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Re: What are you playing in quarantine? Also, MP invites here..

Posted: Thu Sep 24, 2020 12:13 pm
by coopasonic
Bard's Tale IV had some puzzles that I really appreciated. Well I think that was the same game. I played a lot of games this year.

Re: What are you playing in quarantine? Also, MP invites here..

Posted: Mon Sep 28, 2020 11:55 am
by Jaddison
September 2020 and I finally completed my first play-through of Borderlands! Yay, only took my what 10 years? Working all the others simultaneously but I do see how I burned out over and over on Borderlands...altitis. Trying to play each of the classes at same time made for quick burnout. This time I took the Siren and went straight through though the end left me confused until I saw I needed to do a second play-through....which means 2030 here I come!

Re: What are you playing in quarantine? Also, MP invites here..

Posted: Mon Sep 28, 2020 1:02 pm
by Ralph-Wiggum
Got FFVII remake for $25 this weekend and have played a few hours. I like it so far and either a lot of this stuff is completely new or I really don't remember the game well at all (it's likely both are true).

Re: What are you playing in quarantine? Also, MP invites here..

Posted: Mon Sep 28, 2020 1:11 pm
by Blackhawk
Jaddison wrote: Mon Sep 28, 2020 11:55 am September 2020 and I finally completed my first play-through of Borderlands! Yay, only took my what 10 years? Working all the others simultaneously but I do see how I burned out over and over on Borderlands...altitis. Trying to play each of the classes at same time made for quick burnout. This time I took the Siren and went straight through though the end left me confused until I saw I needed to do a second play-through....which means 2030 here I come!
FWIW, the second playthrough is a lot more fun than the first.

Re: What are you playing in quarantine? Also, MP invites here..

Posted: Mon Sep 28, 2020 5:07 pm
by hitbyambulance
Jaddison wrote: Mon Sep 28, 2020 11:55 am Trying to play each of the classes at same time
...why would you do that.

Re: What are you playing in quarantine? Also, MP invites here..

Posted: Mon Sep 28, 2020 5:36 pm
by Jaddison
hitbyambulance wrote: Mon Sep 28, 2020 5:07 pm
Jaddison wrote: Mon Sep 28, 2020 11:55 am Trying to play each of the classes at same time
...why would you do that.
as we like to say in alt-o-holics anonymous- because they are there....and there.....an ooohhhhh look that one can shoot fire bolts out its arse

Re: What are you playing in quarantine? Also, MP invites here..

Posted: Mon Sep 28, 2020 5:40 pm
by TheMix
Jaddison wrote: Mon Sep 28, 2020 5:36 pm
hitbyambulance wrote: Mon Sep 28, 2020 5:07 pm
Jaddison wrote: Mon Sep 28, 2020 11:55 am Trying to play each of the classes at same time
...why would you do that.
as we like to say in alt-o-holics anonymous- because they are there....and there.....an ooohhhhh look that one can shoot fire bolts out its arse
You realize, of course, that this means that you have to play every character through until you hit max level. Gotta get those points to spend.....

Re: What are you playing in quarantine? Also, MP invites here..

Posted: Mon Sep 28, 2020 7:38 pm
by Blackhawk
If you ever decide to play BL2, there are a couple of tricks as to playthrough order that make it more fun and less likely to result in burnout.

Re: What are you playing in quarantine? Also, MP invites here..

Posted: Mon Sep 28, 2020 8:11 pm
by infinitelurker
So I finished Wasteland 3, and decided to give Crusader Kings III a shot. My first foray into the series, but damn, talk about jumping into the deep end of the pool. I was going to post in the game specific thread but I don't feel worthy. I'm intrigued by all the possibilities but it feels a bit like 'work'. Like, is it natural to spend 30+ minutes reviewing every possible marriage candidate for your third son? :lol:

Re: What are you playing in quarantine? Also, MP invites here..

Posted: Mon Sep 28, 2020 9:28 pm
by hitbyambulance
infinitelurker wrote: Mon Sep 28, 2020 8:11 pm So I finished Wasteland 3, and decided to give Crusader Kings III a shot. My first foray into the series, but damn, talk about jumping into the deep end of the pool. I was going to post in the game specific thread but I don't feel worthy. I'm intrigued by all the possibilities but it feels a bit like 'work'. Like, is it natural to spend 30+ minutes reviewing every possible marriage candidate for your third son? :lol:
i think this is why i am no good at strategy games, in general. rather than studying and analysing before going for the 'most efficient' option, i prefer making a quick survey and intuitively going with the 'most fun' one. pretty much anyone can beat me in chess, haha

Re: What are you playing in quarantine? Also, MP invites here..

