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PurpleXVI
Oct 30, 2011

Spewing insults, pissing off all your neighbors, betraying your allies, backing out of treaties and accords, and generally screwing over the global environment?
ALL PART OF MY BRILLIANT STRATEGY!
You know, one thing I don't recall if I EVER learned is if there's any sort of real difference between driving someone to max Madness or max Terror. Or what even makes something affect one slider more than the other.

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Jamesman
Nov 19, 2004

"First off, let me start by saying curly light blond hair does not suit Hyomin at all. Furthermore,"
Fun Shoe

Aumanor posted:

It's been ages since I played this but I'd suggest buying the level 5 power for Buck (the dog Horde you got after reaching Act 2) And maybe even the level 3. With the rest I'd consider waiting until after Facepacks and Broomsticks since that's where you unlock two of my favourite ghosts. Alternatively, see if any of the ghosts you like has an open 8+ level power to help you finish levels faster once you're got the plasm running.

Oh, and a word of advice-don't use Tremor or Quake in the next mission, if I recall corretly it will destroy the computers in one of the rooms giving you a lot less electric fetters to work with.

Tremor is safe to use. I didn't notice any real issues with Quake, but you definitely don't wanna use it in the level after next (at least not early on).

Thanks for the suggestions. I think I'm gonna see if there are more lure-type powers I can snag so I don't have to fall back on Boo all the time. He's just so good. Hell, maybe I should just hop on the Boo Train and get hm more powers!


PurpleXVI posted:

You know, one thing I don't recall if I EVER learned is if there's any sort of real difference between driving someone to max Madness or max Terror. Or what even makes something affect one slider more than the other.

The names of powers and their descriptions do a good job of suggesting what kind of impact they will have on people, although you still have to do a bit of guessing and trial-and-error. But when a person is affected by a power, one of 4 auras will surround them.

Blue - Belief went up.
Red - Terror went up.
Orange - Madness went up.
x2 - Next power to affect that person will have larger impact.

Maxing out Terror makes them flee the level. If you drive someone mad, they will stay in the level, and their insanity will upset others.

Thunderclan
Dec 24, 2013
Definitely going to be watching this LP when I have the time, this is by far one of my favorite games ever. :D

The problem I found with driving people mad was the very fact that they stayed on the map rather then fleeing. Fairly irritating when they would get targeted by powers instead of the people that still needed scared off. More fun driving everyone away in terror though so was not a terrible problem :twisted:

Also I believe (been a few years since my last campaign of terror so could be misremembering) that Tremor will destroy computers, it just takes more then one shot since it is weaker then Quake.

Aumanor
Nov 9, 2012
Another useful note: one options for setting a ghost to roam is to make him chase a mortal. When you set it to "at will" they will still roam randomly even if you've ordered them to pick on a particular target in a separate order.

Chimera-gui
Mar 20, 2014
Wow, you completely steamrolled that one though admittedly you had a better team and were focused on actually clearing ghost freeing tasks as opposed to just causing general havoc.

EclecticTastes
Sep 17, 2012

"Most plans are critically flawed by their own logic. A failure at any step will ruin everything after it. That's just basic cause and effect. It's easy for a good plan to fall apart. Therefore, a plan that has no attachment to logic cannot be stopped."

Jamesman posted:





I've got 3500 Gold Plasm banked and I'm not sure what I wanna spend it on. If anyone's familiar with the game, I'm looking for suggestions.

Having played Ghost Master a perhaps unhealthy amount compared to what you actually get in the game, I'll just put up some general, basic opinions on the available ghosts so far, and I'll do more every few missions, I'll let other people cast votes about who to focus on and how. So, in order of "class":

Hordes: Hordes are one of the lowest classes of ghosts, one of three types of Sprites, but they're also one of the most versatile. Their available fetters make them usable in a wide variety of situations, and while they tend to lack raw power, each of them has at least one ability that'll send mortals fleeing, ideally into something much, much worse. They have little in the way of customization, as well, but the differences can be important, particularly their fetters.

Clatterclaws: The first Horde available, with the ideal fetter for early missions, as they all take place primarily indoors. Her Hide & Seek power is unique to her among the Hordes, and provides her some strong potential right out of the box. Adding Flower Power (common to all Hordes as their first-band power) doesn't do a lot, as the minor Belief boost is generally kind of useless, but her sixth-band options are both very powerful. Arboreal Prison is another power that only Clatterclaws gets among the Hordes, and can immobilize a troublesome mortal for a bit, but Legion is almost too iconic to pass up, terrifying everyone in the room by covering them with spiders. Either power can provide a big enough scare to send a mortal fleeing the map, if they've already been through the wringer.

Buck: Buck, who we just got before the last map, is one of the most versatile ghosts in the game, able to be placed almost anywhere, due to having both Inside and Outside fetters (certain narrow bits of some maps count as neither, mechanically, but it's not a big deal), but he's also one of the weakest. Scattered Swarm and Dense Swarm are lesser versions of Legion, and can be good for some quick plasm, but won't make a big dent in the mortal population of an area. Buck's Chase power can be kind of useful, allowing him to change his fetter as he scoots after hapless mortals, freaking them out as he goes, and always ensuring he's near targets, but overall, he doesn't have any way to really finish off a mortal. There's no choices in what he learns, only getting Flower Power, Creepers (a minor plant-based area scare common to Hordes), and Swarm Strike. He's ideally used, appropriately enough, as a guard dog, forcing mortals to flee from a given area, without scaring them so much they bail entirely, allowing you to herd them somewhere specific.


Gremlins: Gremlins are another useful class of ghosts, though they're limited by the availability of electrical devices in a given haunt. They're more powerful than other Sprite-type ghosts, and their electrical powers are necessary to solve puzzles throughout the game.

Cogjammer: Your monkey friend is one of the more electrically-inclined Gremlins, though you may consider giving him Fool's Errand (which sends a mortal to a random fetter looking for a lost item) rather than Cut Lights, given the abilities of a Gremlin we haven't seen yet who's much more specialized at cutting power. In fact, said other Gremlin is so similar to Cogjammer that the only significant way to differentiate the two is to make sure to pick Sparkstorm over Blackout for the sixth band on Cogjammer. Beyond that, the two will be roughly interchangeable.

Lucky: Lucky's power tree emphasizes luck manipulation and other non-electrical powers, despite being forced into Cut Lights over Fool's Errand. Neither of the other Gremlins get Charm, but this may not be a point in Lucky's favor, as Charm only increases Belief by giving a mortal good luck (though it's perfect for ensuring Lucky gets zapped and subsequently recruiting when the mortals play her pinball table). As the least powerful of the three, I generally advise against investing too heavily in Lucky.


