2013 Thus Far

Hello all, I am still around by the way. There’s so much that I have wanted to post about but this site hasn’t really been my main focus as of late to say the least. One reason being that there hasn’t been a whole lot of PC or console gaming lately. I am still working on XCOM and poking at FTL occasionally (and let’s be honest, I am still mildly obsessed with The Sims 3). Other than that, I am not ever sure what is being released this year. Is there even anything noteworthy coming out in the near future?

Artemis is possibly the best LAN party game ever. It is a starship bridge simulator. One machine will host the server and function as the main view screen, the other networked machines each function as one (or multiple if short on crew) of five available stations: Helm, communications, weapon control, engineering, and science. The 6th crew member acts as the captain. Watch the video. Serious serious fun. 

Despite greatly looking forward to playing the much anticipated Assassins Creed 3, I never did finish it and really do not feel the need to do so. As it turns out, the Revolutionary War isn’t as interesting of a setting as I had hoped; Specifically, the frontier aspect. I really enjoy the urban and historical aspect of the AC series. AC3 doesn’t seem to have much of either quality.

On the personal front, we are now engaged :). I will hopefully be posting about that as well as the massive backlog of airsoft GoPro footage laying around…

Games I Enjoyed This Year: Dishonored

2012 wasn’t a huge gaming year for me. Unless I am forgetting titles, which I probably am, I don’t think I even bought too many AAA PC titles. Interestingly enough, most of the games that I have been really enjoying lately are either indie titles or iPhone games. Of the AAA titles that I did purchase, Dishonored comes out on top or close to being on top. I really really enjoy playing stealth games, particularly first-person stealth games to the point where I would easily consider that genre to be my favorite (such a shame that they are so rare). Needless to say, I purchased Dishonored off of Steam shortly after it came out back in early October and had enjoyed not quite a bit. Furthermore, not only is Dishonored a FPS stealth game but also brand new IP, which seems even rarer nowadays.

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The gameplay is where Dishonored really shines. It has a good rhythm: Blink to a ledge, sneak around a corner, pause to avoid a patrol, look down, drop assassinate a guard, slow time, blink behind guard number two, kill, end slow time, summon rats to ‘hide’ the corpses, blink away. The spells are fun and I feel that blinking is a good solution to the age old FPS platforming problem. I also enjoy having the option to complete a game with a completely non-lethal playthrough. Though it is easy enough to kill everyone in the entire level, the lethal options are particularly fun. I found Dishonored’s binary moraility system (ala Bioshock) to be a bit odd: Even though the lethal options are often the most fun (lol rats), using them will pretty much guarantee that you do not get the ‘good’ endings whether you are detected or not. This mechanic feels oddly contradictory but doesn’t detract from the game a whole lot I suppose.

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The levels are designed to perfectly compliment Dishonored’s gameplay and as such are very well done. The levels are open and contain multiple objective paths without feeling too linear and forced (eg the conspicuous Deus Ex Human Revolution human-sized vents). If there is a building with a roof, it’s likely that you can climb on it. Most buildings also have an open window or perhaps a grate to climb through. Otherwise, there may be a way to obtain a key, etcetera. Along similar lines, the setting and art style are fantastic: A richly detailed, cell-shaded, dilapidated, Victorian flavored city interlaced with steel. If Dunwall looks vaguely familiar it is probably because the art direction and visual design direction were done by Viktor Antonov and Sebastien Mitton respectively (of HL2 fame). It feels a lot like a steampunk City 17. Overall the characters and story were fairly average. Plotwise, I wouldn’t say that anything too remarkable happened for good or for bad.

Overall, Dishonored was an extremely elegant and polished experience (also may still be on sale on Steam now).

