What are you playing? [SPOILER TAGS PLEASE]

Started by Sabby, May 31, 2009, 12:45:35 PM

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Inkidu

Quote from: Brandon on February 04, 2012, 10:27:01 PM
Micromanaging equipment and costs/earns is a part of the X-Com games. Its one of the many reasons why theyre so deep and fun.
It's false depth. Having to keep track of literally every bullet that comes in and out my hands is just tedious. It adds just another bit of work to the game, and makes it feel more like work than fun. It just adds one more thing I've got to check before speeding up time. I've never run out of ammo and I'm not gong to, but they're going to make me check. I could have just as much fun making up an imaginary spreadsheet and filling it out.
If you're searching the lines for a point, well you've probably missed it; there was never anything there in the first place.

Hemingway

#4801
X-COM isn't really that bad with it, though. Clips for most weapons take up only one slot ( of which every operative has about ... 20, I think? Something like that ), and except with really advanced weapons that use alien technology, funds are never an issue when it comes to buying ammo. Launchers and such that use bigger ammo types are more limited, however, because you also have to actually fit the ammo into slots. You can't have rockets in your belt, for instance.

Edit: I hereby nominate Raiden for MOST POORLY VOICE ACTED CHARACTER EVER.

AND I knew I recognized Roy Campbell's voice from somewhere ( besides Metal Gear Solid ). StarCraft!

Actually, he's been in lots of games. Skyrim, it turns out. Warcraft 3. Modern Warfare 3!

Inkidu

Quote from: Hemingway on February 05, 2012, 12:02:53 PM
X-COM isn't really that bad with it, though. Clips for most weapons take up only one slot ( of which every operative has about ... 20, I think? Something like that ), and except with really advanced weapons that use alien technology, funds are never an issue when it comes to buying ammo. Launchers and such that use bigger ammo types are more limited, however, because you also have to actually fit the ammo into slots. You can't have rockets in your belt, for instance.

Edit: I hereby nominate Raiden for MOST POORLY VOICE ACTED CHARACTER EVER.

AND I knew I recognized Roy Campbell's voice from somewhere ( besides Metal Gear Solid ). StarCraft!

Actually, he's been in lots of games. Skyrim, it turns out. Warcraft 3. Modern Warfare 3!
True, it's pretty much the same in this, but it's still just another tiny layer of pointless minutia. Seriously, I'm supposed to be saving the world and I spend more time basically filling out requisition orders and transfers. If the game didn't have a pause button the aliens would win every time. That and where the fuck is my funding! Which I imagine to be the perpetual cry of X-com and X-Com-likes the world over.
If you're searching the lines for a point, well you've probably missed it; there was never anything there in the first place.

Hemingway

Quote from: Inkidu on February 05, 2012, 01:02:03 PM
True, it's pretty much the same in this, but it's still just another tiny layer of pointless minutia. Seriously, I'm supposed to be saving the world and I spend more time basically filling out requisition orders and transfers. If the game didn't have a pause button the aliens would win every time. That and where the fuck is my funding! Which I imagine to be the perpetual cry of X-com and X-Com-likes the world over.

Actually, if you're wondering where your funding is in X-COM, you're either not performing well enough, or you're not making sure the aliens don't cut deals with the countries you receive your funding from. You can also sell stuff you pick up on the battlefield ( actually, I think it's recovered automatically if you win ).

I also think literally ever fan of X-COM there has ever been will disagree with you if you call it "pointless minutia", because managing your equipment and securing funding is like half the game. Or, at least, an important part of it.

In unrelated news, I'm not sure I can play Metal Gear Solid 2. It has possibly the least likeable protagonist in the history of gaming, and the gameplay just feels .. dated. Which I guess you'd expect. I think I'll give Snake Eater a shot instead. It takes place years before Sons of Liberty anyway, so it's not like I'll be missing key plot points. Which makes the fact I got on my computer to look up the plot of Sons of Liberty so that I'd avoid plot holes sort of strange ... *rubs chin*

DudelRok

Quote from: Inkidu on February 04, 2012, 10:22:57 PM
I downloaded UFO: Alien Attack, which is a X-Com-like game (from my understanding it's pretty close to the original) that's free. It needs some polish, but again it's free. They never ask a dime. My only complaint and it's really inescapable is that saving the world is more like doing a budget. I feel like I should have excel open. I think that tracking each clip of ammo gets a bit excessive, especially where small arms are concerned. Still, nothing beats luring the enemy into sniper fire from a second story window.

