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POOL IS CLOSED
Jul 14, 2011

I'm just exploding with mackerel. This is the aji wo kutta of my discontent.
Pillbug
It's perfectly safe, they said. It'll be easy, they said. Now you're stranded in Drypeak, where monsters and conspirators abound.

All you wanted was to finally be free of your master and become a fully fledge Shaper. You didn't want her to disappear. If you can't find her -- or worse, figure out what happened to her -- you don't stand a shade of a chance at becoming anything but a permanent apprentice.

Worse, the authorities might lump you in with the rogues here and smite you with cleansing fire...



Welcome to...



About the Geneforge Series

The Geneforge pentalogy blends science fiction and fantasy in a sprawling epic about power, corruption, and humanity. The great thing about the series is that you can jump in at any given game and get caught up to speed quite quickly; even if you're not familiar with Geneforge 1, you can enjoy all of the sequels without missing out on significant setting information or backstory.



The Geneforge games were developed by Jeff Vogel of Spiderweb Software, a particularly long-lived independent game developer. All of the games are turn-based, tactical RPGs on isometric maps. Vogel's games are notable for their old school aesthetic and challenge.

Geneforge 2 uses the same engine as the first game, which means it suffers from the same drawbacks on modern machines. Performance stutters when text scrolls on the lower section of the main screen, and the sound design is minimal -- there's almost no music in the entire series. Vogel's focus is not on graphics or audio, but on writing and mechanics. Storytelling is where this series really knocks it out of the park.

This story begins roughly a decade after the events of Geneforge 1, so our protagonist has little to no connection to the protagonist of the previous game.

G2 was originally released on Mac in 2003, then the following October for PC. The remake treatment is currently on the backburner.

Each of the Geneforge games focuses on pursuing alliances or rivalries with political factions, and as such, you have many, many decisions to make over the course of a playthrough. Like last time, I intend to show you all of the endings and as many quests as possible. We will also visit all of the 84 areas the game has to offer. We will once again be playing as a Shaper, because you do want to see a lot of monsters, don't you?



The Story Unfolds posted:

That is why you are so honored to be in your current position. You are a Shaper apprentice. You have earned the right to join them. They will teach you how to create other beings, which will serve you absolutely.



Quo Vadimus posted:

The colony of Drypeak is a failure. It sits in a wasteland so desolate not even Shaper magic can fill it with life. Once there, you are to interview the two Shapers that run it.

Once that simple task is completed, you can return home and start to gain real power.



Your Troubles Begin posted:

After a long, exhausting day of hiking through ruins, Shanti finally let you rest for the night in an abandoned shop. You slept like a dead thing.

And, when you woke up the next morning, Shanti was gone.

What's your plan?

This is another screenshot LP with narrative elements. Most of the text will be transcribed directly from the game, with some additions to smooth the experience. This is only my second LP and I still haven't learned to gif good or make words right, but hey, I'm getting better. The LP will update at least once a week.

In addition to blasting you all with storytime, I'll also explain the game's mechanics.

Thread participation is highly encouraged. We'll have votes on joining factions and making key decisions. Posters get creations named for them, so :justpost:! Last time we also had some pretty dope art and poetry, too, so maybe we'll see more of that again.

I'm POOL IS CLOSED, formerly RedTonic. You might know me from absolutely nothing except a bee thread in BYOB once and a really long-winded LP of this game's predecessor.

Sometimes I remember to announce updates on my twitter handle, @RedTonicSA.

Demoware

Spiderweb Software develops demoware for PC and Mac. A substantial demo for Geneforge 2 is available on their site here if you would like to play along. The entire series is available for purchase on Spiderweb Software's site and on Steam.

Spoilers

Please don't spoil any of the games. Let me ruin the fun for everyone.