Spooks: Spooks are the lowest level of Disturbances, and it shows. They can be used anywhere indoors, but their powers are all pretty middling, overall, and their best tools can be better utilized by other ghosts. They're best used to force mortals away from an area that's not relevant to your mission, keeping them close to your objective, especially if the area lacks any other fetters, since indoors is pretty ubiquitous.

Boo: Boo is the most basic Spook in your arsenal, and has a few tricks up his sleeve. Hide & Seek is always good to get a mortal running, and if you unlock Kinesis, he could even manage to chase a few mortals from the haunt. He pales in comparison to other ghosts, but if you don't have a lot of plasm or can't find the right fetter, he'll do in a pinch.

Wendel: Wendel lacks the raw power that the other Spooks get at the sixth band, but he gets Chase instead, which can be good to keeping scares consistent and recurring by constantly ensuring he's in a high-traffic area. Otherwise, he doesn't stand out too much.

Quiver: Our newest Spook, Quiver, has the highest scare potential with Spooky Surprise, but otherwise, the things said about the other Spooks apply pretty well to him, too.

Poltergeists: Just barely above Spooks, Poltergeists actually have quite a bit of power for their unassuming looks, able to go all the way up to the ninth band. However, their fetter, children, severely limits their usefulness, as many haunts lack children entirely.

Whirlweird: The only Poltergeist we have at the moment, Whirlweird specializes in telekinesis and wind powers. While it has access to Wild & Crazy, it's best to leave electrical powers to other ghosts, and go with the iconic Spooky Stack (what's a poltergeist without stacked furniture?). It's mostly a belief booster, but the increase is significant enough to be useful, especially in a mission that requires a mortal be forced to believe (such as in Deadfellas). I generally go with Twister over Flood for the eighth band, if I bother unlocking it at all, to keep the wind theme, and because other ghosts are better at messing with water. If you get the plasm for it, TK Storm is fantastic at scaring mortals.


Sandmen: Another Disturbance that's just hard to use, but like Poltergeists, Sandmen can be incredibly powerful if you manage to get one properly fettered to a sleeping mortal. They're good at driving people insane, and their Sleepwalk ability lets them straight up wander the haunt freely using a mortal's body. They can also just scare the crap out of their fetter, afflicting them with nightmares, but if you run out of sleeping people, your Sandman stops being useful, so it's usually better to just fire up Sleepwalk and freak everyone else out.

Hypnos: The only Sandman we currently have access to is quite good at his job, and the Sandmen similar enough that there's only one kind of situation where you'd have a preference outside of aesthetics. In fact, because of that, Hypnos is the less adept of the two at driving people insane before scaring them off, and as a result, you may want to avoid developing him, especially as his powers trend towards scaring his fetter off.


Manes: Now we're getting somewhere! Corpse fetters are tricky to find, but Manes are extremely powerful for their plasm cost. And by Manes, I mean Arclight.

Flash Jordan: Unfortunately, this ghost won't be saving every one of us. Flash specializes in gross smells and straight scares (like Terrorize and Scared to Death), and shares the phenomenal Possess ability with her fellow Mane, but she has the critical weakness of not being Arclight.

Arclight: So, let's circle back to Possess. Possess not only lets a ghost attach to a mortal and follow them around using powers as normal, but also causes constant belief increases while also immunizing them to fear and insanity. This is great for prepping certain mortals to be run out of the haunt the moment the ghost leaves. But, more than that, Arclight's various flame powers and Danse Macabre are some of the most powerful abilities in the game. I've seen him run a mortal out of the haunt in under a minute using Great Balls of Fire, Human Torch, and the like. This, combined with the ability to traverse the map somewhat freely, makes him one of the most powerful ghosts, bar none. If only it were easier to find him a fetter...


Elementals: Technically divided by element, the Elementals all follow general themes, and most of them are pretty useful, but raw element fetters can have inconsistent availability, making water and earth a bit tricky (air can be fettered outside, while fire also has the electrical fetter).

Aether: Aether is the weaker of the two air elementals, specializing more in loud noises than actually controlling the wind. Anything an air elemental can do, a Banshee can probably do better, but Aether does cost less and carries the ever-useful outside fetter. It can also be useful to use multiple weather manipulators in a single haunt, as their effects can stack, turning storms torrential. This applies to both air and water elementals, as well as banshees.

Whisperwind: While Whisperwind has Tempest to more strongly reap the whirlwind, he's still more of a discount Weatherwitch than anything. Still, if you can't spare the plasm and there's an Air fetter available, he's a viable option.

Stonewall: Stonewall's unique qualities are that he can learn Leak and Arboreal Prison. Leak is mostly useful in conjunction with another power, and Arboreal Prison is roughly equivalent to the other possibility, Trap. That said, the other earth elemental gets Trap, so take that as you will. The earth elementals' biggest powers are Quake and Swallow, however, which are available to both, and which can send a mortal screaming into the night extremely easily. There are other ghosts that are usually better, but earth fetters are often available both inside and outside, giving you a lot of deployment options, and there are certain situations where burying a mortal alive is the best possible way to scare them.

Raindancer: Raindancer's predefined moves indicate a preference for precipitation, having access to both rain and hail powers, which affect the entire outside of a haunt. Outside of Haunted Hail, they're pretty weak, but combined with other weather powers (storms intensify when you combine several different related powers), they can have dramatic effects. Which water elemental you favor depends mainly on your playstyle, though you'd be surprised how hard it can be to find a water fetter at times.

Wavemaster: Wavemaster's power list, when compared to Raindancer's, indicates a strong preference towards making water show up indoors (having access to Leak), as well as making blood appear all over the place (on top of Gore, which both get, Wavemaster has Seeping Blood). It should be noted that Gore will turn all water in its area of effect into blood, including rain, floods, and other water-based effects created by other ghosts.


Apparitions: Apparitions, a type of Vapor, are pretty tricky to use in some haunts, due to requiring the Murder fetter, which isn't very common outside of a couple specific maps (even the Corpse fetter is more common). However, they all pack a decent punch (including all having access to Terror Incarnate, perhaps the most terrifying single-target power in the game) and, most importantly, they're the hands-down best ghosts in the game when it comes to herding mortals, thanks to the Hidden Maze power (which causes a gate to move randomly around the haunt, which teleports mortals to the ghost's current room). Aside from Terror Incarnate, Apparitions generally favor Madness, as Madness is a side-effect of most herding powers.

Terroreyes: Due to the predefined powers on his list, Terroreyes ends up being the best at raw scares of the Apparitions by a narrow margin, with a strong theme of cold throughout. However, he still has access to Hidden Maze, the best herding power in the game, so he can do what Apparitions do best. Just be sure to switch him to Intrigue or Fascinate manually once you've pulled in the mortal you need, assuming they're not in range of whatever you need them near.

