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Glazius posted:Huh. We're actually trying diplomacy? Or does our aspiring lord here look to join the winning side? The party will actually do diplomacy! In fact, it's even diplomacy that will work in the long run.
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Sep 14, 2016 03:07
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Isn't diplomacy actually in Unspecified Services' job description? Somewhere under demon slaying and parcel delivery?
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Sep 14, 2016 06:14
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wiegieman posted:Isn't diplomacy actually in Unspecified Services' job description? Somewhere under demon slaying and parcel delivery? Unspecified Services' Job description is basically "Other". They handle everything that isn't covered by the Army or the Government. Recon, map making, deliveries, assassinations, everything that you can't get done by sending in the army or the bureaucrats. In the (official) backstory, they folded Scimitar into them after the War to form the core irregular forces and 'adventurers', and in my LP, US got started as a means for Micah to legitimize - and claim credit for - all the good things the 1EEC did over the course of their misadventures, thus helping to solidify recognition of the Castle as the central government. And remember (near the end spoilers here) It's Anaximander who negotiates the peace treaty with Prazac on behalf of Exile, and it's considered legit by everyone.
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Sep 14, 2016 06:38
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TooMuchAbstraction posted:I'm curious -- with the Bless/Curse combination going, how often do you get hit in melee / by mundane ranged attacks? Those are all that armor helps you with, after all, so there's not much point in investing in more heavy armor if you're already not getting hit. Another plus with the old engines is you can mitigate some of the expense by going into combat and leaving the casters behind in a safe corner. The buffs don't have range for your party so you can top them off from across the map. They actually last a pretty good while on the whole so this drops your SP cost a lot.
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Sep 14, 2016 11:05
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Parts Kit posted:Another plus with the old engines is you can mitigate some of the expense by going into combat and leaving the casters behind in a safe corner. The buffs don't have range for your party so you can top them off from across the map. They actually last a pretty good while on the whole so this drops your SP cost a lot. That reminds me -- I saw an Exile 1 speedrun awhile back. The party consisted of 1 melee guy and 5 spellcasters; dungeons consisted of the spellcasters buffing the melee guy up and then him making a beeline for quest objectives. A level-1 character against the entire Nephil army? Sure, he's basically invulnerable with all the blessings they'd stacked on him.
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Sep 14, 2016 15:21
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I remember someone on the Spiderweb forums talking about a similar strategy: If you put all your skill points into Strength at level 1, it didn't matter that you had no health or weapon skill -- all the blessings meant your one character was untouchable and would completely wreck anyone in his way, and would get about 30-40 HP on the first level up. I tried it in the Fort Ganrick fight in Exile II and had a character dishing out between 25-50 damage per hit and completely destroying the nephil party. Pretty fun way to start the game.
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Sep 14, 2016 18:35
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berryjon posted:The party will actually do diplomacy! In fact, it's even diplomacy that will work in the long run. Spoilers, geez! (I'm only a little serious. Given the way you'd been building the narrative I guessed the ending to this game wasn't gonna be 'NOW THE REAL WAR BEGINS', especially given that this game apparently ties up the trilogy quite nicely, but the thread title did sort of cast some doubt on that.)
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Sep 14, 2016 18:53
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vdate posted:Spoilers, geez! (I'm only a little serious. Given the way you'd been building the narrative I guessed the ending to this game wasn't gonna be 'NOW THE REAL WAR BEGINS', especially given that this game apparently ties up the trilogy quite nicely, but the thread title did sort of cast some doubt on that.) The titles for the three LPs actually form a sort of descriptive arc for the whole trilogy, which is why I chose them. "Get me Out of Here!" - At that point, Art and co simply want to undo their Exile, and escape. But to do that, there are a lot of things they have to do first. "Let's Finish what we Started." - In Exile 2, they may have 'succeeded', but a whole lot of things that they did were left undone, or not complete. The securing of Exile against Empire reprisal is the foremost. "These are the consequences of our actions" - Exile 3 wraps up the trilogy by pointing out that nothing is ever really 'done'. that even though the war is over, the Empire still exists, and not everyone is happy with the current state of affairs. That state being what the actions of the two previous games have set up. I have a huge monologue sitting on my hard drive for the final boss fight that ties everything together, or so I hope.
