What are you playing?

[Le Redditeur]

Did they fix the goddamn crafting system? It was awful in the original game, specially when dealing with pre-requisite crafts.

[mad bum]

Did they fix the goddamn crafting system? It was awful in the original game, specially when dealing with pre-requisite crafts.

-Some quality of life improvements like the crafting system is a positive change as well as removing level requirements for weapons.

-Game Balance definitly different:
+Now there is a character lvl cap fixed (Squad Lvl) by the advancement of the story, lvl cap straight from the begining, and in a few combat you lvl up (a bit too easy).
+You begin with damage already powerful and HP to the top (50 to 200 dmg and 300 to 500 HP, stuff like when you're lvl 25 or more in the original game), so lvl up feel empty with this major UP.
+With these 2, grinding will be far less useful and getting over leveled to bypass problematic fight is not an option anymore. For the begining, the game is way easier than the original (i don't remember that was this easy)... i'll see for later in the game EDIT: well, it's not that fast after, but main story is enough to fill lvl cap for your main characters without grinding that much.
+Lot AND LOTS of boosting cards poping on the map (1 every 2 of character making a turn), it feel weird.

-Skills:
+No skill points anymore to unlock, it come with lvl up (not see it with also mastery of skills i supose)
+Max of 4 skills Slots to equip (Vs 10 in the original game, what a nerf)
+No way to know how to unlock some (maybe i missed it yet)

-Spells:
+No way to learn them (you could do it a lot using Grimoires in the first game and adapt your gameplay with it)
+You're limited to 4 Spells to equip (like for skills, again a nerf)

-Consumable Items:
+Arcana removed (no more grimoire to one used, you equip them in spell, that's all), fair enough, it was barely useful, sometime for Heal, Rez or Exorcism when stucked.
+No More direct use for Items from inventory, you need to equip the again, still anothe 4 Slots (well... another nerf)

-Game Controls:
+Annoying controls with no back automatic Key for the current action.-> there is some but Right mouse click doesn't go back *directly* to your action (conter intuitive).
+For movement, you need to select move, click on a cell you want to go AND again on this cell, cancel move, you need to do all again... Most other games have movement selected by default, and you just need to click one time to move, cancel, the character go back on click an other cell the character go there... how did they messed that up, it's basic, it's PAINFUL here.
+Always need to double click, even when you select back you character
+If you click terrain, the back key does nothing, the right click there open system menu while you naturaly try to go back to your current character (need to use next our previous character in line key, most people don't even commonly use)
+Finishing a move will leave your pointer in your a cancel movement button at the end
+Rotation view not responsive in current action (need to often cancel action to be able to move camera to get back doing your action), it's painful when terrain block view to no manage correctly that.
+Impossible to navigate in the game menu with my controler (it work on the world map, but failed to do anything in inventory or the moment you're in city menu, only character switch work) even all keys binded
-> A LOT OF REDUNDANCE IN BASIC KEYS, making game tiring to play, you even need to type the Escape key 2 times to get to the system menu (1st time making just the cursor disapear... why?)

-No more random encounter...
+Replaced by Skirmish to choose to each maps, BUT, there is NO DROPS AT ALL
-> No way to grind money? (if you later need to resort to tame beast to put them to auction... it will be painful)

Yet to see:
-Tame/Recruit in battle (i had the option but always 0% to succes, bugged?)
-Craft
-Tarrot cards

Let's finish with at least the positive stuff added:
+New element affinity stuff, a rock paper scissor mecanic more advance and for all character with a way to change it.
+Voices...
+Improved graphics (well it's just fine enough Remaster for it)

[Complicity]

I caught the coof recently, so i decided to install and play Morrowind with the s#arp mods.
I dropped the gayme halfway through when it originally came out, and never touched it until now.
I appreciate the game now more than ever before, partly because of the mods that improve the gameplay -especially the one that shows previously read topics of conversation in grey, and removes the feeling of reading a manifesto every time you talk to NPCs.
Then there is the realization that a game like this would never be made today - a rpg set in a region of a fantasy world in which the majority of the population hates foreigners, hates the other races, hates the globohomo empire that conquered them, owns slaves and opposing it is a crime, has religious and political hypocrisy, and drug dealing.
And instead of judging everything and everyone and telling the player who they are supposed to join and what they are supposed to think and believe, the game presents everything with a neutral stance and let's you join the factions that you want.

If TES 6: Red Guard Wakanda will ever come out, it will be the exact opposite of this.
The villain will be a faction of Trump supporters, the emperor will be a Biden/Soros clone who handles free gibs in the form of Skooma pipes for the poor oppressed brown people of Yokuda (despite never being oppressed in the former gaymes), and, if you can pick a white guy as the main character at all, you will have to constantly apologize for your internalized racism.

I have also set up an emulator to play Schinn Megumi Tensay 5.
It's the Skyrim to Nocturne's Morrowind.
Very nice to look at, very nice music, but an ultra easy, follow the marker kind of a deal.
So far not as bad as Apocalypse; the not-fairy doesn't talk much, excluding the "yatta, yatta!" and "ne ne ne!" that she blurts out when she finds an item on the map.

[rabidtictac]

SMT V was a big disappointment for me. Not as bad as Apocalypse but then nothing is.

