Juan Carlo

Eschalon's worth playing and it looks very much like a Spiderweb game on the surface, but the writing and world design aren't anywhere near Spiderweb quality so I kind of had a hard time keeping with it (Haven't played the sequel yet, so who knows---maybe it's way better). I've never played them and I've heard mixed things, but I really want to try "Winter Voices" at some point. I know a lot of people hate them, but they just look so strange that I have to try them. I don't want to pay full price, though, in case they end up sucking so I've been waiting and hoping they will go on sale on steam this Christmas (here's a link if anyone has never heard of them): http://store.steampowered.com/app/72900/?snr=1_7_suggest__13 Also, Beamdog just released the remake of :"Baldur's Gate." I mention this because they completely rehauled the interface to make it more user friendly (Among other changes) That'd probably be worth a try if you still haven't played that, but are scared off by the interfaces of older infinity engine games. As of now, though, you can only buy it direct from their website: http://www.beamdog.com/products/baldurs-gate-enhanced-edition

I've always seen the Geneforges more as fantasy takes on "Fallout" than "Planescape." They are (mostly) non party based RPGs, turn based, and the factions and decisions in the Geneforge games are more similar with the way you interact with factions and make decisions in the Fallouts (especially Fallout 2---which I think has more influence on the Geneforges than any other game). Avernum is more "ultima" than anything else, I think. I don't think they are story or character focused enough to compare with most of the infinity engine games like Baldur's Gate, etc. Avadon is very much inspired by Bioware, though. Just the basic party structure and way that you recruit and interact with your party (e.g. they all have their own missions, etc), is straight out of a Bioware game. Anyhow, I actually don't like the idea of describing Spiderweb as an "Indie Bioware" as they've only ever really made one overtly Bioware-esque game, I think (Avadon), so it shortchanges the diversity of their games somewhat (I like that Spiderweb varies its formula between its franchises--from Ultima, to more Black Isle type Fallout-esque games, to Bioware).

I think it's easier than both EFTP and Avernum 5, but much harder than Avernum 4. So about in the middle as far as Avernums go. I think Avernum 5 is the hardest just because it has massive jumps in difficulty (that mission with the sentinels half way through the game is bloody hard and comes out of nowhere as the game up to that point isn't so difficult) and insane HP bloat so that battles (even random ones) take FOREVER. And given how linear A5 is there's no opportunity to leave, grind, and come back later like you can in Avernum 6. There are some really hard fights in Avernum 6, but most of them are entirely optional, and most of the main quest missions in A6 are really easy (I actually think you could complete A6 at a really low level if you mostly just stick to the main missions, do the minimum amount required, and only pick the easiest ones). Whereas, Avernum 5 is basically just one long corridor, so you have to do stuff in order to advance at all. I remember having a harder time with EFTP than A6, but that could also just be because EFTP was the first Avernum game I ever played and I was an old pro by the time I got to A6. So maybe EFTP is easier, I don't know. But I do think most of the main quest missions are much harder in EFTP than they are in A6, so there's that. PS: people complain about nerfing haste in A6 a lot, but personally I never had a problem as speed potions and wands are SO ABUNDANT that you have enough for every big fight and then some. I played through on torment and ended the game with a whole stash of extra speed potions and like 30,000 dollars in cash on top of it, so I could have bought more if I really wanted to. Resources aren't really scarce in A6 so don't be afraid to use stuff when you need it, even invincibility potions.

Heh. I tried this out of cursorily and got wiped by the rats. So I ended up having to pump up all my defense stats right at the start just to make it past the rats, but then my guy did so little damage it took forever for him to kill stuff so I got bored and lost interest before I even finished the first dungeon. I'm not sure I have the attention span for a torment singleton run. Especially since it took me almost 100 hours to beat the game on torment with a party of 4, so I can't imagine how long a singleton run would take.

A6 is easier than EFTP, IMHO. As long as you aren't playing any weird combos, I wouldn't worry too much about party planning in A6. I just finished A6 on torment with a traditional party (priest, mage, and two melee) and I didn't have much trouble. There are a few hard fights but all the really hard ones are optional and as long as you don't wander too far outside of where you are supposed to be (which, unlike EFTP, is much harder to do in A6), you should be fine. I would pay attention to skill trainers, though, as in a lot of cases it's feasible to hold off on raising skills until you can train them, which while not necessary will give you an extra boost by the end of the game.