Updates

#1. The Dusty Road to Drypeak
#2. The Serviles Are Not What They Seem :siren: Vote!
#3. Beginner Diplomacy
#4. Something Fishy
#5. Dreams of Murder All Day
#6. Obligatory Mines
#7. More Obligatory Mines
#8. The Witch's Swamp Grove :siren: Vote!
#9. The Investigation Continues
#10. The Crags :siren: Vote!
#11. See Drypeak Valley!
#12. Salt Cures Shapers
#13. Tunnel Vision
#14. The Gifts of Adversity :siren: Vote! :siren:
#15. Colorless Green Ideas Sleep Furiously
#16. On Killing
#17. Welcome to Medab :siren: Vote! :siren:
#18. The Burdens of Justice :siren: Vote! :siren:
#19. Compromising
#20. Spy Games
#21. Recursive Ambushes
#22. A Heady Draught
#23. The Core :siren: Vote! :siren:
#24. So I Thought What I'd Do Was
#25. Roving Murder Gang
#26. The Swamp of Doubt and Fear
#27. Scenic Triola
#28. The Tonic of Wildness
#29. Stinking Marsh
#30. Crystal Clear
#31. Infiltrator's Fort
#32. Undocumented Features
#33. Valley of Death
#34. Rip and Tear
#35. Boom Town
#36. A Better Way
#37. A Lesson Is Learned but the Damage Is Irreversible
#38. Only Sorrow to Bite On
#39. Mutual Need
#40. Keep On Moving
#41. The Shackles in the Arena
#42. Walkabout :siren: Vote! :siren:
#43. Welcome to Fort Muck
#44. The Door to a Lesser Evil
#45. THE BOUND ONE
#46. Alpha Strike
#47. The High Passes
#48. Death March for Zhass-Uss
#49. Father of Monsters :siren: Vote! :siren:
#50. The Takers of Free
#51. The Mind-Killer
#52. The Radiant College
#53. Tresspasser
#54. Arranging an Accident
#55. Three Phase
#56. Swamped
#57. Swamp Rat
#58. The Clockwork Maze
#59. Land Mines: No Sense of Right and Wrong
#60. The Mountain Base
#61. The Western Pass
#62. Pit of Misfits

POOL IS CLOSED fucked around with this message at 20:30 on Oct 9, 2018

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POOL IS CLOSED
Jul 14, 2011

I'm just exploding with mackerel. This is the aji wo kutta of my discontent.
Pillbug
The Butcher's Bill
idonotlikepeas
Zeniel
Zora :rip:
Old Grey Guy
Deki
Ibblebibble
Pieuvre
Anticheese
ZeusCannon
thetruegentleman
ManxomeBromide (Abandoned Thahd)
Vadoc
GreatEvilKing
CommissarMega
Night
Aumanor
Dilb (Abandoned Vlish)
hey girl you up
DeadMeat5150
Zore
berryjon
JustJeff88
Parts Kit
I dont know
inflatablefish
Blade Heust
Obscil
PharohMan777

Council-Approved Creation Names
StrixNebulosa
MagusofStars
TooMuchAbstraction
ManxomeBromide
Slaan
Aumanor
Solitair
Ibblebibble
Night

Rappaport
Epsilon Moonshade
dmboogie
vdate
Pieuvre
Deki

Hermetian
Glazius
GodFish
Rockopolis
Chronische
TheGreatEvilKing
I dont know

Wordybird
dont be mean to me
Galaga Galaxian
Montegoraon
Sociopastry
mauman
FredMSloniker
LLSix
Dirk the Average
EagerSleeper
Tendales
PurpleXVI
CommissarMega
Zore

vdate
wiegieman
idhrendur
Obscil
Fat Samurai
Horrible Lurkbeast
Lynneth
Talow
thetruegentleman
kommy5
berryjon
Solumin
kacie
SIGSEGV
Old Grey Guy
RickVoid
JustJeff88 - cryoa
UrbanLabyrinth
Iunnrais
Anticheese
Maugrim
GeneralYeti
devildragon777
Xandor TikRoth
Xander77
Remora
ZeusCannon
EponymousMrYar
ulmont
Vadoc

Munin
Leon Cross
hey girl you up
SatansOnion
Mage_Boy
Pooncha
Arkanian
Parts Kit
Zereth
Caustic Soda
The Lone Badger
wedgekree
Tehan
Deceitful Penguin
Trundel
PoptartsNinja
Screaming Idiot
Ash Saber
Aeromancia
McGavin
MORE TAXES WHEN
AmyL
inflatablefish
King Doom
RedMagus
a computing pun
Mover
Mister Olympus
Bacchante
Tuxedo Ted
TheDavies
FailAtMagic
DeadMeat5150
TitanG
PharohMan777
Dilb

Peachfart
Synthbuttrange

Troubleshooting

If you're running Geneforge or the early sequels on a 64 bit Windows OS, you may notice serious slowdown at certain points. This compatibility toolkit should help. Thanks to the Spiderweb games megathread for pointing the way!

"Ratty on Steam posted:

Hello,

For all you fans that noticed that these old gems runs horrible on your new fancy machines I got a solution for ya!

The reason the game runs slow is that they are designed for Direct Draw so you need to force it on all the old Spiderweb games.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Step 1,
Download, Run and install the Application Compatibility Toolkit:
http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=7352

The only file you really need:
ApplicationCompatibilityToolkitSetup.exe

Step 2,
Run Compatibility Administrator (32-bit)
(Start -> Microsoft Application Compatibility Toolkit)

Step 3,
Create a new Custom Database under 'Custom Databases', name it to something good like Geneforge.
(Right click, New)

Step 4,
Right click your new database and click 'Create New' followed by 'Application Fix...'.

