Sarafan
Community Contributor
That's probably true. Current AMD shares on the graphics market are around 10%. Piranha is a quite small studio, so probably they had to prioritize the bigger part of the market.
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Chat Log Podcast: What's your favorite gaming slang phrase to throw around?
That's probably true. Current AMD shares on the graphics market are around 10%. Piranha is a quite small studio, so probably they had to prioritize the bigger part of the market.
Kaamos_Llama
Moderator
True on the developers side also, but I meant that AMD and Nvidia both write game ready drivers that optimize performance specifically for bigger games as they release. I expect with Elden Ring and Horizon Forbidden West releasing so recently they had resources elsewhere, and they might catch up with the next driver release.
I haven't made it to any of the major faction settlements yet (I'm a fairly slow player as I like to explore), but I've had no noticeable fps drops yet. I rarely monitor my fps, but I can tell when it drops significantly. My monitor is 4K and capped at 60hz, so we'll see how it goes. If I run into issues I will post about them.
Nvidia hasn't released an optimized driver yet, but I think you're right, if it's not a widely popular and/or a AAA game, it's probably far down on the
NVIDIA is very busy at the moment, after getting hacked - at least they had better be!
Patch 1 released today, looks like mostly video related issues, hopefully it will help those with FPS and other video related problems.
store.steampowered.com
ELEX II - Elex II Patch 1! - Steam News
Hey everyone! We have just launched the first patch for Elex II on steam Patch notes are as follows - * Fixed problems with certain graphic cards (especially VEGA chipsets) * Fixed some screen tearing problems * Reduced mesh size * Increased mesh cache size * Fixed a bug where mesh cache got...
Piranha Bytes must be busy, patch 2 released today. Various bug fixes and a different camera in the options menu. I haven't tried it yet, but at least they listened to players and we now have 2 different camera options. Steam reviews are now up to "mostly positive".
store.steampowered.com
ELEX II - Patch 2 for Elex II - Steam News
We have just launched the second patch for Elex II on steam rest of PC platforms should follow shortly. Patch notes are as follows - Added alternative game camera Fixed bug in certain quest with Crane Bugfix for Skyands boss Haraac could not be found Bugfixes for certain NPCs, who could not find...
@Zloth - For what little I've been able to play these last few weeks, I'm still loving it. I've had a couple of issues creep up in my real life that needed to be dealt with these past few weeks. Nothing health related, but time consuming nonetheless, so my normal gaming sessions of 6-10 hrs have been reduced to a sporadic 1-2 hours (plus I haven't been in the forum as often as I usually am). Things should clear up in the next couple weeks so I can dive back in to Elex 2 in earnest.
I still haven't experienced any of the bugs players have talked about on the Steam Discussions, and I haven't had any technical issues either. Maybe I've just been lucky. With the Nvidia drivers, I didn't really think they would do anything specific for Elex 2. Piranha Bytes just doesn't get enough respect in my opinion.
Here's the link to Patch 3:
store.steampowered.com
I still haven't experienced any of the bugs players have talked about on the Steam Discussions, and I haven't had any technical issues either. Maybe I've just been lucky. With the Nvidia drivers, I didn't really think they would do anything specific for Elex 2. Piranha Bytes just doesn't get enough respect in my opinion.
Here's the link to Patch 3:
ELEX II - Elex II patch 3! - Steam News
We have just launched the 3rd patch for Elex II. Here are the patch notes - Fixed unwanted dialog break ups, which could cause potential plotstoppers Fixed wrong behaviour of Eva if Jax has committed a crime Fixed Gregor, who had strange behaviour after completing the "What doesn’t kill" you...
It's been awhile, but after taking care of some personal business, I'm getting back to playing on a more regular basis now. Elex 2 is a long game, much like Elex; but I suppose much of that depends on how you play. For me, Elex 2 (as well as all Piranha Bytes games) is about exploring a vast open world, learning to survive, building your character, and interacting with various characters and factions.
