What are you playing right now?

[Hurlshort]

For all the rpg stuff SonicMage is spewing, RDR2 has completely, 100% linear missions so far. There is no choice&consequences whatsoever, except maybe your good/bad meter is changing every once in a while. This thing is kinda underwhelming anyway. More stupid than Fo3s karma value.

 

I'm glad to hear you are still enjoying it, but is non-linearity really a requisite for an RPG? I mean, in know choice and consequence is the new thing, but I don't remember most early RPG's giving you much freedom with the main storyline. 

 

Most of the role-playing tends to take place as I explore the huge living world. I found a house recently where a drunken father was berating his son. Now I could have just walked away, in fact that was my intention, but they noticed me and the dad turned his anger my way. At first I went to leave, but he pulled a gun, and I ended up putting him down. The son ran to his bed to cower in his room. I figured I'd might as well loot the place, and I found a letter from the kid's mom that the dad had been keeping from him. After I stole all their money and stuff, I let the kid know about the mom. See, I'm role-playing a good guy! 

 

Also replayability for me will be the fact I will want to keep playing and exploring after the main story is over.

[Lexx]

in know choice and consequence is the new thing,

 

It's a thing for me since 1997, but barely any game is doing it right till today. Don't care much about what other RPGs do or don't do.

 

Choice&Consequences are an integral part of an RPG to me. If I can't have an influence on the game world, then the game sucks as an RPG.

 

The example you're giving with that encounter... well, you didn't really had a choice other than "just turn around", which is the equivalent of Oblivions "do you want to take this quest? yes / not now". Deciding to loot or not to loot is a very weak decision as well.

 

As a general disclaimer: That obviously doesn't mean all games who do / not do this are garbage. I just don't see them as good RPGs or RPGs at all.

Eh, I've never seen RDR(2) as an RPG to begin with, and I really don't get how people can see it as one. GTA was never one either. But whatever.

 

 

PS: Does the Dead Eye mechanic change after a while? In the beginning, I was able to mark lots of enemies at once, now I can just slow down time and kick off one bullet before I have to quickly activate the slow-mo again. Maybe I'm missing something or don't get the mechanic or I don't know.

Edited November 13, 2018 by Lexx

[GhostofAnakin]

I think I found all the side quests in Elex right away because I'm in Chapter 2 now and there's nothing new popping up other than the quests associated with the main storyline.

[213374U]

 

in know choice and consequence is the new thing,

 

It's a thing for me since 1997, but barely any game is doing it right till today. Don't care much about what other RPGs do or don't do.

 

Choice&Consequences are an integral part of an RPG to me. If I can't have an influence on the game world, then the game sucks as an RPG.

 

Yeah, I didn't understand the comment that C&C is "the new thing" either. The CQM 4.0 has given me an excuse to go back to Bloodlines, and it's funny (or rather, it is sad) how a game from 2004 still leaves most stuff made today in the dust, in that department. Starting from the character creation screen, even.

[Triple - A Foxy Lad]

Yeah, I didn't understand the comment that C&C is "the new thing" either. The CQM 4.0 has given me an excuse to go back to Bloodlines, and it's funny (or rather, it is sad) how a game from 2004 still leaves most stuff made today in the dust, in that department. Starting from the character creation screen, even.

VtmB is 14 yrs old? fml i didnt need to hear that.

 

i remember getting excited for redemption cos i played the tabletop game - then getting pissed off cos a brujah shouldnt have access to all those disciplines.

 

prob should replay VtmB when i get a chance. its fitting that a game about vampires should refuse to die.

[the_dog_days]

Looking to start a playthrough of Fallout 4 with the DLC and can't decide how to go about building a character.  Any thoughts/suggestions here?

 

Because you can level up your SPECIAL stats with perk points (and thus can end the game with all 10's), I would go with a crafter for ultimate cheese. You get XP every time you craft something. Luck and Int are most important for a crafter build.

[Hurlshort]

I didn't mean to imply that there hasn't been C&C in in older RPG games, I just mean it seems to be the big selling point of all of these newer games. I also know RDR2 isn't a traditional RPG with character creation, but the reactivity of the world to your actions is better than most I've seen.

[Lexx]

I love how the hair and beard grows over time. When I started the game, I got me a clean shave except for a nice western mustache. Then, as time passes, it slowly started to grow out... by now I'm rocking a big full beard and I can't get myself to shave it off again. It gives me the feeling that a lot time has passed and I went through a lot. The only thing I'm still doing is using pomade on my hair.

