The game I'm playing is...
#1501
Posted 29 December 2015 - 04:33 PM
I finished Assassin's Creed Syndicate over the weekend and finished it off by playing through the Jack the Ripper DLC.
AC Syndicate continues the AC franchises trend where I continue to love the cities/worlds they build, I love the gameplay additions and new abilities and yet the story and mission design leaves me utterly frustrated and deeply annoyed.
Syndicate started out really strong, much like Unity. It builds up this game where you have individual sequences that build up to spectacular take downs of known Templars. It hints at secret truths, at challenging fights to come, a despicable and powerful enemy and then you play the game and it all falls to the ground. There is no real challenge in this game, you completely shred through any opposition the game puts in front of you. It's only if you limit yourself to the challenges in each mission that it's a challenging game.
The story is as always a missed oppertunity to delve into the nature of the Assassins and Templars. What could have been a complicated story about what power does to people and how it should be used, instead becomes just a cartoon good vs evil farce. The bad guys have no character, they have no real motivations, nor do they ever pose any threat to the player.
The present day story line is relegated to three cutscenes (that are poorly choreographed/directed) and they do no more than the past 3 games did to push the story forward.
It's so frustrating to play these games and see the obvious potential and see them squander it again and again. I can't believe the writers really are this bad or that the creative directors are so inept. It must be the time tables that hurt the games.
This I think becomes evident when you play the Jack the Ripper DLC. The DLCs main storyline is probably not more then 3 hours total but those 3 hours had better missions, set pieces, abilities and story telling than all of Syndicate combined.
Jack the Rippers introduction in this DLC is truly terrifying. It's the first antagonist in this series I can think of that actually felt scary. The whole fear mechanic system was really fun to play with and you feel a little bit queazy when you start slicing up some unfortunate NPC that gets in your way.
After AC I went back to Fallout 4. I played a bit yesterday and played another 4 hours today. I am pretty worn out on Fallout I feel. Of course I also realised that I've pretty much exhausted the games appeal. I am level 70, all my equipment is maxed out, I have mountains of ressources and caps and I think I have upgraded and secured the first 20 settlements.
All that is really left is to finish the main story line. I just can't really summon the energy to give a shit about what happens to the commonwealth.
AC Syndicate continues the AC franchises trend where I continue to love the cities/worlds they build, I love the gameplay additions and new abilities and yet the story and mission design leaves me utterly frustrated and deeply annoyed.
Syndicate started out really strong, much like Unity. It builds up this game where you have individual sequences that build up to spectacular take downs of known Templars. It hints at secret truths, at challenging fights to come, a despicable and powerful enemy and then you play the game and it all falls to the ground. There is no real challenge in this game, you completely shred through any opposition the game puts in front of you. It's only if you limit yourself to the challenges in each mission that it's a challenging game.
The story is as always a missed oppertunity to delve into the nature of the Assassins and Templars. What could have been a complicated story about what power does to people and how it should be used, instead becomes just a cartoon good vs evil farce. The bad guys have no character, they have no real motivations, nor do they ever pose any threat to the player.
The present day story line is relegated to three cutscenes (that are poorly choreographed/directed) and they do no more than the past 3 games did to push the story forward.
It's so frustrating to play these games and see the obvious potential and see them squander it again and again. I can't believe the writers really are this bad or that the creative directors are so inept. It must be the time tables that hurt the games.
This I think becomes evident when you play the Jack the Ripper DLC. The DLCs main storyline is probably not more then 3 hours total but those 3 hours had better missions, set pieces, abilities and story telling than all of Syndicate combined.
Jack the Rippers introduction in this DLC is truly terrifying. It's the first antagonist in this series I can think of that actually felt scary. The whole fear mechanic system was really fun to play with and you feel a little bit queazy when you start slicing up some unfortunate NPC that gets in your way.
After AC I went back to Fallout 4. I played a bit yesterday and played another 4 hours today. I am pretty worn out on Fallout I feel. Of course I also realised that I've pretty much exhausted the games appeal. I am level 70, all my equipment is maxed out, I have mountains of ressources and caps and I think I have upgraded and secured the first 20 settlements.
All that is really left is to finish the main story line. I just can't really summon the energy to give a shit about what happens to the commonwealth.
#1502
Posted 29 December 2015 - 04:51 PM
I agree Apt, and I have one other problem with the AC games...the sidequests are INSANE in number. You look at the map with all features on and you can barely see the map for icons. It's irritating as fuck as a completionist to sit there and look at the Unity map and think, it's going to take me ___ hours to get all the green chests. It's going to take me ___ hours to get all the hidden icons, rinse, repeat...it's like they KNOW the main questline is super short and that to fill out a $70 game they need to add in all that extra shit to make sure you feel like you got your money's worth. Instead they should make the game and story mode longer and more immersive with more twists, turns, and challenges. Give me less sidequests, and more of the main glut of the game. Take it to multiple cities. I feel like buried somewhere in the AC games is a new feature or two that could make the game fly again. The AC3/Black Flag ship stuff was a step in that direction. They need to make this more interesting. I want better, more stylized combat (for instance). I'd love to see something like the fight system int he prince of persia games (for example). The combat in AC is BORING and tedious. I feel like if they improved it and stylized it that it would encourage me to be more into the fighting stuff...but as it stands, I'm happier to take out multiple guys by jumping down on them than I am to get into it with a few guys at once who know they are fighting me.
