What Are You Playing Right Now, Part 2: Daggerfall

[Spacewolf]

I managed to get as far as defeating the Big Bad (took me about 26 hours), only to find that the game seems to continue after that point and gets much harder.

Eh I'd say that it only takes about 3 or so hours after that to finish the game although you can spend alot of time exploring. I kind of wish the hardness increase extended to the whole world, as it is it basically reaches just past gran soren from cardassis.

While I am one of the people who love that game I'd find it hard to put my finger on why, the combat system is pretty fun but has issues(I usually play as a ranger but do spend time in other classes alot of the time until they are fully leveled up), alot of the characters have a charm to them even if they are pretty flat, the world is pretty unremarkable but does somehow stick with you to the point I could remember every quest and my way though the world with no issues even after a five year or so break in time.

I do wish they'd made multiclassing more impact full though it would add so much more depth to the game and it's not like they'd even need to worry about balancing it as the game is incredibly unbalanced anyway. Which is actually another reason I like it, the world does respond to you but also don't level up with you, so the enemies that give you trouble at the start can simply be swept away by the strength of your gaze by the end.

[Resileaf]

Maybe the class you decide to play and the abilities you choose to use also have something to do with your enjoyment as well. Playing a basic sword and shield character would be boring compared to more heavy damage classes. There's something viscerally thrilling about hitting a fully-charged arc of deliverance for example (nothing like removing one and a half bar off Daimon when he's stunned).

But admitedly, a lot of monsters and fights can feel rather lackluster. My opinion of the game is rather tainted by the expansion, which I believe is powerful enough to make up for anything bad in the rest of the game, while the ending to the game itself is a hell of a trip.

[Man_Over_Game]

Well, I made it to the big city, and got into some ****ty dungeon with some undead which is somehow even less exciting than the stuff before. Its like the game doesn't even try to be interesting.

A lot of it does boil down to the style of class you're playing. Being a knight is relatively simple. Being an archer requires a lot of technical skill (as it plays like a 3rd person shooter, and critical hit points matter). Being a mage requires knowledge of enemies to abuse their weaknesses.

It's possible to miss, but each class can also mix with one of the other classes for an entirely different playstyle. For example, archers can mix with mages to become an Arcane Archer, which uses a special magical bow/staff thing and you shoot special types of magical bolts. One of the abilities you get for it is a magical flare shot that lights up a room, deals massive damage to undead and then sets them on fire.

Of course, there's always the chance that the game just wasn't for you. I'd say it's a mixture of Dark Souls and Skyrim, but that doesn't mean that those games appeal to everyone.

[Gray Mage]

So I managed to beat my first game of Civ 6. I ended up just winning on high score. It took me the first half of the game to figure out a lot of what was going on, so I'm surprised I managed to win. I was going for a science victory but ended up with the last space mission ending about 15 turns after the end of 500 rounds and no way to speed it up. Needed 3 space ports in cities but only had 2, so couldn't do the last stage in parallel.

One nation was ahead of me on points and had a lot of culture and religion, luckily for me they declared war on me near the end and I was able to take 4 of their cities fairly quickly, enough to give me an edge on score. Though I still ended up taking a lot of warmongering penalties for taking their cities even though they started the war. Like that the destroyers can now take cities, carrier and missile cruisers to flatten the city then destroyer to capture it. It also looks like cities and ground units don't have AA defenses by default like they do in 5, which is nice, means I don't have to keep resting the bombers.

What really gives you an edge in Scientific Victory are some of the late game great scientists(Carl Sagan and Stephanie Kwolek)/engineers (Sergei Korolev and Von Braun). Sometimes it's best to pass up on adquiring a great person that doesn't help you directly and let another civ get it just so you can guarantee getting a specific one.

[Erloas]

What really gives you an edge in Scientific Victory are some of the late game great scientists(Carl Sagan and Stephanie Kwolek)/engineers (Sergei Korolev and Von Braun). Sometimes it's best to pass up on adquiring a great person that doesn't help you directly and let another civ get it just so you can guarantee getting a specific one.