Maxine Factor: Named for the Max Factor line of cosmetics, Maxine is best used in smaller haunts. She lacks Hidden Maze, so mortals have to be close to her for Intrigue, Obsession, and the like to take effect. Because she can use so many attraction powers, though, she can usually keep a mortal on a tight leash if you micromanage her usage, slowly driving them insane as they try to figure out just what the hell is up with her fetter.


Banshees: Banshees are basically souped-up air elementals, with higher plasm costs, but potentially devastating abilities. The Thoroughfare fetter can be a little tough to manage, especially as one Banshee is much better outside than in, but they're fairly easy to manager, as Vapors go.

Weatherwitch: As the name implies, you should really focus on the weather powers rather than the handful of sound powers she gets, as other Banshees have those powers in spades. Weatherwitch, particularly in tandem with an air or water elemental, can make the outdoors a very unpleasant place.

Moonscream: The other extreme for Banshees, Moonscream is best in close quarters, with a variety of direct scares and some very loud noises packed in. Stick her in a hallway and the mortals are going to have a rough time of it, though she can be very expensive for what you're getting (plasm-for-plasm, she's not giving you the kinds of scares other nine-band ghosts would, though many of her powers can go through walls).


Phantoms: The only Frighteners we have access to at the moment, they're all very powerful, though Phantoms lack access to the tenth band (the only class of Frightener that does). They're expensive, but you get your money's worth. The emotional fetter isn't especially hard to come by in most haunts, but maps like the cabin from Summoners Not Included tend to exclude them.

Shivers: One of our starting ghosts, and one who really pays off if you invest in him. His lower-band abilities are all pretty unimpressive, but past the fifth band, he has all manner of powerful scares, such as Terrorize, Twister, Scared to Death, Paralyze, and his powers are capped off with TK Storm, which is as powerful for Shivers as it is for Whirlweird, but with better fetters. In a large room with a lot of objects to throw around, Shivers can really clean house.

Fingers: The pianist we saved in Deadfellas isn't quite as powerful as Shivers, leaning more heavily on moves like Nausea and Queasy, but he has Unearthly Calm, which renders mortals temporarily immune to fear, making it much easier to drive them mad, raise their belief, or guide them somewhere. Having Aura Reading by default isn't too bad, either, allowing you to learn a mortal's conscious fear. He's situational, but he's the sort of situational where you'll be singing his praises when you do need him.


Spectres: The Horror class favors more direct approaches than Frighteners, and the Spectres prove it. They're pure, raw scaring power, and if they weren't so drat expensive, they'd be an asset anywhere. The violence fetter they require isn't especially hard to find, but it can be limiting.

Ghastly: This cheerful fellow is one of the game's mascots, and for good reason. He has strong scares across the board, and doesn't take a lot of expertise to use well. The only choice in his ability tree is between Spooky Surprise and Terrorize. They're roughly equal, but I prefer Spooky Surprise because every ghost has their own unique animation for it (as well as any other powers that involve manifesting physically). Picking up Danse Macabre can up his power by letting him inflict sanity damage on an entire room of people.

Knuckles: The last of the ghosts obtained in Deadfellas, this mobster is actually even better than Ghastly for one simple reason: Possess. Knuckles can leave his fetter behind and hitch a ride on a passing mortal, and then start wreaking havoc, just like Arclight and Flash Jordan.


Wraiths: Wraiths are basically a combination of Spectres and Gremlins, and they're as useful as that sounds. Their fetters are murder and electrical, guaranteeing that nearly every map has at least one fetter they can use.

Static: Our only Wraith for the time being, Static leans more towards the Spectre side of the equation. He has access to several solid ways to mess with the local electronics, but his high-band powers include Ghostly Apparition and Terror Incarnate. He's a great ghost, all-told, given his decent fetters and high scare potential, but the other Wraith is the better choice if you need to break some electrical devices (and believe me, we're gonna need to break some electrical devices).

Chimera-gui
Mar 20, 2014
Nice rundown of our roster, please allow me to supplement it with some lore:
  • Sprites: Consists of animal ghosts and minor nature spirits.
    • Hordes
      • Clatterclaws: Not much to say on this one, the most notable thing about it is that it's heavily in demand.
      • Buck: The pet of a ghost we'll be getting later. His bio states that the fleas that Jamesman mentioned him using refused to leave him after he died.
    • Gremlins: Gremlins are created when an animal is killed by pieces of technology hence why their powers tend to revolve around loving up technology either directly though electrical powers or indirectly through luck manipulation.
      • Cogjammer: An organ grinder's monkey who had the distinct misfortune of being ground up by his own organ. It's stated that death made him very wild compared to how he behaved in life.
      • Lucky: As you might have guessed given where we found her, she was sadly electrocuted by the malfunctioning pinball machine in the Alpha Tau house do to frat boys' poor electrical repair skills.
  • Disturbances: Low-key ghosts that are largely still focused on earthly and material things.
    • Spooks: Stereotypical cartoon ghosts that don't really have a lot of note to them. Skipping Wendel since there's little to say on him lore wise.
      • Boo: Stated to be a mischievous being that proves the belief that Spooks never grow up.
      • Quiver: Stated to be a timid being who is terrified of anything and everything, including itself.
    • Poltergeists
      • Whirlweird: Stated to be the three time winner of Poltergeist of the Year and is best known for his debut involving a paint store.
    • Sandmen: Sandmen are created when a mortal dies in their sleep.
      • Hypnos: Rather than being a living being that died, Hypnos was a dream of someone who died whilst sleeping hence his unusual appearance.
    • Manes: Manes are stated to be the souls of humans who meet untimely deaths and get trapped in their own corpses. Since both of the Manes we met tell us how they died, there's little point to going them individually.
  • Elementals: Stated to be ancient nature spirits that represent the fundamental Greek elements of air, earth, fire, and water.
    • Air Skipping Whisperwind since there's not much to say on him.
      • Aether: Stated to have inhabited music for hundreds of years and is popular at parties as a result.
    • Earth
      • Stonewall: A patient spirit said to have been made by the grating of tectonic plates, the slow erosion of mountains, and the inexorable compression of carbon matter.
    • Water
      • Raindancer: Likes loving with mortals by dressing in rainbows and leading them on fruitless quests for gold.
      • Wavemaster: Is implied to be extremely ancient given her antiquated way of speaking and it's stated that the multitudinous lifeforms that crawl and proliferate upon land are mere echoes of her species' legacy.
  • Vapours: Most are vengeful or angry.
    • Apparitions: Stated to be the ghosts of murder victims. Skipping Terroreyes since there's not much more to say about him.
      • Maxine Factor: Found relief in undeath, being overjoyed upon discovering that ectoplasm doesn't wrinkle.
    • Banshees: The ghosts of insane women.
      • Weatherwitch: Do to her specialization in weather control, she became controlled by the weather with temperamental mood swings.
      • Moonscream: Hates everything with equal passion making her extremely fair, something that is regarded as an asset in haunting.
  • Frighteners: Consist of thoughtful, cerebral, and psychological spirits.
    • Phantoms: Eccentric ghosts with unconventional minds, either insane, highly creative, or oftentimes both.
      • Shivers: Is stated to always be in the running for MVP (Most Valuable Phantom) and tends to be as uneasy around mortals as they are around him.
      • Fingers: Imagined life to be like music, with death as the end of the song making him pleasantly surprised to find that death is in fact a coda.
  • Horrors: Consist of ghosts who either lived evil, destructive lives or who were killed in particularly horrific ways.
    • Spectres: Ghosts of people who lived violent and grisly lives.
      • Ghastly: A well known ghost who's been haunting since before our Ghost Master was even a disturbance.
      • Knuckles: While mobster ghosts are said to be fairly common for obvious reasons, Knuckles is stated to be an extremely professional one.
    • Wraiths: Are the ghosts of people who's deaths were particularly gruesome and horrific. Not gonna talk about Static himself since there's little more to say about him.