"When the last tree has fallen, and the rivers are poisoned, you cannot eat money, oh no." ~Aurora
"Someone will always try to sell you despair, just so they don't feel alone." ~Ursula Vernon
"Someone will always try to sell you despair, just so they don't feel alone." ~Ursula Vernon
#1503
Posted 29 December 2015 - 06:21 PM
QuickTidal, on 29 December 2015 - 04:51 PM, said:
It's irritating as fuck as a completionist to sit there and look at the Unity map and think, it's going to take me ___ hours to get all the green chests. It's going to take me ___ hours to get all the hidden icons, rinse, repeat...it's like they KNOW the main questline is super short and that to fill out a $70 game they need to add in all that extra shit to make sure you feel like you got your money's worth.
I am torn on that issue. Ever since the very first AC game there has been two parts to my enjoyment of the games. One was the actual story, the mystery, the set pieces and scripted sequences. As the games have continued on and the games creative through line has faltered, it's the second element to the game that satisfies me. That is the almost menial, practically effortlessly subconcious traversal of urban environments in the search for collectibles and side objectives.
There's something soothing and safe about the AC games scattered maps of bits and bops you have to clear out. You just do one after another and get that false sense of satisfaction from having done these meaningless objectives. Just put on a podcast and go nuts.
I think that a lot of people forget that these urban treasure hunts are actually the core of the games original premise. Back in 2007'ish, the very concept of climbing a wall or jumping from rooftop to roof or just navigating a city landscape was unprecedented. Now climbing and running and jumping is a familiar, streamlined filler between the games missions, but originally it was the games main draw. Personally I still get a kick out of looking around that giant city sandbox and frolicking in the tons of little collectibles I get to collect.
Mind you, I was also one of the people who liked the uncharted flag collectibles scattered all over the three cities in AC1.
#1504
Posted 29 December 2015 - 06:24 PM
I just played through The Beginners Guide. It's a small 1-2 hour'ish walking simulator that explores the nature of video game design and the narrative inherent in game building. I think it's by the same guy who did the Stanley Parable.
It's strange at first, not really a game at all, but it has a point. At times I couldn't quite follow the narrators train of thoughts but it feels like a real journey. The payoff is certainly not what I expected.
I'd definitely recommend picking it up here during the Steam sale.
EDIT: This game had me questioning what "a game" actually means. What is "gaming"? At the basic level The Beginners Guide works on it feels really raw. More like a theoretical concept than anything tangential.
It's strange at first, not really a game at all, but it has a point. At times I couldn't quite follow the narrators train of thoughts but it feels like a real journey. The payoff is certainly not what I expected.
I'd definitely recommend picking it up here during the Steam sale.
EDIT: This game had me questioning what "a game" actually means. What is "gaming"? At the basic level The Beginners Guide works on it feels really raw. More like a theoretical concept than anything tangential.
This post has been edited by Apt: 29 December 2015 - 06:30 PM
#1505
Posted 29 December 2015 - 06:53 PM
Rainbow Six: Siege has been consuming all my play time lately.
When the servers are up this game is easily the best shooter that got released in 2015. They are having a ton of server problems though.
When the servers are up this game is easily the best shooter that got released in 2015. They are having a ton of server problems though.
Monster Hunter World Iceborne: It's like hunting monsters, but on crack, but the monsters are also on crack.
#1506
Posted 29 December 2015 - 06:54 PM
Apt, on 29 December 2015 - 06:21 PM, said:
QuickTidal, on 29 December 2015 - 04:51 PM, said:
It's irritating as fuck as a completionist to sit there and look at the Unity map and think, it's going to take me ___ hours to get all the green chests. It's going to take me ___ hours to get all the hidden icons, rinse, repeat...it's like they KNOW the main questline is super short and that to fill out a $70 game they need to add in all that extra shit to make sure you feel like you got your money's worth.
I am torn on that issue. Ever since the very first AC game there has been two parts to my enjoyment of the games. One was the actual story, the mystery, the set pieces and scripted sequences. As the games have continued on and the games creative through line has faltered, it's the second element to the game that satisfies me. That is the almost menial, practically effortlessly subconcious traversal of urban environments in the search for collectibles and side objectives.
There's something soothing and safe about the AC games scattered maps of bits and bops you have to clear out. You just do one after another and get that false sense of satisfaction from having done these meaningless objectives. Just put on a podcast and go nuts.
I think that a lot of people forget that these urban treasure hunts are actually the core of the games original premise. Back in 2007'ish, the very concept of climbing a wall or jumping from rooftop to roof or just navigating a city landscape was unprecedented. Now climbing and running and jumping is a familiar, streamlined filler between the games missions, but originally it was the games main draw. Personally I still get a kick out of looking around that giant city sandbox and frolicking in the tons of little collectibles I get to collect.
