Only problem now is knowing it is sitting there on my PC and I can't touch it. I'll be posting about it this Friday, late though, since I work.
Wednesday, November 9, 2011
The Elder Scrolls: Skyrim Preload begins!
With Skyrim coming this Friday, steam has begun the preload for it.
Only problem now is knowing it is sitting there on my PC and I can't touch it. I'll be posting about it this Friday, late though, since I work.
Only problem now is knowing it is sitting there on my PC and I can't touch it. I'll be posting about it this Friday, late though, since I work.
Tuesday, November 8, 2011
Steam Forums Gets Hacked
Anybody with a Steam Forums account should go and change their password immediately. Earlier today the forums were hacked. While it doesn't appear any personal information besides email addresses were acquired, it would be a good idea none the less, since most users probably use the same pass as their real Steam account.
fkn0wned.com is the site that was put up promoting hacking and cheats within the forums. The website denies that it had any part in the hacking.
Some users are claiming to have received emails from fkn0wned.com promoting their site (though I've not received any, so who is to know if the claims are true.)
On the forums, this message was posted:
Ever wanted to dominate the serveres you play on with guarenteed results, but you were too afraid to cheat because of ban risks? Visit Fkn0wned.com. It's safe, secure and undetected. Along with hacks, we've also got some general discussion sections, hacking tutorials and tools, porn, free giveaways and much more. This site has been conditioned to meet all your needs in terms of resources so be sure to take a look and tell us what you think. Thanks again, the fkn0wned team
Some users are claiming to have received emails from fkn0wned.com promoting their site (though I've not received any, so who is to know if the claims are true.)
I sort of believe that this site is not really responsible. I doubt these hackers and cheaters want to be thrust out into the open like this, into the glare of Valve. Valve knows how to shut down cheaters with its VAC system, and this is likely to make the hackers work harder.
The forums were down when I attempted to go to them at around 11:30am EST, and remain down at the time of this writing. No details or comments have come from Valve yet. The Steam application is unaffected and games can still be played unhindered through it.
This is why Valve uses separate accounts for their forums and for Steam
Some users are claiming to have received emails from fkn0wned.com promoting their site (though I've not received any, so who is to know if the claims are true.)
On the forums, this message was posted:
Ever wanted to dominate the serveres you play on with guarenteed results, but you were too afraid to cheat because of ban risks? Visit Fkn0wned.com. It's safe, secure and undetected. Along with hacks, we've also got some general discussion sections, hacking tutorials and tools, porn, free giveaways and much more. This site has been conditioned to meet all your needs in terms of resources so be sure to take a look and tell us what you think. Thanks again, the fkn0wned team
Some users are claiming to have received emails from fkn0wned.com promoting their site (though I've not received any, so who is to know if the claims are true.)
I sort of believe that this site is not really responsible. I doubt these hackers and cheaters want to be thrust out into the open like this, into the glare of Valve. Valve knows how to shut down cheaters with its VAC system, and this is likely to make the hackers work harder.
The forums were down when I attempted to go to them at around 11:30am EST, and remain down at the time of this writing. No details or comments have come from Valve yet. The Steam application is unaffected and games can still be played unhindered through it.
Saturday, November 5, 2011
Payday: The Heist..What Would you Like to Rob Today?
In a previous post I went over the basics in the game Payday: The Heist for PS3 and PC. Today, I'll be looking at the levels and objectives.
The first mission most people will jump into is First World Bank. It's your typical bank heist. You walk in, draw your weapons, and try to crack the vault. The objectives are quite vast, ranging from finding the bank manager to burning a hole in the vault using thermite. I enjoy the smaller things in this heist, such as shooting out cameras helps shroud you from police. This is one of the easiest of the 6 missions, but that doesn't stop it from being fun. I join the bank heist without any hesitation when I see a game for it pop up. The escape is really the only lackluster part, besides waiting for drills (a common occurrence in these levels). It involves blowing a hole in a wall with C4, and running downstairs to a waiting garbage truck.
The next heist is called The Panic Room. This involves going into what they call a meth lab (though it appears as though there is no equipment in this meth lab, and looks more like cocaine or heroin sitting on the tables) and getting the panic room that is loaded with cash out. It starts with you pretending to make a deal with the dealers and ends with a chopper pulling the panic room out via the roof. I feel as though the level could have been so much more, but instead you get a 6 story building, with the inside all looking exactly the same. A pretty boring local for the most part. While I don't mind playing it, it's one of the few I don't really want to play multiple times in a single session.