 

Funny how just such a detail can give you a feeling of progression in a game. Probably because it is not something that just happens from one moment to the next, but actually needs time.

Edited November 14, 2018 by Lexx

[GhostofAnakin]

Yeah, it definitely seems like I "unlocked" most side quests in Chapter 1.  Because the only quests that are popping up now are either associated with the main storyline, or Cleric-specific stuff that lead to me going up in rank among the Clerics.  Literally the only quests available to me now that don't fit into one of those two categories are the ones I haven't completed yet from earlier.

[SonicMage117]

The majority of Game Of The Year nominees across all the board are console oriented games (games not on PC) but I think that's pretty fair considering that the top quality games were exclusives this year and then Red Dead Redemption 2. If this year proved anything, it's that hype doesn't matter, it's when games deliver on every account they promised in which gives them the title and love they deserve.

 

 

 

I'm still playing RDR2, hoping that it (or Spider-Man wins GOTY).

[Fenixp]

I'm glad to hear you are still enjoying it, but is non-linearity really a requisite for an RPG? I mean, in know choice and consequence is the new thing, but I don't remember most early RPG's giving you much freedom with the main storyline.

Well... Non-linearity and choice and consequence doesn't necessarily mean 'You can go to all these places' or 'The story is different when you click a different dialogue option', altho those are definitely nice to have features as well. Clicking a little '+' next to a stat is also choice, and seeing how your new character build performs in a new game is a consequence - and old, mostly system-driven and highly abstracted RPGs, gave you a ton of choices and, consequently, replayability in that regard.

 

Rockstar have always been great at providing an insane amount of detail and they've been amazing at creating quite highly reactive worlds, but the choices outside of 'mess with the sandbox' provided to you were always extremely limited.

 

What made me ask about mission design earlier in the thread was that I always saw a ton of potential in their systems-driven sandboxes - but as long as Rockstar remains in love with releasing their interactive movies where playing through the extremely linear main story / stories is always directly clashing with the open-ended nature of their sandbox, worth of their games is going to drop rapidly in my eyes.

[bugarup]

 

Yeah, I didn't understand the comment that C&C is "the new thing" either. The CQM 4.0 has given me an excuse to go back to Bloodlines, and it's funny (or rather, it is sad) how a game from 2004 still leaves most stuff made today in the dust, in that department. Starting from the character creation screen, even.

VtmB is 14 yrs old? fml i didnt need to hear that.

 

i remember getting excited for redemption cos i played the tabletop game - then getting pissed off cos a brujah shouldnt have access to all those disciplines.

 

prob should replay VtmB when i get a chance. its fitting that a game about vampires should refuse to die.

 

 

Shut up you guys. With 300+ unplayed games on GOG alone the last thing I need is yet another go at Bloodlines.    It's not even half a year since last time I  played it, jeez. 

[Triple - A Foxy Lad]

U and me both lad. Hahaha. Im good at buying games and not getting round to them.

[r0ckhat]

What am I playing, right now? It's called OmniDB with a dash of Delphi. It's quite fun; there's no end game as well.. just keeps going, on .. and on .. and on .. and on... 

 

In all seriousness, PoEII - I'm slowly getting into it, playing a dedicated healing role which is quite enjoyable. 

[Lexx]

"Game of the year" is such a nonsense title, it makes me angry that people care so much about it.

 

 

 

Bought The Last of Us on ps4 yesterday, because why not. Crazy how different it looks. So not blurry and weird. Really makes me realize how garbage the old low-res consoles actually are. Now with the ps4 pro, it gets on the level of modern PC games, but before that... just couldn't compare.

Edited November 14, 2018 by Lexx

[SonicMage117]

"Game of the year" is such a nonsense title, it makes me angry that people care so much about it.

 

Game of the year events such as VGA's are fun for me. Like E3 it's almost like a Superbowl, fun to see that not everyone likes the same games. It used to be "What was most popular" not it's anything but

[Katphood]

- This game looks way better than I've expected. Folks made such a fuzz about how the Xbone is the best platform for it,

Because it is. The 1X runs the game at native 4K with a very stable 30 fps.

 

The PS4 Pro seems to be running the game at 1920x2160 and there are more dips in the framerate compared to the 1X version. Just accept that you are playing the inferior version.

[Bokishi]

Hitman 2 on pc and Fallout 76 on Xbox X (since I heard the pc version is pretty bad)

[Tale]

Return of the Obra Dinn

 

Is it too late to change my vote for Game of the Year?

