12 years ago I got Warcraft III as a gift for Christmas. After I got it I immediately started playing it for the remainder of the holiday break. The game experience was so awesome for me that for the last few years around the holidays I have wanted to play Warcraft III again. Somehow when the Christmas tree goes up, my mind returns to Arthas epic struggle as a Paladin to Death Knight. I need to aquire Frostmorne and see his turn to a lieutenant of the Undead all the way to becoming their leader. Its just one of those odd things I associate with the holidays.
That all said, a few days ago I dusted off Warcraft III and have started playing though the campaign and have... Read All
12 years ago I got Warcraft III as a gift for Christmas. After I got it I immediately started playing it for the remainder of the holiday break. The game experience was so awesome for me that for the last few years around the holidays I have wanted to play Warcraft III again. Somehow when the Christmas tree goes up, my mind returns to Arthas epic struggle as a Paladin to Death Knight. I need to aquire Frostmorne and see his turn to a lieutenant of the Undead all the way to becoming their leader. Its just one of those odd things I associate with the holidays.
That all said, a few days ago I dusted off Warcraft III and have started playing though the campaign and have finished the human section and am starting on the Undead missions now. I remember how awesome it was to see Arthas turn 12 years ago and whereas the game looks a bit aged now, its still fun and all I remember loving about it is still present. I like the story of the Human Campaign but as a race, they are my least favorite.
The game is fairly inexpensive now as you can get the Warcraft III Battle Chest for less than $20 and if you like strategy games you could do worse. The game editor spawned many tower defense maps and one such map, Defense of the Ancients of DoTA started an entirely new genre of MOBA games seen in such greats as League of Legends and DoTA 2.
So ho, ho, ho and all that Undead awesomeness, because its Christmas and time for some Warcraft III.
It's impressive that you can still buy it new 12 years later for more than bargain bin prices. That's staying power.
I have a similar association with the Spider Man game that came out around the same time as the first movie, but actually based on the comics. I didn't expect to like it, but I was so into it. Every time I'm visiting my parents for Christmas, the music pops into my head.
jdodson Admin Post Author
wrote on 12/26/2012 at 04:09am
Blizzard games seem to keep Dat price tag for longer than most. Plus they are still fun, years later.
It may come as a surprise to some, but when I was a wee lad I loved video games. I played many amazing games on my NES and DOS Tandy computer. ZZT, Commander Keen, Zelda & Metal Gear were a few gems. When I was in the 7th grade one of my best friends Jason had a Mac. It was pretty amazing as it supported a ton of colors, had a really awesome sound card and I remember when his parents bought him a external hard-drive that was about 150 megs. He had a version of Wolfenstein 3D that graphically blew away the DOS version. He also had a space game I hadn't heard of before called Spaceward Ho!
Immediately I was drawn into Spaceward Ho! as it was one of the first turn... Read All
It may come as a surprise to some, but when I was a wee lad I loved video games. I played many amazing games on my NES and DOS Tandy computer. ZZT, Commander Keen, Zelda & Metal Gear were a few gems. When I was in the 7th grade one of my best friends Jason had a Mac. It was pretty amazing as it supported a ton of colors, had a really awesome sound card and I remember when his parents bought him a external hard-drive that was about 150 megs. He had a version of Wolfenstein 3D that graphically blew away the DOS version. He also had a space game I hadn't heard of before called Spaceward Ho!
Immediately I was drawn into Spaceward Ho! as it was one of the first turn based strategy games I was ever exposed to. In Spaceward Ho! you control the economy and military muscle of a space race. You explore and colonize planets, research and build space ships and acquire metal and cash. One stand out feature of Spaceward Ho! is the games simplicity. Not having 50,000 options means the game is boiled down to allow a quicker and more strategic game.
Over the years I have tried to get a version of Spaceward Ho! running on any platform I could. In High School I nabbed a DOS/Windows port. At University I played it on my color Palm Pilot. And recently I bought it on the iPhone. After a spending a few minutes acclimating myself to the port I was immersed back into the awesomeness that is Spaceward Ho! The game is still fresh and everything I loved about it is still present, 22 years later.
For the last few games I have played I have dropped to a small galaxy and go against one computer player. I am trying out quicker games to focus my strategy to improve my win chances in a larger galaxy. I may in depth in a later post on strategy but suffice it to say, I am having a lot of fun.
