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Motion of FRIDAY!

Started by Jarhead0331, October 18, 2019, 04:48:06 AM

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Jarhead0331



Just another 2 weeks until the home construction is essentially finished and everything will return to normal. So looking forward to gett8ng my flight and VR gear set back up.

Until then, maybe Steel Division 2 with new dlc, some more GR Breakpoint and Close Combat TBF.

Enjoy.
Grogheads Uber Alles
Semper Grog
"No beast is more alpha than JH." Gusington, 10/23/18


FlickJax

So lazy in my gaming still so probably just puzzle quest and slay the spire again!!!!

Oh and some fun on the Wii, that we plugged back in after a few years.  Forgot how much fun and how simple these games were :)

Gusington

In a gaming rut, officially. Spellforce III was good for a time but little annoyances built up and I've uninstalled. And after a second campaign, I have to finally admit defeat and say that I just did not enjoy Vampyr, at all. With games out there like AssCreed Odyssey and Witcher 3, it just felt claustrophobic, shallow and dead inside (pun intended).

Moving in this weekend to try out Warlock 2 (with the Renaissance mod), Planescape: Torment Enhanced Edition and  Witcher 2.


слава Україна!

We can't live under the threat of a c*nt because he's threatening nuclear Armageddon.

-JudgeDredd

DoctorQuest

A huge dose of real life this weekend. Traveling to PA for a family get together. Lots of flying and driving.
"Everything you read on the internet is true." - Benjamin Franklin

"Zero-G and I feel fine....." - John Glenn

"I reject your reality and substitute my own." - Adam Savage, inventor of the alternative fact.

Anguille

#4
I will continue my current game of Stellaris. I will also continue my first Let's play on youtube (playing Horizon, first attempt in french, next one will be in english, maybe with Oriental Empires). I think i'll start a new campaign in Fields of Glory: Empires with the last patch.

Take care guys

Sir Slash

Probably limited gaming time this weekend but if I do get some quiet time, Rome 2 with the DEI Mod. If not then a little CMBN with the user made scenario, Wittman's Swords at Villars Bocage. Or back to killing spiders in Baldur's Gate 2. Have a great weekend Grogs everywhere.  :bd:
"Take a look at that". Sgt. Wilkerson-- CMBN. His last words after spotting a German tank on the other side of a hedgerow.

KyzBP

I've been trying to play Phantom Doctrine since picking it up on sale last week.  It's not bad but I want it to be more like Covert Action.

Blucher

The Grogs Barbarians Field of Glory Empires pbem
TOAW IV PBEM
Tillers Danube Front PBEM
Disco Elysium a strange game but I got sucked in last night the highlight digging through a dumpster it was amazing.

A few weeks ago I started a Baldurs gate 1 campaign but got really bored fired up Pillars of Eternity 1 complete which I bought ages ago and totally fell in love. Such a great game despite the bad reviews I have read for years.

JasonPratt

Usually this time of year I indulge in a run through the Batman: Arkham games; but this year I settled for compiling a nice soundtrack from ArkKnight's music, and I've been taking my time punching through the Shadow of Middle Earth duology (or whatever the official name is). Which reminds me that I want to get back to my bard character in LotRO again someday: I really enjoyed that, but too many sparkly things.

The Shadow duology confuses parts of my brain about whether I like it or not. The action, especially in the first game, tends to be very samey, compared to other games borrowing the Arkham combat system (although the underlying engine comes from somewhere else... Mass Effect?? That can't be right, but it was something that didn't seem connected to Monolith's gaming history, and surprised me when I heard it.) The aesthetics are mostly ugly, as appropriate to the setting (Mordor overrun by orcs.)

But the combat system itself remains very hooky... (hookish? ...hookery??), as well as the mission system, and it's easy to lose several hours wiping through points of interest going across part of the map.