I'm currently at about 83 hours and still in chapter 1. For some gamers, that might seem like an exorbitant amount of time, but not for me. It's just how I play these open world RPGs, whether it's Elex 2, or Skyrim, or any of several others. If you just followed the main story and ignored a lot of the exploration and side quests you could probably finish it much sooner, but then you're missing out on the heart of the game.
Updates
There was a small patch (#4) on May 4th that mainly addressed a few bugs:
store.steampowered.com
There's now also a beta branch for DX12 that improves the performance & stuttering issues that many were having (I still haven't had any myself). Some players are reporting a 50-60% increase in FPS, which is pretty huge. But there also seems to be some graphical/texture glitches along with that which is why it's still in the beta branch. You can find that info here:
steamcommunity.com
Gameplay
In my opinion it's excellent. This is an old-school open world RPG, with a vast world to explore with varied environments and lighting. One of the things that Piranha Bytes does best is create living breathing worlds.
Combat I'm finding to be much more fluid and intuitive than Elex. There's a lot of different ways to build your character depending upon your approach (ranged, melee, magic, or a mix). Enemy AI seems to be improved also. If an enemy gets severely wounded (human or animal), they may run away to heal and you'll have to start all over. Groups will split up and surround you using a mix of tactics. Getting surrounded, even by weak creatures can be death to Jax. There's also flying creatures that can be challenging, as they have different attacks and moves. It's hard to get a decent screen shot during combat though, as hitting that F12 key means taking my hand off either the keyboard or the mouse.
Conversation choices and your actions in certain situations will affect how the game plays out. Almost everything you do or say can affect your relationship with a faction, a person, a companion or even how your Jax develops. It's real role playing.
Conversations and cut scenes (of which there are more in Elex 2 the previous game) are more cinematic, more along the lines of a Mass Effect or Dragon Age game. They don't come close to Bioware level by any means, and some are better than others, but I think it's a huge step forward and more involved that anything that Piranha Bytes has done to date.
Companions have unique personalities and their own quests and beliefs, and there is a paragon/renegade type system in place which will affect how they react to you. I like it, and it adds a lot more life to the game. Some are better than others, and some will be familiar to you if you played Elex.
Meeting Falk
Oh, a word on companion combat AI: it's pretty bad. Sometimes they'll just stand there for a few seconds before they actually join the fight, but other times they fight immediately. It's very erratic in implementation. But it will save your life to take one with you, as some combat can be brutal for Jax by himself.
Voice acting and dialog is a mixed bag, ranging from very good to a bit shaky. Even the shaky ones just make me laugh, so I can deal with it.
All in all I'm loving my time in Elex 2, and outside of the performance issues at release, I don't understand all the negative press it received. I think Piranha Bytes would have benefited from outsourcing a wider range of beta testers before release if just to find how it runs on a larger variety of PCs.
If you love old-school, open world RPGs take Jax out exploring.
I'm currently at about 83 hours and still in chapter 1. For some gamers, that might seem like an exorbitant amount of time, but not for me. It's just how I play these open world RPGs, whether it's Elex 2, or Skyrim, or any of several others. If you just followed the main story and ignored a lot of the exploration and side quests you could probably finish it much sooner, but then you're missing out on the heart of the game.
Updates
There was a small patch (#4) on May 4th that mainly addressed a few bugs:
ELEX II - Patch 4 Notes - Steam News
- Fixed 'Glory to the Rabble' quest not being closed if the player joins the Albs - Changed: The option stepper does not repeat when clicking the buttons using the mouse - Crane will no longer be mentioned in "Recruiting for Heinrich" - if the Player hasn't started "A bounty for Crane" yet. -...
There's now also a beta branch for DX12 that improves the performance & stuttering issues that many were having (I still haven't had any myself). Some players are reporting a 50-60% increase in FPS, which is pretty huge. But there also seems to be some graphical/texture glitches along with that which is why it's still in the beta branch. You can find that info here:
ELEX II DX12 Public Test :: ELEX II General Discussions
Thank you all for your feedback regarding performance issues for Elex 2! Today we are introducing the "Public Test Branch" for "Elex 2". You can join the Public Test Branch by simply activating the branch "ElexIIDX12" on the "Betas" tab in the Properties of the ELEX II app in the Steam client...
