BruceVC Posted July 23, 2022 Share Posted July 23, 2022 My BG1 EE adventures are progressing nicely and the game is great fun and reminds me why D&D party based RPG are overall my favorite type of RPG. I have reached Nashkel and Im still on level 1 which is fine. I have disabled Party AI because that option is for the weak and I want to manage my own battles. I have 6 people in my party that include the following (just for the record I choose party members first on there combat role and effectiveness and then on there companion quests, dialogue and Romance arcs ). The BG1 NPC mod adds some hilarious and detailed new dialogues Imoen :Shes cute but annoying at the same time, she is like a glowie on steroids Khalid : Hes fine as a tank but what a spineless obsequious toady to Jaheira. I am seriously considering letting him die just so I can try Romance her, she is hot Jaheira : She is my healer at the moment and effective in combat Vienxay : She is a mod NPC and a NE Elven Shadowmage and she is very arrogant and supercilious but useful in combat so she stays for the time being Kagain : He doesnt say much but he plays a good fighter role Further updates to follow 1 "Abashed the devil stood and felt how awful goodness is and saw Virtue in her shape how lovely: and pined his loss” John Milton "We don't stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing.” - George Bernard Shaw "What counts in life is not the mere fact that we have lived. It is what difference we have made to the lives of others that will determine the significance of the life we lead" - Nelson Mandela Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LadyCrimson Posted July 23, 2022 Share Posted July 23, 2022 (edited) Stray - Two things I really like about this casual/chill game: ---sound design. From water/environment noises to enemies to yes, the cat's padded cadence footsteps and sporadic meowing when it lands, as well as the overall "silence" or bits of music. To the point when there are verbal language noises I feel like it disturbs it all. Thankfully there is little of that you must listen to. ---using visuals to set an emotional mood. Game made me feel a bit of sad early on, pensive and curious, and I have a feeling it's not going to be especially happy in the end. Not saying it's depressing, but it's not sunshine and rainbows either. Two things I don't like in this game: ---even using a controller, avoiding the zurks in those segments is annoying as all get out. Controlling the cat's movement at run/trying not to die-screen speed is very stiff/limited feeling, with some sense of too much input and game action delay (like, runsweverrunrun wait for an "x" to appear, try to jump) and It takes me several tries every time - (edit: if you mess up/don't figure something out, it's death-screen, not forgiving at all) the 2nd time you encounter them is a rather long extended sequence. Supposedly you get some auto-weapon thing to deal with them later and I hope that'll make it better. I think the game could have not used/had a direct enemy threat element at all and been just as good and/or eerie a game. ---there are cute cat things to do, but they mean nothing in terms of gameplay. As a cat person, I still enjoy them, but it would've been nice if such things were more incorporated into actual gameplay vs. just decorative. Like, you can drink out of water puddles, but there is (so far) no reason to. Maybe there should've been at least a minor thirst/hunger survival aspect. Edited July 23, 2022 by LadyCrimson 1 “Things are as they are. Looking out into the universe at night, we make no comparisons between right and wrong stars, nor between well and badly arranged constellations.” – Alan Watts Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wormerine Posted July 23, 2022 Share Posted July 23, 2022 3 hours ago, BruceVC said: Khalid : Hes fine as a tank but what a spineless obsequious toady to Jaheira. I am seriously considering letting him die just so I can try Romance her, she is hot There are no romances in BG1. in BG2 the problem will resolve itself Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BruceVC Posted July 23, 2022 Share Posted July 23, 2022 7 minutes ago, Wormerine said: There are no romances in BG1. in BG2 Reveal hidden contents the problem will resolve itself There is a Romance mod I loaded, Im not sure if its with NPC but I have experienced some promising dialogues options with my party members https://www.gibberlings3.net/mods/npcs/bg-romantic-encounters/ "Abashed the devil stood and felt how awful goodness is and saw Virtue in her shape how lovely: and pined his loss” John Milton "We don't stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing.” - George Bernard Shaw "What counts in life is not the mere fact that we have lived. It is what difference we have made to the lives of others that will determine the significance of the life we lead" - Nelson Mandela Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
