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alhoon

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Everything posted by alhoon

  1. I don't think "Fallout & Geneforge" is off topic, to be honest.
  2. Sooo... we veneered from "Combine with Harry Potter!!!" to... "Combine with Fallout" Yes, that would be interesting.
  3. It would also be interesting, depending on the technology of the era the Shaper would show up in. If a Shaper shows up during the book times, he or she would have to deal with jawdropping technology from the Common, including the atomic weapons. If that Shaper returned back to Terrestia, she would go ballistic on the Sholai and their cannons. It is not that the Shapers need much of a reason to be imperialistic and "Fear of technology" could propel them to launch an invasion on the lands of the Sholai. While technology of the Terrestia reality can't do much to Shapers (my heroic boat-drayk that is not a weapon, took down a Sholai warship with a single hit, RIP my poor poor boat-drayk 😢) the realization that they could eventually create world-ending death-machines that could be launched from the other side of the world could motivate the Shapers to attack.
  4. I would also like to see how the Shaper would react to mages hiding their existence instead of being worshipped.
  5. Oh come on, that was way too easy. It is not really a different franchise.
  6. That is an interesting question ... to which I have no ready answer. Some names pop up but they are not good fits at all. I would be looking for a franchise where it is medieval fantasy with mages holding a lot of power and potential. Whether they are creating Creations, raising Undead, summoning elementals, making golems etc I would look for a co-franchise where the mages would draw much of their power from their ability to create minions. The Minion-mancy if you want.
  7. What do you mean? Creations already have variants.
  8. There is exceptionally little context in that screenshot, including any reference to drakons or rocket launchers.
  9. OMG! ! ! But it said that guy could be an ally! Phariton is... at best, at best an unreliable not-enemy that gives you stuff. The man is more bonkers than the Barzites.
  10. New Facebook post shows a nice dungeon. The game's aesthetics have improved a lot. That said, the dungeon reminds me of the Radiant college, but I can't pin it down. Honestly, it makes me think of GF1, so I can't figure out which dungeon that is.
  11. The impression I had as I was still grieving my creations killed by Pylons was that the majority of Serviles were not aware of those Shapers and Thra- and co learned what they did from the Sholai. I.e. I am more annoyed that those Shapers knew what was going on in Sucia or that they broke the rules and showed up, than that the Serviles didn't react to them.
  12. If Jeff says that 2000 demo downloads are very promising, then ... I find it optimistic. I just hope the games sell well. I find it puzzling that such nice indie games are not doing better, even in a sea of other games. I will not fall into a trap and say "These games are in the top 5% so they should be making as much as the top 5% of indie games make!!!1111" but I will say "those games are in the top for a good cut of gamers that are simply not aware how much they would like these games." What I mean is that while these games are probably not everyone's cup of tea, for the niche they are aimed at, they are extremely good. And I don't think they capture enough of the people that would really love them. And I believe that is a problem with tons of games.
  13. I did bait ... one of them. But IIRC he did use the gloves. I didn't manage to Trakoj him off.
  14. Ohhhh... I kinda remember the Taker line requiring destroying the Radiant College and stealing Tuldaric's reseach. But I do remember that the geneforge was kinda ready as in the Awakened ending, I had to fight a geneforged Taker boss (very famous drayk turned drakon, the first Drakon I think, forget his name). And after he uses the geneforge he becomes quite more dangerous, unless I recall wrong. I remember that fight was difficult for me, even though I was playing on easy. He was much harder than Barzhal or Zakary. I could have mixed up a few things, but I remember fighting a geneforged ... Rukkus? Something like that. Could be Eass (or something like that). But it was (I am 80% sure) a geneforged drakon without me destroying the Radiant college (I was awakened). I have unistalled GF2 so I can't check his name, but he was a very important Taker.
  15. Gradual losses isn't what happens... for some years that the character lives. It is open-ended. We're left with the knowledge that for 20+ years (possibly 50+) it is a stalemate. But that we don't know what happens indeed doesn't mean the Awakened do not get a truce or peace. And if the Shapers didn't win in 30-40 years, I can indeed see new generations of Shapers saying that "enough is enough".
  16. Some Takers fight for survival. The Drakons in later games are increasingly fighting for supremacy and if Greta is alive, she conspires with you and attacks the Drakons with you, humans and serviles after the Shapers fall in a second rebellion, giving one of the best endings of GF5: Both the oppressors are down. The Shapers and the Reptilian-Shapers that go "all creations are equal but some creations are more equal than others". That said, the Takers in GF2 indeed fight for survival. I don't remember their ending but what I recall is that they take out the Awakened, they don't absorb them back in. They eliminate them as "too moderate" considering them traitors to the cause. Then they go more or less rampart. I do agree with you that some Shapers would not be 100% motivated to go and die over a mountain somewhere, but the majority of the Shapers would and those Shapers that didn't show enough loyalty would be culled. Shapers don't take kindly to traitors. That said... I have to see how the Awakened ending goes for Infestation. Perhaps it more expanded and clearer. I think do remember what you say, about the Shapers losing a bunch of battles early on because they don't take the Creations seriously. I do remember countless captives that the Awakened slowly release (including taking you back)... more or less proving to the other side that they CAN be reasoned with. And yes, I have forgot how slow the contemporary Shapers are to change and adapt. Without the Takers smashing everything and throwing out cannisters with abandon and geneforging people, without the Unbound and Shredbugs crushing their lands the Shapers would not have changed. As for the Barzites and Tuldaric: The Barzites are too mad with power to concentrate on continuing their research. They try to do as much as they can with the tools already at their disposal once the limitations are out and seem more focused on controlling large numbers of creations. They do have those hellish devices that keep drakons enslaved. The Takers now... they have made the geneforge. Barzites don't have that. Thus, I would respectfully disagree, the Takers can and do progress without need of Tuldaric. They want him dead because their leaders are [not nice word] and because he is indeed very dangerous to them. The research of the Radiant College is a cherry on the top, but they don't really need it if they can spam Lifecrafter Drakons.