Step 5,
Put a good name in, then click 'Browse' and go to the .exe file you want to fix.
For Example:
****\Steam\steamapps\common\Geneforge\Geneforge.exe

Step 6,
Find:
Layer_ForceDirectDrawEmulation under 'Additional compatibility modes' and check it.
Click next, next, next, finish.

Step 7,
Save your new database anywhere you like, then right click the database and choose "Install".

Step 8,
Enjoy a lag free Spiderweb game!
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Repeat on whatever old Spiderweb game you have FPS issues with.

Hope it help you all :)

Br.
Ratty

If, after applying this fix, you experience black bars flickering over the game, change your monitor refresh rate to 56 Hz. If you can't do that, then, like me, suffer!

Fan Art???

Horrible Lurkbeast posted:

Here you go:


It's sure to hang in a museum some day!

Horrible Lurkbeast provides fanart of poor, doomed Aumanor.

Horrible Lurkbeast posted:


Date is from some guy's estimated timeline.

The historical record demonstrates that Precipitate was a real apprentice and loyal to a fault.


The Form Bureau of Investigation created this anti-canister propaganda at the behest of the Shaper Council.

RickVoid posted:

Technically we are Shaper OSHA in this game. It's just that instead of slapping violators with a token fine the council kills everyone involved and burns your settlement to the ground. As the son of an OSHA inspector I can tell you they often really wish that was an option.

Shaper Inspector 1: Oh hey, you're back! How did the settlement inspection go?
Shaper Inspector 2: dumps his inventory on the floor, in the manner of his people lovely. Third settlement I've had to wipe out this year. Buy me a drink at the pub tonight and I'll tell you the whole thing. I really need a goddamn drink.
SI 1: Sure. This was a mining community, right? Lemme guess, some genius was trying to mine with charged roamers again and managed to destroy half the town?
SI 2: Nope. Try again.
SI 1: Artilla acid harvesting for use in ore separation?
SI 2: No, and for gently caress's sake don't ever let me hear you mention that outside the office.
SI 1: Oh poo poo, it wasn't a Battle Alpha Brothel again, was it?
SI 2: N- you're loving with me.
SI 1: Nope. I've seen some poo poo.
SI 2: That's- It was a Drayk. They thought shaping a drayk to guard their ore stockpile was a good idea, and giving it the ability to reproduce and a mate (so they could have little guard drayks) was an even better one.
SI 1: How long had they been shut out of the mine?
SI 2: A goddamned year. They'd been trading secrets to outsiders in exchange for ore to ship to us in an attempt to cover it up.
SI 1: Dumbasses. How'd you kill the Drayks?
SI 2: Couldn't. Confirmed that there was only one entrance to the mine and sealed it. Executed everyone involved and torched the place. We'll have to send someone back once a quarter to confirm the fuckers haven't dug their way out. Yet.
SI 1: What a pain in the rear end.
SI 2: Yep... a Battle Alpha Brothel? Really?
SI 1: Not even once.

POOL IS CLOSED fucked around with this message at 23:21 on Oct 7, 2018

POOL IS CLOSED
Jul 14, 2011

I'm just exploding with mackerel. This is the aji wo kutta of my discontent.
Pillbug
The Dusty Road to Drypeak

Before we begin, the game welcomes us to Geneforge 2 and asks us to select one of three classes.

Guardians are the game's tank class. They learn melee and missile combat skills faster than the other two classes. They can also Shape creatures to help them in battle. Guardians' magical skills are overall quite poor, though, and this class tends to be the most difficult to play.

Agents are troubleshooters. Literally. They're great at magic and decent at fighting, but they're not very good at Shaping critters. An Agent with pumped up mental magic is terrifying to behold. All in all, this is a powerful class, and a great one for a solo Torment difficulty run.




But we're playing as a Shaper. Shapers are good with magic and the absolute best at Shaping creatures. The drawback is that because Shapers use their life essence to create life, well, Shapers are made from papier mâché. They must rely on their creations for protection.





You've slept in worse accommodations, but you struggle to remember how much worse they were as you work out the knots caused by sleeping with your thin bedroll spread over rubble. Shanti hasn't made your apprenticeship easy.

Game Text posted:

A suit of chitin armor and a knife have been left on the counter for you. You should get and equip them before you enter the dangerous lands ahead.



This book has a number of tips about cinching on armor and holding swords so they don't jab your own guts. It's not very useful to you, so you close it after skimming a few pages.



You hopefully poke through the detritus left behind in this workshop. Some metal bowls and broken glassware were abandoned in this apothecary. Shapers use a variety of elaborate apparatuses to work their peculiar magic. Unfortunately, they're of no use to you.

