The General Gaming Thread!

[Cespenar]

It's a sequel to AoW2, a standalone, and pretty much AoW3 only except in name (and why is that, I don't know).

[warty goblin]

It's a sequel to AoW2, a standalone, and pretty much AoW3 only except in name (and why is that, I don't know).

I've played a bit of Shadow Magic, and reached the following interesting pair of conclusions:
1) It's demonstrably a better game than the original in pretty much every way.
2) I still like Age of Wonders 1 better. Somehow it's got more character, maybe because it is so blatantly and marvelously unbalanced.


I went ahead and pre-ordered Kingdoms of Amalur. I wasn't going to, but I had a 30% off coupon from Direct2Drive being subsumed/obliterated by Gamefly, which brought the price down nicely. Gives me something to look forwards to next week.

[Triscuitable]

So I woke up this morning to find two wonderful emails in my inbox.

I'm in the Heroes and Generals Alpha! YAY!

I'm also in the Super Monday Night Combat Beta! AWESOME!

[Gwyn chan 'r Gwyll]

So I woke up this morning to find two wonderful emails in my inbox.

I'm in the Heroes and Generals Alpha! YAY!

I'm also in the Super Monday Night Combat Beta! AWESOME!

Oooooh, does it include a NDA, or can you tell us all about it? I WANT TO LEARN MOOOOAAAR

[Morty]

I've played a bit of Shadow Magic, and reached the following interesting pair of conclusions:
1) It's demonstrably a better game than the original in pretty much every way.
2) I still like Age of Wonders 1 better. Somehow it's got more character, maybe because it is so blatantly and marvelously unbalanced.

Hm, it is? Well, maybe I'll invest some money in it one day. Having taken a cursory look at the unit stats, there are bigger changes than I expected... special abilities are changed, all 1st level goblin units get Underground Concealment and Butcher is beefed up considerably.
As for AoW1 vs. AoW2... the first game has a certain undeniable charm. One thing I definetly like better about it is lack of focus on wizards... it's just a dozen more or less Tolkienesque fantasy races beating the crap out of each other.

[warty goblin]

Hm, it is? Well, maybe I'll invest some money in it one day. Having taken a cursory look at the unit stats, there are bigger changes than I expected... special abilities are changed, all 1st level goblin units get Underground Concealment and Butcher is beefed up considerably.
As for AoW1 vs. AoW2... the first game has a certain undeniable charm. One thing I definetly like better about it is lack of focus on wizards... it's just a dozen more or less Tolkienesque fantasy races beating the crap out of each other.

Yeah, I really appreciated the lack of focus on wizards, and the viability of pure combat heroes. Actually I generally appreciated the lowered emphasis on heroes in general compared to other fantasy strategy titles. Sure your best armies needed a hero or two, but for general mayhem stacks of bog-standard units worked just fine.

Also the adjacent hex rule was simply brilliant, such a simple way to allow for larger battles while still controlling the overall power of single armies.

AoW might be one of my most-played games actually. I did a lot of the one-off scenarios, beat the light campaign (parts of it twice due to save-game corruption) and got about halfway through the evil campaign. I've never found anything else that had it's lovely mix of goofiness and emergent complexity.

[Triscuitable]

Oooooh, does it include a NDA, or can you tell us all about it? I WANT TO LEARN MOOOOAAAR

From what I've read, I can't tell you anything.

I also can't play it until Saturday.

[Morty]

Yeah, I really appreciated the lack of focus on wizards, and the viability of pure combat heroes. Actually I generally appreciated the lowered emphasis on heroes in general compared to other fantasy strategy titles. Sure your best armies needed a hero or two, but for general mayhem stacks of bog-standard units worked just fine.

Also the adjacent hex rule was simply brilliant, such a simple way to allow for larger battles while still controlling the overall power of single armies.

AoW might be one of my most-played games actually. I did a lot of the one-off scenarios, beat the light campaign (parts of it twice due to save-game corruption) and got about halfway through the evil campaign. I've never found anything else that had it's lovely mix of goofiness and emergent complexity.