Chimera-gui fucked around with this message at 06:13 on Nov 16, 2017

Jamesman
Nov 19, 2004

"First off, let me start by saying curly light blond hair does not suit Hyomin at all. Furthermore,"
Fun Shoe

Aumanor posted:

Another useful note: one options for setting a ghost to roam is to make him chase a mortal. When you set it to "at will" they will still roam randomly even if you've ordered them to pick on a particular target in a separate order.

Yeah, having the roam order unlocked is great for letting your ghosts go hambone on a level. In theory. A lot of the time ghosts will just... break, and you'll need to rebind them to make them function again. Some seem to handle it better than others though.

Chimera-gui posted:

Wow, you completely steamrolled that one though admittedly you had a better team and were focused on actually clearing ghost freeing tasks as opposed to just causing general havoc.

I am playing missions a few times before recording to try and set up a plan, rather than being totally blind. That combined with some incredible luck has made these missions go really smooth for me, although I did cut out some significant chunks of downtime in the next video coming up.

EclecticTastes posted:

An incredibly good post.

That's an impressive amount of effort you put into this. Thank you very much for the info and suggestions.

My main concerns are balancing between making each ghost feel unique enough with their powers, and not wanting to make things harder by having a ghost with the wrong tools for the job and not having a substitute. Maybe I'm overthinking it and should just pick the powers that sound the most interesting. After all, I've come this far without upgrading anyone (except giving Flower Power to Clatterclaws), so how badly can I really screw myself over?

EclecticTastes
Sep 17, 2012

"Most plans are critically flawed by their own logic. A failure at any step will ruin everything after it. That's just basic cause and effect. It's easy for a good plan to fall apart. Therefore, a plan that has no attachment to logic cannot be stopped."

Jamesman posted:

My main concerns are balancing between making each ghost feel unique enough with their powers, and not wanting to make things harder by having a ghost with the wrong tools for the job and not having a substitute. Maybe I'm overthinking it and should just pick the powers that sound the most interesting. After all, I've come this far without upgrading anyone (except giving Flower Power to Clatterclaws), so how badly can I really screw myself over?

Due to the way the ghosts are built, it's hard to really screw yourself out of the best features of most of your crew, the worst-case scenario is that two ghosts end up way too similar due to having most of the same powers and feeling a bit interchangeable. The ghosts that aren't especially powerful or impressive are kinda just stuck that way because other ghosts outshine them, no particular build is going to fix that (though the less-powerful ghosts are much better when you don't want to scare mortals away). The only thing I'd even come close to classifying as a must is making sure Weatherwitch is loaded up with weather powers by Act 3, just to make one particular puzzle much easier on yourself (unlocking her ninth-band power, at minimum, will give you a ton more freedom in who else you select for the mission in question).

Jamesman
Nov 19, 2004

"First off, let me start by saying curly light blond hair does not suit Hyomin at all. Furthermore,"
Fun Shoe


EclecticTastes
Sep 17, 2012

"Most plans are critically flawed by their own logic. A failure at any step will ruin everything after it. That's just basic cause and effect. It's easy for a good plan to fall apart. Therefore, a plan that has no attachment to logic cannot be stopped."
Since it's easier for me to come up with better commentary in small batches, I may as well just cover new ghosts as they appear (plus then it's not a massive wall of text).


Blue Murder: Our third and final Apparition also happens to be my personal favorite Apparition, because she does everything you want an Apparition to do. She's got Hidden Maze and all three lure powers (well, she doesn't have Insane Invitation, but that's both rare and situational), plus the usual Spooky Surprise and Terror Incarnate. She's decent at building plasm once you can afford Spooky Surprise, just by forcing mortals to always be around when her cooldown finishes, but more importantly, this won't be the last "get specific mortal into specific room" puzzle, and this one is by far the easiest, so having an Apparition with every possible tool in her toolbox is a godsend. Especially because the puzzle I refer to may very well require both her and Terroreyes.


Bonsai: As mentioned in Stonewall's commentary, they're pretty similar once you've bought all their moves, so which one you end up using is more a matter of personal preference. Earth Elementals are always handy when you need poo poo broken, and while they're not as flashy as some other ghosts, their various trap abilities, especially Swallow, are very powerful scares that have a particular added utility that I can't discuss yet.


Electrospasm: The other Wraith, and the one more heavily-focused on electricity. He's a lot more expensive than your Gremlins, but he comes with Numb and Spooky Surprise on his skill list (Numb disables a mortal momentarily, which as I mentioned above, is very useful at times, and Spooky Surprise lets him finish of a mortal directly, since electricity-based scares tend to be more about small hits that add up unless you're hitting their Fears). He's also capable of being fettered in places without electronics due to his Murder fetter, but, naturally, most electric powers won't work in an area that doesn't at least have some form of electric lighting (so, outdoor areas and the cabin from Summoners Not Included would be "dead zones" for Wraiths, no pun intended).