You find some trash in a nearby barrel. It's completely useless and also doesn't smell very good. Someone even left a whip behind. Creations sometimes go rogue. When this happens, they need to be controlled. Whips and shackles are the most common means of doling out punishment.



Game Text posted:

You step out of the abandoned shop and get another good look at the road leading up to Drypeak. Unfortunately, it's as dry and barren as every other inch of the miserable journey up here.

Drypeak is a hugely unsuccessful Shaper settlement. All of the Shapers' best efforts to create plants and animals that could thrive up here have resulted in failure. Thus, most of the shops and homes (like the one you spent the night in) are empty.

Shanti, the agent you are a novice to, is waiting outside. She looks impatient. "Well, novice. I hope you have had a good, long sleep." She places extra emphasis on the word "long."

Shanti walks over to you. She is wearing the studded leather armor favored by Agents, excellent for stealth and quick travel.

She wears a long, wicked curved blade at her belt. She also wears a peculiar necklace, a series of polished fangs on a leather thong. She tends to idly finger it when deep in thought.

She looks impatient to get going. "You're well rested, I hope? I want to get to Drypeak soon. The sooner we get this job done and back to civilization, the better."

You happen to agree. "How far are we from Drypeak?"

"Not far, I think. Just a few more miles of abandoned buildings and sand in our eyes."

"What is our job?"

Shanti looks amused. "Our job, you say? My job. My job is to check on Drypeak, meet with Zakary and Barzahl, and get out of here.

"Your job, young apprentice, is to follow me, do what I say, and try to learn something about field work. And if you could try not to do any harm, that would be a great, great help."

You ignore the jab and just nod. It's not worth talking back. Shanti can crush your will to live with her littlest finger. "What should I do now?"

"Follow me. I'll scout ahead."



The worn sign by the apothecary is still legible:

"Venn's Alchemy.

"Potions and fine ingredients."

It looks like Venn was very thorough when he abandoned his shop.



Sign posted:

Drypeak Gates - South



You pass a number of mine carts along the way. They're badly corroded.

Shanti stops you. "Wait. This is a good chance for you to do something."

"What should I do?"

Shanti points at the entryway to the south. "That ruin looks interesting. You go in there, investigate, and see what you find. Maybe you can get some extra supplies for us."

"Why do we need more supplies? Don't we have enough?" You're tired of carrying everything.

"Enough? What is enough? When things get dangerous, everything you can have, that is enough."

For a moment, just a moment, Shanti's supremely confident demeanor wavers. "There is something bothering me about this place. Something doesn't feel right. And when things don't seem right, I gather as much equipment as possible."

"What if I meet something dangerous in there?"

Shanti laughs. "Well, running is an option. As is fighting. And being devoured is, of course, one of the paths you could choose."

Very helpful. You are a master at not rolling your eyes or sounding rebellious. "Why are there so many ruins and abandoned shops?"

"Well, when our kind tries to settle an area, we generally have to create the whole ecology from scratch. We make the plants, the animals, the birds, put everything together to make the area work.

"But sometimes, we just can't do it. We can't make creatures and plants that live there. And when we do, there's no point in staying.

"It is unfortunate. But that is what happened here. Now it's just a dusty forgotten settlement, and the Shaper Council only rarely remembers it. And when they do, an Agent is sent to check up on them."

The world is a difficult, dangerous place. The Shapers make living in it much safer.

"Investigate, then follow," Shanti says breezily, and heads off down the road.



Game Text posted:

Though this chamber is abandoned and the essence pools in the alcoves are empty and cracked, you immediately recognize what this place is. It's a shaping hall.

Shaper settlements are full of places like this, where they go about the business of using their powers to create, heal, and alter creatures. And, if necessary, destroy them.

The clay Shapers use to mold life is called essence. It is a gooey, partially alive substance, warm, liquid, and charged with magic. A Shaper such as yourself has the ability to hold essence within your body to be used to make life later.

If these vats were full, you could use them to recharge the supply of essence within yourself. Perhaps there is an intact store of essence further in.

Obelisk posted:

Wind and sand have worn this obelisk, but the writing is still clear:

Healing and Shaping Hall

West - Damaged and Rogue Creations

East - Injured Humans and Serviles

If Shanti is nervous, well, that makes you nervous, too. Though she hasn't specifically authorized Shaping anything, she did tell you to fight if you came across anything dangerous.



You only know how to make the most basic fyora, but that's good enough.

You hope.



Little idonotlikepeas barely comes up to your waist, but it has wicked fangs and fiery breath. Both should prove to be a big help.