majestic Posted July 24, 2022 Share Posted July 24, 2022 Make sure to try the Imoen romance mod for BG2. 1 1 1 1 No mind to think. No will to break. No voice to cry suffering. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LadyCrimson Posted July 25, 2022 Share Posted July 25, 2022 7 hours ago, majestic said: Make sure to try the Imoen romance mod for BG2. Is there a Xan romance mod? Huh? Huh? Huh? ... asking for a friend. 1 “Things are as they are. Looking out into the universe at night, we make no comparisons between right and wrong stars, nor between well and badly arranged constellations.” – Alan Watts Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BruceVC Posted July 25, 2022 Share Posted July 25, 2022 1 hour ago, LadyCrimson said: Is there a Xan romance mod? Huh? Huh? Huh? ... asking for a friend. Absolutely https://sorcerers.net/community/threads/xan-bg2-mod-released.23839/ "Abashed the devil stood and felt how awful goodness is and saw Virtue in her shape how lovely: and pined his loss” John Milton "We don't stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing.” - George Bernard Shaw "What counts in life is not the mere fact that we have lived. It is what difference we have made to the lives of others that will determine the significance of the life we lead" - Nelson Mandela Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chilloutman Posted July 25, 2022 Share Posted July 25, 2022 thats incest 2 2 I'm the enemy, 'cause I like to think, I like to read. I'm into freedom of speech, and freedom of choice. I'm the kinda guy that likes to sit in a greasy spoon and wonder, "Gee, should I have the T-bone steak or the jumbo rack of barbecue ribs with the side-order of gravy fries?" I want high cholesterol! I wanna eat bacon, and butter, and buckets of cheese, okay?! I wanna smoke a Cuban cigar the size of Cincinnati in the non-smoking section! I wanna run naked through the street, with green Jell-O all over my body, reading Playboy magazine. Why? Because I suddenly may feel the need to, okay, pal? I've SEEN the future. Do you know what it is? It's a 47-year-old virgin sitting around in his beige pajamas, drinking a banana-broccoli shake, singing "I'm an Oscar Meyer Wiene" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Humanoid Posted July 25, 2022 Author Share Posted July 25, 2022 (edited) I'm down for some Xancest. (I actually have no idea who Xan or most BG1-exclusive NPCs are since I quit about two screens out of Candlekeep) ________ EDIT: Polished off Solasta. I have nothing of interest to say about its closing stages, it just is. Edited July 25, 2022 by Humanoid 2 L I E S T R O N GL I V E W R O N G Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BruceVC Posted July 25, 2022 Share Posted July 25, 2022 1 hour ago, Humanoid said: I'm down for some Xancest. (I actually have no idea who Xan or most BG1-exclusive NPCs are since I quit about two screens out of Candlekeep) ________ EDIT: Polished off Solasta. I have nothing of interest to say about its closing stages, it just is. Why did you quit BG1 so soon? "Abashed the devil stood and felt how awful goodness is and saw Virtue in her shape how lovely: and pined his loss” John Milton "We don't stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing.” - George Bernard Shaw "What counts in life is not the mere fact that we have lived. It is what difference we have made to the lives of others that will determine the significance of the life we lead" - Nelson Mandela Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Humanoid Posted July 25, 2022 Author Share Posted July 25, 2022 (edited) 7 minutes ago, BruceVC said: Why did you quit BG1 so soon? Because I didn't get around to it when it was new. Trying it only once the more recent, shinier Infinity Engine games were out meant that it was a huge downgrade from the likes of BG2, PS:T and IWD2 (never played IWD1 either) and I couldn't be bothered sticking with it. I'm not sure if the various mods to improve the resolution and other QoL changes were out at the time. I'm sure it's a lot more playable these days, but it's too late because I'm just done with RTwP, and with big party-based (but single-player) RPGs in general. Edited July 25, 2022 by Humanoid 1 L I E S T R O N GL I V E W R O N G Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BruceVC Posted July 25, 2022 Share Posted July 25, 2022 1 minute ago, Humanoid said: Because I didn't get around to it when it was new. Trying it only once the more recent, shinier Infinity Engine games were out meant that it was a huge downgrade from the likes of BG2, PS:T and IWD2 (never played IWD1 either) and I couldn't be bothered sticking with it. I'm not sure if the various mods to improve the resolution and other QoL changes were out at the time. I understand, BG1 EE with mods makes a big difference I also played BG2 first and without EE and mods I doubt I would have played BG1 "Abashed the devil stood and felt how awful goodness is and saw Virtue in her shape how lovely: and pined his loss” John Milton "We don't stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing.” - George Bernard Shaw "What counts in life is not the mere fact that we have lived. It is