As to music in general, though, I really love music---everything from oldtimey folk music, to hip hop, to opera. My all time favorite bands/artisits are probably The Magnetic Fields and Tom Waits, but I like all sorts of stuff. 2012, especially, has been a really good year for music so far. My top 5 favorite albums so far this year: Perfume Genius' "Put Yer Back N 2 It" (terrible name, awesome album. probably my faborite of the year): Dirty Projectors' "Swing Low Magellan": Xiu Xiu "Always": Dan Deacon "America": www.youtube.com/watch?v=NpLsZ5cgQY0 Frank Ocean "Channel Orange": www.youtube.com/watch?v=s7HyAJAQuXc

lol. Well, in retrospect perhaps I was a bit manic, but like I said I usually don't do stuff like that which is why it sticks out as so strange. It's a really nice violin, though, so I suppose I could sell it, but I like to keep it around as a humiliating badge of honor. So when people come over and see it they can say "Oh, so you play." Then I have to awkwardly say, "No, not really" and try to change the subject. Well, I would imagine it depends entirely on how popular polka music is in your area. Around here it's INSANELY popular, so perhaps I bashed tubas too soon. I just think they are such silly looking and sounding instruments, though. There's pretty much no way to look cool while playing a tuba. In fact, I'm pretty sure all tuba players are ruddy checked, over weight, alcoholic german guys (which, on second thought, I guess is kind of cool).

I bought a violin a few years ago with the intention of taking lessons. .......never happened. I don't usually do stuff like that (i.e. foolish impulse buys) but I was really depressed at the time and in grad school and suddenly, amidst a torrent of stress and other stuff I had to get done, got it into my head that I absolutely had to have a violin RIGHT NOW! So, yeah, I obsessively researched the best ones to buy and got one off ebay. It didn't make me any happier, but I do now have a really nice violin I can't play, so....that's something. I guess in retrospect I should just be grateful that I wasn't overcome by a sudden irrational desire to buy a more impractical instrument, like a Tuba or a harpsichord or something.

I won't post the whole thing, but my favorite Wilde is the "Ballad of Reading Gaol." Especially this part: Yet each man kills the thing he loves By each let this be heard, Some do it with a bitter look, Some with a flattering word, The coward does it with a kiss, The brave man with a sword! Some kill their love when they are young, And some when they are old; Some strangle with the hands of Lust, Some with the hands of Gold: The kindest use a knife, because The dead so soon grow cold. Some love too little, some too long, Some sell, and others buy; Some do the deed with many tears, And some without a sigh: For each man kills the thing he loves, Yet each man does not die. I'd recommend you read the whole thing if you haven't. He wrote it in prison and it's devastatingly sad: http://www.literatur...ing-gaol-1.html

This is kind of a hilarious summation of the election in easy to digest .gif form: http://i1.kym-cdn.co...431/615/b32.gif Plus, Romney/Ryan as Terminator 2: http://i.imgur.com/ygcdX.gif I lol'ed

OK, thanks, good to know. Side note: I actually didn't realize that you need to eat food in this game until I had already finished Formello. LOL I wonder how long I've been walking around weakened from starvation?

What does skribbane do exactly? Is it just like a speed potion? Or does it have negative effects as well? I haven't used any yet because everyone always talks about how awful it is.

Bah, I'm an idiot. I just realized it was the priestess in Spire who wanted the secret passage, not the mayor. So number 1 is worked out now.

I'm currently playing through this and didn't want to start a new thread every time I have a question I can't find the answer to. So I thought I'd start a catch all question thread. I have a couple right now: 1. How do I get the "Farrar's Keep" quest to complete? The mayor of Spire wants me to find the secret entrance to Farrar's Keep in Bahrga and report back to her. I've found what I think is the secret entrance (via the secret buttons in the Inn) and gone inside it, but this doesn't seem to complete the quest. Perhaps I am not entering far enough into the keep to trigger the quest complete, but every time I try to go inside farther I am spotted and the town turns hostile. Anyone remember what to do? 2. There is a worm ichor quest in Spire that requires I have some sort of rotting meat to attract worms. I can't seem to locate where this meat is. Anyone remember? Thanks!

