Decline Nerd Commando Guide Channel (ex-funbuilding & stuff)

[Shadenuat]

Man I won't play W2 without Outdoorsman 8+mutant paw, so much combat there already, and all encounters are very samy and often take away more resources than you get from them, cause random loot. I skipped 99% random encounters in game and still did fine.
I gave it to my Tifa Lockhart-like indian with 1 INT and Brawling which turned out great. What a murder machine with Dragon's Claw. And she also carried all the grenades.

I think you want Computer Science on someone tough and with huge AP/initiative and speed. Turn up to 2 robots on your side, you win fight. Also it's an interesting combo with Luck, if Luck would ever get a boost.
Another thing about guns, energy weapons skill has as much usefulness as Coordination, or less. It does 1 thing - makes you hit more often. Lasers can't jam, can't crit, so you pump that Weaponsmithing instead, attach to your laser rifle some sexy scopes/lasersights/barrels for +15-20-30% chance to hit, add a trinket maybe for +chance to hit/-something useless for you, squat as a proper slav if needed, and you hit through 3 screens with 100% chance. I think it actually may be a not so bad option for "non combat" char, just as sniper rifles.

I am also not pleased with shotguns at the endgame, especially the 52-something damage 3 shot-burst one, it takes so much chance to hit away on burst, without it it's just 2 shots, not that great armor pen, and shotguns almost don't benefit from Weaponsmithing, so they feel like low grade weapon compared to Rifles, Brawling & Energy Weapons. I'm not at the endgame yet though, just finished clearing that crazy christian faction that must have been founded by Miriam Goodwinson. Still shotguns feel a bit mediocre, I'm not sure they can do anything that rifles also can't.

Btw not having someone with high CHA takes lots of fun from the game as NPCs ignore you, and having no Leadership means they will rush into scorpitron's flamer and die, so no fun... for maximum fun Dear Leader is probably a must.
OTOH I feel that no-charisma party adds some proper challenge into the game, positioning and using every char right is important, sure you have team of ubermench, everyone does everything great, but it's still just 4 people against 6-10-12 mobs.
Although I can't say that "pull back and throw grenades at them" ever failed to solve any problem for me in the game to date anyway, so who knows.

 

[Pope Amole II]

I too agree that outdoorsman is a must and there are too much battles in the game as is, but hey, y'know my schtick, leaving the majority of choices to the player. And, well, if you do fight those random encounters, it is easier to meet that sudden midgame diffculty bump.

Yeah, I'll agree that the lack of computer science attention is the only flaw of my video - should've spent more time on it. It's so good in the end game that it's the only skill that you may consider multiples of. Actually, something like 3 guys with high initiative and all computer scienced would be hilarious.

Energy weapons are cool because they're the ultimate sidearm - so much less skillpoints needed to make a decent usage of them. I think that you really want to pair shotguns & submachine guns with them - both get somewhat weak in the end game and, well, that's where you phase them out.

And so they don't rush scorpions, you just leave them afar from the battle. In the end, it's not like the majority of NPCs can actually do something in combat.

 

[Luka-boy]

Say, would you consider covering the Realms of Arkania trilogy?

The more in-depth methods of rolling a character can be quite confusing for a newbie even when using the manual, so I'd say they'd benefit a lot from a guide that sets new players who don't want to use the default parties on the right track. You could even cover which builds might be best suited for a particular game and which ones would work in all three games.

 

[Krraloth]

About your videos not being well known by Codexers...they don't want to have fun!

Jokes aside, I have watched your MMVI-II-III funbuilding only because I have already played the games. For me (and I assume some other fellow enthusiasts) fucking up abilities and party composition and learning by my mistakes is part of the process called learning curve.
The videos were pretty informative though, you explained very well how the diminishing returns problem gimps or downright renders useless certain skills, armors or spells, so I think they have merit and should be made, brethren.

I am simply not watching those of games that I'll play before having played them, I am stubborn.

 

[Pope Amole II]

Say, would you consider covering the Realms of Arkania trilogy?

Won't promise much here - I'll consider this, but, as the release of my own game is sorta nigh, I really want to do some high-grade attention whoring and, well, with the crashdown that RoA remake was, they're not the best targets for this. And they're probably also freaking huge and I really should be short on time atm. It's just that we've had an incredibly black september and pretty much lost an entire month on all kinds of different shit.