Gameplay
In my opinion it's excellent. This is an old-school open world RPG, with a vast world to explore with varied environments and lighting. One of the things that Piranha Bytes does best is create living breathing worlds.
Combat I'm finding to be much more fluid and intuitive than Elex. There's a lot of different ways to build your character depending upon your approach (ranged, melee, magic, or a mix). Enemy AI seems to be improved also. If an enemy gets severely wounded (human or animal), they may run away to heal and you'll have to start all over. Groups will split up and surround you using a mix of tactics. Getting surrounded, even by weak creatures can be death to Jax. There's also flying creatures that can be challenging, as they have different attacks and moves. It's hard to get a decent screen shot during combat though, as hitting that F12 key means taking my hand off either the keyboard or the mouse.
Conversation choices and your actions in certain situations will affect how the game plays out. Almost everything you do or say can affect your relationship with a faction, a person, a companion or even how your Jax develops. It's real role playing.
Conversations and cut scenes (of which there are more in Elex 2 the previous game) are more cinematic, more along the lines of a Mass Effect or Dragon Age game. They don't come close to Bioware level by any means, and some are better than others, but I think it's a huge step forward and more involved that anything that Piranha Bytes has done to date.
Companions have unique personalities and their own quests and beliefs, and there is a paragon/renegade type system in place which will affect how they react to you. I like it, and it adds a lot more life to the game. Some are better than others, and some will be familiar to you if you played Elex.
Meeting Falk
Oh, a word on companion combat AI: it's pretty bad. Sometimes they'll just stand there for a few seconds before they actually join the fight, but other times they fight immediately. It's very erratic in implementation. But it will save your life to take one with you, as some combat can be brutal for Jax by himself.
Voice acting and dialog is a mixed bag, ranging from very good to a bit shaky. Even the shaky ones just make me laugh, so I can deal with it.
All in all I'm loving my time in Elex 2, and outside of the performance issues at release, I don't understand all the negative press it received. I think Piranha Bytes would have benefited from outsourcing a wider range of beta testers before release if just to find how it runs on a larger variety of PCs.
If you love old-school, open world RPGs take Jax out exploring.
!!! I tend to be pretty slow getting through games, and even I got through all of ELEX 1 in less than 80 hours!
I have to admit I'm a bit strange in my gaming compared to most gamers. I don't play a lot of different games over the course of a year (probably less than 20=25), but when I find one that I really like it's not uncommon for me to play several hundred hours if it's an open world-type game.
Hey, I finally reached Chapter 2:
Actually, that was roughly 10 days ago, and currently sitting at 160.1 hrs according to Steam. But as with the 1st Elex, and even Gothic 3, a lot of my time is just exploring off the beaten path, not following any particular quest. But that's a big part of these games for me, much like in Skyrim and the 1st person Fallouts. I never know what I'll discover. The map is huge, and I've turned off the mini-map to add to the suspense.
There's always trying to find the secret map pieces (as in Elex):
Or sometimes just finding weird/funny things:
Combat intensity as amped up also. Not bullet sponge-type enemies really, but the number and variety of enemies, as well as attack types. It's not uncommon to be surrounded by 10-12 enemies (or more) and with several of them having the "skull" marking (meaning they're above your level for those that don't know). I haven't been able to take any decent combat screenshots, as the action is just too fast. Maybe I'll try to take my 1st gameplay video.
The DX12 patch is still in beta, but I still haven't had any performance issues. I did however run into 2 bugs that forced me to reload a saved game, but I believe they were both a result of scripted events not triggering correctly.
