What Video Games Have You Been Playing, Part 10: Or; A Shameful Display!

[Takhisis]

I am playing as the reborn arch-heroine Tenma Yozora in a little gem called Aria of the Dragon-Slayer. I am supposed to pilfer as much gold from the Queen's palace and nearby villages while defending her during the Second Dragon War, right? She's promised me a reward for saving the city. I mean, that's how this kind of game is supposed to be played, according to TVTropes.

 

[aimeeandbeatles]

This wasn't supposed to happen, was it?

 

[EgonSpengler]

Path of Exile: Synthesis

Pretty fun. Easier to grasp than the previous two expansions. It has a feel like the Delve mines, where you have to rush to your appointed destination before the walls close in, and you're assailed by waves of bad guys who can foil your mission just by slowing you down enough. You have to get through them, but if you actually stop to fight them, you can easily screw yourself. (In this case, though, you don't get killed if you don't reach your goal with enough alacrity, you just get booted out of the collapsing pocket-dimension with nothing to show for it.)

My new guy is KalakonaTheTurtle, an angry human-growth-hormone experiment, a Marauder with a pair of axes who regenerates hit points so fast only the boss-monsters can really hurt him. Sort of an homage to Hugh Jackman's Logan, with meat cleavers instead of claws. I'm still messing around with combinations of Skill Gems and Support Gems. I have an eye towards Cyclone, but I'm not there yet. In the meantime, I'm experimenting with Sunder and Cleave for crowds, and Vigilant Strike and Heavy Strike for single targets. I'm constantly changing my Support Gems around, but I think I've used Bleed Support and Melee Splash the most. Leap Slam is the obvious movement skill for this guy. I also picked up Enduring Cry, but so far it hasn't been useful. In fact, in the fever of battle, I keep forgetting I even have it. I wonder if Warcries can be used with some sort of triggering support gem.

For passives, I went through the middle first, getting Warrior's Blood, Heart of the Warrior, and Born to Fight. Then I went through Diamond Skin and Juggernaut, en route to the axe skills Cleaving and Slaughter. I'm thinking I'll probably head south to Red Storm and focus my offense on bleeding attacks. So probably Bloodletting and Crimson Dance. I also gave Oak my friendship bracelet, for more damage and more regeneration.

 

[PhroX]

My first impressions of Synthesis are that it's a clunkier version of Incursion. They both give you extra areas that appear mid-map with a time limit, but Incursion's ones had clearer goals, better layouts and a way of interacting with the time limit. The Memory Nexus probably does give you more customisation in the long run than the Architect/Temple stuff, but I'm yet to completely get my head round how to really take advantage of it, especially as you have no real control on what pieces you get. As for Synthesis crafting, I really have no idea how it works. Seems completely random what implicits you get. I'm still enjoying it, but it seems weaker than the past three leagues.

The new and rebalanced skills, on the other hand, are looking promising. I tried both the new "themes" over the weekend - a divine- and channeling-centric Inquisitor and a chaos-centric Trickster - as I'm being indecisive as to what I want to play, and I'm having fun with both, though I think I'm gonna focus on the Trickster. Divine Ire is a hugely satisfying skill to use, though I'm slightly concerned about how well the AoE while charging will do for map clear later on, while the reworked Storm Burst is a big improvement over the old version. On the Chaos side of things, Bane is really good, though I'm having more fun with rebalanced ED/Contagion (which still works the same, only it has a good chunk more damage), while Soul Rend looks promising but I feel needs GMP to really shine (only a couple more levels till I pick it up). Not certain what I'll end up using - probably either ED/Cont or SR as my main clear skill, with a 4-linked Bane to add curses and damage on bosses.

Egon, I'd suggest you try Double Strike if you're looking for a melee skill that works well with bleeding. It's probably the strongest "proper" melee skill at the present, especially for a starting / low budget character, as it has a big damage boost against bleeding targets built into it which scales with gem level instead of weapon damage (so it still hits really hard if you've got crappy gear). The single target damage is always good, and if you can get it linked with Melee Splash and Ancestral Call, you've got your AoE covered - use Chance to Bleed as your 4th link until you've got a good amount on the passive tree, then switch to Melee Physical Damage. Plus you can get the Vaal version which also gives you one of the best bosskilling skills in the game in VDS (it summons up to four copies of yourself for a short duration - enough to burn down almost any big threat).

 

[EgonSpengler]

Egon, I'd suggest you try Double Strike if you're looking for a melee skill that works well with bleeding.

I haven't tried that one yet. I'll look for it. It seems "theme appropriate" to using two weapons, too.

 

[aimeeandbeatles]

I do dumb stuff when I'm bored.

 

[Phrossack]

In Mass Effect 2, I agonized for an hour over my armor combination and paint scheme. Settled on my traditional black and white camo, with mostly Kestrel armor but the visor instead of the helmet, but I'm still not satisfied.