And this week is probably gonna be disappointing as it'll be another MtG set review (that'll probably be the last one, also - they're such a pain in the ass to do).

Jokes aside, I have watched your MMVI-II-III funbuilding only because I have already played the games. For me (and I assume some other fellow enthusiasts) fucking up abilities and party composition and learning by my mistakes is part of the process called learning curve.

I can agree with this logic, though I must also say that in many, many RPGs learning curve is absolutely screwed up. M&M trilogy is a great example here - it has tricky formulas and gives nigh zero in-game feedback on them, so even the hardcore fans of it often have quite erroneous looks on how it works. And you can't say it's their blame - if not for the community's game engine disassembling efforts, we'd still be in the permanent dark about many, many things.

And it's not only guessing the optimal builds - it's also choosing the most entertaining ones. You know, I have a huge issue with M&M players simply because they always go with this balanced party crap which, in my opinion, is the blandest way of enjoying the later trilogy. Yeah, perhaps it's the matter of taste, but I still fail to see actual benefits of it (not the virtual "but I'm developing a really diverse party" one - virtual because most of those developments are nothing but smoke & mirrors, they matter nothing in combat or smth like that).

 

[Krraloth]

I can agree with this logic, though I must also say that in many, many RPGs learning curve is absolutely screwed up. M&M trilogy is a great example here - it has tricky formulas and gives nigh zero in-game feedback on them, so even the hardcore fans of it often have quite erroneous looks on how it works. And you can't say it's their blame - if not for the community's game engine disassembling efforts, we'd still be in the permanent dark about many, many things.

And it's not only guessing the optimal builds - it's also choosing the most entertaining ones. You know, I have a huge issue with M&M players simply because they always go with this balanced party crap which, in my opinion, is the blandest way of enjoying the later trilogy. Yeah, perhaps it's the matter of taste, but I still fail to see actual benefits of it (not the virtual "but I'm developing a really diverse party" one - virtual because most of those developments are nothing but smoke & mirrors, they matter nothing in combat or smth like that).

But, good sir, now I have you.

 

[Shadenuat]

Energy weapons are cool because they're the ultimate sidearm - so much less skillpoints needed to make a decent usage of them. I think that you really want to pair shotguns & submachine guns with them - both get somewhat weak in the end game and, well, that's where you phase them out.

I was thinking about 3-5 points of pistols/sniper&energy medic character.

Btw, I wouldn't recommend placing 1 point of Surgeon on anyone, it might seem logical - you have someone else to res your medic if he falls, but midgame surgeon kits require 4 Surgeon, and there are no 1 Surgeon kits to buy...

:admiral_akbar:

https://forums.inxile-entertainment.com/viewtopic.php?f=18&t=8727

oh god it is SO MUCH BETTER

I think 140% spead increase would have worked better - in spirit of the game, but also fast enough to not fall asleep while playing

 

[Shadenuat]

Sweet spot for Energy Weapons is probably 8. That's how much you need to do a burst with Gamma Laser. Very very easy to use with 10 INT build. Of course 12 would allow burst-burst+shot I guess. But that thing is so OP even on Supreme Jerk I don't see a reason to invest in extra AP.

 

[Pope Amole II]

Haven't been too active recently, but the good news are that I've found a person (outside of the codex) who helped me to transform my MTGO riches into tasty, tasty steam games. So now I have:

Age of Decadence
Legend of Grimrock 2
Shadowrun: Dragonfall - Director's Cut
The Banner Saga
Lords of Xulima.

I guess I'll start with the grimrock 2, should be the most attention-whorey out of those. Then it'll be the Saga & the Shadowrun. AoD and Xulima will be the next thursday after that, obviously.

 

[Servo]

I don't really understand the point of these videos. I don't like following instructions. Having an optimal party or character build is not "fun" for me. How is this different from giving someone a walkthrough and saying "this is how you should play"?

 

[Pope Amole II]

This is different because I try to keep the instructions as light and non-intrusive as possible. Perhaps I don't always succeed at that (depends on the game, honestly), but in my best cases I try to just explain the system and the possibilities, while leaving the choice of those possibilities to the viewer, and to weed out bad options which will just end in the canonical "go through the half of the game, understand your party is crap, restart" which, of course, is considered to be one of the quintessential RPG experiences for some, but not everyone really agrees with that. I also try to focus on building the fun to play builds instead of just munchkining the crap out of games.