Mind you, I was also one of the people who liked the uncharted flag collectibles scattered all over the three cities in AC1.
There is such a thing as too much, though. It's one of the reasons the original AssCreed still sits unplayed on my GOG shelf.
I look at the early Arkham games as a good balance between optional side-stuff frenzy and main content. The early GTAS (think 2) also did this with level-end stats for things like tokens collected, kill frenzies, Wang Cars and such. But it wasn't obtrusive, in-your-face objective marker extravaganza that you can't ignore if you tried. It encouraged, y'know, actual exploration for the sake of looking.
There's a fine line between making your collectable challenging to find (a barely noticeable climable ledge in a 3d action-adventure platformer v. punching the "use" key in front of every inch of wall in Wolvenstein to find the hidden door), but too many modern games eschew the idea of challenge for "look here, there will be something good in this geberal area, no, 5 more steps to the left, you're practically on top/beneath it now!". I look at Darksiders and I see collectables generally done well: they're more or less logically placed and with some poking you're likely to get 60-75% of them without a guide; the rest you'll either look up before you finish your game, or do another run to get. I honestly feel that's a much better way to do things. Witcher 3 did well in this regard in letting you turn off the question marks.
#1507
Posted 29 December 2015 - 07:13 PM
Yeah, the Arkham Games are a GREAT example. Lots of side puzzles and quests...but it's not overstuffed with them either.
"When the last tree has fallen, and the rivers are poisoned, you cannot eat money, oh no." ~Aurora
"Someone will always try to sell you despair, just so they don't feel alone." ~Ursula Vernon
"Someone will always try to sell you despair, just so they don't feel alone." ~Ursula Vernon
#1508
Posted 29 December 2015 - 07:53 PM
I think it might be a question of intent. I believe that Assassin's Creed and other Ubisoft games like Farcry, The Crew, Watch Dogs, etc. are built around catering to collectible and unlocking enthusiasts. I would bet a dollar that Ubisofts user data tells them that people who play Assassin's Creed actively seek out and collect the items scattered across the world, so that's what they focus on.
A game like the Arkham Knight, even though it is open world, is still much more narratively focused. There's a ton of Imfamy side missions and a billion Riddler collectibles but the game wants you to focus on the story.
A game like the Arkham Knight, even though it is open world, is still much more narratively focused. There's a ton of Imfamy side missions and a billion Riddler collectibles but the game wants you to focus on the story.
#1509
Posted 29 December 2015 - 08:45 PM
Apt, on 29 December 2015 - 07:53 PM, said:
I think it might be a question of intent. I believe that Assassin's Creed and other Ubisoft games like Farcry, The Crew, Watch Dogs, etc. are built around catering to collectible and unlocking enthusiasts. I would bet a dollar that Ubisofts user data tells them that people who play Assassin's Creed actively seek out and collect the items scattered across the world, so that's what they focus on.
A game like the Arkham Knight, even though it is open world, is still much more narratively focused. There's a ton of Imfamy side missions and a billion Riddler collectibles but the game wants you to focus on the story.
A game like the Arkham Knight, even though it is open world, is still much more narratively focused. There's a ton of Imfamy side missions and a billion Riddler collectibles but the game wants you to focus on the story.
I haven't played Knight yet, so can't comment on that. But City was, to my mind, a great blend of collecting/playing th completionist and storytelling. The Riddler challenges contribute to the game-there's an entire story related to Riddler taking hostages, and you need to complete smth like 85% of the Riddler challenges to solve it. But more importantly, the way the challenges are organized, completing a "row" unlocks another bio tape with further backstory. In addition, some of the challenges (the actual "riddles" also unlock backstory pieces. This makes it actually worthwhile to DO the side-stuff, for reasons other than "100% completion".
#1510
Posted 29 December 2015 - 09:14 PM
Cause, on 15 December 2015 - 10:51 AM, said:
Mentalist, on 09 December 2015 - 05:31 PM, said:
Welp, i'm addicted. Went to bed @ 4 AM after curb-stomping the Chinese. Took 5 tries to make a successful amphibious landing and bring my petards in range to blow up the wonder about 15 years before the clock ticks down. If the Jin actually put up a gate leading up to their dock, i'd have been screwed.
Once the Wonder's gone, I like to assume the Jin leader committed suicide in shame. Sat back, teched up to Imperial, developed up to improved cannon Galleons, and then demolished coastal defences. At the same time, started scouting the mainland beyond the Great Wall (demolished the gates, built my own there, and planted a Castle at the entrance) and the other 3 factions didn't even have walls, and only one had any towers. Also found six cannons from the "Chinese Engineers". Took the cannons, trebuchet, and a bunch of teched up Mangudai and Heavy Camels to wipe out the Jin, coming up from the same harbour entrance. I never get tired of seeing Cavaliers rushing in to get slaughtered by Camel riders, and fully teched up Mangudai are super-deadly (when you got thumb rings AND Partian tactics) Then swept around the coast up the river, and landed up the Sung's backside (guys with towers). Majority of my casualties came from my own cannons doing AoE damage. Reinforced, and did a pincer on the Tangut, and then also the last one (Hsi Hsia). Skulls for the Khan!
