Games

[icycalm]

And this is why I skim your posts, and can't be bothered to read anything you've written all the way through. When I come upon something like Messofanego's review of Wolfenstein or Shepton's review of Destiny, I read carefully, but you have never written anything close to that -- and even those dudes are massively inferior compared to me as videogame critics. Only once in a blue moon do they manage to write a game review that can be called decent, and even then, if I myself sat down to play those games, I could write something at least 10 times better than them. So here's where you are in the order of rank of videogame commentators, for your information:

5/5 icycalm
4/5 Messofanego, Shepton, Recap, Matt Warner et al., ONCE IN A BLUE MOON (i.e. most of what they write is well below this)
3/5 Messofanego, Shepton, Recap, Matt Warner et al., on a usual day
2/5 Tim Rogers, Brandon Sheffield, Eric-Jon Waugh et al.
1/5 You and Surth
0/5 J. Michael Lowell

True story.

[icycalm]

To be 100% honest, you and Surth get 2/5 and Rogers, Sheffield and co. get 1/5, as regards VIDEOGAME CRITICISM. But as regards writing about the videogame lifestyle, etc. -- i.e. inspirational pieces about playing games, living in Japan, etc., Rogers and co. (in their BETTER days -- because most of what they write is tripe), get up to 3/5, and even 4/5 for their best-of-the-best stuff, while you guys, in this domain, are complete losers at 0/5 since you've never left your rooms and everything you scribble stinks of social retardation and lack of life experiences.

So, when we add up all aspects of writing about videogame culture, Rogers and co. have put out writings and opinions that are 10 times more valuable than yours -- which is what an ascent on the scale represents: 2/5 material is 10 times more valuable than 1/5, and so on (which means that my stuff is approximately 10,000 times more valuable than yours).

J. Michael, on the other hand, is outside the scale altogether, because he doesn't seem to have any connection to videogame criticism, or even to videogames at all. It looks more to me as if there is an AI somewhere trying to invent opinions about videogames by throwing my opinions and the opinions of hipsters, communists, pseudo-hardcores, etc. into some kind of algorithm and coming up with an automated result, to which J. Michael tries to attach a text without having ever played anything. That is the only way I can fathom Descent II "game of the century" and all the other retarded crap he spews.

[icycalm]

http://www.learntocounter.com/forums/in ... 2#msg79722

I agree with the criticism regarding the application of his metrics and I found the "In CRPGs, stats MUST be hidden from the player" to be cringe worthy because it only focuses on what stats accomplish mechanically.

It's cringeworthy only because you are autistic and know nothing about RPGs. Everyone who knows anything about RPGs, on the other hand, knows that numbers are DETRIMENTAL to the experience. And anyone who has understood where CRPGs are going (to Total Recall-style experiences), also understands that numbers are detrimental. And anyone who understands anything about art, also understands that numbers are detrimental.

The only ones who don't understand these things are autists. And casuals who've never played proper RPGs or understood anything of what icycalm has written. Which perfectly describes all of you retards on Learn to Plagiarize.

In summary, there has not been even a SINGLE valid criticism of my RPG essays anywhere on the internet, and there never will because they are perfect. Your shitty misunderstandings will remain buried in J. Michael's shitty forum and no one will ever read them. The only things that will survive this whole debacle are my essays. Enjoy being non-existent! (and posting in a forum where every link to the best site on the internet is automatically removed and every mention of the best critic and theorist is censored.)

[jeffrobot494]

New Update. Rebalances some combat encounters. I think this is not the big update we were anticipating.

Patch v1.0.251.0
JANUARY 30 - LARIAN_OCTAAF
It’s time for the first update of 2015!

In addition to a number of bug fixes (thank you for all your feedback!), we’ve gone through all of the encounters in the game and made a ton of balancing changes that we think will make combat even more fun. We’ve also activated the Steam Cloud saves, and we have good news! PC & Mac savegames are compatible. For the modders out there, we can finally release the exporters that will allow you to import your own models and animations into the game.

Here’s the list of the most important changes and a few important remarks about Cloud saving:

Cloud system:
When you enable cloud for Divinity: Original Sin, you will see your cloud quota in the save/load screens. Only new savegames will be uploaded to the cloud as they have a new, compressed format. So if you need your latest saves on the cloud, you will have to load them and resave. You will then see a cloud icon next to them. Hover over the different statuses in the save/load screen to see what will be added and removed from the cloud. You can remove saves manually from the cloud by deleting them via the in-game menu. Furthermore, the game will remove older saves from the cloud automatically when you have run into the max amount of cloud save data. Keep in mind that if you use the Steam Cloud for Original Sin, you will be uploading data on a regular basis if you make a lot of saves. Upload speeds will depend on your Internet connection.