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Sep 15, 2016 00:24
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rodomontade posted:I remember someone on the Spiderweb forums talking about a similar strategy: If you put all your skill points into Strength at level 1, it didn't matter that you had no health or weapon skill -- all the blessings meant your one character was untouchable and would completely wreck anyone in his way, and would get about 30-40 HP on the first level up. I tried it in the Fort Ganrick fight in Exile II and had a character dishing out between 25-50 damage per hit and completely destroying the nephil party. Pretty fun way to start the game.
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Sep 15, 2016 02:59
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Update 034 – Castle Troglo and Under the Castle “I think the best way to find the Castle Troglo is to start at the temple, and follow the hills north until we find it.” “That's a very sound plan. I mean, coming from you and all.” “What does that mean? We're trained in surveys, and I'm good at it!” “Now now, I'm sure she didn't mean much by that. Or the wrong thing.” “And we already know where the Temple is, so it's an established starting point.” “Yeah, but I have to wonder just how legit this document is.”  “We'll deal with that problem when it becomes one.” “I have to wonder though. Are the Troglodytes really part of the pattern of monster plagues?” “Care to elaborate?” “For starters, they're not new. The Slimes and the Roaches were both artificial creations, even if you can trace their origins to some degree. The Troglodytes are a known species, even though Imperial History talks about how they were driven to extinction.” “Why was that?” “They were cunning and dangerous foes. The Empire likes to put down their former enemies in the history, but the Troglodytes were one of the few that were not.” “So your theory is that there was a colony of Troglodytes here in central-ish Valorim that is taking advantage of the chaos to expand and entrench against the inevitable Empire reprisal?” “Yes. Although the presence of the Giants to the north is also surprising.” “But there are Giants to the north of Slith waters!” “Yes, but why are they up here? The more I think about it, that there is another colony of them up here is an aberration. And these aberrations are building up. Once, I could write off as coincidence, but the numbers keep adding up.” “You do realize you just changed your mind while explaining all that, right?” “So it seems. There is a connection, whether deliberate or not.” “And I think this is the place.”  “I go first. Got the message?” “Right here.” “Hmph. They're almost big.” “Only the giants we've met were bigger than you, Sass.” “I know!”    The icon for the Castle is actually the three-tile segment for the major cities, and had the middle third simply not put in. I like the difference, really, that it portrays. “Wow, we're really close to Angel's Rest. Here's the map.” “How did no one notice this when the continent was first colonized!?!?” “This place is quite huge.” And I won't be able to properly explore it for a while yet.   “At least the exit point is easy enough to see.” “Best behaviour, and if they turn hostile, we destroy everything.” “You're confident that we can do that? Take on this whole place by ourselves?” “Why not? We're inside. The hard part is done.” “Yes. I am Art, formerly of the Imperial Center, and current resident of Avit. I have here the pass your king sent to Mayor Knight of Sharimik, and am here as his representative.” “Very well.” “This can't be good.” “It's only a security percaution.”  “Well, that's not good.” “It's not like there was an established meeting time.” “You're right. It doesn't surprise me that we're being locked up for our protection.” “And we're pretty close to what looks as a throne room.” “Nope, not going to get through this.” “Well then, time to take a nap in turns. Not it.” “... Not it.” “ NOT IT!” “Dammit.”* * *  You're trapped in that room until you wait long enough. There's no other way out except through cheating. So just Long Wait once, and you're good. “Hold on, I need to check the secret exit.”  “We'll keep this in mind.”  “I ... what?” “A more conventional captive, I think.” “...” “This is not very subtle.” “Dissension in the ranks?” “Or a poor play to get us this scroll. What does it say?” “I need a strong drink.” “Mother-of-us-all.” “The Glowing Ones?” “I haven't heard of them.” “Worse yet, this is confirmation that the Troglodytes are connected literally. And the Giants to the north.” “It's all the same source, the same problem. And these Glowing Ones are escalating.” “Or getting better at what they're doing. The Empire lays to the North, right? The Glowing Ones started in the south with easy creations, and as they move north, have increased the power of their chosen implements.” “But why? And who?” “Also, I need to clean my pockets out. I've got a lot of papers in them.” “Legitimate this time?” “I hope so.”   “Do not wait! Speak with the King!” “Deep pit.” “You must be the king.” Eh, I can totally take him. “Yes, I did. Quite interesting in the implications.” You stand face to face with the King of the Troglodytes. He wears gleaming steel armor and a massive blade. His face is scarred and deeply lined, and his hair is black and stringy. “Then know this – I am King Vothkaro – High King of the Troglodyte People.” “I am Art, Noble and Priest, Ik-tah and Mother. I have come to hear the words you have to say, and to relay them to the ones whom you wish them to be heard by.” His voice is deep and commanding. “The scroll I had left for you told you the things you need to know about our people. We are a rootless people. We are a holy people. And we have an ancient Enemy!” “You call yourself rootless, yet here you are. Home and hearth.” “We were once destroyed – wiped off the face of the earth. Then were were brought back by the Glowing Ones. We aren't sure who our destroyers were, but I have a guess.” “The Glowing Ones have been active all over this continent, crafting discord and chaos in their wake. They are the creators of plagues and disease, and do not face their foes openly, as warriors should. Tell us what you know of them, so we may learn more for their punishment.” “We know little of the Glowing Ones. They speak to us. They made us, or so they say. They are insubstantial, glowing forms, and we can tell little of what they truly are. They tell us to do things. We do them, but only because it is what we wish. They do not want us to fight the Giants. I wish to. One Khazi agrees with them. I do not think he is wise.” “And surely you believe the humans are responsible for your ancestor's deaths? Why even guess?” “The Giants!” He hawks and spits. “Our unholy, eternal foe! Their cries against us were unspeakable, and their punishment will be too!” “Surely a holy people such as yourself could consult your gods.” “Our gods are secret and powerful, and our people are always half-ruled by our holy leaders – the Khazis. Khazis are generally wise. Unfortunately, there are exceptions.” “Speak to me then, of this exceptional Khazi.” “The leader of the Khazis is Elioc. He believes something so heretical, anyone else saying it would be killed – that we should ignore the ancient enemy and concentrate on fighting the humans. Alas, he is my equal. That is why I have brought you here. I have a mission for you.” “King Vothkaro, your luck is something to speak of, that we messengers are capable of such a thing. What would have happened had someone less capable arrived?” “Who do you think was in the room across from you?” “Very well. Speak to us of this mission?” He smiles wryly. “Elhioc is wise, and the walls have ears. Let us just say that he should be made to answer for his heresy.” “We don't normally deal in heresy.” “Return to your cell. A new scroll awaits you. Much will be made clear to you.” “Let's see what this says.” “Thoughts.” “Using an external force such as ours to deal with an internal problem is very risky.” “Very much so. Wouldn't a group of humans – and a Nephil and a Slith – doing this cause the Troglodytes to focus on us? To attack Sharimik in force first before returning to the Great Enemy?” “On the other hand, we're being asked to act as agents of the King in this regard. He may be prepared already for the fallout.” “What about diplomacy?” “What of it? We talked, and he set conditions for us to remove the threat to the nearby human settlements. That it involves violence is only natural.” “There is also the problem that despite Art's fancy introduction, she failed to mention that we're from Exile.” “What point would that produce? Mayor Knight knows where we're from, and he still asked us to do this on his behalf.” “Because we're expendable.” “Irrelevant. What he intends happens to us does not affect what we should do.” “But this Khazi wants to keep killing humans! And probably Sliths and Nephil as well. The King wants to fight Giants!” “He has a point. Arrange for the two forces to fight each other, rather than the civilian populations around here will go a long way to containing the problem.” “And the first step in that direction would be removing the 'Kill Humans First' faction head.” “We'll do it.” “We haven't reached a consensus. Why?” “In the end, whether we do this or not, there is nothing that will stop further attacks on humans in the region. The Troglodytes are too entrenched that even destroying this castle wouldn't stop them. However, you are right. By taking out the one proposing escalation against Sharimik, we can manipulate their internal politics away from focusing on them. They would step back, and get ready to take on the Giants, or search for some way to reopen the tunnel they mentioned.” “Are you sure of the consequences?” “No, but in the end, our choice is no choice at all. That's why we have power.”     “Right. The King wants us to swing north, then west. I can see the edge of the Shaman's quarters that way.” “It's dark. I should make light for all you.” “No! If you do, they'll see us before we see them.” “Like this! Now we can sneak up on them.” gently caress this guy in particular. In a practice run, this guy spammed fireballs on me, taking out Ni'aurrl and Matthias before I could get around the water to him. “We can do sneaky things then instead.”  “You hear that? Someone else is fighing.” I have no idea what's going on here. Why are Troglos attacking each other? There's nothing to indicate they're in open conflict yet, if at all. So, I just shrug, and take my good fortune as it lay. “Ignore it unless we have to pass through it.”  “So, go west from here?” “Or we could get started. So, which one of you guys wants to kill humans?”  “DIE!” “All of you it is!”  “I think going back up at this point is a bad idea. We should finish what we started first.” “And of course they would have a source of fresh water under the castle. This would make attacking it a long and arduous process.” “Huh. That looks familiar.” “Really, really familiar.”  “You're not suggesting..?” “Why not? So far we have evidence that Erika is involved. The Dragons are involved maybe. So why not a Vahnatai styled barrier array?” “Plenty of still-hostile Troglos in the area. And aren't we going too far south?” “Just consider this securing our way out.” “More stairs up. And what looks like private rooms to the north.”  “No, these are just as trapped as the ones in the temple. I don't want to risk it.” “Oh, joys of lights.” “Door popped. Let's see who's home.” “Are you Ehlioc? If you are, can you stand still while we stab you?” “And if you're not, could you please step out of our way?” “Why are negotiations so hard?” “Most likely because they're handled by the actual diplomats.” “Let's be fair here. Art is good at her version of diplomacy. It's just not what most people expect.” “While you guys were chatting, I found a secret passage.”  “Right. You know, I think I remember something about this passage from Matthias' scrying.” “What was that?” “The Quickfire!”  “I hate you.” “There's the treasure.” “I love you.” “Alright, I really don't want to see what's down to the south. That seems to be where most of the fighting is taking place” “Don't want to give them a reason to join forces?” “That would be the best idea.”  “I wonder if there's anyone here we could release into aiding us.”  “Guess not.” “Given the culture, I suspect Heresy is a crime with lethal punishments.”  “What is this?” “I have no clue.” “Anyone else smell that?”  “Right. Deal with these guys first.” Two drakes in close quarters like this is something I can handle now. A far cry from when one of them was enough to get me to panic. “Nice loot. I think.” “And there's nothing interesting about the bodies.”  “This control panel ... curious.” “I'm pressing buttons!” “Well, at least it wasn't trapped.” “Ever notice how he never triggers that sort of thing?” “Yeah, because that's my job. And yours when I can't.” “This ... device ... moved. In response to the buttons on the dias.” “Didn't the King say his people couldn't understand this?” Perhaps. Although I think I see how this is working. Aside from this second layer, each rank is controlled by the buttons. We simply need to figure out what combination will let us through.” “2-2-2-2-0-2?”  “Guess not. We need to angle the passage south to get to the exit.” This would be a lot harder if you didn't have Magic Map, and thus couldn't see were the exit is.  “This should do it. Thank you, Sass. For pressing the buttons.”  “And so it did.” “Hey, once last chance at diplomacy?” “Humans will die!” “What about me?” “... We will see if you make excellent slaves. If you can't, then you will die too.” “Yeah, that's a bad negotiating position. Shall we?”  Tougher than a general Khazi, but only Mage 5 instead of Mage 6? Oh well, the usual pattern of 'spam buffs/debuffs and whack over head' will work here. “Not even in the top ten hardest assassinations I've ever done.” “Still, that was intense. We should check the altar out while we recover.” “Nothing unusual here. I like the carvings though. Good craftsmanship.”  “Very Ascetic.”  “Curious. This book doesn't have the same protections as the others we've seen.” Nice! Once I can cast them, mind you. “Question?” “Go ahead.” “How did the Khazi close the passage behind him so that we had to open it up again, and how would he have opened it from his side?” “...” “Time to leave.”   “Well, that was awfully polite of them. I really wish diplomacy was more like this, and less like the last hour or so.” “Wax seal and everything. I suppose this is just an official message of some sort.” “And we finally take this passage out. Think we'll be back?” “I'm sure of it.” “Next stop – Sharimik, and that dumping all our accumulated loot before reporting to the Mayor.”