Blog Your Current Game

[jmotivator]

Picked up ROGUE TRADER again and have been playing it a bit.

While the game is still hamstrung by some bad graphics choices, it's still a fun game. It just gets hard to navigate when you don't have landscape transparencies, and the camera is bound by the landscape.

This game and WH40K Inquisition are great arguments AGAINST free rotating cameras in isometric games. Not only does a fixed Camera angle make art development easier, but it makes scene development simpler.

Oddly, the most fun part of the game for me is the ship-to-ship combat. It's fairly simplistic, but has enough going for it to be engaging. More like chess with a momentum mechanic.

Give me that mini-game as a standalone game with a bigger selection of ships and upgrades and I'd be happy.

 

[Redress]

Picked up ROGUE TRADER again and have been playing it a bit.

While the game is still hamstrung by some bad graphics choices, it's still a fun game. It just gets hard to navigate when you don't have landscape transparencies, and the camera is bound by the landscape.

This game and WH40K Inquisition are great arguments AGAINST free rotating cameras in isometric games. Not only does a fixed Camera angle make art development easier, but it makes scene development simpler.

Oddly, the most fun part of the game for me is the ship-to-ship combat. It's fairly simplistic, but has enough going for it to be engaging. More like chess with a momentum mechanic.

Give me that mini-game as a standalone game with a bigger selection of ships and upgrades and I'd be happy.

I just a couple days ago discovered that Rogue Trader had an expansion a few months ago, plus the new one now out. Blade dancers are a fun new class.

 

[jmotivator]

I just a couple days ago discovered that Rogue Trader had an expansion a few months ago, plus the new one now out. Blade dancers are a fun new class.

I only just picked up the Bladedancer companion. She seems good, and I like how she is best when alone. I accidentally fired off her three random attack skill, without reading all of the skill's text , while in a tight group including allies and the allies were all that she hit.

I don't know if it's new, but I also realized in my last session that you can create new companions now. I may need to do that since I think the confusing leveling system has left a few of my teammates pretty useless.

 

[jmotivator]

I just a couple days ago discovered that Rogue Trader had an expansion a few months ago, plus the new one now out. Blade dancers are a fun new class.

Also, I've been looking into the new Owlcat WH40K game. I've always wanted a good turn based RPG with an Eisenhorn setting and hopefully this is it.

The Eisenhorn/Ravenor/Bequin trilogy-of-trilogies are some of my favorite Sci-Fi novels.

The final book in the series, the third in the Bequin series, Pandemonium is due out soon and, based on the cliff hanger, is shaping up to be a major shift in WH40K lore.

That said, Games Workshop is very careful with who they trust with major lore changes, since their ultimate goal is to make every game and novel cannon, and I'd guess Owlcat is given a shorter leash than Dan Abnett, so Owlcat's new game will be smaller in scope than Abnett's books.

 

[Redress]

This is the best place for this I think:

 

[jmotivator]

I find it rather interesting how games like ROGUE TRADER have an issue with DLCs when it comes to the game's Romance arcs for new characters.

In the original game the Romance choices are woven into the plot of the game fairly seamlessly and work you into a Romantic arc slowly through incremental choices.

The new DLC adds a fairly small side quest that introduces a new companion, and so the developer felt the need to fast track the romance options for the character. As such, from the moment you meet the character the devs are piling Romance options into the dialogue tree to the point that your character becomes cartoonishly enamored, like a cartoon wolf to a burlesque dancer... or, if you play a male character, more like BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN in fast-forward.

 

[jmotivator]

I finally played far enough in to ROGUE TRADER to unlock the Space Marine Companion.

I get the feeling that the game is trying to tell me something about my build since that guy can murder my team single handedly. He's certainly OP for the enemies I'm been fighting so far...

Also, I hate Chapter 3. Nothing worse than a rug-pull mechanic. It's like going to see the sequel to your favorite superhero movie and in the sequel the writer takes their powers away.

 

[jmotivator]

Picked up Diablo 4 to try the new season.

Same old game, same old problems... but worse.

I think the thing I hate most about the new season (though it might have been inserted in previous seasons) is that all final bosses have uninterruptible stages so your build may be able to one shot them, but you still need to survive all the bullshit invulnerable stages if you want to win.

Also, the power scaling from Torment Level 2 and 3 amazingly imbalanced. You can get to a point where you can run any non-boss content easily in Torment 3, but hit a wall with elites and low level bosses whose health seems to be approaching 1 billion.

