alhoon

Laboratory: Well, there will be a clue about where you could set up your lab at the end of the identity quest... if you pick the right answer.

But the area that is to be converted to your lab requires you to have done certain rebel quests. The reasoning for this from my part is:

If you're completely aligned with the Shapers you agree with them that Shaping should be regulated and that's dangerous. Hence you shouldn't go and set up secret labs.

Alexie and hints about research notes:

One thing I want to avoid, is change the material that's already in the game.

To my defense I put a " >> READ THEM ALL, THEY ARE ALL IMPORTANT << " in the clarifications, and explained that research notes are needed in the clarifications.

(And yes, they are all important )

Btw, do “special item” shaper notes (like the ones that are supposed to be hidden in the ruins with the unbound)…are these useful in the lab, or might I as well turn them in for rewards when I get them?

Turn them in! Haven't thought of them. Now that you mention it, I will in a future update make them useful in the lab. Thanks for that. If there are more, please tell me.

I do enjoy the series.

And if you've met the previous Ghaldring, you would have appreciated this one. The previous one ALSO tried to have you killed. The Drakon in this one if you follow the discussion paths tells you about how Ghaldring tricked another drakon years ago to do the same thing.

About the issue with the sound, could you perhaps scale the sound higher for the future viewers or once it's done, it's done? I don't know how this works.

NOTE: You should have gone to the labs. I played as a canister-light character avoiding canisters unless they were VERY useful. I used like 3-4 from the labs.

Episode 74:

First thing first: In case you can post-work it, could you increase the sound volume? To listen it comfortably, I have to have the laptop's volume at 100% and Yutube volume at 100%.

Second, I use captions because I'm not a native English speaker. Your Ghaldring voice does WONDERS for it as you can see in the spoiler. :D

About the question from Ghaldring, where your loyalty stands... IMO, you were clearly Pro-Shaper at this point. Saying it, wouldn't be a lie. You helped them time and again till this point and you think they're in the right side of this war. That makes you as pro-Shaper as possible.

Elik, the servile smuggler trader's voice was awesome. Hillarious.

I mean: geneforge 3 you're shaper, agent or guardian. In GF5, you may be say, a servile. If you're a servile or Sorceress or Shocktrooper, you're obviously NOT the GF3 character.

If you play a Rebel-class character, obviously not.

Well, I doubt we will see a completely new Geneforge game.

Episode 72: If I may say... not that it matters now that you finished the game, but still: Shaper Robe is not useful at all... unless you're shaping. I kept it in my inventory and don it only when I wanted to Shape something.

Also, it should have been blue. There's no Shaper in the game that wears yellow robes. Not Even Taygen, Rawal or Litalia (that are not true Shapers but just have the class)

73: I found out the hard way that Rots are actually not worth the effort. The Cryodrayk is better and cheaper.

Ah... if you decide to build your laboratory, you'll definitely need them for research. That's how research is counted.

- Your Research potential is (mainly) increased with research notes that you study in your laboratory.

You COULD buy them back from Alexie, but she's much harder to convince to sell them back and will sell you back less notes than you sold her for very high price. Selling her 6-10 notes to complete her quests won't terribly affect you, but to put in Drayk terms: You could have used those notes to get a +1 to +2 to your mid-tier creation stats.

And Improving your Shaping skills is not in my opinion the best you can get out of research. There are two fairly large quest chains available to spice the mid-to-end game aside of "gather research notes => increase shaping"

I would be happy if I could experience the first 2 games with the amenities of GF4-5

Oh, and if I may ask... do you know how many research notes you have found so far?

Thank you again for the encouraging words. I hope you like it.

Well... I don't push towards or against any of the factions in that mod. As in, you get incentives to join the Rebels or the Shapers.

Yet, this mod pushes towards the player remaining unaligned till at least the mid-game.

And to progress down the quest lines, you will need to align with one or the other side. The quest lines are optional though.

HOWEVER: Much of the mod centers around your laboratory and the research \ experiments you do to improve Shaping. Hence, while there's nothing stopping you from becoming a Trakovite, it would be weird to be one while going in Shaping-mad-rush for research.

Yet, I said "well, I went Trakovite while upturning everything, even murdering people, to find cannisters in order to make stronger tier 5 creations" So yes, technically you CAN join the Trakovites while piling up insane amounts of Shaping power.

(In the one I'm making now, I'm heavily pushing towards rebels mainly because I don't want to write the same scripts TWICE. I'll put a "betray the rebels" clause though).

Crucible seems the best bet.

