mikeszekely Posted November 12, 2009 Posted November 12, 2009 Mods: I've never been much of a fan of them, after all 90% of them are crap. And yet Counter Strike began its life as a Half Life Mod. And lets not forget that many PC gamers greatly prefer the mouse and keyboard combo for FPS games over the Xbox 360's controller. So Activision screwed up on my platform of choice for Modern Warfare 2. I'm not going to do anything crazy like sign some stupid petition floating around on the internet, but I'm sure as hell not spending what's traditionally $10 more for a PC game that's a screwed up console port. I'm not blaming Activision for going the road that's going to make them the most money; I just don't think the final product is worth my money.
shiroikaze Posted November 12, 2009 Posted November 12, 2009 (edited) Meh, while I particularly dislike the direction Activision/Infinity Ward are taking, I just hope all other publishers/devs don't follow in their footsteps... I'll just stick with Team Fortress 2 and Modern Warfare 1 (although I haven't touched that for almost a year) instead. Edited November 12, 2009 by shiroikaze
Wanzerfan Posted November 13, 2009 Posted November 13, 2009 I was flipping througth the manual for Dragon Age: Origins, and was pleasantly suprised to find the following: Peter Renaday as the voice for Duncan (I recognized him from Assassin's Creed) Kate Mulgrew as Flemeth (I recognized her during my playthrough when my brother rented the game) Tim Curry as Arl Howe (I didn't recognize him, god, did Frank N. Furter do a good job hiding his voice) Simon Templeman as Loghain (Christ, Kain himself in this game "Cast him in.", another person I failed to recognize) Steve Blum as Ohgren (I'm not suprised there, since he's been doing anime and video games for a long while) I also found some other names I recognized: Cam Clarke (Ol' Maximillian Sterling himself) Jim Cummings Paul Eiding Wendee Lee Kim Mai Guest Ricard McGonagle Dwight Shultz I'm suprised that they didn't get Michael Bell and David Warner to do vocal work.
shiroikaze Posted November 13, 2009 Posted November 13, 2009 (edited) Man, they pulled out some heavy duty voices with this game... It's to be expected. Edited November 13, 2009 by shiroikaze
David Hingtgen Posted November 13, 2009 Posted November 13, 2009 Ashley from Mass Effect's in it (and I don't think it's possible to miss her--you should recognize her in about 2 syllables). I know Shepard (male) is in it too, but I can't remember who it was. Also, Cree Summer is the "violent female elf" voice option. So yes, I have Blackarachnia in my party. My stats finally updated, and the profile pic works again, but it still shows everything with level 1 equipment. http://social.bioware.com/playerprofile.ph...;nid=2298482811 PS---level 6 medium armor takes 30 str, level 7 takes 34.
eugimon Posted November 13, 2009 Posted November 13, 2009 finished on normal as a good-ish elf mage... there's LOTS of decisions all over the last act, invites many replays... The golem DLC doesn't seem to be fully integrated into the end though.
anime52k8 Posted November 13, 2009 Posted November 13, 2009 And yet Counter Strike began its life as a Half Life Mod. Have I ever mentioned that I passionately hate counter strike?
kensei Posted November 13, 2009 Posted November 13, 2009 Have I ever mentioned that I passionately hate counter strike? As do I, but there is no doubt that it is popular.
