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Mr. Maltose
Feb 16, 2011

The Guffless Girlverine
If you didn't go full wisdom and charisma in Planescape Torment, you gimped yourself storywise. And that's the only reason to play Torment.

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Zushio
May 8, 2008

blakout posted:

Hey I haven't played much zelda so i'm starting with a link to the past any tips?

Honesty is the best policy.

Pay close attention to your surroundings, if it looks like you should be able to go somewhere there might be a way.

You can interact with nature in a variety of ways depending on what gear you have, keep it in mind if you're hurting for resources.

There is a dungeon that was tweaked in the GBA version to be less annoying, which version are you playing?

Zushio fucked around with this message at 08:02 on Dec 5, 2012

Cliff
Nov 12, 2008

blakout posted:

Hey I haven't played much zelda so i'm starting with a link to the past any tips?

There is a treasure hidden in a cave in the bottom-right area of Lake Hylia. There is also an item for sale for 500 rupees past the Witch's Hut (you need to be able to lift large stones first). Both items are necessary.

You can take an action in the light world and have it affect the dark world.

Fergus Mac Roich
Nov 5, 2008

Soiled Meat

blakout posted:

Hey I haven't played much zelda so i'm starting with a link to the past any tips?

Play it. You are so lucky to be playing that game for the first time.

fuckpot
May 20, 2007

Lurking beneath the water
The future Immortal awaits

Team Anasta
Best way to handle the bosses in Deus Ex:HR is to spend a few points on the fully upgraded typhoon system. You'll probably have more praxis than you'll know what to do with anyway.

Fruits of the sea
Dec 1, 2010

Pr0phecy posted:

Can I get some tips on Might and Magic 3? I'm struggling to build up an army anything before the 15 turn mark. I seem to be focused entirely on upping my town hall to get a lot of gold but it takes forever to get some troops out the door. By that time, the enemy is just walking over me as I have 5 heroes but only 1 that can fight with an army and 4 with lovely spells.

Also, where do I buy spellbooks?

Lotsa tips please! This game is ~amazing~.

edit: just discovered beforeiplay. Checking that out.

-In the early game, consolidate all your troops into one army and give them to your best hero (preferably someone with a spell book).

-Focus on your economy. Upgrade to a capitol as fast as possible. Do whatever it takes to get a reliable source of ore, wood, and whatver your town's key resource is by the end of the first week. The key resource is usually whatever is needed for your tier 7 unit, so gems for Castle, crystals for Rampart, etc.

-Once your economy is running build all the creature dwellings. Ideally you should have every dwelling built by the end of the third week. You probably won't be able to pay for all your troops at first, but you will have more troops "banked" than your opponent.

-Scout the map. Hire 2 heroes on the very first turn. Their troops can be added to the main army, unless they are an opposing alignment, in which case you will take a hit to morale.

-Conserve movement. Your main army's only goal should be killing stacks as fast as possible. Get a scout to follow the main army and hoover up resources/mines etc.

-Focus on the opponent, not neutral monsters. Your priority should be capturing towns and killing enemy heroes. Once you have a decent economy going, your main army shouldn't stop for anything, apart from particularly nice artifacts. Spend too much time exploring and the game gets a lot harder.

-Some towns have units so good that hampering your economy to get them in the first week is worthwhile. A couple examples: Tower gets Naga Queens (strong as hell and no retaliation), Rampart gets silver pegasi (can cross the map in one turn, cheap), Stronghold gets behemoths (actually pretty lovely, but a unit with 250 health is basically unstoppable at the start of the game). Just about any ranged unit can also be a game changer, especially marksmen and grand elves.

-You purchase spellbooks by clicking on a town's mage guild when a hero is visiting (not garrisoned).

Fruits of the sea fucked around with this message at 14:31 on Dec 5, 2012

Bunleigh
Jun 6, 2005

by exmarx
LittleBigPlanet 2

I just got a PS3 and downloaded this from PS+. What the heck is this weird game and what is all this poo poo I'm collecting? :psyduck:

Spalec
Apr 16, 2010

Bunleigh posted:

LittleBigPlanet 2

I just got a PS3 and downloaded this from PS+. What the heck is this weird game and what is all this poo poo I'm collecting? :psyduck:

The stuff you collect is either costume bits for your sackperson or new textures/items for your own levels. The level design tools are hugely complex and you should run through the tutorials if you think you're going to be making your own levels.