I recently emailed Ariton, the company working on the modern versions of Spaceward Ho! and they nicely hooked me up with Peter Commons, the original developer of Spaceward Ho! Peter and I are trading around emails discussing his involvement with Spaceward Ho! and I am really excited to bring it to you the interview when its finished. The folks at Ariton also agreed to answering some interview questions about the modern Spaceward Ho! incarnations so that will be coming as well.
Its totally awesome to be able to experience an awesome classic game on a new platform and triply rad to be able to talk to the people that made it!
*The screen grab above is from a recent small galaxy short game I completed.
Not only is it free, but Blizzard has opened up even more multiplayer maps in this version. The cool feature? You can play multiplayer with people that have the full edition! @panickedthumb and I have been talking about playing SC2 for the next game event because of this, so download the starter edition and give it a shot!
Our friends over at Starcrafts cooked up a fun Christmas special!
If you haven't tried Starcraft 2 yet, I recommend you get the Starter Edition:
Not only is it free, but Blizzard has opened up even more multiplayer maps in this version. The cool feature? You can play multiplayer with people that have the full edition! @panickedthumb and I have been talking about playing SC2 for the next game event because of this, so download the starter edition and give it a shot!
Hey everyone. After collecting all the entries for this years Game of the Year, I have them now in poll form for you to vote on. Thanks to everyone that added games to the list.
Please select your top 5 and the winner will be the highest voted game. I will also list out the others so we all know how it turned out.
Voting will be open today until December 31st and feel free to share this out with your friends!
*Yeah I linked the same video again, its totally awesome.
Hey everyone. After collecting all the entries for this years Game of the Year, I have them now in poll form for you to vote on. Thanks to everyone that added games to the list.
This list could be retitled "Games I want to play but haven't yet." I think the only one on the list I've played is Borderlands 2. So many games, so little time!
I'm just being pithy. I really disliked Borderlands 1 but I haven't played the 2nd. I think the loot system in the first one is total bunko and the quests were boring, but the skill trees were pretty good.
jdodson Admin Post Author
wrote on 12/26/2012 at 03:36am
What made the loot system bunk for you? I found it pretty fun.
The quests in BL2 are much better this time around for sure.
The loot system was the basic Diablo-style loot with a ton more possibilities. I love it. People call it an arrow-comparison simulator a lot, and I can kinda see their point, but weighing the pros and cons added a lot.
jdodson Admin Post Author
wrote on 12/26/2012 at 04:11am
I dig its simplicity. The game play is the killer feature of Borderlands, that and how badass certain battles can be.
The story in the first game wasn't too compelling but in BL2 the characters and story were much better!
My basic issue with Diablo style loot systems is this:
It speaks of shitty design to me. By stimulating the casino/gambling bit of the gamer mind and playing on our desire to watch numbers go up, you avoid actually designing your game. Item drops can be powerful rewards for exploration or, in the best of cases, they can recontextualize the rest of the game.
Consider doing a side quest to get a powerful weapon in an RPG. You're rewarded for going out of your way and seeing more of the game. The developers choose how powerful it should be comeasurate with the difficulty of the quest and can tie it in thematically. I'm on board.
Consider finding a new item in Super Metroid. When you get a new item, you reconsider every area you've already been to because you have a new mode of traversal or ability. That game is very well designed.
And then think about finding a random, more powerful bit of armor in something like Torchlight 2 (which I really liked, btw). Even rare loot is usually not a huge jump in effectiveness and even when it is, it's gated by level requirements. So the pleasure you get is that of watching numbers go up and very rarely of a new ability, like a status effect of some sort. Those status effects are usually already available, without the numbers going up, from shops and the like.
The rare loot you get is barely more empowering than the loot you already had. You're just trading a viable strategy for a very slightly more viable one, with higher numbers, brighter colors and cooler names. Very little actually changes. The fact that it's random means it more or less happens continuously throughout the game. Rare loot is not rare. Playing Torchlight 2, I was finding rare and magical loot constantly. On a given run, I'd find 2 or 3 unique pieces of equipment. When I would find something really exciting, level limits and class restrictions undermine the very thrill that they're hoping to create. Because of this, the effect is a constant marginal increase in your character efficacy, that isn't tied to your actions. That's Progressquest. If you're going to be random, have the courage to be random. Then, at least, it's like a slot machine and you feel like you can really hit the jackpot.
