The Steam Thread

[frnk55]

Originally Posted by Honolulu_Blue

I, too, have been convinced!

Me three!

[britrock88]

...

[Matthean]

Originally Posted by Lonnie

I finally had the fortitude to resist. I looked at it, but then noticed I had bought Endless Space and still have not played it. So I figured I will play that and wait on Endless Legend for later.

Now if there was only a game called Endless Space Legend you would be set.

Originally Posted by britrock88

I'm curious about El Grande with the earlier talk of it in this thread. Putting this out there... would anyone want to play an FOFC game on yucata.de?

I think you mean the board game thread.

[britrock88]

Originally Posted by Matthean

I think you mean the board game thread.

Holy crap, is my attention good today... Thanks, Matthean.

[Blackadar]

Ok, rundown on Endless Legend.

Proper disclosure - I did not like Endless Space much. I thought the game was technically fine beyond cheating AI, but the game had no heart, no life and the synergy was poor. I know they made later updates that may have helped, but by then I had moved on. Ok, on to EL.

So far it's pretty good. There are some interesting innovations in the game. The city management is cool. You can only build one city per zone (think a county or state but more gerrymandered) which adds a new tactical factor. Should you grab that one great tile to start? Or should you build along the river which you can improve more later? Plus not only do you build buildings, you can build extensions (essentially suburbs) to your city that actually raise the value of other tiles. There are resources that you need techs to unlock, but they don't have to be next to your city for you to exploit them.

The tech tree is somewhat interesting too. There are 6 different eras with about 15-20 techs, but you only need to research 8 to get to the next level. But you're going to need many of the same techs from game to game, so in reality it's not all that special.

Combat is somewhat weak. You do have to upgrade your units, but it's essentially better versions of the same old weapons. Upgrading from Axe 1 to Axe 2 isn't very exciting. There are no special attacks, so it's just a slugfest that's often best auto solved. The only novel idea is that combat "zooms in" on the map, but the area that becomes the combat zone is the same shape and height as the tiles around the units when they entered combat. But with no magic, no special attacks, no artillery, etc. combat is quite weak.

I don't know if there's any depth to strategic synergies. By that I mean using research/buildings in a specific combination to really get ahead. In Civ IV, there were all sorts of little strategies you could use to leapfrog ahead. Cut this forest and research certain techs to build this wonder to get a great engineer to then build this wonder to get a more distant tech and really propel yourself ahead...stuff like that. There were a bunch of those and they were civ and situation dependent. It remains to be seen if EL has that kind of depth.

There are no wonders, but there are a host of different buildings to build and a few are "only one per race" types. The races play quite differently, but I've only played one thus far. You don't get many units, but you have to subjugate lesser civs to get peace in your zones (you can do this by conquering them, bribing them or doing quests...more on quests in a minute) and that will give you another unit. Between the unit editor and the lesser civ units, there's enough units to be satisfied with the army you can field.

You get quests from hitting their version of goodie huts. Quests may involve settling a new city, attacking someone else, gathering a specific resource, etc. and they'll give you rewards.

You can set policies (your Empire Plan) for your civ, but it's pretty boring and I can't imagine them being much different from game to game. I doubt it's different from race to race.

There are 9 different victory conditions, but I'm not sure what all of them really do.

Graphics are interesting - the game can be quite beautiful at times, but the graphics can also add to confusion because things get "cluttered" looking.

Music is forgettable but not bad.

At this junction, I don't have a conclusion. It's still EA and there's still too much I don't know even with the excellent tutorial. However, I am eager to play another game, so that's a good thing.

[MizzouRah]

I think there is magic with one of the races and each race is really different, so the techs you need to research, while sometimes kind of the same, are not totally tech for tech.

I haven't played with all the races yet, but I love the Vaulters since they are geared towards bonuses for research.

The minor races are awesome though and figuring out which one benefits you the most is a challenge as most races only allow one minor faction that you can pacify at a time.

Districts help you get ahead as (maybe 4) level up your city, which really adds bonuses.

You forgot to mention the marketplace where you can purchase heroes and other stuff.. I always purchase a hero in addition to my army hero and make them my city governor.

[Blackadar]

Originally Posted by MizzouRah

I think there is magic with one of the races and each race is really different, so the techs you need to research, while sometimes kind of the same, are not totally tech for tech.

I haven't played with all the races yet, but I love the Vaulters since they are geared towards bonuses for research.

The minor races are awesome though and figuring out which one benefits you the most is a challenge as most races only allow one minor faction that you can pacify at a time.

Districts help you get ahead as (maybe 4) level up your city, which really adds bonuses.