Fyoras are sadly not as good as they were in G1. Perhaps the powers that be recognized that it's a real bad practice to let apprentices have fire-spitting velociraptors that can turn men into meatloaf.

You try to muster the essence to make a second fyora, but you don't have enough essence or skill to create any more.



You scrounge around in a rotten barrel and find money. Nice! Less nice are the bones in there.

As you are now, this was once. As this is now, soon you will be.



Game Text posted:

This is an operating room, where wounded humans and serviles are brought to be cured. A trained Shaper can use magic and raw essence to alter a damaged person or even rebuild damaged body parts.

Happily, there is an intact healing pool in the back corner of the room. Pools like this are semi-living creatures, programmed to cure wounded beings who stand nearby. If you are wounded, stand near such a pool to heal yourself.

There is a hole in the roof above the pool, which enables sunlight to shine through. This light helps keep the pool fed and alive. However, without added nutrients, it will eventually dry up and die.

You find a healing pod in the nearby cabinet. This gourd contains specially formulated and mildly enchanted Shaper-made goo. Eating it has some beneficial effects. Fortunately, it also keeps for a long time. Pods only help the one who eats them, but there are other tools that a Shaper can use to help all their creations.

You check the second door while you're at it.

Game Text posted:

You enter a stateroom. Most of the equipment here is useless to an adventurer such as yourself. However, you are happy to see a living tool on the table.

A living tool is exactly what it sounds like, a tentacled creature which is attuned to the wishes of whoever is holding it. You can use such a creature to unlock locked doors and manipulate machinery.

You should get the living tool. Later, when you find a locked door or piece of misbehaving machinery, you will have the option to use one or more tools on it.

Unfortunately, waking and using a living tool tends to kill it. The higher your skill with mechanical things, the less living tools you will need to do any particular job.



You swipe all the cloaks, gloves, chitin armor, and daggers in this room. Gloves are very important to Shapers. Their work causes them to come into contact with a wide variety of noxious chemicals. Plus, Shapers are generally fond of heavy robes and dramatic cloaks.

You're not an exception to the rule.

There's a barrel full of the gruesome remains of some poor creation. Well, to be technically correct, a portion of the gruesome remains of some poor creation.



Game Text posted:

This is a shaping chamber. Here, Shapers can use their secret knowledge to take raw essence and work it into living things, strong and (usually) completely obedient.

You are pleased to see that there is an intact essence pool in the back corner. When you are low on essence, standing near such a pool will refill you.

Later, you will use essence to create creatures to serve you or to cast spells. When you cast spells that cost essence, you will eventually need to return to a pool like this one.

However, when you make a creation, the essence you spend will be tied up keeping the creature alive. Essence spent making a creature won't come back until the creation dies or you reabsorb it.

G2 tutorializes much more aggressively than G1. I've omitted several screens that don't have any story-related prose.

Inside the cabinet here is a curing pod. You pocket it.



The essence pool's influence is soothing, but it doesn't have much effect right now.



Shanti has left you in her dust.



Now that you're temporarily out from under her thumb, you backtrack to check the paths behind you.



Someone forgot a healing pod here. It's yours now.





Game Text posted:

There is a large rat cowering at the end of this path. A very large rat. It doesn't look like it wants to bother you, as long as you leave it alone.

Giant rats didn't always exist. Then a careless wizard let one escape, and now they do. That is why Shapers never, ever let outsiders learn their secrets. The ability to create life comes with great responsibility.

People using Shaper skills in irresponsible or forbidden ways tend to get killed very quickly.

You can't leave this one alone. At least it's just a rat.



One stab and it's over.

You find some dried meat. Shanti did say to load up on stuff...



Game Text posted:

This dusty road leads back the way you came. Someday, when your mission here is completed, you can return here to leave the valley. For now, however, your training will continue in the other direction.



Someone left a gemstone in a pot here. You were too tired to notice it yesterday. Maybe you can trade it later.



Game Text posted:

You stand on the road leading out of these mountains. It is but a three days' walk to the next city and a quick, easy journey from there to the Shaper Council.

You are sorely tempted to leave this dangerous land. However, your work is not yet complete. Your orders are to find and speak with Zakary and Barzahl.

Until you have either done that or found proof that it is impossible, you can’t bring yourself to go home. To not complete your task would mean a quick and humiliating end to your training.

We can't leave early.

It's time to head back and find Shanti.



Game Text posted:

You realize that, once again, you are not alone. There is a fyora in the clearing ahead, watching you.

A fyora is a creation. It is a creature invented and improved by your people, for use as a scout or an attack dog. Since it is a creation, it should be naturally inclined to obey you.