Last time I played, I got a few missions into the evil campaign, although I branched out into Lizardmen. This time I intend to go fully evil... once I reinstall AoW on my new laptop, that is. The problem is that while I like AoW, I'm really, really awful at turn-based strategy games. Also, the second mission has time constraint, which sucks. Finally, I'd really like to stick to goblins and they're underpowered. Oh, well. That said, pure combat heroes are viable in AoW2, I think - but like all heroes, they play second fiddle to the wizards.
In other gaming news, I started my replay of Witcher 2, this time on a machine that can actually run it without horrendous lag. It's a blast so far, but something weird happened to me... right after entering Floatsam, I was accosted by a guard who demanded 200 orens from me, and refusal meant insta-kill cut-scene. I can't figure out if it was bug or not...

[Mx.Silver]

So recently I had a look through of games I own that I never completed or played enough of to decide it wasn't worth completing. Turns out it's over 20 games. Clearly I need to get a proper schedule going.

[warty goblin]

Last time I played, I got a few missions into the evil campaign, although I branched out into Lizardmen. This time I intend to go fully evil... once I reinstall AoW on my new laptop, that is. The problem is that while I like AoW, I'm really, really awful at turn-based strategy games. Also, the second mission has time constraint, which sucks. Finally, I'd really like to stick to goblins and they're underpowered.

Mastering AoW is a somewhat odd thing, at least in singleplayer. The AI cheats flagrantly, so you've gotta learn how to fight superior numbers in the tactical battles early. It also means you need to get high level units early, and keep them alive no matter what, because replacing them costs too much and takes too long.

And while pure goblins are pretty weak, compared to using a well designed army pulling from multiple races, any single race is weak. Goblin pikemen are surprisingly useful since they can almost always at least get an attack, and they're dirt cheap. Besides my soft spot for the goblin bomber, it has decent utility as well; it can goad the enemy out of fortifications, and can put heavy damage on enemies for cheap. Pretty much all the rest of their units suck, with the exception of the big bug, marginally the troll, and the Karagh. A lot of people dislike the Karagh, but I always found them very useful because of their high speed, attack, and damage as a sort of blitzkrieg unit.

If you're going evil, I recall the way to do it was orcs for infantry and cavalry, dark elves for archers and Ladies of Pain, goblins for either cheap cannon fodder or big bugs and karaghs, and undead for... honestly I never found the undead to be worthwhile. They had a few nice units, but compared to being able to pull in the neutrals without a morale hit, they simply weren't worth it. Combine that with every single race in the game getting the already crazy useful priest with a special ability that totally ruins your day, and they just didn't work for me.

[Gwyn chan 'r Gwyll]

From what I've read, I can't tell you anything.

I also can't play it until Saturday.

Awwwwww.

I guess I'll have to survive until it comes out. Maybe they'll do an open Beta after the closed Beta.

[Cespenar]

In other gaming news, I started my replay of Witcher 2, this time on a machine that can actually run it without horrendous lag. It's a blast so far, but something weird happened to me... right after entering Floatsam, I was accosted by a guard who demanded 200 orens from me, and refusal meant insta-kill cut-scene. I can't figure out if it was bug or not...

A moment's googling revealed that it's an issue that came up with the 2.0 patch. It seems there isn't a fix yet, but the problem seems to be somewhere in the tutorial. Skipping the tutorial apparently lets you bypass the issue, or so some claim. Worth a try I guess, if you aren't so far from the beginning.

[Morty]

Mastering AoW is a somewhat odd thing, at least in singleplayer. The AI cheats flagrantly, so you've gotta learn how to fight superior numbers in the tactical battles early. It also means you need to get high level units early, and keep them alive no matter what, because replacing them costs too much and takes too long.

