Starcraft 2

[Roderick]

I went through the campaign a second time, this time on hard, but stranded on one of the more difficult mission. It wasn't even that it defeated me, there was just too much stuff going on and I threw up my hands and declared that I wasn't having fun anymore, and that was that.

So Normal it is for the duration of the game. I don't mind. It's enjoyable that way.

[Nappi]

DOWII has a number of strategies that absolutely trivialize the game. Some due to itemization, others tied to core abilites like the jet pack jump or constant retreating. Basically anybody paying just a little attention could dominate the game.

Ok, I have only played three missions or so in DoW II, but I can see how a super powerful squad power for instance could make most of the missions very easy. I can't think of similar examples in Company of Heroes and even if there was, "you don't have to play it that way."

[Nappi]

I have to missions to go and I only now noticed that Raynor and Tychus are wearing space assless chaps.

[Roderick]

Speaking of asses, was anyone else disturbed by Tosh' spandex ass that always seemed to jump out of the screen in some unsubtle shots? That was like a goddamn 3D effect.

[jennoa]

Speaking of asses, was anyone else disturbed by Tosh' spandex ass that always seemed to jump out of the screen in some unsubtle shots? That was like a goddamn 3D effect.

hmm, never noticed that.

[Lu]

Me neither.

[elmuerte]

friggin bugs...

So I tried to play the alternate mission of Hanson it yesterday, was a long struggle. And today... it looks like it didn't care.

[Forbin]

Ok, I have only played three missions or so in DoW II, but I can see how a super powerful squad power for instance could make most of the missions very easy. I can't think of similar examples in Company of Heroes and even if there was, "you don't have to play it that way."

What I was saying about SC2 was that you don't have to play it on a difficulty that's too easy for you. Whereas relic games lack a setting that counter's cheap tactics.

[CaptainFish]

friggin bugs...

So I tried to play the alternate mission of Hanson it yesterday, was a long struggle. And today... it looks like it didn't care.

If you're talking about replaying through the console, it should effect your achievements, but it won't change the course of your campaign or give you any extra money or research bits. It should let you see the other cinematic as well. Unless you're talking about bugs beyond that.

[elmuerte]

It didn't record my time or even the fact that I completed it. It just show the achievements I received. I didn't expect to get any extras, but it's still stupid that the it tells you that you gathered 0 of 3 of the research items. If I can't get them anyway.. then why taunt me.

[Karimi]

Just finished the game on Brutal, and was it ever. Done with all single player achievements except for the Lost Viking ones, I'm terrible at those games. Next up in Karimi's OCD list - challenges and VS Ai !

[CaptainFish]

Just finished the game on Brutal, and was it ever. Done with all single player achievements except for the Lost Viking ones, I'm terrible at those games. Next up in Karimi's OCD list - challenges and VS Ai !

The Lost Viking achievements were so boring and tedious. The viking will fire as fast as you can press the button, so if you have a gamepad with autofire, or any gamepad and JoyToKey (which has software autofire) you can make it a lot easier. I've played like a single mission on brutal, but I'm definitely procrastinating on that front.

[Irishjohn]

Just finished the game on Brutal, and was it ever. Done with all single player achievements except for the Lost Viking ones, I'm terrible at those games. Next up in Karimi's OCD list - challenges and VS Ai !

Rock on. I'm still deciding over whether to even play it on hard. I know I'll be fine for a lot of the campaign but the thought of a couple of missions near the end, particularly

the one with the moving lava

, I hated that one even on normal.

[elmuerte]

I actually like the single unit missions... probably because I'm not much of a RTS gamer. I really dislike timed missions.

Another thing I don't really like is that your choice in who's side to pick doesn't matter at all. It pretty much has no serious effect story wise or gameplay wise. The whole story is a bit tacked on as filler. I somehow get the feeling the choices you had to make in the first C&C mattered more.

Also, I think I cracked the formula to win most "matches", which is a bit of a downer. Maybe I should upgrade to "hard", but I think that only means it will be more difficult for me to jump to different locations on the map to quickly select things and stuff. This quite annoys me.

And I still think the music is quite bad.

BTW... is there a way to automatically add every unit to a given group? Because selecting the building and SHIFT+n does things I don't want.

And how do I permanently remove a unit from a group? I sometimes accidentally add one of those construction units to a group. (and don't tell me it's in the manual, that thing is locked away in that heavy box it came in)

[Karimi]

I actually like the single unit missions... probably because I'm not much of a RTS gamer. I really dislike timed missions.

BTW... is there a way to automatically add every unit to a given group? Because selecting the building and SHIFT+n does things I don't want.

And how do I permanently remove a unit from a group? I sometimes accidentally add one of those construction units to a group. (and don't tell me it's in the manual, that thing is locked away in that heavy box it came in)

I love the single unit / small group missions, I just enjoy the micro aspect of the game far more than the macro.

