JonCole Posted July 1, 2014 So that was pretty fun. I'll probably be up for that again sometime soon. Put some points in skills and bought a new weapon, so I'm eager to try all that out. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Bag of Equines Posted July 1, 2014 That was great everyone, sorry Diamond Store didn't work out. We'll get it next time. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SecretAsianMan Posted July 1, 2014 Do any of you use HoxHUD? This will be of interest more to seasoned players but new players may be interested as well. It's a HUD modification that displays more valuable information on screen in a useful way. There are a ton of features and it is and highly customizable. If you're having trouble finding where to download it on that forum you need to join the group, then look at the discussions page and then click the download thread on the far right just below the subscription button. Again, I'll be on from now until later so if any of you want to do a few heists or learn how to do a few heists just message me on Steam. I use it. I picked it up about a day after getting the game because I always look for stuff like this with new games. The download links seemed a bit shady, but it passed several virus and malware scans and so far I'm having no problems. I keep forgetting that other people don't have it by default and am surprised that they keep running back to check on the drill before I remember they don't have a timer on the screen. One thing I'm not sure about is occasionally my health indicator will have a glowing yellow ring in it. I think it's some of my skills being activated in certain conditions (like the one that gives me additional damage/resist when there are 3 or more enemies around me) but I'm not positive. I do like the extra info the HUD presents though, especially the way it only shows up when it becomes relevant. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
prettyunsmart Posted July 1, 2014 I'd be up for it next you want to get a group of people together. I got a steam invite from SgtWhistlebottom, but I've away from my computer for a few days so I didn't even see that this was all happening. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Bag of Equines Posted July 1, 2014 I'd be up for it next you want to get a group of people together. I got a steam invite from SgtWhistlebottom, but I've away from my computer for a few days so I didn't even see that this was all happening. I'll be on later today at about the same time, 5 pm pst. Message me on steam whenever you like. Again I'm totally open to helping new players get a feel for things or going for some higher difficulty heists. See you in the escape van! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JonCole Posted July 1, 2014 Yeah, I should be game around that time again. Eager to see if I'll be more useful with the skills/stuff I invested in. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SecretAsianMan Posted July 1, 2014 I'll probably be on again tonight but I might be playing with a different group of friends. If we have too many or not enough I could maybe accommodate another person. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Architecture Posted July 1, 2014 Oh hey guys, I want to play this with people. http://steamcommunity.com/id/ar-chi-tec-ture/ Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Bag of Equines Posted July 1, 2014 Oh hey guys, I want to play this with people. http://steamcommunity.com/id/ar-chi-tec-ture/ I'm not sure if this is just on my end but when I click that link your profile shows as private. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SecretAsianMan Posted July 1, 2014 I'm not sure if this is just on my end but when I click that link your profile shows as private. It is not just you. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Architecture Posted July 2, 2014 Hrm, I guess I will just add you guys. Because I changed my handle on Steam from my account name, so giving out neither seems to work and I don't know why. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Architecture Posted July 2, 2014 Hrm, my status is set to viewable by logged-in Steam users, so maybe y'all weren't logged in when you clicked the link? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Bag of Equines Posted July 2, 2014 I was definitely logged in, not sure what the issue is though. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SecretAsianMan Posted July 3, 2014 Finally managed to unlock the saw last night so if we attempt a heist again sometime soon I'll be in a much better position to rob things quickly. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JonCole Posted July 3, 2014 I'm down. I have a long weekend and I get to leave work early today at 2:30 EST, so I have some prime time to play whenever anyone is available. Do we actually need a full party to be effective? I was total garbage alone, but I don't know how viable 2-3 would be either. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SecretAsianMan Posted July 3, 2014 I'm down. I have a long weekend and I get to leave work early today at 2:30 EST, so I have some prime time to play whenever anyone is available. Do we actually need a full party to be effective? I was total garbage alone, but I don't know how viable 2-3 would be either. It depends on the mission. Obviously 4 human players is best but many can be done with 2. In some cases stealth is easier with fewer people, in some cases it's harder. The AI isn't useful for anything except going loud because they will perform zero tasks besides shoot and revive. Unless there's a way to order them to pick up bags I'm unaware of. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Architecture Posted July 3, 2014 I'm definitely down for some games tonight. I should be home from the gym before 7 CST. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Bag of Equines Posted July 3, 2014 It depends on the mission. Obviously 4 human players is best but many can be done with 2. In some cases stealth is easier with fewer people, in some cases it's harder. The AI isn't useful for anything except going loud because they will perform zero tasks besides shoot and revive. Unless there's a way to order them to pick up bags I'm unaware of. There is not a way to make AI players pick up bags unfortunately. I find as long as there is good communication a full party is usually the best option. We had no problem finding four players on Monday so we should be fine. I'm up for playing tonight after I go on a run. If you all are getting a lobby together just message me on steam, I'll probably be 3d modelling so my status might say away or something, ignore that. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JonCole Posted July 7, 2014 So in the kind of obsessive way that I play games, I've really been loving this skill tree tool - http://www.pd2skills.info/ It lets you plot out your skill tree with all the points you'd be allocated at max level. I don't know if I'll ever make it that far, but I like entertaining the idea and planning out what would be the perfect build for me. It also lets me anticipate how much money I'll end up needing specifically for skills, which isn't excruciatingly useful but something nice to keep in the back of my head ($6.45 million). This is a weapons spreadsheet - https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0Au1pg4dZCOPTdGd4NGhhYWVwcWRhdGk3bmx3cG5ybFE&usp=drive_web#gid=0 It gives interesting stats for quick comparison, like DPS, maximum ammo, and reload time. It shows the dropoff distance/effective range of various shotguns. It also gives you the number of shots to kill various kinds of enemies (a high damage shotgun, for instance, can kill security guards, cops, FBI, SWAT, and SWAT Heavies with one headshot, in addition to most special enemies except for the bulldozers). It's an almost overwhelming amount of data, but useful if you're thinking about what weapons you want in your inventory and you have a specific purpose in mind (close quarters in a bank, you'd want a loud shotgun that can kill most specials in one headshot). Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SGP Posted July 7, 2014 obsessive way that I play games for me, theorycrafting out a good build or approach is half the fun of these kinds of games. It's so fun to explore your options and find synergy between them. I've got Payday 2 too, but my RL buddies would get jealous if I played with you all... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SecretAsianMan Posted July 8, 2014 for me, theorycrafting out a good build or approach is half the fun of these kinds of games. It's so fun to explore your options and find synergy between them. In theory I like that stuff too, except in an online cooperative game I never know what abilities my potential teammates are going to have (unless I play with the same group all the time which is nearly impossible to schedule). This means that I almost always end up taking a jack of all trades route. I'm not super good at any one thing, but I'm also much less likely to have a redundant specialty. I optimize for general circumstances rather than specific ones. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JonCole Posted July 8, 2014 Yeah, it's hard going with one class in this game, but the skills higher in the individual trees are generally so much better than the middle-tier stuff. I think it's most beneficial to focus one class, but also dabble in pretty much every one of the other trees for at least 10-12 points. For now, I've observed that most times I play on the higher difficulties the main stumbling blocks are the special baddies. Ever since I got my first shotgun, I felt that focusing on high damage so I can one-hit headshot specials was the best for my style of play (which is mopping up guys while the rest of my team of randos singlemindedly focuses on the objective with no care for their own health). So I've since respecced for Enforcer but I plan on having 14 points in Ghost and 12 in Mastermind, so I'm still playing it kind of safe so I'm not too specialized. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SecretAsianMan Posted July 8, 2014 I do admit the high tier abilities are very useful. The most notable ones to me are the saw, shaped charges, and acing the Mastermind ability Inspire which lets you revive people from a distance. I'm sure others are useful as well but those 3 are the easiest to see the direct effects of during a game. I'm currently mostly an Enforcer for sheer survivability but I've pretty much hit all the skills I care to in that tree and have started branching out to the rest. I expect to put the fewest points into Ghost because of my general dislike for stealth. I doubt I'll gain any infamy ranks if I get that far. I'm already starting to get tired of the grind, the thought of starting it over again for cosmetic goods is not appealing to me in any way. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JonCole Posted July 8, 2014 Yeah, stealth is kinda problematic in this game. It relies a lot upon luck and knowing the exact, somewhat unintuitive way that some things work. That said, the top of the Ghost skill tree has that camera loop skill that I've seen used to great effect a couple times with randos. It lets you counter cameras, which are fairly unbalanced. The only non-loop counters are shooting it, which gets every guard's attention that passes, and getting to the security room, which is often behind at least one or two cameras or guards. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Twig Posted July 8, 2014 The worst thing about Payday 2 is that you can't shut doors when going for a stealthy run. ): Share this post Link to post Share on other sites