Posted: Tue Sep 29, 2020 9:55 am
by Jaddison
Blackhawk wrote: Mon Sep 28, 2020 7:38 pm If you ever decide to play BL2, there are a couple of tricks as to playthrough order that make it more fun and less likely to result in burnout.
I am in BL2 now, and the prequel and BL3 but only playing one character in each.....though it did take some experimentation to find which class was more "me". I think I just got lvl 10 in BL2.

Also doing second play through of BL1 and yes it is definitely easier, only have died when I tried to make the vehicle a Sherman tank.

Re: What are you playing in quarantine? Also, MP invites here..

Posted: Tue Sep 29, 2020 10:26 am
by Blackhawk
Jaddison wrote: Tue Sep 29, 2020 9:55 am
Blackhawk wrote: Mon Sep 28, 2020 7:38 pm If you ever decide to play BL2, there are a couple of tricks as to playthrough order that make it more fun and less likely to result in burnout.
I am in BL2 now, and the prequel and BL3 but only playing one character in each.....though it did take some experimentation to find which class was more "me". I think I just got lvl 10 in BL2.

Also doing second play through of BL1 and yes it is definitely easier, only have died when I tried to make the vehicle a Sherman tank.
Jaddison wrote: Tue Sep 29, 2020 9:55 am
Blackhawk wrote: Mon Sep 28, 2020 7:38 pm If you ever decide to play BL2, there are a couple of tricks as to playthrough order that make it more fun and less likely to result in burnout.
I am in BL2 now, and the prequel and BL3 but only playing one character in each.....though it did take some experimentation to find which class was more "me". I think I just got lvl 10 in BL2.

Also doing second play through of BL1 and yes it is definitely easier, only have died when I tried to make the vehicle a Sherman tank.
I've finished BL2... 11 times, I think (that's five double-playthoughs and one single.) There is a common approach to keep things smooth in Borderlands 2. For the first playthrough, just focus on the main storyline. Don't bother with the side missions unless the next main mission is several levels above you, then do just enough to catch up. On the second playthrough do whatever you like, then do all of the DLC after the story. So:
  • Playthrough 1, focus on the main story, side quests only when needed
  • Playthrough 2, story plus side quests as you desire
  • DLC last
Trying to do everything on your first playthrough will result in you seriously outleveling the content to the point that the game isn't fun anymore, and if you also do the DLC on the first playthrough the enemy won't 'catch up' until you're close to max level and near the end of the second. That leads to early burnout.

Re: What are you playing in quarantine? Also, MP invites here..

Posted: Tue Sep 29, 2020 10:33 am
by TheMix
And then you do the 3rd playthrough. Where the @#$% really hits the fan! :D

Re: What are you playing in quarantine? Also, MP invites here..

Posted: Tue Sep 29, 2020 11:44 am
by Baroquen
I have a tough enough time finishing those games once (I'm on a slightly accelerated timeline compared to Jaddison :D ). I can't imagine finishing them multiple times! I still don't think I finished BL2, and I drifted away from BL3. I need to get back to that one. I don't currently have a shooter in the rotation.

Re: What are you playing in quarantine? Also, MP invites here..

Posted: Tue Sep 29, 2020 11:50 am
by TheMix
Baroquen wrote: Tue Sep 29, 2020 11:44 am I have a tough enough time finishing those games once (I'm on a slightly accelerated timeline compared to Jaddison :D ). I can't imagine finishing them multiple times! I still don't think I finished BL2, and I drifted away from BL3. I need to get back to that one. I don't currently have a shooter in the rotation.
I struggle with BL3. It's just not grabbing me like BL2 did. I finished BL2 with every character multiple times. Including the DLCs. BTW, if you haven't at least done Torgue's and Tiny Tina's DLCs for BL2, then you have done yourself a disservice. The other two were fairly 'meh', but those were a blast. I especially recommend doing all the side quests for Tina's.

One thing that is extremely important, as noted above, is do not try to do every quest. At least not the first run through. And even then. I think I only did everything on one character for one play through (for the achievement). And the mail delivery quests can suck my left nut (no disrespect intended for our resident mail carrier).

Re: What are you playing in quarantine? Also, MP invites here..

