They seem to be constantly changing and tweaking the game. This last update has radically changed the combat. All units have more hit points and the special powers you can use are either one use only, for the minor powers, or they take an action point, as for the big powers.
At first I thought they'd screwed it up big time, but I did a complete run through and I think it may be even better now. I'm a little tentative saying this, as I found an annoying bug, but once that's cleared up and I've had another chance to run through I'll have a firmer opinion.
Also, having now played the Banner Saga, I feel a little more appreciation for the combat system. I do think the Banner Saga does it much better and I'll be writing about that game soon!
Elite: Horizons beta opens tomorrow!!!!
Sunday, 29 November 2015
Saturday, 28 November 2015
Another busy period and lots of talk about!
Since my last post, my girlfriend and I have been on a road trip to see various parts of my family in the west country, south coast and then to Nottingham to see friends, before trooping back up north. It was fantastic, but now xmas is right around the corner and it feels like a big chunk of time just vanished!
So, what has happened during this time:
- I ran some Only War with my brother and a friend. I was really happy to finally be getting into it. Felt a little strange at first, but all credit to the guys I was GMing, they played along well and I think they essentially enjoyed themselves. I'm more chuffed because it felt like finally opening a door. I know I've run a little Star War before, but that was all pre-generated material. This felt like the first time I'd really step into GMing properly.
- I bought Star Citizen! I met some friends from Nottingham, one had a referral code, so I took it and bought one of the limited, reduced priced starter games for Star Citizen. There is also the hope of being able to jump into their newly releasing mini-open universe! The arena commander module is ok, but after playing so much Elite, it doesn't feel like anything very special. But, I can imagine this being a great narrative experience and I can imagine multicrew ships being a big deal! In Elite I'm still unsure how multicrew ships are going to work.
- Elite has many exciting updates coming! Horizons beta starts on Monday, for which I am really excited and I've been starting to pop back into the game and am really enjoying it. I think getting Star Citizen made me realise just how much I missed Elite and how good it is.
- I bought a Play Station 4. I feel a little guilty about this as I'm not currently earning. But, it was a crazy good Black Friday deal and my girlfriend had some ideas for xmas presents, which involved it, so we made the plunge. I do plan to be earning in the not so distant future though!
- Lastly, for now, I bought The Banner Saga. It was on a mega offer for £3. So, for the price of a pint I've just bought what is, so far, an astonishing game! I'm really blown away by it so far, I think my girlfriend may like this one too.
That's it for now on the gaming front. I'm still job hunting; I've been advised January's a good month for some companies, so fingers crossed. I'm also getting back into my Swedish and reading a few books again, so everything's looking up and I'm feeling a bit more productive these days.
So, what has happened during this time:
- I ran some Only War with my brother and a friend. I was really happy to finally be getting into it. Felt a little strange at first, but all credit to the guys I was GMing, they played along well and I think they essentially enjoyed themselves. I'm more chuffed because it felt like finally opening a door. I know I've run a little Star War before, but that was all pre-generated material. This felt like the first time I'd really step into GMing properly.
- I bought Star Citizen! I met some friends from Nottingham, one had a referral code, so I took it and bought one of the limited, reduced priced starter games for Star Citizen. There is also the hope of being able to jump into their newly releasing mini-open universe! The arena commander module is ok, but after playing so much Elite, it doesn't feel like anything very special. But, I can imagine this being a great narrative experience and I can imagine multicrew ships being a big deal! In Elite I'm still unsure how multicrew ships are going to work.
- Elite has many exciting updates coming! Horizons beta starts on Monday, for which I am really excited and I've been starting to pop back into the game and am really enjoying it. I think getting Star Citizen made me realise just how much I missed Elite and how good it is.
- I bought a Play Station 4. I feel a little guilty about this as I'm not currently earning. But, it was a crazy good Black Friday deal and my girlfriend had some ideas for xmas presents, which involved it, so we made the plunge. I do plan to be earning in the not so distant future though!
- Lastly, for now, I bought The Banner Saga. It was on a mega offer for £3. So, for the price of a pint I've just bought what is, so far, an astonishing game! I'm really blown away by it so far, I think my girlfriend may like this one too.
That's it for now on the gaming front. I'm still job hunting; I've been advised January's a good month for some companies, so fingers crossed. I'm also getting back into my Swedish and reading a few books again, so everything's looking up and I'm feeling a bit more productive these days.
Thursday, 12 November 2015
Elite update 1.5 beta (titled "Ships"), likely to be up tomorrow
Perfect timing for me to be away for over a week!
I've been looking forward to this update since they mentioned it as it will add a whole raft of new ships to the game, plus yet another update to the missions, which have been getting better and better with time.