Also, play the levels with a buddy or 2 if you've got a second controller. It's very fun when you totally screw over your buddy.

Check out some of the user-made levels too, some are fantastic and of the same quality as the story levels.

Gay Atheist
Feb 15, 2005

Xander77 posted:

?

One of us doesn't remember PS:T that well.

(It's you)
The class system was different in PS:T but if you didn't beef up Wisdom, Charisma and Intelligence (in basically that order of importance) throughout you'd miss out on a ton of dialogue and side events! There were a TON of stat checks within dialogue in that game and while you could do well and beat the game as a tough guy fighter or sneaky agile thief, you definitely want to go high mental stats mage for the best experience. Baldur's Gate doesn't place that sort of emphasis on dialogue (afaik almost all the dialogue options are always the same regardless of your stats or alignment) so you don't miss out on anything by rolling the 'wrong' stats.

Turtlicious
Sep 17, 2012

by Jeffrey of YOSPOS

Gay Atheist posted:

The class system was different in PS:T but if you didn't beef up Wisdom, Charisma and Intelligence (in basically that order of importance) throughout you'd miss out on a ton of dialogue and side events! There were a TON of stat checks within dialogue in that game and while you could do well and beat the game as a tough guy fighter or sneaky agile thief, you definitely want to go high mental stats mage for the best experience. Baldur's Gate doesn't place that sort of emphasis on dialogue (afaik almost all the dialogue options are always the same regardless of your stats or alignment) so you don't miss out on anything by rolling the 'wrong' stats.

This sounds terrible, why would "No emphasis on dialogue" be a selling point in an RPG?

scamtank
Feb 24, 2011

my desire to just be a FUCKING IDIOT all day long is rapidly overtaking my ability to FUNCTION

i suspect that means i'm MENTALLY ILL


RPGs were all but dead in 1998. That hack'n'slash action was hailed as the second coming back then.

Gay Atheist
Feb 15, 2005

Turtlicious posted:

This sounds terrible, why would "No emphasis on dialogue" be a selling point in an RPG?
it was the first game of it's kind. Don't get me wrong, the writing in BG is absolutely stellar, it just doesn't have the stat checks within dialogue present in PS:T that let you overlook a good portion of the game if you didn't know to make your man a smarty-pants. Good thing this thread and the wiki exist.

Turtlicious
Sep 17, 2012

by Jeffrey of YOSPOS

Gay Atheist posted:

it was the first game of it's kind. Don't get me wrong, the writing in BG is absolutely stellar, it just doesn't have the stat checks within dialogue present in PS:T that let you overlook a good portion of the game if you didn't know to make your man a smarty-pants. Good thing this thread and the wiki exist.

So, wait, do you feel games like Fallout are poorly designed because they required you to have skills to pass certain speech checks, I was under the impression that was good game design, requiring you to specialize your character and not just make the thing that hits hardest.

FreshFeesh
Jun 3, 2007

Drum Solo

Skilleddk posted:

Can I ask for some Guild Wars 2 tips here, or should I take it to the subforum? I've played WoW and GW1, but this seems very different.

To follow up on what everyone else has said:

* Exploration/events net you far more XP than just killing things
* With the aforementioned (very seamless) downleveling, there's nothing holding you back from exploring all of the starting areas; each are very different in design and theme
* Grouping up with other players allows you to see them on the map and engage in party chat -- groups also persist if you switch characters or log off. All effects that say 'allies' means all PCs (and friendly NPCs) in the area, regardless of whether you're grouped with them
* The game really is designed so you can play your own way -- want to collect materials and craft to your heart's content? Go for it! Want to explore and discover hidden caves, caverns, and other goodies? Sure! Just want to stab, stab, stab? Plenty of opportunity there too

Agnostalgia
Dec 22, 2009

Turtlicious posted:

So, wait, do you feel games like Fallout are poorly designed because they required you to have skills to pass certain speech checks, I was under the impression that was good game design, requiring you to specialize your character and not just make the thing that hits hardest.

The first two Fallouts were better about that because having different stats and skills tended to open up different dialogue options. A dumb character or one good at science could get some new options besides the default ones, as could a character focused on persuasion.

Torment's issue is that one type of character--a wise, charismatic one--has all the regular dialogue options, plus more that no one else gets. Basically, there is extra content based on build, but only for one build. So you're losing out on a lot if you do anything else.