However, this creature does not seem servile to you at all. It doesn't look hostile either. It's just staring. It is an eerie feeling, being watched by a creation in this way. Creations have always obeyed you mindlessly before.

Drypeak was supposed to be a quiet, mostly abandoned settlement. Why is a rogue wandering around? Strange. And dangerous.



When you get close to the fyora, it sniffs at you. Then it gets nervous. It starts to walk away quickly. Odd.



Game Text posted:

Like most of the shops along the road to Drypeak, this smithy has been abandoned for several years. Some industrious soul has been tearing rocks out of the wall and carrying them off (probably for building materials).

Surprisingly, someone has left some javelins on the counter. They look new. Maybe they were forgotten by someone out hunting.

The javelin is a mundane and non-magical weapon, but effective nonetheless. Shapers are nothing if not practical.

Someone forgot some iron bars and some crude metal tools here. These might be useful to a smith or a tinker, but not you.





You and idonotlikepeas quickly find yourselves in a swarm of giant rats. The first pair fall easy, but their pack mates seize the opportunity to lunge for your ankles.



The rats' meat is pulped, so you don't feel guilty about not butchering them. Rats taste terrible.



You feel terrible for this poor servile, but not terrible enough to leave behind a perfectly good belt and pair of sandals.



There are some thorns in this chest. Grown on specially bred bushes, these thorns are loaded into batons and fired at enemies.



You nearly blunder into Shanti before she stops you. She looks sweaty and very slightly unnerved. "I've been scouting ahead. This is not right. There are rogues in this area. I think I may need to give you some combat training earlier than I planned. And some advice as well."

"I am ready for training," you say.

One of the first things you learned in your training was how to focus, so that you could be taught things very quickly with almost no need for repeating.

You can learn very quickly, but are taught very little. The Shapers are very, very slow to teach initiates anything. That is why it is a pleasant surprise that Shanti is teaching you an actual skill. "Listen carefully. This is something you should know."

Shanti explains to you the techniques and magical twists and turns you will need to create a new sort of creation. It is a worm called an Artila. It is a fragile creature but able to spit globs of acid that can do considerable damage.

You'd like to make one immediately, but you don't have enough free essence yet. You're not going to unmake a perfectly serviceable fyora just to try out something new.

"What did you find ahead of us?"

"More ruins. More dead trees. And rogues, I think. I caught the stink of them. Go north, and you will be near them.

"You will find a building just before the rogues. Inside, I left some books for you. They will explain magic for you. You may find them useful. There are also healing and essence pools. Those will be very useful."

You barely contain your excitement. "What advice do you have for me?"

"You are a Shaper. Fragile. Easy to abuse. Your power comes from your creations. You should create a thahd or two to protect you as soon as you can. Avoid contact with foes, and burn them down with magic when your creations aren't adequate."

You don't even know how to make a thahd. Apparently you will soon, though. "What should I do now?"

"You will follow me. If there are rogues, and I think there are, we will need to kill them. It's our responsibility. The ones I miss, you will slay."

"Why don't I stay with you? Maybe you'll need the help."

Shanti laughs. It's not a kind laugh. "Oh, you're so sweet. It's a nice offer, but I can shred a few rogues much more easily without having to worry about you."

We could've said, "All right. Lead on. I'll kill what I can," or "There are rogues blocking the way ahead? Maybe we should turn around and go home."



Behind the wall where you found the thorn chest, you find another cluster of thorns.



This isn't a good omen. Luckily you don't believe in such things.



You think this is what remains of that rogue fyora you encountered earlier. It's time to go before Shanti turns you into a bloodstain too.

This is the first of 21 zones available in the demo.



The overland map now has a fog of war effect, which is a minor change from G1.



There seems to be more loading screen art than in the first game, too.



Game Text posted:

As you walk along the dusty road, you realize that Shanti has gotten well ahead of you. You are alone on the road. You suspect that you will have to learn to fight very soon.



You glimpse the road ahead through the trees. No sign of rogues yet.

Next time: The Serviles Are Not What They Seem

StrixNebulosa
Feb 14, 2012

You cheated not only the game, but yourself.
But most of all, you cheated BABA

Yesssss groundfloor! Your Geneforge 1 LP was amaaaazing so I'm super hyped for this!

I might just have to try and play along this time, seeing as I got Geneforge 2 working in a window on my machine, too!

MagusofStars
Mar 31, 2012



Can we volunteer to die horribly be creations? Or are you keeping on with the leftover list from the GF1 thread?

MagusofStars fucked around with this message at 23:45 on Jul 4, 2017

idonotlikepeas
May 29, 2010

This reasoning is possible for forums user idonotlikepeas!
Yaaaay, I get to be a fireosaurus!

