Cbirdsong

I'm really liking all the writing and world building in this game, but the upgrades and economy feel really poorly tuned? It doesn't seem like the first few boats are worth upgrading to from the starter one, but I haven't really had enough money to consider it anyway, despite having explored a good 2/3 of the map. It seems like the best way to not die is to just avoid combat, so gun upgrades aren't really worth much. Engine upgrades seem to consume a ton of fuel without a commensurate increase in speed, so the most efficient one is the one you start with. It seems like there are so many trap options. Is that the point? It does make zailing the zee feel rather inhospitable, I guess.

Yeah, and he said they covered AAA games because a critical mass of people are interested in them. That's the classy/not-cynical way to say they cover them to "get the clicks."

It would be fun to work to figure out how to jump through all four portals at once in Portal 2 co-op. Quite possibly a good achievement, depending on how difficult it is to actually do that. But: At that point, you're just collecting doodads to finish collecting the doodads.

Wii U technical note: Unlike the controllers, which use Mewtwooth, the Gamepad actually uses a private direct Wi-Fi (Shi-Gi-Fi?) connection to the console. I wish they sold Gamepad repeaters or anntenae. A little more range would be pretty useful. Yeah, I always liked those for co-op games, because you could tell how far your friends were if you saw them playing, and know if you could join in without spoiling anything. I always turn off notifications, though, even though it makes me miss messages and friend requests (and in Steam's case, all the highly useful in-game functionality). It sucks you can't be more granular with that stuff.

He has said his Dad survives entirely on cigarettes, energy drinks and Taco Bell. Knowing that, it's not surprising Dan is like he is.

The fort in Crestwood or possibly the Western Approach? I remember finding that those vendors that appear after completing quests often sold things you couldn't find anywhere else.Gathering materials is thematically stupid as well as mechanically boring. You're the leader of a world-shaking political organization and you have to pick your own elfroot and mine your own iron? The reliance on potions is also narratively weird. Cullen's whole storyline is about him kicking the lyrium additiction, but you can chug down all the lyrium-laced potions you can make and be fine. Since running out of healing potions is only a time sink, they should probably just replace them with healing spells limited by cooldowns. It actually works kinda like that already if you invest in Barrier, particularly on multiple mages. Replacing potions with additional cooldown-based healing/damage mitigation abilities to all the classes would just lean into that, which is far more interesting than Origins' unlimited potion-chugging. It might also be interesting if lyrium potions were available as an edge if you wanted to use them, but leaning too heavily on them would have narrative consequences. Certain characters/factions might have a hard time taking the Inquisitions seriously if the Inquisitor and his/her inner circle were rumored to be lyrium addicts, after all.

It probably supports the new stick because it supports the Circle Pad Pro.

This USB cable is a far more portable 3DS charging option, and I highly recommend it if you already have a bunch of USB charging bricks laying around like I do: http://www.amazon.com/Gen-USB-Charge-Cable-Nintendo-3DS/dp/B0024ZT3XO/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1421255030&sr=8-1&keywords=3ds+power+adapter+usb

You can also use the command function to order a warchief to randomly attack anyone on the map. The UI for all that is kind of weird, as Nappi mentions, since it all just spawns a mission somewhere on the map. For it to actually happen you have to go watch, so you can interfere if necessary.

Have any of the 3MA regulars played Vlaada Chvatil's board game Mage Knight? It's a sprawling synthesis of deck building, exploration, and resource management, and it supports solo, co-op and competitive play. It's a very intimidating game that feels like it's straining at the edges of what's possible on the tabletop, but it's incredible how all the pieces fit together once you get moving. It would make a fascinating discussion.

(PSA: spoiler contains ending discussion) There's some great moments along the way, but I left this game feeling really bummed out about the time I spent on it.

Hmm, I guess I assumed they'd still catch on fire, even if the arrow itself didn't do any damage. Not sure if that's the case, though.