It's also annoying to constantly have to be picking up trash items to sell as the games basic economy. Specifically with Diablo (haven't played 3, just 1 and 2), the rhythms of the game are set by trips to and from the market. It's a game about selling junk you find on the floor. Sometimes you get a nice bit of equipment that is VERY rarely a big jump up, but it's not because of your performance or for exploration or for anything you actually DID.
jdodson Admin Post Author
wrote on 12/29/2012 at 06:46am
Interesting points @Gary, thanks for bringing them up. I want to respond to a few though.
I do find gambling fun. Its a thrill to go to Las Vegas and put money down and occasionally win. I mostly lose but then again, I don't go to Vegas all the time and when I do I limit how much I spend and its not much. That said, its thrilling and much more adrenaline packed than the average video game for me. That said, its fleeting and not as rewarding as something like Fallout 3 or Super Metroid that will stick with me my entire life. My point is, gambling is fun, but its not as impactful or even possibly life changing as an awesome and compelling story for me.
Secondly I think that any kind of Diablo style RPG needs to do more than just bring the loot. For instance, I kind of thought by the end game of Diablo 3 thats really all it brought. The loot and grind. Whereas that does give you some mindless fun for a bit and does really give the game a huge amount of time for some, I find it lacking.
I think Diablo like RPG's survive for me not on the grind, which as you say is a bit like Progress Quest, but they need to bring a few more elements. Gameplay(which in my opinion Borderlands fucking nailed to the wall and owned), your character being a Badass and the overall feel of playing game. Borderlands 2 also brought much more interesting quests and a fun story. The side quests do give you a better gun or shields like you mention, which I do think is pretty awesome.
I also don't like games that make you go back to town to sell gear to advance, that shit is lame. D3 had that a bit, but it was lessened somewhat. In the end I don't mind the gambling aspect if the game can bring more fun elements to the table. I mean if I didn't id play online slots all day :D
That said, there is a slot machine pull in Borderlands 2 in Moxxi's bar that I use to "get rid" of my money because buying in game items seems useless to me. That is fun because its like opening a chest and I get some good gear that way.
Again, I'm basing all of my experience on Diablo 1 and 2, Torchlight 1 and 2 and Borderlands 1. It's possible Borderlands 2 is different. Does it have stat/class/level requirements to undercut you when you win the figurative slot machine? That shit drives me bonkers.
I also like a lot of these games, but it's in spite of the loot side. What these games do really well, I think, are skill trees. I love character customization, I just don't want to pick up a whole lot of Shoulders of the North which grant +.03 frost resistance along the way.
Also, random dungeons generally don't seem to add much. It's sort of neat that it's different every time but are the layouts ever considered? Designed? Neat? Most of the time in those games, there are a lot of dead ends with pottery in them.
It's not that I'm against randomization. Consider something like Binding of Isaac where each item you get is random. The difference is there are few, if any, insignificant upgrades. Each item is a meaningful improvement or, even better, drastically changes the way you play the game. Diablo-likes are literal seas of meaningless upgrades.
jdodson Admin Post Author
wrote on 12/29/2012 at 09:38pm
@Gary, occasionally you pick up an item that is a higher level that you can use.
In BL1 and BL2, I can count the times I got gear higher than my current level could handle on one hand. The general rule is that a level 37 piece won't drop from any enemies below level 37, so you should be getting gear along the lines of where you should be. Now, you CAN go take on higher level enemies and this would probably happen more often, but that's a recipe for repeated death.
And like Jon said, while I think the gear system is interesting, it isn't what makes me play the game. I don't care about the grind, I care about the gameplay, and they nailed it hard. The humor is great (thanks to the new writers headed up by Anthony Burch) and the quests are interesting. The gunplay mechanics work very well, and some of the pros and cons you get from the skill tree are fantastic for playing the game differently.
Interestingly enough, after getting through the main game and the two available DLCs, I started up playthrough 2 today. It levels up with you, so it's advised not to take any sidequests until you're 50, so that you can get the best loot from them for taking on raid bosses and such. Just blasting through the main quest is really quite fun, and I am rarely even worrying about loot unless it's something I want since, as Jon mentioned, money is no factor after maybe 6 or hours.
jdodson Admin Post Author
wrote on 01/01/2013 at 06:14pm
Voting is now closed thanks everybody!