Next is Green Bridge. This is my absolute favorite mission. Many loath it, but I just can't get enough. It's the only mission where really the only way to survive is to work together and communicate, even on normal. It is hard. Even on the lower difficulties. It took me probably close to 10 tries with random groups before I got one that really worked as a team. It takes place on a rainy night on a bridge. You're to stop a prison transport and get a man out. Problem is there are 4 vans, so you need to saw into each of them and find him, while fighting of swat coming in on helicopters and assault waves of police. Once you find him, you take him to a scaffolding and extradite him via what appears to be a skyhook (the hook that dangles from a plane and can grab things, in this case, a special chair he sits in. Think the Batman one.). That is all easy compared to the last part. You must make your way up the bridge, while an endless assault of police bear down on you. It's all about moving from cover to cover, running and gunning, and staying together. Most groups want to hunker down and just shoot police as they come, leading to no ammo and death. A good group and this mission is great.
Diamond Heist is really the only one that is quite different from the others. You are in a corporate building that has a vault full of diamonds. You begin this one in stealth, and must work your way toward the vault. Getting caught doesn't end the mission, it just makes it that much harder. Once you make it to the vault (caught or no), you input a code that, according to one of the team, paid a million for. There is a random chance this code is right, but 9/10 it is wrong. If it's right, things are easy. If it's wrong, things get difficult. It forces you to find the CFO and take him hostage, taking him up to the helipad for a waiting chopper, trying to ransom the codes. That has a chance of working, if it doesn't, he is dropped from the helicopter to his death, and it continues. You then have to take the CEO's son hostage, this always works. You then open the vault, grab the diamonds, and high tail it via helicopter. I enjoy this mission just because it's so different from the others. Problem is, with a random group, it rarely goes smoothly, especially on the higher difficulties, but it can usually still be beaten unlike Green Bridge.
The last mission is call Slaughterhouse. It involves ambushing a van holding a boatload of gold. You fight mercenaries from Murky Water (an obvious reference to Black Water), trying to get this gold. The van careens into a slaughterhouse, and that is where most the heist takes place from. You first open the armored van with a saw, to get the gold. You then have the option of either getting one load of it and escaping, or going back multiple times for a bigger payout. The option is nice, adding a bit of stress. Want to be greedy and get it? Or play it safe and escape with what you have? Whatever your option comes to, the next point is lighting tires on fire to give a smoke signal for the pickup. After that it is just waiting for the chopper and getting to the extraction. This is also hard, comparable to Green Bridge, but more so because you want to be greedy most of the time, since you'll level faster. It's quite fun, probably my second or third favorite behind Green Bridge and maybe Diamond Heist.
That's all the mission overviews. If you have any questions about the game or levels, just post in the comments and I'll be happy to answer them as soon as I can.
The first mission most people will jump into is First World Bank. It's your typical bank heist. You walk in, draw your weapons, and try to crack the vault. The objectives are quite vast, ranging from finding the bank manager to burning a hole in the vault using thermite. I enjoy the smaller things in this heist, such as shooting out cameras helps shroud you from police. This is one of the easiest of the 6 missions, but that doesn't stop it from being fun. I join the bank heist without any hesitation when I see a game for it pop up. The escape is really the only lackluster part, besides waiting for drills (a common occurrence in these levels). It involves blowing a hole in a wall with C4, and running downstairs to a waiting garbage truck.
The next heist is called The Panic Room. This involves going into what they call a meth lab (though it appears as though there is no equipment in this meth lab, and looks more like cocaine or heroin sitting on the tables) and getting the panic room that is loaded with cash out. It starts with you pretending to make a deal with the dealers and ends with a chopper pulling the panic room out via the roof. I feel as though the level could have been so much more, but instead you get a 6 story building, with the inside all looking exactly the same. A pretty boring local for the most part. While I don't mind playing it, it's one of the few I don't really want to play multiple times in a single session.
The next mission is called Heat Street. It starts with what appears to have been a successful heist. Problem is one of your men turn on you, locking you in a room and driving off with the cash. Your objective here is to get it back. The one you're chasing ends up in a car crash and you and your team have to fight your way up the streets that are swarming with police. Once you catch him, you see he has the briefcase with the cash handcuffed to himself. This now turns into an escort mission to the helicopter. It's an alright mission, the other one that I really don't enjoy playing multiple times. It can be brutal on higher difficulties, with little cover besides cars to fight back the police. The only problem is, the direction of the level. When I played it for the first time, I had no idea what I was doing or why I was doing it. After playing it a couple times I understood everything, but even your radio man doesn't explain things very well.