shiroikaze Posted November 13, 2009 Posted November 13, 2009 (edited) Used to love Counter-Strike, not so much now. I kinda find it amazing that almost all of the retail Valve games all started as mods. Also I very much prefer the actual act of getting into and playing a game on a console. there's no messing with servers and finding a game room that's actually the mode you want to play, has people who aren't going to kick you unless you agree to play snipers only or some stupid poo, and isn't going to force you to upload a bunch or horrible sound clips that you have to suffer through all game. I love the on a console you just fire up the game, pick a game mode and play, all the headache inducing work is done by the machine. You're making it sound alot more horrible and more work than it really is... Edited November 13, 2009 by shiroikaze
David Hingtgen Posted November 13, 2009 Posted November 13, 2009 I'm surprised that dragonskin and dragonbone armor is about the least-cool-looking of all medium armors. Well, it's better than the lowest chainmail, but that's about it. Got my Alistair in full Blood Dragon armor. Just all of a sudden I realized he could equip it and I had plenty of money to buy it. The money system is kind of annoying--I spend the first half of the game desperate for cash, and now I have a lot--but nothing to buy. Legendary/matched/plot armor and weapons far surpass anything you can buy----but there's always a few items that are INSANELY expensive (hundreds of gold). Having 100 gold is "pointless"---can't buy the amazing stuff, and no point buying stuff that 12 hours ago you were drooling over. And the stores just don't restock fast enough to splurge on a bunch of poultices and potions. True, most RPGs are kind of like that, but never to this extent. (except Dragon Warrior 1, where you were always dirt-poor even at the end)
Warmaker Posted November 13, 2009 Posted November 13, 2009 (edited) eh... I don't really seen any of those things as advantages, and I could honestly care less if consoles never end up going in that direction. FPS: I never really been all that in to games like battlefield with big vehicle maps and lots of people, vehicles = awful gameplay experience, I really have never found vehicles fun, they never handle well and they become the focus of the game, with a small fraction of the players actually able to make any use of them and everyone else ends running around trying to not get killed by the guy in the tank/helicopter rather than actually play the game. And it's not like such gameplay can't be done on a console if developers wanted to, It's more that the demand just isn't there. People by and large want faster, more aggressive gameplay. personally I do to. Also I very much prefer the actual act of getting into and playing a game on a console. there's no messing with servers and finding a game room that's actually the mode you want to play, has people who aren't going to kick you unless you agree to play snipers only or some stupid poo, and isn't going to force you to upload a bunch or horrible sound clips that you have to suffer through all game. I love the on a console you just fire up the game, pick a game mode and play, all the headache inducing work is done by the machine. Mods: I've never been much of a fan of them, after all 90% of them are crap. I don't really see the draw of downloading something that's rarely all that fun, has no technical support and frequently doesn't even run all that well. which bring me to something else that I really like about consoles; they are very stable things, I have a lot fewer problems with crashes, lag and other unexplainable quirks on my Xbox than I did on my PC even at the best of times. of course that probably has to do with the fact that the games are tailored to the specific architecture and hardware of a console and it doesn't have a half dozen programs trying to run in the background. And I like that on a console you buy 1 box, plug it into your TV and you're good to go. no installation, no OS to install, I don't have to spend 3-5 grand just to make the latest games run smoothly. not to mention I just like feel of a controller over a keyboard and mouse. And as for genre's other than first person shooters; well, I'd say consoles have the advantage in fighting games, racing games, action/adventure games, and even flight games (more arcade stile ones like Ace combat) all play better on console. So all the PC has is TRS's, wargames, MMO's and Hardcore sim games. All of which are ultra niche genres that I frankly don't find at all fun. FPS - Never had a problem being the guy with the AT rocket ambushing that passing by Tank or packed up APC As far as server rules, the main ones are right there on the browser when you click on that server before you even commit to jumping in. Check the rules, like 'em, join up. If not, check another one. Options, baby. We don't like being forced / funneled down inescapable paths as a gamer on the PC. Side comment: Not fond of the FPS bunny hopping thing, which originated out of Half Life / Counterstrike When I first tried CS in the late 90s, I saw that, saw it was actually effective, and promptly left it for good. Back to Rainbow 6 for me in those days. Mods - You may not like mods, but that doesn't stop plenty of console users asking if they can use certain mods (crossplatform releases like Oblivion) on the 360 or PS3. Some mods will have varying degrees of technical issues. But