There are quite a few short (but skippable) cut scenes before & after certain quests, which does (for the most part) give Elex 2 a more "cinematic feel" like a Mass Effect game would have. The 2 times they didn't trigger like they should, was after a combat sequence (both different). The result was that Jax just froze solid, with no interaction with the world possible. The game itself didn't freeze, just Jax. So it was possible to access the main menu and load a save. And on replaying, everything triggered properly. Maybe not so much a specific bug, as a random script failing to trigger. But it is very rare.
Two good things about Elex 2 that can help with that situation (though not prevent it), is that there are several auto-save slots (the frequency of which you can set in the options), as well as the benefit of being able to quick save during combat. That can be dangerous though, as it's easy to make one right before you get killed. And you can get killed quickly.
@Zloth - If I'm revealing too much information in these occasional posts, let me know and I'll curtail them, as I'm trying not to give any spoilers.
Actually, that was roughly 10 days ago, and currently sitting at 160.1 hrs according to Steam. But as with the 1st Elex, and even Gothic 3, a lot of my time is just exploring off the beaten path, not following any particular quest. But that's a big part of these games for me, much like in Skyrim and the 1st person Fallouts. I never know what I'll discover. The map is huge, and I've turned off the mini-map to add to the suspense.
There's always trying to find the secret map pieces (as in Elex):
Or sometimes just finding weird/funny things:
Combat intensity as amped up also. Not bullet sponge-type enemies really, but the number and variety of enemies, as well as attack types. It's not uncommon to be surrounded by 10-12 enemies (or more) and with several of them having the "skull" marking (meaning they're above your level for those that don't know). I haven't been able to take any decent combat screenshots, as the action is just too fast. Maybe I'll try to take my 1st gameplay video.
The DX12 patch is still in beta, but I still haven't had any performance issues. I did however run into 2 bugs that forced me to reload a saved game, but I believe they were both a result of scripted events not triggering correctly.
There are quite a few short (but skippable) cut scenes before & after certain quests, which does (for the most part) give Elex 2 a more "cinematic feel" like a Mass Effect game would have. The 2 times they didn't trigger like they should, was after a combat sequence (both different). The result was that Jax just froze solid, with no interaction with the world possible. The game itself didn't freeze, just Jax. So it was possible to access the main menu and load a save. And on replaying, everything triggered properly. Maybe not so much a specific bug, as a random script failing to trigger. But it is very rare.
Two good things about Elex 2 that can help with that situation (though not prevent it), is that there are several auto-save slots (the frequency of which you can set in the options), as well as the benefit of being able to quick save during combat. That can be dangerous though, as it's easy to make one right before you get killed. And you can get killed quickly.
@Zloth - If I'm revealing too much information in these occasional posts, let me know and I'll curtail them, as I'm trying not to give any spoilers.
@Zloth - The game map is partly new (maybe mostly?) and part of the old. The cool thing is (at least I like it), is that the areas from Elex that you travel have changed, sometimes radically, but you'll recognize certain features that were in Elex. To say how or why would be too much of a spoiler for the story I think. There are still mountains to the north. Some of the new areas are really different:
The map piece screenshot is #16, in the lower right hand corner of the complete secret map (I'm still missing 5 parts).
The map piece screenshot is #16, in the lower right hand corner of the complete secret map (I'm still missing 5 parts).
Frindis
Moderator
@mainer Is there a lot of cool loot to find off the beaten path? Like a hidden sword or gun that has some good stats or a legendary chest piece etc. I'm a sucker for going on treasure hunts but often in RPG games there just isn't enough focus on hidden loot. Skyrim and Morrowind is probably my best example of how I want the loot to be as you can often find some really cool stuff hidden in caves or directions to some loot from map/notes you find, etc.
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@Frindis - There are unique weapons that you can find, but I would say the frequency at which you find them isn't on the same scale aa Morrowind/Oblivion/Skyrim. And you've really got to search off the beaten path. But when you find one it feels good because of the rarity.
No unique armor though. Good armor is hard to find and expensive to buy, ant the best (at this point) seems to be tied to joining a faction. It's possible that could change, but I haven't found any. You'll also frequently find non-unique weapons that are better than what you have, most of which can be upgraded at crafting stations to do more damage. Weapon use is tied to what stats you've increased.