what difference we have made to the lives of others that will determine the significance of the life we lead" - Nelson Mandela Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bartimaeus Posted July 25, 2022 Share Posted July 25, 2022 (edited) On 7/23/2022 at 10:28 AM, LadyCrimson said: Stray - Two things I really like about this casual/chill game: ---sound design. From water/environment noises to enemies to yes, the cat's padded cadence footsteps and sporadic meowing when it lands, as well as the overall "silence" or bits of music. To the point when there are verbal language noises I feel like it disturbs it all. Thankfully there is little of that you must listen to. ---using visuals to set an emotional mood. Game made me feel a bit of sad early on, pensive and curious, and I have a feeling it's not going to be especially happy in the end. Not saying it's depressing, but it's not sunshine and rainbows either. Two things I don't like in this game: ---even using a controller, avoiding the zurks in those segments is annoying as all get out. Controlling the cat's movement at run/trying not to die-screen speed is very stiff/limited feeling, with some sense of too much input and game action delay (like, runsweverrunrun wait for an "x" to appear, try to jump) and It takes me several tries every time - (edit: if you mess up/don't figure something out, it's death-screen, not forgiving at all) the 2nd time you encounter them is a rather long extended sequence. Supposedly you get some auto-weapon thing to deal with them later and I hope that'll make it better. I think the game could have not used/had a direct enemy threat element at all and been just as good and/or eerie a game. ---there are cute cat things to do, but they mean nothing in terms of gameplay. As a cat person, I still enjoy them, but it would've been nice if such things were more incorporated into actual gameplay vs. just decorative. Like, you can drink out of water puddles, but there is (so far) no reason to. Maybe there should've been at least a minor thirst/hunger survival aspect. 1. Sound and visual design have been pretty nice, definitely agree there - particularly the overall sound experience has been excellent. 2. Haven't had any issues with the zurks yet, as in about an hour and a half of gameplay I've only had like two attach to me thus far and obviously haven't had any game overs...but I do make a habit of tactically waiting, drawing them out, running pretty parabolic-shaped movement routes, etc., where appropriate. 3. One thing I did like about the "cat things to do" was using windows shades as scratch pads in order to open up new routes through windows. They probably needed to figure out more purposes for cat things so it's not just totally pointless window dressing, so to speak. I played about half an hour early this morning and had a better time. Edited July 25, 2022 by Bartimaeus 1 Quote How I have existed fills me with horror. For I have failed in everything - spelling, arithmetic, riding, tennis, golf; dancing, singing, acting; wife, mistress, whore, friend. Even cooking. And I do not excuse myself with the usual escape of 'not trying'. I tried with all my heart. In my dreams, I am not crippled. In my dreams, I dance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Malcador Posted July 25, 2022 Share Posted July 25, 2022 Never did any of the ME DLCs, so at least something new with LE. Kasumi's heist was fun, although wish there were more to the heist before we get to the shooting parts. Why has elegance found so little following? Elegance has the disadvantage that hard work is needed to achieve it and a good education to appreciate it. - Edsger Wybe Dijkstra Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hawke64 Posted July 25, 2022 Share Posted July 25, 2022 EA released all ME2 DLC for free (can be claimed via Origin, downloaded from https://help.ea.com/en/help/faq/dlc-for-classic-games/#masseffect ). I've started another playthrough with all of them. Reached Omega. So far so good. The dialogue wheel is one of the worst things happen to RPGs, though. On the other hand, the mining mini-game is somehow enjoyable, but likely to turn to grind in a few hours. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LadyCrimson Posted July 25, 2022 Share Posted July 25, 2022 6 hours ago, Bartimaeus said: They probably needed to figure out more purposes for cat things so it's not just totally pointless window dressing, so to speak. They missed the perfect opportunity to make those cat-nap spots a "save progress" feature. >.> So you could at least run back to one of those where available to save your game if you want to exit before going to/triggering next save point. I reached the next section, next town, then next town. The latter of which is larger then the slums, but outside of oodles more vista-overlook climbing spots, feels more devoid of points of interest. I saw someone describe the exploration in the game as virtual tourism ... which I think is pretty apt, at least for some sections. I do like the sense of confusion I get while trying to keep track of large areas/alleys while at a low ground perspective of an animal. Btw, for anyone interested, if you are not interested in total achievements/collectables or wasting hours with "virtual tourism", the main path is definitely feeling short time-wise. There's even an achievement for doing the story under 2 hours - you'd need foreknowledge for that ofc, but I could see it being possible. I think 5-8 hrs. first-run would be average. Of course, I'll probably clock 15-18 hrs. >.