What are you playing now?

[Keyrock]

Grimrock 2 has rat people?  That almost convinces me buy the game.

[melkathi]

Grimrock 2 has rat people?  That almost convinces me buy the game.

 

It does not just have ANY rat people.

It has THE rat person.

 

[Tale]

I think I've figured out the Alien's normal difficulty AI system in Isolation. It has three modes, perhaps more.

 

 

 

1) Lurking: This is where it's hanging out in vents and loud noises will attract it.

2) Patrolling: What it says on the tin and like most AI units, it stalks up and down hallways checking rooms in a pattern with some random elements. It may randomly take a break from patrolling to lurk for a time, giving the player an opportunity to progress. It seems to have a patrol "region" that changes as you enter new areas or unlock doors.

3) Searching: This is the cheap one. Once you enter a locker or cabinet, it enters this mode if it's patrolling. Once its patrol node gets near the location you're hiding in, it will go straight for your hiding spot. Makes for tense moments, but it's sadly predictable. I've reproduced it in all but one instance (which may have been a bug) and he'll even leave his normal patrol to search out of the way lockers it has no reason to suspect you're in.

 

And there's also its chase mode, but that's very straightforward. I've seen the thing slide to a stop out of chase mode to search a room, which was pretty cool.

 

If it's in the vents lurking, it can transition to a patrol without much warning. Mainly you want to avoid making noise, but other AI in the area or scripts can draw it out.

 

If it's a patrol, that's when things are most tense. It's a lot of waiting, you want to wait for it to hit a lurking phase, which you can only really figure out by checking the motion tracker. If it's not moving at all for a couple of seconds or if it's moving in unmapped regions, it's safe to move. Look at your map, pick your destination, and if there's any doors between you and it, sneak that way. If you hear it stomping around, sprint for the nearest hidey hole. Under a desk is preferred to being in a closet because of the search mode. Desks don't seem to activate search and if it checks out a locker, you take damage from the hold breath mechanic.

 

However, the benefit to lockers I haven't fully explored yet is that after searching one, it seems to more readily go into a short lurk phase.

 

All of this probably changes on hard.

 

 

[Keyrock]

 

Grimrock 2 has rat people?  That almost convinces me buy the game.

 

It does not just have ANY rat people.

It has THE rat person.

 

 

Oh my goodness gracious, Sleepy Rat the Adventurer.

 

I know the game has outdoor areas (as opposed to the first game's pure dungeon setting), but is it still purely just a straight dungeon crawl?  I don't think I can do a straight dungeon crawl any more, I need some towns and townsfolk to talk to, even if it's super basic stuff like in M&MX: Legacy.

Edited October 16, 2014 by Keyrock

[melkathi]

I think it is still a straight dungeon crawl. It has some nice puzzles to solve and the odd hidden area and treasure, but you still basically just try to get to wherever it is the game wants you to go.

At least it gives the impression of more openess.

[IndiraLightfoot]

I'm actually guilty of playing Grimrock 1 for like 12 hours, and then giving up in frustration. In fact, it was such an ugly divorce that I most likely won't pick up GR2.

 

The reason for this was not the puzzles - most of them were pretty fun. Instead it was the realtime combat, and above all, puzzles with weird time limits that required save-spamming to solve them. At one time I even had to resort to some GR1 wiki to see how it even would be possible. I just detested that. Imagine stepping around super-quick with the arrow-keys in the right order just to get into a pit right on time. It felt like playing Dragon Lair!

 

I came to the conclusion that the game was more frustrating than fun, as opposed to say Tesla Effect, where the puzzle complexity was just right.  

Edited October 16, 2014 by IndiraLightfoot

[melkathi]

I'm not too big a fan of the combat myself. Strangely enough though it has captured my attention more than Divinity: Original Sin, which only got one reaction from me: "Whatever, Larrian..."

[BruceVC]

I'm actually guilty of playing Grimrock 1 for like 12 hours, and then giving up in frustration. In fact, it was such an ugly divorce that I most likely won't pick up GR2.

 

The reason for this was not the puzzles - most of them were pretty fun. Instead it was the realtime combat, and above all, puzzles with weird time limits that required save-spamming to solve them. At one time I even had to resort to some GR1 wiki to see how it even would be possible. I just detested that. Imagine stepping around super-quick with the arrow-keys in the right order just to get into a pit right on time. It felt like playing Dragon Lair!

 

I came to the conclusion that the game was more frustrating than fun, as opposed to say Tesla Effect, where the puzzle complexity was just right.  

 

Interesting input, I'm also not a great puzzle solver. I don't have much patience I think....so I wonder if I will also get frustrated with GR2

[Keyrock]

I'm actually guilty of playing Grimrock 1 for like 12 hours, and then giving up in frustration. In fact, it was such an ugly divorce that I most likely won't pick up GR2.

 

The reason for this was not the puzzles - most of them were pretty fun. Instead it was the realtime combat, and above all, puzzles with weird time limits that required save-spamming to solve them. At one time I even had to resort to some GR1 wiki to see how it even would be possible. I just detested that. Imagine stepping around super-quick with the arrow-keys in the right order just to get into a pit right on time. It felt like playing Dragon Lair!

 

I came to the conclusion that the game was more frustrating than fun, as opposed to say Tesla Effect, where the puzzle complexity was just right.  

I didn't even last 12 hours, I think I went about 5 hours before I quit the game.  My reasons weren't exactly the same as yours, but the bottom line is that I found the game a lot more frustrating and cumbersome than I did fun.

[Volourn]

Grimlock 1 wasn't fun. It's that simple.