Actually, just to go a little more in-depth on Wraiths, because this was a mistake I got caught up in when I was playing. Wraiths look rad and are clearly the bigger, badder ghosts compared to Gremlins, but it's important to keep in mind what you're trying to do. If you're just trying to solve an electricity-based puzzle and don't need to freak anyone out, or have other ghosts to do that, a Gremlin might be preferable due to its much lower cost. Similarly, if you're only interested in scaring people, and don't really need to mess with the electronics, other classes of ghost will get you better returns on your plasm investment. Wraiths are for when the mission deployment is tight and you need someone who can both jack up the wiring and freak people the hell out. Most ghost classes have their own niche that they fill, due to either their available fetters or their powers, but Wraiths fit this very specific hybrid situation, so it's worth noting that you shouldn't be tempted to use them just because they're more powerful. I mean, in that specific situation, they're your best friend, but otherwise, just use a Gremlin.

By the way, to circle back a bit, it's kind of interesting that Ghastly is supposed to be this really popular, badass ghost, but he's actually the least-useful Spectre, because he doesn't have Possess. I can't overstate how useful Possess is.

Klaus88
Jan 23, 2011

Violence has its own economy, therefore be thoughtful and precise in your investment
Someone had a little too much fun with the police women model.

Jamesman
Nov 19, 2004

"First off, let me start by saying curly light blond hair does not suit Hyomin at all. Furthermore,"
Fun Shoe

EclecticTastes posted:

More good posting

If the puzzle you're talking about is the one I just did, I can see how it would be a problem. There is an alternate solution I learned that makes it way easier, albeit potentially longer.

I'm still learning how to use ghosts/powers where they take control of a human. Something about the way the ghosts function almost makes me feel like there's some kind of bug, or just something I'm not grasping. I dunno how much use I'll end up getting out of Possess, but I will try!


Klaus88 posted:

Someone had a little too much fun with the police women model.

Yeah I really don't know what modeling fuckup caused that, but I can't not thin of this when I see the female officers.

Chimera-gui
Mar 20, 2014

EclecticTastes posted:

Since it's easier for me to come up with better commentary in small batches, I may as well just cover new ghosts as they appear (plus then it's not a massive wall of text).

Yeah, gonna do the same for lore as well so without further ado:
  • Elementals
    • Earth
      • Bonsai: He's a philosophical elemental who's been nurtured for centuries by generations of Japanese gardeners.
  • Vapours
    • Apparitions
      • Blue Murder: In life she was a fan of over-the-top cop movie heroes such as McClane and Riggs and thus was decidedly disappointed by the ease of her death.
  • Horrors
    • Wraiths
      • Electrospasm: And now to the most interesting one of these three, and why is that you may ask? Well you may have noticed how polite and apologetic Electrospasm is. This is because the part of him that in life was a murderer named Harold Smears was effectively burned away by his seemingly botched execution, leaving behind the spirit we met and recruited.

Chimera-gui fucked around with this message at 03:48 on Oct 23, 2017

DLord
Apr 28, 2013
Sweet I like this game and really wished that the other play through finished. Here's to haunting you to finish it.

Jamesman
Nov 19, 2004

"First off, let me start by saying curly light blond hair does not suit Hyomin at all. Furthermore,"
Fun Shoe

DLord posted:

Sweet I like this game and really wished that the other play through finished. Here's to haunting you to finish it.

I'm trying! I've had a few setbacks due to a broken headset and needing time to learn levels before I do videos for them, but I'm past the halfway point and hopeful things will go smoothly and this won't be drawn out too much.

Now I gotta start thinking about the next game(s) to do.

EclecticTastes
Sep 17, 2012

"Most plans are critically flawed by their own logic. A failure at any step will ruin everything after it. That's just basic cause and effect. It's easy for a good plan to fall apart. Therefore, a plan that has no attachment to logic cannot be stopped."

Jamesman posted:

If the puzzle you're talking about is the one I just did, I can see how it would be a problem. There is an alternate solution I learned that makes it way easier, albeit potentially longer.

I'm still learning how to use ghosts/powers where they take control of a human. Something about the way the ghosts function almost makes me feel like there's some kind of bug, or just something I'm not grasping. I dunno how much use I'll end up getting out of Possess, but I will try!

Possess doesn't cause the ghost to control the victim, they'll follow their normal routine, and Sleepwalk just causes random wandering, their main utility is that you get fairly powerful ghosts that aren't reliant on being attached to a nearby fetter. They're best on large maps where it's hard to really get the mortals using stationary ghosts. To ensure it pops, set them to only use that power band, then free them up once they've hitched a ride. Get used to identifying the routines of specific mortals so you know who to Possess (using Sleepwalk/Possess properly will be essential later, as well as one other power we haven't seen yet). Also, I don't think anyone possessed or sleepwalking qualifies for quest purposes.

By the way, you may want to practice what I call "playing from the bench", that is, fettering a ghost or ghosts just long enough to pull off a big scare or solve a puzzle, then immediately returning them to the bench, making sure no ghosts are left out unattended unless absolutely necessary. Keeps you agile, and if you've already gotten through the next couple missions, you'll know why else you'll want to do this. It can be a pain to micromanage like that, but you can you can ensure they do exactly what you want by limiting the ghost's power band or setting other orders before fettering, and it makes certain things much easier to deal with, if slower.

EclecticTastes fucked around with this message at 03:26 on Oct 20, 2017

Jamesman
Nov 19, 2004

"First off, let me start by saying curly light blond hair does not suit Hyomin at all. Furthermore,"
Fun Shoe
For this last mission, I was actually having trouble using Hypnos because I couldn't always get powers to properly work when I had them on Sleepwalk. Like, powers wouldn't always go off, and if I tried to use Dream Demon, i would just straight-up wake the person up and unbind Hypnos. Was worried Possess would give me the same problems.

Already getting familiar with micromanaging my ghosts, but so far I haven't run into any real risks. I imagine the AI will get harder as I get into later levels though, so like you said, good to get used to it now.

PurpleXVI
Oct 30, 2011

Spewing insults, pissing off all your neighbors, betraying your allies, backing out of treaties and accords, and generally screwing over the global environment?
ALL PART OF MY BRILLIANT STRATEGY!
I think one of the things that bugs me about Ghost Master, in retrospect, is that outside of the "cabin in the woods"-levels, most of them don't really have a failure state that's easily attainable unless you practically try to fail.

EclecticTastes
Sep 17, 2012

"Most plans are critically flawed by their own logic. A failure at any step will ruin everything after it. That's just basic cause and effect. It's easy for a good plan to fall apart. Therefore, a plan that has no attachment to logic cannot be stopped."

Jamesman posted:

For this last mission, I was actually having trouble using Hypnos because I couldn't always get powers to properly work when I had them on Sleepwalk. Like, powers wouldn't always go off, and if I tried to use Dream Demon, i would just straight-up wake the person up and unbind Hypnos. Was worried Possess would give me the same problems.

Already getting familiar with micromanaging my ghosts, but so far I haven't run into any real risks. I imagine the AI will get harder as I get into later levels though, so like you said, good to get used to it now.