Geneforge 5. By far. It's like all the best pieces of the previous games, combined into one super game. IT has all the factions of Geneforge 2 (and more) + the compelling plot of Geneforge 4. What's not to love? Plus, the combat is the most balanced its ever been. Unlike previous games, there's very little room for cheesing one broken skill because everything has been mostly balanced. Given this, I actually think G5 is also the hardest Geneforge game (which, again, is a good thing). I do like G4 as well, but G5 has everything G4 has, and more. Plus, I think Alwain is way more interesting as a character in G5 than he is in G4. Although, G4 is probably a close second to G5.

This is awesome. I'm on my very last spiderweb game that I own (Avernum 6), otherwise I've played through everything except Avernum 2 and 3 (which I'm waiting on the remakes to play). So the timing is just right.

Maybe this has been answered, but I don't see it in the faqs. How does spell training work? 1. If you read from a spell book can you still buy three levels of the spell after that? Or do you have to buy three, then read from the spell book? 2. I know people have said that in Avernum 4/5 it wasn't always worth it to buy levels of spells because of the way that spellcraft and mage/priest skills worked. Is it worth it in Avernum 6 to buy all three levels of a spell? Thanks.

Originally Posted By: stars2heaven I'm on the third book right now and enjoying it. I hated the first season of the HBO series. I almost didn't bother with the second season I hated it so much. Good thing I did in the end since the second season is almost better than the second book. I agree with this. Especially the character of Cersei who is more of a straight forward villain in the novels, but in the TV show they've attempted to explain why she's doing what she does more, which has made her seem much more nuanced and much less of a monster. I actually feel sympathy for TV Cersei, whereas I pretty much just straight hated her when I was reading the books. They also just streamlined a lot of stuff that probably should have been streamlined in the novels anyway (as I said, GRRM has a bad habit of both redundancy and adding a whole bunch of new characters to accomplish something that could probably be better done with either just 1 or by using an existing character). Anyhow, apart from the most popular stuff (Tolkein and Narnia when I was a kid, "The His Dark Materials" trilogy, which I LOVED) and a few one off air port reads (I really loved "Mr Norrel and Jonathan Strange," for example, which was like an awesome combo of Harry Potter and Jane Austen) I actually don't have much experience with modern fantasy. Any authors that anyone would recommend?

Originally Posted By: The Mystic I had a coworker who told me (and anyone else who would listen) she was quitting because she "knew" that she could get twice as much money by mooching off the government than by working in fast food. However, according to the store's rumor mill, she came back a few months later, begging the manager for her job back. I never found out how much aid she was getting, but apparently, it was a heck of a lot less than what she expected. Plus, I don't think people realize how humiliating it is. I remember when I was little we were on food stamps briefly because my dad lost his job for a while and my mom still talks about how nearly every cashier was a total [censored] to her about it and basically made her feel like dirt every time she'd use them. But the Welfare state doesn't really exist anymore in the same way as it did in the 1970s. In the 1970s and 1980s people could live off of welfare, but that was all gutted in the Clinton admin. Now days there are supplemental programs (e.g. like food stamps, low income housing deductions, etc, etc), but in most states it's really not possible to just sit around and collect a welfare check while doing nothing if you are an able bodied person. The closest thing would maybe be disability benefits, but many people do need those, it's incredibly hard to get them, and they really don't pay much at all. Yet the right wing still loves to push the fantasy of the Welfare queens in their Cadillacs from Reagan's heyday. Just because they are an easy villain that everyone can hate, even if they're mostly fictional.

Heh. I sometimes think that I only play video games as an excuse to listen to music. Unless the game is an adventure game (which are usually too dialogue heavy for music to work), usually the first thing I do when starting up a game is turn off the in game music so I can provide my own soundtrack. I do this so often that I usually associate specific games with whatever I was listening to most while playing them, which is kind of weird. In fact, if you name any game from the past decade I usually have an album or two that goes with it (I have a really musical memory, so often times my memory of the game is inextricably linked to the music).

Any fans here? I devoured the first three books, was less thrilled with books 4 and 5, but am still kind of obsessed with the series. They can be incredibly redundant, a bit lazy in writing style, and often take a somewhat juvenile approach to sex, but I really do think that few authors do world building, fictional history construction, and sheer scope better than GRRM. And I like the "light on magic" approach to fantasy. I even just finished the RPG (which was way, way, better than the reviews claimed. In fact, it's actually kind of good. Like a slightly dumbed down and more linear Dragon Age, only with better writing). Anyhow, since Vogel seems to be going for an almost "PG Game of Thrones" type politics focused universe with "Avadon," I was just wondering how many fans of "Song of Ice and Fire" are lurking on these forums and what people think of the series in general.

