AggroChat #153 – Incoming Tank Shortage

Featuring:  Ashgar, Belghast, Kodra, and Tamrielo

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One of the things that gets edited down before you get your hands on the podcast is any long gaps between topics.  This week we were seemingly a little bit out of it, and the pauses were significant.  When I sat down to start editing I had 2 hours and 15 minutes worth of recorded audio, and after doing my normal compression pass…  we are down to just a little over 1 hour and 30 minutes.  The result was a pretty wide gamut of topics that we discussed, and between the pauses some of the more interesting conversation about a few things that we had never quite delved into.  Among the topics a lengthy discussion about what is wrong with Warhammer games as a whole, and our fears regarding what is absolutely going to be a crushing tank shortage with Stormblood.

Topics Discussed:  

  • Star Wars the Old Republic
  • Skyforge PC
  • Bomberman Creepy Characters
  • Wonder Boy: The Dragon’s Trap
  • Hollow Knight
  • Eternal Crusade
  • Warhammer 40,000
  • Games Workshop
  • Pips are Important
  • People Don’t Understand NDAs
  • Final Fantasy XIV Stormblood
  • Tank Shortage
  • Dark Souls III
  • Variable Difficulty in Games
  • Persona 5

AggroChat #144 – Why Doma Fell

Featuring:  Ashgar, Belghast, Grace, Kodra, and Tamrielo

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Tonight we assembled and thought we had nothing to talk about… but apparently we were super wrong.  As is usually the case with us when we think we have nothing… we wind up recording a two hour show.  While it doesn’t weigh in quite that long this week, it still is a pretty lengthy discussion about stuff and things… and sometimes gaming.  We apparently have an awful lot to say about Final Fantasy XIV and the fact that Stormblood brings no new tanks into the fold.  We also talk a bit about how tank design seems to always fit within the same small box and how they might benefit from branching out a bit.  After this bulk of the discussion we weave through a whole bunch of other topics.

Topics: Final Fantasy XIV Alexander Raid, Fanfest Announcements, The Tank Shortage, Darkness Myth: Cthulhu Otome, Work Console, Shantae, Humble Freedom Bundle, Vampire Campaign

 

Advanced Spellcraft

Advanced Spellcraft

I’ve talked about quite a few things that I experienced at Pax South, and this mornings post is going to do some more of the same.  I feel like this year more than others I walked away with a treasure trove of things I wanted to talk about.  I guess in theory it is because I approached the convention significantly differently than I have in past years.  In the past I largely only stood in line to play the games that immediately seemed to be in my wheelhouse, and as a result I am sure I robbed myself of a whole slew of interesting things.  The game I want to talk about this morning is a prime example of not being able to rely on our instincts and tastes.  If you have read my blog for any length of time you will know that I do not handle “finger wigglers” that well… or to clarify my own personal slang…  spell casters.  So when I walked past a booth demonstrating a game where the main character is slinging spells left and right, my first instinct is to keep moving.  However as a group we stopped and listened to the intricate tale that CEO Louis-Félix Cauchon had to weave.  Admittedly what make this game so interesting is just how detailed the spell system is.  We got to watch a twenty minute demo covering nothing but how the spell system works, before even getting into the awesome pedigree of the storytelling.

Advanced Spellcraft

Functionally your character has four spells, which in itself doesn’t seem like a lot.  However each spell can be modified with what I have been generically calling “mutators” to change the way it responds.  So you might have a spell that at face value is a small point blank spark, however by equipping a a behavior you can make it fire out like a fireball…  or by equipping an augment you can make it veer to the right after firing it.  If you suddenly decide that you don’t want to throw fireballs… but instead iceballs, you can simply go in and change the base element of the attack.  Over the course of this demo of the system we got to see personal shields turn into charge attacks, and glorious cascades of rock from the ceiling in place of a traditional blizzard spell.  Now you might ask yourself why on each you would need this level of detail for a spell system apart from the simple “wouldn’t it be cool” aspect.  Functionally the magic not only serves as a weapon, but also as a complex puzzle system.  So there might be switches that you cannot reach unless you modify your fireball to arc in a certain way in order to hit the trigger.  The spellbook also allows you to save off several different configurations of a spell, and in the final version you will be able to give them unique names allowing you to quickly recognize which version of a given spell is your avalanche and which is your frost barrier.  The only immediate limit to building insane combination spells is your imagination, and of course your mana bar.  Each trait that you give a spell increases its cost, and while it was described that this matters less and less as you go through the game… it does limit your early tinkering.  Additionally as you play through the game you find modifiers along the way, meaning your palette of abilities starts small and grows as you progress.

