Old Republic - Episode VIII (May RNG Be With You)]

I have a question for current SW:TOR players:

I am a long-time WoW player and fan of the KotOR games who dabbled in TOR at release and then again after it went free-to-play, but it never managed to really hook me. I'm looking for a fun sandbox-like game to play with my wife. We both love Star Wars and I think TOR could be really fun to experience and play through together... We're not necessarily interested in end-game content or even in doing a lot of group content, just something we can casually do together and enjoy.

How is the learning curve for this game for someone (her) whose last MMO experience was WoW Cataclysm? Is the free-to-play version of the game friendly to new players or are there so many restrictions that it might turn her off? How is the co-op experience? I seem to remember something about party members being able to "roll" for who gets to make choices in dialogue, etc.

Your insight would be greatly appreciated

[Mod to remove backer NPC's?]

I find the backer npc's very intrusive and have been looking for a mod that removes them.

It looks like the IE Mod can disable the ability to talk to them, and there is an add-on mod for IE that replaces their names with their race (ie. "Human" instead of "Bob the Backer") which are both steps in the right direction but the yellow nameplates, combined with the fact that the overwhelming majority of them are Godlike, are really what bothers me most about them.

[The stupidest rpg companions.]

I don't like any of the companions in Kingmaker. Most of them are very good / fun / interesting mechanically but NONE of their stories or personalities do anything for me, and it's a shame.

I don't know how literally all of them managed to end up so boring -- the only thing I can think of is that Owlcat wrote them mostly around their Alignments and took the most boring / tropy interpretations of those alignments and gave them those characteristics...  Or sth like that.

[Wot I bought last - a fool and their money mystary edition]

On 10/24/2020 at 6:51 AM, ComradeMaster said:

I don't regret buying it at launch, and severely question the motives of those who refused to do so.  Something very fishy about it.

I don't see anything "fishy" about not wanting to purchase the game through the epic store or rent it through the Microsoft platform. Consumer's choice IMO.

I get my games from GOG or Steam. In that order. Was very happy to see the release on GOG and the -50% discount on top of that, and purchased it on launch day through my preferred platform.

[I don't like Minsc.]

I liked Minsc when I was younger (ie. when BG and BG2 were released). Nowadays I usually take Kivan or Valygar instead.

[Favorite games that got shelved :(]

Baldur’s Gate III: The Black Hound. Icewind Dale and NWN2 + expansions are probably my favorite incarnations of FR, I like how Black Isle and Obsidian, and Sawyer as a game director, approaches the setting and thought BG3 sounding very interesting, even though using the BG name was a bit if a cop out.

 

And even after the game was canceled, I wish Josh had had the time ( / had been allowed?) to finish the NWN2 module he was working on.

[Good Old Games still good]

Galaxy 2.0 is the only launcher that allows you to integrate and organize all your platforms in one place and thus organize and manage your entire game library in one launcher. It keeps track of achievements, hours played and games owned, combined across platforms. I've been using it since august last year (closed beta) and it's very impressive, and the kind of evolution I want to fully support -- hence my choice of GOG as my primary platform.

[Anyone else feel disappointed?]

On 12/13/2019 at 6:12 AM, Jill7894 said:

I feel like Obsidian could stomp the competition straight into the dirt, especially in what seems to be a significant reemergence and spotlight on the genre.

Hm. Their games have always had more niche appeal than broad, general gamer audience appeal -- the exceptions being Fallout: New Vegas and now The Outer Worlds -- so idk about their stomping potential...

Also, The Outer Worlds came out just a few months ago and has, from all accounts, been a huge success for them so I don't really understand your disappointment. Unless what you are really trying to say is that you were hoping for a bigger announcement than Grounded?

[When can we expect the Steam (and hopefully GOG) release?]

Yeah, I am a bit surprised that they have been playing things so close to the chest when it comes to post launch support / content. Especially after the Deadfire roadmap (which was great). Makes me wonder if they have a plan for it at all. The vague announcement of story-expanding DLC through a forum post, of all things, was also strange.

[Deadfire is a better Obsidian RPG than Outer Worlds]

On 12/27/2019 at 12:52 PM, GraysonLevi said:

I LIKE DEADFIRE BETTER THAN OUTER WORLDS.

OK.

[Good Old Games still good]

On 1/1/2020 at 4:10 AM, ktchong said:

I have made the decision to pretty much stop  buying anything from GOG, and I am in the process of migrating to Steam.