Once the Wonder's gone, I like to assume the Jin leader committed suicide in shame. Sat back, teched up to Imperial, developed up to improved cannon Galleons, and then demolished coastal defences. At the same time, started scouting the mainland beyond the Great Wall (demolished the gates, built my own there, and planted a Castle at the entrance) and the other 3 factions didn't even have walls, and only one had any towers. Also found six cannons from the "Chinese Engineers". Took the cannons, trebuchet, and a bunch of teched up Mangudai and Heavy Camels to wipe out the Jin, coming up from the same harbour entrance. I never get tired of seeing Cavaliers rushing in to get slaughtered by Camel riders, and fully teched up Mangudai are super-deadly (when you got thumb rings AND Partian tactics) Then swept around the coast up the river, and landed up the Sung's backside (guys with towers). Majority of my casualties came from my own cannons doing AoE damage. Reinforced, and did a pincer on the Tangut, and then also the last one (Hsi Hsia). Skulls for the Khan!
What game is this? Tell me everything
Can't believe I missed this post. Sorry, cause!
I was talking (well, still am... though "raving" seems more appropriate now, that I clocked over 150 hours into it in about a month) about Age of Empires II HD, also known as Age of Kings (AoK).
Good deal on Steam right now for the HD re-release and the 2 new expansions packs. Basically, a bunch of modders made an expansion 2 years a go for a 2001 game that got over a million downloads. So when M$oft decided to re-release AoK in HD, they offered their help, if their Mod would be included as an expansion pack. And then they made another one. And now they are making one for the re-released Age of Mythology.
AoK is an old-school RTS, but with some good campaign design. Factor in 2 new expansion packs (making 3 total) and you're looking at a historical RTS that covers LOTS of stuff- roughly from the barbarian invasions of Rome to the end of the 16th century-including conflicts in Europe, Asia, Africa and the New World (although the focus is still mostly Europe).
It's not earth-shattering design, and the graphics aren't super pretty (but that means it'll run even on low-end systems), but the design is solid, and it was ground-breaking in its time. For a history enthusiast, it's not the best kind of edutainment (it takes a LOT of liberties with historical details for the purposes of making gameplay fun), but it's an interesting launching point for research into some of the less-often spoken of episodes of the period's history, that don't often feature in this type of games. I strongly recommend it, probably best value for an older historical RTS after Empire Earth (if you include all the custom content made for that game)
This post has been edited by Mentalist: 29 December 2015 - 09:24 PM
#1511
Posted 30 December 2015 - 01:44 AM
Obdigore, on 29 December 2015 - 06:53 PM, said:
Rainbow Six: Siege has been consuming all my play time lately.
When the servers are up this game is easily the best shooter that got released in 2015. They are having a ton of server problems though.
When the servers are up this game is easily the best shooter that got released in 2015. They are having a ton of server problems though.
Oh, interesting. I've been wondering if it was any good and I hadn't really seen enough of it to decide. After the last couple of games I was a bit dubious.
***
Shinrei said:
<Vote Silencer> For not garnering any heat or any love for that matter. And I'm being serious here, it's like a mental block that is there, and you just keep forgetting it.
#1512
Posted 30 December 2015 - 11:39 AM
Mentalist, on 29 December 2015 - 09:14 PM, said:
Cause, on 15 December 2015 - 10:51 AM, said:
Mentalist, on 09 December 2015 - 05:31 PM, said:
Welp, i'm addicted. Went to bed @ 4 AM after curb-stomping the Chinese. Took 5 tries to make a successful amphibious landing and bring my petards in range to blow up the wonder about 15 years before the clock ticks down. If the Jin actually put up a gate leading up to their dock, i'd have been screwed.
Once the Wonder's gone, I like to assume the Jin leader committed suicide in shame. Sat back, teched up to Imperial, developed up to improved cannon Galleons, and then demolished coastal defences. At the same time, started scouting the mainland beyond the Great Wall (demolished the gates, built my own there, and planted a Castle at the entrance) and the other 3 factions didn't even have walls, and only one had any towers. Also found six cannons from the "Chinese Engineers". Took the cannons, trebuchet, and a bunch of teched up Mangudai and Heavy Camels to wipe out the Jin, coming up from the same harbour entrance. I never get tired of seeing Cavaliers rushing in to get slaughtered by Camel riders, and fully teched up Mangudai are super-deadly (when you got thumb rings AND Partian tactics) Then swept around the coast up the river, and landed up the Sung's backside (guys with towers). Majority of my casualties came from my own cannons doing AoE damage. Reinforced, and did a pincer on the Tangut, and then also the last one (Hsi Hsia). Skulls for the Khan!