If you want to join this conversation you need to sign in.
We've done the tallying and come up with the winners!
We had a lot of amazing entries. Some funny and heroic name entries, and some great personal stories and epic tales from the world of Torchlight. It was tough, but Nayelianne was our favorite! Her entry really put us in her mind while playing Torchlight, and showed us how important and awesome her experience was, as well as the disappointment with not having multiplayer. She evoked feelings we've all had gaming at one time or another, I'd imagine. http://cheerfulghost.com/Nayelianne/posts/790
The random number generator at random.org gave us Pavel_Krzystyniak's post. His epic tale of heroism was also high up in our... Read All
We've done the tallying and come up with the winners!
We had a lot of amazing entries. Some funny and heroic name entries, and some great personal stories and epic tales from the world of Torchlight. It was tough, but Nayelianne was our favorite! Her entry really put us in her mind while playing Torchlight, and showed us how important and awesome her experience was, as well as the disappointment with not having multiplayer. She evoked feelings we've all had gaming at one time or another, I'd imagine. http://cheerfulghost.com/Nayelianne/posts/790
The random number generator at random.org gave us Pavel_Krzystyniak's post. His epic tale of heroism was also high up in our list when trying to choose our favorite, so it was very serendipitous that random.org chose him. http://cheerfulghost.com/Pavel_Krzystyniak/posts/848
I just changed my avatar actually. I realized I have been meaning to make it me for sometime and just didn't get around to it. BACK TO REGULAR OL JDODSON! :D
Travis Admin Post Author
wrote on 12/22/2012 at 11:42pm
Still Spock here, I guess gravatar takes a few minutes to update.
This is the best surprise ever. Thank you so much! I just wanted to state that, winning aside, the site name was certainly a suitable choice, because my experience with it has been nothing but cheerful indeed!
From the moment I joined I noticed the staff has been very thoughtful towards its users, and I hope this community will grow as beautifully as it deserves <3
Sick an tired of those Terran Republic overlords, wearing red and telling us what to do? Think the the Vanu Sovereignty is just a bunch of guys in purple pajamas? Well then the place for you is the New Conglomerate, or, as some have dubbed it, Space 'Merica. We spend our days shootin', cussin', shootin' some more, all while drinking Space PBR and making some dough.
Come and join me on the Jaeger server. You have no excuse, its free-to-play.
Sick an tired of those Terran Republic overlords, wearing red and telling us what to do? Think the the Vanu Sovereignty is just a bunch of guys in purple pajamas? Well then the place for you is the New Conglomerate, or, as some have dubbed it, Space 'Merica. We spend our days shootin', cussin', shootin' some more, all while drinking Space PBR and making some dough.
Come and join me on the Jaeger server. You have no excuse, its free-to-play.
Is there some place I can go for an explanation of how to play? After I started I was fairly confused as to my team goals and how to advance. I ended up looking around and took a few shots at some aircraft.
Tungsten Post Author
wrote on 12/23/2012 at 05:57pm
Ya, there are a bunch of newb-guides on the interwebs, but honestly... the best way is to meet up with some people you know. I'm on vacation for the next two weeks, so if anyone wants me to show them around, join the New Conglomerate on Jaeger server and send a friend request to OxygenNo8. Bring a mic if possible.
We all know there is a mega-ultra-deluxe Holiday Steam Sale going on now. I am sure a few of you already dropped some coins on it. I am sure some of your even checked out the Bethesda pack which is so epically sick at $90 if you buy it you might contract pneumonia. *ZING*
But we already know that, this is old news. But I needed to get that out of the way because tomorrow is supposed to be the end of the world. Since it's the end of the world and we are going to be dead tomorrow sometime, shouldn't someone buy every game in Steam? I mean, that's some kind of achievement right? I mean the world is... Read Allhttp://store.steampowered.com/
We all know there is a mega-ultra-deluxe Holiday Steam Sale going on now. I am sure a few of you already dropped some coins on it. I am sure some of your even checked out the Bethesda pack which is so epically sick at $90 if you buy it you might contract pneumonia. *ZING*
But we already know that, this is old news. But I needed to get that out of the way because tomorrow is supposed to be the end of the world. Since it's the end of the world and we are going to be dead tomorrow sometime, shouldn't someone buy every game in Steam? I mean, that's some kind of achievement right? I mean the world is ending so its not a big deal right?