I hope he doesn't retire before he updates GF1-2 to new platforms. I really do.

I feel you. I ended the game with BMagic 9.

Emm... The big orange download button should work.

If you keep trying and it doesn't work (it shows to me that it does work; the mod is just 230KB to 250KB or something similar) tell me and I'll email it to you.

Episode 67:

The way I handling such combat-heavy areas was going Moseh (from GF4):

Sit on the exit and send 2-3 mindless expendables to their death. At this powerlevel I would send a Vlish+clawbug+Drayk + regen aura combo. Soften up the enemy while I hit space on my turn having turned off the permanent creations.

Then I would either drink an essence pod or leave and return.

Episode 68:

I was vaguely remembering Footracer. But I've forgot that RAWAL turned her to a Shaping Servile. That's a member of the Shaper Council everyone: Uses his geneforge to attempt making loyal servants that can Shape outside the order.

Preposterous.

Episode 69:

Hmmm... interesting approach on returning the amulet although you figured you could have used it in another quest.

About the missing crafting supplies: Didn't you left them in the other anvil's room? Or chest?

I guess you probably found them and in any case it wouldn't matter now that you finished the game. But, that's where I think they are.

About the Traitor Toroth: I hadn't found him. I was too interested to go to Gazaki-Uss and find the rebels (I was already pro-Rebel at that point) to search around.

I loaded and went there. I was going to let her live of course, since she seemed very nice and I, as an engineer and a researcher totally appreciate her efforts.

Then I found a crystal. I clicked it, it exploded and killed Toroth.

The most nonsensically easy mechanic solution ever. The other Drayks fled outside, disturbed by the accident and leaving all their loot around.

Not worthy loot for killing a fellow engineer and researcher. I felt bad about killing spawn-of-evil Platano, I wouldn't kill Toroth.

As a note, I spoke with Toroth and found out that the Drakons do not go the Shaper oppression rule, hoarding their power to themselves. They just don't help those not worth it from learning how to Shape.

Episode 70:

Yeap, you found that spiral. You click it, Toroth dies.

You RAN from a single 330 hp Servile Cultist.

For the record: They didn't attack me, they talked to me and insulted me. Cannister madness threatened to take hold of my char (which would be reaaaally bad for the cultists).

Then I exposed to them the shaper spy in their midst. Interesting quest... not a great reward for me. (A cloak +2 to missile)

Then I reloaded and goaded them to attack me. 20+ rebels nearby nobody lifted a finger to help me. They completely ignored the Serviles.

Trahan, the Rawal servant in Perikalia is as you saw... illegally shaped. I wish in at least one of the endings Rawal was executed or at least punished for the geneforge and cannisters.

I haven't finished that quest (I told Trahan to #### off) but keep in mind that at your level, battle magic is not that useful. OK, you would do what, 10 more damage per attack? While your creations deal 150+?

Episode 71: Ah, the episode with the Unbound, where you couldn't believe you could do it. Always expecting SOMETHING to go terribly wrong. A message of "That was all a ruse. The Unbound will now do his full damage" and go like 200% more dangerous.

Watched it again.

Programming. Hitting the "run" button. Having to wait for 20-30 mins for the program to finish.

What to do in the meantime?

Oh, right! See what set Blxz to the path of obliterating civilization as Terrestia knew it.

Episode 66:

If I might say, the gazer battle that took quite a long and was reloaded could have been sped up.

And at about 13th minute there's starts some graphic glitch on the top of the screen, which I don't mind at all but since you want us to notify you on this stuff...

I liked the Servile hunter voice too BTW. Your voice acting is getting better.

About Rots: If you haven't killed that nice mage that was trying to shape Artillas hiding behind tons of pylons outside the fort, he COULD have taught you 2 levels of Rot, so you could get Rothidzons or how they're called.

And it even says in the text that he CAN'T actually make them himself but he can teach you how to make them.

We both seem to forget something: We were both completionists.

A LOT of the areas are not needed to complete the game. If you don't go after the Unbound at all, that's 3-4 regions you avoid. Avoid Bennhold's questline and that's 3-4 too. And others.

I believe someone that just visited mostly essential areas would be very hard pressed in the last battle (no artifacts or 1 at most, lower level, less powerful items etc).

I do have that problem. I also have it with quicksave. It's not a big deal.

was so canister addled that my thinking was I could take on the world. Perhaps not so far from the truth.

Load the pre-battle save.

Go to Oklavano Fence.

Cross the mark and fight the whole Rebel army + 4 Unbound.

