I felt I really liked Morrowind's level of Level Scaling. Random buggers might level up, but certain keystone important folks were always a certain level, and dungeons/zones could have minimum and maximum levels.
Aye, that sounds descent. A level range is reasonable imho. But then, even a proper static 'set' of a zone should cover a certain range of threat.
Ah, good old times.
Today, it seems everything is either an overloaded open world(wouldn't want someone to get bored. Best includes 13 different spontaneous and 2 scripted quests if he travels from village A to village B), or a corridor with some break-off locations or small loops.(wouldn't want the player to get lost, or have to backtrack).
(For the record: excessive backtracking is bad, fully acknowledge, but I actually liked the semi-open, sometimes pseudo-mazelike maps used in old RPG's, where you could actually explore a bit, or choose your own approach(also stuff like System Shock or Deus Ex - not limited to JRPG's or RPG's). Today it seems you either have your hand held(either by being funneled forward in a narrow corridor, or by having a wide open world that has to highlight points of interest) or you require a guide. No middle ground.)
If any of you have been considering the Jurassic World Evolution game on PC, but held off because of the cost of picking up the full package (something like $122 US), Humble Bundle currently has the whole thing available on one of their "pick your price" donation bundles; $12 minimum gets you everything. Oh, and this is the Steam release.
Mordred, serious question here. Are you okay? Because you've been dipping in and out without an actual post for nearly a month, and that's very much not usual for you. And let me be clear, I'm not complaining about the lack of gameplay, I'm genuinely wondering if there's something going on with you that you maybe need some dedicated time to take care of before getting back to us.
Agreed. I hope the mmo claws aren't too deep into you that it's an issue!
I am pulling myself back together, as said, the mmo claws were there, that was kinda on me and my bad ability to cope with that kind of thing.
Just been a rather stressful 2 weeks now, where I had to work a weekend(switches on a locale received a firmware-update, and things did not go well), travel for trainings and a team event(leading to some 14-hour days), and am currently visiting in-laws with family.
Last weekend my computers power unit decided to call it quits, and I had to order a new one(arrived monday evening - thankfully those things are fast, but still, just piled on more and more, when I already had a significant 'backlog' of stuff).
Tomorrow will be a larger event with family, but we'll drive back home at night. I should be good on sunday.
I apologize again for popping in and out and not properly moving forward despite planning to, I suppose at this point it's also a bit of anxiety. I know I should just tackle it and hit the ground running - nobody expects me to write a short-story.
I'll try to push through on sunday. BEFORE doing my dailies :)
(no kidding, with needed work travel and the planned family visit I lost so much potential progress... but it also helped a bit with claw extraction...so yay i guess?)
Windthrows were up there with the Bermuda triangle and quicksand as things young me worried about. Only one I've actually seen too, come think of it :p
You are generally not supposed to be in the 'crater' because on the off chance the trunk decides to snap then and there you'll go splat.
Low odds yeah but it's like hiding underneath something tall in a thunderstorm. Better not just in case :p
Well, you weren't in the crater, you were on the other side...so like
Crater - Roots/Earth - Trunk
and you were on the trunk side, beneath the trunk, which was structurally sound enough to function as roof and anchoring point for further shelter-improvement(as with branches, tent-materials, or more earth). So no splatting by the bottom part going back into the crater :)
I concur that it's not ideal, but it does give protection, and you didn't know how bad it would become. (Or what the wind would throw your way...)
Mm fair. Just passing on my wisdom then :D
I was intending on getting a post up too, but feeling a bit sluggish at the movement. Think I'm down with a minor cold, so I'll drink some tea and be back in not too long of a time (hopefully :D). Just bad timing though!
And thanks for the wisdom :)
I suppose I simply wasn't very clear in my description, so totally understandable and good to know - while the likelihood of encountering such a situation around here is about as likely as quicksand or sinkholes, I love such tidbits of useful useless knowledge, so by all means, speak up :)
(Since I didn't think of that and didn't know it before I may as well have placed you in the earthen crater instead, just figured the tree fell in the direction the heavy winds blow from the sea inland, so staying on the trunk side of the "root shield" would make sense. So yeah, just chance I didn't place you in danger :D )
Aw man, the Rat Catcher feat would be perfect for this but I don't have the Dungeoneering skill rank...
Have one (1) Alchemist's Fire. So mildly underprepared for a swarm. Maybe we could just run away ... :p
Or see if someone else have more boom?
Not sure if we can outrun them, Mutalisks are pretty dang fast.
Well, that would be one of the possible questions V can ask if he beats the knowledge DC :)
I'll say that under normal circumstances, flying swarms(like Muta's) are usually rather swift.
Also, because I failed to mention that in gameplay: The "solid ground" is all good, anything "wet" is difficult terrain if you are using feet. You got some room to maneuver, but going off track into the bog/swamp/mud/marsh WILL take its toll.