I mean if someone, you know, bought a ton of games and just racked up a huge tab on his Visa EXPECTING the end of the world, that would be all right... right? I mean, I didn't do that, heh... yeah.
I mean, right, unless its not the end of the world and I have to pay it off. But then again, HEY I have a huge backlog of games... Ill.... never... finish...
But it won't matter because, hey tomorrow, that whole everyone dying thing... right?
Atlus tends to publish some great and crazy games (a lot of imports, etc.) I just got an email about this new one that, again, looks fun and crazy. Here's their summary:
Do you like running? How about gunning? What if special abilities are thrown into the mix? Upgradable weapons? Let's say there're dozens of on-screen enemies to unleash this firepower on, and as your reward for dispatching them you get experience and gold to collect that can be used for character customization and new equipment--all the while playing alongside friends in 4-player cooperative play! If you like the sound of all this, then you'll love God Mode.
Retro shooter action and RPG elements are... Read All
Atlus tends to publish some great and crazy games (a lot of imports, etc.) I just got an email about this new one that, again, looks fun and crazy. Here's their summary:
Do you like running? How about gunning? What if special abilities are thrown into the mix? Upgradable weapons? Let's say there're dozens of on-screen enemies to unleash this firepower on, and as your reward for dispatching them you get experience and gold to collect that can be used for character customization and new equipment--all the while playing alongside friends in 4-player cooperative play! If you like the sound of all this, then you'll love God Mode.
Retro shooter action and RPG elements are combined in this new downloadable third-person shooter. God Mode combines non-linear gameplay, fast and frantic shooting, hordes of on-screen enemies, a fully functional online coop mode, and features visuals and gameplay that rival that of a full-priced boxed title. Matches rarely--if ever--play out the same, as dozens of in-game modifiers can significantly alter the gameplay on the fly. Characters are fully customizable, both in appearance and equipment, which continually evolve. Gold and experience are constantly accrued and used to unlock new and satisfying weaponry and unique powerful abilities, both of which can be further upgraded.
Available Early 2013 for PlayStation Network, Xbox LIVE Arcade, and Steam.
I have wanted to play Dragon Age: Origins since it was released in 2009 but I haven't picked it up till recently. I only recently got a good gaming PC so when the game dropped in 2009 I would have picked it up on PS3. I heard the console versions of Dragon Age: Origins were not awesome and the PC port was much better so I waited to pick it up. During the last Steam sale I noticed it was $8.99 so I picked it up and all the DLC it was launched with.
Dragon Age: Origins is a more unique RPG in that each Class and Race has a unique starting Origin. I created an Elf Mage and my starting Origin story brought me to the Mages circle.
Visually the game reminds me of Neverwinter... Read All
I have wanted to play Dragon Age: Origins since it was released in 2009 but I haven't picked it up till recently. I only recently got a good gaming PC so when the game dropped in 2009 I would have picked it up on PS3. I heard the console versions of Dragon Age: Origins were not awesome and the PC port was much better so I waited to pick it up. During the last Steam sale I noticed it was $8.99 so I picked it up and all the DLC it was launched with.
Dragon Age: Origins is a more unique RPG in that each Class and Race has a unique starting Origin. I created an Elf Mage and my starting Origin story brought me to the Mages circle.
Visually the game reminds me of Neverwinter Nights and has a similar feel and tone to it. Having full voice acting for all the characters and dialog trees is nice as Neverwinter only had voice acting for part of the game. The graphics are very good and the UI is pretty easy to navigate as well. One thing I noticed right away about DAO is that there is much more dialog present than is typical in games I play. The game also presents you with many choices as well. Its not entirely clear what all the choices allow you or change in the game, but its nice to be able to control if your character is an asshole or not.
A few times I was presented with choices(I won't get into spoiler territory) I wasn't comfortable with any of the options. I picked the option that seemed best and didn't love the direction I had to go. It was odd as typically in games they present you with the OBVIOUS evil choice and OBVIOUS good choice but in DAO sometimes you just have choices. The choice I ended up making was seemed like a good one, but, again I wasn't entirely comfortable with it.