It was really unclear what happened when you pass on a special person. Which has been my problem with everything in the game, it is just really unclear what a lot of things do or why things don't work. The game does a poor job of telling you what is going on. I've had a lot of things that simply don't work and no good idea why and have go to search online for it, the in-game Civlopedia seems almost useless. I'm sure a lot of it will simply come with playing, but I wished more of it was given in-game, more "this is why these can't be built here" or how some systems work.

Maybe more of it was in the tutorial, but after an hour and a half of "this is how you move a unit" "this is how you build a building" and still not getting to anything even slightly new and just repeating the things that *were* clear.

[jdizzlean]

grabbed Warframe off Steam the other day, played about 4-5 hours so far, i dig it, but i think it's going to have quite a learning curve. thankfully there's some great youtube series on noob guides for it, since it's apparently been out for a few years now.

[Anonymouswizard]

So I grabbed Children of a Dead Earth in the Steam Sale, and I was a bit annoyed that the game locks ship design behind the campaign. I get it, but I got stuck on the mission with two immobile siloships for ages.

But I like it. Planning your burns is even more annoying than it was in Kerbal but fun once you've learnt to wrangle with the interface (the point where I got my ship to fly by the enemy every orbit was nice). Missiles, kinetics and lasers all seem balanced, and I'mlooking forward to when I can design my own ships and play with that some more.

[Dienekes]

Started divinity 2. Usually I consider myself a tactically minded player so went on the tactician route. Got through the ship easy. Then first real fight 3 cheating gamblers torched me before I could even move.

I may have to level and find companions that aren’t a squirrel.

[factotum]

You should be able to find all the named people who were with you on the ship in various places on the island, and all can become companions. You can have up to four party members in total.

[Driderman]

Of course, there's always the chance that the game just wasn't for you. I'd say it's a mixture of Dark Souls and Skyrim, but that doesn't mean that those games appeal to everyone.

So needlessly difficulty and vapidly generic at the same time? I think I'll avoid this particular game...

On topic, I just got Into The Breach which is a very fun little game that I've already spent lots of hours on, definitely recommended for anyone who'd be into a coffee break-level FTL.
In the same vein I also just bought Out There which gets honorable mentions, has a lot of cool features but ultimately feels a bit lacking compared to FTL. The art and ambience is stellar though, and there's definitely some fun to be had there

[Rodin]

The 6 hour long, $900,000 raising run of Chrono Trigger at SGDQ has gotten me insipired, so I'm back saving the world from Lavos. I had to do the Steam version, which works okay but has some weirdnesses like changing the "Zabie" password in the factory to something else. Does the job well enough though, and at least it isn't as bad as the PSX version.

I'm amazed by how well the gameplay holds up - it's just as fun today as it was 20 years ago.

[Dienekes]

You should be able to find all the named people who were with you on the ship in various places on the island, and all can become companions. You can have up to four party members in total.

I've now found 2 of them. Red Prince is a real pill. The singer girl seems nice enough. Pity about being possessed. Seems like that'll at least have an interesting mission attached to it though.

So needlessly difficulty and vapidly generic at the same time? I think I'll avoid this particular game...

Actually, I kind of dropped Dragon's Dogma because it was too easy. Also generic with writing that swung wildly from cringe inducing and bad to actually pretty good.

But yeah, once you realize that you can pause the game and heal up to full at any time the challenge drops off the game. It becomes "how much health can I keep in storage" rather than "am I good at the gameplay." You can fight any enemy in the game so long as they don't one-shot you or are invulnerable like those bloody tentacles. And once you get wealthy enough to just buy all the health restore you need that out the admittedly kinda interesting climbing over big monsters gameplay can't really hold the game up.

I'd be interested to see another team take a crack at a lot of the ideas in Dragon's Dogma, but as is, it doesn't realize its potential.

[Resileaf]

Between leveling sessions in Final Fantasy 14, I'm now replaying Baldur's gate, as a half-orc Cleric of Helm. Since I have overwhelming strength, I'm going to try and play by buffing myself to high heavens and beat things to death with a mace.