FAQ for Cloud:
Do the cloud saves work cross-platform (Mac <-> PC)?
* Yes, you can sync from PC to Mac and Mac to PC.
What happens to my old saves?
* They remain locally on your current PC. Only new savegames made in patch 1.0.251.0 and beyond will be uploaded to the cloud.
What happens when my quota is full?
* Your newest saves are uploaded to the cloud and oldest saves are removed from the cloud. This does not mean you lose your saves. They are just removed from the cloud, but stay locally on your PC.
What do the icons mean in the save/load screens?
* "Cloud with arrow" means the save will be uploaded to the cloud upon exiting the game. "Cloud with x" means the save will be removed from the cloud upon exiting the game. A normal cloud means the save is correctly in sync.
How do I turn on/off Steam Cloud?
* You can do this by clicking through the following steps: Library > right click on game > Properties > Updates > Steam Cloud > Check or uncheck the checkbox at the bottom.
Note: since the game is DRM-free, it can be started manually from the game folder while steam cloud is syncing. Do NOT do this, as it can possibly corrupt your steam cached cloud files. You will not lose any saves, but the cloud will be confused as to what is in sync and what is not. Please only start the game via steam, if steam is running.

Bug Fixes:
- Gameplay Blocked when talking to Leandra while escaping from Death Knights
- Bairdotr party size issue fixed. You were no longer able to recruit a 4th party member. Loading your savegame should allow you to re-hire a 4th companion immediately.
- Fixed Homestead room-opening issue if you spoke to Zixzax with a companion first, while other player characters were arriving. If you had this issue pre-patch, you can try loading your save and returning to the Homestead.
- Fixed Zandalor being interruptible when you first meet him. This could cause story progression issues.
- Evelyn NPC blocked and remains in clinic before and after going through the lair scene
- Equipment usable in skill bar
- "Send to Homestead" appears in context menu if you start new game after loading save
- Change Tenebrium weapon damage calculation: Tenebrium ability is now a requirement and you get the damage boost from your weapon ability
- Kickstarter pet black spider should now be the black spider model instead of fleshy spider
- Ingame time incorrect after loading a save and then starting a new game
- Due to cloud being enabled, the way the player profiles are shown in the game has changed. - - All existing profiles are scanned and available, instead of only the profiles linked to your steam account.
- Fixed issue that could get your character stuck in skill preview mode after spamming skill keys when leaving a dialog

Mac specific changes:
- VideoCardBlackList expanded with all the reported models for Yosemite (Lockup on first screen on old hardware)
- OpenGL specific fixes for flickering objects
- OpenGL performance improvements
- Effects library updated with camera effect
- Smoother zoom and scroll
- Books rendering issues with OpenGL
- Mouse right click in fake full screen was not working

Balancing changes:
Cyseal
- Chimaera (script improved)
- Dietmar (bugfix: enemies won't turn invisible again on save/load)
- Lighthouse Horror (bugfix: scripting error)

Black Cove
- Crab Summoner (now summons more, hits harder, can teleport back to the player if too far away)

Luculla Forest
- Blue Mushrooms (bugfix: summons will not be of a different faction anymore)
- Void Shepherd (bugfix: killing the shepherd now ends the fight)
- Drunk Goblins (bugfix: goblins were not ending turn when drinking from flower)
- Rafflesia (bugfix: now summons level 14 flowers)
- Shadow Summoner (now stronger & faster)
- Spider Queen (bugfix: now summons level 14 spiders)
- Kromkromkris (bugfix: doesn't get attacked by his own summons anymore)

Hiberheim
- Boreas (bugfix: made non-teleportable & doesn't move when it's not his turn anymore)

Dark Forest
- Anguish Demon (removed one summon, making the fight a bit easier)
- Fire Demon (summons void dogs faster)
- Kalgruuda Cloudpiercer (doesn't end turn after summoning and summons don't skip their first turn anymore)
- Braogg Spiritchaser (doesn't end turn after summoning anymore)
- Tunnel Mushroom (made non-teleportable)