And while pure goblins are pretty weak, compared to using a well designed army pulling from multiple races, any single race is weak. Goblin pikemen are surprisingly useful since they can almost always at least get an attack, and they're dirt cheap. Besides my soft spot for the goblin bomber, it has decent utility as well; it can goad the enemy out of fortifications, and can put heavy damage on enemies for cheap. Pretty much all the rest of their units suck, with the exception of the big bug, marginally the troll, and the Karagh. A lot of people dislike the Karagh, but I always found them very useful because of their high speed, attack, and damage as a sort of blitzkrieg unit.

If you're going evil, I recall the way to do it was orcs for infantry and cavalry, dark elves for archers and Ladies of Pain, goblins for either cheap cannon fodder or big bugs and karaghs, and undead for... honestly I never found the undead to be worthwhile. They had a few nice units, but compared to being able to pull in the neutrals without a morale hit, they simply weren't worth it. Combine that with every single race in the game getting the already crazy useful priest with a special ability that totally ruins your day, and they just didn't work for me.

I'll keep that in mind once I reinstall AoW, thanks.

A moment's googling revealed that it's an issue that came up with the 2.0 patch. It seems there isn't a fix yet, but the problem seems to be somewhere in the tutorial. Skipping the tutorial apparently lets you bypass the issue, or so some claim. Worth a try I guess, if you aren't so far from the beginning.

Hrm. I don't really feel like replaying the prologue. Losing 200 orens is a pain, but a bearable one.
And I've mentioned it before many times, but God do I hate the inventory and crafting in Witcher 2. The tons of trash you have to sift through are even worse when you remember the elegant inventory system from Witcher 1... well, "elegant" may not be the best word, but at least I only had to deal with alchemical ingredients.

[Mewtarthio]

So I just finished Eternal Sonata. Um, wow. That ending... You know how, sometimes, games are so blatant with their messages, you get the impression the characters are just shouting the moral of the story into your face?

Spoiler

Show

They do that literally. The ending involves various members of the cast staring directly at the screen, reciting their horribly insipid platitudes (stuff like "Preserve the environment!" "Don't do drugs!" and "Do your best!"), occasionally even telling you, the player, to apply it to your own life. By the time the credits are halfway done, you've got the entire cast on screen, desperately exhorting you to go out and make the world a better place. It's not too late for you!

That may be the single campiest video game thing in any sort of media that I have ever witnessed.

[Cogwheel]

So I just finished Eternal Sonata. Um, wow. That ending... You know how, sometimes, games are so blatant with their messages, you get the impression the characters are just shouting the moral of the story into your face?

Spoiler

Show

They do that literally. The ending involves various members of the cast staring directly at the screen, reciting their horribly insipid platitudes (stuff like "Preserve the environment!" "Don't do drugs!" and "Do your best!"), occasionally even telling you, the player, to apply it to your own life. By the time the credits are halfway done, you've got the entire cast on screen, desperately exhorting you to go out and make the world a better place. It's not too late for you!

That may be the single campiest video game thing in any sort of media that I have ever witnessed.

Don't play ADOM!


Wait, that was the moral for ADOM. My bad.

[Volatar]

So, got in the Tribes Ascend beta. Very excited to try the game since I am an old hand at Tribes 2. Played it for a bit earlier

Sadly it is under NDA, but I don't think the developers will have a problem with me leaking that the thing is the best flipping thing ever.

[Triscuitable]

So, got in the Tribes Ascend beta. Very excited to try the game since I am an old hand at Tribes 2. Played it for a bit earlier

Sadly it is under NDA, but I don't think the developers will have a problem with me leaking that the thing is the best flipping thing ever.

I know, right? It's like they took what made the games great, and made it EVEN BETTER!

[Morty]

I've just spent an hour trying to find Iorweth in Vergen in Act II of Witcher 2. I'm slowly beginning to get frustrated.

[Treayn]

Yeah, so, another game to keep eyes on is Hawken.

It has Mechas. Also will be free to play.

I have made my case.