  17. On that... I have no answer. Yes, I did that.
  18. Very interesting post. Allow me to say why I respectfully kinda-but-not-completely disagree: While there are indeed plenty of examples of aggressively defending working, the 13 colonies becoming the USA being one such case in fact, there are many more examples that such tactics failed. So, while aggressive defense is an option it doesn't often work. Furthermore, there is the difference that those year-long sieges and city states that retained their independence while in reach or surrounded by much stronger forces, the siege/war failed because of other reasons, like the food situation or having to deal with other enemies. Constantinople held in 1402 while surrounded by Ottomans because the Turks had to pull away to go fight Tamerlane. The Germans in WW1 retreated from Belgium not because their army lost but because the food embargo broke them. I am not a historian to know of all such cases to analyze what worked and what didn't, but all cases that come to mind have other circumstances at play, some other pressure. The Shapers (and the Awakened) can keep throwing creations at each other. The winged drakons defending passages are indeed effective to block armies and could quickly move where they are needed. So neither side will experience "real" losses as in countless mothers burying their kids. It is armies of creations. Hunger is not an issue for the Shapers or the valley. They made it lush and they can shape food. Disease though? If the Shapers started throwing diseased creations to weaken the Awakened, even with the Awakened healers being good at it, at some point, the Shapers would succeed. I am not talking about Purity agent, as that would cripple the Shapers too as we have seen. But something more tame. Numbers of creations: The Awakened's Pre-Unbound are good, nobody denies that. But if the Shapers are angry and with many ambitious Alwans wanting to make their name, they could gather a greater number of them and send bigger and bigger armies. Quantity has a quality of its own, as Stalin said (I think). Then, it is also the matter of how much area they have to lose. 5 decisive defeats in rapid succession, even if that takes 100 years to happen, and the Serviles would go down. 5 decisive defeats for the Shapers and the Awakened have... land that is harder to defend. Meanwhile the only reason for the Shapers to stop fighting the Awakened would be (as far as I can think): 1. devastating losses that the Awakened are not prepared to deal to the Shapers (they don't have the numbers and many of them don't have the will to burn down entire cities to make a point) 2. A big invader that forces them to focus elsewhere and not able to spare the resources and numbers to deal with a bunch of rogues sitting on a mountain 3. Spontaneous rebellions by other Serviles in Terrestia, threatening the homeland and forcing the Shapers to have a heavy presence everywhere - thus not able to have 3000 shapers throwing 20,000 battle betas per day at the fires of the Drakons. 3 has the greatest chance to happen and it is possible that as the war goes on, the Awakened will become more zealous and closer to the Takers, so they may start fighting back and hitting the Shapers where it hurts. But honestly, I think those are low chances. I.e. while aggressive defense is an option, in this case it has low chances to succeed. TL;DR : I kinda but not completely disagree. Stalwart defense has worked some times, but it is often a losing strategy. Most of the times I can remember it working, there were other factors at play that forced the aggressor to pull away from the walls, factors that are very difficult to replicate for the Awakened. And last but not least: "You also obstinately refused to even learn anything about what happened in the earlier games, all the while continuously arguing things that completely contradicted them." I am calling "Refused to learn" as "avoiding spoilers" furthermore about the things I argued ... come on who would ever believe there were other Shapers in Sucia island?! Finding Goetch there was a slap in the face. And no, I had trouble to believe that every word out of Zackary's mouth was a lie. I mean, I could expect some lies, I guess, but everything? As of the other things I supported that contradicted earlier games, eh... well, in my defense, the world is quite different from each GF game to the next. It was hard to reconcile with how bad the Rebels are portrayed in GF3, especially in the beginning.