And while the story tends to be rather decompressed, it highlights just how grimdark Tolkien's world can be: the games absolutely nail Tolkien's concept of "The Long Defeat", where until the eucatastrophe the best you can do is try to keep the dark at bay and carve back some gains while trying not to become a monster yourself. "Desire for power, revenge, war: these are the tools of Sauron, and we must be careful not to become enslaved by him," says a character with loads and loads of ironic foreshadowing (and backshadowing). ;)  It's impossible to defeat evil using necessary evils, and yet to survive they are currently necessary.

The lyrics to the main theme of the second game (sung probably from the perspective of an important side character in that game), evoke the same fading desolation:

QuoteStone by stone...
Cracked, crushed, fallen...
Beauty burned.... erased -- but not forgotten...
I'll take your melodies; may your last breath...
Fill the air with embers...
I... inhale

In their blood, I will stand!
Let the waning light of Man,
Cast my shadow on the Fires of War
Till our time burns away,
Till our embers fade to grey,
Cast my shadow on the Fires of War!

My grief is swollen... in rusty chains...
Tethered to the killing wheel...
Sun up, sun down, sun up, sun down again.
One burning candle...
One wind-whipped flame...
I carry in my teeth like an animal...
Vengeance my strength!

In their blood, I will stand!
Let the waning light of Man,
Cast my shadow on the Fires of War
Till our time burns away,
Till our embers fade to grey,
Cast my shadow on the Fires of War!
ICEBREAKER THESIS CHRONOLOGY! -- Victor Suvorov's Stalin Grand Strategy theory, in lots and lots of chronological order...
Dawn of Armageddon -- narrative AAR for Dawn of War: Soulstorm: Ultimate Apocalypse
Survive Harder! -- Two season narrative AAR, an Amazon Blood Bowl career.
PanzOrc Corpz Generals -- Fantasy Wars narrative AAR, half a combined campaign.
Khazâd du-bekâr! -- narrative dwarf AAR for LotR BfME2 RotWK campaign.
RobO Q Campaign Generator -- archived classic CMBB/CMAK tool!

Dammit Carl!

Now that I've got internet again, I've no idea what to play!  IL-2?  World of Tanks? RO2?  RS2?  Or chuck them for something else?

al_infierno

My gaming habits have been all over the place lately.  I've been balls-deep in John Wick Hex, which is a surprisingly satisfying tactical experience.  Now and then I'll switch things up with some Tekken 7 or my latest Crusader Kings 2 playthrough where I'm actually trying to play as a Ned Stark-esque good guy for once!  (Spoiler alert: It doesn't go quite as planned!)

CC: The Bloody First has been calling my name as well.  There was a new patch the other day that seems to have tightened the game up quite a bit.  On the initial First Blood defense scenario, the Germans actually put up a vicious fight for once!  Might have to sink some serious time into this game, lately I've only been playing it piecemeal due to the 1.0 jank.
A War of a Madman's Making - a text-based war planning and political survival RPG

It makes no difference what men think of war, said the judge.  War endures.  As well ask men what they think of stone.  War was always here.  Before man was, war waited for him.  The ultimate trade awaiting its ultimate practitioner.  That is the way it was and will be.  That way and not some other way.
- Cormac McCarthy, Blood Meridian


If they made nothing but WWII games, I'd be perfectly content.  Hypothetical matchups from alternate history 1980s, asymmetrical US-bashes-some-3rd world guerillas, or minor wars between Upper Bumblescum and outer Kaboomistan hold no appeal for me.
- Silent Disapproval Robot


I guess it's sort of nice that the word "tactical" seems to refer to some kind of seriousness during your moments of mental clarity.
- MengJiao

-budd-

More 7 days to die alpha 18 exploration, a lot of big changes. FOG2 pbem and some CC: TBF.
Enjoy when you can, and endure when you must.  ~Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Be Yourself; Everyone Else is Taken ~Oscar Wilde

*I'm in the Wargamer middle ground*
I don't buy all the wargames I want, I just buy more than I need.