I'm annoyed to probably be missing the beta period as I know it would have probably been my only chance to ever fly some of the largest ships in the game.
In another month we'll have Elite: Horizons coming out and the beginning of another years worth of updates. It blows my mind to think that Elite was officially released less than a year ago. It's come on leaps and bounds, that's not to say it wasn't a very stable, compelling game when it first came out!
I don't know what's going on with Star Citizen, but often in the world of games developing, no news means there's something big coming up. So hopefully, despite their delays, we'll see something in the next month or two relating to their first proper release, Squadron 42.
I've been looking forward to this update since they mentioned it as it will add a whole raft of new ships to the game, plus yet another update to the missions, which have been getting better and better with time.
I'm annoyed to probably be missing the beta period as I know it would have probably been my only chance to ever fly some of the largest ships in the game.
In another month we'll have Elite: Horizons coming out and the beginning of another years worth of updates. It blows my mind to think that Elite was officially released less than a year ago. It's come on leaps and bounds, that's not to say it wasn't a very stable, compelling game when it first came out!
I don't know what's going on with Star Citizen, but often in the world of games developing, no news means there's something big coming up. So hopefully, despite their delays, we'll see something in the next month or two relating to their first proper release, Squadron 42.
Wednesday, 11 November 2015
Skyshine's Bedlam - revisited
It's been a while since I last played this and I wasn't sure I ever would. Not that the game was so bad, but it seemed quite incomplete and a bit frustrating.
Well, Skyshine have since updated the game again and I think they have finally starting get on the right track!
The battles feel more challenging again and each run through is a clear-cut run down to Aztec City. Previously, it felt a bit like a kick to the nads when they told you to turn around again. The good thing about this new game run is it makes a single play through a much more manageable hour or so, with a more linear structure to the game. You might say it has made the end game easier, but for a game that is supposed to have similarities and the "one sit down play through" style of FTL, this is a big improvement.
Other changes include a more clear-cut way to unlock the other dozers and the unlockable dozers having more distinct crew members, with varying characteristics depending on their faction, which is something I really like! Even when you recruit characters from other factions en route, they have their factions traits and so you end up with a mixed bag of different types of characters, all fighting together. It makes the game much more immersive. I'm also tempted to care about my characters a little more and rename them, as I know they won't have an epic struggle and almost inevitably die in the ruthless boss levels of the previous version.
There is still the problem with the travelling blurbs being repetitive and almost pointless. They really need to put a cost or a consequence for doing almost anything. Without this I just end up clicking through them, as I know them all, and wait to see what I get or whether it's an ambush. That part of the game could do with a re-vamp. But, saying that, the story and blurbs are interesting and well written - for the first 1 or 2 play throughs.
So, I think the game is worth a look at. If you have a few coins lying around it's not a ripoff, and if you ever see it on sale I'd say go for it.
And the art and music is excellent!
Well, Skyshine have since updated the game again and I think they have finally starting get on the right track!
The battles feel more challenging again and each run through is a clear-cut run down to Aztec City. Previously, it felt a bit like a kick to the nads when they told you to turn around again. The good thing about this new game run is it makes a single play through a much more manageable hour or so, with a more linear structure to the game. You might say it has made the end game easier, but for a game that is supposed to have similarities and the "one sit down play through" style of FTL, this is a big improvement.
Other changes include a more clear-cut way to unlock the other dozers and the unlockable dozers having more distinct crew members, with varying characteristics depending on their faction, which is something I really like! Even when you recruit characters from other factions en route, they have their factions traits and so you end up with a mixed bag of different types of characters, all fighting together. It makes the game much more immersive. I'm also tempted to care about my characters a little more and rename them, as I know they won't have an epic struggle and almost inevitably die in the ruthless boss levels of the previous version.
There is still the problem with the travelling blurbs being repetitive and almost pointless. They really need to put a cost or a consequence for doing almost anything. Without this I just end up clicking through them, as I know them all, and wait to see what I get or whether it's an ambush. That part of the game could do with a re-vamp. But, saying that, the story and blurbs are interesting and well written - for the first 1 or 2 play throughs.
So, I think the game is worth a look at. If you have a few coins lying around it's not a ripoff, and if you ever see it on sale I'd say go for it.
And the art and music is excellent!
Tuesday, 10 November 2015
Couch co-op games.
I feel very strongly about maintaining old skool couch gaming. It's something that feels like it's slowly being fazed out, with just a few games that cling to it (one of which is Call of Duty games, so fair play to them).
While my friend was up a few weeks back, we made a point of making sure we played some Gauntlet together and also Broforce. Both games were so much fun to be played sat shouting at each other and the screen, working as a team, sometimes griefing each other for a laugh.