You forgot to mention the marketplace where you can purchase heroes and other stuff.. I always purchase a hero in addition to my army hero and make them my city governor.

Yeah, I didn't mention heroes or the marketplace even though I use it quite often to sell excess resources and buy heroes.

There are some interesting choices here, like the Roving Clans, who can't declare war. That certainly requires you to play differently. I love how they get around city spam, quests keep things interesting (though there should be more of them), the social policies thing is neat (again, should be more of them and some are almost mandatory with a decent sized empire), the tech tree presents quite a dilemma (do you go for a lower tech faster or do you spend more time researching a higher-tier tech with potentially more benefit) and some other innovations like that.

The AI still seems very inept, which isn't good. Combat is unbalanced and doesn't have enough tactical options. This game cries out for more wonders, the ability to construct/edit the map, seaborne content, spies and a few other things that are obviously missing.

I'm bummed that I had to fly back out last night and won't get a chance to play again until Friday. So yeah, right now it's quite addicting.

[MizzouRah]

Balancing is their top priority before release and I assume it will continue to be approved on now that almost all of the content is in the game. For combat.. I would agree.. although I haven't played since the changes they made to it.

I'm going to wait until the 18th and then really dive back into it. I've played many hours EA though.

[JPhillips]

Originally Posted by Blackadar

He added in an elevation map about a month ago (M key I believe). This solved that issue for me - are you having problems with it?

Came back to Ultimate General and the M key elevation overlay really helps.

I find the Union to be much more difficult than the Confederates. I inflict a lot of casualties, but I always break first and surrender ground. That fucker Schimmelfennig and his worthless troops should be ashamed!

[NobodyHere]

Well Steam has claimed another $4 of mine via Shadowrun.

[Dutch]

Originally Posted by NobodyHere

Well Steam has claimed another $4 of mine via Shadowrun.

Easily worth $4....hell....easily worth $25.

[Blackadar]

Originally Posted by Dutch

Easily worth $4....hell....easily worth $25.

Meh. I'd say $10 maybe for the base campaign. Dragonfall is better but frankly both are moderately fun but almost instantly forgettable with little replay value.

[jeff061]

I thought the base was ok, great concept executed in above average fashion. Dragonfall was absolutely stellar, far better than the base and well worth $15(or double that)

So I'd either drop the $15 and get it now or wait for it to go on sale. Either way, having the base and no Dragonfall is criminal.

[Antmeister]

Originally Posted by Blackadar

Meh. I'd say $10 maybe for the base campaign. Dragonfall is better but frankly both are moderately fun but almost instantly forgettable with little replay value.

Well I respectfully disagree, in terms of value. However I would have to agree that Dragonfall is much better. And right now if you own the that DLC you are going to get Dragonfall Director's cut for free tomorrow (Shadowrun: Dragonfall - Director's Cut on Steam) with all these goodies:

New in the Director’s Cut
Standalone: Due to popular demand, Dragonfall is now a completely standalone title!

Five All-New Missions: The Director’s Cut features five all-new original missions, including three related directly to the personal stories of your team members. These missions take you to previously-unseen locales - both within the Flux State and beyond - where you’ll have to face challenging enemies and make tough choices in order to help your team members prevail.

Revamped Combat System: The Dragonfall combat system has received a major overhaul. An all-new armor system adds another tactical layer to the experience, while refined cover and damage mechanics emphasize the importance of battlefield positioning. Complementing these improvements is an upgraded AI system which reacts more intelligently and accurately to your actions.

Redesigned Interface: The Dragonfall in-game interface has also been rebuilt. Spells, items and abilities are now much easier to access, while improved combat feedback allows you to fully understand the tactical situation in any given encounter.

Customize Your Team: Guide your team members as they progress in each of their unique roles, choosing between different focus options to grant them new items and abilities. In addition, if you don’t like a team member’s default spell, item or weapon loadout, you can now customize what they bring on each mission.

Ten New Pieces of Original Music: Fan-favorite composer Jon Everist brings ten new tracks of moody cyberpunk music to the Dragonfall experience, including compositions based on the stories of individual members of your team.

The Complete Dragonfall Soundtrack: As a free bonus, the Director’s Cut includes the entire soundtracks from both Dragonfall AND our previous title, Shadowrun Returns. This also includes the brand new tracks exclusive to the Director’s Cut. Featuring music from the composers of the classic Shadowrun SEGA and SNES games, this exciting cyberpunk soundtrack pays homage to the past with a modern sentiment.

And Much More:
Steam Achievements!
Steam Trading Cards - collect your favorite Dragonfall characters
All-new alternate endings to the main campaign
Enhanced visual effects including splatter and dismemberment, improved animations, and optional post-processing effects
New bioware augmentations provide an extra edge on the battlefield… if you’ve got the nuyen
A variety of new items, cyberware & spells
Additional player customization options
Expanded character development for several side characters
Writing and design tweaks and polish throughout!