Diamond Heist is really the only one that is quite different from the others. You are in a corporate building that has a vault full of diamonds. You begin this one in stealth, and must work your way toward the vault. Getting caught doesn't end the mission, it just makes it that much harder. Once you make it to the vault (caught or no), you input a code that, according to one of the team, paid a million for. There is a random chance this code is right, but 9/10 it is wrong. If it's right, things are easy. If it's wrong, things get difficult. It forces you to find the CFO and take him hostage, taking him up to the helipad for a waiting chopper, trying to ransom the codes. That has a chance of working, if it doesn't, he is dropped from the helicopter to his death, and it continues. You then have to take the CEO's son hostage, this always works. You then open the vault, grab the diamonds, and high tail it via helicopter. I enjoy this mission just because it's so different from the others. Problem is, with a random group, it rarely goes smoothly, especially on the higher difficulties, but it can usually still be beaten unlike Green Bridge.
The last mission is call Slaughterhouse. It involves ambushing a van holding a boatload of gold. You fight mercenaries from Murky Water (an obvious reference to Black Water), trying to get this gold. The van careens into a slaughterhouse, and that is where most the heist takes place from. You first open the armored van with a saw, to get the gold. You then have the option of either getting one load of it and escaping, or going back multiple times for a bigger payout. The option is nice, adding a bit of stress. Want to be greedy and get it? Or play it safe and escape with what you have? Whatever your option comes to, the next point is lighting tires on fire to give a smoke signal for the pickup. After that it is just waiting for the chopper and getting to the extraction. This is also hard, comparable to Green Bridge, but more so because you want to be greedy most of the time, since you'll level faster. It's quite fun, probably my second or third favorite behind Green Bridge and maybe Diamond Heist.
That's all the mission overviews. If you have any questions about the game or levels, just post in the comments and I'll be happy to answer them as soon as I can.
Thursday, November 3, 2011
DC Universe Goes Free to Play
So I logged into Steam last night and it shows me that DC Universe is now entirely free to play (on PC, you can still buy the disc version for PS3 and play it online for free though). I've enjoyed MMOs in the past, but can never really get into them in the long haul. While I do have a love affair with WoW every time an expansion comes out, I tend to lose interest once I hit the level cap and have scored decent gear. Rift was the same way. I quit because I saw no more need to spend cash on something I wasn't getting a lot of enjoyment out of.
I'd been interested in DCU when it initially came out, but I could never see myself playing it for the long haul, so this F2P structure has peaked my interest.
Similar to other F2P games out there, there are certain tiers of membership that you can be in. There is the true F2P membership, a "Premium" membership which you obtain after spending a whopping $5, and a "Legendary" membership, which is the 14.99/mo that most MMOs run with.
True F2P players are in no way limited to the content of the game. You can go anywhere, do about anything. It's the side things that really limit this membership. You cannot receive attachments via the in game mail (which is a bummer since many quest rewards tend to show up that way, so you can't get them EDIT: apparently this was a bug, you can still receive items via in game mail, you just cannot send them), you get 6 chat messages every 30 seconds (annoying, but meh), you are limited to 2 character spots (you can purchase more, though if you are willing to do that, you might as well just spend $5 and get more slots that way), your inventory is limited to 28 slots, no trading is allowed, cannot put items up for auction (though it seems as though you can buy), limited to 12 bank slots, and you can only hold up to 1500 of the in game currency. While you can certainly play this way just fine, you will find certain annoyances as you go along (such as the quest-mail situation). I began the game this way, but quickly upgraded to the "premium" membership.
The Premium membership requires you to spend $5 in the in game marketplace. This is a onetime deal, so once you've bought it, you are good to go. Not really a bad deal. Also, if you previously owned the game, and paid the sub fee, you are automatically included in the premium membership, which most would expect.
This membership raises the limits on most of the F2P things.
With this subscription, you get 6 character slots, 42 inventory slots, 5 auction slots, 24 bank slots, you can trade items only (no cash), can send and receive items in the mail, can voice chat along with 6 text/30 sec, and can hold a maximum of 2000 in game currency. Most of these limits can be raised with in game purchases if you really desire, with the exception of currency and the chat.
Legendary is the typical MMO subscription. They have multiple buying options, from single, 3 month, 6 month, and a year. The longer the sub, the smaller the monthly payments (though it is paid in lump sum).
Legendary gets you 16 character slots, 63 inventory, 20 auction, 48 bank, can trade cash and items, unlimited currency, unlimited chat, and can send items and cash in the mail. Again, many of these can be raised with in game purchases. One important (to some people) feature that comes with a legendary membership, is the ability to create guilds. All kinds of memberships can join, but only this can create. The one thing you do receive with this membership, is any DLC expansion packs are included, where as the other two must pay (the only one up right now is 9.99).