[Anonymouswizard]

The 6 hour long, $900,000 raising run of Chrono Trigger at SGDQ has gotten me insipired, so I'm back saving the world from Lavos. I had to do the Steam version, which works okay but has some weirdnesses like changing the "Zabie" password in the factory to something else. Does the job well enough though, and at least it isn't as bad as the PSX version.

I'm amazed by how well the gameplay holds up - it's just as fun today as it was 20 years ago.

My problem with Chrono Trigger is that, like most CRPGS, the point of fighting most of the time isn't so much advancingthe story as increasing your numbers. Or in other words about 90% of fights exist simply to pad out the gameplay time.

I don't even like the ATB system that much.

Now, a big problem with the fights getting annoying is that in quite a lot of games these encounters are dangerous and impossible to avoid. Something like Torment where most fights can be bypassed with dialogue, stealth, or just running past them (I think the second utterly mandatory fight comes around the mid game), I tend to find the times I end up in combat more enjoyable even with a worse combat system*. Because when I'm fighting it's either the tutorial, a major story moment, the result of messing up a conversation, or a choice I made.

* It turns out that one or two castings of Pacify takes care of most low level fights, and at higher levels you'll have a larger party and access to either AoE or high damage spells, or more likely whichever of the two you want.

[GloatingSwine]

My problem with Chrono Trigger is that, like most CRPGS, the point of fighting most of the time isn't so much advancingthe story as increasing your numbers. Or in other words about 90% of fights exist simply to pad out the gameplay time.

The point of most fights in JRPGs is to reduce your numbers.

They're there to provide resource attrition, slowly draining the party's resources between chances to heal and restock.

[Rodin]

The main difference with Chrono Trigger is that you have to alter your tactics a lot for even the trash mobs. There's enemies with really high physical or magic defense, enemies that counterattack if you hit them too close to another enemy (the Alkali and Acid enemies), enemies you have to disarm first...and all that's without taking into consideration how the enemies are moving about the battlefield all the time so that your own AoE attacks might not work. It can be better to use Lucca's basic Flamethrower skill if it lets you hit 3 enemies in a line instead of the more advanced Napalm. A set of enemies I just fought had one set with high physical defense, but if you wanted to save your mana you could attack the other enemy type in the group and it would drain the life out of the defensive one to heal itself. Smart play is rewarded instead of just mashing "Fight!"

Considering that JRPGs are still struggling with player engagement today, it's remarkable that Chrono Trigger handled it as well as it did.

Oh, and being able to avoid fights when you don't want to is still my preferred method. Give me enemies on the map that I can dodge instead of random encounters any day of the week.

[Anonymouswizard]

The point of most fights in JRPGs is to reduce your numbers.

They're there to provide resource attrition, slowly draining the party's resources between chances to heal and restock.

The thing is, I'd rather not have the resource attrition if the encounters aren't interesting or worthwhile, and in my experience so many JRPGS devolve into 'mash attack and heal frm the menu.'.

The main difference with Chrono Trigger is that you have to alter your tactics a lot for even the trash mobs. There's enemies with really high physical or magic defense, enemies that counterattack if you hit them too close to another enemy (the Alkali and Acid enemies), enemies you have to disarm first...and all that's without taking into consideration how the enemies are moving about the battlefield all the time so that your own AoE attacks might not work. It can be better to use Lucca's basic Flamethrower skill if it lets you hit 3 enemies in a line instead of the more advanced Napalm. A set of enemies I just fought had one set with high physical defense, but if you wanted to save your mana you could attack the other enemy type in the group and it would drain the life out of the defensive one to heal itself. Smart play is rewarded instead of just mashing "Fight!"

Considering that JRPGs are still struggling with player engagement today, it's remarkable that Chrono Trigger handled it as well as it did.

Interesting, sounds like it approaches a more MegaTen style later on. Maybe I should give it another chance.

Oh, and being able to avoid fights when you don't want to is still my preferred method. Give me enemies on the map that I can dodge instead of random encounters any day of the week.