[Lexx]

I did not deny the facts. My point was that I'm just not seeing it. FPS is stable too, and I also did not notice any slowdowns in that one night brawl scene that was taken apart by all these comparison videos.

 

So going by that, the ps4 pro version is fine. Xbox might be better, but in the end, the difference is quite small. I'd rather have bought that one as well, just because of the gamepad alone, but console exclusive titles ruined it.

[SonicMage117]

Return of the Obra Dinn

 

Is it too late to change my vote for Game of the Year?

I'm not sure if you can enter said game into the vote but certainly here is where you can vote

 

https://thegameawards.com/awards/?fbclid=IwAR0ufBZzFRPNyVZ1N72mOf1DnAtkKy7Ssw3R0DvKsLkODTwJkT8AD_O_ZUk

[Fenixp]

Going through Burial at Sea pt. 2. When it comes to the core gameplay loop, it's pretty much Bioshock gameplay honed to perfection. Viable stealth, multiple routes to objectives, carriable medkits are re-introduced, and Rapture looks the most gorgeous it's ever looked. It's just a shame it took Bioshock series 3 games and a bunch of DLC to get there, and I'm pretty sure most people won't even play it.

 

Additionally, in spite of exceptionally well done gameplay, Burial at Sea pt. 2 suffers from running on the same engine as Bioshock: Infinite. Because that means checkpoints which just don't work well with sprawling levels which allow a lot of ways to get through and a ton of exploration. Because that means no in-game map to be able to throw even more complex level design in. It also means no ways to vary up the gameplay which were very much present in the original Bioshock, but the DLC's lacking them.

 

And, since it's a second part of DLC for infinite, it also means a much smaller scope.

[Katphood]

Burial at the Sea Episode 2 is the best part of the whole BioShock Infinite experience IMO. Best ending to a series I happened to enjoy a lot.

 

I did not deny the facts. My point was that I'm just not seeing it. FPS is stable too, and I also did not notice any slowdowns in that one night brawl scene that was taken apart by all these comparison videos.

 

So going by that, the ps4 pro version is fine. Xbox might be better, but in the end, the difference is quite small. I'd rather have bought that one as well, just because of the gamepad alone, but console exclusive titles ruined it.

I know, I kid.

[Fenixp]

Burial at the Sea Episode 2 is the best part of the whole BioShock Infinite experience IMO.

Yeah, definitely. And back when I played it for the first time I remember loving the ending quite a bit - some people seem to be really disappointed about it, but I can't see the story ending any other way for it to be as satisfactory. It just... Worked.

[marelooke]

 

Looking to start a playthrough of Fallout 4 with the DLC and can't decide how to go about building a character.  Any thoughts/suggestions here?

 

Because you can level up your SPECIAL stats with perk points (and thus can end the game with all 10's), I would go with a crafter for ultimate cheese. You get XP every time you craft something. Luck and Int are most important for a crafter build.

 

 

I usually go the stealthy VATS-enhanced rifleman/sniper with a focus on crafting/settlement building.

 

This site has a good breakdown of the perks you might want for a sniper build: https://www.carls-fallout-4-guide.com/builds/sniper.php

 

I personally don't invest heavily into Intelligence early on as Idiot Savant more than compensates the XP loss of not min-maxing there.

Initially I tend to go for the Rifleman stuff and then level up Weaponsmith, Armorsmith and Science when I'm able. In between those I take perks that help out with the Settlement system (Local Leader being the most important, but a single rank of Medic is required to build the Infirmary)

 

My SPECIAL stats coming out of the Vault are usually (I'm not very creative once I find a build that works for me...):

Strength 3 - Armorsmith

Perception 4 - Rifleman and Lockpicking

Endurance 1 - Initially: just don't get hit by scary stuff.

Charisma 6 - Local Leader and Cap Collector

Intelligence 5 - Scrapper (need resources to be able to build), Hacker, Gun Nut

Agility 4 - Sneak, Mr Sandman, Action Girl

Luck 5 - Idiot Savant (2 points)

 

You can get one extra point once you revisit your house after the Vault btw, I usually get Science with that.

 

Few extra ones that I tend to grab once I'm "settled": Sniper (AGI) and Penetrator (AGI), one point in Aquagirl (END) and Ghoulish (END) and Grim Reaper's Sprint (LCK) then there's the obvious damage increasing ones (like Better Criticals and Bloody Mess) and all the other weapon skills, of course.

 

If you dislike VATS that frees up quite a few points, criticals are also pointless without VATS as that's the only place you can even have criticals. Not using VATS also makes heavily investing in Luck a bit less interesting so you might be better off going full on agility then.