If you find you really love the game, go for legendary. But I personally feel premium will suit most people, plus $5 is really not too bad considering the upgrades.
Onto the game play. Unlike typical MMOs, there is no click one button, and they auto attack. This is more like a brawler than anything. As you level, you alternate gaining skills in super powers and weapons. Also, there are no mounts. You choose one of 3 transport options when you create a hero/villain. I'll get into that with character creation later. Other than that, it really seems to be the typical MMO. Kill X amount of baddies (or good guys I guess, depending on your alignment), turn in quest. Typical PVP combat can be seen on the server. As a level 4 hero, I was curb stomped by 2 level 9s while questing. No limits seem to be put in place for PvP, no safe zone, no safe level, which is fine, because I enjoy the combat.
Character creation is quite vast compared to many MMOs. You first choose a gender, then a body type. There are 3 main body types, each with 3 sizes.
Next, you can choose whether you would like a completely custom character or would like to model after a DC hero/villain. The big names are here, Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, The Joker, Lex Luther, Green Lantern, etc. I assume most will create their own, which leads to the next portion of the creation, your alignment.
Be either a Hero or Villain. It changes the story arc and who you can choose to be your mentor (more on that later).
Next is personality. While there are no real game play changes with this, it effects your hero's animations.
The decision of who your mentor will be is the next choice. If you chose hero, Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman are your choices. As a villain, the Joker, Lex Luther, and Circe (apparently Wonder Woman's nemesis, never knew). Whatever mentor you choose, changes the story arc, so choose who you would like to follow carefully.
Now the good part, powers. There are 6 (7 if you own the one DLC) types of power to choose from:
Tank roles include Fire and Ice.
Controller types are Gadgets and Mental (and Light if you own the DLC)
Healer types are Nature and Sorcery.
The typical archetypes are here. Tanks have large health pools and high defense with taunt abilities. Controllers are about crowd control. Healers keep everybody alive.
Each has different trees to level in. Along with main archetypes, each power has a DPS tree as well. For more information on powers: Powers
Next you choose your movement options. 3 ways to get about the world are presented for you to choose from. The classic flying, super speed, and what they call acrobatics (allowing you to jump from building to building, climb walls, grappling hook, gliding. Think Batman).
Your following choice is your weapon. Each has weaknesses and advantages. There are: One-Handed, Hand Blaster, Bow, Brawling, Dual Pistols, Dual Wield, Martial Arts, Rifle, Staff, and Two-Handed.
Lastly, you are allowed to customize your character. You choose a skin type (typical human skins along with some not so human), hair type, and clothing. Clothing includes masks, facial gear, a torso, gloves, cape, pants, boots and a belt. Each have unique looks to them, problem is most are god awful ugly. You can then choose to color your hero/villain any way you'd like, from skin, hair, and clothing.
The last step is choosing a name. I found most good sounding super hero names were taken, and the only way to really get one is adding adjectives, as my character above. I really wanted Neutron, but meh, can't win them all.
The only problems I'm really finding so far is the overloaded servers, which is expected from a brand new F2P game. Hopefully Sony corrects this, and things start to really get going.
The next post about DCU will feature more gameplay and story elements, since I've not yet quite made my way through much of the world yet.
I'd been interested in DCU when it initially came out, but I could never see myself playing it for the long haul, so this F2P structure has peaked my interest.
Similar to other F2P games out there, there are certain tiers of membership that you can be in. There is the true F2P membership, a "Premium" membership which you obtain after spending a whopping $5, and a "Legendary" membership, which is the 14.99/mo that most MMOs run with.
True F2P players are in no way limited to the content of the game. You can go anywhere, do about anything. It's the side things that really limit this membership. You cannot receive attachments via the in game mail (which is a bummer since many quest rewards tend to show up that way, so you can't get them EDIT: apparently this was a bug, you can still receive items via in game mail, you just cannot send them), you get 6 chat messages every 30 seconds (annoying, but meh), you are limited to 2 character spots (you can purchase more, though if you are willing to do that, you might as well just spend $5 and get more slots that way), your inventory is limited to 28 slots, no trading is allowed, cannot put items up for auction (though it seems as though you can buy), limited to 12 bank slots, and you can only hold up to 1500 of the in game currency. While you can certainly play this way just fine, you will find certain annoyances as you go along (such as the quest-mail situation). I began the game this way, but quickly upgraded to the "premium" membership.
The Premium membership requires you to spend $5 in the in game marketplace. This is a onetime deal, so once you've bought it, you are good to go. Not really a bad deal. Also, if you previously owned the game, and paid the sub fee, you are automatically included in the premium membership, which most would expect.