Gauntlet endless mode is a great addition to the game and we managed to get to the 34th level of the procedurally generated dungeon, which is one level more than I ever managed on my own! Sadly, I belief Arrowhead are no longer going to put out anymore content for Gauntlet. It's a great game though and I still dabble in it.
Anyone who reads this blog will known I have a huge weakness for arcade style games. Easy, pick up and play action games that give you a buzz and make you laugh out loud. Some of the first games I bought for my xbox 360 were the downloadable arcade games, bomberman, joyride, arcade ice hockey and more. I think when added up, I've played more hours of arcade games than "proper" games.
If you're not sure about this fact and you have steam, then download Expendabros and try it out with a mate or two or three. It's free and so much fun.
While my friend was up a few weeks back, we made a point of making sure we played some Gauntlet together and also Broforce. Both games were so much fun to be played sat shouting at each other and the screen, working as a team, sometimes griefing each other for a laugh.
Gauntlet endless mode is a great addition to the game and we managed to get to the 34th level of the procedurally generated dungeon, which is one level more than I ever managed on my own! Sadly, I belief Arrowhead are no longer going to put out anymore content for Gauntlet. It's a great game though and I still dabble in it.
Anyone who reads this blog will known I have a huge weakness for arcade style games. Easy, pick up and play action games that give you a buzz and make you laugh out loud. Some of the first games I bought for my xbox 360 were the downloadable arcade games, bomberman, joyride, arcade ice hockey and more. I think when added up, I've played more hours of arcade games than "proper" games.
If you're not sure about this fact and you have steam, then download Expendabros and try it out with a mate or two or three. It's free and so much fun.
Monday, 9 November 2015
I've been busy!
I said I planned to be writing on my blog almost daily and I've failed rather miserably. But I have been quite busy for the last few weeks.
My friend came up to visit a few weeks back and we spent a week watching films (including all fast and furious films - the first few were the best) and playing computer games. The game of the week, for us, was World of Warships. We had to take it in turns, but we ploughed the game hard and I think the creators of World of Tanks have done another fantastic job and their business model is spot on, again. I'll write more about this in a separate post.
Not long after my friend left, my family came up to the lakes to visit. We had a great week, but in terms of gaming I didn't do much apart from a quick Dreadball game and a game of Betrayal at the House on the Hill. I had forgotten how good Dreadball was! The dice gods were very much with me, which greatly annoyed my brother, but the slick, action packed game was a lot of fun (for me at least, sorry bro). House on the Hill is always fun too. My girlfriend and I have played it with complete novice boardgamers and they've come away from the game having thoroughly enjoyed it. Once again my girlfriend became the haunter (she is freakily drawn to it, considering it's supposed to be random?! And I've never been the haunter in over 20 games!) and she almost won, only to be foiled in a do-or-die move from my brother, which banished the zombie lord back to the depths!
Next week I'll be going south to see my dad and my other brother, so there maybe more delay on some of my planned posts. But I hope to have much material to talk about once I'm home again.
We are planning some gaming for my visit south, maybe some x-wing, Dungeon Saga and/or Only War. The last one depends on me pulling my finger out and actually sorting it though, which I hate to doubt myself, but I know I usually let myself down. But I'm looking forward to it nonetheless.
My friend came up to visit a few weeks back and we spent a week watching films (including all fast and furious films - the first few were the best) and playing computer games. The game of the week, for us, was World of Warships. We had to take it in turns, but we ploughed the game hard and I think the creators of World of Tanks have done another fantastic job and their business model is spot on, again. I'll write more about this in a separate post.
Not long after my friend left, my family came up to the lakes to visit. We had a great week, but in terms of gaming I didn't do much apart from a quick Dreadball game and a game of Betrayal at the House on the Hill. I had forgotten how good Dreadball was! The dice gods were very much with me, which greatly annoyed my brother, but the slick, action packed game was a lot of fun (for me at least, sorry bro). House on the Hill is always fun too. My girlfriend and I have played it with complete novice boardgamers and they've come away from the game having thoroughly enjoyed it. Once again my girlfriend became the haunter (she is freakily drawn to it, considering it's supposed to be random?! And I've never been the haunter in over 20 games!) and she almost won, only to be foiled in a do-or-die move from my brother, which banished the zombie lord back to the depths!
Next week I'll be going south to see my dad and my other brother, so there maybe more delay on some of my planned posts. But I hope to have much material to talk about once I'm home again.
We are planning some gaming for my visit south, maybe some x-wing, Dungeon Saga and/or Only War. The last one depends on me pulling my finger out and actually sorting it though, which I hate to doubt myself, but I know I usually let myself down. But I'm looking forward to it nonetheless.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)