Let's Playeth: Arcanum

[janjetina]

This is off to a good start. Hopefully you'll keep it up.

 

[BethesdaLove]

There is no redemption for complete and utter faggots like him.

 

[Black]

There isn't but that doesn't mean the LP can't be good.

 

[Rabidredneck]

I think it's a good idea to give the unofficial patch a public workout. It's one thing to read a changelog to see what it does, but seeing it in action is far better in my book.

I used to own Arcanum, but never really got far into it. I will be following this lets play with interest.

 

[Nedrah]

What the fuck is this? Be glad someone actually takes the trouble to write an LP. If you don't like it, don't read it. If you have some constructive criticism, write it down and if you're just a whiny sack of shit who only bitches about others you need to shut the fuck up.

Shut the fuck up.

NO U

 

[Marquis de Retardot]

Let the fucking naysayers nay! I tried playing Arcanum but it was boring and really damn buggy. I quit when it decided to corrupt my save file 75% of the way through the game. I kept hoping it would get better, but combat went from being slightly difficult and boring, to pointlessly easy and boring. This LP might just pique my interest in the game again especially after Drog's patch.

 

[Darth Roxor]

Let the fucking naysayers nay! I tried playing Arcanum but it was boring and really damn buggy. I quit when it decided to corrupt my save file 75% of the way through the game. I kept hoping it would get better, but combat went from being slightly difficult and boring, to pointlessly easy and boring. This LP might just pique my interest in the game again especially after Drog's patch.

My playthrough of Arcanum of similar. It was fun for like, the first quarter of the game, but then turned to be bland and awfully boring at the end, and I just kept playing it because I hoped it would turn 'oh so awesome' eventually as I had been lead to believe it was, but alas, it kept getting worse and worse.

 

[Shota Shernokavich]

I think it's a good idea to give the unofficial patch a public workout. It's one thing to read a changelog to see what it does, but seeing it in action is far better in my book.

The difference is HUGELY noticeable. Very polished, very clean, and I haven't run into a single bug yet.

Seriously, props to Drog for the excellent patch. The extra pack as well, is superb.

The action-packed second chapter to this saga will soon be ready. Prepare for some hardxcore gifs and fanfic-esque narratives.

 

[Qwinn]

I never got past Quintarra myself, the huge long dungeon crawls (not my favorite part of RPGs) in BMC and then the other dwarf clan just wear me out every time I try. So I'll be checking this out to see if what I've consistently missed really is as good as some folks have said it is.

Qwinn

 

[Murk]

There isn't but that doesn't mean the LP can't be good.

Yeah, I'd keep up with this. Can you actually manage to go all the way through or will this be like Jaime Lannister's abandoned PS:T LP? His too was very polished and well presented but... well, I don't think he even got out of the mortuary...

 

[Double Ogre]

I never got past Quintarra myself, the huge long dungeon crawls (not my favorite part of RPGs) in BMC and then the other dwarf clan just wear me out every time I try.

Bullshit. BMC is short if you don't loot everything and just go straight to the dwarf, and you can also use the exit scroll that's lying around on one of the bodies to teleport out when you're done. In addition, the Wheel Clan dungeon (Dredge) is optional.

Come to think of it, the Weeping Catacombs in PS:T are much more annoying.

 

[Wyrmlord]

I am amused by how Arcanum fans seem to only use Torment as a leverage for showing how Arcanum is better.

 

[MaskedMan]

I am amused by how Arcanum fans seem to only use Torment as a leverage for showing how Arcanum is better.

He's talking to Qwinn. Maybe there's a reason why he's comparing it to PST?

 

[Double Ogre]

I am amused by how Arcanum fans seem to only use Torment as a leverage for showing how Arcanum is better.

Please don't make generalizations. I just gave an example that would be familiar to Qwinn.

 

[Qwinn]

Even if you do a direct line approach to the BMC dwarf (skipping most of the dungeon, which leaves me feeling dissatisfied, and -not- an optimal solution, if I -have- to skip a lot of content for the game to remain fun, that's not a good thing), there is no way in -hell- that you can compare the amount of combat in the Weeping Stones Catacombs (number of combats is probably in the single digits in each zone, no more than ten minutes tops in each to deal with it) compared to the number of combats in BMC and the Wheel Clan. Come on.

Qwinn

 

[Mister Arkham]

Looks like an interesting read. I've been meaning to replay Arcanum lately, but can't dedicate the time right now. If you keep it up and manage to stick with your presentation all of the way through, this should fill in nicely for a proper play through.

