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Unlucky7 posted:Is Avadon 2 friendly to those who have not played the first game? Pretty much. There are books you can find and read in-game to add information to a codex that covers the history and current events of the setting, including the major events of Avadon 1.
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Nov 3, 2013 01:18
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Goobish posted:So I wanna try these games, and I was going to buy the 1-6 bundle on GoG, but come to find out my card does not support international thingies or whatever, so I need a different pay method. I want the game NOW because I'm an entitled baby, so is it worth starting with #4 from steam? Or is this something I really want to start from 1? I'm sensitive to international purchasing restrictions, having been raised in Europe but residing in North America. I can buy what you need and gift it to you if you want, and you can reimburse me via Paypal or whatnot. Just curious: are you outside of the US/Canada and can't purchase or you are in NA and can't purchase? I'm somewhat curious - I had my debit account flagged by my bank from buying from GOG a few weeks ago despite shopping with them for years. Upon investigation it was apparently because they are in Cyprus and all Greeks are terrorists (I'm not slagging off the Greeks, I am humorously paraphrasing what the bank said to me)
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Nov 3, 2013 01:42
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Thuryl posted:Pretty much. There are books you can find and read in-game to add information to a codex that covers the history and current events of the setting, including the major events of Avadon 1. Also, finding books gives you a handful of experience points. Useful when you're starting out.
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Nov 3, 2013 13:14
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Unlucky7 posted:Is Avadon 2 friendly to those who have not played the first game? I'd advise playing two over one. One feels like an extended introduction. Two feels like a pretty boss game where you do cool stuff, and actually feels like you're making real choices. Avadon might be necessary to keeping the peace, but it also does a lot of tremendously lovely stuff. Someone in the game describes it as 'a den of torturers', and there's some truth to that. The game also shows that there are alternative groups on the same side as Avadon (Hanvar's Council) ready to take over if Avadon fails, different ways around the problem of the Pact's civil war. When I played through the first Avadon, the evidence was abundant that Avadon kept the peace, did good things, and despite being a kinda lovely place, was probably worthwhile overall. That was never in doubt, and the fact that nobody really presented evidence of another sort to you properly (people were all "Avadon is terrible, so evil, so bad!", but most of the quests you did were poo poo like 'help out your dragon buddy and his hilarious assistant'). Since you started out in an Avadon under attack, you were inclined to defend it anyway. Avadon 2 has better fights, better skilltrees, a far, far, far, far, far better tutorial (the first one is agonizingly slow), it's better paced, has a better plot (so far), and generally has better characterization. The only place the first game outdoes the second is in the characterization of your companions, though the sidequests are better in the second game. TBF's companions felt better-written and more real - the in-game justification for the quirky people you get in TBF is that Avadon is running out of dudes and is scraping the bottom of the barrel in order to get you help. In Avadon 2, the same justification applies (only this time for real), but your companions feel genuinely broken. I'm not sure whether it's a theme that's meant to be running through the game - the brokenness - but your companions loathe where they are and what they are doing for the most part, or come to do so. Apart from the tinkermage, none of the characters really appealed to me. That being said, this is pretty minor and Avadon 2 is still vastly superior. Plus your blademaster chick is a big beefy lady with a huge gently caress-off scar as opposed to a waif with a giant sworf. Pretty big spoiler: Also you can kill your romance option off halfway through the game and s/he is never mentioned again. occipitallobe fucked around with this message at 03:02 on Nov 5, 2013 |
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Nov 4, 2013 14:17
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Avadon 2 also has some subtle but important quality of life improvements, especially in the quest log. It was pretty common for someone to come to the Spiderweb forums asking for help with a quest in Avadon 1, and it'd turn out the problem was simply that they'd lost track of which quest-giver they were supposed to be reporting back to at that stage of the quest. Avadon 2's quests update as you progress in them, so you can always check the log to work out who to talk to after completing part of a quest. Quest-givers who give you multiple sidequests throughout the game also remain in your log until you've done all of their quests, so you no longer have to keep your own notes on who to check back in on.
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Nov 4, 2013 14:43
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occipitallobe posted:Big spoiler You need to describe the spoiler better. I've moused over it because I thought it'd be minor, but it's actually kind of a big deal. A question regarding the 2nd Avadon mission in the game: Does drinking the corrupted water from Monitor Base D do anything? Blattdorf fucked around with this message at 16:30 on Nov 4, 2013 |
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Nov 4, 2013 16:27
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Blattdorf posted:You need to describe the spoiler better. I've moused over it because I thought it'd be minor, but it's actually kind of a big deal. Edited for clarity, sorry about that. Removed part of it. In addition, just finished the game. All of my endings, whether loyalist or not finish with (relatively minor spoiler here) 'and after you do this thing, you hosed up pretty badly and get murdered because you're poo poo'. occipitallobe fucked around with this message at 03:06 on Nov 5, 2013 |
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Nov 5, 2013 03:03
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occipitallobe posted:In addition, just finished the game. All of my endings... I can't speak for whether this is the same or not, but I'm guessing it's triggered in a same way to the endings in the later Geneforge games (G3 and beyond). (obvious potential ending spoilers) If you don't support one side the entire way, but then back them for the end-game, your ending basically says "Yeah, you helped X at the end, but they didn't like/trust you because you didn't do much prior to that." In at least one case, it's possible for you to have been so unhelpful that they just straight up murder you in the ending since they (quite reasonably) assume you're just going to betray them again.