Gusington

Two questions: can I enjoy Baldur's Gate 2 without having played the first one?

And which Batman Arkham game is the bestest? I have a few of them.


слава Україна!

We can't live under the threat of a c*nt because he's threatening nuclear Armageddon.

-JudgeDredd

JasonPratt

#13
Balder's Gate 2 really does carry on the plot from the first game, and picks up after you've already gained some levels. So it finishes out the growth from level-0 nobody killing rats in basements to slaying at least one major D&D demon. Some of the character development from the first game makes a difference in the second game, too.

However, I've never played the full series out myself, being distracted from playing BG1 too often by other shiny things.  :coolsmiley:


Best Arkham game varies. No one believes Blackgate is the best at anything, though, so if you're going for a full Batman career (which is more-or-less covered in the games, focusing mostly on the final three years or so) you're just as well off finding an hour and a half movie compilation of that one. (Ditto the VR Arkham, which mostly serves as an elaborate prologue to ArkKnight while spoiling some plot developments that most Bat-fans of the comics saw coming miles away anyway.)


You can skip to a briefer summary looking for **************** below.
Leaving over the other four main games (in boldface, their chronological order (including DLC) would be:

Initiation DLC for ArkOrg (which has practically no important story and means nothing, unfortunately, so don't bother with it)

Arkham Origins: generally regarded as the best story and boss fights (though boss fights are kind of a weak point in the series anyway). Music and voice talent are largely different from the main trilogy, but are still very good and fit well. Has the advantage of being as close to the start of Batman's career as the series really gets, so you can continue on later. Christmas themed, not Halloween themed. Annoying Riddler trophies can be mostly ignored with no loss (other than extra points to level up abilities); and the mandatory Riddler things work and conclude well enough.

Cold, Cold Heart: epilogue DLC for ArkOrg, essentially retelling an expanded version of the classic Batman Animated Series first season episode Heart of Ice (codifying the origin story for Victor Fries / Mister Freeze). Often regarded as the best of the story DLCs, and well worth playing in my opinion, if you complete ArkOrg.

Archival note! -- the now-abandoned multiplayer component had some snippets of story featuring the first Robin, Dick Grayson, working with Batman for the first time. Likely to be retconned and/or incorporated into a 5th Batman game set after ArkOrg (which Rocksteady is definitely working on.)


A Matter of Family: DLC for ArkKnight, featuring Batgirl's first big mission (teamed up with the Tim Drake Robin). It's pretty good, especially if you're a fan of Barbara Gordon / Batgirl (and the Arkham suit design) -- which I am. (Combat Librarian!  :smitten: ) Takes place a little before ArkAsy, but you can only get it to play with ArkKnight. Included for chronology sake. Generally regarded as the 2nd best story DLC.


Arkham Asylum: the original entry in the series. Has the most plot focus, due to having the smallest game area; and generally the most consistent tone. Best at a Halloween vibe -- everywhere you go is like one big haunted house/trail (with groaning music to match, introducing the series' main themes). Except being Batman, you're better at scaring the other people. Not unlike a "good Xenomorph from Alien fighting evildoers!" Uses a number of classic voice actors from the BTAS days, including Arleen Sorkin's final Harley Quinn performance (a character she helped originate and codify). Written by a major contributor to the BTAS show, too (and the DCAU series generally), Paul Dini. Some people like this entry best due to its thematic focus and plot design. It's also no doubt the easiest of the four main games, which can be a plus. ;) Served as a testbed technology prototype for the game the developers really wanted to make (ArkCity)! Annoying Riddler trophies can be ignored as much as you like, aside from points to help unlock abilities; not worth beating him with 100% collection.


Arkham City: the game the devs really wanted to make, and were testing tech for in ArkAsy! Only third in free-roam size, but area's design helps a lot and the relatively restricted area keeps focus. References the plot of ArkAsy in at least one key way, so not a bad idea to watch a story dump of that first. Nowadays, is generally regarded as having the second best of everything in the series, and therefore on average still the best game overall!  :D Best Riddler sidequests, worth completing the Riddler missions. Catwoman side missions are distracting at worst, also distracting at best.