* * *  Complete overkill, but when I use it, it will be vital. Five uses of Haste for the wearer? I've got 3 people who can cast Haste – two of whom get Group Haste. For a less magic-heavy party, this would be amazingly useful, but for this party? Not so much. Once again, no one with the bashing skill. Picked this up in the Drake nest. Not as good as a Platinum Bar, but still paid for all the Identification I did.* * * I also did a round of training before then with my newfound wealth after selling off a bunch of stuff. This is also the first game where I can reasonably expect to hit levels 40 or higher for everyone. In a shocking turn of events, I invest in five levels of Luck for Art, rather than more of anything else. I think it's a nice change of pace. 5 more Spell Points, and then minor improvements in Dexterity and Pole Weapons. He's still a melee person first, and a spellcaster second. Just an extra point of Strength, what with using all her Skill Points last time. More Spell Points, and enough points into Archery to make it worth her while with the Crossbow and Iron Bolts. Ten more Spell Points and ... two points of luck? What was I thinking? I could have used those on more Intelligence! Or Priest 4! More intelligence, more Spell Points, and I hard-bought more Health even though yes I know that buying Strength would be better in the long run. But I like the idea of a Mage with a Chronic Illness having limited strength.* * *  “Mayor Knight, mission accomplished.” “Thank you!” YES! It's mine at last!  “This will be sweet knowledge.” “Don't forget me.”  I like how the game recognizes what you have done, and knows just how useful the spell will be. “You know, I think there's a hidden chamber to the south.”  “We'll get this identified later.” “So... you two want to take your new spell out for a try? There's three barriers right there...!” “No. He's been nice to us, and we only rob bad people.” “So, Lorelei next?” “No, there's that damned sound again. Like that ring on the Isle of Bigail.” “It was helpful last time, it should be helpful this time too!” “I'm for that. And more information about what is going on with you the better.”* * *  “Not here, but there's still something here.”  “Hello?” “Sorry, we'll pass.” “Goblins? Heh.”* * *  “If I knew we were headed this way, I would have picked up that delivery job for Mayor Delenn.”* * *  “Back into the undead territory?” “Here.” “We'll have to go around to find the way in.” Note, there is literally no indication that this path is here at all. Ever. “Yes, this is the place.”   “Ugh...” And here is the other method to get Magic Map. The spell I got last update. “... REALLY?” “Back to Sharimik then. See what's next on the list, aside from investigating the Giants.” So ends Karnold Province. The next update will be the next Map Update, and I * think * I've triggered the next event in Upper Exile. If I have, I'll do that, then go back to the main plot.
berryjon fucked around with this message at 05:09 on Sep 15, 2016 |
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Sep 15, 2016 04:35
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You want "ascetic" instead of "aesthetic". And the troglos were wiped off the face of the Earth. I always liked this sequence. It's nice to have enemies that aren't united within themselves and to have a victory condition that isn't just "wipe them all out". The contrast between the troglos and the giants is interesting as well, though I know who I would pick if I had to back a side (hint: it's not the giants).
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Sep 15, 2016 05:01
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TooMuchAbstraction posted:You want "ascetic" instead of "aesthetic". And the troglos were wiped off the face of the Earth. Fixed and Fixed, thank you. Still catching edits in the core transcript. And the Troglos are nicely portrayed. I just wish there was more of them in this game, but the whole mid-game feels a bit squeezed.
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Sep 15, 2016 05:10
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"Glowing Ones", and the Vahnatai barrier showing up around the same time? DId the Vahnatai bring back the Giants and the Trogs just to sow chaos with the humans? Mmmm. Something smells. Either one party of the Dragons, Erika and the Vahnatai is setting up the others as a scapegoat, or all three are working together to break up the Empire's control of the surface. Either way, this is getting more and more interesting.
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Sep 15, 2016 05:18
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Based off playing with the Blades editor as a kid, enemies can belong to one of two factions. If the factions come into contact they will fight each other, unless you're in sight. For story purposes it's probably the followers of the Shamans and Khazis fighting among themselves, though I don't believe it is ever explained outright.