I did it without losing a single creation*. Their Kyshaaks had 1% to 5% to hit most of my creations.

*From the permanent ones**. I sent 2 Burning Kyshaaks to soften them up. They could probably take half the rebel force by themselves but the Unbound killed them fast.

** I have absorbed before the fight most of my creations except 2, to make new, mindless ones to speed up the battle. My "unleveled" creations were 2-3 levels below the level ones at most and I boosted their dex and str by 1 to make them mostly equal in damage and evasion.

First, I follow the honorable tradition of Savescumming to save creations myself!

Second: Nope, leveling creations is often not as good as making new ones.

I don't do the recommended "Go berserk and fill Shaping skills first and then you worry about intelligence, endurance, blessing magic, healing, etc."

As such, my Shaping skills advance during the game. Aside of putting points into Shaping arts at level 35, I also find Shaping cannisters at level 35. And I make artifacts that give +3 Shaping at level 35.

Hence: At level 33, I may have battle shaping 4, War Trall 1. 37 level war trall.

Fast forward 2 levels. My war trall A is level 39 now.

Yet level 35, I may have bumped it to battle shaping 6 +3 from artifact and I may have found a trainer for tralls +2

My war trall B would be 32+11 =43. It blows War trall A out of the water. Hence war Trall A is absorbed.

Third: There are... certain mods by enlighted people that increase your shaping power of low-mid tier creations in the later part of the game.

As such, if you had say a Cryodrayk that got 7-8 levels and you've invested a lot of research on mid-tier creations, you would be better served to absorb it and create a new one.

NEWS:

I am working for some time now on a new mod. This one is for Guardians\Warriors.

Once in Gazaki-Uss, if you're pro-rebel you can go to Greta and request to be made a captain for the Rebellion, commander of your own base.

After a quest you do get your base, staffed and all. You can command your soldiers to join your group when needed, instead of making more creations saving essence.

Unlike the Shaper\Lifecrafter mod, there is no research potential in this one. Instead, the combat worthiness of your troops is tracked. The greater the Combat worthiness, the more powerful your troops will be.

They start quite pathetic and can become an elite fighting force, very worthy additions to your party.

Your choices and several quests increase\decrease their combat worthiness.

Aside of research and research quests, the other pillar of the Shaper\Lifecrafter mod was the identity quest. Discovering who you are.

I don't do that in the Warrior\Guardian mod.

Instead, there is increased interraction with a few NPCs; some added to this mod and some expanded from existing ones. At the time I write this, one is recruitable and if you have her in your party she occasionally speaks her mind. Others are in your base and you can choose to talk to them and another may visit you from time to time*.

*Yes, you'll get in the shoes of all those fort commanders and captains that sit in their office and you barge in, looking for quests\rewards\XP.

I have more plans for the mod, but those are the things that are already in it. I don't want to hype things that I may not be able to deliver.

The mod is nowhere near finish. I want to expand on the quests, on the NPC dialogue etc.

HOWEVER: Suggestions are welcome.

Yes, the last fight can be made easier. I usually (played it a few times for different factions) don't lose anyone except perhaps my Cryora.

However I've found a trick.

I send expendable "just made" creations (Gazers 44 level \ Burning Kyshaaks And they have +10-13 to all stats from items\artifacts) to lay waste on Ghaldring and his guys before I lead everyone in. I don't drop any of the bosses below 1/2 hp just to be on the safe side in case an event triggers.

Aha! Even the Shapers realize that Astoria was right in Taygen ending and Alwan dies in shame.

O_O

Taygen killed all the Serviles. ALL the Serviles. With bio-weapons that would make the Shred-bugs seem like the good ol' times. And... batons and living tools too. He pushed the "reset" button on civilization. As if someone knocked electricity out for our world.

IMO (and I know you disagree) Taygen goes above Litalia in the list of "worse person that can Shape in GF5".

Taygen and Rawal are not really Shapers (despite being on the council). One is a genocidical bio-WMD hater that bypassed completely the tenet about diseases and looking after creations. The other made a geneforge and has a book on canisters.

Thanks for the citation in the end man! You've all been very supportive.

I jumped to the Finale... thinking I knew what to expect!

HOW WRONG could I be! My jaw hit the floor...

Now I absolutely have to watch to see what brought you to choosing Taygen. The ONLY faction I haven't done.

Well played sir, well played.

Thank you for the effort. I really have things to watch up to now! Aside of seeing your choices in various paths, there are probably quests I haven't seen.

Again, well played sir.