Yep, and don't design the maps to make them impossible to avoid.

[Erloas]

Yeah, you're sort of designing in the wrong direction if you're just throwing out meaningless fights to use up resources you are giving the player, especially if most of those fights give them more of said resources.

Just give out less resources in the first place and reduce the time filler fights.

That is of course depending on the style of game, reducing the fighting would be counter to something like Diablo, but there resources are practically infinite and the combat is the point.

[Gnoman]

Attritional combat is the key to the Wizardry branch of CRPGs, of which jRPGs are an offshoot.

[Gray Mage]

I've picked Resident Evil 2: Remake on steam sale. I've only have faint memories of the original one, but so far I've been enjoying it very much. The tension is just right.

[Cespenar]

My problem with Chrono Trigger is that, like most CRPGS, the point of fighting most of the time isn't so much advancingthe story as increasing your numbers. Or in other words about 90% of fights exist simply to pad out the gameplay time.

That's setting the bar a bit too high for CRPGs, unfortunately. I do agree wholeheartedly, by the way, but it's simply not what the CRPG players want, really.

[Zevox]

Finished up my campaign of Total War: Rome 2. Finishing the last part of the military victory condition took a little longer than I thought/would've liked, since the web of factions with defensive or military alliances that covered Turkey basically meant that to get to Armenia (the province I needed to conquer) I had to go to war with about five different factions and fight my way across most of that landmass to get there, but once I brought all of my armies from out west to bear on the problem it crumbled easily enough. I ended the campaign controlling basically all of Europe (save some of the eastern most territories), all of Northern Africa save the territories down the Nile from Alexandria, plus roughly half of Turkey. I could probably continue until I conquered the rest of the map, but eh, this drug on long enough, and leaving the Middle East alone gives me opportunity to play as a faction from that region next time and have never actually seen those territories.

All in all, very much liked it. Next time I feel like playing a Total War game, I'll probably return to it.

[tyckspoon]

Interesting, sounds like it approaches a more MegaTen style later on. Maybe I should give it another chance.

It's a good game still, and there are seeds there that I would have really liked to see other game designers pick up on more aggressively (for example, if you could more freely rearrange your own characters on a fight field or the enemies had more range of motion, plus effects you could use to force move them to set them up for different area attacks), but I found sooner or later it became all too easy to ignore all of that and just blast everybody or spam through basic attacks- the second tier of magic spells are just 'hit all' areas, and even before that most of the character combo attacks have a pretty generous target zone, so you end up losing the finer points of the combat system. Never mind what happens when you come across the 'reduced cost to use skill' accessories and no longer even have to really care about MP cost as a balancing factor - just have your best mage character cast Nuke on everything. (Not an actual Chrono Trigger skill name.)

[sakshimarmm]

I am playing Resident evil 4 right now and it is very good

[Man_Over_Game]

The main difference with Chrono Trigger is that you have to alter your tactics a lot for even the trash mobs. There's enemies with really high physical or magic defense, enemies that counterattack if you hit them too close to another enemy (the Alkali and Acid enemies), enemies you have to disarm first...and all that's without taking into consideration how the enemies are moving about the battlefield all the time so that your own AoE attacks might not work. It can be better to use Lucca's basic Flamethrower skill if it lets you hit 3 enemies in a line instead of the more advanced Napalm. A set of enemies I just fought had one set with high physical defense, but if you wanted to save your mana you could attack the other enemy type in the group and it would drain the life out of the defensive one to heal itself. Smart play is rewarded instead of just mashing "Fight!"

Considering that JRPGs are still struggling with player engagement today, it's remarkable that Chrono Trigger handled it as well as it did.

Oh, and being able to avoid fights when you don't want to is still my preferred method. Give me enemies on the map that I can dodge instead of random encounters any day of the week.

You reminded me of Chrono Cross. Gotta go back to it eventually on my PSP. Probably one of my favorite games of all time (the magic system is complex, powerful, difficult to master, and even minor uses of it modify the entire battlefield).