  19. I am aware. Also, I am not sure I would call my approach "the moral one" as things are pretty gray. As for the Barrier of the winds... Well, I always thought it was a bit too far fetched that it would hold off the entire Shaper world at bay; unlike the Takers the Awakened did not aggressively expand. And the Drakons they made were powerful but not as much as the Unbound. All in all, if the Drakons in GF4 were about to lose and the Drakons in GF5 can lose even with the Unbound and their scorched earth, genocidal tactics, after the great purge of GF3... I don't see how the Barrier of the Winds would be good enough to hold the Shapers at bay for long enough for them to sit down and start peace negotiations. I remind you all that I came to the game starting with GF4, then GF5 before I went to GF3 and then GF2. So, by the time I played GF2 I was aware what it takes for the Rebellion to have a chance in GF4 and to win in GF5. @Randomizer: Yeap, I agree. Powermad people (And the Barzites are literally mad with power) do not play well together. They would break up in several factions and fight with themselves, while they would have to often pull back to put down those they lost to madness. And those lost to madness would be powerful individuals. I have not seen the Barzite ending of GF2, but assuming it doesn't end with "And they collapsed, fighting amidst themselves and the monsters they created" but with something similar of the others (i.e. they destroy the Radiant College and steal its power and then overpower the Takers and the Loyalists), I also don't see such an ending as realistic. The hilarious part for me is, that the Rebels in GF4, the south side of the humans, was borrowing tactics from the Barzites: throwing Common with nearly no preparation to the geneforge, putting down those like Sheila (or what her name was) that went crazy and then boosting with cannisters those that survived. And a surge of madmen and madwomen. Like that woman that speaks to shadows in their library or that obnoxious beefed-up guy that patrols outside their lands, with several sets of muscle that should not be there. Shutting down those machines that were torturing the creations to keep them compliant and in control always, always felt sooo good. Even though I had to cut my way out of that place since it descents into bedlam with creations going rogue and attacking anything and everything. The Shapers in GF4 and GF5 do have such machines but they keep the creations docile without torturing them. The serviles on the other hand... well, they have their whips and chains to torture creations into not being rogue. Or rogue creations into not doing naughty things. I think it was in Mutagen that you find a fyora and the text says "that creation is utterly rogue, but it remains compliant because of the treatment" (i.e abuse).
  20. Yeah, I will probably make a mod about that, so that you can use them to boost Shaper abilities as you learn more. ================= Thoughts, and those thoughts given not from a min-maxing point of view or what is better for the built, but from a role-playing point of view: The Barzites offering the fastest and most selfish raise to power? Who would have thought... (sacrasm) Awakened: Kill Tuldaric, the person that did most for the Serviles than everyone in the entire series except for (perhaps) Greta, for a +1 essence Mastery? No. Yes, he was going nuts in the original, but his Tuldaric-ism ritual gave the Serviles magic they needed WITHOUT them going gaga like the Cultists or the Barzites. Tuldaric removes the limitations the Shapers built in the Serviles, so they could forever exploit and abuse them. He leveled the playing field. Tuldaric is a hero that is ... well, losing his mind. Even if it comes to me having to put him down, I will not do that for a +1 essence mastery. I would do that only if he is more unstable than he was in the original. (OK, I have killed him once in the original; I don't think you can join the takers otherwise. Or perhaps I was roleplaying a cannister-mad non-Barzite at the time, I don't remember. What I do remember is that he was hard to kill.) What the Takers offer is ... another view. I am not sure I can express it. I had the very same problem in Mutagen as I was hovering between the Takers and the Awakened. I like them both. They are both correct, in their own right. The Takers are right that they have to take their free and it is moving to read that they KNOW they will die, but at the moment of their death, they will be free. Zealots? yes. But moving. The Awakened now... are walking in the clouds with optimism thinking that the brainwashed-from-childhood Shapers, scions of an oppressive philosophy that puts them on the top, would ever consider mere creations as "equals" and would treat them as the Common. Not that they treat the Common well, mind you. It will take the Great Rebellion and half of Terrestia in ruins and the Unbound and Shredbugs for one Shaper faction to consider accepting some of the Creations right to exist outside of Shaper control (Astoria). But... Awakened are not genocidal bastards. They are likeable. Yes, Pinner is ready to run in GF2 (at least in the original), so what? Yes, they kill servant minds in Mutagen for ... ???? I still like most of the things they do. But their philosophy is not attainable. I wish, I really wish I could find a compromise between the Awakened and the Takers, where the Takers allow the Radiant College and Tuldaric in peace and focus their rage on the Shapers and the Barzites. Even if it meant the Awakened falling to 2nd-banana status.
  21. This is not trolling or nay-saying but... is there a benefit in squeezing those two levels out, considering you have shorted yourself of XP earlier on? What I mean is more or less questioning whether it is better to go to X at level 9 so you could hit level 21, or go to X at level 10 despite that limiting you to level 20. Is that challenge zone (I have never done a single challenge zone in all Geneforge games... ) really that tough?
  22. I honestly hope Steam promotes this game more. I am shocked that these games are not selling better. I am not saying they are like the AAA games, and they are a bit niche, but I have seen Indie games I enjoyed much less, that had much less ... magic in them sell well.
  23. 2000 is... huge deal for GF2?! I am.... disappointed. I don't want to rain in Jeff's parade, but I expected like 15,000 as a good number.
  24. I ... am not sure that pushing QW3 a couple years back is the good business choice. People would expect the game. I know I have bought the other two Queen's Vlish games and wait for the final one to start playing them! Also, I can't be the only one that sees "Queen's Vlish" as the name of the game.
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