What are you Playing Now: Living the Game Life

[majestic]

  

On 6/1/2021 at 12:03 AM, Theonlygarby said:

Is everyone except fightersand rangers supposed to feel useless early on?

Yes, but outside of Icewind Dale 2 that never changes, except for single class sorcerers. Mostly because you can't make those in any other way. Depending on the version of the games you play, they might break the game. Sorcerers in IWD Enhanced Edition are definitely making the game a lot less of a hassle - that that's a good thing with all the combat in it.

That doesn't mean the other classes are useless*, but there just isn't any situation in Baldur's Gate or its sequel where a multi or dual classed version of clerics, druids, thieves or mages** aren't better at virtually everything, from having more hit points, to being able to actually, you know, hit things, hit things more than once in a round, have better equipment options and a whole host of other things, and that's before going really crazy with the min-maxing possibilities.

Occassionally you'll run into someone who will tell you stories of single class thieves (often swashbucklers) who supposedly are way more overpowered, but that's... people not knowing how HLAs are assigned in Baldur's Gate 2, and they mistakenly believe that they're acquired significantly faster or more often with single class thieves. Never mind the fact that Fighter/Thief combinations can take Assassination more than once (that one is fixed by various mods and the EE, I think - not 100% sure on the EE though).

Then you have the other people who will tell you that single class assassins are the way to go because they can one-shot everything not immune to poison, which is quite correct, but that is a specialty use that's... well, pretty specialty***. It's biggest advantage is the rapid application of the poison dot, which causes the enemy AI to spaz out, rendering the enemy completely hapless until it dies. It's a one shot kill CC ability, but not good enough to waste a full party slot on.

*What that really means is that these games are all viable to play with any combination you'd like to try. They're just a good deal easier if you just disregard the idea of having single class thieves and clerics, and act accordingly.

**Mages are a slightly different story, particularily for Baldur's Gate because of the lower level cap. In IWD they're the most expendable party slot and can have their role filled by a bard which also enables some interesting interaction in Easthaven, they level much quicker and you won't be wanting for spell slots because a) there's a distinct lack of scrolls in the game and b) they can also cast up to level 8 spells in IWD, unlike the level 6 cap in BG. That's exactly what makes the inclusion of sorcerers in the Enhanced Edition so powerful. The game wasn't designed with being able to cast fireballs at every enemy horde you see the moment you unlocked your first level 3 spell slot.

***Also often people who install the "improved" THAC0 tables from various mods, giving their thieves the ability to actually hit enemies in Throne of Bhaal, which they otherwise simply wouldn't. Thief THAC0 sucks. The only reason swashbucklers can keep up is because they receive massive bonuses over the course of the game, but that's a bit silly when you think of the levels involved. You need to reach level 40 with your Swashbuckler to perform similarily to your level 20 fighter in combat, but that fighter at level 20 will still have more attacks per round, will still have better THAC0 and most likely some similar armor class, which is really the only thing the Swashbuckler has going for it.

Technically, at level 40, with the best gear available and the cheesiest setup, you could make an invincible Swashbuckler. It's not very likely that you'll even reach level 40 unless you know what you're doing and it is much easier to achieve similar results with a fighter/mage tank with prebuffing, at lower levels... decent class for easily soloing the game though. Not very interesting to play, but really interesting to set up at least.

[ComradeYellow]

20 hours ago, BruceVC said:

Im 40 hours into ELEX and absolutely loving it, it has a better "sandbox" enemy level and exploration design than Morrowind. 

What I mean by that is in ELEX their are several deadly enemies who randomly exist on the map and you cannot possibly defeat them at my level 10. So you use subterfuge and exploit the brilliant AI to get the monster, in one example I was facing a slugbeast at level 7,  to follow you and I led the foul beast to the Berserker camp where their elite fighters were able to defeat it...on the way to the camp  the  slugbeasts aggro made several low level cultivators and guards foolishly  throw their lives away by attacking it, it was hilarious seeing them get slaughtered in some pointless attack 

Anyway I now have a follower and an energy sword so I use my follower to attract enemies and I attack from the side or back...its effective and works in much combat with higher level enemies

In Morrowind I got to the level where nothing could defeat me, it was fun but the ELEX design is better because you can easily be defeated by enemies and very difficult enemies you encounter as you explore the map and solve a myriad of quests for different factions and around the main quest 

What I like most about Elex is the character building.  It's very strategic and forces you to think about how you wanna build your character.  I always focus on logistical and resource gathering skills first and put combat as second important.  The world is also pretty well designed, seems like a mix between Fallout and Gothic.  The factions are a little awkward, sure, and most character models look the same, also it has a very rough start even for a PB game if you can overlook its flaws it's quite an interesting experience.