I wonder if this is typical of Shaper training methods. "We're about to hike through hostile lands populated by an unknown number of enemies. My first act will be to completely abandon you. Try not to die."

TooMuchAbstraction
Oct 14, 2012

I spent four years making
Waves of Steel
Hell yes I'm going to turn my avatar into an ad for it.
Fun Shoe
I had a pretty good run as a vlish last game, but if you have room for me as something more...expendable, I'll be happy to lend my assistance once more. :v:

Good luck with the LP!

ManxomeBromide
Jan 29, 2009

old school
I got my cameo last time, but I too am willing to dive once more into the fray.

Your G1 LP was my introduction to the series, so I'm looking forward to this one.

POOL IS CLOSED
Jul 14, 2011

I'm just exploding with mackerel. This is the aji wo kutta of my discontent.
Pillbug
Regarding names, it's a new LP, so we get a new list!

If my last Shaper playthrough is any indication, we will have an astonishing churn rate. If I run out of names here, I'll pick up where we left off on the old list.

StrixNebulosa posted:

Yesssss groundfloor! Your Geneforge 1 LP was amaaaazing so I'm super hyped for this!

I might just have to try and play along this time, seeing as I got Geneforge 2 working in a window on my machine, too!

Excellent! Also, if you notice black bars popping up after applying the application fix, you may need to set your monitor refresh rate to 56 Hz.

idonotlikepeas posted:

Yaaaay, I get to be a fireosaurus!

I wonder if this is typical of Shaper training methods. "We're about to hike through hostile lands populated by an unknown number of enemies. My first act will be to completely abandon you. Try not to die."

I mean, it's better than being dumped into a murder party Fragment by an Umineko witch. In Geneforge, you only die once.

Slaan
Mar 16, 2009



ASHERAH DEMANDS I FEAST, I VOTE FOR A FEAST OF FLESH
Add me onto the list! I never got a chance to die for my country shaper, and am looking forward to being turned into goo by a drayk

StrixNebulosa
Feb 14, 2012

You cheated not only the game, but yourself.
But most of all, you cheated BABA

POOL IS CLOSED posted:

Regarding names, it's a new LP, so we get a new list!

Excellent! Also, if you notice black bars popping up after applying the application fix, you may need to set your monitor refresh rate to 56 Hz.

A) Put me in the list, please!

B) Ahhh, the joys of making old games work on modern machines. Thanks!

Aumanor
Nov 9, 2012
Add me to the list! I wonder what I'll be. Probably an artilla at this point.

idonotlikepeas
May 29, 2010

This reasoning is possible for forums user idonotlikepeas!

POOL IS CLOSED posted:

I mean, it's better than being dumped into a murder party Fragment by an Umineko witch. In Geneforge, you only die once.

Until you reload, of course. [ahahaha.wav]

Solitair
Feb 18, 2014

TODAY'S GONNA BE A GOOD MOTHERFUCKIN' DAY!!!
Yes! I don't know anything about Geneforge 2, so I'm excited to see where it takes us. Sign me up for creation duty.

Ibblebibble
Nov 12, 2013

I'd like to be on the "die horribly" list.

Night10194
Feb 13, 2012

We'll start,
like many good things,
with a bear.

I'm ready to die for the Shapers!

Just leave the dumb numbers off my name.

Rappaport
Oct 2, 2013

I too would like to join the creature list :)

SatansOnion
Dec 12, 2011

Oh boy, more science-fantasy BYOMurderbeasts, and more sticking our nose into ancient death traps for fun and power! You spin a compelling yarn around these games, POOL. If you find yourself in need of another meat shield Shaped assistant, I hope you consider giving it my name :shobon:

Epsilon Moonshade
Nov 22, 2016

Not an excellent host.

I'll take an add to the creature list as well.

And yay! New LP! :allears:

Edit: Also yay! The name I suggested got picked for the character! :3:

Epsilon Moonshade fucked around with this message at 01:37 on Jul 5, 2017

dmboogie
Oct 4, 2013

I'm still reading through your Geneforge 1 LP but it's very cool and good, so please sign me up for labeling a doomed creation as well! Maybe I'll even catch up to this in time to see it die or something

vdate
Oct 25, 2010
Oh hell yes. Sign me up for the cannon-fodder list, Pool Is Closed, and bless you for doing this. (Maybe it'll provoke me to push past the soft roadblock I've found myself at on my save.)