Did you mean Alien Invasion? I'm not trying to correct you, I'm asking honestly since I've always wanted to try the X-COM games and *cough* I'm limited to certain outlets when it comes to such things.


Quote from: Hemingway on February 05, 2012, 01:15:14 PMIn unrelated news, I'm not sure I can play Metal Gear Solid 2. It has possibly the least likeable protagonist in the history of gaming, and the gameplay just feels .. dated. Which I guess you'd expect. I think I'll give Snake Eater a shot instead. It takes place years before Sons of Liberty anyway, so it's not like I'll be missing key plot points. Which makes the fact I got on my computer to look up the plot of Sons of Liberty so that I'd avoid plot holes sort of strange ... *rubs chin*


I don't tend to play Metal Gear due to some of it's play mechanics, but 3 (Snake Eater) was this weird kind of thing. I ended up watching more streams of the game than playing much of it, though. At the very least it's this really random story that's worth a push through to see.



Oh, and I'm debating about what kind of Final Fantasy I team to roll. At first I thought I'd just stick with the basic Warrior, Thief, BM, WM but now I'm unsure. Which is kind of bad since today/tomorrow is when I told myself to start playing. XD

I AM THE RETURN!

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Hemingway

MGS2 doesn't really work for me because, for a stealth game, the stealth bits are poorly implemented. In many cases, as far as I played it anyway, I found it easier to just shoot everyone than to try sneaking. Snake Eater, though I've only played it for about 30 minutes, seems a lot better. Guards don't move around like they're being chased, for one thing.

It's like the difference between an action game that wants to have a stealth segment but doesn't bother to make a proper system for stealth, and a game like, say, Splinter Cell.

Inkidu

Quote from: Hemingway on February 05, 2012, 01:15:14 PM
Actually, if you're wondering where your funding is in X-COM, you're either not performing well enough, or you're not making sure the aliens don't cut deals with the countries you receive your funding from. You can also sell stuff you pick up on the battlefield ( actually, I think it's recovered automatically if you win ).

I also think literally ever fan of X-COM there has ever been will disagree with you if you call it "pointless minutia", because managing your equipment and securing funding is like half the game. Or, at least, an important part of it.

In unrelated news, I'm not sure I can play Metal Gear Solid 2. It has possibly the least likeable protagonist in the history of gaming, and the gameplay just feels .. dated. Which I guess you'd expect. I think I'll give Snake Eater a shot instead. It takes place years before Sons of Liberty anyway, so it's not like I'll be missing key plot points. Which makes the fact I got on my computer to look up the plot of Sons of Liberty so that I'd avoid plot holes sort of strange ... *rubs chin*

Sorry, it is Alien Invasion.

Of course the fans are going to disagree with me because fan is short for fanatic, and in their eyes it can do no significant wrong. I've got no problem buying, researching, outfitting. My problems come from the fact that I'm surprised the game doesn't make me buy the toilet paper for the bases as well. I'm trying not to compare the two games, because I don't know what's different between this one and X-Com. The problem with micromanaging on that scale is that it gets old fast. I spend more time making sure I've got bullets on order than I do fighting aliens. The time units don't even irk me that much. As far as I know I should be receiving some funding. Every nation is content or satisfied save one that's neutral.
If you're searching the lines for a point, well you've probably missed it; there was never anything there in the first place.

Hemingway

If I've got one major complaint about Snake Eater so far, it's that it can't make its mind up. I've been told explicitly that I'm not to engage any Russians. Sure, I can deal with that, no problem. I can be a sneaky dude. At least until I get spotted, because these Russians have the mother of all alarm systems. One guy sees you, and everyone knows you're there. Not really a problem, in and of itself. I could kill everyone. And as far as I can tell, that doesn't have any consequences for me.

So why did they tell me I couldn't kill ANYONE AT ALL?

In the older Splinter Cell games, if you killed too many guards or you triggered too many alarms, the game ended. Is it like that here? Because I see no indication it is. Now, I could go Jack Bauer and kill everyone who inconvenienced me, and make the game easier for myself ... but when my bosses tell me not to kill ANYONE, I feel like I'm cheating when I do. It's one of the few ways in which I'm a bit of a perfectionist: I'm the guy who insists on playing Splinter Cell: Conviction as a straight stealth game!

But, fuck it. The game wants me to murder Russians, I'll murder Russians. Time to get stabby.

DudelRok

Quote from: Hemingway on February 05, 2012, 02:57:58 PMSo why did they tell me I couldn't kill ANYONE AT ALL?