Cards Against Humanity Holiday Pack

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Our copy of the Cards Against Humanity 2012 Holiday Pack arrived in the mail today. It’s a small expansion with 30 more cards on a pay what you want pricing structure (recommended cost is $5). Oh also, the envelope that it came in:

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I think the full game as well as the expansion packs are back in stock on Amazon. As long as you aren’t easily offended, this game is probably one of the more fun things that I’ve ever played at a party: Virtually 0 setup time, very easy to play, a good time for all. Technically you can just print the cards out I guess, but it’s not the same…

Black Mesa

Part of last week’s pre-panda gaming time was spent playing Black Mesa. I can’t believe that it’s actually out. To be honest, I had always assumed that it was the type of game that would just vanish into oblivion. I remember being really excited about it over 5 years ago and then really disappointed when I realized the project was most likely vaporware. Needless to say, I am very pleased to be wrong. To those who live under a rock: Black Mesa is a third-party Half-Life 2 total conversion modification that faithfully recreates both the experience and spirit of Half-Life 1.

Black Mesa isn’t just a cheap half-assed remake. The fact that a fan mod is effectively being treated as a ‘normal’ game is a testament to just how much care was put into recreating almost every single magical moment. Black Mesa also accurately captures the original aesthetic for better or for worse. On one hand, I don’t think that fans would have it any other way. On the other, staying this true to the original design serves to highlight outdated level design techniques (mostly the lack of reasonable proportions in certain areas). Then again, the whole point of the project to understanding was to repolish not completely remake every aspect of the game. Regardless, it’s amazing how fun Half-Life still is, especially considering its age. There really aren’t many games of that age, particularly first-person shooters, that are even playable nowadays.

I was impressed with the quality of most the voice acting. Though to be honest: I most more pleased that the voice acting wasn’t outright terrible like virtually all projects of this sort. The added dialogue is also decent and for the most art blends in with the original content. The music is fantastic, even though the mixing is a bit off. One annoying thing: I really don’t remember if the original game was like this but for whatever reason the vertical jumping speed in Black Mesa is set really low to the point where you have to literally crouch jump over almost everything. If this also bothers you, it can be changed by editing a config file.

If you are looking for a nostalgia run or if you’ve never had the pleasure of playing the original half life, now is your chance.

The Extended Mass Effect 3 Ending

Spoilers for the Mass Effect 3 Ending. The Extended Cut is just that by the way in that the new content presents a more rounded, fleshed out conclusion in comparison to the original spartan ending sequence. What it does not do however is fundamentally change the outcome(s) of the game in any significant way; So anyone who at heart was unhappy with the original ending as a whole is likely to remain so after playing through the DLC.

What the new content does accomplish is to fill in the gaps by adding in more dialogue and animation sequences to smooth out some of the logical inconsistencies lingering behind. For example, why the Normandy seemingly ran away from the fight and how the crew was picked up off of the ground. Quite a bit of additional dialogue was added, allowing Shepard question the Catalyst about the consequences of each path. Also most importantly, new content was added so that each option feels distinct. IE: The endings are now more than the explosion color being green or red.

There is also more of a sense of closure. I really liked the sequence at the end; Showing the Normandy’s crew hanging his name plate on the memorial wall was a touching moment, a nice personal addition to the game’s ending, and an overall fitting farewell; Which is really all that we were asking for in the first place. Also worth noting: A completely new path was added, allowing you to take no action effectively let the world burn (look it up on YouTube, it’s well worth a watch). I am fine with a tragic ending. One could after all, argue that the series has always had a religious connotation (his name IS Shepard and he does tend to his flock I guess) and it’s not too far fetched of an idea to believe that the only appropriate conclusion would involve Shepard, the galaxy’s savior dying at the end for our sins (to complete the metaphor).

But that said, now that I have played through the new content, I am still dissatisfied with the ending as a whole. Why? A commenter on Reddit (or wherever) hit the nail on the head: BioWare gave Mass Effect 3 a Gainax Ending (the name stems from Gainax, the studio that produced Neon Genesis Evangelion. A Japanese animated series with a notorious ending). Basically, a Gainax Ending lacks resolution and is presented in a manner that does not make sense, usually as a mind fuck but a bizarre layer of bullshit philosophy thrown in from left field always seems to be involved.

One of the primary reasons why I enjoy Mass Effect is because of the believable character stories, which has in my opinion at least has always been one of BioWare’s strong points. The setting and overarching plot are decent but to be honest, not too far off from standard science fiction fair (good versus evil robot wars are a dime a dozen nowadays). The characters and relationship dynamics as they affect the player character are what really sets the game apart from other similarly themed titles. So, when you take that element out of the picture, the story loses all meaning and connection to the point where it feels at best, detached and at worst, widely inappropriate. I wanted the ending to ultimately be about the character relationships that we have so carefully created and not a faux layer of metaphysical crap about Shepard transcending human form.

