It is indeed the game that lets you shoot people in the balls, and I have indeed been endeavoring to shoot everyone in the balls.
Monster Hunter Stories 2 is adorable and super fun. Highly recommended!
GasBandit
Staff member
I cracked open my GOG account, and of all things, I'm replaying Neverwinter Nights. There's some jank brought on by 15 years of technological advancement, but it really has its hooks in me again.
Still, the farther I get into it, the more my enthusiasm wanes, because I know how much the ending sucks.
Still, the farther I get into it, the more my enthusiasm wanes, because I know how much the ending sucks.
I know it's not as old as NWN, but I started playing battletech again this weekend, and I'm totally sucked back into it.
Yeah. Me too. I even bought all the DLC during the steam sale just to play through it again. I started playing it again after I got the DLC and started playing through MW5 again.
I should probably try it again. There was some reason I didn't like it last time I played but now I can't remember why
The recent Weapons Update did a lot to make the game more balanced and, IMO, much more fun. For instance, SRMs are positively brutal (like they should be) and Laser AMS is actually worth using now. More builds are viable, so it's not just the same weapons always on top.
GasBandit
Staff member
Damn, 1200+ damage from SRMs only is pretty sweet.
I think my best game ever was something like 1400 damage from mostly LRM15s with a couple medium lasers on a catapult.
It's pretty gratifying to pound clanners into the ground with rinky dink IS tech.
GasBandit
Staff member
If I had to guess, maybe using whatever the free mechs of the week are until you can afford to buy your own? That was a little bit of a bummer at first... but I pretty quickly saved up enough to buy a Cicada 3M and customize it to my playstyle. Once I got it tricked out how I liked, it earned me enough c-bills to get a variety of other mechs, including the Catapult that is now my primary workhorse, in addition to my King Crab, Atlas, and several other stupid expensive mechs.
But I'd say 90% of the time, I'm either in my Cicada or my Catapult. And the fact that they are viable in a world filled with Mad Cat Mk2s speaks volumes to the game's balance.
Oh, but Spiders and Jenners still get secret armor buffs behind the scenes, I swear to God.
This IS a good time to jump in. They are doing their summer event, so every 150 points of score is a free bag with ether MC (cash shop currency), C-Bills (normal currency), GSP (global skill points), or free cockpit items. You can also build up enough "bags" to get a free ATLAS and paint and such.
Wildermyth has been absolutely amazing. Loving the stories generated and the characters that develop from choices made. Highly recommend! Steam Store Page.
Funny you all talking about MWO, my friend convinced me to give MW5 a try again since they added that terribly overpriced DLC.
MW5 still sucks. The radar being less than visual range is embarrassing since visual range is so limited too. What's the point of having missiles that have range on enemies? You don't share radar with your lance, so there's no scout/long-range support dynamic. Enemies still spawn directly out of your line of sight, sometimes within it. It's just poor.
Well, back to playing English translations of Japanese SNES games I didn't particularly knew existed. Front Mission Gun Hazard rules ass so far.
MW5 still sucks. The radar being less than visual range is embarrassing since visual range is so limited too. What's the point of having missiles that have range on enemies? You don't share radar with your lance, so there's no scout/long-range support dynamic. Enemies still spawn directly out of your line of sight, sometimes within it. It's just poor.
Well, back to playing English translations of Japanese SNES games I didn't particularly knew existed. Front Mission Gun Hazard rules ass so far.
See, this is weird to me because in MWO and Battletech, you DO share targeting data. If your lancemate has sensor data, so do you and if they have a lock, it makes your lock-on faster. This is the entire point of some mechs like the Kitfox: you stealth with ECM and TAG/NARC enemies for bombardment. It's the entire point of Beagle and Command consoles. Hell, sometimes just hitting an enemy at range will give you sensor data too.
GasBandit
Staff member
Well, to be fair, even in MWO ECM doesn't "stop" missile locks, it just makes them take a lot longer to lock.
But yeah the no-shared-radar-data thing is unforgiveable. It's astonishing how much MWO did right that MW5 lost or fucked up, especially given that the SAME DEV DID BOTH GAMES.
ECM in MWO makes the holder and nearby friendly mechs invisible to enemy sensors within a range of 180 meters unless they are within 1/4th of the max sensor distance of a mech (default is 800m so 200m) or are TAGed. If they do become detected, it takes twice as long to a lock and enemies wthin an ECM field that are NARCed block the NARC effect. Artemis doesn't not work on enemies in an ECM field. You communications are also cut off, so no calling for help.
Funnily enough, PPC weapons knock off ECM for 30 seconds. That makes PPCs better than Sniper weapons than LLAS in my book.
Funnily enough, PPC weapons knock off ECM for 30 seconds. That makes PPCs better than Sniper weapons than LLAS in my book.
Has anyone played Stardew Valley on iPad? I have a new one (kid stole my old one and I wanted one for various reasons) and I see that it’s 6.99 there.