In the older Splinter Cell games, if you killed too many guards or you triggered too many alarms, the game ended. Is it like that here? Because I see no indication it is. Now, I could go Jack Bauer and kill everyone who inconvenienced me, and make the game easier for myself ... but when my bosses tell me not to kill ANYONE, I feel like I'm cheating when I do. It's one of the few ways in which I'm a bit of a perfectionist: I'm the guy who insists on playing Splinter Cell: Conviction as a straight stealth game!

If effects your end game ranking, little else. XD

I AM THE RETURN!

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Hemingway

Quote from: DudelRok on February 05, 2012, 04:15:19 PM
If effects your end game ranking, little else. XD

I think I read that it affects the difficulty of some boss, but ... I try to avoid spoilers. Try. It's hard when people are completely careless, but eh.

Still, at least I figured out how to slam guards head-first into the ground. It also seems like they made the intro mission harder than the actual Operation Snake Eater, so ... hey!

Edit: What's with MGS having the hottest women of gaming ever, though? Olga and The Boss are ... ooh.

Inkidu

So I found a free copy of X-Com on the interwebz, I can definitely see the magic here. I have one problem though. I got the Gold Edition that's meant to run on Windows, but it's still too fast for me to play it. The Interception minigame goes by way too fast, as do the aliens' turn. Is there anyway to fix this so I can give this game a fair shake?
If you're searching the lines for a point, well you've probably missed it; there was never anything there in the first place.

Hemingway

Huh. Well. I don't know with X-COM in particular, but with Ground Control 2 I think I had to make my processor use only one core, or some such nonsense.

Have you tried running it in compatibility mode? Otherwise, maybe this thread will help:

http://www.abandonia.com/vbullet/showthread.php?t=13649

The game used to be available for free there ( assuming you're playing Enemy Unknown / UFO Defense ), until they re-released it on Steam. You are playing the first game, right, not Terror From The Deep? Because TFTD is insanely hard.

Regardless, I definitely recommend this page: http://www.ufopaedia.org/

It has a lot of tips and guides. A lot of the game mechanics are really complicated, working in ways you'd never guess just by playing the game with no insight into what's going on. That's not to say it's a difficult game with a steep learning curve, but ... well, things like how reaction fire is determined by the number of TUs you have left. And how to train your operatives' reaction times!

Inkidu

#4812
I already know about UFOpedia. I guess I'm just going to have to dicker with it more. I see a lot of promise with it. I just need things to slow down so I can actually see what's going on.

EDIT: I guess it wasn't meant to be. I can't find any way to slow it down enough to play it.
If you're searching the lines for a point, well you've probably missed it; there was never anything there in the first place.

DudelRok

Quote from: Inkidu on February 05, 2012, 06:00:15 PM
I already know about UFOpedia. I guess I'm just going to have to dicker with it more. I see a lot of promise with it. I just need things to slow down so I can actually see what's going on.

EDIT: I guess it wasn't meant to be. I can't find any way to slow it down enough to play it.

If you care that much you should DosBOX it.

I AM THE RETURN!

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Inkidu

Quote from: DudelRok on February 05, 2012, 07:42:57 PM
If you care that much you should DosBOX it.
I tried. It didn't work. I can't find the exe file, and the one thing that did almost work doesn't work in DOS.
If you're searching the lines for a point, well you've probably missed it; there was never anything there in the first place.

Hemingway

You .. can't find the .exe file? How is that even possible?  :P

Wolfy

Hmm...is it possible to have..too many games?


I have so many that are pulling me in all 10 directions at once. <_<>_>

Seriously...

Starhawk Beta
Shadow of the Colossus/Ico
FFXIII-2
White Knight Chronicles 2
Star Wars The Old Republic
Sonic CD
Final Fantasy IX
And good god, the list goes on....

Inkidu

#4817
Quote from: Hemingway on February 06, 2012, 07:59:56 AM
You .. can't find the .exe file? How is that even possible?  :P
Actually, I eventually found it using task manager, but it's considered an illegal action to use it. I don't think it was meant to run in DOS. :\

I'm going to try a combination of under-clocking and slow.exe to see if I can get it to see-able levels of movement. Which is a shame. I was doing really well in my throwaway test game. One kill in two starting missions.

EDIT: Didn't work, and I don't really have a way of buying it on Steam, so I guess I'm stuck waiting for Fall when XCOM: Enemy Unknown hits stores.
If you're searching the lines for a point, well you've probably missed it; there was never anything there in the first place.