Well, I'm out of ideas for how to deal with a swarm, I'll wait for Varuzhan's tactical analysis.
I concur that Swarms are nasty encounters.
Once was on the player side of a Level 11 or 12 Gestalt party, and we struggled heavily against an incorporeal swarm. If you don't have a dedicated blaster or KNOW you will be up against one, they are hard to deal with.
V's tactical analysis may be helpful in this case, though.
We got complacent with an alchemist friend. In our defense :p
So Kith has a bunch of bombs. Can they hit flying swarms though?
Rule wise you are fine, you can target any creature or grid intersection.
Fluff-wise ... You might need some sort of fuse? Or a real keen eye and splat an individual mosquito :D
They are near the ground - to prevent headache or me needing to roll for random insect crossing bomb flight paths in the future, let's go with the fuse and assume the increase in AC(from targetting creature) is from not targetting just the grid intersection, but timing the fuse time right.
In defense of my self and the party's actual alchemist, we haven't had lots of time free for making stuff, it takes a decent chunk of materials, and there's just so much useful stuff to make that it's hard to know which particular one we'll need.
TL;RD: It's all Mordred's fault! Cover him in wrath for this, not me!
:D.
Well, actually you even had a week or two of time, but you were also lacking resources until your last stunt.
Because the city is kinda locked down. So actually it's Thrune's fault. Someone should overthrow that MF...
If only the city had some heroes that would do something about it...
Yeah, yeah, blame the campaign's villain for our troubles, classic GM deflection to avoid responsibility :D.
But amusingly enough, there is an option for guns that would have allowed Boros--if he had it, obviously--to deal with this swarm quite handily. Alchemical dragon's breath rounds in a gun with the scatter quality.
Running, running!
Also, running requires a straight line - which means it's more likely you will do a double-move(if you decide to) - in which case you can probably try and jump over some water(acrobatics) or wade across(difficult terrain) or just go through the swarm. Your target is to the SOUTH, that is, you came from the north - I'll expand the map as needed, but just to make sure you know where you want to run, since I kinda didn't let you know before :)
Hej, had a fever from wednesday until yesterday, but back now.
If you take a charge or run action before the end of your turn, you can move a total distance of up to 10 times your base land speed.
Unfortunately the V-Express is not entirely kosher - you are not charging a foe, so the other option would be to run.
=> Since Cheetah only affects land movement speed, not any other forms of movement, you'd have to move using feet - and there's no straight line to go.
HOWEVER: There's some leeway in that you could still pass some obstacles on the way with related checks(e.g. charge over a table in the way with an acrobatics check). I am not willing to give you the full 10x regular movement but if you are fine ending up around where you are with miranda now, then I'll allow it - saying you took a running start, great leap, gliding to the ground on the other side and braking before you crashed into some vegetation or diverted course into swamps.
Got it, yeah. I'm totally fine with Miranda and I ending up where we are now, with some dramatic license. Thank you!
Been on a farm vacation with my little ones for a couple days.
I had the laptop with me, but their W-Lan was spotty, and my time lacking.
Back home now, and just pointing out: I forgot to attach a initiative-thingie on my last gameplay post, but yeah, they moved and tried to have fun-time with Nezari and Kith, that means those of you who did not yet try to spread their wings and fly are up again.
Nezari did not narrate it but moved on the map. That leaves Miranda, Boros and Kith.
Moved Miranda to follow the Varuzhan express :)
I did narrate it, a song is worth 100 words don't they say? :P
Hope our stalwart GM didn't fall down that MMO rabbit hole again :D.
Hello.
Is there anybody in there?
Just nod if you can hear me.
Is there anyone home?
Come on now.
I hear you're feeling down.
Well, I can ease your pain, get you on your feet again.
Relax.
I'll need some information first.
Just the basic facts.
Can you show me where it hurts?
I can wish you happy midsummer to show I'm alive :D
Yeah, still here, just didn't have much to say.
I am beyond disappointed that neither of you recognize Pink Floyd. You're both dead to me, dead I say!
In this heat I barely recognize my mother :p
Bleh, too hot. Wish I had fire resistance irl
You're obviously not thinking cooling thoughts. Should try that.
But seriously, fill a 2-liter about half way or so--don't want the bottle coming apart later--and chuck it in the freezer. When the water is solid, wrap it in a t-shirt, hug it close, and park yourself in front of a fan. Hey presto, you've got yourself a quick and basic swamp cooler.
Aye aye good advice. I have a thingmabob with similar function :)
I am beyond disappointed that neither of you recognize Pink Floyd. You're both dead to me, dead I say!
I did recognize it, but I didn't have much to say about it. The path my brain took was 'hey, that music is old rock, you know what else is old? The Who Call Me Lightning, you should listen to that', and I didn't figure that would be terribly salient to respond with.