Now I'm agonizing over whether to stick with the Flashbang skill, or switch to Armor-piercing Ammo, Shredder Ammo, or maybe shields. Flashbangs can be useful in theory, and as a soldier, I already have Incendiary and Disruptor Ammo. If I switched to Shredder, I could have the right tools to deal with organic and synthetic enemies. If I switched to AP, I could get a good bonus against everything, I think. But since I have two ammo types and the potential for Cryo (not sure if it's any good), maybe I should go into shielding?

On top of that I'll have to choose whether to do the right thing and restrain Zaeed's urge for vengeance to save civilians but harm his loyalty, or gain the loyalty of someone who is, after all, voiced by the late great Robin Sachs.

It's tough being naturally indecisive in a game that's mostly about decision-making.

 

[Akka]

On top of that I'll have to choose whether to do the right thing and restrain Zaeed's urge for vengeance to save civilians but harm his loyalty, or gain the loyalty of someone who is, after all, voiced by the late great Robin Sachs.

You can do both.

 

[yung.carl.jung]

I'm no longer playing video games. I don't think it's a phase anymore, I guess I've just gone off it for good. Which is really sad but I can't help it. Even Red Dead Redemption 2, in all it's awesomeness, I can't get exited over. Haven't even tried it yet.

haven't played any games at all since I started modding. feels good to be honest. I think vidya might be the only artistic medium that's in a worse creative state than blockbuster cinema.

 

[civvver]

I played some sim city 4 last night. Even after hundreds of hours I still have no idea what I'm doing.

 

[Thorgalaeg]

I have given up on HoI 4. It is a total mess and the AI cheats massively. So after expending several hundred hours playing it i finally realised it is a crappy game and nobody is going to return me that lost time. Hey Paradox, I demand a compensation!

 

[Lexicus]

I have given up on HoI 4. It is a total mess and the AI cheats massively. So after expending several hundred hours playing it i finally realised it is a crappy game and nobody is going to return me that lost time. Hey Paradox, I demand a compensation!

Aw man, is that after the Man the Guns expansion? Did that expansion mess things up or do you think that this description is also accurate for pre-MtG times?

 

[Thorgalaeg]

I think it applies to pre-MtG times but in a lesser degree. MtG has unbalanced the whole thing and made it hardly playable.

 

[Lexicus]

I think it applies to pre-MtG times but in a lesser degree. MtG has unbalanced the whole thing and made it hardly playable.

Well, I have some faith that Paradox will straighten it out some with patches. I haven't gotten MtG, maybe I won't given this review. We'll see if things improve.

 

[Synobun]

I played some sim city 4 last night. Even after hundreds of hours I still have no idea what I'm doing.

This is the problem I face with city-building games. I love the theory, and even the execution, but when it comes time to learning it my eyes immediately glaze over and my mind goes to its happy place.

 

[EgonSpengler]

This is the problem I face with city-building games. I love the theory, and even the execution, but when it comes time to learning it my eyes immediately glaze over and my mind goes to its happy place.

I have an issue with sandbox games, not just city-building games, because I often need a goal to work towards. If the game doesn't provide me with a purpose or a goal and I have to invent one for myself, I'll often find my attention wandering. Those sorts of games are also harder to come back to, because then I have to remember what I was going for when I started. I never get very far with my Cities: Skylines games because I can put 10 hours into something over a weekend, but then when I look at it 2 weeks later I have no idea what I was doing, and then it's like picking up a game that somebody else started and I'm coming in at the middle, so I just start over. And there have been times when I've booted up Cities: Skylines, stared at the blank canvas for 10 minutes, and quit.

 

[Synobun]

That's... actually maybe a good point. I had a lot more success with games like Banished, Sim City Societies (*gasp*), and City Life than I did with Sim City 3000, Sim City 4, and Cities: Skylines (albeit I never got to try this one very much because Paradox's prescription for Cialis for their video game performance ran out years ago).

With Banished, you're fighting against starvation. With Societies and City Life, you need to reach specific goals and you deal with class clashes.

I also can't remember what I'm doing in sandbox games. If more than 2-3 days passes between sessions, I have to spend a significant amount of time reacquainting myself with what I've done and what I was trying to do. So I tend to play sandbox games in spurts. I'll quickly accrue 30-40 hours over the course of a week or two and then not touch it again for a year or more.

 

[Timsup2nothin]

An in game notepad should be a design imperative for sandbox games. In X3 whenever I start getting that "I need a break" feeling I make a full but concise entry in the ship's log about what I am up to. Usually making the entry gets my interest back up and I play on for a bit before I drop off, but when I cycle back around to X3 again I at least have a pretty good idea where I left off and don't always feel compelled to restart.

 

[Synobun]

I would like that idea. They should hire you.

 

[EgonSpengler]

If you liked Banished but you thought it wasn't enough like getting jumped into a street-gang, you might like Frostpunk.