Posted: Tue Sep 29, 2020 11:55 am
by Jaddison
Blackhawk wrote: Tue Sep 29, 2020 10:26 am
Jaddison wrote: Tue Sep 29, 2020 9:55 am
Blackhawk wrote: Mon Sep 28, 2020 7:38 pm If you ever decide to play BL2, there are a couple of tricks as to playthrough order that make it more fun and less likely to result in burnout.
I am in BL2 now, and the prequel and BL3 but only playing one character in each.....though it did take some experimentation to find which class was more "me". I think I just got lvl 10 in BL2.

Also doing second play through of BL1 and yes it is definitely easier, only have died when I tried to make the vehicle a Sherman tank.
Jaddison wrote: Tue Sep 29, 2020 9:55 am
Blackhawk wrote: Mon Sep 28, 2020 7:38 pm If you ever decide to play BL2, there are a couple of tricks as to playthrough order that make it more fun and less likely to result in burnout.
I am in BL2 now, and the prequel and BL3 but only playing one character in each.....though it did take some experimentation to find which class was more "me". I think I just got lvl 10 in BL2.

Also doing second play through of BL1 and yes it is definitely easier, only have died when I tried to make the vehicle a Sherman tank.
I've finished BL2... 11 times, I think (that's five double-playthoughs and one single.) There is a common approach to keep things smooth in Borderlands 2. For the first playthrough, just focus on the main storyline. Don't bother with the side missions unless the next main mission is several levels above you, then do just enough to catch up. On the second playthrough do whatever you like, then do all of the DLC after the story. So:
  • Playthrough 1, focus on the main story, side quests only when needed
  • Playthrough 2, story plus side quests as you desire
  • DLC last
Trying to do everything on your first playthrough will result in you seriously outleveling the content to the point that the game isn't fun anymore, and if you also do the DLC on the first playthrough the enemy won't 'catch up' until you're close to max level and near the end of the second. That leads to early burnout.
Thanks that helps as I have done every quest in BL2 so far but not too far in. Is out leveling the content also an issue with Prequel and BL3?

Re: What are you playing in quarantine? Also, MP invites here..

Posted: Tue Sep 29, 2020 12:09 pm
by Blackhawk
Jaddison wrote: Tue Sep 29, 2020 11:55 am
Thanks that helps as I have done every quest in BL2 so far but not too far in. Is out leveling the content also an issue with Prequel and BL3?
In the Pre-Sequel, I'm not sure. I have spent far less time with it than with the others. I think I've done one solo playthrough and one or two with the kids. I'd play it by ear. If you start outleveling an area, slow down on the extras for a while.

BL3... In six runs I don't think I ever outleveled content, but I think I held off on a lot of side content until the second playthrough out of habit. I still need to go back and do the DLC.

Re: What are you playing in quarantine? Also, MP invites here..

Posted: Tue Sep 29, 2020 1:23 pm
by Blackhawk
TheMix wrote: Tue Sep 29, 2020 11:50 am And the mail delivery quests can suck my left nut (no disrespect intended for our resident mail carrier).
They're much easier in co-op. You run them once and fail to see where the deliveries all go, then you station people at each of them in turn. A couple of people might have to deliver two, but that's still a breeze compared to trying to complete the circuits solo.

Re: What are you playing in quarantine? Also, MP invites here..

Posted: Tue Sep 29, 2020 1:27 pm
by TheMix
Well, yeah. Of course.

I will note, however, that I did them solo. And got the Achievement. Once.

Re: What are you playing in quarantine? Also, MP invites here..

Posted: Tue Oct 06, 2020 9:14 am
by Jaddison
Completed first playthrough on BL1 with a soldier. Pretty sure I cannot make it with hunter or the berserker they just aren't my style and I think I amd done with playing first time throughs. Soldier died a lot more because i had no phasewalk bail out but my trusty turret is not bad.

Did anyone raise proficiency in rocket launcher to a decent level? Even focusing on it I am barely past 2.

Re: What are you playing in quarantine? Also, MP invites here..

Posted: Tue Oct 06, 2020 10:23 am
by Blackhawk
Nope. I never found them to provide enough ammo to function as a primary weapon.

I do have a mule with nothing but Eridian weapons in the bank. One of these days I'm going to do an Eridian-only run.

Re: What are you playing in quarantine? Also, MP invites here..

Posted: Tue Oct 06, 2020 10:23 am
by TheMix
Jaddison wrote: Tue Oct 06, 2020 9:14 am Completed first playthrough on BL1 with a soldier. Pretty sure I cannot make it with hunter or the berserker they just aren't my style and I think I amd done with playing first time throughs. Soldier died a lot more because i had no phasewalk bail out but my trusty turret is not bad.

