What are you playing right now?

[SonicMage117]

Did you catch them all yet? Fiesty little pluckers, I know

[Keyrock]

I've been going HAM on Elex during my few days off before I get back to truckin'.  Man, this game is great.  I mean, the production value is certainly not AAA (though the game can be breathtakingly beautiful at times) and there is plenty of jank, as you would expect from Piranha Bytes, but it's so much more rewarding and satisfying to play than your standard polished up AAA title. 

 

I think a lot of it has to do with level scaling, or, more appropriately, the complete lack there of.  As is standard for a Piranha Bytes game, you start out as a PATHETIC weakling.  You are not fit to fight anything beyond the weakest of the weak enemies out there, and even those will leave you a mangled corpse if you're not careful and patient.  And, unlike some other games, Elex is not shy about putting in scary and powerful enemies in starting areas.  Because in real life, even in a fantasy world, creatures wouldn't just conveniently segregate themselves into areas of relative power level, stronger predators would naturally appear where weaker creatures roam to hunt them.  When you run into one of these stronger enemies early on, and you will, you need to turn tail and run, quickly, and in a serpentine fashion in case they have a ranged attack.  You will need to run away a lot early on and you will die a lot.  This will turn some people off, especially those used to modern AAA games where the game coddles you and holds your hand, stroking it gently and whispering "everything is going to be all right" in your ear.  To grognards, like myself, the lack of level scaling and ruthless unforgiving nature of the game is very much welcome because there is a genuine feeling of progression.  You can actually feel yourself getting more powerful as the game goes on, starting out as a pathetic, damn near useless, weakling, and, if other PB games are anything to go by, becoming an unstoppable God of Destruction toward the end.  It's fantastic.

 

Also, this game has the best combat I've experienced in a PB game.  It seems clunky and crappy at first, but it's very much based around patience, at least when it's a 1 on 1 battle.  If you try to button mash your way through it you will get your ass handed to you.  It's all about learning enemy patterns and blocking and dodging until you get an opening, then only getting in an attack ot two before defending again.  If you get greedy and try to land extra blows you will often get punished.  Of course, if you are facing multiple opponents, you sort of have to be more reckless (to try to kill some enemies quickly) until you whittle down the enemy numbers to 1, then you can fight defensively again.  My biggest complaint is that the target lock on can be a bit finicky, but it's still better than previous PB games in that regard.

 

As in previous PB games, there are multiple factions out there and you have to join one of them:  There are the tree huggers, the kool-aid drinkers, and the junkies.  I plan to join the kool-aid drinkers; not because I believe in their theology, but because I want energy weapons to use (I'm practical like that).  There are generally 3 or 4 different ways to complete most quests.  Important people, including quest givers, can die.  You have a ton of freedom in how you go about the game and your decisions have real impact.  You can go into areas you should absolutely not be in and retrieve items meant to be gotten at much higher levels if you are stealthy, smart, and patient.

 

It's just a really great game provided that you're prepared to get brutally murdered A LOT early on.

Edited September 22, 2018 by Keyrock

[Chilloutman]

geez, i might try it in the end, you can be salesman for PB

[Keyrock]

geez, i might try it in the end, you can be salesman for PB

If I haven't sold you on the game yet, you have a jetpack.  Granted, one with very limited thrust before it needs to recharge.  Still, though, jetpack.  JETPACK!

 

Anyway, this is probably my favorite PB game since Gothic 2.  It may wind up surpassing Gothic 2, but I'm not ready to go there yet, since I don't want to risk blaspheming until I'm 100% certain.

[the_dog_days]

I've been going HAM on Elex during my few days off before I get back to truckin'.  Man, this game is great.  I mean, the production value is certainly not AAA (though the game can be breathtakingly beautiful at times) and there is plenty of jank, as you would expect from Piranha Bytes, but it's so much more rewarding and satisfying to play than your standard polished up AAA title. 