[BruceVC]

Grimlock 1 wasn't fun. It's that simple.

 

I really enjoyed GR1 but I won't lie, I had to use several videos to solve some of  the puzzles

 

I am glad I'm not the only who battled in that game

[Volourn]

I didn't 'battle'. I loathed it. It sucks.

[GhostofAnakin]

The "El Diablo' gun in the Last of Us is such a fun gun to use.  Now that I've upgraded it to full capacity, I no longer have to deal with it only having 1 or 2 shots before needing to reload it.

[Vaeliorin]

Still Skyrim, finally had a battle that really bothered me.  Random bandit at the end of a hallway was spamming fireballs.  What bothered me was that he was freaking harder to kill than a dragon.  That, and I finally had to use the abysmal potion mechanic.  Drinking 7-8 potions while time is stopped is silly (I only had the lowest level potions on me, as I'd never needed to use them before).  I've generally been in favor of level scaling (with minimum levels for enemies, so no low-level dragons or the like) but this kind of thing makes me really get why people hate it.

[Bokishi]

Evil Within, not as tense as Alien, just a gore fest

[Hurlshort]

I'm enjoying the new WoW patch.  It's different.

Edited October 17, 2014 by Hurlshot

[Bryy]

Trying out the 301 patch. Thinking of streaming, dunno yet.

[Lexx]

I finally downed the Pursuer. Level'd up a bit more, then finally was able to stun him in his first attack, stormed to the balliste and fired two bolts and him. Now with level 50+ it was not the hardest shait anymore, but still pretty annoying.

 

Now onto the next boss!

[Gizmo]

Grimlock 1 wasn't fun. It's that simple.

Grimlock was very fun, I loved switching him back and forth between Dino and robot mode.  At the time I really contemplated making a halloween costume of him too.

 

 

But of the game you meant, Legend of Grimrock...  That has been one of the best games to come out in years IMO; certainly the best dungeoncrawler.

 

I spent a year working on a mod with 22 other designers for LoG1, and it was a fantastic project.  LoG did have some minor flaws, but on the whole, I'd certainly pick LoG1 over Skyrim and FO3 combined.

 

I found the base game to be really good; and they bundled the editor in the game; which gave it endless replay value with the mods that came out for it. (Some of those were very sophisticated too.)

 

 

Edited October 17, 2014 by Gizmo

[Malcador]

Amused at how the AI in Arma 2 decides that the best way of killing civilians is an anti-tank weapon. Got good airtime on the bodies though.

Edited October 17, 2014 by Malcador

[Bokishi]

All I have left to do in my first play through of DS2 is kill the Ancient Dragon, so I become powerful enough to kill King Venrick. Then tackle the Ivory King DLC, so I can unite the lost crowns which grants the ability to stay human forever. Then I'll kill probably about 4 optional bosses I missed. Then I'll be free to start NG+. I already have 105 hours on record in this play through, not bad

[BruceVC]

I'm playing F.E.A.R 2 at the moment, its good fun. I know there was criticism that it wasn't as entertaining as F.E.A.R 1 but I am enjoying it

 

I have noticed it seems easier than the first one and the AI of the enemies isn't as impressive, but I may just be imagining that ?

Edited October 17, 2014 by BruceVC

[GhostofAnakin]

Evil Within, not as tense as Alien, just a gore fest

 

You play as a cop, yes?  Are you tasked with actual investigations and clue solving, or is you being a cop just an excuse to explain why you're at this place and now it's just survival horror in dark corridors?

[Hassat Hunter]

Playing mostly Defender's Quest. Got it in a humble bundle, started it up thinking "probably bad, will play till I got the Steam cards, then quit like many others I got extra there aside from the games I want"... but now I'm already on 31 hours spend, and going NG+. I don't think I ever played NG+ in a game ever, as I moslty hate NG+ since it's such a horrible cheap and stupid time-extender, rather replaying the normal game and have some progression.

Maybe actually not being 'you go in with everything' but still have stuff to level up to helps?  Or how it actually feels you just continue playing rather than restart with the exact same content infront of you but already being super-buff. Not sure, but either way, I'm still having a lot of fun with it!

[marelooke]

I'm playing F.E.A.R 2 at the moment, its good fun. I know there was criticism that it wasn't as entertaining as F.E.A.R 1 but I am enjoying it

 

I have noticed it seems easier than the first one and the AI of the enemies isn't as impressive, but I may just be imagining that ?

I don't think the AI is necessarily worse (though it certainly could be) but I do think that F.E.A.R. 1's level design was much much better giving at the very least the impression of much more intelligent enemies. I also thought that F.E.A.R. 1 actually did a better job at, you know, inducing fear. The next instalments just don't seem to take their time to build up atmosphere instead opting at constantly throwing gruesome scenes and enemies at you.

 

 

 

Personally suffering a bit of game overload right now. I figured I'd load up the new borderlands only the realize two things: the EU gets shafted again on release dates (I fail to see what the point of artificially withholding a game still is in this digital age, other than giving consumers the finger). But I also realized I hadn't really finished Borderlands 2 yet, so I got back to that for my shooter fix (sidelining Warframe for the time being)

 

Installed Legend of Grimrock 2 as well as I greatly enjoyed the first instalment despite some of its shortcomings (those annoying timed puzzles...) and the not-so-great combat. No idea when I will finally get to playing it though...

 

...because I still haven't gotten anywhere much in WL2, currently trying to figure out where to go in Ag Center, preferably before my one infected party member "expires" (yes, I'm still at Ag Center, I'm going through this at a truly glacial pace. Damn you real life!)