For this Winter sales, I have spent close to $100 on Steam and from other venues that sell Steam keys.  I spent about $30 on Origin -- but only to buy Mass Effect trilogy and Dragon Age II DLC packs, which are Origin exclusives that are  not available on Steam or elsewhere.  Those DLC were the last and only things I wanted from Origin, so most likely I will NEVER spend any money on Origin ever again after this Winter sales.  I am looking to spend $5 to $10 on Epic because I want to use the $10 off $15 coupon.

On GOG, however, I have spent only about $3 for this Winter Sales, and only very reluctantly because those games were not discounted (at 80-percent) elsewhere.  This entire year (2019), I have spend less than $20 on GOG.  I currently own over 400 games on GOG, and almost all of them were bought before 2018. 

I will still buy games from GOG if they are not available on Steam and made by CDProjektRed.  Otherwise, I will continue to stay away from GOG.  Frankly, if I can find a way to get rid of my GOG account and recoup most of the money, I will do it.

I will write a long article as to why I have made that decision later.  A lot of reasons that have contributed to my final decisions to distance myself from GOG.  Honestly, other than the cult-like mentality to support "No DRM", (which is really just a gimmick that appealed to me in the past but not anymore,) I have found very few other reasons to buy from GOG.

GOG Galaxy 2.0 is amazing, that's the #1 reason right there. Also, much better support of older titles on modern systems -- every one of my GOG games runs on Windows 10 "out of the box". After that it's mostly about personal preference, differences between communities, etc.

Sidenote (and maybe I'm missing sth here): what's up with the huge font?

[What Are You Playing Now: The Other Thread]

Started playing The Long Dark's story mode Wintermute yesterday and I'm digging it. I bought the game back in 2017, when it was still in early access, dabbled a bit in Survival Mode and liked it well enough but decided to shelf it until the official release and some of the story episodes were out. The improvements made to the game since then and the quality of the story content is impressive -- the game oozes atmosphere, from art style to sound design, music and voice acting, and its more calm and thoughtful pacing is such a nice diversion. There's something oddly relaxing about sitting in a cave (having just looted a hidden stash of supplies after following directions on a note I found in an abandoned house), in front of a campfire, waiting for my Rose Hip Tea to boil while watching the night fall outside.

[When can we expect the Steam (and hopefully GOG) release?]

Thanks for the reply. One year... Guess most / all of the patches and DLC will be out by then, so in time for a GOTY Edition. Or close enough to wait.

[Wot I bought last - a fool and their money mystary edition]

DA:O was the first time they actually did DLC, wasn't it? Not counting the NWN Premium Modules, I guess...

Looking back at that, their DLC practices were shady from the get-go, really. Putting the only unique / non-humanoid companion in the game (Shale / The Stone Prisoner) and the return to a key location from the start of the game (Return to Ostagar) behind a pay wall...

I never bought or played ME3 because of the launch day DLC shenanigans. Sounds like I made the right call and didn't miss much. Loved 1 and 2 though, and sometimes consider getting them on Steam when they're on sale, as my Origin account is long gone. How well do they hold up?

[What Are You Playing Now: The Other Thread]

2 minutes ago, Skazz said:

You misspelled the title. I fixed it for you.

Yeah, I think it's juvenile and unnecessary to call it that tbh, but each to their own.

[What Are You Playing Now: The Other Thread]

I am about 14 hours into Shadow of the Tomb Raider and it's by far my favorite of the reboot trilogy -- there is a much bigger focus on exploration and puzzles compared to Rise, and the combat set pieces that I have come across so far have allowed me to go full Bat(wo)man and pick off the enemies one by one without them ever spotting me. That approach is also helped by the expanded stealth elements (mud camouflage, stringing up enemies on tree branches), making the combat encounters a type of puzzle in their own right. It's awesome.

The game also looks great -- they managed to make the jungle feel real, the "tombs" (temples, caves, etc.) feel impressive and imposing, and as a setting it is so much more appealing to me than Rise's snowy mountains and broken down industrial buildings... Lara's mobility and the "feel" and flow of her movements is also the best it's ever been. They both streamlined and expanded on her repertoire of terrain traversal skills and it's great. On top of that, and as a welcome surprise, the swimming in the game is really good. I've had a few underwater sections and they were very cool with, again, some expanded gameplay elements from the previous games and much better / more responsive movement.

As a final note, I also feel that their storytelling has improved -- it's still not high tier but I am more engaged than I was in the previous two games -- I arrived at the second hub last night and it opens up the game as well as the story in a very nice way that felt like a proper "moving into the second act" moment.