This membership raises the limits on most of the F2P things.
With this subscription, you get 6 character slots, 42 inventory slots, 5 auction slots, 24 bank slots, you can trade items only (no cash), can send and receive items in the mail, can voice chat along with 6 text/30 sec, and can hold a maximum of 2000 in game currency. Most of these limits can be raised with in game purchases if you really desire, with the exception of currency and the chat.
Legendary is the typical MMO subscription. They have multiple buying options, from single, 3 month, 6 month, and a year. The longer the sub, the smaller the monthly payments (though it is paid in lump sum).
Legendary gets you 16 character slots, 63 inventory, 20 auction, 48 bank, can trade cash and items, unlimited currency, unlimited chat, and can send items and cash in the mail. Again, many of these can be raised with in game purchases. One important (to some people) feature that comes with a legendary membership, is the ability to create guilds. All kinds of memberships can join, but only this can create. The one thing you do receive with this membership, is any DLC expansion packs are included, where as the other two must pay (the only one up right now is 9.99).
If you find you really love the game, go for legendary. But I personally feel premium will suit most people, plus $5 is really not too bad considering the upgrades.
Onto the game play. Unlike typical MMOs, there is no click one button, and they auto attack. This is more like a brawler than anything. As you level, you alternate gaining skills in super powers and weapons. Also, there are no mounts. You choose one of 3 transport options when you create a hero/villain. I'll get into that with character creation later. Other than that, it really seems to be the typical MMO. Kill X amount of baddies (or good guys I guess, depending on your alignment), turn in quest. Typical PVP combat can be seen on the server. As a level 4 hero, I was curb stomped by 2 level 9s while questing. No limits seem to be put in place for PvP, no safe zone, no safe level, which is fine, because I enjoy the combat.
My level 5 hero, The Dark Revenant. Dun Dun Dun!
Character creation is quite vast compared to many MMOs. You first choose a gender, then a body type. There are 3 main body types, each with 3 sizes.
Next, you can choose whether you would like a completely custom character or would like to model after a DC hero/villain. The big names are here, Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, The Joker, Lex Luther, Green Lantern, etc. I assume most will create their own, which leads to the next portion of the creation, your alignment.
Here's a shot of the Wonder Woman template
Next is personality. While there are no real game play changes with this, it effects your hero's animations.
The decision of who your mentor will be is the next choice. If you chose hero, Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman are your choices. As a villain, the Joker, Lex Luther, and Circe (apparently Wonder Woman's nemesis, never knew). Whatever mentor you choose, changes the story arc, so choose who you would like to follow carefully.
I ended up going with Lex Luther though, since I already had a Hero
Now the good part, powers. There are 6 (7 if you own the one DLC) types of power to choose from:
Tank roles include Fire and Ice.
Controller types are Gadgets and Mental (and Light if you own the DLC)
Healer types are Nature and Sorcery.
The typical archetypes are here. Tanks have large health pools and high defense with taunt abilities. Controllers are about crowd control. Healers keep everybody alive.
Each has different trees to level in. Along with main archetypes, each power has a DPS tree as well. For more information on powers: Powers
Next you choose your movement options. 3 ways to get about the world are presented for you to choose from. The classic flying, super speed, and what they call acrobatics (allowing you to jump from building to building, climb walls, grappling hook, gliding. Think Batman).
Went with Super-Speed this time
Lastly, you are allowed to customize your character. You choose a skin type (typical human skins along with some not so human), hair type, and clothing. Clothing includes masks, facial gear, a torso, gloves, cape, pants, boots and a belt. Each have unique looks to them, problem is most are god awful ugly. You can then choose to color your hero/villain any way you'd like, from skin, hair, and clothing.
The last step is choosing a name. I found most good sounding super hero names were taken, and the only way to really get one is adding adjectives, as my character above. I really wanted Neutron, but meh, can't win them all.
The Finished Product
The only problems I'm really finding so far is the overloaded servers, which is expected from a brand new F2P game. Hopefully Sony corrects this, and things start to really get going.
The next post about DCU will feature more gameplay and story elements, since I've not yet quite made my way through much of the world yet.
Wednesday, November 2, 2011
My PC
Some people have been asking what kind of rig I roll with.