 

I think a lot of it has to do with level scaling, or, more appropriately, the complete lack there of.  As is standard for a Piranha Bytes game, you start out as a PATHETIC weakling.  You are not fit to fight anything beyond the weakest of the weak enemies out there, and even those will leave you a mangled corpse if you're not careful and patient.  And, unlike some other games, Elex is not shy about putting in scary and powerful enemies in starting areas.  Because in real life, even in a fantasy world, creatures wouldn't just conveniently segregate themselves into areas of relative power level, stronger predators would naturally appear where weaker creatures roam to hunt them.  When you run into one of these stronger enemies early on, and you will, you need to turn tail and run, quickly, and in a serpentine fashion in case they have a ranged attack.  You will need to run away a lot early on and you will die a lot.  This will turn some people off, especially those used to modern AAA games where the game coddles you and holds your hand, stroking it gently and whispering "everything is going to be all right" in your ear.  To grognards, like myself, the lack of level scaling and ruthless unforgiving nature of the game is very much welcome because there is a genuine feeling of progression.  You can actually feel yourself getting more powerful as the game goes on, starting out as a pathetic, damn near useless, weakling, and, if other PB games are anything to go by, becoming an unstoppable God of Destruction toward the end.  It's fantastic.

 

Also, this game has the best combat I've experienced in a PB game.  It seems clunky and crappy at first, but it's very much based around patience, at least when it's a 1 on 1 battle.  If you try to button mash your way through it you will get your ass handed to you.  It's all about learning enemy patterns and blocking and dodging until you get an opening, then only getting in an attack ot two before defending again.  If you get greedy and try to land extra blows you will often get punished.  Of course, if you are facing multiple opponents, you sort of have to be more reckless (to try to kill some enemies quickly) until you whittle down the enemy numbers to 1, then you can fight defensively again.  My biggest complaint is that the target lock on can be a bit finicky, but it's still better than previous PB games in that regard.

 

As in previous PB games, there are multiple factions out there and you have to join one of them:  There are the tree huggers, the kool-aid drinkers, and the junkies.  I plan to join the kool-aid drinkers; not because I believe in their theology, but because I want energy weapons to use (I'm practical like that).  There are generally 3 or 4 different ways to complete most quests.  Important people, including quest givers, can die.  You have a ton of freedom in how you go about the game and your decisions have real impact.  You can go into areas you should absolutely not be in and retrieve items meant to be gotten at much higher levels if you are stealthy, smart, and patient.

 

It's just a really great game provided that you're prepared to get brutally murdered A LOT early on.

 

Keep in mind, kiting is a thing and it is glorious.

 

 l

 l

 l

V

 

 

 

^I kited a group of mutants that I needed to kill for one quest into a group of outlaws that I needed to kill for another quest. Mutants won so I kited them into town where the guards killed them for me.

 

I never even drew a weapon.   

Edited September 23, 2018 by the_dog_days

[Keyrock]

 

I've been going HAM on Elex during my few days off before I get back to truckin'.  Man, this game is great.  I mean, the production value is certainly not AAA (though the game can be breathtakingly beautiful at times) and there is plenty of jank, as you would expect from Piranha Bytes, but it's so much more rewarding and satisfying to play than your standard polished up AAA title. 

 

I think a lot of it has to do with level scaling, or, more appropriately, the complete lack there of.  As is standard for a Piranha Bytes game, you start out as a PATHETIC weakling.  You are not fit to fight anything beyond the weakest of the weak enemies out there, and even those will leave you a mangled corpse if you're not careful and patient.  And, unlike some other games, Elex is not shy about putting in scary and powerful enemies in starting areas.  Because in real life, even in a fantasy world, creatures wouldn't just conveniently segregate themselves into areas of relative power level, stronger predators would naturally appear where weaker creatures roam to hunt them.  When you run into one of these stronger enemies early on, and you will, you need to turn tail and run, quickly, and in a serpentine fashion in case they have a ranged attack.  You will need to run away a lot early on and you will die a lot.  This will turn some people off, especially those used to modern AAA games where the game coddles you and holds your hand, stroking it gently and whispering "everything is going to be all right" in your ear.  To grognards, like myself, the lack of level scaling and ruthless unforgiving nature of the game is very much welcome because there is a genuine feeling of progression.  You can actually feel yourself getting more powerful as the game goes on, starting out as a pathetic, damn near useless, weakling, and, if other PB games are anything to go by, becoming an unstoppable God of Destruction toward the end.  It's fantastic.

 

Also, this game has the best combat I've experienced in a PB game.  It seems clunky and crappy at first, but it's very much based around patience, at least when it's a 1 on 1 battle.  If you try to button mash your way through it you will get your ass handed to you.  It's all about learning enemy patterns and blocking and dodging until you get an opening, then only getting in an attack ot two before defending again.  If you get greedy and try to land extra blows you will often get punished.  Of course, if you are facing multiple opponents, you sort of have to be more reckless (to try to kill some enemies quickly) until you whittle down the enemy numbers to 1, then you can fight defensively again.  My biggest complaint is that the target lock on can be a bit finicky, but it's still better than previous PB games in that regard.