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Sep 15, 2016 05:21
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Krumbsthumbs posted:"Glowing Ones", and the Vahnatai barrier showing up around the same time? DId the Vahnatai bring back the Giants and the Trogs just to sow chaos with the humans? Mmmm. Something smells. Either one party of the Dragons, Erika and the Vahnatai is setting up the others as a scapegoat, or all three are working together to break up the Empire's control of the surface. Either way, this is getting more and more interesting. There is of course the third possibility, which is that this is a framejob on the Vahnatai as well. Barring internal Empire politics, though, I don't know who has the resources to do it. Also, option B there sounds awesome - the Empire wouldn't know what hit 'em. vdate fucked around with this message at 05:39 on Sep 15, 2016 |
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Sep 15, 2016 05:34
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vdate posted:There is of course the third possibility, which is that this is a framejob on the Vahnatai as well. Barring internal Empire politics, though, I don't know who has the resources to do it. Also, option B there sounds awesome - the Empire wouldn't know what hit 'em. Yeah, but why wouldn't you tell exile, particularly once you realised that a certain angry exile was blowing up your master plan.
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Sep 15, 2016 06:18
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Cthulhu Dreams posted:Yeah, but why wouldn't you tell exile, particularly once you realised that a certain angry exile was blowing up your master plan. Because the best way to fool your enemies is to fool your 'friends' first. Or to put another way: the more people who know who's behind the master plan, the sooner some protagonist is going to show up to ruin everything. Plans are adapted, plan makers only live once.
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Sep 15, 2016 06:31
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Cthulhu Dreams posted:Yeah, but why wouldn't you tell exile, particularly once you realised that a certain angry exile was blowing up your master plan. Art is not angry. She is at most mildly miffed that she got called out of retirement to deal with this. Angry will come later, once the full scope of the plan is revealed to her.
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Sep 15, 2016 07:03
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It kind of feels like there would be a lot of failure states here. If you just try to murder the King, or flee the castle, does that leave the questline unfinishable?
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Sep 15, 2016 11:25
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Krumbsthumbs posted:Either one party of the Dragons, Erika and the Vahnatai is setting up the others as a scapegoat, or all three are working together to break up the Empire's control of the surface. Or they've each separately decided to mess with the Empire, and hit upon similar ideas.
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Sep 15, 2016 12:40
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Whybird posted:It kind of feels like there would be a lot of failure states here. If you just try to murder the King, or flee the castle, does that leave the questline unfinishable? In the worst case, you can get locked out of learning Dispel Barrier, but that spell is optional this time around thanks to all the piercing crystals. You can still go storm the castle and murder everything if you feel like it, though, and you don't even need to go to Castle Troglo to solve the plague in this area.
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Sep 15, 2016 15:44
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Are the hard maximums for health and SP still 199/99, respectively? It also really bugs me that characters level up at such strikingly different paces. I'm sure that it's just my near-clinical OCD talking, but it does.
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Sep 15, 2016 17:48
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JustJeff88 posted:Are the hard maximums for health and SP still 199/99, respectively? Pretty sure the health cap is 200. It's more than enough, really. This game (like most of Jeff's games) has a difficulty curve that assumes that you aren't going to do all of the content, so maxing out your character(s) is not required.
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Sep 15, 2016 17:54
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JustJeff88 posted:Are the hard maximums for health and SP still 199/99, respectively? Max HP has increased to 250 in this game! Shocking, I know. And remember that people level up at different rates. Look at the XP values for a better idea of where people are at. Which means Art is still in the lead, but then again I designed her to be the most efficient engine of destruction I could.
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Sep 15, 2016 17:55
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Ah, another set of excellent updates. The game has finally kicked in the higher gears, and if my memory serves me right, next up should be some really, really fun stuff.
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Sep 15, 2016 22:02
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Glad that I didn't have to post Elhioc's stats this time. Yeah, he only has Mage 5, but the fact is that's still enough for Firestorm, AND his reasonably high armor and very high HP makes him a damage sponge, and the fact that he's immune to magic makes it impossible to slow him. Also, I never actually checked out the Shaman's quarters in any of my playthroughs, despite the fact that I HAVE gone through the rest of Castle Troglo. What's wrong with me?
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Sep 15, 2016 22:18
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Jeff Vogel just did a reddit thing here, if anyone in thread is interested. It looks like he'll be doing the modern Avernum 3 next.