Nice work so far.

 

[Pork Matter Explosion]

I am amused by how Arcanum fans seem to only use Torment as a leverage for showing how Arcanum is better.

It's better than Wizardry, if that's what you're getting at.

 

[Fat Dragon]

Cloaked Figure/Shota/Abraham/whatever, can you just pick an alt and stick with it instead of constantly switching?

Anyways good luck with the lp, it's hard to make them interesting for people if it's a game most have played.

 

[Double Ogre]

if I -have- to skip a lot of content for the game to remain fun, that's not a good thing

But that's the beauty of Arcanum. It's impossible to do everything in one play through. You're effectively skipping a lot of content in each play through, because the role-playing system is very complex and allows for a great variety of character builds.

Considering the BMC, I suppose, mostly melee builds will find pleasure in looting the whole dungeon. However, you may bring a medium sized party with you as well. Usually, I go there at level 12-14 and skip around one third of the dungeon. There's no real need for munchkinism in C&C heavy RPGs.

 

[Qwinn]

It's impossible to do everything in one play through.

I'm not talking about mutually exclusive alternate paths. Those indeed are usually a good thing. I'm talking about something completely different - which is not being able to comfortably enjoy all the content given whatever C&C you've picked. Needing to ignore a significant portion of the dungeons you come across because there's just too damn much of it counts.

My playstyle is completionist. I like to uncover every last little nugget of content in a given game. That is what is enjoyable to me. Skipping content is -not- enjoyable. The long dungeon slogs in Arcanum are a turn-off to me because I feel like I'm slacking if I don't do them, and I'm bored as hell if I do do them.

(As for bringing a full party to get through it quicker, the lousy mechanism whereby your party steals the vast majority of your xp from you - even moreso than in other games, it seems - discourages that greatly. Add to that the inventory micromanagement every time you come across an armor-and-weapon destroying golem or similar critter, which seems to be constantly, and playing with a full party is even more painful than soloing.)

Qwinn

 

[1eyedking]

Let's play Arcanum? More like let's LARP Arcanum, am I right?

Also, a mage? Go for an Ironman gunslinger, you pussy!

 

[Jaime Lannister]

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[Double Ogre]

I'm talking about something completely different - which is not being able to comfortably enjoy all the content given whatever C&C you've picked.

Different builds = different difficulty. It's C&C, as well.

I like to uncover every last little nugget of content in a given game.

The long dungeon slogs in Arcanum are a turn-off to me because I feel like I'm slacking if I don't do them, and I'm bored as hell if I do do them.

your party steals the vast majority of your xp from you

I feel sorry for you if you can't enjoy a game without min/maxing everything.

Add to that the inventory micromanagement every time you come across an armor-and-weapon destroying golem or similar critter, which seems to be constantly

Oh, and please don't exaggerate. There's only a few golems there.

 

[Qwinn]

"Oh, and please don't exaggerate. There's only a few golems there."

Between BMC and the Wheel Clan, I'm betting there are more golems than there are combats of any kind in the entire "annoying" Weeping Stone Catacombs.

And yup, I like to maximize my character's potential. Why? Cause I think that's how a truly heroic character would behave. He's going to want to maximize his -own- potential, cause if he doesn't, he'll get killed.

I don't do it to extremes. I won't maximize if it otherwise conflicts with the character's personality as I see it, I don't exploit bugs, etc. But the character I generally play isn't going to be content with leaving a third to a half of a dungeon populated with brutal evil creatures lying around to terrorize the countryside or otherwise just slaughter the next person who needs to go there for something. If I go into a dungeon, it's to clear it out. And clearing out dungeons in Arcanum ain't fun for me.

Pretty much everyone agrees that the orc caves in the NWN2 OC are annoying as all hell. That's how Arcanum's dungeons feel to me. Except that I got through the orc caves quicker.

(And please don't bring up "The Wheel Clan dungeon is optional" again - it's a pretty major quest to have to skip for the sake of not wanting another long dungeon slog.)

Qwinn

 

[Serious_Business]

Pretty much everyone agrees that the orc caves in the NWN2 OC are annoying as all hell. That's how Arcanum's dungeons feel to me. Except that I got through the orc caves quicker.

That's not a real problem : you can just not play the goddamn game

kodfskopodkpsokdaps


Fuck you codex