Is fishing a complete disaster there? Is it otherwise awesome there?
Once we’re allowed to travel, I will be traveling a ton. To one place lol.
Is fishing a complete disaster there? Is it otherwise awesome there?
Once we’re allowed to travel, I will be traveling a ton. To one place lol.
GasBandit
Staff member
I would assume it's the same flappy-bird minigame as PC, with the added "bonus" that you can't mod it to make it easier.
GasBandit
Staff member
Man, I hate being scolded for burying axes in priests. Just let me have my fun.
Oh, I guess it would suck in a video game, too.
GasBandit
Staff member
"What are you playing?"
I can barely believe it myself, but...
I had no idea back in the day how grindy this game was. And how much ridiculous non-information there was. Talking to NPCs, I usually get such oddness as
"My name is Jane. I'm on a diet."
"I'm John. I know more about Ultima than you."
"My kid doesn't study at all."
"I am Catharine. I cannot speak English well." Whuh... what do you speak then?
I mean, it's not even in character!
I can barely believe it myself, but...
I had no idea back in the day how grindy this game was. And how much ridiculous non-information there was. Talking to NPCs, I usually get such oddness as
"My name is Jane. I'm on a diet."
"I'm John. I know more about Ultima than you."
"My kid doesn't study at all."
"I am Catharine. I cannot speak English well." Whuh... what do you speak then?
I mean, it's not even in character!
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GasBandit
Staff member
And that's just this party. Ultima 3 let you build a stable of up to 24 characters to mix and match parties at will.
I remember the whole family sitting around the apple 2 playing this when I was like in..junior high.
GasBandit
Staff member
More Ultima 3 retro stuff.
So, there's a problem with character progression in Ultima 3. Gaining EXP and leveling up does two things - gives you more HP, and makes more powerful monsters spawn in the overworld. Thus, a very counterintuitive but essential strategy is to not go visit Lord British for as long as humanly possible, and instead stay level 1 and farm the level 1 enemies for cash to buy equipment and tools. See, both white and black magic get a spell that costs 0 mp that can instantly mass-kill these enemies - Repel, a black magic spell which destroys Orcs and Goblins, and Undead (I'm sure short for Turn Undead), a white magic spell that destroys Skeletons and Ghouls.
This is a double edged sword, however, because as exp is awarded to the character that gets each kill, it means your wizards and clerics will VASTLY and QUICKLY outlevel your non-magic characters, such as fighters and thieves.
And non-magic characters don't really have what it takes to go toe to toe with the higher level enemies until you get them really good gear, and raise their stats by donating money to the shrines in Ambrosia.
The thing is, you have to sail a ship through a whirlpool to get to the hidden continent of Ambrosia - and to get a ship, you have to defeat pirates. And pirates only start showing up when somebody in the party is level 5 or higher.
So it's a catch 22. You can't really fight high level enemies until you go use the resources in Ambrosia, and you can't get to Ambrosia until you unleash the higher level enemies.
The way to handle this is to have a B-Team with a Ranger. Rangers are the jack-of-all-trades class in the game.
The ranger only suffers a 25% dex penalty against traps and chests, he can use up to mid-level weapons and high level armor, and gets access to both white and black magic. Thus, at level 1, a ranger can instakill just about any group of any number of any enemy you run into. Making him a huge gold-farming machine that can get to level 5 in no time flat.
So, the idea is, you make a B team with a ranger in it, get the ranger to level 5, capture a pirate ship, then dock the pirate ship near the capital, go back to the inn, and switch back to your still-level-1 A-Team. The ship persists, and your characters can then take it (and all the gold you made getting to it) to Ambrosia, visit the shrines, and max out your stat numbers (STR for your brawlers (Fighers, Paladins, Larks), DEX for your rogues (Barbarians, Thieves, Illusionists and Alchemists), WIS for your white casters (Clerics, Paladins, Illusionists and Druids), and INT for your black casters (Wizards, Larks, Alchemists and Druids). And I guess if you really want to spend a lot of time grinding, ALL FOUR for your Rangers. And from what I read, it's also important to max DEX on everybody regardless of class, as it affects accuracy of attacks and spells.
So, anyway, meet my B-Team
I'm still in it because somebody has to carry over the loot back to the main party, Tin is there to kill everything, and Keltsey and Emrys are there to use white magic to open the chests safely. Each stat I want to max out is going to need about 5000 gold (to go from 25 to 99 at 100g per single point increase), so I've got to grind up at least 20k, then let Tin get leveled up to 5 (and Lord British won't raise him above 5 unless he gets the Mark of Kings, which I won't get), Then swap Dei, Snuffles and Terrik back in and set sail for the monochromatic melancholy lands of Ambrosia.