I built it specifically for gaming (never buy your own pc if you want to play games on it, it's really quite easy to do, and you will spend half the money. Also, if you really want to play games on a PC, get a desktop. Laptops are great for their portability, but you will never get what you get out of a desktop on them). It's not the best on the market, but I can run most new games on high or max settings, so it does what I need it to. My specs follow:
CPU: AMD Phenom II X6 1100T Black Edition 3.30 GHz (Liquid Cooled)
Ram: 8 GB DDR3-1600
Graphics: 2x AMD Radeon HD 6850 - 1 GB (running in crossfire mode)
PSU: 800 Watt
Sound: Creative Labs Sound Blaster Audigy SE
OS: x64 Windows 7 Ultimate
I built it specifically for gaming (never buy your own pc if you want to play games on it, it's really quite easy to do, and you will spend half the money. Also, if you really want to play games on a PC, get a desktop. Laptops are great for their portability, but you will never get what you get out of a desktop on them). It's not the best on the market, but I can run most new games on high or max settings, so it does what I need it to. My specs follow:
CPU: AMD Phenom II X6 1100T Black Edition 3.30 GHz (Liquid Cooled)
Ram: 8 GB DDR3-1600
Graphics: 2x AMD Radeon HD 6850 - 1 GB (running in crossfire mode)
PSU: 800 Watt
Sound: Creative Labs Sound Blaster Audigy SE
OS: x64 Windows 7 Ultimate
Taken from my iPhone, so not the best quality
Payday: The Heist..Left for Dead with a twist
The next game I'm playing is Payday: The Heist. It's available for PS3 and PC through steam. This review is based upon the PC version. It's quite cheap, $20, and good times for the low amount. I've put about 30 hours into it since it came out two weeks or so ago, and have had a blast with it. Essentially, it is a 4 person coop FPS. You are a team of criminals, robbing certain locations. I'll go over the locations further on.
You play the game left for dead style. You're a 4 man team, consisting of either real players or AI, attempting to complete a set of objectives, mowing down police in the process. Really I'm quite surprised this hasn't gotten more ill advised attention from the media, which would have only boosted sales, but oh well. Anyways, each objective moves your team closer to the cash. After acquiring the money, you must safely reach the getaway area, be it garbage truck, helicopter, sewer, or scuba equipment. I know, they put some thought into escapes, eh?
Police come in waves, called assaults. The AI is pretty awful for the cops. They just run in to where ever you are, and get blasted. Then more come, and more. While I understand we are playing a game, not a simulator, there should be some hesitation from lower street police. Swat I understand, but the boys in blue should be a bit more hesitant.
There are 3 classes to choose from as you play the game. Assault, the typical run and gun approach. Sharpshooter, snipers and such. And Support, medical bags, extra starting ammo, etc. While you can switch class at anytime, you only choose a load out at the beginning of the mission, so you won't get different gear if you switch. What you do get, is levels.
As you acquire cash and do certain deeds, you gain XP (money in this case). Each class has a tree, and as you level, you get new items or upgrades in the class you are currently in. Allowing you to switch classes mid game, gives you the choice of leveling any way you would like. There are caps within the tree, such as progressing to a certain point in it you need level 20, or 88, or 144. Once you are capped in that tree, you can begin on another while you wait for the cap to remove. Or you can level up evenly, giving you a jack of all trades. Each tree also has a perk that can be used. These perks are passive, being chosen at the load out screen. Each one supports your team, but not yourself, allowing some overlap without anybody being useless. Currently, the level cap is at 145. I'm at 60, mostly in support.
There is unfortunately a real lack of weapons and upgrades for the guns. Each tree only has 2 unlocked weapons as you progress, and the upgrades you get are lackluster to say the least. The sniper rifle you get in the sharpshooting tree doesn't even get a true scope, only a x2 or x4 red dot sight. In reality, the starting rifle is quite good until you have unlocked some of the damage boosts on the others while you progress. I still put the rifle on in some missions. Good news is, the developers have been very active on the steam forums, and confirm there will be future updates with new weapons and unlocks. Along with fixing many of the bugs and missing features, such as advanced graphic options (on a side note, why are developers not adding this in PC games recently? First Rage, which looked awful on my high end system because of its auto tuning, and now this.)
The cons are few, and for the most part, will be patched out according to devs.
1. Team and Police AI are weak, second patch will fix some of this.
2. Lack of weapons and upgrades.
3. No push-to-talk (again, developers, include this in PC games, I don't want to listen to my cohorts munching Doritos, a crying baby, and their awful music the entire time)
4. No advanced graphic options
After reaching max level, no reason to continue except the fun of the game. (some may find this a problem, I do not. I don't need Prestige levels to make me feel happy.)
