I don't know if I FRIDAY (questionably NSFW)

[-budd-]

Following all the Stellaris stuff in the forum got me in the mood for some 4X gaming, my personal policy with paradox is too wait until the DLC drops and get it in a bundle. Besides looking in my games list I had a lot of choices that I haven't given much time to, Warlock, Civ 4 & 5, Endless legend, and just picked up Pandora in the bundle( not sure I'm gonna use the key yet). Started with Civ 5 with that mod posted in the other thread, it's just not grabbing me after 12  hours. Thought about going back to 4 but went with Endless Legend and so far it is grabbing me. I like the art style and the uniqueness of the races and the fact you can have some input into the models of the units you can build, Im also digging the quests angle. So ill be watching some videos and consulting wiki in between play sessions. Ill probably put some time into legions of steel which I also got in the bundle. I got a little time in it and I like it, turn based tactical with a simple effective UI and it seems like a decent challenge. Don't know how long it will last with limited amount of enemies and scenery and mission types but it's fun for now. Lastly I'm sure ill be checking in with 7days to die, the complex needs some looking after , I've upgraded it to a complex from a compound, calling it a compound just didn't cover it anymore ;D

[Sir Slash]

I am playing Stellaris. Not really. I just didn't want to be left out.  ^-^  ACW 2 Still for me when I've got the time and Pillars of Eternity when I've not. First, I'll be cleaning out the Gutters of Eternity and the Garage of Unlimited Stacking followed by a nap.

[Toonces]

Whelp, I finished out Day 1 of the Gettysburg campaign.  It turns out you need to score a minor victory to do the carryover.  I barely scratched out a draw, so no carryover.  That's kind of a bitch- I wish I had read the fine print on that before I booted it up.  About 3 hours total play time- it was quite brutal and not easy.  I wouldn't call it a relaxing gaming session.

[Hancock]

Whelp, I finished out Day 1 of the Gettysburg campaign.  It turns out you need to score a minor victory to do the carryover.  I barely scratched out a draw, so no carryover.  That's kind of a bitch- I wish I had read the fine print on that before I booted it up.  About 3 hours total play time- it was quite brutal and not easy.  I wouldn't call it a relaxing gaming session.

It is definitely a challenge.  In particular, the first day as the Confederate corps arrive piece meal from the north and northwest.  The numbers of units and number of engagements does challenge one's knowledge of and skill at managing the game's command and control.  My first time out, Rhodes was checked by a Yank div that aggressively went out to challenge about 1-1/2 miles out; not only checked but damaged him enough he had to regroup and was useless by the time he arrived on the main battleground.  I did not  recognize what was happening until too late as I concentrated on Early and Hill engaged on the North. 

Definitely a grind, but definitely not boring and more fun the second time around.  It certainly gives one the feel of how truly difficult it was to coordinate large bodies of troops "in the saddle".

[JasonPratt]

So far I have played a lot more of Grand Ages: Medieval than might be strictly healthy for me. ;) 

But I love (in principle, and usually in practice) the original Sid Meir's Pirates game, and the updated remake/expansions which Ascalon has been making for, what, over ten years now? -- and seeing the mechanics ported over to what would otherwise be a medieval strategy game, is a great taste mix for me.

The campaign is the best so far in Ascalon's series, too, with a start that's even less-developed than their lowest-tier sandbox start, and a structure that basically gives you story rewards for doing what you would have been doing anyway. Although as previously noted in other threads, the first combat goal is a thousand percent ludicrously underpowered and the game gives you no hints or direction in learning how to deal with it, which can leave new players thinking they're just doing something wrong when it is literally impossible to win with the advice and goals provided at that point. That's a goofy mis-step in the campaign; but as others have said, you should really be playing the campaign like a sandbox and staying well ahead of the story requirements, once "Chapter 1" officially starts. In my case, since the campaign hobbles enemy military activity until various story points are passed, including for that story point, I just pulled back my slaughtered basic mercs to rebuild them; spent a tech point I had been holding onto in case I needed it here (being forewarned by other Groghead players) in developing archers; built archer training upgrades to a couple of nearby barracks; built three archer units; and then went back to pin those sword-and-shielders with my basic inept mercs while my archers whomped them.

Then marched my stack around picking up bandit loot I had previously discovered on the map but couldn't reach so far, sending units back to reinforce for a few weeks' vacation when necessary. By now I already had 10 or more towns, so I could easily keep the troops up.

Once nice secret the devs included for the campaign (I doubt it's random, but maybe it is), is that a tent in the wilderness west of Sophia has a veteran who once a year (I think??) will bring any of your units to full veterancy (for about 20,000 gold); and I've been exploiting that in recent game-years since discovering that he resets occasionally.

When the story put the Normans at war with me, trying to invade Greece from Italy, I just picked up my little army and since they weren't strong enough to really take a town yet, I plopped them on the road to the ferry across to Italy to intercept and raid the Norman trade caravans trying to resupply the town. Every once in a while they'll send one or two sword units to try to butt me out, and I give them the pointy sticks; every once in a while my basic mercs get a bit depleted stonewalling for my archers (or my archers get into a melee -- commanding troops in this game sucks badly), and I send them home to reinforce for a few months before putting them back on raiding post. I'm going to work on teching up to better spearmen soon, though, and buying two or three units of them, because the Norms are starting to send more troops.

