GasBandit
Staff member
Fade likes Skyrim, he just likes it better on PS3 (so far).I don't think you'd need to explain that to anyone (except maybe Fade). It's Skyrim; we've all played it, we know why it's fun.
I thought he was referring to Skyrim when he complained in the Random thread about games that go on too long because there's yet more crypts full of undead Vikings. Not sure what other game he would've been talking about.
Just seemed pointed when said crypts are mostly optional.
I kind of wish there was some POINT to getting all of the claws. Like you needed all of them to get an awesome treasure, kind of like you need all of the masks to get the final mask. But no... they are just worth money.
Honestly I've never put more than 10 or so hours into an Elder Scrolls game. Just can't get into them.
fade
Staff member
http://www.kotaku.com.au/2012/04/how-to-get-skyrim-looking-as-awesome-as-computationally-possible/
I remember Kotaku's guide back when the game came out. Are these suggestions still good? Some of the official high res pack skins look off to me compared to the standard res. E.g. the Nord buff male arms. They almost look like... I guess looking at the Nord's arms through the wrong end of a pair of binoculars. Does that make sense?
GasBandit
Staff member
Eh, some yes, some no. A lot of the mods listed in that article have been superceded by newer, better mods. Like for example, instead of "skyrim-grass" I'd recommend the Grass Field mod I mentioned earlier. You could also try the Skyrim HD 2K texture pack mod.
As far as people models go, I recommend you download "Better Males" to make the men look better and the female body pack of your choice to make the women look better - I prefer CBBE, or "Caliente's Beautiful Bodies Edition." A lot of people use these packs for naked shenanigans, but there are options when adding them to leave the vanilla perma-undies on (called "Nevernude" usually) if you prefer/have small kids who would be watching.
Really, you can just go to skyrim nexus' "top files" listing and start going from top to bottom, picking things you think you will like. There's a reason why SkyUI is at the top of that list, if you haven't gotten it yet. But at any rate, you can select to add the mods from the website and the nexus mod manager will download them automatically, and you can easily activate/deactivate mods as you choose using the manager. It's one short step from drag and drop a-la-carte modding, really. Simple as hell and very nice to have. Make sure you register and log in, or you won't see all the mods and the mod manager won't work.
One mod a lot of people like is the "Live another life" mod, which instead of starting you imprisoned in Helgen every time you roll a new character, you can choose a variety of backstories/locations to start from. Escaped slave? Wandering mercenary? Whatever. And you simply go to helgen on your own when you're ready to witness the dragon attack that starts the main plot.
fade
Staff member
Man, that site is confusing. I've registered and downloaded the mod manager. I got SkyUI. I'm looking at the various "realistic" mods, but they all kind of remind me of 90s era gaming where they mapped photos onto cubes using OpenGL.[DOUBLEPOST=1403993116,1403992906][/DOUBLEPOST]Okay, I'm liking "realistic lighting". That's one of things I did not like about Skyrim: the weird yellow light everywhere.
Shovel Knight: People have mentioned Castlevania as one of the games this borrowed from, and even with the levels for Specter Knight and Plague Knight, I didn't get that feeling. Then I got to one of the last sections of Tinker Knight's level, where the floor is sinking. That felt very Castlevania to me (pre-SOTN). Tinker Knight was also an awesome fight.
Fuck Propeller Knight's level though.
Fuck Propeller Knight's level though.
It's Chapter 1 of a longer story. The ending didn't really hit me until just before the credits, with the imagery changing and the music swelling. That part was moving.
But then, we might have gotten different endings.
Who died?
alette. But, really, wouldnt the only difference be that rook died instead?
Yeah, but the conversation is different and there's a difference in tone to me whether the father or daughter dies.
If it didn't work for you, it didn't work for you. I'm not saying it was the most emotional thing I've ever experienced in a video game--hell, not even within the past year. But I thought it worked.
I thought it interesting that when faced with the prospect of killing the unkillable, the best they could do was make Bellower believe he was dead, for a time. I'm guessing that will come up again later in the series so long as they aren't stomped out by Candy Crush's bullshit.
GasBandit
Staff member
It came damn close to the climax of Saints Row 3, racing up the statue taking out fools and disarming bombs to save the girls, while "holding out for a hero" plays on a loop. That was fukkin epic.
Oh, yeah, I can understand that. Had I finished it back in February/March when I played the majority of it, I probably would've had the same reaction. In the space between, I came to understand how Stoic was planning a bigger thing, so as the game continued I knew who was going to be the big antagonist, and when it came up with his name on the map screen, I knew that was the end. If it had come as a shock, I could see feeling off about it.
Now I'll have to keep an eye on my wife playing through it and see how she reacts as far as that goes.
Dude... You've Got The Touch had me way more pumped, but that's because I grew up on Transformers.
Beat Shovel Knight this morning.