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Nov 5, 2013 03:31
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Blattdorf posted:A question regarding the 2nd Avadon mission in the game: Yep. According to one of the beta testers it gives you a permanent +3% bonus to accuracy/damage/evasion while you're inside the Corruption and a -3% penalty whenever you're outside of it, and it's also acknowledged in the ending text.
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Nov 5, 2013 04:38
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I take it Avadon 2 doesn't have any of your companions from the first game?
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Nov 5, 2013 23:32
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Thanks for updating the thread, glad I found out about the new release. Went to the site to buy it, and out of curiosity went to steam to check out how much it was, and it was less than half the price! It's a shame because I'd rather buy it directly from him to give him the biggest % of sales but it's kinda silly to pay more than double. I wonder why he'd price it so much lower on steam but not match it on his own site?
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Nov 6, 2013 00:17
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Yeah it's pretty odd. Get it from Steam or GOG for the best price. Now I'm waiting for the Avernum 2 remake. Very excited.
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Nov 6, 2013 00:19
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Yeah, Avernum was fantastic, it'll be good to see it redone! Side note if you're on mavericks playing Avadon 2, for some reason the steam community popup blanks out the entire screen when it comes on. I had to turn it off to actually be able to play.
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Nov 6, 2013 02:36
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LibbyM posted:I take it Avadon 2 doesn't have any of your companions from the first game? Not a single one. I'm not too broken up though, as I think most of them were really bland compared to the new ones.
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Nov 6, 2013 03:57
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Geneforge 2 was the best Geneforge, and Exile/Avernum 2 were the best Exiles/Avernums, so I'm glad to hear Vogel's tradition of awesome second games held true. I'll have to check this one out, I didn't care for the TBF but this sounds more up my alley and I'm always happy to support Spiderweb.
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Nov 6, 2013 04:13
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Trying out Avadon. This is pretty enjoyable so far.
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Nov 6, 2013 06:37
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jmcg_omg_kekeke posted:Thanks for updating the thread, glad I found out about the new release. Went to the site to buy it, and out of curiosity went to steam to check out how much it was, and it was less than half the price! It's a shame because I'd rather buy it directly from him to give him the biggest % of sales but it's kinda silly to pay more than double. I wonder why he'd price it so much lower on steam but not match it on his own site? His logic is that his website and Steam are two different markets with two mostly separate customer bases who are willing to pay different prices. I'm not 100% convinced that that logic holds up, but the game's selling just fine anyway. Go ahead and buy it on Steam/GOG for the discount: I promise you won't be taking food out of his kids' mouths.
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Nov 6, 2013 08:10
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Nevermind
Jesto fucked around with this message at 17:06 on Jun 20, 2021 |
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Nov 6, 2013 11:05
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Well he's previously been resistant to steam on groundless basis. But I would assume he offers it through his website because there's a lot of resistance to steam in the especially spergy nerd circles. You'd be amazed how many indie fans hate steam because DRM.
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Nov 6, 2013 11:08
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I think he's banking on his fanboys willingly paying more because it means they'll get more games in the future. Not a lot of people are writing this style of game right now, so keeping Jeff Vogel in beer and pork rinds is pretty much the only way they'll get a regular turn-based crpg fix.
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Nov 6, 2013 11:49
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Playing through Avadon now, and I will say that while most of the characterization falls flat, it's impossible to hate Nathalie. No reward? Bullshit! I get to MURDER EVERYTHING WITH MAGIC! That's a reward in of itself!
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Nov 6, 2013 12:55
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I think the main argument is that the people who would buy the game from his website (in other words his core fanbase) are going to buy it from his website for his usual price, and the people who aren't going to buy it from his website wouldn't buy it in the first place at his usual price, but they might buy it on steam for less. Which more or less seems to be working.
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Nov 6, 2013 12:56
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ProfessorCirno posted:Playing through Avadon now, and I will say that while most of the characterization falls flat, it's impossible to hate Nathalie. No reward? Bullshit! I get to MURDER EVERYTHING WITH MAGIC! That's a reward in of itself! Nathalie was really solid.
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Nov 6, 2013 18:11
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GodFish posted:I think the main argument is that the people who would buy the game from his website (in other words his core fanbase) are going to buy it from his website for his usual price, and the people who aren't going to buy it from his website wouldn't buy it in the first place at his usual price, but they might buy it on steam for less. Which more or less seems to be working. Basically, if you want to pay more than the general retail price, he offers you the option. Something of a pay-what-you-want model, if you think about it.