On top of that, they created a lot of tools for modders which will definitely extend the life of this universe much like Neverwinter Nights has done in the past.

[Blackadar]

Originally Posted by Antmeister

Well I respectfully disagree, in terms of value. However I would have to agree that Dragonfall is much better. And right now if you own the that DLC you are going to get Dragonfall Director's cut for free tomorrow (Shadowrun: Dragonfall - Director's Cut on Steam) with all these goodies:

Stuff

I didn't think it was all that great beyond the art style (which I loved!) and the environment (Shadowrun!). I got to the point I would cheat through the hacking missions because they were so dreadfully boring. The story (especially the original) is pretty "meh". The combat isn't all that great and isn't balanced very well either. In short, it's not all that great of a RPG nor a very good strategy game either.

But...

It wasn't bad. It was playable and the art/setting kept me going and entertained. Plus these guys have done a bang-up job supporting their products and I truly appreciate that. So I don't regret paying full price for the game one bit because (a) it's good enough that I played each campaign through and (b) I think these guys continue to get better so I'll continue to fund their efforts. And I liked Dragonfall enough that I'll play this new version.

Tomorrow is an awesome day for PC gaming for me:

Release of Endless Legend out of Early Access
Release of Wasteland 2
Release of Shadowrun Dragonfall Director's Cut

Plus I just bought the new Humble Bundle which includes the following that I want to play: Prison Architect, SteamWorld Dig, Gunpoint, Papers Please (for about an hour, that's enough), the Bridge and Race the Sun.

In short, I'm overloaded with games. Of course, I won't get home until late Thursday night, so maybe it will be Friday before I start to load all of this. But lots of goodies!

[MizzouRah]

Going to be an Endless Legend night for me tomorrow.

[Bobble]

I've got a coupon for 50% off Cloud Chamber (Massively Multiplayer, Adventure, Indie, 73/100 Metascore). Anyone want?

[Blackadar]

Oh, beyond Wasteland 2, the Dragonfall Director's Cut and Endless Legend...

...the Age of Wonders 3 expansion is released today.

More gaming goodness!!!

[MizzouRah]

Yeah baby!

Amplitude Studios Community Forums - Endless Legend is Golden!

[mckerney]

Originally Posted by Blackadar

Oh, beyond Wasteland 2, the Dragonfall Director's Cut and Endless Legend...

...the Age of Wonders 3 expansion is released today.

More gaming goodness!!!

In addition to Wasteland 2, a look to the future from inxile with the first look at Torment: Tides of Numenera.



Really excited for the release of Wasteland 2, spent about an hour yesterday in character creation putting my party together ahead of time.

[Lonnie]

Finally beat an Endless Space game last night around 3 a.m. Automatons! whew. Now I'm ready for Endless Legend just in time.

As for Endless Space, I didn't like it very much the first two games, but something clicked by the third game and I really enjoyed it. Maybe just figuring out what was important in the massive tech trees. I do wish the Factions were a little more interactive though. Just a couple lines of text in the response box for diplomatic actions makes it difficult to get a picture of what the faction is like.

[MizzouRah]

Originally Posted by Lonnie

Finally beat an Endless Space game last night around 3 a.m. Automatons! whew. Now I'm ready for Endless Legend just in time.

As for Endless Space, I didn't like it very much the first two games, but something clicked by the third game and I really enjoyed it. Maybe just figuring out what was important in the massive tech trees. I do wish the Factions were a little more interactive though. Just a couple lines of text in the response box for diplomatic actions makes it difficult to get a picture of what the faction is like.

Yeah, they have learned from that sort of stuff with Endless Legend.

[MizzouRah]

I have a 50% off ES and ES Disharmony is anyone wants one or both. You'll need ES to get ES Disharmony.

[Honolulu_Blue]

I still need to finish Season 2 of "The Walking Dead."

And Dragonfall (I really enjoyed the first Shadowrun game).

But, I fear "Wasteland 2" is going to dominate for a while. It's how I plan to spend Saturday. Pretty much all day Saturday. My dog will not be pleased with these developments.

[path12]

I'm a turn based 4X guy at heart so while I'm between seasons and pondering what to do with my team in FM I've been playing a ton of AoW3 and really looking forward to the expansion.

But now I'm hearing all this great stuff about Endless Legend so will probably have to pick that up too. Might be a longer FM offseason that I thought....

[NobodyHere]

Originally Posted by Blackadar

Oh, beyond Wasteland 2, the Dragonfall Director's Cut and Endless Legend...