 

[Zdzisiu]

This is different because I try to keep the instructions as light and non-intrusive as possible. Perhaps I don't always succeed at that (depends on the game, honestly), but in my best cases I try to just explain the system and the possibilities, while leaving the choice of those possibilities to the viewer, and to weed out bad options which will just end in the canonical "go through the half of the game, understand your party is crap, restart" which, of course, is considered to be one of the quintessential RPG experiences for some, but not everyone really agrees with that. I also try to focus on building the fun to play builds instead of just munchkining the crap out of games.

And that is precisely why I watch your videos. Most of the games you made videos about I have already played on my on, and in those cases I am more interested in learning more about very specific builds that I would not figure myself, like the throwning build in Fallout, or learn more about the mechanics of a game I though I know everything about. And in the case of new games like Wasteland 2, I watch your videos to learn about which skills are virtually useless, so as not to realize in the middle of the game that my party cant deal with a lot of things simply because I build it thinking the skill and stats will work one way and they work the other way, which is a big deal in case of Wasteland 2.

Also, I somehow always appreciated the min-maxing approach to games and trying to get the most of the mechanics of the game. And as you said, it is not always about having the most powerfull build, but often it is about having a build that is both fun to play and viable in terms of what it can do.

 

[Servo]

min-maxing

I wonder what



would say...

 

[Doctor Sbaitso]

Some games really let you screw up your build, sometimes in non-obvious ways. It's good to have some non-spoiler insight beforehand.

 

[Pope Amole II]

I am reborn once more!

Heh, just was relistening to my metal musical archive while playing the hell out of Legend of Grimrock 2 and the best fit (to my tastes) was the epic black metal band called Bal-Sagoth. I'm just quoting their When Rides The Scion Of The Storms.

Anyway, after a monthly break I'm back into business. No videos for today, these will come tomorrow, but at the moment I have a rather painstakingly crafted steam guide for the game:
http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=330809837

 

[Pope Amole II]

A-a-and it's up:

 

[Clockwork Knight]

Try talking a bit more slow next time though, it's nice not having to deal with the typical AAAAAAAHNS and UUUHHNNS of improvised videos but I feel like I'm receiving last minute new instructions from the sergeant before we jump out of the trenches. I had to listen the segment around the 50 minute mark a few times before understanding the tips about frontline rogues and knights.

I don't really understand the point of these videos. I don't like following instructions. Having an optimal party or character build is not "fun" for me. How is this different from giving someone a walkthrough and saying "this is how you should play"?

It helps avoiding the retarded "gotcha" headaches you have no way of preparing against. The last video for example reveals that firearms are actually complete shit (with the only good one being found late in the game, when it's effectively shit compared to everything else). Knowing this, you can still play a gunslinger if you feel like it but you won't be taken by surprise when he turns out to be dead weight.

 

[Pope Amole II]

Try talking a bit more slow next time though, it's nice not having to deal with the typical AAAAAAAHNS and UUUHHNNS of improvised videos but I feel like I'm receiving last minute new instructions from the sergeant before we jump out of the trenches. I had to listen the segment around the 50 minute mark a few times before understanding the tips about frontline rogues and knights.

Yeah, man, but I'm really stuck between the hammer & the anvil here - on one hand, yeah, speaking too fast makes it not so convenient to understand. On the other, the longer the video is, the lesser amount of people will attempt to watch it, that's how it works, unfortunately. And I'm ashamed to admit that I sorta care about widening my audience. I got even faster around minute 50 simply because that's the second take - I did the first one in an hour and ten, but then understood that that's too much and I must do shorter than that. And the initial plan was just 50 minutes - I saw that I'm already almost past the deadline and, well, you understand.

But hey, what's wrong with jumping out of the trenches? RPGs are serious business, after all.

 

[Zdzisiu]

Hmm I just thought about something. It would be quite usefull if you could provide (in the description below the video) time codes for various parts of the video. Like, race discussion, class discussion, example of a good party, stats discussion etc. It would make it easier for people to just jump to the relevant part, particularly if they are watching the video for the second or third time and just need to check what you said about how to build an Alchemist or something like that.