The game offers some interesting play style in that you can pause the game to scan the battle-scape and setup your characters next moves. I ran into the fight with the first mini boss without using the pause method and was handily defeated. During my second take I paused it right away and was a bit more strategic and was able to take down the boss easily.
So far I have really enjoyed Dragon Age: Origins and if you are looking for a good RPG that isn't too expensive, I recommend you check it out.
I'll be interested to hear if it holds up for you because it didn't for me. The combat is too MMO-y in all respects. Both in managing power recharges and agro. There are also some BLAND quests and dungeons later. This game disappointed me more than any game I can think of in the last ten years.
jdodson Admin Post Author
wrote on 12/20/2012 at 06:17pm
Wow. OK so I will be writing as I continue through the whole game. I finally found a game that made sense to do that with and this be IT!
So far, so good, but I am open to having it crush my spirits.
It might just work for you. It's a popular game and I'm decidedly pretty old school with my western RPGs. But I was promised a spiritual successor to Baldur's Gate and this is not it.
jdodson Admin Post Author
wrote on 12/20/2012 at 07:35pm
Thats what they claimed, they also said the spiritual successor to Neverwinter and so far it seems pretty apt.
I've been wanting to pick this up on PS3 for awhile now.
Gary: Have you played FFXII or either of the KotOR games, and if so what were your thoughts on the combat systems? Those games had combat systems that felt very MMOish to me. Is this games combat similar?
jdodson Admin Post Author
wrote on 12/21/2012 at 08:36pm
Seems it was reviewed pretty well on consoles, I heard its save/load cycle sucked, but thats pretty console standard. Oh and its NOT a game for kids. Really dark, really bloody.
I liked it, but I ran into the same issue I have with most RPS's: I start over like 15 times and never get more than half-way through. I just keep thinking: I should have made the other choice.
jdodson Admin Post Author
wrote on 12/22/2012 at 02:42pm
@Tungsten I hear that. Especially in Dragon Age where sometimes when I am chatting with someone that could mean they die in some way. I came to that point recently and wondered if my better dialog choices could have saved someone.
After the fact, I either check the wiki or I sort of mentally tick that off for a future play through. But, yeah I wish I had it all layed out for me sometimes. But one could ask where the fun is in that I imagine :)
But this does sort of highlight the replay ability of DAO.
While i'ts not quite the same thing, I kind of like the Rogue Likes where everyone dies. Ya, you made the wrong choice and suffered the consequences, but... eh... that's the point. In games like DAO, it makes me feel like I made some mistake, and I constantly feel like I should re-start and fix it.
Games like that I have to play with a walk-through so that I can make sure I make zero mistakes. After a while, it just starts begin no-fun.
It's not just dying either: situations where there are items that you can't get later in the game give me just as much anxiety. I've sat there with checklists, running through each tiny pickup before moving on to the next area.
jdodson Admin Post Author
wrote on 12/22/2012 at 02:57pm
I agree, but I remember in one case my wife was watching me play and told me at one point "you shouldn't do that" and I ended up doing it and it turned out ok. Afterward I checked the wiki to see how it could have gone and I think I picked well, she said she would have chosen otherwise. I sort of try not to do that a lot and just go with it, but occasionally I just have to look afterward. And it's always and afterward thing, this isn't Monkey Island :)
The last game I think I went through with a guide handy was Ocarina. I think Super Metroid before that...
@Whiteboy, I'm not really into either of those games, but for different reasons. FF12 has this license board issue that i plan on writing about on here soon where it makes all of your characters the same. KOTOR I just couldn't get into because I'm not really into Star Wars (yup). The combat wasn't particularly what I didn't like about those titles.
With DA:O, I was looking forward to it SO hard and the combat in Baldur's Gate is SO good. I think that was more the issue.
Yeah the license board in FF12 was kind of a bummer. I started out specializing my characters, but by the time I got to the later parts of the game everyone had basically learned everything else. I look forward to your post about the game. :)
jdodson Admin Post Author
wrote on 12/24/2012 at 10:15pm
License board? Is that like some kind of quest hub?
It's the level up system. The problem was that abilities were locked by two factors: if you had the license for them (read: you unlocked them in your skill tree) AND if you bought them. Since there's an escalating progression of gear/spells/abilities as you go from city to city, you're encouraged to spend points on what's available. If you insist on specializing your characters, you're going to have tons of XP just sitting around, doing nothing until you get to the town where you can "buy" the ability you want. They should have picked one or the other. It was frustrating as hell.