Damn, you all are old! :P
Damn, you all are old! :P
Yeah, yeah, just you wait until it's your turn. Then we'll see what kind of s&&$ you're talking :D.
Also, Stardew Valley is surprisingly fun. Kind of wish I hadn't waited so long to finally get it, but I'm also glad that I'm able to enjoy an experience that's pretty done to perfection.
Also, also, do we need to send a search party out for our GM? Mordred, come out and play.
Okay, so just managed to get a hold of our wayward GM. Long story short (and without going into details that aren't mine to share), he's getting a bit of the hacky sack treatment from life at the moment. It's sapped his time and energy both something fierce.
He's still alive though, and in good health, and he'll be poking in at some point.
Nice to hear they live at least. Would be disconcerting if you managed to contact them otherwise :D
Nice to hear they live at least. Would be disconcerting if you managed to contact them otherwise :D
Just a bit, yes :D.
Hej, I don't want to achieve immortality through my legacy.
I want to achieve immortality through not dying.
The subset overlap between those "not alive" and "not dead" is good enough for me.
That said, no MMO rabbit hole. I've been playing some things, but mostly "old" stuff that holds no surprises. Basically the equivalent of rewatching old series. Surprisingly good against anxiety issues. (Holding on to something known that is a known "feel good"-element).
Alas, not enough. In fast sequence, less than a week of time...
Between trouble at work(2 angles of attack there - one organizational and one with personal development), an unplanned pregnancy(after we had a sterilization - those are mostly foolproof but there is a 1:1000 woman failure rate. They make you sign that you acknowledge that.), issues with family(not core family, but still private, not going into details there), and financial issues(following inflation - we had too little income/expenses buffer - but expected a second income again soon(instead of a 4th kid))...and a dozen or two other, small things, some as consequence of others, some by themselves - I fell, for the first time since 20 years ago, into a depression. I believed I was done with that and I did not miss it.
And there was little time for the self-care needed as work still needs to be done and the kids should be as carefree and joyous as they can be, not worry about things. They are also where whatever spare energy I had left went, to keep things 'normal' for them.
I should totally have come here and told you that I needed a break, that I was unable to go on right then. In hindsight, that seems the right course of action, you would probably have given me some encouraging words and expected me back 3 weeks later or so. Alas, I had hoped that some things would sort themselves out. They did not, or are ongoing. By the time I realized such, I did not have enough strenght left to overcome the anxiety I felt about coming here. Knowing that I would then need to post and let everyone know.
But I'm even more terrified by the prospect of losing all my games here due to absence, or you guys moving on. So here I am. I'm "clawing" my way back into life. I'm no longer in my 20's - I don't have the luxury of not functioning with 3.5 kids depending on me. (And back then, I had no little girls cuddling up to me and arguing over who loves me more...which is immensely therapheutic to be honest )
So yeah, that's where I am. I'm just doing the rounds letting people know this weekend. But I'll try and check back in sometime during next week. Not guaranteeing anything at this point but I'll be back here, at the least. Sorry again.
Hey man, we're happy if you ever return, but I think we're all veterans here.
We've experienced GM's moving on before, and possibly been that GM ourselves (I think I've got 3 or 4 counts of that to my name). I haven't expected anything for a long time and I would have been shocked if any of your returns had stuck. But it's always a nice moment when we get a post and move a little forward, like a reunion.
Enjoy your life, that's what's important. Don't worry about us, we're grown ups, and we're not going to throw hissy fits about you not coming over here to share your toys, play with us, and tell us a story on our time frame.
I always view GMing as a gift to the players, and hey, gifts are to be appreciated, not expected, after you're not a kid anymore.
Nicely put. But alas, it's also a commitment.
That last return was supposed to stick. I was in a mostly good place then, after some turmoil in the last couple years.
*sigh*
Not that that would have stopped anything from happening.
Or would have significantly improved my long-term track record.
So yeah - you are right. Even if I wish you weren't.
Anyway, on the plus side, there's little to 'catch up' with here, since you've been nice enough not to keep gameplay moving without me(unlike those games where I'm just a player) - and we're in medias res, so no big need to consult any notes.
So there's a good chance I can tackle that soon. (Again, no guarantees - putting myself under pressure with a self-imposed deadline is not something I need right now; but I'm saying if I feel ready to post, I'll think of you guys first.)
You do whatever you think is right, I'm just trying to help with the
"By the time I realized such, I did not have enough strenght left to overcome the anxiety I felt about coming here. Knowing that I would then need to post and let everyone know."
Anxiety part. Don't worry about us, we're just imaginary people on the internet. :P
Don't worry about us, we're just imaginary people on the internet. :P
Speak for yourself there, I'm actually two demented lab mice in a meat bot.
I really hate the idea of causing you anxiety on top of everything else. Whatever happens to the game is fine. There should be no obligation hanging over you.