Along the way I figured out that the best way to get a caravan through such raiders is to sacrifice a cheap scout troop to tie up a whole mob on the road -- the AI has done this to me several times, although I think it's by accident as the computer hasn't been even slightly consistent about using that to run his convoys safely in and out of his Greek city from Italy.

Anyway. I've recently started Chapter 2 by winning the heart (and apparently some other parts  ^-^ ) of the cute Empress widower, although my Plotty-sense along with the story's art style and some knowledge of how East Rome politics worked for about a thousand years, suggests that she's just pulling a typically byzantine ploy on me, and will eventually be revealed to be behind the death of her elderly husband and my dad.  I'll be surprised if this plot twist doesn't show up around the time of the switch into Chap 3.  ::)

[Anguille]

So far I have played a lot more of Grand Ages: Medieval than might be strictly healthy for me. ;) 

But I love (in principle, and usually in practice) the original Sid Meir's Pirates game, and the updated remake/expansions which Ascalon has been making for, what, over ten years now? -- and seeing the mechanics ported over to what would otherwise be a medieval strategy game, is a great taste mix for me.

The campaign is the best so far in Ascalon's series, too, with a start that's even less-developed than their lowest-tier sandbox start, and a structure that basically gives you story rewards for doing what you would have been doing anyway. Although as previously noted in other threads, the first combat goal is a thousand percent ludicrously underpowered and the game gives you no hints or direction in learning how to deal with it, which can leave new players thinking they're just doing something wrong when it is literally impossible to win with the advice and goals provided at that point. That's a goofy mis-step in the campaign; but as others have said, you should really be playing the campaign like a sandbox and staying well ahead of the story requirements, once "Chapter 1" officially starts. In my case, since the campaign hobbles enemy military activity until various story points are passed, including for that story point, I just pulled back my slaughtered basic mercs to rebuild them; spent a tech point I had been holding onto in case I needed it here (being forewarned by other Groghead players) in developing archers; built archer training upgrades to a couple of nearby barracks; built three archer units; and then went back to pin those sword-and-shielders with my basic inept mercs while my archers whomped them.

Then marched my stack around picking up bandit loot I had previously discovered on the map but couldn't reach so far, sending units back to reinforce for a few weeks' vacation when necessary. By now I already had 10 or more towns, so I could easily keep the troops up.

Once nice secret the devs included for the campaign (I doubt it's random, but maybe it is), is that a tent in the wilderness west of Sophia has a veteran who once a year (I think??) will bring any of your units to full veterancy (for about 20,000 gold); and I've been exploiting that in recent game-years since discovering that he resets occasionally.

When the story put the Normans at war with me, trying to invade Greece from Italy, I just picked up my little army and since they weren't strong enough to really take a town yet, I plopped them on the road to the ferry across to Italy to intercept and raid the Norman trade caravans trying to resupply the town. Every once in a while they'll send one or two sword units to try to butt me out, and I give them the pointy sticks; every once in a while my basic mercs get a bit depleted stonewalling for my archers (or my archers get into a melee -- commanding troops in this game sucks badly), and I send them home to reinforce for a few months before putting them back on raiding post. I'm going to work on teching up to better spearmen soon, though, and buying two or three units of them, because the Norms are starting to send more troops.

Along the way I figured out that the best way to get a caravan through such raiders is to sacrifice a cheap scout troop to tie up a whole mob on the road -- the AI has done this to me several times, although I think it's by accident as the computer hasn't been even slightly consistent about using that to run his convoys safely in and out of his Greek city from Italy.

Anyway. I've recently started Chapter 2 by winning the heart (and apparently some other parts  ^-^ ) of the cute Empress widower, although my Plotty-sense along with the story's art style and some knowledge of how East Rome politics worked for about a thousand years, suggests that she's just pulling a typically byzantine ploy on me, and will eventually be revealed to be behind the death of her elderly husband and my dad.  I'll be surprised if this plot twist doesn't show up around the time of the switch into Chap 3.  ::)

Great to hear! Glar you're enjoying.

Watch out for one of the steam achievements coming...i really had to smile about it.

[JasonPratt]

Btw, love your current SBY avatar, Anguille.  O0

[Anguille]

Btw, love your current SBY avatar, Anguille.  O0

Me too ;)

Thanks

I finally found time to watch the movie.

[JasonPratt]

I can't understand Japanese, and my experience with buying Taiwanese and Malaysian English dubs has been mixed at best. (By which I mean mediocre to mind-killingly bad.) So I'll probably wait a while longer to see if they'll localize it in North America, or maybe for a region free Australian release.

[Anguille]

I ended having a MOO only weekend.

Finished a MOO4 campaign (lost to the Klackons who had built up a huge Empire thanks). Started campaigns as the Psilons in MOO2 and MOO4 (much more advanced in MOO2). In my new MOO4 campaign, i toggled off Pirates (just annoying imho) and minor races (who are going to be removed temporarly in the next pach).

I'll keep Stellaris for next weekend.