No real collectables to find outside of the map pieces (which is aways a thrill for me), potions that can increase stats and/or learning points and health potions (which are huge in the beginning). Some areas are only accessible with an upgraded jetpack (which is on your skill tree). Also ore veins to mine, various notes and audio tapes or recipes, ore veins to mine, locked containers which can be picked or hacked, and a lot of stuff just to sell. My basic rule of thumb in an open world game like this (as well as the ES series), is if I can pick it up, I will. My favorite achievement:
@Zloth - Another thing I should mention, because I know you often choose to play a magic user, is that Elex 2 seems geared towards weapon type characters, at least that's my impression so far. I rarely create a magic user unless I'm creating a party of characters. I'm just a weapons type player when it comes to combat. All skills, with the exception of magic skills, are there to learn for anyone, if you find the right trainer and have the money. Magic skills are locked behind 3 major factions, and it's doubtful that you'll be able to even join a faction for quite awhile. So it feels like a magic using character is going to be more difficult to build early on in the game. It must be possible, but it seems like you might have a larger handicap at the beginning.
No unique armor though. Good armor is hard to find and expensive to buy, ant the best (at this point) seems to be tied to joining a faction. It's possible that could change, but I haven't found any. You'll also frequently find non-unique weapons that are better than what you have, most of which can be upgraded at crafting stations to do more damage. Weapon use is tied to what stats you've increased.
No real collectables to find outside of the map pieces (which is aways a thrill for me), potions that can increase stats and/or learning points and health potions (which are huge in the beginning). Some areas are only accessible with an upgraded jetpack (which is on your skill tree). Also ore veins to mine, various notes and audio tapes or recipes, ore veins to mine, locked containers which can be picked or hacked, and a lot of stuff just to sell. My basic rule of thumb in an open world game like this (as well as the ES series), is if I can pick it up, I will. My favorite achievement:
@Zloth - Another thing I should mention, because I know you often choose to play a magic user, is that Elex 2 seems geared towards weapon type characters, at least that's my impression so far. I rarely create a magic user unless I'm creating a party of characters. I'm just a weapons type player when it comes to combat. All skills, with the exception of magic skills, are there to learn for anyone, if you find the right trainer and have the money. Magic skills are locked behind 3 major factions, and it's doubtful that you'll be able to even join a faction for quite awhile. So it feels like a magic using character is going to be more difficult to build early on in the game. It must be possible, but it seems like you might have a larger handicap at the beginning.
The first game was, too. I had to sneak around through the NE part of the map in ELEX 1 to join the priesthood thing. It was some time after that before I got to some good spells. A laser gun and a companion with an even bigger laser gun were big power jumps for me.
Hey, I finally completed Elex 2! Final character level 57, joined Berserkers and gained Paladin level. Total hours played (according to Steam) was 222.8.
Even though I was a Berserker, I never used or upgraded the magic skills (although I did max out 4 skill trees, including the jedpack). I'm a weapons type-player, but I wanted some continuity with my Elex 1 game. As Minsc would say:
View: https://youtu.be/6femF3zHbtA
And I still haven't explored every single area on the map, but I did manage to complete all the 16 map pieces quest, though the results were somewhat disappointing (confession: I had to Google 2 of the 16 parts because I just couldn't find them).
Overall, my experience was that it was an incredible, open world RPG, where many of you choices in conversations and actions could have a huge effect on the outcome, as well as companions. Yeah, the character animations are a bit rough, surviving early can be brutal, and the technical issues are well publicized; but the immersion in a living world and story was awesome.
Concerning the technical aspects, I never had any, outside of 1 random CTD (which could have been from anything & non-repeatable), and three instances where Jax froze solid (not the game) and I had to reload my most recent save. All 3 of those events were, I believe, from scripted events not trigger correctly. And all of those were on companion missions (of which there are many) and non-repeatable (also loading a save game and it doesn't reoccur). Quick save often, even during combat.