5. Difficulty on some heists is just insane with a sub par team, even on normal (many have been complaining of this, but I really enjoy the difficulty. I'm sick of games holding your hands while you play. I want to be beaten and tossed around. At least some devs still know what it is to make a difficult game. On a side note, if you want a difficult game, try Demon's Souls for the PS3, or Dark Souls for PS3 and Xbox. They are brutal.)
6. No real explanation in game how leveling works. I didn't get it until about level 20 or so. Somebody else actually explained it to me in game. Maybe should have some kind of a short tutorial heist or something, just to explain the basics.
As I said, many of these are being patched
As for the levels. They vary, but in reality, they feature many objectives that are essentially the same. Set the drill on the vault and wait for it to open, but it jams, so you have to sit with it. Open the safe room with saws, but they jam, so sit with them. Open the prison transport vehicles with saws, but wait..you get my drift.
Other than the lack of variation in some objectives, each heist is quite fun, though I do have favorites.
I'll be going over each of them in a future post.
You play the game left for dead style. You're a 4 man team, consisting of either real players or AI, attempting to complete a set of objectives, mowing down police in the process. Really I'm quite surprised this hasn't gotten more ill advised attention from the media, which would have only boosted sales, but oh well. Anyways, each objective moves your team closer to the cash. After acquiring the money, you must safely reach the getaway area, be it garbage truck, helicopter, sewer, or scuba equipment. I know, they put some thought into escapes, eh?
Police come in waves, called assaults. The AI is pretty awful for the cops. They just run in to where ever you are, and get blasted. Then more come, and more. While I understand we are playing a game, not a simulator, there should be some hesitation from lower street police. Swat I understand, but the boys in blue should be a bit more hesitant.
Cops running at 4 criminals all by his lonesome? Check.
As you acquire cash and do certain deeds, you gain XP (money in this case). Each class has a tree, and as you level, you get new items or upgrades in the class you are currently in. Allowing you to switch classes mid game, gives you the choice of leveling any way you would like. There are caps within the tree, such as progressing to a certain point in it you need level 20, or 88, or 144. Once you are capped in that tree, you can begin on another while you wait for the cap to remove. Or you can level up evenly, giving you a jack of all trades. Each tree also has a perk that can be used. These perks are passive, being chosen at the load out screen. Each one supports your team, but not yourself, allowing some overlap without anybody being useless. Currently, the level cap is at 145. I'm at 60, mostly in support.
Levels vary in location quite a bit, including this panic room heist
The cons are few, and for the most part, will be patched out according to devs.
1. Team and Police AI are weak, second patch will fix some of this.
2. Lack of weapons and upgrades.
3. No push-to-talk (again, developers, include this in PC games, I don't want to listen to my cohorts munching Doritos, a crying baby, and their awful music the entire time)
4. No advanced graphic options
After reaching max level, no reason to continue except the fun of the game. (some may find this a problem, I do not. I don't need Prestige levels to make me feel happy.)
5. Difficulty on some heists is just insane with a sub par team, even on normal (many have been complaining of this, but I really enjoy the difficulty. I'm sick of games holding your hands while you play. I want to be beaten and tossed around. At least some devs still know what it is to make a difficult game. On a side note, if you want a difficult game, try Demon's Souls for the PS3, or Dark Souls for PS3 and Xbox. They are brutal.)
6. No real explanation in game how leveling works. I didn't get it until about level 20 or so. Somebody else actually explained it to me in game. Maybe should have some kind of a short tutorial heist or something, just to explain the basics.
As I said, many of these are being patched
As for the levels. They vary, but in reality, they feature many objectives that are essentially the same. Set the drill on the vault and wait for it to open, but it jams, so you have to sit with it. Open the safe room with saws, but they jam, so sit with them. Open the prison transport vehicles with saws, but wait..you get my drift.
Other than the lack of variation in some objectives, each heist is quite fun, though I do have favorites.
I'll be going over each of them in a future post.
Amnesia..I hate you so very much
I'm starting up Amnesia. It's almost 5am, couldn't sleep. Sitting in my office with no lights, this should be interesting.
So the game, for those of you who have never experienced it, is essentially a first person survival horror game. Except the nice little tidbit that there is no fighting back. You run. Sounds particularly exciting when said like that, but the atmosphere is what gets you. Unlike many horror games out, Amnesia, at least the bit I've played, doesn't go for cheap scares. That is, you won't be having things jump out at you much. It's scary, because there really is nothing you can do to help yourself. You can run. You can hide. You can die. Those are your options. You have a limited light source in a dark and dreary castle. It's terrifying, and I'm not usually one who scares easily.
I won't give too much away, but essentially, you wake up in a castle, not knowing where it is, or who you are. Things are going crazy: noises, distorted images, etc. And it's your job to figure out what is going on. Clues present themselves as you go along. You find out your name quite early and why you have no memory, but otherwise, you're left in the dark scary castle by yourself. And the monsters.
