What are you Playing Now? Who needs a life anyway?...

[Chilloutman]

doesn't D3 need always online as well?

[Malcador]

On PC, yup.  The new season gimmick's not all that appealing to me, I really liked the previous two, ethereal weapons and the soul shards should have stayed in the game.

 

[LadyCrimson]

2 hours ago, Chilloutman said:

doesn't D3 need always online as well?

On PS4 I can unplug the 'net cable from the console and still play D3 and the few other games I have on there. It's the only reason I bought it on there, years later, when I technically already had it for PC. The portability of the console means hey sometimes I won't have reliable 'net, I'd like to be able to still play games then y'know. You might get a box saying certain online features aren't available (like leaderboards or whatever) but it doesn't alter the game itself. Also, I only buy PS4 games that don't require the Playstation Live account, which I do not/refuse to have. I think the PS5 might enforce PS Live more often now just to play, but I'm not sure. I think that's what console-Diablo4 was planning on doing (assuming they don't change their minds).

50 minutes ago, Malcador said:

The new season gimmick's not all that appealing to me,

The fact those new map/challenges were season only was the main reason I thought I'd do it just to check them out. If they don't appeal I'll just quit/go back to non-seasonal only. The only other time I might do D3 seasonal is for a pet. I just didn't know about the mini-Diablo one until season was almost over so no point. I'm not someone who would get to GR70+ in 1-4 weeks. >.>

[BruceVC]

I have the rest of the week off because I cut  my Easter extended holiday short so Im planning on playing loads of modded Oblivion. I have only played 12 hours or so due to RL commitments and the game CTD 

But its much more  stable now after I started using Wyre Bash and other mod managers like LOOT 

So in others words I dont recommend Vortex as your mod manager for Oblivion 

[Wormerine]

6 hours ago, BruceVC said:

I have only played 12 hours or so due to RL commitments and the game CTD 

That's not bad. After playing 10 hours of an Elder Scrolls I am usually at the point where I will start deep cleaning my place so I don't have to play any more of it. 

[uuuhhii]

can not kill those big dumb bird at blood lake

and constantly getting invaded by the same npc while fighting two bird

Edited April 20, 2022 by uuuhhii

[Wormerine]

3 hours ago, uuuhhii said:

can not kill those big dumb bird at blood lake

Are we talking Elden Ring? Big crow things? I didn't find them difficult - they are mostly just overgrown hawks. Dodge their stump attack and slash back.

[uuuhhii]

2 hours ago, Wormerine said:

Are we talking Elden Ring? Big crow things? I didn't find them difficult - they are mostly just overgrown hawks. Dodge their stump attack and slash back.

landing was easy to dodge

but their thrashing on the ground and quick peck was difficult to dodge every one

and roll far enough another one join the party

suffering through haligtree now

getting two shot by battle mage

[LadyCrimson]

My D3 seasonal chr. can now do Torment4 Nephalim Rifts, so it was time to start farming lower level Greater Rifts for the usual Gems and now Petrified Screams (needed to open the seasonal new Echoing Nightmare thingie). 

It's just been one morning, but so far, not a single one has dropped. Rare and random and need a lot of luck I guess, just to be able to check it out once. I suppose the drop odds get higher at GR 70+, but, yeah.  >.>

[Wormerine]

14 hours ago, uuuhhii said:

suffering through haligtree now

Ah, didn't get there yet. What level are you? I felt like I might have deviated from intended order - did Valcona Manor first, at looking at Smithing Stones I am getting in Caelid it seems like it was intended for lower level. I have been hearing how tough Radahn is, and my dual katanas melt him rather quickly. 

[Wormerine]

I finished char1 story in Weird West and am Pigman now. I am slowely swinging toward SkillUp spectrum on Weird West. I have been playing it less and less. It has traditional Arcane problems that fun stuff tends to be too tedious or unreliable to use, and easiest way to play is also a boring one. So far Pigman didn't change things much, though I try using close range weapons to vary things up (all that means for now that I die a lot, where's it was a rarity with bounty hunter).