It's in closed beta at the moment, so you should sign up for it.

[Triscuitable]

Yeah, so, another game to keep eyes on is Hawken.

It's in closed beta at the moment, so you should sign up for it.

...

Whoa, dude, that's awesome.

You should point out any and ALL betas you find. You're good at it.

[Cogwheel]

Yeah, so, another game to keep eyes on is Hawken.

It has Mechas. Also will be free to play.

I have made my case.

It's in closed beta at the moment, so you should sign up for it.

Know about this. Wish my computer could run it.

Am sad. Good find, though.

[Triscuitable]

I'm going to start playing Nehrim.

...

I just got an idea for a Let's Play. My manly voice can be heard once more, by my friends of the internet!

[Volatar]

Yeah, so, another game to keep eyes on is Hawken.

It has Mechas. Also will be free to play.

I have made my case.

It's in closed beta at the moment, so you should sign up for it.

You have ALL my attention.

[Gwyn chan 'r Gwyll]

I'm going to start playing Nehrim.

...

I just got an idea for a Let's Play. My manly voice can be heard once more, by my friends of the internet!

Nehrim is awesome. It's like, everything Oblivion should have been. The opening chapter... and that first landscape view? AMAZING. There are still a few text things that aren't translated out of german, but the german voice-acting makes you really feel like you're in a foreign place.

[Triscuitable]

Nehrim is awesome. It's like, everything Oblivion should have been. The opening chapter... and that first landscape view? AMAZING. There are still a few text things that aren't translated out of german, but the german voice-acting makes you really feel like you're in a foreign place.

The foreign effect will be lost on me. I'm good with German.

Nonetheless, anything untranslated can be solved by my awkward friend, Google Translate.

EDIT: Anyone play Hero Academy? I played one game. One game was enough for me to drop $2 to remove ads, and add a new team to the game. Good lord, that game is fun.

[Gwyn chan 'r Gwyll]

Well, yes, if you do understand spoken German, I suppose you don't quite get that effect, do you.
Nevertheless, very impressive game.

[warty goblin]

Gonna get to start playing Kingdoms of Amalur for real tonight. I'm pretty jazzed. Not only will the game be fun, but I had a crazy busy weekend that left little time for anything not involving ANOVA and R code, and my fingers finally healed enough I can leave them unbandaged without bleeding everywhere.

It's gonna be a good night.

[Morty]

So, bought Age of Wonders: Shadow Magic today from GoG. First impressions are:
- There have been some interesting changes done to the stats, but the Orc Warlords are still so powerful it feels unfair.
- The AI still seems to cheat and hit far too often.
- The Shadow Realm is a bit of a mess and really hard to navigate.

[Cogwheel]

So, bought Age of Wonders: Shadow Magic today from GoG. First impressions are:
- There have been some interesting changes done to the stats, but the Orc Warlords are still so powerful it feels unfair.
- The AI still seems to cheat and hit far too often.
- The Shadow Realm is a bit of a mess and really hard to navigate.

The worst stuff the AI does isn't even in combat, really.


Agreed on the Shadow Realm, though, from what little I've played (still need a GOG copy of that).

Warlords will be broken forever and that's how I want them to stay. I play Age of Wonders as the SSB of turn-based strategy: Multiplayer-only, without any intention of keeping things balanced or sane, and aiming for maximum silliness. It's quite fun if you don't take it remotely seriously, and I mean the gameplay as well as the story in this case.

[warty goblin]

The worst stuff the AI does isn't even in combat, really.


Agreed on the Shadow Realm, though, from what little I've played (still need a GOG copy of that).

Warlords will be broken forever and that's how I want them to stay. I play Age of Wonders as the SSB of turn-based strategy: Multiplayer-only, without any intention of keeping things balanced or sane, and aiming for maximum silliness. It's quite fun if you don't take it remotely seriously, and I mean the gameplay as well as the story in this case.

I was gonna say, a balanced Age of Wonders sounds horribly boring.