Hemingway

I'm fighting The End in Snake Eater. I read about the boss in a list of the best boss fights of Metal Gear. Apparently, Metal Gear boss fights are known for being awesome. Some of them I know of, like Psycho Mantis, who was awesome. Sniper Wolf was cool, too. Why the list included Olga on the tanker in Sons of Liberty, I don't quite understand, though.

But back to The End. I read that the fight was about an hour long. I thought it was an exaggeration of some sort, that you shoot him and he moves on and the game progresses as you get to the next area. But nope! You have three areas close together, and it's sniper against sniper, IN A BATTLE TO THE DEATH. It would be better if aiming in first person with any sort of precision is impossible, but ... I mean, it's not like I'm unable to hit him, and somehow ... somehow it's not frustrating.

LunarSage

Psycho Mantis to me back in the day:  "So... you like Suikoden!"

Bastard read my memory card!  O.O

  ▫  A.A  ▫  O.O  ▫  Find & Seek   ▫ 

Hemingway

The thing he does with the controllers is still probably the most inventive way to beat a boss ever.

Inkidu

Sniper versus sniper? Pfft! Noob! Real men take on the End with the Mk 22.

Unlike the rest of the cobra unit the End's unique cammo can only be obtained by holding him up, and killing him with the tranq gun. If you want to have fun just leave some of your rotten food lying around. Actually though, if you find him and give chase it become really easy. He leaves tracks. Also, you can kill his parrot and eat it for some funny dialogue.
If you're searching the lines for a point, well you've probably missed it; there was never anything there in the first place.

Hemingway

I actually ended up cornering him with an assault rifle. What unique camo is that? I don't really care for difficult-to-obtain, game-breaking unlocks. You know, like the stealth camo.

In other news, it just occured to me that Snake Eater is to Metal Gear what Double Agent is to Splinter Cell. Well, except in Double Agent, there's the added difficulty of you dying to like two bullets. They're similar in that previous titles had systems that allowed you to determine where you were out of sight, and where you weren't. But in both these games, that's left up to the player to determine. Which is, of course, a pain in the ass, and the reason I fail utterly at stealth in this game.

Well that, and the fact that once you're spotted, it's practically impossible to hide. Firstly, there just aren't that many good spots, and secondly it takes ages for them to return to normal status. It's way easier to just blast your way through ( or in my case, deliver precise Mk22 headshots and stun grenades. Also, faceplanting people )

Inkidu

Quote from: Hemingway on February 06, 2012, 02:51:14 PM
I actually ended up cornering him with an assault rifle. What unique camo is that? I don't really care for difficult-to-obtain, game-breaking unlocks. You know, like the stealth camo.

In other news, it just occured to me that Snake Eater is to Metal Gear what Double Agent is to Splinter Cell. Well, except in Double Agent, there's the added difficulty of you dying to like two bullets. They're similar in that previous titles had systems that allowed you to determine where you were out of sight, and where you weren't. But in both these games, that's left up to the player to determine. Which is, of course, a pain in the ass, and the reason I fail utterly at stealth in this game.

Well that, and the fact that once you're spotted, it's practically impossible to hide. Firstly, there just aren't that many good spots, and secondly it takes ages for them to return to normal status. It's way easier to just blast your way through ( or in my case, deliver precise Mk22 headshots and stun grenades. Also, faceplanting people )
Each of the Cobra Unit has their own special cammo. You get it by basically knocking them out. I wouldn't call any of them game-breaking like the stealth suit, but they're pretty unique. It's been a while so I don't remember exactly what all of them do.

The Pain: Bees leave you alone or you can control them or something and it has a pretty good blend rate for cammo.
The Fear: Jacks you cammo index up to like ninety but drains you stamina like it's air out of a balloon. You drain when you're crawling like you were running.
The End: Probably the best blend rate for greenery, and it's really high in the area you fought him in, but if you stay still on your stomach in sunlight you regain stamina.
The Furry: Makes you fireproof and burnproof.
The Boss: I forget. It's possible though, you just beat her up with your CQC, and it makes the fight awesome!

The Sorrow: You'll get his if you make it to the end without dying. I forget.
If you're searching the lines for a point, well you've probably missed it; there was never anything there in the first place.

Hemingway

I've been killing them all. I'll probably do another playthrough at some point where I try not to screw up everything.

I'm now also worried that the torture scene somehow affects the ending, like I'm supposed to resist torture without being prompted or something. Just the type of crap a game like this would pull. Well, not that it's a bad game, it's just ... they don't really explain a lot of things.

Also, that was ... special. R1 when The Boss is talking to you, and there's the ghost behind her - the Sorrow, I assume - holding up a sign and grinning like mad. I had the frequency already, though!