mods, especially those quality ones that are developed as a labor of love by fans (for no pay) extend, improve, or even completely alter gameplay. More guns for your FPS? Sure. You want realism / historical accuracy for your game? Mods cover that, too. More characters for that RPG? Been doing that since the 90s. Making that PC RPG gameplay more faithful to a pen & paper / tabletop game it originated from? There too. The options are there as far as PC gaming goes. I play things out with original versions on the game on release, but mods extend that game's life tremendously. They add new things and prevent things from getting stale. As far as flight games go, the arcade ones have their home on the console. But you guys there are completely static unless the developers keep adding stuff. But if you want realism / simulations and extensive campaigns (dynamic or not), the PC is where it's at. Not to mention those mods that you really hate that add more aircraft, refine the flight physics, add campaigns, etc The major eras of flight are painstakingly covered on the PC: WWII (alot), Korea, Vietnam, and over into modern eras. You want a lighter experience without having to worry about trim, propeller settings, etc.? No probs. Change it under the options. Again on flight games go, I do find IL-2 Birds of Prey an interesting release on the consoles. First flight game having the options for far more harder / realistic settings. Back on Dragon Age: I was browsing around the voice actor list for it and was also surprised with some of the names on there too. Like alot of Bioware games, lots of voicework. Edited November 13, 2009 by Warmaker
Wanzerfan Posted November 13, 2009 Posted November 13, 2009 (edited) I'm surprised that dragonskin and dragonbone armor is about the least-cool-looking of all medium armors. Well, it's better than the lowest chainmail, but that's about it. Got my Alistair in full Blood Dragon armor. Just all of a sudden I realized he could equip it and I had plenty of money to buy it. The money system is kind of annoying--I spend the first half of the game desperate for cash, and now I have a lot--but nothing to buy. Legendary/matched/plot armor and weapons far surpass anything you can buy----but there's always a few items that are INSANELY expensive (hundreds of gold). Having 100 gold is "pointless"---can't buy the amazing stuff, and no point buying stuff that 12 hours ago you were drooling over. And the stores just don't restock fast enough to splurge on a bunch of poultices and potions. True, most RPGs are kind of like that, but never to this extent. (except Dragon Warrior 1, where you were always dirt-poor even at the end) On the little card that came with the game (you know the one with the code to download the Stone Prisoner for free) there's a code to download the ability to use a syut if Dragon Armor (I think it's Blood, I have to check the card) in Mass Effect 2. Edited November 13, 2009 by Wanzerfan
CoryHolmes Posted November 13, 2009 Posted November 13, 2009 Ashley from Mass Effect's in it (and I don't think it's possible to miss her--you should recognize her in about 2 syllables). *perk* Really? I haven't recognized her voice and I'm pretty decent at it. I recognized Doctor Chakwas(?) from ME playing one of the Chanters, the one who always mixed up the Chant with food
David Hingtgen Posted November 13, 2009 Posted November 13, 2009 Spoilered for your protection, here's who Ashley is: Lanaya in the elf village at the Brecilian Forest, the highest-ranking chick there You can even get her to quote poetry. (I think that's a little easter egg)
CoryHolmes Posted November 14, 2009 Posted November 14, 2009 Spoilered for your protection, here's who Ashley is: Lanaya in the elf village at the Brecilian Forest, the highest-ranking chick there You can even get her to quote poetry. (I think that's a little easter egg) Well, I'll be... you're right. So much for me being able to pick out a VAs voice
David Hingtgen Posted November 14, 2009 Posted November 14, 2009 Now you get to tell me when you hear Cdr Shepard. Anyways---last I read there were 4 endings---really just 2, but 1 of those 2 had 3 variations. Based on recent conversations/choices in Denerim, I suspected there'd be a whole lot more---are some impossible to actually get, they just offer dialogue? Or will what happens there really not affect the ending, it only affects those scenes? (I don't want to be spoiled at all, but I also don't want to replay the last few hours a half-dozen times trying to achieve every little variation--though some could be fun to see). Still, even though my char is about as persuasive as could be without spending the entire game focusing on it, I failed a few there. ::late night edit--hey, it's the weekend:: I won't spoil it at all, but man, I'm surprised that last event choice didn't say "Alistair disapproves -100, and will hate you forever".
bluemax151 Posted November 14, 2009 Posted November 14, 2009 That's why I make a multitude of saves in different slots at different points in gameplay. Hopefully it will be as easy as going back a save and going through it again if the outcome is really bad or changes the world a whole lot. Do any of the achievements even have any tangible benefits in this game? Well besides unlocking classes. At least Mass Effect gave you reasons to play over to get all the bonuses. I'm up to 7(?) Revenants now btw. Much quicker and less hassle with better armour and weapons.