There are also Easter Eggs (as in all PB games) to be found. Explore early (Chapter 1) and often, as that's where you'll find many of the map pieces and some of the "unique" weapons, which can be a life-saver. Like "Capt'n Spike":
One of my favorite Easter Eggs, was a secret quest that can be hard to get, but I'm putting it behind "spoiler" tags for those who may want to play won't be spoiled (that sounds awkward). But seriously @Zloth , don't look, because I know you may plan to play in the future (since this is your post). It does contain my first ever gameplay footage video from YouTube. (@ZedClampet - I figured out my microphone issue, which I posted about to your response).
Even though I was a Berserker, I never used or upgraded the magic skills (although I did max out 4 skill trees, including the jedpack). I'm a weapons type-player, but I wanted some continuity with my Elex 1 game. As Minsc would say:
And I still haven't explored every single area on the map, but I did manage to complete all the 16 map pieces quest, though the results were somewhat disappointing (confession: I had to Google 2 of the 16 parts because I just couldn't find them).
Overall, my experience was that it was an incredible, open world RPG, where many of you choices in conversations and actions could have a huge effect on the outcome, as well as companions. Yeah, the character animations are a bit rough, surviving early can be brutal, and the technical issues are well publicized; but the immersion in a living world and story was awesome.
Concerning the technical aspects, I never had any, outside of 1 random CTD (which could have been from anything & non-repeatable), and three instances where Jax froze solid (not the game) and I had to reload my most recent save. All 3 of those events were, I believe, from scripted events not trigger correctly. And all of those were on companion missions (of which there are many) and non-repeatable (also loading a save game and it doesn't reoccur). Quick save often, even during combat.
There are also Easter Eggs (as in all PB games) to be found. Explore early (Chapter 1) and often, as that's where you'll find many of the map pieces and some of the "unique" weapons, which can be a life-saver. Like "Capt'n Spike":
One of my favorite Easter Eggs, was a secret quest that can be hard to get, but I'm putting it behind "spoiler" tags for those who may want to play won't be spoiled (that sounds awkward). But seriously @Zloth , don't look, because I know you may plan to play in the future (since this is your post). It does contain my first ever gameplay footage video from YouTube. (@ZedClampet - I figured out my microphone issue, which I posted about to your response).
@Zloth - I said not to look! Anyway, it may not be a huge spoiler as I don't mention how to get the quest, just the result. It's for the Billy Idol concert, but it was still cool to me because I hadn't seen any quest like it in any RPGs I've played since the Blind Guardian concert in Sacred 2. On a side note, it took me what seemed like forever to upload this thing. Maybe it's just my upload speed from Spectrum, but mygod, it took almost 30 minutes.
View: https://youtu.be/rvT014oRlJ4
I'm enjoying the game a lot, too. It's janky - oh boy is it janky! - but it's great fun.
It's interesting how the towns have little "tour" quests for you. All but one of the faction towns has one of the door guards guide you through the major points of the town. You'll need that, too, because your map doesn't say what building is the tavern and what building is the armory.
Last night, I was trying to get permission to get into the Berserker fort when I noticed a couple of guys talking about supplies, and one was worried that somebody would follow them. Well, obviously, I followed them, thinking maybe it would help me into the fort (either by narking on them or helping them). They ran clear to the other side of the fort and got attacked by some big raptor-like monster - and they killed it easily. Ohhhh kay. I guess killing them and taking their stuff is out.
They keep running, though, and attacking monsters. They don't seem to mind me following. Sometimes I help with the monsters - and most of the time I get no XP for doing so. Makes sense as I only did maybe 5% of the damage. At least I can grab the loot off them - which is mostly just the monsters' teeth.
And the Berserkers just keep running! We go past the starting area, up past the amphitheater, and up near the northern mountains, leaving a path of toothless corpses in our wake. Finally, they run into the Outlaw's town - and I run right after them.
POOF!!!