[BruceVC]

43 minutes ago, ComradeYellow said:

What I like most about Elex is the character building.  It's very strategic and forces you to think about how you wanna build your character.  I always focus on logistical and resource gathering skills first and put combat as second important.  The world is also pretty well designed, seems like a mix between Fallout and Gothic.  The factions are a little awkward, sure, and most character models look the same, also it has a very rough start even for a PB game if you can overlook its flaws it's quite an interesting experience.

I am very happy with this new game world from PB, I would normally prefer a fantasy setting only but I think they have done a good job of creating an entertaining fantasy\sci-fi hybrid 

Without repeating myself, I want to recognize their well balanced  overall game design and sandbox implementation

For example, I decided to join the Berserkers and one of their  quests  was a report on the other cities like The Fort and The Domed City. This forced me to travel initially on foot mostly, teleporters need to be discovered, on this long, dangerous  and exciting journey to these cities. I had to avoid certain enemies and sometimes I made my own path until I reached the cities and the teleporters for future use

When you say " rough start " what do you  mean by that in your own gaming experience ?

 

Edited June 7, 2021 by BruceVC

[Azdeus]

I started playing some Necromunda; Hired Gun yesterday, had some great fun with it, I did have one script bug that forced me to reload the last save point during my 7 or so hours and one instance where a takedown had me starting to clip through the walls which caused a bit of poopchute clamping.

I really love the art of the game, and the design of many of the places one visits, the game reeks of that 40k feel.

[Mamoulian War]

While alternating in-between few games, I've managed to finish the Main Arc of Tales of Legendia on PS2 for a first time. At the beginning, the combat felt little bit awkward, especially against flying enemies, but after a while, I've got used to it. The game, despite not aging the best, was really enjoyable. The more I've played, the more I wanted to uncover where the storyline goes. It has few unpredictable plot-twists and at one point, it is making fun of predictable story outcomes in other games And because of the story, the game is currently my second favourite Tales of game, right behind Xillia. We'll see, if it will stay so high, after I start the post game content.

 

[Keyrock]

I finished Sal's campaign in Griftlands, which makes all 3 campaigns finished on base difficulty. I get now why that game forces you to play as Sal first (playing as Sal unlocks Rook and playing as Rook unlocks Smith). Playing as Sal the first time was a perfectly fun and enjoyable experience. Going back and playing as Sal after having played Rook and Smith feels like a bit of a letdown because both Rook and Smith are significantly more interesting to play.

Negotiations, in particular, are comparatively boring with Sal since she has no unique mechanics. I haven't discovered any particularly good or interesting negotiation cards for Sal either, hopefully I do in the future.

Sal is more interesting in battle since she has a unique combo and finisher mechanic. I have some ideas for a combo/finisher deck, but I didn't have the right cards and didn't plan ahead on this most recent run, so I went heavy on bleed and wound, which worked quite well. 

Both Rook and Smith have unique mechanics for both negotiations and battle. I found Rook to be the most fun in negotiations and Smith to be the most fun in battle.

In terms of story Rook has the most intriguing story for my tastes but Smith's story has the most colorful characters and the most fun moments. Things happen is Smith's story that had me grinning from ear to ear.

Edited June 7, 2021 by Keyrock

[HoonDing]

"I decided to join the Berserkers"

I had expected Bruce to join the worst faction, and I'm still dissapoint

[Mamoulian War]

Has anyone ever played Blood Bowl 1 or 2 (the digital version)? BB2 has been just released on GOG and it is right away on sale for a very low price, but I do not know if it will be my cup of tea or not My IRL friends who are into tabletop stuff, also never played it

Would it be possible from someone to receive some advice on the game?

[Hurlshort]

We had an Obsidian Blood Bowl league going for a bit. I think I got destroyed by a couple people here. I never got too into it. I don't think you need to like football, per se, but it plays very much like a tabletop game.

[melkathi]

I still feel guilty playing against Hurly. I should have taken time beforehand to give him a tutorial game.

 

The digital game is an exact copy of the tabletop game. So for people who play the tabletop game and want to play against people online, it is a good buy.

The AI in BB2 is abysmal. Think of the worst AI you have encountered - this one is worse. It is not just the problem the first game had, that the AI is not aware of game length, so on it's last turn will not go for the hail mary pass to maybe score, instead turtling up to slowly move down the pitch, it actually does random moves that make no sense at all. Partly because similar to the Necromunda game (OK, there might be a game with worse AI than BB2), the AI does not remember the actions it just took.

 

If you want to play primarily single player (or any form of single player) even on sale, it is not worth it. I refunded after 10 minutes?