> 1 “Things are as they are. Looking out into the universe at night, we make no comparisons between right and wrong stars, nor between well and badly arranged constellations.” – Alan Watts Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrBrown Posted July 25, 2022 Share Posted July 25, 2022 2 hours ago, Hawke64 said: EA released all ME2 DLC for free (can be claimed via Origin, downloaded from https://help.ea.com/en/help/faq/dlc-for-classic-games/#masseffect ). I've started another playthrough with all of them. Reached Omega. So far so good. The dialogue wheel is one of the worst things happen to RPGs, though. On the other hand, the mining mini-game is somehow enjoyable, but likely to turn to grind in a few hours. If you play all the DLCs, you don't need to mine much at all to get all upgrades. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
majestic Posted July 25, 2022 Share Posted July 25, 2022 The mining mini-game in ME2 brings out my inner child. I just keep wasting probes on Uranus and laugh at EDI's increasingly annoyed replies. 2 1 No mind to think. No will to break. No voice to cry suffering. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Agiel Posted July 26, 2022 Share Posted July 26, 2022 (edited) On 7/23/2022 at 8:28 AM, LadyCrimson said: Stray - Two things I really like about this casual/chill game: ---sound design. From water/environment noises to enemies to yes, the cat's padded cadence footsteps and sporadic meowing when it lands, as well as the overall "silence" or bits of music. To the point when there are verbal language noises I feel like it disturbs it all. Thankfully there is little of that you must listen to. ---using visuals to set an emotional mood. Game made me feel a bit of sad early on, pensive and curious, and I have a feeling it's not going to be especially happy in the end. Not saying it's depressing, but it's not sunshine and rainbows either. Two things I don't like in this game: ---even using a controller, avoiding the zurks in those segments is annoying as all get out. Controlling the cat's movement at run/trying not to die-screen speed is very stiff/limited feeling, with some sense of too much input and game action delay (like, runsweverrunrun wait for an "x" to appear, try to jump) and It takes me several tries every time - (edit: if you mess up/don't figure something out, it's death-screen, not forgiving at all) the 2nd time you encounter them is a rather long extended sequence. Supposedly you get some auto-weapon thing to deal with them later and I hope that'll make it better. I think the game could have not used/had a direct enemy threat element at all and been just as good and/or eerie a game. ---there are cute cat things to do, but they mean nothing in terms of gameplay. As a cat person, I still enjoy them, but it would've been nice if such things were more incorporated into actual gameplay vs. just decorative. Like, you can drink out of water puddles, but there is (so far) no reason to. Maybe there should've been at least a minor thirst/hunger survival aspect. I don't think your playthrough is complete until we've heard your impersonation of Cat from <<Red Dwarf>>: Edited July 26, 2022 by Agiel 1 1 Quote “Political philosophers have often pointed out that in wartime, the citizen, the male citizen at least, loses one of his most basic rights, his right to life; and this has been true ever since the French Revolution and the invention of conscription, now an almost universally accepted principle. But these same philosophers have rarely noted that the citizen in question simultaneously loses another right, one just as basic and perhaps even more vital for his conception of himself as a civilized human being: the right not to kill.” -Jonathan Littell <<Les Bienveillantes>> Quote "The chancellor, the late chancellor, was only partly correct. He was obsolete. But so is the State, the entity he worshipped. Any state, entity, or ideology becomes obsolete when it stockpiles the wrong weapons: when it captures territories, but not minds; when it enslaves millions, but convinces nobody. When it is naked, yet puts on armor and calls it faith, while in the Eyes of God it has no faith at all. Any state, any entity, any ideology that fails to recognize the worth, the dignity, the rights of Man...that state is obsolete." -Rod Serling Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BruceVC Posted July 26, 2022 Share Posted July 26, 2022 (edited) I have had some unintentional party changes in BG1, Kagain threw his toys and left the party because I still haven't found the noblemen's son. I was going