Did anyone raise proficiency in rocket launcher to a decent level? Even focusing on it I am barely past 2.
I have a Brick that is 100% rockets. (Well he was. When you approach/hit max level, rockets start to fall behind in DPS.) He's a blast (pun intended) to play. I also have a melee Brick. IMO, he's still the best melee character out of all the games.

I still miss Brick. He offered some very different builds/play styles from the rest of the pack.

Re: What are you playing in quarantine? Also, MP invites here..

Posted: Tue Oct 06, 2020 10:26 am
by TheMix
Blackhawk wrote: Tue Oct 06, 2020 10:23 am Nope. I never found them to provide enough ammo to function as a primary weapon.

I do have a mule with nothing but Eridian weapons in the bank. One of these days I'm going to do an Eridian-only run.
I tried an Eridian-only run on Roland. I ended up having to run with assault rifles as well. It's really hard to find good Eridian weapons. And they drop so infrequently that they are often many levels behind. Additionally, they would simply run out of juice, and I usually didn't have time to stand around and wait for them to recharge (I was playing co-op with a friend; playing solo would probably be more helpful with this). Even at max level they were still challenging.

Re: What are you playing in quarantine? Also, MP invites here..

Posted: Tue Oct 06, 2020 10:35 am
by Blackhawk
Yeah, that's why every one of the ones that dropped in my... 8 runs? 15 counting doubles? got saved and shunted onto one mule. I've got enough to cover most of the leveling process, provided I'm not picky about swapping between types (shotgun, SMG, etc.) It would still be challenging, but it would be different at least.

Re: What are you playing in quarantine? Also, MP invites here..

Posted: Tue Oct 06, 2020 11:06 am
by Jaddison
I love the weapons that regenerate their own ammo. I have an SMG that never runs out because I can't fire faster than it regenerates

Re: What are you playing in quarantine? Also, MP invites here..

Posted: Wed Oct 07, 2020 11:04 am
by Jaddison
is shield swapping a strategy? Do you all keep shields tuned to specific resistances and then switch to fast healing in a battle?

Re: What are you playing in quarantine? Also, MP invites here..

Posted: Wed Oct 07, 2020 11:12 am
by TheMix
I suppose you could try that. But I don't think it's worth the effort. I never shield swapped. I just ran with what I felt was best. Occasionally I kept a replaced shield for a bit in case I wasn't happy with the replacement. And in BL2 I generally kept a backup for anyone running with a Bee. But essentially, no, I never tried shield swapping. For one thing, when you aren't in combat, you don't need a shield (generally), so there isn't really any point in keeping one for out of combat.

Re: What are you playing in quarantine? Also, MP invites here..

Posted: Wed Oct 07, 2020 12:38 pm
by Jaddison
I got my ass handed to me over and over again in the Shock Crystal cave. I can handle humanoids fine but those damn swarming skags and my turret doesn't refresh all that fast or at least fast enough to save me from death. I cruised through this with phasewalk....sigh

Re: What are you playing in quarantine? Also, MP invites here..

Posted: Wed Oct 07, 2020 1:43 pm
by TheMix
You might just need a better weapon. Remember that you should be swapping out weapons every level or two generally. If you haven't, check orcz.com to pick up any golden keys still available. I think the chest is in Firestone, right? That would give you a good at-level weapon.

Probably looking for an assault rifle. Something with a decently high rate of fire so that you can hopefully get some crits on the open mouths. A shotgun might help too. Though they often have small clips and slower reload.

Re: What are you playing in quarantine? Also, MP invites here..

Posted: Wed Oct 07, 2020 2:48 pm
by Blackhawk
I don't recall there being any golden key chests in BL1.

Swapping shield, no. Maybe if you play the end game you'd want specific shields for specific bosses, but generally no. FWIW, the best shields in BL1 are those that provide health regen. King Wee-Wee's Super Booster (board quest in New Haven) is probably the best shield you're going to find.

Swapping elements on your special ability, absolutely.

Quick tip: Unless you spec for it (meaning Brick), stay away from explosive damage. It does not work well. Same thing with shock. Later you may want to reserve one weapon slot for a shock weapon just to get rid of shields (and then swap for the actual killing), but most of the time you're going to want corrosive for anything with yellow health and fire for everything else.

Re: What are you playing in quarantine? Also, MP invites here..

Posted: Wed Oct 07, 2020 2:49 pm
by TheMix
They got added in. Maybe with the enhanced version?

http://orcz.com/Borderlands:_Golden_Key

Re: What are you playing in quarantine? Also, MP invites here..

Posted: Wed Oct 07, 2020 2:50 pm
by Blackhawk
If you're having a hard time, I'd be more than happy to see if I have any weapons in any of my banks that I could give you.