And that power scaling is meant to be remedied by all the various power scaling gear options they have now, but they are a massive time sink.

I sat down to play it tonight and realized that I have like 3 or 4 different grinds I need to do to acquire the bonuses I need to play the real end game and they are all hundreds of hours.

No thanks.

I mean, I have a Sorcerer with two of the best Mythic gear Items fully updated and all best in slot armor and my damage is still laughably insufficient. So I need to upgrade glyphs... but I need to complete dungeons at a high level that I can't do right now to level those glyphs.

Anyway, I gave it another shot. I think I now dislike all three of the leading Action RPGs and all for the same reason. They are now all games made for people with no life and crippling OCD who can focus on endless grinding and enjoy it.

 

[Redress]

Not sure where to put this, so here seems ok. @jmotivator , this might interest you:



The gameplay footage looks just awesome, the tanks and mechs are so cool looking. And I love the idea of an older school, slower, more tactical RTS.

 

[jmotivator]

this might interest you:

Haha! What gave you that impression?

I like that it appears to be merging the best of DoW1 and DoW2. I loved the hero system in DoW2 that added leveling and ARPG-style loot.

 

[Redress]

Stayed up way too late last night watching a video of the upcoming Vampire: The Masquerade 2. I am someone who is not much concerned with the story being told in a game, and yet this video, which was almost entirely running talking to people to advance the plot kept me absolutely fascinated. In fact the fighting is the biggest problem I saw with the game, as it is the kind I suck at. The story and the characters and the world are really well done. Game comes out in October.

 

[jmotivator]

I've been playing POE2's new release this weekend, and it's still the same old POE2.

The one addition to the game that I had me most interested was their new asynchronous trading system. I never really got into the whole trade culture in POE games because it forces you to interact with people and... eew.. people.

Also. the old system made you choose to either play the game or sit in your hideout selling stuff... I tend to like to play the games.

The new system is supposed to allow you to just buy and sell stuff immediately without interaction, which is great.... except that GGG decided to make a last minute change and only offer it through a tab in your inventory, and only after you reach end game.

So the one thing I really wanted to take a look at I can't, and I'm stuck trudging through the campaign... again... with all the same problems I always have with first runs where you are a slave to RNG, and RNG hates me.

Sigh...

 

[CaughtInThe]

Whatever happened to the OP? He hasn't posted in forever.

 

[jmotivator]

Whatever happened to the OP? He hasn't posted in forever.

As far as I know he didn't come back after his suspension.

 

[ashton]

I've been playing POE2's new release this weekend, and it's still the same old POE2.

The one addition to the game that I had me most interested was their new asynchronous trading system. I never really got into the whole trade culture in POE games because it forces you to interact with people and... eew.. people.

Also. the old system made you choose to either play the game or sit in your hideout selling stuff... I tend to like to play the games.

The new system is supposed to allow you to just buy and sell stuff immediately without interaction, which is great.... except that GGG decided to make a last minute change and only offer it through a tab in your inventory, and only after you reach end game.

So the one thing I really wanted to take a look at I can't, and I'm stuck trudging through the campaign... again... with all the same problems I always have with first runs where you are a slave to RNG, and RNG hates me.

Sigh...

I have been trying poe2 this weekend as well. I didn't buy it, just doing the free trial this weekend. A bit on the fence about it, not sure if its my type of game.

 

[jmotivator]

I have been trying poe2 this weekend as well. I didn't buy it, just doing the free trial this weekend. A bit on the fence about it, not sure if its my type of game.

If you haven't played much Action RPGs, POE2 (and POE) are a hard introduction. They are very hardcore in their approach.

 

[ashton]

If you haven't played much Action RPGs, POE2 (and POE) are a hard introduction. They are very hardcore in their approach.

Nope never have. I am coming from it as an mmo player, so its a bit different for me. Very down from a grind, but not really used to the gameplay or strategy

 

[jmotivator]

Finally had some time to get my Mercenary to Act 4 in POE and try out the trading. I sold my first thing even in any ARPG, so that's something.

Turns out the purchasing is available from the beginning, they just don't bother to tell you how to access it. (from the menu, bottom-left, by the health globe)

I guess I'm glad I didn't know since it forced my to trudge through the first two acts with only gear I found. I was building character.