CoryHolmes Posted November 14, 2009 Posted November 14, 2009 I'm up to 7(?) Revenants now btw. Much quicker and less hassle with better armour and weapons. Most enemies usually are I just had another hysterical conversation, this time between Sten and Liliana. "*giggle* You're such a softie!" "I am not." "*poke* Softie!" "Stop that." "*giggle* Softie! *poke poke poke*"
David Hingtgen Posted November 14, 2009 Posted November 14, 2009 Man, and I thought I'd found everything Leliana had to say, since she was always in the party. Guess I'll have to bring her along occasionally in the next playthrough (since I plan to have Sten in the party a lot) PS---Leliana does giggle a lot.
eugimon Posted November 14, 2009 Posted November 14, 2009 That's why I make a multitude of saves in different slots at different points in gameplay. Hopefully it will be as easy as going back a save and going through it again if the outcome is really bad or changes the world a whole lot. Do any of the achievements even have any tangible benefits in this game? Well besides unlocking classes. At least Mass Effect gave you reasons to play over to get all the bonuses. I'm up to 7(?) Revenants now btw. Much quicker and less hassle with better armour and weapons. Not really, the achievements in DA just come from playing the story, different game choices unlock different achievements. It's worth doing all the party quests though as the more they like you character specific talents are unlocked for that member. Some of the party quests give you access to nice character specific weapons or armor though.
David Hingtgen Posted November 14, 2009 Posted November 14, 2009 I swear my Wynne is bugged. She's pretty much maxed out for liking me, I've NEVER gotten a disapproval from her, I've done all of her conversations, and her personal quest---and she has still never offered to teach the spirit mage specialization. (and I went back everywhere and couldn't find the book that teaches it again---it would have cost a large percentage of my money at the time, but now I wish I'd bought it)
Ghost Train Posted November 15, 2009 Posted November 15, 2009 Just finished MW2 campaign... it was sooo short! But it was loads of fun. And lol @ the cliffhanger ending >_< .
Wanzerfan Posted November 15, 2009 Posted November 15, 2009 (edited) I swear my Wynne is bugged. She's pretty much maxed out for liking me, I've NEVER gotten a disapproval from her, I've done all of her conversations, and her personal quest---and she has still never offered to teach the spirit mage specialization. (and I went back everywhere and couldn't find the book that teaches it again---it would have cost a large percentage of my money at the time, but now I wish I'd bought it) All hail the almighty Strategy Guide. You can buy the book "Wonders of Thedas" from Denerim, but after Landsmeet starts. Edited November 15, 2009 by Wanzerfan
Wanzerfan Posted November 15, 2009 Posted November 15, 2009 I just got Sten and Leliana in my party. The banter between Alistair and Francis (the pooch) was amusing.
mikeszekely Posted November 16, 2009 Posted November 16, 2009 Just finished MW2 campaign... it was sooo short! Yeah, it seems shorter than the first Modern Warfare, and a lot shorter than World at War. But it was loads of fun. And lol @ the cliffhanger ending >_< . See, I have mixed feelings on it. There were some awesome levels (infiltrating the Russian base in the snowstorm) mixed with some really crappy ones (Brazil). And the story didn't make a lick of sense.
Ghost Train Posted November 16, 2009 Posted November 16, 2009 Yea, the Brazil level I have strong dislikes for. It seems like they were trying to recapture some scenes from various recent (and not so recent) movies. The Favelas level might have been to evoke the chase scene from The Hulk which also takes place in the slums. And of course, the showers assault in the Gulag is kinda like the Rock... But anyways, I didn't expect any incredible story from the game, it is after all just a game about tough guys with English accents running around with an M-4.