[VoiceOfReasonPast]

Never managed to get my hopes all that up. That game was in development for what felt like ages, and all we had in the meantime was a picture of some tokusatsu-samurai who was vaguely channeling Garo or something.
And then it turns out that wasn't the protagonist, and that the protagonist looks way gayer.

Then there is the realization that a game like this would never be made today - a rpg set in a region of a fantasy world in which the majority of the population hates foreigners, hates the other races, hates the globohomo empire that conquered them, owns slaves and opposing it is a crime, has religious and political hypocrisy, and drug dealing.

And the cherry in top is that the natives are technically of color.
And that you can become their *white* savior, depending on which race you've chosen at the start.

If TES 6: Red Guard Wakanda will ever come out, it will be the exact opposite of this.
The villain will be a faction of Trump supporters, the emperor will be a Biden/Soros clone who handles free gibs in the form of Skooma pipes for the poor oppressed brown people of Yokuda (despite never being oppressed in the former gaymes)

Oh, I have no doubt in my mind this game will be set in some new and fantastic era where they are oppressed.
Because all the white people voted the wrong emperor into office.
(Or rather the electoral princes if the writers are not completely retarded.)

So far not as bad as Apocalypse; the not-fairy doesn't talk much, excluding the "yatta, yatta!" and "ne ne ne!" that she blurts out when she finds an item on the map.

Is this more or less annoying than "Hey! Listen!"?

[rabidtictac]

The atmosphere of Morrowind is the most interesting part of that game. The world is so alien, even by the standards of fantasy worlds in gayming. The bus system involves riding a giant flea. Most factions are assholes, as are most people. Nearly every living thing found outside of towns is hostile to you. Those which aren't initially hostile are often trying to scam you. Fashions, weapons, armor, consumables and ingredients are all pulled from this rich, bizarre environment that's half swamp and half wasteland.

Ignoring the aesthetics/environment and solely focusing on gameplay, Morrowind adheres strictly to the same "wide as an ocean, deep as a puddle" design philosophy as Oblivion and Skyrim. It's not AS dumbed down as either of those, but it's in similar form. Combat is a big clickfest and spellcasting requires a ton of repetitive grinding. Hell, the game in general requires a ton of repetitive grinding to get anything done. But if you like that, it's a relaxing grind. You can sit around and make potions for 10 hours while doing literally nothing else, and the game doesn't care. It won't bother you to RUSH RUSH HURRY UP GO DO THE STORY QUESTS RIGHT NOW!!! Or harass you with obnoxious timed companion missions. If you're content to mix a thousand healing potions one at a time, the game is content to let you.

[VoiceOfReasonPast]

Morrowind's alien atmosphere cannot be overstated. The furry expansion was borderline betrayal for introducing wolves and bears as new enemies.

[AdorableOtter]

>SMT

What you should do before grieving about the franchise's death is downloading this shit, apply this shit and play shit, then wait until the translation for the second shit come out like a shit.

ATLUS became too big to continue true to its roots SMTs, it's kinda ironic they used to make more mature contents for SFC(SNES).

[VoiceOfReasonPast]

Speaking of true SMT... remember how Digimon Cyber Sleuth is basically SMT? They kinda did it again with Digimon Survive.

Now quite a few people were probably disappoint when the game, after many delays, turned out to be more Visual Novel than tactical RPG.
Worse, it's a Digimon Visual Novel, so there won't be any rape. Though since this is Digimon, mind rape is always a possibility.
Although this from Cyber Sleuth could technically count as some kind of noncon.

SpoilerShow

Now the story's kinda wild so far. Kinda started like an alternate take on Adventure with different characters and partner Digimon (not a bad selection aside from that lame-ass dog; I also kinda like how the mandatory insect Digimon can't actually talk, just to further make him cooler than that wimpy Wormmon).
But then the game starts throwing out songs like this:


It manages to make this fucker scary:


And there's a creepy abandoned school that gives off some Corpse Party vibes, complete with creepy ghost kids. I don't think there will be an heroing though, but who the fuck knows at this point.

Now when in all this autism will I get to the point and mention how this resembles SMT? Well, about now.
You see, I initially thought you're only gonna end up using the partner Digimon to make this more animu (they even have that thing where partner Digimon evolutions aren't permanent, which I isn't really a thing you see in Digimon video games), but you can actually recruit more Digimon by talking to them in battle. Like SMT.
Which opens up a mini-game where you have to answer questions in a way this particular Digimon likes to hear. Like SMT.
Really the only major difference here is that you get to choose whether they'll join you (though the chance for this succeeding is never 100%) or give you an item.

And apparently there's different endings tied to the three alignments that the game uses for moral choice stuff and shit (which are also in turn tied to the 3 general Digimon types of Data, Vaccine and Virus). Again, just like SMT.

EDIT: Oh, and there's even the added religious angle in that Digimon have been worshipped as vengeaful kami in the region's past.

[AdorableOtter]

That makes sense considering how those games are related to each other.

(S)MT -> Master of Monsters -> Pokemon -> Digimon

It seems that particular Digimon was made for grown up Digimon fans in mind, hence the somewhat mature atmosphere.

Someone reaaaally should make a not so much Persona-like yet original-SMT-like game really. ATLUS actually proved it was totally possible to make basically dark creepy SMT without making kikes screech muh anti-semitism (pretty much no religious references), but they did it on fucking Dreamcast instead of PS2, no one fucking remembers this shit and no one tries to translate this glorious shit. What a tragic sh....HIDDEN GEM