WW made me go back to Red Dead Redeption2, and that's mostly what I have been playing for the last week. I really got into it now, I think. I did some story mission, but mostly focused on exploring and crafting - most of my time with the game was hunting, and it was most fun I had in RDR2. "Immersion" is the reason, as vague as this descriptor always sounds to me. Digital sun drentched prairie has been a blessing with weather being so crap outside for the last couple weeks over here. As I am in the bit of the story where we are "hiding in the plain sight" I decided to make Arthur look a bit more like a civilized citizen. I dig that look - will be sad to go back to wild Arthur. He seems to me a more sinister character with this look - like a manupulative sociopath when he turnes to crimey things. Rather then being his default brutal, but honest thug. 

 

Edited April 21, 2022 by Wormerine

[uuuhhii]

2 hours ago, Wormerine said:

Ah, didn't get there yet. What level are you? I felt like I might have deviated from intended order - did Valcona Manor first, at looking at Smithing Stones I am getting in Caelid it seems like it was intended for lower level. I have been hearing how tough Radahn is, and my dual katanas melt him rather quickly. 

150 and still two hit by any miniboss

caelid seems to be meant for player after the lake

player beat volcano would be overpowered

[melkathi]

I have reached the final boss battle in Cris Tales. I hate this battle. Maybe I should just watch the ending on youtube.

Edited April 21, 2022 by melkathi

[Wormerine]

2 hours ago, uuuhhii said:

150 and still two hit by any miniboss

Hmmm I am closer to lvl 90 so that's not that . Yeah, I am just getting out of getting one shotted by everything, as I failed to upgrade my secondary stats like health or stamina. After Radahn I got distracted by new underground dungeon that turnout bigger then expected, so I didn't explore much further past the abandoned magical city full of invisible spellcasters (don't rememebr how it was called).

Are you veteran DS player? So far, outside of bosses (and those spider-graft thingies) I didn't find Elder Ring to be very challenging. Well, there is occasional DS2 level of bull**** - the last one I remember was trio of crystal enemies as a final dungeon encounter... that took couple tries and a lot of running around waiting for an opening. 

Edited April 21, 2022 by Wormerine

[uuuhhii]

43 minutes ago, Wormerine said:

Hmmm I am closer to lvl 90 so that's not that . Yeah, I am just getting out of getting one shotted by everything, as I failed to upgrade my secondary stats like health or stamina. After Radahn I got distracted by new underground dungeon that turnout bigger then expected, so I didn't explore much further past the abandoned magical city full of invisible spellcasters (don't rememebr how it was called).

Are you veteran DS player? So far, outside of bosses (and those spider-graft thingies) I didn't find Elder Ring to be very challenging. Well, there is occasional DS2 level of bull**** - the last one I remember was trio of crystal enemies as a final dungeon encounter... that took couple tries and a lot of running around waiting for an opening. 

caelid are extremely difficult pass the town of sellia

never played fromsoft game before

the combat are annoying but all the sadistic designed dungeon and jumping puzzle make this game so much worse than any other game with just difficult combat

never hated any game dev so much since bound by flame

[Wormerine]

26 minutes ago, uuuhhii said:

never played fromsoft game before

the combat are annoying but all the sadistic designed dungeon and jumping puzzle make this game so much worse than any other game with just difficult combat

Ah, makes sense. Which dungeons are you refering to? For me "legacy dungeons" (so Stormveil Castle, Raya Lucaria Academy, Volcano Manor) has been easily most interesting parts of the game. Open world stuff and smaller dungeons got a bit stale by now.

Then again I am DS junkie :-). 

[uuuhhii]

24 minutes ago, Wormerine said:

Ah, makes sense. Which dungeons are you refering to? For me "legacy dungeons" (so Stormveil Castle, Raya Lucaria Academy, Volcano Manor) has been easily most interesting parts of the game. Open world stuff and smaller dungeons got a bit stale by now.

Then again I am DS junkie :-). 

those three are some part entertaining

other than the lowest part volcano manor

haligtree and leydell underground may be the worst dungeon most player will ever suffer

depend on how awful that storm island will be later

[Theonlygarby]

Mount and blade bannerlord.  I have finally got to a point where I'm making more daily than I spend on my army.  No longer just slaughtering bandits.  Bigger battles are a lot of fun.  Had a 40(me) v 50 that ended with me and 2 of my soldiers standing at the end.  That was fun.