The ending, though more fleshed out feels cheap in that the game still does not lead up to the ending sequence as it should. Paragon or Renegade, no matter how you chose to play the games, spending possibly hundreds of hours doing so, you are still presented with the same options at the end. Fatalism or not, having all of your decisions thrown out of the window in a game distinctly featuring and built around the ability to manipulate the outcome of your story by the power of choice feels particularly insulting. Also along those lines: I also strongly dislike the catalyst. He feels like something someone pulled out of their ass at the last minute, I loved everything about the game up until that point (specifically through Anderson’s death scene). Deus ex Machina is a weak plot device that feels forced and contrived. It is a lazy way of resolving conflicts without having to legitimately explain anything.

Despite my objections, I am glad that they didn’t completely cave in and redact the ending. Love it or the it, it is what it is.

Regarding the (pre-DLC) ME3 Ending

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So the new Mass Effect 3 ending DLC, in which I had almost completely forgotten about, is now available for download on Origin. I will eventually get around to playing it either tonight or later this week. It is a shame that an overall great game was marred by such a not-so-great ending. It’s not that it outraged me, as it did many people, but it sure was underwhelming given the scope of the series, how much time was invested, and the game’s core themes (in which I feel were not properly addressed if at all). I guess it wasn’t that terrible, but it sure was anticlimactic.

Thematically, I am fine with the ending including a good, neutral, and evil choice. The ending however, should feel like a culmination of player experiences and choices made throughout the game. There just weren’t a wide enough variety of outcomes to say the least. I mean, I’m not asking for a Return of the King, 40 minute long ending sequences but cheezus, something other than the same ending movie with a different explosion color and +/- 3 seconds of footage would have been really swell.

I was quite satisfied with how some of the storylines wrapped up, specifically the genophage and the Geth. The ending should have at least been on par with that. Also, gameplay wise, I was hoping for an ending mission similar to Dragon Age or Mass Effect 2 in which you are given the option to deploy the various resources you have gathered throughout the game. You spend the entire ME3 game gathering war assets that more or less boils down to a number which determines which cutscene you get. That’s kind of lame.

So will the dlc fix everything? We will see (opinions thus far appear to be polar in that players either love or hate it).

Regarding the Diablo 3 RMAH

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At long last, my dreams have come into fruition; I can retire swimming in fruits of my non-labor. Well, not really but the best kind of habit is a self sustaining one. I posted a few a few iLevel 61 and 62 items on the RMAH last night for shits and giggles. Lo-and-behold, when I logged in this morning one had actually sold for $19. I have absolutely no plans on ever spending real cash on virtual items and I still can’t belive that someone paid that much money for a kind of crap-ass item but hey, the RMAH isn’t that bad I suppose…

D3: Act I Solo Inferno Videos

Can anyone guess what we have been doing lately? During every single non-work moment? I don’t think my third hard drive likes me anymore or something, as the recording framerate seems to drop (in game performance is fine, videos are just choppy). Oh well, whatever. I didn’t find Act I to be particularly challenging, save for a few special mob combinations (screw vortex, molten, arcane enchanted, illusionist groups lol).

Act II on the other hand is such a huge jump in difficulty. I can trudge through it, but it would be quite nice not to get gang banged by every special pack of mobs. The thing that sucks about it is that, I am pretty sure that the gear that I really need, which would be about twice the resistance that I currently have, drops in Act II and Act III inferno. That, or I just have horrid drop luck (also pretty sure that this is true).

Diablo 3 Level 60 and Beyond: Hell and Inferno

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So, ding! I hit level 60 earlier this week. This build is what I ended up running with through the majority of Hell difficulty (and this is the build that I am running with currently). Originally, I had specialized as a full tank for the first half of Nightmare, focusing mostly on dodge and mitigation in terms of talents and gear. It was a great build for grouping since the folks that I run with are squishy caster types, but not so much for soloing given how long it took me to kill anything (to be honest though, my crapass weapon was most likely the actual problem).