to kill him for his insolence but I believe in Democracy and if he wants to leave the GREATEST adventure in his life and miss the opportunity of spending many nights around the fire with the beautiful and seductive Viconia thats his problem So I was left with a fighter\tank shortage but I enlisted Kivan, a ranger, and Im very impressed. He is effective in battle and offers some good dialogue lines and some hilarious interaction with Imoen I also have changed my combat strategy. With Kivan I now have 3 x archers who initially can inflict long range damage and then I use the party formation of 3 x 2 rows while exploring. So I moved my wizard to row 2 which means when I see a group of enemies from a distance I can quickly cast AOE spells like Color Spray which is finally making my wizard add real value in combat Im also having some really exciting battles with named bandits in the maps south of Beregost, they tough and the combat literally goes down to my fighters winning with 3 HP left after using all my healing potions. I get good loot and scalps from these battles My party is still mostly on level 2 but Imoen is on level 3 and the adventure is progressing nicely Edited July 26, 2022 by BruceVC 1 "Abashed the devil stood and felt how awful goodness is and saw Virtue in her shape how lovely: and pined his loss” John Milton "We don't stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing.” - George Bernard Shaw "What counts in life is not the mere fact that we have lived. It is what difference we have made to the lives of others that will determine the significance of the life we lead" - Nelson Mandela Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Malcador Posted July 26, 2022 Share Posted July 26, 2022 7 hours ago, majestic said: The mining mini-game in ME2 brings out my inner child. I just keep wasting probes on Uranus and laugh at EDI's increasingly annoyed replies. Makes me want to play EVE. 1 Why has elegance found so little following? Elegance has the disadvantage that hard work is needed to achieve it and a good education to appreciate it. - Edsger Wybe Dijkstra Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Humanoid Posted July 26, 2022 Author Share Posted July 26, 2022 Huh, I had no idea Viconia was in BG1 (unless that's an EE thing). L I E S T R O N GL I V E W R O N G Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wormerine Posted July 26, 2022 Share Posted July 26, 2022 46 minutes ago, Humanoid said: Huh, I had no idea Viconia was in BG1 (unless that's an EE thing). She was. You can run across her very early as she is chased by Flaming Fist. She calls out to you for help in BG2 because she knows you. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LadyCrimson Posted July 26, 2022 Share Posted July 26, 2022 (edited) Stray - think I'm really close to the end, just a minor bit or two left probably. There's a long stealth type section (nothing serious but...) which might be stressful for those who just wanted a "cat simulator" since such is more than just zig zag running from zurks. At any rate, it's probably the most "gamey" gameplay section of the game, which some might like a bit more. The save system still annoys me, because while I'm playing I'm constantly pausing to see if I triggered a new save point, in order to decide if I want to stop or not, which is disruptive. I did test it, where I found a couple Memories and quit without a new checkpoint save happening - when I reloaded it set me back at the last checkpoint location/moment and I had to locate/click on them again. >.> Anyway, I'm going to go ahead and say I'd give this game a 7/10, but in terms of cats, including the great animation of stuff even down to the ear twitches, a 10/10. I'd have no desire to replay it per se but loading up a mellow chapter just to cat-sim for a few might be something I'd do, since I have no real cat anymore. lol. "Cat roaming around in Bladerunner" ... yeah, sorta felt like that at times. Edited July 26, 2022 by LadyCrimson 1 “Things are as they are. Looking out into the universe at night, we make no comparisons between right and wrong stars, nor between well and badly arranged constellations.” – Alan Watts Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LadyCrimson Posted July 26, 2022 Share Posted July 26, 2022 Ok, actually finished Stray. My ratings notions still stand. The campaign/story ending was a bit ambiguous in some ways, without real clear cut answers. Some won't like that but I don't mind. I don't think it's as deep as some might believe but considering it's ... y'know, a cat ... it was still good. In a way the story isn't really about the cat itself, either. Anyhoo...had fun, no regrets, probably the first game in a while that I actually kept turning back on and finished (yay for short games? ) 3 “Things are as they are. Looking out into the universe at night, we make no comparisons between right and wrong stars, nor between well and badly arranged constellations.” – Alan Watts Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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