Fergus Mac Roich
Nov 5, 2008

Soiled Meat
There are some extra things you can do in PS:T with strength and dexterity but overall it's just a worse game if you aren't high int/wis/cha. I'd take BG2's lack of variation over that any day.

Pb and Jellyfish
Oct 30, 2011
Any advice for Alan Wake's American Nightmare ? I picked it up super cheap on steam, and just got to the third chapter. I played through the original on X-box, so the basics are straightforward enough, but I do have a few questions:

-Can I get all the manuscript pages on my first playthrough, or will I need to go back over each chapter?

-Is there a new game + mode once I finish?

-Any particular tips for maximizing my arcade mode score? I usually manage to survive, but haven't gotten three stars yet

-Any other general tips or things I should know?

PJOmega
May 5, 2009
I know someone posted (Non-Spoilery) hints for the new X-Com, but it isn't on the Wiki. Anyone care to direct me in the right directions?

Chortles
Dec 29, 2008
Besides the X-COM: Enemy Unknown thread you mean?

Hargrimm
Sep 22, 2011

W A R R E N

PJStelford posted:

I know someone posted (Non-Spoilery) hints for the new X-Com, but it isn't on the Wiki. Anyone care to direct me in the right directions?

There's a fair amount starting here.

thrakkorzog
Nov 16, 2007

Agnostalgia posted:

The first two Fallouts were better about that because having different stats and skills tended to open up different dialogue options. A dumb character or one good at science could get some new options besides the default ones, as could a character focused on persuasion.

Torment's issue is that one type of character--a wise, charismatic one--has all the regular dialogue options, plus more that no one else gets. Basically, there is extra content based on build, but only for one build. So you're losing out on a lot if you do anything else.

New Vegas has a lot of that as well, with quite a few checks for skills like science or medicine, and some extra options for low int characters. If you want to be a super diplomatic character that talks their way past their problems, you're going to want to put points into speech, but it's not going to solve every quest.

Xander77
Apr 6, 2009

Fuck it then. For another pit sandwich and some 'tater salad, I'll post a few more.



Your starting stats in PS:T didn't matter - most of your stats were gained through level ups, dialog and items. And, of course, you could change your class whenever.

...

I'm trying to restart Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood. Is there any way to save manually / backup your saves? Every once in a while my computer just shuts down automatically. So I save early and often - in games that allow you to save. The last time I played through Brotherhood, I put in about 10 hours of game time, only for my computer to die in mid-save and for the save to become corrupt.

Oh, and any tips for fighting brutes and seekers in melee? Currently I either hope I can get a counter kill off a regular soldier, or try to run away and shoot them (always incredibly annoying with AC's lock-on system)

fuckpot
May 20, 2007

Lurking beneath the water
The future Immortal awaits

Team Anasta

thrakkorzog posted:

New Vegas has a lot of that as well, with quite a few checks for skills like science or medicine, and some extra options for low int characters. If you want to be a super diplomatic character that talks their way past their problems, you're going to want to put points into speech, but it's not going to solve every quest.
Not every quest but I think there are only two or three quests you can't solve with speech. I did a no-kill speech run and was blown away by being able to complete most of the game without killing a single person. Animals were fair game of course. The only quest I can think of off the top of my head that couldn't be solved with speech was the assassination of those three fiends quest you get off the dude in Camp McCarren.

PJOmega
May 5, 2009


I simply didn't want to be too terribly spoiled. So far it's been a lot of 'fun' running into each new Alien for the first time.

"Oh it's a C******er, what does he do? Oh M*** C******, balls."

limp_cheese
Sep 10, 2007


Nothing to see here. Move along.

PJStelford posted:

I know someone posted (Non-Spoilery) hints for the new X-Com, but it isn't on the Wiki. Anyone care to direct me in the right directions?

I don't know if it was just a glitch for me, but grenades don't injure Outsiders.

Woffle
Jul 23, 2007

Agnostalgia posted:

Torment's issue is that one type of character--a wise, charismatic one--has all the regular dialogue options, plus more that no one else gets. Basically, there is extra content based on build, but only for one build. So you're losing out on a lot if you do anything else.

This is only mildly true. There are bonus dialog options for high strength, dexterity and intelligence too. The game is best played high wisdom, charisma, however.

Smerdyakov
Jul 8, 2008

It was a few pages back, but I've played the game alot now and some of the advice on Fallen Enchantress seems to have missed what I've found to be the most fun way to play the game.