Advanced Spellcraft

Up to this point we have literally just talked about the technical spell casting system, which in itself is a pretty amazing game.  On top of this however they have added what is sure to be a pretty great story.  Ed Greenwood of Forgotten Realms fame has penned the story for this game about epic spellcasters, which only makes sense given that he gave us the character of Elminster.  Functionally I heard the game described as Harry Potter meets Zelda and that seems fitting, with a huge alteration in that there seems to be a lot more physical puzzle solving with your spells.  I find it so bizarre though that I am looking forward to the release of a game about magic users, and that includes absolutely zero armor clad characters for me to bash baddies in the head with.  At face value this game is traditionally far out of my wheelhouse, but it was also quite possibly the freshest feeling game concept I saw on the Pax floor.  We’ve done so much for martial combat and making it feel interesting and nuanced, but have done so little to bring that same level of nuance to weaving complex spells.  Most games give us the option of push button throw fireball, or push button create bubble…  but this is the first that I have seen that lets you take that bubble and then project it outwards or trigger another spell after the bubble casts.  I have this feeling that in many ways it will have an almost metroidvania feel in that each time you unlock a new ability to give you spells it is also going to open up new ways to solve puzzles and allow you to move deeper into the content.

Advanced Spellcraft

The game right now is targetted for PC, Playstation 4 and Xbox One and does not have a firm launch date… but we heard March or April mentioned which I largely translated into a “Spring” launch window that might be plus or minus a month.  They are doing something extremely interesting to get us into the world ahead of the launch by releasing a comic that updates Tuesdays and  Thursdays and explains the world and setting.  I love it when I experience a game like this, not necessarily because “woo spellcasters” or anything of the sort, but because this is clearly the love child of a bunch of folks who care deeply about it.  Talking to Louis-Félix Cauchon within second it was clear to see just how passionate he was about this game, and the work and imagination that went into creating it.  That in truth is what makes the convention experience special.  You get to meet the creators face to face and see just how much they love what they are doing.  In many ways it feels like Pax South recharges the spark inside of me each year, and gives me fuel to keep going throughout the year.  We spend so much time on the negatives, the little details that bother us about this game or that.  However seeing a game like Mages of Mystralia shows me instantly that there very much still is magic out there…  pun only slightly intended.  I would definitely add this to your watch list and check it out when it ultimately releases.  I find it so bizarre that of all of the games I have experienced, this one ranks insanely high on the list of “wish I had early access” titles, if for no reason other than to play with the spell crafting system.  This is the first release from Borealys Games, but if they can pour this much passion into every project they are going to be a studio we see lots of amazing things from in the future.

AggroChat #140 – Games of the Year 2016 – Part One

Featuring: Ashgar, Belghast, Grace, Kodra, Tam and Thalen and 9 Games

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It is that time again.  Time for the AggroChat crew to attempt to narrow down a list of games for our Games of the Year show.  We have never actually been able to reach a consensus so instead we gather up a big ole list of games and talk about it each year as in a two part show. So six hosts… 3 picks per host… 18 games in total, or at least in theory that is the goal.  This time around it seems to have mostly worked out as we have 9 games per episode.

During this first episode we use up our quota of colons and talk about…

  • Pokemon Sun and Moon
  • Dishonored 2
  • Guild Wars 2: Heart of Thorns
  • Digimon Story: Cyber Sleuth
  • Destiny: Rise of Iron
  • World of Warcraft: Legion
  • Deus Ex: Mankind Divided
  • Ratchet and Clank
  • 80 Days