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Nov 6, 2013 22:26
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GodFish posted:I think the main argument is that the people who would buy the game from his website (in other words his core fanbase) are going to buy it from his website for his usual price, and the people who aren't going to buy it from his website wouldn't buy it in the first place at his usual price, but they might buy it on steam for less. Which more or less seems to be working. That's part of it, but some of it is certainly a bit of resistance to change a winning strategy. He's discussed several times in interviews/blog posts that he's often very slow to adapt his sales methods to new technology (e.g., PDF hint books instead of printed, the unique-but-still-worthless copy protection, keeping the price unchanged at $28 for a long time, taking a long time to allow Steam, etc). That said, his company's been in business for the better part of two decades and making enough money to support his family, so clearly he's doing something right.
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Nov 7, 2013 04:39
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I think being in the business for two decades is honestly part of why he was/still is so slow to adapt. Dude made a living selling indie games a decade before it was commonplace, and back then he was actually one of the more generous of the shareware dealers. His demos routinely gave you the entire first third of the game, which for huge, open worlds like the Exile series was a big deal. Downloading the Exile 2 demo off the AOL shareware keyword blew my mind as a 12-year-old. It's the reason I'm into these sorts of RPGs today.
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Nov 7, 2013 04:52
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MagusofStars posted:the unique-but-still-worthless copy protection,
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Nov 7, 2013 06:04
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I really hope that he puts new sound effects and background sounds into some future game, because using stuff from the 90s or early 2000s still is kind of getting old. It is part of the reason I can't enjoy the Geneforge games as much as I would. The constant re-use of assets. Sometimes it works and there really is no reason to replace some of them, but that annoying "mother talks to their kid" soundbite or whatever it is has overstayed its welcome.
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Nov 7, 2013 07:36
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It allows him to charge just $8 bucks for his game, so there's that. And his games continue to be engrossing despite these quibbles.
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Nov 7, 2013 11:39
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They'd better keep that 'ka-klang!' sound effect for hitting something with a sword. That baby's been with me since Exile, losing it would feel like killing off a major NPC.
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Nov 7, 2013 14:00
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I've actually never heard the music or sounds on any of these games. I tend to play them at work during slow periods and they're always muted.
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Nov 7, 2013 14:19
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For those of you also playing Avadon 2, how do you get into the rest of the cellars of Fort Foresight? I can't figure it out.
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Nov 9, 2013 01:26
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There's a hidden switch along the walls that you have to press.
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Nov 9, 2013 01:33
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evilmiera posted:[...]that annoying "mother talks to their kid" soundbite or whatever it is has overstayed its welcome. The ones that get me are the eating and drinking ones -- I just don't want to hear that kind of noise. Bleargh.
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Nov 9, 2013 19:11
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Recently gotten back into Escape from the Pit. Is there any reason to have all those crystals and emeralds for quest purposes, or should I just sell them for cash? Also, are dedicated ranged characters at all viable?
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Nov 10, 2013 04:42
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White Phosphorus posted:Recently gotten back into Escape from the Pit. Is there any reason to have all those crystals and emeralds for quest purposes, or should I just sell them for cash? Sell them and/or make a horde. quote:Also, are dedicated ranged characters at all viable? Mine was probably the best character in the party for the early-midgame, but noticeably fell off by the end. The game is easy enough overall that you won't be completely hosed if you do though.
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Nov 10, 2013 09:52
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I've just shelled out for the full game of Avadon 2, and I'm really impressed so far with how they've got the message across that the Corruption is a really loving dangerous place, bro. I'm finding myself genuinely unwilling to stay there any longer than I have to, even though I know logically it'll mean I'm underlevelled for the next mission.
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Nov 10, 2013 12:27
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Hey anyone have any ideas how to effectively win the fight in [spoilers] Redbeard's Chambers for the Envoy's quest? [spoiler] 6 things with 800ish HP each with stuns and an attack that does 60+ damage on my warrior does not work well.
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Nov 13, 2013 10:00
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Gorelab posted:Hey anyone have any ideas how to effectively win the fight in Redbeard's Chambers for the Envoy's quest? 6 things with 800ish HP each with stuns and an attack that does 60+ damage on my warrior does not work well. By warrior you mean blademaster, I assume? Yeah, that's a tough fight for classes that have neither a lot of good AoEs nor access to summons (which basically means Blademaster and Shadowwalker). You might just want to hold off until you get to the retrainer, retrain your character into a Dex-heavy build for that fight, wreck house with Sharpshooter Spray (the Blademaster's best AoE attack), and get ready to burn a few of those potions that recharge your cooldowns.
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Nov 13, 2013 21:15
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You don't have to kill all the golems at once. An easy way to do that fight is to move up to the middle of the room until you activate the golems, then run immediately back towards the stairway. Stay within at least one tile of the exit, activate your buffs and summons (the scarab that gives you call aid is useful for redirecting some damage), then hold your ground while the guardians rush you. You'll want to kill one golem, then run away through the stairway. Go back to the main floor of Avadon to regain health and vitality. Head back to the room and rinse and repeat, killing at least golem per encounter. They don't respawn and will sometimes reset their positions, making it much easier to face once you've cleared out a few. The golems are tricky because they have knockback and stun, which can prevent you from running back down the stairs if you're unlucky. But as long as you can pick off one and run away before they overwhelm you, the fight is manageable.
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Nov 13, 2013 22:34
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