 

Some bigger battles as well with hundreds... but I found the smaller 1 army vs 1 army battle the most fun.  Huge ones are chaotic and I'm not good at syncing my army with my allies

Edited April 21, 2022 by Theonlygarby

[melkathi]

Cris Tale ~ a game melkathi uninstalled at the very final boss fight:

 

Cris Tale is a jrpg thingie with theoretical old school turn based combat with... QTEs.

The basic concept is great: you are a young girl... or teenager? A girl in one of those worlds where it is normal that adults stand by as children do the fighting (so possibly the Sudan). Anyway, you are a girl who as it turns out is a Time Mage.

Time Magic is a neat idea:

When you walk around a city the screen is split into three parts. In the centre are you in the present. Everything to your left you see in the past. Everything to your right in the future. If you run along an NPC, you'll see them in past, present and future. Similarly you will see the state of the city. As you do quests, you may see the result of your actions in the future. You even have the ability to affect the past and future that you see. So there may be a loot chest in the future, so you grab the loot that will be in the location eventually. Of course that is a bit of a paradox, but okay.

It allows for a few puzzles, as you for example plant a seed in the past so you can have the grown plant in the present. Sadly these interactions are not as numerous as you'd want from a game where time is such an integral part of everything.

During combat you can use time crystals. As your party is in the middle of the screen, enemies on your left can be sent to the past, while enemies on the right to the future. If you inflict a DOT (poison or fire) on an opponent and then send them forward in time, they will instantly suffer all DOT at once. If you send someone back in time, they may lose all status effects affecting them. And most importantly, their stats will change and they may even use different abilities.

Early on, as the game teaches you these things, there will be a boss battle. Here you can't damage the boss until you cast water magic on the shield, then send them into the future for the shield to rust. It is a great interaction. Sadly, while you are shown this in the first 10 minutes of the game, no clever use of time crystals will happen in the rest of the game. Other bosses are either unaffected by time magic, or they simply change stats a bit. Maybe in the future you have to do a few hundred damage less, but often that is the extent of how the fight is affected.

 

So it is a gorgeous game, made with a lot of love, but where the devs seem to have exhausted their concept during the tutorial and then found them selves having to follow it up with a whole game.

 

If it weren't for the QTEs, I'd say give it a go because it is cute. But the final boss instakills you if you don't get the timing of your parry 100% right, and if I wanted to see my time wasted like that, I'd play Elden Ring like the rest of you.

[Bartimaeus]

3 hours ago, melkathi said:

If it weren't for the QTEs, I'd say give it a go because it is cute. But the final boss instakills you if you don't get the timing of your parry 100% right, and if I wanted to see my time wasted like that, I'd play Elden Ring like the rest of you.

Hey, I've beaten Demon's Souls, Dark Souls 1, Dark Souls 2, Dark Souls 3, and Bloodborne, and I never had to parry in any of those games...though I guess there's something to be said for perfectly timed rolls, so I suppose the point stands. I also can't include Sekiro here, since a few of bosses did pretty much actually require parrying to feasibly defeat unless you wanted the battle to last an hour for a single try.

Judging by the Steam reviews, it seems like a number of people sadly agreed with you on the game in question.

[melkathi]

The final boss has this stupid ability where they AOE your whole party and reduce them all to 1 HP and apply Burn, killing them with the DOT the moment they activate.

The solution: put necklaces on everyone that makes them immune to Burn. But then the boss does a double attack instead of the Burn, setting everyone's HP to 1 and then insta-hitting them again.

Possibly, with a perfectly timed parry you can prevent the second hit. But if you are slightly off, party wipe.

Avoiding that attack though is all there is to this boss. He has no interesting mechanic - just a party wipe attack ever so often.

 

Before that, the toughest fight that people get stuck on actually has a tactic you need to figure out. It's a boring fight because once you know what you need to do, it is simply longish, but it has a "Oh, so that's what I am supposed to do" moment.