If you haven't played it, you should. It's probably the most challenging, tactical JRPGs I've ever played in my life. I just wish there were ways to set up gear/magic assignments for each character, so that moving your magic over when someone leaves your party and comes back doesn't take 30 minutes of calculating the best spell setups.

[Wookieetank]

You reminded me of Chrono Cross. Gotta go back to it eventually on my PSP. Probably one of my favorite games of all time (the magic system is complex, powerful, difficult to master, and even minor uses of it modify the entire battlefield).

If you haven't played it, you should. It's probably the most challenging, tactical JRPGs I've ever played in my life. I just wish there were ways to set up gear/magic assignments for each character, so that moving your magic over when someone leaves your party and comes back doesn't take 30 minutes of calculating the best spell setups.

Not to mention struggling with choice paralysis on which characters to use. Way too many interesting/colorful options, and only able to take 3 with you at a time.

The execution of summon magic in this game was neat too, having to setup the battlefield a certain way before summoning in something gave it a bit more impact than being just a different flavor of spell.

[Man_Over_Game]

Not to mention struggling with choice paralysis on which characters to use. Way too many interesting/colorful options, and only able to take 3 with you at a time.

The execution of summon magic in this game was neat too, having to setup the battlefield a certain way before summoning in something gave it a bit more impact than being just a different flavor of spell.

I'll be honest, it wasn't too terribly hard for me on the whole "paralysis" problem.
You need someone who's White/Black, someone who's Blue/Red, and someone who's Green/Yellow. Chrono (White) is obvious, and the Thief chick is actually really good and can steal stuff (Red), so that just leaves finding a Green (support) or Yellow (Damage, debuffs) ally.

Each person has unique abilities of their element, and they deal extra damage with their element. So you load each person up with their element, and the weaknesses of their other two teammates (So in a team of White + Red + Yellow, your Yellow ally is loaded up with Black, Blue and Yellow magic).

That's the basic strategy. If you fight something that's Black, Chrono (White) will wipe it out. If you fight something that's White, your other two teammates will use Black spells to wipe it out. Once you get a handle on it, you'll find that there's really only 3 or so characters you'll actually consider, either because they fill a niche that you regularly have or because they have a special ability you want. For example, when Thief-chick isn't available (which is often, because she's relevant to the plot), I usually use the fisherman kid (who's blue, is a decent scrapper, and fills the Blue/Red niche).

You can go for some more unorthodox strategies, like flooding the battlefield with the White element, then just having Chrono wipe everyone out with some stupid high level White spell (or do a summon, like you suggested), but they're gimmicky and don't always work in every zone.

[Erloas]

So knowing the terminology is a little charged, I'm looking for a FPS that is realistic and on sale on steam and less than $20 total (so if there are a dozen mostly required expansions/DLC). It has been a long time since I've played much for shooters (outside of something like Borderlands) but I've always preferred the more one-shot-one-kill style rather than "the guy that knows the map best and collects all the strongest items fastest" wins. No super powers, or crazy weapons. I used to play Rainbow Six Rogue Spear and Raven Shield the most. I played some Vegas too, but at least in the campaign the ability to heal and the how it played out it really didn't feel like the previous games, it was much easier and lacked any real challenge, though I think I remember the PvP to be fine. I know Siege is the newest of the RS line, but there are several other Tom Clancy lines, but there are also many other franchises that I really just haven't looked at.

Probably mostly looking at PvP, but squad PvE would be good too. So any recommendations that fit that and are still active and not full of rampant exploits? (no idea how common exploits are, but I know it still happens)

[Triaxx]

It gets no more realistic than Arma. And it handles DLC intelligently. You can play on maps with DLC stuff, you just will get told you need the DLC to use it. I think you can ride in DLC vehicles, but need a DLC owner to drive them. But I'm not sure.

[PraetorDragoon]

Dragon's Dogma is finally getting a little enjoyable with the Wyrm Hunt quests, and it only took crossing half the world to get there!

No seriously, that game has too much early game draught.