shiroikaze Posted November 16, 2009 Posted November 16, 2009 (edited) Found via Slickdeals' thread: Looks like someone posted the code for the exe for MW2 on Bash and Slash http://bashandslash.com/boards/viewtopic.p...bdec51471c2b392 006F3C48: 'server_hardware_mac_dedicated',0 006FA0C8: 'server_hardware_linux_dedicated',0 006D8A34: 'Show pure servers only',0 006EB118: 'Show empty servers',0 006FEA9C: 'Enable voting on this server',0 006FF99C: 'Names of IWD files used by the server',0 00700AF0: 'server_hardware_unknown',0 00701580: 'Show dedicated servers only',0 00702558: 'ui_browserShowDedicated',0 00706B6C: 'Allow this clan to join the server',0 00708968: 'server_hardware_win_dedicated',0 0070F77C: 'error',0Ah,'EXE_SERVERISFULL',0 00787A50: 'Set to false to disable dx allocations (for dedicated server mode)',0 0071600C: 'Connected to a pure server.',0Ah,0 00724788: 'Host name of the server',0 Apparently the code for dedicated servers still exists. I guess the original plan was to have dedicated servers like they said a few months back. Perhaps PC players might somehow get back dedicated servers and such soon after all, if that code is really from the MW2 exe... Maybe either Activision/IW will patch the game or the PC community will. Edited November 16, 2009 by shiroikaze
David Hingtgen Posted November 16, 2009 Posted November 16, 2009 Beat Dragon Age. For the final boss---RANGED attacks. Seriously. I even gave Alistair a crossbow. And common sense should tell you what type of attack you'll want to equip against. Another quick tip----there is no "final form" or "the REAL evil". Once you're there---that's it. Use EVERY item you've got, don't worry about saving them for a 2nd round or anything.
MDP310 Posted November 16, 2009 Posted November 16, 2009 So I think I'm stuck in Denerim. I'm waiting for the Landsmeet to start. I went to Howe's house and killed him and rescued the Queen. They told me to go to the elven Alienage to see why they're on the verge of a riot, but I can't get there.
eugimon Posted November 16, 2009 Posted November 16, 2009 So I think I'm stuck in Denerim. I'm waiting for the Landsmeet to start. I went to Howe's house and killed him and rescued the Queen. They told me to go to the elven Alienage to see why they're on the verge of a riot, but I can't get there. Walk there from the market instead of trying to use the city map
Warmaker Posted November 16, 2009 Posted November 16, 2009 Beat Dragon Age. For the final boss---RANGED attacks. Seriously. I even gave Alistair a crossbow. And common sense should tell you what type of attack you'll want to equip against. Another quick tip----there is no "final form" or "the REAL evil". Once you're there---that's it. Use EVERY item you've got, don't worry about saving them for a 2nd round or anything. You must have been crankin' in serious hours there I rolled a new toon, a Mage. Having access to a PC Mage, Wynn, and Morrigan = EZ Mode. Nothing that 1 heal and a handful of nukes to wipe anything out. A bit boring, but then I prefer having some more melee'ers around, but they get swarmed too easily and get killed quickly by bosses. Still haven't found a use for Rogues other than for lockpicking. Backstabbing doesn't impress me. Nothing that a 2H weapon can't do, and they can sometimes stun targets. Bow / Crossbow attacks are pathetically weak. It feels like ranged attacks by Zevram and Leiliana are so weak that I never notice any contributions from them. And Tanks in this game, compared to any other game that uses the term or gameplay style, are woefully weak. Alistair holds up like a sickly mouse trying to stop a bulldozer.
CoryHolmes Posted November 16, 2009 Posted November 16, 2009 While I agree that ranged combat seemed to be nerfed in this game, I'd just like to point out that Leliana is more than a little off her rocker. Having had time to think about it, BioWare seemed to want Morrigan as the "bad girl" of the party, but I think that title should go to Leliana. After all, she has a habit of crying out, "I tried to be merciful!" after turning her target into a porcupine. Does that seem like the actions of a sane person? On a related note, I'm grinding my way through the Magi tower and am finding it particularly boring and a chore to play. Anyone else run into this?
eugimon Posted November 16, 2009 Posted November 16, 2009 Whenever someone says that "god" told them to go do something, they're usually a little bit odd...
Warmaker Posted November 16, 2009 Posted November 16, 2009 While I agree that ranged combat seemed to be nerfed in this game, I'd just like to point out that Leliana is more than a little off her rocker. Having had time to think about it, BioWare seemed to want Morrigan as the "bad girl" of the party, but I think that title should go to Leliana. After all, she has a habit of crying out, "I tried to be merciful!" after turning her target into a porcupine. Does that seem like the actions of a sane person? On a related note, I'm grinding my way through the Magi tower and am finding it particularly boring and a chore to play. Anyone else run into this? The tower itself was so-so for me. The fade portion I despised.
eugimon Posted November 16, 2009 Posted November 16, 2009 The tower itself was so-so for me. The fade portion I despised. all the free stat boosts made it okay for me.
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