 

As in previous PB games, there are multiple factions out there and you have to join one of them:  There are the tree huggers, the kool-aid drinkers, and the junkies.  I plan to join the kool-aid drinkers; not because I believe in their theology, but because I want energy weapons to use (I'm practical like that).  There are generally 3 or 4 different ways to complete most quests.  Important people, including quest givers, can die.  You have a ton of freedom in how you go about the game and your decisions have real impact.  You can go into areas you should absolutely not be in and retrieve items meant to be gotten at much higher levels if you are stealthy, smart, and patient.

 

It's just a really great game provided that you're prepared to get brutally murdered A LOT early on.

 

Keep in mind, kiting is a thing and it is glorious.

 

 l

 l

 l

V

 

 

 

^I kited a group of mutants that I needed to kill for one quest into a group of outlaws that I needed to kill for another quest. Mutants won so I kited them into town where the guards killed them for me.

 

I never even drew a weapon.   

 

Absolutely.  I've done this very thing myself.  You just need to be careful what monsters you pull toward whom.  I've accidentally killed important individuals by pulling strong monsters toward them. 

 

Enemies will fight each other all on their own sometimes too.  You better believe I take advantage of that when it happens and pick the bones.

[GhostofAnakin]

I really must not know much Spider-Man lore.  Until I played this game, I'd never heard of one of the main bad guys.

[Blarghagh]

Was it Mr. Negative? I hadn't heard of him, and he's apparently pretty new in comic book terms. Wikipedia told me he first appeared in 2008.

[SonicMage117]

Yarp. I'm glad he got forced into the game, saw him on Ultimate Spiderman, where he was the main villain and crime-lord in Noire-verse (Norse) and he time and time again beat Noire Spiderman, Fisk, Tombstone and Hulk - til our Spiderman tooks him down. Always thought he was interesting since then.

[algroth]

Been streaming Neverwinter Nights 2 for the last two months or so, and made it last week to Mask of the Betrayer. Combat aside, I've always held this game in very high regard but I forgot just how good it can be. And Kaji <3

Edited September 24, 2018 by algroth

[LittleArmadillo0]

Been replaying BioShock Remastered. I am never going to feel the euphoria that I had when I first played it (especially with this remaster), but it is interesting to notice all the little details that escaped me when first played it.

[SonicMage117]

Which is better: Bioshock original or Bioshock Remastered? I always remembered people saying they were better than System Shock 1 and 2 and for some reason that Bioshock Infinite sucked. I, for one, really enjoyed the hell outta Infinite. Though I found the vibe to be completely different.

 

Prey also seems to be conpared to Bioshock and System Shock games.

[LittleArmadillo0]

Bioshock the original is definitely the superior one.

 

There are a lot of glaring issues with the remaster that still have not been fixed prior to release. Sometimes the audio cuts out or repeats itself, lighting is also an issue at times, I have had three crashes out of the 14 hour I played, and the AI in the game well... Sometimes they just walk right past and then notice several seconds later, other times they get stuck in terrain or run into walls.

 

The only things worth checking out from the remaster is the interactive museum featuring a lot of  concept art and unused models, and the director commentary featuring the creators and how exactly they came up with BioShock.

 

My advice; unless if you really want to see the museum and watch the interview I would stay clear from the remaster, it is not worthy of that name.

 

Side Note: Also really enjoyed Infinite. Haven't finished their DLC Burial at Sea yet, I keep putting it off and forgetting about it.

Edited September 24, 2018 by LittleAmadillo0

[GhostofAnakin]

Was it Mr. Negative? I hadn't heard of him, and he's apparently pretty new in comic book terms. Wikipedia told me he first appeared in 2008.

 

Winner winner chicken dinner.

[SonicMage117]

@GhostOfAnakin

 

I hope you like the speed challenges later in the game

[213374U]

So the Contingency finally showed up, 3 out of 4 hubs popped inside my borders, and the fourth just next door. Kicked my ass (and the neighboring awakened empire's) up and down the galaxy. And this is with crisis strength just at 2x AND the 50% damage bonus from the ascension perk. Fail.

 

I reloaded the save I had at the event chain start, murdered studied a flock of void clouds (I thought I was supposed to leave them alone because they are heralds of the divine or some such) and proceeded to spam disruptors and lightning emitters. This time when they came it was as if I had switched to story mode.