[Mamoulian War]

Ok, thank you. I wanted to play singleplayer, and occasionally with friends with our own league, but they do not seem very interested in the game yet. Playing online, well, not a fan of getting destroyed by people 25 years younger than me, who play this game for years

[melkathi]

Here you are worried about people your age who played the boardgame for 30 years and this for years

 

[Keyrock]

If you're looking to have your blood boil when a couple of dice rolls screw you over and ruin your game then Blood Bowl is the game for you. Now with extra salt!

[melkathi]

@Hurlshotyou laugh. But it literally keeps me up at night

[ComradeYellow]

19 minutes ago, Keyrock said:

If you're looking to have your blood boil when a couple of dice rolls screw you over and ruin your game then Blood Bowl is the game for you. Now with extra salt!

I see gambling mentality has made it into games.  Joy.

[Keyrock]

11 minutes ago, ComradeYellow said:

I see gambling mentality has made it into games.  Joy.

Dice rolls have been part of vidya games forever, it's just that a lot of games obscure them. Blood Bowl is a faithful adaptation of a tabletop game so you can watch the (virtual) dice screw you right before your eyes, which somehow makes it hurt worse. In reality, it's no different than getting shafted on a "90%" accuracy shot in XCOM.

[Hurlshort]

Speaking of Xcom, I've been playing the spiritual successor to the original, or whatever it is we call Phoenix Point.

This is my second play through, and they've added a lot to it since I played a little over a year ago. The air combat aspect is new and pretty decent. I don't really like the minigame attached, but the large thing flying in the sky and the need to outfit and manage fighter craft is fun. I've just started building my 3rd squad to help me cover the map and the encroaching mist. It is also much easier recruiting from outposts than the traditional way. They are more expensive, but they come fully kitted out. 

I think I'll try to side with Synedrion eventually, but unfortunately the cult is the one bugging me for help the most.

Also, the newest DLC was free for me on Epic, but my Steam version wanted me to pay for it. I ended up with both since I kickstarted it. 

[Malcador]

Finished Control, had a bit of trouble with the 3rd stage of that last fight but otherwise was ok.  Definitely lack the reflexes for this game, heh.  But was enjoyable, really dug the setting and the writing's good for me - The Board has some amusing lines.   16 hours in total, not too shabby I suppose.  Now to knock off the DLCs.

[Bartimaeus]

3 minutes ago, Malcador said:

Finished Control, had a bit of trouble with the 3rd stage of that last fight but otherwise was ok.  Definitely lack the reflexes for this game, heh.  But was enjoyable, really dug the setting and the writing's good for me - The Board has some amusing lines.   16 hours in total, not too shabby I suppose.  Now to knock off the DLCs.

I've almost gotten that game several times because I want to try it out, but my inner pessimist has convinced me not to each time. I never seem to enjoy third person shooters.

[Malcador]

Well, they have Assist Mode you can turn on, tones down enemy damage, even has a toggle for god mode or being able to one shot all enemies, which is nice if you just want to enjoy the story.  The shooty bits is really the weakest part of the game, anyway.

[melkathi]

9 hours ago, Hurlsnot said:

I think I'll try to side with Synedrion eventually, but unfortunately the cult is the one bugging me for help the most.

 

Cult are the true good guys though. Even if her followers don't know it, she knows what she is doing.

 

The most problematic dlc is the ancient weapons. The dig sites become very repetitive. And at least when I tried it, it wasn't guaranteed that you get all resources in your playthrough.

[BruceVC]

16 hours ago, HoonDing said:

"I decided to join the Berserkers"

I had expected Bruce to join the worst faction, and I'm still dissapoint

Great topic around ELEX and the various factions you can join and why. Worthy of further explanation

I joined the Berserkers because they gave me my first opportunity to be welcomed and survive in the harsh world. I like their views on the planet, I like the idea of  using magic  but I dont like their rejection of technology ....this needs to change if the world is going to be saved but that can come later

I also like the Clerics because they believe in law and order and they understand the importance of technology. I dont like their  strict interpretation of dogma which is why I didnt initially join them

The Outlaws have a purpose but they must  accept the rule of law and order or they will never be able to govern in a sustainable way. I found their political views to be problematic and inconsistent with any reasonable and necessary government policy so I could never join them

And then the Albs are an abomination, corrupted by ELEX and far too dictatorial. I support the Alb separatists but any Albs loyal to the Hybrid must be annihilated...their is no place for their ideology in the new world 

[Keyrock]

I played my character in Elex as pragmatic as possible. I wanted to shoot laser guns and the Clerics had the tech, ergo I made nice with them.

[BruceVC]

26 minutes ago, Keyrock said:

I played my character in Elex as pragmatic as possible. I wanted to shoot laser guns and the Clerics had the tech, ergo I made nice with them.

Makes sense, its a good reason to align with the Clerics 

[Zoraptor]

The main reason for joining the clerics is that they have by far the best exclusive power, since it stunlocks targets.