It seems I have to talk to a beggar I didn't even notice on the side of the pathway. By the time I finish talking with him, the Berserkers are gone. Frak. Re-load. Same thing. Re-load. This time I managed to get by somehow. The Berserkers only run a little further before stopping, saying that this town isn't very good, and decide they want to go to a castle. Then they take off running again, back the way they came. I take off after them and
POOF!!!
Damn beggar. But wait, a castle? I know a castle! It's another town and another long run from here. That means they'll run by the teleporter just outside of the Outlaw's town, which means I can just teleport there and wait. I do, and it works!
To make a very long story just kinda long, these guys make a grand tour of all but one of the major towns in the game! If I hadn't picked up on the "hope nobody follows us" bit and followed them, they would have just been a couple of guys I heard complaining as I explored each town. Instead, I got easy passage to three towns I hadn't seen before, a bunch of teeth to sell, and the Berserkers even killed off a patrol of nasties that are part of another quest I had in my backlog!
It's interesting how the towns have little "tour" quests for you. All but one of the faction towns has one of the door guards guide you through the major points of the town. You'll need that, too, because your map doesn't say what building is the tavern and what building is the armory.
Last night, I was trying to get permission to get into the Berserker fort when I noticed a couple of guys talking about supplies, and one was worried that somebody would follow them. Well, obviously, I followed them, thinking maybe it would help me into the fort (either by narking on them or helping them). They ran clear to the other side of the fort and got attacked by some big raptor-like monster - and they killed it easily. Ohhhh kay. I guess killing them and taking their stuff is out.
They keep running, though, and attacking monsters. They don't seem to mind me following. Sometimes I help with the monsters - and most of the time I get no XP for doing so. Makes sense as I only did maybe 5% of the damage. At least I can grab the loot off them - which is mostly just the monsters' teeth.
And the Berserkers just keep running! We go past the starting area, up past the amphitheater, and up near the northern mountains, leaving a path of toothless corpses in our wake. Finally, they run into the Outlaw's town - and I run right after them.
POOF!!!
It seems I have to talk to a beggar I didn't even notice on the side of the pathway. By the time I finish talking with him, the Berserkers are gone. Frak. Re-load. Same thing. Re-load. This time I managed to get by somehow. The Berserkers only run a little further before stopping, saying that this town isn't very good, and decide they want to go to a castle. Then they take off running again, back the way they came. I take off after them and
POOF!!!
Damn beggar. But wait, a castle? I know a castle! It's another town and another long run from here. That means they'll run by the teleporter just outside of the Outlaw's town, which means I can just teleport there and wait. I do, and it works!
To make a very long story just kinda long, these guys make a grand tour of all but one of the major towns in the game! If I hadn't picked up on the "hope nobody follows us" bit and followed them, they would have just been a couple of guys I heard complaining as I explored each town. Instead, I got easy passage to three towns I hadn't seen before, a bunch of teeth to sell, and the Berserkers even killed off a patrol of nasties that are part of another quest I had in my backlog!
So much fun, so much jank!
I got Jax some shades.
I wish I had gotten them earlier! The loot in this game is just lying around. You can't just push tab or some other key to highlight them - all you can do is run around likely spots and watch for prompts. That is, until you get some sunglasses. Then all the objects get a faint blue outline. I'm finding all sorts of stuff now!
On the side of the jank.... it looks like most of the NPCs that aren't major characters have had their eyebrows copied.
The characters' left eyebrows all have issues in the same spot. This guy isn't too bad, but some of them end up having a gap right at that spot.
I got Jax some shades.
I wish I had gotten them earlier! The loot in this game is just lying around. You can't just push tab or some other key to highlight them - all you can do is run around likely spots and watch for prompts. That is, until you get some sunglasses. Then all the objects get a faint blue outline. I'm finding all sorts of stuff now!
On the side of the jank.... it looks like most of the NPCs that aren't major characters have had their eyebrows copied.
The characters' left eyebrows all have issues in the same spot. This guy isn't too bad, but some of them end up having a gap right at that spot.