 

Underwhelming. I don't think it's very good design to have an enemy that must be hard countered, or it's game over. And in my last game the Scourge bugged out and parked a 1M+ doomstack in the Enigmatic Fortress system which it refused to move even as I colossus'ed its planets, for some reason.

 

I'm not digging crises so far.

Edited September 24, 2018 by 213374U

[GhostofAnakin]

More Spider-Man.  Playing through some of the Taskmaster's challenges.  I like the stealth and combat ones, am iffy on the bomb ones, but dislike the drone ones.

[SonicMage117]

The drone (speed) challenges are essentially the same as the dove missions. Require much speed. Hope you can get platinum medals on each! Good luck

[GhostofAnakin]

The drone (speed) challenges are essentially the same as the dove missions. Require much speed. Hope you can get platinum medals on each! Good luck

 

I can only get the bronze one for the drone challenges.  Largely because I get so distracted by trying to hit those big blue spheres that I lose track of the launching points and Spidey ends up getting hung up on buildings or falling with nothing to swing from.

[SonicMage117]

The only advice I can give is actually 2 advices:

 

1. Be sure to utilize point-zips (L2+R2 trigger at the same time) which will allow you to go great distances and specific references much faster and optimally.

 

2. Use the slow-mo to wank into your advantage. Sometimes things can get too fast when swinging, the game can suddenly shift in momentum to compliment this logic. Hold L2 to aim in slow-mo, allowing you to plan and initiate point-zip with ease.

 

Hope this small talk helps!

[majestic]

So the Contingency finally showed up, 3 out of 4 hubs popped inside my borders, and the fourth just next door. Kicked my ass (and the neighboring awakened empire's) up and down the galaxy. And this is with crisis strength just at 2x AND the 50% damage bonus from the ascension perk. Fail.

 

I reloaded the save I had at the event chain start, murdered studied a flock of void clouds (I thought I was supposed to leave them alone because they are heralds of the divine or some such) and proceeded to spam disruptors and lightning emitters. This time when they came it was as if I had switched to story mode.

 

Underwhelming. I don't think it's very good design to have an enemy that must be hard countered, or it's game over. And in my last game the Scourge bugged out and parked a 1M+ doomstack in the Enigmatic Fortress system which it refused to move even as I colossus'ed its planets, for some reason.

 

I'm not digging crises so far.

 

Read a bit about the changes in 2.1. It is what it is. Powering through end game fleets shields and armor is not impossible, just really costly. Pre 2.1 single player Stellaris had the advantage of simply being able to use what was your main fleet anyway. Now you need to switch - or not bother with anything but disruptor corvettes and arc/lightning emitter battleships even through the normal game. It probably won't make much of a difference.

[wolfrider100]

Playing DRAGON QUEST XI on PS4, while I wait for Pathfinder Kingmaker to release (3 hours to go).

Edited September 25, 2018 by wolfrider100

[SonicMage117]

Having alot of fun 100%ing Lego The Incredibles movie game, as you can imagine it's pretty awesome. I'm at 99.33% and only have 5 achievements left as well.

[GhostofAnakin]

Insomniac decided to ramp up the difficulty out of the blue.  The previous crime side tasks were simple and the enemies easy.  Now I'm facing a bunch of Sable enemies who all have rifles, most have jetpacks, and they all shoot at the same time, so dodging one means moving into the line of fire of the next four guys.

[213374U]

Read a bit about the changes in 2.1. It is what it is. Powering through end game fleets shields and armor is not impossible, just really costly. Pre 2.1 single player Stellaris had the advantage of simply being able to use what was your main fleet anyway. Now you need to switch - or not bother with anything but disruptor corvettes and arc/lightning emitter battleships even through the normal game. It probably won't make much of a difference.

I'm really new to this game so I only know about pre-2.1 gameplay from what I've read, but the changes really don't make much of a difference, I think. Instead of one huge stack that slows the game down to a crawl, I must use several command-capped fleets... that still make the game crap out when engaged simultaneously. It's clearly an engine bottleneck because CPU load never exceeds 20%.

 

And I ended up switching completely because even with psi interfaces and shields and hit & run war doctrine the Contingency still managed to kill my battleships and titans... so corvette swarm it is. I had "won" long before the crisis happened so I guess I'll start a new game. I'm thinking Fanatical Purifiers vs Devouring Swarm vs Determined Exterminators, because this game was about making everyone my protectorate without ever actually firing a shot.

 

INSULT-happy Inward Perfection sounds fun, too. This is a fun little sandbox, I must say.