Once the Wonder's gone, I like to assume the Jin leader committed suicide in shame. Sat back, teched up to Imperial, developed up to improved cannon Galleons, and then demolished coastal defences. At the same time, started scouting the mainland beyond the Great Wall (demolished the gates, built my own there, and planted a Castle at the entrance) and the other 3 factions didn't even have walls, and only one had any towers. Also found six cannons from the "Chinese Engineers". Took the cannons, trebuchet, and a bunch of teched up Mangudai and Heavy Camels to wipe out the Jin, coming up from the same harbour entrance. I never get tired of seeing Cavaliers rushing in to get slaughtered by Camel riders, and fully teched up Mangudai are super-deadly (when you got thumb rings AND Partian tactics) Then swept around the coast up the river, and landed up the Sung's backside (guys with towers). Majority of my casualties came from my own cannons doing AoE damage. Reinforced, and did a pincer on the Tangut, and then also the last one (Hsi Hsia). Skulls for the Khan!
What game is this? Tell me everything
Can't believe I missed this post. Sorry, cause!
I was talking (well, still am... though "raving" seems more appropriate now, that I clocked over 150 hours into it in about a month) about Age of Empires II HD, also known as Age of Kings (AoK).
Good deal on Steam right now for the HD re-release and the 2 new expansions packs. Basically, a bunch of modders made an expansion 2 years a go for a 2001 game that got over a million downloads. So when M$oft decided to re-release AoK in HD, they offered their help, if their Mod would be included as an expansion pack. And then they made another one. And now they are making one for the re-released Age of Mythology.
AoK is an old-school RTS, but with some good campaign design. Factor in 2 new expansion packs (making 3 total) and you're looking at a historical RTS that covers LOTS of stuff- roughly from the barbarian invasions of Rome to the end of the 16th century-including conflicts in Europe, Asia, Africa and the New World (although the focus is still mostly Europe).
It's not earth-shattering design, and the graphics aren't super pretty (but that means it'll run even on low-end systems), but the design is solid, and it was ground-breaking in its time. For a history enthusiast, it's not the best kind of edutainment (it takes a LOT of liberties with historical details for the purposes of making gameplay fun), but it's an interesting launching point for research into some of the less-often spoken of episodes of the period's history, that don't often feature in this type of games. I strongly recommend it, probably best value for an older historical RTS after Empire Earth (if you include all the custom content made for that game)
Mandatum?
Chopper.
Debut novel 'Incarnate' now available on Kindle
#1513
Posted 31 December 2015 - 06:54 AM
Ha! I art teh best Raja!
Finished Prithviraj 2. TOUGH mission, even on Normal, even with 4/6 enemies being made Neutral (meaning, they leave my villagers gathering resources mostly alone)
problem is, once you get one ally, your strongest rival starts attacking. Once you get 2 allies, the Turks from across the river wake up and start playing, building stuff on your side of the western river (Indus?), and being a real pain. And they start out with a castle controlling the only ford across. And you have no trebuchets, unless you give one of your allies a relic, and in exchange they give you trebs.
So, basically, sit tight, defend like crazy, and build up. The good thing is, once the south is secure, there's gold to mine and it's easier to tech up (and get Solankis their 1k gold, stone and wood for their Wonder to ally them) Also, elephant archers=SO MUCH WIN for SO CHEAP. Built a bunch of them, camels (cuz the Turks use light cav+Cav. Archers, mostly), picked up my 2 gifted trebs + went Turk-stomping. The awesome thing is, once I demolish their castle, my biggest rival in India stops attacking me, and just sits there, knowing that he can't claim moral high ground if he backstabs me while I'm curbstomping the Turks who threaten us all. SO then it's a matter of finishing up Turks (they resign once their TC is down), and ferrying my huge army on the other side of the Ganges to deal w/ Purple. Knock the castle down, smash the back gate, and send Camels to kill their leader. Once that's done, funny thing: they offer to join if you get them 25 elephant archers. And the other guys auto-join, b/c you killed Purple's leader. So, it's possible to ally all 5 before you're declared winner, if you bring enough elephant archers to the siege and quickly transfer them over.
Great scen, one of the best in this expansion so far.
Mission 3 looks like another Fixed force scen. will go thru it later this week.
Finished Prithviraj 2. TOUGH mission, even on Normal, even with 4/6 enemies being made Neutral (meaning, they leave my villagers gathering resources mostly alone)
problem is, once you get one ally, your strongest rival starts attacking. Once you get 2 allies, the Turks from across the river wake up and start playing, building stuff on your side of the western river (Indus?), and being a real pain. And they start out with a castle controlling the only ford across. And you have no trebuchets, unless you give one of your allies a relic, and in exchange they give you trebs.
So, basically, sit tight, defend like crazy, and build up. The good thing is, once the south is secure, there's gold to mine and it's easier to tech up (and get Solankis their 1k gold, stone and wood for their Wonder to ally them) Also, elephant archers=SO MUCH WIN for SO CHEAP. Built a bunch of them, camels (cuz the Turks use light cav+Cav. Archers, mostly), picked up my 2 gifted trebs + went Turk-stomping. The awesome thing is, once I demolish their castle, my biggest rival in India stops attacking me, and just sits there, knowing that he can't claim moral high ground if he backstabs me while I'm curbstomping the Turks who threaten us all. SO then it's a matter of finishing up Turks (they resign once their TC is down), and ferrying my huge army on the other side of the Ganges to deal w/ Purple. Knock the castle down, smash the back gate, and send Camels to kill their leader. Once that's done, funny thing: they offer to join if you get them 25 elephant archers. And the other guys auto-join, b/c you killed Purple's leader. So, it's possible to ally all 5 before you're declared winner, if you bring enough elephant archers to the siege and quickly transfer them over.