I hate to be that guy, but ... that boss wasn't everything people made it out to be. Nowhere near the hell from the end of Donkey Kong Country Returns for one important reason; the attacks weren't randomized. DKCR's final boss had tells, but you didn't know the order. Shovel Knight's final boss had a specific pattern that was followed every time. Took me 25 minutes to get through both fights, though I did use a healing ichor and the flying knife.
The people saying that if the year ended right now this would be game of the year, I agree. Not that there's been much competition ... and to be honest, aside from Witcher 3, no one's really putting out much muscle besides Nintendo. But that doesn't take away from how fucking great Shovel Knight is.
I LOVED this game. And I don't just mean because of the retro feel or how it worked off of Mega Man stuff. The dialogue was amusing and I actually liked most of the bosses as characters, not just enemies. Their designs are great and they're fun ideas. Each had great music. And for the Tower Entrance stage:
Right now I'm torn between playing New Game + or giving the game a rest. I want it to feel fresh when I pick it up again, yet I'm not done playing it right now.
I hate to be that guy, but ... that boss wasn't everything people made it out to be. Nowhere near the hell from the end of Donkey Kong Country Returns for one important reason; the attacks weren't randomized. DKCR's final boss had tells, but you didn't know the order. Shovel Knight's final boss had a specific pattern that was followed every time. Took me 25 minutes to get through both fights, though I did use a healing ichor and the flying knife.
The ending was sweet.
Waiting for idiots online to say Black Knight was friendzoned.
Waiting for idiots online to say Black Knight was friendzoned.
The people saying that if the year ended right now this would be game of the year, I agree. Not that there's been much competition ... and to be honest, aside from Witcher 3, no one's really putting out much muscle besides Nintendo. But that doesn't take away from how fucking great Shovel Knight is.
I LOVED this game. And I don't just mean because of the retro feel or how it worked off of Mega Man stuff. The dialogue was amusing and I actually liked most of the bosses as characters, not just enemies. Their designs are great and they're fun ideas. Each had great music. And for the Tower Entrance stage:
That may be my favorite boss gauntlet in any video game. I love that after you rescue them, they're not all still against you, but they're not all for you either. They each have different feelings about stuff. I also like that some had good endings and some didn't.
Right now I'm torn between playing New Game + or giving the game a rest. I want it to feel fresh when I pick it up again, yet I'm not done playing it right now.
fade
Staff member
One more skyrim mod post. I got a number of mods up and running. Immediately disabled some of them because the nexus mod community's idea of "realism" is a bit different than mine. Example is the Skyrim Flora Overhaul. Mapping a texture on a tree mesh with more weird flat limbs does not for realism make in my book. I thought it was corny. Not so big on how WATER makes flowing water look either. More like taffy than realistic water. Did like cbbe and better males though. Got a good chuckle and a gasp because I didn't expect nude asses when I looted armor.
GasBandit
Staff member
Yep, that's how it goes. For each mod I enable and keep, there's another I immediately disable and delete because it didn't work out how I thought. But I've got like 20 mods now.
Just bear in mind, when using mods that add areas, removing the mod will make any savegame you load with a character IN that area crash the game, and many mods that edit an NPC must be put in before you meet that NPC for the first time in game, because it alters the BaseID and not necessarily the RefID. Sometimes you can get around this by going to bed and sleeping the clock around.
The next level of modding is for you to get FORES New Idles, which lets you apply new skeletal structures to models and mod character animations. I went to extraordinary lengths to make Lydia not walk like a macho dude.
Just bear in mind, when using mods that add areas, removing the mod will make any savegame you load with a character IN that area crash the game, and many mods that edit an NPC must be put in before you meet that NPC for the first time in game, because it alters the BaseID and not necessarily the RefID. Sometimes you can get around this by going to bed and sleeping the clock around.
The next level of modding is for you to get FORES New Idles, which lets you apply new skeletal structures to models and mod character animations. I went to extraordinary lengths to make Lydia not walk like a macho dude.
FTL
I don't know why I keep playing this exercise in complete frustration. Or maybe that's futility. I have not won a single game despite playing it multiple and numerous times. I did, at least, recently unlock the Zoltan ship. And unlocked one of its alternate versions. But even still, I'm lucky if I can even get to the final area to fight the rebel flagship.
I don't know why I keep playing this exercise in complete frustration. Or maybe that's futility. I have not won a single game despite playing it multiple and numerous times. I did, at least, recently unlock the Zoltan ship. And unlocked one of its alternate versions. But even still, I'm lucky if I can even get to the final area to fight the rebel flagship.
FTL Tips -
- You want to hit as many jumps in a zone as you can before the fleet catches up. This will get you as much scrap/items/crew as you can.
- Always wait to fire all of your weapons at the same time.
- If you have the option to grab a Scrap Recovery Arm in the first few zones, snag it. Same with the Drone Recovery Arm if you want to use drones.
- If you are going to bring drones to the flagship, bring defense drones or repair ones.
- When you get the flag ship, you want to have AT LEAST full shields and 2-3 weapons. Extra energy should go into engines for the evade.