I liked the license board. I thought it had a good mix of customization and natural aptitude. Depending on where the character started, there was an obvious progression, but if you were willing to put in the work, you could make anyone do anything you wanted.
But you were limited by what was available. So, if I want to make a white mage, I can buy cure in the first town. Between town 1 and town 2, I have tons of unused license points (or whatever they called them) so it incentivizes teaching the white mage fire because I have all these points and it's the only game in town. Same with equipment and other class abilities. Same thing with my black mage. It's not like you need to save those points. They give you plenty to work with.
Now, imagine it worked more like FF10. You didn't buy magic, you just unlocked it. So if you had a bunch of leftover points, you could throw someone down the white mage path and actually advance.
OR it could be like FF1 and you just have new equipment available when you enter a town. You just buy spells and your progression is limited by your progress in the game. I suppose you can just pretend it works like that in FF12 but it's inelegant that way. I played through 2/3 of that game and by the time I quit, each character knew each magic spell and ability available by that point because there was no reason not to.
jdodson Admin Post Author
wrote on 01/13/2013 at 07:53pm
Just wondering, @Gary_Butterfield did you beat DAO? @Tungsten?
That was weird. That was meant to be another post. I did the mage tower, the wood elves, one other thing and got stuck half way through the dwarves, in addition to the above.
jdodson Admin Post Author
wrote on 01/14/2013 at 12:05am
That makes sense, thanks Gary.
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Kotaku has a great run-down of everything that's wrong, but to briefly summarize:
* It looks a lot like a Day Z ripoff. That's negotiable, but it's incredibly similar.
* They have a game you have to pay for, is still in beta, but has a multitude of microtransactions like Free-to-Play MMO's. Including one to respawn. If you don't pay a microtransaction when you die, apparently you have to wait hours before you can play again.
* They lied about the features of the game.
* They didn't mention that they were in beta still when they went on the Steam store.
* They wrongfully banned tons of people.
* They are blocking bad things being said about them in... Read All
And WHAT a kerfuffle it is.
Kotaku has a great run-down of everything that's wrong, but to briefly summarize:
* It looks a lot like a Day Z ripoff. That's negotiable, but it's incredibly similar.
* They have a game you have to pay for, is still in beta, but has a multitude of microtransactions like Free-to-Play MMO's. Including one to respawn. If you don't pay a microtransaction when you die, apparently you have to wait hours before you can play again.
* They lied about the features of the game.
* They didn't mention that they were in beta still when they went on the Steam store.
* They wrongfully banned tons of people.
* They are blocking bad things being said about them in the forums.
* Thousands of people are signing petitions about the game.
* They ripped (at least part of) their terms of use from League of Legends.
* They apparently stole some images from The Walking Dead.
The full breakdown is on Kotaku. I want to be fair about this, I really do, but it's obvious that this is incredibly shady at best. Developers shouldn't be allowed to treat people like this. Vote with your wallets, people.
I have heard some about this but haven't been presented with all the details. If all this is true, its pretty unfortunate. I don't like the zillion microtransactions NOR ripping off players.
I don't mind game clones myself as everyone is a clone of something and technically like all shooters are Doom clones :D
I'm glad I played the beta for free. Its such an awful game. When I saw it on steam I immediately dismissed it and refused to even look at it. I read some of the things posted on the game community tab thingy and most people are just as displeased as I was. Perhaps even more.
Travis Admin Post Author
wrote on 12/20/2012 at 03:51am
Jon, Doom was a Wolfenstein clone!
BR, yeah I think more, because of the new "features" and the false advertising.
It's impressive that you can still buy it new 12 years later for more than bargain bin prices. That's staying power.
I have a similar association with the Spider Man game that came out around the same time as the first movie, but actually based on the comics. I didn't expect to like it, but I was so into it. Every time I'm visiting my parents for Christmas, the music pops into my head.
Blizzard games seem to keep Dat price tag for longer than most. Plus they are still fun, years later.
Diablo II Battle Chest: $19.99 on Amazon. That game came out in 2000.
Yep. People still playing it too. I never really fell for Diablo 2, but it still has a pretty large following.