Great scen, one of the best in this expansion so far.
Mission 3 looks like another Fixed force scen. will go thru it later this week.
#1514
Posted 02 January 2016 - 07:35 PM
Finished the Prithviraj campaign yesterday. Mission 3 only starts out as Fixed Force, becomes a proper B&D later, with a lot of fun secondary objectives. Mission 4 is similar- survive a battle in the beginning, then B&D. Cleverly done, I enjoyed that campaign. Tied with Bari for best, Mission 2 is the highlight of the whole expansion so far.
Started next campaign- Sforza- leading a bunch of mercenary condottieri in 15th century Italian wars. Scen 1 is an easy FF, Scen 2 is mostly fixed force, but more varied: didn't finish it yet.
Started next campaign- Sforza- leading a bunch of mercenary condottieri in 15th century Italian wars. Scen 1 is an easy FF, Scen 2 is mostly fixed force, but more varied: didn't finish it yet.
#1515
Posted 02 January 2016 - 10:15 PM
So according to my map I'm next to 'Castle Van Vernon' and over the ways is 'Lord Willey's Estate'.
Debut novel 'Incarnate' now available on Kindle
#1517
Posted 03 January 2016 - 06:29 AM
If you've not played Thief II the reference probably won't make much sense. Anyone who gets it though is a camel-mannered tunic-wearing mollycoddle.
Debut novel 'Incarnate' now available on Kindle
#1518
Posted 03 January 2016 - 08:21 AM
Sforza 2 was tricky. Did the first part of Mission 3, but then it becomes a Build Up and defend against waves of amphibious landings (while having no fleet), and I wasn't feeling that way. Also played some more Dracula, since the 2 campaigns are mostly contemporary. Dracula 3 is a neat mission- major FF battle first, then get a city and do B&D. Mission 4 is a mix of defending and FF-and it gets tough in the end. I think I may have screwed up by not researching Conscription when I had access to Castles--May need to replay (which means having to survive while killing 500 enemies again)
This post has been edited by Mentalist: 03 January 2016 - 08:31 AM
#1519
Posted 03 January 2016 - 12:01 PM
Alright I thought I'd make an info dump on the games I've been playing since the Steam Winter Sale started.
Shower with your dad simulator 2015: Do you still shower with you dad? - This is a funny little flash game. It's pretty much just a time critical match game where you have to pair children with their fathers. If your kid touches the wrong dad you fail. I bought it more for the novelty than any real worth.
Endless Space - Played a whole lot of that game before New Years Eve. It's pretty good, similar to Civilization but more focused on the sci-fi tropes surrounding space travel, war and trade. I really appreciated the amount of difference between the various races/civilizations in the game. If I was more into strategy games I could see myself playing through every single race.
Windward - It's a top down, seafaring trade and combat game. You sail a ship from port to port ferrying passengers and selling cargo. Occasionally you fight pirates but mainly it's about exploration and upgrading your ship. It was fun for a while but it's very repetitive and has little staying power.
Fallout 4 - Finished this game a couple days ago. I wrote my impressions of the ending in the Fallout thread.
I am very torn about FO4. Is it a fun open world RPG'ish shooter? YES, certainly, one of the best of its kind. But boy is that game buggy, glitchy and often times very underwhelming. It's graphically disappointing, the world is inconsistent and makes no sense, the story is garbage, the characters are so poorly animated and voiced that it feels like a mod for FO3. Generally while the combat is fun and the world is packed with content, the game feels sloppy. This does not feel like the jump in performance, presentation and gameplay experience that Skyrim was compared to Oblivion. I wonder where all that Skyrim money went, it certainly didn't go into building a better fallout.
Ibb & Obb - This is a simple co-op platforming game where two players control two blobs that can move between an above and below plane. Much like Portal 2, the fun and challenge lies in coordinating with and communicating with a voiceless stranger. It was a fun little experience but I had a hard time finding online co-op partners.
Downwell - This game feels like playing a Gameboy game in 2015. Very retro and very condensed. You're a sprite character falling down a well filled with obstacles and monsters. You can either avoid these monsters or shoot at them. The thing is you can only shoot down and you are always going down, down, down. I think this is a great game for people who just want basic platform shooting gameplay but there's not really enough in the experience for me to keep playing it.
Blues and Bullets: Episode 1 - Like the Telltale Games this is an episodic adventure/action sort of game. You play the role of Elliot Ness 20 years after Al Capone was put away. But this is an alternative universe sort of story. Al Capone lives and after being released hires you to track down his missing granddaughter, at this point Ness is a retired diner owner with an alcohol problem.