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Sep 15, 2016 23:15
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Whybird posted:It kind of feels like there would be a lot of failure states here. If you just try to murder the King, or flee the castle, does that leave the questline unfinishable? 1.) You can flee the Castle at the start if you'd like. You can't get back in through the front gate (obviously) or complete his quest, but he doesn't hunt you down or anything. I can't remember if this actually screws you out of Dispel Barrier or not. 2.) You don't need to learn about the map to the barrier from the king. You DO need the map, but you can just pick it up straight from the giants. 3.) You can actually skip the entire quest chain (temple, diplomacy, Elhioc) as long as you're OK with relying on Piercing Crystals forever. I don't know what happens if you delay doing this quest until after you destroy the barrier though. Also, as a side note, the Glowing Ones are kinda stupid here. You do research to find out about an extinct race of creatures (nay, two extinct races, but somehow fail to learn they're mortal enemies? Really?
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Sep 15, 2016 23:42
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wiegieman posted:Jeff Vogel just did a reddit thing here, if anyone in thread is interested. It looks like he'll be doing the modern Avernum 3 next. Jeff Vogel posted:Erika, Solberg, and Linda are the tragic heroes of the saga. They all truly believe they are doing the right thing for their homeland. And then it all goes wrong.  Exile archmages for president 2016Also Jeff saying that he's not sure he still has the source code for the Exile games 
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Sep 16, 2016 00:29
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I completely understand that the troglos have to keep up every appearance of being a threat but that's pretty hilarious all the same.
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Sep 16, 2016 05:08
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MagusofStars posted:Also, as a side note, the Glowing Ones are kinda stupid here. You do research to find out about an extinct race of creatures (nay, two extinct races, but somehow fail to learn they're mortal enemies? Really? Sounds to me like a built-in failsafe more than anything.
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Sep 17, 2016 01:27
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FreakyM posted:Sounds to me like a built-in failsafe more than anything. Doomsday weapons aren't supposed to fail safe. They should fail-extremely-dangerous. The Lone Badger fucked around with this message at 02:06 on Sep 17, 2016 |
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Sep 17, 2016 02:04
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The Lone Badger posted:Doomsday weapons aren't supposed to fail safe. They should fail-extremely-dangerous. Trust me. We haven't seen the Doomsday weapon yet. Our mysterious enemy is still warming up.
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Sep 17, 2016 02:41
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Update 035 – Karnold Province Welcome to a minor interlude in which I reveal the maps that cover the Karnold Province. I'm not about to do the rest of Upper Exile yet – there's still a couple things that need to happen down there before I reveal it all. I also checked, and I haven't triggered the next major event down there yet. I think that is flagged for day 90 or thereabouts, but we're just past day 60. Karnold Province is the first real 'empty' region we've come across in Valorim. There are gargantuan spaces between places where there is nothing but terrain. Empty lands that barely have encounters. And it's not the first region we're going to encounter like this. But anyhow, on with the maps! The first place is one I missed last time – the Remote Hut or Teleporter Hut is our quick-travel outbound from Fort Emergence, and leads to the five (remaining) major cities in Valorim. Although why you would take the Krizsan portal is beyond me. There is supposed to be an encounter here where you bet up some Troglodytes, and they drop a map to Castle Troglo. Art has the map, but I don't have any record of the encounter!  Bolton is the first town I reached in my exploration of Karnold Province, and it has two points of interest. The first is the Acolyte you have to Charm in order to talk to, and the second is the presence of the Augmentation forge, which will give a +2 to any non-magic weapon. And this is where I would have put the map to the Wolfrider Warrens had I remembered to get it. I'll save that for next time. Oh isn't that cute. Generic Bandits! I'm way overleveled for them, so they book it instead of fighting it out. The Dryad Grove is completely optional, and the rewards mediocre. But we might as well solve the problem while we're here, right? Welcome to beautiful Libras! Home to nothing much in particular, except for the boat ride to the Lost Isles. If the map looks odd, it's because I skimped out on the sides of the map – they're just more empty space. Nice to see we're still wasting room every which way. The Lost Isle. SELLS GREYMOLD. Oh, and apparently there are Basilisks out here, but who cares about silly little things like that? The Lair of the Ursagi is another optional place, but Delenn's mission here is actually unique in the game – it's not a concrete objective, but you need to perform a minimum kill count to accomplish it. 50 Bear Skins, anyone? Welcome to Gorst, ruined town thanks to a storm a year or more before the game begins. Just remember to talk to the