[Steam]-y Thread 30: Throwing titles out the window!

[Luzahn]

Hearthfire gives you housecarls and a few cool decorative and utility things in the houses. You're able to plant and grow your own alchemy plants with any house, and can build another room for more plant space.

For $2.50, I'd recommend it.

I found the process of acquiring resources to slowly build my house to be really entertaining, though I do really like that sort of thing. The housing DLC in Oblivion was one of my favorites.

Oh, and to anyone who doesn't have it, I recommend picking up morrowind. If you can get past the graphics it's great, and in my opinion better than Skyrim and Oblivion. For $5.00 it's well worth it.

[Castel]

Isn't adoption also a Hearthfire feature?

Having children running around with (Legendary)Daedric Daggers is fun, or you can send your kids to live deep in the marshes of Morthal to build character; only to be chastised by your spouse later.

Or, if you play a vampire, you can build your own little creepy base of operations*, and it can double as a human farm.


*You actually have to be a vampire to build a coffin to sleep in, which gives you a magic resistance bonus.

[Luzahn]

Yeah, adoption is great too.

And yeah, you can end up with your Steward, your Housecarl, a Bard, two children, and a spouse in the house. Good for vampires, I suppose, though It gets pretty crowded.

[Forbiddenwar]

So, I'm getting tired of the old Steam Interface and face discovered Skins. Can anyone recommend any good ones? Particually ones without the same color scheme and/or typical arrangement of the default?
In my Steam Skins folder there are 4 that sound good but they can't be selected for some reason (Grey, Ice, Sand, Obsidian)

[Partof1]

Oh, and to anyone who doesn't have it, I recommend picking up morrowind. If you can get past the graphics it's great, and in my opinion better than Skyrim and Oblivion. For $5.00 it's well worth it.

Aren't there a ton of mods to help with Morrowind's graphics anyway?

[Bayar]

Speaking of Morrowind mods, are there any that let you passively regenerate magicka ?

[Luzahn]

Aren't there a ton of mods to help with Morrowind's graphics anyway?

Yeah there are a few, but I have never personally used one.

[shadow_archmagi]

Is there an ASCII mod for morrowind? Dwarf Fortress has really spoiled me, graphically, and I really can't go back to the much inferior system of polygons.

[Neftren]

Dawnguard is well worth the money. I just finished the "good" playthrough and it was definitely worth the money and time. My ONLY complaint is that the new NPC isn't marriageable.

As for the mod, I don't know. Do you get housecarls with that?

There's a mod for that, to enable Serana to be marriageable.

[Partof1]

Okay, the mod pack I checked out for Morrowind woulda take three times as long to download as the game itself, so I'm just gonna play the game unmodded.

What should I know about Morrowind's class and level system? I know there are major and minor skills, but I don't know their significance.

[Luzahn]

It's been too long since I've played it, but I think it was like Oblivion's. Major skills give you a lot of experience towards a level up when increased, and minor give a smaller amount. Other skills are leveled without increasing your pc's level.

Because of this, some people game the system by making very easy to level skills their class skills, and level combat skills up without increasing their pc's level.

Major and minor also start with a bonus in skill level. I think its 15 or 20 for major and 10 for minor.

[Partof1]

It's been too long since I've played it, but I think it was like Oblivion's. Major skills give you a lot of experience towards a level up when increased, and minor give a smaller amount. Other skills are leveled without increasing your pc's level.

Because of this, some people game the system by making very easy to level skills their class skills, and level combat skills up without increasing their pc's level.

Major and minor also start with a bonus in skill level. I think its 15 or 20 for major and 10 for minor.

Okay, cool. I never played Oblivion, either, but i think I can work with that. Just try to keep major skills as stuff I can regulate. I've heard of people getting ridiculous running and jumping levels, or silly things like that, that are bad contenders for Major.

[Luzahn]

Yeah. If you increase a non-combat too much as a major or minor your combat level will be off. I can't recall whether or not it causes problems with scaling enemies though, Morrowind didn't have nearly as much of that as the later games, if at all.

[Tavar]

I'm pretty sure it does. Scaling enemies are based on your level, and seemingly little else.

[Forbiddenwar]

Guys, Guys, Civ 5 is on Flash sale, 75% off.

Does the game of the year edition include gods and kings? I heard it was a really good expansion.

[Tavar]

So, as part of a new computer that I purchased, I received 2 free games, including Borderlands 2. Played it a bit, and have come to the conclusion that it really doesn't seem made for single player. So, I was wondering if anyone else here played BL2 and wanted to join together, especially with a pretty low level guy.

[Kris Strife]

So, as part of a new computer that I purchased, I received 2 free games, including Borderlands 2. Played it a bit, and have come to the conclusion that it really doesn't seem made for single player. So, I was wondering if anyone else here played BL2 and wanted to join together, especially with a pretty low level guy.

I would, but I'd like to finish the first one first.

[Silverraptor]

I would, but I'd like to finish the first one first.

I want to play the first game too.

[factotum]

I'm pretty sure it does. Scaling enemies are based on your level, and seemingly little else.