There are definitely some mechanics to bodyjacking powers to keep in mind. First, setting the Order to restrict the ghost to the current band when that band isn't Possess/Sleepwalk or reducing the band below the point of Possess/Sleepwalk will cancel the ability, since they're no longer being allowed to use it. So, really, it's best to just let them loose to throw out powers left and right once they start wandering. These kinds of powers are great for letting your ghosts wreak havoc freely, but they're terrible for micromanagement, so be sure you know which one you want going in. And yeah, Dream Demon wakes a sleeper up, which is another reason Hypnos isn't quite as good as the other Sandman, but Possess doesn't have any sort of cancellation condition since the "fetter" can't be removed the way the "sleeping" condition can. Of course, once his training level is high enough, he can be specifically forbidden from using Dream Demon without denying you the use of Psychotic Rage and Expose Fears. Oh, and it's worth noting that certain powers for some ghosts are fetter-dependent, so having them roaming away from their fetter makes those specific powers unusable, but such ghosts usually have other stuff they can use, if you teach them the skills.

Also, if you're going in blind, you're about to learn exactly why I consider moves that lock a mortal into a scripted animation (trap powers, Numb, Scared to Death, Surge, etc.) so valuable.

EclecticTastes fucked around with this message at 20:28 on Oct 20, 2017

Jamesman
Nov 19, 2004

"First off, let me start by saying curly light blond hair does not suit Hyomin at all. Furthermore,"
Fun Shoe

EclecticTastes posted:

Also, if you're going in blind, you're about to learn exactly why I consider moves that lock a mortal into a scripted animation (trap powers, Numb, Scared to Death, Surge, etc.) so valuable.

Oh, I already know. Sometimes you just want those little fuckers to stop running around so you can hit them with a power. Or 3-4 powers at once.

Things are definitely requiring a more active role now, but still relaxed enough that I don't feel stressed by the game's demands. Of course, there's another half a game to go, so we'll see if that changes.

Chimera-gui
Mar 20, 2014
Yeah, this is the point where the RNG starts to become an absolute bastard. I was expecting Deadfellas and Unusual Suspects to be tougher than you made them but make not mistake that the difficultly is going to spike starting with Poultrygeist.

Jamesman
Nov 19, 2004

"First off, let me start by saying curly light blond hair does not suit Hyomin at all. Furthermore,"
Fun Shoe

Chimera-gui posted:

Yeah, this is the point where the RNG starts to become an absolute bastard. I was expecting Deadfellas and Unusual Suspects to be tougher than you made them but make not mistake that the difficultly is going to spike starting with Poultrygeist.

Really? I had no problem with that one or the level after that. Maybe some waiting around, but everything worked out in the end.

EclecticTastes
Sep 17, 2012

"Most plans are critically flawed by their own logic. A failure at any step will ruin everything after it. That's just basic cause and effect. It's easy for a good plan to fall apart. Therefore, a plan that has no attachment to logic cannot be stopped."

Jamesman posted:

Really? I had no problem with that one or the level after that. Maybe some waiting around, but everything worked out in the end.

Facepacks and Broomsticks is a pain in the rear end, Poultrygeist is okay, but then you get to THAT MISSION. No matter what method you go with, it's insanely difficult to get all the restless spirits in one go.

Jamesman
Nov 19, 2004

"First off, let me start by saying curly light blond hair does not suit Hyomin at all. Furthermore,"
Fun Shoe

EclecticTastes posted:

Facepacks and Broomsticks is a pain in the rear end, Poultrygeist is okay, but then you get to THAT MISSION. No matter what method you go with, it's insanely difficult to get all the restless spirits in one go.

That's the one I was talking about. Wasn't too hard to get all the ghosts (though one involves a lot of luck). The hardest part for me on that mission was getting the AI to actually work and not have everyone just get stuck all the drat time.

Jamesman
Nov 19, 2004

"First off, let me start by saying curly light blond hair does not suit Hyomin at all. Furthermore,"
Fun Shoe


EclecticTastes
Sep 17, 2012

"Most plans are critically flawed by their own logic. A failure at any step will ruin everything after it. That's just basic cause and effect. It's easy for a good plan to fall apart. Therefore, a plan that has no attachment to logic cannot be stopped."
Finally, we're getting to some of the more exciting ghosts and powers.


Hogwash: Hogwash is the final Gremlin, and the one with the strongest focus on messing with electronics. Most notably, he comes default with the rare and powerful Blackout power, which cuts power to the entire haunt (this only affects the main breaker, however, independent generators will still function, if present, at least until you send Hogwash to use Surge on them). Hogwash is one of a handful of ghosts worth maxing out, given how valuable electric powers are.

We also have a couple new ghost classes:

Fire Elementals: The only elemental left of the four, fire elementals can be fettered to both flames and electronics, and their powers include a mix of fire and electric, accordingly. They can be extremely strong, possessing the utility of electric powers and the raw scare potential of fire, but like Wraiths, you should analyze the situation and determine whether you'd be better off just using a Gremlin.

Firetail: Firetail, as his name and coloration imply, specializes in fire, and can burn the haunt down even better than Arclight, having access to the Inferno power (though he lacks Possess and Arclight's rad look). You can give him electric powers instead, but the other Fire Elemental is much more well-suited to that, both mechanically and thematically.


Fetches: The last type of Disturbance we'll encounter, Fetches can only be bound to mirrors, and are thus extremely limited in their use. Fortunately, most haunts feature bathrooms that mortals visit regularly, and as long as even one mortal drops by, Fetches can manage just fine, thanks to their Clone power, which lets them roam about the haunt independently, not even requiring a mortal host. In fact, Clone will usually cause the affected mortal to fall unconscious on the spot, making them a valid fetter for a Sandman (if the cloned mortal should see the clone again after waking, they'll take a solid hit to all three meters and pass out again). Using Clone, certain powers of the Fetch are locked, as they're dependent on mirrors, but they have a number of sanity-reducing powers as well as Loathsome Aspect (a special scare that requires the ghost to be taking the form of a mortal), all usable while wandering the haunt. A Fetch and a Sandman left to their own devices can reduce the mortal population to gibbering wrecks surprisingly quickly. Additionally, Fetches have access to the Ethereal Gift and Trojan Gift powers, which create special, universal fetters that most (though not all) ghosts can be bound to (Ethereal can bind one, Trojan can bind three), and that mortals will feel compelled to pick up and carry around (though they'll drop it if a ghost uses a power). This can be used to backdoor in one of your Manes or Spectres, letting them possess a mortal and roam the haunt, even when there aren't any decent fetters, or just to get a particular ghost into a room they wouldn't otherwise have access to. Be warned, though, Opponents will almost instantly detect Fetches using Clone, so stick to generating Gifts until you've scared them off.