- Figure out what kinds of weapons you want to fight the Flagship. Flak Gun IIs are FANTASTIC at ripping down it's shields, as are Burst Laser 2s. Another option is to hack the shield room, which lowers the shields AND locks the doors. Tossing a Fire Bomb or Breech Bomb in their while doing that is a great way to hurt the people trying to keep it running as well.
- When fighting the flag ship, as soon as you can damage it, DESTROY THE 3-SHOT MISSILE LAUNCHER. Fire Bombs, Assault Drones, Breech Missiles... whatever it takes. The missile launcher is the single most dangerous weapon on the enemy flag ship. Take it out fast.
- You want to hit as many jumps in a zone as you can before the fleet catches up. This will get you as much scrap/items/crew as you can.
- Always wait to fire all of your weapons at the same time.
- If you have the option to grab a Scrap Recovery Arm in the first few zones, snag it. Same with the Drone Recovery Arm if you want to use drones.
- If you are going to bring drones to the flagship, bring defense drones or repair ones.
- When you get the flag ship, you want to have AT LEAST full shields and 2-3 weapons. Extra energy should go into engines for the evade.
- Figure out what kinds of weapons you want to fight the Flagship. Flak Gun IIs are FANTASTIC at ripping down it's shields, as are Burst Laser 2s. Another option is to hack the shield room, which lowers the shields AND locks the doors. Tossing a Fire Bomb or Breech Bomb in their while doing that is a great way to hurt the people trying to keep it running as well.
- When fighting the flag ship, as soon as you can damage it, DESTROY THE 3-SHOT MISSILE LAUNCHER. Fire Bombs, Assault Drones, Breech Missiles... whatever it takes. The missile launcher is the single most dangerous weapon on the enemy flag ship. Take it out fast.
Finally started Borderlands 2 yesterday!! It's awesome! But you already know that.
To all of you who got Shovel Knight, especially backers:
BUTT MODE IS REAL
Name your profile X&BUTT, according to Yacht Club Games.
BUTT MODE IS REAL
Name your profile X&BUTT, according to Yacht Club Games.
GasBandit
Staff member
Thursday's patch has thrown all of multiplayer Space Engineers into chaos because it broke navigational beacons. With no way to get coordinates (the stars are painted on a skybox, and not very useful for navigation), it becomes nearly impossible to navigate from one area to another since the game gives you, at max, 6 km visual range.
In fact the server I normally play on was down all night. So I joined a guy I met there in his pirate faction on another server. Would you believe they've only been playing there a week? Wow.
That's a 49-drill rig there. And look at all those refineries in the background.
This is their flagship, nearing completion, named the "George Dub." It's literally a planetkiller. See those cross-shaped apertures in the sides? Those are nuclear missile launch bays.It's ingenious and a bit frightening. Further back there is a fighter hangar and armor repair bay whose walls are lined with dozens of welding apparatus. I'm told these guys frequently hold other factions' bases for ransom, and offer 500,000 iron ingot bounties for anonymously sent coordinates to large player bases. For you non-players, that's probably roughly 10 times the amount of iron I've refined in all the days I've played this game.
Welp, there's me, in a welding tug, working on building a new heavy escort corvette for the George Dub, which I've dubbed The Infernvm. It will be a slightly scaled up version of my previous battlewagon, sporting 6 turrets and 2 rocket launchers instead of 2 and 1, double the thrust power, and enough room inside to hook up conveyors to everything along with having its own refinery, assembler, cargo bay, gravity generator, beacon, medical bay, and gyroscope, all powered by 3 reactors. I'm still debating where to put the cargo connector, because I've got options.
Kinda feels bewildering just being handed the kind of resources these guys have amassed to make what I will. This must be what it feels like when a tech startup is bought by google.
In fact the server I normally play on was down all night. So I joined a guy I met there in his pirate faction on another server. Would you believe they've only been playing there a week? Wow.
That's a 49-drill rig there. And look at all those refineries in the background.
This is their flagship, nearing completion, named the "George Dub." It's literally a planetkiller. See those cross-shaped apertures in the sides? Those are nuclear missile launch bays.It's ingenious and a bit frightening. Further back there is a fighter hangar and armor repair bay whose walls are lined with dozens of welding apparatus. I'm told these guys frequently hold other factions' bases for ransom, and offer 500,000 iron ingot bounties for anonymously sent coordinates to large player bases. For you non-players, that's probably roughly 10 times the amount of iron I've refined in all the days I've played this game.
Welp, there's me, in a welding tug, working on building a new heavy escort corvette for the George Dub, which I've dubbed The Infernvm. It will be a slightly scaled up version of my previous battlewagon, sporting 6 turrets and 2 rocket launchers instead of 2 and 1, double the thrust power, and enough room inside to hook up conveyors to everything along with having its own refinery, assembler, cargo bay, gravity generator, beacon, medical bay, and gyroscope, all powered by 3 reactors. I'm still debating where to put the cargo connector, because I've got options.
Kinda feels bewildering just being handed the kind of resources these guys have amassed to make what I will. This must be what it feels like when a tech startup is bought by google.