So, there's a problem with character progression in Ultima 3. Gaining EXP and leveling up does two things - gives you more HP, and makes more powerful monsters spawn in the overworld. Thus, a very counterintuitive but essential strategy is to not go visit Lord British for as long as humanly possible, and instead stay level 1 and farm the level 1 enemies for cash to buy equipment and tools. See, both white and black magic get a spell that costs 0 mp that can instantly mass-kill these enemies - Repel, a black magic spell which destroys Orcs and Goblins, and Undead (I'm sure short for Turn Undead), a white magic spell that destroys Skeletons and Ghouls.
This is a double edged sword, however, because as exp is awarded to the character that gets each kill, it means your wizards and clerics will VASTLY and QUICKLY outlevel your non-magic characters, such as fighters and thieves.
And non-magic characters don't really have what it takes to go toe to toe with the higher level enemies until you get them really good gear, and raise their stats by donating money to the shrines in Ambrosia.
The thing is, you have to sail a ship through a whirlpool to get to the hidden continent of Ambrosia - and to get a ship, you have to defeat pirates. And pirates only start showing up when somebody in the party is level 5 or higher.
So it's a catch 22. You can't really fight high level enemies until you go use the resources in Ambrosia, and you can't get to Ambrosia until you unleash the higher level enemies.
The way to handle this is to have a B-Team with a Ranger. Rangers are the jack-of-all-trades class in the game.
The ranger only suffers a 25% dex penalty against traps and chests, he can use up to mid-level weapons and high level armor, and gets access to both white and black magic. Thus, at level 1, a ranger can instakill just about any group of any number of any enemy you run into. Making him a huge gold-farming machine that can get to level 5 in no time flat.
So, the idea is, you make a B team with a ranger in it, get the ranger to level 5, capture a pirate ship, then dock the pirate ship near the capital, go back to the inn, and switch back to your still-level-1 A-Team. The ship persists, and your characters can then take it (and all the gold you made getting to it) to Ambrosia, visit the shrines, and max out your stat numbers (STR for your brawlers (Fighers, Paladins, Larks), DEX for your rogues (Barbarians, Thieves, Illusionists and Alchemists), WIS for your white casters (Clerics, Paladins, Illusionists and Druids), and INT for your black casters (Wizards, Larks, Alchemists and Druids). And I guess if you really want to spend a lot of time grinding, ALL FOUR for your Rangers. And from what I read, it's also important to max DEX on everybody regardless of class, as it affects accuracy of attacks and spells.
So, anyway, meet my B-Team
I'm still in it because somebody has to carry over the loot back to the main party, Tin is there to kill everything, and Keltsey and Emrys are there to use white magic to open the chests safely. Each stat I want to max out is going to need about 5000 gold (to go from 25 to 99 at 100g per single point increase), so I've got to grind up at least 20k, then let Tin get leveled up to 5 (and Lord British won't raise him above 5 unless he gets the Mark of Kings, which I won't get), Then swap Dei, Snuffles and Terrik back in and set sail for the monochromatic melancholy lands of Ambrosia.
My messy house cost me $10 today. I was jonesing to play Pirates. I have the box, the map and book, but I can't find the damned disc. I have the damned sleeve the game came in too. So I had to buy it from Steam.
I just started drinking rum too.
I just started drinking rum too.
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GasBandit
Staff member
I think I'm making really good progress. I didn't save up all the money I needed, but I found the gold and silver picks (thanks in no small part to Terrik's excellent thievery skills), and using those I was able to dig up sets of mystic armor and weapons for every character. Tin cut a swath of destruction through the level 1 monster population, reaching level 5 much faster than I thought he would take. Then I took 5000 gold and went to Ambrosia, and spent 2000 gold on Anna and 3000 gold on Snuffles, improving their wisdom and intelligence respectively, which gets them more mana and more powerful spells.
I'm back in Sosaria now to farm more money and get some exp on the melee classes that can finally reliably deal with enemies, thanks to their gear and the fact that fighting from a ship creates choke points that can be clogged for enemies to funnel into.
I also got a bunch of flowers to take to Sherry in the royal city, which I will exchange for Heart Compasses (free teleports home). Once I've got another 5000-10000 gold, I'll go back to ambrosia to finish capping out the casters on WIS and INT, then start working on STR and DEX for the melee dudes.
Another 5000
I'm back in Sosaria now to farm more money and get some exp on the melee classes that can finally reliably deal with enemies, thanks to their gear and the fact that fighting from a ship creates choke points that can be clogged for enemies to funnel into.
I also got a bunch of flowers to take to Sherry in the royal city, which I will exchange for Heart Compasses (free teleports home). Once I've got another 5000-10000 gold, I'll go back to ambrosia to finish capping out the casters on WIS and INT, then start working on STR and DEX for the melee dudes.
Another 5000
Story of my sex life...I'm the guy you bring in to get the job done. Not the guy you keep.
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GasBandit
Staff member
I also would have accepted:Story of my sex life...I'm the guy you bring in to get the job done. Not the key you keep.
1) Oh, of course you make me the guy who goes both (magic) ways
or
2) Figures, Gas brought all 3 of his crushes in party B