Yeah, technically I think Astoria is viewed as a moderate Rebel rather than a shaper. Alwain is viewed as the moderate shaper---which seems kind of strange given how hardline he is, but compared to the Nazi shaper guy down south (can't recall his name) he's very moderate.

Lots of good suggestions, most of which I've played. If anyone hasn't played Fallout 2, Planescape, KOTOR, Vampire Bloodlines, then you should probably get on that as you have lots of fun in store. Some I like that no one's mentioned: Gothic 2: I just played this for the first time and it's pretty awesome. I've played other games from Pirahnna Bytes and liked them in varying degrees (including the original Gothic and Risen), but this is probably their best by a mile. It's massive and it's all hand generated (unlike Elder Scrolls) so the world is really interesting. Plus, the prison setting is pretty unique. "Drakensang" and "Drakensang: River of Time": The writing in these isn't awesome (it's kind of "charming" in an oldschool fairtale sort of way, but also a bit trite), but the stat system (based on the Dark Eye table top game from Germany) and combat are awesome. All actions are determined by a formula involving three main attributes as well as a skill score, so given that attributes always do more than one thing there is lots of room for hybrid builds (I played a rogue/mage/archer, for example). Plus, magic is super nerfed, which I like. It's important, but strictly as support, never as artillery. I was suprised by how much I loved these, in fact, so I recommend them to anyone that likes party based RPGs. Witcher 1 and 2: I loved these as well and I think they have the best writing of any RPGs on the market right now and do choice and consequences better than most as well. You are stuck playing one guy (so little chance for "role" play in the traditional sense) and combat isn't their strong points, but they are top notch when it comes to constructing a real, "lived in" seeming, interesting world to get lost in for 40-50 hours. As to Eschalon, I tried book 1 and mean to go back to it at some point (I really do), but it didn't wow me on first impression. It's a lot like a spiderweb game, only it's lacking what makes spiderweb games so great (i.e. interesting world design, combat, and good writing). I did like its very large skill system, though, and the game is much prettier than your average spiderweb game so I guess that's a plus.

It's been a while since I've played this, but I remember having the same problem as you. I'm not sure if you need to order things by quest as much as geography. So, if I remember, do all the quests in the starting area and the area above that first (culminating in getting that mayor chick's necklace), then move down into the honey comb. You could tackle the first part of the spiral pit at this point, but won't be able to finish it until you are stronger. So go down to the mage's tower and do what easy quests you can, then go to the great cave and the castle. Most stuff is out of your league there so just focused on doing fetch quests and easy stuff to grind experience. At this point (can't recall what level I was), it's best to go back and start all the slith quests as you should be able to kill slith by now. After you take out the Slith leader you should be strong enough to start any of the other quests, so at that point the game opens up a bit. But, yeah, the opening portions of the game can be hard because you are given tons of quests all at once so it's hard to tell sometimes which ones you are strong enough to do right away. Personally, though, I don't think I'd like a more linnear quest order as I think the trial and error of finding what you can and can't do (and the freedom of finding easier ways to do stuff early that should be way out of your level) is part of the game's appeal.

For some reason serviles really tug at my heart strings, so I have a hard time supporting anyone who is anti-servile. The broken pigeon english of the ones raised in captivity is just too cute, so I don't think I could ever kill a servile and I usually went out of my way to save the little buggers (even reloading in big fights if one of them would die, lol). For G1 and G2 I was awakened (easy call). G3 is the hardest decision of any of the game because both factions are so awful, but I ended up grudgingly supporting the Rebels just because I reasoned that insane freedom is better than none at all. G4 I was trakovite. Again, I was sympathetic to the rebels most of the way, but I couldn't support their crazy UrDrakon scheme in the end. G5 I was tempted to go trakovite again, but they became to militaristic/terroristic for my tastes (I think I balked when they wanted me to destroy astoria's lands by unleashing that super bug thing), so I ended up with Astoria who seemed the most rational of the rebels. Anyhow, it's interesting how many support the shapers. At least in G1 and G2, it's always seemed to me that the shapers are clearly written as the bad guys. I can understand hating the takers (who are kind of crazy), but I don't see how anyone could ethically rationalize supporting the shapers in those games.