Tricia: Tricia is the first Fetch you get, and the only one that can be used in a healthy number of missions without the "all ghosts" mod (it doesn't give you all ghosts, it just lets you use all your ghosts in replays). She gets Ethereal Gift by default at the fourth band, rather than the second-tier mirror scare (which the other Fetch has access to, and should be given, for the sake of distinction). Conversely, as the other Fetch gets Trojan Gift by default, it might be best to give Tricia Psychotic Rage for a ninth-band power. This will make Tricia into a Clone specialist, as she'll have access to every power usable while outside of her fetter. You'll never really need a Fetch to cast Trojan Gift aside from as a substitute for Ethereal, anyway.

Klaus88
Jan 23, 2011

Violence has its own economy, therefore be thoughtful and precise in your investment
Now we hit upon two of the game's primary problems, well I find them to be major problems anyway. Bizarre pacing and aggressive reuse of levels.

I wish they played up the sequel aspect when you revisit a level, but they only do that properly in one level.

EclecticTastes
Sep 17, 2012

"Most plans are critically flawed by their own logic. A failure at any step will ruin everything after it. That's just basic cause and effect. It's easy for a good plan to fall apart. Therefore, a plan that has no attachment to logic cannot be stopped."

Klaus88 posted:

Now we hit upon two of the game's primary problems, well I find them to be major problems anyway. Bizarre pacing and aggressive reuse of levels.

I wish they played up the sequel aspect when you revisit a level, but they only do that properly in one level.

I would say that while I agree that the reuse of levels is a little annoying, they usually find a way to make the reused area somehow interesting, either by emphasizing different parts of the level or adding new elements. For instance, Facepacks & Broomsticks makes much heavier use of the basement and side rooms, while the original run through the level was focused almost entirely on the two common rooms and the outer walkway. Additionally, due to Tricia and Hogwash's positions, I tend to view the map primarily from the opposite side from the first time (a different "best default" camera angle is actually pretty common, every 1:1 repeated map, with only a single exception, is best viewed from a different angle than the original, which can make it feel fresher).

Nero Angelo
Jun 19, 2011
Here's a fun fact for you.

You can actually wind up encountering the Student Witches prior to this mission. Play your cards right and the trio can turn up in 'The Calamityville Horror', the mission Jamesman did directly after the tutorial level.

You're unlikely to have it happen, but if you play in such a way that Marcia Hutz has her Belief rise high enough and both her parents still have a low level of Belief, she'll beeline for the phone and the Witches will turn up shortly after she makes the call.

Fortunately, the Witches are pretty terrible at being an effective opposition. They have trouble zeroing in on a ghost using it's powers in the same room as them, let alone detecting it if they're a few rooms away.

Jamesman
Nov 19, 2004

"First off, let me start by saying curly light blond hair does not suit Hyomin at all. Furthermore,"
Fun Shoe
Thank you for this info. When you look at that level, you see empty slots for potential people, but I couldn't figure out a way to trigger it and thought it might have been a mistake.

Chimera-gui
Mar 20, 2014
Sorry for being late on this one, had my niece's birthday party earlier this evening. But now that this has finished, let's get to the lore:
  • Sprites
    • Gremlins
      • Hogwash: Living in an area that flooded frequently, he was an adept swimmer that purportedly loved body surfing in life. However, he was struck by a speedboat while swimming ending his life.
  • Disturbances
    • Fetches: These are the ghosts of vain mortals who now haunt and possess mirrors.
      • Tricia: As you could probably guess from her outfit, Tricia was a cheerleader in life. However, she died from an overly ambitious pyramid formation, most likely from falling and hitting the ground hard.
  • Elementals
    • Fire: As should be pretty apparent, the Fire Elementals are the legendary salamanders of medieval thought and fantasy literature. Firetail sadly does not have any unique lore pertaining to him though his profile does mention that Salamanders typically treat all entities, including mortals, as equals beneath them.

EclecticTastes
Sep 17, 2012

"Most plans are critically flawed by their own logic. A failure at any step will ruin everything after it. That's just basic cause and effect. It's easy for a good plan to fall apart. Therefore, a plan that has no attachment to logic cannot be stopped."

Nero Angelo posted:

Here's a fun fact for you.

You can actually wind up encountering the Student Witches prior to this mission. Play your cards right and the trio can turn up in 'The Calamityville Horror', the mission Jamesman did directly after the tutorial level.

You're unlikely to have it happen, but if you play in such a way that Marcia Hutz has her Belief rise high enough and both her parents still have a low level of Belief, she'll beeline for the phone and the Witches will turn up shortly after she makes the call.

Fortunately, the Witches are pretty terrible at being an effective opposition. They have trouble zeroing in on a ghost using it's powers in the same room as them, let alone detecting it if they're a few rooms away.

This is something I was not aware of, and a pretty obscure easter egg! Though that does give me an excuse to discuss Opponents.

On any map where they appear, Opponents become a valid target for a sufficiently-trained spirit to focus on (as well as the usual adult/child/male/female categories), though leaving a ghost in place isn't the best idea when an Opponent is about. Granted, some of them, like the student witches, aren't all that threatening, but others can take a ghost out of the mission in seconds (and it's very likely to happen if the game decides to show some stupid cutaway like "mortal picking up an Ethereal Gift for the thousandth goddamn time" while you have a ghost on-notice). Opponents are the only mortals that won't pass out when Clone is used on them, and they'll even just immediately move to trying to banish your Fetch, which is why I advise against trying it.

Now, the way Opponents work, in detail, is that they proceed between two phases. At first, they'll walk around the haunt, trying to detect your ghosts, indicated by waving around a hand or some sort of detection device (the more scared they get, the less they do this as they instead do the usual "scared mortal" animations like clutching their heads and trying to warn people). As long as their plasm bands are at zero, your ghosts are effectively invisible (thus protecting restless spirits as long as you don't try to utilize their powers), but any of them with their powers enabled could be detected, based on what powers they're using and what type they are (even when they're not cloning, Fetches seem to get detected more easily than other ghost types, in my experience). Once they have a ghost in their sights (indicated by the flashing orange exclamation mark seen in the last video), they'll beeline for that ghost's location. Once there, you have a short interval before they begin banishing your ghost, just long enough for one power to go off, but hover the cursor over the Bench command to make sure they're gone in time. If you fail to evacuate your ghost, or have a countermeasure planned, the Opponent will then start banishing your ghost (depicted with a flashing red exclamation mark and swirls over the ghost's portrait), preventing them from being benched. In order to cancel a banishing, you have to either scare the Opponent enough to make them start running instantly (Human Torch is one of the best options for that), or more likely, lock them into some sort of other animation (Surge, trap powers, Frozen Stiff, Sleep, Twister, Scared to Death, and the like, with Surge being by far the most accessible, through Gremlins). For weaker Opponents like the student witches, banishing can take quite a bit, but the most dangerous and common Opponents can banish your ghosts in less than ten seconds, so you need to act fast.