It's a really rough game. I was actually going to drop the game half way through because the gameplay/animation was so awful but boy does this game go down some very grim almost horror like film noir routes. By the end I was completely sold on the game, it's fucking crazy. The main draw of the game is definitely the black and white aesthetic and the games presentation.
One Finger Death Punch - Simple little flash-like fighting game. You're a stick figure that has to fight off on coming waves of enemies by clicking left or right. Very basic but very well designed. I see the appeal for people who want raw gameplay challenge but I don't really want to invest a dozen hours into something like this.
Never Alone - It's a side-scrolling platformer about an innuit girl who teams up with a fox to figure out why a calamity befell her village. It's very pretty and plays surprisingly well. It's a game that is more focused on showing you fun scenarios than creating punishing challenges which I appreciate.
What's interesting about the game is that it is based on innuit folk tales and is narrated by tribal elder. The game contains documentary footage and interviews from children and elders from innuit tribes. The game is basically a tribute to their ancestors and their culture.
Undertale - I heard a ton of great stuff about this game the past months. It's on a lot of top 10 lists this year but I just can't get into it.
It's clear that while the game is pretty retro and made in some kind of NES game maker, the game also does a lot of clever things with gameplay design and your expectations. Unfortunately the game is marred by horrendously clunky controls and a tedious random encounter turnbased combat system like in old JRPGs. It completely killed any interest I had in getting to the games supposedly greater second half. I just cannot be arsed to play any more of it.
Tales from the Borderlands - I've only played the first episode so far but man is this game good. It's another Telltale adventure game so if you've played The Walking Dead or The Wolf amongst Us, you know what you are getting into. Only to me at least, this feels like their best work yet. It manages to blend the Borderlands universes horrific humor and charming weirdness with Telltales main strength, great writing and sympathetic characters. This game basically delivers the writing and story that Gearbox have failed to deliver on.
It's just a really fun, very well paced story. It's funny, it's surprising and it plays well. I cannot wait to see what the next episodes will bring.
Kingdom Rush - It's tower defense game. That's pretty much all there is to say about this game. I bought it because I have a hard time getting into Tower defense games and heard it was a good one. Eh... I just don't see the appeal. It's so tedious.
Angry Birds Space - I don't like to play a lot on my smart phone so thought I'd try it for PC. It's Angry Birds so you know what you are getting for your money. I like the space theme. It creates some interesting new scenarios and special mechanics. There's certainly a ton of content for your money in this thing.
Styx: Master of Shadow - A surprisingly good action adventure stealth game where the stealth is at the forefront. The game is very rough, it looks and plays sort of like a 2005 game but it has a ton of atmosphere and charm. The gameplay manages to blend the demands of stealth with platforming and exploration.
The setting is also very cool. You play as a Goblin thief/mercenary sort of guy who wants to steal the heart of a World Tree that is in the hands of a human faction. They are harvesting its sap for what ever reason, it has magical, drug like properties. The games world, characters and narrative reminds me very much of Dishonored. It sort of feels like a lesser budgettted version of Dishonored and Thief.
I really like it.
Shower with your dad simulator 2015: Do you still shower with you dad? - This is a funny little flash game. It's pretty much just a time critical match game where you have to pair children with their fathers. If your kid touches the wrong dad you fail. I bought it more for the novelty than any real worth.
Endless Space - Played a whole lot of that game before New Years Eve. It's pretty good, similar to Civilization but more focused on the sci-fi tropes surrounding space travel, war and trade. I really appreciated the amount of difference between the various races/civilizations in the game. If I was more into strategy games I could see myself playing through every single race.
Windward - It's a top down, seafaring trade and combat game. You sail a ship from port to port ferrying passengers and selling cargo. Occasionally you fight pirates but mainly it's about exploration and upgrading your ship. It was fun for a while but it's very repetitive and has little staying power.
Fallout 4 - Finished this game a couple days ago. I wrote my impressions of the ending in the Fallout thread.
I am very torn about FO4. Is it a fun open world RPG'ish shooter? YES, certainly, one of the best of its kind. But boy is that game buggy, glitchy and often times very underwhelming. It's graphically disappointing, the world is inconsistent and makes no sense, the story is garbage, the characters are so poorly animated and voiced that it feels like a mod for FO3. Generally while the combat is fun and the world is packed with content, the game feels sloppy. This does not feel like the jump in performance, presentation and gameplay experience that Skyrim was compared to Oblivion. I wonder where all that Skyrim money went, it certainly didn't go into building a better fallout.
Ibb & Obb - This is a simple co-op platforming game where two players control two blobs that can move between an above and below plane. Much like Portal 2, the fun and challenge lies in coordinating with and communicating with a voiceless stranger. It was a fun little experience but I had a hard time finding online co-op partners.
Downwell - This game feels like playing a Gameboy game in 2015. Very retro and very condensed. You're a sprite character falling down a well filled with obstacles and monsters. You can either avoid these monsters or shoot at them. The thing is you can only shoot down and you are always going down, down, down. I think this is a great game for people who just want basic platform shooting gameplay but there's not really enough in the experience for me to keep playing it.