Harley's Revenge: short ArkCity epilogue DLC (about an hour playtime), mostly featuring the Tim Drake Robin rescuing Batman. No story impact for this game or later, very skippable.


Unnamed Harley Quinn storypack: prologue to ArkKnight, but fairly skippable.

Arkham Knight: biggest and most packed of the games, released in a buggy state for Windows but patched up better than ArkOrg (your mileage may vary). Also most difficult, but lots more to do with more capabilities (and difficulty can be tweaked of course). "Season of Infamy Most Wanted" expansion set (originally released in pieces) includes sidestories not originally ready in time for release (and milkable for extra charge woo hoo), and should be included. Halloween themed but not as much as ArkAsy (due to locale). Story is ambitious and tries REALLY REALLY HARD!  :D Riddler sidequests are tolerable mostly thanks to including Catwoman during the main portions; non-mandatory Riddler worth beating but barely, and mainly to help unlock the "true ending" (which most people will prefer to find on Youtube anyway). The Batmobile is practically it's own sidekick character! -- and it turns into a small mobile tank! A lot. Waaaaaay too often a lot. Top graphics will burn your rig alive; but looks really good even on 720p with gfx scaled back. (I know, I played it completion that way on its first release.) A lot of people like this one the best for being the grand finale total ultimate Batman experience.

There are various epilogue short storyline dlcs for two Robins (Tim Drake and the first one, Dick Grayson, now "Nightwing"), as well as for Catwoman, and for someone else I won't mention. They're fine, but nothing mandatory or special. If you have them, great; if not don't worry about it.



********************************************
In summary:


ArkOrg (plus CCH dlc): best story and cut-scenes and boss-fights (relatively), but buggyness on PC could be Russian Roulette (I don't have problems, but others do.) Second largest free-roam area.

ArkOrg:Blackgate: 2.5D Metroidvania side scroller converted to Arkham mechanics, sort of. Story is okay, though less so than other games. Art between gameplay is atrocious. Catwoman is introduced and plays a big role in the story, so at least worth finding a "movie" compilation, but I always skip playing it now. No one's favorite Arkham game.

ArkAsy simplest and easiest, with best Halloween seasonal theme. Smallest free-roam area, but helps focus the tone to a nice autumn haunted-house/trail vibe. Some people like it best for this reason. Ending is somewhat meh compared to other entries. Worst bossfights. (Even moreso than Blackgate!)

ArkCity: does some things better than the other games and nothing worse than second-place, so some people like it best for this reason! Catwoman DLC is included as mandatory nowadays I think.

ArkKnight: by far the biggest, best looking, most to do in the series, and references all prior games along the way. Favorite for some fans for this reason (myself included), but not the best game to start with since it's designed to be a grand finale ending! Might be buggy on your PC, hard to guess: it did get more patching than ArkOrg.
ICEBREAKER THESIS CHRONOLOGY! -- Victor Suvorov's Stalin Grand Strategy theory, in lots and lots of chronological order...
Dawn of Armageddon -- narrative AAR for Dawn of War: Soulstorm: Ultimate Apocalypse
Survive Harder! -- Two season narrative AAR, an Amazon Blood Bowl career.
PanzOrc Corpz Generals -- Fantasy Wars narrative AAR, half a combined campaign.
Khazâd du-bekâr! -- narrative dwarf AAR for LotR BfME2 RotWK campaign.
RobO Q Campaign Generator -- archived classic CMBB/CMAK tool!

Gusington

Thank you Pratt - I actually read through your entire screed!! So according to what you wrote I think my choice is obvious...Arkham Asylum. But now that I know there are demons in Baldur's Gate ... I may have to fire that up, finally.


слава Україна!

We can't live under the threat of a c*nt because he's threatening nuclear Armageddon.

-JudgeDredd