So I just dumped all the gear that looked kind of good for some other class on the trade for cheap just to be rid of it. I hope some of it sells.

 

[WorldWatcher]

S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2

Still.

About 370 hours and I'm not in the final area yet. Yes, 370 HOURS and not finished the first playthrough yet.

Funny thing did happen the other night though.

WW

 

[jmotivator]

Nope never have. I am coming from it as an mmo player, so its a bit different for me. Very down from a grind, but not really used to the gameplay or strategy

Ah, it's a fun game genre, but POE and POE2 are kind of ball buster games where you get very little loot and can really screw yourself with your build.

Some classes are also easier for starting players. I wouldn't suggest the Mercenary. He's not fun to play early on.

Diablo 4 is kind of the entry level ARPG since you can redo your skills at will and gear drops are plentiful.

 

[jmotivator]

I realize that Auction Houses have been a thing in MMOs for as long as there have been MMOs, but the implementation in an ARPG, at least since the disaster that was the cash shop in Diablo 3, is quite welcome in POE2.

I mean, I think it is... I can also see ow the existence of an Auction House in POE2 could potentially blow up the whole game.

The idea of crowd sourcing gear in a game with intentionally low drop rates kind of breaks the premise of the hardcore game thematic that POE2 has goin.

Granted, the "I want this game to treat me like crap" fans are a smaller group than GGG expected. In the end, the Souls-Like formula, where bosses have specific drops that actually advance player power as a reward for victory, and dependable upgrade paths for gear, doesn't work as well when these ball-buster bosses in POE2 have about a 1% chance to drop something that makes your player better as a result.

So now that gear is infinitely resellable, the actual market for gear in the low end of the game will reach a glut such that a week into any season your primary source of gear won't be boss farming, it will be orb farming in order to buy what you want.

Is that better? For me it will be, but probably won't be for a lot of other players.

Those players can play Solo Self-Found, though and let the rest of us trade.

 

[jmotivator]

The one thing I'd tell anyone who wants to get into POE2 is that for your first character, use cold-based skills.

Cold Base skills in POE2 are the easy-mode for a few reasons:

1) Freeze mechanics greatly slow down combat. You get swamped by hordes a lot in the game, and being able to just freeze them and relocate is big.

2) Freeze in a boss fight is OP. Cold against a boss is a Skill break as well as a damage dealer. If you get the timing down and manage the freeze build up you can freeze a boss before they cast that one-shot-kill.

3) Many of the more ball-buster early bosses and side bosses are fire-based and so they are weak to cold. Freeze+Extra Damage= Easy mode

4) There are a lot of ways to get bonus damage on frozen enemies, so much of the game you'll be killing statues.

5) Getting a skill with freeze and adding penetrate modifier means to can essentially freeze entire hordes of monsters in one shot.

 

[jmotivator]

I picked up Borderlands 4 out of nostalgia and ... well... not good.

The issue for me isn't the bad optimization, though it is very bad, and it's not the combat, which is nothing new... but in an acceptable way. The issue is good grief is it wordy. Endless exposition all over the place because somewhere along the line the developers though it was the dialogue that we buy Borderlands games for.

To make matters worse, the dialogue is not skippable. You could have a side quest with like 5 steps for a basic rewards and every step kicks off an exposition that you then have to wait through until the quest tells you it's OK to move to step 2. It's even more unbearable when all the steps are in the same building. A quest that has nothing to do with the story ends up taking 10 minutes of mostly doing nothing... and that's the same for most side quests.

I was in one mission where you have to find things around a barn and I thought I was doing it wrong because finding an item didn't increase the ticker of items found until the quest giver was done talking.

And yeah, I turned off the dialogue because it's so very bad.

Just.. ugh.

 

[jmotivator]

I gave up on Borderlands 4 after about 14 hours of gameplay.

It's just painfully boring for all the reasons I've stated above. It doesn't get any better. Of the 14 hours of play probably 2 of them is waiting for people to shut up.

I got so bored that I decided to go back to POE2 to rework my Mercenary character.

The number of games on the horizon that I am actually exited to try is getting very short. I think the only one that really makes me excited is "Light no Fire" by Hello Games. The idea of a Fantasy Survival game by the No Man's Sky studio sounds like my perfect game.



Since the Dev team is essentially running LIGHT NO FIRE and NO MAN'S SKY development in parallel, I assume the loot system will be very good and customizable as well.