Of note is that merely re-binding a ghost to the same fetter will break an Opponent's trace, but it won't take them long to re-acquire their target. The most efficient way to handle Opponents, if not the fastest or flashiest, is to just bind a ghost near them exactly long enough to set off one good power, then bench them before the Opponent can react (or "playing from the bench" as I referred to it earlier in the thread). It's also beneficial to keep track of your Opponents' Fears, in order to maximize your ability to run them off. For the student witches, it's not so big a deal, as you only meet them the once outside of the above-mentioned appearance in The Calamityville Horror, but one set of Opponents (by far the most dangerous, in fact) will appear several times, and remembering their Fears will let you deal with them quickly. This applies to any recurring mortal, really, but Opponents are the only ones that fight back.

Opponents are at their most dangerous when you first start scaring them. Until you hit the threshold for them to start bolting at every little scare, they're likely to instantly detect any ghost that uses a power right in front of them, forcing you to bail out or risk a banishment. Once you've got them running, though, you can lay into them with everything you've got until they're finished off. A fleeing Opponent will never suddenly turn around and try to banish your ghost, they always need to come back down into a more calm posture first, and you'll always get at least a few seconds of warning with the orange exclamation mark before the banishing attempt begins.

Chimera-gui
Mar 20, 2014
If I recall correctly, a member of that dangerous Opponent type actually appears in the next mission if you're referring to who I believe you're referring to.

EclecticTastes
Sep 17, 2012

"Most plans are critically flawed by their own logic. A failure at any step will ruin everything after it. That's just basic cause and effect. It's easy for a good plan to fall apart. Therefore, a plan that has no attachment to logic cannot be stopped."

Chimera-gui posted:

If I recall correctly, a member of that dangerous Opponent type actually appears in the next mission if you're referring to who I believe you're referring to.

This is true, and I imagine they were something of a wake-up call for any player that got careless dealing with the other Opponents up to that point. While they shouldn't pose a major threat to a prepared player, anyone who continues trying to set and forget their ghosts will be in for a world of hurt.

Jamesman
Nov 19, 2004

"First off, let me start by saying curly light blond hair does not suit Hyomin at all. Furthermore,"
Fun Shoe
Going into this game with little prep, I'd say the game does a decent job of easing the player in to the concept. Starting off with this level, it's made explicitly clear that there are people who will do a number on your team, so you need to be alert. And in the level, you have the summoning circle which you can use against the witches, rendering them harmless and giving you a chance to observe the behaviors of this new type of character.

Then in the next mission, you will deal with a slightly higher difficulty, which removes the training wheels and spaces out the threats to make them very manageable. Then the level after that... usually ends up bugging out and you're free to point and laugh while going about your normal business.


If you have any thoughts on other games you wanna see me tackle, feel free to send some suggestions my way on Twitter. I have an idea for a future project, but it's going to be huge and I will probably need someone to lend a hand with it, so it won't end up being the next game I do. Got some ideas, but would love to hear what you guys think would be good.

Jamesman fucked around with this message at 09:05 on Oct 23, 2017

EclecticTastes
Sep 17, 2012

"Most plans are critically flawed by their own logic. A failure at any step will ruin everything after it. That's just basic cause and effect. It's easy for a good plan to fall apart. Therefore, a plan that has no attachment to logic cannot be stopped."

Jamesman posted:

Going into this game with little prep, I'd say the game does a decent job of easing the player in to the concept. Starting off with this level, it's made explicitly clear that there are people who will do a number on your team, so you need to be alert. And in the level, you have the summoning circle which you can use against the witches, rendering them harmless and giving you a chance to observe the behaviors of this new type of character.

Then in the next mission, you will deal with a slightly higher difficulty, which removes the training wheels and spaces out the threats to make them very manageable. Then the level after that... usually ends up bugging out and you're free to point and laugh while going about your normal business.

It does a pretty solid job of tutorializing the concept, absolutely. I've never seen the mission you're referring to bug out, though the Opponents generally end up stuck in specific, very narrow patrol patterns until you start scaring them (I know it's optional in that mission, but given how many people are in there, I make it a point of pride to scare them all off). Though, I own the Steam version, which may have additional patches applied that aren't in the GoG version.

As for games to try LPing, I don't use Twitter, but there's a lot of games that, like Ghost Master, didn't quite make it, even if they had plenty of things going for them. For example, The Bureau: XCOM Declassified was a pretty solid title all-around, as were The Darkness and its sequel, the original Prey (though I think that one was a commercial success, given the sequel/reboot, it just didn't really endure in most people's memories), the list goes on, the FPS genre is so saturated that dozens of interesting titles fall through the cracks every year. If you're up for an absolute shitload of video editing, Wizardry 8 is fully-voiced and thus could work as a video LP if the interminably long battles were cut, along with most of the backtracking. And that's just stuff I'm picking out from my own collection of games that I haven't seen LPed to death.

Aumanor
Nov 9, 2012
Awww yeah, best gremlin and best elemental.

Synthbuttrange
May 6, 2007

Hey I remember this game, it was lots of fun. And drat yeah the female police model, eeesh.

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Nero Angelo
Jun 19, 2011

EclecticTastes posted:

This is something I was not aware of, and a pretty obscure easter egg! Though that does give me an excuse to discuss Opponents.

The only reason that I know about it is because I have the official strategy guide. If you can find a copy, I'd recommend it. It's amazing just how complex the game is in some of it's mechanics.

EclecticTastes posted:

As long as their plasm bands are at zero, your ghosts are effectively invisible (thus protecting restless spirits as long as you don't try to utilize their powers), but any of them with their powers enabled could be detected, based on what powers they're using and what type they are (even when they're not cloning, Fetches seem to get detected more easily than other ghost types, in my experience).

Unfortunately, this isn't true. Some opponents - in particular one we'll encounter in the next mission - can detect ghosts that are set to Band 0, although their chances of doing so depends on the type of ghost. The weaker types such as Hordes and Sprites may only have a 15% chance of getting spotted if the opponent does a search in the same area, but the stronger types such as Spectres can have up to a 75% chance to get detected.

The Witches are bad at dealing with ghosts... but the rest of the opposition that'll turn up as the game progresses can very quickly wreck you if you aren't paying attention.

Nero Angelo fucked around with this message at 12:07 on Oct 23, 2017

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