While true, at least Morrowind had the concept of a limit on the scaling--most creatures in the game have a minimum and maximum level they can scale to, so if you've gone a bit non-combat heavy you can just come back later and hope they've hit the cap.

Also note that you don't automatically level up when you get 10 skill ranks in Morrowind--you have to "rest and meditate on what you've learned" first.

[Triscuitable]

I want to play the first game too.

My general train of thought when I revisited the first game:

1. Man, this game is brown.
2. Man, these controls are rigid.
3. Man, this isn't very funny.
4. Man, this game is repetitive.
5. Man, this isn't very fun.
6. Man, I sound like Lee Everett.

I'd play it again, but it's not as fun as the sequel.

[shadow_archmagi]

I tried so hard to tell you people

[Nerocite]

So, as part of a new computer that I purchased, I received 2 free games, including Borderlands 2. Played it a bit, and have come to the conclusion that it really doesn't seem made for single player. So, I was wondering if anyone else here played BL2 and wanted to join together, especially with a pretty low level guy.

I have a level 20ish Zer0, but I could make a new character.

[Triscuitable]

I tried so hard to tell you people

It was pretty bland the first time around, actually. Most of the fun came from finding new guns, which was a rush that wore off pretty quickly after that. In Borderlands 2, you're more agile, and weapons handle much better, so combat is a lot more fun. While loot is less varied, there are more types of loot, so it's not a huge loss.

Borderlands 2 is also a much more cleverly written game. I actually played it for the plot, the first time around. It's just nice that I got a great loot-and-shooter with it. When I play solo now, I like to put some music or a podcast on while I play, so I can go past all the jokes I've heard before. Besides, the Tron: Legacy soundtrack was $4! Derezzed is a great song!

[Avilan the Grey]

Okay, so I bought Tropico 4 on sale. No DLC's though...
For future knowledge, which ones are worth getting?

[Triscuitable]

Would somebody be able to help me acquire a copy of Mirror's Edge?

[factotum]

I'd play it again, but it's not as fun as the sequel.

I'd have to strongly disagree there--I found Borderlands 2 to be a significantly worse game than the first one. It doesn't help that the first couple of hours wandering around on the ice shelf are frankly dull, or that the difficulty ramps up so abruptly as you get about halfway through TVH mode. Plus, for a game which has always sold itself on the sheer variety of guns available, why does it feel like there aren't as many in the second game? Why no Mashers? Why make certain classes of weapon entirely useless, such as allowing Hyperion (a company whose schtick is having guns that get more accurate as you keep firing them) to produce a *sniper rifle*?

Overall, disappointed with B2--there are no real advances over the first game, and in several areas they seem to have gone backwards.

[Castaras]

I'd have to strongly disagree there--I found Borderlands 2 to be a significantly worse game than the first one. It doesn't help that the first couple of hours wandering around on the ice shelf are frankly dull, or that the difficulty ramps up so abruptly as you get about halfway through TVH mode. Plus, for a game which has always sold itself on the sheer variety of guns available, why does it feel like there aren't as many in the second game? Why no Mashers? Why make certain classes of weapon entirely useless, such as allowing Hyperion (a company whose schtick is having guns that get more accurate as you keep firing them) to produce a *sniper rifle*?

Overall, disappointed with B2--there are no real advances over the first game, and in several areas they seem to have gone backwards.

The ice shelf is the reason I've never got particularly far in BL2 compared to the original. Just sooooo dull... I might have to try it again considering I got the Mech girl for preordering, but it's just forcing myself to go through the ice shelf bit at the beginning on the way to sanctuary that was boring.

[pffh]

The ice shelf is the reason I've never got particularly far in BL2 compared to the original. Just sooooo dull... I might have to try it again considering I got the Mech girl for preordering, but it's just forcing myself to go through the ice shelf bit at the beginning on the way to sanctuary that was boring.

Try joining random multiplayer games with people a few levels above you. You'll catch up pretty fast thanks to the increased XP gain and you'll be out of the starting area in less then 30 minutes.

[Triscuitable]

Immediately after you get through the ice shelf, the game goes from "okay" to "OH MY GOD LOOK AT THIS THING! AND LOOK AT THAT! WHAT'S THIS THING?! IS THAT WHAT I THINK IT IS?! WEEEEEEEEEEEEE! EXPLOSIONS! GUNS! LOOT! LAUGHS!"

Basically, suffer through it.

[Slayn82]

I've buyed myself a few total war games this week. Currently playing Rome. Despite the dated graphics, and the somewhat clumsy interface, this game is very involving.

It had been quite some time since i felt proud of myself for completing a dificult battle in a rts as yesterday, fighting near a bridge while surrounded by front and rear by those barbarians... from Britain, 4-5 times my army, and managing to cross the bridge, engage and rout the closest force, cross the bridge again, and hold the enemy there until this second, larger force broke, and then sending 2 packs of hunting dogs after them to mop up.

But of course, so far my bitterest enemy (is that a word?) are the good, decent new romans of Syracuse, originaly Greek, and who seemingly refuse by all means to pay taxes to support my army.

So, having a blast, its on my favorites, along X-COM series, Elder Scrolls series, and AI War.