Basically what I would do was: Repeatedly pull huge groups of enemies onto me with Cyclone Strike so that we could freeze them and AoE them down. The mobs in Nightmare didn’t hit hard enough to matter. This build wasn’t entirely viable once mobs did start hitting hard enough to matter, thus one of the reasons why I swapped over to a more kiting/ranged style of play. One of the problems with tanking in Diablo 3 is that I feel like I am trying to pet someone’s cat: Everything just seems to wander off and attack whoever. The Earth Ally helps quite a bit though, when it’s not running off triggering Treasure Goblins.

I ended up using Wave of Light over Lashing Tail Kick for most of hell difficulty because I was convinced that the range was a bit larger and that the knock back worked more consistently. In reality, I am pretty sure that I just liked the sound that the bell made when you activated it. To be honest, I am not finding either skill particularly useful in inferno and have replaced with with Blinding Flash for the AoE stun, which has been invaluable.

I was having some trouble earlier on with being severely spirit starved while kiting mobs. I ended up finding a pretty decent helm and main hand weapon with enough regen to allow me to drop Chant of Resonance in favor of One with Everything. If I recall correctly, I have about 3.2 spirit/second at the moment, which isn’t all that much but it is just enough to allow me to pop abilities as they come off of cooldown if I am running about.

There seem to be a few skills that everyone takes eventually: Binding Flash, One With Everything, and Serenity. But other than that, I haven’t seen any one master build being used extensively by the majority of the Monk playerbase, ala every WoW class. People mostly, seem to spec into abilities as it suits their play style (ranged, AoE, whatever), which I like quite a bit. Well, that and it depends on your gear mostly anyway.

So regarding inferno: Bought/found new gear, increased my DPS to roughly, 21k unbuffed and 24k buffed, and smashed through the first act without any real difficulty. The second act on the other hand sure is a jump up in difficulty. Jesus. If you are having trouble with the normal mobs at the beginning of the act, you are going to have a bad time. I need…way way more damage mitigation and health.

Diablo 3 Normal Difficulty Notes (Level 31 Monk)

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Just cleared normal difficulty today on my monk, good times. Onwards to nightmare…or my demon hunter alt. This is the build that I ended up using after a bit of trial and error. Gearing up appears to be, at least to my understanding at this point, stacking as much Dexterity as possible with some Vitality. I did end up sacrificing a bit of DPS for the sake of 2.25 spirit gen, which worked out pretty well seeing as how quick I burn through spirit.

I didn’t notice any significant difference in spirit regen when using Crippling Wave over any of the other three primary abilities, none of which seemed to have nearly as much utility given that Crippling Wave applies an AoE frontal Debuff in addition to the AoE damage. I am pretty sure that this will change at some point as I unlock some of the other runes (like for example, Quickening at level 42 until that trick is eventually nerfed lol).

So usually, I begin most encounters by activating Sweeping Wind, moving in (with a Dashing Strike occasionally), and spamming Crippling Wave until I have enough spirit to do one or two Dashing Strikes (the Flying Side Kick rune has a 60% chance to stun; seems to work on bosses). If there is a large group of mobs, Cyclone will pull most of them onto me so that I can AoE them down with whatever. If I get low on health, I have Breath of Life as well as my potions. Otherwise, Transcendence actually keeps me adequately healed up most of the time (if I am low. have healing abilities on cooldown, and have spirit to burn, casting several low spirit spells restores a good chunk of health).

Dashing Strike is great for repositioning, since it always teleports you to the opposite side of your target. Also great for teleporting out of crap on the ground as well as avoiding attacks. Basically, spam Crippling Wave or whatever attack until I see the boss charge up (ie raising a sword up in the air is a good indication), then activate Dashing Strike to avoid the frontal cleave. I am unsure if I like Lashing Tail Kick. I have a sneaky feeling that as we progress upwards in difficulty (Nightmare, Hell), LTK and most likely Cyclone will be replaced in favor of more defensive abilities.

Normal difficulty wasn’t incredibly hard, though sadly most of my deaths seemed to be due to standing in things. After playing WoW effectively since launch, main tanking as well as leading raids for several years (not so much lately though), you would think that I would know better…