 

[Grimwulf]

I don't know. It's kinda fun when you screw your build sometimes. I generally tend to buff up all non-combat skills and atts in most RPGs I play, so close to midgame I get smth like Fritz from Brain Dead 13



Yeah, just like my last gnome in Arcanum. But it's totally ok with me. There is always some way to fix or compensate things. If I wanted some easier challenge, I guess I'd play on easier difficulty. Or watched some let's plays.

The only time I followed build instructions is fucking vanilla Diablo2. Couldn't complete last difficulty until discovered easy sorceress build. But that's classic Diablo, no funny stuff.

 

[Clockwork Knight]

Learning to live with shitty design isn't surmounting a challenge.

My old vanilla Oblivion save is stuck on a ruin where three liches spawn at once, because the quest calls for "3_UNDEAD_CREATURES" and I'm high level. One lich is enough to keep me busy, and those three each summon their own skeleton champion and wield staffs. I could just quaff invisibility potions and GTFO but it's clear the game abandoned any pretense of letting me compensate for anything. Not that I should need that because this is on a battlemage clad in ebony/daedric that can fling fireballs like candy and above max strength to wield enchanted warhammer that boosts his strength even more.

 

[Grimwulf]

My old vanilla Oblivion save is stuck on a ruin where three liches spawn at once, because the quest calls for "3_UNDEAD_CREATURES" and I'm high level.

That's improper saving technique you are dealing with, not char build problem. One should make a LOT of backup saves in any TES game. I can't even remember now how often I got stucked in Daggerfall ruins, so what? Reload last town save, re-equip, reconsider spellbook content, maybe hunt for some daedric princes gifts, or go to the spell maker, or magic item crafter, or whatever.

Besides, any TES is either pure munchkin experience or hard-ass roleplay, depending on how you roll. Either way you don't need any BUILDS in this game.

Edit: oh yeah, just realized you're talking about VANILLA Oblivion. Well, you brought it on yourself, sir. The game's gonna be hard as fuck (or more like tedious really) no matter how much highlevel you are.

 

[Clockwork Knight]

Added details to clarify.

I have multiple saves. I'm not really "stuck" in the sense of not being able to get out, I just stopped there because that was just too much. (I don't agree that it's the player's fault for not predicting a bullshit encounter, though)

 

[Grimwulf]

Added details to clarify.

I have multiple saves. I'm not really "stuck" in the sense of not being able to get out, I just stopped there because that was just too much. (I don't agree that it's the player's fault for not predicting a bullshit encounter, though)

Wha? But TES is all about bullshit encounters.

Skyrim:"I go gather flowers outside city gates. What's that? Dragon! Suddenly! Fuck!"
Oblivion:"I'll bump me a level-up, so the WHOLE WORLD around me will level up too! The barbarians are waiting only for ME, so they could finally get the daedric equipment!"
Morrowind:"Mudcrabs, mudcrabs everywhere. Want a challenge or at least one hard fight? Fuck you"
Daggerfall: I'll just leave no comment here.
Arena: err, still haven't played. Shit.

Moreso, I think EVERY d&d game has bullshit encounters. Almost every RPG has bullshit encounters. That what makes them fun.

... Except Oblivion. Nothing in the world can make this game fun.

 

[Pope Amole II]

And the new one is up. Shadowrun: Dragonfall this week. This one is rather late, but it's rather hard to do all of these in a decent tempo - not only I have to have spare money when they come out, but also enough time to give them sufficient playtime (which is the hardest part). For me, shadowrun got stuck between the Grimrock & Wasteland 2 and, while I probably enjoyed it much more than those two, I didn't have enough time to play it until I've finished them both. And, well, since its RPG system is much less complex than theirs is, it doesn't need the video as much as they did. Also, another hasty one here but I dunno, it's just how I roll nowadays.

Hmm I just thought about something. It would be quite usefull if you could provide (in the description below the video) time codes for various parts of the video. Like, race discussion, class discussion, example of a good party, stats discussion etc. It would make it easier for people to just jump to the relevant part, particularly if they are watching the video for the second or third time and just need to check what you said about how to build an Alchemist or something like that.

Done this for the Grimrock, btw.