Re: What are you playing in quarantine? Also, MP invites here..

Posted: Wed Oct 07, 2020 2:51 pm
by TheMix
And there are currently 10 keys available that were just added on the 2nd.

Re: What are you playing in quarantine? Also, MP invites here..

Posted: Wed Oct 07, 2020 3:13 pm
by Blackhawk
TheMix wrote: Wed Oct 07, 2020 2:49 pm They got added in. Maybe with the enhanced version?

http://orcz.com/Borderlands:_Golden_Key
Ah, cool. I didn't know that (or didn't remember.)

Re: What are you playing in quarantine? Also, MP invites here..

Posted: Wed Oct 07, 2020 4:48 pm
by hitbyambulance
i'm kinda in a walking simulator mood. finished Maize, now playing Valley, will go for Tacoma next. they're short, focused, story-heavy and i didn't pay anything for any of them.

Re: What are you playing in quarantine? Also, MP invites here..

Posted: Wed Oct 07, 2020 6:21 pm
by Blackhawk
I've been playing Warhammer 2: Total War, making another attempt at the Mortal Empires campaign (that's the one that combines both WH1 and WH2.) I went with the Empire this time. I took out the Vampires, dealt with the Skaven, took down both Chaos invasions and killed Archaon. I've united the Empire and took over most of Brettonia before accepting a peace treaty. The only thing I have left to do in order to win is take out the main orc faction. They're huge, and scattered all the way from the bottom edge of the Empire to the sea, but they don't have much of it defended. Winning is guaranteed, but I'll have hours of stomping through hostile terrain, resting from the attrition, smashing a settlement, razing it, then continuing. I have no chance of losing the battles. It's become a slog.

I really want to say that I've officially beaten the thing, but the fun part is over. I'm tempted to just hand-wave it and call it beaten.

Re: What are you playing in quarantine? Also, MP invites here..

Posted: Wed Oct 07, 2020 6:27 pm
by TheMix
There was a game many years ago, I want to say Civilization II, that would actually give you the "win" before the end of the game once you reached a point where it was obvious you were going to win. I'm not sure what it used to judge that. My vague recollection was that there was a place that records wins/losses. And at some point it would show up as a win, allowing me to stop playing. I've always thought more games needed that.

Re: What are you playing in quarantine? Also, MP invites here..

Posted: Wed Oct 07, 2020 6:43 pm
by Blackhawk
I agree, especially those with grand strategy elements. So many of them turn into slogs once you hit the point where you're too powerful to lose, but haven't won yet.

Re: What are you playing in quarantine? Also, MP invites here..

Posted: Thu Oct 08, 2020 11:16 am
by coopasonic
Started up Starcom Nexus and played for around an hour this morning. It's pretty cool. It's a top down2D omnidirectional open world shooter/uhhh not sure, like 4x ultra-lite?

I wish it had any voice work and the UI isn't awesome in some places, but the gameplay loop is pretty interesting. You explore, scanning planets for research points and resources, fending off hostile species and making friends/trading/etc with less hostile species. The resources you find are used to build your ship, lego style. Basically it's a hex based grid and you place pieces connected, reactors, engines, turrets, scanners, armor. Turrets work better the more adjacent empty hexes there are. Having your reactors exposed is a bit risky.

Research is used on a pretty sizable tech tree some giving you new components, others improving operations of the components you have, shoot faster, hit harder, regenerate energy faster. You start out with basically a shuttle with a max of 8 components, research also lets you increase the max ship size. There are also templates to make ship design easier, but it's not exactly rocket sci... uhhh... well, I guess it is, but it's super easy.

I like it.

Re: What are you playing in quarantine? Also, MP invites here..

Posted: Thu Oct 08, 2020 4:50 pm
by Skinypupy
I have no idea why, but I gave Black Desert Online another go, this time on PS4. I've had MMO's click with me on console that didn't on PC (Neverwinter being the primary one), especially those that involve more complex combat systems.

While I enjoy the combat much more on console, everything else about it is a gorram mess. It runs like absolute garbage. Pop-in all over, textures take ages to load, huge framerate dips, lag, and "shadow people" (the base models that load before any of the textures) everywhere. The UI is a complete mess, and the game still explains absolutely nothing and just expects you to figure it all out on your own.

I have no idea why I keep coming back to this one. I never get more than a few days in before ditching it again, but then I see an ad or a promo video and think "Oooh, that looks neat. Maybe this is the time that it'll click!".

Narrator: It never clicks.