I want to give some unsolicited tips that are not that obvious. It's actually a great game, but it's hard to tell at first because the starting difficulty and settings make the game too easy and most features of it pointless.

Before you start:

*Play on at least challenging, preferably expert after a game or two, otherwise your sovereign is too powerful in relation to the enemies you fight and you'll be bored halfway though the game because building troops won't matter.

*Set wildlands and monsters to above average, random events to above average and resources to scarce: this means that you'll have real shortages, genuine objectives, and a need to defend cities with not just garrisons but champions.

*Play with at least 4 AI opponents.

*I prefer setting technology speed to Marathon because it lets you focus on developing cities, champions, and armies instead of being trapped in a tech race. You still have to put points into tech, but all of a sudden small research differences don't make or break the game.

In game:

*City growth is not that important, and with all the monsters roaming around, most cities should be set up as forts. The advantages from cities are mostly money and growth, which in turn give you more money and growth bonuses.

*Play as close to iron-man as possible: champions and the sovereign unit can't die anyway and you'll appreciate the greater tactical choices that come after defeats, not to mention the backstory of a champion who is blind in one eye with a gangrenous hand fighting the dragon that did those things to him. Any game is easy if you savescum, but this one is especially ruined by always insisting on the optimal result.

The end result of playing like this is that there are only a few places for cities and the world is dangerous, with lots of battles, lots of xp, and the possibility for some diplomacy since the AI who would normally be sending endless waves of spearmen at you is probably having his city besieged by giant spiders. A lot of the reviews kept the settings to defaults and these definitely unbalance the game and make cities far less relevant and valuable, and also allows you to just create the "hero stack of death" that destroys everything in its path. Fallen Enchantress is a really promising game, but it's definitely not a polished one (like, at all) and it takes a lot of work and even a learning curve to get the features reasonably balanced. Also, the AI cheats, but there isn't any 4x game where the AI doesn't, so live with it.

Chortles
Dec 29, 2008

PJStelford posted:

I simply didn't want to be too terribly spoiled. So far it's been a lot of 'fun' running into each new Alien for the first time.

"Oh it's a C******er, what does he do? Oh M*** C******, balls."
Makes sense; one bit I can add is that in XCOM: Enemy Unknown soldiers end up in sickbay if they take a total amount of damage (before Medkit healing) greater than the amount of Health granted by their armor; apparently the two "Insert" accessories stack with armor for this purpose as well, so the two basic ways to avoid having to deal with soldier downtime is either not get hit or to stack as much Health on a soldier as possible. Medkits do not affect sickbay duration, so they're pretty much only for keeping someone from dying, while a certain Officer Training School upgrade is for halving sickbay durations.

Also regarding "wounded" conditions in the post-mission status screen -- Gravely Wounded just means longer sickbay time, while Critically Wounded means that that soldier also took a permanent Will penalty.

Dewgy
Nov 10, 2005

~🚚special delivery~📦

Xander77 posted:

Oh, and any tips for fighting brutes and seekers in melee? Currently I either hope I can get a counter kill off a regular soldier, or try to run away and shoot them (always incredibly annoying with AC's lock-on system)

Switch to unarmed, then you can counter their weapon away and instakill them with their own crap!

Polka_Rapper
Jan 22, 2011

Dewgy posted:

Switch to unarmed, then you can counter their weapon away and instakill them with their own crap!

Also if they counter your counter, you can just spam kick until they weaken/die (in unarmed of course).

C-Euro
Mar 20, 2010

:science:
Soiled Meat

blakout posted:

Hey I haven't played much zelda so i'm starting with a link to the past any tips?

Nothing is really miss-able but as someone else said there's a couple of items that are needed to beat the game (and it's not obvious that they are needed at all).

There's a room about 1/3 through the game where the main villain is standing at a large altar. When he disappears he's gone through the curtains behind him, which you can slash away with your sword. This wasn't obvious to me when I was a kid first playing this game so just a warning.

More a general Zelda theme, but money is pretty easy to come by so don't worry about buying things when they first become available, or donating money to any sort of cause.

Explore! There are secret caves all over the place, hidden ways into various buildings and other structures, and shortcuts abound. There are also ways to get past various obstacles by going back and forth between Light World and Dark World.

Enjoy, I think it's still my favorite Zelda to this day.

Fame Throwa
Nov 3, 2007

Time to make all the decisions!
A few weeks ago during the steam sales I got Cities XL 2012. Yes, I know its a poo poo game but it was 10 bucks and I like messing around with city builders. I haven't had any issues with it yet but I heard the game is buggy as poo poo, so how can I keep my cities from becoming unplayable? Also any tips on running a good city would be awesome too.