Stats changes
- Rebalanced Constitution & Damage: from Luculla to Dark Forest, overall, creatures go down faster but deal more damage
- Toned down Armor: some Armor scores were too high, resulting in unnecessarily long fight
- Rebalanced Initiative: some creatures had too high an Init, others too little. NPC Init scores will now be closer to players' score
- Rebalanced Willpower & Bodybuilding throughout the game
- Rebalanced physical & magical resistances
- Some creatures had high dexterity and were difficult to hit
- Pure elementals (fire, water, air, earth) now have proper resistances and immunities
- Magic weapons changed (example: a flaming sword would inflict pure fire damage. Now, it inflicts physical (slashing) damage + a fire boost)

Editor Update:
We have supplied a 3DSMax exporter to allow you to import custom animations and models into your mods

[Hanged Man]

http://gematsu.com/2015/05/divinity-ori ... 4-xbox-one

Divinity-OS-EE-PS4-XBO.jpg (91.22 KiB) Viewed 11307 times

Larian Studios is bringing Divinity: Original Sin to consoles following its PC launch in June 2014, the developer announced.

Due out towards the end of the year for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One and published by Focus Home Interactive, Divinity: Original Sin Enhanced Edition will feature a “full makeover,” including a new user interface tailored for controllers and couch-friendly split-screen, fully voiced and remastered dialogues featuring Alix Wilton Regan and Alec Newman, and “hours” of new content ranging from quests to combat-styles, locations, crafting system changes, and a reworked storyline.

PC, Mac, and SteamOS consumers of the original release will receive a free upgrade to the Enhanced Edition.

Here are some more details, via Focus Home:

Easing a new generation into the world of cRPGs, Original Sin Enhanced Edition features isometric, party-based gameplay, turn based combat in a story that will have you embroiled in a fantasy world of free exploration thanks to a new split-screen friendly UI.

Become part of a reactive, living and open world. Explore diverse environments, find myriad creatures and tons of desirable items.
Experience gripping, party and turn-based combat. Manipulate the environment and use skill & spell combos.
Play in co-op multiplayer online or in local split-screen and engage in co-op dialogues. Shape your relationships with your partner that will influence the game.
Unravel a deep and epic story, set in the early days of Rivellon. Taking place well before Divine Divinity and Divinity 2: The Dragon Knight Saga, Divinity: Original Sin presents you with a familiar world in another era.
Classless system lets you shape your character any way you want. Endless item interaction and combinations take things to another level of freedom.

Focus Home will provide a first look at the Enhanced Edition at E3 next month.

Watch the debut trailer below. View the game’s U.K. box art at the gallery.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5GzhMciwH6s

[icycalm]

Haha that's the third time they redo that illustration. Every time it's better, and this time it's a proper artist lol.

[icycalm]

I haven't been able to find any updates on the Hardcore mode after the Enhanced Edition announcement, but since the announcement mentions "Entirely new gameplay modes"...

http://www.divinityoriginalsin.com/news.php#news_274

...I am assuming they'll include the Hardcore one too. So this is what we are waiting for to restart the game.

Hopefully the 4-player hack will still work after the update. If it doesn't... hopefully someone will make a new hack. If no one does... we'll have to download an earlier pirated version of the game and play that instead. But it probably won't come to that.

[Some guy]

Divinity: Original Sin - Enhanced Edition Launch Trailer
http://www.allgamesbeta.com/2015/10/div ... on_23.html

DIVINITY ORIGINAL SIN ENHANCED EDITION - CONSOLE LAUNCH TRAILER: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OAr5C3ujEjc

Download HQ trailer: https://mega.nz/#!74YDxCQR!brc7y1uBM8Ca ... FKEEs3wGJM

Divinity Original Sin - Enhanced Edition Nears Release With the Launch Trailer

Acclaimed RPG Divinity: Original Sin - Enhanced Edition drops on October 27 for PS4 and Xbox One in retail stores and for download, and what better way to celebrate the impending release than with the official Launch Trailer for Larian Studios' hit RPG?

Having won over 150 awards and nominations, Divinity: Original Sin has become a must-have game for all RPG lovers, and the Enhanced Edition brings a wide range of improvements and new content. We've previously showcased the online and offline cooperative features with its Co-op Trailer, and its turn-based, tactical combat in the Combat Trailer.

Designed for consoles, the slick and stylish interface allows the player to seamlessly switch between inventory, spells, and skills. Each player has full control of their own UI, in and out of split-screen mode.

Featuring brand new content, drop-in, drop-out online and offline multiplayer, three new difficulty modes, and a host of new features (check the website for more information!) Divinity: Original Sin - Enhanced Edition brings an unprecedented, content rich experience to PS4 and Xbox One that may surprise both RPG fans and new players alike.

Divinity: Original Sin - Enhanced Edition comes to PS4 and Xbox One on October 27 in retail stores and for download.