obviously evil acolyte for some alchemy ingredients. Storm Port has the nice Random Shop, as well as the 'mission' to investigate the isles to the south. Gebra is completely normal. There is nothing of interest here. You should go somewhere else, and definitely not investigate the building in the south-east corner. The Fiery Lair is completely optional, but good for some cash with all the gems lying around. The Tomb of Vahkos, another optional dungeon. I kinda like the attitude of the Vampire here. “Rob me first, then I'll get to hunt you down. Sounds fair?” Welcome to Golddale! Home of retired Ambassadors/Emperors/Ranger Ones. Oh, and two quests that take you east through the mines and into the Lair of the Ursagi. The Golddale Mines are massively compressed when compared to the distance covered on the overworld. Still, the Sliths haven't had long to fortify themselves in position, meaning all you have to do is go around to break through. WASTE OF SPACE! This entire 'town' can fit onto a small mapsheet, so why is it on a huge one instead? I only needed one screenshot for it! At least the map is cheap here, and you can find out about the Exile spy in Sharimik. Gidrik.... The only thing here is the alchemist who tells you about the map that's up north, and won't be useful for another 20 updates at least. Sharimik! Capital of the Karnold Province. So much stuff to do here, and it's refreshing to see so many named NPCs! I'll let the update where I go through here speak for themselves though. Aminro is another optional town. Although the Mayor has given up, there is still the map in the rocks to the north west, provided you paid off the alchemist in Girdik. Angel's Rest is also optional, but we do get the second stage of our quest for the Black Halberd here.  The first floor of the Troglodyte Temple is a straight shot to the goal, unless you like getting flanked and beaten up. Also, I went to see what was behind the barriers in the lower-left, and found.... a Crossbow with bolts. Magic Bolts! And the second level is compact. Just remember to bring enough Spell Points to blast both evil, vile altars. MAGIC MAP! NOTHING ELSE MATTERS! Well, I suppose people might be interested in storage and free healing here... Softport has the most awesome Mayor so far in the game, and the Church is one stop on the road to the Ritual of Sanctification. And in this small, out of the way hut, is someone who can teach you the Ritual of Sanctification. It's a bit out of our way, but still.* * *  And here we have the unannotated, composite Overworld Map of Karnod Provice, and a spear north, which is technically in the next province up.It's huge. Bigger than Krizsan or Bigail. And the annotated version, just to show you how far we've come, and realize how far we have to go. This ridiculous map is the current known overworld. And it's less than half filled in From here on out though, it's going to have to be broken into smaller pieces. This map is already 1.63mb big, and lpix doesn't like files larger than 2.* * * There is no map of Castle Troglo or Under Troglo at this time. Mostly because I wasn't able to explore the former properly, and so it will have to wait until I've finished off this quest line properly. Until then, join me next time, when I step into Midori Province – and take on the Giants.
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Sep 17, 2016 06:27
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berryjon posted:The party will actually do diplomacy! In fact, it's even diplomacy that will work in the long run. Art is (re)starting a war. Isn't that, like, the exact opposite of diplomacy?
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Sep 17, 2016 06:28
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The Lone Badger posted:Art is (re)starting a war. Isn't that, like, the exact opposite of diplomacy? War is simply diplomacy by another name, don't you know?
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Sep 17, 2016 06:31
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berryjon posted:
ed: actually I just realized how big that map is going to get so don't bother, you'll just waste your time. 
Parts Kit fucked around with this message at 00:38 on Sep 18, 2016 |
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Sep 18, 2016 00:33
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TinyPNG was able to drop the filesize from 1.7MB to 568kB. There's maybe a little loss of quality if I squint at the fully-zoomed version, but frankly it looks identical to me.
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Sep 18, 2016 00:44
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I'll keep those in mind for next time.
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Sep 18, 2016 00:53
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| # ? May 15, 2024 14:34 |
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This is very much why I'm looking forward to the reremake of Ruined World, even though it probably won't be out until 2018. The game has such an original plot and drama mechanism with the waves of different plagues and whatnot, but even moreso than that it's absolutely massive. I really hope that the reremake doesn't eliminate or skimp on content and it keeps that feeling of world-spanning enormity, because it truly feels epic. I had the shareware version of Exile 3 as a lad and I never bought the full version, but even the demo was so substantial that I don't think that I ever even got to the point where I couldn't do anything else without plumping for the entire game.
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Sep 18, 2016 03:50
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