...the Age of Wonders 3 expansion is released today.

More gaming goodness!!!

AoW 3 being $20 this weekend makes it awfully tempting...

[frnk55]

Originally Posted by mckerney

In addition to Wasteland 2, a look to the future from inxile with the first look at Torment: Tides of Numenera.



Really excited for the release of Wasteland 2, spent about an hour yesterday in character creation putting my party together ahead of time.

Oh dead Lord. I really really can't wait for this game to come out!!!

[Groundhog]

Haven't touched AoW3 since shortly after the release. If the balancing issues have been sorted - ie. I don't get steamrolled by mobs 10x more powerful than anything I have after a couple of hours - it would probably be a great game.

[Blackadar]

Originally Posted by NobodyHere

AoW 3 being $20 this weekend makes it awfully tempting...

And it should be - get it now!

[Blackadar]

Originally Posted by Groundhog

Haven't touched AoW3 since shortly after the release. If the balancing issues have been sorted - ie. I don't get steamrolled by mobs 10x more powerful than anything I have after a couple of hours - it would probably be a great game.

I haven't had that problem. I think that issue was fixed some time ago.

[Eaglesfan27]

Originally Posted by frnk55

Oh dead Lord. I really really can't wait for this game to come out!!!

WOW. A new Torment game? I had no idea. Very exciting!

[Ramzavail]

I thought I'd give this website a try and giveaway a game I already own.

Steam Gifts

I posted it just to the FOFC group.

[chinaski]

Downloading Wasteland 2 now.... oh boy

[Bobble]

I decided to finally draw the line. I'm not going to buy another new game just because I read a few posts about how it's cool, and new, and whatever. I'm going to be patient and see what people say long-term and then wait until I have some of the other games I want to play under my belt.

That lasted about 10 seconds. Purchased and downloading Wasteland 2.

[frnk55]

Originally Posted by Bobble

I decided to finally draw the line. I'm not going to buy another new game just because I read a few posts about how it's cool, and new, and whatever. I'm going to be patient and see what people say long-term and then wait until I have some of the other games I want to play under my belt.

That lasted about 10 seconds. Purchased and downloading Wasteland 2.

I hear ya cluckin big chicken. I'm off to download now..

[bhlloy]

Yeah, thanks FOFC. Another $40 you've cost me

[NobodyHere]

And just think, we're little over 2 months away from the Thanksgiving sale!

[IlliniCub]

Is there a demo for Wasteland 2? I wanna make sure it runs on my laptop before buying!

[dubb93]

Originally Posted by Ramzavail

I thought I'd give this website a try and giveaway a game I already own.

Steam Gifts

I posted it just to the FOFC group.

I entered and I thank you. Been waffling back and forth on this game for a while now. This ends in about 8 hours. I'm the only entry right now. Don't miss out on a chance to win this game guys.

[britrock88]

And a great game, at that.

[Julio Riddols]

My account isn't yet large enough to enter the steamgifts site apparently.

*Price Is Right failure music plays*

[NobodyHere]

Originally Posted by Julio Riddols

My account isn't yet large enough to enter the steamgifts site apparently.

*Price Is Right failure music plays*

spend a buck maybe on a humble bundle?

[Blackadar]

Still digging Endless Legend.

[dubb93]

The Humble Store has Tropico 3 for free right now. Just sent me an email.

[djsatu]

Originally Posted by dubb93

The Humble Store has Tropico 3 for free right now. Just sent me an email.

Thanks for the heads up. Getting my copy now.

[Blackadar]

Quite the good and relaxing city builder. There's little challenge, but it's fun for a good while. And if anyone likes this, Tropico 4 is a relatively slightly improved version of #3 with the godsend function to build buildings instantly.

[britrock88]

So, who can give some recommendations on the Total War series? 75% off most titles on Steam this weekend.

[DaddyTorgo]

Originally Posted by britrock88

So, who can give some recommendations on the Total War series? 75% off most titles on Steam this weekend.

I'll prolly DL and try out Rome II just for the hell of it since it's free to try this weekend. Although I hear it's a shitshow of a game apparently.

[sabotai]

Rome (the first one) and Medieval II are well worth full price, let alone the few bucks they are right now.

All of the rest are either "Meh" (Shogun II) or worse and I'd skip them. Rome II was by far the worst TW game I've played. I never played Napoleon or the Vikings game, though.

[Izulde]

I hated Medieval: Total War 2 because of the map. I'm still trying to find the original gold edition of M:TW 1 for a cheap enough price since I can't remember where I put my disks for it.

The first Rome was okay as I recall

That said, I may bite on M:TW 2 just to have something on steam. Ditto Shogun 2