Blues and Bullets: Episode 1 - Like the Telltale Games this is an episodic adventure/action sort of game. You play the role of Elliot Ness 20 years after Al Capone was put away. But this is an alternative universe sort of story. Al Capone lives and after being released hires you to track down his missing granddaughter, at this point Ness is a retired diner owner with an alcohol problem.
It's a really rough game. I was actually going to drop the game half way through because the gameplay/animation was so awful but boy does this game go down some very grim almost horror like film noir routes. By the end I was completely sold on the game, it's fucking crazy. The main draw of the game is definitely the black and white aesthetic and the games presentation.
One Finger Death Punch - Simple little flash-like fighting game. You're a stick figure that has to fight off on coming waves of enemies by clicking left or right. Very basic but very well designed. I see the appeal for people who want raw gameplay challenge but I don't really want to invest a dozen hours into something like this.
Never Alone - It's a side-scrolling platformer about an innuit girl who teams up with a fox to figure out why a calamity befell her village. It's very pretty and plays surprisingly well. It's a game that is more focused on showing you fun scenarios than creating punishing challenges which I appreciate.
What's interesting about the game is that it is based on innuit folk tales and is narrated by tribal elder. The game contains documentary footage and interviews from children and elders from innuit tribes. The game is basically a tribute to their ancestors and their culture.
Undertale - I heard a ton of great stuff about this game the past months. It's on a lot of top 10 lists this year but I just can't get into it.
It's clear that while the game is pretty retro and made in some kind of NES game maker, the game also does a lot of clever things with gameplay design and your expectations. Unfortunately the game is marred by horrendously clunky controls and a tedious random encounter turnbased combat system like in old JRPGs. It completely killed any interest I had in getting to the games supposedly greater second half. I just cannot be arsed to play any more of it.
Tales from the Borderlands - I've only played the first episode so far but man is this game good. It's another Telltale adventure game so if you've played The Walking Dead or The Wolf amongst Us, you know what you are getting into. Only to me at least, this feels like their best work yet. It manages to blend the Borderlands universes horrific humor and charming weirdness with Telltales main strength, great writing and sympathetic characters. This game basically delivers the writing and story that Gearbox have failed to deliver on.
It's just a really fun, very well paced story. It's funny, it's surprising and it plays well. I cannot wait to see what the next episodes will bring.
Kingdom Rush - It's tower defense game. That's pretty much all there is to say about this game. I bought it because I have a hard time getting into Tower defense games and heard it was a good one. Eh... I just don't see the appeal. It's so tedious.
Angry Birds Space - I don't like to play a lot on my smart phone so thought I'd try it for PC. It's Angry Birds so you know what you are getting for your money. I like the space theme. It creates some interesting new scenarios and special mechanics. There's certainly a ton of content for your money in this thing.
Styx: Master of Shadow - A surprisingly good action adventure stealth game where the stealth is at the forefront. The game is very rough, it looks and plays sort of like a 2005 game but it has a ton of atmosphere and charm. The gameplay manages to blend the demands of stealth with platforming and exploration.
The setting is also very cool. You play as a Goblin thief/mercenary sort of guy who wants to steal the heart of a World Tree that is in the hands of a human faction. They are harvesting its sap for what ever reason, it has magical, drug like properties. The games world, characters and narrative reminds me very much of Dishonored. It sort of feels like a lesser budgettted version of Dishonored and Thief.
I really like it.
This post has been edited by Apt: 03 January 2016 - 12:12 PM
#1520
Posted 03 January 2016 - 12:50 PM
This new years holiday I played Ryse: Son of Rome.
It was...very short, really. I finished it in 5-6 hours. So very, very short. I talked with Apt about it and we agreed that the gameplay isn't really all that interesting. It's not that it's bad, it's just the same thing over and over again. You really only need 3 buttons to master the game. That's not a good thing.
The graphics are pretty damn good though. Sure, there were the usual nitpicks, but other than that, this game is really beautiful.
Now, to what matters. The story. The story is really, really, REALLY good. I enjoyed pretty much every second of the game simply because of the story. You play the roman centurion, Marius who goes on a quest of revenge against barbarians which leads you to bad ass mission after bad ass mission.
I bought it on sale for some 6-7 euros, and for that price, this game is HIGHLY recommendable as a short, but thoroughly enjoyable experience.
It was...very short, really. I finished it in 5-6 hours. So very, very short. I talked with Apt about it and we agreed that the gameplay isn't really all that interesting. It's not that it's bad, it's just the same thing over and over again. You really only need 3 buttons to master the game. That's not a good thing.
The graphics are pretty damn good though. Sure, there were the usual nitpicks, but other than that, this game is really beautiful.
Now, to what matters. The story. The story is really, really, REALLY good. I enjoyed pretty much every second of the game simply because of the story. You play the roman centurion, Marius who goes on a quest of revenge against barbarians which leads you to bad ass mission after bad ass mission.
I bought it on sale for some 6-7 euros, and for that price, this game is HIGHLY recommendable as a short, but thoroughly enjoyable experience.
This post has been edited by Primateus: 03 January 2016 - 12:51 PM
Screw you all, and have a nice day!