What are you playing? (Redux)

[HisMajestyBOB]

Been playing a lot of Strategic Command: WWII Pacific Theater. I have a game going as the Allies with Japan boosted up to create a challenge. It's now the beginning of 1943 - China is holding on better than expected (i.e., their defensive line is holding; anything better than a total collapse is "better than expected"). They've lost Changde, but I'm holding pretty well in the mountains southeast of the capital, and Ichang as well. I'm building forts right around the capital in case I have to fall back again.

The Burma theater has gone to hell now that the monsoons have lifted. I have 2 fighter units and the Indomitable, but the Japanese air assault has been relentless, and I lost Hutton's HQ in the fall of Burma, meaning the Brits have been leaderless for about a year, making their troops weak and cowardly. I lost Stillwell and a Chinese corps in the fall of Burma as well, so I can't put any pressure from the Chinese side, not like I'd really want to spare any units from the fighting in China proper.

Finally, in mid 1942 I got an intelligence report of a Japanese carrier heading towards Midway. My carriers (Hornet and Yorktown) and a Battleship had just left Pearl escorting some troops bound for Polynesia, to be used in a counteroffensive at Guadalcanal. A rainstorm on my turn prevented my carriers from spotting his (his may have been out of range too), and on the AI's turn, his fleet came over a spanked me hard, sinking the Yorktown and a destroyer, and wounding the Hornet. The Battleship was relatively unharmed, but while I was able to inflict significant damage to an enemy battleship and several escorts, I was unable to sink anything, and the Japanese landed on Midway. Months later, after the Japanese fleet had gone back to reinforce, my new battlefleet, consisting of all but one of my battleships and the Enterprise, showed up in force at Midway and supported the army in retaking it, while also scaring away a destroyer.

I've recently retaken Guadalcanal, and from the intelligence reports I believe the Japanese fleet is en route - it consists of at least a destroyer and a battleship, but I'd expect the carriers to be present, because they haven't shown up anywhere else (and the Indomitable has made it's presence known in the Indian). They know the Hornet is present near Guadalcanal, but the Enterprise and her escorts are almost there as well. My plan is for the two carriers to meet up a bit to the east/southeast of the island, and the Japanese should arrive at Guadalcanal at the same time. Then I strike, hopefully after the enemy fleet has wasted effort bombarding the island. The two catches are: 1. The Japanese may reroute their fleet now that I've wiped out the Japanese resistance on the island, and 2. If he sends all of his carriers and most of his battleships, I could be in real trouble. The last I saw of his carriers were at Midway and Java, nearly 6 months ago.

[DisturbedPervert]

I've been playing League of Legends.  It's a FREE Warcraft style rts, where you control one hero on a team of up to 4 other people fighting another team of heroes.  Pretty fun, it's like the Defense of the Ancients mod for Warcraft 3.  And it's free, has low system requirements, and is only a 800 meg download.

Apparently there's another game like this called Heroes of Newerth that is beta right now, but I haven't managed to get a key for it yet.

[Grey Fox]

HoN is more hardcore. I know a couple of people totally in love with game. Personally, I hate herobased RTSs

[DisturbedPervert]

That's probably good as I don't really know what I'm doing.  I'm getting my ass kicked badly enough already

[Razgovory]

HoN is more hardcore. I know a couple of people totally in love with game. Personally, I hate herobased RTSs

So do I.  The whole point of an RTS is throw hundreds of nameless mooks into the grinder.  In fact, that's what I like to do with turn based strategy.  Any other game I can do that is a big plus as well.  If I can't re-enact the first day of the Somme I'm very disappointed.

[BuddhaRhubarb]

  If I can't re-enact the first day of the Somme I'm very disappointed.

[Alatriste]

Finally defeated Dragon Age: in the end I was just... tired, and relieved it was over (the 1918 Armistice must have have felt like this) The end game was combat after combat after combat and too little of anything else. Luckily I had pumped a monstrous amount of money and supplies into the Dalish Elves and Red Cliff soldiers, otherwise I would never have succeeded, judging by how quickly Dwarfs and Mages died. 

Lend-Lease rules even in RPG! 

[The Brain]

Speaking of Dragon Age, my war hound has a +100 friendliness but I can't get the romantic dialogue options. Is this a known bug? Is there a workaround?