I think what you can do is SHIFT+Click that unit and it deselects it, either that or CTRL+Click, its something like that.

[CaptainFish]

I actually like the single unit missions... probably because I'm not much of a RTS gamer.

I really liked them too. They are probably the best missions in the game. My favorite was

Tosh's mission

where they keep sending out creeps, because it's pretty much single player DoTA at that point. Lots of fun.

I somehow get the feeling the choices you had to make in the first C&C mattered more.

That's a bit of an exaggeration, right? The story in C&C doesn't change at all, and the mission choices just changed the geography of the map you were on. Sure, in SC2 the choices you make in each stream don't effect much outside of it, but I prefer that. Not everything has to be convoluted connected mass of plot.

BTW... is there a way to automatically add every unit to a given group? Because selecting the building and SHIFT+n does things I don't want.

And how do I permanently remove a unit from a group? I sometimes accidentally add one of those construction units to a group. (and don't tell me it's in the manual, that thing is locked away in that heavy box it came in)[/Quote]

Shift+n will add units to a previously made group n, or create group n if it doesn't exist. I don't think there's any way to automagically have new units join a group, but if you set a rally point, go there, select those units and shift+n the group you want them in, that's the fastest way. To remove units of the same type, useful for when those workers get in there, select the group, ctrl+shift click the type of unit you want to remove in the unit list, not on the map. Then simply ctrl+n the group again.

[elmuerte]

That's a bit of an exaggeration, right? The story in C&C doesn't change at all, and the mission choices just changed the geography of the map you were on. Sure, in SC2 the choices you make in each stream don't effect much outside of it, but I prefer that. Not everything has to be convoluted connected mass of plot.

No the eventual outcome. But I think there were some influences... right?

Well, it was 15 years ago.

[CaptainFish]

You're right there was that whole ion cannon thing, where the pickups were in missions, but I don't remember if they were cordoned off in certain branches.

[elmuerte]

Played the last two Protoss missions. Damn, that last one was intense.

And damn starcraft 2's story is shallow.

[Karimi]

Played the last two Protoss missions. Damn, that last one was intense.

And damn starcraft 2's story is shallow.

Heres the story summed up for you :

Zeratul tells Rayor to save Kerrigan.He does

[Moosferatu]

Heres the story summed up for you :

Zeratul tells Rayor to save Kerrigan.He does

God! Thanks for ruining it for me! I still have two missions yet to complete.

[Squid Division]

I too have two missions to complete. My review is: man the writing in this game is downright awful, like some of the worst I've ever heard. The gameplay still stands up and is fun as all hell. I'm probably in the minority but the constantly varied mission types could get a little stressful, and I'd have enjoyed a few 'skirmish the AI' missions scattered in between.

[Moosferatu]

Can't quite tell if you're being sarcastic, don't worry though its not ruined.

Definitely sarcastic, though it's true that I still have two missions left. I've had two missions left for a couple weeks now, because I'm having trouble working up enough interest to go back to it. Believe it or not, the story isn't exactly a compelling enough reason.

[Karimi]

Definitely sarcastic, though it's true that I still have two missions left. I've had two missions left for a couple weeks now, because I'm having trouble working up enough interest to go back to it. Believe it or not, the story isn't exactly a compelling enough reason.

Yea, I actually deleted my comment , reread yours a couple of times and decided I was being silly (my excuse is that its 5am!). But yea, the story is awful. The missions before the final one are actually a lot of fun, the nydus version of the one before the final is a lot of fun (but makes the final fight tougher - just kill off the air and replay it later I guess)

[CaptainFish]

I'm not going to try to defend the story more, I think I've done that enough in this thread. I am going to be a huge Starcraft dork and talk about one issue I had.

I do think that they should have kept one thing from Brood War: Raynor's hate for Kerrigan. By the end of BW Kerrigan has been a huge bitch to everyone, used Raynor, Mengsk, Duke, Fenix, Zeratul, Rhazagal, basically every named character up to that point, and then back stabbed them. There was a big thread of indecision for Raynor et al, of whether Kerrigan was truly evil or if she would be more like her normal self after the Overmind control over her stopped. This is why everyone agrees to ally with her. When she kills Fenix (who was Raynor's best ally and friend at that point), Raynor realizes that Kerrigan is bad news and vows that he will kill her one day. It's the point where she stops being Kerrigan the victim in his eyes.

Then SC2 starts and he's just staring at photos drawings of her and everyone one is alluding to some relationship beyond friendship that they never really had. When Zeratul shows up and

tells Jim that he shouldn't kill Kerrigan

it doesn't make any sense, because the character is clearly fawning over her at every chance he gets. He shows all the guilt and regret for being involved in Kerrigan's creation, but none of the anger over the things she did of her own volition.

I understand why most of the Brood War stuff isn't really referenced, because that game had a bad plot, mostly due to Kerrigan godmoding, but I think that aspect would make Jimmy more interesting.