Errrr, the magic system of the Albs kinda reeks. It's very flashy - so flashy I can barely see what I'm shooting at, especially at night.
View: https://youtu.be/h83KmAYvUF8
The only way to replenish your magic powers is to take essence from the dead. That could be fine - but any dead critter only gives you back a fairly small % of your power. If you're attacking with just magic, you'll either have to let your companion do nearly all the damage or your magic is going to slowly go down. Sleeping isn't going to restore it, no potion or food can restore it, it's got to come from dead people/critters. I suppose you could kill rats and other vermin to get it, but the game treats that as an evil act. (There's even an evil laugh when you do it!)
So, for most people, this likely isn't going to work well as your main attack. But, if you're already going to get strong with some other attack, why are you bothering with this one? Just learn the other attack type. Maybe for the heal spell?
The only way to replenish your magic powers is to take essence from the dead. That could be fine - but any dead critter only gives you back a fairly small % of your power. If you're attacking with just magic, you'll either have to let your companion do nearly all the damage or your magic is going to slowly go down. Sleeping isn't going to restore it, no potion or food can restore it, it's got to come from dead people/critters. I suppose you could kill rats and other vermin to get it, but the game treats that as an evil act. (There's even an evil laugh when you do it!)
So, for most people, this likely isn't going to work well as your main attack. But, if you're already going to get strong with some other attack, why are you bothering with this one? Just learn the other attack type. Maybe for the heal spell?
I bailed on the Albs. I went back before I chose the Albs as my faction, losing a few hours of gameplay. But, as I had just done that gameplay, it didn't take all that long to catch up. Instead, I went to the other faction with magic: the Berserkers.
The magic they use has been a lot more fun, though now I'm worried about this Rain of Fire spell. It's TOO strong! Even big, extra-nasty enemies can be taken down pretty easily with it.
The magic they use has been a lot more fun, though now I'm worried about this Rain of Fire spell. It's TOO strong! Even big, extra-nasty enemies can be taken down pretty easily with it.
This is turning out to be useful. The game's quest quality is starting to drop. Instead of having something interesting to do, more of them are becoming "go here and defeat these dozen baddies" types. Rain of Fire kills them quick, so you can move on to something more interesting.
Oh, and check this out: an actual quest to kill a few rats! At least it has some dialog around it but... kill rats?? Really? I recorded that expecting PB to turn it into some sort of joke, but nope - not unless it's a joke that's got a very delayed punchline.
(not so safe for work - the guy really doesn't like rats)
I'm getting near the end of the game. It's not really building up to a great climax. There were some cool underground areas (even if the textures tended to vanish when at the edge of the screen). They got repetitive fast, but the game only asks you to do a couple of them, so that worked out. The main story is getting a bit looney, though, and their storytelling skills are going downhill as the game progresses.
In one of the late missions, a high level guy from the enemy wants to chat with me.
Why? I guess because PB can't tell a story without a ton of exposition. This could have been discovered in interesting ways, but the way this was done felt more like "oh, we forgot to tell the player what's happening - let's just drop this guy in here to spill the beans."
There are some great things about this game, but there are also a lot of outright amateurish things, too.
In one of the late missions, a high level guy from the enemy wants to chat with me.
For some reason, instead of wanting to chat in neutral territory, he wants to chat in the last room of a dungeon. A very hostile dungeon, too - I have to kill quite a few of his friends and pets to chat with him. He then proceeds to tell me why they are attacking, where they came from, and so on. Then he decides he's going to kill me. Now, he's pretty tough for his faction, but he's not the toughest and he's also completely alone. He doesn't have a chance, but he tries anyway and dies without even doing any damage to me.
Why? I guess because PB can't tell a story without a ton of exposition. This could have been discovered in interesting ways, but the way this was done felt more like "oh, we forgot to tell the player what's happening - let's just drop this guy in here to spill the beans."
There are some great things about this game, but there are also a lot of outright amateurish things, too.
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