Any gamers around here?

[Jutter]

Enjoying Diablo 3 again. It's been gathering dust for a while, but now it's great to see how patching has improved things. Now, after reaching the old lvl60 cap, you gain so-called paragon levels that boost magic/gold find. I have one lvl60+ wizzard to play inferno-level with, but the other heroes are still lagging behind.

[Agramon]

A new video for the Witcher 3 was recently released. I'm super stoked:

[youtube:3uf092gb]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c0i88t0Kacs[/youtube:3uf092gb]

[Agramon]

Enjoying Diablo 3 again. It's been gathering dust for a while, but now it's great to see how patching has improved things. Now, after reaching the old lvl60 cap, you gain so-called paragon levels that boost magic/gold find. I have one lvl60+ wizzard to play inferno-level with, but the other heroes are still lagging behind.

Funny you mention D3 - Blizzard just released the intro cinematic to the new expansion (obviously spoilers ahead if you haven't played D3):

[youtube:16vozsxv]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cb7QJwQ58T0[/youtube:16vozsxv]

[missingnocchi]

I played the EU4 demo. I really dislike it. There are plenty of good changes, but the biggest change, and one they didn't mention prior to the release, is "Monarch Power." It is basically the mechanism by which the game now works: half of the decisions you make require spending some Monarch Power, and you receive it whenever you accomplish something. It basically makes the game less realistic and oversimplified, and removes a lot of the challenge. The money situation is also a lot easier. It's basically impossible to lose money now, and worrying about inflation vs. investments is a thing of the past. This game got 8's and 9's mostly, but I give it a 6. I think a lot of these high scores are a result of new players having no experience with the game's predecessors, as well as returning players who haven't touched EU3 in years. Huge disappointment, especially since so many of the other changes were so good and so needed (missions are more varied and you have a choice as to what mission path you follow, trade is far more engaging with the addition of trade routes and different roles for traders, and diplomats et al. return instead of disappearing after one use.) Not sure how I feel about the combat. On the one hand, it basically makes every battle life or death, but that does mean retreating and maneuvering is used to more effect. I suppose it will be fine once I get used to it. By the way, I only play Heir to the Throne for EU3, so if some of these changes were already made in Divine Wind, that's why I didn't know. I thought Divine Wind sucked too, so I went back after two campaigns.

I've also been using Minecraft to learn how computers work.

[Nonsensei]

D3 xdpac: Good cinematic trailer, but it tells us nothing about the game itself.

[Jutter]

D3 xdpac: Good cinematic trailer, but it tells us nothing about the game itself.

What's anounced is an extra hero-class. I expect the Crusader will be reminescent of D2's Paladin, same as the Wizzard is reminescent of D2's Elementalist. It'll also raise the level-cap to 70, and remove the levelcap for paragon-levels altogether. The latter sounds particularly enticing, since each paragon-level ups your gold-and-magic-find by 3%

[Nonsensei]

D3 xdpac: Good cinematic trailer, but it tells us nothing about the game itself.

What's anounced is an extra hero-class. I expect the Crusader will be reminescent of D2's Paladin, same as the Wizzard is reminescent of D2's Elementalist. It'll also raise the level-cap to 70, and remove the levelcap for paragon-levels altogether. The latter sounds particularly enticing, since each paragon-level ups your gold-and-magic-find by 3%

Yeah I guess. But the RMAH is still going to be in, which is the root of all the game's problems.

Ill pass.

[Plu]

I never even made it to the RMAH... I already got bored with the game while playing through the demo. :/

[Agramon]

Hopefully this will be like LOD was to D2 (or at least as awesome as I remember it being). I'll still buy it like the Blizzard sheep I am, even if it ends up being another let down.

[Nonsensei]

Hopefully this will be like LOD was to D2 (or at least as awesome as I remember it being). I'll still buy it like the Blizzard sheep I am, even if it ends up being another let down.

I really don't think it can be the D3 LoD. D2 was an alright game. It suffered from a lack of features and content but the foundation was there right from the beginning. All that was needed to push it from good to great was a shot in the arm with a couple new classes, a well polished new area, new items, etc. LoD fit the bill nicely.

D3's problems run much deeper. The entire economic aspect of the game is deeply flawed. The scarcity of decent items is intentionally severe so as to facilitate large RMAH sales. People wanting to experience D3 as a fully geared max level character have a choice of either farming for months and months or spending real money. This largely destroys what most appeals to a lot of dungeon crawler RPG fans - the possibility of getting a really fucking awesome drop. The chance still exists in D3, but it is much lower than either of its predecessors. Even if you get a highly valuable drop, theres a good chance it has shitty rolls. A popular weapon like Echoing Fury can roll with 1320 base DPS or as little as 680. It can roll with a socket or with increased health globe healing. And it seems like the stat rolls are skewed to generally be shitty.

Finding awesome gear is much harder and until they fix that, in a game where the primary activity is finding items, no amount of additional content and features will be enough to make the game palatable for me.

[GrinningYMIR]

I never got D3, I still play D2 :3.....don't judge

My personal favorite Series is Mass Effect, with only wow and Battlefront 2 beating it for pure hours spent gaming.

I like the story of Mass Effect a great deal, though I recognize it's weaknesses, I felt the voice acting was spot on, and the characters were likeable and memorable. If the writers did one thing correctly it was creating a story in which you grew attached tot he characters, and felt true emotion when they were hurt or died.

Something that future writers should aspire to accomplish ya know?

[Shiranu]

I never got D3, I still play D2 :3.....don't judge

My personal favorite Series is Mass Effect, with only wow and Battlefront 2 beating it for pure hours spent gaming.

I like the story of Mass Effect a great deal, though I recognize it's weaknesses, I felt the voice acting was spot on, and the characters were likeable and memorable. If the writers did one thing correctly it was creating a story in which you grew attached tot he characters, and felt true emotion when they were hurt or died.

Something that future writers should aspire to accomplish ya know?

Mass Effect is the best series of all time... OF ALL TIME!

[GrinningYMIR]

*high fives Shiranu*

Yeah it is!

[Solitary]

I never got D3, I still play D2 :3.....don't judge

My personal favorite Series is Mass Effect, with only wow and Battlefront 2 beating it for pure hours spent gaming.

I like the story of Mass Effect a great deal, though I recognize it's weaknesses, I felt the voice acting was spot on, and the characters were likeable and memorable. If the writers did one thing correctly it was creating a story in which you grew attached tot he characters, and felt true emotion when they were hurt or died.

Something that future writers should aspire to accomplish ya know?

I agree! The Mass Effect series is my favorite video game for the reasons you say. The only thing I didn't like is that you have to die at the end. The whole point of a game is to win not lose. I've gone through three very expensive video cards playing the series. My son said that's about average. Solitary

[Solitary]

I never got D3, I still play D2 :3.....don't judge

My personal favorite Series is Mass Effect, with only wow and Battlefront 2 beating it for pure hours spent gaming.

I like the story of Mass Effect a great deal, though I recognize it's weaknesses, I felt the voice acting was spot on, and the characters were likeable and memorable. If the writers did one thing correctly it was creating a story in which you grew attached tot he characters, and felt true emotion when they were hurt or died.

Something that future writers should aspire to accomplish ya know?

Mass Effect is the best series of all time... OF ALL TIME!

I agree completely! Solitary