It is a shame that Fyoras are so much worse in this game (a fact which I discovered early and to my detriment) but there is one compensation for that, available very soon indeed! That said, I do adore the changes that Vogel made to creation-scaling with experience in this game - I dunno how it worked in Geneforge 1, but in Geneforge 2 it seems like one level gained through traveling with the PC is worth much more than one gained via levels of shaping skill or creation-skill. Like, on the level of 'early game creations that have been kept alive until level 20ish have more HP than a freshly created Battle Alpha of comparable level'. Keeping your critters alive has been heavily incentivized, which means that the loss of one of your ersatz-pokemon stings a lot more in this game.

vdate fucked around with this message at 16:08 on Jul 5, 2017

Pieuvre
Sep 19, 2010
Sign me up too! These are some of my favorite games, so I'll definitely follow this closely.

Also, if anyone's interested, the entire Geneforge series is discounted to $5.99 on Steam right now - I've never played the Steam versions, so I don't know if they've been tweaked for modern systems already (probably not, though).

StrixNebulosa
Feb 14, 2012

You cheated not only the game, but yourself.
But most of all, you cheated BABA

Pieuvre posted:

Sign me up too! These are some of my favorite games, so I'll definitely follow this closely.

Also, if anyone's interested, the entire Geneforge series is discounted to $5.99 on Steam right now - I've never played the Steam versions, so I don't know if they've been tweaked for modern systems already (probably not, though).

In the final days of the summer sale - here is the Spiderweb Software Gigantic Bundle. Get almost everything Vogel's ever done for 80% off!

Deki
May 12, 2008

It's Hammer Time!
Creaturize me.

Hermetian
Dec 9, 2007
I stand ready to die for Precipitate

Glazius
Jul 22, 2007

Hail all those who are able,
any mouse can,
any mouse will,
but the Guard prevail.

Clapping Larry
I can see how they might want to fog of war the map. Sucia Island we had no idea what it was supposed to look like, so seeing it whole wouldn't have ruined anything. But if something has happened and Drypeak isn't living up to being dry nor peak, there should be some suspense about that.

GodFish
Oct 10, 2012

We're your first, last, and only line of defense. We live in secret. We exist in shadow.

And we dress in black.
Sign me up to die horribly for the cause!

Rockopolis
Dec 21, 2012

I MAKE FUN OF QUEER STORYGAMES BECAUSE I HAVE NOTHING BETTER TO DO WITH MY LIFE THAN MAKE OTHER PEOPLE CRY

I can't understand these kinds of games, and not getting it bugs me almost as much as me being weird
I'll sign up. Live, die, live again.

Chronische
Aug 7, 2012

Too bad you're not an Agent, or better yet a Guardian, this time around. Still, as I said in G1, it's best to show off as many creations as you can. Who better to do that than a Shaper?

Count me in again! Maybe I'll last a bit longer than an ornk this time.

TheGreatEvilKing
Mar 28, 2016





Can I be a critter again?

I dont know
Aug 9, 2003

That Guy here...
Signing up to die for the glory of Shaperkind.

Wordybird
Oct 22, 2013

I like Chicken.
I like Liver.
Meow Mix Meow Mix please reconsider.
Ready, willing and able to die for Precipitate's probably-worthy cause.

dont be mean to me
May 2, 2007

I'm interplanetary, bitch
Let's go to Mars


Hey I'm here day one for this one! Maybe.

Ready to serve. :zpatriot:

Galaga Galaxian
Apr 23, 2009

What a childish tactic!
Don't you think you should put more thought into your battleplan?!


Shoot I need to catch up with the ending of the first LP.

Montegoraon
Aug 22, 2013
Solution managed to solve a great many problems quite handily. Perhaps Precipitate will cause a lot of things to fall out. It never rains, but it pours.

...Sign me up.

FluxFaun
Apr 7, 2010


the art in these games always reminds me of old school DnD

also I would like to die horribly, please.

mauman
Jul 30, 2014

Whoever's got the biggest whiskers does the talking.
I would totally be down with being cannon fodder.

Sign me up for the "dies horribly" list

edit: also, those green robes....wow they stand out :stare:

mauman fucked around with this message at 05:11 on Jul 5, 2017

FredMSloniker
Jan 2, 2008

Why, yes, I do like Kirby games.

mauman posted:

edit: also, those green robes....wow they stand out :stare:

Well, it's not like Precipitate is ever going to blend in. :v:

Epsilon Moonshade
Nov 22, 2016

Not an excellent host.

Montegoraon posted:

Solution managed to solve a great many problems quite handily. Perhaps Precipitate will cause a lot of things to fall out. It never rains, but it pours.

FredMSloniker posted:

Well, it's not like Precipitate is ever going to blend in. :v:

You should both be ashamed of yourselves. :v:

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LLSix
Jan 20, 2010

The real power behind countless overlords

Sign me up for the legions of the briefly living. Gave this a try awhile back but couldn't put up with the old school inventory. Looking forward to seeing the story.

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