Video games

[SnowAngel]

My brother has one of the Red Dead Redemption games on his PC, not sure if he ever finished it. He seemed to enjoy playing it.

Kalta, Splinter Cell is a third person stealth game series. Would you believe I haven't play it since my last post? Hoping to find some time to finish Conviction in the next week, I only have one mission left.

SnowAngel

[mm1991]

I learned the hard way that once you purchase a Fortnite battle pass, you can't refund it! Oh well. Guess I'm stuck playing Fortnite for now!

[Kalta79]

Well I'm taking a break from AoE, started playing Final Fantasy X again, doing the single character challenges. Started with just Tidus, since he is the main character. Just beat that this afternoon. Found it interesting that playing with just one character instead of a varied team, it actually was at least 10-12 hours less playing time overall to beat the game. Doing Kimahri only now.

[mm1991]

@Kalta, do you play FFXIV at all?

[Kalta79]

No, I only have a PS2, and after FFXII I pretty much lost any interest in further games in the series.

[Cleander]

Well, I recently picked up AoE2 again. I just discovered a mod that adds DRAGONS! (Yes, they do breathe fire. ) They can't fly , they just sort of waddle around the map, but the kind you can train in your castle can walk on water! (The ones from the stable can't.) They have about 660 hit points if I recall, so they're pretty powerful. (One actually sunk a ship with three shots, so their attack must be pretty good, though I can't remember what it is exactly.)
Never before has Age of Empires been so much like Narnia! (I have yet to play Age of Mythology though...)

[Kalta79]

I've played Age of Mythology, not for long though, didn't really understand it.

[Cleander]

Is it that different from Age of Empires? I thought it just had different civs and units.

[Kalta79]

The gameplay is different, the 'special effects' as in with magic type stuff I really didn't understand how it worked, and put it off until another time when I feel up to being frustrated.

[Ryadian]

Dragons in AoE 2 sounds ridiculously fun. I may have to install that mod.

You want more information about Age of Mythology, you say? Well, prepare for a novel on the subject!

The core parts of AoM are the same as AoE 2, in terms of it being an RTS where you gather resources, the gathering and building mechanics are the same, etc. The major differences are that the game only has four civilizations (and I believe the fourth, the Atlanteans, are only available with the expansion - admittedly, I've never played a copy that doesn't include the expansion). Instead of having stone, there's a new resource you gather called "Favor" (from the gods), and each civilization has a different method of gathering favor. They also all have slightly different methods of gathering and/or building - like, the Egyptians don't pay anything for their storehouses but basically all their buildings cost gold, and the Norse can only build with their infantry units, and not their villagers.

The other major difference is that after you don't just choose a civilization when you start, you choose one of three "major gods" per civilization (e.g., Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades for the Greeks). They each come with different abilities, and each one comes with different "minor gods". You choose a minor god to follow every time you advance to a new age, each minor god providing new technologies, buffs, and a unique god power and myth unit.

If you've played AoE 3, they had a similar system where you'd choose governors and other officials from the homeland every time you advanced ages, or something like that. I didn't really like AoE 3, though, and I never really played it much, so I don't remember how similar the two systems were.

God powers are abilities that are (usually) activated only once and provide some boon to you, or detriment to your enemies. You might have one that makes everyone's farmers gather faster (yours the fastest) in the early game, and in the late game you might be able to summon a tornado to destroy everything in its path. For area affect abilities like that, you have to be able to see the area of the map you're targeting, though - you can't just know where it is. Myth units are what they sound like - units you can build (which are usually really expensive!) that are mythological creatures.

Yes, I've played AoM a bit. I can't really decide which one I like better between that one and AoE 2. AoM has a campaign mode with a story I find really interesting, which is technically also true for AoE 2 but I've never finished half of the historical campaigns they have. I played these games mostly as a kid and basically cheat code'd my way to victory, so the levels that required actual strategy usually bored me.

[Cleander]

Could anybody here recommend any of the Skyrim games?

[mm1991]

I have not played the Skyrim games personally, but my boyfriend really enjoyed The Elder Scrolls V. I can ask him more about it when he gets home later tonight!

[Kalta79]

My friend also plays Elder Scrolls and she likes it.

[Cleander]

Well, I went ahead and got the special edition of Skyrim and am liking it so far. I guess the near-total freedom of the game is what appeals to me most. First game I ever played that lets you buy a house, start a family, work as a laborer, and then go out into the wilderness with a sword and bow, embarking on epic quests to slay dragons and join civil wars!
The grand scale of the game is astounding. There's so much to see, so many places to go, and the scenery is gorgeous. At times it's almost like being in Narnia.
And I also don't have to follow the main quest, which is good because I'd probably get halfway in and give up. The game is fun enough without it.

[Kalta79]

Glad you're having fun, Cleander! I think it's probably a good thing we don't have hispeed internet here at the house in this respect because I'd probably spend waaaaaay too much time playing MMORPGs. I miss Everquest sometimes...

[Cleander]

Everquest? Never heard of it. Assuming it's also an RPG?
Right now I'm exploring the snowier regions of Skyrim, using a stolen horse. I think I'm going to have to pay a fine when I get back to the town, so I'm looking out for any random coins laying around. The good thing is that in Skyrim, it's possible to find wild animals with gold on them!
I also love how the horses are so good at swimming. They're pretty much like boats in the water. For a realistic game, this one is at least unrealistic in fun ways!