Yeah, your instinct is not far off, but the early ones are pretty good. The best ones are Inns & Cathedrals and Traders & Builders. The Inns & Cathedrals gimmick is basically adding pieces that make roads and towns worth more points if you finish them, but nothing if they're incomplete at the end of the game. It also adds a large follower that is worth two, which facilitates more cutthroat battles over control of cities. Traders & Builders adds resources in city tiles that are earned when completing that city, and extra followers that enhance cities and fields when you play them on one you already own. I feel like those are the best while keeping the feel of the game the same. The River is a decent buy if you want to play with 4-5 players , but I feel like Carc is at its best with two players in a zero-sum game. If you have an iOS device, the version on the App Store is fantastic, and it has a bunch of expansions available now, if you want to try them before buying.

You can get him promoted to warchief if you order an already-branded warchief to attack him, and then execute your warchief at the confrontation event. (There's a talent for this.) Once he's a warchief, you can ensure all his bodyguards are branded and attack him with 10+ allies ready to turn on him. Ideally, you'll pick captains that are not afraid of fire, though it might be worth doing all the bow missions so you can use the fire arrows hit streak to put him into a panicked state without a nearby explosion. The nemesis system and surrounding traits are so cool. Edit: Reading again, I see he's already a warchief. Your best bet is probably just stacking the deck way in your favor and using fire arrows.

Inquisition addresses this a little bit? The first character I pursued reciprocated, but the options marked with a heart were in almost every companion's conversation wheel, even then ones I've heard wouldn't be into my character for various reasons. There is something to be said for it being a bit gross, at the same time: http://www.thegia.com/2014/12/19/dragon-age-inquisition-performance-review/

I got the similar giant Far Side box set, and they're just impractically huge in actual use. They're beautiful books, but an iPad app would be much better for appreciating the contents.

I have Favorites, which is everything I might play soon, and Local Multi, since you can browse by category in Big Picture mode. Everything else is one big pile. The library management is anemic, but it's still way better than the console storefronts, which is mind-boggling. On there, you have to really dig to find the big list of digital games you own. (I don't know if this situation has improved much on the new consoles)

Yeah, it's really disappointing how bland the fiction in Beyond Earth is when compared to Alpha Centauri's masterful worldbuilding.

Hope for those also frowning at $100+ Amazon prices: According to a guy on the Board Game Geek forums, the American publisher said a Sherlock Holmes Consulting Detective reprint will become available in October or November.

I think this game has convinced me that scaling stats in fast action games like this inherently sabotages their ability to be compelling action games. The balance can't avoid being fuzzy and granular, which much harder to make intelligent moment-to-moment tactical decisions in the heat of combat. Your attack and defense are constantly going up just a little bit, and the enemies are endlessly scaling along with you. This means you can't reliably operate on the very edge of your abilities as a character, because you can't get a sense of where they are. Exactly how much damage you can take/dish out is always floating somewhere along this fuzzy edge, which changes with the level of the enemies you're fighting, relative to you. Because of this, you end up having to make the safe, boring choices, because those are the only ones you can be sure don't end with you dead. You can't really be know if your melee is going to kill someone in one hit, or if you can take out that group entirely with a single grenade, so you just sit back and chip away with your basic weapon, never finding out exactly how awesome you are, as a player or a character. Even despite feeling that way, I'm still having reasonably good time playing along with my friends in co-op. That's just inherently fun, and fortunately the game works pretty well with high-level players playing with low-level players, so a friend getting a bit ahead of you isn't the end of the world. They're a bit more durable, but they can still die, so it never feels like you're being carried through the level by your buddy 8 levels higher than you. It's just disappointing I have to even worry about that. I happily played Halo levels over and over again in co-op, because the minute-to-minute combat was so compelling. This definitely isn't making me feel that way. It's a bummer.

It's very good. Not as complex as a proper civ game, but it scratches that itch in the same way. I suppose if you haven't played it, then I suppose Civ Rev 2 is probably the way to go.

Update: probably don't buy this if you already played Civ Rev. It is just the original mechanics with some new units/wonders/civs and 3D graphics. Sticking that "2" on the end feels pretty deceptive.

Super Mario Galaxy actually sold pretty well, but New Super Mario Bros. Wii sold really well: http://www.nintendo.co.jp/ir/en/sales/software/wii.html

Civilization Revolution 2 is out: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/id864880531?mt=8 No in-app purchases, $15. It requires a more recent iOS device.

3DS games always look way worse in screenshots than they do in motion.