So the game, for those of you who have never experienced it, is essentially a first person survival horror game. Except the nice little tidbit that there is no fighting back. You run. Sounds particularly exciting when said like that, but the atmosphere is what gets you. Unlike many horror games out, Amnesia, at least the bit I've played, doesn't go for cheap scares. That is, you won't be having things jump out at you much. It's scary, because there really is nothing you can do to help yourself. You can run. You can hide. You can die. Those are your options. You have a limited light source in a dark and dreary castle. It's terrifying, and I'm not usually one who scares easily.
I won't give too much away, but essentially, you wake up in a castle, not knowing where it is, or who you are. Things are going crazy: noises, distorted images, etc. And it's your job to figure out what is going on. Clues present themselves as you go along. You find out your name quite early and why you have no memory, but otherwise, you're left in the dark scary castle by yourself. And the monsters.
Well, that's terrifying
They may appear like retarded fish frogs, but that is where the likeness ends. They have no qualms with eating your face. So you can hide in a closet, and hope it loses interest and/or doesn't find you, or you can run. Running typically doesn't work since they are speedy little buggers. So hiding, and waiting, and hoping they don't break open that door.
You would do something like that
If getting chased by deadly retarded fish frogs weren't enough, you also have to worry about your sanity. You see, if you stay in the dark too long or gaze upon the lovely face of you know who, you begin to lose sanity. Your vision blurs, breathing gets heavy, etc. Problem is, if you keep the light on at all times, you're a walking lighthouse. So walking a fine line between going insane and getting devoured by monsters is a constant thought. Why would you make a game like this?
Well, enough delaying. Here we go.
Well, enough delaying. Here we go.
Starting Something
To start, let me introduce myself. My name is Andy Neff. I'm happily engaged and the wedding is planned for June of 2012. I am a college student at Lake Superior State University majoring in history with a focus on education. I'm 24, and have been gaming as long as I can remember. My mother says I've been playing since I was about 2, sitting in front of the living room TV, playing Super Mario Bros. on the NES. It's been an addiction ever since.
I've created this blog to showcase what I play, and review it. For anybody with similar tastes, I hope to provide a thorough showing of the games I'm playing and give them a fair chance. I'm not showing necessarily the newest games, though the ones that interest me will definitely be purchased and played to death. Some of these games may be a couple years old, since steam allows me to find those old gems for $5 or so. Anyways, enough rambling, let me inform you all of the games I'm currently playing through:
1. Borderlands GOTY (I actually have it on xbox, but could never get into it. Bought it on steam during the Halloween sale and I've really gotten into it.)
2. Payday: The Heist
3. Bioshock (another halloween sale, same with Borderlands, I actually have it on xbox, just never dug it, still not sure)
4. Amnesia (I've tried this on multiple occasions, but I'm apparently a wimp, because it scares the living bejeebus out of me. I will get through it though.)
5. Depths of Peril (A small indie game I got off steam a while back during a daily deal.)
May seem like a lot to play at one time, but I find I can split the time with them somewhat effectively. Not included on the list, is Minecraft. I probably won't do many posts on it, since there are so many out there already, but I've played it for over a year now, and am still obsessed. If anything major happens with it, I may talk about it, who knows. So, this is the start. Let's see where we go.
I've created this blog to showcase what I play, and review it. For anybody with similar tastes, I hope to provide a thorough showing of the games I'm playing and give them a fair chance. I'm not showing necessarily the newest games, though the ones that interest me will definitely be purchased and played to death. Some of these games may be a couple years old, since steam allows me to find those old gems for $5 or so. Anyways, enough rambling, let me inform you all of the games I'm currently playing through:
1. Borderlands GOTY (I actually have it on xbox, but could never get into it. Bought it on steam during the Halloween sale and I've really gotten into it.)
2. Payday: The Heist
3. Bioshock (another halloween sale, same with Borderlands, I actually have it on xbox, just never dug it, still not sure)
4. Amnesia (I've tried this on multiple occasions, but I'm apparently a wimp, because it scares the living bejeebus out of me. I will get through it though.)
5. Depths of Peril (A small indie game I got off steam a while back during a daily deal.)
May seem like a lot to play at one time, but I find I can split the time with them somewhat effectively. Not included on the list, is Minecraft. I probably won't do many posts on it, since there are so many out there already, but I've played it for over a year now, and am still obsessed. If anything major happens with it, I may talk about it, who knows. So, this is the start. Let's see where we go.
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