Spoiler

The specific boss has a super duper regen spell which will pretty much heal her back to full health while you had just beaten her down to a third of her HP. So you have to use your ability to rewind time right after she casts it, undoing her spell. After that the fight becomes just a matter of dealing damage and avoiding the nastier abilities. Perfectly manageable and the tactic to beat her fits the theme of the game.

 

 

I was fine with the QTEs in Last Remnant, where it was simply about getting a better effect on the attack and every now and then avoiding some damage. But there never was a "don't hit the button on time and you lose" moment. Cris sadly has that. If they killed two out of three characters, that would be fine. It would put you in a crummy situation, but you'd be struggling to rebound from it.

Edited April 21, 2022 by melkathi

[LadyCrimson]

Upgraded Death Stranding to the Director's Cut or something. That is one clunky update process since they decided to delist the original version (can't buy it anymore). First patch your original game if you had it for save compatibility, not sure if anything else. Then download the entire (new version) game again for the D. Cut (so it's installed twice, different folders).  Then if you want to load old saves (I don't really care), it'll auto-port them in from the patched original. I was trying to keep old and new versions separate so I deleted the copied saves from the D. Cut folder. It kept just writing them back again (erasing all game option settings you did, in the process). Fine. Maybe if I copy back the unpatched original version first, but for now, don't care/ignore. "New Game".  Note: I believe if you did care about ported saves, once done/started etc. you could uninstall the original version to save space.

Anyway ... still gorgeous, moody. I think non-DLSS maxed 4k performance might've overall dropped just a tad (5fps or something) but it's been too long don't remember for sure. Oddly, DLSS set to Quality doesn't seem to give much of a FPS boost now. I think it did a little (like 10-12fps) before but now it didn't even seem to give that. And while DLSS looks "fine" I still find it gives this slight softness that I don't like. So back to native 4k  and a not quite solid 60fps. Whatever.

Now time to see if I have the patience to drag Norman Reedus across America again. Actually, all of that would be fine, it's the Mads chr. combat chapters I don't want to do again. Those were annoying.

Edit: oh, also, the save system on PC for this game still sucks, if you like to manage saves at least, just like it sucked on console.

Edited April 22, 2022 by LadyCrimson

[sorophx]

20 hours ago, uuuhhii said:

150 and still two hit by any miniboss

caelid seems to be meant for player after the lake

player beat volcano would be overpowered

Spoilers ahead, but there's a list of enemy levels for each area which kinda tells you the natural order of progressing.
 

Spoiler

1 - Tutorial

2 - Limgrave (Mid)

3 - Limgrave (South)

4 - Limgrave (North)

5 - Stormveil

6 - Siofra River

7 - South Liurnia / Academy

8 - North Liurnia / Academy

9 - Ainsel River

10 - West Caelid

11 -  Altus Plateau / Gelmir / South-East Caelid

12 - Leyndell / Nokstella / Volcano Manor

Drastic damage increase from tier 12 to 13 (x2.67 -> x3.24)

13 - North Caelid

14 - Leyndell Sewers

15 - Mountaintops

16 - Farum Azula

17 - Ashen Leyndell / Consecrated Snowfield

18 - Elden Throne

19 - Haligtree / Mohgwyn Palace

20 - Elphael

21 - Haligtree Roots

So, depending on where in Caelid you are you could be way outside your intended zone. my char is level 101 and I still haven't even gone to Redmane Castle, I want to get a couple of quests done before that. But I do occasionally get my ass kicked in Caelid (I found Millicent's quest really hard in the beginning). 

[uuuhhii]

finally done with farum azula

one of the dragon seems to be respawning and doesn't drop anything good

lock on button somehow bugged and didn't function

die 3 times because of it

Edited April 22, 2022 by uuuhhii

[rjshae]

On 4/21/2022 at 5:37 AM, melkathi said:

I have reached the final boss battle in Cris Tales. I hate this battle. Maybe I should just watch the ending on youtube.

I've grown so weary of final boss battles that I've decided I'm going to do them all on easy mode so I can get through them faster.