[Alatriste]

Speaking of Dragon Age, my war hound has a +100 friendliness but I can't get the romantic dialogue options. Is this a known bug? Is there a workaround?

Sure, there is a mod out there that allows you to generate mabari characters. They have more dialogue than Sten or Oghren, and the look on the Archdemon's face when you start biting his ankles is priceless 

[derspiess]

Played a little Bioshock 2 last night.  I was pretty convinced I wouldn't like it as much as the first one, since I wanted a prequel rather than a sequel, and didn't have much interest in playing an entire game as a big daddy, but so far it's a solid game.

[Razgovory]

Played a little Bioshock 2 last night.  I was pretty convinced I wouldn't like it as much as the first one, since I wanted a prequel rather than a sequel, and didn't have much interest in playing an entire game as a big daddy, but so far it's a solid game.

I got though I'm not sure why.  It didn't seem like a game that needed a sequel.  The first one was cautionary tale of why we should not only throw libertarians into the ocean but shoot them before hand.  Now it seems to lack that interesting part of the story.  The game play is almost exactly the same as the previous one.  Also in the first game the city had only gone to hell about one year ago, so while it was pretty beat up it made sense that some stuff worked and some people lived.  Now it's almost ten years later and the lights are still on and there's still cans of beans everywhere.  I admit I haven't gotten to far so maybe they'll explain that as well.

[The Brain]

Played a little Bioshock 2 last night.  I was pretty convinced I wouldn't like it as much as the first one, since I wanted a prequel rather than a sequel, and didn't have much interest in playing an entire game as a big daddy, but so far it's a solid game.

I got though I'm not sure why.  It didn't seem like a game that needed a sequel.  The first one was cautionary tale of why we should not only throw libertarians into the ocean but shoot them before hand.  Now it seems to lack that interesting part of the story.  The game play is almost exactly the same as the previous one.  Also in the first game the city had only gone to hell about one year ago, so while it was pretty beat up it made sense that some stuff worked and some people lived.  Now it's almost ten years later and the lights are still on and there's still cans of beans everywhere.  I admit I haven't gotten to far so maybe they'll explain that as well.

Yeah it sounds silly. And kinda boring to go to the same place.

[derspiess]

I got though I'm not sure why.  It didn't seem like a game that needed a sequel.  The first one was cautionary tale of why we should not only throw libertarians into the ocean but shoot them before hand.  Now it seems to lack that interesting part of the story.  The game play is almost exactly the same as the previous one.  Also in the first game the city had only gone to hell about one year ago, so while it was pretty beat up it made sense that some stuff worked and some people lived.  Now it's almost ten years later and the lights are still on and there's still cans of beans everywhere.  I admit I haven't gotten to far so maybe they'll explain that as well.

Well the story of course is that there is a new leader, Dr. Lamb, and she is the anti-Ryan in that she is all about collectivism & the suppression of the individual.  You hear all her insane ramblings, so I guess this game is a repudiation of totalitarianism.  And you are a Big Daddy prototype somehow brought back to life (that part is explained later) and you're on a quest to find your Little Sister, who is now grown up. 

I finished it the night before last & have to say I really liked it.  It wasn't as groundbreaking as the first, but how could it be?  The storyline is decent, gameplay is improved, but the scenery/different areas of Rapture that you get to explore are worth it alone.  Anyone who liked the first one but was on the fence about this one should give it a try.  Anyone else, wait until it drops in price but definitely play it.

And I think the beans are leftovers from ~1959 or so.  So it's really old food, but not as old as the food you find in Fallout 3    As for the lights & other things, I guess it's due to whatever super-duper magic scientific power source they have.  I'm willing to suspend disbelief about all that stuff, but the one thing that bugs me is how Dr. Lamb supposedly rules Rapture, but the only evidence you see is graffiti scrawled here & there-- none of the splicers seem to show any signs that they are being ruled by anyone.

Online multiplayer is surprisingly decent.  IIRC it is set right at the beginning of the Ryan-Atlas civil war & before the splicers all went insane, so it may be the closest I get to my prequel. 

[derspiess]

Yeah it sounds silly. And kinda boring to go to the same place.

You're still in Rapture, but all the areas you explore are different from the first game.

[The Brain]

Yeah it sounds silly. And kinda boring to go to the same place.

You're still in Rapture, but all the areas you explore are different from the first game.

Of course.