I also got Dragon Age: Origins during the sale too. Is there anything I need to know before I play it? I'm not too familiar with that genre and I don't want to accidentally screw myself over.

Fruits of the sea
Dec 1, 2010

Fame Throwa posted:

I also got Dragon Age: Origins during the sale too. Is there anything I need to know before I play it? I'm not too familiar with that genre and I don't want to accidentally screw myself over.

There's basically two ways to play the game.

Set the difficulty to easy and play through it like a real-time tactics game with an over the shoulder mmo-style interface or...

Play on normal or higher difficulty, press spacebar to pause the game whenever you want to give your party orders and basically just treat the game like a turn-based rpg. Lots of micromanaging.

Both styles are fun. Melee rogue is probably the most entertaining class for a newbie. Mages are game-breakingly powerful if you use them right.

Remote User
Nov 17, 2003

Hope deleted.

Fame Throwa posted:

I also got Dragon Age: Origins during the sale too. Is there anything I need to know before I play it? I'm not too familiar with that genre and I don't want to accidentally screw myself over.

Yeah mages are pretty op. Check out the DAO wiki for spell combos, there's a bunch. If you roll with 2 or more mages the game is pretty broken, unless you enjoy unstoppableness.

Also, be sure to chat up Morrigan and get her side quest, it's the best side quest.

The grave stones in Brecilian Forest are tough, but worth it.

Xander77
Apr 6, 2009

Fuck it then. For another pit sandwich and some 'tater salad, I'll post a few more.



Hotline: Miami

General what I should know stuff, and a specific question:

Am I supposed to be getting a lot of interference, the screen flickering and stuff as a part of the game's ambiance, or is that something about my graphic settings?

Mug
Apr 26, 2005

Xander77 posted:

Hotline: Miami

General what I should know stuff, and a specific question:

Am I supposed to be getting a lot of interference, the screen flickering and stuff as a part of the game's ambiance, or is that something about my graphic settings?

I'd say it's behaving as intended, there's constant psychedelic stuff on-screen throughout the whole game.

Renoistic
Jul 27, 2007

Everyone has a
guardian angel.

Xander77 posted:

Hotline: Miami

General what I should know stuff, and a specific question:

Am I supposed to be getting a lot of interference, the screen flickering and stuff as a part of the game's ambiance, or is that something about my graphic settings?

Not during a stage, I think. I've never noticed anything distracting while playing.

Bussamove
Feb 25, 2006

Since I just picked it up thanks to a super cheap 3 pack, any advice for Awesomenauts out there? Game seems fun as hell, but I have no idea what I'm doing.

csm141
Jul 19, 2010

i care, i'm listening, i can help you without giving any advice
Pillbug
FTL: Faster Than Light

My first game went ok until I got boarded and all my crewmembers were slaughtered.

Help me please, I am bad at space.

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A shrubbery!
Jan 16, 2009
I LOOK DOWN ON MY REAL LIFE FRIENDS BECAUSE OF THEIR VIDEO GAME PURCHASING DECISIONS.

I'M THAT MUCH OF AN INSUFFERABLE SPERGLORD

Chief Savage Man posted:

FTL: Faster Than Light

My first game went ok until I got boarded and all my crewmembers were slaughtered.

Help me please, I am bad at space.

It's a pretty hard game. I'm not that great at it either, but it's usually best to target shield>transporter>weapons>engine if you're using standard weapons, prioritising engines if they're trying to run. With the Kestrel, I'll spend a rocket on taking down their shields then power down to save ammo.
Rockmen and Mantises are the best at combat, so try to have at least one of these in your crew if possible. Also, try to lure enemies into fighting in your sickbay as your crew will be healed and theirs won't. One more thing, don't be afraid to run away when it looks like it isn't worth fighting. If an enemy ship's going to take off 75% of your hull and you're only going to gain 30 scrap for winning, you should high-tail it ASAP. A good indicator of this is how often they're getting through your shield VS how often you're getting through theirs. Most games will go pretty fine, until you run into a ship that's built in a way that directly counters your set-up (they have missiles+ you've focused on shields, they're about to board and you have a crew of Engis), and you should leave those guys alone.
I hope someone can provide some more advice!

A shrubbery! fucked around with this message at 21:59 on Dec 9, 2012

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